Sermon Vault

Living by the Book

The Glory of a Baby

Matthew 1 & 2

By Pastor Craig Ledbetter

The Glory of a Baby!

I.

Introduction (John 1:1-3,14)

A. It is undeniable - God has a Son (Proverbs 30:4)

  1. The eternal Word of God became the Son of God!
  2. But He didn’t appear as this brawny, superhero, blazing across the sky at light-speed
  3. No, He appeared as a Baby - a real baby! A tiny little baby

B. It’s called, the Incarnation - God becoming flesh and bones like you and me

C. Loads of famous babies

  1. Cain was the very first baby
  2. Isaac was a special baby - to 100 year old parents!
  3. Moses was a pretty special baby (Exodus 2)
  4. Samuel was a special baby
  5. Samson even was a special baby
  6. John the Baptist

D. But the one born early on Christmas morn, is the most special of all!

E. He is glorious, even as a Baby!

F. Christmas shows us the glory of a BABY! “We beheld His glory!” The only begotten of the Father!

II.

Message

A.

Jesus was a Needed Baby (Matthew 1:18-21)

  1. What Everyone Wants…
    • Everyone wants a MIGHTY superhero, but what we needed was a Baby!
    • Everyone wants a load of money, but God thought we needed some humility.
    • The world desires mansions and glory, but God thought we just needed to focus our attention on a small barn late one night
  2. But this world needed a tiny Baby!
  3. God had appeared several times throughout history
    • As a mighty angel in the burning bush to Moses
    • As a mighty voice that shook Mt Sinai
    • As a massive cloud in the day, and a fire at night in the wilderness
    • Even in the fiery furnace as the Son of God
  4. But there was a great need for God, the Almighty God, to become a Man
    • So, why a BABY? A Tiny, weak, wrinkled, so small
    • Why?
    • Because mankind had made a mess of things since Adam
    • Because our sins costs us death (Rom 6:23a) - both physical death and eternal death in hell
    • So if mankind were to be repaired, saved from hell, something had to be done
    • So God allowed ANIMALS to take the place of a sinner for a time
    • But those animals could never take away sin - could only just hold back the consequences
    • So God fashioned a body - like he did with Adam, the first man (Heb 10:4,5)!
    • God fashioned a body for Himself in a virgin’s womb
    • He fashioned that perfect body NOT for a crown, or a throne, but for a cross!
    • To save His people from their sins (Mt 1:21) a) From the power of sin - who wants to be in bondage to the constant pull and dominion of sin b) From the penalty of their sins - hell!
  5. There is a great need today for people to personally know and worship and know the glory of THAT Baby again!
    • He was VERY needed in that day, 2,011 years ago
    • And He is still very needed today!
    • No joy unless drunk, on drugs, or just won the lotto
    • No love except lust and animal passions and all end in domestic violence
    • No freedom, just bondage to sin, and sorrows, and addictions
    • No hope, just a struggle to survive
  6. Our desperate NEED for the Son of God makes that Baby glorious!

B.

Jesus Would be a Powerful Baby (Matthew 1:21; 2:1,2)

  1. Jesus was no ordinary baby!
    • Even though He didn’t radiate with a halo, He was still all glorious!
    • He was KING at His birth already
    • EXAMPLE: Mark Twain’s Book, The Prince and the Pauper. Prince Edward Tudor and Pauper Tom Canty. They swap places, and the king has all power, but no one accepts it - because he looks like a beggar boy!
    • Well, that Baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes looked like a beggar boy, but He was the King of Glory!
  2. Angels sang and worshipped that Baby
  3. Shepherds bowed and worshipped that Baby
  4. Just His very name is powerful - JESUS! (Philp 2:5-9)
  5. When He would stand in the presence of demons, they would scream in fear and terror of His power!
  6. No other baby has ever held such sway over nations and powers, as that Baby born of a virgin
  7. THAT Baby caused quite a stir in kingdoms and nations! His very presence shook entire kingdoms
    • In Judaea and Jerusalem under King Herod were freaked out
    • In Babylon people were drawn to look for the birth of a baby in a far away country
    • He CHANGED the calendar of the entire world even! Anno Domini instead of the year of Augustus or Nero or Mohammed!
    • This little baby drew several wealthy men 600 miles to come and bow down and worship Him
  8. And Jesus STILL draws grown men and women to their knees!
  9. What a powerful Baby Jesus was!

C.

Jesus is a Promised Baby - not an accident (Matthew 1:22,23)

  1. Prophesied
    • Genesis 3:15 said that a Deliverer would come from a woman, not a man
    • Isaiah 7:14 He would be born of a virgin
    • Isaiah 9:6,7 He would be the mighty God, living, dwelling with us - Emmanuel
  2. The Purpose of That Baby
    • To show that children - not just grown, successful men - are priceless
    • Jesus thought that children are awesome (Mt 18:2-5; Mark 10:13-16)
    • All children are miracles (Eccl 11:5; Psalm 139:14,15)
    • All children are gifts from God (Psalm 127:3-5; Gen 33:1-5) - we ought to have a bunch of them
    • A BABY IS A BLESSING a) A baby is a blessing - It’s a joy to watch it grow, b) To see it’s little toothless smile, And count each tiny toe. c) A baby is a blessing, For it’s new life is bright and new; d) Just by being here it gives, Our lives new purpose, too. e) A baby is a blessing, For when faith or hope is gone, f) A baby clearly signifies, God’s wish that life go on. g)
  • by Jill Wolf
    • Do you realise that there are 258 babies born every minute? 371, 520 a day!
    • God became like a CHILD, like a BABY, not like a grown Man
    • It doesn’t matter what the world thinks of you - God thinks you are pretty cool! And especially worth HIM coming to save!
    • To prove that we matter to God - He came our way
    • Our world is not alone
    • God cares about what we go through, and wants to go through it all with us - Emmanuel
    • To save us from our sins - the best part!
    • There was no other way
    • All our best efforts fail
    • We all fall short of God’s requirements
    • We needed a Saviour who would be and do what we could never do
  1. I am so glad for the promise of that Baby!
  2. All the promises of God focus on the birth of this Baby and make it glorious!

D.

Jesus’ Birth was an Impossible Birth (Matthew 1:18-20)

  1. No wonder people won’t believe in the Jesus of the Bible
    • Because the virgin birth was an impossibility
    • A Baby born to a virgin? Duh. Right.
  2. It just wasn’t possible was it? Really?
    • Mary couldn’t believe it
    • Joseph couldn’t believe it
    • Nobody would believe it!
  3. It was impossible (Luke 1:26-37)
  4. Yet it happened!
    • I like how God goes ahead and does impossible things!
    • God doesn’t mind impossible situations
    • It shows that it was of GOD
  5. That’s why Christmas endures - because it is not a fairy tale like Santa or Rudolf, or Frosty the Snowman!
  6. Never forget just how impossible that birth was! It makes it all the more glorious!

E.

That Baby has Some Enemies (Matthew 2:12-18)

  1. God warned the wise men not to return to Herod
  2. God warned Joseph and Mary about what was coming (1:13) and got them out of the country
  3. The world is not always so kind to children
    • Egypt slaughtered children - tried to kill off all the male babies right at birth
    • Rome here destroyed babies 2 years old and younger!
    • Modern world has figured a way to destroy children without guilt - abortion (1.2 billion have died since 1980!!!)
    • In America alone, 1 in 4 pregnancies are aborted!!!
    • Somebody is behind all this, and hates children!
  4. Don’t think that people truly love the Jesus of the Bible that THAT infant in the nativity crib represents!
    • Jesus is rejected by the world for being too plain, too simple, too weak looking
    • Hated by the world for being too different, too clean, too holy
    • To this very day, religions worship Jesus’ MOTHER more than they do HIM
    • Religions honour Jesus’ teachings, and His lifestyle
    • But they hate His conclusions - that we are ALL sinful wretches, who are lost and without hope and with God, and that there is no other way to God, than through HIM!
  5. Well, Jesus said it is to be expected!

F.

That Baby was Just the Beginning (Luke 1:33; 2Cor 3:18)

  1. He came as a Baby, and died on a cross
  2. But He is not finished yet!
  3. He is coming again - to rule and reign as King of kings and Lord of lords
  4. God didn’t just do something cute and cuddly on that Christmas morning
  5. He started something that will finish one Day with every person in this world on one side or the other
  6. That’s why Jesus commanded that people MUST get born again
  7. It only gets more and more glorious as we follow Jesus (2Cor 3:18)!
    • ME being changed is glorious
    • My family
    • Nations getting saved
    • Heaven will be even more glorious
    • The millennium
    • The New heaven and New earth
    • Eternity!
    • It has only just begun!

III.

Conclusion

A. Christmas shows us the glory of a BABY! “We beheld His glory!” The only begotten of the Father!

B.

Jesus was a Needed Baby (Matthew 1:18-21)

C.

Jesus Would be a Powerful Baby (Matthew 1:21; 2:1,2)

D.

Jesus is a Promised Baby - not an accident (Matthew 1:22,23)

E.

Jesus’ Birth was an Impossible Birth (Matthew 1:18-20)

F.

That Baby has Some Enemies (Matthew 2:12-18)

G.

That Baby was Just the Beginning (Luke 1:33; 2Cor 3:18)

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