It's no surprise when we come to Luke's record of Jesus' birth and find that it is replete with angelic announcements of good news.
Luke chapter 1 and 2 is full of gospel news.
Messengers from God sent to proclaim good news of great joy for all nations.
And that's actually the language that one of the angels uses in chapter 2.
Just flip a page over perhaps from where you are.
Luke chapter 2 and verse number 10.
This is when the angel appears to the shepherds near Bethlehem and the angel said to them,
Fear not, for I behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people.
And the truth is, God is still sending messengers, his messengers, into the world to proclaim the good news of great joy for all people.
That's part of why we emphasize the Christmas season so extravagantly as Christians.
And I know that we, even as believers, can tend to lose sight of this sometimes,
but you would be hard-pressed to find a church building anywhere in this town or in this county today
that is not in some way decorated or emphasizing in some fashion this Christmas story.
And will continue to do so over the next few weeks.
One of the reasons that we're so intent on doing that as believers is because we are now his messengers,
sent into the world with the good news that brings great joy for all nations.
Lots of people will recognize the Christmas season as a season of joy.
But of course we understand it's not joyful because of family gatherings or presents under the tree,
even though we enjoy those things.
Christmas is joyful because of the good news that God himself entered our broken world
to save us from our sin and death.
So for the next six weeks, I want to examine a few portions of these chapters
so that we might rejoice again in the good news of the gospel.
Because the Christmas story is nothing if it's not about the gospel.
And our text this morning is what is often referred to as the Annunciation.
It's the record of the angel Gabriel announcing to the virgin Mary that she would conceive the Christ child.
But the passage is more than just a piece of beautiful narrative.
And it is indeed that.
Even the secular world around us might display in some way in their home or in their stores some picture of the nativity.
It's a beautiful story.
Even without the incarnation, it's interesting.
It's lovely in a sense.
But it's so much more than a beautiful narrative.
It's a reflection of the very gospel message that is, according to Romans 1,
the power of God unto salvation.
And though there's helpful lessons that we can learn from Mary,
these verses aren't really about Mary.
What we know about her is only valuable insofar as it reveals to us and teaches us about the character and the power of God.
So I want us to take the Annunciation this morning, these verses that we just read,
and I want to highlight three characteristics that makes the Annunciation good news of great joy.
Number one, it's a message of grace.
It's a message of grace.
Look with me again at verse 26.
In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David,
and the virgin's name was Mary.
And he came to her and said,
Greetings, O favored one.
The Lord is with you.
She was greatly troubled at the saying,
tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.
And the angel said to her,
Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
It's a message of grace.
Now, angelic encounters in the Bible almost always include a fearful response from the human individual involved.
There's something about the appearance of angels that's startling to people.
Maybe it's a mixture of their sudden appearance in a place that there wasn't a person before,
and now there's a person.
That's a startling thing.
We've all experienced that in some way before.
Maybe it has something to do with actually the way that they look,
not in the sense of horror, but in the sense of awesomeness, other worldliness,
or their heavenly nature in that sense.
But it always tends to come with an immediate response of fear within the people that they greet.
These two chapters actually give a couple of other examples where that's exactly the case.
In chapter 1, Zechariah, who is the father of John the Baptist,
the angel appears to him,
and then the angels appear to the shepherds near Bethlehem in chapter 2,
and we're told that they are overcome with fear at the sight of the angel.
But Mary's response is unique because it's not the sight of the angel, we're told, that troubles her.
It's the greeting of the angel that seems to trouble her.
Look with me again at verse 29.
But she was greatly troubled at the saying and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.
I'm not saying that Mary wasn't afraid of the angel in the same way that all the others were at first as well.
I'm just saying that Luke doesn't emphasize the sight of the angel with Mary.
He emphasizes something different.
He emphasizes the saying, the greeting, being the thing that troubles Mary,
the thing that in that moment she is trying to contemplate and discern what is this about.
And it's this question of why that I want you to consider.
Why is she troubled by the saying?
What is it that is bothering her that she's confused about, that she's trying to discern?
I think the answer is that Mary, at least from a human perspective,
didn't fit the description of the greeting.
Look again at verse 28.
What is the greeting?
Greetings, O favored one.
The Lord is with you.
Now, interestingly enough, what's translated as greetings is actually an imperative form of the word for rejoice.
Cairo is the Greek word.
Most other places you find it in the Bible, it's translated rejoice.
And in this sense, in Luke chapter 1, it's actually in an imperative verb form.
So this is actually, you know, in the most literal possible way that you could translate it.
This is actually a command coming from the angel.
Rejoice, Mary.
Rejoice, O favored one.
The Lord is with you.
Now, the confusion for Mary, I believe, is that there wasn't anything about her life that indicated blessing, favor, or the presence of God.
How could she rejoice in something that she didn't understand?
So this angel appears to her.
Rejoice, Mary.
Greetings, Mary.
Favored one.
The Lord is with you.
And she's immediately taken aback, trying to discern what does this mean.
Well, from a cultural perspective, Mary didn't seem to have the blessing of God on her life.
Most scholars believe that and agree that she would have only been somewhere between 12 and 14 years old.
That's too young to have really learned much.
That's too young to have accomplished much.
So there's no favor given to Mary here because of something she's done or a particular intellect that she has displayed.
Though she was engaged, betrothed to Joseph, she didn't yet have a husband or any children that would elevate her status in the world, as would have been the custom of that day.
She was from Nazareth, a poverty-stricken village mentioned nowhere in the Old Testament.
There's not even a mention of it in the contemporary literature of the day.
It was in a region of Galilee known as Galilee of the Gentiles, an area that was despised by the Jews because of the number of Gentile people that lived there.
You'll remember in John chapter 1, when Jesus begins to call some of his disciples, someone, I think it is Nathanael, goes to and says,
We have found the Messiah.
It's Jesus of Nazareth.
And you remember what Nathanael's response was.
Can anything good come from Nazareth?
The typical response of the people in that day was, This is a pagan area.
This is an unclean area.
And not only is Mary from that place, she's from a no-named village that nobody cared about,
that historically seems to have been a pretty corrupt place.
She's poor.
She has nothing.
What blessing is there in her life?
In the eyes of the world, Mary was a nobody that was about to marry another nobody.
They were going to have kids that were nobodies, and they were going to live, at least in the eyes of the world,
a meaningless existence, absent from anything that might indicate favor from God.
But this is exactly why Gabriel's announcement was a message of grace.
God sent him to Galilee, not to Judea, where you might expect.
He sends him to Nazareth, not to Jerusalem.
He goes to Mary's home, not to the temple, not to a royal palace.
Martin Luther said,
He might have gone to Jerusalem and picked out Caiaphas' daughter,
who was fair, rich, clad in gold-embroidered raiment,
and attended by a retinue of maids-in-waiting.
But God preferred a lowly maid from a mean town.
It's a message of grace to Mary.
It's a message of grace to us.
And as we examine this text, we must acknowledge an inescapable fact
that the greatest news ever proclaimed in Israel came to the humblest of its people.
And that's part and parcel of the gospel message, even as Jesus proclaimed it.
Remember what Jesus said to a group of Pharisees.
It was on the day that he had called Levi, who we know as Matthew as well.
He calls Levi to follow him.
Levi leaves the receipt of custom, and then he hosts a party at his home.
He's been so impacted by Christ that he hosts a party at his home,
and he brings the other publicans and some of the prostitutes in the town
so that they might meet Jesus too.
And then the Pharisees come by, and they recognize that Jesus is not dining
with who they would consider to be the righteous of the town.
He's dining with sinners and publicans.
And they confront Jesus about it.
Remember what Jesus said.
He said, I didn't come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
In other words, what Jesus was saying to the Pharisees is,
I didn't come for you.
I came for them.
Pharisees were often the wealthy, educated, fiercely devoted to the law,
to their laws in particular.
Jesus didn't come for them.
He came for the prostitutes, the publicans.
But it wasn't the power and the wealth of the Pharisees
that prevented them from receiving blessings from Christ.
It was pride.
You see, God's grace isn't received by those who think they deserve it,
but by those who know they don't.
That's Mary.
Humble Mary.
Lowly Mary.
Remember what Jesus said in the Beatitudes.
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
And the angel made it clear in verse 30
that Mary didn't earn this favor from God.
She found it.
Look at it with me again.
Verse 30.
And the angel said to her,
Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
The Roman Catholic Church in particular
has invented all kinds of heresies about Mary.
They eventually find their root in a bad translation
of this passage in the Latin Vulgate.
But Mary wasn't a perpetual virgin.
She had other children with Joseph.
She didn't possess all the spiritual and secular gifts.
She was not and is not a dispenser of grace
or a mediator that brings us to Christ.
She wasn't free from original sin
and she wasn't kept sinless throughout her life.
Mary was a sinner like you and me.
She was in much, as much in need of a savior
as you and me.
And she says as much in the passage we'll cover next Sunday.
But remember, grace by definition is unmerited.
In Mary's favor, it wasn't about her piety,
but God's abundant and amazing grace.
Says Kent Hughes,
Christmas is not for the proud and self-sufficient.
The Lord comes to needy people.
Those who realize that without Him,
they cannot make it.
Those who acknowledge their weakness
in spiritual lack.
You see, the Christmas story,
being a gospel story,
confronts the spiritual pride
that so many of us carry throughout our lives.
It confronts the pride that tells us
that we are good enough for God.
That we would be a blessing to God
if He wanted to enroll us in His purposes.
That's not the story that we learn from Mary.
It's actually the opposite.
Now, if God was willing to use someone like Mary
to bring His Son into the world,
what would ever make you think
that He's unwilling to supply
His endless grace to you as well?
Because if the gospel story of Christmas
confronts those with spiritual pride,
it may also confront those of us
who think that we are just too far gone
for God to save.
We're not good enough for Him.
There's no way we can be what He wants us to be.
We'll see what the Christmas story tells us
is that it's not about what you can or can't be.
It's about the grace of our Lord.
What do we learn from the Annunciation?
That God is full of grace
and He extends that grace
to the lowliest of people.
It's a message of grace.
Number two, it's a message of salvation.
A message of salvation.
Verse 31,
the angel continues,
And behold, you will conceive in your womb
and bear a son.
You shall call His name Jesus.
He will be great
and will be called the Son of the Most High
and the Lord God will give to him
the throne of His father David.
He will reign over the house of Jacob forever.
And of His kingdom,
there will be no end.
So Gabriel's greeting
brings a measure of confusion to Mary,
but then His announcement
surely brings a measure of shock.
In the greeting,
we learn that Mary is the recipient of God's grace.
But here we find that this grace is displayed
through the birth of a child.
And all the fast facts that are spouted out by Gabriel
in this moment declare that
and make clear to Mary
that this child to which she's going to give birth
is this long-awaited Messiah.
And the announcement of a Messiah
means that this is a message of eternal salvation.
What shock,
what excitement even
as this begins to process on Mary's mind.
Not only has God seen fit in His grace
to send a messenger from heaven to speak to her,
she's going to carry a child,
but this child will be the one
that my parents have been telling me
my whole life
that God has promised.
This will be the one who will save us.
This will be the one
who will establish the kingdom forever.
Salvation has come.
It's a message of salvation.
Well, let's look at the pieces
of what the angel says here.
We don't have time to get into all of it,
but let's note just a couple of things.
Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Yeshua,
which means Yahweh saves or God will save.
Now, Jesus probably was actually a common name
in first century Israel,
but it took on a literal meaning
for the child in Mary's womb.
Here's what the angel said to Joseph later
when he appears to him.
In Matthew chapter one and verse 21,
she will bear a son.
You shall call his name Jesus
for he will save his people from their sins.
Jesus would later teach that his purpose
was to seek and to save the lost.
This child in Mary's womb
didn't come to testify of God's salvation.
He was here to actually be God's salvation.
He was a child born to die
so that we who are dead in our sins
might experience the new birth
and eternal life.
First Peter chapter two,
he himself bore our sins
in his body on the tree
that we might die to sin
and live to righteousness.
By his wounds,
we have been healed.
This Messiah,
this son of David
here to save us.
Well, then Gabriel continued his announcement
by declaring the child will be great
and will be called the son of the most high.
Then he summarized the Davidic covenant
from second Samuel seven
and stated that in Jesus,
the covenant would be fulfilled.
Look at it with me again in verse 35
or excuse me in verse 31.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb
and bear a son,
call his name Jesus.
He will be great.
He will be the son of the most high
and the Lord God will give to him
the throne of his father, David.
He will reign over the house of Jacob forever
of his kingdom.
There will be no end.
It brings to mind another famous Christmas passage
from Isaiah chapter nine.
Unto us, a child is born.
To us, a son is given.
The government shall be on his shoulders.
His name shall be called wonderful counselor,
mighty God.
Everlasting father,
prince of peace.
Of the increase of his government
and of peace,
there will be no end.
On the throne of David
and over his kingdom
to establish it
and to uphold it with justice
and with righteousness
from this time forth
and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts
will do this.
This is the one,
the angel says.
The one you've heard about.
The one you've prayed about.
The one you've longed for.
The salvation
has come.
Based on what
historians tell us,
it's likely that Mary was
mostly illiterate.
Even if she could read,
she wouldn't have been able
to own a copy
of the Old Testament.
But you can be sure
that she heard
these passages read
over and over again
as she went to synagogue
week by week.
Perhaps if her father
was faithful,
she would have heard
these passages recited,
these promises told
again and again
in her home
as he obeyed
the Shema
from Deuteronomy
chapter 6.
Not only were they
to love the Lord their God
with all their heart,
but they were to take
all the things
that God had told them
and they were to pass it
down to their children.
They were to teach it
to those in their house.
They were to talk about it
all the time.
She probably couldn't
comprehend the full impact
of everything
that this child would be.
But she understood
enough to know
that God was bringing
salvation
through this baby boy.
Again, Kent Hughes
is helpful.
He says she understood
the gist of the angel's
announcement.
You're going to become
pregnant.
You're going to call
his name Salvation.
He's going to be
the Son of God
and he will be
the Messiah.
What an earful
for Mary.
What a heartful
for Mary,
he says.
You see,
this is why Christmas
is a story
of good news
that brings great joy
because it's the message
of salvation
for all who will believe
and follow Christ.
It's the good news
that God sent
his own Son
into the world
to save sinners.
Christmas is joy
because salvation
has come.
But then it's also
a message
of incarnation.
So it's a message
of grace.
It's a message
of salvation.
It's a message
of incarnation.
Now betrothal
in Mary's day
was quite different
than modern engagements.
it was a formal
marriage contract
that could only
be broken
by death
or by legal divorce.
The betrothal period
would last
about a year
in most cases
during which time
the young man
would go
and prepare a home
for his new wife
and the young lady
would prepare herself
for this wedding event
and for this new life
with the young man.
And then the year
would culminate
most likely
in a seven day
wedding feast.
Some of you
are stressed out
for your three hour
wedding feast.
Can you imagine
a seven day
wedding feast?
And it's at this
wedding feast
that the marriage
would be celebrated
and consummated
by the bride
and groom.
Joseph and Mary
are at some point
in this betrothal period
where they were
generally regarded
as husband and wife
but they had not
joined in a physical union.
And it's this circumstance
that produces
Mary's logical question
in verse 34.
Look at it with me.
Mary says to the angel,
how will this be
since I'm a virgin?
Now this is exactly
what we should expect
Mary to ask right now.
And she's not asking it
out of unbelief.
If you go back earlier
in Luke chapter 1
you'll see when the angel
appears to Zechariah
he's actually overcome
with a bit of unbelief
and doubt
in the message of the angel
and he faces the consequences.
He's stricken mute
for the entire duration
of his wife's pregnancy.
Can't talk
until the day
that John the Baptist
is born and dedicated
to the Lord.
That's not the same thing
that's happening with Mary.
It's not that she's
doubting the message.
This is a question
of confusion.
She'd never known
a man in intimacy
so she asked
for clarification
about how it was
even possible.
And the answer
is wonderfully
mysterious.
In fact
that's exactly
the language
that the New Testament
uses over and over
and over again
regarding the incarnation
of Christ
and the gospel message.
it's not that it's
un-understandable
but it is mysterious.
The early church
perhaps this was a hymn
that the early church
would sing
in 1 Timothy chapter 3.
Great indeed
we confess
is the mystery
of godliness
and it begins with
he was manifested
in the flesh.
This whole thought
of incarnation
is a mystery.
We can understand
the logic of it
as it's described
in the scriptures
but the fullness
of Christ's divine
and human identity
is really beyond
our ability
to comprehend.
So the angel
helps Mary
he answers her
in three distinct ways
that I think
will be helpful
to us.
First
he gave her
an explanation.
He gave her
an explanation.
Verse 35
and the angel
answered her
the Holy Spirit
will come upon you
and the power
of the Most High
will overshadow you
therefore the child
to be born
will be called
Holy
the Son of God.
He says here's how
it's going to happen
Mary.
This will be a
creative act
of the Spirit
of God.
Incarnation.
What does
incarnation mean?
It simply means
God
takes on flesh.
God
becomes a man
and in doing
so
God does not
stop being God.
That's the mystery
of it.
Jesus Christ
fully
divine
truly
God
truly
man
and he
had to be
born of
woman.
It had
to be
incarnation
first
because he
had to be
born under
the law
in order
that he
might
fulfill
the law
on our
behalf.
Second
he had
to have
had flesh
and blood
to actually
be a
sacrifice
for sin.
The incarnation
is absolutely
essential to
the gospel
message.
Without it
we have
no gospel.
But this
was not
the divine
human
cohabitation
that is so
often reflected
in pagan
religions.
Overshadow
here comes
from the
same word
used to
describe
what took
place on
the mount
of
transfiguration.
You remember
Peter and
James and
John are
with Jesus
on the
mountain.
Jesus
is
transfigured
and then
when they
are made
aware of
what is
happening
they are
overshadowed
by the
presence of
God,
the spirit
of God.
It's the
same idea
conveyed in
the Old
Testament
when at
the dedication
of Solomon's
temple.
Remember the
temple was
filled with
the spirit
of God.
It's that
same idea
of being
overshadowed
engulfed
with the
presence and
the power
of God.
That's what
the angel
is saying.
You will
be engulfed
by the
presence of
God,
overshadowed
by his
glorious
presence.
There are
no physical
relations between
God and
Mary.
This was the
creative act
of the spirit
of God and
it was
absolutely
necessary.
MacArthur,
had Jesus
been conceived
by the act
of a man,
whether Joseph
or anyone
else, he
could not
have been
divine and
could not
have been
the Savior.
His own
claims about
himself would
have been
lies and
his resurrection
and ascension
would have
been hoaxes.
Mankind
would forever
remain lost
and damned.
the fact
of the
incarnation
is essential
to the
gospel and
it's affirmed
again and
again in
the New
Testament.
John 1
14,
the word
became flesh
and dwelt
among us
and we
have seen
his glory
as of the
only son
from the
father,
full of
grace and
truth.
Philippians 2
6-8,
though he
was in the
form of
God,
did not
count equality
with God
a thing to
be grasped,
but emptied
himself by
taking on
the form
of a
servant,
being born
in the
likeness of
men,
and being
found in
human form.
He humbled
himself by
becoming
obedient to
the point
of death,
even death
on the
cross.
Hebrews
chapter 1
in verse
3,
he's the
radiance of
the glory
of God.
He's the
exact imprint
of his
nature and
he upholds
the universe
by the word
of his
power.
God in
the flesh.
You see,
the fact is
that Jesus
didn't begin
to exist
at the
moment he
entered
Mary's
womb.
Jesus has
always been.
He's the
second person
of the
Trinity,
co-equal,
co-eternal
with God
the Father
and God
the Holy
Spirit.
And this
miraculous
conception
simply marks
the moment
that he
entered our
brokenness
and suffered
for our
sins.
Gabriel's
message is
not only
one of
salvation,
but salvation
through
incarnation.
God
himself
has become
man.
Emmanuel,
God is
with us.
He gives
her an
explanation.
Then he
gives her a
sign.
A sign.
Look at
verse 36.
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.
God is
so gracious
to give
us signs
that strengthen
our faith
in his
truth.
And that's
precisely what
he did
for Mary.
If you
read through
the beginning
of chapter
one,
you'll see
exactly how
this story
unfolds.
Zechariah
and Elizabeth,
the parents
of John
the Baptist,
were well
beyond child
bearing years.
the angel
appears to
Zechariah
and says,
your wife
is going
to be
pregnant.
You're
going to
have a
baby.
He's so
old and
she's so
old that
he doesn't
even believe
this heavenly
being who
has suddenly
appeared to
him with
this message
from God.
That's how
old they
are.
And then
it comes
to be that
Elizabeth is
pregnant.
And the
whole point
of the
sign is
this.
If God
was able
and willing
to bless
Zechariah
and Elizabeth
with a
child
through
natural
means,
there would
be no
reason for
Mary to
wonder if
he could
do the
same with
her through
supernatural
means.
So he gives
her a sign.
And then
finally,
he gives
her an
assurance.
An assurance.
Verse 37,
for nothing
will be
impossible
with God.
Nothing
will be
impossible
with God.
Now,
secularists
will deny
the virgin
birth of
Jesus
because it
is not
scientifically
possible
for such
a thing
to occur.
And of
course,
as long as
they're
removing God
from the
equation,
they're
exactly
right.
It's not
possible.
The problem
is that
there's no
basis for
their denial
of God's
existence
outside of
the fact
that they
just don't
want to
believe it's
true.
In other
words,
they cannot
prove that
God doesn't
exist.
They can
only operate
under the
assumption
that he
doesn't.
And if
this is the
foundation of
your belief,
this verse
won't mean
anything to
you.
But then
there's another
type of
person who
is open
to God's
existence,
but is
skeptical of
anything
supernatural,
that might
require faith
that stretches
beyond our
capacity for
understanding.
Most of us
probably at
some point
in time have
either fallen
into that
category or
maybe routinely
slip into that
category even
still.
We have a
faith in God's
existence.
We're not
willing to
deny that.
There's too
much evidence
to the
contrary.
But when it
comes to the
things when the
Bible talks about
virgins being
made pregnant,
when it talks
about people
being raised
from the
dead,
when it
comes to
some of
these things
that are
difficult for
us to
explain by
scientific and
natural means,
we really begin
to struggle with
what the
scripture tells
us.
Now, if
that's you,
this verse is
exactly for
you.
You should be
able to take
comfort in it
actually.
As long as we
attempt to
understand the
things of God
from purely
a natural
perspective,
our doubts
will never
go away.
But there's
tremendous
comfort in
recognizing that
the God who
gave us this
truth is able
and willing to
perform this
truth.
I'm thankful
for God's
explanations.
It's actually
not all that
common that God
deals in
explanations in
the Bible.
He deals in
promises, not
explanations for
the most part.
But even in
this case, he
gives an
explanation because
the explanation
is so necessary
for us to
understand.
I'm thankful
for that.
I'm thankful
for the signs
as well.
I'm thankful
that when we
come to the
scriptures, we
can find all
of the ways,
the factual
historical events
that unfolded
that point to
the truth that
Jesus is indeed
who he says he
was and that he
did these things
and it's undeniable
some of these
things.
I'm thankful
for those signs.
But nothing
should bring us
more comfort and
assurance than
the fact that
nothing is
impossible for
him.
At the end of
the day, the
God who spoke
this world into
existence, who
holds it in his
hand, who knows
you, who knows
everything there is
to know about
you.
as I think it
was R.C.
Sproul said, who
in his power,
there is not
one maverick
molecule in the
entire universe.
That as the
Bible says over
and over and
over, all things
are from him,
all things are
through him,
all things are
to him and to
his glory.
That same God,
this is nothing
for him.
We understand
that, right?
There is
comfort in
that.
And when we
come to these
difficult things
that we cannot
explain and that
we cannot fully
comprehend, just
because we cannot
comprehend it does
not mean that it
is not true.
Because with God,
nothing is
impossible.
He's proven it
time and time
again.
You can step
outside these
doors and look
around you this
morning and you
will see that God
is there and
nothing is
impossible for him.
I thought about
it when I drove
the truck here this
morning with the
trailer and I
was getting out
and it was
raining so hard.
And I don't
know why this
was on my mind,
but I thought
about my grass.
And I thought
this is so good
for my grass.
And then I
thought, you
know, if I was
really thirsty
right now, I
could probably,
I don't know why
I thought about
this, this is weird,
but I did.
And I thought,
if I was really
thirsty right now,
I could dump
out my coffee and
I could just
stick it out here.
I could have
something to drink.
And then it
kind of hit me
there for a
moment.
The God that
we're preaching
about today, the
God that we're
studying today,
he designed all
of this.
He designed our
bodies to function
in the way that
we do.
And then he
designed an
environment in
which we can
live that
perfectly is
suitable for the
bodies that he
created us to
possess.
That God,
nothing's impossible
for him.
He can make the
virgin conceive.
He created her.
This is all his
plan.
It's all within
his power.
And in the
moment this
Christmas season
that you begin
to doubt the
facts of this
story again, go
to this verse and
remind yourself,
with God, nothing
is impossible here,
of course.
Let's finish with
verse 38.
Mary said,
Behold, I am the
servant of the
Lord.
Let it be to me
according to your
word.
And the angel
departed from her.
This is really
amazing coming
from a 12 to 14
year old girl,
isn't it?
If you think
that's amazing,
wait till next
week when we get
to the
Magnificat later
on in this
chapter and it's
going to blow
your mind.
I don't even
think this way as
a 35 year old,
much less as a
12 year old.
The announcement
of Gabriel is
truly good news
that can produce
everlasting joy.
We've established
that.
Mary's response
reflects the
faith necessary
for salvation.
She believed
the word of God.
She turned away
from whatever
personal ambition
she might have
had.
And she
surrendered wholly
to the Lord's
work in her life.
Is that not
what the Lord
Jesus calls us
all to?
Believe his
word,
surrender self,
turn from sin,
and wholly
follow him with
our lives.
That's the call
to salvation.
That's what Mary's
doing here.
But think about
what this faith
and surrender
meant for her.
At least for a
little while,
her future husband
thought to divorce
her.
We learn about
that in Matthew
1.
He was a just
man.
He wasn't going
to make a show
of her.
But it wasn't
until the angel
Gabriel appeared
to him that he
decided to continue
on with the
marriage.
The penalty
for adultery
was death.
It wasn't
typically applied
in her day.
But there was
always the
possibility of
Mary being
killed if
people didn't
believe her
story.
And they
didn't believe
her story.
Last week at
the Thanksgiving
fellowship,
it was Scobie
that was telling
me about being
in Israel one
time and he
experienced
something where
because he or
somebody around
him was violating
the Sabbath
regulations that
people began to
throw rocks at
them.
That's for
violating the
Sabbath.
Now, the
death penalty
may not have
been applied
in an official
sense very often
in Mary's day.
But if you're
from a little
town that cares
about those
kinds of things
and you turn
up to be
pregnant out of
wedlock,
maybe there's
some stones
that got thrown
her away.
Maybe that's
why she went
to live with
Elizabeth for a
while.
Who knows?
This was
great cause
to her.
Apparently
many people
didn't believe
her as is
indicated by the
times that
Jesus'
enemies implied
his illegitimate
birth.
Obeying the
Lord and
following him
in faith came
at tremendous
cost for Mary.
It always
does.
But what we
have in Mary's
example is the
kind of faith
that God requires
of us all.
Abandon
self,
turn from
sin,
trust his
word,
follow his
son,
whatever the
cost may
be.
And there
will be some
cost in your
life.
It may be a
family cost,
it may be a
job cost,
it may be
friendships,
it may be
lots of
things.
But it will
always come
at a cost.
And the
question is,
is the cost
worth it?
For Mary,
it was worth
it.
The story
of Christmas
is indeed
good news
of great
joy.
it's a
message of
grace and
salvation
through the
incarnation of
Jesus.
And all
that's left
for us to
do is
believe it
and receive
the grace
that only
comes through
this salvation,
Jesus Christ
alone.