26-1004p Transcript

(0:04) Good evening. Well, this is going to be part two of our study on Joseph the Carpenter. (0:12) And like I said this morning, we don’t really know that much about Joseph the Carpenter.

(0:20) He has not a single word recorded in Scripture, (0:25) but it’s his actions that we look at and appreciate the character of Joseph. (0:37) And he is a man of faith, and God uses good men like him. (0:52) So, this morning we started out our study by looking into Joseph and Mary’s genealogies (1:01) and the importance of godly families.

(1:05) This evening we’re going to look into the events that define for us the character of Joseph the Carpenter.

(1:13) And for context, we’re going to read some Scripture. (1:18) What does that one say up there, Matthew 1:18-25? Okay, well I’ll go ahead and read that. (1:30) Now, the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. (1:34) When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph before they came together, (1:39) she was found to be with child by Holy Spirit. (1:43) And Joseph, her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, (1:50) planned to send her away secretly. (1:53) But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, (2:01) saying, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, (2:07) for the child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. (2:15) She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, (2:20) for he will save his people from their sins. (2:25) Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophets. (2:31) But behold, the virgin will be with child and shall bear a son, (2:36) and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which means God with us. (2:42) And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, (2:48) and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a son, (2:55) and he called his name Jesus. (2:58)

(3:05) Excuse me. (3:07) And for further context this evening, we’re going to look at Luke’s gospel, (3:16) and we’re going to look at when God’s angel Gabriel announces God’s plan of salvation to Mary. (3:27) So in Luke 1, 26 through 38, as you can tell, this study on Joseph is going to be a lot of reading from Scripture. (3:38) Since there’s not a lot of material there, I’ve got to cover it all.

(3:46) So it’s good to be refreshed of these stories. (3:51) In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to the city of Galilee named Nazareth (3:58) to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph. (4:08) That was the extension cord.

(4:11) It’s okay if it dangles there. (4:14) Okay. (4:19) Of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary.

(4:24) And he came to her and said, Greetings, O favored one. (4:28) The Lord is with you. (4:29) But she was greatly troubled at the saying and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.

(4:37) The angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. (4:42) And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. (4:48) He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.

(4:53) And the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, (4:58) and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. (5:02) And over his kingdom there will be no end. (5:07) So we’re going to pause right there for a moment for some comments from Jim’s Peanut Gallery.

(5:15) So God sent one of his top messengers to Mary, the angel Gabriel, (5:23) who said himself that he stands in the presence of God. (5:30) And he said that to a man named Zacharias, who was slow to get it. (5:36) Anyhow, Gabriel had recently visited Zacharias, who was a priest, (5:43) the husband of Elizabeth, who happened to be Mary’s cousin.

(5:50) And while Zacharias was sitting at the table of incense in the temple outside of the Holy of Holies, (6:01) this angel appeared standing next to the table. (6:07) And it’s interesting because the table of incense, the smoke that goes up from that, (6:15) represents the prayers of all the saints. (6:20) And the angel sees Zacharias and greets him and says, (6:26) Your prayers have been answered.

(6:29) So how apropos that he was standing next to the incense table. (6:38) But Zacharias was befuddled to say the least. (6:46) But God heard his prayers on concerns for his wife.

(6:51) You know, probably for years he prayed that they have a child. (6:55) But Elizabeth was barren. (6:58) And the angel told Zacharias that he would have a son, (7:04) and that he would come in the spirit of Elijah and prepare the way for the Messiah.

(7:12) And Zacharias questioned the angel with doubt in his heart, (7:18) and he reasoned incorrectly that he was advanced in years, as was his wife. (7:26) He kind of forgot the story of Abraham and Sarah having Isaac late in life, (7:33) and they were nearly twice his age when that happened. (7:38) But nothing is impossible for God.

(7:41) As I mentioned earlier this morning in our morning lesson, (7:46) priests who serve in the temple are between the ages of 30 and 50. (7:54) So if Zacharias was advanced in years, that would probably put him near that 50-year mark. (8:01) And suddenly I feel very old.

(8:05) What am I doing here? (8:07) I should be relaxed and retired. (8:12) But this isn’t the temple. (8:14) This is the temple that God lives in now.

(8:18) So we serve him until we’re ready to go. (8:24) But Zacharias, because of his unbelief, was punished by Gabriel the angel. (8:32) You know, Gabriel, I don’t know if he was indignant, but he said, (8:36) I stand in the presence of God.

(8:40) Kind of reading Zacharias the riot act for not believing, (8:45) and took his speech away and said, (8:48) You won’t get that back until your son gets named by you. (8:55) And then left him. (8:58) And so poor Zacharias had to come out of the temple, (9:01) [miming] what happened.

(9:06) So Gabriel had an important role in facilitating God’s plan of salvation, (9:13) being the go-between with important messages from heaven to those on earth. (9:20) Gabriel told Mary twice that God favored her and that God would be with her. (9:28) Okay, back to Luke chapter 1. (9:32) And Mary said to the angel, How can this be, since I am a virgin? (9:37) And the angel answered her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, (9:41) and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.

(9:45) Therefore, the child that will be born will be called Holy, the Son of God. (9:53) And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son. (10:00) And this is the sixth month with her who was called barren, (10:05) for nothing will be impossible with God.

(10:09) And Mary said, Behold, I am the servant of the Lord. (10:15) Let it be to me according to your word. (10:18) And the angel departed from her.

(10:22) There is quite a difference between the attitudes and level of belief (10:30) between Zechariah, an older man who should know better, having served God all his life, (10:37) and young Mary. (10:39) But young Mary had the wonderful heart and the perfect response, (10:46) may it be as the Lord has said, (10:49) I’m the Lord’s servant, not questioning or doubting. (10:55) And I guess that’s why God picked her and said, favored of God.

(11:04) Okay, Matthew. (11:06) We’ve read Matthew. (11:08) Let’s go back to that and go through that.

(11:14) Matthew 1, 18 through 19. (11:17) Now, the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. (11:21) When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, (11:25) before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

(11:31) And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, (11:38) resolved to divorce her quietly. (11:42) In the Old Testament, a betrothal constituted a binding legal marriage contract, (11:51) unlike our modern engagement. (11:54) When you’re engaged, if you decide to bail, you’re bailed.

(11:58) You don’t even have to leave a Dear John letter. (12:01) But when you’re betrothed during those Old Testament times, (12:06) that was as if you were married already. (12:10) And you would need a certificate of divorce that would get entered in the legal system (12:19) that you are no longer betrothed.

(12:25) So Joseph considered this, to do it quietly. (12:45) So that speaks volumes to Joseph. (12:50) A betrothed woman was legally designated as wife of her betrothed.

(12:58) And infidelity during this period was treated as adultery, punishable by death. (13:07) The betrothal agreement typically involved a written contract or witnessed agreement (13:13) and the payment of a bride price or a dowry. (13:18) In Hebrew it’s called mohar, the mohar, by the groom’s family to the bride’s family.

(13:27) And the contract was binding as marriage itself. (13:31) There were biblical laws protecting it, such as Deuteronomy 20:7, (13:37) where it says, has any man become pledged to a woman and not marry her? (13:42) Let him return home, or he may die in battle and another may marry her. (13:48) Deuteronomy 24:5, if a man is newly married, he must not be sent to war, (13:54) be pressed into any duty.

(13:56) For one year he is free to stay at home and bring joy to the wife he has married. (14:03) So marriage is protected, and even the betrothed marriage is protected by law. (14:13) That’s how serious marriage is.

(14:16) Now back to Matthew, verses 20 and 21. (14:19) But as he considered these things, Joseph, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, (14:26) saying, Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, (14:32) for that which was conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. (14:36) She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.

(14:45) So Joseph was sleeping on it, mulling it over, the idea of divorcing Mary quietly. (14:54) And as he was thinking about it, he slipped into a dream, (14:59) and perhaps the angel induced that dream so that he could talk to him in the dream. (15:06) And the angel was probably Gabriel, (15:11) because Gabriel later shows up by name, talking with Joseph in dreams.

(15:20) And Gabriel reveals God’s plan for Joseph and Mary, (15:27) and to explain to him how Mary actually became pregnant, (15:32) and who this child would be. (15:36) So the angel spelled it out clearly to Joseph. (15:43) Okay, we’ll look at 22 through 25.

(15:46) All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet. (15:51) Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, (15:57) which means God with us. (16:00) When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.

(16:07) He took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son, (16:12) and he called his name Jesus. (16:17) Joseph was a man of action. (16:20) He didn’t need to hem and haw with the attitude of, oh, I’ll get around to it.

(16:27) He understood the enormity of the situation. (16:31) So the very next day, he took care of the Lord’s business. (16:35) The moment he woke up, he went and took Mary as his wife.

(16:41) And as another example of Joseph’s good character, (16:45) he was a man of self-control, who had his passions under control. (16:51) For he lived with Mary, but he didn’t come into her as a husband does his wife, (16:58) until after she had her child. (17:02) So he was able to restrain his human desire for his wife.

(17:10) And that says a lot about his self-control. (17:14) Now we’ll look at Luke 2, 1 through 7. (17:18) In those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all should be registered. (17:26) This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria.

(17:32) And all went to be registered, each to his own town. (17:36) And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judah, (17:42) to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, (17:45) because he was of the house and lineage of David, (17:49) to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. (17:56) And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.

(18:00) And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes (18:05) and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. (18:12) So here we have the birth of Christ. (18:18) And Joseph is there, as a husband should be.

(18:23) Luke 2, 13 through 19. (18:26) And suddenly there were angels, an angel, and a multitude of heavenly hosts, (18:34) praising God, saying, Glory to God in the highest, (18:37) and on earth peace and goodwill towards men. (18:40) When the angels went away from them into heaven, (18:44) the shepherds said to one another, (18:47) Let’s go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that’s happened, (18:51) which the Lord has made known to us.

(18:53) And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in the manger. (19:00) And when they saw it, they made known to them, (19:03) saying what had been told them concerning this child. (19:07) And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.

(19:15) But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. (19:21) And I’ll guarantee you that by these shepherds witnessing to Mary and Joseph (19:29) what angels from heaven told them, (19:33) Joseph realizes all of this is real, (19:37) and that Mary is a good woman, and there was no hanky-panky, (19:44) and that she really was carrying the Messiah, (19:50) the expected Savior of the world. (19:54) Matthew 2, 13 through 15.

(19:57) Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream (20:03) and said, Rise, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt and remain there until I tell you, (20:11) for Herod is about to search for the child to destroy him. (20:16) And he rose and took the child and his mother by night to depart to Egypt (20:22) and remain there until the death of Herod. (20:25) This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, (20:29) Out of Egypt I will call my son.

(20:34) So on the heels of having the Magi visit them, (20:40) and the Magi outwitting Herod when Herod tried to ascertain the whereabouts of this king (20:48) that was born in Israel, (20:51) Herod wanted to kill the kid right away. (20:55) And the Lord warned the Magi in a dream to go home another way (21:01) so that they wouldn’t have to deal with Herod. (21:05) And so Herod was incensed and called and remembered when the Magi saw the star, (21:15) and so he did some simple math and figured, (21:18) I’ll just kill every two-year-old and under in this area, (21:23) and I’ll end up killing the king that was born.

(21:29) And he ended up having his men go out and slaughter hundreds and hundreds of children (21:37) trying to kill his competition. (21:42) A newborn king, God had other plans. (21:45) And that’s why he warned Joseph in a dream by the angel to flee to Egypt until Herod died.

(22:06) Now we’ll look at Matthew 2, 19-23. (22:11) But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, (22:17) saying, Rise, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel (22:22) for those who sought the child’s life are dead. (22:27) And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel.

(22:32) But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, (22:40) he was afraid to go there. (22:42) And being warned in a dream, he withdrew [to] the district of Galilee, (22:47) and he went and lived in the city called Nazareth, (22:51) so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, (22:56) and he would be called a Nazarene. (22:59) So Joseph, we see over and over, is so dedicated to this plan, (23:08) dedicated to this new baby that he has to take care of with Mary.

(23:15) He does exactly as he’s told, without question, without hesitation. (23:23) He protects the young child. (23:27) He hides the child from those who are out to kill him.

(23:33) And not enough good things can be said about Joseph. (23:40) Luke 2, 39-52. (23:45) And when they had performed everything according to the law of the Lord, (23:49) this is when they go and present Jesus at the temple.

(23:56) They returned into Galilee to their own town of Nazareth, (24:00) and the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom, (24:04) and the favor of God was upon him. (24:08) Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year to the Feast of the Passover, (24:13) and that means that Joseph was dedicated, (24:20) because Passover was one of the three required festivals (24:24) that required all men of Israel to travel to Jerusalem to participate in this event. (24:34) And so it says every year they would go.

(24:37) So Joseph was a devout follower of the law. (24:45) Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover, (24:50) and when he was 12 years old, they went up according to the custom, (24:55) and when the feast was ended, they were returning. (24:59) They were returning.

(25:01) The boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. (25:05) His parents did not know it, but supposed him to be in the group that they went with, (25:12) and they went a day’s journey. (25:13) But when they began searching for him among their relatives and acquaintances, (25:19) and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him.

(25:26) After three days, they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, (25:32) listening to them and asking them questions. (25:35) And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. (25:41) And when his parents saw him, they were astonished.

(25:46) And his mother said to him, (25:47) Son, why have you treated us so? (25:51) Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress. (25:56) And he said to them, Why were you looking for me? (26:00) Did you not know that I must be in my father’s house? (26:04) And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. (26:07) And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them.

(26:14) And his mother treasured all these things up in her heart, (26:18) and Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man. (26:27) And that is the last we ever hear of Joseph. (26:33) It didn’t appear that he had a big role in the Bible, (26:36) but in Jesus' life, he had a huge role.

(26:41) He taught him the law. (26:43) He taught him a trade. (26:48) He protected him.

(26:51) He was doing the work of God, (26:54) doing the work of a husband, (26:57) and doing the work of a father. (27:00) And in my opinion, that makes him worthy to be in the Hall of Fame in Chapter 11 of Hebrews. (27:08) He’d fit right in there with Abraham, who was called to leave his country.

(27:14) Well, so was Joseph called to leave his country. (27:18) And to look after a child that wasn’t even his own. (27:24) Joseph was a faithful man, a good man.

(27:27) It says in Scripture that he was a just man. (27:30) He was full of compassion and kindness and mercy in the way he treated Mary. (27:39) And then that’s the last we hear of him.

(27:42) But that’s okay, because people come and go. (27:47) And we know that he is in paradise, (27:50) waiting for that great day when his son will call him out of the grave. (27:58) And one day, we’ll hear that.

(28:01) Either we’ll be alive when he comes back and we’ll hear the trumpet blast, (28:06) or we’ll be in the grave and we’ll hear him call. (28:10) And his angels will gather us up and we’ll gather together in the air, (28:15) and we’ll go on to live with God forever in heaven. (28:19) This is the invitation if you have any reason for prayers from the church, (28:27) or if you need any help in any way, (28:31) now’s your time to come forward and let that desire be known.

(28:35) Thank you for your attention. (28:37)