Good morning from the Panhandle. Well here we are looking at God's announcement to Mary and Joseph about the birth of Christ Jesus. Remember Christ Jesus is God/man so He was not conceived in the usual way.
Babies Make the Difference: A remarkably revealing article appeared in the August 15, 1983, issue of Time entitled, "What Do Babies Know?" Michael Lewis, a psychologist, presides over the data being gathered by the Institute for the Study of Child Development at Rutgers Medical School, New Brunswick, New Jersey.
Among the startling facts: Babies are born "legally blind." Although unable to see, a newborn nevertheless holds up a hand, as if examining it, within seven minutes after birth. Their ears function well. Within a few weeks they recognize the sound of their mother's voice. Incidentally, babies seem to prefer the tone of the female voice over that of the male. At twelve hours old, an infant which has never tasted anything, not even his/her mother's milk, gurgles with satisfaction on receiving a drop of sugar water. At twenty-three days of age the baby can imitate adults.
Beyond risks and costs of rearing children today, having a baby is an act of faith and hope. "It represents a belief in better things to come" When a wrong needs righting, a truth needs telling, a song needs singing, a soul needs saving—God sends a baby into the world to accomplish it. - 1000 Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching.
The old hymn “Who Is He in Yonder Stall” asks, “Who is He in yonder stall at whose feet the shepherds fall?” That question and its answer are critical. If we answer incorrectly, we miss our Messiah. We can be mistaken about many things and still enter heaven, but we mustn’t be wrong about the Baby in the manger. He is the God/man, both human and divine, two complete natures combining in one Person. Let’s investigate Christ Jesus’ deity as discussed in Matthew’s announcement of His birth. Matthew would make a good Sgt. Joe Friday of Dragnet because he gives “just the facts” without a lot of commentary.
Matthew 1:18-25
18 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. 19 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.
20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"-which means, "God with us."
24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
1. The Virgin Birth Reveals Christ Jesus’ Deity (vs. 18)
As Matthew writes the account of Christ Jesus' birth he was careful to highlight the title Christ – the same title he used in the preceding passage that demonstrated Jesus had the right to claim deity.
Matthew states that Mary and Joseph were betrothed. To understand the significance of this and other statements in this passage, it is important to understand the Jewish marriage customs of that day. For example in the Jewish culture of that day, parents arranged marriages for their children. And I do mean children, the minimum age for marriage for a boy was 14, and 12 for a girl. When the “engaged” children reached mid-teens, they entered a betrothal period. Betrothal was a period that the groom and bride went through and it was as binding as marriage. It was during this waiting period that Mary became pregnant. Matthew in his Gospel was careful to protect the virtue of Mary and show the supernatural origin of Christ Jesus.
There were only two options: either she was a virgin or she was not. Let’s assume she was not a virgin. Now we have two more options. Either she had relations with Joseph or with some other man. Nothing we know of Mary indicates unfaithfulness to Joseph, and nothing we know of Joseph indicates he would disclaim responsibility if the child were his. If Mary had not been with a man, then she was, in fact, a virgin. How is that possible? When Mary asked that question the angel said: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:34)
Son of God is a Hebrew expression meaning possessing the nature of God. Without His deity there is no explanation for the virgin conception and birth. And it is because of His deity that He is able to forgive you of your sins.
2. The Angel’s Words Announce Jesus’ Deity (vs. 19–20)
Why was it important that Christ Jesus, the long promised king, be born to a virgin? The virgin birth is more than a miracle to draw attention to the unique nature of Mary's child. Because Mary was a virgin, only God could have been the father of Christ Jesus, proving that Christ Jesus is God/man. God's redemption plan would have been impossible if Christ Jesus had been anything less.
So far we haven't talked about Joseph, Mary's betrothed. Remember a betrothed couple was as good as married, and breaking the betrothal was akin to divorce. On learning of Mary’s pregnancy, Joseph was crushed. To Joseph it must as seemed that Mary had committed adultery. The penalty for adultery in it's severest form was stoning (death) ~ The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. "Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?" (John 8:3-5)
But I think Joseph must have still loved Mary and even though he was heartbroken he was going to protect her. He was going to send her away secretly to a distant relative (her cousin Elizabeth) until the baby could be born. But an angel appeared to him saying: “… that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.” Literally, it is: “… out of’ the Holy Spirit,” implying source and substance. The substance or essence of this child is God Himself. He is God come to live among His people for the express purpose of reconciling them, you to God. How does Christ Jesus do this? Simple, confess your a sinner (we all are Romans 3:23), believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and ask Him to become your Lord and Saviour.
3. Jesus’ Mission Demands His Deity (v. 21).
The angel continued: “You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” The name “Jesus” means “God saves.” Jesus’ name and mission reveal His deity. Jesus means “Yahweh is salvation.” Do you recall from algebra class a formula that states, “If A = B and B = C, then A = C”? God saves. Christ Jesus saves. So, Christ Jesus is God.
Why must Christ Jesus be God in order to save us? Sin created a penalty~“the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (2 Thessalonians 1:9). The penalty for sin is an eternal death (Romans 6:23). If our Savior were a mere man how long would he be paying that penalty? He would be paying, like never. A man is not able to pay the penalty for sin.
If you are to be saved you have to have a Savior who can pay an eternal penalty. Only God Himself can do that ~ and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. (1 Peter 2:24). Won't you call on His name right now? Won't you let Christ Jesus take away your sin and it's penalty?
A schoolteacher in England tells a charming story. At Christmastime she supervised the construction of a manger scene in a corner of the classroom. The children participated happily in the project. They also enjoyed casting characters for the drama depicting the Nativity.
The teacher noticed one boy was particularly enamored by it all and was forever going back and forth to the scene. At last she asked him if there was anything bothering him. He said, "No" She said, "Are there any questions you would like to ask?" "Yes" he said, "what I'd like to know is—where does God fit in?" - 1000 Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching.
4. Isaiah Predicts Christ Jesus’ Deity (vs. 22–23)
In these verses Matthew provides the first of many direct quotes from the Old Testament, and the first of many Old Testament prophecies fulfilled by the earthly life of Christ Jesus. The Old Testament quotes and prophecies showed, in part, the connection and the unity between the Old and New Testaments. Why was this important? It helped Matthew's first century readers and helps us understand how God was preparing the way for Christ Jesus from centuries past.
These quotes and prophecies also validate the identity of Christ Jesus (as if He needed validating) as the promised Messiah, strengthening our faith in Him. And their perfect fulfillment in Christ Jesus should give you the confidence that God is faithful and mighty to keep His Word to you today.
Matthew in chapter 1, verses 22, 23 refers to Isaiah 7:14, in which armies attacked the kingdom of Judah. Fear gripped King Ahaz, and God instructed Isaiah to calm him by allowing him to ask for a sign. When Ahaz refused, Isaiah said, “The Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”
Matthew explained that the ultimate fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14 is Christ Jesus Himself. He is the sign that God will deliver His people. He is “God with us.” Christ Jesus will deliver you this morning if you ask Him to. Just admit that you are a sinner in need of a Saviour. Believe that Christ Jesus is that Saviour and invite Him into your life. Do this and you will be saved.
5. Joseph’s Faith Embraced Christ Jesus’ Deity (vs. 24–25).
Hearing the angel, Joseph awoke and obeyed. What faith! A faith that overcame crushed emotions and public ridicule. A Faith that overcame physical desire, keeping Mary a virgin until after Christ Jesus was born. What could fuel such faith? The fact that this was no ordinary conception. This was miraculous. This was God Himself.
'im (with) anu (us) el (God) – Emmanuel (God with us). Yes, Christ Jesus is Emmanuel, in every since of the word. God/man come to earth to become one of us so that we would be drawn to Him. God/man so that when you are drawn to Him you become one of His, a child of God. God/man who did everything needed to build a bridge from you to God. God/man like us, but different and yet approachable, so draw close to Him right now and ask Him to become your Lord and Saviour.
Thanks for dropping by and I pray that you have a blessed day,
Biblesurfer
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