Matthew 1:18 – 25  “Joseph Ben Jacob: The Man God Chose to Raise HIS Only Son!”

INTRODUCTION:

I feel comfortable speaking to you today because as a Father of Two Sons, One Daughter, the Father-in-Law of one Son-in-Law and Two Daughters-in-law… the Grandfather of Five Grandsons and One Granddaughter, and the Great-Grandfather of one Great-Grandson and one Great-Granddaughter… and having been involved in teaching the Bible for 44 years, I think I have at least some understanding of what it means to be a Christian Father.

I would say to you that while I did not have the privilege that you have of being the son of a Christian Father, I can at least apply biblical wisdom to you and the life you have now and will have in the years ahead.

I want to begin with a terrifying question: what if you knew that you were not going to be able to raise your son?

If you had to entrust the act of raising your son to another man, what kind of man would you seek?

Some years ago, it dawned on me that God the Father faced this very situation. HIS ONLY SON was going to come to earth and live here for thirty-three years.

GOD HIMSELF, was going to entrust the work of raising HIS SON into the hands of another person.

As we think about what kind of man we would want to raise our son – and therefore what kind of man we need to be as we raise our own son – I want to use this time to briefly discuss Joseph Ben Jacob, the man of Nazareth, “The Man God Chose to Raise HIS ONLY SON.”

EXPOSITION: Matthew 1:18-25

FIRST, Joseph was a godly man!

(18-19a) “(18) “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. (19a) And her husband Joseph, being a just man…”

More than our sons need anything else our sons need us to be godly men!

SECOND, Joseph was a compassionate man!

(19b) “and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.”

One of the best ways to love our sons is to love their mother and to demonstrate that love by having compassion on her and on our children.

Our wife and our children will from time to time disappoint us; the way that we respond to them at those times will either demonstrate (or fail to demonstrate) the reality of our love and compassion for them.

ONE MORE NOTE ON THIS: over the many years of my ministry, I have found that many people – especially unsaved people – reject God because HE reveals HIMSELF as FATHER and they have serious and unresolved issues with their earthly father.

THIRD, Joseph was an obedient man!

(20-25) “But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. (21) She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (22) All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

(23) “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). (24) When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, (25) but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.”

With all of the things we need to do for our sons, there is nothing more important that we can do for them than to raise them up while demonstrating to them the blessings of obeying GOD by obeying HIS WORD.

Joseph was a man GOD used to do a very important work and GOD used him because Joseph was a godly man, he was a compassionate man, and he was an obedient man.

May GOD grant that we will share these characteristics and that we may pass them on to others!

Amen !!!