Unwrapping Christmas - Virgin Birth Series

Note: This is a lot of notes put together for a message on the virgin birth and miracles. I wanted to show it all. There is an outline as you can see. Part of it came from a message by Wayne Dority on The Virgin Birth

Title: Unwrapping Christmas: The Virgin Birth and the Miraculous Power of God

Theme: To unwrap the mysteries of Christmas. Moving beyond the glitter to the story.

Text: Luke 1:26 - 34

Offering: Malachi 3:10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do," says the LORD Almighty, "I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Try it! Let me prove it to you!

Luke 1:26-34 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, (27) to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. (28) The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." (29) Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. (30) But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. (31) You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. (32) He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, (33) and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." (34) How will this be, Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" 35 And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. (36) Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. (37) For with God nothing will be impossible." (38) Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

Introduction

This morning I would like to begin a series of messages on Christmas. The title is called "Unwrapping Christmas". I chose this because of the uniqueness of what Christmas is and the analogy of a present. There are two things that I have observed about a wrapped present.

A Wrapped Present

1) Wrapping of a present is designed to hide what is on the inside. There is a mystery there. The person is not suppose to know what is in there.

It believe this is also true when it comes to Christmas. There is a lot of mystery that surrounds it. Which brings me to my second analogy.

2) The wrapping is not what is most important. No matter how beautiful the package is. It is not about the package.

The first mystery we want to look at is this idea of the virgin birth. This obliviously is out of the norm. It is unheard of at this point. Some people try to put previous historical events with it but they don't line up with the biblical facts.

The virgin birth is one of those mysteries that astound human reasoning.

I. The Prophecy of the Virgin Birth.

A. Gen 3:15 God speaks to the serpant

"I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed.

1. Jesus is called the seed of the woman.

You can search your Bible through and you will never find this phrase used concerning anyone else except Jesus Christ.

2. No other man in history has this ever been said about.

We often read of the seed of man or Abraham's seed but this phrase is a unique concept that can only be understood in the light of the virgin birth.

B. Notice another Prophetic statement made of the virgin birth.

Jeremiah 31:32 "The Lord hath created a new thing in the earth. A woman shall compass a man."

1. This means that a woman alone, without a male, would give birth to a son.

C. Isaiah 7:14"Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold a Virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."

1. 700 years later that verse of scripture was fulfilled in

Mat. 1:21-23"She shall bring forth a son, and you shall call His name Jesus for He shall save His people from their sins...