The title of the message today is 'Dreams of Christmas'. One of my favorite Christmas songs is "White Christmas". No one did it quite as good as Bing Crosby. "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas…" I suppose one reason that I like it is because it's still a dream. I can count on one hand the number of times that I have enjoyed a 'white' Christmas in my lifetime. Who knows? Maybe we will have one this year…I can dream can't I?
The dreams I want to talk about today are not concerned with whether or not it will snow. Nor are they about what presents will be under the tree with my name on them. I want to talk about the dreams that are connected with the real story of Christmas.
There are five dreams are found in the first two chapters of the Gospel of Matthew. Since this is such a familiar text, we'll not read all of it, just the verses that specifically mention the dreams.
I. God's Priority: His Own Purpose.
A. Why all the dreams?
1. It seems clear that God used these five dreams to direct the course of events involved in the birth and early childhood of Jesus.
2. Joseph was the recipient of four of them, and the indirect beneficiary of the remaining one.
3. It appears that all along the way during the time of Jesus' birth, God was orchestrating events in such a way as to make certain that all went as he had planned.
B. It was not for Joseph's sake, nor was it for Mary's sake.
God was directing the events through the dreams to protect the birth of His Son, Jesus. Let's look at the dreams.
1. The first took place when Jesus was yet unborn. Cf Mt. 1:18-20
a. Joseph was prepared to divorce Mary because he presumed she had slept with another man.
b. In the dream, God told Joseph to go on with the wedding, because the child was not of human origin.
c. The principle beneficiary here was Jesus, not Joseph.
d. God wanted Jesus to have a whole family, not to be born illegitimate and/or be raised without a human father.
e. It was essential to his upbringing and to other details of God's plan.
2. The second dream was to the wise men. Cf Mt. 2:10-12
a. God told them to circumvent Jerusalem on their way back home.
b. Again, it was Jesus who benefited.
c. He would surely have been killed if the men had gone back and told Herod where Jesus could have been found.
3. The third dream was like the second. Cf Mt. 2:13
a. God makes another move to protect the King of Kings who as yet could not protect himself.
b. Joseph and Mary might have been in danger…
c. But it was Jesus who was being protected.
4. The fourth dream sent Joseph back home. Cf 2:19-21
a. Again God was directing His will be done.
b. Certainly it was nice for Joseph and Mary to be back home…
c. But God desired that Jesus, be brought up in the culture of his homeland, and his future ministry.
d. So He brought them back to Israel.
5. The fifth dream specifically placed Jesus in Nazareth. Cf Mt. 2:22
a. The most immediate reason was for his protection from the possibility of assassination by Archelaus.
b. It was also to fulfill what had been spoken by the prophets.
C. Today, God directs us through His Word.
1. We may occasionally fail to discern God's directions;
2. But God never fails to give us the leading necessary to involve us in his purposes.
(Prov 3:5-6) "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. {6} In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."
(Psa 119:105) "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."
(2 Tim 2:15) "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
D. The most important purpose is God's purpose!
1. For many, the universe revolves around them.
2. They look for what they want…what they desire….instead of looking to discern what God's purpose for them is.
3. God's plan and purpose for our lives is the most important thing for us to consider.
4. From there, our next concern should be faithful obedience to that purpose.
II. God's Purpose for Us: Salvation
A. God's ultimate purpose for us is that we might glorify Him.
1. Through what we do for Him on this earth.
(Mat 5:16) "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
2. Through what we say.
(Rom 15:6) "That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."
3. With our entire being.
(1 Cor 6:20) "For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."
(1 Cor 10:31) "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."
B. Now, that necessitates salvation.
1. So God's desire is that we be saved.
2. We must be changed that we might glorify God.
3. We must be born again, in order to bring Him glory.
4. So God's purpose for us is that we must be saved.
(Acts 4:12) "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."
(2 Pet 3:9) "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
III. God's Promises: Always Kept
Consider what happened as a result of all these dreams. Every one of them served to direct the people involved so that God's promises and the prophecies of his prophets were fulfilled.
A. The first dream
1. Kept Joseph from making Mary a single mother and Jesus a fatherless child.
2. Matthew writes that he received this dream so that the prophecy of Isaiah would be fulfilled: cf Mt. 1:23
(Isa 7:14) "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."
B. The second dream.
1. This dream to the wise men changed the plans of Herod.
2. Instead of killing one baby, he killed many.
3. It was a sad, prophetic word that was fulfilled; but every part of what God foreknew would have to take place.
4. Cf Mt. 2:16-18
C. The third dream.
1. This dream took Joseph and family to Egypt.
2. Again in fulfillment of prophecy, that the Son and Messiah would be called out of Egypt.
(Hosea 11:1) "When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt."
D. The fourth and fifth dreams.
1. These belong together, guiding Joseph back into Nazareth as Jesus' boyhood hometown.
2. Matthew saw the prediction of the Messiah being called a Nazarene as a reference to Nazareth.
3. To many, these things might seem like small details, but no detail of Jesus' life was insignificant.
4. Certainly God was not haphazard in planning the birth, upbringing, or influences on the life of the Savior.
The dreams of Christmas are not about fiction or fantasy. They are truth from God to people like you and me. They remind us of God's purposes and His promises. They bring us news of a very real Savior, who waits to enter our life. Will we let him come in?