Cross Creek Community Church, Pastor Dave Martin – Dec 6, 2015

“The Miracles of Christmas”

Luke 1-2, Mt 1-2 & Selected

** Christmas- We have heard the story many times since childhood… We tell it to our children, we hear it in church, on the radio, we see it portrayed on television. We sing about it, take trips, we participate by giving and receiving gifts, eating together as families, preparing special meals, attending special Christmas events, we use the theme of Christmas to decorate everything imaginable… A festive joyous time that only comes once a year, we must enjoy it! Yet Christmas time can invokes memories of loved ones who have died… There is hope

The birth of Jesus is celebrated worldwide in many different ways and traditions… Even in Muslim countries!

Most of us here this morning are keenly aware of the many miraculous events surrounding the birth of Christ…

God surrounds the birth of Jesus with miracles…

  • Hundreds of prophecies concerning His coming,Isaiah 7:14 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
  • Perfect timing during the brutal Roman Empire,Galatians 4:4 4 But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law,
  • Precious stories encompassing HIS-story… 400 silent years… Zechariah & Elizabeth… Genealogy, engagement & announcements to Mary & Joseph… Roman census & journey to Bethlehem… Birth of Jesus in Bethlehem’s stable… Angelic announcement to the lowly shepherds… The Wisemen and God’s special star… Etc.

This morning let’s look at three incredible miracles and the implications for our lives today…

1. God’s Christmas Miracle of the Incarnation

Luke 1:31-35 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." 34 "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" 35 The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

  • Gen 3:15… prophetically speaking of Jesus, “the seed of the woman will crush Satan’s head”…
  • “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you…”
  • Man’s sin nature was not transferred when Jesus was conceived in the virgin Mary’s womb

Slide 7…

  • Medical Doctor, M.R. DeHaan writes, It is now definitely known that the blood which flows in an unborn babies arteries and veins is not derived from the mother but is produced within the body of the fetus itself only after the introduction of the male sperm. An unfertilized ovum (female reproductive egg cell) can never develop blood since the female egg does not by itself contain the elements essential for the production of this blood. It is only after the male element has entered the egg cell that blood can develop.
  • As a very simple illustration of this, think of the egg of a hen. An unfertilized egg is just an ovum on a much larger scale than the human ovum. You may incubate this unfertilized hens egg but it will never develop. It will decay and become rotten, but no chick will result. Let that egg be fertilized by the introduction of the male sperm and incubation will bring to light the presence of LIFE IN THAT EGG. After a few hours it visibly develops. In a little while red streaks occur in the egg denoting the presence of Blood. This can never occur and does never occur until THE MALE SPERM HAS BEEN UNITED WITH THE FEMALE OVUM. The male element has added life to the egg. Life is in the blood…

“Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” -VIRGIN BIRTH!

Philippians 2:6-7 6 Who, being in very nature [‘morphe’ inner essence or reality]God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. [Complete & absolute deity, God embraced perfect humanity]

(Lu 1:34-35; Mt 1:20-23; John 1:1-18, 8:58, 10:30-33, 17:5, 20:28; Col 1:15-20; Phil 2:5-8)

Many verses: Hebrews 1:3 “The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being…”

“Hypostatic Union”: Fully God and fully man – “en-flesh-ment”… God became flesh & dwelt among us)

The hypostatic union is the term used to describe how God the Son, Jesus Christ took on a human nature, yet remained fully God at the same time. Jesus always had been God, but at the incarnation, Jesus took on human flesh - He became a human being. Jesus' two natures, human and divine, are inseparable. Jesus will forever be the God-man, fully God and fully human, two distinct natures in one Person. Jesus' humanity and divinity are not mixed, but are united without loss of separate identity.

“Son of Man”– Humanity, 100% Man (85 times in N.T.)… Stresses the humanity of Christ

“Son of God”– Divinity, 100% God (38 times in N.T.)… Stresses the divinity of Christ

The incarnation of Jesus Christ is the central fact of Christianity… All built upon necessity of the virgin birth!

No Virgin Birth = No Salvation… Jesus provided purification for sins!

  • But to ignore the virgin birth is to ignore Christ's deity. And to ignore His deity is tantamount to denying it. Real incarnation demands the necessity of a real virgin birth…
  • A poll of 7,441 Protestant clergy showed a wide variation in belief of the virgin birth… The following ministers DO NOT believe in the virgin birth: American Lutherans 19%, American Baptists 34%, Episcopalians 44%, Presbyterians 49%, Methodists 60%... These are Pastors who lead their congregations!
  • Unbelief has always been man’s greatest problem since the fall… When finite human liberal theologians can’t comprehend the infinite,apostasy sets in… Cultural rejection of God’s Truth, the acceptance of lies… God’s Christmas Miracle of the INCARNATION– BELIEVE IT!

2. God’s Christmas Miracle of His Mission

Luke 2:9-11 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them [shepherds], and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

  • The great angelic announcement came to the least likely people... the lowly shepherds
  • God’s incredible birth announcement speaks of good news of great joy to all the world!
  • A SAVIOR has been born to YOU, why? Because we all personally stand condemned in sin…
  • Jesus is the CHRIST, the Anointed One, the Messiah that was promised throughout Bible…
  • Jesus is the LORD, Yahweh God in the flesh, supreme creator of the universe…

Matthew 1:21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."What a MISSION, the Savior of the world… We are all sinners, all going to die…

1 John 4:14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

Philippians 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!

Acts 4:12 Speaking of the Lord Jesus, Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

  • Jesus is the only way to find forgiveness, He had no sin nature, perfect sinless Lamb of God who allowed sinful man to crucify Him… Three day later Jesus arose from the dead… Hallelujah!!!

Slide 16 - Good illustration of this, I read about a father and his son were taking a nature hike through the woods when they came upon some ants working furiously to clear a path. The ants were scurrying here and there trying desperately to provide a clear path for ant travel. They worked individually as well as a team, but to no avail. Father and son watched a long time in silence. Finally the boy looked at his Dad and said, "I wish I could help the ants." Father responded by telling his son that his presence would send them to hide for safety. After some more silence and some more observation the son spoke with much intent. "You know, Dad, if I could become an ant, become one of them for a short time I could help them." It’s what Christ did for us!

(Autoillustrator.com, CHRISTMAS "I COULD HELP THEM")

  • Luke 19:10 Jesus’ mission is to seek and to save sinners… WHY? Because He LOVES YOU!
  • God’s Christmas miracle of the Incarnation– BELIEVE IT!…His MISSION to earth – BELIEVE IT!

3. God’s Christmas Miracle for You

The Wisemen from the East, Matthew 2:10-1210 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house [NOT stable], they saw the child [Jesus] with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him [NOT Joseph, star, and certainly NOT Mary, they worshipped JESUS]. Then they opened their treasures [wealth] and presented him with gifts of gold[deity/purity/royalty] and of incense[costly/fragrance of deity, His life] and of myrrh [speaks of sacrifice/death]… v12 …they returned to their country by another route… Wisemen met Jesus and their lives went in a new direction!

Philippians 2:9-11 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

  • You must be ready… You must not step into eternity without personally receiving Jesus Christ
  • He is God’s Christmas miracle for YOU! You & I will stand before Him someday & give an account
  • How can I be ready when I die? I’ve committed some awful sins, can I be forgiven? Absolutely!
  • Nobody is good enough, we all need a Christmas Miracle… His name is Jesus. With perfect blood
  • He died sacrificially in your place taking your sin upon Himself… He knew no sin –Incarnation!
  • Immanuel came to give YOU life! God with us! So what do I need to do to go to heaven someday?

John 20:31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

  • Do you have LIFE in His name? It’s believing from your heart… Ask God to forgive you of sin - called repentance… Then place your complete trust in Jesus Christ – called believe…
  • Incredible miracle of a changed life… Freedom from bondage, sin, guilt & shame… Into Great Joy!

Have you accepted God’s Christmas gift to you?

Let me lead you in a simple yet profound prayer that could change your eternal destiny…

Dear God, thank you for sending your Son into the world to pay the penalty for my sins. Thank you Jesus that you died personallyfor me. I know I’m a sinner by birth and need a Savior. Forgive me Father. I now by faith receive your free gift of salvation… Forgive my sins, come into my life and help me to begin to live for you…

If you have prayed this prayer from your heart, God says you are saved! Tell someone you are with, stop at welcome center for more information and next step material… Welcome to the family of God!

The Miracles of Christmas – The Incarnation, The Mission, The Gift for you!