Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25, Micah 6:8

Being in the Scripture is a great place to be because God DOES speak in His Word, both 2,000 years ago and today!

Today's text from the Bible is a powerful Word, a life-changing Word…

Matthew tells the Christmas story from the vantage point of Joseph, who after finding out about Mary being pregnant decided to divorce her quietly, but…

Joseph receives a visit by an angel in a dream and the angel tells him that he is not to divorce Mary, that she is pregnant by the Holy Spirit, and that he is to name the child Jesus because He will save His people from their sins. Following the dream, Joseph stays engaged to Mary, doesn't consummate the marriage until after Jesus' birth, and he names the baby, Jesus.

A virgin birth is implausible if there is no god. But there IS a god! He is the God who reveals Himself in the Scripture and through His Holy Spirit and like in today's reading, through angelic beings.

What prophets predicted, is fulfilled in the Person of Jesus of Nazareth.

Immanuel: God with us.
Fully human: suffers as our substitute for our sin
Fully God: eternal redemption by His blood

Apart from Christ our lives hold no hope. No matter how good we are it's not good enough. We cannot save ourselves for we have all sinned and we need the Perfect One to save us. Apart from Jesus - nice guys finish last. With Jesus there is life, forgiveness, peace, strength, joy, hope and the assurance we will live forever with Him.

Today's Bible story still speaks powerfully to us today. God revealed the identity of Jesus to Joseph - and for us God is still speaking and revealing His identity to each of us through Joseph's story.

In Joseph we see an example of what a godly person ought to be:
⁃ Our faith is based on the truth that God has revealed to us in His Word
⁃ Our faith is more than head knowledge
⁃ Our faith informs our behavior

Joseph's example:
⁃ Faithful to God's Word and wanted to live for God. He knew God is to be trusted, honored and obeyed.
⁃ Merciful in a culture that looked at Mary's pregnancy as a disgrace, that recommended a public divorce, Joseph did not want to humiliate Mary.
⁃ Obedient to what God revealed in his dream and also obedient to the Word in the Bible of "the virgin will conceive and bare a son" and so he took her as his wife.
⁃ Courageous individual who put family first and God over all. An individual who did what God told him to do despite pushback and persecution. He understood that it is more important to follow God than to worry about public opinion.

Joseph wasn't saved because he was a good man.
He was a good man because He was saved.

So we too are encouraged to live lives as a response to the incredible gift of the grace and goodness of God in Christ.

Micah 6:8 says:
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

May we exhibit that kind of a life-style in response to the revelation of who our Lord Jesus Christ is.

Lord Jesus help us live courageous lives for You!

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