Why the Nativity?

Introduction:

Nativity means Birth.

The Nativity is a special birth that brought salvation that we celebrate as Christmas commemorating the Birth of Jesus Christ.

Why the Nativity is essentially a study of Salvation.

The study flows beginning in Genesis and ending in Revelation.

Although God supernaturally and sovereignly orchestrated every little detail in the birth of His Son, the Christmas story is filled with fascinating human profiles and personalities.

Therefore, “Why the Nativity” has to do with an age old question found in

Matthew 22:42 (KJV 1900)

42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David.

As we have been studying in the gospel of Jesus Christ written by Mathew observing Jesus’ first message preached and now looking back at the birth of Jesus Christ in this same gospel, we need to understand that Matthew is really an apologetic gospel.

I don’t mean that Matthew is apologizing on behalf of Jesus Christ but rather, Apologia, means to give a defense.

1 Peter 3:15 (KJV 1900)

15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

Matthew is really writing to defend Jesus Christ and counter a certain slander against his Savior.

For example, we know that at the time of Jesus Christ there were some who accused Him of being an illegitimate son, a child born out of wedlock, the son of a Roman soldier who cohabitated with Mary, and Mary was an adulteress, and thus Jesus was an illegitimate child. Those kind of slanders were in existence at that time. And it may have been that Matthew was not just pedantically recording the facts of the birth of Christ, but that he was countering a slander that existed about his dear Lord. And this text sets such a slander right.

The virgin birth has always been an essential belief in the Gospel.

Any rejection of Christ’s supernatural origin leaves His supernatural life and His supernatural death and His supernatural resurrection inexplicable. You gotta have it all, or any of it to make sense. And if Jesus wasn’t virgin born, then the claim that He can save is highly questionable. So Matthew to begin with affirms the virgin birth.

This is exactly what makes the Nativity so special and so fascinating. Jesus claims His virgin birth and it must be upheld that he was 100% Man and 100% God.

So looking at Matthew 1, I want us to first of all notice

The Royal Line

The Royal Line is the Human side of the Nativity.

In Matthew 1, we discover a man by the name of Joseph is the Legal father of Jesus Christ.

Why do I say Legal?

The Bible never calls Joseph the father of Jesus.

By the way, look at verse 16 again,

Matthew 1:16 (KJV 1900)

16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

Of whom in the Greek is in the feminine gender, He was born not of Joseph, He was born of Mary. He was Joseph’s child legally because if you were adopted into a family, you were the legal child with all the rights and privileges.

He was Joseph’s child legally, He was Mary’s child lineally and by blood. And so every way possible, Jesus Christ had the right to rule.

Luke 3:23 (KJV 1900)

23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,

Jesus was considered by everybody, though He was not the real son of Joseph, not the physical son of Joseph, He was considered by everybody to be the son of Joseph. Now most people thought, at least at the time of His birth, that He was the son of some illicit affair. But they called Him the son of Joseph because Joseph was constituted His legal father.

There was never really any question about that at all, in fact through His life He was known as the son of Joseph, there was never any argument because they accepted what amounts to adoption in the legal sense, with all the rights and privileges.

Luke 4:22 (KJV 1900)

22 And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?

However, we are given the genealogy of Jesus to show how God guarded every single detail of this dilemma, and the virgin birth solved it.

The reason for the genealogy of Jesus is to present the fact that this is the one who has the right to reign on the throne of David.

Listen, it may take me a long time to unscramble the significance of this but all the Jewish people had to do was read it and they got the message, they knew their Old Testament, they knew the curse on Jeconiah, they knew this line, they knew their pedigrees. And Matthew is establishing that He has the right to be King.

Now if Matthew 1:1–17 the genealogy were all that could be said, then Christ may have had the legal right to be the King, but He could have never redeemed men, He could have never conquered death, He could have never conquered sin, He could have never conquered Satan and hell.

In order to do that, He had to be God, and so Jesus was the God-man, 100% deity, 100% humanity, that is the message of chapter one of Matthew, and so he splits his chapter into two parts dealing with the human and then the divine.

Now, I am not going to read you all of chapter 1 but notice verse 1.

Matthew 1:1 (KJV 1900)

1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Now go to verse 17.

Matthew 1:17 (KJV 1900)

17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.

Notice first the name Abraham.

Covenant with Abraham

Genesis 12:1–3 (KJV 1900)

1 Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

When God chose Abraham, he was promised to become a great nation. And as a great nation, he would be a blessing, but the interesting thing for us, as Gentiles is he will bless all the families of earth, not just the Hebrew or Jewish people.

From Abraham till David, was the period of the Patriarchs and the Judges, it was a period of heroism and the period when the Hebrew people went from one man to became many and known world wide. During this period the nation was flourishing. It was a time of VICTORY.

However, even though this period marked very many victories, there was also a coldness beginning in the people and their relationship with God.

This brings us to another name, David.

Covenant with David

The King is revealed, and it all begins with Jesus family tree. If a King is to be heralded as a King, if He is to believed to be a King, if He is to have any credibility at all, if anybody is to accept the fact that He in fact is a King then it must start with the proof that He comes from the royal line. There was a royal line in Israel and it came through David.

2 Samuel 7:10–16 (KJV 1900)

10 Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime,

11 And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the Lord telleth thee that he will make thee an house.

12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.

13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.

14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:

15 But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.

16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.

This is the period of Monarchy. It actually started with King Saul, but the kingdom was taken from him because of his wickedness and given to David.

David shows the struggle of prestige, power, and will with a relationship with God.

It was during the reign of his son, Solomon, that the nation reached its pinnacle and Israel’s glory days.

However, his son Rehoboam splits the kingdom and we find the kingdom taken away from the people and sent them into Babylonian captivity.

We see names of good kings and evil kings and then we come to

Curse of Jechonias

Look at verse 11,

Matthew 1:11 (KJV 1900)

11 And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon:

“And Josiah,” - Josiah was the last Godly king.

I want to just pull out one thought here that’s very fascinating,

“And Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brethren, about the time (of Babylonian captivity, about the time) they were carried away to Babylon.

Now watch

Matthew 1:12 (KJV 1900)

12 And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel;

Now I want you to notice something very interesting, we read this name Jeconiah, Josiah begot Jeconiah, and Jeconiah begot so and so. Now there’s something very interesting, you remember who’s line is this in Matthew?

Joseph’s

Now I want you to notice something,

Turn in your Bibles to

Jeremiah 22:30 (KJV 1900)

30 Thus saith the Lord, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.

And the man to whom it refers is Jeconiah, this is the same man.

“A man who shall not succeed in his days; none of his offspring shall sit on the throne of David.”

Did you get that? None of Jeconiah’s offspring will ever sit on the throne of David. That was the curse on Jeconiah, of Jeremiah 22:30.

Now listen to me, if Jesus had been the real son of Joseph, He never could have sat on the throne of David.

Joseph would be under the curse. And yet, He had to be the legal son of Joseph to have the right, so God had to devise a plan by which He would be the legal heir to the throne but that He would not be in the line of David descending through Jeconiah.

And so God did it by the virgin birth. By-passing the actual blood line of Jeconiah, and yet carrying the royal right to reign and descending the blood through the side of Mary.

Isn’t God and His Word just amazing?

I love studying the Bible.

That is the Royal Lineage now notice

The Royal Blood

Matthew 1:18 (KJV 1900)

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

Notice Jesus’ Conception.

Conceived

Matthew 1:18 (KJV 1900)

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

The Spirit of God through the writer Matthew tells us that Mary was impregnated by the Holy Spirit.

Birth is the same exact word as genealogies in verse 1.

Verse 1-17 deals with the human side genealogy or birth of Jesus Christ.

Verse 18 deals with the divine side genealogy or birth of Jesus Christ.

When his mother Mary, - I wish we knew more about Mary. However, we will look at “Why Mary” on Dec. 10.

What we need to know today started in Genesis.

Genesis 3:15 (KJV 1900)

15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

God said, look Satan, someday there’s gonna’ come a woman, and that woman is gonna’ have a seed and you may bruise His heel, and he did at Calvary, but He’ll do what? He’ll bruise your head, and you notice that it says Jesus would be the seed of the woman, her seed.

Only one time in the history of the world did a woman ever have a seed. The seed is in the man, but once in the woman and that’s what Genesis 3:15 said.

And Paul says in Galatians 4:4, he said,

Galatians 4:4 (KJV 1900)

4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

Made of a woman.

Bypassing the curse of Jeconiah, as we saw in the royal line of the first 17 verses.

Now listen to me, now get this, if Jesus had had no human parents then He wouldn’t have been man at all.

He wouldn’t have been partaker of our flesh.

On the other hand, if Jesus had two human parents He could not have avoided the contamination of humanity.

So He had to be the child of man and yet the child of God, and that’s exactly what He was. He was born of a sinner and yet He was sinless because He was equally born of God, deity canceled humanity’s curse, the water of the nature of God drown the fire of the nature of man. And so the virgin birth conceived.

What about poor Joseph? We will look more at him next Sunday evening, but He doesn’t know what’s happening, his little world has just come to an end.

Joseph, a just and righteous man, no doubt deeply committed to Mary waiting with anticipation the day when they both are proven during the period of betrothal and can come together to consummate the marriage.

What about Joseph, verse 19,

Matthew 1:19 (KJV 1900)

19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.

“Then Joseph, her husband’ ” notice he’s in the called a husband even though they were still/betrothal period, “being a just (or righteous) man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privately.”

Now all of a sudden we see the virgin birth confronted.

Confronted

Joseph has to confront this thing, he has to face it and the miracle is just very, very unclear to him, he doesn’t understand it. He was jolted. And he was a, he was a just man, and he didn’t want to put her away, he didn’t want to make her a public example.

Joseph was a just man. Therefore, he is confronted in his righteousness.

I can’t marry this lady in this condition. She’s violated the principles of God, even though I care about her, even though I don’t understand this thing, even though everything is a mystery to me I, I … as a just man I must do what the law requires.

Joseph

“not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privately.”

Jospeh is also a Devout man. He was Concerned.

Jospeh now had 2 choices.

According to the law, he could have her stoned.

Or because of the laxness of Jews at this time, he could divorce her. And this divorce could be with all the humiliation or could simply be done quietly.

Joseph chose divorce, but not publically, but privately.

However, he was struggling. This was not an easy decision and while thinking, he fell asleep.

Matthew 1:20 (KJV 1900)

20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, 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.

Thankfully, Joseph’s dream becomes a reality as the Angel Clarifies this Virgin Birth.

Clarified

Matthew 1:20 (KJV 1900)

20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, 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.

This is the great reality of the virgin birth, there was no human father. This is the birth of God in human flesh. He is both man and God

Matthew 1:21 (KJV 1900)

21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

The Bible is very careful about never naming Joseph as the father of Jesus

Call him Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.

That’s the reason He came, isn’t it? And that’s why the Book of Acts in 4:12 says,

Acts 4:12 (KJV 1900)

12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Only the name of Jesus, the one God man. It is God alone who saves.

It is Jesus that shall save His people from their sins. Only He is mighty enough to save.

Now quickly, notice the Connection.

Connected

Matthew 1:22–23 (KJV 1900)

22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,

23 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.

The angel is no longer speaking. Now it is Matthew that makes the Connection for us. Remember, he is defending the virgin birth of Jesus Christ.

He does this by quoting Isaiah 7:14

Isaiah 7:14 (KJV 1900)

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.

All this was done that it might be filled up, that it might be made full, that it might be accomplished, just exactly as Isaiah said.

Lastly, notice the Consummation

Consummated

Matthew 1:24 (KJV 1900)

24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:

Don’t you think that was a wonderful thing?

Don’t you think that was the best nap Joseph ever had? When he got up and it was all clear, oh,—it isn’t just Mary, I’m not just marrying Mary, I’m getting the Son of God thrown in on the deal.

Bless Joseph’s heart, what joy there must have been when he woke up. And he took Mary as his wife.

They had the wedding ceremony, but notice verse 25.

Matthew 1:25 (KJV 1900)

25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

They had the wedding, but he never touched Mary, physically until after that baby was born.

The supernatural birth of Jesus is the only way to account for the life that He lived.

The two greatest slanders about Jesus Christ, Matthew deals with the first, at the very beginning of his gospel, and that is “Was Christ really Virgin born?”

The second greatest slander is dealt with at the end of the gospel, “Did Jesus really Die and Rise from the dead?”

Jesus was none other than God in human flesh, and Matthew tells us He came to dwell with the sick to heal them, He came to dwell with the demon possessed to liberate them, with the poor in spirit to bless them, with the care ridden to free them from care, with the lepers to cleanse them, with the diseased to cure them, with the hungry to feed them, with the handicapped to restore them, but most of all he says, that He “came to dwell with the lost, in order that he might seek and (what?) save them.”

Immanuel, God with us, infinitely rich, became poor. Assumed our human nature, entered our sin polluted atmosphere without ever being tainted by it, took our guilt, bore our griefs, carried our sorrows, was wounded with our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, went to heaven to prepare a place for us, sent His Spirit to dwell in our hearts, right now makes intercession for us, and will someday came to take us to be with Him. No wonder the Apostle Paul said,

2 Corinthians 8:9 (KJV 1900)

9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

What are you willing to do for and with Jesus?