“A kind of moral relativism has
taken over. Nothing is really wrong. If I have a
good reason to do it, it’s not sin.” That is the
modern attitude toward the righteousness of God.
I get the impression that the
church in our day avoids at all costs the idea of
sin and guilt and therefore tries to entertain lost
sinners into heaven.
However, there is no escaping
the fact that when God became flesh so He could be
with us He did so in order to “save His people from
their sins” (Matthew 1:21).
The angel appeared in the
presence of Joseph who was engaged to be married to
Mary and told him, “Joseph son of David, do not be
afraid to take Mary as your wife; for that which has
been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit” (v.
20).
Joseph did not ask why, but
here is God’s answer to the question. The angel
continues, “And she will bear a son; and you shall
call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His
people from their sins” (v. 21).
The ancient Jewish rabbis had a
saying concerning the names of the six persons who
were named before they were born: Isaac, Moses,
Solomon, Josiah, and the name of the Messiah.
“You shall call His name
Jesus.” You will name Him after His Father. Not
Joseph, mind you, because Joseph would be his
stepfather. Jesus was “conceived in her [Mary] of
the Holy Spirit” (v.20).
Jesus had no human father. The
historian Matthew tells us Joseph “found” Mary to be
pregnant “before they came together” (v. 18). The
discovery was inevitable and it is plain that Mary
had not told Joseph. The discovery shocked Joseph.
Jesus had no human father because “she was found to
be with child by the Holy Spirit” (v. 18).
Joseph refused to make a public
disgrace of Mary, “And arose from his sleep and did
as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took her
as his wife, and kept her a virgin until she gave
birth to her first born Son; and he called His name
Jesus” (vv. 24-25).
Even though the Jews did
distinguish engagement from marriage, the
dissolution of an engagement was considered the
equivalent of divorce, and an engaged woman who’s
husband-to-be had died was regarded as a widow.
Consequently, any sexual relations between an
engaged woman and another man were viewed as
adultery, and the woman was punished accordingly.
Joseph “kept her a virgin.”
That is beautiful and profound way of emphasizing
that she had been and still was at the time a
“virgin.” Matthew uses the imperfect tense to
communicate a continuous, or linear action to say to
his readers that Joseph lived in self-restraint with
Mary. They had no intercourse until after Jesus was
born in Bethlehem. After His birth they proceeded to
have their own sons and daughters (Matt. 12:46; Mk.
3:31; Luke 8:19). After the virgin conception of
Jesus normal married relations followed and other
children were born.
They called His name “Jesus.”
It is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua. The
original full form is Jehoshua, meaning “Yahweh our
salvation,” “Yahweh saves,” or “Yahweh’s salvation.”
The LORD God saves; He is our salvation. Jesus is
Yahweh. He was named after His Father!
Jesus, “Yahweh is our
salvation.” He “will save His people from their
sins.”
We have tragically “missed the
mark” of the righteousness and glory of God. We are
guilty. Our sins are an offense to a holy God. We
have failed to hit the target morally, personally
and spiritually. “We are all dead in our trespasses
and sins, and there is no hope for us personally
unless we repent and turn to the only one who can
possibly save us (Acts 4:12). Any deviation from a
true course includes falling short of the goal.
Our only hope of eternal life
with God in heaven is in the saving death of the Son
of God on the cross for our sins.
“He who believes in the Son has
eternal life; but he who does not obey (or, believe)
the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God
abides on him” (John 3:36). In fact, this verse
teaches us that we are already habitually the
subjects of the wrath of God until we trust in Jesus
Christ as our Savior.
The person who believes on
Jesus “has eternal life” here and now and for
eternity. It is the believer’s eternal possession
even now.
Selah!
Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006
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Unless otherwise noted "Scripture quotations taken from the NASB."
"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE" © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://www.bible.org/. All rights reserved.
Wil is a graduate of William Carey University, B. A.; New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Th. M.; and Azusa Pacific University, M. A. He has pastored in Panama, Ecuador and the U. S, and served for over 20 years as missionary in Ecuador and Honduras. He had a daily expository Bible teaching ministry head in over 100 countries from 1972-2005. He continues to seek opportunities to be personally involved in world missions. Wil and his wife Ann have three grown daughters. He currently serves as a Baptist pastor and teaches seminary extension courses in Ecuador.
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