The Birth of Christ • 12.10.23
The Birth of Christ
Matthew 1:18-2:15; Luke 1:26-35; Isaiah 7:14; Micah 5:2; Hosea 11:1
Reasons to believe in and worship the Christ
- Jesus the Christ’s birth was miraculous
- Jesus the Christ is the God-man
- Jesus the Christ came to save his people from their sins
- Jesus the Christ’s birth fulfilled Old Testament prophecy
Good morning church family! Welcome to those who are visiting with us today. My name is Pastor Nick Lees and today we’re continuing our series called Behold the Christ.
Dismiss 4th + 5th Graders
Ushers + Bibles (Luke 1; page 1016)
Last week, I explained that we are taking the month of December to slow down and behold the Christ. (Behold = LOOK HERE! SEE THIS! OBSERVE!) That in the midst of such great turmoil and chaos all around us, there is an unchanging, stable, reliable place to put your hopes and trust. The Creator God who made all things, including each of us, is at work even now fulfilling his grand plan of redemption through the Christ.
Our focus must not be on the turmoil around us, but on the unchanging God who is working out His plan of salvation among us! God has had the same, unchanging plan of salvation since before time began! There is stability, hope, and refuge in Him. Christmas is an opportunity for us to rejoice in and worship the Christ whom God sent!
In the sermon last week, we studied several Old Testament prophecies about the Christ. From these prophecies we landed on the following four reasons to believe in and worship the Christ.
- The Christ is the seed of woman who slays the serpent
- The Christ is Immanuel, God with us
- The Christ is the promised deliverer and eternal ruler
- The Christ is God’s chosen servant who brings justice to the nations
Each of these is an incredible statement on its own, but taken together, they really drive home the importance of the Christ. He is the One who accomplishes and fulfills God’s grand plan of redemption. Last week I sought to emphasize the unchanging nature of God’s plan. Since before time began, He intended to send the Christ to rescue and redeem his people to himself.
Today, we turn our attention to the New Testament and the birth of the Christ. We’re now speeding ahead in history 700 years from the prophecies of Isaiah that we studied last week. Now we have the privilege to BEHOLD the birth of Jesus of Nazareth as the fulfillment of our redemption!
As I mentioned last week, it is essential for us to know these truths and to respond appropriately to them in wonder and awe, but even more importantly we must respond in faith and repentance. My hope is that whether you are a follower of Jesus Christ, someone investigating the claims of Christ, or a skeptic, that you will hear compelling evidence that Jesus is, as he claims, the way, the truth, and the life and respond in faith and worship. I am unapologetically seeking to help our church family and all who hear trust in Jesus and worship Him this Christmas.
With that in mind, let’s turn our attention to the study of God’s Word. We’re going to be looking at the sections of the Gospel accounts that recount Jesus’ birth. We’re going to read the Scriptures in chronological order as we go today. Let’s start with the Gospels of Luke and Matthew where we are privileged to have two independent accounts of the conception of the Christ.
Luke 1:26–35 (ESV)
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from 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. And the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And 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 bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 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, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
35 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.
Matthew 1:18–25 (ESV) (Page 959)
18 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. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 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. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
Two separate accounts with two different recipients of the angelic messenger! Matthew records the angel’s visit to Joseph and Luke records the angel’s visit to Mary. Each one received revelation and reassurance that God was at work in this miraculous conception.
Can we just stop for a moment and consider what we just read?? There can be a challenge in our familiarity with these beloved passages. We can easily overlook the incredible nature of the birth that was just announced and its implications for humanity! What has been recounted for us is a miracle. The Creator God has revealed that the next step in his grand plan of redemption will come through the miraculous conception of a virgin woman. God the Holy Spirit brought about life within her womb where there was no human father involved. And this baby boy is identified for us as the Immanuel child, the Son of God. These are earth-shaking claims. The fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies are occurring right before our eyes… This is not some new plan; this is the fulfillment of the age-old plan of God; this is simply the next stage of that plan being revealed to us.
As we work through these passages and others like them this morning, we continue to uncover…
Reasons to believe in and worship the Christ
Starting with…
- Jesus the Christ’s birth was miraculous
Miraculous… meaning not explicable by natural or scientific laws but attributed to divine agency. The conception of Jesus is a miracle. There is no other way to explain the birth of a son from a virgin woman!
The Scriptures do not leave unanswered the question of Jesus’ birth. In Matthew 1:18 and 20 we heard quite clearly that the child is from the Holy Spirit. And in Luke 1:34-35 the angel explains that God’s power will come upon her to bring about this conception. The Bible makes clear that Jesus had no human father, but he does have a heavenly Father! Hence his identifying titles “the Son of the Most High” and “the Son of God”.
Jesus’ birth defies what we know as normal. It forces us to come to grips with our belief in God and his ability to work miracles in his creation. As the divine Creator of all things, he is not restrained from working within his creation in such amazing ways.
The result of God’s work in Mary is that a son is born, and not just any baby, but one who is holy as Luke 1:35 tells us! Jesus is set apart from sin; born without a sin nature. This is a defining moment of human history. Truly there is no one like him, as we all enter this world under the curse of sin. But now one has come who is holy and set apart for God. How will God use this miracle child? Who is he and what will he accomplish?
As we’ve already begun to hear, this child is the son of the Most High, the Son of God, aka the Immanuel child – God with us.
When it comes to his identity, we have another reason to believe in and worship the Christ…
- Jesus the Christ is the God-man
By God-man, I mean to say that Jesus the Christ is both fully God and fully man. Or as the Sovereign Grace Music song puts its “Totally God, Totally Man”. If you’ve never heard it, it’s a great one to listen to with your kids. And the lyrics are very good for both kids and adults to consider this very deep doctrine of Jesus.
This is typically referred to as the incarnation of God. The word incarnation comes from a Latin word developed from in + caro, which means ‘being in flesh’. The incarnation is the embodiment of God in human form in the person of Jesus the Christ. A great passage that further develops this incredible truth is John 1:14:
John 1:14 (ESV)
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
The Word was John’s way of describing Jesus. John had already made the argument that from all eternity past The Word was WITH God and WAS God. These are more jaw-dropping truths about Jesus the Christ. We cannot move beyond these truths or take them for granted. They are foundational to everything we believe!
Without the incarnation of Jesus, we would have no hope of salvation and would remain dead in our sin. Without the incarnation of Jesus, there would have been no sacrifice sufficient to pay for our sins and to satisfy the wrath of God for us. Without the incarnation of Jesus, we would not know nearly as well what God is like, nor would we be able to follow him.
The incarnation served to make the invisible God ‘visible’ by showing what he is like in Jesus. It was an incredible way for God to be with us and walk among us. The testimony of Christianity is that the Creator entered His Creation to restore it to himself. Though broken by sin, God came down to make a way for us to be saved from our sin. We’ll speak more about this next week, but Romans 5:8 states it succinctly:
Romans 5:8 (ESV)
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Christ died for us… Immanuel died for us. We need God with us if we want to be with Him in eternity. Christmas is the precursor to the Cross!
The Bible testifies that no man can pay for his own sin. If that were possible, then we would not need a Savior. The reality is… we are all dead in our sin against God. But through the Christ coming down and dying for us, we now have a way of salvation!
Unfortunately, there have been many throughout history who have denied the incarnation of Jesus Christ. They refuse to believe that God would come down and humble himself in such low estate. This was present even in the first century and the Apostle John had a harsh rebuke for such people:
2 John 1:7 (ESV)
7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.
The testimony of the disciples and Christianity throughout the ages is that Jesus is the Christ and, as he claimed and demonstrated, is God in human form. Any other testimony is a lie and seeking to lead you astray from the way of salvation. Will you believe in and worship Jesus the Christ as the God-man?
Christian brother or sister, you have the hope of the forgiveness of your sins and eternal life because of Him! Rejoice in this reality this Christmas. Let your joy overflow, no matter what specific circumstances of plenty or want you currently face. You are going to be with him in paradise forever! Unbelieving friend, you can have the same hope through faith in Christ.
Let us keep reading about this miraculous birth and incarnation of the God-man.
Luke 2:1–21 (ESV) (Page 1018)
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
21 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
The newborn king has come! Born not in regal estate but in the place where animals lay. No crib for his bed, only an animal’s feeding trough. Not quite what you would expect for the most important child in all of history! Yet exactly how God wanted it. The heavenly host were not sent to the rich and famous but to the lowly shepherds. And what message did they proclaim? “Unto you is born this day… A Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” This leads us to our third reason to believe in and worship the Christ:
- Jesus the Christ came to save his people from their sins
As the angel has heralded, Jesus is far more than a political figure. He is much more than the conquering king that the Jews were hoping for. He is a Savior! Literally one who saves. A deliverer. Well, what does the world need saved from? What world-wide epidemic would Jesus deliver them from? Exactly what we saw play out in Genesis 3 last week and discussed earlier from Romans… the epidemic that we see in our own lives and the world around us every single day, the brutal effects of sin.
Now you may think, “What’s the big deal about sin? So what if I do things differently than God would want me to? Surely it’s not that big of a deal!” The sending of His Only Son shatters that line of thinking. If our sin was not that big of a deal, God would not have had to send His Son to rescue and redeem us from it! As we’re going to study in more detail next week, the price that Jesus had to pay to rescue us from our sin was incredibly high!
Even one sin is enough to condemn us to eternal judgment; not necessarily because of the specific type of sin but rather because of the magnitude of the one whom it is against! Our sin or rebellion is against the Only Holy and Perfect God, the Creator of all things. The King of the Universe. The greatest authority to ever be. And he has called us to perfect holiness, which we cannot obtain on our own merit. You see, sin is not just something we do, it is part of who we are. We are born into this world corrupted by sin. We have what is known as a sin nature that is constantly enticing us to do what is right in our own eyes and live in a selfish, self-seeking manner.
Think back through your life this past month. How have you seen the effects of sin at work in and around you? Where have you been selfish and self-seeking? This time of year often lends itself to consumerism. I want more. More turkey. More Christmas parties. More gifts. Or I want ease. Just get me to my days off. Give me those mandatory holidays. Let me binge watch TV. Let me stay up all night playing video games. Let me drink my troubles away… Or perhaps for you it sounds more like, I want the attention/affirmation of others. Invite me to your home. Spend time with me. Give me what I want!
This is hard to hear, but sin has been your reality since the day you were born. You do not know a life apart from its influence and manipulation. You are daily beset by the temptations of your sin nature to live for yourself and do whatever seems right in your own eyes. This was the struggle of Israel, and it is the struggle of all peoples. That’s why Jesus’ coming was good news of great joy for ALL the people! This is the universal human struggle that we need SAVED/DELIVERED from! And Jesus is the one who came to do it. *pause*
Now, I want to point out an important clarification in Matthew’s Gospel:
Matthew 1:21 (ESV)
21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Jesus will save his people from their sins. HIS people. Those he has called. Those who have been given to him by the Father. In John 17, in Jesus’ prayer before his arrest and crucifixion, he prays to God the Father for those whom the Father had given him out of the world. He draws a distinction around a particular group of people:
John 17:9 (ESV)
9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.
God has given people to Jesus to rescue and redeem. You need Jesus to be your Savior. I need him to be my Savior. He saves his people from their sins. From a human perspective, the way we know who God’s people are is revealed by their response to Jesus.
Those who are God’s people respond in faith and repentance (turning from sin) when confronted with the reality that they are sinners in need of a Savior. And those who respond in hostility and rejection of Jesus and his message do not have the hope of salvation from their sin. Those who reject him are still facing the wrath of God. So, I plead with you this Christmas, make sure you are in the faith.
Trust in Christ alone for salvation. Your works cannot save you. Your church attendance cannot save you. Your parents’ faith cannot save you. You need Jesus to be your Savior. If you’ve never done so, confess your sins and ask him to forgive you and adopt you into his family!
Only one who is the perfect God-man could save many. As God, he is perfectly holy/righteous. As man, he has endured the brokenness of our world, yet without sin. As the God-man, he is the only one able to be the sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His unique nature allows him to be the once for all sacrifice that Hebrews speaks of:
Hebrews 10:12–14 (ESV)
12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
When we studied this passage earlier this year, we spoke of the significance of Jesus’ sitting down. His salvific work on the cross and in the resurrection was finished. He had done it! His once for all sacrifice was accepted by God the Father. The consistent testimony of Scripture is that the Christ is God, and he has made a way for his people to be saved from their sins.
If you are one of his people, then you have every reason to rejoice this Christmas. You are forgiven and redeemed. There is no wrath left for you. You have the hope of heaven. You will be with your Creator in paradise one day. Though you may face many trials and tribulations in this life, there is the promise that God is working all things for your good. Then there is also the promise of eternal life to come. You know where you are going when the end draws near. Death has lost its sting and has no hold on you anymore. You are free and able to live a holy and faithful life as he works through you! Hold fast to these hopes and truths this month and allow them to fill you with joy and pour out of your lips in praise and thanksgiving.
If you are uncertain of where you stand with God, you are hearing about the way of salvation. Faith in Jesus the Christ. Will you bow the knee in humility and submission to him this Christmas? Receive the gift of salvation and rejoice! Trade in your burdens and brokenness for the joy of forgiveness and the hope of eternal life. *pause*
Well, we end our time today with a final reason to believe in and worship the Christ.
- Jesus the Christ’s birth fulfilled Old Testament prophecy
This is not a new observation at this point in our time together. Last week we observed this by moving from Old to New Testaments. However, I would be remiss if I didn’t turn our attention to it once more today.
At the start of our time together, we read Matthew 1:18-25, which revealed that Jesus of Nazareth was the ultimate fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14. Jesus the Christ is the child Immanuel, God with us. Since we’ve already spent time talking about the incarnation, let me move forward to another passage in the Gospel of Matthew. This passage reveals Jesus as the fulfillment of two additional Old Testament prophecies.
Matthew 2:1-15 (ESV) (Page 960)
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
6 “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ”
7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
As we pointed out last week, there are numerous Old Testament prophecies that occurred hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth which he ultimately fulfilled. In this passage we have a prophecy from Micah 5:2 and Hosea 11:1. The prophecy from Micah was brought up last week. It details the location of the birth of the king of the Jews, this Messiah/Christ figure. He will come from Bethlehem! And where was Jesus born? Bethlehem!
The Hosea fulfillment comes at the very end of this passage in Matthew, where it says, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” This one is interesting because in the original passage God is speaking of his work in and through the nation of Israel. If you are familiar with the Old Testament and Israel’s history, then you know that God grew the nation exponentially during their captivity in Egypt. Then he raised up Moses, who would lead them out of captivity to the Promised Land (aka the location they dwell in now – Jerusalem and the surrounding region). This journey is known as the Exodus and an entire book of the Bible is dedicated to it.
To make a long story short, Jesus’ travel to Egypt in exile with his parents and coming back again is a retracing of the nations’ steps. The significance of this is that it is indicating that Jesus is the perfect Israel. He is the Chosen Servant who perfectly obeys God’s will in a way that the nation could never do. This is just one of the many ways the Bible consistently points to Jesus the Christ as the One whom God always planned to send to be a light to the nations and to rescue his people from their sins.
As we stated last week, this was ALWAYS God’s plan. He documented it very well for us throughout human history so that we could examine the evidence and believe. This is not just a really cool historical set of events. These records and details were preserved through the ages so that we might leave the kingdom of darkness and enter the kingdom of light through faith in Jesus Christ.
The apostle John explains his reasons for writing about the life of Jesus quite plainly for us:
John 20:30–31 (ESV)
30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
The Scriptures have been recorded, in part, so that you might hear the truth and respond to it in faith and repentance. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and if you will believe in him, you have life in his name! To experience, as Paul puts it in his letter to the Colossians, the following:
Colossians 1:13–14 (ESV)
13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
It is possible, through Christ, to know that you know that you know that you are a part of God’s family and will spend eternity with him in his kingdom where there is no sin, sickness, sadness, or death anymore. *pause*
As we prepare to close in worship, I would encourage you to consider your response to the Christ. Has there been a definite time in your life where you’ve recognized that you are a sinner in need of a Savior? Have you chosen to trust in Jesus Christ as the only way to God? If not, I’d like to talk to you after the service. This is a decision that deserves your attention and is of eternal significance. Please come and talk to me.
For those who have responded to Jesus in faith, let us walk in the light as he is in the light. May our desires, thoughts, words, and conduct this month reflect the hope that we have in Christ. Keep praying for ministry opportunities with your family/friends. Be bold to talk to them about Christ. Invite them to church. Seek to serve others rather than be served.
Let’s pray.
Pray