“Immanuel: God
with Us”
Matthew 1:18-25
Introduction: Martin Luther: “When I am told that God
became man, I can follow the idea but I just don’t understand what it means.
For what man, if left to his natural promptings, if he were God, would humble
himself to lie in the feedbox of a donkey or to hang upon a cross? God laid upon Christ the iniquities of us
all. This is the ineffable and infinite
mercy of God which the slender capacity of man’s heart cannot comprehend and
much less utter—the unfathomable depth and burning zeal of God’s love toward
us… Who can sufficiently declare this exceeding great goodness of God?”
We can
easily be overwhelmed when we consider the pervasive presence of evil in the
world and the reality of suffering for believers and unbelievers alike. Shakespeare
called this life a “veil of tears” and since the Fall that at some level has
been true for every human. Suffering and
the consequences of sin entered the world as the result of human
rebellion. Paul said it bluntly: “By one
man sin entered the world and death through sin and so death spread to all men
because all have sinned…” That was our
predicament. No consider this: God chose to make a way for us to experience
forgiveness and life. Of all things He
sent His Son into this sin cursed world for us. Isaiah prophesied of God’s response to our
deepest need when he said:
“The people
who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those who dwelt in the land of
the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.”
Luther was
right, the plan was not something that you or I would have come up with.
Contrary to the laws of nature, “A virgin would conceive and bear a son…” When we consider the fact of his
coming, let’s try to always remember the purpose of his coming.
The biblical doctrine of the virgin birth
has been one of the most attacked doctrines of scripture. Yet the incarnation
is at the heart our our faith, it is the foundational truth of Xnity. The
essence and the power of the Gospel is that God became a man, and that,
by being fully man and fully God He was able to make possible the
reconciliation of sinful humans to a holy God.
The
Big Idea: The miracle of the virgin
birth was a demonstration of who this Child was, and a prelude to what He would
accomplish.
I.
This birth would be unlike any other (1:18-20). “Now the birth of
Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being
a just man, and not wanting to make
her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But while he thought about
these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying,
‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that
which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.’”
A. The Bible records several miraculous
births: the entire story of redemptive history is full of examples of God
overcoming barrenness or old age to accomplish His saving purpose.
The birth of Isaac to previously barren Sarah-Remember Sarah was 90
years old and when she heard the promise through God’s messenger she laughed at
the idea of having a child. Yet God intervened and Isaac was born and the
laughter of unbelief was turned into the laughter of joy!
The womb of Manoah’s barren wife was opened to give birth to Samson, who
would be a judge and deliverer, who would kill a thousand men with the jaw bone
of a donkey and pull down a pagan temple with his bare hands.
The birth of Samuel the prophet and anointer of Kings to the barren
Hannah revealed God’s power and showed how He worked through prayer.
Elizabeth, the cousin of Mary, was barren, but through the power of God
she gave birth to John the Baptist, of whom Jesus said there had yet been no
one greater “among those born of women” (Mt 11:11).
B.
The virgin birth of Jesus surpassed all
of these. In each of these cases God
intervened to allow conception through normal, biological means. In the case of
Jesus God miraculously caused conception in Mary’s womb. N.B. v. 18, stated so
simply, “…she was found
with child of the Holy Spirit…” No fanciful elaboration,
just the facts.
There can be no question what
Matthew is saying: She was betrothed to Joseph (in the first century this was
more than engagement, they were committed to be married, but did not yet live
together as husband and wife). The commitment was such that to break it a
certificate of divorce was required.
V. 19 affirms that Joseph was a “righteous man,” and when he found out
Mary was pregnant he knew that he shouldn’t marry her, but he couldn’t bear
that thought of shaming her publically, much less demanding the death the Law
specified (Dt 22:23,24). Thus he determined to “put her away secretly,” i.e.,
to quietly divorce her.
N.B. the timing in v.20, “…while
he thought about these things…” The situation and his options were ruminating
in his mind, the angel of the Lord speaks, revealing the nature of what had
happened: “…that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit…” An
unprecedented intervention of God in human history: INCARNATION.
***The
virgin birth was a demonstration of who this child was, and a prelude to what
He would accomplish. Not only would this birth be like no other, but also
that….
II.
This Child would accomplish what no other could (1:21). "And she
will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will
save His people from their sins."
“…she shall bring forth a son…” There were no ultrasounds in those days, Mary was told
her baby would be a boy. He did not merely appear human, He took upon himself a
human nature. The Scripture had predicted the coming of the “Seed of the woman”
who would crush the serpent’s head, And so, in the fullness of time, God sent
forth His Son, born of a woman…”
“…you shall call His name Jesus…” Y’shua, the Lord saves. Typically
when God names someone in the Bible the significance of the name is stated, as
it is here: “…FOR He will save His people from their sins…”
First, notice that “…He
will save His people …” The idea of a “deliverer” was very
popular in the 1st century, but it was typically thought of in
purely termporal terms. Once again the Hebrews were oppressed by a power from
the outside, and many longed for God to send the promised deliverer. Most were
probably expecting deliverance from the Romans, God was interested in offering
salvation from sin.
Secondly, we can celebrate the story of His coming, the people and
images that surround the first Christmas, and that’s good (many of us have some
kind of a nativity scene depiction). We mustn’t forget why He came, what He came to do, to be
“….offered once to bear the sins of many” (Heb 9:28), i.e. He came to
die. The babe in manger came as the
sacrificial Lamb, the King who would be rejected, the Suffering Servant who
would be despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows acquainted with grief.
He came knowing He would be rejected, handed over to the gentiles, scourged and
mocked and spat upon, and finally nailed to a Roman Cross. THIS is how God
showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world, that
we might live through Him.
***You see, the virgin birth is not simply a nice
story we tell at Christmas time, it is a redical demonstration of who this
child was, and a prelude to what He would accomplish on our behalf. This birth
would be unlike any other, and this child would accomplish what no other could,
because….
III.
This Child would be unlike any other (1:22-25). “So all this was
done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the
prophet, saying: "Behold, the
virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name
Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us." Then Joseph,
being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took
to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn
Son. And he called His name Jesus.
“…you shall call His name Immanuel (God
with us)…” (v.23).
A.
He would be the God-Man: “GOD with us…”
Notice that Matthew emphasizes that the virgin birth was
predicted—Matthew repeatedly uses the phrase “That it might be fulfilled…” Hundreds of OT predictions were
fulfilled in the birth, life and death of Jesus. Matthew as much as any NT
writer wants us to see that everything unfolded according to God’s plan. This was the one of whom the prophets
had spoken.
He would be called Immanuel, “God with us.” The presence of God was
disrupted by the Fall, but we see the unfolding story of God reaching out to
His people, showing the way to life and light. The Pillar and cloud and pillar
of fire, the tabernacle, the temple, and then, the God who spoke in times past
to the fathers through the prophets, has in these last days spoken in his Son
(Heb 1:1).
B.
He would be the God-Man: the Word was made flesh. “…he did
not know her until she gave birth to a son…” From the time of conception He
experienced life with a human nature. He was “…made in the likeness of
man…” So He would be the perfect example, and the
perfect sacrifice. Whereas Adam brought death through sin, Jesus made possible
life through His death.
C.
Joseph was obedient to the Lord, he called Him JESUS. He didn’t know a lot about God’s plan, but
what he knew, he submitted to, he obeyed.
What
is God saying to me in this passage?
The virgin birth was a demonstration of who this child was, and a prelude to
what He would accomplish.
What
would God have me to do in response to this passage? Busyness, rush, be still and know that He is God. Remember the story of a child who misquoted John
3:16, “For God so loved the world He gave His only forgotten Son…” Don’t
forget God the Son, He came to die for YOU.
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