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. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, 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 Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 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. Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
JESUS Our EMMANUEL, God With Us
Beloved
of the Lord......The Word of God teaches us, that when Joseph and Mary
made their strenuous journey to Bethlehem, the Virgin Mary being "great
with child", "there was no room for them in the inn." As obvious and delicate her condition was, no one took pity or compassion on her. No one would share a room. There was no chivalry, no charity, no sacrifice in any sense for the mother of God. I would imagine Joseph protested as much as possible out of love for his wife, but it was all to no avail. The "best" the innkeeper could give them was a stable. Though it was not the choice of Joseph or Mary, this is where the Baby Jesus was born. And "so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And
she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling
clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in
the inn."
All this is said, because the world still has no room for Jesus today. He is the most despised and rejected of men every December. The world is still too busy to stop everything and meditate upon the meaning of Christ's birth. If we are not careful this morning, the same thing will happen to us. We
were so busy yesterday, and we are so busy today, that going to church
on Christmas morning becomes what is done inbetween then and later. Don't let today slip by you dear Christian. Don't be like the heartless people at the inn who were too busy to make room for Jesus in their heart. Life slips by us all very quickly, like sand slipping through our fingers. Therefore
I ask you now, I implore you with all my heart, cast out of your mind
RIGHT NOW all the business of your life, empty your heart of all
thoughts and worries about tomorrow, and go to the stable and kneel in
faith. Mary has just given birth to the Son of God! She is more than tired. She is wearied and exhausted, but she is also filled with joy. This was her first baby. After carrying this child for nine months, at long last she gets to hold Him close to her breast, even feed Him. But what do they have for Him who would give all? Because they are poor they have no clothes to put upon Him. He is wrapped with scraps of clothe, swaddling clothes. There is no bed either, not for Mary or child. They lay their newborn in a feeding trough, the manger, and the animals look upon their own Creator.
How did Joseph and Mary feel at that moment? After all the rush and stress of the evening, and the labor, it must all have been a shock to them. What just happened? Was this right? This child is the Seed of the Woman, the promised Messiah of old. He was their God and Creator in the flesh come to redeem them! They gave Him the name Jesus, "for He shall save His people from their sin". They also gave Him the name Immanuel, which means "God with us". Had
He not come to be with us, God could only condemn us for sin….yet Jesus
came that we be not condemned, and "if any man be in Christ he is a new
creature, old things are passed away, behold all things are new." Therefore make room in your heart this morning for Jesus by confessing your sins in sincere repentance. But
also make sure you believe He is as His name declares……He is your
Jesus, come to save you from sin, your Immanuel, your God with us. You
are one of God's people, if only you repent and put your faith in Him,
and that is why you sang this morning, "Joy to the world, the Lord is
come! Let earth receive her King! Let every heart prepare Him room, and heaven and nature sing!
"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. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily." Joseph was not the father of Jesus, but only a step-father. When
Joseph and Mary were then first engaged, it was quite a blow for Joseph
to realize at a certain point Mary was pregnant, for Joseph was not the
father. This is because Joseph was an honorable man, and also faithful to both God and Mary. He knew God's sixth commandment regarding virginity, and he would not dishonor Mary's body in that carnal way. Mary likewise had kept her body pure for marriage by virginity, as God commands all. Much of the trouble in this world and also much divorce stems from disobedience to God's commandment about chastity. It is not honorable but very dishonorable, when two people unite in that carnal way without the sacred bonds of marriage. First Thessalonians four therefore says, "This is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour." Within the holy bonds of wedlock, God sanctions and blessed that deed which is not sinful in marriage, but blessed.
Both Joseph and Mary then were honorable in that way, for they kept themselves pure for one another before marriage. Even
when things fell apart by all appearances, Joseph was yet honorable in
that He didn't want to hurt Mary by a very public divorce. Her supposed adultery would then be known by all. That is why he was of the opinion, "minded" to put her away privily, which means divorce her quietly. She had hurt him deeply and he was heartbroken, but the remnants of his love would not allow him to hurt her in return. In this life we often fail in that way, don’t we? If someone hurts us, we are very quick to exact our own "justice" upon them, hurting them in return. And somehow that makes us feel better? But that is not honorable or godly. Nor was it the way our meek and gentle Jesus lived. The Bible says, "Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: Who
his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being
dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were
healed." I Pet. 2 If Jesus had treated other
people as they had treated Him, He would never have died on the cross,
and we therefore could not be forgiven. When you
think then of that humble and lowly Child Jesus, you must see through
the eyes of faith the entire purpose of His coming, not to judge the
world for her sins, but to save the world from her sins. For
"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." Truly, Jesus came in love. On the cross
then we do not hear Jesus saying, "I will hurt you as you have hurt me",
rather Jesus prays, "Father forgive them for they know not what they
do." So in this world dear believer, be honorable in your actions by having mercy upon your neighbor as God has had mercy upon you. Turn the other cheek. Likewise "be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."
Like Joseph, Mary was honorable too. She had kept her body pure, but her appearance was otherwise in the eyes of Joseph. God
therefore sent an angel who appeared in a dream saying, "Fear not to
take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of
the Holy Ghost." What is noteworthy is that Joseph would have to believe and accept God's Word, in spite of what he saw with his eyes. Faith alone would believe what had never before happened in history, a pregnant virgin would give birth. In
order to strengthen Joseph's faith in this great miracle, the angel of
the Lord reminded him of Isaiah's prophecy some 700 years before. "Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." In the original Hebrew, this verse is actually stronger than our KJV translation. The more literally meaning is, "Behold, the virgin, pregnant and bearing a son, and she shall call his name Immanuel." This is PRESENT TENSE, though it is in the past, namely a pregnant virgin is delivering a child! Being a son of David, Joseph knew Hebrew well. Moreover God's Word now strengthened his faith to believe it was true. Mary was still a virgin, still pure in his eyes, and this Child was the Son of the Living God, full of grace and truth.
We today must also believe God's Word to be true if we are to be saved from our own sins and the punishments of hell. If we are such good people who can save ourselves by our works, than why do we always feel guilty about our evil works? Also if we can save ourselves by our works, then why did Jesus come? Yet He did, didn't He!…..and that truth alone necessitates the other truth, that without Jesus we would be eternally lost. If
then we are to be saved it is also necessary we believe in this Virgin
birth, for no simple man with a human father can save all men from sin,
WE NEED NONE OTHER THAN GOD TO SAVE US, and that is why God the Father
sent God the Son to be Jesus our IMMANUEL, God with us. Jesus alone as God and Man could pay that impossible price we could never pay. The
power then of the blood of Christ to cleanse us takes on infinite
proportions, when we see God Himself "was in Christ reconciling the
whole world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them."
First
John 5:20 then says it best, "We know that the Son of God is come, and
hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and
we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life." This means not only that Jesus is the "Son of God" but also Jesus "is the True God, and eternal life." Your
eternal life, whether you believe it or not, is wrapped up in swaddling
clothes, in this Child who is not just some man, but TRUE GOD in the
flesh. Once you see, this Child as He is, the
great I AM of Scripture, come to save you as a Man your Brother, He
truly becomes YOUR Christ, YOUR LORD GOD IMMANUEL, God with us. When this happens, you will immediately drop to your knees
in heartfelt faith and adoration in THANKFULNESS, pure and
unadulterated THANKFULNESS, this is YOUR GOD, this is YOUR own brother
of flesh and blood, come to rescue you and save your own sins, from all
the filth of your own life, from all your evil thoughts, the muddied
waters of your soul! To see Him as HE is then,
our God, our Lord our Brother, a true Child in flesh and blood, He
suddenly becomes not just a Child, but M Y Lord and MY God, MY Savior,
MY redeemer, MY brother, and even MY Friend, a friend of sinners, namely
you and me. If only you see this dear sinner, if
only you see your God lying there in the manger, heaven itself has now
come down to earth, and here in this manger is your own True God, life
eternal. Look at that child now by faith, and see
Him as He is, for that is how Jesus earnestly wants you to see Him,
your God, your Savior, your life eternal. To look upon Him with the eyes of faith is to see heaven open before your eyes. And you too shall call his name Jesus, "for he shall save His people from their sins." Amen.
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