Christ's Birth Announced
Matthew 1:1-25

I.THE ANCESTRY OF JESUS—vv. 1-17
A.Person. Note the titles given to this promised Savior:
1.Son of God—He existed before creation.
2.Son of Abraham—He existed before the Ten Commandments were given.
3.Son of David—He existed before and after the Prophets.
4.Son of Man—Christ came in the form of man.
B.Promise (Gen. 3:15). The. first promise of Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of man.
C.Personality (Isa. 7:13-14). Christ was born of a virgin (compare Matt. 1:23).
D.Power (Isa. 9:6). Christ, the Ruler. Some day He shall rule, and we His children shall rule with Him.
II.THE ANGEL'S ASSURANCE—vv. 18-23
A.Surprise—v. 18. Both Mary and Joseph were surprised at the thought of having a child.
B.Secret—v. 19. Joseph was not willing to make Mary a public example, so he planned to put her away.
C.Holy Spirit—v. 20. The child of the Holy Ghost. The child was not born by the will of man, but of God!
D.Savior—v. 21. Note the name—Jesus! He would save men from their sins. All who called upon this name would have salvation (Rom. 10:13). Note the power in this name (Phil. 2:9-11). His name is above all names.
III.THE ACCEPTANCE OF JOSEPH—vv. 1:24-25
A.The marriage—v. 24. After Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph were married. They had other children (Matt. 13:55-56). There were at least six children besides Christ. Some feel that Joseph died before Jesus did since he was not present when Christ was crucified.
B.The man—v. 25. Joseph had no marital relations with Mary until after they were married. The Bible forbids premarital sex relationships. The Bible calls it fornication. Note these verses.
1.No fornicator can enter heaven (I Cor. 6:9).
2.Christians should flee fornication (I Cor. 6:18).
3.Fornication is sin against your body (I Cor. 6:18).
4.Avoid fornication (I Cor. 7:2).

I.THE PREPARATION—vv. 1-4.
A.The man—v. 1. John the Baptist. He came to prepare the way for the coming Messia (see John 1:6-8).
B.The message—v. 2. The message of repentance. Jesus preached repentance (Luke 13:3). John preached it (John 1:23). The prodigal son repented (Luke 15:17-19).
C.The meaning—v. 3. Compare with Isaiah 40:3. The meaning of repentance is threefold: (1) Turning around, (2) Changing of the mind, and (3) Being sorry enough to quit sinning. In plain words—get right with God!
D.The manner—v. 4. John was dressed in the skin of an animal. He ate locusts and wild honey. Locusts taste somewhat like shrimp. John pointed to Christ as the Lamb of God (John 1:29).
II.THE PROCLAMATION—vv. 5-12
A.Salvation—vv. 5-6. They accepted Christ and were baptized.
B.Solemnity—vv. 7-9.
1.Flee from the coming judgment—v. 7
2.Bring forth fruit—v. 8. Live a changed life.
3.Don't depend on your ancestors for salvation—v. 9
C.Separation—v. 10. Get ready for heaven, or spend eternity in hell. Note these are God's words, not man's.
D.Spirit—v. 11. John was baptized in water, but Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-8). A baptism of fire.
E.Suffering—v. 12. This means those who did not accept Christ could not enter heaven. (see Mark 16:16).
III.THE PRESENTATION—vv. 13-17
A.Surrendered unto God—vv. 13-15. After salvation comes baptism. Baptism does not produce salvation. Baptism is a sign that you have already been born again.
1.Baptism is commanded by God (Matt. 28:19; Mark 16:16).
2.Baptism requires burial in water (Rom. 6:4).
3.Baptism requires resurrection (Col. 2:12).
B.Spirit of God—vv. 16-17
1.Baptism by immersion—"came up out of the water."
2.Spirit in the form of a dove rested upon Him.
3.A voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
C.All members of the Trinity took part: Jesus the Son was baptized; the Holy Spirit descended; God the Father spoke. The

I.THE LUST OF SATISFACTION—vv. 1-4
A.Spirit led—v. 1. The Spirit led Jesus to be tempted. Temptations make us better Christians (James 1:12, I Cor. 10:13). If you are led by the Spirit, you too will be tempted.
B.Sincere longing—v. 2. Jesus had fasted and prayed for forty days. He was hungry. He was human, and Satan used this to tempt Him.
C.Satan's logic—v. 3. Satan said, "If thou be the Son of God." Jesus was hungry, and could have changed the stones into bread. But He didn't want to "show off His power.
D.Spiritual life—v. 4. Man should not live by bread alone—material things, but from God's Word man shall live.
II.THE LUST OF THE SUPERNATURAL—vv. 5-7
A.Wrong use of the Bible—vv. 5-6. Satan misquoted Psalm 91:11. Satan knows the Bible and will misquote it. All false religions misquote the Bible to prove their teachings.
1.You should not use the Bible for a good luck charm. For the Christians, there are no such things as good or bad luck. God had a plan for all things that come into our lives (Rom. 8:28). The Bible cannot bring good luck.
2.You should not use the Bible stories, such as Noah's getting drunk to prove it is all right to drink. Or, of how David committed adultery to prove this sin is all right.
B.Right use of the Bible—v. 7. Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:18. This verse means that you cannot take risks, and expect God to protect you. You cannot overwork, overeat, and not take care of your body without suffering the consequences. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit... take good care of it.
III.THE LUST OF SELF
A.Satan's plan—vv. 8-9. Satan is never satisfied. He continues to seek ways to destroy. Satan knows your weakness, and will work upon your weakness, trying to destroy you.
B.Scriptural plan—v. 10. Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:13. There is power in the Scriptures (Heb. 4:12).
C.Soothing power—v. 11. The angels came and ministered to Him.

I.DELIVERANCE—vv. 14-17
A.Power—vv. 14-16.
1.Heals the sick—vv. 14-15 (compare Exod. 15-26). We may enjoy divine health and divine healing.
2.Heals the satanic—v. 16. The demon was cast out. All sickness was healed.
B.Prophecy—v. 17. The prophecy from Isaiah 53:5. His death not only paid for our sins—it provided healing from sickness.
Christ came to set man free—John 8:32, 36. Man need not be bound to sin when complete deliverance is available.
II.DISCIPLESHIP—vv. 18-22
A.Place—v. 18. They departed to the other side of the sea.
B.Promise—v. 19. A scribe promised to follow Christ wherever He would go.
C.Poverty—v. 20. Christ quickly explained how poor He was, and if we follow Him, we should not expect to have all things. The Christian life is giving—not getting.
D.Problem—vv. 21-22. The person used an excuse for not following the Lord. Strange that a dead person keeps a living person from following Christ!
III.DENOUNCEMENT—vv. 23-27
A.Company—v. 23. His disciples followed Him.
B.Conflict—v. 24. A great storm arose, and the ship was covered.
C.Christ—v. 25. They awakened Christ from sleep and asked Him to help.
D.Calm—v. 26. Christ calmed the sea. Note: "Oh, ye of little faith." They watched Christ perform many wonders, but still doubted.
E.Control—v. 27. Even nature obeys Christ. If Christ can control all nature, then cannot He help us?
IV.DEMONS—vv. 28-34
A.Possession—v. 28. Two men were possessed with demons. No one could control them. Although Satan does possess people, no Christian can be possessed by Satan.
B.Personality—v. 29. They cried out. Satan spoke through them. God's power is always known by Satan.
C.Power—vv. 30-33. Christ cast out the demons. They went into the swine nearby. The swine ran into the water and were drowned.
D.Popularity—v. 34. Many people came to see Christ. However, the leaders, and others didn't want Christ in their cities.

I.WARNING FROM CHRIST—vv. 18-33
A.Power—vv. 18-20. When brought before government officials for the sake of Christ, depend upon Him to give you the words to answer.
B.Problem—v. 21. The unconverted members of the family don't understand those who know Christ personally.
C.Persecution—vv. 22-23. You cannot be a Christian without experiencing persecution. But don't make problems for yourself. If troubles arise, leave for next city.
D.Practices—vv. 24-25. We are not better than Christ, so we can expect persecution, since He suffered persecution.
E.Perception—vv. 26-27. All that is done will be revealed in the Christian judgment. Don't hide the gospel—share it.
F.Peace—vv. 28-33.
1.Satan—v. 28. Fear Satan. He can destroy both soul and body.
2.Satisfaction—vv. 29-31. God cares for the birds. He knows all our needs, and will care for us. He numbers the hairs on our head.
3.Shame—vv. 32-33. Be ashamed of Him and He'll be ashamed of us.
II.WAY OF CHRIST—vv. 34-36
A.Peace—v. 34. Christ's coming not only brings peace, it brings misunderstanding among those who are not spiritually minded.
B.Problem—v. 35. Christ living in man creates problems in the home, since the non-Christian doesn't understand the Christian.
C.People—v. 36. Man's worst enemies can be those in his own family. This is the result of misunderstanding between family members.
III.WALKING WITH CHRIST—vv. 38-42
A.Loving—v. 37. Christ must have first place (Matt. 6:33).
B.Living—v. 38. To live the Christian life, we must take up our cross and follow the Lord daily. (Compare Luke 9:23.)
C.Life—v. 39. To lose your life (giving it to Christ) means you will save your life. Those who save their life (using it for self) will lose their life (not enjoy it).
D.Learning—vv. 40-42. A threefold lesson to learn:
1.Reception—v. 40. People who receive us, receive Christ.
2.Respect—v. 41. Those who respect the prophet respect God, and will receive a reward.
3.Reward—v. 42. Those who are faithful in small things (even giving a cup of cold water), will receive a reward

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