The Ridge Abilene
The Promise Fulfilled
  • Joy To The World
  • Angels We Have Heard on High
  • A Christmas Hallelujah

      • Matthew 1:18–25ESV

  • Midnight Clear
  • Matthew 1:18–25
    INTRODUCTION
    Christmas is the story of a promise kept. God did not send a principle—He sent a Person. He did not merely offer advice—He offered Himself. And in Matthew 1:18–25 we find the quiet, holy moment when heaven touched earth, when the eternal Word became flesh, and when the long-awaited promise of redemption was fulfilled.
    This passage shows us how God kept His promise, why He kept His promise, and what that promise means for us today.
    Matthew introduces us to Joseph—a simple, righteous carpenter—and Mary, a young woman chosen by God for the most miraculous event in human history. And through their story, Matthew reveals three truths about the promise Christ came to fulfill.

    I. GOD’S PROMISE CAME THROUGH A MIRACULOUS CONCEPTION

    (vv. 18–20)
    Matthew begins by stating plainly: “Before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.” (v. 18)
    This was not speculation. Not rumor. Not Joseph’s imagination. This was a miracle and—more importantly—a necessity.

    1. The Virgin Birth Was a Miracle (The Incarnation)

    This miraculous conception is central to the Christian doctrine of the Incarnation, where the eternal Second Person of the Trinity takes on human nature through the Holy Spirit’s work, with the ultimate purpose of dying for humanity’s sins and defeating death. 
    It’s crucial to understand that this was not a physical impregnation, but a divine creative act similar to the Holy Spirit “hovering” during creation. As Hebrews describes it, God prepared a body for His Son
    If Jesus had an earthly father, He would have inherited Adam’s sin nature (Rom. 5:12)
    Romans 5:12 NKJV
    12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—
    If He had no human mother, He would not be truly human (Heb. 2:17).
    Hebrews 2:17 NKJV
    17 Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
    But by a virgin conception through the Holy Spirit, Jesus is both fully God and fully man—perfect Savior and perfect substitute.

    2. Joseph’s Dilemma and God’s Intervention

    Joseph faced a moral dilemma: as a righteous or just man v.19, he could not in good conscience marry Mary, who was believed to be unfaithful. However, he was also unwilling to publicly disgrace her through divorce. Joseph tried to resolve this situation in the best way he knew how, and only then did God intervene through a dream.
    By listening to God’s voice, Joseph was essentially giving up his reputation. In his shame-and-honor society, marrying Mary would mean social exclusion and being labeled as second-class citizens. The angel revealed that Mary’s pregnancy was a direct action of the Holy Spirit. v.20
    Heaven had not abandoned Joseph—heaven was inviting him into its plan.
    The Characters of Christmas: The Unlikely People Caught Up in the Story of Jesus 1. Joseph, the Unsung Hero of Christmas

    By saying yes to God, Joseph was saying no to everything he had worked for, his reputation in the community. It’s easy for us to glance over this and not give it another thought as we read this part of Matthew’s gospel, but we should pause and consider how significant this decision was. Joseph would be a reject among his own people. He would bear the shame for sins he didn’t commit. And yet it only foreshadows the shame that this baby would one day bear on behalf of Joseph and Mary and all who know Jesus

    TRANSITION
    Once the angel explained how God’s promise would come, he told Joseph why the child was coming. And that becomes the second major truth of this passage.

    II. GOD’S PROMISE WAS CONFIRMED BY A MEANINGFUL NAME

    (v. 21)
    The angel said: “You shall call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins.”

    1. Jesus = “Yahweh Saves”

    This was not a random name. It was a revelation.
    Yahweh saves. God rescues. Yahweh delivers. Jesus redeems
    The name Jesus tells us why He came—not to inspire us, not merely to teach us, not only to give an example—but to save us.

    2. He Came Not as a Teacher Alone, but as a Savior

    If our greatest need had been education, God would have sent a teacher. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent an economist. If our greatest need had been entertainment, God would have sent an artist.
    But our greatest need was forgiveness. So God sent a Savior.
    Jesus is not merely a good teacher, but the one and only Son of God who is God himself in human form. 
    His very name means “the Lord saves”, and He alone has the credentials to offer atonement, triumph over death, and reconcile people to God. 
    This is crucial because all humans have sinned and deserve God’s judgment. Jesus came to earth and died in our place, making an infinite payment for our sins. His resurrection proved the sufficiency of His sacrifice, making Him the one and only Savior. 
    Simply regarding Jesus as a moral guide or paying lip service is insufficient; true belief means trusting in Him wholly and alone as the Savior. 
    Luke 19:10 NKJV
    10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
    1 Timothy 1:15 NKJV
    15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.
    Not reform sinners. Not reeducate sinners. Save sinners.
    That’s the promise confirmed in the name “Jesus.”
    TRANSITION
    God promised a Savior, and the virgin conception proved His divine identity. His name revealed His mission. But Matthew adds one more truth—one that brings the message home to every wounded, weary heart.

    III. GOD’S PROMISE WAS COMPLETED IN A MANIFEST PRESENCE

    (vv. 22–25)
    Matthew says that all of this happened v.22 “so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled.” He quotes Isaiah 7:14: Matt.1:23
    Isaiah 7:14 NKJV
    14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

    1. “Immanuel — God With Us.”

    Immanuel is a Hebrew term meaning “God is with us”
    Christianity is not man reaching up to God. Christmas is God reaching down to man.
    John 1:14 NKJV
    14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
    Literally, “pitched His tent with ours.” The God of the universe moved into the neighborhood.

    2. The God Who Steps Into Our World Steps Into Our Wounds

    Jesus did not come into a palace—He came into poverty. Not into comfort—but into chaos. Not into applause—but into agony.
    Why? So you would know:
    Jesus intimately understands human weakness, temptation, and pain because He personally experienced them...
    There is no place you’ll ever walk where Jesus cannot walk with you. No sorrow He cannot understand. No sin He cannot forgive. No burden He cannot carry.
    Hebrews 4:15 reminds us that He is touched with the feeling of our infirmities.
    Hebrews 4:15 NKJV
    15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

    3. Joseph’s Obedience Models Our Response to Christ

    Joseph did not argue. He did not delay. He simply obeyed (vv. 24–25).
    The promise was fulfilled in Christ, but the blessing was experienced through obedience.
    Joseph trusted God when he didn’t understand God. He obeyed God when others might have questioned him. He protected Mary and reared Jesus because he believed the promise.
    CONCLUSION
    Christmas is not the story of human achievement—it is the story of divine intervention. It is the message that:
    God keeps His promises.
    God saves His people.
    God enters our world and our wounds.
    God calls us to the same obedient faith He called Joseph to.
    The Promise has come. The Promise is Jesus. The Promise is fulfilled.
    And now the question is—what will you do with Him?
    The question of what to do with Jesus is a profound one that we must answer, and it is even more significant for us today because we have the full knowledge of who Jesus was and is, illuminated by centuries of understanding. 
    While it’s easy to follow Jesus when He is popular, the real challenge comes during life’s difficult moments when our passions, prejudices, and sins demand that we turn away from Him.
    People respond to Jesus in various ways: some outright oppose Him, others respectfully decline while fearing social consequences, some admire Him from a distance, some delay making a decision, and some fully accept Him as their Guide and Saviour. 
    The best and safest approach is to take Jesus into your heart, to trust Him completely, and to surrender yourself fully to His mercy.
    Ultimately, the question will change from “What shall we do with Jesus?” to “What will Jesus do with us?” On the day of judgment, He may point out the numerous opportunities for salvation that were rejected. 
    However, for those who choose to follow Him, there is an incredible promise: no condemnation, eternal life, and an intimate friendship with God.

      • Romans 5:12NKJV

      • Hebrews 2:17NKJV

      • Luke 19:10NKJV

      • 1 Timothy 1:15NKJV

      • Isaiah 7:14NKJV

      • John 1:14NKJV

      • Hebrews 4:15NKJV

  • What Child Is This
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