OKAY, SHE HAD A BABY - WHAT’S SO SPECIAL ABOUT THAT?
Matt. 1:18-25
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
A Dallas Newspaper printed these responses of children who answered the question, “Where do babies come from?”
1. Linda Staley, 5; “Mommies go and buy them at stores. Girls cost $5 and boys cost 50 cents.”
2. Michael Sale, 5; “I’m not sure, but I know moms have to get them. If you’re kind of handsome, it means you’re a boy; if you’re wearing lipstick, you’re a girl.”
3. Alicia Crew, 5; “From fairy godmothers. They make them out of yarn and crayons.”
4. Kelly Sweat, 6; “They come from the frozen food section in the supermarkets, just like TV dinners. All the mommies have to do is warm them up.”
5. David Joyner, 6; “My mommy told me that storks bring them, but I know that isn’t true, because we have lots of babies around here and no storks. I think they come by UPS.”
B. TEXT
1. 18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
C. BIRTH OF BABIES – A COMMON PHENOMENA
1. Thousands of babies are born every day. Usually the birth of one more baby is no big deal (unless it’s yours).
2. Probably, when the shepherds who’d seen baby Jesus went and told friends, “A baby was born in Bethlehem last night” they responded, “So a baby was born! What’s so special about that?”
3. Here’s 4 reasons the birth of the Christmas baby was out of the ordinary & created such a fuss:
I. IT WASN’T CONCEIVED IN THE ORDINARY MANNER
A. STARTLING FACT: THE MOTHER WAS A VIRGIN
1. There are some creatures God has created which can fertilize their own eggs – but it’s impossible with humans. The male & female each contribute half of the DNA molecule.
2. But the Bible reports the incredible fact – that she was never intimate with a man! Up to the time of birth, she was still a virgin.
3. With modern reproductive techniques, such as invitro fertilization, it might still be possible for a woman to be a virgin and be pregnant.
4. But the manner of conception of this child can never be duplicated; He was conceived by the Holy Spirit of God!
B. ORIGIN OF THE CHILD
1. The Architect of the universe. The One in the beginning (John 1:2-3) who fashioned the sun and heated it to 35,000,000°F to govern the day. The One who molded a cold, shining ball 2160 miles in diameter to govern the night.
The One who also made the stars -- 100 billion of them in the Milky Way and hundreds of billions more in 100 million other galaxies. JESUS! He spoke six sextillion, 588 quintillion
short-tons of elements into existence and called it Earth. Then He set its footing and "laid its cornerstone -- while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy" (Job 38:6-7).
He shut up 132,000,000 square miles of seas behind their doors. He entered the storehouses of the snow and hail and went to the places where lightning is dispersed and the East winds are scattered over the Earth.
Then one day this Almighty God compressed Himself down to a divine cell and fused it with the ovum of a Jewish teenager.
Again and again the God-cells divided and the holy fetus grew. [Dan Betzer]
2. At last the moment of truth came and the Holy Child was born, to the singing of thousands of joyful Angels.
3. And they called his name, "Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace."
4. The birth of just another baby? Doesn't seem special unto you find out Whose Son the baby is! Unlike other babies…
II. THIS BABY FORETOLD 1000’S OF YEARS BEFORE
A. DESTINED FOR GREAT THINGS
1. It seems evident from history that some individuals are destined for greatness because of their God-given talents and abilities.
2. Examples: Leonardo Da Vinci, Einstein, Johann Sabastian Bach, Michelangelo, Isaac Newton, Louis Pasteur, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Bill Gates, etc.
3. These and others are household names because they brought great changes to the world.
B. CHRIST’S BIRTH – NOT NEW NEWS
1. The incredible importance of Christ’s birth is signaled by the fact that God began speaking of Him millennia ago. Few others were specifically named in Scripture.
2. God told the a. Place of His birth; b. the manner of His birth; c. who He would be; d. His life, death & resurrection; e. of His eternal glory throughout all ages, reigning at the right hand of God, seated on His throne!
III. THIS BABY = THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD!
A. HE WAS BORN TO DIE!
1. Verse 21 tells of His unique mission; He came to save the world from sin. No other person has ever attempted such a task.
2. This mission could only be done by Him taking all the world’s sins upon Himself and dying for us.
3. “Just as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mt. 20:28; Mk. 10:45. Who could conceive of such a mission but God Himself?
4. Jesus didn’t come here to teach, although He did some great teaching. He didn’t come here to heal, although He healed many.
5. Jesus didn’t come to set up a new ethical or moral system. If He had, He would have put on the robes of a judge and established a supreme court and lived to a ripe old age.
6. HE CAME HERE TO DIE!
B. ONLY JESUS CAN SAVE US FROM SIN
1. The Father of Jesus was God and the mother of Jesus was a woman. So the blood flowing in Jesus’ veins was the blood of God, Who has no blood, & the blood of man.
2. Because Jesus was God He could reach up and take the hand of His heavenly Father, and because He was man, He could reach down and take the hand of all of us who are sinful and He could bring us together and reconcile us to God.
3. And He’s the only One who could do that because there had never been another God-man. The Bible says, “There is one God and one mediator between God and man: the man Christ Jesus.” That’s what Jesus came to do and that’s what made Him different.
IV. THIS BABY: IS COMING BACK TO RULE!
A. THE PRESENT LOCATION OF CHRIST
1. Unlike other babies who grow up, grow old and die and are never heard from again, this Baby was resurrected and is COMING BACK someday soon! We haven’t seen the last of the Christ-child!
2. The Bible tells us that the Baby of Bethlehem isn’t in the manger anymore. He’s NOT in the carpenter shop, or out healing the sick or preaching the Gospel to the poor. He’s NOT on the cross, though many have statues of Him that way and He’s NOT in the tomb, though atheists and doubters wish He were.
3. Our Jesus is RISEN from the dead and is ALIVE forevermore! He has ASCENDED up to the Right Hand of the Father and REIGNS supreme over the universe. But that’s still not the end of the story.
B. JESUS’ NEXT APPEARANCE:
1. “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: ‘KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.’” Rev. 19:11-16.
2. You see, Jesus is coming back and we must be ready to meet Him. This is one time you don’t want to be caught by surprise!
3. The world WASN’T READY for Him the first time. WILL YOU BE READY when He comes the second time? Will you be like the Jewish leaders, the Priests, and Herod – totally unprepared at His coming?
4. Paul said, “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” Phip. 2:10-11.
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: GOD REALLY DID IT!
1. Robert Morgan tells of an episode of the Lone Ranger he saw as a child. Black-and-white television was just taking off in the Tennessee mountains when Robert was born in the early 1950s.
2. "I cut my teeth on some of the locally produced
children's shows that were broadcast live from a nearby station. One show was hosted by a cowboy wearing a mask like the Lone Ranger's.
3. He teased us about his true identity, and you can imagine our excitement when he announced one Monday that on Friday’s program he would remove his mask.
4. Ratings must have soared that week, because all of us tuned in excitedly, waiting for the dramatic moment when our cowboy host would unmask and reveal himself. What did he really look like? Who was he in real life?
5. The day came, then the hour, then the moment. Reaching behind his head he untied his mask.
6. But to our consternation, just as the mask came off he turned his back to the camera, and we were left no wiser than before. WE NEVER COULD SEE HIS FACE!
7. That's NOT WHAT GOD DID! On Christmas evening, God took off His mask. He revealed Himself to us in the Person of His Son and allowed us to see Him as He really is. When we see Jesus Christ, we are seeing the very image of Almighty God.
B. Q – HAVE YOU RECEIVED GOD’S GIFT THIS CHRISTMAS?
1. Forgiveness? 2. Holy Spirit
3. Spiritual Gifts? 4. Peace?
5. "To them that received Him (Jesus), He gave power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." John 1:12
6. Raise your hands if there's something you need to receive from Him this morning.
7. PRAYER.
