"Uncommon Birth"

“Uncommon Birth”

Matthew 1:18 – 2:23

INTRODUCTION: People celebrate Christmas in different ways. There are different family traditions … different customs … BUT … the SAME BIRTH!

Things sure have changed over the past 2000 years:

o NOW – Santa comes at night … presents are opened as soon as everyone wakes up.

o THEN – On the 1st Christmas … ONE GIFT was presented to the Shepherds while everyone else was asleep.

o IT STARTED OUT – Wise Men came from the EAST.

o NOW – Santa comes from the NORTH Pole.

o IT STARTED OUT – Gifts were brought by CAMELS.

o NOW – Gifts are brought by a sleigh with REINDEERS.

o IT STARTED OUT – A STAR led the way for the Wise Men.

o NOW – A reindeer with a SHINING NOSE leads the way.

o NOW – We have a CHRISTMAS TREE with lights, tensile, decorations … the smell of turkey, egg-nog & hot apple cider.

o THEN – A LOWLY STABLE … with hay … and animal smells.

o NOW – We have “Jingle Bells”.

o THEN – The cry of a mother in pain, giving birth.

o NOW – We go in DEBT buying presents.

o THEN – The payment for our sin was given as a FREE GIFT.

Things have changed a lot in 2000 years … BUT … Jesus hasn’t … the Christmas story hasn’t. This was a birth like no other.

It shouldn’t be UNUSUAL for this UNUSUAL PERSON to have an UNUSUAL BIRTH. God had a PLAN. We plan WEDDINGS … God planned the BIRTH of His Son.

The ANGELS may have had a DIFFERENT PLAN:

o ANGELS - They may have wanted 10’s of 1000’s of TRUMPETS to announce His birth.

o GOD – Only wanted 1 angelic messenger – Gabriel.

o ANGELS – Probably wanted a fireworks display of shooting stars to light the sky.

o GOD – Only wanted 1 star over Bethlehem.

o ANGELS – Probably wanted to open the windows of Heaven & pour out untold wealth on this new King.

o GOD – Chose only 3 gifts from the Wise Men.

o ANGELS – Probably wanted a birth announcement sent to Royalty, Heads of Government, Religious Leaders.

o GOD – Chose to announce it only to some poor Shepherds.

YET … God had it all planned out. NOT LIKE we would have planned it, perhaps. BUT THEN … this was GOD’S Son.

There was nothing unusual about MY BIRTH. HOWEVER, they tell me that the Doctor took one look at my face … and slapped my mother! (an old joke!).

BUT … the birth of Jesus was VERY UNUSUAL.

I. UNCOMMON PREGNANCY – Matthew 1:18

Jesus had to be born without any sin. IF He was to take our sin upon Himself, He must have none of his own … OR ELSE … He would be in need of a Savior. Nobody has ever done that before or since. No other “religion” has such a Savior.

ALL of us have a SIN NATURE … we inherited it from Adam. It has been passed down from generation to generation. This is something you can blame your FATHER for!

BESIDES … a child of Joseph couldn’t have been the Messiah. Besides having a sin nature … which he would have passed on to Jesus … a curse was placed on his family tree – 1:11. Jeremiah 22:30 says that “no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David and ruling any more in Judah.”

Jechonias (called Coniah in Jeremiah) was the great, great (12 times) grandfather of Joseph. Jesus couldn’t have sat on the Throne of David in God’s Kingdom … IF … he were the son of Joseph.

II. UNCOMMON PROTECTION – Matthew 1:19

It was a common practice for a man to have his wife stoned to death as an adulteress. That’s what many men did … it was perfectly acceptable … it was Biblical. Most men wouldn’t have stood by their espoused wife, like Joseph did.

IMAGINE THE SCENE:

Mary has been acting a little strange around Joseph lately … maybe avoiding him.

She has put on a little weight … sick most every morning when Joseph came by.

THEN … she tells Joseph that she is expecting a baby.

AND … that Joseph isn’t the father (he already knew that!).

THEN … she gives him a story about an angel appearing to her … telling her that she is going to give birth to GOD’S son.

Joseph may have loved Mary very much … BUT … this was TOO MUCH! No way! Just divorce her!

BUT … NOTICE how God protects them both – 1:20. What a COMFORT this must have been for Mary & Joseph. NOW … Joseph doesn’t have just Mary’s word.