Why A Virgin Birth?

Why A Virgin Birth?

12.5.2021

Intro

Luke 1:26-35

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, (27) to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. (28) And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” (29) But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. (30) Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. (31) And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. (32) He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. (33) And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” (34) Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” (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.

The Incarnation

Our Christmas songs are filled with verses about “the greatest gift,” “joy to the world the Lord has come,” “the night of the dear Savior’s birth,” and on and on with themes of the salvation of the world and the amazing birth of Jesus Christ.

Definition

Incarnate – (Latin) In-Caro – flesh

Endowed with a human body; to give bodily form to; to be the type or embodiment of.

Incarnation- a taking on of human form

The incarnation is the belief that the second member of the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) preexisted in heaven and was sent by God to indwell a human body.

The idea behind the incarnation was that God must Himself pay the sin debt the human race had gotten itself into, and the only way to do that was for God to become as man.

America is at a crossroads…what are we going to do with Jesus Christ?

During the month of December we celebrate Christmas and the Birth of Jesus Christ in America, and we have done so for many generations.

Many of us know that Jesus was not born in December, but rather in the fall. And now, some people are mentioning the pagan things that have been added to Christmas, such as Christmas trees, and then all the folklore with Santa Claus.

It seems that now that we all have access to so much information worldwide with the internet, everything can be made controversial. So traditions are challenged like never before.

I choose to celebrate Christmas, and I don’t mind having a Christmas tree in my house, and I like to decorate and make the season bright! Christmas is one of our American traditions that I think can make a big difference if we do it the right way!

Some fall into asceticism (being overly strict and religious) with holidays and traditions and participate in nothing, and I think if you do that you just send the wrong message. This is a great time of year to love you family and friends and show love and care!

For me, I am just glad that there is a day where the birth of Jesus Christ is recognized around the world.

Since every belief is being challenged in our day, we would do well to be grounded in the foundational beliefs that can transform our lives and make them better.

The birth of Jesus was world changing, and, until a few years ago we looked at time in the context of B.C. (Before Christ) and A.D.(Anno Domini – in the year of our Lord).

Now, those who do not want to acknowledge God use CE for Common Era instead of AD, and BCE or Before Common Era instead of BC.

American Cultural Challenges

As our culture moves away from its Christian roots, Jesus Christ has lost His place in speaking to the morals of our generation.

If a culture doesn’t believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, if a culture has no consciousness of sin, and if a culture doesn’t believe in punishment for sin after death in hell and then in the lake of fire, then there is little need for a Savior who died for us.

Any that is the path America is on right now.

Don’t be surprised at the Happy Holidays greetings in stores instead of Merry Christmas, or in general Christmas being secularized and washed of all things Christian.

Belief in the Bible makes people uncomfortable in sin. And our culture is all about doing what we want to do, period. Anything that speaks of sin and personal responsibility for “sin” is being sanitized from public thought.

Also, political correctness, and the mass immigration from other countries of people from faiths other than Christianity has created a melting pot of belief.

Multiculturalism is urging us to mute our voices as Christians, and not be bold about our beliefs.

Persecution and vilification of Christians is at our doorstep.

For these reasons, we need to know what we believe and why, and be able to kindly and lovingly defend our faith.

Quote From The Name of Jesus by E. W. Kenyon

Taken from The Wonderful Name of Jesus by E. W. Kenyon (Lynnwood, Washington: Kenyon’s Gospel Publishing Society, 1964), pages 13-14.

The deity of the Man of Galilee is the crux of Christianity. If this can be successfully challenged, then Christianity has lost its heart and it will cease to function; it will become a dead religion.

There is no denial that the challenge of His Deity has already had it reactionary effect upon society.

If Jesus is not Deity, He is not Lord. If He is not Lord, then He cannot interfere with our moral activities. If He is not Lord, then the laws that have been founded upon His teaching have lost their force. The morals that surround marriage with its lofty ideals have no basis of fact. If Jesus of Nazareth is not a revelation from God with Divine authority, then He is but a man. If He is but a man, all we have built around Him must be destroyed, and we have built around this Man our modern civilization.

He has been the inspiration of young men: they haves kept themselves clean and pure as they have looked upon His wonderful life and sought to win His smile. Young women in the secret of their chamber have looked upon the face of the Man of Galilee and have pledged to preserve the purity of their womanhood that they might be found worthy of the love and confidence of the Man Who died two thousand years ago for humanity.

Children have been incited to obedience and purity by the example and teachings of this man. Businessmen have been deterred from crooked dealings by the consciousness that one day they would meet that Man and give account of the deeds done in their office.

Men of all walks of life have felt a strange kinship with this man Who walked the shores of Galilee, solitary among a multitude. To say He was but a good man is an insult. To say that He was the highest expression of Deity in humanity into throw the lie into His face. Jesus is or He is not what He said He was. We have no record of His sayings nor of His doings outside the four gospels, and if we repudiate them, then we have but a mythical picture of the Man. If we challenge one of them, we have a right to challenge all of them: either He stands or falls on these four biographical sketches. If He is not the Son of God, who is He?

I want to believe that He is an incarnation. I want to believe that He dealt with the sin problem. I want to believe that He died for my sins and that He rose again for my justification. I want to believe that He is seated at God’s right hand today as the Intercessor and Mediator of the human race. I want to believe that what He said about heaven is true: In My Father’s house are many mansions. I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto Myself.

Skepticism holds no guarantee for my future. Civilization has not only been builded around this man, but He has been builded into civilization. If you destroy His character, His standing, His place, then civilization must disintegrate. The wave of crime and lawlessness that is sweeping over the land is but a byproduct of the modernists’ challenge of His integrity.

Next week, I want to talk about the details of why we cannot be saved without the virgin birth.

Jesus did not come to condemn us. He came to help us!

The only people Jesus condemned in the Bible were religious hypocrites.

Jesus loved people and wanted them to free from their sin and go to heaven.

Think about how Jesus treated people:

He chose Matthew, a tax collector, as one of His disciples.

The Woman at the well in John 4, had five husbands and was not married to the current man she was living with.

In John 8, a woman was taken out of a tent where she was committing adultery, and was about to be stoned by religious people. Jesus asked her – where are your accusers?

Peter was used by the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost after he denied Jesus publicly.

Judas was picked to be on Jesus’ team. Jesus probably knew he was a crook, but still gave him a chance.

And what about you and me? If Jesus was to walk up to you and talk to you, what do you think He would say?

Would He love you?

Would you obey Him and follow Him? Do you now?

Action Points:

1. Do you believe that Jesus is God?

2. Does Jesus’ morals affect how you live?

3. Do you openly express your faith in Jesus to others? If not, why not?