Congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ,
At the conclusion of this sermon we will, God willing, sing the Christmas Carol – Hark the Herald Angels sing.  And in that Carol is a phrase similar to others that we have sung today that describes Jesus as the “Offspring of the Virgin’s Womb.”  

Now, for many, despite the obvious joy that comes from singing carols, the truth of that phrase will be largely ignored if not downright disbelieved.  
After all, we live in a world that says that if you cannot scientifically examine something with a test tube and a bunsen burner; then it just ain’t so.  
And so, the story of the virgin birth remains just that – a story; some sort of cute myth or the private belief of a few misguided simpletons.  
The idea that a virgin birth actually happened seems impossible to believe.

Well there can be little doubt that the passage that we have just read reads like history.  It reads like a straightforward account of something that happened at a certain time in a certain place.  And the event it describes is the virgin Birth of Jesus Christ.  
The question is what are we do with it?  What are we to make of this account of the virgin birth?  And even if we accept that it is a true account, what does it mean for us today?

Well, over the past couple of Sundays we have been looking at a couple of passages of the Bible that lead up to the passage before us today.  
Firstly, we looked at the genealogy of Jesus, recorded in 1:1-17.  
And we saw there that Matthew used the very common custom of Jewish genealogy to show that Jesus was a real Jewish man.  He existed.  And, he was also a Son of King David.  

And on Sunday, we also looked at Isaiah 7.  
And we did this because Matthew quotes from Isaiah 7, in v23, to show that this virgin birth should not have been a surprise to anyone, for it had been clearly prophesied, by Isaiah, some 700 odd years before it happened.  
And those of you here last Sunday will recall that the sermon points were that the Word remainS, the Word is rejected, and the Word is promised.  

Well, today, we are once again going to focus on the Word as it relates to this passage.  In these verses Matthew describes the events that lead up to the virgin birth.  
And we want to take note of three things in particular, firstly, the Word Returns, secondly, the Word is given, and thirdly, the Word is obeyed.

Firstly then, as we look at verse 18, we see there that the word returns.
1.	In very plain language, Mathew begins by telling us that he is going to explain “how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.”  
a.	And it is equally plain that Matthew is telling this story from the perspective of Joseph.  
i.	To get Mary’s perspective on the story you have to read the account of Luke.  
ii.	But here, we are going to be told about how Joseph found out about Mary’s pregnancy and his reaction or reactionS to this situation.

2.	And so, having told us that he is going to describe the birth of Jesus Christ, Matthew says, “His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.”  
a.	Now, what we need to understand here is that in the Jewish society of that time a young man and a young woman would be pledged to each other or engaged.  
i.	As a pledged couple, they remained living in their parent’s homes for around one year before the marriage itself.  
ii.	And they were expected to remain chaste during that time.  
iii.	But unlike engagements today, which can be easily ended, even though they were not yet actually married, they were considered to be a married couple by the community.  
1.	The only way out of this state of engagement was through divorce.  
2.	And so, Matthew wants us to know that Mary and Joseph were living in this chaste, pre marriage state; there had been no sexual intimacy between them.  

b.	But before they were actually living together as husband and wife, before they had consummated their marriage, Mathew informs us that Mary “was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.”  
i.	And it is quite clear that Joseph is the one who finds this out.  
1.	If others had found this out then there would have been nothing Joseph could do to keep her from public disgrace.  
ii.	No, Joseph, probably noticing her growing mid-section, finds out that she is pregnant.  

c.	Now, from the Gospel of Luke, it is quite clear that Mary has known about this pregnancy for some time.  
i.	We read there that Mary was told by the Angel Gabriel who also told her about the miraculous pregnancy of Elizabeth, Mary’s relative.  

ii.	Brothers and Sisters, Mary is a very young woman, perhaps as young as 13 or 14.  She has been told that she is pregnant by the Holy Spirit.  
1.	How could she tell anyone else what she knows?  Who would believe her?  

iii.	Indeed, as she visits Elizabeth, it seems that she goes there to see if what the angel said about Elizabeth is true, not, in the first place, to tell Elizabeth what has happened to her.  
iv.	But as soon as she walks in Elizabeth’s door, through the insight of the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth knows what has happened to Mary.  
v.	Mary then stayed with Elizabeth for three months, we are told, before returning home.
vi.	And now, her pregnancy is at least noticeable to Joseph.

Well you might well be wondering, why I have described the point of this verse as the Word Returns?  What we must remember though is that for four hundred years the Lord has not spoken to His people.  There has been no prophet.  There has been no direct revelation.  
But the times, as they say, are a-changin.  
Zechariah, Elizabeth’s husband has heard the Word of the Lord from the angel, Gabriel.  
Mary has heard the Word of the Lord from the angel, Gabriel.  
Elizabeth has heard the Word of the Lord directly from the Holy Spirit.   
Soon we will be told that Simeon at the temple, and Anna, the prophetess, have also heard the Word of the Lord.  
And Brothers and Sisters, as the Word Returns, it is clear that the Lord desires again to reveal Himself to His people.  A new chapter in the plan of salvation is obviously about to unfold. 

And now, the Word of the Lord is going to come to Joseph as the Word is given, our second point.
1.	In v19 we read about Joseph’s first reaction to the knowledge that Mary is going to have a baby.  
a.	We are told that “because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.”  
i.	Now, congregation, we need to understand here that this verse is not suggesting that because Joseph was a kind man he thought he would be gentle with how he dealt with Mary.  
ii.	Joseph knows that Mary is pregnant.  Mary does not deny this.  
1.	She cannot tell him how she is pregnant.  Joseph would never believe her: “You’re trying to tell me that you are pregnant by the Holy Spirit!!!”  
iii.	No, the only possible conclusion that Joseph can make is that Mary is guilty of adultery.  
1.	And Joseph, we are told, is “a righteous man.”  
(a)	He knows that adultery is a serious sin.  
(b)	He knows that Deut. 22 has explicit instructions on how to deal with a situation like this; adultery, like this, can even be punished by death.  
2.	But Joseph is also a gentle man who has no desire to see Mary killed or humiliated.  
iv.	Thus, he decides to deal with this quietly.  
v.	In all of this, the Holy Spirit allows Joseph to arrive at the wrong conclusion so that the Holy Spirit can reveal to Joseph, directly, the truth behind Mary’s pregnancy.  

2.	And this is exactly what happens next.  Immediately after Joseph decides how he will react, the angel of the Lord appears to him to explain the circumstances of Mary’s pregnancy.  
a.	Now, I know it’s dangerous to read between the lines of Scripture.  
i.	But I want you to consider Mary as all of this is going on.  
ii.	As I said, she could be as young as 13-14.  
iii.	She knows something that seems unbelievable.  She can’t tell Joseph; he would feel ridiculed, he might even be led to blasphemy.  
iv.	But what she can do is pray.  And there can be little doubt that for some time now she will have been praying fervently that the Lord might make Joseph to understand.  

b.	And her prayers are answered, gloriously, as the angel comes to Joseph.  
i.	And the angel tells him that her child, fathered by the Holy Spirit, is to be called “Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
ii.	Now, Brothers and Sisters, at home in my study, I have a whole shelf of books that write about the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Every aspect of who He is and what He did and what He does and what He will do is examined inside out, upside down and back to front.
iii.	But if you are looking for a very simple handle by which to understand who Jesus Christ is and what He does, you have it right here in v21: “Give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”  
1.	“Jesus” is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua, which means, God saves.
2.	And the message of Christmas is that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary in order to “save His people from their sins.”  I sin.  You sin.  We all sin.  We lie.  We cheat.  We steal.  We lust.  We blaspheme.  We covet.  We hate.  We dishonour those in authority. We do not keep the Sabbath as we ought, etc etc.  
3.	Jesus came to “save His people from their sins.”
iv.	Now, God is a holy and perfect God.  The only people that He can allow in His presence are holy and perfect people.
1.	And if you are honest, you will know that you are not holy and perfect; you are a sinner.  You can not stop sinning.  And even if you could, you would still be guilty of all the sins you have committed up till now.  
2.	Thus, you cannot save yourself.  You need to be saved by another.
3.	That other, as God’s Word here reveals, is Jesus.  
(a)	He came to “save His people from their sins.”

3.	This is the word that was given, firstly, to Joseph.  But we see also that it was not a new word.
a.	As v22 makes clear, this is the fulfilment of the word spoken to the Lord’s people by Isaiah over 700 years before.  
i.	In Isaiah 7:14, as we saw on Sunday, Isaiah brought the Word of the Lord to King Ahaz saying the words that Matthew here quotes: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel.”
ii.	And Matthew helps us to see that those words of Isaiah were fulfilled with the virgin birth of Jesus.  
1.	Because Jesus is fathered by the Holy Spirit, He is fully God.  
2.	Because Jesus is fathered by the Holy Spirit, he is without sin.  
3.	But because Jesus is mothered by Mary, He is also fully human.  
4.	Because Jesus is mothered by Mary, He is, indeed, “God with US!”  

This then is the Word that is given to Joseph.  And through the Gospel of Matthew, this is also the Word given to us, again, this Christmas Day.  And it is a word that demands a response.  Looking at Joseph then, we see that the Word is obeyed.

1.	Joseph’s response, as we see in vv24-25, is characterized by obedience.  
a.	He has heard the Word of the Lord.  He has heard the command of the Lord.  And without a moment’s hesitation, indeed, even as he wakes from the dream where God’s word of command has been given, he acts.  
i.	See him, Brothers and Sisters, as he hurries to Mary’s place.  
ii.	See Mary hear Joseph’s voice and wonder for a moment what he will say.  
iii.	See her joy and exultation as her prayers are answered as Joseph tells her that he knows what has happened to her and that he will take her home to be his wife!  

iv.	But see also the further evidence of Joseph’s obedience and understanding as he has no union with her until the baby is born, in recognition of the special nature of her circumstances.  

b.	Eventually, the virgin gives birth to a son.   And Joseph holds this baby in his arms.  
i.	Together with Mary, he is the first to recognize that this child is the Saviour.  
ii.	This child is God’s gift to man.  
iii.	This child, born of a virgin, is a sinless Messiah who has come to save sinners.  

c.	And as the final evidence of Joseph’s obedience, he gives Him the name, Jesus.  
i.	This is faith’s response to God’s Word of command.  
1.	Joseph accepts the gift that God offers.  
2.	Joseph believes the Word of the Lord.  
3.	Joseph obeys the command of the Lord.

d.	And in this we are directed to consider one other detail of God’s command to Joseph.  
i.	Yes, the baby was to be named Jesus.  And yes, he would save sinners.  But notice that the angel says, “He will save HIS PEOPLE from their sins.”  
1.	Jesus did not come to save all people from their sins.  He came to save His people.  

ii.	And how are His people distinguished from all people?  
1.	Like Joseph, they are distinguished by faith’s response.  
(a)	They accept the gift that is offered; Jesus Christ.  
(b)	They believe in the Word of the Lord; Jesus Christ.  
(c)	They obey the command of the Lord; Jesus Christ.  

iii.	Like Joseph, you too must take the baby into your arms and acknowledge Him as Jesus; Saviour of your sins.  
1.	You must believe that this account of a virgin birth is no myth.  
2.	It is the record of the circumstances of the birth of Jesus; the one who came to save His people from their sins.

2.	The Word returned to the Lord’s people, the Word was given to Joseph, and the Word was obeyed.  
a.	Is your life characterized by this sort of obedience? 
i.	Are you able to sing, ““Offspring of the Virgin’s womb,” as an obedient believer?
1.	If so, then rejoice and praise God for the glad tidings of this Christmas day!
(a)	Jesus Christ, your Messiah, is no longer the babe in Joseph’s arms.
(b)	He lives and reigns in heaven as the exalted King.
(c)	And as Immanuel, he says to you, “Surely, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  Amen.