Part 4 - A New Day

Opening

People tend to make a big deal when a child is born. There's normally baby showers, people go out and buy presents, all with the mindset of preparing the child for the life that's ahead of him/her. All this is done because of the birth of a child. When the child is born, it brings with it many things: joy; happiness; for some, a sense of fulfillment; for others, a sense of duty and responsibility. Having said that, the birth of a child is truly a life-changing event. There is no difference in the birth of Jesus because as a result of his birth, mankind has a choice between eternal life or eternal damnation. John 1:4 says,

John 1:4 “4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.”

He came to bring life and because of that, we now have options. Moses declared to the children of Israel that they needed to make a choice and did so in Deuteronomy 30:19 which reads,

Deuteronomy 30:19 “19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;”

The birth of Jesus is truly a life-changing event and because of that, there is a Significance to the Lord's Birth.

Our text is found in the Gospel of Luke. Only Matthew and Luke records for us the birth of the Lord. Luke, the Physician is our writer and makes us aware of the humble beginnings of our Lord's earthly journey. Knowing that his actions as a physician meant the difference between life and death, he uses the same approach in cataloguing the life and events of our Savior, down to the minutest detail. In his gospel, Luke shows Christ as the ''Son of Man'', one who comes to share with the plight of man and sympathize with his situation (his sinful state). As a way of identifying Christ with man, Luke takes us through the details of the Lord's birth, even to the point of showing us how Jesus is related to John the Baptist and that John recognized Jesus even in the womb. It's just further evidence to the Significance of the Lord's Birth.

Scripture

Luke 1:26-35 “26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” 29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then 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 bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; 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 of His kingdom there will be no end.” 34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” 35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come…”

Body

Here's a few reasons we can know His birth is significant: This was a new day of fulfilled prophecy.

1. Fulfilled Prophecy

His Birth Was Foretold. Luke here states that one of the significant things about the Lord's birth is the condition of the mother - she will be a virgin. Again, doctors and medical technology do their very best to predict when the child will be born using the latest machinery, instruments, and equipment, but their accuracy is only as good as the child's obedience to God's birth plan. The problem with human doctors is that their knowledge is limited and can only operate within their area of expertise. When it comes to establishing date of birth, the doctors can only do so up to about nine to 10 months out, and then it's only a guess as to the actual date the child will be born, or the circumstances surrounding it. God doesn't do anything by chance, coincidence, or happenstance. Everything is done decently and in order based on the perfect will and direction of God. It was no coincidence that the story of the coming Messiah was told many years ago. The Prophet Isaiah has made it clear for our understanding the things concerning the coming of the Messiah. Written some 700 years before the actual birth of Christ, he makes the statement that the Messiah is coming. Note what Isaiah said in chapter 9:6; ''For unto us a child is born, a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.'' Each of these names carry significance in their own right:

Wonderful - from the Hebrew peleh which means miracle; a marvelous thing; wonderful

Counsellor - from the Hebrew ya'ats, which means to advise, consult; to deliberate. The name expresses the idea that His is the Supreme Counsellor - the one who is qualified to give counsel and advice to all created beings.

The Mighty God - from the Hebrew Gibbor which means powerful; mighty; strong; champion; chief, and El, Almighty, the Strong One.

The Everlasting Father - meaning the Father of eternity; the Planner of the ages and Father of all time.

The Prince of Peace - meaning the Peaceful Prince. He shall promote and increase His government and peace without wars.

Even in the Book of Genesis, God was giving us evidence pointing to the birth of our Lord. After Adam had eaten of the forbidden fruit, God imposed judgment on man and the serpent and said in Genesis 3:15, ''And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.'' This is evidence of the virgin birth because biologically, a woman does not carry seed.

This was a new day for a Majestic birth!

2. Majestic Birth

His Birth Was Majestic (verses 32-33). After we are told the name of this child that was foretold to come, Luke here begins to tell us about His power. In verse 32 he states,

Luke 1:32-33 “32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; 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 of His kingdom there will be no end.””

I don't know about you, but that sounds to me like a king if ever I heard one.

The late Dr. S. M. Lockridge, former pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church of San Diego and past President of the National Missionary Baptist Convention of America, had this to say about the majesty of Jesus: ''The Bible says my King is a seven-way king....He's the King of the Jews; that's a racial king....He's the King of Israel; that's a national King....He's the King of Righteousness....He's the King of the Ages.....He's the King of Heaven....He's the King of Glory....He's the King of kings, and He's the Lord of lords. That's my King. Well....I wonder, do you know Him?.... David said, ''The Heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork. My King is a sovereign King. No means of measure can define His limitless love. No far-seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of His shoreless supply. No barrier can hinder Him from pouring out His blessings. He's enduringly strong....He's entirely sincere....He's eternally steadfast....He's immortally graceful....He's imperially powerful....He's impartially merciful....... Do you know Him?''

This was a new day of Spiritual Awakening!

3. Spiritual Opportunity

His Birth Was Spiritual (verse 34-35). In Isaiah 7:14 we are told

Isaiah 7:14 “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.”

This birth would be something special and unique, taking place like no other birth ever. When God begins to do something, He goes all out to make it happen!

The word ''virgin'' here is from a Hebrew word ''ha-almah'' which means the virgin - the only one that ever was or ever will be a mother in this way. ''Almah'' itself means a lass; damsel; maid; virgin and more to the point, an unmarried young woman. This is key to our understanding because the Messiah had to come from a pure bloodline and God was showing the world the magnitude of His majesty and power by bringing the Messiah to this world in a manner that no man could take credit for what God was doing! Mary made it a point to clarify her situation and that because she was espoused to Joseph, she would remain so until marriage. At this time, Mary was espoused to Joseph, or in today's terminology, engaged to be married. There are three steps to a Jewish marriage:

You have the engagement where the parents usually determined who their child was to marry.

Next, you have the betrothal. This was the determined time the couple agreed or disagreed with the engagement. This was an immediate binding and usually lasted one (1) year. This is the period of time Joseph and Mary were in when the savior was brought into the world.

Lastly, you have the marriage and the consummation of the marriage. It's important to note that in this particular case, the consummation did not take place until after the birth of Jesus.

Mary was at this time carrying a child that was supernaturally conceived by the Holy Spirit. I'm of the opinion that God set it up that way so that man could never take credit for being part of the salvation process. Because the Holy Spirit was part of the process, the birth was spiritual.

Jesus had to be born because it was part of the salvation process. He had to be born so he could endure the death of the cross for your sins and mine. When he was born, the angels declared ''Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.'' Wise men came to Bethlehem and declared, ''Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.''

Before the cross the people said, ''Crucify him, crucify him.'' From the cross, Jesus declared, ''It is finished.'' And after the resurrection, Jesus declared, ''All power, in heaven and in earth is in my hands.''

There is truly a Significance to the Lord's Birth!

Closing