1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,000 chapter of Matthew's Gospel. 2 00:00:19,680 --> 00:00:24,680 We began this study last week, and we'll continue this week. 3 00:00:24,680 --> 00:00:26,780 Once you find your place out of respect 4 00:00:26,780 --> 00:00:28,280 for the reading of the Word of the Lord, 5 00:00:28,280 --> 00:00:31,560 we stand as we look into His Word. 6 00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:46,680 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. 7 00:00:46,680 --> 00:00:50,120 After his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, 8 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:51,760 before they came together, she was found 9 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:54,520 with child of the Holy Spirit. 10 00:00:54,520 --> 00:00:57,120 Then Joseph, her husband, being a just man 11 00:00:57,120 --> 00:01:00,080 and not wanting to make her a public example, 12 00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:03,920 was minded to put her away secretly. 13 00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:05,720 But while he thought about these things, behold, 14 00:01:05,720 --> 00:01:08,040 an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, 15 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:11,320 saying, Joseph, son of David, do not 16 00:01:11,320 --> 00:01:14,520 be afraid to take to you Mary, your wife, 17 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:18,600 for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 18 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:21,920 And she will bring forth a son, and you shall call his name 19 00:01:21,920 --> 00:01:26,640 Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. 20 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:28,200 So all this was done that it might 21 00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:30,880 be fulfilled, which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, 22 00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:34,800 saying, behold, the virgin shall be a child and bear a son, 23 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:37,640 and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which 24 00:01:37,640 --> 00:01:40,520 has translated God with us. 25 00:01:40,520 --> 00:01:43,200 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, 26 00:01:43,200 --> 00:01:45,560 he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, 27 00:01:45,560 --> 00:01:48,080 and he took to him his wife. 28 00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:50,720 And he did not know her, till she had brought forth 29 00:01:50,720 --> 00:01:52,760 her firstborn son. 30 00:01:52,760 --> 00:01:55,520 And he called his name Jesus. 31 00:01:55,520 --> 00:01:57,840 We're going to pray, but I'm going to ask for, 32 00:01:57,840 --> 00:01:59,720 if you just have a moment, as the silence, 33 00:01:59,720 --> 00:02:04,480 we'll bow our heads, because all the word is a holy word. 34 00:02:04,480 --> 00:02:06,720 But what we're reading and studying this morning 35 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:09,440 is the incarnation of the Son of God. 36 00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:11,440 It's a holy mystery. 37 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:14,400 Indeed, church, we're standing on holy ground this morning. 38 00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:18,640 So before we just plow into the text, let's bow, take a moment, 39 00:02:18,640 --> 00:02:21,720 ask God to clear your minds of distractions 40 00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:24,760 and give you holy thoughts and concentration 41 00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:26,720 as we hear the word of the Lord this morning. 42 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:28,640 So let's have a moment of silence, 43 00:02:28,640 --> 00:02:29,800 and I'll close this in prayer. 44 00:02:29,800 --> 00:02:30,800 OK. 45 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:57,280 Father, help us this morning. 46 00:02:57,280 --> 00:03:02,360 Lord, no man can say that Jesus is Lord except by your spirit, 47 00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:07,640 and no man can see Jesus as he really is except by your spirit. 48 00:03:07,640 --> 00:03:10,120 Lord, naturally we are blind. 49 00:03:10,120 --> 00:03:15,720 We are deaf and heart-hearted to spiritual things. 50 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:19,000 God, do a work that only you can do. 51 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:21,840 Lord, we're reading this morning about the birth, 52 00:03:21,840 --> 00:03:26,240 the incarnation of your eternal Son. 53 00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:31,320 God, help us, Lord, this morning, not to be glib, 54 00:03:31,320 --> 00:03:34,000 but rather, Lord, that we might have, 55 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:35,760 or just a holy concentration. 56 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:39,720 I pray for unction, Lord, the power of the Spirit of God. 57 00:03:39,720 --> 00:03:43,640 Please do not let me say what needs not to be said. 58 00:03:43,640 --> 00:03:46,680 And Father, would you call to mind and perhaps lead me 59 00:03:46,680 --> 00:03:50,560 even in ways that, Lord, things I have not thought of or prepared 60 00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:51,840 that Lord need to be spoken. 61 00:03:51,840 --> 00:03:52,880 God, would you help me? 62 00:03:52,880 --> 00:03:54,080 Give me utterance. 63 00:03:54,080 --> 00:03:56,840 But Father, we pray for the working of your spirit now 64 00:03:56,840 --> 00:03:59,440 to show us Jesus, we pray, in his name. 65 00:03:59,440 --> 00:04:00,200 Amen. 66 00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:00,880 You may be seated. 67 00:04:04,600 --> 00:04:08,800 When Sandy and I found out that we were pregnant with Ezra, 68 00:04:08,800 --> 00:04:12,000 we spent considerable time thinking of baby names. 69 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:15,680 And perhaps many of you have had that same experience. 70 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:17,360 It was very important to us, though, 71 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:20,520 to have a name that had deep meaning. 72 00:04:20,520 --> 00:04:22,080 And so after we did the gender reveal 73 00:04:22,080 --> 00:04:24,280 and we found out we were having a boy, 74 00:04:24,280 --> 00:04:28,240 we narrowed the list down and we ultimately chose Ezra. 75 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:29,280 Why? 76 00:04:29,280 --> 00:04:33,080 Well, Ezra means the Lord is my help. 77 00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:36,040 And that was our prayer for him, that he would always 78 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:39,280 look to the Lord God for his help. 79 00:04:39,280 --> 00:04:41,200 Then nine months later, after Ezra was born, 80 00:04:41,200 --> 00:04:43,520 we got pregnant with Adara. 81 00:04:43,520 --> 00:04:46,400 And of course, we started the process all over again, 82 00:04:46,400 --> 00:04:48,680 this time looking for girl names. 83 00:04:48,680 --> 00:04:50,960 And most of you probably never heard the name Adara. 84 00:04:50,960 --> 00:04:51,960 It's a very unique name. 85 00:04:51,960 --> 00:04:52,460 We found it. 86 00:04:52,460 --> 00:04:54,120 It's on a Hebrew list. 87 00:04:54,120 --> 00:04:55,880 It's a Hebrew word. 88 00:04:55,880 --> 00:05:01,400 And Adara means exalted, noble, majestic. 89 00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:03,280 And again, Sandy and I began to pray 90 00:05:03,280 --> 00:05:04,880 that she would live up to her name, 91 00:05:04,880 --> 00:05:08,680 that this little girl would be noble in character. 92 00:05:08,680 --> 00:05:10,560 Nine months later, after Adara was born, 93 00:05:10,560 --> 00:05:13,080 we got pregnant with Gaby. 94 00:05:13,080 --> 00:05:15,160 And things got very difficult. 95 00:05:15,160 --> 00:05:18,800 And we were told that she most likely would not live. 96 00:05:18,800 --> 00:05:21,080 They felt the odds were stacked against her. 97 00:05:21,080 --> 00:05:24,240 And so we are praying for her by name. 98 00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:25,560 You can't cry right now. 99 00:05:25,560 --> 00:05:26,960 We are praying for her by name. 100 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:29,200 And so we struggled to find a name for her. 101 00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:30,640 We were going to all these appointments 102 00:05:30,640 --> 00:05:32,240 and just never getting good news. 103 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:34,560 And so we thought, we need to pray for her by name. 104 00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:36,520 And so we struggled, but we found the name 105 00:05:36,520 --> 00:05:38,640 and decided on the name Gabriella, 106 00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:41,240 the female version of Gabriel. 107 00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:43,360 Now, why Gabriella? 108 00:05:43,360 --> 00:05:47,360 Because Gabriella means the Lord is my strength. 109 00:05:47,360 --> 00:05:49,160 The Lord had to have to be fighting. 110 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:51,600 The Lord, she needed the Lord to be fighting for her 111 00:05:51,600 --> 00:05:54,680 and giving her strength, or she was not going to live. 112 00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:56,240 And let me just tell you, if you know Gaby, 113 00:05:56,240 --> 00:05:58,440 the Lord has been giving her strength ever since. 114 00:05:58,440 --> 00:05:59,760 Yeah. 115 00:05:59,760 --> 00:06:01,560 Nine months later, after Gaby was born, 116 00:06:01,560 --> 00:06:03,520 we got pregnant with Isabella. 117 00:06:03,520 --> 00:06:04,360 We were surprised. 118 00:06:04,360 --> 00:06:06,720 And of course, we wanted a meaningful name 119 00:06:06,720 --> 00:06:08,280 for this little girl. 120 00:06:08,280 --> 00:06:11,240 And so we decided on the name Isabella. 121 00:06:11,240 --> 00:06:14,240 Isabella means the Lord is my oath, 122 00:06:14,240 --> 00:06:16,880 or the Lord is my promise. 123 00:06:16,880 --> 00:06:19,760 And we wanted our little Isabella 124 00:06:19,760 --> 00:06:23,200 to be a part of God's covenantal promises. 125 00:06:23,200 --> 00:06:25,840 And then nine months later, nothing. 126 00:06:25,840 --> 00:06:28,000 We had finished having children. 127 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:29,760 We were done. 128 00:06:29,760 --> 00:06:32,240 So names are significant, aren't they? 129 00:06:32,240 --> 00:06:34,360 And they were in scripture as well. 130 00:06:34,360 --> 00:06:36,880 I think it's interesting how ancient people named their 131 00:06:36,880 --> 00:06:38,080 children. 132 00:06:38,080 --> 00:06:39,760 If it was in a very bitter event, 133 00:06:39,760 --> 00:06:41,760 you know what that child might be named? 134 00:06:41,760 --> 00:06:44,760 Mara, bitter. 135 00:06:44,760 --> 00:06:46,800 Remember Isaac, he had two children. 136 00:06:46,800 --> 00:06:48,280 And one came out very hairy. 137 00:06:48,280 --> 00:06:50,840 And they're like, let's name him Harry. 138 00:06:50,840 --> 00:06:54,800 No, not H-A-R-R-Y, but H-A-R-I-R-Y. 139 00:06:54,800 --> 00:06:56,320 Esau, what's Esau mean? 140 00:06:56,320 --> 00:06:58,360 He's the hairy one. 141 00:06:58,360 --> 00:06:59,280 But she had twins. 142 00:06:59,280 --> 00:07:02,880 And remember Jacob grabbed the heel of Esau. 143 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:04,960 So they're like, well, let's name the second one Jacob. 144 00:07:04,960 --> 00:07:05,200 Why? 145 00:07:05,200 --> 00:07:07,240 Because he grabs the heel. 146 00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:08,880 What does Jacob mean? 147 00:07:08,880 --> 00:07:10,720 One who grabs the heel. 148 00:07:10,720 --> 00:07:14,800 It also can mean supplanter, or one who overreaches. 149 00:07:14,800 --> 00:07:16,760 And you think, why would you name your child that? 150 00:07:16,760 --> 00:07:18,080 It was interesting though. 151 00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:21,880 And these names almost became prophetic in character. 152 00:07:21,880 --> 00:07:24,960 Jacob became the supplanter, or the deceiver. 153 00:07:24,960 --> 00:07:27,600 Later, his name would be changed to Israel. 154 00:07:27,600 --> 00:07:31,640 In Matthew chapter one, we're given a long list of names 155 00:07:31,640 --> 00:07:34,480 detailing the ancestry of our Lord. 156 00:07:34,480 --> 00:07:36,640 But beginning in verse 18, the scene 157 00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:40,760 switches from his ancestry to his birth. 158 00:07:40,760 --> 00:07:43,240 And in this section, you see there are actually two names 159 00:07:43,240 --> 00:07:45,960 that were going to be given to this child. 160 00:07:45,960 --> 00:07:49,240 His proper name, he will be called Jesus. 161 00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:54,120 Jehovah saves, or Yahweh saves. 162 00:07:54,120 --> 00:07:58,240 And then Emmanuel, God with us. 163 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:01,560 And both of these names are, are, and will, 164 00:08:01,560 --> 00:08:03,880 become critically important. 165 00:08:03,880 --> 00:08:05,800 Because they're going to help us to understand 166 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:10,160 what his mission and his identity really were. 167 00:08:10,160 --> 00:08:14,320 The child who had come to save us 168 00:08:14,320 --> 00:08:17,800 is actually God with us. 169 00:08:17,800 --> 00:08:21,600 Now remember that Matthew is writing primarily, 170 00:08:21,600 --> 00:08:25,240 not exclusively, to Jewish people. 171 00:08:25,240 --> 00:08:29,120 He is seeking to convince him that Jesus of Nazareth 172 00:08:29,120 --> 00:08:31,320 was their promised Messiah. 173 00:08:31,320 --> 00:08:33,600 So he starts out in the first 17 verses, 174 00:08:33,600 --> 00:08:35,960 and he lists the ancestry of Jesus 175 00:08:35,960 --> 00:08:38,960 through both David and ultimately to Abraham. 176 00:08:38,960 --> 00:08:40,880 Now he's showing that Jesus fits the bill. 177 00:08:40,880 --> 00:08:43,560 He has the proper pedigree, if you will. 178 00:08:43,560 --> 00:08:45,480 Now the fact that Jesus was the son of Abraham 179 00:08:45,480 --> 00:08:47,880 was not unique at all because all Jews 180 00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:49,680 were descendants of Abraham. 181 00:08:49,680 --> 00:08:51,520 That's what made one a Jew. 182 00:08:51,520 --> 00:08:53,760 He had to be through Abraham. 183 00:08:53,760 --> 00:08:57,880 But Jesus is also called Son of David. 184 00:08:57,880 --> 00:09:01,800 Now oftentimes in Matthew, that is a title for the Messiah, 185 00:09:01,800 --> 00:09:03,400 but it doesn't have to be. 186 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:07,000 It can just refer to a descendant from David. 187 00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:09,840 Because if you look down in verse 20, you notice that Joseph 188 00:09:09,840 --> 00:09:12,720 is also called a son of David. 189 00:09:12,720 --> 00:09:15,800 So all Jews were sons of Abraham, 190 00:09:15,800 --> 00:09:18,280 but not all were sons of David. 191 00:09:18,280 --> 00:09:20,320 But there were many sons of David. 192 00:09:20,320 --> 00:09:25,720 Solomon, Rehoboam, verse 20, we see Joseph, he was. 193 00:09:25,720 --> 00:09:28,120 But what is Matthew's point? 194 00:09:28,120 --> 00:09:31,160 Matthew's point was that Jesus is not a son of Abraham, 195 00:09:31,160 --> 00:09:33,640 but the son of Abraham. 196 00:09:33,640 --> 00:09:38,240 He is the seed in whom all the earth will be blessed. 197 00:09:38,240 --> 00:09:40,360 Jesus is not just a son of David. 198 00:09:40,360 --> 00:09:42,520 He is the son of David. 199 00:09:42,520 --> 00:09:45,680 He is the son who had been born to sit eternally 200 00:09:45,680 --> 00:09:48,000 on the throne of his father, David. 201 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:50,520 So in other words, Matthew, first chapter, 202 00:09:50,520 --> 00:09:53,160 he's detailing very clearly Jesus 203 00:09:53,160 --> 00:09:56,440 is the fulfillment of the promises made to both Abraham 204 00:09:56,440 --> 00:09:58,480 and David. 205 00:09:58,480 --> 00:10:00,760 Now to understand Matthew, you have 206 00:10:00,760 --> 00:10:04,000 to understand a little bit about 1st century Israel 207 00:10:04,000 --> 00:10:07,480 and their messianic expectations. 208 00:10:07,480 --> 00:10:11,720 There was a lot of confusion about what the Messiah would 209 00:10:11,720 --> 00:10:13,720 do when he came. 210 00:10:13,720 --> 00:10:15,960 I mean, they knew that he would be a liberator. 211 00:10:15,960 --> 00:10:18,040 He's going to be a deliverer of some sort. 212 00:10:18,040 --> 00:10:19,320 They knew that. 213 00:10:19,320 --> 00:10:22,120 They knew he would be a descendant of David. 214 00:10:22,120 --> 00:10:26,880 So a son of David, who is a great deliverer, 215 00:10:26,880 --> 00:10:30,400 their minds start thinking in political terms. 216 00:10:30,400 --> 00:10:31,600 David's a king. 217 00:10:31,600 --> 00:10:34,560 David rescued them from the Goliath and the Philistines. 218 00:10:34,560 --> 00:10:36,440 So they're thinking politically. 219 00:10:36,440 --> 00:10:39,800 And besides, at this time in history, 220 00:10:39,800 --> 00:10:42,120 Israel is an occupied nation. 221 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:43,480 They're not free. 222 00:10:43,480 --> 00:10:45,360 They're under Roman rule. 223 00:10:45,360 --> 00:10:47,040 And if there's one thing the Jews hated, 224 00:10:47,040 --> 00:10:49,120 they hated being under the pagan Romans. 225 00:10:49,120 --> 00:10:50,480 They did not like that. 226 00:10:50,480 --> 00:10:53,440 So they naturally assumed that the son of David 227 00:10:53,440 --> 00:10:58,520 would come free them from their bondage to Rome 228 00:10:58,520 --> 00:11:01,040 and then bring worldwide blessing 229 00:11:01,040 --> 00:11:05,320 through the exaltation of the nation Israel. 230 00:11:05,320 --> 00:11:09,960 But they failed to discern the Messiah's true identity 231 00:11:09,960 --> 00:11:11,800 and its true mission. 232 00:11:11,800 --> 00:11:15,960 Matthew is written to show Jews that Jesus is the king 233 00:11:15,960 --> 00:11:16,960 of Israel. 234 00:11:16,960 --> 00:11:18,560 He is their Messiah. 235 00:11:18,560 --> 00:11:20,360 That's the whole point of this gospel. 236 00:11:20,360 --> 00:11:24,960 He wants to show you who the Christ really is. 237 00:11:24,960 --> 00:11:27,640 Now, why is that important? 238 00:11:27,640 --> 00:11:31,520 For in seeing him, friends, you find life. 239 00:11:31,520 --> 00:11:34,200 In seeing him, and I talk about seeing him through the eyes 240 00:11:34,200 --> 00:11:37,800 of faith, you find salvation. 241 00:11:37,800 --> 00:11:43,720 There is wholeness, shalom, peace. 242 00:11:43,720 --> 00:11:46,840 In seeing him, there is security. 243 00:11:46,840 --> 00:11:49,760 There is joy. 244 00:11:49,760 --> 00:11:53,360 In seeing him, there is soul satisfaction. 245 00:11:53,360 --> 00:11:56,560 There is rest for your soul. 246 00:11:56,560 --> 00:11:59,840 In truly seeing him and understanding who he is, 247 00:11:59,840 --> 00:12:01,760 you find everything. 248 00:12:01,760 --> 00:12:05,480 Everything is tied to this child. 249 00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:10,080 But if you fail to see him, you lose everything, 250 00:12:10,080 --> 00:12:12,160 including your own life. 251 00:12:12,160 --> 00:12:15,760 Everything hinges upon this child who is to be born. 252 00:12:15,760 --> 00:12:19,360 So you're saying, well, who is the Messiah? 253 00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:24,000 Verse 16, Jesus, son of Mary. 254 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:26,240 Well, who is Jesus? 255 00:12:26,240 --> 00:12:28,840 It's a great question. 256 00:12:28,840 --> 00:12:33,840 He is the one far greater than you can even imagine. 257 00:12:33,840 --> 00:12:39,520 He is the one who is far greater than tongue can tell. 258 00:12:39,520 --> 00:12:41,040 He is, son of Mary. 259 00:12:41,040 --> 00:12:42,960 That's who he is. 260 00:12:42,960 --> 00:12:47,480 But this Jesus from this tiny, nondescript, 261 00:12:47,480 --> 00:12:56,640 unimportant, overlooked town of Nazareth is God in flesh. 262 00:12:56,640 --> 00:13:01,800 He is Emmanuel, his God with us. 263 00:13:01,800 --> 00:13:05,920 And everything about his birth is going to reveal that truth. 264 00:13:05,920 --> 00:13:09,360 Jesus is God. 265 00:13:09,360 --> 00:13:13,320 To deny the divinity or the deity of Christ 266 00:13:13,320 --> 00:13:15,560 is to deny the gospel. 267 00:13:15,560 --> 00:13:17,600 It is to deny the truth. 268 00:13:17,600 --> 00:13:20,480 If you today do not believe Jesus is God, 269 00:13:20,480 --> 00:13:24,880 you deny his deity, you are not a Christian. 270 00:13:24,880 --> 00:13:26,520 You cannot be. 271 00:13:26,520 --> 00:13:29,680 And you must repent of that wicked thought. 272 00:13:29,680 --> 00:13:32,200 Now as we continue, we're going to see some amazing things 273 00:13:32,200 --> 00:13:34,560 here beginning of verse 18. 274 00:13:34,560 --> 00:13:37,560 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. 275 00:13:37,560 --> 00:13:40,240 After his mother, Mary, was betrothed to Joseph. 276 00:13:40,240 --> 00:13:42,480 Before they came together, she was found 277 00:13:42,480 --> 00:13:44,200 with child of the Holy Spirit. 278 00:13:44,200 --> 00:13:46,920 Now Matthew is going to give the details of our Lord's 279 00:13:46,920 --> 00:13:49,440 birth from Joseph's point of view. 280 00:13:49,440 --> 00:13:51,320 You can parallel that with Luke's gospel, 281 00:13:51,320 --> 00:13:53,200 and he's going to give the details of the birth 282 00:13:53,200 --> 00:13:55,880 from Mary's perspective. 283 00:13:55,880 --> 00:14:00,280 But Matthew starts out calling him Jesus Christ. 284 00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:01,840 Now so many people, if we're not careful, 285 00:14:01,840 --> 00:14:04,320 they think Christ is his last name. 286 00:14:04,320 --> 00:14:06,480 Christ is not his last name. 287 00:14:06,480 --> 00:14:08,600 Christ is a title. 288 00:14:08,600 --> 00:14:11,120 In Greek, it's Christas. 289 00:14:11,120 --> 00:14:13,880 In Hebrew, it's Meshiah. 290 00:14:13,880 --> 00:14:18,520 Both of those Christas, Meshiah, both mean anointed one, 291 00:14:18,520 --> 00:14:20,280 Messiah. 292 00:14:20,280 --> 00:14:22,880 See the first 17 verses we looked at last week, 293 00:14:22,880 --> 00:14:25,800 it's going to show Jesus is the son of David, 294 00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:28,040 and now verses 18 to the end of the chapter 295 00:14:28,040 --> 00:14:31,400 are written to show why he is much more important 296 00:14:31,400 --> 00:14:33,320 than his father, David. 297 00:14:33,320 --> 00:14:35,880 He's not just the son of David, he's the son of David, 298 00:14:35,880 --> 00:14:39,880 and he's far more important than his father, David was. 299 00:14:39,880 --> 00:14:41,840 Well, how in the world could a descendant 300 00:14:41,840 --> 00:14:45,240 be more important than David, who is the illustrious great 301 00:14:45,240 --> 00:14:47,160 king of Israel? 302 00:14:47,160 --> 00:14:50,080 I mean, how can it be more important than him? 303 00:14:50,080 --> 00:14:54,640 Well, look up at verses five and six. 304 00:14:54,640 --> 00:14:56,040 And it says, verses five and six, 305 00:14:56,040 --> 00:15:01,040 Solomon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, 306 00:15:01,040 --> 00:15:02,200 Obed begot Jesse. 307 00:15:02,200 --> 00:15:08,280 Now look at verse six, and Jesse begot David the king. 308 00:15:08,280 --> 00:15:13,320 David's father is Jesse, whose father is Obed. 309 00:15:13,320 --> 00:15:15,400 So don't miss it. 310 00:15:15,400 --> 00:15:18,280 In other words, Jesse and his wife 311 00:15:18,280 --> 00:15:20,480 came together intimately, sexually, 312 00:15:20,480 --> 00:15:24,120 and conceived David, normal human conception. 313 00:15:24,120 --> 00:15:30,440 David is the son of Jesse, but Jesus is the son of God. 314 00:15:30,440 --> 00:15:32,640 We are clearly told, now look at the text, 315 00:15:32,640 --> 00:15:37,920 it was not Joseph who produced the conception. 316 00:15:37,920 --> 00:15:40,560 Well, who did? 317 00:15:40,560 --> 00:15:42,680 The third member of the divine trinity, 318 00:15:42,680 --> 00:15:45,520 the Holy Spirit of God. 319 00:15:45,520 --> 00:15:47,760 Look at verse 18, she was found with child 320 00:15:47,760 --> 00:15:49,360 howl of the Holy Spirit. 321 00:15:49,360 --> 00:15:51,640 Verse 20, don't be afraid to take to you Mary 322 00:15:51,640 --> 00:15:54,240 or wife for that which is conceived to her is of the Holy 323 00:15:54,240 --> 00:15:54,840 Spirit. 324 00:15:54,840 --> 00:15:57,000 Verse 23, he quotes Isaiah, behold, 325 00:15:57,000 --> 00:16:00,120 the virgin shall be of a child and bear a son. 326 00:16:00,120 --> 00:16:02,800 Joseph and Mary had not yet come together. 327 00:16:02,800 --> 00:16:04,960 They had not been sexually intimate, 328 00:16:04,960 --> 00:16:07,760 and yet Mary became pregnant. 329 00:16:07,760 --> 00:16:09,640 Now some might be thinking, well, of course, 330 00:16:09,640 --> 00:16:11,800 just because it wasn't Joseph's child, 331 00:16:11,800 --> 00:16:14,320 that doesn't mean that it wasn't some other man's. 332 00:16:14,320 --> 00:16:15,480 Yes, it does. 333 00:16:15,480 --> 00:16:20,320 In Luke 1, we read these verses again, 31. 334 00:16:20,320 --> 00:16:22,400 And behold, you will conceive in your womb 335 00:16:22,400 --> 00:16:24,640 and bring forth the angel speaking to Mary. 336 00:16:24,640 --> 00:16:27,240 You will conceive in your womb and bring forth a son, 337 00:16:27,240 --> 00:16:29,360 and you shall call his name Jesus. 338 00:16:29,360 --> 00:16:35,400 Verse 34, Mary said to him, to the angel, how in the world? 339 00:16:35,400 --> 00:16:36,920 How can this be? 340 00:16:36,920 --> 00:16:38,480 I don't know a man. 341 00:16:38,480 --> 00:16:40,120 She's never been with a man. 342 00:16:40,120 --> 00:16:43,400 The scriptures leave no doubt whatsoever 343 00:16:43,400 --> 00:16:46,880 that our Lord was conceived supernaturally 344 00:16:46,880 --> 00:16:49,480 in the womb of a virgin. 345 00:16:49,480 --> 00:16:53,120 And even here, we start to see a glimpse, an intimation, 346 00:16:53,120 --> 00:16:57,040 that our salvation will not come as a result of human effort 347 00:16:57,040 --> 00:17:01,040 or human act, but rather by divine power alone. 348 00:17:01,040 --> 00:17:03,760 Everything is going to be because God. 349 00:17:03,760 --> 00:17:07,040 Now how can a virgin conceive? 350 00:17:07,040 --> 00:17:11,840 Luke tells us, for with God, nothing will be impossible. 351 00:17:11,840 --> 00:17:13,080 Nothing. 352 00:17:13,080 --> 00:17:17,440 Now God didn't need Joseph to create life in Mary's womb. 353 00:17:17,440 --> 00:17:18,440 Of course not. 354 00:17:18,440 --> 00:17:21,760 He supernaturally implanted life in that young lady, 355 00:17:21,760 --> 00:17:25,440 that virgin's womb, through the power of the Holy Spirit. 356 00:17:25,440 --> 00:17:28,040 Look at Luke 135. 357 00:17:28,040 --> 00:17:30,000 And the angel answered and said to her, 358 00:17:30,000 --> 00:17:33,680 the Holy Spirit will come upon you, Mary, 359 00:17:33,680 --> 00:17:37,120 and the power of the highest will overshadow you. 360 00:17:37,120 --> 00:17:39,640 I want you to pay attention to that word overshadow. 361 00:17:39,640 --> 00:17:43,880 Notice the words, power of the highest overshadows Mary. 362 00:17:43,880 --> 00:17:47,200 Luke is using Genesis language, Genesis 1, 2. 363 00:17:47,200 --> 00:17:49,840 The earth was without form and void and darkness 364 00:17:49,840 --> 00:17:52,040 is on the face of the deep. 365 00:17:52,040 --> 00:17:54,160 And the Spirit of God, that's the Holy Spirit, 366 00:17:54,160 --> 00:18:00,720 was hovering over, overshadowing the face of the waters. 367 00:18:00,720 --> 00:18:05,560 So in Genesis 1, you have the Spirit of God hovering 368 00:18:05,560 --> 00:18:07,480 over the face of the waters. 369 00:18:07,480 --> 00:18:11,200 In Luke 1, you have the Holy Spirit hovering over Mary's 370 00:18:11,200 --> 00:18:12,120 womb. 371 00:18:12,120 --> 00:18:14,440 Luke is borrowing language from Genesis. 372 00:18:14,440 --> 00:18:16,520 What's the point? 373 00:18:16,520 --> 00:18:17,960 Don't miss it. 374 00:18:17,960 --> 00:18:21,640 In Genesis 1, you had the beginning of creation. 375 00:18:21,640 --> 00:18:26,600 In Luke 1, there is a dawning of a new creation. 376 00:18:26,600 --> 00:18:30,520 Something radically new is happening. 377 00:18:30,520 --> 00:18:33,360 And everything will change with the birth of this child. 378 00:18:33,360 --> 00:18:34,480 Everything. 379 00:18:34,480 --> 00:18:37,480 All of human history will be changed 380 00:18:37,480 --> 00:18:42,760 with the birth of this child, including the way we mark time. 381 00:18:42,760 --> 00:18:46,240 BC, before Christ, AD, and the year of our Lord. 382 00:18:46,240 --> 00:18:49,480 Now, if you read textbooks today, they don't use BC and AD, 383 00:18:49,480 --> 00:18:49,760 do they? 384 00:18:49,760 --> 00:18:51,760 They use BCE and CE. 385 00:18:51,760 --> 00:18:53,760 Before the common error, common error. 386 00:18:53,760 --> 00:18:55,680 But you know what divides before the common error 387 00:18:55,680 --> 00:18:56,920 and the common error? 388 00:18:56,920 --> 00:18:58,160 The birth of Christ. 389 00:18:58,160 --> 00:18:59,440 So whatever you want to do, that's 390 00:18:59,440 --> 00:19:03,000 what it is, the dividing point of history. 391 00:19:03,000 --> 00:19:05,760 Now Matthew and Luke, they both tell us in their gospel 392 00:19:05,760 --> 00:19:10,360 that Mary was already betrothed to Joseph. 393 00:19:10,360 --> 00:19:14,440 Betrothal was a two-part process in a Jewish marriage. 394 00:19:14,440 --> 00:19:16,600 The betrothal church, you've got to get this, 395 00:19:16,600 --> 00:19:19,760 created the legal relationship. 396 00:19:19,760 --> 00:19:23,440 So it involved two families in a formal contract. 397 00:19:23,440 --> 00:19:27,920 And that contract was as binding as marriage itself. 398 00:19:27,920 --> 00:19:30,200 So after a couple was betrothed, there 399 00:19:30,200 --> 00:19:32,640 only remained three things to take place. 400 00:19:32,640 --> 00:19:35,840 The formal wedding ceremony, the bride 401 00:19:35,840 --> 00:19:38,000 would move into the groom's home, 402 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:40,240 and then the marriage would need to be consummated, 403 00:19:40,240 --> 00:19:42,000 come together physically. 404 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:45,960 Now notice in verse 19 how Joseph has already 405 00:19:45,960 --> 00:19:47,640 called her husband. 406 00:19:47,640 --> 00:19:50,560 Now the wedding ceremony had not yet taken place. 407 00:19:50,560 --> 00:19:54,160 But in betrothal, they were already legally seen 408 00:19:54,160 --> 00:19:56,000 as husband and wife. 409 00:19:56,000 --> 00:20:00,840 So if they were going to break the betrothal process, 410 00:20:00,840 --> 00:20:04,080 if Joseph were to break his betrothal, 411 00:20:04,080 --> 00:20:07,240 it required formal divorce proceedings. 412 00:20:07,240 --> 00:20:09,520 You don't just get a call off a betrothal like today. 413 00:20:09,520 --> 00:20:10,960 You can call off an engagement, and you 414 00:20:10,960 --> 00:20:13,880 don't need to go to the courts to do so. 415 00:20:13,880 --> 00:20:17,000 Now usually a couple, not always, but generally, 416 00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:20,600 they were betrothed about one year before the marriage. 417 00:20:20,600 --> 00:20:22,360 Well, why would they wait a year? 418 00:20:22,360 --> 00:20:24,560 They would allow the husband to go away and get everything 419 00:20:24,560 --> 00:20:26,120 ready for his new bride. 420 00:20:26,120 --> 00:20:28,000 And then he would come back and get her. 421 00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:30,600 You see the language our Lord used later. 422 00:20:30,600 --> 00:20:32,320 Now during this time of the betrothal, 423 00:20:32,320 --> 00:20:34,560 because it's already legally established, 424 00:20:34,560 --> 00:20:37,480 if the woman was unfaithful, found to be a faithful, 425 00:20:37,480 --> 00:20:43,080 or if she got pregnant, she could be put to death for adultery. 426 00:20:43,080 --> 00:20:45,520 Didn't mean she had to be, but she could be. 427 00:20:45,520 --> 00:20:48,680 It was very dangerous for Mary to be found with child 428 00:20:48,680 --> 00:20:50,760 during this time. 429 00:20:50,760 --> 00:20:53,520 Had he wanted, Joseph could have easily exposed her 430 00:20:53,520 --> 00:20:58,320 to public ridicule, shame, impossible death. 431 00:20:58,320 --> 00:21:01,200 The law said she should have been stoned. 432 00:21:01,200 --> 00:21:03,600 When Joseph learned of Mary's pregnancy, 433 00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:07,280 he decided, well, I'll divorce her quietly. 434 00:21:07,280 --> 00:21:10,840 He obviously did not believe her explanation. 435 00:21:10,840 --> 00:21:12,200 But do you blame him? 436 00:21:12,200 --> 00:21:15,200 I mean, who could possibly expect to believe her? 437 00:21:15,200 --> 00:21:17,720 Virgins don't conceive children, and Joseph 438 00:21:17,720 --> 00:21:21,120 was not buying the story like none of us would either. 439 00:21:21,120 --> 00:21:23,360 But Joseph was a righteous man. 440 00:21:23,360 --> 00:21:24,280 He was a just man. 441 00:21:24,280 --> 00:21:26,400 He was a noble man. 442 00:21:26,400 --> 00:21:30,160 So he did not want to bring the heavy hands of the court 443 00:21:30,160 --> 00:21:31,800 down upon Mary. 444 00:21:31,800 --> 00:21:34,240 He was not seeking to bring wrath down upon her. 445 00:21:34,240 --> 00:21:37,280 He was not angry for her. 446 00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:38,280 So he could have. 447 00:21:38,280 --> 00:21:40,120 But he's like, I don't want to bring wrath upon her 448 00:21:40,120 --> 00:21:43,360 for her presumed unfaithfulness. 449 00:21:43,360 --> 00:21:45,800 So he's going to quietly divorce her. 450 00:21:45,800 --> 00:21:48,040 He will go his own way. 451 00:21:48,040 --> 00:21:49,680 But God stepped in. 452 00:21:49,680 --> 00:21:53,480 God sends his angel, verse 20 and 21. 453 00:21:53,480 --> 00:21:55,000 But while he thought about these things, 454 00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:57,120 an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, 455 00:21:57,120 --> 00:21:59,120 saying, Joseph, son of David, do not 456 00:21:59,120 --> 00:22:01,600 be afraid to take to you Mary your wife. 457 00:22:01,600 --> 00:22:03,440 Notice she's already called wife. 458 00:22:03,440 --> 00:22:06,880 For that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 459 00:22:06,880 --> 00:22:11,160 She'll bring forth a son, and you will call his name Jesus, 460 00:22:11,160 --> 00:22:13,800 for he will save his people from their sins. 461 00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:15,920 So an angel appeared to Joseph, explaining 462 00:22:15,920 --> 00:22:20,800 that Mary's pregnancy was not a result of her unfaithfulness, 463 00:22:20,800 --> 00:22:24,360 but rather a result of God's faithfulness. 464 00:22:24,360 --> 00:22:25,360 Do you see that? 465 00:22:25,360 --> 00:22:27,200 It had nothing to do with Mary being unfaithful. 466 00:22:27,200 --> 00:22:29,280 It had everything with God to be faithful. 467 00:22:29,280 --> 00:22:34,000 Mary was pregnant because God keeps his promises. 468 00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:39,040 This child in her womb, he is the fulfillment 469 00:22:39,040 --> 00:22:41,840 of the promises made to Abraham and David. 470 00:22:41,840 --> 00:22:44,160 In fact, he's the fulfillment of all the promises made 471 00:22:44,160 --> 00:22:48,040 to Israel in the entire Old Testament that are fulfilled in him. 472 00:22:48,040 --> 00:22:49,960 Now, the only way that Joseph could possibly 473 00:22:49,960 --> 00:22:52,040 believe this to be true is if God would have somehow 474 00:22:52,040 --> 00:22:55,520 told him personally, and that's exactly what happened. 475 00:22:55,520 --> 00:22:57,000 So now the angel speaks to Joseph. 476 00:22:57,000 --> 00:22:59,200 He convinces him, don't divorce her. 477 00:22:59,200 --> 00:23:00,640 She is telling the truth. 478 00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:02,800 Her conception is supernatural. 479 00:23:02,800 --> 00:23:06,360 It's by the power of the Holy Spirit of God. 480 00:23:06,360 --> 00:23:08,080 And then the angel goes a little further, 481 00:23:08,080 --> 00:23:09,480 and he instructs Joseph. 482 00:23:09,480 --> 00:23:11,680 He says, here's what you're going to name the child. 483 00:23:11,680 --> 00:23:13,480 Now, one of the highest honors for a Jewish couple, 484 00:23:13,480 --> 00:23:16,720 or really any couple, is that you get a name for a child. 485 00:23:16,720 --> 00:23:18,400 Joseph and Mary didn't. 486 00:23:18,400 --> 00:23:22,640 It was told, here's what you will name this child, Jesus. 487 00:23:22,640 --> 00:23:24,600 Now, again, the name Jesus at that time, 488 00:23:24,600 --> 00:23:26,880 it was a very common name in Greek. 489 00:23:26,880 --> 00:23:29,320 It's Jesus. 490 00:23:29,320 --> 00:23:31,480 In Hebrew, it's Yeshua. 491 00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:34,000 If you go to Latin America, you see a lot of Catholic boys. 492 00:23:34,000 --> 00:23:36,160 It's very common to find Jesus. 493 00:23:36,160 --> 00:23:38,800 You're going to find them everywhere. 494 00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:42,320 We are told this child's name would be Jesus. 495 00:23:42,320 --> 00:23:43,040 Why? 496 00:23:43,040 --> 00:23:47,240 Why would the angel insistent to both Mary and Joseph? 497 00:23:47,240 --> 00:23:53,600 Because Jesus means Jehovah, work Yahweh, Jehovah saves, 498 00:23:53,600 --> 00:23:56,520 or in Jehovah, there is salvation. 499 00:23:56,520 --> 00:23:59,280 Notice the mission of this child. 500 00:23:59,280 --> 00:24:01,840 He had come to save his people. 501 00:24:01,840 --> 00:24:05,080 Now, don't miss what there's a hint here. 502 00:24:05,080 --> 00:24:11,520 If Jehovah saves, and Jesus is going to save his people, 503 00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:15,720 what does that imply about the identity of this child? 504 00:24:15,720 --> 00:24:18,880 He's Jehovah, bingo. 505 00:24:18,880 --> 00:24:21,040 That's what they needed to see. 506 00:24:21,040 --> 00:24:27,280 This child is Emmanuel, God with us. 507 00:24:27,280 --> 00:24:30,160 Now, obviously, every Jew would expect the Messiah to come, 508 00:24:30,160 --> 00:24:32,560 and they would expect the Messiah to come and save them. 509 00:24:32,560 --> 00:24:34,040 But again, they thought he's probably 510 00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:36,760 going to save us from our political enemies. 511 00:24:36,760 --> 00:24:39,600 But notice the angel telling Joseph, 512 00:24:39,600 --> 00:24:42,960 this child had come to save his people. 513 00:24:42,960 --> 00:24:47,360 Here's the caveat from their sins. 514 00:24:47,360 --> 00:24:48,120 Why? 515 00:24:48,120 --> 00:24:51,240 Because they didn't know it, but their greatest bondage 516 00:24:51,240 --> 00:24:56,360 lay not with Rome, but with sin. 517 00:24:56,360 --> 00:24:59,480 They were enslaved to sin. 518 00:24:59,480 --> 00:25:02,240 Now, we are not yet told in Matthew's gospel 519 00:25:02,240 --> 00:25:05,120 how this child will save. 520 00:25:05,120 --> 00:25:07,720 That will be revealed later as we will see the brutal death 521 00:25:07,720 --> 00:25:09,840 at the cross. 522 00:25:09,840 --> 00:25:12,040 If you would say, is the Messiah going to come and redeem you? 523 00:25:12,040 --> 00:25:14,360 Yes, they would have known he's going to redeem us. 524 00:25:14,360 --> 00:25:17,400 But there was no expectation whatsoever 525 00:25:17,400 --> 00:25:22,120 that he would redeem them by giving his own life 526 00:25:22,120 --> 00:25:24,400 as a ransom for theirs. 527 00:25:24,400 --> 00:25:29,920 He would give his life as a ransom for their sins. 528 00:25:29,920 --> 00:25:34,360 The stumbling block for so many, and as still as today, 529 00:25:34,360 --> 00:25:38,280 they failed to understand his mission. 530 00:25:38,280 --> 00:25:40,080 They tripped over him. 531 00:25:40,080 --> 00:25:42,840 And people are still tripping over him daily. 532 00:25:42,840 --> 00:25:46,840 He did not fit the bill for what they assumed the Messiah had 533 00:25:46,840 --> 00:25:48,320 to do. 534 00:25:48,320 --> 00:25:50,640 The angel also gave a little bit more information. 535 00:25:50,640 --> 00:25:55,120 He said, this child is going to save who? 536 00:25:55,120 --> 00:25:56,640 His people. 537 00:25:56,640 --> 00:25:58,600 Now, obviously, Jewish readers would assume 538 00:25:58,600 --> 00:26:01,800 whether the Messiah will come and save Israel. 539 00:26:01,800 --> 00:26:04,240 That's his people. 540 00:26:04,240 --> 00:26:06,680 Yes and no. 541 00:26:06,680 --> 00:26:09,520 Yes, but that's not the whole story. 542 00:26:09,520 --> 00:26:13,160 If you go back even in the pages of the Old Testament, 543 00:26:13,160 --> 00:26:17,440 many Jews, Israelites, those within those circumcised 544 00:26:17,440 --> 00:26:21,400 physically, they still fail under God's judgment. 545 00:26:21,400 --> 00:26:23,040 Why? 546 00:26:23,040 --> 00:26:25,160 They were unbelievers. 547 00:26:25,160 --> 00:26:29,280 Yet there were other faithful Jews in Israel who 548 00:26:29,280 --> 00:26:32,880 comprised a godly remnant. 549 00:26:32,880 --> 00:26:37,160 There was an Israel within Israel. 550 00:26:37,160 --> 00:26:41,040 Now, in Matthew's Gospel, written to Jews, 551 00:26:41,040 --> 00:26:44,840 you're going to see pretty early on from even the lips of John 552 00:26:44,840 --> 00:26:47,800 the Baptist and our Lord himself, 553 00:26:47,800 --> 00:26:49,760 there's going to be a significant amount of Gentiles 554 00:26:49,760 --> 00:26:52,360 joining this godly remnant. 555 00:26:52,360 --> 00:26:53,760 The first time you get a hint of this 556 00:26:53,760 --> 00:26:58,000 is John the Baptist speaking to religious leaders in Matthew 3. 557 00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:00,440 But when he, John the Baptist, saw many of the Pharisees 558 00:27:00,440 --> 00:27:03,200 and Sadducees coming to his baptism, 559 00:27:03,200 --> 00:27:06,520 he said to them, very kindly, I'm sure, 560 00:27:06,520 --> 00:27:11,960 Brutavipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 561 00:27:11,960 --> 00:27:13,960 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance 562 00:27:13,960 --> 00:27:15,480 and do not think to save yourselves. 563 00:27:15,480 --> 00:27:17,120 He stopped and said, and don't for a moment 564 00:27:17,120 --> 00:27:18,800 think you're really a son of Abraham. 565 00:27:18,800 --> 00:27:20,360 The way of Abraham is our father. 566 00:27:20,360 --> 00:27:22,080 He said, for I tell you that God is 567 00:27:22,080 --> 00:27:24,720 able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 568 00:27:24,720 --> 00:27:27,280 What he's saying is, listen, your lineage from Abraham 569 00:27:27,280 --> 00:27:29,760 does not save you. 570 00:27:29,760 --> 00:27:31,280 Don't count on that. 571 00:27:31,280 --> 00:27:35,600 But Jesus, even more boldly in Matthew 8, 572 00:27:35,600 --> 00:27:40,440 when Jesus heard it, the faith of a Gentile, he marveled 573 00:27:40,440 --> 00:27:42,840 and he said to those who followed, 574 00:27:42,840 --> 00:27:44,480 assuredly I say to you, I have not 575 00:27:44,480 --> 00:27:46,520 found such great faith, not even in Israel. 576 00:27:46,520 --> 00:27:50,680 And notice verse 11, and I say to you, 577 00:27:50,680 --> 00:27:56,240 many will come from east and west outside of Israel 578 00:27:56,240 --> 00:27:58,360 and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob 579 00:27:58,360 --> 00:28:00,760 in the kingdom of heaven. 580 00:28:00,760 --> 00:28:04,160 Many Gentiles will become disciples of the Messiah, 581 00:28:04,160 --> 00:28:08,480 and thus they will become members of His people. 582 00:28:08,480 --> 00:28:10,560 As the gospel will unfold, you're 583 00:28:10,560 --> 00:28:16,280 going to see that His people are not primarily ethnic. 584 00:28:16,280 --> 00:28:18,160 Who are His people? 585 00:28:18,160 --> 00:28:20,960 Those who have seen and embraced the word Jesus 586 00:28:20,960 --> 00:28:23,600 as the true promised Messiah. 587 00:28:23,600 --> 00:28:27,600 They've seen Him, and they've come to Him. 588 00:28:27,600 --> 00:28:30,760 Now, Joseph gives more commentary, verse 22 and 23, 589 00:28:30,760 --> 00:28:32,400 or Matthew, excuse me. 590 00:28:32,400 --> 00:28:34,440 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled, which 591 00:28:34,440 --> 00:28:36,200 is spoken by the word through the prophet, saying, 592 00:28:36,200 --> 00:28:39,360 behold, the virgin shall be a child and bear son, 593 00:28:39,360 --> 00:28:41,360 and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which 594 00:28:41,360 --> 00:28:44,120 has translated God with us. 595 00:28:44,120 --> 00:28:45,680 Why is this little detail? 596 00:28:45,680 --> 00:28:46,920 Again, keep in mind the audience. 597 00:28:46,920 --> 00:28:48,720 Matthew is writing to Jewish people, 598 00:28:48,720 --> 00:28:52,480 and he shows, hey, this birth that's a virgin born, 599 00:28:52,480 --> 00:28:54,840 it's a fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy, 600 00:28:54,840 --> 00:28:58,920 and then he quotes Isaiah chapter 7, verse 14, 601 00:28:58,920 --> 00:29:01,400 which is the first of many Old Testament quotations 602 00:29:01,400 --> 00:29:02,680 in Matthew's gospel. 603 00:29:02,680 --> 00:29:04,200 And he quotes Isaiah 7, 14. 604 00:29:04,200 --> 00:29:05,880 It's essentially the same thing. 605 00:29:05,880 --> 00:29:07,760 What is Matthew doing? 606 00:29:07,760 --> 00:29:09,960 He's proving from the Hebrew scriptures 607 00:29:09,960 --> 00:29:14,200 that this virgin born son of Mary is indeed the Messiah 608 00:29:14,200 --> 00:29:18,880 and the fulfillment of all God's promises to Israel. 609 00:29:18,880 --> 00:29:19,800 Here he is. 610 00:29:19,800 --> 00:29:21,200 This is the one. 611 00:29:21,200 --> 00:29:23,000 So I love what Matthew's doing. 612 00:29:23,000 --> 00:29:24,640 He's actually a pretty good attorney. 613 00:29:24,640 --> 00:29:29,320 He's putting together an ironclad case, first from 614 00:29:29,320 --> 00:29:30,720 genealogy. 615 00:29:30,720 --> 00:29:32,240 He shows the pedigree. 616 00:29:32,240 --> 00:29:35,960 And now from prophecy, Old Testament scriptures, 617 00:29:35,960 --> 00:29:40,760 both coming together to show that this son of Mary 618 00:29:40,760 --> 00:29:43,800 is the Christ. 619 00:29:43,800 --> 00:29:46,680 Verse 24 and 25. 620 00:29:46,680 --> 00:29:48,440 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, 621 00:29:48,440 --> 00:29:52,240 did his angel lord command it, and took to him his wife. 622 00:29:52,240 --> 00:29:53,880 And he did not know her till she had brought forth 623 00:29:53,880 --> 00:29:56,760 her first one son and called his name Jesus. 624 00:29:56,760 --> 00:30:00,120 Now many times, we focus on Mary's obedience, 625 00:30:00,120 --> 00:30:02,280 and that is right to do. 626 00:30:02,280 --> 00:30:03,960 It is right to do that. 627 00:30:03,960 --> 00:30:08,080 But Joseph's obedience is no less commendable either. 628 00:30:08,080 --> 00:30:11,520 So he hears God's instruction, and he then 629 00:30:11,520 --> 00:30:13,880 obeys without hesitation. 630 00:30:13,880 --> 00:30:15,960 He takes Mary as his wife. 631 00:30:15,960 --> 00:30:18,400 He goes through with the wedding ceremony, 632 00:30:18,400 --> 00:30:23,600 and he assumed his role as the earthly father of Jesus, 633 00:30:23,600 --> 00:30:25,920 the son of God. 634 00:30:25,920 --> 00:30:26,560 So what happens? 635 00:30:26,560 --> 00:30:29,480 Well, Mary gave birth to this child. 636 00:30:29,480 --> 00:30:29,960 What they do? 637 00:30:29,960 --> 00:30:33,560 They named him exactly as the angel had instructed. 638 00:30:33,560 --> 00:30:36,200 They named him Jesus. 639 00:30:36,200 --> 00:30:38,440 But friends, I think if we're not careful, 640 00:30:38,440 --> 00:30:41,840 we will focus too much on Mary and Joseph's obedience. 641 00:30:41,840 --> 00:30:44,320 But that's not Matthew's emphasis. 642 00:30:44,320 --> 00:30:47,640 Matthew's point is to focus on not on Mary's obedience, 643 00:30:47,640 --> 00:30:52,640 not on Joseph's obedience, but on the child who was born. 644 00:30:52,640 --> 00:30:54,960 Who is he? 645 00:30:54,960 --> 00:30:56,920 He's Emmanuel. 646 00:30:56,920 --> 00:30:59,040 God is with us. 647 00:30:59,040 --> 00:31:01,720 What is he doing? 648 00:31:01,720 --> 00:31:05,880 His mission is to come and save his people from their sins. 649 00:31:05,880 --> 00:31:08,680 Israel did not need a political messiah. 650 00:31:08,680 --> 00:31:12,480 They did not need a military warrior. 651 00:31:12,480 --> 00:31:16,040 Israel needed to be cleansed. 652 00:31:16,040 --> 00:31:20,320 Israel needed to be forgiven and washed clean. 653 00:31:20,320 --> 00:31:22,680 And so do you. 654 00:31:22,680 --> 00:31:25,400 This is the testimony of the gospel. 655 00:31:25,400 --> 00:31:28,400 You need to be forgiven. 656 00:31:28,400 --> 00:31:30,800 You need to be cleansed. 657 00:31:30,800 --> 00:31:33,480 The worst calamity that can fall upon a person 658 00:31:33,480 --> 00:31:36,400 is to die in their sins. 659 00:31:36,400 --> 00:31:40,520 To die in your sins is to be perish. 660 00:31:40,520 --> 00:31:44,080 It is to be separated from God. 661 00:31:44,080 --> 00:31:49,800 That is a fate far worse than I can even imagine or describe. 662 00:31:49,800 --> 00:31:53,920 The worst thing that could possibly happen to you 663 00:31:53,920 --> 00:31:56,640 is that you would die in your sins 664 00:31:56,640 --> 00:31:59,600 and be separated from God forever. 665 00:31:59,600 --> 00:32:02,320 To die in your sins is to fall headlong 666 00:32:02,320 --> 00:32:06,520 into the severe judgment of a holy God. 667 00:32:06,520 --> 00:32:10,400 And that is the destiny of every person who does not 668 00:32:10,400 --> 00:32:12,880 come to Christ for salvation. 669 00:32:15,880 --> 00:32:18,880 Doesn't need to be that way. 670 00:32:18,880 --> 00:32:20,040 But here's the truth. 671 00:32:20,040 --> 00:32:21,320 And you've heard it. 672 00:32:21,320 --> 00:32:23,040 And I pray you've seen it. 673 00:32:23,040 --> 00:32:27,400 Salvation is only found in this child that was born. 674 00:32:27,400 --> 00:32:28,520 That's it. 675 00:32:28,520 --> 00:32:29,840 There is no other. 676 00:32:29,840 --> 00:32:31,080 There is no other Messiah. 677 00:32:31,080 --> 00:32:32,560 There is no other Savior. 678 00:32:32,560 --> 00:32:35,440 This child is no ordinary child. 679 00:32:35,440 --> 00:32:40,120 This child is Jehovah in the flesh. 680 00:32:40,120 --> 00:32:43,440 And only he can save. 681 00:32:43,440 --> 00:32:46,560 So what must I do? 682 00:32:46,560 --> 00:32:50,560 You must repent of your sins and come to him in faith. 683 00:32:50,560 --> 00:32:53,800 My friends, you've broken God's law. 684 00:32:53,800 --> 00:32:56,600 You were born into sin. 685 00:32:56,600 --> 00:32:58,680 Your sins have separated you from God. 686 00:32:58,680 --> 00:33:00,320 And you stand condemned. 687 00:33:00,320 --> 00:33:03,920 The judgment of God is upon you. 688 00:33:03,920 --> 00:33:06,840 But there is hope. 689 00:33:06,840 --> 00:33:10,440 There is hope if you know that you stand condemned. 690 00:33:10,440 --> 00:33:17,000 Because this child's name, it's Jesus, Jehovah saves. 691 00:33:17,000 --> 00:33:20,720 He is a Savior. 692 00:33:20,720 --> 00:33:22,240 His mission was one of rescue. 693 00:33:22,240 --> 00:33:25,880 And let me say this with all authority of divine scripture. 694 00:33:25,880 --> 00:33:29,920 He will save you if you come to him. 695 00:33:29,920 --> 00:33:32,160 Do you see, and this is what I want to say. 696 00:33:32,160 --> 00:33:33,640 As we started with the names, when I told you 697 00:33:33,640 --> 00:33:37,880 about our children, but do you see how this child's names 698 00:33:37,880 --> 00:33:41,840 reflect our deepest need? 699 00:33:41,840 --> 00:33:45,640 Our greatest need is to be saved from our sins. 700 00:33:45,640 --> 00:33:48,240 It has nothing to do with us other than our sins. 701 00:33:48,240 --> 00:33:50,120 We need to be saved from our sins. 702 00:33:50,120 --> 00:33:53,000 And we need to be restored to the presence of God. 703 00:33:53,000 --> 00:34:00,520 And God has done both of those in giving us Jesus Emmanuel. 704 00:34:00,520 --> 00:34:06,520 He is giving us a Savior by giving us Himself. 705 00:34:06,520 --> 00:34:12,760 And today, I implore, I beg, and the scriptures command 706 00:34:12,760 --> 00:34:17,360 for you to repent, fall on your face before this God, 707 00:34:17,360 --> 00:34:19,920 confess your sins before Him, and believe 708 00:34:19,920 --> 00:34:21,920 that His Son is the Savior of the world, 709 00:34:21,920 --> 00:34:24,360 and He will receive you. 710 00:34:24,360 --> 00:34:26,120 You must do so. 711 00:34:26,120 --> 00:34:29,080 And my prayer is that you would do so even today 712 00:34:29,080 --> 00:34:33,080 as you have seen this wonderful birth of the incarnation 713 00:34:33,080 --> 00:34:34,840 of the Son of God. 714 00:34:34,840 --> 00:34:37,160 Let's pray. 715 00:34:37,160 --> 00:34:40,000 Father, I thank you this morning, Lord, for the word of God 716 00:34:40,000 --> 00:34:45,800 and the power it has to lay us open. 717 00:34:45,800 --> 00:34:47,640 Lord, it meets us at our deepest need. 718 00:34:51,720 --> 00:34:54,360 So many times, Father, we deal with felt needs 719 00:34:54,360 --> 00:34:55,480 or superficial needs. 720 00:34:55,480 --> 00:34:59,440 But Lord, you don't allow that. 721 00:34:59,440 --> 00:35:02,480 It's a fine-tuned scalpel. 722 00:35:02,480 --> 00:35:05,200 And Lord, you open us. 723 00:35:05,200 --> 00:35:06,720 And Lord, you know exactly, and you 724 00:35:06,720 --> 00:35:09,040 diagnose the problem exactly as it is, 725 00:35:09,040 --> 00:35:11,960 the problem lies inwardly in our hearts, 726 00:35:11,960 --> 00:35:13,200 in our operating system. 727 00:35:13,200 --> 00:35:14,800 We are corrupt. 728 00:35:14,800 --> 00:35:15,920 We are sinful. 729 00:35:15,920 --> 00:35:21,080 And Lord, we are estranged from you naturally. 730 00:35:21,080 --> 00:35:24,760 Oh, God, you did not leave us there. 731 00:35:24,760 --> 00:35:26,600 You gave us your Son. 732 00:35:26,600 --> 00:35:29,400 You gave us Jesus. 733 00:35:29,400 --> 00:35:34,880 And Lord God, today, Lord, there must be some here, 734 00:35:34,880 --> 00:35:39,400 Lord, who are lost. Father, I pray 735 00:35:39,400 --> 00:35:42,320 that they would feel the just condemnation, the guilt 736 00:35:42,320 --> 00:35:43,480 and the weight of their sins. 737 00:35:43,480 --> 00:35:46,760 Let them feel that, Father. 738 00:35:46,760 --> 00:35:49,760 And then would you open their eyes? 739 00:35:49,760 --> 00:35:53,280 Would you open their ears and let them see this child that 740 00:35:53,280 --> 00:35:55,880 was born as Savior? 741 00:35:55,880 --> 00:35:57,720 Let them come to Him today, Father. 742 00:35:57,720 --> 00:35:59,720 Would you grant life? 743 00:35:59,720 --> 00:36:02,400 Lord, I pray that you would do so, Lord. 744 00:36:02,400 --> 00:36:04,480 Draw them, Father, to your Son. 745 00:36:04,480 --> 00:36:07,120 Save them for His glory and for His honor. 746 00:36:07,120 --> 00:36:11,320 We pray this in the mighty name of our risen Lord. 747 00:36:11,320 --> 00:36:14,760 We pray this in the name of Jesus, the Christ. 748 00:36:14,760 --> 00:36:16,200 Amen. 749 00:36:16,200 --> 00:36:19,400 We're going to prepare now to commune with our Lord. 750 00:36:19,400 --> 00:36:20,760 I'm West of Deacons to come. 751 00:36:20,760 --> 00:36:30,440 And as you pass out the elements, as they're passing them out, 752 00:36:30,440 --> 00:36:32,440 I would just ask that you would hold on to them, please. 753 00:36:32,440 --> 00:36:34,680 And we ought to protect them.