Matthew 1:18-28

His Miraculous Birth

Matthew 1:18–28

If you have ever had a baby or been present at the birth of a baby you know that the birth of a child is a miracle in itself. Life is a miracle from God. We hear stories about multiple babies being born and how they all survived, grew, and matured into adults. We hear about babies being born premature and how they have lived. We call these miracles and they are. These babies are alive by the grace of God and they are a gift of God. All babies are a gift of God and parents are entrusted with their children.

The birth of a baby is an exciting event, an anticipated event, and it is a miraculous event. Throughout history since Eve gave birth to Cain and Abel there has been countless number of births. In all the births throughout history there is one that sticks out and that is remembered above all. The birth of the Lord Jesus Christ is the greatest birth of all time. It is a one of a kind never going to be another like it birth. His is the miraculous birth!

Matthew proclaimed the coming of the Lord, the complication, the commission, and the compliance involved in His miraculous birth. His miraculous birth assures believers of the new birth. My objective is to proclaim the facts about the miraculous birth and challenge people to believe on Him. What do you believe about Christmas? What do you understand about the coming of the Lord Jesus? What do you believe about the birth of the Lord Jesus? This passage reveals facts about His miraculous birth.

I. The procedure of His coming. (vs. 18)

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.”

Matthew proclaims the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the first 17 verses Matthew related the earthly lineage of the Lord. In verse 18 and following Matthew reveals the heavenly lineage of the Lord. Matthew lays out clearly the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew takes us back before the birth to give us the details of the birth. Mary was betrothed to Joseph! There were 3 stages to a Jewish wedding. There was the engagement, betrothal, and the actual wedding.

It was a Jewish custom for the parents to arrange the wedding. The parents would choose the spouse for their child. The engagement would be contractual and a dowry would be paid. During the engagement the couple would have little or no social contact. They were promised to one another. The second stage was the betrothal. The betrothal lasted a year and it was completely binding. In this year the couple would get to know one another. During this period of betrothal the man and woman was considered husband and wife even though they did not live together.

At this point the union could only be dissolved by divorce. The third stage was the marriage itself. The Jewish marriage ceremony usually lasted a week. Matthew makes it clear that before they came together! This means that Mary had no sexual relations. She was indeed a virgin. During the betrothal period something astonishing happened. Mary was found to be with child. It wasn’t just any child, it was the Christ child. Matthew tells us that she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.

It was the Holy Spirit that caused Mary to conceive. An angel of the Lord had come to Mary and told her what would happen.

Luke 1:30–35 says, “Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” 34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” 35 And the angel answered and said to her, “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.”

It was the Holy Spirit that would come upon her and the power of the Lord that overshadowed her. The Lord chose a virgin godly young lady to come to this earth. He was conceived in the womb of Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit. This was the procedure in which the Lord chose to come. God came in the flesh and that is what Christmas is all about!

John MacAruthur wrote, “The Incarnation of Jesus Christ is the central fact of Christianity. The whole superstructure of Christian theology is built on it. The essence and the power of the gospel is that God became man and that, by being both wholly God and wholly man, He was able to reconcile men to God.”

God always uses men and women that are dedicated to Him and that are clean before Him. The Lord chose to use Mary and Joseph and their lives are remembered today because of their faithfulness to the Lord and His purposes. The Lord’s coming would have changed things for Joseph and Mary and they would have had to make some major adjustments to get in line with the will of God for their lives. We too have to make major adjustments to get in line with the will of God. In verse 18 we’ve notice the procedure of His coming, next, we see:

II. The problem about His coming. (vs. 19–20)

“Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.”

There were some problems around the coming of the Lord to earth. Not from heaven’s perspective, but from earth’s perspective. There were some obstacles to get around and some things that needed to be ironed out. Matthew reveals the problem about His coming. Matthew reveals the integrity and character of Joseph and the foster father of our Lord. The word of God calls him a just man. The news of Mary’s pregnancy must have been devastating to Joseph. How could she be unfaithful? This was out of character for her! The way Joseph planned on handling the situation says a lot about his character. Just: (dikaios, dik’-ah-yos); from Greek (dike); equitable (in character or act); by implication innocent, holy (absolute or relative) just, meet, right (-eous). David Lowery in his word study on Matthew said, “A righteous or just person was a person of faith who lived according to God’s revelation in the Old Testament.” That’s what Joseph was, he was a righteous and just man. What a great testimony about Joseph.

The Lord didn’t just choose anyone randomly to raise the Lord Jesus. He chose a man and woman of great character, one who loved Him, and wanted to serve Him. It pays to serve the Lord!

John Phillips wrote, “The idea behind the expression is that Joseph was a man who wanted to do the right thing. He desired to obey God’s word at all costs. There was nothing crooked or devious about him. He could be depended on.”

The Bible says, “Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.” Joseph figured that Mary had been immoral and unfaithful, but he didn’t want to put her to open shame. Under the law if Mary would have been pregnant like Joseph thought she could have been stoned to death. Joseph loved Mary and wanted what’s best for Mary. He could have legally brought her before the judges and brought her to shame. Joseph was minded to put her away secretly. Minded: boulomai, (boo’-lom-ahee); middle of a primary verb; to “will,” i.e. (reflexive) be willing:—be disposed, minded, intend, list, (be, of own) will (-ing). He had it in mind what to do to cause the least amount of damage.

Joseph had a plan to fix the problem. His planning showed that he really cared about Mary. When we face problems we seek to rectify those problems the best way we can. If we have family problems we try to make peace, we try to make reconciliation, and we try to fix the problems. If we have a problem on the job we work hard to fix the problem, to get things back on track, and to do the best we can. We have a saying, ‘Play the cards your dealt.’ From Joseph’s perspective he had been dealt a bad hand. To put her away secretly means that Joseph was planning on divorcing her. He was planning on do this with the least amount of publicity. Secretly: (KJV: privily) lathra, (lath’-rah); adverb from Greek (lanthano); privately:—privily, secretly. Joseph didn’t want to make it a public affair. He planned to divorce her privately.

This was a difficult problem concerning the coming of the Lord Jesus. In verse 20 we see: “20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.” Thought: The word means to ponder. The participle indicates that he thought long and hard about his course of action. Joseph didn’t fly off the handle and make a rash decision. He thought long and hard about what he was going to do. Lesson: When we face difficulties and trials we need to think about what we will do and how we will do it. Matthew Henry wrote, “Those who would have direction from God must think on things themselves, and consult with themselves. It is the thoughtful, not the unthinking, whom God will guide.”

We learn in this verse that God is in time, on time every time. The Bible says, “20But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.” God sent a messenger to Joseph before he did anything that he shouldn’t do. An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. As Joseph thought hard about what to do God sent a messenger to tell him what to do. God will provide wisdom for us to handle each situation if we will seek his will.

John G. Butler wrote, “God is always on time. He is never late. The fire will not get too hot, the waters too deep, the wind too strong, the waves too high, or the burden too heavy before God steps in to help. Count on it! God is always on time and is always there at just the time we need Him.”

The angel had an important work to do and he conveyed the message to Joseph. The angel confirmed what the Spirit had accomplished in Mary. Joseph was comforted, strengthened, and instructed in what to do. Joseph had a problem but God sent an angel to solve that problem. Joseph was told that the baby that was in Mary’s womb was a product of the Holy Spirit. We’ve noticed the procedure of His coming, the problem about His coming, next, we see:

III. The purpose of His coming. (vs. 21)

“And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Joseph was told by the angel Who was coming, what to call Him, and why He was coming. Mary was to have a Son! Joseph and Mary didn’t need an ultrasound. They didn’t have to wonder about what the baby was going to be. She was to have a Son. She was to have the only begotten Son of God. The angel told Mary before that His name is to be called Jesus and now the angel tells Joseph that he is to name Him Jesus. Jesus: His name means ‘Jehovah is salvation’ or ‘the Lord saves.’ Joseph was told Who was coming! He was told why He is coming. The angel reveals the purpose of the Lord’s coming. His name is Jesus and He came to save His people from their sins. Acts 4:12 says, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

The Lord Jesus came on purpose with a purpose. The birth of the Lord Jesus was no accident and His advent was not meaningless. He came with the greatest purpose of all time. Luke 19:10 Jesus says, “for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

All of man’s efforts, building, planning, and good that they done over all time cannot compare to what He came for. The Lord did many wonderful things while on the earth, but the greatest work of our Lord was to save people from their sins.

Herschel Ford said it well, “What is the greatest work of Jesus? It isn’t guiding the sun and the moon and the stars. It isn’t deciding the destinies of nations. It isn’t ruling over the angels’ band. His greatest work is in the realm of salvation.”

Save: sozo, (sode’-zo;) from a primary sos (contracted for obsolete saos, “safe”); to save, i.e. deliver or protect (literal or figurative):—heal, preserve, save (self), do well, be (make) whole. He came to set people free from the bondage of sin. Jesus didn’t come to give us a better life He came to give us eternal life. He didn’t come to give us wealth, health, prosperity, and material blessings. He came to save us from our sins. Sins: hamartia: The word literally means “to miss the mark.” This refers to the failure to keep the law. We all have broken the law of God and are condemned as law breakers. The angel of the Lord tells Joseph that Jesus will come to save them and redeem them from the penalty of sin. Has the Lord Jesus saved you from your sins? The Lord of glory was coming to earth and the angel announced the purpose of His coming. We’ve noticed the procedure of His coming, the problem about His coming, the purpose of His coming, and next we see:

IV. The prophecy of His coming. (vs. 22–25)

A. The prophecy announced. (vs. 22–23)

“So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

Matthew reminds the readers that this was not just something fabricated or faked, but it was planned out and prophesied about. Matthew tells us that all this was done to fulfill the Scripture. His coming was prophesied about! Matthew tells us that the Lord spoke through His prophets. This validates and substantiates the Old Testament scriptures as authoritative and thus is quoted here to validate the coming of the Lord Jesus. Matthew announced the prophecy of the coming of the Lord. He quotes Isaiah 7:14 as prophecy about the virgin birth of the Son of God. Isaiah 7:14 says, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”

This prophecy was given about 700 years before the coming of the Lord Jesus. He is the fulfillment of what was written by the prophet Isaiah. The virgin shall conceive and bear a Son. The virgin Mary conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and she brought forth a Son. Matthew quotes Isaiah as calling His name Immanuel. Immanuel: translates ‘God with us.’ It is the facts that God is with His people.

The Lord Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. He came to save His people from their sins and to be with His people. God is with us like never before because the Lord Jesus has come. The Old Testament saints didn’t know the Lord in a personal way like the New Testament saints. God was with His people but not in the close, intimate, and personal way He is through His Son and our Savior. We ought to take comfort in knowing that our God is an awesome God. He knows all things and His plans and purposes will be carried out. Nothing is too great for our God! We are so limited that we do not know what is going to happen tomorrow, this evening, or in the next minute. God is so great He knows all things that is going to happen. 700 years before and God sent word to the nation of Israel and told them what would happen, and Who was coming. In verses 22–23 we’ve notice the prophesy announced, next, we note:

B. The prophecy accepted. (vs. 24–25)

1. He took the messenger’s word. (vs. 24a)

“Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife,”

Joseph fail asleep that night with a heavy heart thinking about what to do and how to do it. He awoke with confidence and direction about what to do and how to do it. The messenger’s word made a great impact on Joseph. Joseph had been aroused from sleep. Aroused: means ‘to awake fully.’ He woke up and went to work.

The Bible says that Joseph did as the angel of the Lord commanded. When we obey the messenger of the Lord we obey the Lord. The Lord commanded the angel and the angel commanded Joseph. Joseph obeyed the command of the Lord. He did what he was told to do. We do well to obey the word of the Lord. God’s will and word is best for us and we know that Joseph was a man of faith and obedience. The word of the messenger to Joseph would have brought excitement and blessing to Joseph’s life. He took the messenger’s word, next we see:

2. He took Mary as his wife. (vs. 24b)

“Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife,”

Joseph knew that doing the will of God wasn’t always going to be easy. Taking Mary as his wife would give credence to the gossip in the community. Those who knew them would be critical of them. Louis Barberi wrote, “There would be misunderstanding in the community and much gossip at the well, but Joseph knew the true story of Mary’s pregnancy and God’s will for his life.” Joseph was determined to do the will of God for His life. The coming of the Lord Jesus required obedience from Joseph and Mary. Joseph took Mary as his wife. Verse 25 tells us about two things Joseph did:

a. His abstaining. (vs. 25a)

“and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.”

Joseph obeyed in taking Mary as his wife immediately, but he did not consummate the marriage until after the Lord Jesus was born. She was a virgin and the Lord was virgin born. Know: This word refers to knowing intimately and personally through sexual union. Joseph did not have sexual relations with Mary until after the coming of the Lord. He abstained from sex until afterward. He obeyed the Lord and His commandment. Joseph was a man of great faith and obedience. In Verse 25 we see his abstaining and lastly we see:

b. His naming. (vs. 25b)

“and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.”

On the eighth day when the Lord Jesus was brought to be circumcised Joseph gave Him the name Jesus. He obeyed the Lord and named the Lord. Joseph accepted the prophecy of the Lord about the coming of the Lord. He obeyed the messenger of the Lord and married Mary and named Jesus. God gave the name and Joseph and Mary obeyed. There was no struggling with naming. It is tough sometimes to find a name for a baby. It’s tough sometimes to decide on a name. Joseph and Mary didn’t have that problem. The name was given to Him for them. He called His name Jesus! Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, sweetest name I know. Fills my every longing, keeps me singing as I go! The Lord’s miraculous birth was the plan of God and accomplished by the power of God. We need to praise Him on this day and celebrate the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.