Son Of David, Son Of Mary, Son Of God

Son of David and Son of God

Matthew 1:20-23

Rev. Brian Bill

December 24, 2024

How are you doing hanging on to Christ this Christmas? It’s so easy to get caught up in what our world says Christmas is all about that we forget what the Word says. Jesus was born in Bethlehem and grew up to pay for the sins of the world when he died on the cross for our sins. Or, to say it another way: Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem to pay their taxes. They left with a child who would pay their debt!

We’re going to concentrate on the awe of the incarnation, on the wonder of what took place in Mary’s womb when the Sovereign Savior became final sacrifice for our sins. As we consider how the Maker of mankind became man without ceasing to be God, how can we not but rejoice?

We’re concluding our Christmas Contrasts series by focusing on Jesus as the Son of David, the son of Mary, and the Son of God who came to save people from their sins. The ultimate contrast of Christmas is how a holy God sent His sinless Son to take on human flesh to rescue us from our unholiness. Matt Smethurst says it well, “In order to be human, Jesus had to be born from a human mother, and to be God He had to be conceived not by a human father, but by the Holy Spirit.”

Here’s the sermon in a sentence: Since King Jesus came to die in your place, make sure to give Him first place in your life.

Scripture Survey

Wasn’t it great hearing a family (Mowers, Delp, and Freymann) read the Christmas narrative today? Let’s rewind and listen again to Matthew 1:20-21 because I want us to see how Jesus is the Son of David, the Son of God, and the son of Mary: “But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, [Son of David] do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit [Son of God]. She will bear a son, [son of Mary] and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’”

Most of us are familiar with Jesus being the human son of Mary and the divine Son of God, but we probably haven’t given much attention to Jesus as the Son of David.

To unpack this further, we need to go back to an Old Testament prophecy given to King David approximately 1,000 years before Jesus was born. Listen to 2 Samuel 7:12-16: “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever…And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.” Notice the word “forever” is used three times. Even though David would eventually die, he’s told his throne would be firm and fixed forever.

Three hundred years later, after David is long gone, Isaiah 9:7 picks up on this promise: “On the throne of David and over his kingdom…from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” Amos 9:11 adds, “In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen.”

Jesus is more than just a baby born in Bethlehem. He’s the King in the cradle. He is the Son of David, the son of Mary, and the Son of God. For those familiar with the Old Testament, they would have known that a future king was coming to rule on David’s throne and His kingdom would never end.

There are seventeen verses in the New Testament which describe Jesus as the “Son of David.” Let’s walk through just a few of them.

Listen afresh to the message Mary received from the angel about the child she was bearing according to Luke 1:32-33: “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of his father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” I see three implications from this passage.

• Jesus has two natures – He is truly human and truly divine.

• Jesus is Israel’s promised Messiah who will inherit the throne of David.

• Jesus will rule over a kingdom that will never end.

Luke 2:11 tells us it was no accident that King Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the city of David, because He is the Son of David, the son of Mary, and the Son of God: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” He is Savior, Christ, and Lord.