Lessons from the Birth of Christ

1. Read: Matthew 1:18-25

2. About the Text:

1) Jesus, even in his infant state, fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament.

2) The evidence leads to the conclusion that Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah.

3. Ref. to S, T, P, O, and A.

1. Born of a virgin.

i. 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.”

ii. “Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” (Matt.1:22-23).

iii. Before Mary and Joseph “came together” (1:18).

iv. And that Joseph “knew her not” until after Jesus was born (1:25).

v. Many things could have undermined Mary’s claim of a virgin birth.

vi. Jesus was born that way because God took care of all the details.

2. Born in the city of Bethlehem.

i. Micah 5:2 “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”

ii. “And when he (Herod) had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel” (Matthew 2:4-6).

iii. Many things that could have invalidated this prophecy.

iv. God promised that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem and He made it happen.

3. Called out of Egypt.

i. Hosea 11:1 “When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.”

ii. “And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.” (Matt.2:15).

iii. Evil men cannot thwart the purposes of God.

iv. God’s promise that the Messiah would come out of Egypt and it happened.

4. God keeps his promises!

i. Isaiah 55:11 “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”

ii. “For no word from God shall be void of power.” (Luke 1:37).

iii. God kept his promises; He will keep His promises for salvation if we are obedient.

1. Joseph was obedient to the command of the angel.

i. “Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she shall bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name JESUS; for it is he that shall save his people from their sins. Now all this is come to pass, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, And they shall call his name Immanuel; which is, being interpreted, God with us.” (Matthew 1:20-23).

ii. “And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took unto him his wife; and knew her not till she had brought forth a son: and he called his name JESUS.” (Matthew 1:24, 25).

iii. Joseph was obedient in doing the following:

1) Taking Mary to be his wife, and calling the name of the child Jesus.

2) The text says, he “did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.”

iv. We are offered salvation through obedience today as well.

1) Hebrews 5:8, 9 reads, “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;”

2) John 3:36 ASV “He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life; but he that obeyeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

2. Joseph and Mary were obedient to the law of the land.

i. Caesar declared an enrollment for all people (Luke 2:1-4).

ii. In obedience to Caesar’s command, Joseph and Mary go to Bethlehem.

iii. Do we obey our government as Joseph and Mary?

iv. “Let every soul be in subjection to the higher powers: for there is no power but of God; and the {powers} that be are ordained of God. Therefore he that resisteth the power, withstandeth the ordinance of God: and they that withstand shall receive to themselves judgment.” (Romans 13:1, 2).

3. The wise men were obedient to God’s warning.

i. Matthew 2:12 records, “And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.”

ii. Isaiah 50:10 reads, “Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.”

4. Joseph and Mary were obedient in fleeing to Egypt. Matthew records, “And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.” (Matthew 2:13-15).

1. The testimony of the Holy Spirit in the virgin pregnancy.

2. The testimony of the angel.

i. That the Holy Spirit has conceived this child. (1:20).

ii. That the name of the child would be Jesus—savior. (1:21).

iii. That the child would save his people from their sins. (1:21)

iv. That this was in fulfillment of the prophecy. (1:22)

v. Jesus would be born of a virgin (1:23).

vi. That Jesus would be called Immanuel (1:23).

3. The testimony of the name “Joshua” and “Immanuel.”

i. The name Jesus in Hebrew is Joshua and means savior.

ii. The name Immanuel means “God with us.”

4. The testimony of Joseph.

i. He heard the word of God (1:24).

ii. He kept Mary to himself for his wife. (1:24)

iii. He named the child according to the word of the angel—Jesus. (1:25)

5. The testimony of Mary.

i. She submitted to the will of the Holy Spirit.

ii. She was obedient to her husband.

iii. She was obedient to the government.

6. The testimony of the star.

i. The star appeared in the sky east of the wise men to show the birth of the savior. (2:2)

ii. The star disappeared in the presence of Herod (2:2) and reappeared later.

iii. “the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.” (2:9)

7. The testimony of the wise men.

i. “Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.” (2:2)

ii. “When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.” (2:10)

iii. They sought for and found the one who was born “King of the Jews.” (2:2)

iv. The wise men “worshipped” Jesus and offered gifts (2:11)

v. They refused to return or to send word to Herod (2:12).

8. The testimony of the chief priests and scribes in answer to Herod’s question, “In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.” (Matt.2:5, 6).

9. The testimony of the prophets.

i. Isaiah testified of the nature of Jesus birth—of a virgin. (Isaiah 7:14).

ii. Micah testified of the place of Jesus birth—the city of Bethlehem. (Micah 5:2)

iii. Hosea testified of the protection of Jesus birth—to come out of Egypt. (Hosea 11:1)

10. The testimony of Matthew himself as a historian, apostle, and inspired man.

11. Even the testimony of Herod who took the wise men seriously.

12. No less than these eleven avenues of testimony regarding the birth of Christ.

i. Each avenue of testimony builds the case that Jesus is the Messiah.

ii. Each avenue of testimony directly supports Jesus claim to be the Savior of the world.

1. We have noticed three specific lessons from the birth of Christ

i. God keeps his promises.

ii. Obedience leads to salvation.

iii. Jesus is the savior.

2. Invitation