The Birth Of Jesus

Matthew 1:18-25

Matthew 1:18-25 (NIRV)

18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about. His mother Mary and Joseph had promised to get married. But before they started to live together, it became clear that she was going to have a baby. She became pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Her husband Joseph was faithful to the law. But he did not want to put her to shame in public. So he planned to divorce her quietly. 20 But as Joseph was thinking about this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. The angel said, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary home as your wife. The baby inside her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She is going to have a son. You must give him the name Jesus. That’s because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to bring about what the Lord had said would happen. He had said through the prophet, 23 “The virgin is going to have a baby. She will give birth to a son. And he will be called Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14) The name Immanuel means “God with us.” 24 Joseph woke up. He did what the angel of the Lord commanded him to do. He took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not sleep with her until she gave birth to a son. And Joseph gave him the name Jesus.

Jesus did not have a biological father like you and I have. Like our dads that are related to us by blood. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit miraculously in the womb of Mary.

So that makes Jesus both fully human and fully God! His father is God, through the work of the Holy Spirit; and his mother was the fully human woman, Mary.

Where can we find those scriptures to prove Jesus is God?

John 1:1–3 (NIV)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

John 1:14 (NIV)

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Revelation 19:13 (NIV)

He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.

Matthew 1:19–21 NIV

Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

The angel explains to Joseph that Mary’s child has been supernaturally conceived. He reminds Joseph of his messianic lineage by calling him “son of David.”

messianic - relating to the Messiah

lineage - the ancestors from whom a person is descended

The angel reassures Joseph and tells him to get married to Mary. Which makes Jesus legally Joseph’s son and thus legally son of David.

As fully God, Jesus was able to pay the eternal penalty for our sins for which a normal sinful human could not do. As fully human he could be our adequate representative and substitutionary sacrifice.

Matthew 1:22-24 fulfills the prophesy of Isaiah 7:14

Isaiah 7:14 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.

We see once again how Jesus is God. He was to be named Immanuel, which means “God is with us” in Hebrew.

“Immanuel” has been translated for the benefit of those in Matthew’s audience who could not understand the Hebrew.

Matthew 1:24–25 NIV

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Here we can see how Joseph denied himself and was obedient to the Angel sent by God.

We should learn to be obedient in that way how Joseph was to the angel of the Lord.

God loves when we are obedient to him and to our parents as the Bible says in Colossians 3:20

Colossians 3:20 (NIV)

Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

Exodus 20:12

Exodus 20:12 (ESV)

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

Memory verse Colossians 3:20