Isaiah was a contemporary of Micah and was considered one of the most prolific prophets in Israel. He ministered during the time of Israel's decline. The book that bears his name is filled with predictive prophecies about the birth of Jesus--in chapters 7, 9 and 11. And, of course, the most famous is chapter 53 which is filled with startling predictions about his substitutionary death.

In chapter 6, when Uzziah was King, Isaiah describes his call from God in vivid and powerful language. This vision of Yahwah in the Temple colored his whole view of life. He had seen God as the Holy One of Israel and he would never forget it. To him, sin was appalling and God's awesome purity was cleansing. He had been forgiven and taken into God's service.

When we come to chapter 7, Uzziah's grandson, Ahaz is on the throne. Ahaz defied God and as a result his kingdom came under attack from all sides. In II Kings 16, we get some further insight into what kind of man Ahaz was. In verse 2, we learn that he "did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God." Verse 3 tells how far he had backslidden: "He...even sacrificed his son in the fire, following the detestable ways of the nations God had driven out before the Israelites." He was a wicked king. In verse 5, two kings gather together to come and fight against him.

Isaiah 7:2 says, "So the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind." He's shaking like a leaf! Instead of turning to the Lord, he begins to think about allying himself with the evil empire of Assyria. At this crucial time, God in His great love and mercy toward the House of David, took the initiative and sent Isaiah the Prophet to help King Ahaz.

In verse 4, Isaiah says to Ahaz, "Be careful, keep calm and don't be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stumps of firewood..." The two countries fighting against him could do no harm to him. Why? Because God Himself had made a covenant with David that his kingdom would endure forever and ever. What did Ahaz do? He didn't want to listen to God. He dismissed Isaiah and disregarded God's message. In verse 10 we read that he was supposed to ask for a sign that would help him believe. In verse 12 we see that Ahaz refused to ask for a sign. This angers Isaiah in verse 13, "Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also?"

Then we come to a prophetic message in verse 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."

We see four things in this verse:

1) The Lord Himself will give the sign. A sign is something that only God can perform.

2) The sign was given to all of us. The word "you" is plural, indicating that it was not just a sign for Ahaz alone.

3) The sign will be a son born to a virgin.

4) The Son would be God incarnate. The name "Immanuel" means "God with us." From the point of this miraculous birth onward, God would Himself be present among His people. Jesus will have two natures: human and divine. He will experience all that we experience, and He will give all that we need: salvation.

Christmas is the first great miracle of the Christian faith. The Virgin Birth is a doctrine often taken for granted, yet from the very beginning there have been those who have doubted. Be assured, the Virgin Birth means that Jesus was born of a Virgin: do not be taken in by the false doctrine that Mary was born of a virgin--she certainly was NOT.

When we talk of the Virgin Birth, we are talking about Mary, a virgin, becoming pregnant and giving birth to the Son of God. There is NO biblical evidence to support the Roman Catholic doctrine that Mary was born of a virgin. It would seem to be somewhat oxymoronic.

Genesis 3:15 says that the Messiah will be born of the "seed of the woman." Isaiah 7:14 clearly says that Immanuel would be born of a virgin. Matthew 1:16 stands out in the genealogy of Jesus. If you notice carefully verse 2 begins with "Abraham was the father of Isaac," and then goes all the way through to the first part of verse 16, which says, "And Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ." Did you catch it? Joseph is not referred to as the father of Jesus because he wasn't the biological father. He is known as the "husband" of Mary. The Writer goes out of the way to help us see that Jesus was born to Mary, not to Mary and Joseph.

Matthew 1:18 says, "Before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit."

Matthew 1:19 clearly shows that Joseph knew that he could not have been the father. Because he was honorable (and loved Mary) he had decided to break off their relationship quietly. So, if Joseph wasn't the father, who was?

Matthew 1:23, "The virgin shall be with child and will give birth to a son..."

Matthew 1:25 says this about Joseph, "But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son." It can't be any plainer than that, can it?

Luke 1:27 refers to Mary as a virgin twice. Luke 1:34 reveals that Mary herself knew she was a virgin when she asked the angel a pretty obvious question: "How will this be since I am a virgin?"

By the way, the accounts in Matthew and Luke are quite different. Neither writer seems to have known the other's story. Yet Matthew and Luke have one major point in common: that Jesus was born of a virgin through the power of the Holy Ghost. This agreement serves to strengthen our faith in the Bible's account of His miraculous birth.

In Mark 6:3, people wonder who Jesus is and ask, "Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son..." The implication is that Mary was the mother but that Joseph was not the biological father.

John 1:14 tells us that the "Word became flesh," which refers to what happened that first Christmas. The eternal Second Person of the Trinity was born to reveal God to us.

I Timothy 3:16 summarizes the birth of Jesus by saying that he "appeared in a body."  God appearing in human form is declared to be the "great" truth so long concealed from human view, but now revealed as the fundamental doctrine of the Gospel.

Galatians 4:4 says, "when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman." This unusual phrase seems to mean that Jesus did not just magically appear as a full-grown man. He was born of a woman. His birth was real. And, He came when the "time had fully come." King Ahaz didn't see the virgin who was pregnant. Micah didn't see the baby in Bethlehem. Abraham saw the ram caught in the thicket, but couldn't imagine Christ on the cross. Eve's seed gave birth to Jesus even though she didn't understand it. Jesus, who existed from all eternity, came at just the right time, born of a virgin.

The Bible is very clear. It is extremely difficult to make the terminology of the Virgin Birth refer to something other than the Virgin Birth.

Brothers and Sisters, we are on solid historical and biblical ground when we assert our belief that Jesus was indeed conceived of the Holy Ghost and born of the virgin Mary. It is a thoroughly Christian doctrine that all true Christians have believed and still believe today.

Can a true Christian reject the Virgin Birth? No. It is not a random truth plucked from thin air. God never says "Pick and choose what you want to believe." The story of Jesus is a seamless garment woven by the Holy Spirit. Take out His miraculous birth and you have ripped the whole garment to shreds.

History teaches us that when people begin to doubt the Virgin Birth, they do not stop there. One doubt leads to another until the Jesus they believe in is not the Jesus of the Bible. In truth, the Virgin Birth is no more miraculous than the Resurrection. They stand or fall together.

Do I understand everything about it. No.

Do I believe it? Yes!

Why? Because that's what the Bible teaches. Isaiah says it best: "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of our God stands forever." (40:8)

Can we still believe in the Virgin Birth? We can and we must! There is a miracle here. Do you believe it? There is enough evidence to believe for those who wish to believe. There is enough reason to doubt for those who care to doubt. Miracles are like that. They don't force us to believe. They invite us to make our own decision.

The Virgin Birth of Jesus is essential to our faith, and is critical to understanding what really took place that first Christmas. There are 300 biblical prophecies fulfilled by the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

That is why we live by faith. We believe because God said it, and that settles it. Amen.