Wednesday, December 19, 2018

This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "The Birth Of A King", Matthew 1:18-25, 12/23/2018


THE BIRTH OF A KING

Matthew 1:18-25

A NEW FAMILY IN CHRIST
V:18 "This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. "
A. Throughout the Old Testament, God has been giving us information about the
      Savior of mankind starting in Genesis 3:15.   4000BC

     " And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her   
      seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."

    1. Since a woman does not have a seed, the indication was that a miracle birth
        would take place.
    2. God never gave the total details regarding the coming of the redeemer at
        one time.
    3. God chose specific events at specific times to add to the story of the redeemer.
B. It was in the book of Isaiah 7:14 that we were told that a virgin would bear a child.
    1. Isaiah 7:14    740 BC
     Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will   
      give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
    2. The miracle birth was through the power of the Holy Spirit

DON'T MAKE A CONCLUSION WITHOUT THE FULL STORY
V:19. " Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. "
A. What God does, the logic of man can not understand.
     1. According to the Jewish law a woman caught in adultery could be stone to death.
     2. Those who God uses follow the law, but are filled with compassion.
     3. Joseph loved Mary enough not to expose her, but not enough to marry her.
B. We should never judge someone when we don't know the full story.
     1. Mary accepted God's plan for her life regardless of the consequences.
     2. Joseph saw the consequences as a reason not to get the full story from
         Mary.
     3. God does not tells us whether Mary told the full story of her pregnancy to
         Joseph.
     4. If she did, Joseph did not accept her word.

THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM
V: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."
A. God's plan for man is not changed by the desires of man nor his ignorance of the
     the Word.
    1. Whenever we are confused by the Word, God will make it plain to us.
    2. Joseph got a Word from the Lord that he valued more than his opinion.
    3. The Word of God has authority over any man made laws.
    4. If we govern ourselves by the Word of God, our opinions become useless.

COMMUNICATION, A KEY TO MARRIAGE
B. Three things about marriage stands out in this text.
    1. In a  marriage , the couple must learn to communicate with each other.
       a. 50 percent of communication is listening
       b. In our listening must be an understanding of the others persons
           point of view.
  2. In a marriage or any relationship there must be trust.
      a. Joseph may not have trusted Mary's explanation of her pregnancy.
      b. Or, his mind may have been closed to her situation.
      c. He could have made up his mind based on sight.
      d. It is evident that Joseph did not trust Mary's devotion to him
          before he heard from God.
      e. A lack of trust can destroy a relationship.
3. God intends for marriage to be permanent.
     a. In any relationship, there will be good and bad.
     b. You should not abandon  the relationship as soon as the bad
          shows up.
     c. What we perceive as bad, God may intend for our good.
     d. All things work for the good of those who love the Lord
          is easy to say when the bad is not happening to you.
     e. Faith and love grows when we endure the tough times together. 

WHEN YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND, PRAY
C. The Word gives us more wisdom than all of mans thoughts.  
     1. By listening to the Word of God, Joseph got an understanding
         of God's work in Mary.
     2. God choices for us, is not always logical to us without the
         guidance of the Holy Spirit.
D. God identified the mother of Jesus and the step father of Jesus
     at His appointed time.
     1. Joseph was descendant from King David.
     2 Samuel 7:11-13     1040 BC
        "The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: 12   
         When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your 
          offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish
         his kingdom. 13 He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will  
         establish the throne of his kingdom forever."
    3. Before His birth, God established Jesus as king of kings.



THE WORD CONFIRMS THE WORD
V: 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he  
   will save his people from their sins."
A. God confirmed the mission of Jesus,  given in Genesis 3:14.     4000 BC
    1. The mission was also confirmed in Isaiah 7:14.        740 BC
    2. The name Jesus means Savior, from the Hebrew word which means
         "whose help is Jehovah".
   3. Notice that throughout Old Testament history, God is constant in promoting
       His plan of redemption to us.
  4. God's plan does not change with time or circumstances.
B. The Lord gave us a name for the Savior, Jesus.
    1. The Lord placed Jesus in a God fearing family.
    2. When Jesus comes into our lives we learn our purpose in life.
    3. Greatness is in God, but it may come without fame or glory.
    4. We are connected to the one who every head shall bow and every
        knee shall bend.
    5. The Christian life is not about us, but about lifting up Jesus.

GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISES
V:22. " All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us."
A. The Lord keeps His promises, but not on our time.
     1. God uses us to fulfill His plan for mankind.
     2. We may never know the importance of our lives in God's plan.
     3. Before the foundation of the earth, we were chosen to be
         in Jesus.
B. God established Jesus, not only as our Savior, but to be our
     constant companion.
    1. Since God is with us, why worry.
    2. God is bigger than our problems.
    3. God is the solution to our problems
         
 THE JUST LIVE BY FAITH 
V:24-25. When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him  
  and  took Mary home as his wife.
 25 But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name  Jesus.
A. When God speaks, we must listen.
     1. When God speaks we must act on faith.
     2. Obedience to God's Word not only blesses you but others also.
B. Accepting God's Word may not always be popular, but it will always be
     for our best.
   1. Joseph respected God Word and His wife by not have sex with her
       until after the birth of Jesus.
  2. Joseph obeyed God command and named the baby Jesus.
  3. By following God's command, the lives of Mary and Joseph were
      protected and blessed.
  4. Our life with Jesus is not without problems, but it is always protected.

THANK GOD FOR JESUS, OUR SAVIOR


Rev. M. Mitchell
Asst Pastor Of Greater Macedonia Baptist Church
5510 West Sam Houston Park Way North
Houston, Texas 77041

For more lesson, follow me on facebook and visit my
blogs: revmmitchell.com and goodnewsrevmitc.blogspot.com


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