I Believe Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of a Virgin

Text: Hebrews 2:5-18

Theme: I Believe Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of a Virgin. You can't explain what happens on the cross without understanding what took place in the womb.

In 1998 Larry King, the CNN talk show host, was once asked who he would most want to interview if he could choose anyone from all of history. He said, “Jesus Christ.” The questioner said, “And what would you like to ask Him?” King replied, "I would like to ask Him if He was indeed virgin-born. The answer to that question would define history for me."

I believe Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, and that event has defined history! The good news this morning is that for most Americans, the Christmas story of Jesus’ birth still has real meaning. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of adults say they believe Jesus was born of a virgin, according to a new Pew Research survey. 97% of Evangelical Christians believe it is true. 53% of the unchurched accept the story as true, and even 15% atheists believe in the virgin birth of Jesus – go figure.

Sadly, much of American Intelligentsia is flabbergasted by this inconvenient truth. Nicholas Krist, a liberal columnist for the New York Times says that belief in the Virgin Birth is evidence that conservative Christians are "less intellectual" than those who reject this fundamental of the faith. In one article he lamented: "Their faith in the Virgin Birth reflects the way American Christianity is becoming less intellectual and more mystical over time." Even more tragic is the fact that, while most Christians believe in the Virgin Birth — more exactly the miraculous conception of Jesus — most believers cannot articulate why it is so important.

This morning I don’t so much want to defend a biblical belief that — statistically speaking 97% of you heartily agree with — but I do want to help you understand why the Doctrine of the Virgin Conception is so important to biblical faith. Let me take you to a passage of Scripture that tells us. Read Hebrews 2:5-18

Here in Hebrews, chapter 2, the Apostle gives us four reasons why God’s son became human: 1) To fulfill all of God’s promises to humanity, vv. 5-9, 2) To lead many sons to glory, vv. 10-13, 3) To defeat death and the devil, vv. 14-15 and 4) To deal with sin and temptation, vv. 16-18.

I. GOD BECAME MAN TO FULFILL ALL OF GOD’S PROMISES HIS ELECT

1. in Hebrews vv. 5-9 the Apostle Paul is quoting Psalm 8:4-6

a. in this psalm, Kind David is praising God for His creation of man and woman, and for His plan for them and their descendants

1) that plan is to exercise dominion over the rest of God’s creation

b. it’s a promise explicit and implicit in God’s plan: From the beginning, man was created to reign over God’s created order

A. GOD’S INTENTIONS FOR MAN – DOMINION

1. God’s purpose in creating human life in His image was functional: man is to rule or have dominion over God’s create order

a. it was an authority given to us by God

1) it is not an inherent right

b. we were to rule in His name and according to His will

2. the creation of man is the apex of God's creative effort: more important than even the creation of the earth and the expanse of the universe

a. in creating man, God created us to reflect and mirror His own nature

b. man was to be like God in terms of his moral disposition his creativity, his intelligence, his purity and his ability to make ethical choices

c. man was to relate to God in absolute innocence and worship Him in perfect spirit and truth

1) taken together this is the Imago Dei — the stamp of God’s image upon our soul

3. this means that men are nobler than the angels

a. how do we know?

For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking.” (Hebrews 2:5, ESV)

b. angels are servants and were created to be ministering spirits toward those who are heirs of salvation according to Hebrews 1:14

c. man alone was created in the image of God — not the angels

1) it is not the angelic realm that has been entrusted with the managerial responsibility of creation

4. the picture painted for us in this text takes us back to the period before the fall of man

a. it reminds us of what belonged to man in creation but what we robbed ourselves of through the fall

b. our righteous rule and dominion were temporally thwarted by sin

1) since the Fall we are certainly not as fully like God as we were before

2) our moral purity has been lost and our sinful nature reigns over us

3) our intellect is corrupted by falsehood and misunderstanding

4) our speech no longer continually glorifies God

5) our relationships are often governed by selfishness rather than love

6) though man is born with the image of God, every part of that image have been distorted or diminished

5. but what sin robbed from us, God shall one day restore to us through Jesus Christ

B. THE SAINTS WILL ONE DAY HAVE DOMINION WITH CHRIST

“But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone." (Heb 2:9, ESV)

1. the time is coming when everything will be put under Christ’s authority — the angelic hosts, the world of animals, birds, and fishes, the nations of the world, the planetary system

a. and we will rule with Him as joint-heirs

"The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, ... " (Ro 8:16-17, ESV)

ILLUS. In the 5th chapter of the Book of Revelation, the Apostle John has a vision or Christ on His throne. Angels and Saints worship Him and sing a song of praise. The lyrics say, “Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation,” (Rev. 5:8-9). As they close the song they proclaim, “And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth,” (Rev. 5:10).

b. this was God’s original intention for man and because Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, God’s Elect shall some day exert a righteous dominion over the Earth

ILLUS. On November 7, 1805, William Clark entered in his Journal these words "Ocian in view! O! the joy."

c. as Christians, our attitude ought to be, “God’s Kingdom in view! O! the joy.”

2. God Became Man to Fulfill His Promise to Humanity

II. GOD BECAME MAN TO BRING MANY SONS TO GLORY

"For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.” And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Behold, I and the children God has given me.” (Heb 2:10-13, ESV)

1. here is the second great reason Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary

2. by the grace of God, Jesus tasted death so that believers may taste eternal life

A. JESUS IS THE PIONEER OF OUR SALVATION

Hebrews 2:10 "It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings." NRSV

1. the last phrase of this verse has several different translations

a. the KJV, refers to Jesus as the captain of our salvation

b. the NIV and NAS, says that Jesus is the author of our salvation

c. the New Century Version uses an entire phrase stating, the One who leads his people

2. the New Revised Standard and New Century Versions come closest to giving us the sense of what the writer is trying to communicate

a. when it comes to our salvation, Jesus was like a pioneer of old

b. what do pioneers do?

1) pioneers are trail blazers and trail breakers

2) they are the ones who go alone into unknown territory and return to help people along the trail the they have blazed

ILLUS. Daniel Boone is one of America’s most noted trail blazers. Much of his life and history is found right here in Missouri. I’ve stood at his grave several times and admired his courage and his spirit. (We let Kentucky think they’ve got his body, but we know the truth)! Boone is most noted for blazing a trail called the “Wilderness Road” through the Cumberland Plateau in eastern Kentucky. It became the central artery that opened the Northwest Territory to settlement by Americans. He made repeated trips back to North Carolina to lead settlers over the road and into the new lands.

3. Jesus is the Believer’s spiritual trail blazer

a. Jesus took the lead in blazing a path to Almighty God

1) by ourselves we could never find Heaven

2) but Jesus made the way open to us through His death and resurrection

b. Jesus not only shows the way, but He is the way

1) He comes to us in His Holy Spirit, redeems us, indwells us, and takes us with Him when we die

B. THROUGH HIS DEATH WE BECOME SONS

"It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings." (Hebrews 2:10, NRSV)

1. I will say much more about the sufferings of our Savior next Sunday, but suffice it to say this morning that His sufferings were essential to completing His mission

a. the reason is found in other parts of the Book of Hebrews

2. 1st, He Suffered and Died So That God Might Empathize with the Lives of Those He Created

"Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin." (Heb 4:14-15, ESV)

3. 2nd, He Suffered and Died in Our Place as God’s Perfect, Spotless, Lamb

a. Jesus was that perfect, spotless holy sacrifice for our sin

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

4. Jesus endured six hours of anguish on the cross so that your sin might be forgiven and you could become a son or daughter of glory!

"But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God," (Jn 1:12, ESV)

5. God Became Man to Bring Many Sons to Glory

III. GOD BECAME A MAN TO DEFEAT DEATH AND THE DEVIL

"Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery." (Heb 2:14-15, ESV)

A. DEATH IS OUR RELENTLESS ADVERSARY

1. we are living in an era where medical science is advancing by such leaps and bounds that the average physician is hard pressed to keep up with the technology

a. today, it seems that much of the human body can either be replaced, repaired, regenerated, or transplanted

1) most of our joints can now be replaced or rebuilt with steel and plastic

2) laboratories can now take a few cells of skin from a burn patient, place them in a special nutrient solution and laterally grow, in a few short days, large patches of skin that can them be grafted back onto the patient

3) some members of our church see clearly through the corneas of others

4) limbs can be reattached

5) hearts, lungs, kidneys, and livers can all be replaced

2. yet, with all our advances, man is powerless to prevent that which fills his heart with dread

a. we can repair the body

b. we can prolong life

3. but no matter how hard we try, we cannot cheat death — you cannot prolong life forever

“yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” (James 4:14, ESV)

ILLUS. The year of COVID has reminded us how tenuous life is.

4. the author tells us in Hebrews 2:15 that the fear of death subjects us to a lifetime of bondage

a. death is probably the most unpopular subject known to man (unless, I suppose, you’re a funeral director)

1) we don’t even like using the word so we substitute euphemisms

2) when someone dies, we say: They passed away, or They departed, They expired, or They succumbed

5. death is our relentless adversary

B. SATAN IS A SLANDEROUS ADVERSARY

1. Satan — according to Rev. 12:10 is the accuser of the brethren who stands before the throne of God and accuses us before God’s throne day and night

ILLUS. Martin Luther, the 16th century Protestant Reformer helps us understand how to deal with the devil. In an imaginary conversation with Satan, Luther wrote this: “When the devil accuses us and says, ‘You are a sinner and therefore damned,’ we should answer, ‘Because you say I am a sinner, I will be righteous and saved.’ ‘No,’ says the devil, ‘you will be damned.’ And I reply, ‘No, for I fly to Christ, who gave himself for my sins. Satan, you will not prevail against me when you try to terrify me by setting forth the greatness of my sins and try to bring me into heaviness, distrust, despair, hatred, contempt and blasphemy against God.

“On the contrary, when you say I am a sinner, you give me armor and weapons against yourself, so that with your own sword I may cut your throat and tread you under my feet, for Christ died for sinners. . . . As often as you object that I am a sinner, so often you remind me of the benefit of Christ my Redeemer, on whose shoulders, and not on mine, lie all my sins. So when you say I am a sinner, you do not terrify me but comfort me immeasurably.’”

2. our God does not feel threatened by what the devil might do nor worried that somehow He might not have enough power to overcome the evil one

3. death is the realm in which Satan works

a. he waves the flag of death to sinners in order to intimidate and hold them under his evil sway

b. he makes it his business to slander the truth of the gospel, to deny its power, to confuse its simplicity, and to attempt to turn you away from the sufficiency of Jesus c. but God is still supreme in his sovereignty — death is not a realm that has broken loose from God's command

C. JESUS BECAME FLESH AND BLOOD TO DEFEAT SIN AND DEATH

Heb. 2:14 “. . . he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;”

1. He became flesh and blood that he might destroy the devil and death

a. delivering his followers from the curse of sin and the clutches of the devil demanded nothing short of taking the place of those whom God had given him but who stood condemned because of their sin

b. from the world’s point of view, the method of Christ’s victory was ironic

1) he destroyed death’s power by dying!

“And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:8, ESV)

2. God the Father willed that Jesus be conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary; ordained that he should suffer and die, and then set him free from the bondage of death by raising him from the dead

"This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him." (Acts 2:23-24, NIV)

3. the result of our Lord’s flesh-and-blood life, and willing sacrifice on our behalf is twofold

a. First, he conquered Satan

1) the word destroy in verse 14 in reference to the devil means to bring to nought or render impotent as though not existing

2) it means that though the devil is still alive, but in regard to the believer’s life – his power over us is existent only in that we allow him to have it

b. Second, he set his people free from the fear of death

1) the word deliver in verse 15 means to set free, to loose

2) it was a word often associated with the freeing of a slave

3) it means that the sting of death, and the power of sin has been removed

4. God Became a Man to Defeat Death and the Devil

IV. GOD BECAME A MAN TO DEAL WITH SIN AND TEMPTATION

"For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted." (Heb 2:16-18, ESV)

A. THE SAVIOR BECAME LIKE US THAT HE MIGHT RESCUE US

Hebrews 2:16b “. . . but he took on him the seed of Abraham.”

1. God became flesh for a purpose and that purpose is found in the verb he took

2. it’s a verb that means to lay hold upon anything with the hands, with the purpose of rescuing another from peril

a. to be rescued implies that one is imprisoned, or in immanent danger or troubled in some way

b. quite literally it says that but he grabbed hold of the seed of Abraham

3. why did God come in the flesh — because we need reconciliation with God

a. he is a high priest who has reconciled our sins

“Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” (Hebrews 2:17, ESV)

4. the word reconciliation in this verse means to propitiate

a. it means that Jesus Christ, through His passion on the cross, satisfied God’s righteous requirements for the forgiveness of sin in our lives

5. as our High Priest, Jesus made atonement for our sins

a. He blood satisfactorily covers our sin and trespasses

“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. 21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,” (Colossians 1:19–22, ESV)

ILLUS.

Would you be free from the burden of sin?

There’s pow’r in the blood, pow’r in the blood.

Would you o’er evil a victory win?

There’s wonderful pow’r in the blood.

The Virgin Birth forces us to confront what we believe about Jesus Christ. Who is he? Where did he come from? At issue is the supernatural character of our Lord. Is he truly the Son of God from heaven? If you answer yes, you’ll have no problem with the Virgin Birth. If you answer no, you’ll have no reason to believe it. Is he just a prophet, or is he “more than a prophet?” Is he a great teacher and nothing more? Was he a martyr who died for his cause? Was he a revolutionary who never intended to start a religion? Is he a divine leader who came to teach us about God? Or is he God incarnate, the Lord of Glory, the Son of God, our Lord and our Savior? The Virgin Birth forces us off the fence about Jesus. It tells us that we can’t be neutral and we can’t say that the stories of his birth don’t matter. The fact that this is a miracle and a mystery doesn’t let us off the hook. Those with an anti-supernatural bias will have no use for the Virgin Birth, and they will explain it away. But those who believe in a supernatural Christ will find the Virgin Birth a mysterious miracle that, instead of destroying their faith, actually makes it stronger.