Jesus Christ Conceived By The Holy Spirit, Born Of The Virgin Mary Series: The Apostles Creed [#4] Selected Scriptures Pastor Lyle L. Wahl October 1, 2006 Introduction When I was out and about this week there it was. It surprised me. I guess it really shouldn t have. It s not like it s an unbelievable first for the Guinness book of Word Records, but it still was a surprise. There, undeniably facing me straight in the face the first retail Christmas displays, three full months before Christmas! When some of you looked at the cover of your bulletin this morning, you may have had a similar response. Something like, I know the days are flying by and it is the first of October, but isn t it a bit early for Christmas? If you ve been with us for the last few weeks, you know we are looking at the basics of the Christian faith as set out in the Apostles Creed. The part we are looking at this morning states, I believe in Jesus Christ who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary. This is basic and important truth. Our survey this truth today will be from the viewpoint of three questions. What Does This Statement Mean? Question number one is what does this statement mean? Let s start with what the Bible tells us. Turn to Luke 1, beginning with verse 26. Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, Greetings, favored one! The Lord
is with you. But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. The angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end. Mary said to the angel, How can this be, since I am a virgin? The angel answered and said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. For nothing will be impossible with God. And Mary said, Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word. And the angel departed from her (26-38). Now come back up to the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 1 beginning at verse 18. Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 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. And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus (18-25). 2
Let s briefly summarize some of this truth. The statement in the Apostles Creed refers to what is called the Virgin Birth, although to be more precise we could use the phrase the Virgin Conception. It speaks of God the Son becoming human, and that took place at conception. Jesus birth in a stable was a normal, natural birth. The truth of the Virgin Birth is that God the Holy Spirit performed a miraculous work to bring about the conception of Jesus in Mary, who was a virgin. This was a unique work of God. The miracles of enabling couples to have children who prior to God s direct intervention were unable to, are on a different scale. e.g., Abraham and Sarah in the Old Testament, Zacharias and Elizabeth in the New Testament. Jesus had no earthly, no human father. Thinking of a few specifics here, we start with remembering that God the Son is eterna Hle has always existed (e.g., John 1:14, 17:5; Colossians 1:15-17). In the miraculous conception we have God the Son becoming one of us being truly God and truly man. We read in Galatians 4, But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman (4). Theologians refer to this as the hypostatic union, that is, a union of two natures to form one person. It describes Deity and humanity united in one Person forever without any loss, change, division, mixture or separation of either of the two natures Jesus Christ is truly God, truly man. And, it is a union which is forever. Christ in heaven today is the God- Man. This is one of those truths we cannot fully describe, let alone fully understand. But that is the truth God s Word gives us. Why Do We Believe This Statement? The second question, Why do we believe this statement? First and foremost, because the Bible teaches it. I like the way one person puts it, it is taught in the Bible, and believers believe the Bible. 1 All of us who believe have questions about some things in the Bible, there are things we don t understand, want to have more light on, but we believe the Bible. After all, if we don t believe the Bible, we have no firm or certain foundation for truth and faith. The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary. We ve read the two central passages from Matthew and Luke. These clear, God- 3
directed, inerrant descriptions have been accepted by the church down through its history as a cardinal, an essential point of true faith. Yes, there were distortions and errors in the early periods of the church, some of which still are around, but the church clarified the truth, and the Apostles Creed is one of those clarifying statements. Closer to our time, there were many starting in the mid-19th century who identified themselves as believers but who succumbed to rationalistic, anti-supernatural thinking and did not accept any miracles, including the Virgin Birth. That thinking is also still alive and well today. It s been noted that if you don t believe the miracle of the Virgin Birth, how can you believe the miracle of the Resurrection? And if you don t believe in the resurrection, there is no Christian faith. As the Apostle Paul put it very clearly, if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins If we hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied (1 Corinthians 15:14, 17, 19). More specifically, consider God s unfolding of this truth in the Bible. To do that we start at the beginning, Genesis 3:14-15, The LORD God said to the serpent, Because you have done this, cursed are you more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly shall you go, and dust shall you eat all the days of your life; 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. Remember the setting. Adam and Eve succumbed to temptation they disobeyed God, they sinned. They now faced God s judgment. Here God is actually speaking to Satan, who used the serpent to tempt Adam and Eve. And here is God s first promise of the Savior to rescue us from sin and death and restore us to life and holiness. God speaks about her seed, her descendent. That is not at all what people reading this then or now would expect, rather we would expect his, or Adam s seed. The significance of this was not fully clear until after Jesus came, after the Virgin Birth. Looking back we can see why God said it that way. It both pictures and reinforces the truth of the Virgin Birth. 4
Next we move forward to the prophet Isaiah, chapter 7. We start with the situation. King Ahaz ruled in Judah after Israel was split into two kingdoms Israel in the north, Judah in the south. Two neighboring kings, including the king of Israel, attacked Judah. The threat was great. We re told hearts in Judah shook as the trees of the forest shake with the wind. God sent Isaiah to king Ahaz to tell him, Take care and be calm, have no fear and do not be fainthearted. This is a lot more than Be happy! Don t worry! God had a purpose here. He went on further to say, Ask a sign for yourself from the LORD your God; make it deep as Sheol [i.e. the grave] or high as heaven. But the king, in a false pretence of reverence, said, I will not ask, nor will I test the LORD! Isaiah responded, Listen now, O house of David! Is it too slight a thing for you to try the patience of men, that you will try the patience of my God as well? 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. He will eat curds and honey at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good. For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken (13-16). Now, those who struggle with or reject miracles and prophecy will say, It shouldn t be translated that way! Verse 14 should read young woman, not virgin. And so, there is no basis here for the Virgin Birth. The first problem with that is that the word used actually does mean a young women, one of whose characteristics include virginity. That is how it is used in the Old Testament. There is another problem. About 250 years before Jesus Christ was born, a Greek translation was made of the Old Testament and the Greek word it used here was the one for virgin. That s not the end of the problems. God tells us in Matthew 1:23 that the ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy is the birth of Jesus. In that passage, as in Luke 1 also, it is clear that Mary was a virgin. But what s the significance, the point of Isaiah 7:14? This was a sign, a real prophecy with a real fulfillment for King Ahaz, 700 years before Christ. A young woman, who was a virgin at the time this was stated, later had a child as a sign of God s faithfulness, and in His faithfulness neither of those nations were a threat to Judah any longer. 700 years later when God spoke through Matthew, He applied this prophecy to Jesus. After the angel told Joseph not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife, that the Child who had been conceived in her was by the Holy Spirit, we are told, 5
Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 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 (1:22-23). God is continuing to connect the dots, to build the case with this second Old Testament prophecy which both pictures and reinforces the truth of the Virgin Birth. This brings us to the gospel accounts in Matthew 1 and Luke 1. An angel came to Mary, who most likely was a teenager. If actually seeing an angel wasn t startling enough, the angel spoke to her, and told her she would conceive, give birth to a Son whom she would name Jesus, and He would reign on the throne of David and over the house of Jacob forever. In shock, Mary responded, How can this be, since I am a virgin? Mary certainly knew she was a virgin and that in the natural way of this world virgins do not have babies. The angel answered, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. Let s shift to Joseph, Matthew 1. When he learned Mary was pregnant, he could only assume she had been unfaithful. Being righteous, he planned to quietly, respectfully end their engagement. As he was planning this, an angel came to him and told him the Child who has been conceived in [Mary] is of the Holy Spirit (1:20). Then Matthew draws in Isaiah 7:14 and states this event, the virgin Mary conceiving and bearing the Savior of the world, is the ultimate fulfillment of that prophecy. The dots are connected. God has stated the truth of the Virgin Birth, of how Immanuel, God with us, came. Why Is This Truth Important? One last question, Why is this important? There are many answers here. Today, we will briefly consider just five. First, it explains Emmanuel, God with us, the incarnation. John 1:14, the Word [Christ] became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. The Virgin Birth explains Christ s earthly origin. There certainly are things about it we do not and will not understand, but it explains how God Himself came to dwell among us. Galatians 4:4 again, But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman. The Virgin Birth explains Emmanuel, God with us. 6
Then it demonstrates God s sovereignty and faithfulness. God s plan for us was set in eternity before He brought time and space, matter and life into being. This is a truth which we can t wrap our minds around, but it is God s revealed truth. When it gets to specifics, to each and every believer, to you and me, God tells us in Ephesians 1:4 that He chose us in [Christ] before the foundation of the world. As time unfolded when Adam and Eve exercised their freedom and sinned, God was not caught off-guard, and He remained faithful. The first promise of the Redeemer, the solution to our sin, was given, as we noted earlier in Genesis 3:15. God continued to tell His people that His Promised One would come, as we saw in Isaiah 7. And finally, when the fullness of the time came, Christ came. The Virgin Birth demonstrates God s sovereignty and faithfulness. Thirdly, it explains how Jesus Christ can be our Savior. Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, the only Savior. 1 John 4:14, We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Acts 4:2, And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved. He is the one and only Savior. But why is that so? If Jesus Christ were not truly God and truly man, He could not be our Savior. If He is not God, but only a good man, even the best of all who have lived or will live, His death could not pay for our sins because He would have had the same nature and problem of sin we have. God required a sinless, perfect sacrifice. And, if Jesus Christ is not man, He would not be one of us. So, His death, again, could not pay the debt of our sins. The Virgin Birth, the Incarnation, explains how Jesus Christ can be our Savior. Number four, it describes, it means God in Jesus Christ does know how we feel in the tough times, when suffering, experiencing pain, temptation, and facing death. Yes, God is all-knowing there is nothing He does not know. But He is perfect, holy, all-powerful God untouched by imperfection and sin. Jesus Christ experienced suffering, pain, temptation and death, like we do. Hebrews 4:14-15 summarizes this, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weakness, 7
but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. As a result, it continues, Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (16). Jesus knows what you experience and how you feel. You can have confidence as you come to Him in your times of need. And, lastly, the Virgin Birth proves God s great love for us. We can look at some of the countless markers of God s great love for us beginning with Adam and Eve s disobedience, sin God did not give up on them; His love was steadfast. Then all of humanity in the days of Noah. The world in the time of Abraham. The people of Israel rebelling against God after He rescued them from slavery in Egypt. The nation demanding a human king, rather than God to rule directly over them. Then, a downward spiral away from God. And on the list goes, and goes, and goes. Yet, God did not give up on them. Romans 5:8, God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. When the fulness of His time came, He became one of us, and died for us. Yes, the Virgin Birth, Jesus Christ conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, proves God s great love for us, for people as a whole, for you, for me. Conclusion How should we respond to this great truth today? Try to put yourself in the place of a Jewish person living toward the end of the first century from what you know of the Bible. You are a person who seeks God, wants to know, worship, please and serve Him. But there has always been something missing, an emptiness and a longing deep within. When will the Messiah, God s Anointed One come? Then somebody gives you a copy of the gospels. In Matthew you read about the Child conceived in Mary by the Holy Spirit whose name is Jesus and that He will save His people from His sins. And, that this is the fulfillment of the prophecy that you knew well in Isaiah 7:14, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, or God with us. And when you get to John you read that the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth (1:14). And, that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life! 8
If you are back in the mindset of that time, your mind would fill with images and statements from the Old Testament, the many promises of God about the Messiah, the Savior. It all comes together! The Messiah, the Savior has come! And, you can know Him! Your heart would be filled with wonder and joy. That kind of wonder and joy can be, should be ours, when we think about the truth that Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary. In these next few moments with God, worship Him, thank Him for Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us; thank Him for His sovereignty and faithfulness to His promises to us; thank Him for Jesus Christ being truly God, truly man, our Savior; thank Him for Jesus Christ sympathizing with us in all our difficulties; thank Him for His everlasting love for you. And then, like Mary, respond by presenting yourself as a bondslave of God, asking Him to accomplish all that He desires in and for, and through you. 1 Ligon Duncan. <http://ligonduncan.com/i-believe-in-jesus-christ-who-was-conveivedby-the-holy-ghost-born-of-the-virgin-mary-122/>. 2006 Lyle L. Wahl Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. 9