One of the things that strikes me as I read religious literature, and that can be literature from the cults, the occult, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, or whatever it happens to be, is that there is something irresistible about Jesus Christ that confronts every single human being who thinks concerning religious issues. I was thinking, “Why is it that I believe in Jesus Christ?” Why do I find him so irresistible - to me - that I want to love him, that I want to obey him, that I want him to be my Lord - my master. Why am I willing to live my life for him? What is it about Jesus Christ that I find so irresistible that I have made him the Lord of my life? You see this is a question that confronts all of us. What makes Jesus Christ irresistible? Why do more people believe in Him, in his claims of divinity, in his claims that he is the Son of God, than any other religious figure in history?
There have been many religious figures in history. There are many present day people who would claim to be God. There are many religious movements where, by giving free food and free lodging, they get the souls of people who are willing to sell out to anyone willing to pay the price. There have been many people throughout history, be it Zoroaster, be it Buddha, be it Mohammed, be it many, many different religious figures who have all made grandiose claims. They said they were God incarnate. But why is it that when Jesus Christ makes the claim that he is God of very God as well as man of very man, that millions upon millions of people find his claim irresistible? Millions who feel that his claims have been verified, that they are true, that this is not a con-man? Whereas Rajneesh would have all his Mercedes Benz lined up to take him on his trips or Reverend Moon would live in his palace. Or other religious figures who make such claims enjoy wealth and explore human sexuality in all of its forms. Jesus Christ came, and he came not to take people’s money, not to take the wives of other men, but he came on a spiritual mission that did not mix up the financial or the sexual problems that we all have to confront today.
Jesus Christ in his claim today is so unique, so singular, that right now on planet Earth more people claim that they believe in him than any other historical figure. As a matter of fact, more books have been written about Jesus Christ, more songs composed, more paintings have been accomplished and set forth in such beauty, more sculptures, more beautiful buildings have been done in his honor than anyone else in human history. If you don't think so then just take a trip down to the library of Congress and look under Jesus and Christ and under Biblical themes of books that are done in the honor of the Lord Jesus Christ, and they fill the Library of Congress! Why do we believe, trust, and love him? Why are you willing to live and, if necessary, to die for the Lord Jesus Christ? What is it that makes him so irresistible to us? I do not believe it can be reduced to a historical accident, that is, you were born in a Christian culture and that you have inherited your devotion to Jesus Christ. That is nominal Christianity. Those of you who are Christians love the Lord Jesus Christ and at some point in your life you opened up your heart to him, you trusted him, you proclaimed him the Lord of your life, and you committed yourself to his glory, his cause, his kingdom, his priorities, his values, and your whole life was changed. So this isn’t something that you inherit from your parents. Some of you came from non-Christian homes, you know you didn’t inherit it there. I know I didn’t inherit any Christianity from my home that I grew up in. No, our attachment to Jesus Christ is one of a decision that we made because we found the claims of Jesus Christ to be irresistible.
I believe that Jesus Christ is irresistible to any thinking man or woman. He is irresistible because of his birth and all the circumstances surrounding it. Irresistible because his life is such a stark contrast to the con men and women running around today. His death, which is the most unique in all the history of the world, makes him irresistible. His resurrection - the fact that he didn’t stay dead, makes him irresistible. (Mohammed is dead. Buddha is dead. If you go to India, they have a whole temple and it has, supposedly, a knuckle bone of Buddha and you go down the road and there will be another temple with another sliver of bone. He is dead. Buddha is dead. Zoroaster is dead. Joseph Smith is dead.) Jesus Christ did something that no other figure in human history has done. He rose from the dead by his own power. The Lord Jesus Christ is irresistible by his ascension, when he ascended into the heavens before all those witnesses, seen with human eyes. That makes him irresistible. The fact that he sat down at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, signifying his work has been completed. He has finished the work of redemption. Then, the fact that he intercedes on behalf of his people. His work continues as he makes intercession on behalf of his saints. The fact the he is coming back one day makes him irresistible. He is coming back. Not another form. Not another reincarnation. Not an avatar. This same Jesus that was taken up shall come back in the same way he went up. What does this mean, he is coming back? I remember one time listening to Walter Martin in his bible study. He said “It’s the same way as if you were standing there with the apostles and you had a camera. You had it focused on the Lord Jesus Christ and you saw him literally take off from the earth and you kept the camera trained on him as he went up and up and got smaller and smaller until the clouds obscured him. The angel said this same Jesus, not another one, this same one, the one with the wounds in his hands and feet, the one who walked the dusty roads of the holy land, this same Jesus, shall come in exactly this same way. So Walter says, “You want to know what the second coming of Jesus Christ will be like? Roll the film backward. He comes out of the clouds, back to the earth, and his feet shall once again find this planet under them.” This is what makes Jesus Christ so irresistible. The fact that he went from the cradle to the cross to the crypt to the crown.
Let us now focus on the first part of the irresistibility of the Lord Jesus Christ. We find him irresistible because his birth was miraculous. His birth was unlike any other birth that took place in human history. The miraculous part of the birth of Jesus Christ was something so astounding, something so supernatural that there isn’t any comparison that can be made with any other who has ever been born in the history of mankind. Jesus Christ is irresistible because his birth was miraculous in that it was predicted. Now you think about that. We’re not talking about being predicted by nine months after you go to the gynecologist and you have a prediction concerning the birth. We’re talking about the birth of someone who was predicted in such minute detail that, mathematically speaking, it is inconceivable that this birth could take place unless there is a supernatural explanation.
For example, the birth of Jesus Christ is the only birth throughout history in which the exact time is predicted by God Almighty. In Daniel 9 we have what is called a time prophecy. Liberal scholars freak out at this point. They do not want to think that the Scriptures could give such a specific prophecy that could be verified because if it is verified that might lead to the idea that the prophet had access to knowledge that was beyond human nature. In Daniel 9 are the visions that God was giving to Daniel, the message from the angels that came and spoke to him. He was told of the coming of the Messiah. He was told of what would happen to the Messiah, the anointed one, the Christ.
And he gave me instruction and talked with me, and said, "O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight with understanding. "At the beginning of your supplications the command was issued, and I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed; so give heed to the message and gain understanding of the vision. "Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy place. (Daniel 9:22-24, NASB)
Now put yourself back in those circumstances. If you were a Jew and you had lived your whole life with animal sacrifices, with these shadowy ceremonies that had no substance and could never remove sin, as Hebrews 10 says, because they could never quiet the conscience. So you brought your goat and sacrificed it but your conscience still bothered you, so you would bring another sacrifice. Now all of a sudden God sends Gabriel the archangel who comes and says “Listen, I’m going to describe to you something that is going to happen and when it is accomplished it will finish transgression, it will put an end to sin, it will atone for wickedness. It will usher in everlasting righteousness. It will seal up vision and prophecy. It will lead to the anointing to the most holy place.” Daniel must have been excited. If you are a child of God, the moment you read these words in which we are told that sin and transgression will be dealt with, that wickedness will be removed, that everlasting righteousness will come about, your heart will be thrilled. Daniel no doubt was.
"So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. "Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing.” (Daniel 9:25,26; NASB)
Studying the commentaries and the literature on this amazing prophecy, it is only obvious, given the OT background, that each of the weeks stands for 7 years. In this passage we are told that a certain amount of time would pass once the decree to rebuild the temple had been given. Then the messiah would come. The messiah would also eventually be killed and he will have nothing. Now archeologist have been trying to discover for some time how exactly to date the issuing of the decree to rebuild the temple. At this time I think one of the great scholars of a bygone day named Anderson has material that can still stand up today. The decree to rebuild the temple took place March 14, 445 BC. Now if you measure 69 weeks you will find that the 69 weeks would equal 483 years or, to be exact, 173880 days from the time of issuing the decree to rebuild the temple until the time of the coming of the messiah when he would be cut off and would have nothing. Now if you add on those amount of days to the March 14, 445 BC date it brings you to April 6, 32 ad, which is probably the very day Christ died. This prophecy was fulfilled to the letter.
The coming of the messiah had to take place after 483 years once the decree to rebuild the temple was given. If Jesus Christ did not fulfill the prophecy of the coming Christ, the anointed one, the Jews had better come up with another one quite quickly. There isn’t anyone else during that period of time who fulfilled this time prophecy in terms of when the messiah was to come. Now this is quite remarkable. Can you name anyone else in history that the exact time of his coming and his death was predicted? Someone might say, “How do we know that Daniel or these messianic prophecies were not written after Jesus came?” I remember dealing with one atheist that said, “The gospels were just inventing things.” The trouble is that the Dead Sea scrolls have fallen into our hands. They must be dated at least 200 years before Christ. Since these prophecies are contained in the Dead Sea Scrolls there is no way to escape the conclusion that the birth of Jesus Christ was miraculous in that the prophecy given to Daniel predicted and limited it to a certain amount of time. If he came too late he couldn’t be the messiah. If he came too early, he couldn’t be the messiah. His coming had to be in accordance with Daniel 9 and the 483 years, or 69 weeks, once the decree to rebuild the temple was given.
Not only the time of the birth of Christ makes it miraculous. We’re also given, in terms of the prediction, the place of it. It was predicted not only to its time but also as to its place. All of you are familiar with Micah 5:2. Even the Pharisees were aware of Micah 5:2, which simply states that even though Bethlehem was a small city, insignificant and certainly nothing to rave about, “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.” Someone would be born at Bethlehem who didn’t begin in Bethlehem when he was born. His actual origins must be rooted in eternity itself.
We’re not only given the prediction of the time and the place but the race. We are told the messiah would be a Jew, that is, he would be of the seed of Abraham. Thus the lord Jesus Christ was indeed a Jew, a son of Abraham. The genetic code in his mother had its origins in Abraham’s DNA.
The LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring {Or seed}I will give this land." So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him. From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD. Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.(Genesis 12:7-9; NIV)
You see the little phrase in verse 7, “to your seed”, “to your offspring”? The apostle Paul tells us that when the phrase was given “to your seed” it didn’t say “seeds”. It didn’t say “offsprings” or “descendants” It said “to your seed”, “your descendent”. This descendent was Christ according to Paul. Out from Abraham would come not only a mighty nation who would number like the stars of the heaven, who would inherit the land given them by God, but there would also come the descendent of Abraham, the seed of Abraham, through whom all the families of earth would be blessed.
Not only the place and the race were foretold but also the tribe. We are told later in Genesis 49:8 that of the 12 tribes of Israel that the tribe of Judah would be that tribe from whence the messiah would come.
Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons will bow down to you. You are a lion's cub, O Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness--who dares to rouse him? The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his. He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. (Genesis 49:8-11; NIV)
Who is the “he to whom it belongs”? The Jewish and Christian commentators have fully agreed that the only He is the seed of Abraham, the messiah. Obviously, the scepter, which is the symbol of rule and kingdom and dominion, simply means that out of the tribe of Judah will come the ruler and he is the one to whom the kingdom belongs. The obedience of the Gentiles and the nation is his.
We are beginning with the broad funnel. First we have the messiah coming as a human being. Furthermore he is of the racial heritage of Abraham. Even more, he is of the tribe of Judah, not the other 11, but specifically of the tribe of Judah. It’s even given further in terms of the very family within the tribe of Judah - the messiah would be the son of David. This was a promise given to David in 2 Samuel.
"When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. "He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. (2 Samuel 7:12,13; NASB)
You have throughout the rest of the OT the concept of the eternal throne of David, a time when the son of the seed of David would come to be this great inheritor of the Davidic kingdom.
And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. "And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end." (Luke 1:30-33; NASB)
It’s not only the fact that he is a Jew, a child of Abraham, but he must come specifically from the tribe of Judah and he must be specifically the son of David. This is why when you look at the gospel accounts as Jesus went from village to village, particularly in Matthew, they will say “have mercy on me son of David”. Because Jesus could not be the messiah unless you could trace back the genetic code to David as well as Abraham. Now you understand why we have the genealogies in Matthew and Luke. To the Jewish mind anyone who claimed to be the messiah had to have a certain pedigree. He had to be able to trace through the family lines to Judah, to David, to Abraham. If he could not do this, if he was from some other tribe, he was a false messiah - a counterfeit. He could not be the hope of Israel.
Not only was it predicted in terms of his race, tribe, and family. It was also predicted that the woman that God would use through whom the messiah would come would be unique. She would be a daughter of Abraham. She would be a virgin according to Isaiah 7:14. It is an astounding prophecy that a virgin would conceive and bear a son and he would be called Immanuel, meaning God with us. This is picked up in Matthew 12:22-23. In his description of the birth of the Lord Jesus, we read concerning the birth of Jesus Christ that the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and they will call him Immanuel meaning God with us. Now has there anyone ever been born, that these things could be said concerning him: the exact time, place, circumstances, the race, the tribe, the family, and the fact of the miraculous birth through a virgin. No one else in all of history can ever claim such a birth.
His birth was not only predicted but it was proclaimed. It was revealed and shown to all mankind that he was the savior of sinners. First, it was proclaimed by the highest, that is, by the angels. For example, the angel that came to Mary. The gospel of Luke gives us details about events that the other synoptic gospels do not give us. He explains that when he decided to write the gospel account he wanted to interview the eyewitnesses and trace the whole thing out from the beginning. He is the one who reveals, after his conversation with Mary, all the turmoil that went through her own mind, her own thoughts, her feelings as all of these things began to transpire around her and within her (Luke 1:1).
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you." But she was greatly troubled at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. "And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end." And Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy offspring shall be called the Son of God. "And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. "For nothing will be impossible with God." And Mary said, "Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:26-38; NASB)
Luke would know about this by asking Mary. Mary would have said “Are you really asking about all of the details? Well, I was minding my own business and the wind blew and this being of light came into the room and I was frightened out of my wits. I didn’t know if this was a Persian demon or what it was. He said he was the angel of the Lord and that I was highly blessed and favored and that the Lord was with me. But it didn’t help anything. I really was upset at his words and I was frightened and I didn’t have the slightest clue how this greeting was going to end up. Then the angel went on. “Don't be afraid Mary.” Obviously she was afraid. “You have found favor with God and you will be with child and you will give birth to a son and you are to give him the name Jesus.” Now you must understand, the father names the son and she is getting the point here that she is going to have a child and God is taking the prerogative of naming the child. So who is going to be the child’s father? God himself. “He will be great and will be called the son...” of Joseph? No! The son of the Most High! The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end.
She got the point. How in the world can this be? Mary asked the angel, “Since I am a virgin?” She understood the facts of life and she wanted to know how God himself is going to father this child and then name this child and that this child would be the messiah. She understood clearly from the language: son of the Most High, the throne of David, an everlasting kingdom. These are all terminology that would be very familiar to her. The angel said, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you.” So it wasn’t Adam-God, as Joseph Smith taught, taking her to the back room. No, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the Most High will overshadow you, so the one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age. She who was said to be barren is in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible with God.” Or as the Greek says, “no word of God can fail of its accomplishment.”
Mary gave the correct answer. “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” That took guts. Have you really thought about that. The Lord may come to you and tell you you’re going to have a car wreck. You’re going to loose both legs. Will you be able to say “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said”? You must have that attitude that Mary had. She says, “Lord I don't understand it. I don’t have a clue what you are saying, but I belong to you. If this is what you are planning for my life then I will accept it.”
You might say, “Well Mary, I guess you got things straightened out.” We know as we go on in the chapter that Mary did not get this all straightened out. She was always pondering these things in her heart and was not quite sure how to make it out. But you see that’s only half the story. She becomes impregnated by the Holy Spirit. The egg begins to divide by an act of God. The other half of the DNA code is supplied by a creative act of God. But she still has a problem - Joe. I mean, she was engaged to this guy, the wedding has been set. Do you think Joe is going to believe that she is a virgin conceiving through the power of the Holy Spirit? What would you think if your fiancee came to you and said “Well, I’m pregnant.” If you knew it wasn’t you and she said “God did it”, what would you think? You would do what Joseph did - show her the door.
The angel not only had to go to Mary, he had to go to Joe. (By the way, the Jews pick up this in the Talmud. They say that Jesus was a bastard son, an illegitimate child, and that’s why his mother took him to Egypt where he learned the art of being a magician. He came back using illusionist tricks and pretended to have these miracles. They use the Christian concept of the virgin birth against itself by saying “Who in the world could possibly believe this?”) So now the angel had to go to Joe. The account of his visit to Joseph is found in Matthew. Joseph was not about to believe Mary any more than you or I would believe our fiancees in this regard.
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her, desired to put her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. "And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins." Now all this took place that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which translated means, "God with us." And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took [her] as his wife, and kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus. (Matthew 1:18-25; NASB)
Can you imagine the tears, the pleas of Mary, and he wouldn’t believe her. She must have cried out to God and said “Lord, you’re going to have to show him the truth. I’m going to be divorced and shamed.” What could a girl like that do in that culture? But after he had considered this an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord commanded him. He took Mary home with him as his wife, but, he had no sexual union with her until after she gave birth to her son. He gave the child the name Jesus.
So the angel has gone to Mary and she’s in a confused state but, well, it’s been done and over with. Now Joe has been taken care of. Now the angels have some more work to take care of. They go to the lowest end of the scale and go to the shepherds. That was the sort of job you took if you had absolutely no skills. The Lord in his mercy sent an angel and then angels to the lowest part of society, the bottom of the barrel.
And in the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields, and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. And the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. "And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths, and lying in a manger." And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased." And it came about when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds began saying to one another, "Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us." And they came in haste and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. And when they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. (Luke 2:8-17; NASB)
That was pretty weird, pretty specific. People don't put babies in feeding troughs. They would have no trouble finding this baby. Now just in case the shepherds need a little extra motivation, suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God. So they hurried to Bethlehem and started asking around, “Where are the barns?” “Barns?” “Yes, there was a baby born tonight that we are looking for. He is lying in a feeding trough.” So they kept asking around and someone remembered the couple they put up in the cave. They went up, they investigated, they asked. When they got there they found Mary and Joe and the baby who was laying in the feeding trough. No question of mistaken identity. When they had seen him they spread the word concerning what they had seen. So it was proclaimed by angels to Mary, to Joseph, and to the shepherds.
It was not only proclaimed by angels, it was proclaimed by the shepherds. All who heard it were amazed. Luke asked Mary what she thought about all these things. She told him “I treasured them up and pondered them in my heart. I didn’t tell anyone else what I was thinking about. I kept it to myself and just continued pondering what amazing things these were.” The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen which were just as they had been told. You see why it’s irresistible? Whose birth was ever like this? Proclaimed by angels, shepherds, and philosophers.
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east, and have come to worship Him." And when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he began to inquire of them where the Christ was to be born. And they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet, 'And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; For out of you shall come forth a Ruler, Who will shepherd My people Israel.' " Then Herod secretly called the magi, and ascertained from them the time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, "Go and make careful search for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, that I too may come and worship Him." And having heard the king, they went their way; and lo, the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them, until it came and stood over where the Child was. And when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And they came into the house and saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell down and worshipped Him; and opening their treasures they presented to Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned [by God] in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their own country by another way. (Matthew 2:1-12; NASB)
Now we go to the highest part of culture and science. We go from the shepherds to the philosophers. They used their minds while others used their hands. Here the wise men, or philosophers, came like a rocket into Bethlehem. They arrived on the scene after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea during the time of King Herod. These philosophers from the east came to Jerusalem and said, “Where is the one who was born King of the Jews? We saw his star in the east (obviously they were gentile converts to Judaism and knew of Number 24:17) and we have come to worship him.” They understood he was Deity. Now they were asking around about this. They didn’t start at the King’s palace, but the news got back. When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. So they called the chief priests and the scribes and he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. Of course they referred to Micah 5:2 and not to the horoscopes in the daily news of the Jerusalem Daily. Bethlehem would be the Messiah’s birthplace. So Herod called for the philosophers, quietly, secretly. He questioned them. He pretended he was greatly enthusiastic. He told them, “The place you have to go is Bethlehem, not here. It’s in Bethlehem. Make a real careful search for this child. When you find him, let me know and I will come and worship him too.” After they heard the King they went on their way. The star they had seen in the east went on ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was.
This is not a natural phenomenon. It’s not Jupiter and a few other stars all lined up. Stars don't wink out, reappear, move here, and stay there. This was a supernatural light. Maybe it was the Shekinah glory of God, I don't know. Maybe a great angel of the Lord. Who knows? But it was supernatural. When they saw this star the were overjoyed. They came to the house. You see, Joseph didn’t stay in the barn. We like to think Joseph said, “This is the place where Jesus was born. We’re going to live here in a stable.” As a father would you live in a stable? By this time they had rented a house. How much time had expired? We don't know. But by now, they had rented a house. So when they came to the house where the child was they saw the baby Jesus with his mother and they fell down and worshipped him. Joe is there. Mary is there. These strangers come in and start worshipping the baby. Then they began to bring out treasures of great wealth. They gave him gold - I’m sure Joe had never seen gold before - frankincense, and myrrh, very expensive stuff. They worshipped him and explained everything. How they got there and going to Jerusalem. I’m sure they told them about the shepherds and what they had said. They communed and fellowshipped about God and the Lord and the Holy Scriptures. Then they said “It’s getting late. We had better get to sleep.” That night in a dream to one of them, God says “Hey, don't go back to Herod. Leave the other way quietly. He would like to kill the child.” Well, since they had followed the Lord this far, they got up and said, “The Lord has revealed that we are not to go back to Jerusalem. We’re heading out immediately. We’re not letting anybody know.”
Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise and take the Child and His mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him." And he arose and took the Child and His mother by night, and departed for Egypt; and was there until the death of Herod, that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, "Out of Egypt did I call My Son." (Matthew 2:13-15; NASB)
They are gone and Joseph says “We can rest at ease.” Then another angel from the Lord came to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt.” If the philosophers had not come with the gold and frankincense and myrrh, they would not have been able to afford to get up and go. But because they had these things they had the wherewithal to get up and go. He took the child and his mother during the night and left immediately, where he stayed until the death of Herod. You know about the slaughter of the innocent. Interesting again to note in the Talmud it says that Jesus went to Egypt because the was an illegitimate child and there he learned the tricks of the magician. In their attack on Christ, they verify the historical record. They confirm that his birth was unusual and that he went to Egypt, that he came back, and that he did all of these miracles. They try to explain them away but they don't deny that they happened. They don't deny that he existed. They don't deny the basic points of his birth.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. (John 1:1-3; NASB)
Lastly, the Lord Jesus Christ is irresistible in his miraculous birth not only because it was predicted, not only because it was proclaimed, but also because it was explained as the incarnation of Deity. That’s why, in John 1, John doesn’t begin with the virgin’s womb. He begins with eternity itself. “When the beginning began, the Word already was.” says the original Greek in John 1:1. Underline the word “was”. The tense means the word was already in existence before the beginning of creation. So the Word cannot be a created thing. He was already in existence before anything that was created was created. That’s why in Collosians 1:16 it says he was before all things. He created all things. All things are upheld by his power. So when a Jehovah’s Witness says Jesus is a create thing, this passage says no. When the beginning began, the Word already was, speaking of his eternity. The Word was alongside God. We know from verse 18 that this is God the Father. The Word was not only eternal, the Word was co-equal with the Father. The Word was already existing alongside of God the Father.
The Word, as to his nature, was Divine as well. The order in the Greek is interesting. In the English it says the Word was God, but in the Greek it says God was the Word. That is, the Greeks would put the word that they wanted to emphasize first in the sentence so that when you read it you would read that the Word was God. Here it is stated that the Word in terms of his own nature, was just as divine as God the Father. He was alongside of the Father from the very beginning and through him all things were made. Without him nothing was made that has been made.
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him. (John 1:14,18; NASB)
No one has ever seen God, but God the one and only - speaking of Christ - who is at the Fathers side, he has exegeted him - he has made him plain. Jesus Christ pre-existed his entrance into this world in Bethlehem. You or I cannot claim that. The pre-existence of the soul is a myth. But the pre-existence of Jesus Christ is a gospel truth. He became flesh. Jesus the Christ is also Deity in human form - God and man together. God of very God. Man of very man. Light of very light - as the Athanasian creed proclaims.
Do you see even at the very beginning of this series, the irresistible nature of the Lord Jesus Christ? There are no comparisons in the religious world. You can bring all the con-men, all these false prophets, and religious leaders. Bring them by one by one. They die. Their births are perfectly normal. Their lives will not reflect any divinity. There is only one person on the stage of history who is so unique that, once someone understands and the Holy Spirit opens up their heart, they find they must trust and believe in him. We have found him to be irresistible. We cannot but believe in him. The details of his birth, the supernatural precision of the prophecies, all of the things that had to be done, it is mathematically impossible that anyone else could meet the bill. There was no one else who could possibly meet the specifics given in scripture concerning the messiah. This is why we find the Lord Jesus Christ irresistible, because in his birth in the cradle, he revealed who he really was, the Christ, the son of the Living God.