The Reason

“Tell me sin is a problem without telling me sin is a problem.”

Sermon Summary

In Matthew 1, Scripture draws our attention to Joseph—not as a background figure in the Christmas story, but as the one through whom God reveals two essential truths about Jesus.

Matthew begins with the “book of the origins” of Jesus Christ, emphasizing Him as the Son of David and Son of Abraham. Yet the genealogy raises a question: if Jesus is not biologically Joseph’s son, how can He inherit these promises? The angel’s message answers this. Joseph, addressed uniquely as “son of David,” is told that the child conceived in Mary is from the Holy Spirit. Joseph is commanded to name Him Jesus—Yahweh saves—because He will save His people from their sins. By naming the child, Joseph legally claims Him, grounding Jesus’ identity as the promised Son of David.

Matthew also cites Isaiah: this child is Emmanuel, God with us. The Scriptures hold together both who Jesus is—God with us—and what He has come to do—to save us from our sins. The incarnation reveals the mystery of God becoming fully human while remaining fully God, so that He might deliver His people.

The angel’s message makes clear that sin is a real problem—one we cannot solve. It is both a problem before God and a deep problem within us. Jesus came not merely so we might be forgiven, but so we might be delivered. Through His atoning death and resurrection, He rescues us, makes us new, and frees us from the power of sin. The call of this text is to trust and obey the One who is God with us.

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