THE BIRTH OF JESUS

 

 

Matt. 1:18-25 (Text = Verse 18)

 

Prayer

 

 

If I asked you to tell me about your birth, what would you say?

Some of you would probably say, “I was born in 1950 or 1960 or 1970.”

 

 

You would name the year.

Some of you would probably say, “I was born at the Gibson General Hospital       

or at Dr. So and So's office.”

 

 

You would name the place.

Someone else would probably say, “I was born at Brazil or Trenton.”

 

 

You would name the town.

Matthew is going to tell us about the birth of Jesus.

 

 

He said, “The birth of Jesus was on this wise.”

We would say, “This is the way it was when JESUS was born.”

 

 

“When Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was   

found with child of the Holy Ghost.”

Notice three things:

 

 

1) The story about the birth of Jesus begins before Joseph and Mary got      

married.

They were still espoused or engaged.

 

 

2) The story about the birth of Jesus begins before Joseph and Mary lived    

together as husband and wife.

They had not yet left home.

 

 

And 3) Jesus was a child of the Holy Ghost.

He was not a child of Joseph.

 

 

His birth was a miracle birth.

This was not new.

 

 

Sarah was past child bearing age when. Isaac was conceived.

Hannah was barren when Samuel was conceived.

 

 

Elizabeth was barren when John the Baptist was conceived.

So Mary was found with a child of the Holy Ghost.

 

 

This was a big problem for Joseph.

No one had told him about a miracle birth.

 

 

He most surely believed that Mary had committed adultery.

He most surely wondered what his parents would say;

 

 

What Mary's parents would say;

What his friends would say;

 

 

What the leaders of his religion would say.

They could stone Mary to death for having sexual relations out of wedlock.

 

 

 

 

So Joseph pondered these things.

Joseph “being a just man was not willing to make her a public example, but   

was minded to put her away privately.”

 

 

Joseph was a man of principle;

A man who wanted to do the right thing.

 

 

His 1st decision was to stop the marriage.

He would not marry a woman who was expecting another man's child.

 

 

His 2nd decision was to not make a public example of Mary.

He didn't want to embarrass her in front of others.

 

 

His 3rd decision was to avoid as much gossip as possible.

He would quietly break the engagement.

 

 

He was living in a society that was very religious.

And the fact that Mary was pregnant before she got married would be the talk         

of the town.

 

 

He did not want that.

He did not want Mary shunned or stoned to death.

 

 

Much is made about Mary.

And rightly so.

 

 

She was a wonderful person.

But Joseph was a wonderful person too.

 

 

 

He was God's choice to be the earthly father of Jesus.

So an angel appeared unto Joseph in a dream.

 

 

The Bible speaks of many such dreams.

God appeared unto the wise men in a dream.

 

 

He warned them to not go back and tell Herod where to find the baby Jesus.

An angel appeared unto Joseph in a dream.

 

 

He warned Joseph to take Mary and the baby Jesus.

And to flee into Egypt.

 

 

An angel appeared unto Joseph in a second dream.

This time he told Joseph it was safe for him and his family to return to Israel.

 

 

So an angel appeared unto Joseph in a dream.

“Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary, thy wife;”

 

 

“For that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.”

Don't get a divorce.

 

 

Mary's child was conceived by the Holy Ghost.

The dream continued.

 

 

Mary will “bring forth a Son.”

“And thou shalt call his name Jesus.”

 

 

“For he shall save his people from their sins.”

The name Jesus means “Savior” or “the Lord shall save.”

 

Mary's baby will be the Savior of the world;

The Christ---the Messiah.

 

 

Concerning Jesus, Peter said, “neither is there salvation in any other;”

“For there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we      

must be saved.”

 

 

Jesus declared, “I am the way, the truth and the life.”

“No man cometh unto the Father but by me.”

 

 

He said, “I am the door.”

“He that entereth not by the door,”

 

 

“But climbeth up some other way,”

“The same is a thief and a robber.”

 

 

So the angel said, “Name this baby Jesus.”

“For He shall save His people from their sins.”

 

 

Our sins hang over our head like the noose of a hangman.

Our sins can cause us to perish in hell.

 

 

“All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

We need a Savior.

 

 

Our salvation will come through Jesus or not at all.

There's no reason to think we will go to heaven, if Jesus is not our personal  

Savior.

 

 

 

“This is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life,”

“And this life is in His Son.”

 

 

“He that hath the Son hath life;”

“And he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”

 

 

The angel said name this baby “Jesus.”

He will be the Savior of the world.

 

 

The dream continued.

The angel said, “All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by

the Lord through the prophet.”

 

 

The birth of Jesus was a miracle because God wanted to fulfill a prophecy.

What prophecy?

 

 

The angel told us.

“Behold a virgin shall be with child.”

 

 

“And shall bring forth a Son.”

“And they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God      

with us.”

 

 

This Old Testament prophecy said God would perform a miracle birth.

He had to do it.

 

 

He had to choose a virgin to carry it out.

He chose Mary.

 

 

 

Joseph woke up.

He did what the angel told him to do.

 

 

He married Mary.

This was a privilege.

 

 

But it was also risky;

A blessing;

 

 

But it also led to great ridicule.

People talked about Joseph;

 

 

The gossips had a heyday.

But Joseph did what God wanted him to do.

 

 

It's better to obey God.

And to be criticized by people.

 

 

Than to disobey God.

And to be praised by people.

 

 

I want to focus on something the angel said.

Jesus will be called Emmanuel.

 

 

The angel didn't ask us to guess what the name Emmanuel means.

Emmanuel means “God with us.”

 

 

This is a clear statement that Jesus is God.

It also confirms what many other Scriptures say.

 

“In the beginning was the Word.”

“And the Word was with God.”

 

 

“And the Word was God” (Jn. 1:1).

The Word is God.

 

 

Jesus is God.

Some Scriptures teach that Jesus had the attributes of God.

 

 

The Bible says, “Jesus is the same yesterday, and today, and forever”

(Heb. 13:8).

He never changes.

 

 

But God is the only One who never changes. Jesus is God.

Some Scriptures teach that Jesus did the works of God.

 

 

The Bible says, “All things were made by Him;”

“And without Him was not anything made that was made” (Jn. 1:3).

 

 

Jesus had the power to create.

But God is the only One who has the power to create.

 

 

Jesus is God.

Some Scriptures teach that Jesus claimed to be God.

 

 

He said, “I and my Father are one” (Jn. 10:30).

He said, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (Jn. 14:9).

 

 

 

 

Thus we see that:

          The Scriptures call Jesus God.

          They teach that He had the attributes of God.

 

          They teach that He did the works of God, and

          They teach that He claimed to be God.

 

 

Let that sink in just a minute.

Jesus is God.

 

 

God came to this earth.

But He did not come as an all powerful being;

 

 

As a mighty conqueror;

With great riches;

 

 

With trumpets blaring.

God came as a defenseless baby.

 

 

Now, let us quickly notice seven things about God:

1st---God was born as a human being.

 

 

Jesus “who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with         

God;”

“But made Himself of no reputation,”

 

 

“And took upon Him the form of a servant,”

“And was made in the likeness of man.”

 

 

I wish we could grasp how high He was and how low He became.

Jesus was God.

But He became a servant.

He had angels to wait on Him.

 

 

But He waited on others.

He is the greatest being in heaven.

 

 

But He became a servant on earth.

2nd---God was born in poverty.

 

 

“For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet       

for your sakes He became poor.”

Who would guess that He was a descendant of King David?

 

 

He was not born in a royal palace.

He was born in a stable;

 

 

And it was not a pretty, clean stable like the ones we set up in the Church at  

Christmas.

He was born in a dirty, smelly stable where animals were kept.

 

 

He was raised in a little town on the back side of nowhere;

By parents who had to work for a living.

 

 

He probably had to help them.

He probably had to work on furniture.

 

 

It’s possible that He helped build houses.

3rd---God obeyed the Law.

 

 

 

“When the fulness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a      

woman, made under the law.”

God was circumcised.

 

 

God observed the holy days.

He kept the rituals.

 

 

He kept every jot and tittle of the Law.

4th---God submitted to abuse.

 

 

“He was despised and rejected of men;”

“A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.”

 

 

God was spit upon;

Beaten;

 

 

Cursed;

His beard was plucked out.

 

 

People falsely accused Him;

Called Him a blasphemer and a liar.

 

 

5th---God suffered as a sinner.

“Jesus who knew no sin was made to be sin for us.”

 

 

God became something ugly;

Something repulsive.

 

 

6th---God endured the death of the cross.

“It is written, cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree.”

We have to die.

But we don't want to die.

 

 

God didn't have to die:

But He wanted to die.

 

 

Why?

Because He wanted to die in our place;

 

 

To save us from our sins;

To give us eternal life.

 

 

And 7th---God went to the grave.

They wrapped His body “in a clean linen cloth and laid it in a new tomb.”

 

 

He was buried;

The tomb was sealed.

 

 

This is why the Bible calls Him the author and finisher of our faith.

He is God.

 

 

But He left the glory of heaven;

Took on the form of man;

 

 

Endured the cross and the grave;

And He did it for us.

 

 

 

 

 

Luke tells us an angel appeared and said, “Behold, I bring you good tidings of        

great joy, which shall be to all people,”

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ

the Lord.”

 

 

Christmas is a time of good tidings.

We have something to celebrate;

 

 

Something to rejoice over;

A Saviour to worship.

 

 

Let us not forget why we are here.

We are here to worship God;

 

 

To remember the real reason for the season.

To give thanks for God's love through His Son Jesus Christ.

 

 

But Christmas is also a time of confrontation.

That baby in a manger was unlike any other baby.

 

 

That baby was God's gift of Himself to the world.

And we are assured in the Bible that accepting or rejecting that gift is the       

same thing as accepting or rejecting eternal life.

 

 

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever

believeth in Him should not perish”

“But have everlasting life.”

 

 

Recently, one of my friends asked another, “Where is my Christmas gift?”

The second friend replied, “God has already given you a Christmas Gift.”

 

God has given you a gift.

But He will not force you to accept that gift.

 

 

Have you accepted God's gift?

Christmas is a great time to do it.