是個男孩It=92s a Boy &nbs= p; = ; = &= nbsp; &n= bsp; &nb= sp; &nbs= p; = ; =20 12/20/09

INTRODUCTION

=93Congratulations, it=92s a boy,=94=20 said the nurse calmly. My heart sank a little. My wife and I always = wanted to=20 have a girl. But the Lord had a different plan for us. Whether boy or = girl it is=20 a gift from above. Many of you can testify that we love our older son = with all=20 of our hearts. But we still wanted a girl. To our surprise two years, = four=20 months and four days later history repeated itself. I took my wife for = an=20 ultrasound check up. I was so confident that we would be having a girl. = Again=20 the nurse told us: =93It=92s a boy.=94

I remember there = was a family=20 in our church who now resides in another state. When that couple left = St. Louis=20 they had 3 boys. Then soon after that they announced that they had a = fourth baby=20 =96 a boy. The last time I heard from them the couple tried again, and = you guess=20 right, another boy. Whenever I think of big families like this couple = has I dare=20 not to complain about how noisy and messy my home is.

=93It=92s a = boy.=94 That was what=20 the angel said to Mary when she was told that she would be conceived by = the Holy=20 Spirit. Have you ever wondered why this Christmas child was a boy? What = is the=20 significance for that? Let us examine the question in this message.

EXPLANATION

1. 小孩A Kid

First, let us = consider the=20 fact that this Christmas child is a kid. In verses 18=20 and 20 of the passage we read earlier Matthew clearly points out = that=20 Mary was pregnant with a child. It can only mean one thing =96 that she = was having=20 a baby, a real person. Similarly Matthew adds in verses=20 21 and 25 that Mary will give birth to a son. You may think: that = is=20 redundant. If He was a boy then it is obvious that He was a kid.

A. 人性Humanity

What is the = significance of=20 the fact that Jesus came as a man? First of all it tells us of His = humanity.=20 Jesus is the one true God but He became a man to come to the earth. John 1:1 says =93In the beginning was the = Word, and=20 the Word was with God, and the Word was God.=94 Here John describes = Jesus as the=20 eternal Word 道of God. Then in verse 14 John=20 adds that =93The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We = have seen=20 his glory, the glory of the One and Only,who came from the = Father,=20 full of grace and truth.=94 In both Luke 2 = verses 40 and=20 52 we are told that Jesus grew in His stature and wisdom. In = Jesus=20 earthly ministry He shows us that He was a real person =96 He feels = hunger and=20 tired, He shed tears and laughs, He has emotion and He feels pain and = lonely. He=20 is just like you and me in different ways.

A tourist came to = a small town=20 in the middle of nowhere. He met an old man sitting on a front porch. He = asked=20 the senior resident out of curiosity: =93Has there been anyone famous = born to this=20 town?=94 The old man replied calmly: =93No, only babies.=94 Jesus came = not in the form=20 of a grown man but as a baby. He grew up gradually just like you and = me.

B. 謙卑Humility

With Jesus=92 = humanity it also=20 displays His humility. Paul tells us in Philippians=20 2:5-7 that: =93⁵Your attitude should be the = same as that=20 of Christ Jesus: ⁶Who, being in very nature⁼God,=20 did not consider equality with God something to be=20 grasped, ⁷but made himself nothing, taking the = very=20 natureof a servant, being made in human likeness.=94 Jesus = willingly=20 limits Himself to become a human. Being restricted by a physical body = Jesus=20 cannot be in two places at one time. But since Jesus is willing to take = up the=20 physical body of a human He can fully experience the weakness of us. = Hebrews 4:15-16 reads: =93For we do not have = a high=20 priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one = who has=20 been tempted in every way, just as we are=97yet was without sin.=20 ¹⁶Let us then approach the throne of grace with = confidence, so=20 that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of = need.=94

We can easily run = into the two=20 extremes about Jesus. Some people thought that Jesus was so human that = He was=20 just like you and me in our weakness. We sin and He sinned too. These = people=20 despise Jesus for His weakness. Then on the other extreme some people = may think=20 that Jesus is far too superior to us that He does not know nor does He = seem to=20 care much about our own suffering. But the Bible clearly tells us that = when=20 Jesus came to earth He was fully human and was fully God at the same = time.

That is the kind = of God we=20 believe in. He knows your struggles because He has been through your = situation=20 yet He shows us that by the power from God He can overcome the = difficulties in=20 life. Are you looking for a sense of significance? Perhaps you were laid = off=20 from work or you forsook a well-paid job and came to U.S. for the sake = of your=20 children. Jesus knows how you feel. Do you feel lonely? Either you are a = single=20 parent and your previous mate was gone for various reasons or you are = single,=20 Jesus knows how you feel. Were you being betrayal by a loved one or a = close=20 friend? Jesus was betrayed by one of His disciples He hand-picked. He = knows how=20 you feel. Tell it to Jesus. No one knows your pain but He does.

2. 親屬Our Kin

Jesus came as a = kid but He was=20 not just the kid of Mary and Joseph. He is also a kin of us. The = genealogy in=20 Luke chapter 3 traces back Jesus=92 blood line from His earthly father = Joseph all=20 the way back to Adam, the first man God created. From that angle Jesus, = likes=20 us, is a descendent of Adam. Since Jesus chose to become a man He became = a kin=20 of the whole human race.

A. 預言Prophecy

The birth of this = kin of us=20 was a fulfillment of God=92s prophecy. Matthew 1:22 and=20 23 puts it: =93All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had = said=20 through the prophet: ²³"The virgin will be with child = and will=20 give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"⁼=97which means,=20 "God with us." The gospel of Matthew was written to a Jewish audience. = To the=20 Jews they needed to know for sure that Jesus was the Messiah, namely the = Savior,=20 prophesied in the Old Testament. At that time when Jesus was born the = Jewish=20 people were under the oppression of the Roman government. They were = waiting for=20 the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament to rescue them. They = understood that=20 the Messiah would come from the line of King David. That idea is based = on 2 Samuel 7:16 when the Lord told Nathan the = prophet to=20 anointed David as the king of Israel to succeed Saul: =93Your house and = your=20 kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established = forever.=94=20 The kingdom of David was crushed by Babylon in 586 B.C. But God=92s = prophecy did=20 not fail. When the angel Gabriel told Mary that she will conceive a son = from the=20 Holy Spirit he says in Luke 1:31-33:=20 =93³¹You will be with child and give birth to a son, = and you are=20 to give him the name Jesus. ³²He will be great and = will be=20 called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne = of his=20 father David, ³³and he will reign over the house of = Jacob=20 forever; his kingdom will never end.=94 God chose Mary to bear the = Messiah. She=20 was pledged to marry Joseph, a descendent of David. Thus the prophecy = came=20 true.

B. 後裔Progeny

This prophecy = about Jesus is=20 related to a progeny from the line of David. But in fact it goes far = beyond=20 that. The genealogy of Jesus mentions Jesus as a descendent of David, = who in=20 turns is a descendent of Abraham, the great forefather of the nation of = Israel.=20 Paul in Galatians 3:16 tells us that: = =93The=20 promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not = say "and=20 to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one = person, who=20 is Christ.=94 The promise of the seed was given to Abraham around 1,400 = B.C. In=20 Genesis 13:15 God tells Abraham that: = =93All the=20 land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever.=94 The = word=20 =93offspring=94 has a double meaning. It can mean a collective singular = or one=20 individual. Paul argues in Galatians that when God gave the promise to = Abraham=20 He already had Jesus Christ in mind. Jesus is not only one of the many = progenies=20 of Abraham but He is the most important progeny of Abraham. But the = prophecy=20 about Jesus goes even further than that. Way back when the first = ancestors of=20 human, Adam and Eve, sinned God had prophesied the coming of the Savior. = Genesis 3:15 reads: =93And I will put enmity = between you=20 and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your = head, and=20 you will strike his heel." Jesus was born into our world to crush the = power of=20 Satan.

Whatever God had = prophesied in=20 the Bible it will surely come to past. Jesus was born in an era under = the=20 Roman=92s leadership. He came at a time when the world was neither the = least=20 expected nor prepared. But His promise will be fulfilled at His timing = in the=20 exact manner just as He said. When you look at the human history or what = is=20 happening today around us there may be a lot of things that can easily=20 disappoint you. Is tomorrow really getting better, or worse? But just = when we=20 think that the world is going out of hand God proclaims that He is still = in=20 control. You may think: perhaps God is only interested in the = macro-environment.=20 What about a little human being like me? Don=92t forget that God = accomplishes His=20 will through each and every individual He created. Jesus was born in the = family=20 of unheard of people like Mary and Joseph. David was a shepherd boy = before he=20 became the king of Israel. Peter was a fisherman but Jesus called him to = be His=20 disciple. Even today God is still using what He brings into your life to = shape=20 you and lead you so that He can accomplish what He has planned in you = for His=20 own glory. Our responsibility is to obey God=92s command in the Bible = and to walk=20 in the truth day by day. In doing so God will lead us to the right path = He has=20 planned for us.

3. 君王The King

We have mentioned = that Jesus=20 came to the earth to succeed the throne of David. He came into the world = to=20 become a king. But He was no ordinary king. He did not have any king=92s = robe nor=20 did He live in the palace.

A. 受苦Grief

Instead, the Bible = depicts Him=20 as a king of grief. Many Christians are familiar with the Song of the = Servant in=20 Isaiah 52-53. In 53:3-5 the prophet = writes:=20 =93³ He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of = sorrows,=20 and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he = was=20 despised, and we esteemed him not. ⁴ Surely he took up = our=20 infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by = God,=20 smitten by him, and afflicted. ⁵ But he was pierced = for our=20 transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that = brought=20 us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.=94 No one, Jew = or non-Jew,=20 could ever imagine that this King would use suffering and death as a = means to=20 fulfill His purpose on earth. Peter in 1 = Peter=20 2:23-25 give us further detail on the grief Jesus bore in our = behalf:=20 =93²³When they hurled their insults at him, he did not = retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted = himself=20 to him who judges justly. ²⁴He himself bore our sins = in his=20 body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for = righteousness; by=20 his wounds you have been healed. ²⁵For you were like = sheep=20 going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of = your=20 souls.=94 God=92s plan was to send His one and only Son Jesus Christ to = come to the=20 earth to take up the penalty of our sins and died on the cross on our=20 behalf.

B. 榮耀Glory

It was through = grief that=20 Jesus received the glory He deserved. Through that the king of grief = became the=20 king of glory. Paul says in Philippians = 2:8-11=20 that: =93⁸And being found in appearance as a man, he = humbled=20 himself and became obedient to death=97even death on a cross!=20 ⁹Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and = gave him=20 the name that is above every name, ¹⁰that at the name = of Jesus=20 every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,=20 ¹¹and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, = to the=20 glory of God the Father.=94 Jesus rose from His death and He is now in = heaven=20 waiting for His second coming. The first time He came to earth He = appeared as a=20 fragile baby. The second time He will come with majestic glory. For = those who=20 gladly receive Him as Lord and Savior at His first coming will joyfully=20 anticipate His second coming.

CONCLUSION

Dear friends, this = is the true=20 meaning of Christmas. There is no Santa Clause but there is the Savior = Christ.=20 The biggest problem of this world is not about food shortage, energy = crisis or=20 the economy recession, though those problems are very significant. The = biggest=20 problem of this world is the sin problem. The core problem is that = people fail=20 to acknowledge God as God and so we have different manifestation of sins = because=20 of our self-centeredness. This Christmas kid was born to eradicate the = sin=20 problem. This baby came to save us. He is our savior sibling 救命同胞- that is a term I = came across the term from the=20 internet.

In Britain there = was an=20 interesting story about a savior sibling. Five year old Charlie Whitaker = had a=20 rare but life-threatening form of anemia. Every three weeks Charlie has = to go to=20 the hospital for a blood transfusion and every night he has to put on a = drip for=20 12 hours to flush out the iron in his system. The only hope for = Charlie=92s=20 survival is a stem cell transplant. But neither of his parents nor his = sister is=20 a good match for him. Finally, Charlie=92s parents chose to have another = baby=20 through in vitro fertilization hoping that this new baby can save the = life of=20 his older brother. There are some complicated bioethical issues involved = which I=20 do not want to go into detail. In June 2003 Jamie was born. Stem cells = were=20 harvested from his umbilical cord blood and were transplanted to = Charlie. One=20 year after the transplant Charlie=92s bone marrow has remain normal and = he is free=20 from the symptoms of his previous disease. Jamie was born into the world = to save=20 his older brother.

Jamie was the = savior sibling=20 for his older brother. Jesus came into the world as the savior sibling = for the=20 whole human race. In this Christmas season are you willing to receive = Jesus=20 Christ as your Savior Sibling? To do so you have to admit that you are a = sinner=20 and there is no way you can get rid of your sin by your own effort. Next = you=20 have to acknowledge Jesus Christ as God and that He died on the cross = for your=20 sin. Finally, you accept as your personal Savior and Lord of your life. = Are you=20 willing to accept this biggest gift of your = life?