Matthew 1:18-25 Sermon Notes:1) Miraculous Conception, 18-20

2) Miraculous Revelation, 20-23

3) Miraculous Salvation, 21-25

Reflection questions:1. Why is Jesus (from Joshua/Jeshua, meaning “Yahweh is salvation”) also called Immanuel (“God with us” in Hebrew)? R.T. France: “The point is not that Jesus ever bore Immanuel as an actual name, but that it indicates his role, bringing God’s presence to man. This meaning is related to that of his actual name, Jesus, in that it is sin which separates man from God’s presence, so that salvation from sin results in ‘God with us.’” (From the Tyndale NT Commentaries, 84)

1. Read 2 Peter 1:16ff. What incident is Peter referring to from the gospels? See the Transfiguration in Matthew 17. What does Peter think is “more fully confirmed”? The voice that He heard from heaven? Or the Word that has been recorded, preserved and passed on for generations, the Word which WE HAVE? How should that make us feel about our copy of the Bible?