The Seed of the Woman

Text: Matthew 1:18–25

Big Idea: The birth of Christ is the God of creation fulfilling His covenant promise by direct divine action — and it should restore our awe.

I. Opening Confession – “Christian, What Do You Believe?”

Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth,

and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.

Amen.

Transition

These are not sentimental lines.

They are structural truths.

If this did not happen as written, Christianity collapses.

But if it did happen — we are standing on holy ground.

II. This Should Shock Us (Matthew 1:18)

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way…”

A. A Virgin Is Found to Be With Child

“Before they came together” (Matt 1:18)

Matthew presents this as biological history.

Supporting Scriptures:

Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

Isaiah 9:6–7 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.”

B. Rooted in Real History (Matthew 1:1–17)

17 verses of genealogy before the miracle.

Real parents, real children, real sinners

And what’s more, the line of David has been cursed

Jeremiah 22:30 “Thus says the Lord: “Write this man down as childless, a man who shall not succeed in his days, for none of his offspring shall succeed in sitting on the throne of David and ruling again in Judah.””

The miracle erupts from within history.

C. The Grammar Shift (Matthew 1:16)

Every man “fathered” (ἐγέννησεν).

Joseph does not.

“Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born.”

The pattern breaks intentionally.

If Jesus was conceived as every other man had been conceived, He is born into the same curse of Adam. He is a son of Adam and not a Son of God. He cannot be the Second Adam, and His blood can do no more than save Himself.

But if this virgin birth really did happen this way, we have hope.

III. Not by Man, But by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18–20)

Matthew over-communicates divine initiative.

“From the Holy Spirit” (v.18)

“That which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit” (v.20)

“Before they came together”

“Found to be with child”

Seven clarifications that this is not Joseph’s doing.

This is divine action.

A. Betrothal – More Than Engagement

Legally binding covenant.

Required divorce to break (Matt 1:19).

Public shame attached.

Usually lasted about a year.

Supporting Scripture:

Deuteronomy 22:23–24 ““If there is a betrothed virgin, and a man meets her in the city and lies with her, then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones, the young woman because she did not cry for help though she was in the city, and the man because he violated his neighbor’s wife. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.”

B. Joseph’s Righteousness (Matthew 1:19–25)

“Being a just man…”

Law-honoring.

Merciful.

Protects Mary.

Obeys angelic revelation (v.24).

Names the child (v.25).

Contrast:

Genealogy: morally mixed fathers.

Joseph: righteous.

But:

Neither sinful fathers nor righteous fathers produce the Savior.

God alone does.

Supporting Scripture:

Romans 3:10–12 “as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.””

Galatians 4:4 “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,”

IV. The Spirit Who Hovered (Luke 1 + Genesis 1)

A. Luke’s Explanation

Luke 1:35 “And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.”

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you.”

“The power of the Most High will overshadow you.”

B. Echo of Creation

Genesis 1:2 “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”

“The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”

The same Spirit.

At creation:

Hovering over chaos.

Bringing order.

Speaking light

Genesis 1:3 “And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.”

At incarnation:

Hovering over a womb.

Beginning new creation.

Supporting Scriptures:

John 1:12–13 “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Creation → New Creation.

V. Genesis 3:15 Fulfilled

“I will put enmity… her seed…”

Genesis 3:15 “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.””

Promise given to rebels.

The Seed of the woman.

From the beginning, redemption required divine initiative.

This birth is not God improvising.

It is covenant fulfillment.

Supporting Scripture:

Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—”

Romans 5:17–18 “For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.”

1 Corinthians 15:45 “Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.”

VI. Why It Had To Be This Way (Christological Necessity)

If Jesus has an earthly biological father:

He stands under Adam (Romans 5:12).

He inherits federal headship.

Conceived by the Spirit:

Truly Man Galatians 4:4 “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,”

Truly God John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Sinless 2 Corinthians 5:21 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

No virgin birth →No incarnation →No atonement →No salvation.

The creeds protect this because salvation depends on it.

VII. Brief Guardrails

Affirm virgin conception and virgin birth (Matt 1:18–25).

“Until she had given birth” (Matt 1:25).

Scripture speaks of brothers (Matt 13:55).

We honor Mary by saying exactly what Scripture says — no more, no less.

The miracle is Christ.

VIII. Reverent Crescendo – Awe and Worship

Return to Matthew 1:21:

“He will save his people from their sins.”

Not defeat the Romans, not to make the paralytic walk, not to get you that private jet, or that bentley, He came to save you from your sins.

Luke 5:17–26 “On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal. And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.””

The Spirit who hovered over chaos now overshadows a womb.

The God who said, “Let there be light”now brings life into Mary.

The Creator enters creation.

The Holy One enters a fallen world.

The Promise made in Eden is fulfilled in Bethlehem.

And He does this knowing:

John 1:11 – “He came to his own, and his own did not receive him.”

Pastoral Invitation:

If this feels ordinary,

it is not because the miracle is small —

it is because we have grown used to grace.

Call to Worship:

Stand in awe.

Confess what the Church has confessed.

Worship the God who saves not by man’s effort,but by His own Spirit.