The Sign

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. 
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Luke 1:26-33 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”
 
PERHAPS this is one of the most identified prophecies and fulfillment of Jesus’ life as truly man. There are several ways the Jews and other detractors attempt to deny these verses’ true meaning. They reject Jesus’ birth of a virgin. Many even deny he was born. Some say he was just a spirit. But those lies and false interpretations fall far short of the evidence. Even many who say they believe in Jesus and call themselves “Christians” say the virgin birth as only a myth. These are the ways of cloaked hearts and minds. Be in prayer the Spirit opens more hearts to see the clear way Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in the Virgin Mary.
   Indeed, we must see it. The virgin birth is essential to Christian truth that Jesus is Savior. If Jesus were born through a natural man-woman union, he would have inherited Adam’s sin nature as we all do. Thus, he would not have qualified to be the perfect sacrificial lamb on the cross. It is imperative you confess Jesus as Peter did: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16) The Son of God is not a son born of a man. “Immanuel” (or some write it Emmanuel) means the child possesses God’s character. He is “holy, holy, holy” – righteous in every way because he is God, and he is of God: John 10:30 “I and the Father are one.”
   Isaiah’s prophecy came because of doubting King Ahaz. Judah was on the verge of defeat. To encourage Ahaz, God instructed Isaiah to tell Ahaz to ask for a sign from God. The LORD wanted Ahaz to know He was protecting Judah. But the king refused. In response, God gave not a sign to Ahaz, but a sign to the Jews and to the world. God spoke it. God fulfilled it. His language is clear and precise. Mary, taught in God’s ways, would know the angel’s words were true. She is the chosen sign.
   Know and believe the power of God’s Word for your life. The Bible teaches us many ways we are to live, so we will be a sign of Jesus’ salvation come so perfectly into a dark, doubting world.
 
Prayer: Father in heaven, we rejoice in the many signs in your Word, so we know the Savior. Help us be a sign of life to all around us. Amen.