Title: Birth of Christ; Savior of the World
Text:
Matthew Chapter 1:
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.
19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her, desired to put her away secretly.
20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
21 "And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins."
22 Now all this took place that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying,
23 "BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD, AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated means, "GOD WITH US."
24 And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took her as his wife,
25 and kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.
Introduction
Christmas is a joyful occasion. I remembered when I was much younger; I always look forward towards the Christmas season.
I loved the sound Christmas advertisement that came on TV programmes. “Metro Christmas Magic”. The glittering lights of Orchard road and the toys I knew I would received from my family.
It was not until much later, that Christmas took on a different meaning for me. It was then I realized that the central figure of Christmas was not Santa Claus but the birth of Jesus Christ.
The story took place 2000 years ago, in a town known as Nazereth in Israel. Mary had been betrothed to Joseph.
Weddings during this time in history were very different than weddings today. Weddings consisted of two parts, the betrothal; engagement and the marriage ceremony. This may seem like our marriage, however it is quite different.
The betrothal was a form of engagement agreed to by a parent or brother sealed with a marriage contract and payment, known as a bride price or deposit. Betrothal was final and could be broken only by infidelity of the bride or groom. It was a time of probation and testing of fidelity.
The betrothal was considered marriage without consummation and living together. Social contact was limited and the marriage ceremony did not take place for up to a year or more.
The marriage ceremony was a public display of what had already taken place in the betrothal process where a family and friend celebration took place. Following the ceremony the bridegroom could then take his bride home for the first time.
It was an happy occasion, a dream that came true for Mary. She had always wanted a godly man to be her husband and God had indeed granted the desire of her hearts by giving to her Joseph, a godly man who was a strong and hardworking carpenter.
For Joseph it was love at first sight. The moment he saw her, he knew that she was made for him. She was everything he ever wanted. Small, petite, beautiful eyes and most important of all a God fearing woman.
However the happy occasion almost turned sour. Joseph received a shocking piece of news from Mary that she was pregnant. Joseph’s heart was broken. How could she do this to me? Have I judged her character wrongly? She is suppose to be a godly lady. Now she even cooked up some story that the unborn baby had been conceived by the Holy Spirit and is to be named Jesus. How could this possibly be?
Being a righteous man, who did not want to subject Mary to public scrutiny, he decided to divorce her quietly. An angel appeared to Joseph in his dream, and revealed to him that whatever Mary told him was the truth.
1. The birth of Jesus Christ came as a result of two obedient servants.
The birth of Jesus Christ the savior of the world came as a result of Mary and Joseph surrendering to the call and purposes of God in their lives.
For Mary, it was not an easy situation. If you are in Mary’s position, there would have many thoughts that would cross your mind. What if Joseph does not believe me? I would be seen as an immoral woman.
For Joseph, would have to struggle with many implications.
The birth of the savior came about because there were two godly persons who chose to obey God.
Joseph and Mary serve as a reminder to all of us in this Christmas season, that we should be obedient to his calling, plans and purposes of God.
Remember that the first coming of Christ was dependent of man’s obedience. The second coming also hinges on the obedient of the church in spreading the the gospel.
2. Jesus Christ was born as savior of the world.
The Angel proclaimed to both Mary and Joseph that the child to be born was no ordinary boy. He was to be the savior of the world.
Does the world need a savior? The answer is yes!
The world is in darkness of sin because the first man and first woman. They sinned against God and allowed the darkness of sin to creep into the world.
Sin is the result of all the problems that mankind is facing. Life’s pain and suffering is all a result of sin.
That is why the world needs a savior.
3. Jesus Christ is the only Savior.
Jesus Christ is the only Savior because He is the sinless one. No one in history dares to claim that he is without sin. One who is in the pit cannot save another in the same pit. Since all have sinned according to Romans 3:23, there no human person can save another sinner.
But Jesus is God coming to us in human flesh, and the bible says he is without sin. He is the only one who has the power and ability to save us.
4. Jesus became a savior by paying the penalty of our sins.
The penalty of sin is death or eternal damnation. The whole mankind is on the way to hell.
Romans 6:23 says “The wages of sin is death.”
Jesus became a savior, by paying the very penalty of our sins.
He died for you and me.
Conclusion
When Christ was born as a savior of the world, the world had no room for him in the Inn. He was born is the manger in a barn.
This Christmas do you have a place in your heart for the savior?
