God with us Part 1

Because God is with us,

I am free!

Joseph had every right to:

Hurt

Judge

End a relationship

I. Try mercy

“This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.

Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.” Matthew 1:18-19

When he could have demanded a bitter justice,

he chose a righteous mercy.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” Matt 5:7

“Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?” Matthew 18:33

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;There is no shadow of turning with Thee;Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Refrain

Great is Thy faithfulness!Great is Thy faithfulness!Morning by morning new mercies I see.All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,Sun, moon and stars in their courses aboveJoin with all nature in manifold witnessTo Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Great is Thy faithfulness!Great is Thy faithfulness!Morning by morning new mercies I see.All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

When people deserve the sentence of justice, choose a righteous mercy, which extends patience, grace, encouragement, prayer, empathy.

We meet Joseph in the middle of a nightmare

II. Try faith

“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." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:

"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us."

Matthew 1:20-23

Since God is with us, I am free:

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

Galatians 5:1

“When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.” Matt 1:24

1. From the Past

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Mt 28:20

A. Have you put your past in the past?

B. Have you put the past of others in the past?

• Most of us are happy to put our past in the past but we are not so ready to let the past be the past for someone else.

2. To Forgive

“Forgive one another.”

Ephesians 4:32

Is there someone I need to forgive?

3. To Love

“Love one another.” John 13:34

“We love because he first loved us.”

1 John 4:19

Is there someone I need to reach out to in Christian love?