Joseph

Four Emotions of Christmas • Sermon • Submitted 5 months ago • Presented 5 months ago

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2 part sermon (morning/night)

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Good morning everyone….it is so great to be here this morning.…Right now we get to dismiss our kids…(release kids to class)…welcome online viewers.

So over the last few weeks we have been in a series where we are talking about the emotions of Christmas. We have been looking at various people and looking at what emotions they experienced, and how those emotions drove them to worship the Lord, or worship themselves. A couple of weeks ago we saw how Herod used his fear to drive him to anger and worshiped himself. Then last week Jim showed us that the shepherds used their fear and amazement to drive them to worship the Lord and he even gave us the reminder to choose to worship the Lord as well.

Now, this is an important series, and I felt it was really important to take a look at these emotions. Partially because these are real emotions that the participants in the original Nativity story experienced. That’s not the only reason though, you see frequently, as Christians, we are led to believe that our emotions are not valid and that essentially we should just stuff them down and deal with them quietly. Well, that really only leads to more emotions that are harder to control and manage doesn’t it. I mean I can promise that pretty much everyone in this room and joining us online has at some point taken your emotions and just buried them because either you didn’t have time to deal with those emotions, or you were told to get over it, or some variation of those. Well, we saw a few weeks ago that this would not be an appropriate response to managing our emotions. We were reminded that our emotions actually came from God and anything that came from God should be used to worship God.

So thats a little bit of a reminder about where we are, but before we get to much further this morning, I want to remind us about our shared vocabulary. Everyone in here could have a different definition of emotions, and so to make sure we are all on the same page, I gave us a working definition a couple of weeks ago. So, lets take a look at that together this morning. Emotions are subjective feelings, that can be either positive or negative, and subject to change. That’s not all we said about our emotions though. We also said that Emotions are not meant to control, but to be controlled. That means, if you find yourself in a situation and your emotions are driving every decision you are making, then that is a situation you need to regain control of….and that is what we are talking about over the course of this series. How can we regain control of our emotions when we feel like we are drowning in the midst of all of the emotions that are swirling around us everyday…especially leading up to Christmas and the stress of family and trying to make everything nice for everyone. It is my hope that as we look at the Emotions of Christmas that we will able to regain that control and refocus our hearts and minds on the Lord this Christmas season.

So far we have looked at the emotions of Herod, we saw last week that the Shepherds experienced various emotions as well and so today we are going to look at the two main people…Mary and Joseph. This evening we will look at Mary, and so that means that this morning we are going to look at

The Emotions of Joseph

Man, Joseph had some kind of emotions that were flying all around him that we are going to look at together this morning. I wonder though if there is anyone here that ever feels like their emotions are taking over and like you have so many emotions that you just don’t know where to start. I bet that’s how Joseph felt. I say that because there is so much going on for this man and he has to figure out how to manage everything. Let’s take a look at some Scripture this morning and understand what Joseph is experiencing together. We are going to be passing through a few passages to try and get a whole picture for Joseph, so we are going to be flipping around a bit this morning between Luke 1 and Matthew 1. Lets start off with

Luke 1:26–27 (ESV)

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.

So we know that Joseph is engaged to be married. But then Mary leaves to go visit some family.

Luke 1:39 (ESV)

In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah,

Luke 1:56 (ESV)

And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.

Mary was gone for a little more than 3 months including travel time. So, Joseph has been left at home, likely preparing for his new brides return. Joseph was a carpenter so we can safely assume he was preparing a home for Mary to return to. He was likely talking with Mary’s family and discussing any details that needed to be worked out. In general, it is very likely that Joseph is anticipating the return of his fiance from her family in Jerusalem. But then something happens…

Matthew 1:18 (ESV)

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

Mary came home from her family in Jerusalem and she is found to be pregnant. Now…think about Joseph now…

Jospeh has been preparing for his bride, she leaves to go spend some time with her family in Jerusalem, and when she gets back she is pregnant. This doesn’t look good for her, and it doesn’t look very promising for Joseph and Mary’s future as husband and wife. You see, Joseph now is faced with a reality that he was not prepared for. Joseph is confused about what is going on. Sure, Mary tells him that she is pregnant with the Son of God from the Holy Spirit…but honestly, I can’t think of a man alive who would believe that on it’s face. Mary appears to be guilty of adultery, and Joseph is hurting. I know Scripture doesn’t tell us that Joseph is hurting, but Joseph is a human who is faced with very difficult circumstances. Joseph is not immune to natural emotions here. Now Joseph has rights as a man, if Mary is guilty of adultery, then she is legally to be stoned and killed for her sin. This is a pretty heinous sin to commit adultery. However, that is not an acceptable solution to Joseph. Look at this

Matthew 1:19 (ESV)

And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

You see, Joseph is loving, and he does not want Mary to suffer any consequences here. Joseph is a just man, and doesn’t want to put Mary to shame. This clearly shows his care and concern for his future bride, even in the face of pain. That’s not all though…we can see that Joseph is scared about what the outcome for Mary is going to be. Is Mary going to have to die? What will Joseph’s life look like now. He will always be known as the guy who let his fiance off the hook of adultery. How is he going to face family and friends with this heartache…I know Joseph isn’t the only one facing these type of emotions, is he? Think about your job, or your relationships, or you own family situation…How are you going to face people with all of these emotions swirling around you. Here is what I love about Joseph though… Joseph is already making the choices to control his emotions instead of allow his emotions to control him.

Something I love about Joseph’s story though is that it doesn’t end with Joseph’s confusion about everything that is going on. You see, Joseph is thinking about all of the pain that he is experiencing and how his trust has been broken and wondering how he can trust again. Joseph is very likely considering his own pain and maybe what he could have done differently to prevent this from ever happening…You know like we all do when we are faced with various degrees of emotional turmoil…Joseph doesn’t want Mary to experience pain herself because he is a loving man, and then something amazing happens!

Matthew 1:20–21 (ESV)

But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

So Joseph, a faithful and committed man , listened to what the angel told him, let’s keep reading here.

Matthew 1:24–25 (ESV)

When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

I love this ending so much right here. You see, Joseph could have woken up and said, “I need to think about all this for a while”. He could have woke up and did like Job and talked to his friends about what was going on, and his friends would likely have told him to ignore that dream, that it was just wishful thinking, or some other advice that would push him away from the Lord. That’s not what Joseph did though…Joseph controlled his emotions and obeyed the Lord. Let’s be honest folks…that’s not always our first response is it? I know it’s not mine…but that is what Joseph did with his emotions. Joseph is a man that we should admire his devotion to the Lord in the midst of pain and uncertainty. Their story isn’t even over yet though. You see, as if this wasn’t all crazy enough yet, they get a wonderful notice from the government. We all love it when we get a notice from the government don’t we? I can imagine they likely didn’t jump up and down to get this notice either. Let’s see whats going on here.

Luke 2:1–5 (ESV)

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

Nothing like a government decree to get cha moving huh…Well, now it’s time to pack up and take a pregnant bride to Bethlehem which is a little further than Jerusalem from where they are. Actually, this is about a week long journey assuming everything goes well, and there are no additional issues during travel. You see, travel at this time is not like travel today. There is no airport or modern day highway system. There are highway’s, but not like what we have today. Their version of a highway simply means that others are traveling the same pathways as they are. There are some paths that simply have been worn in because so many people travel that way. That makes them a little safer, because they are not alone, but it also makes them dangerous as they are out in the open, and this is where a lot of crime happens. So, now that they are traveling Jospeh has to make the decisions to keep Mary (and a pre-born Jesus) safe in their travels. Joseph is courageous as he protects Mary in their travels. They make it to Bethlehem and now they have to find a place to stay. In that time there was a custom where you would go to your family and you would stay in the spare rooms, or in the upper areas of their house. Now, I want to set a scene for you a little bit. So far we have seen many of the emotions of Joseph, but now I want you to understand what Mary and Joseph are stepping into here in Bethlehem. So, as we continue to learn from Joseph, let’s take a look at……

The Setting of the Nativity…

Now, here is where I am going to probably upset you a little bit. I want to help you form a more realistic picture of the birth of Christ. You see, there has been a lot of research and understanding over the years about the nativity scene, and the culture of 1st century Bethlehem. Just like we can learn much from geography, we can learn from archeology as well. So, alot of our beliefs about the Nativity actually comes from artistic interpretations, and conversations, but not necessarily reality. So, I want to share with you what things would have actually looked like in that time. There are things that we know from an archeological perspective as well as a Scriptural perspective. When we begin to marry these two disciplines we can see some pretty cool things.

So, here’s what we know…there was no room in the inn. We know Jesus was born in the manger, or feeding trough. So this information paints a picture in our minds that the inn keeper was out of rooms, and so he sent them to the stable. That’s a pretty clear picture. Over the years it was been speculated that the stable, was a barn like structure, or maybe it was actually a cave that was carved out of a hill. But…this seems a bit strange, I mean it would be like us going to Motel 6 and there not being any rooms so they said we can sleep in the garage. I mean, I guess that is better than nothing…but it seems like something is missing here…Take a look at where we get this picture.

Luke 2:7 (ESV)

And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

Seems pretty clear as to what is going on here. Like, Joseph forgot to book the reservation and it seems like there is a convention in town. Have you ever been on a roadtrip and you stopped in to get a room and there just wasn’t any rooms available becuase of a football game, or a convention that was in town that literally took every single available room. I’ve had that happen. I’ve driven from motel to motel until I finally found a room to sleep in. That’s the picture we get as we read this picture of Mary and Joseph.

Well, that is likely not exactly what has taken place. The term for inn is actually better translated as guest room. Remember that there is a census in place currently and everyone from distant family would have been traveling to Bethlehem for this census. The family of Joseph that still lives there only has so much space. Actually they would have had a guest room up top and that room was apparently filled up with other family members. Therefore, the only space available is the space where the animals are being kept. You should also know that the place where the animals are being kept is likely not a barn out back. No, in this time period when space was at a premium in these towns, they would have constructed their homes in multi levels and the bottom level would be the level where the animals would come in at night in order to protect them from predators. It is easy for a predator to jump a fence, it is not easy for a predator to get into a home. So, the stable where Mary and Jospeh are is likely the bottom floor of the family home , with all the rest of the family upstairs.

So Joseph shows up at his relatives house and he is going to stay with them, or he thinks he is going to stay with them, but he forgot to call ahead and it’s kind of first come first serve, right. Now, there is another misconception…many times we understand that as soon as Jospeh gets to Bethlehem that he is turned away and relegated to the barn, and then Jesus is born that same day. However, if we back up and read

Luke 2:6 ESV

And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.

Then we are able to see that while they were there she gave birth. While they were already there, the time came for her to give birth. Was this their first night, or first week there, we don’t necessarily know. But likely this was not their first night. Like the picture we have all seen is Mary and Joseph coming into town and Mary literally giving birth as soon as they get to town. However, it seems more likely that Joseph and Mary are staying with their relatives all bunked down in the guest room. Joseph is relieved, they’ve made it safe…and then Jesus is born. Joseph has experienced this great deal of emotions through everything that has happened. He started out less than a year ago being engaged to Mary and seeing a hopeful life together. Then in the course of the year his life has been completely turned upside down and he has controlled his emotions to direct him to follow and obey God.

Today we all have choices to make in our lives. Our emotions will overwhelm us from time to time, that is a promise. Maybe we will want to give up and walk away from some situation. Maybe we will feel like there is no hope in our current circumstance. Let me just tell you this real quick. If your current circumstance does not include the Lord, then you are right…there is no hope. There is no hope of true and lasting joy apart from the Lord, and so as long as you are going to continue apart from God, then you will continue to feel hopeless. As long as you continue to ignore what you know to be true about the Gospel, and continue to try and live your life without the direction of God…there is no hope. I don’t know about you, but I have searched for hope apart from God. I have looked in every conceivable direction to find joy apart from God, and it simply is not there. I promise you that. You find find happiness from time to time, but Im talking about true and lasting joy that only comes from the Lord.

I don’t want to sound like there is no hope, because there is…it just only comes from one place…and I think instinctively you all know that as well. The question is, are you willing to look to the one who offers hope today? Today are you willing to follow Joseph’s example and control your emotions and use them to follow and obey Jesus. As we really prepare for tomorrow, let me encourage you to look at your emotions. Are you following God, or are you following your many, many emotions? If you are listening right now, and you would say that your emotions have been controlling you and you are unsure where to go to find that true and lasting hope, then let me encourage you to make some decisions and make the choice to not follow your emotions…to not be controlled by your emotions…but to follow Jesus this morning. Make the choice, and it is a choice, to use your emotions to worship the Lord and not worship yourself anymore. If you need help figuring out how to make that choice, learning how to follow the Lord and not your emotions, then let me ask you to simply reach out and connect with someone this morning.

James 4:8 ESV

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

For now…

- Let’s pray (pray that our emotions will lead us to worship God not self)

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