VBS Night 1 2025

The Wonder of His birth

Matthew 1-2

Luke 2

What is something you “Wonder” about?

I like figuring out how things work.

If my car isn’t working correctly, I don’t want to pay someone to fix it, I like to figure out how to fix it myself.

There is value in making mistakes and learning from them.

There is also value in knowing when to cut your losses and call a professional.

Sometimes when you wonder, it leads you to both places.

Wonder is a feeling of admiration when used as a noun.

Wonder is also desire or to be curious about something when used as a verb.

My sons love trains. Anytime we can get around train tracks and see a train go by, it’s always so fun to watch the joy on their faces.

In NC, they have a transportation museum where you can see and even walk through and explore several old trains.

When you get up close to some of those old trains, it’s mind-blowing the technology and mechanical craftsmanship in them.

I look at it and I wonder how it works, but I know I could spend a month taking a train apart and I’d never be able to put it back together.

It’s a masterpiece.

_______________

When you think about human beings, we are also a masterpiece.

You and I didn’t just pop into existence.

We were formed in our mother’s womb.

Psalm 139:13 “13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”

Genesis 2:7 “7 Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”

When you read the creation narrative in Genesis 1-2, you will see that God spoke things into existence.

He said “Let there be Light...” and it came to be.

But when it came to humans, God formed us…

We are handmade.

Jesus is not hands-off… He is hands on.

In fact nothing was made without Jesus.

John 1:1–3 “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”

We know the Word is Jesus because John 1:14 tells us so.

In John 1 we learn several things about Jesus.

What are some things you observe about Jesus from these 3 verses?

Jesus is God and is with God.

God is triune - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Jesus is eternal (vs. 2) He has no beginning or end.

Jesus is creator.

All things were made through him. (vs. 3)

John 1 isn’t the only place in Scripture that tells us about Jesus.

In fact Jesus is the climax that all of scripture is pointing to.

1 Corinthians 15:3–4 “3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,”

“According to the Scriptures...”

All of Scripture is building to and pointing to the gospel.

The Gospel is stated here, that Jesus died, was buried, and rose from the grave on the 3rd day and all of Scripture has pointed to that moment, the gospel moment.

Let’s look back at a few example for a moment.

Virgin Birth

Isaiah 7:14 “14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

Luke 1:34–35 “34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on 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.”

2. A branch from David’s House

Jeremiah 23:5 “5 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.”

Matthew 1:1 “1 This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:”

Jesus was part of David’s family from both Mary’s side and Joseph’s side.

3. Messiah would be born in Bethlehem

Micah 5:2 “2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.””

Luke 2:4–6 “4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,”

There are many, many examples in Scripture just like this.

All Scripture is pointing to Jesus.

So why does this matter?

2 Corinthians 8:9 “9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”

Philippians 2:6–7 “6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”

Jesus is eternal, creator, holy, perfect, and deserving of all praise, honor, and glory.

We do not deserve God.

Yet, God loved us, made us in His image, and came to His image bearers to offer us grace and mercy.

He came to give us life.

We do not deserve this gift!

God why would you offer that to us who do not deserve you?

When we read that Jesus became poor or that “he made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant...”

I hope you wonder at the audacity of these words.

Jesus is God. We are not. He didn’t need to do this and He probably shouldn’t have done this.

But He did.

What Love, What grace, what mercy has been offered to us.

Sometimes I think we lose sight of what it means to be loved.

We all have love we want to give to someone else.

But what does it mean to be fully known and fully loved.

I’ve said this before, but Jesus didn’t die for the best parts of you… He died for quite literally the worst of you.

Romans 5:8 “8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Jesus went to the cross specially for that stuff about you you don’t want anyone else to know.

And He did it because He wanted to.

Nobody couldn’t stopped Jesus if He wanted to get down from that cross.

He wanted to take the full brunt of the worst of you so that He could give you the full joy of the best of Him.

He desires to give you His holiness, His righteousness, His heart.

Are you receiving Him?

Never stop wondering about God’s grace, mercy, and redemption.

Thank you Jesus for the blood.

Let’s pray.