“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.”

There is so much about the events of the birth of Christ that we do not know. And there is also much about the Christmas story that we think we know that is not correct at all!

I heard of a little girl who had brought her Christmas Sunday School art project home for her mother to see. The mother looked at it and could not figure it out. “Why did you put Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus in an airplane?” “That’s the flight to Egypt,” the little girl answered. “Well, who is that mean– looking man in the front of the plane? “That’s Pontius, the pilot,” the girl said. “So, who is that fat man standing behind Mary and the baby/” “Ah, Mom. Don’t you know anything about Christmas. That is round John Virgin.”

Let’s open our hearts and minds to the single Scripture of Matthew 1:23 for a refresher course on the true facts of Christmas and the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. The word “incarnation” means “in flesh.”

A Word of Bible Prophecy. “Behold…”

This word “behold” is a word of alert meaning to see or to understand. This word commands us to give both out attention and our amazement.

This is one of the many prophecies about God’s Messiah, the Savior, Jesus. The prophet was Isaiah. The location was Isaiah 7:14. Isaiah is the most quoted prophet with 65 direct quotes in the New Testament.

George Henderson says there are no fewer than 333 predictions in the Old Testament relating to Christ.

One of the best evidences for the existence of God, the inspiration of the Bible, and the Deity of Jesus Christ is fulfilled prophecy.

Peter Stoner, a mathematician, applied the principles of probability to just 8 of these prophecies.

Imagine covering the state of Texas with silver dollars 2 feet deep. The number of silver dollars would be 1 followed by 17 zeroes (100,000,000,000,000,000). Now imagine that all those silver dollars are alike except one. It is marked with a bold, black “X.” We blindfold a man, place him in the middle of the state, and tell him that he can only pick up one silver dollar. The chance of him picking up the marked silver dollar in one try is so slim as to be labeled scientifically impossible – 1 in 1017. That is the same chance of having just 8 of the prophecies concerning Christ to be fulfilled in one man without the intervention of God.

Micah 5:2……....Born in Bethlehem
Isaiah 7:14……...Born of a virgin and called Immanuel
Isaiah 9:1,2……..Ministry in Galilee
Zech. 9:9……….Triumphal entry into Jerusalem
Psalm 41:9……...Betrayed by a friend
Psalm 35:11….....Falsely accused
Isaiah 53:6……...Silent before accusers
Psalm 22:16……..Hands & feet pierced
Isaiah 53:12……..Crucified with robbers
Psalm 22:18……..Lots cast for clothes
Psalm 34:20……..Bone not broken
Psalm 22:15……..Thirst in death
Isaiah 53:9……….Buried in tomb of rich

A Word about Mary’s Purity. “...a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son…”

Think of it, "a virgin" a young girl who had never "known" a man carrying a child in her womb. That's a physical impossibility. God chose the most unusual sign to mark His divine Son's entrance into the world. Because Jesus had no human father, he had no sin nature.

If you challenge the truthfulness of the virgin birth of Christ, you have some real problems.
You have a problem with Mary. The virgin birth is essential to Mary’s purity.
You impugn the character of Mary. You have a problem with Christ. The virgin birth is essential to Christ’s deity.
You have a problem with the Bible. The virgin birth is essential to the Bible’s integrity.
You have a problem with salvation. The virgin birth is essential to salvation’s reality.

I wouldn’t give you half a hallelujah for your chance of heaven if you deny the virgin birth of Jesus Christ.

It was a miracle. The miraculous conception of Jesus Christ remains impossible to understand by human reason alone. And God chose not to explain more than He has.
Try to understand the virgin birth and you may lose your mind.
Insist on denying the virgin birth and you will lose your soul.

Jesus Christ had both a . . .
Supernatural life. Christ was born of a virgin.
Sinless life. Christ was born and lived without the stain of a single sin.

Some try to venerate Mary, making her equal with Jesus in her birth and life. The church of Rome declares Mary as “the mother of God.” Their reasoning follows this line.
Mary is the mother of Jesus.
Jesus is God.
Therefore Mary is the Mother of God.

No creature, born in time, can be mother of that which is timeless. Mary was the mother of our Lord as man, but she was not mother of Our Lord as God.

Roman Catholicism teaches Mary had an . . .
Immaculate conception . . . that she was born without original sin.
She remained a virgin all her life. Jerome, a Catholic scholar, said Joseph “was Mary’s protector rather than her husband, and like her, had a celibate life.” Yet, the Bible clearly says Joseph and Mary had children, Matthew 13:55 & 56.

You don’t have to worship Mary to appreciate what God did through her in sending us the Savior. The Bible says Mary was blessed “among” women, but “above” other women, Luke 1:28.

A Word about God’s Presence - “And they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”

In the Old Testament God manifested His presence with His people in many ways: cloud, Tabernacle, Temple. He was with them in types and symbols. Now God would dwell among men in flesh and blood. They could touch Him with their hands, see Him with their eyes and hear Him with their ears.

In this first sixteen verses of Matthew 1 look like a Hebrew phone book. 39 times some person “begat” another person, with no mentioning of death. Verse 16 mentions Joseph as the husband of Mary, “of whom was born Jesus.” And then verse 18 proceeds to explain the birth of Jesus. Why? Because it is the only birth in the Bible that needed to be explained. Why? Because this was no ordinary human being - this was God in human flesh! This was the “God is a ‘bod’ truth.” The word “incarnation” means “in flesh.”

In nature we see that God is “above” us.
In the law we see that God is “against” us.
In the gospel we see that God is “with” us.

Jesus was “God in eternity.” There was never a time when God the Son was not. He has always existed in eternity as a member of the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Jesus is “God in essence.” - Romans 1:3-4 “Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.”

Philippians 2:6 says of Jesus, “who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God.”

1 Timothy 3:16 “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh…”

1 John 5:20 “And 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.”

Where did God show up? Jesus was not born in a palace or in a mansion, but in a simple manger.

Stephen Olford says Jesus assumed man’s . . .
Humanity
Adversity
Delinquency. He was not a sharer of men’s sin, but He was the bearer of men’s sin.

God is with us!
God...Infinite
With...Initative
Us...Involved

The Virgin Birth must be accepted by faith. It cannot be explained other than by Scripture. We must take God at His word. Many today who consider themselves Christians claim the Virgin Birth is a fable. It this is so, then Jesus was either deceived or was a deceiver.

Belief in the Virgin Birth is essential to salvation. Take away the divine birth and Jesus is a mere man. His virgin birth, atoning death, resurrection, ascension and return stand or fall together. If you reject any of these great teachings about Jesus you reject them all.

What you decide about the birth of Jesus is one of the most important decisions of your life. In Matthew 22:42, Jesus asked the Pharisees, "What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?" How you answer that question will determine how you live this life and where you will spend eternity.