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Christmas Ponderings #7 Bible Ballistics: BBs #771

17 Friday Dec 2021

Posted by Blanche in A Father's Love, Abundant Life In Jesus, All About Jesus!, Are You Ready, Believe God?, Believe IN Jesus, Choose you this day?, Christmas, Christmas IS Jesus, Christmas IS?, Come To Worship HIM, Trust, Trust God, Trusting Jesus?, Who are you listening too!, Worship Him!, Worship?

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A blessed meeting!, Believing God's Word, Faithful Joseph-, Faithful Women of God!, Honorable Followers, Joseph, Joseph's adventure, Luke 1:11-16, Luke 1:26-33, Luke 1:41-45, Luke 1:46-56, Mary, Matthew 1:21, The Truth or The World?, Trusting God, Who are you believing?

Bible Ballistics: BBs #771   Christmas Ponderings!!! #7

 

As we approach Christmas week, and we think of all the activities, errands, shopping, wrapping, mailing, cards, gifts, baking and cooking we may become overwhelmed, but I want us to take a few minutes today to remind ourselves of the JOY of Christmas, and WHO it’s ALL about!

“And she shall bring forth a son,

and thou shalt call his name JESUS:

for he shall save his people

from their sins.”  Matthew 1:21

This amazing message is what Joseph received from the angel of The Lord as he was trying to decide on a course of action regarding his “espoused”, Mary, who was by this time some 3 or 4 months pregnant (remember she went to Elizabeth almost immediately after receiving the message from the angel for some 3 months).  Scripture tells us that Joseph was a just man, and only wanted to do the right thing-–even for Mary.  I’ve always wondered about that conversation that Mary had to have with her parents, for while her cousin Elizabeth (the mother of John the Baptizer) knew that her pregnancy was supernatural, we’re not told that her parents had the same spiritual insight.  I don’t mean to be irreverent, but can’t you just imagine Mary telling her parents that she was pregnant, but it was a work of God!  And then she had to tell Joseph—that had to be an interesting conversation—and he simply wanted to do the right thing for Mary!  But once again God stepped in and assured Joseph that his beloved Mary was telling the truth!  I can’t even imagine the courage that it took, for surely the neighbors there in Nazareth were just as “gossipy” as neighbors today, and the rumors flew around town; and remember that Joseph would have been presumed to be the father—one who had violated Mary’s purity, and the marriage contract prematurely.

Yet in all of this, there was one other who believed—Elizabeth; and from their encounter we have two of the most beautiful of all declarations of the faith of two women in all of scripture (excepting perhaps the declaration of Hannah)—one who was past childbearing years and was gifted by God to bear a child!  The other an engaged maiden who was pregnant without benefit of the marriage being consummated!  Elizabeth got the news of her blessing from her husband Zacharias, who also received an angelic visitation and message about “John”!

“And there appeared unto him

an angel of the Lord

standing on the right side

of the altar of incense.

12 And when Zacharias saw him,

he was troubled,

and fear fell upon him.

13 But the angel said unto him,

Fear not, Zacharias:

for thy prayer is heard;

and thy wife Elisabeth

shall bear thee a son,

and thou shalt call his name John.

14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness;

and many shall rejoice at his birth.

15 For he shall be great

in the sight of the Lord,

and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink;

and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost,

even from his mother’s womb.

16 And many of the children of Israel

shall he turn to the Lord their God.”   Luke 1:11-16

This faithful servant of God received amazing news via an angelic visit!  The angel’s message came to pass, and Zacharias’ wife Elizabeth would receive a visit from another mother of a special child; and six months into her pregnancy, a divine encounter took place, often overlooked in our rush to Bethlehem.

“And in the sixth month

the angel Gabriel was sent from God

unto a city of Galilee,

named Nazareth,

27 To a virgin espoused to a man

whose name was Joseph,

of the house of David;

and the virgin’s name was Mary.

28 And the angel came in unto her, and said,

Hail, thou that art highly favoured,

the Lord is with thee:

blessed art thou

among women.

29 And when she saw him,

she was troubled at his saying,

and cast in her mind

what manner of salutation

this should be.

30 And the angel said unto her,

Fear not, Mary:

for thou hast found favour with God

31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive

in thy womb,

and bring forth a son,

and shalt call his name JESUS.

32 He shall be great,

and shall be called

the Son of the Highest:

and the Lord God

shall give unto him

the throne of his father David:

33 And he shall reign

over the house of Jacob

for ever;

and of his kingdom

there shall be no end.”  Luke 1:26-33

And while Mary may have struggled to accept what the angel told her, she accepted the message from God and then went to visit her cousin Elizabeth.  Maybe to confirm what she had been told, maybe to not be in Nazareth as her condition began to show; we don’t know why, except it seems to have been a God designed visit, and the encounter between these two blessed women of God gives us cause to worship and praise our God for the gift of HIS plan of salvation, which came to fruition through a simple Jewish girl of faith with an amazing devotion to her God!

Let’s simply let these two women bring us to the throne of grace today.  There is nothing I could add to what they have to say.  May we rejoice with such ardor and love!

“And it came to pass, that,

when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary,

the babe leaped in her womb;

and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:

42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said,

Blessed art thou among women,

and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

43 And whence is this to me,

that the mother of my Lord

should come to me?

44 For, lo, as soon as the voice

of thy salutation sounded in mine ears,

the babe leaped in my womb

for joy.

45 And blessed is she that believed:

for there shall be a performance

of those things which were told her

from the Lord.”   Luke 1:41-45

And Mary’s response:

“And Mary said,

My soul doth magnify

the Lord,

47 And my spirit hath rejoiced

in God my Saviour.

48 For he hath regarded the low estate

of his handmaiden:

for, behold, from henceforth

all generations shall call me blessed.

49 For he that is mighty

hath done to me great things;

and holy is

his name.

50 And his mercy is on them that fear him

from generation to generation.

51 He hath shewed strength

with his arm;

he hath scattered the proud

in the imagination of their hearts.

52 He hath put down the mighty

from their seats,

and exalted them

of low degree.

53 He hath filled the hungry

with good things;

and the rich

he hath sent empty away.

54 He hath holpen his servant Israel,

in remembrance of his mercy;

55 As he spake to our fathers,

to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.

56 And Mary abode with her about three months,

and returned to her own house.”  Luke 1:46-56

May you find comfort knowing the fullness of joy that is found in The Word of The Lord!

Amen and Amen!!!

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Christmas Ponderings #2!!! Bible Ballistics: BBs #768

03 Friday Dec 2021

Posted by Blanche in 'Tis The Season?, A Father's Love, Faithful Father--heavenly and earthly, Jesus the carpenter, Joseph the Carpenter

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A Faithful father, Christmas Ponderings #2, Faith in action, Faithful Joseph-, Joseph's adventure, Mark 6:1-3, Matthew 13:55, Matthew 1:18-25, Matthew 2:10-15, Matthew 2:19-23, Romans 11:33-36

Bible Ballistics: BBs #768   Christmas Ponderings!!! #2

 

Let’s look today at “the carpenter”, Joseph, the builder, whether he worked in wood, stone, or other materials, he was still a builder!  Why Joseph?  Why a carpenter?  Only God really knows but I would like to give us some food for thought.  For in reality, we are all ‘builders’ of one sort or another.

“And he went out from thence,

and came into his own country;

 and his disciples follow him.

2 And when the sabbath day was come,

he began to teach in the synagogue:

and many hearing him

 were astonished, saying,

From whence hath this man

these things?

and what wisdom is this

which is given unto him,

that even such mighty works

are wrought by his hands?

3 Is not this the carpenter,

the son of Mary,

the brother of James,

and Joses,

and of Juda,

and Simon?

and are not his sisters here with us?

And they were offended at him.”  Mark 6:1-3

It seems apparent that Joseph was not in the picture, most likely not alive at the time, but his part in God’s plan is often overlooked in our attention to the story of the birth of Jesus Christ the Lord!  Let’s spend some time this morning (or whatever time you’re reading this…) looking at this humble man of faith and obedience.

“Is not this the carpenter’s son?

is not his mother called Mary?

and his brethren,

James, and Joses,

and Simon, and Judas?”  Matthew 13:55

Jesus was called a “carpenter” and “the carpenter’s son”, and it was customary for the son to follow in his father’s trade, so we can surmise that Joseph was building into his son the skills of life and livelihood, as well as modeling a life of faith and obedience.  And while we don’t know much about Joseph after Jesus’ childhood, we can see that he was known as the carpenter by those of his community, and his life of obedience is so clear in Matthew’s account of the incarnation.

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise:

When as his mother Mary

was espoused to Joseph,

before they came together,

she was found with child

of the Holy Ghost.

19 Then Joseph her husband,

being a just man,

and not willing

to make her

a publick example,

was minded to put her away privily.

20 But while he thought on these things, behold,

the angel of the Lord appeared unto him

in a dream, saying,

Joseph, thou son of David,

fear not to take unto thee Mary

thy wife:

 for that which is conceived in her

is of the Holy Ghost.

21 And she shall bring forth a son,

and thou shalt call his name JESUS:

for he shall save his people

from their sins…

24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep

did as the angel of the Lord

had bidden him,

and took unto him his wife:

25 And knew her not

till she had brought forth

 her firstborn son:

and he called his name JESUS.”   Matthew 1:18-21 & 25

I don’t think we can imagine what this man of God thought of all these things, but he obediently obeyed the direction of God.  Just consider:

 a just man—being a “just” man–

 a compassionate man—considered Mary–

 a diligent man—thought about what to do–

 a thoughtful man—“he thought on these things”–

 an obedient man—HE DID AS THE ANGEL SAID—

a self-controlled man—he knew her not….until…–

 “he called his name JESUS”!!!

I am amazed at this simple man, a carpenter-a builder, was so receptive to God’s direction, and did things that were totally outside the realm of human reason.  Yet today, we think God has to explain Himself, show us the outline, draw us a map, and line it out for our future!  Oh, Lord, help me be more like Joseph who was willing to step out in faith (literally) and follow your direction, not just this once but again when the “wise men came” as he took Mary and the babe to Egypt.

“When they saw the star,

they rejoiced

with exceeding great joy.

11 And when they were come into the house,

they saw the young child

with Mary his mother,

and fell down,

and worshipped him:

and when they had opened their treasures,

they presented unto him gifts;

gold,

and frankincense,

and myrrh.

12 And being warned of God in a dream

that they should not return to Herod,

they departed into their own country

another way.

13 And when they were departed,

behold,

the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph

in a dream, saying,

Arise, and take the young child

and his mother, and flee into Egypt,

and be thou there

until I bring thee word:

for Herod will seek the young child

to destroy him.

14 When he arose,

he took the young child

and his mother by night,

and departed into Egypt:

15 And was there

until the death of Herod:

that it might be fulfilled

 which was spoken of the Lord

 by the prophet, saying,

Out of Egypt

have I called my son.”  Matthew 2:10-15

This precious man was willing to forsake his own way, and go God’s way: he took his (in our terms fiancée’) promised wife who was pregnant, but not by him; he refused to accuse her of infidelity (which meant he was taking the blame for her pre-wedding pregnancy) and took her into his home; he cared for her without benefit of connubial bliss; he took her with him to Bethlehem to register with the government where Mary delivered baby Jesus;  he hosted shepherds who also had an amazing story of angelic announcements of this child.  He apparently took up residence in Bethlehem and provided for his little family; he had to have been flabbergasted at the presence and story of the ‘wise men’ who had traveled long and far to bring gifts to this young child/infant (in the house not the stable).  Then he obeyed the message from another angelic messenger to leave Bethlehem by night and take his family to Egypt (probably financed by the gifts of the wise men)!  And waited until God told him to return, which he did with great concern for the safety of his family, and faithful obedience and concern to obey and protect the child!

“But when Herod was dead, behold,

an angel of the Lord appeareth

in a dream

to Joseph

in Egypt,

20 Saying,

Arise, and take the young child

and his mother,

and go into the land of Israel:

for they are dead

which sought the young child’s life.

21 And he arose,

and took the young child and his mother,

 and came into the land of Israel.

22 But when he heard that Archelaus

did reign in Judaea

in the room of his father Herod,

he was afraid to go thither:

notwithstanding,

being warned of God in a dream,

he turned aside

into the parts of Galilee:

23 And he came

and dwelt in a city called Nazareth:

that it might be fulfilled

which was spoken by the prophets,

He shall be called a Nazarene.”   Matthew 2:19-23

Joseph spent a lifetime (however long his life was, for we don’t know when he died, except that it appears that he wasn’t present during the public ministry of Jesus) building an example of faith, obedience, and trust in God’s leading for his life and the life of his family.  He trusted God when he couldn’t really understand what was going on.  He built a house of faith, not doubt!  He built a heritage and so should we.  In fact, we are building a heritage no matter what!  Our children will follow our example more than our words.  We must remember that we are building—building up or tearing down—our choices affect those around us—up or down, and we don’t always know which way it will go; but we must be vigilant to be builders who are pleasing to God.

When we live lives of faithful love, devotion, and obedience to our Lord and Savior, then our children will see our hearts lived out in our actions!  While they may not always do that which pleases us, they can’t deny that we tried to lead them to the Savior!  I think Joseph sets an amazing example of yieldedness to God—of total obedience in the face of worldly misunderstanding—of faith over fear—of wisdom, grace, and steadfastness regardless of his circumstances.

Let’s face it, most of us would be questioning “a barn” for a delivery room—shepherds as birthday greeters—foreigners as gift bearers—yet Joseph stood fast through trails, trials, threats, and danger.  Oh, that we can learn to be so faithful.  I pray that this will encourage your heart today, and may we truly remember that “JESUS” IS the reason for every season.

“O the depth of the riches

both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

how unsearchable

are his judgments,

and his ways

past finding out!

34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord?

or who hath been his counsellor?

35 Or who hath first given to him,

and it shall be recompensed unto him again?

36 For of him,

and through him,

and to him,

are all things:

to whom be glory

 for ever. Amen.”   Romans 11:33-36

Amen and Amen!!!

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