magnified our Savior. All the
songs and the poems and the reading. And I want to continue that theme.
If you want to turn with me over to Matthew chapter 1, we'll continue
that same theme just for a moment. If you want to follow me in my
text, in Matthew chapter 1, and let me begin reading in verse
18. If you don't have a Bible, you'll find the Pure Bible. And
when I'm finished, I want us to give a round of applause to
all of our young people. But notice in this text, in Matthew
chapter 1 in verse 18, now the birth of Jesus Christ was on
this wise, when as his mother Mary was a spouse 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, was
minded to put her away privately. 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, for that which is conceived in her
is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son,
and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his
people from their sins. Now all this was done that it
might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet,
saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring
forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, being interpreted
God with us. Then Joseph, being raised from
sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took
unto him his wife, and knew her not until she brought forth her
firstborn son, and called his name Jesus." The birth of Jesus
Christ. I tell you, humanity, all of
humanity, should lift its voice in one united praise and thanksgiving
to God. that He's given us a book to
instruct us and explain to us everything that we need to know
to be saved. If you ask us this morning why
we believe what we do about God, the Bible has instructed us what
to believe. If you ask us why we believe
that God is a sovereign God, that He rules in the heavens
and He rules in this earth, that He rules over all the providence
of this world. He plants His footsteps in the
sea and He rides upon the storm. We tell you that we believe this
because the Word of God instructs us to believe. Daniel says that
He doeth according to His will in the armies of heaven and among
the inhabitants of the earth. And no man can stay His hand
or say unto Him, What doest thou? And if someone would want to
know this morning why we believe what we do concerning the person
of the Lord Jesus Christ, why we believe about His virgin birth,
His perfect life, His ministry, His death upon the cross, His
resurrection, His ascension to glory, all that He accomplished
in this, we believe this because we're instructed to believe it
by the Word of God. Matthew tells us here in verse
18, the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise. And then he
explains how the Son of God was born. What's the first thing
that we find out here about the birth of Jesus Christ? The first
thing is this, in a true sense of the word, it was so natural. What a natural birth it was,
because we're told here, His mother married. He had a mother. Mary was the mother of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Now, you and I aren't Catholic.
We're Protestant. But the Catholic have bestowed
a great deal of honor upon Mary. And really, they've carried it
to the extremes, haven't they? They've made her out to have
merit enough to save sinners. We don't believe that. We don't
believe that she's a co-mediator with Jesus Christ. There's one
mediator between God and man. We don't pray to Mary, do we?
But you know, having said all of that, we do honor the mother
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here's what the angel Gabriel
said to her and of her when he came and first appeared to her.
He said, Hail thou that are highly favored. The Lord is with thee. Highly favored. For centuries
in the Old Testament, the Jewish maidens wanted to bring forth
the Christ child. They all wanted children because
they all wanted to be the bearer of the Son of God to save a lost
humanity. But you know something? The Lord
passed by all of them and He set His choice upon Mary. She was highly favored of God. And how did Elizabeth, her cousin,
address her when Mary was great with child and went to visit
Elizabeth? Here's what Elizabeth said. Blessed art thou among
women. Most happy among women. And she was. During Luke chapter
2, Mary went on praising the Lord, and this is what she said. My soul doeth magnify the Lord,
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He hath regarded
the lowest state of His handmaid. Behold, from henceforth all generations
shall call me blessed." And that's what we say of Mary this morning.
She was the mother of the Lord Jesus Christ. She was a blessed,
blessed woman. She has nothing to do with my
salvation. She has nothing to do with your
personal salvation. But she had a lot to do with
the birth of our Savior. She was His mother. She was told
of the angel Gabriel, Thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring
forth a son. And we are told that Christ was
made of a woman. Made of a woman. That is, Mary
nourished Him in her womb. She fed Him. And she brought
forth her firstborn son, wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and
laid him in a manger." On the way to church this morning, we
saw a live Nativity scene. I'm not critical of those Nativity
scenes. I know some are somewhat crude
and silly. But what do they remind us of?
When we see a nativity scene, we see the little infant laying
in his mother Mary's arms, or we see him laying in a cradle.
And what does that remind us of? It reminds us of the most
natural thing in this world, that a woman had a son. She bore a child. So natural,
isn't it? In one sense of the word, the
birth of Jesus Christ is so natural. Yet there's something here that's
not natural, isn't it? Look back at my text again in
verse 18. Now the birth of Jesus Christ
was on this wise, when as His mother Mary was a spouse to Joseph,
before they came together, look at this, she was found with child
of the Holy Ghost. Now that's not natural, isn't
it? That's supernatural. She was a virgin. that had never
known a man, and she was found with a child of the Holy Ghost."
Now, this is why we don't go outside the Bible to get proof
that the Bible is true. If you went to medical science,
go to your doctor sometime, and you ask him if this is medically
possible. And you know what he's going
to tell you? That cannot be. And he's telling you the truth.
Even Mary looked upon this as a mystery when the angel announced
the birth of Jesus Christ. She said, how can this be sin? I know not a man. And what did
the angel tell her? You shall conceive in your womb
by the Holy Ghost and you shall bring forth a son. The power
of the highest shall come upon you. The Holy Ghost shall overshadow
you, also that holy thing which shall be born of you shall be
called the Son of God." And then the angel made this wonderful
statement, for with God nothing is impossible. All things are
possible. So see, this is a miraculous
birth because she was a virgin conceived in her womb by the
Holy Ghost. And notice these two things about
the birth of Christ. He was the Son of Mary, for it
was Mary's firstborn. Mary was His mother. And yet
He was called the Son of God. See the two wonderful natures
in this one man? He was the Son of Mary, so He
was a man. He had a real human body. He
had a real human soul because He was Mary's Son. He was as
much human as His mother, except sin. He had no sin. And yet,
at the same time, He was the eternal Son of God. As Mary's Son, He had a beginning
in her womb. But as the Son of God, He had
no beginning. He was from everlasting to everlasting. And here's the way Isaiah tells
us. unto us a child is born, that's
Mary's son, but unto us a son is given. Mary's child was born,
the Son of God was given. Can anybody quote John 3.16? Can anybody quote that? I bet
all of us in here, almost every adult can quote, for God so loved
the world that He gave His only begotten Son. That's what Isaiah
said. A child is born and He's truly
man, 100% man. But a son is given, given from
heaven of God, given in Mary's womb, given to dwell among us,
and finally given upon a cross to die for the sins of all His
people. Why are these two things necessary?
Why is it necessary that Christ be born of a woman? Well, for this reason, the Bible
is very clear on this. That by one man, one man, sin
entered into this world. And by sin came condemnation. It came guilt and death. And by one man, Sin must be put
away. Sin entered by the first Adam. Man had to come and put sin away. Paul tells us this, By one man
sin entered into the world, and death by sin, so death passed
upon all men. And John the Baptist looked upon
the Lord Jesus Christ and he said, Behold the Lamb of God,
that taketh away the sin of the world." See, God is a just God. And it's man who sinned against
God. It must be another man to put
that sin away. Jesus Christ, to represent us,
He must be a man. Therefore, He must be born of
Mary. Paul said, "...since by man came
death, By man came also the resurrection of the dead." We died in one
man. We live in another man. The first
Adam brought us sin and death. The second Adam brings us righteousness
and life. Isn't that wonderful? That's
what our children were singing about this morning when they
were talking about this God-man. He's man. But notice this. Not only must he be a man, a
hundred percent man, but he had to be more than man. He couldn't
be born like you and I are born. He couldn't have an earthly father.
He had an earthly mother. But who was his father? God was
his father. He was conceived by the Spirit
of God, the third person of the sacred trinity. Why was that
necessary? Why couldn't he have been born
just like you or born like me? Why couldn't he have an earthly
father as well as an earthly mother? Well, here's the problem
with having an earthly father, isn't it? Our father is sinful, you see.
David said it like this about himself, Behold, I was shapen
in iniquity. And in sin did my mother conceive
me." David wasn't that illegitimate son. His father was named Jesse. He had many brothers and sisters.
But David is saying, I was barned in sin because of my first father
Adam. And he went on to make this statement.
He said, the wicked are estranged from the womb. They go astray
as soon as they be barned. That's our problem, isn't it?
Isn't it strange that we never see a baby grow up and he's not a sinner? When little
babies come into this world, we love them, we cherish them. Ashley's ready to have a baby
and I'm sure it will be so beautiful and they'll love it to death.
But you know what it will be when it comes to Ashley's womb?
Just what you were and just what I am. A poor sinner by nature. That's why Jesus Christ could
not be born with an earthly father. He would have been born a sinner
just like you and just like me. So He was kept from this sinful
nature. The Holy Spirit moved upon Mary. He was conceived in her womb,
but He was holy. He was born without sin and He
lived without sin. Being a holy man, he could honor
God. He could keep all the commandments
of God. And he could die upon the cross
and redeem us from our sins. And make atonement for sins.
Because he is not just a man. He is the God-man. The birth
of Jesus Christ. Spurgeon was telling a story
about a controversy Great Britain had with Wales. And it was a
controversy that was ready to lead to war. They were enmity
one with another. Until the Prince of Wales married
the Princess of Great Britain and had a child. And both countries claimed the
child. And in that child, both countries
were reconciled. The war had ended. What am I
saying? God and man was at war one with
another. How could this war end? How could
reconciliation be made? Jesus Christ, who is from heaven,
was born into this earth. This world is His nativity. And
as man, he can reach and get a hold of you and me. And as
the Son of God, he can reach and get a hold of God and bring
us together and reconcile us. In the Son of God, heaven and
earth is reconciled. Peace has been made in this wonderful
man, Jesus Christ the Lord. He has made peace through the
blood of His cross. Oh, believe it this morning.
Believe it this morning in your heart of hearts and rejoice in
the truth of it. God can now come to us and be
a Father to us. And we can go to God and address
Him as our Father because the Son of God who is from heaven
was born here in our world. Wonderful, wonderful thought.
I think we get just a little taste of heaven and earth reconciled
here in verse 20 of my text. Did you notice this? You'll notice
this all the way through the Gospels. But while he thought
on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto
him in a dream, and spoke with him. The angel didn't appear
to threaten him, but to give him advice. And you find the
angel appearing to Mary and announcing the birth of the Lord Jesus.
You find the great heavenly host on the hillsides of Judea appearing
to those shepherds, announcing the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And what do the angels always say? Fear not. Fear not. Why aren't the angels threatening
anymore? Why do they come to these saints
and say, fear not, I bring you good tidings of great joy? Because
in Jesus Christ there are now ministering spirits. They are
not sent to destroy us. They are sent to bring us this
blessed message that in Christ, heaven and earth are become one. One. They are all ministering spirits.
And let me close with this. Isn't Jesus Christ just the Savior
that we poor sinners need? Don't you feel this morning,
hearing about Him, that you can approach Him to Him? Have you
ever heard of any man that is so exalted, even when the angel
announced his birth, here's what the angel said about him. He
shall be great. He's great. He's the Son of the
Highest. God has given to Him the throne. Who is on the throne this morning?
Jesus Christ is ruling in heaven and in this earth and in all
nature. He's on the throne of David. He's a mighty King. He's King Jesus. And yet being
so high and so sovereign, He stoops, He bows, He condescends
to you and He condescends to me. And He even gives us this
wonderful invitation. Come unto Me. All you that labor
and are heavy laden, I'll give you rest. Take My yoke upon you
and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in My heart. You know we don't find many mighty
people that's meek and lowly, do we? They're usually proud. You can't approach them to earthly
kings. They're too mighty. They're too
standoffish. But, oh, here's the Mighty One,
the Eternal Son of God, and He's so meek and so lowly, He invites
the most vile, the worst of sinners, come to Me, and I'll give you
rest. Is your heart burdened with sin?
Is your conscience guilty and you're weary of carrying the
load? Here's somebody that can give
you rest. He's able to because He's the
mighty God. He's willing to be approached
unto because He's man. Christ Jesus. If He was willing to be barned
in a stable, and they tell us those stables usually were hewn
out of a cliff, or they were a cave, If he was willing to
be burned in a stable, will he not abide in our poor, rocky
hearts? If he, being rich, became poor,
will he despise those who are poor in spirit? Never, never. The little poem the girls read,
Friend of the Friendless, Betrayed and Denied. Friend of the friendless. You feel like you have no friend?
You feel like you've been denied by this world? Here is a friend. He's a friend that sticks closer
than a brother. He knows what it is to be lonely. He said, all of you shall forsake
me and leave me alone. He looked for some help, but
he found nothing. He looked for somebody to take
pity. But there was none. He knows what it is to be forsaken
and denied of his friend. And yet, David knew this. David
said, if my father or mother forsake me, the Lord shall take
me up. You need a friend? Oh, here's
a true friend. Here's a friend that sticks closer
than a brother. Help of the weak, the poem said.
For in Gethsemane he cried. Oh, how weak he was in that garden.
He sweat drops of blood. Lied of the world, in gross darkness
he died. Jesus, wonderful Lord. Barred
among cattle in poverty sore. Living in meekness by Galilee's
shore. Dying in shame as the wicked
one swore. Jesus, wonderful Lord. Weary, yet He is the world's
only rest. Hungry and thirsty with plenty
He has blessed. Tempted, He promises grace for
each test. Jesus, wonderful Savior. Wonderful,
wonderful Jesus. He is my friend, true to the
end. He gave Himself to redeem me.
Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. Wonderful Savior. May God bless His Word. Let's
pray.