How can do? Nor death, nor danger, fear. Nor death, nor danger, fear. That's good. It is good. He sang that well. We'll sing
that actual tune, Hitchimack's First Word, from the Green Hill some day soon, Lord willing. All right, Matthew 1. Let's read
verses 18 through 20 again. Matthew 1, 18 through 20. Now, the birth of Jesus Christ
was on this wise, or in this way, when as his mother Mary
was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found
with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph, her husband, being
a just man and not willing to make her a public example, or
that is open ridicule, was minded to put her away privately, to
take her away secretly. But while he thought on these
things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in
a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take
unto thee Mary thy wife, or as thy wife. For that which is conceived,
begotten in her, is of the Holy Ghost." Now, what we have here,
what we see here, is a virgin who is engaged to be married,
and she becomes pregnant with child. Now this may seem like an everyday
occurrence. Young women become pregnant out
of wedlock quite often. It's a very common thing to that,
shamefully. However, this is a virgin. This young lady is with child,
and she's never known a man. She is a virgin. She doesn't
just say she is. God says she was. Now, this is
the truth. This is at the heart of the truth
of who Jesus is. This is at the heart of the truth
of who that one who lived 2000 years ago named Jesus really
is. Are you with me? This is at the
heart of it. Because still today, you know, they're still debating
today. They're still debating today
as they did then. Very few people believed this
back then. As a matter of fact, most of
those who hated Christ said, you were born of fornication.
Remember that? They said to him, we be not born
of fornication like you are. We know who you are, you're Joseph's
son. No, he's not. Many do not believe in the virgin
birth of Jesus, even today. Those who say they do, Don't
know why. Do you. Do you. I think most of you do. I know
you do. But some may not. All right. Is this important?
Your salvation depends on it. My salvation. Our salvation depends
on it. That's how important it is. All right. Marry a virgin conceives. As I said, this is true and it's
vital to the truth that Mary was a virgin when she conceived. And she was a virgin until, after
Christ, the Christ child was born. Look at it, verse twenty-five. It says, Joseph knew her not. You know what that means. It
means they did not have physical or sexual relations until she
had brought forth that child, until she had given birth to
the child. It plainly reads that way, doesn't
it? He knew her not. Until. Now, this is important that we
know this too. She was not a virgin after this
child was born. Look with me at Matthew 13. It's
just as important. You know, it's just as important
that we know this. Just as many people do not believe
in the virgin birth or some who do don't know why he needed to
be born of a virgin, many believe that she stayed a virgin and
therefore they are in error. And I doubt Matthew thirteen. Afterward, Mary knew Joseph many
times. Not Joseph knew Mary many times.
They were husband and wife. I don't know how long they lived
together as husband and wife, but quite a few years. She had
several children by Joseph. Look at this. Matthew thirteen,
verses fifty-five and fifty-six. And here's what, yeah look at
verse fifty-five. Now, read on. Let's go back.
Verse 53. It came to pass when Jesus had
finished these parables, he departed then, when he was coming to his
own country. That's Nazareth, I believe. He
taught them in their synagogue. And so much that they were astonished
and said, whence hath this man this wisdom and these mighty
works? They knew who he was. He grew up there in that town.
And look at it. Is not this the Cartner son?
Kenneth Joseph's son? It's not his mother called Mary
and his brethren. James Josie Simon Judas there's
four brothers earthly brother. And his sisters. That's more
than one and at least two. No tell how many women have quite
a few children that Mary had at least six. By who? By Joseph. She did not remain a virgin.
That's important. It's important we know that,
because many people still venerate her and worship her as the Virgin
Mary. She was a virgin, but she's no
longer the Virgin Mary. Go to Luke chapter 1 with me.
Luke chapter 1. As I said, and I don't want to
spend too much time on this, but yet this is relevant in it
today more than ever. Mary was a daughter of Adam.
She was a daughter of Adam. She was a member of the human
race. She was born of earthly parents. That makes her a what? Sinner. She was born a sinner. She was
born dead in trespasses and sin. Mary was. Like every member of
the human race. Yeah, every member. Every son
of Adam is born dead in trespasses and sin with original sin. That
means they get their sinful nature from their first parent, Adam. Seed of man. That sin is in the
seed of man. That's the reason your children
are born, telling lies that come forth from the womb, speaking
lies. I'm sorry, Melanie, but your
child is going to be a sinner. That's the way it is. Jennifer,
it's going to be just like Patrick. And you. And you, sinner. You're
both sinners. And unless God has mercy and
grace upon them, they'll die in their sin. That's just truth. We pray, we hope that God will,
that they're one of His elect and He'll show mercy and grace.
Mary was a daughter of Adam, and like every single object
of God's special favor, you know that's what the word
grace means? Unmerited favor. It says, Noah found grace in
the eyes of the Lord. What does that mean? That he
was better than anybody else? Yes or no? Grace means unmerited
favor. It means someone showing you
favor. You didn't deserve it. You didn't
do anything to earn it. You were just given favor. Salvation
is by grace. Not of work. By grace are you
saved, Ephesians 2.8. Through faith. And that even
is not of yourself. That's by grace. It's a gift. Mary found favor. Unmerited favor. I'm going to show you, I hope
we'll see how that you and I are no different. I mean, Mary is
no different than us. And you and I are no different
than she. Mary was a sinner, born a sinner, and she found
favor. That is, God gave grace to her.
God spoke to her of the Christ. He revealed the Christ to her
and in her. And she later gave thanks to
God her Savior. Now, she's not a sinner. She
doesn't need a Savior. Luke 1, look at this, verses, and Brother
Sam, Samuel, Samuel read from Luke tonight. Verse 26 through
29. I had this written down already,
Samuel, so. In the sixth month, the angel
Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee named Nazareth
to a virgin, a virgin, doesn't say the virgin, a virgin. There were many. Could have been
anybody, couldn't it? And then in any version. Version
name. Version name. Version name. Version
name. Version. A version. A object of God's
electing. Sovereign grace. A version. Verse twenty seven. A version. Is spouse to a man. Engaged to
a man whose name was Joseph. of the house of David. And that's
important. She's of the house of David.
The genealogy in Luke is for your information. The genealogy
in Matthew is Joseph's genealogy. OK, I've got it right there. Genealogy in Matthew is Mary's
genealogy. The genealogy in Luke is Joseph's. And it mentions the, it mentions
the son of Joseph, which is the son of Hel. Because, no wait
a minute, I've got it the other way around. This is Mary's genealogy,
because they mention Joseph, but it was actually Mary's father
in that genealogy, because they don't mention women's name in
genealogy. The son of, the son of, the son
of, the son of, the son of. In Matthew it says the son of
so and so by Rahab. But it says the son of, the son
of, the son of. The genealogies are always by the head of household.
And here in Luke it says Joseph. And you'll see some differences
in the line in Luke and Matthew. That's because in Matthew it
is Help me. It's Joseph's genealogy. And
in Luke, it's Mary's genealogy, because both of them are from
the house of David. And that's important. That's important. OK, all right, go back, where
were we? Luke chapter one and in verse 27, verse 28, the angel
came, verse 28, came into Mary and said, Hail, He's not worshipping her. Everybody hailed, said hail back
then, hail, or hello as we'd say. Hail there, hold on there. Hail thou that art highly favoured,
graciously accepted, is what the margin said, highly favoured,
that is favour has been placed on you in earnest. The Lord is
with the. Blessed art bow does not say
above women. Among women. Now the exact same
thing can be said to Nancy Park. Hail this is what God did through
an angel or preacher of the gospel one day to Nancy Park just as
really. angel of the Lord was sent a
preacher of the gospel said hail Nancy. Our highly favored. Being greatly gracious. Accepting. God is with you. God before us
will be against who could be against. Blessed are now Nancy
Clark. Not above women. among women. God is highly favored and blessed
many such women. Read on. Verse 29, And when she
saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind,
or that is, turned over in her mind, what manner of salutation
this should be. Why was she troubled? Why was she troubled at this?
Because she knows what she is. She's just an average maiden. A sinful. Evidently she knows
it. And she's troubled. Like you
were. Who me? You talking to me? Who am I? And what is my house?
And that's what she prayed in this chapter later on. She was troubled because she
knew she was a sinner. Just like every woman, or girl,
whom the gospel comes to and hears about God favoring them
and blessing them and with them. Listen to the declaration, all
right? Listen to it. This is just as important. It
says in verse 30, it says, Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found
favor with God. And behold, thou shalt conceive
in thy womb. Now shop can see that is you
shall become pregnant. Now there's no glory in becoming
pregnant. You can't get any credit for
becoming pregnant. Can you. How did you get pregnant. Somebody impregnated. The husband. You can't get glory in receiving,
that's what conception means. Conceive means to receive seed,
to become impregnated. Is this important? It most certainly
is. Thou shalt conceive, a man can
receive nothing except it be given him from above. What do you have that you have
not what? Received. To as many as received him, who
then gave you power. How they were born. Now, I am dwelling on this. I
didn't mean to, but this is to the glory of God and glory of
Christ, the truth and veracity of his word, and to put down
all who would usurp his glory. That's what this is all about. Scripture says people are destroyed
for lack of knowledge. But he said, I'll give you pastors
after my own heart which shall feed you with knowledge. God's
people are not destroyed for lack of knowledge. And over in Hosea, Hosea is the
one that said that, or God said it through Hosea, that people
are destroyed for lack of knowledge. And in the very last chapter
of Hosea, Hosea said this. This is what the people say.
What have I to do anymore with idols? I have heard Him. I have observed Him. And if God ever speaks to us
the truth as it is in Jesus, He won't believe any ideas. He
won't look to any ideas. Everybody does. Pope Pius IX, in December 1854, declared his Inefibulous Duce,
which means Immaculate Conception. OK? Immaculate Conception. You've heard that, haven't you?
What does that mean? You know what that means? I'll
tell you here it is. Pope Pius made this an article
of faith which all the faithful. Believe in the instant of Mary's
conception by a singular privilege that is she and she only. Singular
privilege she and she only. A singular privilege and grace
granted by God was preserved free from all stain of original
sin. From that moment on, she had
no sin. Is that true? That's not in this book. That is not in this book. That's
Pope Pius IX. He knows right now it was not
in this book. But now wait a minute. It is true. That's true of you too. Not a singular instance, but
a multiple instance. In the moment in which the Holy
Ghost appears to you, And that which is conceived in you by
the Holy Ghost, you, by the grace of God, are preserved free from
all stain of original sin. Everybody in here has taken part
in the immaculate conception. Absolutely. And Pope Pius didn't
say it. The great potentate, Jesus Christ,
did. Who is he that condemned him? Beloved, now with the sons of
God, holy, unblameable, unreprovable in God's sight, without stain
of original sin. How? Christ in you, your hope
of glory. Even the wrath of man will praise
him more. Isn't that amazing? I thought you'd like that idea.
Daniel Webster, I think, was a believer. That came from Webster's
Dictionary. Well, go back to Matthew. Well,
no, wait a minute. Hold on. Hold on. Don't leave
here. Look at the declaration to Mary. Verse 32. He shall be
great and shall be called the Son of the Highest. And the Lord
shall give unto him the throne. The throne. One throne. Just
one throne. Now, the angel was saying this
to Mary. God, he shall be great. Not you and him. He shall be
great. and shall be called the son of
the highest. And the Lord God shall give unto him the throne."
He's just one. The throne of his father David.
And he shall reign over the house of Jacob. Not you and him. Not
he's king, you're queen. Him. Forever. And of his kingdom there shall
be no end. And Mary was confused. She didn't
understand. How can this be? I've never known
a man. Well, go back to Matthew 1. Now, as I said, that's just
as important that you know that about her as it is you know that
Jesus is born of, that he was born of a virgin, that she was
indeed a virgin, but not afterward. In fact, there's no mention of
Mary after the book of Acts chapter 1. There's no further mention
of her name in all of God's Word ever again. But there sure is quite a few
mentions of the Lord Jesus Christ. Is this important? If you look
around you, this is why John said, ìWhereof God and the whole
world, life and death.î And the last thing John said in that
book, ìLittle children, keep yourselves calm, I am with you.î
Now, isnít all this relative? All right, why was it important
that Mary be a virgin? Back to Matthew 1. Why? Well,
it's not to exalt her. It's not to exalt her. You've
already seen that, because she did not remain a virgin. Young
ladies, God commands that you remain virgins until you're married.
It's a good thing. It's what God commands. There's
no arguing, no questions, although it is looked on today as old-fashioned
and out-of-date and silly and so forth. God Almighty commands it. That's
all the reason you need to remain so. Plus, you'll save yourself
a great deal of heartache if you remain so. But you get no glory or credit
if you do. All right. Matthew 1. Now, why is it important
that she be a virgin? Number one, to fulfill Scripture.
This is what it says in our text. It says a virgin, verse 23, Behold,
a virgin shall be with child. This is Isaiah 7, 14. A virgin
shall be with child and shall bring forth a son. And they shall
call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God with
us. Emmanuel means just that, God
is with us. It doesn't mean God blessing
us or God shall bless us or God will do things. It means God
is with us. His name shall be called Emmanuel,
that is God. And we know over in Isaiah 9,
chapter 9, verse 6, quoted Sunday morning, unto us a child is born.
Yeah. But it's not just a human baby,
it's a son. Son is given. The eternal son
is with the father, the bodily present of God, and with the
father from the beginning, set up with him from of old, Proverbs
8 says. And his name, and of the, his
government, there shall be no end. And his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father. Is he
the son? Oh, he's the father. I don't
understand. No, you shouldn't. You just believe. The Prince of Peace. To fulfill
the scriptures, this is the God man to prove who he was. Why is it necessary? She'd be
a virgin to prove who he was. Holy, sinless. With that, with
no part, with no sin, no seed of man in it, no sin in it. And
now listen to see if you've ever thought of this. Man had nothing to do with who
he was and who he is, nothing to do. This is so symbolic. Not only is it true, but it's
symbolic. We are called virgins. Doesn't it say he presents us
as chaste virgins to Christ? Why? Because no man had any part
in your salvation. That's the first time I've ever
really thought of that. You ever thought of that? We're
called virgins too. No, just as no man had any part
Nobody made him Lord. Nobody made him the Christ. Mary
didn't help make him the Christ. No, no, no. This is God manifest
in the flesh. Great mystery. This is not a
human being. This is the God man. He doesn't
have any seed of man in him. Not Mary's egg, not Joseph's
seed. No seed of man in him. Supernatural being born of God. So are you not in the same? You
understand what I'm saying? But we're called chaste virgins
and will be presented to Christ someday. But why is that? Because
man had no part in our salvation. Nobody makes us what we are.
Who does? You're born of God. Isn't that amazing? I've never
thought of that. Fulfill the scripture. Now, how
do we know this man was God? Turn to Genesis three. Genesis
chapter three, very quickly, and I do not want to make this
a two-part message, but Genesis three, why is this important?
There's no seed of man in him, no human seed. The word seed
is spurned. Absolutely not. Because everyone
born of Adam, as we've already said, everyone born of Adam is
born a sinner. Scripture is very clear about
that. Ephesians 2, 1, we're dead in trespasses and sin. Until
God in mercy gives life. We're dead until God gives life.
But now this child, this one and only one, has no seed of
Adam in him. He's born holy. He's born righteous. He's born already acceptable
in God's sight. He's not dead in trespasses and
sin. Oh, no, no. To the contrary, John said, this
is the word of life. John said, no, he's not dead,
born dead. He's life. In him was life. We're dead. He gives life. He
is life. Well, all this was told Adam
and Eve in the garden. Look at Genesis 3. A man and
a woman had fallen. They had rebelled against God. He was deceived by Satan. Adam
took the fruit. And Satan is with them. And God is speaking. OK? Genesis 3. God is speaking. I
believe it's the Lord Jesus Christ speaking to them. It says, The voice of God came walking.
Well, the Word was made flesh. The Word, that's the voice of
God, walked this earth. I believe this is Christ himself.
prophesying of himself verse fifteen. He's speaking to Adam
and Eve and Satan and he says to Satan directly I will put
in between the and the woman. Who's he talking about Eve. The church. Church. I was going to have you
turn to Revelation 12. We looked at that some six or
seven years ago, but he said back in chapter two, verse 24,
a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall cleave
unto his wife and they shall be one flesh. You remember reading
that in the New Testament? The two shall be one flesh. This
is a great mystery, but I speak, he said, of Christ and his church. All right. This enmity is, and
you see it in Revelation 12, if you look at it for yourself,
the story of Satan's enmity against the church. That's the woman
clothed with the sun in Revelation 12. Absolutely. It's not Mary. She's part of
that. Right. But the woman clothed
with the sun. You might tell me what the woman
who is clothed with the sun is. Clothed with the sun. The son
of righteousness, the Lord Jesus Christ, the believer's clothing,
the believer's righteousness, the woman, the bride, the church
is clothed with the sun. Satan is enmity against her and
pursues her and makes war against her. That's
precisely who that figure is. This is a prophecy, all right?
But enmity between thee and the woman, this doesn't just mean
that women will be afraid of snakes from here on out. Like
some idiot snake. while women are afraid of men
are afraid of. Talking about Satan in the church
and now look at the between the sea. And her say. Who's fighting for me Satan has. Satan has offspring Satan has
children the devil has children. Isn't that what Christ said to
certain Pharisees? You're of your father, be them
all. All men are not God's children.
Jesus Christ said that. I didn't say it. John Calvin
didn't say it. Jesus Christ said that. Now, who's at war? Satan's seed and Christ. Anti-Christ against the Christ. The woman's seed here is Jesus
Christ. Now a woman doesn't have a seed.
A man has a seed. What's he speaking of? A virgin-born
son. A virgin-born son. You know that
when Eve Had, uh, it says in verse one of chapter four, Adam
knew Eve, his wife, and she conceived and bear pain. She said, and
in the Greek original, it says, I have gotten the man. You know, that's how she thought.
Here he is. This is the one. I see it. I just want to get outside this
minute. Because they were out of the
garden and were kicked out. But she thought this was him.
He's come. I don't know what I'm saying
here. Mary, you didn't understand.
I mean, Eve. Eve, you didn't understand. You
didn't understand. I'm going to be born a man. Adam. Now read on here in Genesis
3 15. It The woman's seed shall bruise
thy head, and thou shalt bruise his people." I don't want to
wear you out here, but this is what this means. This is what
this is all about. Adam and Eve were no match for
Satan. Right? No match. No man. Satan is a mysterious He's a
creature. He really is a creature. God
made him. Everything's a creature but God.
Right? It didn't begin with God. It was made. Everything's made. Well, it's
not anything made. It's made. God made the angels. He made them all. He's a mysterious creature. He held power such as no other. He's called the Son of the Morning.
Well, who's called the Son of the Morning? The Lord spoke of
Him. It's written over in Isaiah 14, I believe it is. But the
Lord spoke of Him and said, I beheld Satan all at lightning. He was a High Pinnacle. Chief Archangel, perhaps. I beheld
Him all. That's a mystery, nevertheless
he did. And no man is a match, and not even Michael, the archangel,
would contend with Satan. That's written in Scripture. Who can contend with this adversary? And he's been the adversary of
mankind ever since. Scripture says that he holds
captive at his will. He doesn't have this will. His
will is not being done. You understand that God allows
him to do. Read Job 4.1 through 7 through
6. He only can do what God allows
him to do, permits him. Well, who can save people from
this enemy? No man. I say, I looked and saw and there was
no match. Nobody could do it. No match. Nowhere. Not even Gabriel, not
even Michael the archangel. Any match for this great arch
enemy, this evil one who holds capital. Then who's going to
save us? God says, Lo, I come. In the volume of the book, it's
written, I come. God with us. We were at Isaiah
25. This is our God. We've waited
for Him. He will save us. Only He. Immanuel. I love Bunyan's book,
The Holy War. Those of you who've read it.
Oh my, our Lord, listen to this, the Lord said this on his way
to Jerusalem in Calvary's tree, the Lord said this, listen to
what he said, on his way to Jerusalem the Lord says, now shall the
prince of this world be cast out. Who's going to do it? Single handed. Later on, right after that he
said, the prince of this world cometh. and have nothing in me. The only way Satan can contend
with anybody, or does contend with anybody, is temptation. Temptation. Temptation. And you
and I, no human being is any match, because we're full of
this thing called sin, which succumbs to temptation. We're
easy. We're easy. We're nothing. But he came to Christ. And for
forty days and forty nights, the Scripture said, tempted him
with everything known to man, tempted in all points like as
we are, the Scripture said. What was the end? That's what
I see. Get thee behind me, saith the Lord. Now, nothing
to tempt. and had to leave the people for a while. And then on Calvary's tree, when
Christ uttered those great words, it is finished. What was he saying?
It is finished. Satan is finished. He no longer has my people. No
longer. Though Christ's body was bruised,
body is the lower part, Christ is the head, his body is his
lower part, his heel. His heel was bruised, his body
was bruised, wounded, bruised for our iniquities, the scripture
says. The chastisement of our peace was laid on him. His heel
was bruised, that's what God said in Genesis 3, 15. Satan
entered into Judas, and Judas sold him, and they came and got
him, and they lacerated his body and pierced his body and hung
him on a tree. Satan was behind that. Who bruised him? Please the Lord, who bruised
him. Satan did what he wanted to do,
what God prophesied that he would do, but he did what God determined. Lord hath made all things for
himself, even the wicked, for the day of judgment." Well, at
that time, the woman's seed, the virgin-born man, Immanuel,
put Satan under his feet, bruised his head, crushed his power,
led captivity captive, that he might destroy him that had the
power of death, that is, the devil. That's what happened. That's
what that meant. And so in our text it said, Call
his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sin. He, when he had by himself, scripture
says, purged our sin, he did it. Not you and him. Not you
cooperate, both of you together. Not you allow him to do it for
you. He, He's not going to share His glory
with a worm. He, call His name Jesus, why? That's what it means, Savior.
He shall, not might, not hope to,
not will if you let Him, shall say, not make an attempt, not put down a down payment.
Say, who? Whoever lets him. His people. Can you hear the angel saying
this? How'd they say it? Now, if you all don't receive
this, we're sorry to bother you. His people who are about to reply
against God. He. He gets all the glory. It's a mandate. It's an absolute.
What God says is absolute. No man can change. Shall save. That means he'd get the job done. He'll do it. His people, his
elect, God's chosen from what? From a bad marriage, from this
and that? Sin. That's what this is all about.
Sin. Sin's the whole issue. Sin's the whole thing between
us and God. And we can't do a thing about
it. There's only one that can. And he did. Why? Who is it? How could he do that?
He's a man of the flesh. God. God became that. God was manifested in flesh.
Seen of angels. Justified in the spirit. Received
up in glory. If you call his name Jesus, you
better mean it. That's what he meant. All those who believe and do
so, like Mary, they've received from above this immaculate conception. All right, stand with me. Our Lord and our God, in
the name above every name, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Every knee shall bow to every
tongue shall confess some now in salvation by your grace and
all then some in damnation and to their own. Despising it, but now by your
grace, you've caused your people, you have caused your people.
To see his glory. And to hold his glory and to. Bow to him. His sovereign will. This is all you're doing. You
have appeared to your people, your chosen, just as you did
Mary of old, who found favor in your eyes and have revealed
the Son in them. How we thank you for doing it.
We ask that you continue to do so for others. To the praise
of the glory of your grace, wherein we are accepted in the blood.
In his name we pray, amen. All right, you're dismissed.