MEMORISE:
[Charity] Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 1 Corinthians 13:7
READ: Matthew 1:18-25
18 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 public example, was minded to put her away privily.
20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORDappeared 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.
22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
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.
MESSAGE
One thing our world needs now, more than ever before, is love. This is why today; we will be studying love in action, taking a look at Joseph, the husband of Mary. After having been betrothed to Joseph, Mary was chosen by God to be the vessel of honor that He would use to bring the Savior of mankind into the world. She was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit and became pregnant out of wedlock. If Joseph did not take responsibility for this pregnancy, a great calamity would have befallen Mary and put the salvation of mankind in jeopardy, because shoe would have been stoned to death as required under Jewish law. Thankfully, Joseph stepped up and covered Mary by marrying her. One lesson we can learn from this incident is that our God is perfect in judgment. He carefully chose a just man to be the husband of His chosen vessel. If Joseph had been a wicked soul, he would have made a public show of what happened to Mary, even though she did nothing wrong. Being a righteous man, he planned to divorce Mary privately to avert the shame and adverse judgment that would have befallen her by Mosaic Law, until he discovered that she was pregnant by the power of the Holy Ghost. The Bible says that love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). As a husband, would you excel if tested in the school of love? To avoid a lifetime of agony, Christian ladies should also learn from this story that when choosing a life-partner, he must be a God-fearing man who shares their faith.
“Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” Matthew 1:22-23
Some unexpected things happen in marriage to fulfill a divine purpose, and as believers we need to understand that they will always work together for our good (Romans 8:28). Husbands need to learn self discipline from Joseph’s example. Matthew 1:25 says of him:
“And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.”
When it comes to sexual intercourse, some husbands cannot hold themselves, even for a day! They terrify and harass their wives into having sex without consent. While it is true that the woman’s body belongs to her husband, the word of God also encourages mutual consent between husband and wife in the area of sexual intimacy (1 Corinthians 7:5). Are you biding by the standard?
KEY POINT:
Have you gone the extra mile to bring joy and gladness to your spouse through the expression of love and understanding?
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Corinthians 1-3 Jeremiah 1:1-2:3
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 16: GOD GIVE US CHRISTIAN HOME
1. God give us Christian homes!
Homes where the Bible is loved and taught,
Homes where the Master’s will is sought,
Homes crowned with beauty Your love has wrought;
God give us Christian homes;
God give us Christian homes!
2. God give us Christian homes!
Homes where the father is true and strong,
Homes that are free from the blight of wrong,
Homes that are joyous with love and song;
God give us Christian homes;
God give us Christian homes!
3. God give us Christian homes!
Homes where the mother, in caring quest,
Strives to show others Your way is best,
Homes where the Lord is an honored guest;
God give us Christian homes;
God give us Christian homes!
4. God give us Christian homes!
Homes where the children are led to know
Christ in His beauty who loves them so,
Homes where the altar fires burn and glow;
God give us Christian homes;
God give us Christian homes!
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