Christmas Impossible

INTRO: This time of year seems to birth a whole lot of Christmas movies that involve someone overcoming seemingly impossible odds or scenarios. You know what I’m talking about: Home Alone, Christmas Chronicles, Miracle on 34th Street, any of the Hallmark movies...

And we watch these movies knowing that they are simply fantasy. Yet, we are drawn into to them because we just love that kind of story, right? We long for love, rescue, hope... it’s heartwarming, even if it the movies are fiction.

Yet, the true story of Christmas that we find in the Bible is even more impossible than these Hollywood movies. And maybe that’s why so many people write off Christianity- they see it like the fantasy movies. Too good to be true- impossible by all human imagination. Christmas isn’t a fantasy like the movies—it’s God stepping into real history to do the truly impossible. Yet, perhaps you are here today and you yourself are a bit skeptical. I don’t blame you- I’ve wrestled with this…

But what I want to show you this morning is that we serve the God of the impossible. And it’s a good thing too! After all, if our God were restrained by our human limitations, then He would not be much of a god, would he? No, but our God is not bound by time, space, and matter like we are. Our God is not subject to the laws of physics or nature- He created it all!

You see, in the same way that the creator of the computer is not inside the computer moving numbers and things around, God is the designer and builder of this world. He knows the end from the beginning. And like we discussed last week, God gave us prophecies so we would recognize Jesus (over 300!) and be able to see a glimpse of the power and love of the One who created us.

So today, I am asking you to open your mind and heart to the God of the impossible. Because what we are going to look at is nothing short of miraculous. And I’m not asking you to leave all your skepticism behind- no God invites you to look deeply to find confidence in Him. And it’s important that you truly deal with this because the Christmas that sounds impossible gives way to an impossible salvation plan- one that God had worked out before the beginning of time.

We will look primarily at Luke 1:26-38 (READ/ PRAY)

Luke 1:26–38 NASB95

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. 30 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 bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; 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 His kingdom will have no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. 36 “And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. 37 “For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

In this text, Mary asked the question that has been repeated by hearers of Jesus’ birth for over 2000 years and we see it right in v. 34. “How can this be?”

Even Mary had her moment of skepticism. Of course, Mary’s primary skepticism had to do with biology. So let’s begin there with:

The Impossible Pregnancy

Mary was a virgin—meaning she had not been with a man. Mary understood basic biology, which is why she asked, ‘How can this be?

And the angel Gabriel answered her in v. 35-37 (READ)

Now, even though Gabriel told her the “how” -the Holy Spirit would come upon her- I am positive that she still didn’t fully grasp the how. And that’s ok.

You know, we don’t always understand the fullness of how God does things… How did He create the world just by speaking? (Gen.1) How did He speak to Moses in a burning bush? How did He make the waters of the Red Sea part or get that donkey to talk? HOW? He is God.

And that’s the bottom line that we see underscored in v. 37. “nothing will be impossible with God.”

Not even a virgin becoming pregnant. In fact, as kind of a double blessing, God allowed the barren Elizabeth to conceive ahead of Mary. So the impossible pregnancy of Mary was accompanied by the impossible pregnancy of her cousin who had become old and was beyond the child-bearing years and had never had a child in all her days of trying.

It’s impossible… unless you are God. You see, our skepticism suggests that there must be some other way- a way within the laws of science. Even Joseph thought this! He was going to divorce her and move on until an angel cleared this up for him. But friends, to accept the impossible pregnancy is really not all that difficult if we have a proper understanding of who God is.

The miracle pregnancy is not the point—what the miracle reveals is the point. The virgin birth is God’s way of showing us that this child is not merely another human being. The impossible pregnancy prepares us to understand:

The Impossible Identity of Jesus

ILL: Perhaps you have heard people argue that Jesus was merely a good teacher or maybe a prophet. But if Jesus were not fully God, then how could He help us? Similarly, in understanding the sacrifice necessary for our sins, if Jesus were not man, how could he satisfy the justice of God?

Jesus, Gabriel says in v. 32-33 (READ) and also in v. 35 (READ)

IOW, This child would be God in flesh. He would have a kingdom that was both eternal and physical- one that was victorious and powerful. This is such a difficult concept to grasp. Jesus was fully man and fully God. The angel speaking to Joseph in Matt 1 explained it this way:

Matthew 1:21–23 NASB95

21 “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 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.”

Now, v. 23 is actually a quote from the prophet Isaiah found in Isaiah 7:14. So, this dual nature of Jesus was foretold, but it still boggles our minds as we ask, “How can this be?” God came near like never before- made Himself a man so we could see Him, know Him, and relate to Him.

And it is so spectacular that Jesus, in his humanity, was tempted in every manner as we are, yet without sin (Heb. 4:15) and he experienced hunger, thirst, and pain. In His humanity he humbled himself- confining himself to a body and into time and space. Beyond that, in his humanity, He bore the penalty of mankind on the cross, but in His divinity He demonstrated His awesome power through the resurrection. In his divinity, He forgave sins, healed sickness, and cast out demons. He walked on water, calmed the storms, and the disciples wondered, “How can this be?”

What more can we say? “Nothing will be impossible for God” (37) I actually like how Isaiah put it in Isaiah 55:8–9 “8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.”

Let me ask you candidly this morning, can you be ok with that answer? Can you accept that God is far greater than our minds can comprehend? But there is one final impossibility I want to address, and that is:

The Impossible Salvation

Jesus is the rescue plan for humanity. In Aramaic or Hebrew, the likely language of Mary, the name Jesus means ‘God saves’. This message of salvation is more explicit in the angelic announcement to Joseph. The angel declares in Matthew 1:21 “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Jesus himself declared that He came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). But to understand how wild this notion is, we must recognize the weight of sin and our inability to clear our name or pay our debt.

Paul explained that ALL have sinned (Rom. 3:23) and the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). The problem with that is that it’s not simply the death of this body, but the second death that is described in Revelation 20:14-15. And if we must pay that debt, then we will spend eternity in torment, separated from God.

ILL: Think of it this way- you and I are rightly tied to a debt that money cannot pay off, good behavior cannot reduce, and no amount of trying on our part will even make a dent. You cannot rub elbows with higher ups and weasel your way out. You cannot serve enough hours in the church or on the mission field to earn credit. No political power can pardon you, no preacher can pronounce your innocence, and no angel can deliver you from judgment. That’s bad news.

But the good news is that the birth of Christ points us to the mission of Christ. Jesus came for the purpose of taking upon his divine yet human self the full cup of God’s wrath against sin. Through His death, Jesus paid the debt that you owe and I owe. The author of Hebrews tells us that Jesus entered into the perfect temple in heaven to atone for our sin once for all! Peter tells us if we repent- we agree with God about our sin and about the Lordship of Jesus, and if we believe upon Him- that he died and rose again, that we would be saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus!

And that might leave the skeptic pondering, “But how can this be?” Even the disciples asked this question in Matthew 19:25–26 “25 When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” 26 And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.””

Folks, Christmas looks impossible, but our God specializes in the impossible. The question you must answer is “Do you accept that?”

And if so, what does that change in your life today? Will you, like Joseph act in obedience to God’s word? Will you, like Mary, give yourself for the purpose of God according to His plan?

For some of you, you have trusted Christ for eternity, but you doubt his power for today. He look, if God can break into history through a virgin’s womb, then nothing in your life is beyond His reach.

Maybe it’s a marriage that seems impossible to restore

Maybe it’s a sin habit that seems impossible to overcome

For others it’s a prodigal child that you think is beyond reach

Folks, Christmas declares that God steps into our impossibilities with his overwhelming power.

And if you find it hard to believe any of this, don’t walk away unmoved. There is no salvation apart from Jesus Christ—and the One who conquered the impossible at His birth and resurrection can conquer the impossibility you feel in your own heart.

[PRAY]

Discuss: Where do you see the “impossible” in your life today? How does the incarnation—God taking on flesh—reshape the way you view those situations?

Discuss: What keeps us from believing that God still works in “impossible” ways?

Discuss: How does Christmas speak hope to someone struggling with fear, shame, or uncertainty?