I want to speak to you from Matthew's Gospel. I don't know if you've ever read a Gospel.
You don't even know what a Gospel is. It is an account of the life of Jesus Christ.
There's four of them. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. And we've got copies over here. We'd love
you to take one away. And I've tried to read through Matthew's Gospel this week. It's 78
pages. It takes about an hour. Maybe a little bit more depending on how quick a reader you
are. But I wonder whether you've ever read a Gospel. And one of the interesting things,
as I read through Matthew's Gospel, which I've done quite a bit of work in over the past year,
the start of Matthew's Gospel, it speaks about the birth of Jesus Christ. And Matthew really
only has one thing to say. He has one thing to say. His only point really is this. That
the Lord Jesus is a supernatural child. The child in the manger is a supernatural child.
Now you might not agree with that. But that is, undisputably, the message of the Gospel.
That he's a unique child. He's a child long promised. That's why we have these readings
tonight that have gone through parts of the Bible. That Jesus is a child who was promised,
right the way through the Old Testament. He is a child with a worldwide universal mission.
And that he's a divine child. All these things are sure. And the evidence that Matthew brings
forward for these tremendous claims is the evidence of the virgin birth. The virgin birth
is often apologised for by church leaders. And even maybe people who call themselves Christians
when you've been in churches like that. But Matthew is not embarrassed in the least.
And at every point that he makes in the few verses that he gives us, nearly every verse
is about the virgin birth. It talks about the horror of Joseph when he finds out that his fiancée
is with child before they've slept together. It talks about Joseph's resolve to divorce her
quietly. It talks about the extraordinary message of reassurance that Joseph received from an angel
that all was well. And that the child had actually come from God. It's about the steady obedience
of the silent Joseph we never hear speak. It's about the consummation of the marriage between
Joseph and Mary after the birth of the child. And there's the naming of this child with the
strange name Jesus which means deliverer or saviour or rescuer. And it always seems odd to me that
there are people who live 2,000 years after the event today who are quite sure that that event
was not true. Whereas Matthew and Luke who were there at the time, who were the eye-witnesses,
who lived close to the event, who wrote near the time when people would have known Jesus,
they are quite sure that it was true. Strange isn't it? We live so long afterwards and we throw
doubt on something on which those at the time were quite certain. Those who knew Jesus face to face
and at first hand experience and witnesses to turn to. And I think and I hope it's not too bold
to say that actually I'm going to argue that the very of birth is common sense. It suggests,
doesn't it, to us that Jesus is different. That he is very God of very God. He's light of light.
He's begotten and not made. He's of one substance with the Father. All those tremendous phrases that are
found in the Nicene Creed. That Christians have confessed for generations and centuries after
century. If he is indeed very God of very God lying in the manger. If he is really God lying in the
manger. Then I think it's no surprise. It's no surprise to me. I don't think it should be a surprise to you
as well. If his entrance into the world and his exit from the world are startling to be unique.
Would you expect the entrance of the God-man to be normal? Would you expect him to enter into this world
like any normal, ordinary human being? Would you expect him to leave this world like that? A normal human being
being turned into ashes? No, he enters in a supernatural way. And he leaves the tomb, doesn't he, by a mighty resurrection
according to the Gospel writers. As I tried to ask myself this week, why is it that so many sincere
sincere church leaders and writers and journalists have soft paddled the supernatural parts of the Christmas story?
Why is it that they're embarrassed about a virgin birth? When Christmas comes around and we read and we sing around
about the virgin birth, but actually there are many people who call themselves Christians who are slightly embarrassed by it.
And I'm sure they're sincere, but I'm also sure they're mistaken.
I believe the reason why lots of these people are deeply embarrassed and they've soft paddled the miraculous and the supernatural
in this Christmas story is because they want to make it easier for you to believe.
They want to make it easier for you to believe. And so what has happened, isn't it, is miracle after miracle.
It's kind of jettisoned. Because they say they can no longer be defended.
And they talk about the moral values of Christianity.
But actually are silent on the miraculous.
That God has come in the person of his son, Jesus Christ.
But what's happened in that experiment?
Well in 150 years, the church has lost its grip on the real Christ, hasn't it?
Long years of decline
have started because of that policy.
Archbishop William Temple wrote this.
He said, the only Jesus for whom there is any evidence
is a supernatural figure
making stupendous claims.
Let me read that to you again.
It's a striking sentence, isn't it?
The only Jesus for whom there is any evidence
is a supernatural figure
making stupendous claims.
And that is the Jesus we believe in here in this church.
Because we believe that the evidence
that Matthew and Mark and Luke and John present to us
is that of a supernatural child.
And through that child
you can know God.
So let me give you two final comments
before we sing again when I sit down.
Because as we look at that child in the manger
we have to say this
we have to say that no one ever stopped
at the cot of the infant Jesus
and said
doesn't he look just like his dad?
Nobody said today
like we say to a newborn baby
nobody says we should go to his father's nose
because dad's eyes
You know what it's like
when you see a new baby
you're desperate to say something positive
But on the certain evidence
of the New Testament
no one says
to the infant Jesus
in his cot
you don't look just like your dad
It's the mirror image of his father
Because he was not like Joseph
Because Joseph was not his father
But what was so amazing
is that later on in his life
when this child had become
a full grown teacher
he kept saying
in different ways
and in all sorts of places
for those who care to listen
I'm just like my father
you know
I'm just like my father in heaven
Well one of his friends
Philip
comes to him and says
Lord please show us
the father
And the extraordinary reply
that Philip receives
is
Philip if you've seen me
you've seen the father
Yes
No one saw the likeness
of Joseph
in the infant Jesus
But ever since
for 2,000 years
the universal church
has seen the likeness
of God
in the face
of Jesus Christ
So that as we
rediscover Jesus
we discover
his father too
That's my first comment
Secondly
lots of people
at that time
I knew I'm guessing
because we're not told
but I think I must be right
lots of people
peeped into that cot
and this manger
and they heard
about this strange name
what's his name
his name is what
Jesus
this strange name
that the baby's been given
at the command of the angel
this name of deliverer
or rescuer
or saviour
and as they peeped
into the cot
and they said
to his mother
is this really
the deliverer
that God
has raised up
to save us
from the Roman
oppressors
our hated occupiers
is this the deliverer
that our nation
has been praying for
for so long
is this the
freedom fighter
who's going to
fix my life
and the answer
from Mary
this very faithful woman
the answer is no
he is not Jesus
the freedom fighter
he doesn't come
to save people
from their grim
present problems
but he is
Jesus
the divine deliverer
who has come
to save his people
indeed
all that will come
to him
from a far
far worse plight
than being occupied
by a foreign power
like the Romans
from the plight
of eternal death
very famous word
isn't it
for you shall call
his name Jesus
for he will save
his people
from their sins
I hope you understand
that phrase
what it doesn't mean
it doesn't mean
that Christians
are sinless
in fact stay around
you every about
20 minutes
and you'll find that out
it means that
we are saved
from the judgment
that would be otherwise
on our lives
and from our sins
and if you will
forgive the crudity
of my language
he came to save us
from hell
I've done a lot
of work in Matthew's
gospel
I'm actually preaching
through it
on a Sunday morning
and I found myself
thinking about
eternal death
and hell
to try to imagine
the awfulness
of such a fate
and such a future
I watched a clip
this week
of Les Mis
with Jean Valjean
you know the story
it's a brilliant story
so if you've got me
to see the musical
go see it
Jean Valjean
is in prison
for 19 years
for stealing
a loaf of bread
and yet in that prison
Jean Valjean
never lost hope
he had hope
he was never
without hope
that he would escape
and he did escape
but when the Bible
teaches us
about eternal death
it says that
to die
unforgiven
but to die
without Christ
to die
having paid
no attention
to the offer
of salvation
that God
has brought
into this world
at Christmas
is to die
not only without God
but without hope
and for me
and probably for you
if you're willing
to think about it
that is an
unimaginable thing
to have no hope
for the future
to know that
there is no escape
and no return
and no end
but that faith
need not be ours
because the Christmas
story is about
love isn't it
the Christmas story
is about love
finding a way
about divine love
finding the way
it is God
the Father
saying
my son
I want you to
go to earth
and I want you
to share human life
I want you
to be perfectly
obedient to me
in a world
that is disobedient
and I want you
to offer yourself
as a pure
and blemished
sacrifice
for the sins
of my people
you see
the glory of Christmas
is that love
found a way
for God
so loved the world
that he gave
his one and only son
that whoever
believes on him
will not perish
but have eternal life
yes love
did find a way
and I can't
imagine anything
more foolish
or wicked
than to turn
away from
the solution
that God
gave
let me ask you
to do three
things
let me ask you
firstly
take one of
these gospels
there's a Luke's
gospel or a Matthew's
gospel
if you've never
read it
what's the harm
in reading it
read it
ask the Lord
if you're there
if it's true
show me
and read it
and see
if you live locally
we'd love to
welcome you back
we'd love to
welcome you back
come let's hear
the Bible
explain
maybe lots of
us tonight
it's completely
new and foreign
or go to a church
which teaches
the Bible
and we'll show
you the truth
and thirdly
you can pray
I don't know
your life
I don't know
your problems
I don't know
your concerns
and say
whether you
don't know
mine
but tonight
you can cry
to God
and he will
hear you
we're going to
step apart