I cannot conceive of there having ever been a time in all of the history of the church that distinctive preaching was not needed. Perhaps there have been periods of that history in which such preaching was more sorely needed than at other times; but if so, the failure of some to preach a distinctive gospel was responsible for the increase of the need for it. And it may be that there was never a time when the need for distinctive preaching was more imperative than now. We have entirely too much preaching that means nothing, and the need of the hour is for men who have the courage to preach a distinctive message.

THE VIRGIN BIRTH OF CHRIST Mike Richardson “Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.” Luke 1:26-27 I fear that we do not consider the birth of our Lord enough in our study. It seems the only time some of us hear anything about the birth of Christ is when preachers proclaim that we should not celebrate December 25th as His birthday. While it is true that do not know the date of His birth, the Divine Revelation speaks of His birth. Anything written in scripture is important. It is there to show man how God manifested Himself in the flesh. The Son of God came as a baby, born of a virgin. Let us consider some things about His birth.

(i)The Mission of the Messiah.​ Why did Jesus come to earth? Why did He leave the glory of heaven to robe Himself in flesh and take on humanity while at the same time retaining His Deity? Lk.1:31-33 reveals part of the answer. “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” He came to establish a spiritual kingdom that will last forever. He also came to seek and to save the lost (Lk.19:10). His mission was to bring people back from sin to a relationship with God. Rom.5:1-8 Paul uses words like redeem, justify, and reconcile to show the purpose of Jesus coming to earth. His mission was to save man from his sin and convey man into His kingdom (Col.1:13).

(ii)The Miracle of the Manger (Lk.2:1-7).​ After four hundred years of silence, Jesus comes into the world. The Light of the world will shine to guide men in the way they should go. He was born in a cave or stable and laid in a feed trough. However, don’t forget His birth was miraculous. By miraculous conception Jesus came into the world.

(iii)The Multitude of the Messengers (Lk.2:8-14).​ The angels came to sin praises about His birth to the shepherds. The wise men came from the East following the star that led to the infant Christ. (iv)The Massacre of the Males (Matt.2:16-19).​ Herod on hearing about the birth of Jesus, feared he may lose his power as king. He acted unjust and ordered all male babies two years of age and younger to be killed. Joseph took his family to Egypt to escape the persecution. It is ironic to think that years before the Pharaoh in Egypt had commanded the aby boys to be killed there, now Joseph finds protection in that country for his Son. Imagine Herod’s conscience (if he ever had one) if not imagine the screams he will hear after the judgment. (v)The Mourning of Mothers (Matt.2:17). A baby ​ , so sweet, innocent, and so near to the mother. Imagine the mourning of the mothers; no comfort as they have their baby boys taken from their arms to be killed. Imagine what some of those children could have grown up to do. Some may have been great leaders, but they were never given the chance.

(vi)The Mystery of His Murder (Acts 7:52; I Pet.3:18).​ They didn’t kill Jesus as an infant, but they did kill Him when He was about thirty-three years of age. He gave His life as a sacrifice, as a gift. He came to pay the debt of sin to appease the wrath of God.

(vii)The Memorial of Mercy (I Tim.1:14-16).​ In the Lord’s Supper we have a memorial of the sacrifice of Christ (I Cor.11:23-29). Remember His birth, life, death, burial, and resurrection. Remember He is coming again!

(viii)Lessons to Remember: (1) See the birth of Christ?​ See His humility? (Phil.2:5-8) What a Savior! (2) Do we praise Him as we should?​ The angels in heaven continuously praise Him. They have seen His glory. We should see His glory (2 Cor.4:6). Some seem to live as though they can’t catch a glimpse. Read the word and you will see His glory. (3) Many mothers are mourning today​. They have had the pain of burying a child. We should pray for parents who have had to experience such. Others hurt because of their children’s spiritual state is one of being lost and dead (Lk.15:24). Likewise, they need our prayers as do the child that is astray. (4) The Mystery of His Love.​ Why would God love us enough to let His Son die? I don’t know, but He did! (5) We Ought to Remember​. We are so forgetful as people. We take the Lord’s Supper every first day of the week to be reminded of the greatest demonstration of love ever displayed. Let us partake in loving memory of the One who loved us enough to die on the cross to save us from our sins. Let us remember He is coming again. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------