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| Sandro Botticelli's Annunciation, (1489-1490). (Wikipedia) |
It is called the Virgin Birth. And it has been an important-enough doctrine to be held with confidence by the Church for 1850 years and then important enough for Enlightenment liberals to vilify, negate, downplay, and impugn for the last 160. A main argument used against the Virgin Birth is its supposed insignificance and even irrelevance, but the fact that liberal theologians make it their punching bag betrays the reality that the Virgin Birth is important.
Let’s
look at this vital, but for some people controversial, doctrine today by reading
the following passage.
Pray & Read:
Luke 1:26-38 (A sermon in two parts, Luke 1:34-38 to be posted separately).
Key Truth: Luke
wrote Luke 1:26-38 to teach believers that the Virgin Birth happened without the agency of a
man, was free of the corruption of sin, established Christ’s Davidic ancestry,
his identity as the Last Adam and the last heir to David’s throne.
Key Application: Today I
want to show you what God’s Word says about the Virgin Birth.
Sermon Points:
WHAT THE VIRGIN BIRTH
DID (Luke 1:26-33)
1. The
Virgin Birth established Jesus’ ancestry from David (Luke 1:26-27)
2. The
Virgin Birth established Jesus as the Last Adam (Luke 1:28-31)
3. The
Virgin Birth established Jesus as the Last Royal Davidic heir (Luke 1:32-33)
Exposition:
1. THE
VIRGIN BIRTH ESTABLISHED JESUS’ ANCESTRY FROM DAVID (Luke 1:26-27)
a.
“to a virgin betrothed to a man
whose name was Joseph, of the house of David.”
b.
Luke 1:27 - Mary is a parthenos (virgin), a young unmarried girl 12-15 years old. She is
bound by legal marriage contract to wed Joseph (of the house of David) yet
still living with her family. While no physical contact was permitted, Mary was
still considered Joseph’s wife. She is troubled (NKJV) perplexed (NIV) (διεταράχθη) (Luke 1:29) because she had not yet
known a man (Luke 1:34), much different from Zechariah who was deeply shaken
and terrified at Gabriel’s appearance (Luke 1:12). But the Holy Spirit would
overshadow her (Luke 1:35; 9:34; Matt 1:18-23; Isaiah 32:15; same verb used in
Acts 1:8; Num 10:34 in LXX; ).
c.
APPLICATION: Favor is connected with simple
trust in God’s faithfulness. Zecharias the priest asked the angel for a sign
(Luke 1:18). Mary the virgin girl of Galilee submits in simple faith to the
Lord.
d.
Gabriel
follows the typical OT birth announcement structure, especially Isaiah
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.
i. His
name would be Yeshua,
Joshua, Jesus – “YWHH is salvation” v. 31.
ii. He
would be great,
a title generally reserved in Scripture for God Himself v. 32.
iii. He
would be called “Son of the Most High” v. 32. Most High
is Greek translation of Hebrew name El
Elyon “God Most High.” And Lord God from YHWH Elohim “YWHH God,” found in Genesis 1-2.He will sit on David’s Throne v. 32. “Throne of his Father David”
v. 32 – Straight from Davidic Covenant 2 Samuel 7; Psalm 89) Language of v.
32-33 derives from 2 Samuel 7:12-16 and identifies this baby as the Mighty God
of Isaiah 9:6-7, clearly a divine title. Father-Son relationship with God as
promised to David (Luke 1:35).
e. Jesus was a true descendant of David through his mother, Mary, and her ancestor, Nathan, a son of David (Luke 3:23-31; 1 Chron. 3:5; Rom 1:3; 2 Tim. 2:8). Luke gives Mary’s lineage through her father Heli (Luke 3:23). Matthew gives Joseph’s royal lineage through Solomon (Matt. 1:6-16) and shows Jesus’ legal connection to Joseph through Mary. Because of his legal connection with Joseph, the lineal heir to David’s throne, and his blood relation to David through his mother, Mary (Luke 3:23-31), the Lord Jesus is the last dynastic heir to David’s throne and the only one who can rule Israel with God’s blessing (Luke 1:30-33)
f.
APPLICATION: God always keeps His promises.
Gabriel’s announcement to Mary was the fulfillment of a promise made 900 years
earlier to King David. Jesus would reign forever on His father David’s throne.
g.
APPLICATION: FEAR NOT! Because Christ’s conception established his ancestry from
David, you can be confident in the reliability of the Scriptures and the
strength of God’s commitment to his own promises.
2.
THE VIRGIN BIRTH ESTABLISHED JESUS
AS THE LAST ADAM (Luke 1:28-31)
a. “you will conceive in
your womb and bring forth a Son”
b.
By
his Incarnation (coming in the flesh) Jesus became the Last Adam. Just as Adam
was the leader, pattern, and federal head of the flow of sinfulness down into
humanity, Jesus became the leader, pattern and federal head of a new humanity
of saved people who have been redeemed from the pattern of the first Adam (Rom
5; 1 Cor. 15:22, 45-49; 2 Cor 5:17; Eph. 2:10).
c.
The
purpose of this divine, creative work in believers is to make a people in the
image of God’s Son (Rom 8:29; Phil 3:20-21; 1 John 3:2).
d.
APPLICATION: FEAR NOT! Because of Jesus’ conception establishing his identity as
the Last Adam, you can have confidence that your sins are paid in full and that
by identifying with him, your punishment for sin is voided.
3.
THE VIRGIN BIRTH ESTABLISHED JESUS
AS THE LAST ROYAL DAVIDIC HEIR (Luke 1:32-33)
a. “Lord
God will give Him the throne of His father David.”
b.
Jesus’
virgin birth made it possible for Him to rule one day from David’s throne over
Israel (Matt 2:2; 2 Sam 7:12-17; Luke 1:32-33). The Davidic Covenant (2 Sam
7:12-17) was transmitted through Solomon and his posterity (2 Chron 28:4-7;
Matt 1:1-16, 20).
c.
But
a curse on the descendants of Jehoiakim stood in the way. King Jehoiakim burned
the Word of God, and God decreed that none of his descendants would ever sit or
prosper on the throne (Jer. 36:30). The curse was repeated to his son
Jehoiachin (Coniah), the last king of Judah of David’s royal dynasty (Jer.
22:30).
d.
By
a virgin conception, Jesus avoided this divine curse and received full title to
David’s throne through Joseph, his foster father. Jesus did not come under
divine judgment because he was not Joseph’s biological son. But being Joseph’s
eldest legal son, he inherited title to David’s throne.
e.
APPLICATION: FEAR
NOT! Because Christ’s conception established his identity as the last heir
to David’s Throne, you can be confident in Christ’s Second Coming, the
establishment of his eternal kingdom, and his setting right the injustices in
this world.
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