Trevor S Ferguson
December 26, 2020
Luke 1:26-38 (KJV)
26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel
was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of
David; and the virgin's name was
Mary.
28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the
Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
29 And when she saw him,
she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation
this should be.
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found
favour with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a
son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and
the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his
kingdom there shall be no end.
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a
man?
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall
come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore
also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son
in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me
according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
INTRODUCTION
As part of the Christmas tradition, many persons take time out at this time of the year to reflect upon the birth of Jesus. There are numerous songs celebrating His birth, and many persons participate in dramas and exhibitions involving the nativity scene. While the celebration is ubiquitous, deep, quality refection is rare! Many persons are comfortable dealing with the superficial meaning of the Christmas story, but are unwilling to tackle some of the greater issues raised by birth of Jesus Christ, or to apply their lives to God, in manner consistent with what Jesus’ coming into the world requires.
Today, I want us to take some time to reflect deeply on the birth of Jesus Christ, particularly on the virgin birth and its significance in recognizing who Jesus Christ is.
EXPOSITION
Details surrounding the conception of Jesus Christ are given in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. Luke provides greater detail, but both accounts are complementary. Many believe that Luke interviewed Mary, so that the account in Luke can be considered a firsthand report. We will look critically at these reports as we outline three fundamental facts regarding the birth of Jesus.
FACT #1: JESUS WAS CONCEIVED IN THE WOMB OF A VIRGIN
Both Matthew and Luke unequivocally state that at the time of Jesus’ conception Mary was still a virgin. Let us look at Luke 1:26-27 and Matthew 1:18.
“And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.” Luke 1:26-27 (KJV)
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.” Matthew 1:18 (KJV)
Note that Luke uses the word virgin twice in as he introduces Mary. He clearly wanted it to be known that at the time of the angel’s visit Mary was still a virgin. The word used for virgin here is the Greek parthenos, which almost commentators agree, that in this context, refers to a young woman who had never had sexual relations. Matthew states that while Mary was engaged to Joseph, she was found with child before they came together. Again, clearly emphasizing that at the time of conception Mary was still a virgin.
Mary’s question to the angel Gabriel in Luke 1: 34 is further evidence to the fact that she was still a virgin – her question was: “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” We note that both the New International Version (NIV) and the New Living Translation (NLT) uses the term “I am a virgin” in the translation of this verse. So, Mary herself affirms her virginity at the time of the angelic visitation.
Matthew goes on to say, in verse 23, that Jesus’s birth was to be a fulfilment of Isaiah 7:14 which stated: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” He further added that the name Emmanuel means, God with us, pointing to the fact that this child to be born would be the Son of God.
We therefore see that the Bible clearly and emphatically teach that Jesus was conceived in the womb of a virgin, without the agency of a human sperm. While this may appear impossible to some, if we accept that God created man (the first Adam) from the dust of the earth and breathe into him the breath of life, it is quite possible that God could also create a human being in the womb of Mary, without the need of a human male agent. The angel Gabriel also stated unequivocally that with God, nothing shall be impossible. We therefore affirm the virgin birth as a critical component of God’s salvation plan, ensuring that Jesus Christ had a sinless humanity, and as such was able to bring redemption, through his substitutionary sacrifice on the cross at Calvary.
FACT #2: THE SOURCE OF JESUS’ CONCEPTION WAS THE POWER OF THE HOLY GHOST
If Jesus was not conceived through the normal reproductive channels, i.e., through the fertilization of an ovum with a man’s sperm, how then was Jesus conceived? The Bible does not provide the mechanistic details, but clearly states the source of the conception. In responding to Mary’s question, the angel Gabriel stated that: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee … (Luke 1:35 (KJV). Matthew 1:18 states that Mary was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
Both passages together clearly indicate that the source of the conception was the power of the Holy Ghost. We note that the Holy Ghost here refers to the operations of God in the earth, therefore the source of Jesus’ conception was God himself.
FACT #3: JESUS
WAS MORE THAN A MAN – HE IS THE SON OF GOD
The implication of the two preceding facts, that Jesus was conceived in the womb or a virgin and that the agent of the conception was the power of the Holy Ghost is that Jesus was more than a man, He is indeed the Son of God. The angel Gabriel is explicit in his statement in Luke 1:35 “… therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” Note that the NKJV renders this "therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Holy One is a title used for God himself, therefore this verse again affirms that this child was God manifested in flesh. This is consistent with Matthew’s statement in Matthew 1:23 “… they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” Further support comes from Isaiah’s prophesy in Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
These passages provide strong affirmation that this child to be born had all the attributes of deity and was the manifestation of God in flesh. Given that nature of his conception and the passages concerning his deity, we see that Jesus has a dual nature, i.e., He was fully man and fully God. He was fully man in that he had a full human nature, he had all the attributes of man – he had a human mind, spirit, soul and body. He was fully God in that he had all the fullness of the Godhead resident in His human body, as stated in Colossians 2:9.
We will not be able to adequate explain how Jesus held these two natures. 1st Timothy 3:16 tells us that this is a great mystery “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”
That Jesus was God manifested in flesh is further supported by John 1:1, and 14 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Hebrews 1: 1-3, gives an instructive description of who Jesus Christ is:
“God,
who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers
by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he
hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being
the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding
all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins,
sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;”
These passages clearly show that Jesus Christ is more than just a man. He is Son of God, i.e., God manifested in flesh. We note that the bible does not present Jesus as the second person in a trinity, but manifestation of God robed in flesh. We therefore uphold that God is absolutely and indivisibly one. He has revealed or manifested himself to man as the Father in creation, the son in redemption and the Holy Ghost in the church, but all these manifestations represent the One and self-same God.
Recognizing Jesus as the Son of God is critical if we are to apply the birth of Christ to our lives. As God and Saviour, He has the power to cleanse us from sin and apply the righteousness of God to us, bringing us back into reconciliation with God.
A question to all today is - Who do you say Jesus is? This question was asked by Jesus of his disciples in Matthew 16:13-16.
“When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
This same question is being asked of you today. Like Peter I invite you to strongly affirm. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God!
Let me point out that an examination of Jesus’ life and influence provides strong evidence for his sonship. While here on earth, Jesus impacted the lives of all the people he came in contact with - sick were healed, dead were raised, poor had gospel preached unto them. Even at his death, a Roman centurion overseeing the crucifixion of Jesus confessed “truly this was the Son of God”. Jesus continues to impact the world today, transforming lives, baptizing people with the Holy Ghost, healing the sick, and even raising the dead.
Let me declare once again, Jesus is the Son of God
APPLICATION & CONCLUSION
Today we have shown from scriptures that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, conceived through the power of the Holy Ghost, and is indeed the son of God. What is your response to this revelation?
I invite you today to “Come taste and see that the Lord is good”. Christmas is more than just an opportunity to celebrate; you must apply Jesus’ birth to your life and experience His love in a real way.
Jesus will change and transform your life like no one else can. He will give you peace that passes all human understanding. He will give you joy which many have described as being ‘joy unspeakable and full of glory’. Come, taste, and see that Jesus Christ is good. God bless you, in Jesus name!
