All This Took Place to Fulfill...

Something we’re going to see a bit of over the next weeks

About 2 dozen similar statements in Matthew; we’ll look at 4 total

A statement of recent history (of that day) proving a prophetic statement from a previous time

In this series of messages, we’ll combine NT narrative and OT prophecy

Pulling application from either/or both

Take history regarding the birth of Jesus and the back-story relating it to prophecy; apply it to our story, living in 2021

The Wrinkle:

Some of today’s “scholars” think Matthew misused Isaiah’s words in an attempt to prove something that didn’t exist in fact

…making Isaiah’s words Messianic when that was not meant at all

This is the way of some “Bible colleges and even seminaries today

…we’ll take this apart to help us all understand the arguments when we hear them

It is critically important that we understand the veracity of Scripture…rely on it

…maybe especially on such significant doctrine as this

It’s a critical part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is...

Romans 1:16 (ESV)

... the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes,...

History

Matthew’s narrative of the Nativity is brief—Luke’s is, in some ways much more complete (chap. 2)

What Matthew does give us is a hint at the drama that played out

The marriage tradition of the day

A contract was made—generally between parents; that sealed the deal, they were married

They would live with their respective parents until the groom came to take her to his home

…generally a year

>>time for the groom to get a home together and establish himself in a trade

**only then would the marriage be consummated

So, her pregnancy was a big deal!

…it would be assumed (by Joseph, anyway) that she had been involved in an immoral relationship

Matthew’s explanation is brief but sufficient; the angel’s appearance in a dream sealed the deal

It appears that Joseph took Mary to his home immediately, though the marriage remained unconsummated until after the birth of Jesus (on that part Scripture is clear)

…Joseph would be taking some shame upon himself in doing this—he believed the angel’s words

Helpful to recall that Luke—the forensic investigator—put all his narrative together after the fact…talking to witnesses, maybe even Mary herself

Back-story

In the days of the Kings (full story requires reading all of Chronicles and all of Kings

Isaiah 7 is a good summary

Ahaz was a godless king of Judah, of the house of David c. 735-720 BC

Kingdoms of Assyria and Israel were besieging Jerusalem

Isaiah was prophesying against the kingdom of Judah—not a popular prophecy

Ahaz’ problem: depending upon the strength of foreign armies to defend Judah

…he should have been dependent on God

Isaiah told Ahaz to ask for a sign to validate his prophecy, essentially that the LORD would end the siege

…Ahaz refused

Isaiah pronounce his own sign …here it gets (maybe) confusing

Isaiah 7:14–16 ESV

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted.

We have a problem

Of whom was Isaiah speaking?

For it to have fulfilled the sign—proving Isaiah right, it must have happened within the time frame Ahaz lived

At Least Four Suggestions

None without a problem

Ask four scholars, get five answers

Scripture does not say; Isaiah did not see the need to give the information

NOTE: Nothing mandates a virgin birth in this time frame; merely that one who was —at the time of the prophecy—a virgin, would conceive

BUT!

Matthew, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit applied the passage to events

The readers of his day, WHO KNEW THE OT, understood that this was an accurate understanding of the text

They understood the idea of near prophecy and distant prophecy

The man who came—to be called Immanuel—would certainly have been perceived as a God-send to the people of the house of David of the day

Jesus was certainly a God-send to 1st century Judea…and remains so today

…a prophetic word having been fulfilled in previous time…but a further fulfilment would come at a later time

This is what we have here

Another Problem

Matthew only pulls one verse from Isaiah’s prophecy

The idea of the virgin birth comes into question

The Hebrew word Isaiah used (al-mah) can also be translated as “young woman”

In the Septuagint—widely used in Matthew’s day, used parthenos; clearly and unambiguously meaning virgin

Our Story

Why is this important to us

Just as we need to grasp the foundational truths we discussed in Genesis

…we must also grasp the bedrock truths regarding the person of Jesus Christ

Part of this is that he was the Messiah promised since Genesis 3:16

Jesus Christ is a unique being, with a unique purpose

Matthew 1:21 (ESV)

for he will save his people from their sins.”

Fully God; fully man; born without sin; ever without sin;

Nailed to a cross to pay the penalty for our sin; his blood the cleansing agent to make us new again; resurrected so that we too may be resurrected

Coming again to judge and reign

Without that we are just one more religion among many

Without that, we are as lost and without hope as those many

Points to make:

We serve the God who can make the impossible, possible

…who can make a fisherman a powerful evangelist

…who can change a hater of the church to it’s most powerful apologist

…who takes sinners and transforms them into saints

He takes us when we fall, picks us back up again

…though we may fail him again and again, He will continue to do forgive

Remembering, in all of this, that it was Jesus

Philippians 2:6–8 ESV

who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Here we are at Advent, Christmas

The birth of Jesus is but part of the package

We must understand the whole package,

In a world where the culture is happy to look on the baby in the manger

Most resist looking to the man on the cross, or the risen Christ ascended

…sitting at the right hand of the Father, returning to judge the world

To acknowledge the whole package means that we must face our sins

No one likes to do that

Now a time for confession as we transition to the time of the Lord’s Supper