Announcements: Explore Baptism after services today
Christmas Eve Services 3P and 5P, Special Christmas Eve Offerings

Last week Mike introduced us to the Christmas series. Mike taught on the preexistent Christ and how he has always existed. Christ was born a man but was still fully God.

Today we are moving to the virgin birth and Mary.

Have you ever heard a story so unbelievable that you had to witness it for yourself? Something so amazing that had you not seen it you would not believe it?

This is what the story of Mary’s miraculous birth was back in her time. Let’s read some of that story.

Matthew 1:18-25: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.”

Now let’s look for just a moment on how good of a man Joseph was. Engagements were not the way then how they are now. Engagements meant that there was promise of marriage already that could not be broken.

Now here is both Mary and Joseph hearing about the coming of their son Jesus. There is a lot of confusion here. Mary had not yet been with Joseph.

Why was this even necessary? Why is it necessary to have a Messiah born from a virgin? Why is it a fundamental part of our beliefs?

We need to understand that God is both fully human AND fully man

So going back to Mike’s point from last week. As a Christian we need to look at Jesus as he was and is fully God (Triune God) and fully man. He experienced everything we do as people.

John 1: 1-5: “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Jesus always was and always is. He is omniscient. He has always existed, from the very beginning of time.

There have been many through time that have come and tried to disprove Christianity based on the fact of the virgin birth. Many claim it to be impossible…because guess what….it is. But we have a God that is bigger and better than the impossible and improbable!

Colossians 2:8-9: “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,”

God is so much bigger than what we can possibly wrap our minds around. We can’t go to logic to figure this out.

2)

Let’s go in and read the other account of Jesus’ divine birth.

Luke 1:1-4 and 26-38:
"Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 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. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

It is important to note here that the two accounts given to us of Jesus’ birth are from very smart and educated people. These people would have been the first to question a divine birth. Science was different then, but they still knew where babies come from.

Jesus’ supernatural birth shows us that man cannot produce redemption. Redemption was not given by anything that man can do, but rather what God did.

God’s creation fills voids

In terms of creation, God filled a void. Before God’s creation there was nothing.

In terns of Jesus’ birth, He filled a void in the womb. The womb was empty and God created.

Many questioned Jesus even while walking the Earth.

Matthew 13:55: “Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?”

John 6:42: “They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?””

But it is important to note that if Jesus were born from man, that redemption was born through man and not through God. God is the only path to redemption and was offered solely through His son Jesus.

3) Jesus’ divine birth fulfilled prophecy

There are numerous instances in the OT where prophecy foretold of the virgin birth.

Isaiah 7:14: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

We need to recognize that Jesus’ birth fulfilled so many prophecies of the OT. The time of Isaiah foretelling of the virgin birth happened about 700 years before Jesus.

Again, this word that has survived hundreds of years…gone through wars…been through many kings and prophets…is so unbelievable, yet God made it believable. Can you imagine the original audience of Isaiah? Yet, it came to be. God showed his majesty through Mary and the virgin birth.

The unbelievable became believable through what God did through the virgin birth. There was no other way that this could happen. There is no other options for salvation. God worked through Mary in amazing ways.