Born Of The Virgin Mary Series

Today is the third Sunday of Advent. This is the third in a series of Advent messages on “The Marvel of Christmas.” My sermon is titled “Born of the Virgin Mary.”

Let us read Matthew 1:18-25:

"18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and 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 be with child and will 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 had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus." (Matthew 1:18-25)

Introduction

During my third year at the University of Cape Town I bought my first decent car—a 1976 Ford Escort. The car was only about three-years old, and it was in great shape. I was very glad to have that car.

Shortly after I bought the car I went home for the Christmas vacation. I had saved up enough money to buy and install a nice car radio and tape deck. I had all I needed!

One evening, just as it was getting dark, my brother shouted to me that someone was outside at the car. We rushed out but we were too late. Whoever was at the car ran off down the street as soon as he saw us.

A closer inspection revealed that this fellow had just stolen my new car radio. I did not lock the car and so it was very easy for him to get into the car and take off with my radio and tape deck.

We called the Police and they came and searched the area, but we all knew that I would never see that radio again.

I learned a valuable lesson that day. I learned that it is important to guard carefully what I consider precious.

This lesson is true in the spiritual realm as well. If we do not guard what is precious, Satan will try to steal it from us.

Satan has many different strategies. One is to take some small but foundational element of truth appear insignificant and then ridicule or call that element into question. This is Satan’s strategy of doubt.

If Satan can get people to doubt the smallest foundational truth, he can eventually destroy the entire superstructure. That is why issues like the infallibility of Scripture are so important.

If Scripture is the Word of God—and it is—then it has to be truth unmixed with error. Every detail in the Bible—including the historic, geographic, and scientific ones—must be completely accurate or it is not the Word of God.

If we fall prey to Satan’s strategy of doubt at even one point of biblical truth, we open the door to denial and unbelief. History bears testimony to the inevitability of this pattern.

The Virgin Birth is such an issue. Some see it as a non-essential issue or, worse, treat it as a myth or fable. It is neither.

Although the Church has not always been careful to guard the truth of the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ, it is foundational to the birth of Jesus and to Christianity.

Lesson

Today I would like to take another look at the Virgin Birth of Jesus. I would like to do so by examining:

1. The Biblical Statements of the Virgin Birth,

2. The Confessional Statement on the Virgin Birth,

3. The Attacks on the Virgin Birth, and

4. The Importance of the Virgin Birth.

I. The Biblical Statements of the Virgin Birth

First, let’s examine the biblical statements of the Virgin Birth.

A. The Prediction of the Virgin Birth

The Virgin Birth of Jesus was not an afterthought in God’s plans. The Old Testament has many prophecies pointing to the birth of Jesus by a virgin.

As far back as Genesis, we find hints that God was going to send a redeemer. After Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit, God pronounced this curse on the serpent: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel” (Genesis 3:15, NASB).