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FAMILY NEWSSPECIAL LADIES CLASS will be this Saturday morning at 10:00 A.M. We are on lesson # 3. Do not pass this up! If you need transportation or more information let us know. Everyone who has been attending has talked about how much they got out of this time together. HOLIDAY PARTY: On Tuesday, December 12, there will be a Christmas party at the Claytons'. Many seniors come from different congregations in the area, but everyone is welcome. Ham, turkey, drinks, plates, etc., are provided. Bring a white elephant gift and a side dish, salad, or dessert. We eat at 6:00 P.M. For more information see John or Cindy Clayton. KIDS' COAT GIVE AWAY NEEDS HELP locating children that do not have a winter coat. We have been collecting coats all year, and we can buy a coat if we do not have the right size, but we need your help finding kids in need. See Tracey Brewer or Lana Fox if you need information. NO SERVICES SUNDAY NIGHT DECEMBER 24. Christmas Eve is a family time for many of us, and people will be out of town or having family get togethers, so our class that is usually held at 6:00 P.M. will be canceled for that night. TODAY'S LESSON
INTRODUCTION:
A. To not understand Judaism in the first century is to miss much of the story of Jesus.
I. JOSEPH'S DILEMMA — MARY IS PREGNANT.
....Joseph and Mary were Jews (Matthew 1:2 – 17). B. As Jews they followed Jewish laws and rituals. C. Jewish marriage — complex. Pledging — two parts 1. A Verbal declaration was made to the bride
a. Involved a gift, two witnesses — no breaking
2. Groom took bride to his family home (Matthew 25:1ff).b. Bride lived with father for a year. A. Matthew 1:18 – 19 — baby bump — major disgrace
II. JOSEPH'S SOLUTION
B. Makes Jesus an illegitimate child (John 8:39 – 41). 1. Historian Celsus (a 2nd-century Greek opponent of early Christianity) claims Roman
C. Matthew 1:19 — Righteous = just = man of principle....soldier named Pantera was the real father of Jesus. 2. Tertullian (AD 197) — “Jesus was the son of a prostitute.” D. John 8:3 – 5; Deut. 22:20 – 21 — Quiet divorce was answer. A. Matthew 1:20 – 25 — Afraid of what?
III. JOSEPH AS A MODEL FOR US TODAY.
B. Greeting — only applied to Jesus elsewhere. C. Holy Spirit is active — God's creative agent — God's plan and purpose is given to Joseph. A. Do not look for legalistic, worldly solutions: Matthew 18:15; 1 Corinthians 6:1.
B. God's laws are for our benefit. 1. Mark 2:23 – 27
C. Being supportive is as vital as being the leader (Matthew 2:21; Luke 4:22;2. Matthew 23:23 ....Luke 2:41 – 48). D. Joseph is an example of obedience to God. 1. He accepted Mary against all common sense.
2. Luke 2:49 – 50 — No argument, not all the answers 3. We need to follow Joseph's example. 4. Will obey God? THE BACK PAGECHRISTMAS 2017“One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. … He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. … For none of us lives to himself alone … If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. … Make up your mind not to put any obstacle in your brother's way. … Let us make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. … So whatever you believe about those things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves” (Romans 14). In Paul's letter to the Roman congregation Paul deals with things that were causing distress to the church. In chapter 13 he talks about dealing with civil law, and much of chapter 14 deals with eating and drinking. One of the stumbling blocks people in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries have had to becoming Christians is that all they know about Christians is what they are against, not what they are for. We live in a time when the media, the government, and the educational system are telling people that religion is evil and destructive and needs to be done away with. What people do not need to hear is Christians criticizing other believers because of their observance of a holiday that honors Christ and celebrates the event described in John where the Word became flesh and lived for a while among us (John 1:14). Much that the critics of Christmas say about Christmas is true. Jesus probably was not born in December. We are not commanded to have a special day to celebrate his birth. The roots of December 25 probably were to take advantage of the winter solstice celebration of pagans so that the church could worship unmolested at that time. Christmas has become too secular, etc. So what? Paul says, “make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.” I love to hear the words of Christmas songs, even the new ones like “Mary Did You Know?.” Not every Christmas song says what I believe, but thanks be to God that our secular society once a year succumbs to something good rooted in Christ. — John Clayton Our sign by the street!
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