Sermon Prepared by James McCullen
Email Preach Him with Dr. Jim

The Virgin Birth
Isa 7:14 & Various

Introduction
Have you ever thought of the Four Ways Humans have come into being?

1.    Adam came into being by a direct act of God. Gen. 2:7.
2.    Eve came into the world through the act of God while using a man. Gen. 2:22.
3.    Cain and all other human (except Christ) came into being through the process of God while using a
        man and women Gen. 4:1.
4.    Jesus came into the world through the act of God while using a woman. Matthew 1:18.

        Have you ever thought of the virgin birth as a major doctrine of the church?
 
 

God's Prophecies come about, they come true.

God promised a Child to Sarai and Isaac was born.

God promised Israel would go into captivity and they were there a total of 70 years.

God promised a deliverer, and Jesus came.

The Prophecies concerning the Virgin Birth came true.
 

A.    Prophecy . . In a Seed. Gen 3:15
And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel. " NAS

Eve's Seed, "her seed" is a unique way of prophesying the Virgin Birth.

I have a study of this verse detailed in the magazine Israel my Glory. Christian Scholars from a Jewish background explain this verse. It is very interesting.
 

B.    Prophecy . . In a Sign. Isa 7:14
"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. NAS

This sign is unique. King was told to ask a sign from the Lord. He refused and the prophet said all right God will give you a sign.

This sign may have met an immediate need and a long term need. But it is fulfilled in the Virgin Birth of Christ.

The Hebrew word for "virgin" (ALMAH) here is not the usual word (BETULAH) but it is a purer word than the usual word for virgin.

C.    Prophecy . . In a Son. Matt 1:23
"Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which translated means, "God with us." NAS

How can one live a life like Jesus lived?    How can one effect lives like Jesus did and does?

He is the Virgin Born Man, God in the flesh.

John 1:1-3 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. NAS
 

Illustration
When I pastored in Manchester Missouri (suburb of St. Louis). A man originally from Mainland China attended Sunday School and Church. My wife and I had his family over for supper one night. As Jimmy Ping and I talked he told me science influenced him to come to Christ.

I asked him to tell me more. He said well self pollinating plants taught me about the virgin birth. (Now just think about that for a moment.) Did you know there are plants that fertilize them selves? Jimmy Ping a Ph.D. in biology said it helped him believe the virgin birth of Christ.
 

Application

Friend the Virgin Birth was prophesied by God and His prophecies come true.
 
 

A.    The . . Initiative In Producing the Virgin Birth.. v 35 a
"And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; . . . "

This was not something Mary or Joseph thought up.

God took the initiative Gal 4:4

But when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, NAS

B.    The . . Identification . . In Producing the Virgin Birth.. v 35 b
            ". . . and for that reason the holy offspring shall be called the Son of God. "

        1.    Identified as the Holy Offspring.
        2.    Identified as one called the Son of God.

Illustration
Norman A. McMurry tells about a palace in the city of Rome which has a great high dome. Inside that dome there is a painting known as The Dawn by Guido Reni. In order that visitors may see this masterpiece, a table has been placed directly beneath the dome, and on the table a mirror. When one looks into the mirror, he sees the majestic painting far above. Is that not what the Incarnation is all about? Jesus of Nazareth is the "mirror-image" of God.
 

Application

John 14:9 ". . . He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how do you say, 'Show us the Father'? NAS
 
 

A.    Protest Joseph Protested. 1:19
 

B.    Protest . .Some say Jesus never mentioned it directly.
John 8:46 "Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? 58 Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am." NAS

John 17:5 "And now, glorify Thou Me together with Thyself, Father, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was. NAS
 

C.    Protest . .Some say Paul never mentioned it directly.
2 Corinthians 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. NAS

Gal 4:4 But when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, NAS

Illustration Barclay Matt. Vil. 1 p 20
This passage tells us how Jesus was born by the action of the Holy Spirit. It tells us of what we call the Virgin Birth. This is a doctrine which presents us with many difficulties; and our Church does not compel us to accept it in the literal and the physical sense. This is one of the doctrines on which the Church says that we have full liberty to come to our own conclusion. At the moment we are concerned only to find out what this means for us.
 

Muslims and the Virgin Birth
Muslims revere Jesus as the son of Mary. In fact Mary is the only

woman mentioned in the Koran, the Muslim bible. The Koran it-self affirms that Jesus was born of the virgin Mary. What is odd is that the Muslims find themselves in the position of defending the virgin birth against liberal minded Christians who call it an impossibility. They also often times go on the defensive against liberal westerners who say that Jesus did not ascend into heaven. They believe that God took Jesus directly up into heaven. Not only do they uphold the virgin birth but they maintain that Jesus and his mother were untouched by Satan. In a word, Jesus and Mary are sinless.

Even their greatest prophet Muhammad had to be purified by angels before he received prophethood.    Muhammad is not even presented as a miracle worker but Jesus performs miracles. He heals the blind, cures the lepers and, to quote the Koran "brings forth the dead by [Allah's] leave." It is in this way that Jesus is understood to be the Messiah, or "the anointed one." And, he never dies. Muhammad himself dies but not Jesus. Brett Blair, www.sermonillustrations.com, April, 2000
 

Illustration
The grounds for belief and disbelief are the same today as they were two thousand or ten thousand years ago. If Joseph had lacked faith to trust God or humility to perceive the holiness of his spouse, he could have disbelieved in the miraculous origin of her Son as easily as any modern man; and any modern man who believes in God can accept the miracle as easily as Joseph did. C. S. Lewis

Application

Even though some protest.  It is confirmed in the word of God.,
 
 

A.    Phenomena in the . . Providence of This Birth. v 4-5
 

B.    Phenomena in the . . Place of This Birth. v 6-7

Illustration
Dr. John Rosen pioneered a new treatment for some people who were severely mentally ill. These were catatonic patients, curled up in the fetal position on their beds, refusing to acknowledge that anyone else even existed. They would neither move nor speak. Dr. Rosen moved in on the ward. He put up a cot there. Every day he saw those patients. Sometimes he would stop by a bed, take off his jacket, and climb into bed with the patient.

He would put his arms around patients and gently embrace them. Some returned to the world of the living because of that wordless expression of concern.
 

Application

In Christ Jesus, God moved in on the ward.
 
 

A.    The Purpose of Our Having A . . Heavenly Pardon.

1 John 3:5 And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. NAS

2 Corinthians 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. NAS
 

B.    The Purpose of Our Having A . . Heavenly Priest.

Heb 4:15-16 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need. NAS
 

Illustration
A young woman named Marie was admitted to a mental hospital in Europe. She was in a terrible emotional state. She had been reared by violent, abusive parents. At age twelve, she saw her mother and father in a horrible drunken argument one night. They were fighting and struggling over a gun. Suddenly, the pistol fired, and before young Marie's eyes, her father fell dead!

Little Marie's mind snapped. She was filled with pain, frustration, and hatred. She retreated into a fantasy world, but it too was violent. Marie would scream, scratch, hit, and curse at anyone who came near her. She was placed alone in a padded cell. The attending physician tried several approaches, to no avail. She seemed only to become worse. Finally, the doctor decided to try a then common therapy called catharsis the venting of rage upon someone else.

A nurse named Hulda volunteered to be the victim. Every day, Hulda would enter Marie's padded cell. For a full hour, Marie would curse, kick, scream, hit, and scratch Hulda. Then exhausted, Marie would crouch in a corner like a frightened animal, and the nurse Hulda (battered, bruised, and sometimes bleeding) would go to Marie and hold the child tenderly in her arms, rock her gently, and say over and over, "Marie, I love you. Marie, I love you."

Little by little, this message of love got through. Little by little, Marie was able to respond with tears and affection. And in time, Marie was well. She became a whole person. She was healed by sacrificial love. On a deeper level, that's the kind of deep love God gives to us in Jesus Christ. As the Scriptures put it, "By his stripes we are healed." James W. Moore, STANDING ON THE PROMISES OR SITTING ON THE PREMISES (Nashville: Dimensions for Living, 1995), pp. 20-21.
 

Application

Jesus was born of a virgin to take the punishment of our sins.