Why Do You Believe?
Why do you Believe?
Matthew 1:18-25
Yesterday I was trimming my beard and I noticed that I have a lot more white in my beard than I used to. Then I had the thought that one day I am going to look a lot like Santa Claus. Which then made me think, how will I convince children that I am not Santa Claus. Do I need to carry around my birth certificate? Will I need to carry around photos of my childhood? Will I have to stop being so jolly? Will I need to lose a lot of weight? What will the children need to see in order to believe me?
Why do you believe something? It is a simple question, but one we do not often ask. It is hard to believe many things you read in the news either because they are so outlandish or they come from a particular biased news outlet. We believe because of the evidence. And when we don’t believe the evidence it is usually because we are biased against it. Lee Strobel was an atheist journalist from Chicago. He was researching the trial of James Dixon, a young man put on trial for shooting a police officer, when he decided to study the evidence. Strobel followed the evidence of an anonymous tip from one of his sources to discover the officer was actually shot from an accidental discharge but was afraid to confess it in fear he may lose his job. He was able to discover the truth because he confronted his biases. He wrote,
But when I changed those lenses—trading my biases for an attempt at objectivity—I saw the case in a whole new light. Finally I allowed the evidence to lead me to the truth, regardless of whether it fit my original presuppositions.
Strobel wanted to apply the same logic in his quest for truth in the case of James Dixon in how he followed the evidence regarding Christianity.
Have you considered the claims of Christianity based on the evidence? As a Christian, would you be able to share the evidence for your faith? Matthew opens up his gospel laying out his case that Jesus is the Messiah and promised King. He begins with a genealogy showing how Jesus has a legal right to the throne being from the line and lineage of King David and Abraham. Matthew continues to provide evidence to the unbelieving Jews on the person and work of Jesus Christ. As he lays out his evidence, I pray you will either be challenged to believe or encouraged to continue to believe based on the evidence of the birth of Jesus Christ.
Matthew is writing to a Jewish audience and most likely he is appealing to a skeptical Jewish audience. We are at a disadvantage because we do not understand the nuance of the Jewish culture. We are foreigners entering into a culture where we don't fully understand the reference of language. For example, in the south people can use, “Bless your heart,” in a variety of ways. Sometimes it's an insult, or a term of love. Someone coming into the south has to learn the nuance of its usage. We are Gentiles entering into a Jewish Culture. Matthew gives evidence to the Jewish audience he is writing to that we may need help noticing.
Believe in the Birth of the Savior Messiah
Matthew begins in verse 18, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way.” Throughout Jewish history, peculiar births were signs from God that he was doing something special. Think of all the barren women in the Old Testament who could not have children but God opened their womb. Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, the wives of the patriarchs, and then Hannah whose prayer is very similar to Mary’s, and Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. As Matthew begins laying out the evidence, he is putting a neon light on the birth of Jesus so the Jews would pay attention to the uniqueness of his birth.
It is interesting to note again Matthew gives Jesus his title. “Not the birth of Jesus CHRIST took place in this way.” We may gloss over Matthew’s usage of Christ but he is using the title specifically to call his Jewish audience to the birth of the Messiah. Of course, the birth of the Messiah would be unique and special. And everyone one of these births is God making a way when there was not any way. Luke says it well, 1:37, “For nothing will be impossible with God.”
Do you believe “nothing will be impossible with God”? Starting with the genealogy Matthew is showing Jesus’ unique legal right to be King, and then moving to his birth he is connecting Jesus to a long line of impossible births. Of course, nothing will be quite like the impossibility of the birth of Jesus the Christ.
Believe in the Virgin Conception
Matthew does not emphasize the virgin birth, but the virgin conception. It is more common to use virgin birth, but Catholicism adds additional meaning to the phrase which I believe is unhelpful. I would recommend using the term ‘virgin conception,’ because this highlights Matthew’s argument. Matthew 1:18b, “When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.” The text is very clear. Mary was found to be with child, “before they came together.” It was impossible for Mary to be with child since she was a virgin. This was supernatural. It was a miracle. Matthew does not share all the significance, but merely shares the facts of the birth. Jesus is born of woman and born of God. He is truly God and truly man. If you deny the virgin conception, you deny Christianity.
The Jews would have believed in supernatural births as they have been a key part in their history. Matthew is showing how this supernatural birth is different for all the others in that Jesus has both a human and divine nature. If you deny the virgin conception, then you deny Jesus is truly God, being born without a sin nature. Luke adds the phrase, “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.” (Luke 1:35) Jesus is holy, without sin. And if you deny the virgin conception, then you deny Jesus is truly man. He was born of a woman so he could represent and take the place of man. One scholar notes,
His father, in essence, was God, through the work of the Holy Spirit; his mother was the fully human woman, Mary. As fully God, Jesus was able to pay the eternal penalty for our sins (v. 21) for which finite humanity could not atone. As fully human he could be our adequate representative and substitutionary sacrifice.
If you deny the virgin conception, you deny Christ. You deny his birth, you deny his life, you deny his salvation.
So much of our Christian life is tied to the virgin conception. Let me read a paragraph in Hebrews which explains the significance of the virgin conception, Hebrews 2:14–18,
[14] Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, [15] and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. [16] For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. [17] Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. [18] For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
The virgin conception delivers you from death. It delivers you from the devil. It delivers you from the fear of death. It makes the propitiation or the atonement of your sins possible. It gives you a high priest who is able to help and understand when you are tempted.
This is not a doctrine that can be ignored or denied. It is essential to our Christian faith. As Matthew continues to teach on the person and work of Christ in the gospel, the human and divine nature will be crucial on the identity of Jesus the Christ.
Believe in the Character of Joseph
Mary was betrothed to Joseph. They were promised to each other and therefore any sexual relationship between each other before their marriage was consummated or with someone else would have been considered adultery. A betrothal has more legal and binding significance then our engagement as you see Matthew already referring to Joseph as her husband. Matthew 1:19,
And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
Matthew highlights the character of Joseph. He was a just man and did not want to willingly put her to shame. He did not want to make a public spectacle of her sin. In Joseph’s mind, the only logical conclusion was Mary was unfaithful and had become pregnant by another man. Joseph was a just and reasonable man, and he did not believe Mary. We will see throughout the rest of this text who quick Joseph is to obey God in taking Mary to be his wife and to give the name of the child Jesus.
Beloved, we need more people like Joseph in our culture. We live in a “got you” culture that loves to publicly shame people for their sins. A just and righteous person will be careful to bring someone public shame. Let us think carefully before we announce the sins of others online or before others. Just because we know of sin, does not mean we should share it.
I believe Matthew is highlighting Joseph’s character so that the Jews hearing this gospel would desire to be just like him. And to be just is to consider the evidence and make a decision like he did to divorce her quietly, until new evidence came. The evidence came from an angelic dream.
Believe in the Angelic Vision
Matthew is again shining a spotlight on the uniqueness of this event. An angelic pronouncement in a dream is a sign of supernatural intervention. And this is not the first time God appeared to a ‘Joseph’ in a dream. Matthew 1:20–21,
[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.”
An angel of the Lord tells Joseph that Mary is with a child from the Holy Spirit and he should not be afraid to take her as his wife. The angel also reminds Joseph of his lineage addressing him, “Joseph, son of David,” which connects the audience back to the genealogy and Jesus’ legal right to be King, but also reminds Joseph of the heritage and prophecy connected to his line.
The angelic announcement in a dream would be further evidence to the Jewish audience of the legitimacy of the supernatural birth. Joseph who was heading in one direction shifted based on the new evidence given by the angel. It does not make logical sense for Joseph to continue to take Mary as his wife unless God intervened. Also, Matthew confirms a second time the virgin conception of Jesus. Repetition in the Scriptures is one way to highlight importance. And Matthew further draws our attention to the significance by using the word, ‘behold’ before the angel appears. Matthew is appealing to the Jewish audience to consider the evidence about the birth of Jesus to prove he is the Christ.
Verse 21 is very significant, “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” We will come back to this in a moment, but Jesus or Yeshua means, “Yahweh is salvation.” Jesus will be born for a purpose to save his people from their sins.
Believe in the Fulfillment of Prophecy
The birth of Jesus is not an isolated story but it is connected to THE story of God’s salvation. This birth was promised long ago, Matthew 1:22–23,
[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).
Isaiah came to King Ahaz, the heir to the throne of David, because he had put his hope not in the Lord but in the King of Assyria for salvation. He put his hope in human power rather than God’s supernatural power. Isaiah 7:10–14,
[10] Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz: [11] “Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” [12] But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test.” [13] And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? [14] Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Matthew doesn’t reference it here for the Jewish audience would have been familiar with this prophecy. The Lord himself will give you a sign. A sign or evidence to believe. To disbelieve in the birth of Christ is to disbelieve in the sign given by God and to weary the Lord in that disbelief. Again, do not be like your forefathers who did not believe, like Ahaz, who did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord.
Again take note the virgin shall conceive and she will bear a son.
Believe in the Immanuel
God with us. What comfort! What hope. God has come to be with us. Immanuel, God with us, is the great promise of the Old Testament. Repeatedly throughout the Scriptures, we see this refrain, “I will be their God, and they will be my people.” Moses said this to God on Mount Sinai, Exodus 33:14–16,
[14] And the Lord said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” [15] And Moses said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. [16] For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?” (ESV)
We have found favor with God because we have his presence. It is God being with us that makes us distinct from every other group of people on the face of the earth.
There are two groups of people on the planet: those who belong to God and those who don’t. Those who can say, God is with us, and those who can’t. There is no greater comfort in life to know you have God’s presence. God came to be with us. Jesus came to be with us. He left all for us. R.G. Lee has said it well,
Christ who in eternity rested motherless upon the Father’s bosom and in time rested fatherless upon a woman’s bosom, clasping the Ancient of Days had become the Infant of Days. What deep descent from the heights of glory to the depths of shame; from the wonders of heaven to the wickedness of earth; from exaltation to humiliation; from the throne to the tree; from dignity to debasement; from worship to wrath; from the halls of heaven to the nails of earth; from the coronation to the curse; from the glory place to the gory place! In Bethlehem, humility and glory in their extremes were joined. Born in a stable! Cradled in a cattle trough! Wrapped in swaddling clothes of poverty! No room for Him who made all rooms! Not place for Him who made and knows all places! Oh, deep humiliation of the Creator – born of the creature, woman! But in His descent was the dawn of mercy. Because we cannot ascend to Him, He descends to us.
God came to be with us.
Believe in Jesus, the Seed of the Woman
She will bear a son and he will forgive his people of their sins. This is a long, long awaited promise. Matthew 1:24–25,
[24] When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, [25] but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus. (ESV)
She gave birth to a son and he will forgive his people of their sins. In Genesis 3 after sin came into the world and death with it, God said to that ancient serpent, Genesis 3:15,
[15] I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”
The long-awaited offspring was going to crush the serpent’s head. It is interesting that in the Old Testament the offspring is usually always connected to the father. The child was the seed of man, but not this child. The promised child would be the seed of the woman. She will bear son and he will save his people from their sins. Jesus was the seed of women, because there was nothing from man.
Jesus would save his people from their sins by allowing the serpent to bruise his heel. Jesus was bruised and wounded on the cross. On that cross he was wounded, so we would be healed. He was crushed, so we would be forgiven. He was cursed, so we would be blessed. Jesus did not only come to die for us, but to be raised for us. In his resurrection, he crushed the serpent’s head. His reign of terror was over. We, who are in Immanuel, who have God with us, no longer fear death, for death is defeated. She will bear a Son and he will give his people of their sins. The Seed of woman was promised to defeat Satan and that is exactly what he did on the cross.
Friends, Jesus is the Christ, the seed of the woman, the Son of David, the Son of God, who came to save his people from their sins. If you have never trusted in Jesus as the Christ, do not delay. He came to be with us. He came to be with you. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. He came not for the healthy but the sick. He came to save you from your sins. Repent and believe in him and you will be forgiven.
Joy to the World was written by Isaac Watts not as a Christmas hymn but as a song of the second coming of Christ. It is meditation on Psalm 98. My favorite line is the third stanza which reads,
No more let sins and sorrows grow
nor thorns infest the ground;
he comes to make his blessings flow
far as the curse is found,
far as the curse is found,
far as, far as the curse is found
Beloved, Jesus Christ, the seed of the woman, has reversed the curse. Christ redeemed us from the curse by becoming a curse for us. The salvation the Lord brings will cover the face of the earth as far as the curse is found.
Do you believe in Jesus? Do you believe in his virgin conception? Do you believe that he is Immanuel, God with us? Do you believe he lived up to his name, Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins? Do you believe he has defeated the ancient serpent as the promised seed of the woman? Do you believe he is coming back?
Jesus came to save his people from their sins. He began our salvation at the cross, defeated the Serpent in his resurrection but will finally take that Ancient Serpent and throw him into the lake of fire never again to hurt God’s people for we will be with God forever and ever and ever more. Let us lift our eyes to believe not only in the birth of Jesus Christ but his return. One day, death will be no more what Jesus began at the cross, he will complete at his coronation. The King is coming. Lift your eyes to the heavens for She has born a Son and He will forgive his people of the sins.
Psalm 98
[1] Oh sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done marvelous things!
His right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
[2] The LORD has made known his salvation;
he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
[3] He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
[4] Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
[5] Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre,
with the lyre and the sound of melody!
[6] With trumpets and the sound of the horn
make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD!
[7] Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
the world and those who dwell in it!
[8] Let the rivers clap their hands;
let the hills sing for joy together
[9] before the LORD, for he comes
to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity.
Lift your eyes to the heavens for She has born a Son and He will forgive his people of the sins.