Christmas - A Story of Signs and Wonder
Sunday,
Text
" 18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered 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 home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.” 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. " (Matthew 1:18-25 NIV)
Introduction
Of the four Gospels, only Matthew and Luke deal with the circumstances of Jesus’ birth. Both of their narratives are filled with the supernatural, as one might expect when God was sending His own Son into the world…! While both of their accounts include some things in common, such as angelic visitations, they each stress different aspects and events. Luke tells us about God’s glory being manifest to humble shepherds; Matthew mentions the visit of the magi and their very, very generous gifts. Luke’s narrative highlights the manifestation of God’s glory and the gift of spirit inspired speech or prophecy; Matthew repeatedly references God-given dreams.
As we approach the Christmas season, I want to talk to you today about that very thing – the role of dreams in God’s way of working His will in the world and in our lives.
· God-given dreams will be more common in the end times. (Joel 2:28)
" 28 “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions." (Joel 2:28 NIV)
This does not mean that every dream comes from God…!
· God-given dreams do not come to everyone. (Joel 2:28)
“old” men…! This does not mean God never gives dreams to the young, but this Scripture does indicate that not everyone receives God-given dreams.
The Christmas story underscores the fact that God is truly sovereign in the way He speaks to us and in the way He guides us. Abraham invited angelic travelers into his tent and did not recognize them for who they were, but when the angels appeared to the shepherds, “…the glory of the Lord shone round about…” It does appear, however, from a careful study of Scripture, that when someone receives a God-given dream, they know it is significant (Butler
· God-given dreams sometimes come to unbelievers.
Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4 – tree cut down, him becoming like an animal for seven years)
East Alton story about the man winning the lottery and needing to collect the price of the ticket from some of the most desperate homes in town…!
· God-given dreams do not always come in the way we would expect or carrying the message we would expect.
For some reason, God sometimes tells angels to only deliver their message via dreams…! (This happened three out of four times to Joseph, whereas Mary saw the angel while awake.) My natural mind would think it would be more impressive and more conclusive if the angel showed up in person, manifesting the fullness of their supernatural glory, but such is not the case. In fact, God sometimes sends angels in such human form that even godly people do not recognize them for who they are,
"2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it." (Hebrews 13:2 NIV)
· God-given dreams require God-given wisdom for proper interpretation.
"17 To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds." (Daniel 1:17 NIV)
"14 When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of
let’s notice both what God did and what Joseph did…
1. God used a dream to tell Joseph the truth. (Matt. 1:20)
“"20 But after he had considered 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 home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit." (Matthew 1:20 NIV)
In response, Joseph willfully violated social custom by taking Mary directly into his home before the one-year betrothal was over and cared for her without having sexual relations with her.[1]
In other parts of Scripture, God also used dreams to tell someone the truth about people…!
"19 While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.”" (Matthew 27:19 NIV)
2. God used a dream to warn Joseph of an unknown danger. (2:13)
" 13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to
In response, Joseph went somewhere he had never been before, somewhere he would never go again, somewhere he would have never wanted to go, somewhere his ancestors would have told him to never go…!
God could have taken Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus to other countries (Lebanon, Syria, Persia), but He specifically led them to the one country where their ancestors had suffered so tragically during 430 years and where Abraham had made his greatest mistakes…! Why? On the surface, it is obviously in order to fulfill Bible prophecy.
“When
But, the initial and obvious reference of that passage is to the experience of
There are only two reasons I can come up with:
· Because it brought God greater glory and builds our faith – God protecting them from one enemy (Herod) by taking them into the presence of another enemy (Egyptians)…! David understood that principle…!
“You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies…!” (Psalms 23)
· Because the missionary minded God of the Bible is so redemptive that He wanted to wipe away the reproach, bitterness, and fear of Egypt
"19 In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the heart of
In response, Joseph remained in that undesirable place until God’s purposes were finished there…!
3. God used a dream to show Joseph the right time. (Matt. 2:19-21)
" 19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.” 21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the
In response, Joseph did what God said to do at the time God said to do it…!
Timing is so very important in God’s economy…! The right thing done at the wrong time can become the wrong thing and bring about the wrong result. God knows the right time for everything.
" There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: 2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, 3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, 4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, 5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, 6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, 7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, 8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. …10 I have seen the burden [perhaps referring to God’s requirement that men trust His timing…!] God has laid on men. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end…14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him. " (Ecclesiastes 3:1-14 NIV)
4. God used a dream to calm Joseph’s fears. (2:22-23)
"22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in
As a result, Joseph raised the boy in a household filled with faith.
5. God used a dream to settle Joseph in the right place. (2:22-23)
"22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in
As a result, Joseph changed his mind (something that is sometime very hard for males to do…!)
There is no evidence that Joseph ever knew he was being used by God to fulfill divine prophecy. Later, some of the contemporaries of Jesus would actually reject Him as Messiah because he had grown up in
"45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 “
It does appear from the text that Joseph’s original intent was to settle in Judea instead of back in his home area of
Invitation
1. Do you need God to tell you the truth about someone or some situation?
2. Do you need God to show you the right time?
3. Do you need God to lead you to the right place?
4. Do you need God to restore you to a right relationship with Him?
Benediction
May God bless you with dreams that come from Him and with the ability to know both what they mean and what you should do. And may He give you the ability to know what is not from Him so your life will be grounded in His truth and not your own imaginations, so you will never stray from His purposes, but fulfill your destiny…!
[1] Marriages were arranged for individuals by parents, and contracts were negotiated. After this was accomplished, the individuals were considered married and were called husband and wife. They did not, however, begin to live together. Instead, the woman continued to live with her parents and the man with his for one year. The waiting period was to demonstrate the faithfulness of the pledge of purity given concerning the bride. If she was found to be with child in this period, she obviously was not pure, but had been involved in an unfaithful sexual relationship. Therefore the marriage could be annulled. If, however, the one-year waiting period demonstrated the purity of the bride, the husband would then go to the house of the bride’s parents and in a grand processional march lead his bride back to his home. There they would begin to live together as husband and wife and consummate their marriage physically. John F. Walvoord, Roy B. Zuck and Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983-c1985), 2:20.
[2] Hagar got Ishmael a wife from
No comments:
Post a Comment