It is absolutely impossible to become a Christian. Down through the years many have tried and have failed most miserably. The problem is people are taught that they can become a Christian anytime they want to. This gives people room to put it off to a “more convenient season.”
Most people confuse Christianity with religion. Christianity is not a religion. Religion can make a person a better person; can help cultivate good morals and ethics. Religion can do a lot of good for people but it cannot deal with the person’s eternal destiny or relationship with Jesus Christ.
Our basic problem is that we always look at things from a human standpoint. We see a problem, or think it’s a problem, and try to come up with a human solution for that problem. We mean well, but some things have no human solution. Becoming a Christian, is the main one.
We live in a society that believes all they have to do is put their mind to it and they can fix anything. The recent massacre of 20 first-graders is an illustration. People, especially politicians, think if they just get their heads together, they can come up with a fix-all solution. How long have men been around? None of these problems have ever or will ever be solved. “Nothing new under the sun,” sighed King Solomon.
Man is not very good with solving moral problems how do you think he would fare with spiritual problems?
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic, “The Scarlet Letter” the leading character, Hester Prynne, says something rather enlightening towards the end of the novel. In effect, she said after she had taken off her burden, “I didn’t realize how heavy this burden was until I took it off.”
Like Hester Prynne, we have grown accustomed to our burden of sin and forget that it is there.
The Scripture today focuses on the Virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. This brings to the surface some issues demanding our consideration.
Theme…
God’s work is always outside the realm of human possibility.
Gabriel says to the Virgin Mary, “For nothing will be impossible with God.”
This was an answer to Mary’s logical question, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
Mary presents a very good point. The birth of Jesus Christ as announced by the angel Gabriel was simply impossible. No way could Mary give birth to a child without the intervention of a human father. There has never been, and never will be, a virgin birth since the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us not just push this aside as simply a miracle with no spiritual application for us today.
God’s work is never limited to man’s strength. Man, cannot dig himself out of his hole. The more he digs, the deeper the hole gets.
“Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:9).
There is no way we can work ourselves out of the mess we are in. The bridge between God and man has been destroyed. It is impossible for man to reach up to God.
This is the weakness of all religion. Religion is trying to reach God through works and personal merit. We all fall short of the glory of God.
Why is the Virgin birth such an important doctrine for us today? Some have totally blown it out of proportion that the essence of truth in this doctrine is marginalized. As Protestants, we somewhat shy away from this because of the abuse others have given this doctrine.
There are two aspects of this that I want to outline for us today. The first would be God entering into our world, and the second would be God entering into our life. Both of these represent human impossibilities.
Let’s look to see what Gabriel said to Mary.
In verses 26 through 33, the angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will conceive and have a son and she shall call his name Jesus. It is one of the most amazing announcements in all of history.
Mary questions it in verse 34, “And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
I first need to compare this with Zachariah’s query in verse 18. “And Zachariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.”
Zachariah should have remembered the story of Abraham and Sarah and even Jacob and Rachel.
Zachariah is questioning the possibility. “How can we do it?”
Mary is questioning the impossibility. “How can God do it?”
Not only is this an impossibility from a human standpoint, but it is also something that cannot be explained to other people. Mary will always have to bear the shame of an illegitimate birth. Nobody believes the impossible. Everyone needs an explanation that they can understand.
Now Gabriel explains to Mary how this is going to be.
I. God Entering into Our World.
In order to understand the great theme of the gospel of Luke found in 19:10, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost,” we must understand 1:35, “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.”
This was the angel’s explanation as to how God would come into this world.
The Angel’s greeting to Mary is most significant. “And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” Then in verse 30 the angel says, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”
Let us not blow this out of proportion to make it mean something the Scriptures never meant it to mean. God highly honored Mary for a job that is very special to God. She will be the entry point of God coming into this world.
The reason God had to come into this world by way of the “virgin birth” is based upon what I talked about last week.
The sin nature, human depravity, comes to us through the father’s line. It is interesting to note that in the gospel of Luke he does not give us Joseph’s line, but rather Mary’s.
Our sin nature is inherited from our father.
In order for Jesus Christ to be the perfect Lamb of God, without sin, He had to come into this world but He had to bypass a human father.
There is only one other person who came into this world without an earthly father. That person was Adam.
Romans 5:12, 14,
“12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” “ 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
1Cor. 15:22
“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”
1Cor. 15:45
“And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.”
The first Adam’s birth was a miracle. There was no human intervention. The first Adam did not have a sin nature. That came later.
The second Adam, Christ, had to come into this world as the first Adam without a sin nature. In order to do that, He had to bypass a human father.
Thus, we have the Virgin birth.
Gabriel outlines to Mary how this would happen.
1. “The Holy Spirit will come upon you.”
This represents the initial work, which is the work of the Holy Spirit. This initial work was to prepare Mary for the second part of this.
Mary had nothing whatsoever to do with this. If she had anything at all to do with it, it was in the area of submission and obedience. (1:38), “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
2. “The power of the Most High will overshadow you.”
The second part is the invasion of the Holy Spirit. This is where the Holy Spirit penetrates the human shield, or soul.
With Mary, it was the impregnation process from God. How He did it, we do not know. Much of God’s work is shrouded in mystery and beyond the scope of human perception. The only way we can identify God’s work is the fruit of that work.
In Mary’s case, the verification of this was her pregnancy. This pregnancy was not a result of any human work.
When the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary, God did His work in her that resulted in her becoming pregnant.
3. “Therefore the child to be born will be called holy – the son of God.”
This is the faith element.
This is where the Holy Spirit releases the image of God within the womb of Mary. The child to be born will not have a sin nature.
Notice the word “holy.”
That word means to be pure, transparent, but it also means to be complete. The child born of Mary would be a complete man from God’s perspective, which means He does not have a sin nature.
If Jesus Christ is to be the perfect Lamb of God and the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world He cannot have a sin nature. To be the sacrifice acceptable to God demanded that he be absolutely pure. Therefore, when Christ was born he was born without a sin nature in order to deal with our sin nature.
II. God Entering Into Our Life/Soul.
God breaking through the shield of human depravity and penetrating the human soul is as miraculous as the Virgin birth. Because Jesus Christ was the perfect sacrifice without any sin nature, He paved the way for all of us to be converted.
The same way the Virgin Mary was impregnated is the same way God penetrates the human soul.
1. The Divine Initiative: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you.”
This is the beginning stages of what we call our conversion experience. It is the work of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said in John 6:44, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
It is the Holy Spirit taking the initiative in coming to the heart of men and women. This is the first stage of God’s encounter with men and women.
We often refer to this as conviction. Conviction is the sole work of the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit is not convicting a person, it will bear no fruit. We sometimes get in the way of the Holy Spirit’s work in some person’s life.
Our job is to clear the deck so the Holy Spirit can do His work. Get out of His way.
2. The Divine Invasion: “The power of the Most High will overshadow you.”
After the initial work of conviction, the Holy Spirit is ready to penetrate that human shield, depravity, and enter the human soul and do the work that needs to be done.
This is where conversion takes place. It is the innermost part of man that was created in the image of God. That is the part of man that died when Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden.
“And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1).
It was the soul of man that was dead permitting the flesh to rule mankind with all the depraved carnal desires and appetites. Unless the Holy Spirit penetrates into this area of man, conversion cannot take place. This is the Divine invasion separating me from the tyranny of depravity.
2. The Divine Fruit: “therefore the child to be born will be called holy – the Son of God.”
The work of the Holy Spirit in my life begins with conviction and works towards conversion in order to release within me the divine image… Or I might say the divine DNA.
We are, following our conversion, the sons of God.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (II Corinthians 5:17).
We now are in a position to glorify, worship, and serve God in a way that pleases Him.
There are three stages to all of this.
(1) Justification: a legal standing with God. What Jesus Christ did on the cross provided this. This justification includes every person, man, woman that has ever lived or ever will live. Not everybody is justified, but the provision for that justification has already been set forth.
(2) Sanctification: a spiritual development (both a crisis and progressive work) that leads me towards Christ-likeness. This is the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in my life focused in one direction. Everything happening to me now under the leadership of the Holy Spirit is to bring me to this point of Christ-likeness.
(3) Glorification: this is when my body will be absolutely free from every trace of human depravity. This is what I have to look forward to in heaven. Not one trace of sin will be found in my body. Right now, my body is wracked with all the elements of sin and depravity. Oh, for that day when this body of mine will be free from human depravity.
Conclusion…
From a human standpoint, my Christianity, in all of its ramifications, is humanly impossible. From the very first moment when I stand before Him face to face in heaven, my Christian experience is a miracle of God. I rejoice today in the miracle of God that I called my journey with Jesus.
For the Christian… I have great reason to rejoice each day of my life. Although I face a lot of trials and tribulations, my life is lived above all of these elements. I am walking in the power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit every day of my life. Sure, I have trials and tribulations galore. However, my focus is on Jesus. The only way I can keep my focus on Jesus is by submitting myself to the work of the Holy Spirit each day of my life.
For the non-Christian… All of your work, all of your labor will not bring you any wit closer to God. Only by the work of the Holy Spirit can you be brought into a “saving relationship” with God. Your part is to surrender to the work of the Holy Spirit right now. Obey Him as best you know how and allow Him to do the work that He is the lighting to do to bring you into a wonderful relationship with Jesus Christ.
It is impossible for you to become a Christian, however, “For nothing will be impossible with God.”
My life in God’s hands is a walking miracle. There is no human explanation for the joy I experienced day by day in my walk with Jesus.
