Teacher: Pastor Chet Lowe
Main Scriptures: Matthew 1, Psalm 143
Date of Message: December 18, 2022
- Without Christ, there is no Christmas
- We all come into the Christmas season with different history in the past and different expectations for the present
- If we’re honest, our culture has a stronger hold on how we define the season than the Bible does
- Matthew 1:18-25
- The first Christmas was not like our nativities
- It was a family crisis for Mary’s family
- It was a interpersonal relational crisis between Mary and Joseph
- The Bethlehem experience was filled with fear, anxiety and stress
- There were terrifying angelic hosts
- They were refugees who were dependent on the money provided to them through the gifts brought at Jesus’ birth
- They faced guilt because friends had lost their sons at Herod’s decree
- The first Christmas was not like our nativities
- If anyone can sympathize with our weak moments, it’s the Lord!
- His name is Jesus
- Jesus means “Yahweh saves!”
- He came to save, not develop a holiday!
- God was saving Joseph through this experience
- Joseph was a just (moral) man but this trial was a challenge for him
- God ministered to him personally
- He knows our name (Isaiah 43:1)
- He knows our history and heritage
- God wants to redefine things for His people
- He knows where we’re at
- He will speak to you through His word (i.e. Psalm 143)
- He knows our issues
- He is not mad at us but wants to help us
- Joseph allowed God to save Him and obeyed
- His decision affected the whole story of Jesus’ birth
- May we each respond the way Joseph did
- Jesus means “Yahweh saves!”
- His name is Jesus
Selah: Matthew 1:21 “…you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Challenge to Change: Celebrate the real reason for the season.
