“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” (Matthew 1:23)
TEXT — Matthew 1:18-25
Message
The virgin birth of Jesus Christ is one of the cardinal teachings of Scripture and is pivotal to the Christian faith. Unfortunately, many people allow traditions and festivities associated with Christ’s birth to distract them from the real purpose of His coming into the world.
Today’s passage narrates the circumstances surrounding the birth of Christ. He was born by a virgin named Mary, by supernatural means, in fulfilment of prophecy and to save the world from sin. Prophet Isaiah predicted the virgin birth of Jesus many years before it was fulfilled in Bethlehem. He described it as the sign from the Lord. The virgin-born would be named Immanuel, signifying the visitation of God to His people (Isaiah 7:14).
Isaiah’s prophecy was in tandem with the first promise made by God after the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, that the deliverance of humanity would come through the “seed of the woman” who will bruise the head of the serpent and have his heel bruised by the serpent (Genesis 3:15). The virgin birth qualified Jesus as that “Seed of the woman” who bruised Satan’s head through His finished work at the cross.
The miraculous conception of Jesus conferred on Him the sinlessness required to be the world’s Saviour. For Him to be a sin offering for fallen humanity, He must be sinless. John testified about Jesus: “And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin” (1 John 3:5). Christ was born to save mankind from sin. The question is, are you saved from sin? It is not too late to ask God for salvation and accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as sufficient for your pardon
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
