Sermon Big Idea:

God’s rescue unfolds through His promise,  His presence and His plan culminating in the birth of Jesus.

Sermon Summary:

Pastor Jason opens with the story of the 12 Thai soccer boys trapped in a flooded cave. Their rescue was impossible from the inside; it required elite experts from the outside, a meticulous plan, and a "miracle" to succeed. Similarly, the Christmas story is the culmination of God’s multiphased rescue operation.  Humanity since the Fall in Genesis 3, has been "trapped" by sin and cannot save itself. Christmas is the moment God’s outside rescue plan—set in motion since the Garden of Eden—reaches its climax through the coming of Jesus.

1.      Joseph’s Dilemma: Mercy in the Mess

Focusing on the Gospel of Matthew, the sermon examines the perspective of Joseph.

• The Scandal: Joseph was "blindsided" by Mary’s pregnancy during their betrothal. In a "honor/shame" culture, this was a social death sentence.
• The Character of Joseph :Described as a "righteous man," Joseph chose a middle path between public disgrace and ignoring the law. He decided to divorce her secretly—showing that even in his pain, he prioritized mercy.
• The Lesson: God often works through "temporary setbacks" and messy, real-world dramas to accomplish His eternal purposes.

2.       The Necessity of the Virgin Birth

The sermon highlights the "Virgin Conception" as a foundational Christian belief, offering three reasons why it was necessary:

• Human & Divine: It allowed Jesus to be fully man (born of a woman) and fully God (conceived by the Spirit).
• Sinless Nature: Jesus did not inherit the "curse of depravity" passed down from Adam, allowing Him to be a sinless Savior.
• God’s Initiative: Like the cave rescue, the savior had to come from outside the human predicament.

3. The Miracle of Life

Addressing those who find miracles hard to believe, the sermon argues that every human birth is already a mind-boggling mystery and miracle. Consider aspects:

• Complexity:215 million GB of info stored in a single gram of DNA, and the heart pumping 4,000 times an hour without "recharging." Isn’t this a miracle?
• Logic: Before we struggle to accept the miracle of the virgin conception, we are already faced with another problem: the miracle and mystery of human birth and development!  Our daily existence is already wrapped up in mystery and miracle, therefore, it’s logical to accept God’s supernatural intervention in the birth of Jesus since we accept that we live in a world of wonder.

5. The Reliability of God’ Promise (Prophecy)

Pastor Jason illustrates how mathematical probability proves the reliability of the Bible.

• The Stats: Citing Professor Peter Stoner, the odds of one person fulfilling just eight prophecies (like Isaiah 7:14) is 1 in 10¹⁷ ; 48 prophecies are 1 in 10¹⁵⁷  , yet Jesus fulfilled over 300!
• The Takeaway: If God is this meticulous with His historical promises, He can be trusted with your life today.

6. Immanuel: God With Us

Pastor Jason concludes with the dual names of the Savior:

• Jesus (Jeshua): "The Lord Saves"—addressing our need for rescue.
• Immanuel: "God with us"—addressing our deepest longing to be known and loved.
• The Ultimate Vulnerability: The rescue that began in a manger ended on a cross. God "wrote Himself into our story" to meet us in our weakest, most vulnerable moments so that we would never have to hide from Him again.