The Birth of God

Introduction:

Connection:

Have you ever heard someone tell you that Mary is the Mother of God? Maybe that made you feel uncomfortable as an Evangelical. Maybe that made you feel strange, and maybe it smelled a bit like veneration or idolatry.

Well, the truth of the matter is that if Mary isn’t the Mother of God, then Jesus isn’t God. Who did Mary give birth to? Jesus. Who is Jesus? Immanuel! The Son of God! The Christ! God in the flesh! And so yes, Mary is the Mother of God—not by creating God the Son—but by giving birth to the Son who became man, conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit—by giving birth to the Messiah, Immanuel, God with us. If Mary isn’t the Mother of God, then we have no Gospel to preach, and we are still dead in our sins—because no mere man can save us from our sins.

This confession of our faith is so central to the Gospel—we can’t let the Roman Catholics steal it away from us. All we need to do is remember that Mary is a sinful creature who was equally in need of salvation like you and I were—and that we aren’t to give her any divine honour and worship, but only human honour and praise; for she was blessed by the living God above all other women! There is only one Mother of God who gave birth to the Son of God. Today, we come to meditate on the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. The mystery that the angels above can’t even fathom—much less can we, children of the dust!

Theme:

The Birth of God

Need:

We need a divine-human Saviour—we need a Godman—we need a Mediator—we need a Messiah—who is actually able to save us! Who is able to bear the weight of God’s wrath, and who is able to take our place—we need Christ and Christ alone—the only one who can save his people from their sins. We need to have the heart cry of the reformation stamped upon our hearts and minds—Solus Christus—Christ alone—and we need to be encouraged to trust in Him for the salvation that only he can bring, because only He is Immanuel, the Godman, the Saviour of the world.

Purpose:

And so the purpose of this mornings sermon is to see more of his glory, in the wonder of wonders, and the mystery of mysteries—that God was manifested in the flesh—for you, and for me—to save all of God’s elect, all of his chosen people, and to wash away their sins white as snow.

Recap:

Last Sunday we saw the glorious truths of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, and the fact that he is descended from Abraham, from David, and from Joseph—which proves that He is the one whom the prophets foretold would come as the Messiah—to bring the covenant of grace, and the kingdom of God—to bring the Gospel of the Kingdom. And here we see in narrative form the story of how Mary became the Mother of God, and how Jesus was born by the power of the Holy Spirit. At last—true light has dawned in the Light of the World.

Open your Bibles to:

Matt. 1:18-25 ESV

PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY

(1) The Betrothed Couple got an Ancient Gift - v. 18-21

Matthew 1:18–21 ESV

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

(1) The Betrothed Couple got an Ancient Gift - v. 18-21

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way.

In this narrative we come now to see the brief history laid out for us by Matthew. We come to see not only the fact of the birth of Christ—but the story of the birth of Christ. We cannot separate these two things. Many want to cling to a concept of Jesus—or an idea of Jesus—as a mystical example—but don’t really care if he truly walked this earth. But if Jesus didn’t actually live in history, in the fullness of time—if he didn’t assume true humanity, body and soul, by being born of the Virgin Mary, then we are still dead in our sins and are of most people to be pitied, without God and without hope in the world (1 Cor. 15). Ideas can’t save us—but the Person of Christ can! The real, flesh and blood, historical, living, active, and powerful Jesus—He can save. The Scripture knows no such thing as the fact of Jesus divorced from the history of Jesus. And so Matthew doesn’t only tell us that Christ was born—but how he was born. And it is to this glorious history, inspired by the Spirit of God, that we now turn in humble faith and love. Come, let us adore him! Matthew says:

When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

In ancient Jewish culture—being betrothed was the first step of legal marriage. It wasn’t seen as lightly as engagement is today. You didn’t break betrothals in Jewish culture. Betrothal was seen as a divine vow and oath, made in the presence of witnesses, as to your plan to marry each other. It was engraved into the Law of Moses—and it was enshrined into the practice of the Jews. Betrothal, as one scholar says, was essentially viewed as Marriage begun, in the process of preparation, before the final consummation of coming together as husband and wife. And it is in this context that Matthew tells us, that it was while Mary and Joseph were betrothed, during Mary’s virginity and purity, that she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

Just slow down and think about the weight of that for a moment. Imagine that you were engaged to someone, you were both virgins, you hadn’t yet been married, and yet your fiancé got pregnant and was growing a baby in her womb. What would you do as the soon-to-be-husband? How would you feel about that? What would that lead you to do regarding the future of your relationship?

Well, if you were a Jew, living by the Law of God according to Deuteronomy 22 and 24, you had the right to do two things by way of legal process.

You could either: (a) put her through a judicial process to accuse her of fornication, sexual immorality, and impurity—and if she was found to be guilty—she would be stoned to death, and purged from the people of Israel for her sin; or (b) you could write her a bill of divorce for finding indecency in her, and dismiss her from your household without a judicial examination.

And so, in light of this, Matthew tells us the decision that Joseph ended up making in verse 19:

19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

Joseph was a just, a righteous, and a godly man—but he also deeply loved Mary, and didn’t want to see her put to shame or potentially put to death, and so in mercy he chose to divorce her quietly, without public spectacle. One scholar says:

Hendrickson: He loved Mary and wanted to have her with him as his wife, but, above all, he was a righteous person (cf. Job 1:8; Luke 1:6), a man of principle, one who with his whole heart wanted to live in accordance with the will of God, the God who took so very seriously the breaking of the marriage vow. However, Joseph was also kindhearted. Consequently, he decided to send her away quietly, though even this was not at all agreeable with his strong inner yearning for her, as is clear from verse.

Imagine the inner turmoil that Joseph would have been going through, the pain, the frustration, the shame, the brokenness, the sleepless nights, the anxious prayers—eventually he came to his decision after wrestling with the Lord in prayer, and considering these things with a heavy heart.

Remember, until this point, Joseph is convinced that Mary committed fornication, engaging in sexual immorality; in other words—she didn’t just sin against the living God, she cheated on her husband—she broke her betrothal vows, broke the marriage covenant, was guilty, and could justly come under the consequence of her sin, the painful decision of divorce.

But the God of Truth came in a prophetic word through an angelic messenger to assure Joseph of Mary’s virginity, and to accomplish his redemptive purpose in the birth of the Christ:

20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

Can it be true? Imagine the feeling of both utter shock, probably a bit of confusion, but also immense relief that must have come upon Joseph. His bride was faithful—she had not broken covenant. She had been blessed by God’s covenant! The Angel assured Joseph with divine comfort—do not fear!—for this child is not from sexual immorality!—this child is from the Holy Spirit of Yahweh. This child is the Holy One of Israel.

Do not fear, Joseph, there is no impurity here—only the thrice Holy God coming upon Mary for the purposes of redemption! Do not fear, Joseph, there is no sin here—only the God of absolute righteousness drawing near! Do not fear, Joseph, there is no iniquity here—only the Author of Life coming to be born as man!

Truly this couple received an ancient gift—born as the New Adam, the New Creation, brought out of the depths of the waters, life coming into this dark world, the genesis of the Christ, the new creation dawning, from the Holy Spirit who is the Lord and Giver of Life.

Any by the way, if any are wondering, the life of the baby in Mary’s womb began at conception—let there be light! And so the light of the world came by the power of the Spirit. Do not fear, Joseph—your beloved bride is yours to be, and that baby she is carrying? Well…

21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

The Son of God becomes the Son of Man, born of the Virgin Mary, a miraculous birth—and what shall he be called? Blessed Jesus, who has come to save his chosen people not from the the political powers of the day by setting up a physical, carnal, and earthly kingdom; rather; he has come to save his people from their sins! Firstly, from the penalty of sin, secondly, from the power of sin, and thirdly, from the presence of sin.

Firstly, He has come to deliver us from the penalty of the wrath of God due to us for our many sins:

Romans 4:7–8 ESV

“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

Secondly, He has come to deliver us from the power and dominion of sin in our depraved natures:

Romans 6:17–18 ESV

But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.

And thirdly, He has come to deliver us from the presence and experience of sin in the realm of glory!

Romans 8:21 ESV

that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

On this JC Ryle proclaims:

JC Ryle: The name Jesus means “Saviour.” It is the same name as “Joshua” in the Old Testament. It is given to our Lord because “he saves his people from their sins.” … Blessed and holy are Christ’s people! From sorrow, cross and conflict they are not saved; but they are “saved from sin” for evermore. They are cleansed from guilt by Christ’s blood. They are made fit for heaven by Christ’s Spirit. This is salvation! The person who clings to sin is not yet saved.

Truly Jesus saves! Are you his? Is He yours? Have you been saved from the penalty and power of sin? Have you been made a new creature in Christ Jesus? Do you have the life of God living in your soul? Do you have the power of the Holy Spirit leading your heart? Have you been made one of the people of Christ? Do you belong to Him?

Then know today, beloved, that as surely as Christ was born miraculously by the power of the Spirit, that Christ has been formed in you by the regenerating power of the Spirit. Christ in you—the hope of glory!

One writer says: The Holy Spirit never aborts his children! He caused the birth of Christ, and if he causes you to be born again—you can rest safe in your eternal security. Take heart, dear Christian, you are immovable in God’s promises, power, and presence.

Jesus saves! He saves his people from their sins! All who repent and believe in Him, all who turn and trust in this Savior—all who cling to that perfect life of obedience, to that old rugged cross, and to the empty tomb—will receive the unfading crown of glory by grace alone. All who submit to the birth of Christ the Lord receive salvation from their sins—a whole salvation, from a whole Saviour—from beginning to end, salvation is of the Lord! Come to Him, cast yourself upon Him, throw your only hope in life and death upon this child, conceived by the Holy Spirit, who was born to be the Saviour of his people.

Psalm 130:8 ESV

And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

Jesus came to redeem his true Israel, the true children of Abraham, from all their iniquities—Jesus paid it all! What an unfathomable gift of grace in Jesus Christ our Lord. What a divine privilege for Mary and Joseph to be the recipients of this incredible gift! And so do all receive this gift, who bow the knee to this precious Saviour!

(1) The Betrothed Couple got an Ancient Gift - v. 18-21

Who was this Ancient Gift? None other than the Ancient of Days! This leads us to our second point, as focus in on the identity of this Son:

(2) The Virgin Mary became the Mother of God - v. 22-23

Matthew 1:22–23 ESV

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

(2) The Virgin Mary became the Mother of God - v. 22-23

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

Christ is the fulfillment of God’s redemptive purposes and plans. He comes not to abolish the OT, but to fulfill it! He comes to fill it up, to complete it, to satisfy it, to bear it up, to seal the deal. The OT is about promises made—the NT is about promises kept! And none of God’s promises can fail us! The writer to the Hebrews says:

Hebrews 6:13–16 ESV

For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation.

The final authority of the one, true and living God has devoted himself via final confirmation to us through the divine promises found in Scripture—and Jesus came to fulfill all such promises in the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven, in his people, the church of the new covenant—he came to bring his saving reign and redemption to the earth, as far as the curse is found.

But what specific prophecy does Matthew have in mind here? Which promise does the virgin Birth fulfill? He quotes from the Prophet Isaiah, which is full of Messianic promises from Isa. 2; 7; 9; 11; 25; 42; 53; 65—all through the prophet of Isaiah, the promises of Christ are to be found. Matthew here quotes from Isaiah 7:14, which says:

23“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

The virgin, the pure, the unstained and unmarried woman—she shall conceive by the power of the Holy Spirit—she shall bear and give birth to a son, the Son of God—and his name shall be Immanuel, the living God become a living man, God come to dwell with us!

Notice that in this passage the name of the child is both: Jesus, which means Yahweh saves—and Immanuel, which means God with us—and so putting these together, the name of this child means: I Am the Lord God who has become a Man, to dwell with, and to save, my chosen people. Oh the unsearchable riches of grace to be found in Christ the King! One writer declares:

Hendrickson: Joseph receives the assurance, therefore, that this child conceived in Mary’s womb is God. “Veiled in flesh the godhead see.” He is God “manifested in the flesh” (1 Tim. 3:16). “In him all the fulness of the godhead dwells bodily” (Col. 2:9). In Emmanuel God has come to dwell with us. “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us as in a tent, and we beheld his glory, a glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). No one will ever be able to fathom the riches of this grace whereby God, by means of Emmanuel, has come to dwell with sinners. In order to say at least something in the way of further explanation it is probably best to obtain this information from Matthew’s own Gospel. It means that, in Christ, God came to dwell with the sick, to heal them (4:23) with the demon-possessed, to liberate them (4:24) with the poor in spirit, etc., to bless them (5:1–12) with the care-ridden, to rid them of care (6:25–34) with the censorious, to warn them (7:1–5) with lepers, to cleanse them (8:1–4) with the diseased, to cure them (8:14–17) with the hungry, to feed them (14:13–21; 15:32–39) with the handicapped, to restore them (12:13; 15:31) and over-arching everything else, with the lost, to seek and save them (18:11).

This child, this Jesus, is the 2nd member of the Trinity, Yahweh the living God, Jehovah the King, the Creator and Sustainer, who has become the Redeemer and Ruler of God’s people—oh how precious the name of Jesus, in the believers ear!

Colossians 1:15–20 ESV

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Who is this son? He has forever existed in the glory of his Father, being his daily delight, the eternal Son of God, the eternal Word of God, enjoying the presence of the Holy Spirit of God!

Who is this son? He is the great I AM, the God of heaven and earth, the one before whom the angels tremble above, and the demons fear beneath! He is the Lord of the living and the dead, the King of all Creation!

Who is this son? He stretched forth the heavens, he thunders forth the lightning, the beautifies the forests, he sets up the mountains, he named the stars and galaxies, upholding them all by the word of his power!

Who is this son? He is IMMANUEL, God with us—who was born of the Virgin Mary, free from sin as he came from the power of the Spirit, brought into the family of Joseph, to be the son of David, the son of Abraham—that He might save his people from their sins!

Isaiah 45:17 ESV

But Israel is saved by the Lord with everlasting salvation; you shall not be put to shame or confounded to all eternity.

Isaiah 45:22–23 ESV

“Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: ‘To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.’

You can’t escape this Jesus! You can’t run from his presence! He knows all, He sees all, He fills all—and he will Judge all. You can either bow the knee to him now in willful faith, receiving grace upon grace, or you can bow the knee to him then in forced fear, receiving wrath and fury.

Oh hear the voice of Christ thundering forth in His Word today, for today is the day of salvation! So come to Him, be made part of his church, join his true people, and find everlasting salvation. This Word is living and active, and in this Gospel-light, we see light indeed—the only place to find living hope, in Christ alone:

Matthew Henry: By the light of nature, we see God as a God above us; by the light of the law, we see him as a God against us; but by the light of the gospel, we see him as Immanuel, God with us, in our own nature. Herein the Redeemer commended his love.

Do you know this Christ? Is He your Lord and your God? Is He your Redeemer and Ruler?

1 John 4:13–14 ESV

By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

Can you say that Mary was the Mother of God—not in creating God the Son, but in giving birth to the Son of God? I don’t want to hear about a mere human Jesus, a false Jesus—Jesus the teacher, or Jesus the example, or Jesus the prophet, or Jesus the friend—tell me about Jesus the living God, Immanuel, and it is there and there alone that hope is found. For only in the biblical Jesus is salvation made possible. For as God he has power to forgive our sins—and as man he has the ability to take our place—he takes our sin, we take his salvation—God becomes our God, and we become his people!

Only if Jesus is born of the Virgin Mary can he become man and not become a sinner in Adam—only if he is born of the Holy Spirit can he be the Saviour of sinners and not a sinner himself. Only if He is God in the flesh, do men and women in the flesh have hope. Solus Christus, in Christ alone!

1 John 5:20 ESV

And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

(2) The Virgin Mary became the Mother of God - v. 22-23

And so we come to the last part of our passage for this morning:

(3) The Faithful Joseph named the Saviour - v. 24-25

Matthew 1:24–25 ESV

When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

(3) The Faithful Joseph named the Saviour - v. 24-25

Did anyone forget that Joseph was sleeping? The angel appeared to him in a dream. At last, he wakes up from his sleep. This has been a whirlwind of an emotional roller coaster for Joseph—from finding out that his wife has supposedly cheated on him, to prayerfully considering how to mercifully divorce her, to hearing that this child is God in the flesh, the Saviour of sinners. What an experience of God’s glorious grace and mysterious majesty! How would you have responded? I don’t know. But we know how Joseph responded.

And we can’t help but notice his faith and obedience! We can’t help but notice his true salvation and the fruits thereof—He believes the promise of the Gospel spoken to him by the angel about the birth of Immanuel—and he obeys the command of the Lord to take Mary as his wife.

How does anyone know if he or she really knows the living and Triune God in Christ? How does someone know if he is a true child of God? Only if you are granted saving faith and the fruit of obedience from the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit. Only the children of our Father who is in heaven have the birthright of faith and obedience granted to us as his precious saints.

(1) The children of God have true saving faith, trusting in the Gospel of Grace, as it is revealed in the Promises of the Word of God, putting our hope in Christ alone for eternal life, resting in Jesus for eternal salvation, and submitting ourselves to Immanuel as our Lord and Saviour.

(2) The children of God have true heart-felt obedience, repenting of our sins, submitting to the will of God as it is revealed in the Precepts of the Word of God, directing our desires in allegiance to King Jesus, delighting in Him who is altogether lovely, and devoting ourselves to Christ as our Captain and Prince.

Joseph was a faithful man, saved by grace alone, living in true faith and obedience, which showed that his son to be born through Mary his wife, had already been born in his heart. And so his salvation was made evident as he displayed his living hope and obedient faith, in naming this divine-child:

And he called his name Jesus.

Ryle: Jesus is a name which is especially sweet and precious to believers. It has often done them good when the favor of kings and princes would have been disregarded. It has given them what money cannot buy, an inner peace. It has eased their weary consciences, and given rest to their heavy hearts. The Song of Songs speaks of the experience of many, when it says, “Your name is like oil poured out” (Song of Songs 1:3). Happy is the person who trusts not merely in vague notions of God’s mercy and goodness, but in “Jesus.”

Jeremiah 17:7–8 ESV

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

What was the fruit of Josephs true salvation? His faith and obedience. His trust was the Lord—and His fruit proved it.

(3) The Faithful Joseph named the Saviour - v. 24-25

And so hear now our conclusion from this text of Holy Scripture:

(C) Jesus is the Divine Son and Anointed Savior—so Trust in Him for Salvation from your Sins.

The Birth of God is the only hope of the World! What child is this?

Spurgeon: Let us leave this wonderful passage worshipping the Son of God, who condescended to be born the Son of man. Thus our God became our brother, bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh. The nearer he comes to us, the more humbly let us adore him. The more true the kinship of our King, the more enthusiastically let us crown him Lord of all!

Romans 16:25–27 (ESV)

Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ!

(C) Jesus is the Divine Son and Anointed Savior—so Trust in Him for Salvation from your Sins.

Amen, let’s pray.

Discussion Questions:

(1) Why and how was Joseph going to divorce Mary? What changed his mind?

(2) Why was it necessary that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary for Him to be sinless?

(3) In what sense is Mary the Mother of God, and in what sense is Jesus named Immanuel?

(4) How is the faith and obedience of Joseph displayed in this text?

(5) What is it precisely that we are putting our trust in Jesus for?