[0:00] Verse 35 down to verse 38. And the angel answered, Mary, the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
[0:15] Therefore the child to be born will be called Holy, the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son. And this is the sixth month with her who was called barren, for nothing will be impossible with God.
[0:32] And Mary said, Behold, I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word. On Thursday I received my first Christmas card of 2019, except there was no mention of Christ.
[0:52] There was no appropriate verse or scripture. There was nothing to indicate that this time of year is the time when so many celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus.
[1:04] Instead the caption merely said, Winter wishes. Winter wishes. As if winter itself can convey any kind of greeting.
[1:15] The kind of mindset that C.S. Lewis wrote about of the disbelieving attitude that blanks out the joy and meaning of this time of year. The joy and meaning of the birth of Jesus.
[1:27] That great description that Lewis had when he spoke about always winter and never Christmas. It's really incredible, you know, the extent to which unbelieving people are trying to hijack the season that has celebrated the birth of the Lord Jesus.
[1:48] Hijacking the season for a season of the year that has no bearing on the wondrous birth of the Lord Jesus. It's so distressing.
[2:26] This attempt to try and systematically remove God, to remove the name of Jesus from hearts and minds.
[2:37] And to bring in everything that would appeal in a non-believing sense. Appeal to bring about fulfillment. Things like secularism, paganism, humanism, every other kind of ism you like that tries to replace the one true God.
[3:00] And every other ism that does not satisfy the soul. And we do weep at this downward drift away from the fundamental truths of God's Word.
[3:11] And we weep when those who deny the Saviour who've been brought up in the church, who've heard the name of Jesus proclaimed, who've heard the gospel, such as the person who sent me that card on Thursday.
[3:27] We weep when we see this presentation of a mindset that denies the Lord Jesus and does so so blatantly in denial.
[3:40] But ask yourself this, as I have to ask myself the same question. What do you understand by the coming of the Lord Jesus to earth?
[3:51] What does the coming of the Lord Jesus mean to you? What do you read in Scripture? What does Scripture tell you about the coming of the Saviour? How do you respond?
[4:02] Do you respond in faith and love to the truth that the Lord Jesus came from heaven to earth and came for that purpose that we saw this morning to redeem a people for God?
[4:16] To bring that reconciliation between man and God through his perfect life of obedience even today. When he crushed the head of Satan.
[4:28] What do you understand by the coming of the Lord Jesus to earth? And in that understanding, are you ashamed of the truth of the story of the coming of the Lord Jesus?
[4:44] Are you willing to make every opportunity and take every opportunity to witness to the Saviour, whether it's this time of year or any other time of year? Are you going to rejoice?
[4:55] We must rejoice in the knowledge that the Lord Jesus has come from heaven to earth. Let's listen again to the wondrous story of the promise of salvation in and through the Lord Jesus.
[5:11] Three things to identify in the great preparation of the coming of the Lord Jesus to earth. The initiative of God, our first point.
[5:22] And then, as we see here, the identity of the Son of God. And then, thirdly, the impressiveness of faith. That's when Mary states, Behold, I am the servant of the Lord, let it be to me according to your word.
[5:38] But let's think, first of all, of what we see here as regards the initiative of God. You know, when we think of the coming of the Lord Jesus to earth, let's be absolutely clear, this was by God's initiative.
[5:56] God taking the initiative of Christ coming to earth. You see that in, in fact, you can see that in verse 26. It's the, God sends the angel Gabriel, God sends Gabriel to Mary, and then an angel announces to her that she's going to become pregnant.
[6:12] She's going to give birth to her son, and she's going to name him Jesus. So, if you like to put it very simply, but I pray powerfully, Christmas begins with God.
[6:24] It comes from God. Without God, without God's initiative, there'd be no salvation. There'd be no salvation in and through the Lord Jesus. Without God, all we have left is a kind of sentimentality that this season can so easily bring forth into the hearts and minds of people.
[6:45] Without the truth of Christ coming down from heaven to earth by the initiative of God, all we find are substitutes that thrill the senses, but deny the true meaning, the coming of the Lord Jesus to earth.
[7:02] And so, yes, at this time of year, gather your thoughts on the coming of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, and recognize God's initiative in that sending of Jesus.
[7:17] Now, of course, the initiative of God in the coming of Jesus wasn't simply in sending his angel, sending Gabriel. The initiative, of course, is an eternal initiative.
[7:29] If you go to the book of Galatians, that's Paul's letter to the Galatians, chapter 4, I think it is, chapter 4, when Paul writes to the church there in, well, modern-day Turkey.
[7:42] What does he say? He said, When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law.
[7:52] And the fullness of time had come. That time that God had ordained from all eternity. That time had now arrived. That time that God had so ordained.
[8:07] Not a day too soon, not a day too late. The very right time, the very time that had been established before the creation of the world.
[8:17] God had set in motion, if you like, that timetable of the coming of the Lord Jesus. And now everything is in place.
[8:29] There's so many factors, if you like, coming together to make this time the fullness of time. Think of several examples, I suppose, that would indicate the fullness of time had arrived.
[8:41] God's chosen servant, Mary. Mary now of childbearing age. God's chosen servant, Joseph. Mary's husband. Joseph in the direct lineage of King David.
[8:53] Joseph now with Mary. Joseph to take Mary as wife. Joseph to look after Mary and to tend after the baby Jesus. Mary's cousin Elizabeth.
[9:04] Elizabeth would bear her son, John the Baptist. John who would prepare the way for Jesus to be heralded as the Lamb of God.
[9:14] To take away the sin of the world. And many other factors. But, you know, just thinking of these particular individuals. All as it were in the fullness of God's timing. Coming together. All these strands of God's eternal plan.
[9:28] Coming together at the right time. For Jesus to come in his mission of salvation. All under the initiative of God. And what else do we find here that tells of God's initiative?
[9:43] We see the naming of God the Son. Again, by the initiative of God. What's Mary told? She's told that you are to give him the name Jesus. It's not going to be by her initiative.
[9:56] It's not going to be by Joseph's initiative. It's by the eternal initiative of God. And that's, you see, what we're seeing here.
[10:06] Luke's bringing this out of God's initiative. The very name Jesus. It's not just a haphazard name. It's not a name that, you know, parents nowadays, of course, discuss.
[10:17] What will the child be called before the child's born? No, this is God's initiative. Because the name Jesus will indicate why Jesus has come. Something we mentioned very recently, the name Jesus means salvation.
[10:31] The Lord saves. You see that God is giving the name of Jesus to Mary and Joseph.
[10:42] Mary and Joseph aren't confirmed about the name. They're not, you know, looking at various options as it happens, I suppose, nowadays. The name Jesus. The one to be born of Mary.
[10:55] That name given from all eternity. Because the name will tell why he's come into the world. A saviour. The one to bring salvation.
[11:06] The one who would come to save his people. Christmas. It's got no meaning without God. Without understanding the initiative of God and sending the Lord Jesus.
[11:19] And while the atheist at this time of year, you'll see it. It will happen. You'll see it in the media. You'll see it in various channels. The name of Jesus itself will start to be taken away from this time of year.
[11:34] There'll be the denial of Christ having come from heaven to earth. There'll be that. There'll be that. There'll be it again. But we affirm through the authority of God's word. That God sent his one and only son to earth.
[11:48] In the fullness of time. For that great purpose. Salvation. Christ coming. As king. As lord. As king. That should be such an encouragement to you.
[12:01] Again. You think on the coming of the Lord Jesus into the world. I mean. We're living in such desperately difficult times.
[12:12] Times of trouble. Times of distress. Times of concern. Times when even the Christian might even be tempted to be so worried about the way that secular values seem to be.
[12:26] encroaching in every area of life. The spread of so much evil against the Lord's people. Against the Lord's church. And there's that temptation to be afraid.
[12:39] To be overly concerned about the power of evil. But no. No. No. The Lord Jesus has come. By God's initiative.
[12:50] The Lord Jesus in his coming brings that true assurance. That comfort to know. That by the initiative of God. The Lord's people are safe.
[13:02] And safe. Eternally. We don't need to be afraid. When we understand that by the initiative of God. God sent his one and only son. For the salvation of his people.
[13:15] And. You know. Let's just get this true perspective. And the meaning of Christmas. I mean. There's no doubt that certainly when Mary heard the news that the angel gave her.
[13:26] She was. She was. Initially perplexed anyway. You know. What is going to happen through her. But the angel assures her that what's going to happen.
[13:37] Shouldn't cause her to be afraid. God is sovereign. God's in control. Things are happening through God. And his initiative.
[13:48] God's in complete control. So. Mary don't be afraid. And don't you be afraid. And all the confusion around you.
[14:01] Even in the onslaught of those who would seek to undermine the cause of Christ in their land and overseas. Just be reminded. Let's use the opportunity that this time of year gives us.
[14:15] To remind you. That God sent his son Jesus into the world. And by his initiative. The very naming of Jesus. That you might trust in him.
[14:27] For your salvation. Trust him. Believe in him. Rejoice in him. And take me. And be comforted in him. With that knowledge that God is Lord.
[14:41] You're safe in him. Eternally. To put your trust in the living Lord Jesus. What else do we. Do we see here. We see identity.
[14:52] Mentioned. The identity. Of God the son. Gabriel assured Mary. Assured Mary that. Well. She's highly favoured of God.
[15:03] She's going to have this unique role in bearing. God's son. She's given this wonderful message. About the identity of the son whom she's going to bear.
[15:14] And to give birth to. It's a message that 2000 years ago was so astounding. And it's impact certainly on Mary. And it's still astounding today. You know.
[15:25] When we reflect. When we consider the identity of the Christ child. Who's to be born of Mary. I mean. Look at what we see here in verse 32.
[15:35] I mean. Mary's given this description if you like. Of the identity of the child to be born. He will be great. He will be great.
[15:48] What does greatness mean to you? I suppose it can mean many things. People are described as great. Certainly in history. Many monarchs.
[15:58] Many rulers were called great. Because of their impact. Because of their achievements. Peter the Great. Catherine the Great. I suppose. Frederick the Great. And so on.
[16:10] You know. There's so many ways that you can think of greatness. A nation at one time. Anyway. Great Britain. Because of its empire. But what about Jesus?
[16:21] He will be great. He will be. I mean. This is news given to this humble young girl. This humble young woman. This unmarried girl in a backwater town in the north country.
[16:36] She's been told that her son will be great. He will be. Not might be. But he will be great. What's the angel saying?
[16:47] This is the eternal son of God. This is the. If you like. The second person of the Trinity. I mean. Yes. He's always been great.
[16:58] The eternal son of God. He's been great. And he's great in power. Great in authority. Through the Lord Jesus. The world was created. Equal with God the Father.
[17:10] Equal with. In power. Eternal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. So why does the angel say to Mary at this point.
[17:22] He will be great. Well. Aren't there different ways that we can consider this? Great surely. In his humility. Jesus left the glory of heaven.
[17:35] To come to earth. And came. To come. And came to earth in human needs. In human form. The one. Through whom the world was created. Would.
[17:47] Take the form. Of creation. The one who created man. Will become man. And he'll become man. With all the. Human limitations.
[17:58] The sinless. Limitations of man. You know. Hunger. Jesus hunger. Jesus thirsted. He was tired. He'll.
[18:08] Go through all the same. The same physiological developments. That man goes through. In life. But he'll. Take that. And be. The man.
[18:19] Whom. Whom. God so foreordained. To take man's place. Before God's justice. You know.
[18:29] When we think of his greatness. There's words of Charles Spurgeon. I think that really help us here. Think of this. The greatness of Jesus. And his. In his humility. Infinite. And yet.
[18:40] An infant. Eternal. And yet. Born of a woman. Almighty. And yet. Nursing at a woman's breast. Supporting a universe. And yet.
[18:50] Needing to be carried. In a mother's arms. Heir of all things. And yet. The carpenters. Despise. And that sums up beautifully. The greatness. Of the Lord Jesus.
[19:01] And you know. As Jesus. Approached the cross. Again. You see. The true greatness. Of the Lord Jesus. There in the cross.
[19:12] Jesus took upon himself. The sin. Of his people. When Jesus approached. The cross. When he approached Calvary.
[19:24] You read in Matthew's gospel. Of Jesus. Riding on a donkey. And the prophecy. Of the Old Testament. Prophet. Zechariah. Been told.
[19:34] Say to the daughter of Zion. Behold. Your king. Is coming to you. Humble. Mounted on a donkey. The greatness. Of Jesus. Seen in his humility. And there on the cross.
[19:46] As Jesus. Faced the humiliation. Of man. When man was deriding. Jesus. And mocking Jesus. Jesus. Remained on that cross. He suffered.
[19:58] Jesus suffered. Yes. Physically. But above all. In his soul. And Jesus. Saved his people. When he bore the sins of many. And he was.
[20:09] And is the Lord. Who saves. I mean. On the cross. Jesus. Jesus. Would have seemed to be. The weakest. Of every human being. On earth. He was.
[20:20] Just hanging there. On the cross. But on that cross. Jesus displayed. His greatness. That's a great high priest. He offered himself up. On the cross. As the Lamb of God.
[20:31] Takes away the sin of the world. There he is. Seen in his greatness. Greatness. Seen. In his death. For us. He will be great. And in his.
[20:42] Risen body. Again. The greatness of Jesus. Seen. Because his. Resurrection. His resurrected body. Guarantees. Your resurrection. You.
[20:53] Who follow the Lord Jesus. And of course. As. Still to me. As we've been thinking. A few weeks ago. His greatness. Will be seen. When he returns to earth.
[21:04] When every eye. Will see him. And every bow. Kneel before him. And confess. That Jesus is Lord. That his greatness. Will be evident. He'll be great.
[21:15] And will be called. The son. Of the most high. And the Lord. Will give him. The throne. Of his father. David. He will reign over. The house of Jacob. Forever. And his kingdom. Of his kingdom.
[21:26] There'll be no end. Again. His greatness. Emphasized. This. Humble. Young. Unmarried girl. Has been told. It's going to give birth.
[21:37] To a king. And not just. Any king. But a king. Descended from. From the great. King David. And. This king. Who's going to be. Ruler over Israel.
[21:47] The house of Jacob. This king. Whose reign. Is going to be eternal. Around about a thousand years.
[21:58] Before. Gabriel. Gave that message. To Mary. God announced. To King David. That his reign. His rule rather.
[22:08] His kingdom. Would endure forever. His throne. Established forever. And now. The fullness of time. Has come. And that. That prophecy. Is. Is to be fulfilled.
[22:20] Jesus. Jesus. Will be that one. Who will reign forever. He is that one. Who reigns forever. He's the one. Who rules over his people. Forever. He's the one. Who rules in your heart.
[22:30] Eternally. He. The son.
[23:02] The son. The son. The son. Of the most high. Most high. Well. You know. In scripture. These words. Most high. Refer to God. Go to the old testament. And God often refer to us.
[23:13] The most high. So. When we see here. Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. Or the one to. Jesus. The one to be born. Is described here. As the most high.
[23:24] Then. He's been seen. In his. In his divinity. The short catechism. Tells us. Of Jesus. The equal in power. And glory. With God the Father. And God the Holy Spirit.
[23:35] So here's Mary. Being told. That she's going to give birth. Yes. To the most high. To. To the divine son of God. And we marvel. We marvel.
[23:47] At the wonder of God's grace. That God the Father. Should send God the Son. Into the world. And. So the psalmist. We say. Who is this. King of glory. Who is this. King of glory.
[23:59] It is the Lord. The Lord. The King of glory. And we do crown him. Crown him Lord of all. He will be great. That. This is the identity.
[24:10] Today of the one. Who. Who will be. Born of Mary. The one. Who will be born. Through the initiative. Of God. And we rejoice.
[24:21] That the King. Has come. We rejoice. That he's come. As King. To rule in the hearts. Of his. Of his people. And to rule there. Forever. And that's good news.
[24:31] That's good news. To give. This time of year. And every other time of year. The Lord Jesus. The Christ. Has come. God sent.
[24:41] His one and only son. He's come. The Lord God almighty. He's come into the. The world. Of space and time. He's come to deliver. His people. From the. The slavery of sin.
[24:52] And the slavery of. Of death itself. So that you might know. Eternal life. And the eternal kingdom. Of God. And however much. The secular mind. The atheist mind.
[25:03] Will. Try. And take away. The glory. Of that good news. This. At this time of year. No. No. Atheist. No humanist. No. No secular. Mind.
[25:14] Can take away. The glory. Of the greatness. Of the. Of the Lord Jesus Christ. No. With Mary. We magnify. Our soul magnifies.
[25:24] The Lord. But is he your Lord? Is he your king? Does he rule. In your heart. Now. And. And eternally.
[25:35] Or is he a stranger to you? I pray that you will. Know him. As Lord. And as. As ruler. In your. In your heart.
[25:46] In your life. That. You'll know his. His rule. His rule of grace. And that you'll be. His. Humble servants. You'll be. As Christ. You'll. You'll. You'll have that mind.
[25:58] That. That. That. Glorifies God. And. And serves him in all humility. And. Yes. Well. It's becoming. I suppose.
[26:09] In many ways. So difficult. That this time of year. To. To see through all the fog. Of. Of materialism. All the excesses. Around. Well. I pray that you will see.
[26:19] With eyes of faith. You'll see through all that fog. And you'll see the Lord Jesus. And all his beauty. And all his glory. And that you'll desire. And seek. And be willing.
[26:30] And gladly willing. To serve him. To sacrifice. For the one who came. To give his life for many. So give thanks. For the coming of the Lord Jesus.
[26:41] Give thanks. That God did send. His son into the world. Give thanks. That the impossible. Was made possible. By the power of his.
[26:53] Of the Holy Spirit. One more thing. Before we finish. And that. That's Mary's faith. While we've. Called the impressiveness. Of faith. Again.
[27:05] Just think of the. The wonder. Of the announcement. Of the birth of Jesus. That announcement. Given to Mary. This announcement. That she will give birth. She's not been married.
[27:15] She's. It's going to be a virgin birth. And it's going to happen. Through God. Through him. Nothing's impossible. That's what you see. That's why we read verses 36 to 38.
[27:26] In particular. And. I do believe that that. Statement that Mary gives. In verse 38. Is. Surely one of the greatest statements. Of faith. Found in all. Found in scripture.
[27:38] And this. This. Utterance of faith. Coming from the mouth. Of a young girl. Who much of society. Would have. Reckoned to be of little worth. And little value.
[27:49] And yet. As we see her. Her words of faith. Surely she stands out. Certainly. As one of the great women of faith. These words of deep. Spiritual maturity.
[28:00] Behold. I'm the servant of the Lord. Let it be to me. According to your word. I mean. The angels just declared. That nothing is impossible. With God.
[28:11] I mean. Mary's cousin Elizabeth. She's. She's going to give birth. In her old age. Mary. In her relative youth. She's going to give birth. Through the overpowering. Of the.
[28:21] The Holy Spirit. It would be a virgin birth. A unique birth. But a birth. Foreordained by God. From all eternity. That birth. Through. For the.
[28:32] The salvation of the world. Look at Mary's reaction. Is to trust in God. And trust in him. Fully and completely. And again.
[28:43] When you think of the. The strength of Mary's faith. At this moment. I mean. You know. Mary doesn't have any precedent. To look back on. For. For support. I mean. We might say. She's not.
[28:53] Been prepared. In her soul. To. To receive the news. That the angel gives her. And yet. Her. Faith. Her. Her. Mature faith. Is.
[29:03] Is. Is. Is. Is. Is. That bedrock. Of her. Trust in God. And. And. And she trusts him. Holy. And fully. In his word. So she doesn't doubt. And she's not going to resist.
[29:15] Okay. She's. She has already. You know. Questioned the angel. About. The. The birth. To come. The virgin birth. But she's questioning. Not out of a lack of faith. But. You know. Out of genuine inquiry.
[29:26] By. But. By these words. We read there. In verse 38. She's resting on the assurance. That with God. All things are possible. All things are possible.
[29:37] When it's God's will. For his purposes. To be carried out. And if that truth. Is seen in the coming of the Lord Jesus. To earth. And you who believe.
[29:49] You who believe. That with God. Nothing is impossible. You remember. And apply that truth. Your heart's desire.
[30:00] Is for a loved one. To be converted. Nothing is impossible. With God. The problems of life. That seem just too much. To cope with. Nothing. Is impossible.
[30:10] With God. The. The person you find. Is. A thorn in your flesh. Nothing. Is impossible. With God. You give him that. That. The praise.
[30:21] Praise him. For that truth. For his power. His power to change. His power to transform. His power to remove mountains. That power is. Is real.
[30:31] It's. It's true. I mean. The God. The God who enabled. Mary. To give birth. To the eternal son of God. Is there anything too hard for God? Have faith then.
[30:43] In the. The promises of God. Have faith. Have that. Faith. That trust. In heaven. Have that. If you like that. Mary like trust. That Mary like faith. And she said.
[30:54] Behold. I'm the servant of the Lord. Let it be to me. According to your word. Have that deep. And that humble faith. That faith that submits to the sovereign rule of God.
[31:05] In every area of your life. Because God is all wise. God's all knowing. He loves you. With that eternal love. God. And the same God who.
[31:18] Who blessed Mary. In her bearing. The Lord Jesus. Is the same God who entrusts. His purposes. For you to fulfill.
[31:29] In his strength. And for his glory. So continue to. To trust in him. To have faith in him. To believe that. He is the one. For whom nothing. Nothing.
[31:39] Is impossible. The one. The one. For whom even. The virgin birth. Of the Lord Jesus. Is possible. By the enabling power.
[31:50] The enabling power. Of the Holy Spirit. So give glory to God. Give glory again to God. For the gospel. For the good news. Of salvation. And through the Lord Jesus Christ.
[32:01] Give glory to him. That nothing is impossible. With him. Because he is God. The Lord. Our Savior. Amen. Let us pray. O Lord.
[32:13] Our God. We say these words. But may we truly believe them. And apply them. To know that nothing is impossible. With you. You. Who. By your power.
[32:24] Enabled Mary. To conceive. Through the overshadowing power. Of the Holy Spirit. That you enabled Mary. To give birth. To the Lord Jesus. O Lord.
[32:35] Help us to believe in you. To trust in you. To. To be your servant. And to glorify your name. To go before us. Lord we pray. Bless.
[32:46] All that has been considered this evening. Forgive anything that has been said amiss. Lord help us. To go forth from this. This place of worship.
[32:56] Rejoicing. To know that we have heard the name of Jesus proclaimed. And to have heard. Of the glorious message of salvation. And the one whose name means. Salvation.
[33:07] Hear us Lord. As we continue in worship before you. We ask these things in Jesus name. Amen.