Christmas in April

ME: Intro

Last week,

We celebrated Easter by looking at the diverse and unexpectedly wicked ancestry of Jesus Christ.

But at the sunrise service earlier that morning,

I shared about when I proposed to my wife, Stephanie.

I won’t retell the whole story,

But I will simply say this.

When I proposed,

I did not send someone else to ask her to marry me on my behalf.

I went with her,

I knelt before her,

I presented the ring I got her,

And I asked her to marry me.

Why?

Because when it comes to matters of love,

A person must go himself.

And that is the heart behind the other major holiday we celebrate,

Christmas.

After going from Easter last week,

This morning,

We are in Matt. 1:18-25,

To celebrate Christmas in April!

Looking at the story of Jesus’ birth.

Slide

Our outline asks four questions:

Who is Christmas About? (vs. 18-19)

What Does Christmas Reveal? (vs. 20-21)

Why Do We Need Christmas? (vs. 22-23)

How Did Christmas Happen? (vs. 24-25)

God is with us because salvation is a matter of love.

Christmas is not just a holiday we celebrate,

It teaches one of the most fundamental doctrines of Christianity,

One of the most extraordinary miracles in the entire Bible,

One of the most remarkable mysteries of all time,

The incarnation.

Although this is a familiar story to most,

The fascinating glory of this event must always captivate our hearts and minds.

So, let us begin to look at the Christmas story,

WE: Who is Christmas About? (vs. 18-19)

Slide

By asking our first question,

Who is Christmas About?

Vs. 18-19 introduce this story as the birth of Jesus Christ.

So, surprise!

Christmas is about Jesus Christ.

But Matthew’s telling of the story does not really focus on Christ’s birth, per se.

Really, it is more about Joseph’s perspective of Christ’s conception.

And the word used in vs. 18 for birth supports this.

The word literally means origin or beginning.

So, the narrative is best understood as a story telling us where the physical existence of Jesus,

The Messiah began.

Slide

So, it is the story of God being made manifest in the flesh.

Which is the doctrine called the incarnation.

Within this doctrine is the concept of the virgin birth,

Or more accurately,

The virgin conception.

Because it is the miraculous conception that is the significance of the virgin birth.

The birth itself is not what is extraordinary,

It was the conception of Jesus where the Bible says the Holy Spirit placed life in Mary’s womb.

So, the incarnation,

Jesus Christ taking on human flesh,

Is why Christmas is all about Jesus.

Slide

Vs. 21 says He was named Jesus,

Because He will save His people from their sins.

The name, Jesus, means Yahweh is salvation,

Or simply, God saves.

Names are incredibly significant in Hebrew culture.

God would often use a name to reveal His purposes.

And that is what He does with Jesus here.

The entire Gospel of Matthew explains how He saves His people from their sins.

Foundational to this purpose is the incarnation.

Christmas is fundamental to everything we know about Jesus;

To why we worship Him,

Follow Him,

And proclaim Him to all nations.

So, there is a lot at stake in this one doctrine.

Because within this doctrine comes another important teaching,

That Jesus is fully human and fully God.

Slide

As the Son of man,

Jesus is fully human.

He was born of a woman just like any other child.

He cried and cooed and wet His diaper.

We cannot picture Jesus apart from His full humanity.

Jesus was not this glowing baby with a beautiful smile on His face and a halo over His head.

He was born just like the rest of us.

Therefore, He possesses the full range of human characteristics.

Physically, Jesus had a human body that would grow tired,

He needed sleep,

He became hungry.

The baby would need to be fed and nursed and nurtured.

Because He had a body like ours.

Mentally, He had a fully human mind.

Luke 2:52 says Jesus increased in wisdom as He aged.

He learned just like other children do.

He didn’t know all the words He would go on to teach in the Gospels,

Words like kingdom and righteousness and substitution.

No, like any other baby,

He likely started with Ma-ma and Da-da.

Emotionally, Jesus experienced human emotions.

Throughout the Gospel,

Matthew describes Jesus as feeling overwhelmed in His soul,

Causing Him to weep with loud cries and tears.

He also experienced positive emotions like gladness and happiness and laughter.

Outwardly, Jesus was fully human for all to see.

He was recognizable as a human like everyone else.

This fully human nature of Jesus is important.

Because it means Jesus is able to fully identify with us!

He is not just some detached force trying to help us out.

No, He is a true representative of us.

Friends, this means,

We have a Savior who is familiar with all your struggles;

Physically, mentally, emotionally,

He can relate to them all.

He is familiar with your sorrow and suffering.

So, it is a great comfort that Jesus was born of a woman,

That He is fully human.

But in the same breath we affirm the mystery that Jesus is fully God.

Not only does He possess this full range of human characteristics,

But He also possesses the full range of divine characteristics.

He has power over disease.

In the Gospels,

He cleanses lepers,

Gives sight to the blind,

Makes the lame walk,

And He does it all by simply speaking it into reality.

A couple times in Matthew,

It just says Jesus went around healing every disease and affliction among the people.

So, He has power over the full scale of human infirmities.

He also has power over nature.

Jesus calms a storm with a command,

And the disciples say in response,

Matthew 8:27 (ESV)

“What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

Only God has that kind of power over nature.

Just like only God has power over sin.

Which Jesus demonstrates by forgiving sins,

And similarly,

Demonstrates power over the consequence of sin,

Death.

Jesus brought those who had died to life.

And He rose Himself from the dead.

This is how Jesus is portrayed in the Gospels.

As One Who identifies with us by being fully Human,

And One Who identifies with God by being fully God.

Putting these two mysterious natures of Jesus together,

We realize how the incarnation,

Is quite possibly the most extraordinary miracle in the Bible!

Because if this miracle is true,

Then everything else that happens in the Gospel after makes sense.

It is the only way to explain Jesus walking on water,

Because He created the water.

It explains Him feeding thousands of people with a child’s lunch,

Because He is the source of life and sustenance.

It is the only way to understand how Jesus rose from the dead,

Because He is God!

The only thing that doesn’t make sense,

Is that He would even die in the first place.

Slide

The incarnation fundamentally sets Christianity apart from Islam, Judaism,

And Jehovah’s Witnesses,

And any other religion.

That is why for the members of the body here,

This doctrine is a part of our statement of faith.

We have it worded this way:

“We believe in the virgin birth:

That Jesus was conceived by the Holy Ghost,

And is therefore God manifest in the flesh.”

There it is,

The incarnation.

So, we are people who state that we believe in this fundamental truth,

And yet, the incarnation is still mysterious to us,

We cannot fully understand it.

Jesus Christ is fully human AND fully God.

Slide

These two natures are different but unified.

His human nature was not absorbed into His divine nature,

Making Him some sort of third-natured hybrid.

Because this would undermine His role as our mediator.

Instead, He was born as a baby and is the sustainer of the universe.

He was 30 years old and exists eternally.

He would get tired and is all-powerful.

He died and conquered death.

He is reigning in heaven and He is present with us.

Jesus is one unified person with two complete natures that contribute in different ways.

Theologian, Wayne Grudem compares this idea to writing a letter.

We do not write a letter saying our hands wrote the letter and our toes had nothing to do with it.

Though that would be true.

But we simply say that we wrote the letter,

Because our toes are a part of us,

Though they are not used in the specific act of writing a letter.

That is the idea of Jesus’ unified natures.

We do not need to distinguish between the two.

It does not matter if His human nature or divine nature is specifically in view at any given moment,

Because the two natures are always working in perfect unity.

And this is what makes the incarnation such a profound mystery.

A mystery that is encapsulated in the virgin birth.

You see, Jesus could have taken on flesh without any human parent,

But He would not have been able to fully identify with us.

Likewise, He could have been born from two biological human parents,

But then He wouldn’t really be fully God.

So, God, in His infinite wisdom and creative sovereignty,

Ordained to have Jesus come into this world,

By being born of a virgin from the Holy Spirit.

Slide

And this is not like what ancient Greek mythology teaches,

Where their gods would take the form of a man to physically impregnate a woman.

That is not what happened here.

The Holy Spirit miraculously conceived Jesus in the womb of Mary,

After she had been betrothed to Joseph,

But before they consummated their marriage.

Being betrothed meant Mary and Joseph were legally bound to one another.

That is why vs. 19 says Joseph is Mary’s husband.

A betrothal is like an engagement in our culture but with much more commitment.

The custom was for parents to arrange for the couple to be married,

Vows and covenants were exchanged,

A predetermined timeline of about a year would be set,

Legal documents were already written up,

And marriage plans were set in motion.

At the end of it,

The marriage was sealed with the woman moving from her parents,

Into her husband’s home,

Where they would then consummate the marriage.

It is called a betrothal,

Because the word means to promise by-one’s-truth,

“be-troth-al.”

So, from the moment of betrothal,

Jewish law regarded the woman as the lawful wife to her betrothed.

That was the commitment level Mary and Joseph were at,

When Mary was found with child.

Imagine being that young couple.

You have Mary,

Who never had a physical relationship with a man,

Learns she is pregnant.

What kind of thoughts would be racing through your mind?

Let alone the emotions and the confusion and worry!

Then you have Joseph,

You are basically married to this woman,

But you haven’t yet been intimate with her,

And you find out that she is pregnant!

There would probably only be one thought racing through your mind,

That she has been with another man.

Think about it.

What would you do if you found out the person you loved,

The person you were set to marry,

Was either pregnant,

Or got someone else pregnant.

You would likely be thinking along the same lines as Joseph here in vs. 19.

Naturally, the only conclusion he can reach,

Is that Mary betrayed him.

Since, the only way to end a betrothal was through a divorce,

Infidelity almost certainly led to a divorce.

Because the divorce was the legal reflection of an already broken covenant.

So, Joseph could only make a decision based off the evidence before him,

To legally terminate their covenant.

And that is what Joseph had resolved to do.

Matthew describes him as a just man,

Meaning he sought to follow the law.

So, he was unwilling to marry a woman he presumed was immoral,

But he also didn’t want her to be publically shamed by this divorce.

So, he thought the right thing to do was divorce her in secret,

Sparing her from the humiliation and suffering,

Opting for compassion and mercy over vengeance and retribution.

GOD: What Does Christmas Reveal? (vs. 20-21)

Slide

Then, vs. 20-21 tells us what Christmas reveals.

As Joseph was thinking about these things,

While laying in bed at night,

God dispatches an angel to visit Joseph and deliver a message.

We have all had those nights where something happened during the day,

And we just can’t stop turning it over and over again in our minds.

Then, suddenly, the alarm goes off and it is the next morning.

The last thing we remember was lying in bed staring into the dark thinking about that thing from the day.

Well, that is what Joseph’s night was like.

He was just rocked by the discovery that his betrothed is pregnant.

Then, while laying in bed,

He is thinking about everything;

“How did she even get pregnant?”

“From who?”

“How long has this been going on?”

“What am I going to do now?”

[Sighhhhh]

“It doesn’t matter...”

“I know what the law says...”

“I can’t take her to be my wife now...”

“I’m gonna have to divorce her...”

“I suppose I could at least do it quietly...”

“It might spare both of us as much shame as possible.”

These thoughts are spinning around in his mind,

When he eventually nods off.

Then, vs. 20 says he is interrupted by an angel appearing to him a dream,

Who addresses him as Joseph, Son of David.

We just talked last week about the series of sinful and wicked kings in David’s line,

Leading up to the exile,

Leaving them with no king for hundreds of years.

By the time we get to Joseph,

The line is all but extinguished.

Then this angel shows up,

Calling Joseph a son of David,

Reigniting hope in the Messiah.

Because if Joseph takes Mary to be his wife,

This child will be a legal son of Joseph,

In the line David,

But not of the flesh of David.

This is the reason the angel tells Joseph not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife.

Then, the angel drops the bombshell on Joseph.

That child in Mary’s womb,

Is not conceived by another man,

He is conceived by the Holy Spirit.

So, Joseph, your pregnant wife is a virgin!

And when she gives birth,

The angel says in vs. 21,

Name this child Jesus,

Because He will save His people from their sins.

Slide

His name reveals His purpose;

To rescue us sinners from the punishment we deserve.

He came to bring about new life to humankind.

In the beginning,

God brought life to humankind by breathing life into Adam, the first man.

Adam, and his wife, Eve, lived in unhindered communion with God,

Until they rebelled against God,

And all of creation fell into sin.

From that one sin of Adam,

Condemnation came to all humankind.

We all have inherited a sin nature from Adam,

And we all, like Adam,

Have succumbed to sin.

But after that initial sin.

God made a promise that a seed would come from the woman,

A singular offspring who would crush the head of Satan, the serpent.

In Matthew, God delivers that promised seed through a woman,

Jesus Christ.

And with Jesus, the story is different.

Slide

By being born of a virgin,

He did not inherit that sin nature from Adam.

Romans describes Him as a new Adam,

One who did not succumb to sin,

Instead, one who saves us from sin.

Through the virgin birth,

He makes a way,

For humanity to be rescued from sin,

And reconciled to God.

He takes our hurts and turns them to joy,

He takes our sufferings and turns them into satisfaction,

He takes our rebellion and covers us with His righteousness,

He takes our sins and brings us salvation!

That is what Christmas reveals.

YOU: Why Do We Need Christmas? (vs. 22-23)

And that is also why we need Christmas.

Slide

Matthew explains this in vs. 22-23.

He says, Christmas occurred to fulfill what God had spoken in the OT prophets.

God’s Word is intended to reveal Himself and His will.

The Bible is a miraculous collection of writings.

God inspired human authors to write supernatural words,

All without error.

So, Matthew is saying that God’s Word from Isaiah 7:14 is being fulfilled by Christmas.

Isaiah prophesied that the virgin shall conceive and bear a son.

Now, the word virgin literally means a young woman of marriageable age.

So, some have argued that this means Mary was not actually a virgin.

But that is wrong.

A young woman who was of marriageable age in this culture was presumed to have been a virgin.

Not only that,

But vs. 18 emphasizes that this took place before her and Joseph came together,

Vs. 25 emphasizes again that Joseph did not know her until she had given birth to Jesus.

So, clearly, she fulfilled the prophecy of the virgin.

Both Luke and Matthew agree with the clear and important truth,

That the conception of Jesus was a miracle.

Because Mary was a virgin,

And the Holy Spirit created Jesus in her womb.

Most Christians have historically accepted the virgin birth without much hesitation.

However, some modern thinkers now attack this teaching.

They argue that Jesus is just a really great teacher.

So, they foster skepticism around the virgin birth,

Arguing that it was a cover up for Christ’s illegitimate birth.

We cannot be swayed by this thinking,

We must cling to the truth of this doctrine!

Because the virgin birth is fundamental to why we need Christmas.

It is fundamental to Who Jesus is.

Because the virgin birth is required for the mysterious balance of Christ’s nature as fully human and fully God.

God was manifested in the flesh as a glorious fulfillment of His own prophecy.

Both Matthew and Luke teach how the virgin birth is the means Jesus used to come and fulfill His purpose as God.

By being born in the flesh,

Jesus tasted human limitations,

Experiencing the full spectrum of human sorrow and suffering,

All the way to His death on the cross for sinners.

The physical wonder of the incarnation,

And the virgin conception is foundational to this.

God, in His infinite wisdom,

Determined to Have Jesus born of a virgin,

To experience natural birth,

But to also set Him apart.

So, it is completely appropriate for Jesus to be born in this unusual way.

But this does not mean that Mary was sinless,

Or that she was saved by giving birth to Jesus.

No, just like every other believer,

Mary was saved by trusting in the death of Jesus Christ on her behalf.

She just had the unique experience that her child was also her Savior.

But she was the virgin who gave birth to Immanuel,

Which Matthew says,

Means God with us.

This promise of God’s presence provides great assurance.

Which was needed at the time the prophecy was originally given.

At a significant point in Israel’s history,

About 700 years before Christ’s birth,

King Ahaz,

The same one from the genealogy,

Was king of Judah,

And he was a wicked king.

But he was facing a couple of threats.

Syria and Israel marched on Jerusalem,

And Isaiah says, Ahaz and the people shook with fear.

So, God sent Isaiah to tell Ahaz,

That the invasion of these two kings would fail.

God assured Ahaz of this with this sign.

Slide

He went on in vs. 15-16,

Saying that before this child knows right from wrong,

The two kings who attacked Jerusalem will be destroyed.

So, this was an opportunity for Ahaz to trust God,

But instead, he refuses to listen,

And decides to come up with his own plan,

To go to the Assyrian king and ask him for help.

Slide

So, Isaiah prophesies again in ch. 8,

Saying that God’s judgment will sweep into Judah.

History shows that Assyria made Judah one of its own states,

Eventually leading to the fall to Babylon.

But notice in the prophecy about judgment,

Immanuel remains.

God is still with us.

So, the point is,

When we trust God,

Because He is with us,

He blesses us.

But when we reject God,

Because He is with us,

He judges us.

But Matthew teaches that ultimately,

The reign of King Ahaz is not the end of Isaiah’s prophecy.

Immanuel is the hope for salvation.

Staunch Jews, however, argue that this prophecy was strictly about King Ahaz.

At the time of the prophecy,

They argue,

That she was a virgin.

After the prophecy was given,

She married Ahaz and gave birth to their child,

Hezekiah.

So, in the minds of these staunch Jews,

Despite what Matthew says,

The fulfillment of this prophecy came and went long before Jesus walked the earth.

Therefore, it could not possibly refer to Jesus.

Slide

But looking at this from a Jewish lens,

Immanuel means God with us.

So, the prophesied child must be the Messiah.

He is a person who is also God,

Whose birth transcends nature.

So, the child who is called Immanuel will also be the promised child of Isaiah 9:6,

Which says,

Isaiah 9:6 ESV

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

All these titles belong to God.

And this is the view Matthew has adopted,

As he writes that Mary is the virgin,

Who gave birth to the prophesied child,

Jesus Christ.

So, clearly Matthew is correct.

But the staunch Jewish view also seems correct.

How can they both be correct?

Because this prophecy has dual fulfillment.

In his commentary,

Christopher Seitz explains,

“[Hezekiah] becomes a type for later kings to follow.”

Specifically, paving the way for the rule of the Messiah.

This means, Hezekiah and his mother are a partial fulfillment.

But Matthew says,

Jesus Christ is the ultimate fulfillment.

Slide

Don’t lose sight of God’s faithfulness in this.

He made a promise through His prophet, Isaiah.

And over 700 years later,

A literal virgin gives birth to the Messiah.

This means, we can be confident that this same God will also prove Himself faithful to us today!

When God says, “I will never leave your nor forsake you,”

That is a guarantee!

When He says, “I am your refuge and your strength, your ever present help in times of trouble,”

You can count on Him!

When He promises that...

Romans 8:38–39 (ESV)

...neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate you from His love,

You can trust in His power to come through.

And when He tells you that there is a day coming where...

Revelation 21:4 (ESV)

He will wipe away every tear from your eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

You can be certain that day is guaranteed to come.

God is always faithful to His Word.

And we see it with Christmas.

Jesus being conceived in a virgin is miraculous,

But deeper than that,

Is the role that Jesus is the Messiah of the line of David,

As God had promised hundreds of years ago.

Matthew is saying,

Mary’s pregnancy announces that the child in her womb is the fulfillment of God’s promises.

Her son is Immanuel,

And by His presence,

He is set to redeem His people.

So, Matthew’s point is that through Christ,

God fulfills the promises He has made.

Because God is faithful to His Word.

WE: How Did Christmas Happen? (vs. 24-25)

Slide

Lastly, vs. 24-25 quickly summarize how Christmas,

The origin of Jesus, the Messiah, happened.

After the angel finished speaking to Joseph,

We don’t know exactly how Joseph was feeling about everything.

But what we do know,

Is that he simply wakes up,

Believes the Word God spoke to Him,

And obeys!

We don’t hear Joseph question God,

He does not give God a set of conditions,

He didn’t even take a day to think about what God said.

He woke up,

Believed God’s Word,

And obeyed.

He took Mary as his wife,

Bringing Jesus into the kingly line of David.

He waits to consummate the marriage until after Mary gives birth to Jesus,

Highlighting once more the supernatural conception of Jesus.

And lastly,

He names his Son Jesus.

Slide

Christmas is a great example of the sovereignty of God,

Working together with the responsibility of humankind.

God, in His sovereignty, initiates the work of redemption,

He made the virgin a biological mother,

Something that is naturally impossible,

When Jesus was conceived in her womb.

But Joseph was responsible for legally adopting Jesus as his own Son,

And naming Him Jesus,

Tying Jesus into the line of David,

As a royal son.

Slide

But more importantly,

Jesus came into a world of sin,

A world needing saving.

So, above being the biological son of Mary,

And the adoptive son of Joseph,

Jesus is ultimately the Son of God.

Our sin problem is so big,

It needed a God-sized solution.

And the virgin birth of Jesus shows that salvation does not come from humans,

It comes from God.

There is nothing we can do to save ourselves from our sins.

In miraculously conceiving Jesus in Mary’s womb,

God spares Himself as the Son from the corruption of sin,

Instead, becoming the One to save His people from their sins.

Our sin problem is the reason for all our troubles;

Accidents, abuse, conflict, disease, disasters, and death,

All are a product of sin’s effect on this world.

But the greatest trouble is the relationship with God that has been lost by sin.

And that is why Jesus came,

To rescue us from our sin state,

And restore a right relationship with God.

Jesus is Immanuel,

God with us.

Not just during His life in the flesh.

Jesus is still God with us today,

By the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

When we trust Him,

He is with us to bless us and save us.

And when we do not,

He is with us,

To convict us of sin,

And call us to repent.

And if we reject Him,

He is with us,

To ultimately judge.

God is always with us.

We can try to ignore or deny or even curse God,

But He is not going anywhere.

The incarnation is concrete proof of that.

Christmas teaches us that God is both transcendent over us and present with us.

His glory is far beyond us,

But His grace makes Him near to us.

He is Immanuel.

Slide

So, stop and think for a moment.

The One Who spoke the entire universe into being,

Who rules over all of creation,

Over every star in the sky,

Every mountaintop,

Down to every grain of sand,

Over the sun and the moon,

Over all the oceans and deserts of the earth,

The One whom myriads and myriads of angels worship and sing praises to,

The One whose glory blows our minds,

And whose holiness is beyond our comprehension,

That God…is…with…us.

This astounding fundamental truth of Christianity,

That God became flesh,

Is both incomprehensible and irresistible!

Because the incarnation tells us that the infinitely great and mighty and powerful God,

Did not just send a messenger to tell us,

But out of His love for us,

He has come Himself!

He has come to heal the sick,

Feed the hungry,

Bless the poor in spirit,

Bind up the brokenhearted,

Rescue the lost,

And as the angel said in vs. 21,

Save us from our sins.

Jesus entered into this sin-stained world,

To endure the penalty of our sins,

Standing in our place,

To die on a cross,

Breaking His body,

And shedding His blood.

All to rescue us from our sins,

And reconcile us to God.

Yes, brothers and sisters,

God is with us,

Because salvation is a matter of love.

Pray.