Devotional: Matthew 1-2

hey there antioch pastor Andy here
this advent season we’ve been reflecting
on
the year that we’ve had 2020 and how
unexpected
it’s been in so many what different ways
and
as we’ve reflected on that we’re also
remembering
that jesus came into the world and spent
his early years
in this world in a very unexpected time
as well
we see that in the gospel of matthew
chapters one and two where we’ve been
spending time this advent season over
the last
few sundays and we’ve seen you know the
unexpected birth of jesus in matthew
chapter one
born of a virgin born of mary we’ve seen
the unexpected worship
of king jesus by the wise men as they
travel from a far away land
bringing gifts to jesus worshiping him
when he was only around two years old
and then last week we saw the unexpected
journey that jesus took as a child where
he had to flee from a crazy king
king herod in matthew chapter two joseph
mary and jesus together went down to
egypt to get away from herod
and then returned later on when herod
had died
to the land of israel in unexpected time
unexpected circumstances and of course
like the entire bible
jesus is the hero of the story
especially in matthew’s
gospel chapter one and two where it’s
about the birth narrative and
we see a lot about the early years of
jesus but even though jesus is the hero
of the story
in matthew’s gospel we see an unlikely
hero a supporting cast you could say
supporting character
and that’s joseph jesus earthly father
we don’t know a lot about joseph we we
don’t see
a lot uh written about him in the new
testament but
in the first two chapters of the gospel
of matthew it’s one of the
one of the places where we learn the
most about joseph and
we see that he’s an incredible man of
god and i’ve just been struck by his
example and his character as we’ve gone
through
these first two chapters this advent
season
what kind of what kind of guy was joseph
well as we look at these chapters
we see god leading joseph through
through dreams and the the pivotal
strategic role that joseph had
in the early years of jesus the messiah
in in the plans and the purposes of god
joseph was a guy that
did what he needed to do and served god
faithfully
in his generation and what god called
him to
to do with with his life and in that
season
well as we look at matthew one and two
chapter one
uh joseph is engaged to mary
and finds out she’s pregnant pregnant
miraculously
as we as matthew tells us she was a
virgin
it was a virgin conception a virgin
birth and
joseph finding out that the woman that
he’s engaged to is pregnant
he wants to quietly break off the
engagement quietly
divorce her and he’s visited in a dream
by an angel
who explains to him that this is a
miraculous pregnancy it’s of the holy
spirit and
the the child that she is pregnant with
is actually
the messiah the son of god and
the angel tells joseph to marry her and
to name this child jesus because he’s
going to save his people
from their sins now that’s the first
time we see joseph
in matthew’s gospel and he responds
as a man of faith he responds in faith
he believes god he believes that the
angel says
he takes mary to be his wife and he
indeed does
name that son jesus who will
be the messiah that will go to the cross
that will rise from the dead that will
provide salvation to everyone who
believes
joseph is visited by an angel in another
dream in chapter 2
and it’s it’s a dream that is a warning
warning
joseph that he needs to immediately flee
their home in bethlehem to escape the
diabolical plans of king herod who wants
to kill jesus who was
a toddler at that point so joseph
in obedience to to god in obedience to
this message from this angel
he responds by fleeing in the middle of
the night
taking mary taking jesus and and
really running for their lives to get
away from herod to go to egypt
while he’s in egypt after herod
he receives word that herod dies he
gets visited by another another dream
another
angel and god speaking to him through a
dream to return to the land of israel
and he does that he he obeys that call
he returns and they end up not staying
in bethlehem
again but going north to a city called a
town called nazareth
where jesus will then grow up but in
this in this narrative
in matthew 1 and 2 where joseph is
directed
by the hand of god through dreams
through visions
we see that he’s a man of faith we see
that he’s a
a man of courage a person of courage
in in the face of extreme danger to his
family he leads
as a husband as a father we also see
that he’s a person
of not only faith obedience
or not only faith courage but obedience
faith
courage and obedience all those things
are evident in joseph’s life
and i find myself as i’ve been reading
this as i’ve been studying this
praying for myself praying for those
within
antioch and and for you as well that
this christmas season
that you would be reminded that you
would be spurred on
to faithfully follow god in whatever he
calls you to do
in whatever unexpected circumstances
come your way
that you would be like joseph that i
would be like joseph
a person of faith a person of courage a
person of obedience
to be used by god in our generation
in this season that he has us in in
whatever strategic role he wants us to
play in his plan
god bless