Okay, She Had A Baby - What’s So Special About That?

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."