Un Destello de Esperanza, Diciembre 21, 2025

Good morning, church. What a blessing to be here this morning with you all. We had a big celebration on Friday for our Christmas gathering. And so those who weren't able to make it, we miss you. But we hope that if you're here for the first time today because of the gathering on Friday, we'd love for you to stop by our Connection Center. Don't go without stopping by there and talking with some of our greeters. We'd like to get to know you and we'd like for you to get to know us as well. And in the same way, I'd like to invite you to participate in our special offering at the end of the year so that we can continue being a part of what God is doing here at home and around the world. And as you pray about that special offering, pray as well for the missionaries that serve far from here and also those that are serving here in central Arkansas. It's a blessing to be able to participate in that. So while you open your Bibles to Matthew chapter 1, verses 18 to 25, why don't you join me in prayer? Heavenly Father, we come before you now this morning, recognizing that we need you. Recognizing that our families need you. Recognizing that our city needs you. Lord we come before you with gratitude for what you've done in and through us. That you sent your son, Jesus, to die on the cross for us. That this message could encourage our hearts, confront our lives, so that we could respond in worship. In the name of Jesus, Amen. Let's begin by reading the entire passage from verse 18 to 25. And the title today is, Jesus did what we could not. This is what Matthew says. I'm going to read it in Spanish, and those who are following along in English, you can follow along on the screen. I'm going to read it in Spanish, and those who are following along in English, you can

follow along on the screen. I'm going to read it in Spanish, and those who are following along in English, you can follow along on the screen. In December of 2008, the New York Times published an article published by John Shelby, a famous liberal theologian. theologian of the Episcopalian Church. Y él afirmaba que el nacimiento virginal de Jesús And he affirmed that the virginal birth of Jesus Es un constructo teológico Is a theological construct O algo de nuestra imaginación In other words, something imagined No un hecho histórico It wasn't a historical fact Y que insistir que ocurrió de manera literal And he said that insisting that in a literal way De hecho disminuye la significancia de la vida de Jesús y sus enseñanzas He said insisting that the virgin birth was literal Diminished the teachings of Jesus Y él argumenta que el poder real de Jesús descansa en su humanidad y su mensaje And he taught that the real power of Jesus Rested in his humanity and in his teaching Y no en su nacimiento sobrenatural And not in his supernatural birth Y ese artículo revela la crisis que John nos compartía la semana pasada And that article shows us and demonstrates the crisis That John Vance taught us about last week Que el 30% de las personas que se llaman cristianos Tienen una visión distorsionada de Jesús That 30% of people who call themselves Christians

Have a distorted view of who Jesus really is Que lo ven como un buen maestro They see him like a good teacher Como un buen filósofo Like a good philosopher Pero niegan el nacimiento virginal de Jesús But they deny his virgin birth Niegan la deidad de Jesús They deny his godhood Podemos ver que así como Shelby And we can see how just like John Shelby Muchos creen que el problema más profundo que el humano tiene Es su ética y su moral Many people believe that the greatest problem man faces Is his ethics and his morality Su falta de educación A lack of education Y por eso lo que necesitan es un maestro o un filósofo And that's why we need a teacher or a philosopher Y esto minimiza el problema del ser humano And this minimizes the problem of humanity Y no nos sorprendemos porque no ven la necesidad de un salvador And we shouldn't be surprised when people don't see the need for a savior Porque minimiza el problema Because to minimize the problem Es elevar la condición del ser humano Is to elevate the condition of humanity Y ya no miramos al hombre como un ser muerto espiritualmente And so we don't see man as a spiritually dead creature Sino alguien como que necesita solo un poquito de sabiduría

Y un poquito de educación para vivir como Dios quiere que viva But rather we would see man as someone who needs just a little bit of wisdom A little bit of education to live how God would have them to live Y una de las razones por la cual Cristo vino de forma sobrenatural And one of the reasons for which Christ came in a supernatural way Es porque Jesús siendo el Mesías Is because Jesus being the Messiah Él no iba a ser producto de un acto simplemente humano He wasn't going to be a product of just a human act Sino de la obra sobrenatural del poder del Espíritu Santo en la Virgen María But rather the product of the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in Maria Y de esta manera mantener la naturaleza divina de Jesús Y al mismo tiempo participar en la naturaleza humana de Jesús And in this same way He would maintain His deity and His humanity ¿Por qué? Y nuestro primer punto es porque Él vino a interceder por aquellos que no podían Our first point is this, He came to intercede for those who could not Le damos aquí en el versículo 18 al 20 Look at verses 18 through 20 El nacimiento de Jesucristo fue como sigue Estando María desposada con José Antes de que consumara el matrimonio Se halló que había concebido por obra del Espíritu Santo Now the birth of Jesus took place in this way When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph Before they came together She was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit Y José, su marido, siendo un hombre justo Y no queriendo difamarla, quiso abandonarla en secreto And her husband Joseph, being a just man

Unwilling to put her to shame Resolved to divorce her quietly Pero mientras pensaba en esto De aquí que se le apareció en sueños Un ángel del Señor diciendo José, hijo de David No temas recibir a María, tu mujer Porque lo que se ha engendrado en ella Es del Espíritu Santo But as he considered these things Behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream Saying, Joseph, son of David Do not be afraid of the Lord Not fear to take Mary as your wife, For He is the Son of the Father for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. And He is the Son of the Mother And He is the Son of the Father And He is the Son of the Father Veran, el evangelio no empieza cuando Jesús And He is the Son of the Father And He is the Son of the Father And He is the Son of the Father hace su entrada en este momento. Truly, the gospel does not begin as Jesus comes onto the scene in this moment. El evangelio está conectado desde el principio de la creación y antes de la creación. The gospel is connected to the beginning at the time of creation and even before creation.

Por eso no podemos desligar el hecho del nacimiento virginal de Jesús de toda la historia de salvación que Dios había determinado. And that's why we can't disconnect the virgin birth of Jesus from the rest of history that God had designed. Desde el cordero que fue inmolado desde antes de la fundación del mundo. He's the lamb that was to be slain from before the foundations of the earth. Por lo tanto, la descendencia de Jesús que Mateo acaba de enseñar en los versículos anteriores. And so as a result, the descendants of Jesus. Su conexión con Abraham y David. His connection with Abraham and David. Sus padres terrenales. His earthly parents. Su nacimiento virginal. His virgin birth. Su vida. His life. Su ministerio. His ministry. Su muerte. His death. Y su resurrección. And his resurrection. Son todas partes del evangelio de Cristo. Are all part of the gospel of Christ. Y si nosotros negamos alguno de estos eventos.

And if we deny any of these events. Estamos mutilando el mensaje del evangelio. We are mutilating the message of the gospel. Así que Mateo, después de haber establecido la conexión de Jesús con David y Abraham. And so Matthew, after having connected the birth of Jesus with Abraham and David. Nos dice que ahora la virgen se encuentra embarazada. He now says that the virgin is found to be pregnant. Claro, una sorpresa para alguien que es virgen. Una sorpresa para alguien que es virgen. Obviously that's a surprise for someone who is a virgin. Pero dice que estaba desposada. But it says that she was engaged. Y ese compromiso en ese tiempo era tan serio que para alguien quebrantar el compromiso matrimonial o antes del matrimonio, tenía que dar una carta de divorcio. And so that betrothal in that time was such a strong commitment that in order to break off that betrothal, they would have to have a divorce. Que estuvieran comprometida eran casi de hecho que se iban a casar. And so to be betrothed was basically to be married. Así que quebrantar el compromiso era casi igual que divorciarse. And so breaking that commitment was almost the same as a divorce. Es un concepto difícil de entender en los días de hoy. It's a difficult concept for us to understand

in today's world. Porque lastimosamente el matrimonio en estos tiempos es desechable. Because unfortunately in this time, marriage is something you can just take it or leave it. Verdad, es disposable. It's disposable, yeah. Si no te funciona, pues seguimos separados. If it's not working for you, well, let's just... Cada quien por su lado. Everybody just go your own way, it's fine. Pero José dice que no quiere difamarla. But Joseph didn't want to shame marriage. Y es que también el castigo por una mujer estar embarazada sin estar casada. And it's also true that the punishment for a woman who was found to be pregnant without being married. Y que fuera acusada de inmoralidad. Who was accused of immorality. Bajo la ley podría hasta terminar en muerte. Under the law, she could receive the death penalty. Así que el ángel le ayuda a José a tomar la decisión. So the angel helps Joseph to make the right decision. Jesús a través del nacimiento virginal. Jesus through the virgin birth. Mantiene su naturaleza divina y su naturaleza humana. Maintains his divine nature and his human nature. Porque solo así él podía ser mediador

o intercesor entre Dios y los hombres. Because only in that way could he be a mediator and an intercessor between God and man. Porque podía representar a Dios con nosotros. Because he could represent God to us. Y podía representar a los humanos para con Dios. And he could represent us, the humanity, to God. Y ese era el único sacrificio que podía pagar la deuda que nuestros pecados habían causado. And that's the only sacrifice that could pay the debt that our sin had generated. No eran los sacrificios de los corderos. It wasn't the sacrifice of lambs. No eran sacrificios humanos. It wasn't human sacrifice. Era el sacrificio del Hijo de Dios. It was only the sacrifice of the Son of God. Ahora él no solo se encarnó para interceder por nosotros. But He didn't only become flesh to intercede for us, but He also accomplished something more that we could not. He came to save those who could not save themselves. Look at verse 21. She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. The name of Jesus implies that we need a Savior, that we are desperate and without hope. It's not that we just need a little bit of help here. We need to be rescued. We remind each other of this all the time in church, because so often we have a misconception

about our human condition. One of the greatest challenges for young children who grow up in church, and listen to me, kids, is that they grow up in a situation where they see a moral life before them, and they learn to do the things that God would have them to do. And it's possible that a child growing up in the church can build this idea that all they have to do is just be good so that God will accept them. And it's possible that we, as parents, also reinforce that thought, to talk to our kids and tell them, oh, you're so good. I'm sorry. It's that you haven't seen my children. They're just so good. And they're born into a world where they can't see their sinful nature and the desperate need they have for the gospel. Because sometimes the example we give of the Christian life, it's not that our sinfulness has ruled over us and that we desperately need Christ. It's we give them the message, oh, just look at me and how I do what's good, and I don't do what's wrong. Jesus came to save us. He came to do something that therapy, that education, that religion, that money, they can't do it. They can't save us from our sins. And I'd like to ask you today, do you see the severity of your sin?

Do you see every day just how horrible the sin in our heart is? In today's world, we're taught to call sin sickness, genetic predisposition, another famous excuse, personality. Otra excusa es producto de mis circunstancias. My sin is just a product of my circumstances. It's that my parents raised me this way. We have to call sin what it is. It's sin. It's deserving of death. Y por eso, Jesús no vino a ayudarnos. And that's why Jesus didn't come just to help us. Vino a rescatarnos. He came to rescue us. Y lo increíble es que no solo vino a rescatarnos. And the incredible thing is, he didn't just come to rescue us. Si no lo que vemos, finalmente, en este pasaje, es que el vino a morar con aquellos que no podían llegar a él. But what we see also in this passage is that he came to dwell with those who could not come to him. Mira lo que dice en el versículo 22 al 25. Hear what verses 22 to 25 say. Todo esto sucedió para que se cumpliera lo que el Señor había hablado por medio del profeta diciendo. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet. He aquí la virgen concebirá y dará a luz un hijo y le pondrá por nombre Emanuel que traducido significa Dios con nosotros. Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and they shall call his name Emmanuel

which means God with us. Y cuando despertó a cedo el sueño hizo como el ángel del Señor le había mandado y tomó consigo a su mujer. When Joseph woke from sleep he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him. He took his wife. Y la conservó virgen hasta que dio a luz un hijo y le puso por nombre Jesús. But knew her not until she had given birth to a son and he called his name Jesus. Una de las cosas más locas del mensaje del evangelio es que un Dios perfecto se interese en morar con seres imperfectos como nosotros. Is that a perfect God would even be interested to dwell with imperfect beings like us. Yo doy gracias que Dios no es como nosotros. I give thanks to God that he's not like we are. Think about it. Hay veces que tú no quieres estar con alguien que ni siquiera te gustan sus chistes. Sometimes there are people you don't even like to be around just because you don't like their jokes. Y Dios quiere morar conmigo. And God wants to abide with me. Gracias que él no es como nosotros. Praise be his name that he's not like us. Que él no solo quiera salvarnos. He doesn't just want to save us. Pero que él quiera ser morada con nosotros. But he wants to dwell with us. El jardín nos recuerda. El jardín nos recuerda. The garden. The garden of Eden. Sí. The garden reminds us que el hombre tenía morada juntamente con Dios.

That man was dwelling together with God. Pero por su desobediencia rechazó morar con Dios. But because of his disobedience he rejected that dwelling with God. El templo de Israel nos recuerda. The temple of Israel reminds us que Dios queriendo morar con su pueblo. That God desired to dwell with his people. El pueblo en su pecado rechaza morar y habitar en la presencia de Dios. And his people rejected abiding and dwelling with him. Pero Jesús nos recuerda. But Jesus reminds us que nosotros rechazando morar con él, that we had rejected to abide with him. Pero él no se había dado por vencido. Él no se había dado por vencido. But he had still not given up. Y por eso su nombre es Emanuel. And that's why his name is Emmanuel. Dios con nosotros. God with us. Él no sólo quiere morar con nosotros. He doesn't just want to dwell with us. Él mora en nosotros. He dwells within us. Él mora en todo aquel que se rinde a él y quiere que él habite ahora en su vida. He abides in all of those that put their faith in him and desire that he abide in them. Jesús hizo lo que no podíamos hacer. Jesus did what we could never do. Él vino a morar con nosotros. He came to dwell with us. And that's what we celebrate today. As the worship team comes forward, church, these reasons for Christ's coming make him

worthy of worship. And that's why there's a thrill of hope in the midst of darkness. And that's why we should be reminded that only God can change the heart of man. We should remember that only God can change the hearts of our children. We should remember that he came for that and so much more. And so let's come to Christ recognizing that we need his grace. Recognizing that he is God. Let's come before him to worship because he abides in us. Why don't we stand, church? Let's finish. worshiping. Aquel que está en el trono. He who is on his throne.