18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus. (Matthew 1:18–25, ESV)

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Humanity is on an identity quest.

• External performance—career, accomplishments, clothing—What do I do?
• Group Allegiance—political party, tribe, social cause, community—To whom do I belong?
• Inward Discovery—various personality profile exams, authentic self, therapy—Who am I within?
• The most important identity question you could ever ask is not, ‘Who am I?’ but ‘Who is Jesus?’
• Three Questions today
  • What happened?
  • Who is King Jesus (identity)?
  • What is his mission (purpose)?

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What Happened?

Genealogy Setup

• Matthew’s masterpiece genealogy took us from…
  • God’s promise to Abraham that through his offspring would come one to bless all the nations…
  • To God’s promise to David that through his offspring would come an everlasting king and his kingdom…
  • To a dark period where almost all hope of either promise finding fulfillment was lost.
    • It was at the crescendo of that dark period Jesus was born.

The Betrothal

• Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, but they had not yet come together, meaning they were dedicated to one another in marriage, likely arranged by their parents, but waiting for a year to prove her sexual fidelity (18).
  • After that year, the husband would then come for his bride in a grand procession and take her to their home.
• During that time, Mary was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit (18). She’s pregnant! During the betrothal period!

Joseph’s Response

• Joseph, knowing he was not the responsible party, would have been expected to divorce her for her behavior, but was unwilling to publicly shame her, so he decided to end things quietly (19).
  • He was a just man, and marrying her would have been a tacit admission of his own guilt. But he was a just man, so exposing her disgrace publicly was too much for him, which led him to choose a private divorce, which the law may have allowed.

The Angelic Dream

• Joseph did not move quickly, however, and considered these things (20). It was in his gap of waiting that an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, telling him the child was from the Holy Spirit (20).
  • The ancient Israelites were prepared with miraculous birth stories:
    • Isaac to Sarah and Abraham
    • Jacob and Esau to Rebekah
    • Joseph to Rachel
    • Samuel to Hannah
  • But the virgin birth was on an entirely different level.
• The angel told Joseph to take Mary as his wife and name her son Jesus, because he would save his people from their sins (21).

Matthew’s Commentary

• Matthew then inserted his own commentary, telling us that this fulfilled the prophet Isaiah’s words (Isa. 7:14) about a virgin conceiving and bearing a son who would come to be known as Immanuel, or God with us (23).
  • Matthew will follow this pattern—this took place to fulfill (22)—often in his book.
    • Isaiah 7:14 likely had both immediate and ultimate fulfillments:
      • Isaiah’s Day (734 B.C.):
        • Facing invasion from an alliance of foreign powers, Isaiah assured King Ahaz of Judah that a young woman of marriageable age (Hebrew word Isaiah used), likely a virgin who married a man, would have a child with that man, and name the baby Immanuel as a prophetic declaration that God would help them.
        • Before that child reached the age of moral discernment—“knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good”—God would deliver them (Isa. 7:16).
        • Historically, the alliance threatening Judah broke up within a couple of years after Isaiah’s prophecy (732 B.C.).
      • Matthew’s Day:
        • With Judah already invaded by Rome, Matthew utilized the Greek translation of the Old Testament (the Septuagint) utilized in his era to quote Isaiah 7:14.
        • A virgin (Greek word the Septuagint used) would miraculously conceive and give birth to the ultimate deliverer, the ultimate Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6-7) would reign on David’s throne forever.
• Extraordinary origin—the virgin birth:
  • Established Jesus’ dual nature
    • Human lineage—Abraham, David, etc.
    • Human name—Jesus
    • Divine origin—the Holy Spirit’s conception
    • Divine description—Immanuel
  • The virgin birth uniquely enables Jesus to be both fully human (through Mary) and fully divine (through the Spirit’s conception), avoiding the theological errors of diminishing either his humanity or his deity.

Joseph’s Response

• After Joseph woke from sleep, he completely obeyed the angel and took Mary as his wife—but they were not intimate until after she had given birth to a son (24-25).
• When the child was born, Joseph named him Jesus (25).
• Reflect: Joseph’s character

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Who is King Jesus? (Identity)

A human.

• Jesus:
  • His mother was a fully human woman.
  • He was given a human name.
  • He lived a fully human life.
• John’s acid test:
  • “By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.” (1 John 4:2–3)
    • Confesses: more than mere intellectual belief.
    • Has come: not only human, but preexistent.
    • In the flesh: God became human.
• Consequences:
  • Identification: He identifies with his people.
    • A good ambassador doesn’t stay in the compound, but learns the local language, eats the local food, and lives among the people. Immersion—Jesus is the ultimate ambassador from heaven.
  • Fulfillment of Righteousness: He is sinless on behalf of his people.

God.

• Divine conception from the Holy Spirit (1:18, 20).
  • Immanuel: God with us (1:23).
  • Fully God—The Spirit’s work made Jesus human without diminishing his deity. He is entirely human and, at the same time, entirely God.
• Consequence: Jesus was able to pay the eternal penalty for our sins.
  • Only God can save!
  • Day of Atonement (Lev. 16).
    • But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. (Hebrews 10:12–14, ESV)
  • Finite people cannot pay infinite debts…

The Son of David.

• The promise of the virgin birth was explicitly given to “the house of David” (Isa. 7:13-14).
• The angel referred to Joseph as the son of David for a reason (1:20).
  • Tied to the genealogy (1:1-17).
  • Joseph became Jesus’ legal father when he adopted him, and this was made official when he named Jesus.
• Q: If Jesus is the legitimate King, the God-man, which territories are you trying to remain in authority over that belong to him?
  • Tesla: Autonomous driving—I keep grabbing the wheel.
  • Inauguration of a king—imagine a local governor saying, “You’re the king everywhere, but not in my province. I’ll handle everything here.” He’s a rebel!

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What is His Mission? (Purpose)

Be with us.

• He is known to us as Immanuel, God with us (1:23).
• This is how the book ends—I am with you always, to the end of the age (Matt. 28:20).
• He is not an above-us-God, but a with-us-God who enters our story.
• Q: Do you live with the functional awareness that he understands you and is residing with you?
  • Teachable moment: The road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35)—Jesus was with them.

Save his people from their sins.

• The name Jesus comes from the Hebrew Yeshua, meaning “Yahweh saves” or “God Saves”.
• This name directly articulates the primary purpose of his mission: he will save his people from their sins (1:21).
• Jesus’ mission crosses continental divides, national borders, historical periods, linguistic barriers, socioeconomic variations, racial differences, and cultural identities.
• He transcends the categories that divide humanity and grabs ahold of the the one that unites us—we are broken by our sins.
  • Our universal problem required a universal solution.
• Q: What kind of salvation do you want—purely positional or theologically robust?
  • Marriage certificate (positional) vs. a marriage (robust).
  • Gym membership—I’ve got the key fob!

Begin a new humanity.

• The emphasis on the Holy Spirit—a radical, divine interruption and intervention in the human story.
  • Not just another birth, but a new Genesis.
• He came to save his people (1:21).
  • Jews? The church? Both?
  • A new global family—This people is the “third race” of those who, whether Jew or Gentile, are called into the community of Jesus the King. (Bruner)
• Matthew knows Jesus has come to bring new out of the old (13:52).
  • The genealogy brought the story of the “old” humanity to a breaking point. Then, the Holy Spirit conceives the “new” Adam.
• Even Joseph, initially guided by the old legal understanding—divorce—embraced the new divine revelation.
  • His decision to listen to an angel in a dream and embrace scandal to trust God’s new work was a paradigm shift.
  • He set aside the old to embrace the new thing God was doing.
• Q: If Jesus began a new humanity, do your primary allegiances, friendships, and attitudes toward others show that you’re part of this new, global family?
  • Becoming a naturalized citizen: When someone becomes a citizen of a new country, they don’t erase their heritage, but they swear a new primary allegiance.
  • As Christians, we have been given “citizenship in heaven” (Philippians 3:20). That new citizenship should be our primary identity, unifying us with our brothers and sisters from every tribe, tongue, and nation.

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Study Questions

Head (Knowledge & Understanding)

1. In Matthew 1:19, Joseph is described as a “just man” who was “unwilling to put her to shame.” Based on the cultural and legal context, what did it mean for Joseph to be “just”? How did the angel’s revelation redefine his understanding of what was truly the right and merciful thing to do?
2. This passage establishes Jesus’ identity as fully human (born of Mary), fully divine (conceived by the Spirit, called Immanuel), and the promised Son of David (Joseph’s legal heir). Why is it theologically essential for Jesus to be all three? What errors or problems arise if we diminish any one of these aspects of his identity?

Heart (Feelings & Desires)

1. The name Immanuel means “God with us.” In what ways have you tended to see God as an “above-us-God” instead of a “with-us-God”? Share a time when the reality of His personal presence was particularly comforting or transformative for you.
2. The question, “Who is Jesus?” is a most important identity question. What are some identity sources—performance, group allegiance, or inward discovery—do you most often lean on for your sense of worth? How does embracing Jesus’ identity as your King and Savior change the way you feel about your own identity?

Hands (Actions & Commitments)

1. Jesus came to “save his people from their sins.” The sermon contrasts a “purely positional” salvation with a “theologically robust” one. What is one practical step you can take this week to move beyond simply having a “gym membership” to actively engaging in the life God has saved you for?
2. This sermon concludes that Jesus came to begin a “new humanity” or a “new, global family.” If our “citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20), what is one tangible action you can take to demonstrate that your primary allegiance is to Christ’s kingdom?