The Reality of the Virgin Birth
Matthew 1:18-25
We live in a day of Oprah-style “cafeteria religion,” people believe that they can just pick and choose what to believe they say, “I’ll have some of this, but I don’t want any of that. I don’t like that.” They pick and choose what suits their fancy, as if they are free to take whatever they like from the Christian faith and disregard the rest. According to this view, it really doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you’re tolerate and accepting toward others, no matter what they believe.
Jesus once asked the Pharisees a question about Himself that men have asked in every generation since. “What do you think about the Christ…whose son is He?” (Matthew 22:42) The question for us today is, “How important is it that we believe in the Virgin Birth of Jesus?” Doubts about Jesus’ birth are not new, if you go all the way back to the gospel accounts, you can find hints here and there that even in Jesus’ lifetime, there were rumors about his unusual birth and some people thought He was illegitimate. In John 8:41 the enemies of the Lord make the statement, “We were not born of fornication.” That slander has been repeated across the generations down to the present day. In 1970 (Sept. 11 issue), Christianity Today published a survey that revealed that the virgin birth is denied by 60 percent of Methodists, 49 percent of Presbyterians, 44 percent of Episcopalians, 34 percent of American Baptists, and 19 percent of American Lutherans. I think that we can safely assume that those numbers have not improved with age! It seems that every decade or so the world feels led to attack the person of Jesus, but it is not His humanity that they attack it is His divinity.
There are a few things we should establish about belief in the virgin birth. First, it is clearly taught in the Bible. Isaiah prophesied it 700 years before Christ’s birth (Isa. 7:14). Matthew and Luke explicitly included it in their gospels. And secondly, it has been universally believed. In fact until the last 150 years, few people challenged this teaching. With the rise of liberal Christianity, some theologians have attacked this doctrine as a fanciful superstition, or they have branded it a legend created to make Jesus seem divine, or they have said the church borrowed a pagan myth or a Jewish tradition, or they have declared that the silence of the New Testament outside of Matthew and Luke regarding the Virgin Birth must mean that either it doesn’t matter or it didn’t happen.
It is certain, that is which is genuine Satan will counterfeit. Critics say that the virgin birth is just a myth similar to other ancient myths; there are virgin birth myths in Greek, Assyrian, Egyptian and Chinese religions. One legend even claims Buddha was conceived by an elephant. But fraudulent claims do not diminish the real; one does not counterfeit that which is not valuable. It’s not surprising that Satan would invent many such counterfeit stories to confuse and cloud the facts surrounding the birth of the Savior.
The virgin birth is not just an option to be considered indeed what we need to understand is that the Virgin Birth rests on the “great divide” that separates those who believe the Bible is God’s Word, and those who don’t. James Montgomery Boice states it well when he wrote, “Christianity is not just a collection of random truths, any of which could be dropped with little harm. It is truth, and truth is a whole. Conseq-uently, a slackening at any point to drop this doctrine or that doctrine, even though we cannot see at the time how it will affect the rest, it nevertheless does affect the rest! And Christianity and ourselves are the poorer for the loss. What we want to ask ourselves is; Does the Word of God teach this truth? For if it does; we want to believe it and turn to God for increased understanding.” [James Montgomery Boice. The Christ of Christmas (Chicago: Moody Press, 1983) p. 51]
Matthew was one of the original twelve disciples and we can assume that his source was either Jesus or Mary. Luke states that he made a careful investigation of the facts and talked with eyewitnesses (Luke 1:1-4). As I stated last week as we examined the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew. The indication of the unusual birth of Jesus found in when Matthew gets to Joseph (v. 16) there he changes from so and so begot so and so and states that Joseph was “the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born.” The “whom” is feminine in Greek, showing that Joseph was not the physical father of Jesus.
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. (19) Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. (20) But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. (21) And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He (“He” is emphatic – He and no other) will save His people from their sins." (22) So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: (23) "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us." (24) Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, (25) and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.”
Matthew tells the story of the birth of Jesus from the viewpoint of Joseph, just as Luke tells the story of the birth of Jesus from the viewpoint of Mary.
Notice three things with me!
First, Joseph’s Distress. (1: 19)
“Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.”
Before we judge Joseph, what would you do if the one you were engaged to, became pregnant and you knew you had nothing to do with it. Such was the case for a humble, honorable carpenter living in northern Israel over 2,000 years ago.
We need to understand that betrothal was such a bending contract in Jewish culture that it took a divorce to break it. Although Joseph was not Mary’s husband in the sense that the marriage had been physically consummated, he was still considered Mary’s husband by engagement. When Joseph is made aware the Mary is pregnant he had two choices. He can divorce her publicly but this will not only publicly disgrace her but make her liable to be stoned for adultery. The only other option is to divorce her as privately as possible. Joseph had made the honorable decision to quietly dissolve his betrothal to Mary.
It is interesting to note that Joseph’s desire to be true to the law of God did not lead him to a desire to humiliate the one he thought had offended. He does not consider his own hurt sufficient reason to exact revenge. Nor did he hastily rush through with the divorce but gave the matter considerable thought and prayer.
Joseph’s Distress leads to ….
Secondly, Joseph’s Dream. (1:20-23)
•Joseph’s Anguish (vv. 20-21)
“But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. (21) And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins."
And while Joseph was still thinking about it but leaning toward carrying out the divorce he has a visit from an unexpected source. No doubt as Joseph lies down to sleep his head is swirling with a multitude of thoughts, emotions and regrets. “How could Mary do such a thing? What is going to happen to her now? What how am I suppose to go on?” But as soon as Joseph falls asleep God sends comfort. An angel (angellos – messenger) appears in his dream and tells
Joseph not to fear the consequences of taking Mary as his wife, she had not been unfaithful, the child was conceived in her by the Holy Spirit, the child will be a son and his name is to be called Jesus.
Now that his anguish of soul has been lifted Joseph must have turned to trying to fathom the unimaginable responsibility given to them by God. Think of it….they were to be the human parents of the Son of God.
•Matthew’s Application (vv. 22-23)
“So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: (23)
"Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is trans-lated, "God with us."
These words are not a part of the message of the angel to Joseph but are included by Matthew as an explanation that all that happened was a part of God’s plan from the beginning.
There is a lot of debate concerning the meaning of the Old Testament text that Matthew quotes here, (Isa. 7:14) “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” The debate is over the interpretation of the Hebrew word (almah) trans-lated “virgin.” The argument is that the word does not necessarily mean “virgin,” though it almost always does. It can mean something equivalent to “young maiden” according to the argument it only means a young woman of marriageable age. But the issue is rather ridiculous given the fact that the Old Testament never uses the word in a context other than speaking of a virgin. But even if you believe the word means “young maiden” Isaiah said this birth was to be a “sign.” Each year thousands and thousands of young Hebrew wives gave birth each year how could the birth of Jesus stand out from all the others. But whatever Isaiah’s under-standing of the subject there can be no doubt that Matthew meant to convey that Jesus was conceived by God apart from any human father.
The realization that Joseph ultimately came to was; “A virgin – my wife, Mary – will give birth to a son. This son will be the long awaited Messiah and I will be his earthly father!” How staggering is that!!!
Joseph’s Dream leads to ….
Third, Joseph’s Compliance. (1:24-25)
“Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, (25) and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.”
When Joseph arose from his sleep he did as he had been instructed - by accepting Mary as his wife and when the child was born he called him Jesus. His naming the child means that he adopted him legally as his own.
There are some unfounded beliefs that have arisen over the years concerning Mary. I want to deal with only two as they touch on the birth of Jesus; they are the Immaculate Conception, and Mary’s Perpetual Virginity. Each of this is as an invention of man and is meant to honor Mary but ends up exalting her in an unbiblical manner. I want to take just a few moments to consider each of these. Out of deep love for Mary some venerate, or honor her in a way that borders on, if it is not outright worship. There is no doubt that Mary was special, why else would she have been chosen to be the mother of Jesus. Yet is not necessary to elevate Mary to a place of worship in order to recognize her special place in God’s plan.
•Mary’s Immaculate Conception
Most evangelical Christians assume that the Immaculate Conception refers to Jesus, but that’s not what it means. The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception is the belief that Mary herself was conceived and born without any sin and that she lived a sinless life. This was not official church dogma until Pope Pius IX declared it in 1854.
•Mary’s Perpetual Virginity.
The doctrine is the Perpetual Virginity of Mary teaches that Mary was a virgin and always remained a virgin—that is, she never had any other children after
Jesus.
Verse twenty-five says that Joseph “…did not know her until she had brought forth her first born son.” The word “know” here is the biblical word for sexual intimacy. These words certainly imply if they it does not state that Joseph and Mary had normal marital relations after the birth of Jesus. The doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary is an unbiblical doctrine which did not appear before the fifth century.
There is no biblical basis for the view that
Mary remained a virgin all her life. Other Scriptures (Matt. 13:55, 56; Mark 6:3) show that Mary had other children. If they were Joseph’s children by an earlier marriage, one of them, not Jesus, would have been heir to the throne of David. Matthew 1:25 implies that Mary and Joseph had normal relations as husband and wife after Jesus’ birth.
Application
Why we must believe in the virgin birth!
1.Belief in the virgin birth is essential to affirm the truthfulness of the Bible.
Since the Bible clearly teaches the virgin birth of Jesus, you can’t consistently claim to believe anything else the Bible says and at the same time deny the virgin birth. Matthew (1:23) asserts for his Jewish readers that the virgin birth of Jesus was the fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14. If it cannot be believed at this point why should we believe anything else it says?
2.Belief in the virgin birth is essential to affirm the deity of Jesus Christ.
If Jesus Christ is the son of a human father and a human mother through natural biological processes, then He is not God in human flesh. It’s that simple.
3.Belief in the virgin birth is essential to affirm the sinless humanity of Jesus Christ.
If Jesus was born of natural parents, then He was born a sinner like all other human beings, and He would have needed a Savior for Himself. If He had sin of His own, He could not have died as the substitute for your sins. If He did not die as your substitute then you are lost, and without hope.
Christmas isn’t just a story to make us feel warm and fuzzy about family, friends, and peace on earth. At the heart of the Christmas story is that the human race is lost, alienated from the holy God because of our sin.
Talk-show host Larry King has asked hundreds of people thousands of questions. He was once asked who he would like to interview if he could choose anyone from all of history. Is answer was, “Jesus Christ. I would ask Him if he was indeed virgin born. The answer to that question would define history for me.” Even Larry King understands our faith raises and falls on the virgin birth. Does it really matter what I believe about the virgin birth? Yes! Yes! Yes!
Many people are willing to recognize Jesus as a great teacher, great model of moral character, and even a great prophet but that is not enough. One has to wonder why anyone would want to be identified with a person if in their judgment of Him He is either deceived or deceptive. Apart from Jesus being both human and divine there is NO GOOD NEWS!!!!!
So the miracle of the virgin birth is not some trivial aspect of the birth of Jesus that we can just choose to accept or reject. If you do not believe Jesus was born of a virgin you cannot be saved!
The Reality of the Virgin Birth
Matthew 1:18-25
First, Joseph’s _____________________ (1: 19)
Second, Joseph’s __________________ (1:20-23)
•Joseph’s Anguish (vv. 20-21)
•Matthew’s Application (vv. 22-23)
Third, Joseph’s ____________________ (1:24-25)
•Mary’s Immaculate ____________________
Is the belief that _________ herself was conceived and born without any sin and that she lived a sinless life.
•Mary’s Perpetual ________________________.
Teaches that Mary was a virgin and always after Jesus. (Matt. 13:55, 56; Mark 6:3 show that Mary had other children) v. 25 implies Joseph and Mary had normal marital relations after the birth of Jesus.
Application
Why we must believe in the virgin birth!
1.Belief in the virgin birth is essential to affirm the __________________________ of the Bible.
Matthew 1:23 asserts that the virgin birth of Jesus was the fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14.
2.Belief in the virgin birth is essential to affirm the _____________ of Jesus Christ.
3.Belief in the virgin birth is essential to affirm the _____________________ humanity of Jesus Christ.
