The Birth of the King – Matthew 1

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The Birth of the King – Matthew 1

21 December, 2025

Series: Topical Series

Topic: Deity of Christ, Prophecy, Salvation

Book: Luke, Matthew

Pastor Simeon Western

Pastor Simeon Western

Notes Download

Scripture: Matthew 1

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Exposition of Matthew’s account of the Birth of Christ – Christmas 2025.

The New Testament opens with the words “the book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” Matthew’s aim is to present Christ as King. He opens with the birth of the King.

This passage of Scripture shows that Christ was no ordinary child. Everything about His birth was unique. Christ was the most significant baby ever born in human history.

Let’s turn our attention to the account to discover why under four headings.

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The Lineage of Christ (Vs. 1-17)

The Earthly Lineage of Christ (Matt. 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38)

  1. The Purpose of the Lineage.
    1. We do not have time to conduct a detailed study of this lineage, but it serves an essential purpose by demonstrating that Jesus Christ qualified as the promised Messiah. He came from the Messianic line. It adds to the historicity of the Word of God.
    2. O.T. prophecies pointed to the fact that the Messiah would come out of the tribe of Judah and be a descendant of David.
      1. Genesis 49:10 “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be”
      2. Micah 5:2 “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”
      3. Jeremiah 23:5 “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.”
      4. Christ is called the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5)
  2. The People in the Lineage – Look for gems in the genealogies of the Bible! There are many people listed in Christ’s lineage, but we can’t help but notice touches of God’s grace in some of the individuals mentioned. For example:
    1. Tamar (An immoral daughter-in-law) (Vs. 3)
      1. O.T. Passage – Genesis 38
      2. Married to Er, Judah’s son. The LORD slew Er for his wickedness.
      3. Tamar was then given to Onan. Onan was slain for his wickedness. Tamar was not given to the next son.
      4. Tamar feigns herself a harlot and seduces her own father- in-law, Judah.
      5. She conceives and bears twins – Pharez and Zarah.
    2. Rahab (A gentile prostitute) (Vs. 5)
      1. O.T. Passages – Joshua 2, 6.
      2. She was known as “Rahab the Harlot”.
      3. A Gentile woman who came to trust in the God of Israel.
      4. Married a man from Judah named Salmon (Matt. 1:5)
      5. Mentioned in Hebrews 11:31, “By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.”
    3. Ruth (A despised Moabite) (Vs. 5)
      1. O.T. passages – Book of Ruth
      2. Moabite woman (Gentile).
      3. Turned from false gods of Moab to the true God of Israel.
      4. Married Boaz, a godly man.
      5. Moabites despised by the Jews & forbidden by the law to enter the “congregation of the LORD” until the 10th generation (Deut. 23:3)
    4. Bathsheeba (An unfaithful wife) (Vs. 6)
      1. O.T. passage – 2 Samuel 11
      2. Wife of a faithful soldier, Uriah.
      3. Committed adultery with King David

The Eternal Lineage of Christ (Micah 5:2; Jn. 8:58)

Jesus Christ did not come into existence as a baby in Bethlehem. Christ is the Eternal Son of the Eternal God.

  1. Micah 5:2 “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”
  2. John 8:58 “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” (See Ex. 3:14)

The Conception of Christ (Vs. 18-20)

The Maiden of the Conception (Vs. 18a)

  1. Espoused to Joseph.
  2. A virgin – “before they came together”.

The Miracle (Vs. 18b-20; 23)

  1. Mary was a Virgin
    1. Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
    2. Vs. 22-23 “Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 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.”
  2. Jesus Christ was miraculously conceived.
    1. Vs. 18 “…she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.”
    2. Vs. 20 “…that which is conceived in here is of the Holy Ghost.”
    3. Luke 1:26-38 – Vs. 35 “And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”
  3. We believe Jesus Christ is the virgin-conceived, virgin-born, sinless Son of the Living God! Take away the truth of the miraculous conception and virgin birth of Christ, and you have no Saviour, just another sinner with the same sin nature as everyone else.
  4. The Bible repeatedly declares the sinless character of Christ:
    1. I. John 3:5 – “And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.”
    2. Heb 4:15 – “…in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”
    3. Heb 7:26 – “For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens.”
    4. I. Peter 1:19 – “…a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
    5. Christ could boldly challenge the Pharisees with the question, “Which of you convinceth me of sin?” John 8:46.
    6. Pilate, a man skilled in the art of Roman interrogation, had to admit, “…I find in him no fault at all.” Jn. 18:38
    7. The repentant thief’s testimony was, “…this man has done nothing amiss.” Luke 23:41

The Mission of Christ (Vs. 21)

The Name of Christ Revealed – “call his name JESUS” (Vs. 21a)

  1. Equivalent to O.T. name ‘Joshua’, meaning Jehovah helps/saves.
  2. Jesus = Saviour. What a wonderful, indescribable Name! It’s the Name above every name! (Phil. 2:9) It’s the Name that fills devils’ hearts with dread and the saints’ hearts with joy.
  3. It is the only Name in which there is salvation. Acts 4:12 “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

The Purpose of Christ Declared – “for he shall save his people” (Vs. 21b)

  1. The Name of Christ reveals the purpose for which He came into the world. He was born to be the Saviour of sinful men. The word ‘save’ means “to rescue or deliver”.
  2. 1 Tim. 1:15 “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”
  3. Luke 2:8-11 “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” Consider this wonderful announcement of the angel!
    1. It was Good News (Vs. 10a). The phrase “good tidings” comes from the Greek word ‘euaggelizo’, which forms the basis of our word ‘evangelism’. The same word is often translated “preach the Gospel” in the New Testament (e.g., Lk. 20:1, Acts 8:25, 14:7, 21, 16:10, Rom. 1:15; 1 Cor. 1:17). The word occurs twice in Romans 10:15 “And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” The best news the world has ever received was that the Saviour Jesus Christ had come.
    2. It was Glad News (Vs. 10b). This was news of mega joy! Jesus Christ is the greatest source of joy for mankind. We live in a world full of evil, sad and heartbreaking news, but the most joyful news is the news of the Saviour’s birth, life, death and resurrection. Whatever challenges you face this Christmas, you can have great joy in the fact that your Saviour came.
    3. It was Global News (Vs. 10c). This news was not just good news for a select few. It was good news “to all people”. Jesus Christ came to be the “Saviour of the world” (John 4:42). Christ is available to be YOUR SAVIOUR if you will receive Him! We are reminded that God is not willing that any should perish (2 Pet. 3:9) and that he desires that all men would be saved (1 Tim. 2:4). The Gospel message we preach is a ‘whosoever’ message.
      1. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
      2. Rom. 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
      3. Rev. 22:17 “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”

The Problem of Sin Defined – “from their sins”

  1. The word ‘sin’ means to miss the mark, as with an arrow. The target was God’s standard of perfection as expressed in the law, but we missed it! We “come short” of God’s perfect standard (Rom. 3:23).
  2. What is sin? 1 John 3:4 – “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.”
  3. The 10 commandments are God’s mirror to show us how sinful we are:
    1. Blasphemy
    2. Adultery
    3. Theft
    4. Murder
    5. Lying
    6. Covetousness

The Prophecy of Christ (Vs. 22-23)

Jesus Christ was the promised Messiah!

The Qualification from the Prophecy (Vs. 22)

  1. Matthew repeatedly demonstrates Christ’s credentials by showing how He perfectly fulfils the Old Testament Messianic Prophecies.
  2. Only Jesus Christ qualifies as the promised Messiah. Consider some key prophecies:
    1. The time of His birth – The 69 prophetic weeks (Dan. 9:25) Gal. 4:4 “But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,”
    2. The place of His birth – Bethlehem. Micah 5:2 “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”
    3. The forerunner of His birth – John the Baptist (Mal. 3:1; Matt. 3:1-3)
    4. The flight into Egypt (Ho. 11:1; Matt 2:15)
    5. The massacre of infants at his birth (Jer. 31:15, Matt. 2:17-18)

The Quotation of the Prophecy (Vs. 23)

Christ’s birth was not an accident of history. It was foretold many hundreds of years before in the prophetic Scriptures. The prophecy quote is from Isaiah 7:14: “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah was written approximately 745-680 B.C. There are two key things mentioned in this prophecy:

  1. Christ’s Miraculous Birth – “Behold, a virgin shall conceive”.
  2. Christ’s Marvellous Name – “Immanuel”. The title of the Messiah in the prophecy is so important as it reveals that the Messiah is more than just a man, He’s God with us! Jesus Christ is the God-Man!
    1. 1 Timothy 3:16 “…God was manifest in the flesh…”
    2. Colossians 1:15 “Who is the image of the invisible God…”
    3. Hebrews 1:3 “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person…”
    4. Hebrews 1:8 “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever…”
    5. John 8:58 “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” (See Ex. 3:14)
    6. Consider these words from an ancient Christian creed:Now this is the true faith:That we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Son, is both God and human, equally.He is God from the essence of the Father, begotten before time; and he is human from the essence of his mother, born in time; completely God, completely human, with a rational soul and human flesh;

      Although he is God and human, yet Christ is not two, but one. He is one, however, not by his divinity being turned into flesh, but by God’s taking humanity to himself. He is one, certainly not by the blending of his essence, but by the unity of his person. For just as one human is both rational soul and flesh, so too the one Christ is both God and human.

Conclusion

Will you receive Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour?

Sermon Audio Id: 1220252044241178