The Virgin Birth

Matthew 1:18-25

 

Last time we began our study of the Gospel of Matthew. We saw that the purpose of the Gospel of Matthew is to present Jesus Christ as the prophesied Messiah, the King of Israel.

The Gospel of Matthew was written to Jews to explain the kingdom and to present the king. Throughout the centuries, the Old Testament prophesied a coming king for the nation Israel, the Son of David. Matthew wants to demonstrate that Jesus Christ is the focal point of those prophecies and that they all find their realization and fulfillment with Him. Throughout Matthew’s Gospel, he cites at least 28 specific Old Testament prophecies that are fulfilled in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Matthew highlights seven fulfilled prophecies just in the first four chapters. The first one, from Isaiah 7:14, comes in our text today.