Testimony for the Christ Child
Matthew 1:18-25
* Think about the word “testimony” for a while. In legal terms, testimony is a form of evidence obtained from a witness who makes a solemn statement or declaration of fact. It may be written or oral. Generally, an opinion or inference is not allowed because it has no basis of substantiation. If you are called as a witness, you gave offer testimony only about that which you know firsthand. However, what is called an “Expert Witness” is an exception. This witness is called to render an ‘expert opinion’ because of his qualification by virtue of His education, training, skill, &/or experience.
* In our text, I believe we discover an “expert witness” giving “expert testimony” about an ‘expert person’ who will change the course of history. The angel is an expert by creation, experience, skill, and assignment. Furthermore, this angel is bearing the testimony of Jehovah God about God’s Son, Jesus, coming to earth.
* In this testimony is a message which holds the offer of hope, of peace, and of life. This testimony reminds us that God is in charge, watches over all that happens, and has a plan for you and me. He has placed full confidence for His plan in His Son and the angel testifies to this face. I offer 4 points:
1. His Protection – In our society, before a baby or child is given to couple, the adoption agency carefully checks out potential parents. I don’t know the entire battery of checks which they go through, but I understand it to be extensive. I would guess that their finances are checked, their ability care for a child would be analyzed, and that their character would be scrutinized. That adoption agency wants to make sure that they have chosen the right parents for this child. Consider the extent a human agency goes through to place a child in the right hands and compare that to the scrutiny given by God to Mary and Joseph. God was placing His Own and Only Son into the hands of a couple of His created being and these two were not just chosen arbitrarily. Mary and Joseph was a couple about to get married who kept their lives morally and spiritually pure. Did you hear those two terms? Morally and Spirit! They are in order, but are also interchangeable because you will never be spiritually pure while living an immoral life, but you will never live morally pure while living an unspiritual life. The moral code you break may not necessarily be “sexual”, but morality will lose its appeal when you try to live apart from a relationship with God through Jesus.
* Mary and Joseph were obviously God’s chosen parents to protect Jesus from some of the things of this world. Think about this; When Jesus was threatened by Herod, scriptures record Joseph, on speaking term with angels, was told to take Jesus out of the country to Egypt for protection.
* Joseph was the man who would uproot His entire family at the divine call of the Father through His messenger. Scripture tells us that God’s spirit hovered over Jesus all along His earthly Journey. In Luke 2 tells us He was strong in Spirit and God’s grace was upon Him, In Matthew 3, the Spirit of God fell like a dove at His Baptism, and upon the Mount of Transfiguration God’s Spirit feel once again. Every step Jesus took from Birth to death to resurrection to ascension was guarded and guided by the Father. Why? Because the second point of the angel’s testimony.
2. His Paternity – The very reason this truth is important is to establish who His Father really is. The text tells us that Mary was made pregnant by the Holy Spirit. This may Jehovah God His Father and Mary His Mother. But, He was NOT 50% God and 50% man; He was 100% God and 100% man. Because of His paternity, He was the GOD-MAN. There had never been one like Him, there is none like Him, and there will never be another like Him. John 3:16 says, “God gave His – ‘only begotten’, ‘one and only’, ‘one who is special and unique’ Son.” There are many way we know this. From the scriptures we know that Joseph was put off by the fact that Mary was pregnant before they were married. Additionally, verse 25 tells us that Joseph didn’t ‘know’ Mary in an intimate way until after Jesus was born. Furthermore, at least twice, God pronounced from Heaven His personal affirmation that Jesus was indeed His Son and that he was PROUD of Him.
* By the way, Fathers and Mothers give a part of themselves to their offspring. Like it or not, I am partially like my mom and partially like my dad. So are you. The miracle of Jesus is that He is totally human like Mary. This means that in His humanity, everything you and I had to learn—He had to learn, everything we had to deal with—He had to deal with, and everything we feel—He felt. How important is this? It is important to remember that 33 years later when He died on the cross for my sins and your sins, He suffered intense pain at the scourging post, He fatigued under the weight of the 120 pound cross-member as He carried it toward Calvary, His body jerk in pain as the nails were driven, & His eyes watered as the crown of thorns embedded into His head. The nerves and muscles of His body were on fire as He hung on the cross. The humanity, given by His mother, was there.
* The divinity of His Father was also present. In His human pain and suffering Jesus was able to see the larger picture of what was happening. This is how He held His peace in front of His accusers, this is how He prayed for those who were driving the nails, “Father, do not hold this sin to their charge,” and this is He said, “It is FINISHED!” His earthly ministry was finished, Sin’s strangle hold on mankind was finished, death was finished, and God’s plan was finished. Only because of His paternity could this divinely happen. Jesus was the Human son of Mary and the divine Son of God.
3. His Promise – We already know that God’s messenger, the angel, has testified as to God’s protection for the Christ Child because a Father protects His Son and we have seen that Jesus was fully God and fully man. Our finite minds cannot comprehend all that this means, but through Holy Scripture we know it to be true. Jesus was the Child of promise after promise after promise. In His birth, Jesus fulfilled a huge number of Old Testament prophecies. After a little investigation, it would seem that there are over 300 prophecies which were fulfilled in Jesus. Years ago I heard John Hagee give the illustration that the “odds” of one Baby fulfilling all these scriptures could be likened to; placing silver dollars side by side (touching) over the entire state of Texas. Now Just one layer, but 6 layers deep. In this mass of silver dollars there would be ONE MARKED silver dollar. He said the odds of you walking out in the state and picking up the marked silver dollar in one try is about the same as one baby fulfilling all of the prophecies in God’s word. This week I read that the odds of you getting struck by lightning in a year is 1 in 700,000 while the odds of being struck and killed is 1 in 1 million. To only fulfill only 8 of these over 300 prophecies is less likely than to experience a lightning strike. I went through these stats to illustrate just how unlikely it is that the ENTIRETY of the OLD TESTAMENT points to ONE CHILD. Yet, it does and it is Jesus. In Jesus is the promise of the Old Testament Prophets and the heart of Jehovah God. Look in verse 22 & 23. (Read) This is a reminder of the prophet Isaiah.
* He is “Immanuel” which means “God is With Us.” Can you think about that just a little while? When God created mankind, He did so that He could have fellowship with us. I love the Genesis passage which says, “God walked with Adam in the cool of the day.” This is God’s desire for us, to walk with us in the cool of the day. When man chose sin over God, the walking together could no longer take place because where sin is, God isn’t.
* In fact, God hate sin so much that when His Son became sin, He shut off the light of the sun so He didn’t have to look at it. Yet, when He sent Jesus, He sent a part of Himself to dwell with us. The KJV says in John 1:14, “The word became flesh & dwelt among us.” The HCSB says, He “took up residence” with us. The Greek literally means that He “pitched His tent” among us. When someone pitches a tent it means they are living as you live, and yet as planning to live permanently where you are living. He is God with US. He was promise and given to us by God for a specific reason.
4. His Purpose – I find that there is a great deal of confusion about Jesus today, and certainly there was confusion in His day. Today some see Jesus only as a good man, a name to swear by, and or a fine religious leader. He was indeed a good man and a fine leader, but according to the religious people of His day, He wasn’t very religious. To use His name to swear is blasphemy.
* Some think He came only to make their lives better and to serve them, and to service their every desire. Jesus lived the original ‘purpose-driven life’ and His purpose was simple (Read verse 21). Do we understand this? He came to save people from their sin. This was the message of the prophets and the angels, but it was also the message of Jesus. In Matthew 9:12-13, He says, “Well people don’t need a doctor, sick people do..I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
* Consider this message and ask, “Why wouldn’t Jesus want the righteous?” Could it be because the righteous are self-sustaining, self-sufficient, and self-assured to the point of arrogance? So they need nothing, will surrender nothing, and literally will sacrifice nothing. Perhaps these people are the very ones who cannot be changed. From reading of the gospels, Jesus always went to extra mile to assist anyone who was open to the gospel, but He wasted little time on those who resisted and rejected His message. He didn’t come to argue, debate, or force people to follow Him. He came to give the offer of forgiveness, hope, and salvation to every man and that offer is still good today.
* The testimony from the angel for the Christ child is that “HE came to save His people from their sins.”
* Now that is testimony has been given and the closing argument made, here is the pertinent question, “Do you believe” and “Will you receive?” It’s the time we celebrate the birth of this Christ Child. He came to us that we might come to Him. Have you come to Him?
* Jordan E. Detzer was invited to preach for a pastor a week before Christmas. During the service he noticed that there was a manger scene on the altar. But on closer inspection, he saw only farm animals by the lighted barn. He couldn’t find a baby in the manger. When the time came for the sermon, he walked to the altar and asked the congregation if they had seen Jesus. Everyone looked perplexed. He told them, "I looked all over the altar but couldn’t find the baby Jesus anywhere." A woman in the choir responded, "I know where Jesus is. He is still in the box we haven’t unpacked yet."
* Have you unpacked Jesus in your life?
