As you are aware we are trying to answer the question … “Where did the real Christmas start?” For a period of three years I taught at a High School. I had two subjects to teach. The first was Bible Ed. As long as I did not evangelize I was safe. All I had to do was teach the Bible … which is evangelism! The other subject was Guidance. The field was wide covering topics like subject choice, how to study, career, university, HIV AIDS together with other sexually transmitted diseases, relationships, pregnancy, hygiene and a host of others. Two of the most fascinating questions were …
(1) “Where did the first babies come from?”
(2) Who did Adam’s children marry?”
Many of the teachers were evolutionists. This meant they rejected the Bible account of creation, Adam and Eve and one race flowing from them, through Noah and his sons. I would answer the question starting in Genesis chapter one at creation, man being part of creation, moving onto marriage in chapter two, followed by Adam … “lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant” in chapter 4. This was the start of procreating the race. In chapter five we read:
Ge 5:3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth. 4 After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 5 Altogether, Adam lived 930 years, and then he died.
There are the answers. Adam had other sons and daughters. Because human being were still genetically healthy, living to such old ages, they were able to inter-marry without any negative side effects. Today that is forbidden by law but also unwise when it comes to the health of the children. We have seen a grave tragedy taking place in Genesis chapter three followed by God starting to sustain His Messianic Promise through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, creating a people (Israel), putting them in a place (Canaan), reigning over them through His Word, the Priesthood, the Prophets being present in the Temple and promising that all nations would be blessed through this people. We hinted on the fact that this would come about through Messiah who would create a people (Kingdom), for a place (Heaven) to exist under His Kingly reign (Rule) and that this Kingdom would include people from all nations. How would God achieve this? What method would He use? Our theme today is “Method”.
1) The reason for God’s method is to create a Kingdom people, in a place called heaven under the rule of King Jesus. We understand that a baby is born to a mother and father through the process of procreation. We also understand that all babies are born with a sinful nature. This means no person is born right with God. Sin separates … so all are separated from God and are spiritually dead. Man has a responsibility before God to redeem himself by offering God a sacrifice for sin. Yet because of man’s depravity he cannot. A sinner cannot offer God anything to appease His anger and divert His wrath. Man has to make peace but man cannot make peace because of his sinful nature.
2) God’s method to accomplish His promise. Only God is holy and only God can offer Himself a sacrifice to appease His anger towards man and his sin. Man can’t but God can … but how can God who is Spirit solve man’s dilemma? Remember He called a people to be His own before creation. They are born sinful, lost and separated from God from birth.
Eph 5:4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.
How will God reach His objective that mankind be holy and blameless in His sight? There is only one possible way! God Himself must come to earth and deal with man’s sin. He chose a people and He made a promise to send a Messiah and only He Himself can be that Messiah because only He who is the Almighty, Holy and Eternal God can resolve the sin issue that holds man in bondage.
3) God becomes Incarnate. The means God, who is a Spirit Being comes to earth taking our flesh without taking our sinful nature and becomes man. Man sinned and man must pay the sin price. He can’t but God incarnate as the Godman can. How does He accomplish this?
(1) Through a promise
Is 7:14 “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.”
Almost 800 years before Messiah came, Isaiah prophesied Messiah would come, being born of a virgin.
(2) In the fullness of time we read of the promise fulfilled:
Mt 1:22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.”
Matthew is very specific about the fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy.
(i) A virgin will be pregnant.
(ii) She will deliver a son.
(iii) This son’s name shall be Emmanuel.
(iv) Emmanuel means “God with us”. This is remarkable because God comes, taking on human flesh.
(3) But why through the agency of a virgin? The answer is important to understand, for failure here spoils anyone’s understanding of the magnitude of God’s sacrifice. Every time a woman falls pregnant the man passes on his sinful nature to the baby conceived. Yet, the virgin was one who had never has sexual intimacy, was young and pure, even though she herself was a sinner.
Mt 1:20 an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”
In some miraculous way, God by His Spirit allowed the pregnancy with Him as God the Son taking the human nature, without its sin. Not having a human father meant there was no sinful nature transferred and the baby born will be born sinless. Only man could pay the sin price and God incarnate as the Godman, Jesus, was sinless. He would be able to fulfil Genesis 3:15:
Mt 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.”
Thank You, God, for Your miraculous divine plan. This is love unspeakable, for as humans we cannot understand the depth of Divine Love and Grace. Amen.