Untitled Sermon

📷 John 3:16-17 (NASB) says, (16) “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (17) “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

The True Meaning of Christmas… 📷 Is the celebration of an incredible act of love.

The Real Christmas Story Is All About… 📷 God becoming a human being in the person of Jesus Christ.

Why Did God Do Such a Thing? 📷 Because He loves us! Why Was Christmas Necessary? 📷 Because we were in desperate need of a Savior!! Why Does God Love Us So Much? 📷 Because God is the essence of love.

📷 1 John 4:8 (NASB) The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

Why Should We Celebrate Christmas Each Year? 📷 With a gratitude of love for what God has done for us.

Why Should We Celebrate Christmas Each Year?

We Remember His Birth… 📷 A.) By giving each other gifts. 📷 B.) By Worshiping Him. 📷 C.) By being especially conscious of the poor and less fortunate.

The True Meaning of Christmas Is Love as We Have Already Mentioned.

ü God loved His own and provided a way, the only Way for us to spend eternity with Him.

ü He gave His only Son to take our punishment for our sins.

ü He paid the price in full, and we are free from condemnation when we accept, that free gift of love.

Romans 5:8 (NASB) 📷 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Why Is The Virgin Birth So Important?

The Doctrine of The Virgin Birth Teaches Us What? 📷 That Jesus Christ was born of a virgin.

That is, when Mary conceived Jesus,

ü There was no sexual intercourse that took place in the birth of Christ.

She did not receive any artificial insemination, meaning there was no male donor.

Jesus does not have the sin nature like we do.

ü If Mary would have had sexual intercourse with a human male, and then conceived Jesus…

If Jesus Would Have Had the Sin Nature as We Do, That Would Have… 📷 Disqualified Him from being the sinless Savior of the world. We Then Can Say Without a Doubt… 📷 The Birth of Jesus was truly miraculous.

The Virgin Birth of Jesus….

Is a crucially important doctrine…

ü One that the Bible plainly teaches in…

Matthew 1:23 and Luke 1:27, 34.

Let’s look at how Scripture describes the virgin birth.

📷 Matthew 1:23 (NASB) (23) “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with Us.” Luke 1:27 &34 (NASB) (27) To a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. (34) Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”

The angel Gabriel’s reply indicates the miraculous nature of the conception:

📷 Luke 1:35 (NASB) “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.”

The Angel Does Not Point… 📷 Not to any human act. 📷 But to the Holy Spirit. The Angel Points to God… 📷 As the power behind the miraculous birth of Jesus.

The Angel Points to the Fact… 📷 That Jesus would properly be called the Son of God.

In Matthew 1:20

Gabriel later repeats the news to Joseph, engaged to be married to Mary:

ü “What is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”

Why Did Joseph need to hear this information?

ü Before they came together Mary was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18).

Joseph Needed to Accept God’s Word on The Matter. 📷 So, he could proceed, taking Mary as his wife.

It’s important to remember Mary remained a virgin until after Jesus was born:

📷 Joseph did not consummate their marriage until after she gave birth to a son. (Matthew 1:25)

In Jewish Life to Complete the Marriage of a Man and Woman…

ü Sexual intercourse must take place.

ü That is referred to as a consummation of their marriage.

The gospel writers are very careful in their wording to maintain the doctrine of the virgin birth.

ü In Luke’s genealogy of Jesus, he mentions that Jesus was the son of Joseph. (Luke 3:23)

ü In Matthew’s genealogy, he carefully avoids calling Joseph the father of Jesus.

He speaks of Jacob, the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.

ü Mary was the mother of Jesus…

ü Who the bible calls the Messiah. (Matthew 1:16)

The Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ Was Predicted In The Old Testament.

The Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14, quoted in Matthew 1:22)

ü There is also a possible allusion to the virgin birth in Genesis 3:15, which says that the “seed” of “the woman” would destroy the serpent.

The Bible Teaches… 📷 The preexistence of the eternal Son of God. (Isaiah 9:6) (6A/B) For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

Galatians 4:4 also teaches the preexistence and virgin birth of Christ: “God sent His Son, born of a woman.”

The Virgin Birth Is Important Because… 📷 it was how the Word became flesh. (John 1:14) 📷 The incarnation is when the eternal Son of God took on human flesh…

Without losing any of His divine nature.

ü He added a human nature.

That Miraculous, History-Changing Event Took Place in The Virgin Mary’s Womb.

In The Virgin Birth… 📷 We have the immaterial part of Jesus, the Spirit. 📷 We have the material part of Jesus, Mary’s womb.

Both The Spirit and The Flesh Were Involved.

Just as, at creation, “the earth was formless and empty” and dark. (Genesis 1:2)

ü Mary’s womb was an empty, barren place.

Just as at the time of creation…

ü The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” (Genesis 1:2)

ü The Spirit of God came upon Mary. (Luke 1:35)

Only God…

ü Can make something out of nothing.

Only God Could Perform the Miracles…

Of creation, incarnation and the virgin birth.

The Virgin Birth Is Important in That It Preserves the Fact… 📷 that Jesus is fully God. 📷 That He was fully man at the same time.

His physical body is what He received from Mary as her biological child.

ü But His eternal, holy nature was His from all eternity past. (John 6:69)

As We All Know….

ü Jesus had no sin nature. (Hebrews 7:26)

ü Therefore, He was able to be our perfect substitute. (1 Peter 1:19)

ü Conquering sin and death once for all. (Hebrews 10:10)

ü Not only was He able to take away our sins.

ü He Himself was tempted in every way that we are, yet without sin.

That Speaks to The Fact… 📷 Jesus is our perfect sacrifice. 📷 He is also able to identify with our weaknesses. (Hebrews 4:15).

Our God miraculously became man to save us and graciously reveal His love for us.

The Virgin Birth of Jesus Is an Example Of… 📷 God’s gracious work on our behalf. 📷 God took the initiative… 📷 Mary was not looking to become pregnant. 📷 It was all God’s idea.

Joseph had no role in the conception.

ü His body was not involved so the power had to come from God.

In a similar way, our salvation…

ü Is based solely on God’s initiative and God’s power.

We did not…

ü Seek God, but He sought us.

ü We did nothing to earn our salvation, but we rely on God’s power.

Question of The Day! 📷 Are you ready to respond to a god that is seeking you out?