BE PREPARED TO MEET THE SAVIOUR
Joseph is an interesting Bible character for the simple reason that he plays a very significant role in the life of Jesus, but then he passes off the scene and is not mentioned beyond Jesus’ boyhood (Luke 2).
Tradition has it that Joseph died before Jesus began His earthly ministry.
Joseph was a very good man as can be seen from the story at hand. He had more than likely been brought up learning the traditions of Israel and the belief in a coming Messiah. He had heard the prophecies before.
A lot of us today are very much like Joseph. We’ve heard about religion all your life but we have yet to personally meet the Savior. What God said to Joseph, He is saying to you as well.
GOD’S MESSAGE ABOUT THE SAVIOR… 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet[e] 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,[f] because he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1: 18 – 21
- God is at work in your life.
All our lives God works on us, chiselling away those parts of our life that hinder us from fitting into His eternal temple. Our Christian life is a work in progress. Jesus Christ is changing us from a useless stone to a useful one. Before Michelangelo created the masterpiece we know simply as “David,” Agostino d’ Antonio had worked diligently but unsuccessfully on a large piece of marble. He gave up his effort and said, “I can do nothing with it.” Some others tried after him but failed. This piece of marble was laid in a rubbish heap for 40 years. Out strolling one day Michelangelo saw the stone and believed that it had great possibilities. We know what happened. From that seemingly worthless stone was carved one of the world’s masterpieces of sculpture- David. For Michelangelo, the job of the sculptor was to free the forms that were already inside the stone. He believed every stone had a sculpture within it, and the work of sculpting was simply a matter of chipping away all that was not a part of the statue.
When Jesus looks at us, He sees not a rough piece of rock but He sees inside of us the potential to be a beautiful dressed stone useful in his temple. As the Master Sculptor He is able to chip away all that is not a part of what He wants us to be. This work of transformation is accomplished only by the One referred to as “The Living Stone.” F. B. Meyer says, “Stones touch the Stone and become jewels.” Stones useful in building God’s house.
I don’t believe for a second that Joseph and Mary became the earthly parents of Jesus by
accident. They were chosen for this task. We are not given insight into exactly why God chose them but we know that God had selected them and had so arranged the timing of their lives (and of the world for that matter) that Jesus would come at the perfect time and to the perfect place.
God has been at work in your life as well. He knew you before you were ever thought about by your parents. He so arranged things today that you could be here in this place, hearing the
gospel with an opportunity to meet the Savior.
God is always at work in, around, and through us. We can either sleep through His activity or
respond to what He is doing. I hope you’ll want to be involved with what God is doing today.
- God is providing you a Savior.
Joseph learned two vital truths about Jesus that day that each of us must learn as well…
- Jesus is the incarnate God.
“of the Holy Ghost… God with us.”
Jesus is both fully God and fully man. He possessed all of the qualities of a human being
physically, emotionally, and intellectually yet was above the possibility of sin, having
been born to a virgin and not having received an earthly father’s sin nature. He knows
how to be human.
He also possessed every attribute of God from His omnipotence to His omniscience. How
did He limit Himself to a time and place and from knowing everything? He never ceased
to possess these qualities, but temporarily limited His ability to access them. He never
ceases to be God.
See Philippians 2:5-11
Philippians 2:5-11 New International Version (NIV)
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
- Jesus is the heaven-sent Savior.
- Jesus came with a mission.
“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
–Luke 19:10
Jesus came to glorify God by completing the work that God had given Him to do.
What was that work? An earthly ministry of preaching salvation, ending in the
death that would accomplish salvation. Jesus was all about the redemption of
mankind.
- Jesus has given us a great commission.
“As the Father hath sent me, even so sent I you.” –John 20:21
Not only has Jesus come to seek and to save lost mankind, He has also
commissioned all of His people to go and tell others of His saving power.
- God is inviting you to respond to His gift.
It has been said that anticipation exceeds realization. Certainly, when it comes to Christmas gifts, we have all experienced that at one time or another. As we mature, however, we begin to anticipate Christmas, not because of what we will get but because of what we will give! Of course, if shop diligently and spent hard-earned money for a family member’s gift, only to see it ignored, it breaks your heart.
Have you ever left a Christmas gift unopened? I haven’t! In fact, the only Christmas presents that are ever left unopened are those wrapped for someone who does not arrive to receive them. Sadly, when it comes to God’s unsearchable gift, that is what many are doing. They have left the greatest of all gifts – the gift of God’s love wrapped up in His Son, Jesus Christ – unopened.
Joseph had a choice in the matter. God had given him clear instructions to go ahead and marry Mary, but Joseph had to decide to obey. Imagine all that Joseph would have missed had he said “no.” What happens if you say “no?” God has given you this opportunity and has ordered your life to bring you to a moment of decision about Christ, but what if you say “no?” “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:14-15
But Jesus came to offer you eternal life if you’ll only respond with “yes.”
“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might
have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” –John 10:10
Sandra wife of Virjil .The New Hope Community is situated in the heart of the city between Old and New Panvel. We can confidently share that New Hope Community is a Church in Kamothe, Church in Khandeshwar, Church in Khanda Colony, Church in Panvel, Church in New Panvel because we are centrally located and these places surround our church Venue.
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