Fairest Lord Jesus
Rejoice, ye pure in heart
I greet thee, who my sure redeemer art
Break thou the bread of life
Come, thou long expected Jesus
Now thank we all our God
Matthew 1:18-23
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us).
Luke 1: 26-37
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”
Galatians 4:4-7
4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
Lord's Day 14
35.Q.What do you confess when you say: He was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary?
A.The eternal Son of God,
who is and remains true and eternal God,
took upon himself true human nature
from the flesh and blood of the virgin Mary,
through the working of the Holy Spirit.
Thus he is also the true seed of David,
and like his brothers in every respect,
yet without sin.
.
36.Q.What benefit do you receive from the holy conception and birth of Christ?
A.He is our Mediator,
and with his innocence and perfect holiness
covers, in the sight of God,
my sin, in which I was conceived and born.
Why preach on this now? Shouldn't this be a Christmas sermon rather than a Lent or Easter sermon?
But it is an Easter sermon, because with Jesus being God's son there would be no Easter or Lent.
What are we saying when we say he was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary....
Jesus came as a simple baby. He didn't Co. E proclaiming loudly he was God. He came as a baby learning and growing just like any of us.
Mary, engaged, a Virgin, promised to Joseph.
An angel came saying she will be the mother of God's son.
The bible tells us multiple times that she was a Virgin and that God would be working a miracle with her.
Not just God's son. He is really and truly human. Affected by sin but not being a sinner.
So why do we need to believe this?
1. The bible teaches it
He is the fulfillment of numerous prophecies
It is a Virgin that will conceive .... The most ancient hebrew texts use this word to mean virgin
2. Ancient church believed it
3. He is what we need. He heals the corruption with in us. Nothing else can do what he does. He is God and human. Therefore he can bear the weight of Justice toward sin.
He stands in our place.