PASSAGE: Matthew 1:18-25
SERIES SUMMARY
As Jesus steps onto the scene of history, Matthew paints a picture of him that invites our participation in what Jesus is doing. The portrait is that Jesus is the True King who is bringing the kingdom of heaven to earth. This good news is not reserved for especially religious people in a distant future; it’s good news, right now, for ordinary people who come to Jesus in faith.
And while Jesus inaugurated the kingdom among us through teaching and serving in dozens of ways, he ultimately brought heaven to earth by embracing the cross as his throne and wearing thorns as his crown. In doing this, he broke the powers of the kingdom(s) of this world and opened up God’s new world through his resurrection. Now, because of these things, discipleship to Jesus is about praying and living “Your kingdom come, Your will be done.” It is about whole-life transformation and embodying kingdom realities. It is about becoming people who naturally live out what Jesus taught. Today, because of Matthew’s witness and Jesus’ ministry, the kingdom is coming in our own lives, “on earth as it is in heaven.”
PASSAGE GUIDE
We see God bring his redemptive presence into the world through an unexpected disruption in Joseph’s life. Joseph is planning to get married, but suddenly, confusion, scandal, and fear arise. Mary is with child “from the Holy Spirit,” and Joseph’s carefully laid plans collapse. These are not tidy circumstances, but divine initiative; God upends human expectations to accomplish salvation. Christmas begins as a real-world interruption that invites trust rather than control.
Our author, Matthew, anchors this disruption in God’s long story. Isaiah 7 promised that a virgin would conceive and bear a son called Immanuel, “God with us.” After centuries of waiting, in the “fullness of time,” that promise is fulfilled: the infinite God becomes an infant. The incarnation is not mere sentiment; it is God personally present, entering human frailty to dwell with and save his people. This is the kingdom arriving quietly, vulnerably, yet decisively.
Let’s not forget, Joseph is commanded to name the child Jesus (Yahweh saves) “for he will save his people from their sins.” In Matthew, salvation is not merely a future rescue but a present deliverance. Salvation as a present reality. It is God’s saving reign breaking into storms, sickness, bondage, fear, and ultimately sin and death. This salvation does not advance by human agenda or strength; it comes by God’s sovereign faithfulness, through the Spirit’s miraculous work.
For us, Joseph models faithful obedience. A “just” man, he initially plans a quiet divorce to spare Mary shame, but after the Angel visits him, he obeys immediately. He receives Mary, preserves her purity, and names the child as commanded. His obedience is costly, accepting misunderstanding and surrendering reputation, and it proceeds without full explanation. Here, we see a pattern: act on the light you have, choose God’s approval over human approval, and align with God’s purposes, despite the personal cost.
We must not forget that “Immanuel” is the theological heart and a practical takeaway. God is with us, and he came to save us. The Infinite Infant King brings the overlap of heaven and earth into our ordinary lives and ordinary communities, inviting trust and obedience amid disruption. For individuals and the church alike, hope rests not in strategy or control but in the King whose quiet arrival inaugurates an unstoppable kingdom, saving us from our sins and reshaping our Mondays with his faithful presence.
*We are a church located in Greenville, South Carolina. Our vision is to see God transform us into a community of grace passionately pursuing life and mission with Jesus.
SUGGESTIONS FOR COMMUNITY GROUP QUESTIONS
Remember, these are “suggested” questions. You do not have to go through every single one of them. You do not need to listen to both sermons at both campuses to participate in the discussion.
OPENING PRAYER
Lord, remind me this week that Your ways are not my ways and I can trust Your sovereign timing. Give me a heart that understands that Your ways are good.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- What stood out to you from the passage or the message?
- How is this similar and different from Christmas/birth narrative messages you have heard in the past?
- In what ways do you find yourself planning events in your life around comfort, convenience, and control?
- How do you respond to interruptions or disruptions to your comforts, conveniences, and plans?
- Has there been a time in your life when you’ve questioned God’s methods? Explain.
- What about God’s nature do you trust, or what about God’s nature do you have a hard time trusting?
- Have you become closed off to God’s nature or methods?
- Do you believe your story is a part of God’s larger story? Why or why not?
- Name some other people throughout Scripture who were faithfully obedient (like Joseph) and discuss with your CG why their stories were part of God’s larger story.
- What does it look like for you to obey without fully understanding?
- What does “Emmanuel, God with us” mean to you?
- How does God’s way of bringing His Son into the world impact your view of Him?
CLOSING PRAYER
Father, renew in me the desire to obey You, even if I can’t understand what You’re doing. Give me patience for Your perfect timing, self-control to not choose my own way, and delight in Your unfolding story.
RESOURCES