and take your Bible together with me if you are using the church Bible, you will find our first scripture reading from the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew, chapter one. You will find it on page 1026 in the church Bible. The Gospel of Matthew, chapter one, verse 18 to 23. Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you will call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord has spoken by the prophets. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which means God with us. Now turn to Isaiah. Chapter 7, from where my text this morning comes, Isaiah 7, beginning from verse 10 to 14. Again, the Lord spoke to Ahaz, ask a sign of the Lord your God. Let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test. And he said, hear then, O house of Jacob. Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Amen. Let's pray. Our gracious and heavenly Father, as we now sit under the preaching of your word, especially to consider the incarnation of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Lord, we ask you to use the preaching of your Word, even as we sang together this morning, to keep each and every one of us in the narrow way. Lord, make your Word effective in our hearts so that we would not sin against you. In the name of Christ we pray. Amen. You may be seated. As one who has been called to preach the Word of God, one of the things that I have learned at the seminary is if you in your sermon are going to use a term that you think that all your hearers might not know what it means or they don't understand its theological implication, you first address it. So that's what I'm going to do this morning. The term incarnation. What does incarnation mean, boys and girls? Incarnation means God taking human flesh, God taking human nature, while remaining completely sinless. That's what incarnation means. God becoming man without sin. And where in the Bible do we see that vividly and clearly? John 1, 14, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The Word. The Word that was in the beginning with God, the Word that was God became flesh and dwelt among us. And I want all of us to ask this question this morning, why? Why did God become man? Why did Jesus took human flesh? What necessitated incarnation? Answer, the need for a perfect sacrifice for humanity's sin. You see, that's why incarnation was needed. That's why God took human flesh and became man, Immanuel, God with us. Hebrews 2.14, listen to the writer of the Hebrews. He might destroy the one who has the power of death. That is the devil. And deliver all those who threw fear of death. You remember in Isaiah chapter 6 where Isaiah tells us the people were living in darkness and those who were living in darkness, they saw great light. That's what the writer of the Hebrews is talking about here. The fear of death. that darkness, were subjected to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. You see incarnation there? You see why incarnation? The question why incarnation is answered in Hebrews 2.14. He had to become like us, like one of us except sin, in order to become a perfect sacrifice for our sin. Now, is incarnation, God becoming man, an event in the history of God's people, which happened at the actual birth of Jesus Christ. Well, if you look in the Scripture, incarnation has been part of the eternal plan of redemption. It happened in the New Testament, but it was predicted in the Old Testament. We see it in the Old Testament as a prophecy, as a prediction. And this morning I want to take you to one of those predictions in the Old Testament. Isaiah 7, 14. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel. This was 700 years before the actual birth of Jesus Christ. It was a prophecy about the birth of Christ, about Christmas. And you see, redemption, our salvation, our redemption was part of the eternal plan of God. Now listen to this. The incarnation was predicted by God as a sure sign of God's promise of salvation for His people and for the praise of God's glorious grace. Keep that in mind. And I want us to consider that under three points this morning. First, I want us to consider the incarnation rejected in verse 10 and 12. And then believing in the incarnation, the importance of believing in the incarnation, the need for believing in the incarnation, verse 13 and 14. And then I want us, you know, briefly to consider a response to the incarnation. So first, the rejection, and then the believing, and then the response. First, the incarnation rejected. The prediction in Isaiah 7.14 that we have in Isaiah 7.14 was told to the people of Israel, and for our learning, about 700 years before the birth of Jesus Christ. It was predicted at the time that Judah, the southern kingdom in Israel, was facing a great danger. from the northern kingdom in alliance with Syria. Two kingdoms came together to attack Judah, to destroy King Ahaz and the people of Judah. The king was, as you would see it in our text, King Ahaz. Ahaz was a very evil and wicked king in Judah. There was no king at the time who was equal to him in wickedness. He caused his own children to be sacrificed by throwing them in the fire only to appease, satisfy the God of Molech. King Ahaz introduced false worship at the temple in Jerusalem. In fact, during his reign, he closed the temple for the true worship of God. While he was visiting Damascus, he saw an altar of the Assyrian god. You know the false god in Assyria who would accept the killing of children, the sacrifice of children. And the altar attracted him and he constructed the same altar at the temple in Jerusalem. The king rebelled against the God of Israel. He openly rejected God and he lived a very evil life. And as a result of his sin, he brought destruction and despise upon the nation of Judah. Brothers and sisters in Christ, sin always has a destructive element. Sin, when persisted in a person's life, king, father, mother, child, any person, it destroys us spiritually, emotionally, and physically. Sin is very dangerous. That was the outcome of King Ahaz's sin and rebellious against God. The northern kingdom of Israel and Syria joined together to inflict an attack on Judah. And the people were terrified. In verse 2, We read this, when the house of David was told about the coming attack, Syria is in league with Ephraim, the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind. They were greatly terrified. They were facing this imminent attack from the two kingdoms. It was then that the glorious grace of God, brothers and sisters in Christ, was manifested upon King Ahaz. Isaiah comes, the prophet Isaiah, comes to Ahaz being sent by God. And God told Isaiah, it's okay, he's a wicked king. He doesn't obey me. He doesn't love me. It's okay. Because of my covenant, because of my grace, because of what I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, I want you to go to Ahaz and tell him, I will protect him. I will protect my people. I will deliver Judah. But I want to test him. You know, in verse 8 it says, For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Risen, and within sixty-five years, Ephraim will be shattered from being a people. And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Ramaliah. If ye are not firm in the faith, ye shall not be firm at all. Because of that reason, Ezra comes to Ahaz and he says to him, God wants you to ask for a sign. To ask for a sign. Any sign. Any sign. It could be the stars falling down to the earth. It could be the sun stopping giving light. Whatever sign you want, ask a sign from God that you trust Him, that you believe in His promise, that you rely on God for deliverance. Show it now. Show your faith, your trust to God. Ask for a sign. Let me ask you this. Put yourself in Ahaz's shoe. A prophet being sent by God comes to you and he says to you, God wants you to ask for a sign. Would you say no? I would ask for a sign. In fact, I would ask for many signs. Because I'm desperate. I'm facing death and destruction. But notice how Ahaz responded. And Ahaz said to the prophet, I will not ask the Lord for a sign. I will not put the Lord to the test. Ahaz refused to ask for a sign. He said no to God's offer. of deliverance and salvation. Beloved, do you know why? The reason was because he already made up his mind. He was already relying on Syria for deliverance, for salvation. He was relying on the king of Assyria He even sent treasures, gifts, gold and silver to the king of Assyria. He took those gifts from the temple. You know, all these treasures that were set apart for a holy use in the temple, he took them to bribe this king, to deliver him, to deliver the people of Judah. That's what he was doing. He was relying on the flesh. You remember what Isaiah says in Isaiah 31.1. Cursed is the one who trusts in the flesh. That's who Ehaz was. Instead, he asked for a sign. He was relying on the flesh. Notice verse 12 where he said, I will not put the Lord to test. The reason was he didn't love God wholeheartedly. He didn't want to obey God, but still he acts spiritual. He took this principle from the Bible. where God commands his people not to put the Lord into test. You see, he's acting as if he was spiritual. He's hiding his hypocrisy, his self-righteousness, under this excuse. I'm not going to put the Lord into test. That's what the scripture tells me to do. But remember, God gave him permission. God told him, ask for a sign. I'm giving you that opportunity. I'm offering you that opportunity. Seek for a sign. Ask for a sign. Beloved, A has rejected God's offer of salvation. He chose to rely on his own wisdom, on his own plan. upon the Assyrians, not upon the sheer grace, mercy, and love of God for salvation, but upon Assyria. Now think about God's response. You know, a king rejects God, a king disobeys God, a king despises the promise of God for salvation, the free gift of God of deliverance. What did God do? Remember, God is the God of grace. God is the God of mercy. God also keeps His promise. He keeps His covenant. The covenant that He established with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The covenant that He established with His people. I will be your God and you will be my people. I will bless you. I will make you a great nation. But isn't it amazing how God responds to Ahaz's rejection? You know, if it was depending on Ahaz, incarnation was rejected. But God said to Ahaz, therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel. I love this. If you are like me, God was saying, Ehaz, yes, you have rejected my offer. You have chosen to rely on the flesh, not on my grace, not on my mercy, not on my plan of salvation, but your own wisdom, your own strengths on the flesh. Now God is saying, Ehaz, you will be accountable for that. You will face judgment for that. But Ehaz, I want you to know that salvation for my people doesn't depend on your obedience. Deliverance for my people doesn't rely on the obedience of the people of Judah. It depends on my mercy, on my grace. You and your people disobeyed me, but I will save you anyway. That's grace. That's mercy. Grace is undeserving gift of salvation from God. And God says, behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel. A virgin will conceive and bear a son. Who is this son? You know, some people, they think this prophecy was about Hezekiah. Some people they think this prophecy was about Isaiah's son, one of the children of Isaiah, the prophet Isaiah. But Isaiah himself tells us in Isaiah 6 that this son that the virgin will give birth to was not Hezekiah, was not the son of Isaiah. Listen to Isaiah 9. 6 and 7. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. This is God. This is mighty. This is the Son of God, like in Daniel chapter 7. The Son of God, who has power and dominion and kingship over all the nations, not only Israel, but over all the nations. And nations will come and bow down and worship Him. This is Jesus. This is Christ, the Son of God, who was born from the Virgin Mary. Notice the wording, a son is given. This son is a gift. The son is mighty God, Father, Prince of Peace, and his government is everlasting. This is a unique son, a unique child. This is why, beloved, the story of Christmas never wears out. Every year. Think about that. Every year it is the same story, but it never wears out. Is it because of Santa Claus? Is it because of the gifts that we exchange among one another? That's not the reason. The reason is because of the nature of this child. The reason is because of how this child came to us. Think about that. Divinity was entering into the world that He created. Divinity. God was visiting His people. by taking human flesh, being born from the virgin miraculously. It was a miraculous birth. It was a supernatural birth. Sometimes you and I talk about, you know, the birth of any child. Well, that's a miracle. That's not a miracle. That's natural. We all know when that child will be born. Sometimes we say, oh, that was early. Oh, that was late. No, that's not a miracle. I understand what we are saying, but that's not a miracle. This is a miracle. Because Mary was a virgin. And Jesus was conceived and was born without the contribution of any man. By the power of the Holy Spirit, the virgin was conceived and she bears a son. A son is given as a gift. That's why this story, you see, doesn't wear out. It's because of the nature of the gift. It is because how divinity, how God visited his creation. It's like a painter, you know, he finishes his painting and he enters into his own paint to dwell there, to interact with people in his own creation. Immanuel, God with us. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son. A virgin without being intimate with any man. And who is this virgin? Matiwan, this virgin, is Mary. Mary from Nazareth. She was a historical woman. Isaiah 7, 14, a virgin. And she will call his name Immanuel? You know, for the ear of the Jews? A woman naming her own child? Unbelievable. It doesn't happen. The man chooses the name, not the woman. But she was favored by God. It was a miraculous birth. It has to be special. It has to be extraordinary. Anything happen with this child, around this child, it is miraculous. That's the beauty of Christmas. That's the beauty of incarnation. to dwell among his people, John 1, 14. And the purpose is to save, to save by his death on the cross, Matthew 1, 21. She will bear a son, and he shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins, to reign over his people, over his enemies. I was reading the words in that famous hymn that we sing every year, Silent Night, Holy Night. I don't know how many of you have noticed it, but the third stanza amazed me. Silent night, holy night, Son of God, love's pure light, radiant, beams from thy holy face. with the dawn of redeeming grace. Now listen to this. Jesus, Lord at Thy birth. You know, you go to visit a woman friend who just gave birth to her child. And you arrive to the house, you see the baby. So usually, you and I usually say, you know, this is adorable, this is cute child. Did you ever say, this child, The King, the Lord. Lord at His birth. You see that revelation in the scripture. He was born to become Lord. Over His people, over His enemies. Lord at His birth. Which means you and I, as believers, we are under the lordship of Christ to do His will. I will talk more about that in the evening with the submission of Mary to the message from the angel. But He is Lord at birth. Luke 2, 10, 11, the angel say to the shepherds, fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. For unto you is born today in the city of David a Savior, which has to do with the salvation that he brings, a Savior who is Christ the Lord. Who is Christ the Lord. The Lord was born. The Lord came, Immanuel, God with us. He was our Lord, Matthew 2, 11. The wise men, they entered the house, saw him and bowed down and worshiped him. And one of the gifts that they gave him was gold. They bowed down, they worshiped him, gave him gold saying, you are our Lord. You are Lord. You are worthy of our worship. You are worthy of our obedience. That was what was predicted in Isaiah 7, 14. Now let's talk about the response expected. Is your response like Ehaz's response? I don't care. I don't care about this sign. I don't care about what this sign brings to me. what it entails. I don't really care. How do you respond to incarnation? How should we respond to incarnation? My prayer and my hope is our response is not rejection like King Ehaz, but joy, praise, and worship. joy, praise, and worship. God the Father sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to the world to die for your sin. He sent Him to take human flesh and dwell among us. God with us, God among us. That should cause us to love our God, to worship our God, to praise Him, to do His will, to obey Him. Because the one who was born in Bethlehem is our Lord. He owns us. And He owns us because He shed His blood for us. He saved us from the wrath of God, from eternal condemnation. He reconciled us with God the Father. He brought us to that state in life, like what we saw this morning in Sunday school. To have all those qualities. and riches in Christ Jesus. So, my question to all of you is this. Ahaz didn't repent. Ahaz didn't obey and rejected the offer. Have you repented? Have you placed your faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God, Immanuel God with us? Listen, if you are not in Christ, Christmas is just a tradition. It's just a routine. It will come and go and you remain in your sin. You remain to be under God's wrath. But the message of Christmas, the message of incarnation is God has come to you in the flesh to save you, to dwell with you, to dwell in you. Repent. Flee to Christ by faith. And God will be with you. God will be for you. God will be around you. God will be over you to save you, to protect you, and to bless you as his child. That's what incarnation brought us. Incarnation that was predicted. And Lord willing, tonight we will consider incarnation fulfilled, but in this incarnation predicted. That's what we see. That's what we see. So let us believe in incarnation by God's grace and continue worshiping and praising our God for the incarnation of Jesus, the Son of God. Amen. Let's pray. Our Father and our God, how we rejoice in the incarnation of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, your Son. Help us to respond now to his incarnation with joy, with humility, with praise. Help us not to doubt. the incarnation like Ehaz, like others, but to believe in the virgin birth of your son, Jesus Christ, and to respond with a joyful heart, with a worshiping heart and spirit. In the name of Christ, we pray. Amen.