God's Miraculous Birth: Faith in the Impossible
Summary
Today’s focus is on the heart of Christian confession: “I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary.” This affirmation is not an isolated, fantastical claim, but the culmination of a long, miraculous story that God has been telling through His people from the very beginning. The pattern of God bringing life out of barrenness—Sarah, Hannah, Samson’s mother, Elizabeth—prepares us to recognize the virgin birth of Jesus not as a random anomaly, but as the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promise to bring salvation in the most unexpected way.
Faith in the virgin birth is not about believing “six impossible things before breakfast,” but about seeing the continuity of God’s work through history. The miraculous birth of Jesus is the climax of a narrative in which God consistently chooses the unlikely, the overlooked, and the impossible as the stage for His redemptive action. The story of Mary is not a break from the past, but the next chapter in God’s ongoing faithfulness—a faithfulness that always brings life where there was none.
To separate the virgin birth from the rest of the biblical story is to misunderstand both. The incarnation—God becoming flesh in Jesus—depends on this miracle, for it is here that the divine and human natures are united without confusion. Only in this way can Jesus be the true mediator, fully God and fully man, able to redeem humanity from within. To reduce Jesus to a mere moral teacher or revolutionary is to miss the point: the gospel is not about self-improvement, but about God’s initiative to do what we could never do for ourselves.
This mystery invites us to embrace faith—not blind credulity, but a trust rooted in the character and history of God. The virgin birth stands as a threshold to the New Testament, reminding us that the story of Jesus is not one of human achievement, but of divine grace breaking into the world. As we affirm this truth, we are invited to see our own lives as part of this ongoing story, where God still brings life out of barrenness and hope out of impossibility.
Key Takeaways
- God’s pattern is to bring life from barrenness, making the impossible possible. The stories of Sarah, Hannah, Samson’s mother, and Elizabeth are not just background details, but signposts pointing to God’s consistent way of working—choosing the unlikely and the overlooked as the vessels of His promise. This pattern culminates in the birth of Jesus, showing that God’s faithfulness is not bound by human limitations. [54:19]
- The virgin birth is not an isolated oddity, but the fulfillment of a long narrative of miraculous births. When we see the birth of Jesus in the context of the whole biblical story, it becomes the logical next step in God’s redemptive plan, not a random miracle. This continuity strengthens our faith, reminding us that God’s promises are trustworthy and deeply rooted in history. [58:52]
- The incarnation—God becoming flesh—depends on the miracle of the virgin birth. Only through this union of divine and human natures can Jesus be the true mediator, able to redeem humanity from within. To deny the miraculous nature of Christ’s birth is to undermine His identity and the very heart of the gospel, reducing it to mere moralism rather than the good news of God’s saving action. [01:00:24]
- Faith requires room for mystery, not just rational explanation. The virgin birth stands at the threshold of the New Testament, challenging our rationalism and inviting us into a story where God’s ways transcend our understanding. Embracing this mystery is not about abandoning reason, but about trusting the God who has proven Himself faithful throughout history. [01:02:15]
- Our giving and discipleship are not transactional, but transformational. Just as God’s work is not a business exchange, our response to Him is not about what we get, but about being shaped into the likeness of Christ. Generosity and faithfulness in giving are acts of trust, surrender, and participation in God’s ongoing story of redemption. [28:36]
Youtube Chapters
[00:00] - Welcome
[15:49] - Call to Worship: The God of the Impossible
[28:36] - Affirming Our Faith: The Apostles’ Creed
[42:58] - Introduction: Believing the Impossible
[45:32] - The Challenge of the Virgin Birth
[47:31] - The Virgin Birth in Context
[48:59] - The Guitar String Analogy: Seeing the Whole Story
[50:42] - Miraculous Births in the Old Testament
[52:49] - Samson and Samuel: More Miraculous Births
[54:19] - God’s Promise Through Barren Women
[56:00] - Elizabeth and the Pattern of Promise
[57:50] - The Annunciation: Mary and the Angel
[58:52] - The Virgin Birth as Fulfillment
[01:00:24] - The Incarnation: Fully God, Fully Man
[01:02:15] - Embracing Mystery and Faith
[01:03:54] - Living Out the Creed
[01:05:41] - Closing Prayer and Blessing
[01:11:19] - Announcements and Dismissal
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
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### Bible Reading
1. Luke 1:26-38
(The angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will conceive Jesus by the Holy Spirit.)
2. Genesis 18:9-15
(The promise and miraculous birth of Isaac to Abraham and Sarah.)
3. 1 Samuel 1:9-20
(Hannah prays for a child and God grants her Samuel.)
---
### Observation Questions
1. In Luke 1:26-38, what is Mary’s initial reaction to the angel’s message, and how does she respond after hearing the explanation?
2. According to Genesis 18:9-15, how does Sarah react when she hears the promise of a child, and what does her reaction reveal about her expectations?
3. The sermon mentioned several women in the Old Testament who experienced miraculous births. Can you name at least two of them and describe their situations? [[50:42]]
4. What pattern do you notice in the way God brings about life and hope in these stories of barrenness and miraculous births? [[54:19]]
---
### Interpretation Questions
1. Why do you think God often chooses the unlikely or overlooked—like barren women or a young virgin—to fulfill His promises? What does this reveal about God’s character? [[54:19]]
2. The sermon says the virgin birth is not an isolated miracle but the climax of a long story. How does seeing the virgin birth in this context affect your understanding of Jesus’ identity? [[58:52]]
3. According to the sermon, what is at stake if we separate the virgin birth from the rest of the biblical story or reduce Jesus to just a moral teacher? [[01:00:24]]
4. The sermon talks about faith requiring “room for mystery.” What does it mean to embrace mystery in your faith, and why is this important? [[01:02:15]]
---
### Application Questions
1. The sermon highlights that God brings life out of barrenness and hope out of impossibility. Can you think of a time in your life when God brought hope or new life in a situation that seemed hopeless? How did that experience shape your faith? [[54:19]]
2. Mary responds to the angel by saying, “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.” What would it look like for you to respond to God with that same openness and trust in your current circumstances? [[57:50]]
3. The sermon challenges us not to see our faith as believing “six impossible things before breakfast,” but as trusting in God’s consistent faithfulness. Are there areas where you struggle to trust God’s promises? What might help you see His faithfulness more clearly? [[47:31]]
4. The idea of the incarnation means Jesus is both fully God and fully man, able to redeem us from within. How does this truth impact the way you relate to Jesus in your daily life? [[01:00:24]]
5. The sermon says our giving and discipleship are not transactional but transformational. In what ways do you approach your relationship with God or your giving as a transaction? How could you shift toward seeing it as a way God shapes you? [[28:36]]
6. Faith requires room for mystery, not just rational explanation. Is there a part of your faith that you find hard to understand or explain? How do you handle those questions or doubts? [[01:02:15]]
7. The sermon invites us to see our lives as part of God’s ongoing story. What is one step you can take this week to participate more fully in God’s story of bringing life and hope to others? [[01:03:54]]
---
Devotional
Day 1: God Brings Life Where None Was Expected
Throughout Scripture, God repeatedly brings life and hope into barren and impossible situations, demonstrating His power to fulfill promises in ways that defy human understanding. From Sarah’s laughter at the promise of Isaac, to Hannah’s weeping for a child, to Elizabeth’s late-in-life pregnancy, God’s faithfulness is revealed in His ability to bring forth new beginnings where there seemed to be only emptiness. These stories are not isolated miracles but part of a continuous thread showing that God delights in surprising His people and fulfilling the deepest longings of their hearts. As you reflect on your own life, consider the places that feel barren or hopeless—God is able to bring life and blessing even there. [15:49]
Genesis 18:10-14 (ESV)
The LORD said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” The LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”
Reflection: Where in your life do you feel hopeless or barren, and how can you invite God to bring new life or possibility into that area today?
Day 2: The Virgin Birth—A Continuation of God’s Miraculous Pattern
The story of Jesus’ conception by the Holy Spirit and birth from the Virgin Mary is not an isolated event, but the culmination of a long biblical pattern where God brings about miraculous births to fulfill His promises and advance His redemptive plan. Just as God surprised Abraham and Sarah, Samson’s parents, Hannah, and Elizabeth with unexpected children, so too does He act in Mary’s life, bringing forth the Savior in a way that is both miraculous and deeply rooted in the story of God’s people. This continuity invites us to see the virgin birth not as an impossible oddity, but as the ultimate expression of God’s faithfulness and power to do what seems impossible. [57:50]
Luke 1:26-38 (ESV)
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting 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 call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Reflection: What is one “impossible” thing you struggle to believe God could do in your life, and how might the story of Mary encourage you to trust Him with it?
Day 3: Embracing Mystery and Faith in God’s Story
Christian faith is not about believing a list of impossible things for the sake of it, but about embracing the mystery of God’s work in the world—a mystery that invites us to trust, even when we cannot fully understand. The virgin birth stands as a threshold to the New Testament, reminding us that God’s ways are not always rational or explainable, but they are trustworthy and rooted in His character. Faith means making room for mystery, allowing God to be bigger than our logic, and being open to experiencing His presence and power in ways that go beyond what we can prove or control. [01:02:15]
Isaiah 55:8-9 (ESV)
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Reflection: In what area of your faith do you find it hardest to accept mystery, and how can you practice trusting God beyond your understanding today?
Day 4: Jesus—Fully God and Fully Human, Our True Mediator
The virgin birth is essential because it affirms that Jesus is both truly God and truly human, uniquely qualified to be our Savior and mediator. Conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of Mary, Jesus is not merely a wise teacher or moral example, but the incarnate Son of God who alone can atone for human sin. Only someone who is both divine and human could bridge the gap between God and humanity, offering deliverance not just from earthly troubles but from the bondage of sin and hopelessness. This truth is at the heart of the gospel and the hope we confess as Christians. [01:03:54]
Hebrews 2:14-17 (ESV)
Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject 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.
Reflection: How does knowing Jesus is both fully God and fully human shape the way you approach Him with your struggles and needs today?
Day 5: Living as People of Promise and Hope
The story of miraculous births culminating in Jesus’ incarnation is not just ancient history—it is our story as God’s people, called to live with hope and expectation that God still brings life out of barrenness and fulfills His promises. We are invited to trust that God is at work in our lives and in our world, even when circumstances seem impossible or discouraging. As we affirm our faith in the God who keeps promises, we are called to live as people shaped by hope, surrender, and openness to God’s surprising work in and through us. [01:05:41]
Romans 4:18-21 (ESV)
In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
Reflection: What is one promise of God you need to hold onto with renewed hope this week, and how can you act in faith as you wait for its fulfillment?
Quotes
Departing from the miraculous nature of Christ's birth, undermines the very identity of Christ as fully God and fully man. It undermines his work and it reduces him to just some sort of wise sage or a moral revolutionary, turning the gospel into a mere model of morality, which is salvation by works, not by faith, which is really not the gospel of all at all. [01:00:53] (34 seconds)
The virgin birth is posted on guard at the door of the mystery of Christmas and none of us must think of hurrying past it. It stands on the threshold of the New Testament, blatantly supernatural, defying our rationalism, informing us that all that follows belongs to the same order itself. And if we find it offensive, there is no point in proceeding further. [01:01:53] (29 seconds)
You know, what we are confessing when we say conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary is that Jesus Christ was truly God and truly man. He was not conceived by the will of man, but by the Holy Spirit, he is the pre -existing co -eternal Son of God made flesh. [01:02:47] (20 seconds)
Only a human being could atone for human sin, as Hebrews 10 affirms. But because of our fallen nature, a normal conception would be tainted by sin. God overcame this through the virgin birth, providing a mediator who is truly human, but without sin. [01:03:32] (22 seconds)
And so if we think about the virgin birth, it's just one weird standalone story that we might think, well, that's impossible. I mean, do I want to believe that or not? But when we see this story within the thread of the story of God.and what he has been doing with his people from the beginning of time until now, it makes sense. It's like, oh, oh, here goes God again doing that thing that God does. Here God goes again doing impossible things. Here he goes again choosing barren places to proceed the place where promise will come. Here God goes again. [00:58:33] (49 seconds)
Christ, virgin births, reveals the divine origin and maintains the unity of divine and human natures. That makes possible the unique nature of his origin, his divine and human natures united in one person. [01:03:15] (17 seconds)
This was one chapter, albeit a very significant one, in this larger story that God has been building over time. Only, only this time, it wasn't the gift of an awesome leader like Moses or an amazing judge like Samson or a prophet like Samuel or a king like David. It was the gift of the Son of God, our Messiah, our Messiah, the King of kings and the Savior of this world. Miraculous birth. [01:00:02] (34 seconds)
This is the fulfillment of everything that was promised. To Israel, from the beginning, since the first time God spoke to Abraham, that is what it was always about. [01:00:36] (17 seconds)
And so we see this passage from Isaiah, and I think it's such a beautiful picture of God's promise and the way he fulfills it. He's going to bless you. He's going to come through for you. He's going to surprise you. He's going to fulfill the longings of your heart. And this is communicated through the image of a barren woman being blessed. [00:55:01] (27 seconds)
God, you are about making the impossible things seem possible. And so we're thankful for loving us so much that you sent Jesus Christ who was uniquely God and uniquely human in the incarnation so that you might show us a way, not just like Moses leading people out of deliverance from slavery in Egypt, but a deliverance out of slavery to the bondage of sin, the bondage of hopelessness and distress. [01:05:46] (31 seconds)
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