YouTube video sermon
Matthew 1:18-25
Let me invite you to take your copy of God’s Word and turn with me to Matthew’s Gospel. As I indicated in my weekly email, we will take today and the two services on Christmas Eve, which is next weekend (can you believe it?), and consider the birth of Jesus as outlined in the gospels. Now, some of you are quick, and you’ve already done the math, and you’re coming up short. “Hey, pastor, there are four gospels, but today and next Sunday morning and next Sunday evening only account for three sermons. What’s up?” You’re correct. The answer is that Mark’s Gospel doesn’t contain a birth narrative.
“Well, why doesn’t Mark’s Gospel contain a birth narrative?” Good question. The honest answer is, “I don’t know.” But there’s good evidence to suggest that Mark was Peter’s scribe. The outline of Mark’s Gospel is very similar to the outline of Peter’s first sermon at Pentecost. And like Peter’s sermon in Acts 2, Mark is focused only on the public life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus. So, Mark’s Gospel doesn’t include a birth narrative, but that doesn’t mean that Mark is denying Jesus’ birth or ignoring it. I would simply argue that he assumed it – that it was already established by the testimony of other witnesses, including other gospel writers, and thus he precluded it from his.
Now, some of you might also be doing the math and you’re saying, “Hey, pastor, John’s Gospel doesn’t include a birth narrative either, so what about that?” Also true, but only if you define birth narrative in the usual and strict sense. As we’ll notice on Christmas Eve night (if you’re here), John still gives us an accounting of the birth of Jesus – just in a different form. John’s interest is to give us information that the Synoptic Gospels don’t. In fact, if you’ve ever studied John’s Gospel at length, then you know that approximately 90% of the material in John’s Gospel is unique to him. Nevertheless, there’s a birth narrative, of sorts, in John, and we’ll consider that on Christmas Eve (night).
This morning, however, I want us to look at Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus. Follow along with me, beginning in verse 18:
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.
“Our gracious God, thank You for the Bible and the truth contained in it. Thank You that ‘everything that was written in the past was written so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope’ (Romans 15:4). As we ponder these things now, we pray that You will fill us with the hope that is found in the Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.”
It’s been a long time since our church anticipated the birth of a baby among the congregation, but some of my friends, Joseph and Charlene Traynham, have been attending here for the last 3-4 months, and I’m excited to say that their expecting their first child in June. There are a multitude of questions that emerge when you’re anticipating the birth of a child, but there are two questions that seem to be more immediate than the others. The first concerns gender: “Is it a boy, or is it a girl?” Contrary to much that’s going on in our present climate, the places where the babies arrive – be it hospitals, homes, or even the side of the road – are not surrounded by nurses and doctors saying to one another, “Oh, look, it’s a person.” Rather, what they’re actually saying is, “Oh look, it’s a boy,” or “Congratulations; it’s a girl.” And secondarily, the question is: “What’s the baby’s name?” That’s of great importance. It’s probably the most important question of all, because without a name the child is somehow incomplete. And that’s why a tremendous amount of time is spent in considering names, and why there are lists of the most popular names.
According to babcenter.com, for the first time in five years, there’s a new top baby boy name, with Noah overtaking Liam for the number one spot. Liam moved down one spot to second place, and Oliver stayed in third place, the same as last year. This year’s top three baby girl names are a repeat of last year’s, with Olivia, Emma, and Amelia hanging on to spots one, two, and three (respectively).
Now, whether the baby’s name is chosen before or after the birth, almost without exception, the parents choose the name. In fact, as much as grandparents and aunts and uncles want to interfere, really, we ought to just be quiet. Just leave mom and dad alone; let them choose their own names. But in the case of this birth, Mary and Joseph didn’t choose.
Matthew explains that the name that was revealed to Joseph and Mary was a fulfillment of a prophecy that went back some 600 years. And in fact, he quotes it: “Behold, [a] virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and they [will] call His name Immanuel.” And perhaps you noticed that there were two names given – Immanuel (from Isaiah’s prophecy) and then the name we most commonly known – Jesus. This morning, I want to suggest to you that these two names, taken in reverse order, allow us to answer two basic questions. And those two questions, then tee up our final question. So rather than three points, today we’re going to consider three quick questions.
Who Is He?
Who is He? Who is this holy child born of the virgin? Answer: He is Immanuel, which means God with us. So, when people say, “Well, I wonder who Jesus is?” And I saw a program on one of the major streaming services yesterday (I don’t remember if it was Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Paramount +, or whatever), but the big question about Jesus – you know, “Who do people say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15; Mark 8:29; Luke 9:20). Well, that’s a good question. It’s a question posed by Jesus. But it’s answered for us in the Scriptures: He’s the Word of God incarnate, before the world began. When John writes of it, he says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).
It’s phenomenal, isn’t it? The Creator coming into the world that He created – born, actually, in the same way as each of us has been born, but He was God’s eternal Son. Mary was His mother, but He had no human father. Hence, Mary was a virgin. Jesus had to grow up just in the exact same way as we did. But unlike each of us, He didn’t start to exist just a few months before He was born. He was God’s eternal Son – and in Him a unique beginning. In fact, Jesus says to the people who are listening to Him, “I [came] down from heaven” (John 6:38).
One thing we often do as humans is take for granted how our physical presence can impact those around us. Do you remember how BIG your parents seemed when you were a kid? They were massive! Over time of course, things change; we grow up and we become the big humans.
I’m what you might call an “average” build for a man, and yet children are not as tall. Many of you know that I’m dating a woman named Lauren, but what you may not know is that she has a 3-year old daughter named Audrey. I used to be an unfamiliar face to her and that was enough to be a bit traumatic, or at least confusing. Thankfully, she’s beginning to warm up to Wee. Even still, when I tell Audrey to listen to her mom or try to instruct her, she sometimes gets upset (understandably so). But when I’m at my best as a parent, the best thing I can do is kneel down on her level and speak to her in a soft gentle voice.
This is what God did when He sent Jesus to be among us. I think we all know what it’s like to think of God as this massive cosmic force we need to be constantly in fear and trembling towards (think Isaiah 6), but God didn’t want that to be the final word towards His creation. God wanted us to know Him primarily as the One who loves. And the way God did that was by “stooping down,” coming to us on our level, not as a mighty king or grand emperor, but as a common man.
Who is he? Answer: Immanuel – God with us.
Why Did He Come?
Why should God come to us clothed in humanity? Why would He come? And the answer is found in the other name: Jesus. Who is He? Immanuel. Why did He come? Jesus. He didn’t come to judge the world, He didn’t come to blame [people], He didn’t come only to seek – although He did “come to seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10). He’s the Good Shepherd, looking out for the sheep. “He came to His own; yet, His own didn’t receive Him” (John 1:11). No, he actually came to save. That’s what Matthew tells us in verse 21 – He came to take away our sin. That’s why He died on the cross: in order that we might have eternal life.
In his book Mountains in the Mist, the late Baptist minister and Australian author Frank Boreham writes:
“A century ago, men were following, with bated breath, the march of Napoleon, and waiting with feverish impatience for the latest news of the wars. And all the while, in their own homes, babies were being born. But who could think about babies? Everybody was thinking about battles.
“In one year, lying midway between Trafalgar and Waterloo, there stole into the world a host of heroes! During that one year, 1809, Gladstone was born at Liverpool; Alfred Tennyson was born at the Somersby rectory, and Oliver Wendell Holmes made his first appearance at Massachusetts. On the very self-same day of that self-same year Charles Darwin made his debut at Shrewsbury, and Abraham Lincoln drew his first breath at Old Kentucky. Music was enriched by the advent of Frederic Chopin at Warsaw, and of Felix Mendelssohn at Hamburg, Samuel Morley, Edwin Fitzgerald, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Francis Kemple. But nobody thought of babies. Everybody was thinking of battles. Yet viewing that age in the truer perspective which the distance of a hundred years enables us to command, we may well ask ourselves, ‘Which of the battles of 1809 mattered more than the babies of 1809?’
“We fancy that God can only manage His world by big battalions abroad, when all the while He is doing it by beautiful babies. When a wrong wants righting, or a work wants doing, or a truth wants preaching, or a continent wants opening, God sends a baby into the world to do it. That is why, long, long ago, a babe was born in Bethlehem [to save us from our sin].”
Who is He? Immanuel – God with us. Why did He come? Jesus – to save us from our sins. Finally…
What About You?
“Will Jesus be your Savior?” That’s a question for you. Not just children and grandchildren, but all of us! “Will Jesus be my Savior?” The Bible tells us that Jesus promised to save all who will trust in Him. All of us need a Savior, because we’re all sinful. And God can’t simply say to us, “Well, we just won’t worry about these things. We won’t worry about the fact that you don’t really listen to me, or you’re indifferent to me, or you rebel against me – whatever it might be. No, we’ll just let all that go.” No! Sin had to be dealt with. That’s why all the way in the Old Testament, you have all of these sacrifices. And people say, “What’s that all about?” Well, it’s leading to this one great sacrifice. See, the day that Jesus Christ was born preceded the day when He would leave and go to the cross of Calvary and bear the weight of our sins.
See, to know Jesus is to know His presence and power in our lives. It’s not simply to know there was a Jesus, or even to believe that Jesus was the person He claimed to be – it is to know His presence and power in our lives. And the only way we will know that is when we plunge ourselves into the immensity of His love, and His grace, and His forgiveness. And when that happens, then the very things about
which we’re getting ready to sing become reality:
O holy Child of Bethlehem,
descend to us, we pray;
cast out our sin and enter in;
be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels,
the great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
our Lord Emmanuel!
So, the real question at Christmas is this: “Has Jesus saved you? Have you ever plunged into the sea of God’s forgiveness?” Don’t you think that today (Sunday, December 17, 2023) would be a great time to do that? “Oh, pastor, I’ll do it some other time.” Really!? You know what tomorrow holds, do you? “Well, I mean, there are all these people…” Yeah, so what? “Well, it’s kind of embarrassing.” Embarrassing to admit that you want to escape the eternal wrath of an Almighty God and instead enjoy the glory and majesty of a loving Heavenly Father, which is only possible through trusting in Jesus Christ? Listen, Jesus said, in John 6:37-40, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will but the will of Him who sent Me. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I should lose nothing of all that He has given Me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” Is that your heart’s cry this morning? Let’s pray. There may be someone here today who needs to place their faith and trust in You. If so, pray with me:
“Lord Jesus, thank You for the way that You draw me to seek You and to find You. I trust You as my Savior. I bow before You as my Lord. Today I offer You the only present You want and the only one that I can give: myself. Take me as I am, and make me what You want me to be. O God, for the rest of us, Your children, I pray that we might recover a sense of wonder and awe in Your Son’s birth. Father, would the simple message stir our hearts again to greater faithfulness and obedience in You. Hear our prayers, Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.”