The Birth of Jesus the Messiah
One of Christianity's most contested doctrines is the virgin birth or conception of Jesus Christ. But in reality, there are only three possible explanations for Jesus' conception—first, that He was the legitimate child of Mary and Joseph; second, that He was illegitimate; or third, that He was miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit of God. But Matthew’s gospel couldn’t be more clear: the virgin birth was a supernatural miracle that brought the eternal Son of God into the world—being fully God and now fully man. But what does this mean for us as Christians and why is this doctrine so important today? Join Tom Pennington as he explains the crucial details surrounding The Birth of Jesus the Messiah.
Part 1
The gospel of Matthew can be summarized this way: Jesus of Nazareth is the promised Messiah of the Hebrew Scripture, the divine Savior and King. So as Matthew writes his gospel, he has that grand theme in mind. But Matthew chapter 1 is unique in that it records not only the genealogy of Jesus Christ but also the narrative surrounding His birth. And only Matthew and Luke record the details of Jesus’ birth.
Part 2
The Bible teaches that it was the only way God's eternal Son could add complete humanity to His divine nature without becoming two persons. This allowed Jesus to become fully human like us in every way except sin, which was absolutely necessary for Him to serve as our Great High Priest and offer Himself as the perfect sacrifice for our sins.
Part 3
In the gospel of Matthew we find an important verse that describes the angel Gabriel instructing Joseph to name Mary's child ""Jesus."" The name Jesus, however, isn't arbitrary. But rather, it is the Greek form of the Hebrew name for ""Joshua"" or ""Yeshua,"" which means ""Yahweh saves."" And that is the message of the gospel—that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners from their sin. And the virgin birth plays a crucial role in God’s eternal plan of redemption.
Part 5
As we continue studying Matthew's account of Jesus' birth, we have to ask a key question: Why, when announcing Jesus’ birth, does the angel Gabriel explicitly quote Isaiah 7:14? What does that Old Testament passage have to do with Jesus Christ? On today’s broadcast, Pastor Pennington helps us understand an important prophecy from Isaiah chapter 7 that describes the virgin birth of Christ 700 years before it happened.
Part 6
The virgin birth of Jesus Christ is a fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith that must be embraced and never ignored or rejected. The fact that the eternal Son of God took to Himself human flesh is a nonnegotiable aspect of the gospel message and is absolutely necessary for the salvation of mankind.