When we left off last week, some of the final words we read were from verse 16. Those words read,

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1 Good morning and welcome to Calvary. Let me begin by saying, Merry Christmas to you. Now for those that are listening to this or reading this online, that statement might not seem strange in anyway. Likely, you are just assuming that this message must have been recorded sometime in the month of December as we were approaching the Christmas holiday. But for those of you in this room, you probably think either I have finally lost it or that perhaps the problem is with you and somehow you have really lost track of time. Don t worry folks. It s not December. You haven t missed the rest of summer and the entire fall season. It s still early August and Christmas is still months away. That being said, our sermon title this morning is. This morning we are going to be considering the Christmas story as recorded in the Book of Matthew, so you can go ahead and begin turning to Matthew 1:18. When we left off last week, some of the final words we read were from verse 16. Those words read, And Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born who is called Christ. Matthew 1:16 As we were closing our study last week, I pointed out a couple of important points from this verse and then promised to come back to it in greater detail this week. Those points were: One, to take notice of the change in form that takes place between verses 2-15 and then verse 16. That change in style of writing is important. Matthew s style repeated throughout this genealogy in the first 15 verses is to list a name and then the words the father of and then another name. Look back to verse 2 as an example of that. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. That format is repeated the exact same way all the way up until verse 16 where it significantly changes. Matthew 1:2 And Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born who is called Christ. 1 P a g e

2 Matthew 1:16 As verse 16 points out, Joseph is not the father of Jesus, but rather the son of Mary who was married to Joseph. The second point I made last week is the importance of the phrase of whom used here in the verse. And Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born who is called Christ. Matthew 1:16 If you were with us, you perhaps recall that I pointed out that the tense and gender of this phrase in the original language is both singular and feminine. That is, when it declares that Jesus was the child of Mary and Joseph, it is making it clear that he was the physical offspring of only one of them (singular) and specifically of the female one of them (feminine). In both of these ways, Matthew is clearly trying to make the point that the normal order of things in the first forty one generations was not the course of things in this last generation that was listed. Matthew is introducing us to the idea of the virgin birth of the Messiah. In our passage before us today, Matthew will go into greater detail involving some of the events leading up to this virgin birth. In our previous study during the introduction I pointed out that there are four gospel accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus the Christ. Four different vantage points from which Jesus was observed and presented to us that we might know and believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that by believing we may have life in His name. (John 21:31). Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name. John 21:30-31 Three of the four gospels make mention of the first coming of Jesus. Mark doesn t mention anything at all about the birth of Jesus. He jumps right into the ministry of John the Baptist and Jesus own baptism at the start of His public ministry. The Gospel of John simply says, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us 2 P a g e

3 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 and then after a few other words also jumps into the ministry of John the Baptist. All that we really know about the events leading up to and including the birth of Jesus are found in the gospels of Luke and Matthew. Luke is the most detailed, informing us of how it was revealed to Mary that she would miraculously conceive (Luke 1:26-38); that she then went to visit her cousin Elizabeth and how the baby that was miraculously inside of her (John the Baptist) leapt within her as a result of that visit.(luke 1:39-45). It s also in Luke s account that we learn all about the census and the trip to Bethlehem and the barn and a manger and the shepherds in the field and Jesus presentation as a baby in the temple. In fact, most of what we know about the incarnation of the Christ is found in the Book of Luke. The gospel of Matthew, (especially when compared to the Book of Luke), like Mark and John, also has very little to say about the birth of Jesus. In fact, all that is recorded in Matthew about the actual birth of Jesus is found down in verse 25. Take a quick look down at verse 25, He (Joseph) knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called His name Jesus. Matthew 1:25 Sort of reminds me of the way new moms and new dads differ in the details. New moms will tell you a million details even down to the baby s length and weight in ounces. New dads We had a baby. Perhaps, if they are really astute, they include the baby s gender as well. Though brief, Matthew s account is helpful however, because it reveals to us some of the details of this event from the vantage point of Joseph. Not a lot of information is provided for us in the Bible about Joseph, but we do learn some interesting things about him in this passage. Let s read the entire passage and begin to dig in. 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. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the 3 P a g e

4 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. She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called His name Jesus. As I said, little is known about Joseph from the pages of scripture. Both Matthew (13) and Mark (6) reveal that he was a carpenter. But, other than that, pretty much all that we know about him is what is revealed to us in these opening passages of Matthew and Luke. It seems Joseph died sometime either before or during Jesus ministry as evidenced by the fact that Jesus instructs His disciple John to care for His mother while He is hanging from the cross. (John 19). We have a little bit more revealed to us about Mary in the Bible (but not much more). Sadly, two extremes have come about regarding people s opinions of Mary. Some, particularly those of a Roman Catholic background, venerate and in some cases even worship Mary as the Holy Mother of God. Others, particularly those of a Protestant background, rebel against this and bash poor Mary as if she had something to do with the poor theology that developed some 500 years after she lived. A proper response to Mary is probably somewhere in between.mary was a sinner saved by grace like you and I that took tremendous steps of faith to walk in obedience to God at great cost to herself. We learn a host of things from this passage about both Mary and Joseph. We learn that Joseph was a just man as it says in verse 19, or as one version says it, a man that did what was right. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. We learn that Joseph is a merciful man as well also from verse 19. Matthew 1:19 4 P a g e

5 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. Matthew 1:19 Circumstances appeared to be such that dictated he had to divorce his wife, (which he was prepared to do), but in doing so, he did not want to unnecessarily shame her or embarrass her or ultimately see her become severely punished. Though he was committed to doing what circumstances seemed to imply was the right thing to do, he was determined to do so in a way that was merciful and kind for the woman he cared for. We also learn from this passage that Joseph was a thoughtful man thoughtful in the sense of contemplative. Verse 20 tells us that rather than jumping right into action, that Joseph instead considers these things. 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. Matthew 1:20 There is great wisdom in being prudent isn t there? How many times do we get ourselves into trouble because we just jump right in and don t allow time for all the facts to be considered and for the wisdom of God to be revealed? Finally, we learn from this passage, and also the one in Luke, that both Mary and Joseph lived the type of lives that were marked by obedience. Notice in verse 24 that Joseph was given instructions in a dream and that the first thing he does after waking up is to do as the Lord commanded him. When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called His name Jesus. Matthew 1:24-25 In regard to Mary, Luke tells us that in response to the announcement by the angel that she would conceive that her response was simply Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be according to your word. 5 P a g e

6 And Mary said, Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be according to your word. And the angel departed from her. Luke 1:38 Mary and Joseph in their actions in these passages, demonstrate a huge amount of courage and obedience in response to this call to raise God s Messiah. Doubts are going to come. People were not going to be inclined to believe that We didn t do anything. The pregnancy just happened. Historically, Josephus in particular, we learn that all sorts of rumors went out about Mary. Some insisted that she and Joseph were immoral. Other rumors went out that Mary unwillingly (perhaps even willingly) was impregnated by a Roman soldier. There are two places in John 8 that reveal the types of things that were being said about this miraculous conception. Here is an example from vs 41, They said to Him (Jesus), We are not born of sexual immorality. They go on to essentially say, We know our father. John 8:41 For Mary and Joseph, to say yes to this divine call was to open these two up to rumor, ridicule and slander for the rest of their lives. And yet, both Joseph and Mary (separately and then ultimately together) respond by saying, If this is what the Lord is calling me to do, I ll do it. And they then walk in obedience. Great men and women of the faith have always been required to take great steps of obedience. We hear that and think, OK. I m ready. When God asks me to do something great, I am going to do it. The reality is it almost never begins with something grand, but always in the small, seemingly unimportant thing. That is where the character trait the habit, if you will of obedience begins. God says, I want you to get up early and seek My face, and we respond, Yes Lord. God says, I want you to go over and sit with that so called outcast over there and we respond, Yes Lord. God says, I want you to die to yourself, swallow your pride and submit your will, and we respond, Yes Lord. I can assure you, that this is not the first act of obedience on the part of these two kids (it is estimated that Mary was in her early teens when she gives birth (perhaps 15 or so). Joseph was likely in his early twenties). These two had built into their life the habit of saying Yes to God in 6 P a g e

7 the little things and thus were prepared to say Yes when He called them to obey in the big things. Again, as I said not too long ago, cultivate the habit of saying Yes to God in the smallest of areas so that you will be prepared when He calls you to say Yes in the big areas of life. Joseph and Mary. We don t venerate them or worship them or pray to them, but we do honor them for their obedient faith and the impact that their obedience has had on who we are today. Alright, let s start making our way through this text. Verse 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. Matthew 1:18 The passage begins by telling us that Mary had been betrothed to Joseph. (KJV espoused). The next verse, however, will refer to Joseph as her husband. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. Matthew 1:19 A little bit of explanation is needed here. In our culture, we have a couple of different stages leading up to marriage. We begin with talking. We re just talking. Nothing serious. It s just talking. That moves into dating or seeing one another. Ah yes, we have begun seeing one another. In time, our relationships make a definitive move toward marriage and as a couple we get engaged and then finally married. In the Jewish culture of Jesus day, there is a slightly different order of things. To begin with, the couple starts with engagement. There is no talking first or seeing one another first. You begin with engagement and this may be as young as three or four years old. Obviously, mom and dad are involved in this process and in many ways this agreement is more of a business transaction then it is a love story. Some years after the engagement, comes the betrothal or espousal period. - This is what you and I would call the engagement. Now the couple has 7 P a g e

8 reached marrying age (teens for the woman; a few years older for the man). Now they are actively preparing to be married. The difference, however, between this betrothal and our engagement is the seriousness of the commitment. Certainly, when a couple is engaged in our culture it is pretty serious and certainly ratcheting up to marriage, but there is still a way out. One party can simply say to the other, You know on second thought maybe this isn t a good idea. In this Jewish culture we have before us in our text, the way out is not so easy. In that culture, the way out was pretty much the way out of a marriage in ours through the issuing of a divorce. A reason would have to be provided and a divorce would have to be granted. A young betrothed, Hebrew couple were as good as married even though the relationship was yet to be consummated. So here is Mary and Joseph, betrothed to be married, when word comes to Joseph that his fiancée is pregnant. I think it is safe to say that this is an unplanned pregnancy. I think everyone would agree that the timing was probably not ideal for this conception to occur. I think it is obvious that Mary and Joseph was probably not ready at this time to raise a child. I can assure you as a parent that most assuredly this child would be a financial burden to Mary and Joseph. I said earlier, that either party would need to have a reason to divorce the other even in this stage of the relationship. Her being with child would be one of those reasons. We don t have all the details as to how and exactly when Mary informed Joseph that she was pregnant (or if she was even the one that did inform him). The timing in Luke seems to indicate that Mary found out she was pregnant and that she immediately (Luke says, with haste) left to go visit her cousin Elizabeth. When she returned, she was four months or so pregnant (and showing) and perhaps it is at that time that she immediately went and informed Joseph. Alternatively and viably, a second scenario is that when Mary with her baby bump returned to town that word quickly spread about what happened when Mary was away. Eventually, that word filtered to Joseph (scandal spreads fast in a small town) causing him to draw the conclusion that she was unfaithful. One way or the other, Joseph finds out that Mary is pregnant. I don t know what kind of guy Joseph was. He might have been like some of us that would immediately go down to Mary s house and confront her. He might have been like some of us that would go into our room and lock the door. We just don t know. The text doesn t tell us. 8 P a g e

9 Eventually though, he ends up back home racking his brain as to what he should do. He loves Mary, but he has to divorce her. She s pregnant and he s not the father. He can t go ahead with the wedding. Custom tells him he is to expose her and perhaps even cast the first stone at her stoning, but his heart breaks for her and he could never let that happen to her. So instead, he has concluded, as we learned in verse 19, that he would quietly divorce her. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. Matthew 1:19 Call off the wedding, but do so in a way that doesn t bring her ridicule, shame and danger. Joseph is a fellow that sought to do that which was right, which begs the question: Right according to whom? Right, according to the tradition of his people? Right, according to the custom of his day? Or, right, according to the leading of God? Joseph resolved to quietly divorce marry, but even in that merciful decision, something just didn t seem to be sitting right with him. The reason is because God was stirring. And, thank the Lord, Joseph was sensitive to that stirring. And so, no doubt exhausted from the whirlwind the news of this day or this week brought, Joseph plops down on his bed and quickly falls asleep. Matthew s account continues, 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. She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. The angel begins with quite an opening. He says, Joseph, son of David Matthew 1:20-21 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. She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. Matthew 1: P a g e

10 We mentioned last week the significance of the phrase son of David and the messianic implications of the phrase, but that is not the angel s point here. The angel is not suggesting that Joseph is the Messiah. Rather, what he is doing is making reference to the royal line from which Joseph descends (as we saw in last week s genealogy). He opens up the conversation by saying, Joseph. You are a great man from a great line and you are being called to do a great thing. Do not fear to take Mary as your wife. He goes on to say, that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 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. She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. Matthew 1:20-21 Joseph. Mary wasn t unfaithful; She wasn t immoral; She wasn t raped or abused in any way. Mary is pregnant according to the Holy Spirit. A virgin has conceived and will bring forth a Son - a Son that will save His people from their sins. Now, something about this encounter immediately convinces Joseph of its truth. Look again at verse 25, When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called His name Jesus. Matthew 1:24-25 Joseph hops right to it, marries Mary and after she gives birth together with her will raise her baby as his own in obedient response to this dream. Would you have blamed Joseph if he didn t immediately believe that Mary miraculously conceived? This sort of thing doesn t happen every day in fact it doesn t happen any day. Even Mary asked a clarifying question when she was informed she was pregnant, How will this be, since I am a virgin? Luke 1:34 10 P a g e

11 No, this is not the normal order of things, which is why Matthew inserts verse 22 and following into the story. Beginning in verse 22, Matthew writes, All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel (which means, God with us). Matthew 1:22-23 The prophet of whom Matthew refers to is the prophet Isaiah and the passage that he quotes in Isaiah 7:14. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel (which means, God with us). It was a prophecy written some 700 years earlier. Matthew 1:22-23 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. The prophecy reads almost identically. Matthew parenthetically adds to the quote which means, God with us Isaiah 7:14 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel (which means, God with us). 700 years earlier, God predicted that a virgin would conceive a bring forth a son. Matthew 1:22-23 The scoffer will say, Yeah, but that word could just as well be translated young girl. That is correct, but of the seven times it is used in the Bible, it is never translated young girl. It is always translated virgin. Additionally, when this text was translated into Greek for the Septuagint version of the Old Testament (about 200 BC) the Greek word (parthenos) chosen 11 P a g e

12 here to translate the Hebrew word. Parthenos only means virgin in the Greek language. The clear intent of the word is virgin. The scoffer doesn t have to believe that Jesus came forth of a virgin, but they can t deny that the text says that he came forth of a virgin. It reminds me of the famous quote attributed to former Senator Daniel Moynihan who said, You are entitled to your own opinion. But you are not entitled to your own facts. Daniel Patrick Moynihan The Bible is clear, that Jesus came forth of a virgin, not merely a young girl, but a virgin. The virgin conceived and brought forth a son. Now maybe you hear that and think, Does it really matter whether or not Jesus was born of a virgin? Couldn t He have just been conceived the typical way and still lived the life He lived, taught the things He taught and then died and rose in the way that He died and rose? Does it really matter if He was born of a virgin? Actually, yes, it does matter for a number of reasons. First of all it matters because the scripture says, as we just saw, that the virgin would conceive and bring forth a Son. (Isaiah 7:14). Secondly, the very first prophecy of a coming Messiah alludes to the fact that He would be born of a virgin. That s found in in Genesis 3:15 which states, I will put enmity between you (the serpent) and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise His heal. Genesis 3:15 Now Genesis 3:14 is the beginning of the curse that is being pronounced on the serpent, and the man and the woman for their sin and rebellion in the garden. Here in verse 15, the curse is being pronounced on the serpent (Satan) and it says that he will have perpetual enmity with the offspring of the woman. The woman in that verse is Israel. The offspring is the Messiah of Israel. That word offspring there is a word commonly translated seed I will put enmity between you (the serpent) and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise His heal. Genesis 3:15 12 P a g e

13 But, the reason most versions do not translate it seed there in Genesis 3 is because in the normal order of things the woman does not provide the seed in conception the man does. So, since the woman does not provide the seed in the normal order of things, the alternative translation (offspring) seemed to fit better. That is, unless of course, there is no man involved in the conception to provide the seed and that rather this conception is the result of a miracle of God. So, like Isaiah 7, Genesis 3 speaks of a virgin birth. Additionally, as we have seen this morning, Matthew 1 speaks of a virgin birth as does Luke 1. Why does the virgin birth matter, because the scripture says it occurred in that manner. Those reasons alone should be enough to satisfy us. Yes, the virgin birth is necessary because the Word of God says it would occur in that way. Another reason the virgin birth is necessary is because if Jesus were merely the product of the normal order of things a man and a woman coming together and conceiving, - it would have then been very hard for us to understand how Jesus was fully God, since His origin was like ours in every way. Similarly, if Jesus had no earthly parents or as it is parent, but instead miraculously descended from heaven as a full grown man to earth it would be impossible for us to understand how he could be fully human. Denying a physical origin a connection between Mary and Jesus - would imply that Jesus was not truly human. Scripture however teaches that He was (fully human, with a physical body like ours). Denying a heavenly origin implies that He was not fully God. The scripture makes clear that He was/is. And so Mary became the vessel by which God in the flesh (human) would come forth in what we call the Incarnation (from the Latin meaning to become flesh). The immaterial (spirit) and the material (Mary s womb) working together to bring forth the Savior. Mary as a virgin conceived and brought forth a Son. Was she a perpetual virgin as some faith traditions teach? No. The evidence is clear. Verse 25 declares, Joseph knew her not until she had given birth When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called His name Jesus. Matthew 1:24-25 Passages like Matthew 12:46; 13:55-56; Mark 6:3 and John 7:5 all speak of his brothers and in some cases sisters. Galatians 1:19 informs us of one of His brother s name (James) he is the 13 P a g e

14 one that wrote the Book of James. We also know that another one of His brothers is Jude who also wrote a Book of the Bible (Jude). Unfortunately, it is a doctrine that was formed by a faith tradition committed to elevating Mary even to the point of veneration. Though it is widely held, it is not Biblical. Now, I must admit, that the wording of the Isaiah prophecy in conjunction with the Matthew text is a bit confusing - The angel says, Joseph. Mary is pregnant by the Holy Spirit and she will give birth to a Son and you will name Him Jesus. 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. She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. Matthew 1:20-21 And this will be in fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah that says a Son will be born and His name will be Immanuel. Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14 Well, which is it? Will He be named Jesus or Immanuel? The answer is both, because Jesus is His name and Immanuel is His nature. In the same way that we learned Christ is not His last name, but rather His title Anointed One - Immanuel is not an actual name, but rather a description of His nature. That is, He is to be, as Matthew adds God with us. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel (which means, God with us). Matthew 1:22-23 His name is Jesus. Though not too common in our day, Jesus was one of the more common names of first century Jewry. 14 P a g e

15 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. She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. Matthew 1:20-21 Jesus is an English transliteration of the Greek/Aramiac. In Hebrew it would have been Yeshua which transliterated into English is Joshua. (That s a little more common in our culture). Jesus, Yeshua, Joshua all mean the same thing Jehovah is Salvation. That is why the angel adds, for He will save His people from their sins. 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. She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. Matthew 1:20-21 We could then read verse 21, this way, He shall be called Jehovah is salvation, for He will save His people from their sins. God with us. The holy One becoming a man and meeting us in our place of sinfulness but not leaving us there. For He will save His people from their sins There is a penalty for our sin. The Bible declares emphatically that the wages of sin is death. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The penalty for our sin has been covered. Romans 6:23 Our debt has been paid and the result is eternal life for all who believe. That s glorious, but even more than that, not only did the Lord save His people from the penalty of their sins, but He came to deal with, as G. Campbell Morgan has written, the pollution of our sins. That is He came and dealt with our past and has washed us clean. 15 P a g e

16 The Bible says, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The Bible says, If any man is in Christ, the old is gone. All things have become new. I John 1:9 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. II Corinthians 5:17 He saves us not only from the penalty of our sin, but also from the stains and pollution those sins have caused. He washes us a new. This hit home to me so powerfully not too long ago when I was on a mission trip in Belize. I was traveling with a group of women from the church that would be ministering to women at various churches throughout the country. One of the ladies on our team, who I actually knew very well, began to share her testimony of how Jesus came into her life and how He changed her. She began to speak of her past and began to paint a pretty sordid story. Fighting back tears, she spoke of things she had done that later caused her great pain and shame. She spoke of the lingering effect of so many of those decisions. As I sat there and listened I was shocked - not because of the things she had done etc, but because though I knew this woman so well, I had had no idea of these things. And that is the point I am making all of those stains, all of that pollution had been dealt with. Jesus had taken this woman and cleansed her of all that sin. Standing before me was a new creation and trying to even conceive of this woman in her pre-jesus days was nearly impossible for me to imagine. Jesus had done a cleansing work in her. If you knew her, you would agree with me, that it was impossible to define her by her past. That old man (or in this case woman) was dead and gone and a new creature in Christ had come. Maybe you have a past. Perhaps you wonder if those stains could ever be cleansed. Today I say to you, the answer is YES. His name is Jesus and He came to save His people from their sins. 16 P a g e

17 Allow me to make one final point. His name is Jesus and He came to save His people from their sins. He saves us from the penalty of our sins. He saves us from the pollution of our sins. And, gloriously, He saves us from the power of our sins. As the scripture says, He came to set the captives free The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; The Book of Proverbs says, An evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him. Isaiah 61:1 Proverbs 5:22 Sin binds us. It makes us beholden to it. We become its slave. Like Paul we discover, that which we want to do we don t do and that which we don t want to do we do. I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Romans 7:15 All of that changes when we are in Christ. Why? Because His name is Jesus and He came to save His people from their sin. That s why Paul would say shortly after those words I just quoted these words: O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! Romans 7:24-25 Deliverance from the power of sin is found in Christ. Maybe you are bound by a particular substance. Perhaps it is a sinful lifestyle. Maybe it is that you are just perpetually lazy, or selfish, or angry. The message of the gospel is this - that Jesus has come to set you free from those things that bind you. Our Messiah has come; the One we needed all along; the One that will save His people from their sins. His name is Jesus. 17 P a g e