Well, we want to read together Matthew, Matthew's account of the birth of Christ. And so we're turning to Matthew chapter one, and we're reading from the verse 18, Matthew's gospel, and the chapter number one, and the verse number 18. Let's hear God's word together as it's read. Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise, when as his mother Mary, As he spoused to Joseph before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph, her husband, being a just man, not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. While he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph thy son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife. that which is conceived and her is off the Holy Ghost and she shall bring forth a son and I shall call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins and And 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. Then Joseph, being raised from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife, and knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son, and he called his name. Jesus. Amen. And we'll bow in prayer together before we bring God's Word. Let's pray. Loving Father, O God, though we read this passage many times, and though we have read it many times, yet, Lord, we are thrilled as we consider the coming of the Savior, the Christ, into this world. Rejoice that it all happened, Lord, in fulfillment of divine prophecy. We praise thee, dear God, that a son was promised to be given. Lord, there would be a child that would be born. And Lord, his name would be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. We thank thee that grace and truth came by Jesus Christ, the law by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. We thank thee for the grace of God. For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, that we through his poverty might be made rich. And Lord, we rejoice, Lord, in the Christ. And now as we consider him once again, Lord, that our hearts will go out in love to the Saviour. For Lord, that's what's missing so often in our lives. A fervent love for the Savior, O fire our hearts we pray, and give us a renewed love for the one who came into this world, Lord, for redemption's purposes. We offer prayer now in and through the Savior's name, praying for the infilling of the Spirit that I might preach as God would have me to preach. I pray these prayers in the Savior's great and precious name. Amen. Well, if you were with us last Lord's Day at our family worship service, you'll recall that we took time to consider together some of the names And some of the titles ascribed to the Son of God by those who were living at the time when God the Son came into this world. We considered how the wise men from the East refer to the Christ as being the King of the Jews or King of the Jews. The chief priests and the scribes. Well, they employed the term governor that Micah credited to the coming Messiah when they came to explain to Herod the location where the Christ of God should be born. Zacharias spoke prophetically about the Lord Jesus Christ. He spoke of him as being a horn of salvation, the highest the day spring from on high. Simeon, that man to whom it was revealed that he would not die until he saw the Lord's Christ, now with the Christ child lying nestled in his arms, spoke of him as being the light to lighten the Gentiles. and the glory of Israel. Well, today on this Christmas Sunday, we want to, as it were, lift our ears towards heaven and listen to what heaven's residents had to say about the one who came to this world to do the Father's will. As we make our way through the gospel records, we want to focus really on two heavenly beings and find out how they refer to the Son of God at His incarnation. In the first place, we want to consider what the heavenly angels had to say about the Son of God at His birth. And then we want to think about what God the Father had to say about His own well-beloved and dear Son. And so with a little bit of ground to cover, let's then consider in the first place what heaven's angels had to say about the Son of God at His birth. Now before we do that, we need to, I suppose, go a little back in time, not simply to when Christ was born, but simply to the time prior, just prior to the Savior's birth. We come to read what they said about him in his birth, and at his birth, or prior to his birth, in two of the four Gospels. In Matthew's Gospel, and also in Luke's Gospel. We're here in Matthew chapter 1, so I want us to think about the angelic declaration. What the angel of the Lord had to say about the Lord Jesus Christ, this coming of Christ into the world. Aware that Joseph, aware that Joseph, this carpenter from Nazareth, was perplexed that his intended wife was expecting a child. An angelic messenger was sent to Joseph in the form of the angel of the Lord to reassure him that his intended marriage to Mary was to continue and to go ahead, proceeded as planned, because that which was conceived in her was of the Holy Ghost. God wants to assure Joseph that the pregnancy did not come about because of some kind of sinful living on the part of Mary, but rather this pregnancy was a supernatural pregnancy. This pregnancy was a unique pregnancy. This pregnancy was a never-to-be-repeated pregnancy that involved no human father whatsoever. having encouraged Joseph to proceed with the marriage, the angel of the Lord then comes to communicate two specific details. to Joseph with regard to the child that Mary is now carrying in her womb. He comes to specifically mention the gender or the sex of the child, and also he comes to mention the name of the child. Look there at the verse 21, it says, and she shall bring forth a son. There's the sex or the gender of the child, the son, Emil. and thou shalt call his name Jesus. There is his human name, there's the name of a child, his name was to be called Jesus. And then the angel gives the reason and he gives the name or the explanation of the name that was to be given to the child. For he shall save his people from their And so the angel of the Lord, or it is the angel of the Lord who first comes to refer to the Son of God by his human name, the name Jesus. We read at the end of the chapter that after nine months of pregnancy, that it is Joseph who comes to call Mary's firstborn son by that name. It is the name Jesus. And nearer not as she had brought forth her son, and he called his name Jesus. Jesus. What a sweet name it is. What a sweet and blessed name the name of Jesus Christ is. Adam Etymologically, the name Jesus, or its Old Testament equivalent, Joshua, derives itself from a human name, or a human verb, or a human root, which means, Jehovah is salvation. Jehovah is salvation. The scripture couples God's name and salvation together. in order to communicate that it is the Lord and the Lord alone who saves his people from their sin by his sovereign grace. I'm told that the phrase, he shall save, there in the verse 21, and he shall save, that the emphasis is on the word he. He shall save. And so the literal rendering of this verse could be read like this, And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he and he alone shall save his people from their sin. That's how it is in the original. He and he alone shall save his people from their sin. And so the Holy Ghost, he leaves no room whatsoever for any other Redeemer to be found. Jesus Christ is the only one who saves us from our sin. So the Roman Catholic Church's claim that Mary is some kind of co-redemptress has no basis whatsoever in biblical truth whatsoever. The Son of God did not need another to help him or to cooperate with him in order that he might redeem his people from their sin. It was he and he alone He saves his people from their sin. This is something that the writer to the Hebrews comes to emphasize when he writes in Hebrews chapter 1 and the verse number 3. These words, Hebrews chapter 1 and the verse number 3, we read, concerning Jesus Christ, who being the brightness of his glory, the expressed image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down in the right hand of the majesty on high. He had by himself purged our sins. There is only one, only one who can save from sin, and that is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ. The Puritan preacher, William Perkins, he said these words, Jesus Christ is both a perfect and absolute Savior, as also the alone Savior of man. Because the work of salvation is holy and only wrought by Him, and no part thereof is reserved to any creature in heaven or in earth. Jesus, Savior, He saves His people from their sin. Has he saved you from your sin? Now that's the question that needs to be answered by you in this house today. Has he saved me from my sin? Yes, my sin. Mine iniquity, my transgressions, my violations of his holy and his righteous law. Has he saved me from my sin? From sin you need to be saved. I'm sure you know that. You know that, I'm sure you do. And you know that there's no other Savior apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. You know that well. So then I ask you the question, why are you not saved? Why have you not been saved from your sin? Why are you still in your sin? This Christmas Sunday, you're still in your sin. You have not received Christ as your Savior. Another year has passed. And you're getting closer to eternity. And more than that, you're getting closer to hell. Every minute you live and you're still in your sin. You do not yet know Jesus Christ as your Savior. Oh, that today that you would come to know Him and call upon His name for salvation. Whenever we come to Luke's account of the incarnation, we find the angelic beings referring to the Son of God in another way. So let's turn to Luke chapter 1 and we're going to look now at how the angel Gabriel refers to the Son of God when he comes to speak to his Mary mother prior to his birth. In Luke chapter 1 in the verse 32, the angel Gabriel tells Mary that the child in her womb, the child in her womb With regard to this child, Luke chapter 1 and the verse number 32, Now I want you to notice that the angel does not tell Mary that the child is going to be called the son of Joseph. For Joseph had no part to play in his conception, but rather he is going to be called the son of the highest. And folks, that place is the Lord Jesus Christ where he ought to be. In the very preeminent place. In the primary place. And as it were, the highest place, the place where He always occupies, the place where He should always be occupying, the highest place, because that is the position that He presently occupies, and that is the position that He will always occupy. He is the Son of the Highest. I love the way that Thomas Kelly puts it in his hymn, The Highest Place. heaven affords is his by sovereign right the king of kings and lord of lords and heaven's eternal light being the son of God and being the son of the highest Jesus Christ is higher than the angels Jesus Christ is higher than any of earth's kings and queens higher than any of the world's presidents and higher than any of the world's prime ministers, higher than any other created being. And yet the wonder of wonders is this, that the Son of the Highest descended to the lowest in order that He might save us from our sin. The Highest came to the lowest in order that He might save us from our sin. I asked you this afternoon, what place have you given to the son of the highest in your life? What place have you given him? Christian, have you given him the highest place? Have you given him the highest place in your life? Have you given him the highest place over the last 365 days? Or is it the case that you have given him a lesser place in your life, and instead you pursued after earthly things? And it could not be said of you that in your estimation he is the son of the highest, because you have given him a lesser place, a lower place. And the same question must be asked to you, who knows not yet Jesus Christ as Savior. Is it the case that you have given the Lord the lowest place in your life? Oh may this day find you giving him, may it find us giving him his rightful place, the preeminent place in our hearts and in our lives. Now the angel Gabriel continues conversing here with Mary in Luke chapter 1 and as he does so he speaks of this one that is now in or coming into the womb of the Virgin Mary, in the verse number 35, he refers to that one as that holy thing, or that holy one and the Son of God. 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, or that holy one, that's how it can be translated, which shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God. The Savior's claim to be the Son of God was the very reason why he was almost stoned to death in John chapter 10. For such a claim was deemed by the religious leaders of the day to be blasphemous. And yet we find throughout the Savior's life that his deity, or this claim to this being the Son of God, is verified throughout the Savior's earthly life. By his miraculous virgin birth, He was proven to be the Son of God. This is what it says here in the verse 35, that He would be called the Son of God. And throughout His miracle working ministry, as He went about doing good in Galilee and around Jerusalem, He was seen to be the Son of God. Remember whenever that storm arose there on the lake of Galilee? And the disciples witnessed the Savior stilling the storm. What did they say about the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 14, verse 33? It tells us that they came and they worshiped him, saying, "'Of a truth thou art the Son of God.'" And so this claim is verified by his own disciples. By his resurrection, he is verified and declared to be the Son of God. Romans 1 verse 4, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead. And not only that, but by his exaltation, he is verified to be the Son of God. in Hebrews chapter 1 verses 3 to 5 who being in the brightness of his glory and the expressed image of his person upholding all things by the word of his power when he hath by himself purged our sins sat down on the right hand of the majesty and high and being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by an inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they, unto whom which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee, and again I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. His exultation to the Father's right hand verified the Saviour's claim that he is the Son of God. Whenever we arrive in the second chapter of Luke's gospel, we find the angel of the Lord communicating to a group of shepherds something else about the Son of God. There the angelic messenger calls him by the titles, Savior and Christ the Lord. The shepherds were watching their flocks by night. We're told in the verse number with regard to Luke chapter 2, we're told, that the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were so afraid. Verse number 10, 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. This title, Saviour, is only used some 33 times in all of Holy Scripture. And yet what a title it is. As a title, the word Savior is not simply just confined to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Greek culture also employed the title Savior. And they gave it, as it were, to a person in recognition of their noble actions. It would be commonly used for the Roman emperor. This time it was Caesar Augustus. And it would be given to them to denote his ability to maintain and restore peace in his empire. And so the emperor, he was repeatedly called the saviour of the world, or the saviour of the inhabited earth. But now we find that the angel of the Lord, he comes to say that Christ is saviour. The Lord Jesus Christ is saviour. And he is the saviour of the world, and that is the case. because Christ is Savior. Peter, when he addresses those individuals in the council in Acts chapter 4 in the verse 12, he reminds us that neither is there salvation in any other, for there's none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. And so He came into this world as a Savior, as the Savior, the only Savior, the exclusive Savior, the unique Savior. He came to save us from our sin. He came to save us from hell. He came to save us from our sin. He came to save us from our iniquity. He came as a Savior. Salvation is found in Jesus Christ. Salvation is not found in self. Salvation is not found in the sacraments. Salvation is not found in the society of the saints. God's salvation is found in God's Savior, Jesus Christ. Can I be personal and ask you the question, is Jesus Christ your Savior? Is He your Savior? Oh, Mary referred to him as my Savior. That's how Mary referred to him. She referred to him as my Lord and as my Savior. But can you say that he is my Savior? Have you experienced for yourself the experience of God's salvation? He's my Savior. He's my Lord. He's my God. What is salvation? Well, salvation is not a creed. You might say, well, preacher, I believe in the plan of salvation. I believe in the plan of salvation. Did you know that you can believe in the plan of salvation and still go to hell? You can believe that Christ was born. You can believe that he lived in this earth, a sinlessly perfect life. You can believe that he adhered to the law of God and honored the law and satisfied the law. You can believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross, shed his blood, was buried, rose again, is exalted in glory and he's coming back again and you can still go to hell. not saved by the plan of salvation. You're saved by the man of salvation, the God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation is not a creed. Salvation is not a code of conduct. You might say, well, preacher, I believe that if you live right, Then at the end of the day, when you come to die, God will take you into heaven. But if you could be saved by living the right way, then Jesus Christ coming to the earth was unnecessary. It was not needed. It was unnecessary for the Son of God and for Him to die on the cross. Well, that wasn't necessary, that was wholly uncalled for. If you could get to heaven by living, your own way and living, as you term it, right. Salvation is not found in a code of conduct. Salvation is not found in a cause. You may say, well, preacher, I attend a Bible-believing church, an evangelical church, on a weekly basis. So what? The devil comes. The devil comes every week to this church, satching away the seed of God's Word. In fact, he's got a better attendance record than some people here today. He's not saved. And so it's not in a cause. Salvation is not in a creed. Salvation is not in a code of conduct. Salvation is not in a cause. Salvation is Christ. Christ. And Christ alone. And so I ask you, do you know Jesus Christ? Do you know Him savingly? Oh, we're approaching another Christmas day. And yet in your life, still no room. Still no room for Jesus Christ. Oh, you've room for the work party. You'd room for that this week, didn't you? You'd room for the work party this week. And you'll have room for your festivity, and you'll have room for your feasting, and you'll have room for your boyfriend, your girlfriend, and you'll have room for the television shows, and you'll have room for the Boxing Day football fixtures, but no room for Jesus Christ. No room for Him. still outside your life and your heart, and well you know that you love it to be so. You don't want Jesus Christ in your heart or life. I tell you, you need to beware, because those who find no room for Christ in their lives on earth will find that there is no room for them in heaven. No place for Christ in your heart, no place for you in heaven. And so He is, the Savior. He is Christ the Lord. But let's think in the second place about how God the Father, how He refers to His own Son at His birth. For the Father has things to say. See, whenever Matthew comes to recount the background story of the incarnation, he refers back to the prophet Isaiah and how all that was taking place was really the fulfillment of prophetic utterances. In Matthew chapter 1, in the verse 22 and 23, Matthew recounts that 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 Immanuel, which being interpreted is God with us. Notice that it is the Lord who gives this name Immanuel to Jesus Christ. Notice that it says that it was spoken of the Lord. by the prophet. And so the Lord, God, inspires the prophet Isaiah to write these words and to write this very name. So it is God who is giving this title to the Lord, to his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And he is called Emmanuel. And then Matthew gives us the interpretation, God with us. What a beautiful name. What a comforting name! What a consoling name! As we close out this old year, and we'll soon enter in, in the will of God, into a new year. God with us! God with us! God with us! In all our earthly pilgrimage, down into the valleys, as well as on to the mountaintops. God with us! In days of health as well as in days of sickness, God with us. In days of plenty as well as in days of want, God with us. In days of calm and in days of storm, God with us. In eras of blessing and eras of blasting, God with us. Yes, and God with us in death's valley. With us as the great shepherd guiding his sheep safely through. death's dark night and into heaven's eternal day, high in God with us in eternity, where we will follow him, the Lamb, and drink from the fountains of living waters, those fountains to which he will lead us, God with us. One preacher, he put it like this, God with us, to comfort, enlighten, protect, and defend us in every time of temptation and trial. in the hour of death, in the day of judgment, and God with us and in us as we with and in Him to all eternity. God with us. Oh, the comfort that can be derived from it. God with us. Spurs the Christian worker to greater service. God with us comforts and lifts the heart of the lonely and disconsolate child of God. God with us softens the pillow off the sickly saint. God with us consoles the heart of the sorrowing widow and widower. God with us is a balm to the believer that's wounded in the house of his own friends. God with us sustains the discouraged missionary on the mission field. God with us embordens the Christian soldier to take up arms and fight the Lord's battle. God with us quickens the peace of the weary Christian pilgrim on their journey towards heaven and home. God with us. God with us. I'll say amen. I'll say amen. God with us. Oh, take heart, child of God, God with you, God with you through the unknown, God with you in the trial, God with you in days of blessing, God with you, Emmanuel, God with us. John Wesley, he comes to die. From his dying bed, he says these words, and best of all is, God is with us. God is with us. In Luke chapter 2 and the verse 25, we find that the Holy Ghost, he ascribes a title to the Lord Jesus Christ and he describes him as the consolation of Israel. Luke chapter 2 and the verse number 25, and behold there was a man in Jerusalem. whose name was Simeon the same man was just and devout and this is the spirit of God he's writing here he's inspiring look to write these words waiting for the consolation of Israel the word consolation means comfort the word means solace the one who came into this world, he came to console, he came to bring comfort to the guilt-ridden, to the sin-stained, to the hell-bound sinner, all learned well sinner. Christ is a consolation of his people. It is His special work to bind up the broken heart and to pour oil, the oil of joy, into the heart that mourns and to clad about that individual who's burdened and broken under the spirit of heaviness. He gives to them the garment of praise. Oh, that you would come to know one who is the consolation not only of Israel but the consolation of his people. God is the consolation of his people. That consolation is found in his gospel, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Oh, the comfort and the consolation that is derived there, my sins pardoned, my transgressions covered, my iniquities gone, his righteousness now mine, a home in heaven, a place in the family of God, a comforter, one who lives in me, who enables me to live the Christian life. Oh, the consolations that there are in Christ and in his gospel. And then one final title is given, Here in the verse number 26 of Luke.