Royals: The Set-Up
Happy Father’s Day!
Encouragement - Good job to all of the dads who are in the game, making their best efforts and pointing the way to Jesus as they grow!
Focus: Joseph was an earthly father who set up Jesus to show the world the Heavenly Father.
To Serve and to Protect
Fading into the Background
So Jesus Can Shine
To Serve and to Protect
Joseph led in being a responsible husband and father, and in doing so, helped fulfill prophecy by God’s sovereign hand.
Luke 2:1-7 ESV
“In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”
Though separated by time and prominence, Joseph was of the royal line of King David.
So Jesus was set up to be the prophesied Messiah by being from the royal lineage through Joseph.
Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, conceived by the Holy Spirit.
But in the gospel of Matthew and Luke, Joseph is described as the legal and adoptive father of Jesus.
This allowed the prophecy to be fulfilled that the Messiah would be of the Davidic line while honoring the theological truth of the Virgin birth so that Jesus would be both fully man and fully God.
This is a concept known as the hypostatic union.
Through study of God’s revelation in Scripture, this core Christian doctrine was fleshed out in the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD.
It forever acknowledged how Jesus could be both man and God, the reality of his two natures perfectly united without confusion, change, division or separation.
This reality explained how Jesus could relate with us by experiencing true human weakness such as hunger, fatigue and temptation, while maintaining his divine attributes like performing miracles and forgiving sin.
So what role did Joseph play and how is that a model to both fathers and all believers today?
Joseph led in carrying “his cross” - before Jesus ever did.
Matthew 1:1-2, 16-25 ESV
“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,…and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations. 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. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 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. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.”
Joseph modeled following the Scripture and the voice of the Lord
Matthew 2:13-15 ESV
“Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.””
Joseph served, protected and provided
Matthew 2:19-23 ESV
“But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.”
Fading into the Background
Joseph led in putting the Word of God into practice by purifying his family
Luke 2:22-33 ESV
“And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him.”
Joseph led in being a disciple, leading his family to obey the commands of God, being faithful in obscurity
Luke 2:39-40 ESV
“And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.”
So Jesus Can Shine
Joseph led in spiritual consistency and development
Luke 2:41-52 ESV
“Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, but supposing him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.”
We don’t really hear of Joseph after this point except being referenced by his trade that according to custom, he more than likely taught Jesus.
Matthew 13:53-58 ESV
“And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.”
We do not hear of Joseph during Jesus’ earthly ministry.
Scholars believe he passed away before Jesus began his public ministry.
Yet Joseph’s impact was felt long after he was gone.
*Key Truth: Just like in the life of Joseph, at the end of our days we want people to see and remember Jesus.
All the life that we live should be to prop Jesus up and fade into the background, having provided strong examples by life, word and deed - through faith, obedience and sacrifice what it means to follow God and build a life around Jesus.
Conclusion:
Besides those that know and love us, we will all be forgotten, but need to point to the one who never will - whose Kingdom never ends.
Psalm 103:15-19 ESV
“As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.”
The gospel is the means by which our Heavenly Father from whom we were estranged makes himself known and brings us back into the inheritance of those he loves.
Psalm 103:8-14 ESV
“The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.”
Jesus lived sinlessly and was the perfect representation of the Heavenly Father here on earth.
John 14:6-11 ESV
“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.”
God the Father’s heart, his character and his mission were perfectly displayed in Jesus, who was God in the flesh.
As Joseph before him, Jesus, after being the only one to ever live sinlessly, would eventually carry his own cross to take the wrath of God for the sins of humanity.
Jesus would sacrifice his reputation, comforts and life to be the substitute to pay the penalty for our wrongdoing.
And in doing so, Jesus opened the way to eternal life.
John 17:3 ESV
“And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
Jesus made a way for us to be brought back into an unbroken relationship with the Father through his resurrection from the dead, providing reconciliation with God to all who would turn from their sins and trust in Christ’s work at the cross.
Let’s all run to the Heavenly Father today who stands waiting to envelope us in his salvation, forgiveness, healing and love!