A Virgin Birth - Isn't That Impossible?

Christmas began in the heart of God and is only complete when Christmas comes to the heart of man.

The story of the birth of Jesus was recorded in The Bible – a book of history.

Pre-marital sex was considered abhorrent during these times, yet God chose to bring His only son into the world in seeming disgrace.

Really makes me wonder…. If I had God’s authority and knowing the destiny that was ahead for Jesus, why would he not supply the most luxurious, amazing, safe place, somewhere lush and green with pristine beaches and lush fruit trees close by. Instead God destined his precious only son to be born in a dry barren land where there was no room except for a filthy animal enclosure available for his birth. And if premarital sex was so frowned on…. why did God choose a young unmarried girl to bare His son, knowing she could be despised in her neighbourhood and misunderstood by the man she was betrothed to? God made sure Mary wasn’t shamed and despised because He that was not part of His plan. So what was His plan?

Read for yourself the Bible account:
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 pregnant 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 fulfil 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.
Matthew 1:18-25

Responding to Disappointment

To find examples of wise, godly reactions to disappointment, you’re more likely to turn to Psalms than to Matthew. But the very first chapter in the New Testament tells the story of an upright man’s reaction to painful and disheartening news.

Joseph—Jesus’ earthly father—was a righteous person. A godly man wants a wife who shares his desire to honor and obey the Lord, and Scripture indicates that Mary was exactly that sort of woman (Luke 1: 45-55). So imagine how stunned Joseph must have been when Mary returned from a long visit with her relative Elizabeth and told him that she was pregnant. Moreover, she was claiming no man had touched her.

Any way Joseph looked at the situation, it appeared grim. And yet Matthew 1:20 says that he “considered”—in other words, he sought a wise, righteous response. God entered Joseph’s life in a dramatic way to confirm Mary’s story and put a stop to his “quiet annulment” plans.
The Lord turned Joseph’s mourning into joy. Mary had told the truth—strange and startling as it was. The couple would bear the intense public censure of an early pregnancy, but Joseph stopped thinking about what others would say. God had blessed work for him: to raise the Messiah alongside a faithful woman.

Followers of Christ should seek a godly response to disappointments they face. Since the Lord always has a plan, the wisest reaction is to anticipate the good He can do and await His timing. God certainly blessed Joseph for his willingness to “seek first His kingdom” Matthew 6:33

Used with permission from In Touch Ministries, Inc. © 2009 All Rights Reserved.
For more biblical teaching and resources from Dr. Charles Stanley, please visit www.intouch.org.

The story of Jesus’ birth wasn’t a mystical elusion, these were real people with real feelings, their story recorded in history. Many people of the day knew Jesus personally and gave personal testimony to the recorded Biblical facts.

Christ Holds It All Together
We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organises and holds it together, like a head does a body. Colossians 1:17 MSG

He didn’t send an angel, He didn’t send a prophet, He came Himself. He traded Paradise for poverty. Infinite, unlimited, unrestrictable God became finite man, containing Himself because of His love for you.

Jesus was the fulfilment of prophecy spoken of in the Old Testament. The word Testament meaning people gave testimony to actual things they saw happening, things so worth telling worth that they wrote them down as a record of what took place.

Because we couldn’t reach out to Him, He reached out to us. In Jesus, God came to earth looking for you and His gift is love.

“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him. John 3:16

Jesus, King of the Universe, was born in a filthy animal stable to show He was accessible to everyone. Once we accept His invitation and receive His forgiveness, He no longer sees our filth – He remembers our sin no more.

Without Jesus we have a hopeless end, but with Jesus we have unending hope.
It’s only when you take that step of faith to accept what the Bible says, that you begin to understand the nearness of Jesus, the unfailing love of God and the reason why you are here.

Please share this message with those you love and help to bring light and hope to someone else’s world! 2015 Elaine Costin – Capturing Sunrise / Blog