Christmas #1 The Man Who Saved Christmas

Saving Christmas! This is one of the more popular themes of Christmas movies these days. When My kids were young, one of those saving Christmas movies was “The Santa Claus.” Tim Allen, aka “Scott Calvin” inadvertently makes Santa Claus fall of his roof on Christmas Eve and thereby activating the “Santa Claus” which magically recruited him to take his place. And then as the new Santa Claus he saves Christmas.
Last year there was a new take on this theme in the movie, “Red One,” where Santa Claus is kidnapped and the head of the North Pole’s Security Team, Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson sets out on a globe-trotting, action packed mission to save Christmas.

Then there was even a movie made a few years back called “The Man Who Saved Christmas.” A true story about a toymaker named AC. Gilbert, who during World War I was requested by the government to retool his factory to help produce goods for the war effort. He agreed to do so but soon regretted his decision, as he found out that the government had plans to ask people NOT to celebrate Christmas in order to save resources for the war effort. However, Gilbert, lobbied the government to allow him and several other toymakers to resume production of toys; in particular the building toy known as the erector set, thus earning the name, “the man who saved Christmas.”

And as great as these stories are, the Bible actually tells the story of a man who actually did save Christmas. For without the faithful obedience this man, there would have been no Messiah born in a manger that first Christmas. Who is this man who saved Christmas? I call him, God’s Unsung Hero. Most of you know him as Joseph, the husband of Mary and the earthly father of Jesus. So, if you want to know how Joseph saved Christmas, not just for the day of Christ’s birth, but for all history, then let me encourage you to open your Bibles to Matthew 1:18-25, where we will begin by unpacking Joseph’s dilemma and see how that first Christmas almost didn’t happen.

Joseph’s Dilemma: Matthew records it this way: This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. Matthew 1:18-19
Here’s Joseph’s dilemma: Joseph had fallen in love with Mary and wanted her to be his wife. But he didn’t do what we do. He didn’t purchase an expensive engagement ring, and she didn’t buy all the bridal magazines, register for wedding gifts at Macy’s, or begin looking for wedding venues. No, in their ancient Israelite culture they become betrothed. Being betrothed was like being engaged, except for one huge difference: the moment they were betrothed they were considered to be legally married, even though their wedding day would not be for another year. So, life was good for Joseph. He had a good job as a carpenter. He had a stellar reputation as a righteous man, and he was legally married in the eyes of God. But then something happened that changed everything. Matthew writes “but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.”

This was the worst thing that could happen to Joseph. Moments ago, I mentioned that Joseph had a stellar reputation as a righteous man. What did it mean to be called “a righteous man? It meant you were a man of the Torah. You had an uncompromising obedience to the Law of Moses. You didn’t eat unclean food. You didn’t mix with the wrong people. You didn’t keep your carpentry shop open on the Sabbath. It meant that Jospeh was a stellar citizen. And everyone knew it. He was the kind of person all young Jewish men longed to be: “a righteous man.” Like a businessman who wants to be a successful CEO, or an athlete who wants to be an all-star, an Israelite man wanted to be known as a righteous man. For if you were known as “a righteous man” you were someone. You were admired and looked up to. That was Joseph.

But now the girl he was betrothed to was pregnant, and whoever the father is, Joseph knows it’s not him. So, what does he do? Most men would feel betrayed. Most would immediately judge her as unfaithful. And most would divorce her as soon as possible. But not Joseph. He had every right to divorce her. But that is not what Joseph had in mind to do. For if he were to expose Mary to a public divorce it would ruin her. It would bring shame on her and her family. Not only that, but according to Deuteronomy 22, if Joseph were to expose her supposed marital unfaithfulness, this passage tells us what might happen: “She shall be brought to the door of her father’s house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death.” So, Joseph was well aware of Mary’s plight.

But rather than humiliate her, Joseph chose to protect her. And the Law provided such an option: He could divorce her privately, protect her and hold onto his righteousness. So, Joseph had it all figured out. Or at least he thought he did. But that was about to change. For that’s what we see next in

Joseph’s Call: 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. 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.” Matthew 1:20-21

You see, Joseph had gone to bed that night thinking he had it all figured out. He believed he was doing the right thing. He believed he was doing a good thing. He believed that by divorcing Mary privately he could protect her from public humiliation and perhaps even death. But now, as an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, we learn something new about Joseph. We learn that his motives weren’t completely pure. Oh yes, “He was afraid to take Mary home as his wife.” But he wasn’t just afraid for her. He was afraid for himself. He was afraid he would ruin his righteous reputation. His whole life had been centered around his obedience to God’s law. He liked being considered a righteous man. He liked that other’s thought well of him and looked up to him. So, what we learn here is that Joseph was afraid that if he took Mary home as his wife, he would lose his reputation as “a righteous man.”

Why? If Joseph goes ahead and takes a pregnant Mary to be his wife, then most people would come to the same conclusion: that Joseph made Mary pregnant. And if that’s what people thought, then his righteous reputation would be ruined.

But it’s at this point we see something else in the angel’s message to Joseph. The moment this angel addresses him as “Joseph son of David,” Joseph is reminded of his true identity. He is not simply “a righteous man.” No, he is more than that. For he is of the legal linage of David, the legal line of the Messiah. Prior to this moment Joseph had based his identity on how his peers saw him, on what he did, on his righteous acts. But that’s not how God saw Joseph. God saw Joseph as a son of David, as part of the Messianic line, as part of something greater in God’s plan.

And the angel tells us what that something greater was. He was to be the earthly father to God’s Son. The angel said, “Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. At that very moment Joseph learns that Mary is carrying God’s child. And that God wants Joseph to be his earthly father, so that through Joseph God’s child can be the legal heir to David’s throne.

But there’s more. For next the angel says to Joseph: 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.” And with this statement, the angel reveals God’s calling on Joseph’s life. God is calling Joseph to do his part in God’s salvation story. For without Joseph’s legal linage to David’s throne, this child could not be born as the Messiah. Not only that, but he must not be afraid to take Mary home to be His wife. For the Son she’s about bear, will save His people from their sins. So, this is no ordinary calling. God is calling Joseph to not simply raise God’s son, but to raise the Savior of the world. Now, that’s some calling.

But it’s here I want us to think about our identity and our calling for a moment. Like Joseph, most of us base our identity on what we do. Whether it be by our hard work, how we treat others, by being a decent person, or even a righteous person. In fact, most of us have our own version of what we consider to be “a righteous person.” We want others to think well of us. We want others to applaud our achievements, our character, our kindness, even our love. But no matter how we may craft our identity on earth, no matter how much we try to build our reputation… In God’s eyes our identity is completely different. So, the question is: how does God see us? Or more specifically: How does God see you?

First of all, God sees everyone as someone He created to know and love Him. God created you in His image and likeness so you might know Him as your Creator. But the bad news is that no one seeks God, no one is righteous, not even one of us. So, God needed to seek us to restore us to a relationship with Him. Do make this possible, He sent Jesus to seek and save the lost. He sent Jesus to seek and save you. So that, at the moment you turn from your sin and turn to Jesus in faith; God not only removes your sin but makes it possible for you to know and love God.

And at the same time God makes it possible for you to know Him through faith in Jesus, He does something even more incredible: He adopts you into His family thru Jesus. And at that moment God changes your identity for eternity. For at the moment that you believe in Jesus, you become God’s child. At that moment God changes your identity. You become part of His forever family, as someone who has every right and privilege as Jesus. Your identity becomes so much more than what you do. Your identity becomes who’s you are. You become God’s beloved child. And there’s so much peace, joy and security in this identity. Because it will never change. But one question today: Do you see yourself as God sees you, or do you see yourself by how you present yourself to the world?

But think now about your calling. God called Joseph to be the father of His son, not just to raise Him in righteousness, and not just to ensure His Son would be in the legal line of the Messiah, but to give him the name, Jesus. A name which means, “Yahweh Saves.” After this, the Bible doesn’t tell us a whole lot more about Joseph. But on this night God called Joseph to play a major role in His redemption story. And what’s so amazing about Joseph’s calling, is that when God calls you to faith, He does the same thing with you. He also calls you to play a part in His redemption story.

In fact, the very beginning of your faith involves a calling from God. It’s a call to repent and believe in Jesus. Jesus said it this way, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Mark 1:17. Jesus didn’t say, “Come, follow me, and I will give you a comfortable life.” He didn’t say, “Come, follow me, and get your ticket to heaven.” And He didn’t say, “Come, follow me, and be a good moral person and make sure you go to church on Sundays.” But he did say, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29

The point is simple. Just as God called Joseph to play his part in His redemption story, God also calls you to play your part in His story. Your calling is to be with Jesus, learn from Jesus, and be changed by Jesus, so you can live and love like Jesus! Just like God call Joseph to play a part in His story, God calls you to play a part in His story.

Now, back to Joseph’s story. If there is anything we can learn from this unsung hero today, is that after hearing the part God called Joseph to play in His story, Joseph responded to God’s call. But before we look at Joseph’s response to God’s call, before we see why Joseph is the man who saved Christmas, let’s not miss the good news revealed here about the birth of Jesus. In verses 22-23, we read: All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). There are at least four life changing truths about his birth that are revealed about Jesus in this passage. First, by learning that Joseph is in the line of David, Joseph’s story is meant to alert the Jewish reader that Jesus is the Messiah. That this child conceived by the Holy Spirit would be born as the hope of Israel.

Secondly, by hearing that this child is conceived by the Holy Spirit, there is no clearer evidence that identifies that Jesus is God’s Son. Why is this important for us to grasp? Well, legally Jesus will be Joseph’s son, but spiritually He will be God’s Son. In other words, This child born on Christmas day will arrive on the scene fully divine and fully human. As God’s divine son, He will be born without a sin nature. As being born fully human, He will be born to be the perfect substitute for humankind when He lays down His life on the cross for our sins.

Which leads us to the third truth about Jesus: His name. The name “Jesus” means, “Yahweh saves.” So, the third truth we can learn about this child is that Jesus is the Savior of the World. There is good news in the name of Jesus. There is power in His name. For the Bible teaches us that Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

And finally: He will be called Immanuel, which means “God with us.” This is the good news of Christmas. Our God is not some distant or absent God, who leaves us to figure out life on our own. No, by sending Jesus to be born as one of us, God came near to us so that we might experience His presence, know what He is like, and witness His love through the life of His Son. But what’s so amazing about knowing all this about Jesus is that Joseph needed to believe all this.

God needed Joseph to believe His message so he might save Christmas. God needed Joseph to put aside his fears of losing his reputation, so he might save Christmas. God needed Joseph to not divorce Mary quietly but take her as his wife so he might save Christmas. And God needed Joseph to embrace his calling and give God’s child the name Jesus, so we might be able to celebrate the birth of the Christ! So how did Joseph respond? That’s what we see next in…

Joseph’s Obedience: I love Joseph’s response. Matthew records it for us saying: When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. Matt. 1:24-25 What did Joseph do?

He trusted in God’s message. He believed the impossible. He believed this child was conceived of the Holy Spirit. He believed Mary had not sinned, but that she was still a virgin, and this child was God’s Son. And since he believed God’s Word, he was able to act upon it. He immediately obeyed God’s command to take Mary home as his wife. That’s the same kind of faith we need today. God still needs His people to trust in His message. His message has not changed. He still asks us to trust His message. He still asks us to take His gospel to people lost in darkness. He still commands us to love one another. He still commands to believe Jesus can save us from our sins.

Secondly, He believed God’s calling. Joseph no longer feared losing his reputation as a righteous man. He was no longer afraid of what others might think of Him. For once he understood his identity from God’s perspective; he understood his importance as part of God’s plan. And knowing what his calling meant, he would see it through with Mary until the birth of God’s Son, no matter what the world would say. Because he now understood his place in God’s plan: to be the earthly father of the Messiah. Again, we need this kind of faith today. We need to stay the course in what God calls us to do, even if the world tells us that there’s another way. We need to stay the course with Jesus, for there is no other name given under heaven by which man can be saved.

He embraced God’s plan. Joseph believed God’s plan for him was greater than his plan for himself, and so he did what God told him to do: He took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. And because he trusted God’s message, believed in God’s calling and embraced God’s plan – this unsung hero saved Christmas.

And now, over two thousand years later, people are still celebrating the birth of the Savior and calling upon His name to be the Savior for their sins. And I for one, am thankful that Joseph heard God’s message and became the man, who by his obedience saved Christmas.