Supernatural in the Birth of Jesus

Driving home: However, there is in all of the world's consideration of Christmas, whether there is or is not much connection with the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, a studious attempt to ignore, to distort, or flatly to deny the elements…

The supernatural elements in Jesus' birth account are described as 'mountain peaks' to convey their prominence and undeniable presence, contrasting with attempts to ignore or distort them.

Even in some of the artwork that is, there is in some of the artwork seen in Christmas cards, a connection between Christmas and the birth of Jesus. There are at least remnants of that left. However, there is in all of the world's consideration of Christmas, whether there is or is not much connection with the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, a studious attempt to ignore, to distort, or flatly to deny the elements of the supernatural which stand like mountain peaks in the Bible's account of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. Now, by the term supernatural, I mean that which is above and beyond the natur...

1:56 - 2:56 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin turns to Matthew 1, presenting the fact of Mary's conception by the Holy Spirit as a straightforward, undeniable supernatural event, confirmed by the angel's message to…

The ordinary process of conception is presented as something so amazing it's 'tempted to call a miracle,' to highlight that God's ordinary ways are themselves wondrous, setting the stage for the truly supernatural.

that there should be as the fruit of... that union of the husband and the wife, the amazing process of conception, which though understood and analyzed and the rest, is still to the one who beholds it something that he's tempted to call a miracle.

8:08 - 8:25 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Luke 1 is examined, emphasizing Mary's virginity and the Holy Spirit's direct agency in conception. Martin contrasts this with other miraculous births (Isaac, Samuel, John the…

The birth of Isaac to Sarah and Abraham, with Sarah's 'dead womb' and Abraham's 'dead body,' is used as an example of God's miraculous intervention, but distinct from Mary's conception.

The most godly, knowledgeable Israelite would surely be aware of the unusual intervention of God in the birth of Isaac, through whom the promises made to Abraham found their next stage of fulfillment. And God did an amazing thing. Romans tells us Sarah's womb was as good as dead. She'd passed menopause.

11:38 - 12:01 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Luke 1 is examined, emphasizing Mary's virginity and the Holy Spirit's direct agency in conception. Martin contrasts this with other miraculous births (Isaac, Samuel, John the…

The birth of Samuel to his 'barren' mother is cited as another instance of God opening a closed womb, again to differentiate it from the unique nature of Christ's conception.

Ah, but you see, it was God doing a miracle that His ordinary way of conception might occur in the case of Isaac. But never was it that God Himself came to a womb and by the Holy Spirit made conception without the two-one-flesh union. God had intervened and opened closed wombs in answer to prayer, the godly mother of Samuel. And in the case of her own cousin Elizabeth, she had the nickname, Barren.

12:37 - 13:10 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Luke 1 is examined, emphasizing Mary's virginity and the Holy Spirit's direct agency in conception. Martin contrasts this with other miraculous births (Isaac, Samuel, John the…

The birth of John the Baptist to Elizabeth, who was 'well advanced in years' and 'barren,' is used to show God's miraculous quickening of a womb, but still within the ordinary means of conception, unlike Mary's.

It was a reproach in Israel to be barren. And her nickname was Barren. When she'd hear people refer to her as Barren. Who's coming to tea?

13:10 - 13:21 Read in full sermon

Driving home: When you and I can with these little minds of ours comprehend the constitution of the person of our Redeemer when we can fully and fully encompass it with our grace then I'll believe you when you tell me that you just fi…

The analogy of trying to fit the Atlantic Ocean into a water pitcher illustrates the impossibility of fully comprehending the incomprehensible mystery of Christ's person with human minds, encouraging wonder and worship instead.

Here we encounter the incomprehensible the profound the impenetrable mystery. And as I reflected on it again this week and sought to do some extensive reading on the matter that I had not done before in some books that have been sitting on my shelf I was struck again with the fact that no wonder Paul said great is the mystery of godliness He who was manifested in the flesh. When you and I can with these little minds of ours comprehend the constitution of the person of our Redeemer when we can fully and fully encompass it with our grace then I'll believe you when you tell me that you just fit t...

24:47 - 26:10 Read in full sermon

Driving home: When you and I can with these little minds of ours comprehend the constitution of the person of our Redeemer when we can fully and fully encompass it with our grace then I'll believe you when you tell me that you just fi…

A quotation is used to encourage believers to go beyond mere rational understanding into the realm of faith, wonder, worship, and praise when contemplating the mystery of Christ's person.

For as someone said faith and wonder in worship may swim where reason may only wade. Wade it as far as you can go and then swim in wonder in worship and in praise. But as best we can state it in the light of the biblical materials what do we say about this supernatural person Emmanuel God with us? Well let me again state it in two simple propositions.

26:10 - 26:48 Read in full sermon

Driving home: who became natures in one person forever that's it and you go beyond that and you're speculating fall short of that and you don't have the biblical doctrine of who Christ is the redeemer of God's elect the only one who c…

A hypothetical story of a little Hebrew boy looking into the manger is used to emphasize that Jesus appeared as an ordinary baby, without any visible supernatural signs, highlighting His true humanity.

think of it as much a man as though there were no element of deity or divinity present that's why the bible is careful to emphasize the Lord could have cause to be conceived in Mary's womb an eight month fetus to give her a month to get used to that and get prepared for birth no the one who was conceived that which is conceived all the multiplication of cells that form the limbs and the blood system and the brain he passed through every stage therefore the bible says when they had to make their journey to Bethlehem she was great with child and when the time for her to be delivered came she was...

36:56 - 38:23 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The sermon details Jesus' supernatural mission, identified by His name, to save His people from their sins. Martin explains why this mission required a divine-human person: divine…

The change of Jacob's name to Israel is used as an example of how names in the Hebrew setting carried deep significance, embodying character or destiny, to explain the meaning of Jesus' name.

of a supernatural person but they make it very clear that he came on a supernatural mission and that mission is clearly identified with his personal name you see because we live in a totally different social structure with different backgrounds such things as names have a totally different significance when we're picking names we're either thinking of some uncle or some friend or something that rhymes or sounds good with our last name but rarely do we think of the name as being the distillation or the embodiment of the character we hope will be manifested in the child or the destiny of the chi...

45:40 - 47:09 Read in full sermon

The point: If you are a sinner who sees your true condition, embrace the hope that God in love has come down to us in Christ to take us to where He is.

A quotation from A.W. Tozer, comparing thinking one's way to God with climbing to the moon on a moonbeam, illustrates the futility of self-effort in salvation.

that supernatural life and died that horrible death and underwent that supernatural resurrection and ascension to the right hand of God then God you must take my sin very seriously if you went to all that trouble to deal with it righteously and justly and my friend you better accept God's estimation of your sin rather than your own or the world's because it's with God's estimation you'll have to do in the day of judgment and once a sinner begins to see what he really is as a sinner then what I've preached this morning is not detached theological abstraction to say there's hope for me how could...

57:02 - 58:28 Read in full sermon

The point: If you are a sinner who sees your true condition, embrace the hope that God in love has come down to us in Christ to take us to where He is.

Extending Tozer's moonbeam analogy, Martin creates an image of a ladder made of strong metal reaching from the moon to earth, representing Christ as the substantial means by which God has come down to us, enabling us to reach Him.

he says oh I'm going to climb to the moon I'm going to get up on the moonbeam oh I'm slipping off I'm going to how ludicrous to think you could do that he says you can climb to the moon on a moonbeam he says you can no more climb to the moon on a moonbeam than you can think your way to God but then my mind got going I said yeah but suppose there were creatures on the moon and they had the ability to take out of the bowels of the moon's surface the kind of materials that would make the most unusually strong advanced aluminum titanium ladder of some kind and they could actually make a ladder tha...

58:28 - 59:53 Read in full sermon

The point: Blow away all the mist of trying to get on the crest of the Christmas spirit and milk a little sweetness out of the season; your situation needs an enfleshed God who will save you from your sins if you go to Him.

A hymn by E.L. Schlecht is quoted to express the wonder, gratitude, and praise that should arise from contemplating the supernatural birth, person, and mission of Jesus.

of making the family happy and bellies filled and closets full of clothes and boxes full of toys that you don't pause to think the supernatural conception oh that supernatural person oh the mystery of his being the God oh the wonder of his supernatural salvation there was a hymn writer by the name of E.L. Schlecht I wouldn't know him if he was raised from the dead and stood before me but I know him in his words he caught something of the wonder of it he wrote my God my creator the heavens did bow to ransom offenders and stooped very low the body prepared by the Father assumes and on the kind A...

61:13 - 62:40 Read in full sermon