Prelude
Call to Worship Isaiah 7:14
Hymn JBC # 125 All creatures of our God and King
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn JBC # 507 He leadeth me! O blessed tho’t!
Offering
Scripture Matthew 1:18～25
Prayer
Sermon “The Fulfillment of the Prophesies”
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 492 My hope is built on nothing less
Doxology JBC # 679
Benediction
Postlude
Today's scripture is from the New Testament Gospel of Matthew, the scene of the birth of Jesus Christ. This passage, which is related to the birth of Jesus Christ, is often read especially at Christmas time.
In the Gospel of Matthew chapter 1, from verse 1 through 17, which precedes today's passage, there is “the genealogy of Jesus Christ”.
If those who are not familiar with the Bible, or not a Christian read the part, the long genealogy at the beginning of the New Testament, they may not understand its meaning or may be bored by them.
But the genealogy contains an important message based on the history of the faith of God and the people of Israel as depicted in the Old Testament.
That genealogy begins with Abraham. The first man depicted in the Old Testament (the first man God created) is Adam. However, the genealogy in the Gospel of Matthew begins with Abraham.
Abraham was chosen by God in the Old Testament book of Genesis and commanded by God to “leave your familiar birthplace and go to the land I will show you” (Genesis 12:1).
The Israelites respected Abraham as the “father of their faith” who departed in accordance with God's command.
Therefore, it can be said that the genealogy in the Gospel of Matthew takes as its starting point the faith given to Abraham (on behalf of the Israelites) to set out on God's command.
Abraham could have responded to God's command by saying, “I do not want to leave my familiar land, You should at least tell me where exactly I am going.”
But Abraham said nothing. He obeyed God's command and set out with his family. Sometimes, in the face of God's solemn commands, we are simply compelled to obey.
That is not the same as being forced by God to do what He says. Rather, we can start walking by trusting God's commands because in God's commands there are power to encourage people, the power to drive our hearts, and most of all, God's love and blessing.
If we hear God's Word through prayer, and if we hear His commands in it, we desire to respond to His commands with trust.
Matthew's genealogy thus begins with the faith of Abraham, then passes through King David to Joseph, who was Jesus' earthly father.
By the marriage of Mary, (who is not directly related in the genealogy) and Joseph, Jesus was born in the land of Judea as a Jew, a man in the genealogy that relates to Abraham and David.
Today’s passage
tell us that at the time of the birth of Jesus Christ, a shocking event (one
might say a trial) occurred to Mary and Joseph.
Then it was revealed that Mary was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. What did Joseph do? The verse 19 says
19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
I think it is worth noting that Joseph is referred to here as “Joseph her husband.” Again, Joseph and Mary were still engaged to be married.
However, since they had promised to marry, based on the promise, there was already a bond as husband and wife in their hearts. The term “Joseph her husband” indicates this.
Although they had not yet had their relationship as husband and wife, a bond as marreid already existed between them. It was at this time that Mary was conceived by the Holy Spirit, an event of great significance.
The fact that “Mary was conceived by the Holy Spirit” means that Jesus Christ is indeed the Son of God and that His birth was the will and plan of the Lord God.
It means that Jesus was not born by a human relationship between a man and a woman, but that His birth was a divine event, ordained by God.
We are informed of this on faith through the Bible. However, Joseph did not understand this at first. Joseph must have been shocked to learn that Mary, with whom he had no relationship, had conceived a child.
One would normally think that Mary became pregnant because she had a relationship with another man.
What Joseph “did not want to expose Mary to public disgrace” means that he did not want to accuse her of adultery.
In the Old Testament book of Leviticus, chapter 20, verse 10, we read
If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death.
If Joseph accused Mary of adultery, and if evidence of her adultery was found, Mary could have been put to death (stoned to death) according to the law of the time.
Joseph was a “righteous man”. The term “righteous man” means “faithful to the law”. In fact, the New International version that our church reads says so (faithful to the law).
To be faithful to the law, it would be “right” for Joseph to accuse Mary of (possibly) doing wrong.
But Joseph was also right in another sense. That is compassion and kindness as a human.
Joseph had such righteousness and kindness. If he broke off the engagement in secret, Mary (and her unborn child) would at least be able to survive quietly somewhere.
In this way, Joseph thought of protecting the lives of Mary and the child, and keeping them alive. Therefore, Joseph did not make Mary's pregnancy public, but tried to secretly divorce her.
This was the best Joseph could do as a human being. But God had a different plan, a different justice (and kindness). And God let an angel tell that to Joseph.
The angel tells Joseph. Mary was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Mary would give birth to a son, whom they would name Jesus.
The Hebrew word for “Jesus” is Joshua, which means “God saves” or “God is salvation”. The angel told Joseph that the coming child was the Saviour.
Joseph was faced with a decision here:
Whether he would believe in what the angel had told him and the Lord God was going to do, and whether he would take Mary as his wife.
What the angel told Joseph was of great importance, not only to the Israelites, but to all of us human beings. Because we all have sins.
We stand with Joseph before the decision of whether or not to believe the angel's news of the coming of the One who will save us from our sins.
Let us read verse 22-23.
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”(which means “God with us”).
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”. This was prophesied by a prophet named Isaiah in Old Testament times. (Isaiah 7:14)
It was prophesied by Isaiah as the will of God, as the Word of God that will surely come true, about 700 years before Jesus was born.
What the Gospel of Matthew tells us through the article on the birth of Jesus Christ is that God sent His Son Jesus Christ as a man to our world for the salvation of man.
This was promised (prophesied) long before. And God's promises always come true. God is faithful to keep His promises. Today’s passage tells us that.
Joseph believed the angel's words and according to the words he took Mary as his wife. Joseph made a decision to believe in the Lord and to live according to the faith, and he did so.
Our Savior Jesus Christ was born of Mary by the Holy Spirit. The Son of God became the Son of Man, born as a human being with Mary as His mother and Joseph as His father.
Today's passage urges us again to believe in Jesus as our Savior and to make a decision to live according to Him. Let us truly believe in Jesus as our Savior and God who is with us, and let us walk according to that faith.
Our God is a God who is with us. From His side God first desired to be with us.
God created us, and even though we have been separated from Him by our sins, He still wanted to be with us. What could be better news for us that this?
Because our God is a God who is always with us, Christians are never truly alone, lonely. Because God is always with us.
Let us remember God who is always with us and give thanks to Him. And just as Joseph and Mary accepted their born son, let us also accept the Lord Jesus Christ in our hearts.
In closing, I would like to read from the words of Ephesians 3:16-17.
I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you be rooted and established in love.
お祈りいたします。
Let us pray.
