Why is this happening to me? (Matthew 1.18-25)
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Matthew 1.18.25
Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.
Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.
But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
“Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,”
which means, “God is with us.”
When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife,
but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.
Intro:
Love is dripping from the letters in this story or narrative in this Gospel of Matthew.....
Because in my spiritual imagination all three characters in the text we just read this morning are showing what Love looks like.....
Mary is showing us what love looks like in her willingness to carry a baby that she was not expecting to have.....
(expound)
Jesus of course is paying the ultimate sacrifice in his willingness to be placed in humanity.....to be wrapped in flesh.....
.....and pay our penalty so that we would not have to....
(expound)
And we will talk about all of this........
.....as we work our way through the text today....
But the third character in the text is who I want to talk about mostly this morning...
Because most times we know Joseph is a part of the story.......
But we don’t spend too much time talking about the part he plays in this love story......
(slight pause)
God knew everything that was going to happen....
And then after that Mary found out......
....and if I got my bible right, Elizabeth is the next one to know what’s going on.....
But Joseph......
is the last one to find out his part to play in this amazing love story...
(pause)
Freedom......
Have you ever been in a love story.....
......and right in the middle of the story you ask yourself the question...
“Why is this happening to me?”
(longer pause)
Because.......
This did not turn out like………….I thought it was supposed to!
I wonder if anybody has ever been there………………………………………..???????
(Optional Expound)
(slight pause)
Look at it now………..
Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.
In other words………..
A physical Mary……….is impregnated by a Supernatural source………..via the Holy Spirit…………(pause)
Now the timing of this event is just as important as the content of this occasion………..because according to the text………….
(slight pause)
This takes place………..after Joseph and Mary have gotten engaged…………but before they have physicallycome together!
(pause)
And if Joseph is anything like me………….he has to be wondering………
“Why is this happening to me?”
Look at this now……………..because
Engagement in Jewish culture is as binding as marriage! So it’s not as if Joseph is not committed………….he is all the way into this thing……
(pause)
So this has to be a sensitive and both seriousmatter in the mind of Joseph!
(pause)
And now here he is………..
committed to something that looks like its falling apart right before his eyes…………
(pause)
And……..so what do you do……….
when it feels like what you are committed to………..is falling apart……………
(pause)
Because it’s not like………….you gave just half of what you are to this thing…………..
but you gave your everything……….
(pause)
And now here Joseph is walking up on a Mary who is just coming back from her cousin Elizabeth’s house after 3 months……………..
only to find out that she is pregnant……….
before they have ever went on the honeymoon……….
(pause)
So now he knows………….without a shadow of a doubt…………..that this is not his child!
(pause)
And you could say what you want to say…………..
Oh……Joseph just ought to forgive her……….
He ought to not even question the working of the Holy Spirit………..
(pause)
But if we were to put the shoe on the other foot for a minute…………..
Some of us………..
aint nowhere near showing the level of mercy…………
that Joseph shows us in this text…………….
(pause)
Mess around and let one of us be engaged to get married…
……..and we have never been intimate with our fiancé…………..
and then all of a sudden.....
......have them show up talking about the Holy Spirit…………has impregnated me………..
(pause)
I mean.....
Come on now………fellas/sistas……………..
....yall can tell me the truth
(pause and expound)
Oh its about to be some furniture moving.........
(pause and expound - comical tone)
Sometimes Freedom…………..
Your Love story will have you asking the question…………..
......What have I gotten myself into?
(pause)
Look at it now………….
Because………….
what is supposed to happen is that Mary is supposed to be dealt with………or brought into question as an adulterer………
according to Jewish law……..
(pause)
Because you don’t just show up pregnant to your husband………….
when the baby don’t belong to him……………
(slight pause)
And not only that but your only alibi……….. is that this is a God thing……..
(pause)
In my spiritual imagination I hear Joseph saying,
Yeah…………right…………Mary………………
(pause)
God……………..got you pregnant…………
and we’re supposed to believe that……….
(pause)
Because.....watch this,
I can already tell you……… in the minds of those in authority…………..
it is unheard of to call what looks like a sin……………a God thing……….
(pause)
And Mary if you are not careful……………
........this God thing as you call it
......might just get you stoned!
(pause)
And you are getting ready to get stoned………..
all because……….your purpose…………
is tied up into something God is doing in our life…….
(pause)
Freedom....
You can tell………..when God has chosen somebody for a purpose……
…..because it’s never something they would have just started on their own
..........I know that some times the final product can look so attractive that it makes us believe that they just wanted it the whole time....
(slight pause)
But if the truth be told.....
......when God attaches your life to God’s plan it is more than you bargained for!
(pause and expound)
But God………..don’t care nothing about what we want………..
when it comes to God’s purpose…………
(pause)
Because it’s not about us……………
Now…………..we can choose what we will and won’t do………….
but God don’t shut down God’s purpose………..
just because it doesn’t meet our comfort level…………
Look at it now…………..because verse 19 shows us something significant………..
Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.
In other words…………….Joseph says………….
I wasn’t expecting for this to happen………………….
......i really wasn’t
.....and if we keeping it real this is a bit much......
(pause)
But because I love you Mary......
(slight pause)
“I am committed to handeling this situation in private………………………..”
and I would rather we just deal with this ourselves than expose you…………..”
(pause)
And Freedom.....
I don’t know if we realize how powerful of a shift…………
this really is right here in the text……
(pause)
Because what we are now seeing……………..
is a Joseph looking out for somebody that he really don’t have to…………look out for……….
(pause)
And I don’t know about you……………
but Joseph is starting to resemble the merciful God who is responsible for his life…………just a little bit………..
(pause)
He still has some decisions to make…………
but he is indeed showing us something in this text…………..
(pause)
Because what Joseph’s actions demonstrate…………
is that I could turn you over to the civil magistrates…………or the court system………to let them deal with you………………publicly…………
(pause)
Because.......
You look guilty…………..as charged………….Mary
(pregnant in a wedding gown………and it aint mine)
But I’m not going to put your business out there like that…………
[I hear Joseph thinking this through all in my spiritual imagination..}
So what I plan to do………..is deal with you privately…………
“And he put her away privily.”
(pause)
(expound here – SOME SAY he placed a letter in her bosom….or pulled her to the side for a heart to heart conversation)
Look at it now……………because the best time for God to deal with us is when we sit still………..
Matthew 1.20 (read)
But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
Look at when God speaks………………
(pause)
After Joseph has made his decision on how he wants to deal with Mary……………
after discovering that she is pregnant by someone other than him…………….
We find Joseph thinking…………………in verse 20
(pause)
Notice that if he is not sitting still……………..
he misses God…………
(pause)
And sometimes God needs us in an actively waiting position for just a moment.....
Because it appears as though,
......that’s all God was waiting on
was an opening somewhere so that he could assure Joseph that things are not as bad as they seem.......
(pause)
Because the text says………..
that while he is thinking……….about what he should do as he is trapped in this dreadful situation………..
(pause)
God…………shows up!
(pause and slight expound)
And Freedom,
isn’t it funny how God often shows up…….
when…………….our cognitive is colliding with catastrophe…………
(pause)
It’s almost as if………..God receives a V.I.P. invitation to show up that says!
(pause)
“Trapped…………with no way to get the tragedy turned around………..”
(pause)
And we’re....
Sitting in that one spot……………..trying to figure out…………
what we can’t figure out………..
(pause)
And……all you can ask yourself is.....
What have I gotten myself into?
(pause)
And its not until…………….the awnser you have been waiting for………….
is given to you by God…………
Because the text says………….
And God came to Joseph in a dream……………and declared……………..
(pause)
“Joseph…………..your situation…………..aint as bad as it looks.”
(pause)
“And by the way…………this is a God thing…………….
and I got my hands all over this……….”
(pause)
And in verse 21 God says…………..
“Joseph………there’s one more thing”
(pause)
“Everything humanity has been waiting on………………
is getting ready to come out of your wife!”
(pause)
“Joseph………….you got to marry this woman………….”
(pause)
“Because I need you…………to protect…………….her…………until she gives birth!”
(pause)
Joseph…………….the whole world has been waiting on this moment……….
(pause)
And you got everything you need…………down on the inside…………of your bloodline……………
(pause)
“And Joseph………..what I’m getting ready to do…………..is”
Put………….everything up……………against everything…………..and show the world…………..
WHAT A REAL………..KING IS MADE OF!!!!
(pause)
I left nothing out of your bloodline………..Joseph………………
I put fear, I put lust, I put idolatry, I put hate, I put doubt………I put denial……..I put lies……….I put murder………….
I put it all in your bloodline.………
(slight pause)
You name it………and it’s in there!
(pause)
And………….then………….I looked at everything that had you trapped………….
and I built the KING!
(pause and expound)
And then I put ……………love………..and true worship……….
and truth…………..and faith…………
and commitment………..and sacrifice……….
and obedience………..and all righteousness……….
in the blood of the KING……………….
...................It's all there!
(pause)
And…………..now Joseph……………..you are now a part of my plans…………to give the world………..everything they have been waiting on……..
(pause)
And what I love about this is that........
....the only thing that made all of this possible
.......was a Love story!
(pause)
Listen.....
All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
“Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,”
which means, “God is with us.”
The text says....
All this took place.........
All of this happened....
So that God could “COMPLETE” what God SAID!
(pause)
The Gospel writer says......
Let me explain the awnser to your question....
If you have ever wondered.....
Why is this happening to me?
Matthew’s Gospel says....
Let me explain what’s going on....
(pause)
Your...
ALL........of.......this......experience
Was spoken by God......
And so......
....the question becomes...
“Why would God say that?”
(pause and emphasize)
Because if the truth be told......
Sometimes.....
Love don’t feel like love.......
But what I have found is that.....
Love is not about a feeling....
Love is about a decision....
God decided to be clothed in flesh and come down here to save us.
Mary decided to be used by God to give birth to our saviour.
Joseph decided to get past his probing question and walk in a level of faith
(pause and expound on deciding to love)
And the text says....
God is completing what God said.....
....through Josephs experience....
(pause)
And I don’t know about you.....
.....but I start feeling better when I began realizing that the reason all of this is happening to us in our....
All of this experience.....
is because God is trying to fix something in my life that was broken!
In other words........
You didn't get yourself in this Joseph.......
..........I needed you to help me show the world how much I love them
(pause)
Note: Come on DJ/Rod]
I’m starting to feel alright now....
Because the text says.....
when Joseph wakes up........
God has explained his love story......
(pause)
And what he was calling DRAMA......
God was calling DESTINY
“Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,”
which means, “God is with us.”
Freedom.....
Joseph is able to get past his questions
....once he understands how his life is connected to God’s word.....
And I came to tell somebody who was struggling with this same question that....
God’s plan includes your experience!
(pause)
And even though it may not feel like love......
God is trying to FIX SOMETHING.....
And the only way it can be FIXED is with LOVE!!!
(EXPOUND and CLOSE)
And that’s why God decided to send his son Jesus Christ to die for our sins.......
.......and then be Resurrected with all power in his hands....
It was because of a Love STORY
We needed something fixed in our lives.....
.....and it could only be fixed with LOVE
..........COMPLETION........