Nativity: Joseph & Mary

This is the manuscript for the sermon I preached at West Bradenton Baptist Southside on Sunday December 1st, 2019.

INTRODUCTION
Today is the first Sunday of Advent.  We have now “officially” entered the Christmas season!  This is a special time for many, but for western believers we celebrate and observe the time leading up to birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  The word “Advent” is derived from the Medieval Latin word “Adventus” which means “coming” or “arrival”.  Advent begins four Sundays before December 25th and it is a time where we celebrate the first Advent of our Savior Jesus Christ when he came to earth the first time and it is also a time that we prepare ourselves for the eventual and imminent return of Jesus Christ.  As believers we should always continually prepare AND celebrate the arrival of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, but it is during these four weeks that we spend time focusing on and preparing ourselves for the coming of our King.
 
We are all familiar with the Nativity scene and story.  One would be hard pressed to travel down any main street of a large or small town and not see at least one manger scene depicted in someone’s front yard, business or church.  However, the nativity is much more than a nice story to tell our children and it is certainly much more than a collection of lighted up plastic figurines strategically placed in a wooden stable that gathered around a little baby that is placed in front yards. 
 
For Advent this year I would like to take the next four weeks and look in depth at four key elements of the nativity.  For the next four weeks we will look at the accounts of …
 

1. Mary & Joseph
2. The Shepherds & Angels
3. Simeon & Anna
4. Herod & the Wise Men

We will look at each element of the Christmas story and we will also look at the role these individuals play in God’s plan, purpose and kingdom.  Today I will talk about Mary and Joseph (I will be talking mainly about Mary).  As I studied for this message it has been an eye-opening study for me, because I realized that protestant Christians rarely talk about Mary and when we do it is usually in either a negative or passing way.  One thing I did notice is there isn’t a lot in the Bible about Mary.  In your bulletin notes today I have given most of the Bible passages that reference Mary in some way.  For informational purposes I read a book entitled “The Real Mary:  Why Evangelical Christians Can Embrace the Mother of Jesus” by Scot McKnight in preparation for today’s sermon.  My prayer for today is to look at and answer questions some may have about Mary and ultimately look at who she is and the important role she plays in not only the Christmas story but also God’s eternal purpose in reconciling humanity to Himself.
 
Why Protestant Christians Don’t Talk Much About Mary?
It is rare that one hears many sermons about Mary in Evangelical circles.  There are many reasons why evangelicals don’t. 

1. We associate her with Roman Catholicism.  Many who have any background in Catholicism know that Mary is greatly revered.  It is believed some pray to the Mother Mary, believe she was sinless, she was a perpetual virgin and some even believe statues of her may have divine powers.
   
2. We have stereotyped her as a Christmas figure or icon, and we do not take the time to fully observed who she really was.  Sometimes we just plain overlook Mary because the Bible doesn’t say much about her.  We look at her as playing an important role in the birth of Christ, but then soon forget about her after the Christmas story is complete.
   
3. Most of us know more about what we do not believe about her (refer to the first point) than we do know about her.  Unfortunately, this is true so we tend to push her aside and take her out of the Christian faith because we don’t want to seem like we are giving her too much attention or inadvertently placing her above Jesus.

 
So, Why is Mary So Special?
I think when we look at the biblical accounts of Mary, we can easily conclude that Mary is indeed a special woman.  She is special for many reasons and they are as followed…
 
The Virgin Mother – The virgin birth is an important doctrine and teaching in the Christian faith.  The immaculate conception (as we call it) is a staple in our foundational beliefs because it was prophesied in Isaiah 7:14 that the Messiah would be born of a virgin mother, “Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: See, the virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel.”  There is only one Jesus that is presented in the Word of God; and that Jesus did not come into the world by ordinary means, but he was conceived in the womb of the virgin by the Holy Ghost.  This is what Scripture teaches… “The angel replied to her: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” Luke 1:35
 
The Mother of God – A title for Mary is Theotokos, the “God-Bearer,” this is a title for Mary as the Mother of God.  Sometimes we forget the years up to Jesus’ ministry, we forget she was the mother who cared for the physical needs of Jesus the boy. She was the one who cared for him and who nurtured and taught him in the ways of the Lord.
 
She trusted & worshiped God – Mary’s Magnificat (Song of Praise). Read Luke 1:46 – 55 is one of the most beautiful songs of praise in the Bible.  This song shows that she, in faith, consented to God’s plan.  She knew God would protect her like he did the other women in the lineage of Jesus.
 
She submitted to God - She fully understood what she was taking on.  She knew her fiancé could potentially divorce her, her reputation would be marred, her son would be ridiculed and ostracized and she knew the potential and the consequences of being accused of adultery in this Jewish society.  Yet she accepted the call and submitted to God. “For nothing will be impossible with God.  I am the Lord’s servant,” said Mary. “May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel left her.  Luke 1:37, 38
 
She witnessed the Crucifixion - Not only was she present at the birth of the Savior but she watched in horror as the mob of people tortured, ridiculed and murdered the man she called son.  “When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple he loved standing there, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.” John 19:26, 27
 
She was the first to be informed of Jesus’ resurrection – The angel tells Mary Jesus is resurrected. “When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” Mark 16:1 - 3
 
She was present at Pentecost -  Acts 1:14 “ They all were continually united in prayer, along with the women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers”  Mary was present at Pentecost so she witnessed and probably experienced the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon the believers that day.
 
Matthew 1:18 -25
Joseph & Mary: Two ordinary people chosen for God’s extraordinary purpose

1. They had humble & unusual beginnings
   a.  Mary was a young (maybe 13 to 16 years old) peasant girl from an insignificant town called Bethlehem and she was betrothed (Betrothal meant that Mary and Joseph were legally husband and wife with the exceptions of sexual relations.) to Joseph a common carpenter. Matthew 1:18 
   b.  To be a Jewish woman pregnant before marriage meant that many would question the integrity of her ‘I do’ to Joseph.” (Scot McKnight).  Being in a small town you can imagine what things were said about Mary.
   c.  The surroundings of her birth were far from being fitting for the birth of the King of the world.  (Luke 2:6, 7)
2. Joseph was a righteous man
   a.  We are told that he was a righteous man and did not want to publicly disgrace Mary.  However, I think we see his righteousness in the fact that he stayed with her under very controversial circumstances after the Angel of the Lord told him to stay.
   b.  We are also told that Joseph is the one who named Jesus.
3. The Sovereignty of God (they were chosen) – We do not know why God chose Mary and Joseph, we just know he did.  Was there something special about the two?  The angel informs Mary that she is blessed among all women (Luke 1:27) and he does not elaborate as to why she is the chosen one.  All we do know is they were chosen vessels of God commissioned to bring about the purposes and plan of God for his glory.

 
 
Did Mary Know?

1. Yes, she did know that her son was going to be the Savior of the world. When we read her Magnificat, this is obvious.
2. She Pondered these things (what the angels told her) in her heart Luke 2:19
3. She knew her son was special (Wedding of Cana)
4. She may have had doubts about who he was when she sent Jesus’ brothers to go get him when he was teaching in the synagogue. (Matthew 12:46)           

 
How Should Evangelicals View Mary & Joseph?

1. Respect Mary (She was/is highly favored among women) but do not worship her.
2. Pray like Mary but not to her.
3. Know that God can and does use ordinary people like Mary and Joseph to do extraordinary things.
4. Learn from them (The mother of Jesus worshiped God, trusted God and even at times questioned God & Joseph obeyed God as the Angel of the Lord spoke to Him). 
   ​