I BELIEVE IN THE VIRGIN BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST
Matthew 1:18-25
Dr. Glenn A. Jent, Pastor
INTRODUCTION
This is the third in a series of sermons on The Apostles’ Creed. We find in it a series of statements of what Christians have believed through the centuries. The creed has a series of 12 statements based upon the work of the three persons of the Trinity and may date as early as the second century. Regardless of its date of origin, its statements are based upon the teachings of the Bible. Today, we will consider the nature of the birth of Jesus Christ.
I. I BELIEVE GOD IS THE FATHER OF JESUS CHRIST.
1. Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Ghost (Spirit).
(1) Angel to Joseph: “What is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit” (v. 20).
(2) Angel to Mary: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Luke 1:35).
2. Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
(1) Angel to Mary: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).
(2) God to Us: “‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’—which means ‘God with us’” (v. 23). See Isaiah 7:14 for the original prophetic statement.
As I have mentioned previously in this series of sermons on the Apostles’ Creed, Jesus is fully divine! He is God in the flesh and identified as the Son of God! I believe God is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ—not Joseph or any other human being.
II. I BELIEVE THE VIRGIN MARY IS THE MOTHER OF JESUS.
1. Mary was a virgin when she was found to be with child (v. 18).
(1) The Scriptures are uniformly and emphatically clear about this issue.
(2) No young woman in Bible times would be marriageable if not a virgin.
2. She remained a virgin until the birth of Jesus (v. 25).
(1) Joseph “had no union with her until she gave birth to a son.”
(2) Joseph and Mary had other children later (see Matthew 12:46; 13:55-56; Mark 3:31; John 2:12; 7:3, 5; 1 Cor. 9:5; and Gal. 1:9).
The people said, “‘Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with us?” (Matt. 13:55-56).
As I have mentioned previously in this series of sermons on the Apostles’ Creed, Jesus is fully human! He is a human being with all of the resulting limitations and temptations. Yes, He is both God, through His father, and man, through His mother. He is the God-man! Fully human! Fully divine! There has been and there will be no other like Him!
CONCLUSION
I believe that Jesus, the Christ, was conceived by the Holy Spirit and was born of a virgin. He was unique, a one-time experience in the history of the world. This event, which we call Christmas, is the most important event in human history. Without it, there could be no cross, no payment for our sins. Without it, there would be no resurrection unto everlasting life. It is the beginning point of all of those events. When we celebrate Christmas, we celebrate the birth of the God-man, the Savior of the world, the forgiver and healer of our sins, the hope of all ages and of all races.
So how did we receive this unique Son of God? We put His parents in a stable where He would be born in a manger! We refused to recognize who He was. We rejected Him. We crucified Him. We push Him off into the margin of our lives. We make no room for Him!
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