Advent 2023: Joseph: A Man of Mercy

In the telling of the Christmas story, Joseph, the earthly “stepfather” of Jesus doesn’t get much attention. Little is recorded about him other than he was a carpenter by trade (Matthew 13:55) and a descendant of David (John 2:4). But I learned something recently about him that had previously escaped my attention in the rush to get to the birth story.

“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).

In the eyes of the Jewish community, Mary had committed a grievous sin – conceiving a child as an unmarried woman with someone other than her betrothed. According to the religious law, the “righteous” thing to do was to “bring her to the door of her father’s house and there the men of the town shall stone her to death” (Deuteronomy 22:21). Instead, Joseph chose to handle the situation quietly to spare her from disgrace and punishment. And because he acted mercifully, God, through the pen of Matthew, declared Joseph “a righteous man.”

Jesus esteemed mercy; He said the merciful will be shown mercy (Matthew 5:7) and declared that God “desires mercy, not sacrifice” (Matthew 12:8). His brother James proclaimed, “Mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13). I think, sometimes the church has it backward. Much like the Jewish religious leaders, we think that righteousness means always doing the right thing; Joseph shows us that righteousness is doing the Jesus thing – showing mercy. After all, that is the heart of the Christmas story: God’s love poured out in mercy to sinners like you and me through Jesus Christ.

This Christmas season, is there someone in your life who needs mercy – someone who needs love? I know this theme is playing itself out in my own family right now. It will be one of the hardest things you’ve ever done, but it is the Jesus thing. Let’s commit to being righteous people – let’s be people of mercy.

Grace and Mercy

I don’t argue with the Bible – it is God’s holy, living Word and is perfect and right and true. Like my hero, Ezra, I have dedicated my life to study the Word, live the Word, and teach the Word (Ez 7:10). But I have to push back on Paul just a bit. He said, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am chief” (1 Tim 1:15). Sorry Paul, but that’s my title: Chief of sinners. If you only knew . . .

But Paul’s point – and mine – is not about competition.  It is God’s beautiful grace and scandalous mercy through Christ Jesus. I always had the impression that God doled out His grace in measure and only as much as we asked for– like you committed a sin so here’s a spoonful of grace. But notice what Paul said, “The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly.” That’s not drop-by-drop grace.  The word he used is hyperpleonazō.  Hyper means excess – like an ADHD kid who is full of excessive energy, to the point that they literally cannot sit still. I know – I raised one. Paul means that God gives exceedingly abundant grace that overflows in excess. That’s grace you can swim around in.

He also said that God had shown him mercy. Do you understand mercy? It means that you and I and Paul deserved punishment for our sins – we deserved death. God’s wrath is fully justified. But God sent His Son to take our punishment – to die for our sins so that we would not face His wrath. It was as if you stood trial for a grave and horrible crime and the judge declared you guilty and sentenced you to death then stepped down from the bench took off his robe and laid down on your cross.

Mercy is not getting the punishment that we deserve. Grace is being granted kindness we don’t deserve. Mercy says, “Yes, you are a sinner and you deserve to die, but I will die for you instead.” Grace says, “Now, you are my child and all I have is yours.”

Mercy and grace are God’s gift to you through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. You do not have to earn them – in fact, you can’t, Beloved. Nor can you find them anywhere else. He gives them freely. He gives them lavishly. He gives them because He loves you. Even if you’re the chief of sinners.

East and West

I was reading in the Psalms this morning and came across David’s prayer, “Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O Lord” (Ps 25:7). What a comfort this verse is. I’ve always tried to be transparent but I have done things that I will probably never share with you. They are things I am not proud of, things that I am, in fact, ashamed of. If you’re honest, you have some of them too.

Satan loves to go back through the record of my life and say, “Remember THIS sin? Oh, you were rotten.” “And don’t forget this day, you even made your mama cry.” “What were you thinking when you did THAT?” “How could God ever want someone like you? He is disgusted with you!” Does any of that sound familiar? Guilt is his favorite tool to beat us down and shut us up. It worked with me for a long time. But God . . .

A few years ago I was studying the names of God, particularly Elohe Chaseddi – The God of Mercy, and found Psalm 103, once again by David. He praised the Lord, “who forgives all your sins . . . who redeems your life from the pit . . . [who] is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, [and] abounding in love” (vs. 3, 4, and 8 ). This doesn’t sound at all like the angry God the enemy was touting, does it? This sounds like the God who “does not treat us as our sins deserve” (v. 10). Oh, praise His name!

This is the God who “has removed our transgressions from us – as far as the east is from the west” (v. 12). Do you know how far the east is from the west? Infinity. There’s a reason why East and West are represented on a compass by arrows. They stretch out in opposite directions and go on forever, never to meet again. Do you understand what that means in the context of this verse? If you have received God’s mercy and grace through Christ Jesus, your sins can never circle back on you.

If you have a past – and you do – that’s good news. Whatever you have done, God has placed it under the blood of His Son. You are free. He has given you a new life and a new hope. Go after it, Beloved.

Your God Will Come

I need a word this morning. I’ll bet you do too. This life can be tough. This world is a scary place sometimes. All you have to do is read the daily news and you will want to crawl under a rock and hide. Some of us are struggling with difficult family issues. Some of us are discouraged in our jobs. Some of us are facing health problems, or financial problems, or even car problems. Some of us are trying to pick up the pieces after physical, emotional, and spiritual hurricanes. Like I said, I—we—need a word.

God gave me the word we need this morning. It comes from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah. “Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way, say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, do not fear; your God will come . . .’” (Is 35:3-4). I can’t think of anything better to hold on to than knowing that God will come. He will come for the weary. He will come for the weak. He will come for the fearful. He will come for the lost. He will come for the sick. He will come for the persecuted. He will come for the lonely. He will come for the grieving. He will come for the poor.

He comes with sovereign power (40:10). He comes with gentleness (40:11). He comes with righteousness (Zec 9:9). He comes with healing (Mal 4:2). He comes with justice (Is 42:4). He comes with hope (Ps 10:17). He comes with peace (2 Thess 3:16). He comes with comfort (2 Cor 1:3). He comes with strength (Ps 29:11). He comes with Joy (Ps 30: 5,11). He comes with wisdom (Ps 25:8-9). He comes with love and mercy (Ps 31:21-22). He comes with help and deliverance (Ps 37:40). He comes with forgiveness (Ps 37:39.) He comes with grace (Rom 5:20).

Whatever your need, whatever your circumstance, God will come. How can I be so sure? Because His word declares it. His Son proved it. And His daughter has seen it over and over and over in my life. I may sound like a broken record but I will proclaim it till I draw my last breath: God is faithful. He will always be faithful because it is His nature.

I will leave you with the most encouraging words you will ever hear. It comes from the heart and mouth of Jesus. “Behold, I am coming soon” (Rev. 22:12). And He will Beloved. Maybe even today.

Mercy

A verse jumped out at me and I am certain the Lord wants us to get a firm grasp on it. I believe it could make all the difference in how we evangelize the world in our generation. It resonated with me so deeply because I have been reading through one of the most important books in Christian literature: “The Cost of Discipleship” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He points an accusing finger at the theology of “cheap grace” vs. the reality of “costly grace.” Peter wrote, “You know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed . . .  but with the precious blood of Christ”(1 Pet 1:18 ). The grace that saves us cost Jesus His very life.

 Modern Christianity portrays salvation as if we are doing God a favor by accepting Jesus as our Savior. But that is not the Bible’s perspective at all. Here’s the verse that caught my attention this morning: “What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make His power known, bore with great patience the objects of His wrath—prepared for destruction?” (Rom 9:22). In our quest to add numbers to the church role, we have dismissed the case Paul made here for our need for grace and mercy. We are sinners. Every single human being save Jesus was, is, and will be a sinner. Not merely because we sin, but because we are born with a sinful nature passed down from the first man and woman. That sinful nature condemns us before a holy God. We rightfully bear the burden of death.

Paul painted a picture of God, who had every right to pour out His wrath on man, check His wrath, putting it in restraints so that He could first reveal His patience and mercy. But why? “What if He did this to make the riches of His glory known to the objects of His mercy . . .” (v. 23). He did it for His glory – that men who experience His mercy might give him the praise, honor, and exaltation He deserves.

We’re not doing God a favor by accepting His salvation. He is doing us the favor by extending the invitation. Love’s greatest expression is mercy. I realize this isn’t the warm, fuzzy devotional you are used to, Beloved. But it is the truth. God loves you and He showed it at the cross. He paid the highest price to redeem you. Will you give Him the glory He deserves?

The Touch of His Hand

“The Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7).

When God created the universe, He spoke – and from the nothingness everything came into being.  But when He created man, God “formed” him, meaning He worked with the raw materials as a craftsman.  He scooped up the dust – literally the dirt – from the earth and worked it into the form of a human being.  Do you know what that means?  He got His hands dirty creating man.  And He’s had His hands in the dirt of humanity ever since. 

Leprosy was one of the most feared diseases and rightly so. It was highly contagious and meant almost certain death and the person’s diseased body literally fell apart. The leper walked through the streets crying out “Unclean! Unclean!” so that others avoided touching him. But when a man with leprosy approached Him, “Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man” (Mark 1:40-42). He was willing to place His clean hand on a diseased man who needed His healing touch.

He allowed a woman with a long-standing issue of blood (a feminine disorder that made her unclean according to the Jewish Law) to touch Him – and through His power and her faith, she was healed (Mark 5:21-34). He welcomed the touch of “a sinful woman” who washed His feet with her tears and dried them with her hair and anointed him with expensive perfume prior to His crucifixion. It was a scandalous act of repentance and love on her part, and of mercy on His (Luke 7:36-50).

He touched blind eyes (Mark 8:242-26) and mute tongues and deaf ears (Mark 7:31-35). He touched people every day in His earthly ministry – dirty, diseased, sinful people. So why do you think He would turn you away because of the dirt, disease, and sin in your life?  He knows what you’ve done.  He knows where you’ve been and who you’ve been there with.  He knows what has been done to you.  Yes, your life is unclean, but He is not disgusted by it – or by you. 

Beloved, He will take your dirty life in His hands and cleanse it and reshape and rebuild it – and you – into something beautiful.  Bring it all to Him and let Him turn your filth into life. That is His specialty you know.

Acts: Proclaim the Gospel

In our last Acts lesson, we left the apostles in jail for ministering and preaching in Jesus’ name. At least that was the “party line.” But the real reason was “jealousy” (v. 17). The apostles had become very popular and the religious authorities felt threatened. This would be a good place to stop and read today’s text: Acts 5:17-42.

During the night an angel “opened the doors of the jail and brought them out” and told them to keep proclaiming the gospel. They were back in the temple courts at the first light of day (vs. 19-21). When the Sanhedrin met to question them, they were shocked to find the jail empty and the men “standing in the temple courts teaching the people” (v. 25). They were again brought before the Jewish leadership, albeit more gently out of fear of the people.

The Sanhedrin reminded them of their orders to refrain from teaching in the name of Jesus but Peter boldly declared “We must obey God rather than men.” (v. 29). He pointed the finger directly at the Jewish council as the perpetrators of Jesus’ murder and proclaimed the Lord’s resurrection and exaltation to the right hand of the Father. They were naturally furious and wanted them executed. But one Pharisee – Gamaliel – wisely advised caution saying “If [this] is from God you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God” (v. 39).

The culture today, particularly where I live in the U.S., is turning decidedly away from God. The message of the Bible is not welcome and is considered “hate speech.” How the gospel can be called hateful is beyond me – it is the greatest show of divine love in human history. The gospel declares the mercy of God towards sinful creatures who are rightly condemned for their corrupt state.

The apostles refused to back down, even after they were flogged. They “rejoiced because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name” (v. 41). They “never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ” (v. 42). So must we. The gospel is God’s message and it is unstoppable. It will offend some, but it will also save some. Maybe someone you love. Never stop declaring the good news of Jesus Christ. Eternity is at stake. Beloved, tell somebody about Jesus today.

A Sinner Like Me

Have you ever sinned? Sure you have and so have I. We all sin because we are sinners by nature. And yes, Christians can and do sin. John said, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we claim we have not sinned we make Him out to be a liar and His Word has no place in our lives” (1 Jn 1: 8, 10). John wrote this message to the church in Ephesus – his “dear children” (2:1). Believers, just like you and me.

So what do we do when we sin? If you’re like me, you beat yourself up about it. Maybe you are the one who tries to hide it. You might even deny what you did was wrong.  Or you may follow Adam and Eve’s example and try to shift the blame to someone else. The Old Testament prophet Micah had the right idea about how to handle sin.

Micah prophesied prior to Israel’s fall to Assyria and Jerusalem to the Babylonians. God’s people had abandoned Him and His Laws and were rebelling to His face. They were on the cusp of God’s righteous judgment and wrath. Micah wrote as if speaking for God’s people during their coming captivity.

He declared, “Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light” (Mic 7:8). The enemy nations gloated over their downfall. But God would not forget His mercy and lovingkindness. Micah said, “Because I have sinned against Him, I will bear the Lord’s wrath . . .” Their well-deserved punishment would be severe, but not final. “. . . until He pleads my case and establishes my right. He will bring me into the light; I will see His righteousness” (v. 9). He would not abandon His people to the consequences of their sin. He would redeem and restore them.

Go back to the question I posed at the beginning: “Have you ever sinned?” John said, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn 1:9). Micah said God pardons sin and forgives transgressions because He delights to show mercy (7:18). Beloved, you can’t save yourself from the darkness. But God can. Cry out to Him now from the pit of your sin. It will be His delight to rescue and redeem you.

Come to the Throne of Grace

David was in it up to his neck (Ps 69:1). He could find no foothold to regain his stability; he felt like he was sinking in deep waters (v. 2). Though he cried out for help, he couldn’t see God coming to his rescue. He said, “My eyes fail looking for my God” (v. 3). David spoke of his enemies and we see their hatred toward him. His woes are understandable. But wait. Look at verse 5: “You know my folly, O God; my guilt is not hidden from you.” David is the cause of his own despair. David has put himself in the miry depths. The text doesn’t reveal his actions, but he talks about being “scorned, disgraced, and shamed” (v. 19).

David is suffering the consequences of his actions. Can you relate? I know I can. Most of my struggles and difficulties have my own fingerprints all over them. And my tendency when I fail is to withdraw from God and assume that I must lay in the bed I made. I have a hard time bringing myself to ask for His help when I messed up.

But David had no such qualms. He wrote, “But I pray to you, O Lord, in the time of Your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with Your sure salvation” (v. 13). He pleads: “Rescue me . . . Deliver me” (v. 14). “Answer me” (v. 16). “Redeem me” (v. 18). “Protect me” (v. 29). David is convinced of God’s love and salvation. He appeals to the “goodness of Your love” and “great mercy” (v. 16). He knows that “The Lord hears the needy and does not despise His captive people” (v. 33).  He could have also written Hebrews 4:6 – “Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

I don’t know what is keeping you from God today. But I know this beyond a shadow of a doubt: no matter what you have done, God’s mercy, grace, and love are yours for the asking. Because of Jesus, “nothing – not even your failures, sins and mistakes – will be able to separate [you] from the love of God” (Rom 8:38-39). Just ask Him, Beloved. Then receive it.  He loves to rescue His children.

The Most Encouraging Word You’ll Ever Hear

When I sit down at my desk every morning to write I look at my Bible and wonder, “Where do I start?” Every word on every page is important and valuable. It’s hard to pluck a small bit of text out of this wonderful, blessed book. So I ask Him to speak through me because He knows you so well. He knows exactly what you need. He knows me too and He speaks to me as much as He speaks through me.

Today He sent me to 2 Peter 3 – a wonderful word of hope. No, it’s not an “everything’s gonna be all right, just you wait and see” kind of encouragement – it’s better. The context tells us that his readers are under much duress and persecution by “scoffers who come scoffing and following their own evil desires” (v. 3). They deny the existence of God and His work of creation. They “deliberately forget” that He has the authority to judge “ungodly men” (vs. 5-7). They rejected His Word and His people. Sound familiar? Some things never change.

Peter’s audience was growing weary of evil and persecution – just as we are. They wanted to know when God was going to keep His word and pronounce judgment. Then Peter says, “Do not forget this one thing, dear friends . . .” (v. 8). This is the message he knows will reach their minds and their hearts. “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promises . . .” “the day of the Lord will come” (v. 9-10). Make no mistake – God will punish evil. But in His grace, He is giving men time to repent. If you have lost loved ones, that is good news.

Then Peter brings it all back to the Christian – to you and me. In light of God’s faithfulness, “what kind of people ought you to be” (v. 11)? People who “live holy and godly lives” and “look forward to the day of God” (v. 11-12).

The greatest, most encouraging, and hopeful promise I can share is this: Jesus is coming again. No, I mean: JESUS IS COMING AGAIN! He will gather us together and take us home. He will judge all the wickedness and evil that grieves us so. He will make all things right. Just “wait a little longer” (Rev. 6:11), Beloved, and keep your eyes on the eastern sky.