Heaven Touched Earth

Intro:

Who is the most important person in history?

To help answer that question, computer scientist Steven Skiena and Google engineer Charles Ward developed a system that ranks historical figures in order of significance. Their research produced a book called Who’s Bigger? Where Historical Figures Really Rank.

To establish their “significance” ranking, they assessed more than 800,000 names, calculated scores of celebrity and achievement or gravitas, and then factored in how long, and how long ago, someone lived.

Just as Google ranks pages, the authors examined Wikipedia and other sources. For instance, they compared the influence of Aristotle to modern pop singer Britney Spears. Though more people know about Britney Spears, her influence is not likely to endure 100 years from now. But Aristotle was a man for the ages.

Here are the top ten most influential people in history:

1. Jesus 2. Napoleon 3. Muhammad 4. William Shakespeare 5. Abraham Lincoln 6. George Washington 7. Adolf Hitler 8. Aristotle 9. Alexander the Great 10. Thomas Jefferson

Here are a few other notable names on the list:

17. Martin Luther 18. Joseph Stalin 68. Elvis Presley 128. Virgin Mary

Eventually you come to this listing:

8633. Justin Beiber

So why is Jesus #1 on the list? It’s called a “meme,”

“We measure meme strength, how successfully is the idea of this person being propagated through time. With over two billion followers a full 2,000 years after his death, Jesus is an incredibly successful historical meme.”

Consider these familiar words: “He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:33).

It is easy to forget how revolutionary this must have sounded in the beginning.

Those words were . . .

Spoken by an angel To a virgin Announcing a baby Who will one day Rule the world.

Today we are going to look at the Incarnation

When Heaven Touched Earth

Read Luke 1:26-31

Transition:

The Incarnation is the greatest miracle of all time

I think that the purpose and cause of the Incarnation was that God might illuminate the world by his wisdom and excite it to the love of Himself.

Peter Abelard

And it came out of the blue. To a teenage girl who was a virgin,

In Nazareth, a tiny village in a remote corner of the Roman Empire.

Given this overwhelming information, it is all to Mary’s credit that she responded by saying, “I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word”

Angelic Visit Vs. 26-29

It all started with an Angelic Visit

Six months after Elizabeth got pregnant the angel Gabriel visited a city in Galilee called Nazareth

Gabriel ignored Judea, the heartland of God’s work through the centuries, and came to Galilee, a land that was the subject of abiding Jewish contempt

The angel not only bypassed Judea for Galilee, but the city of Jerusalem for the village of Nazareth.

Nazareth was a “non-place.” It was not even mentioned in the Old Testament or in Josephus’ writings or in the rabbinical writings

Nazareth, a shoddy, corrupt halfway stop between the port cities of Tyre and Sidon, was overrun by Gentiles and Roman soldiers.

He visited a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph

Betrothal is more than an engagement, it is a legally binding agreement that can only be undone by a divorce

When Joseph found out Mary was with child he was going to quietly divorce her

Matthew 1:19 ESV

And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

“The name ‘Mary’ is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Miriam, the sister of Moses.

It means ‘exalted one,’ a fitting description of the soon-to-be mother of the Messiah.”

As with all poor peasant girls, she was illiterate, her knowledge of the Scriptures being limited to what she had memorized at home and heard in the synagogue

Gabriel’s declaration to Mary is one of God’s special favor and his special presence

The ESV misses it

Luke 1:28 NKJV

And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

Gabriel said three things to Mary. Each of these were certainly true of Mary, who had a unique privilege among any person to ever live.

· She was highly favored.

· That the Lord was with her.

· She was blessed.

However, all these things are true of the believer in Jesus.

We are highly favored as Mary was (Ephesians 1:6),

the Lord is with us (Matthew 28:20),

and we are blessed (Ephesians 1:3).

we cannot miss an inescapable fact: the greatest news ever proclaimed in Israel came to the humblest of its people

the Lord comes to needy people—those who realize that without him they cannot make it—those who acknowledge their weakness and spiritual lack

The Incarnation, salvation, resurrection, Christmas are not for the proud and self-sufficient

Behold Your King vs. 30-33

Gabriel then gave her the good news: she would become the mother of the promised Messiah whom she would name Jesus

Matthew 1:21 ESV

She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Note that Gabriel affirmed both the deity and the humanity of Jesus.

As Mary’s son, He would be human; as Son of the Highest (vs. 32), He would be the Son of God (Luke 1:35).

“For unto us a Child is born [His humanity], unto us a Son is given [His deity]”

Isaiah 9:6 ESV

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

The emphasis is on the greatness of the Son, not the greatness of the mother.

But He would also be a King, inherit David’s throne, and reign over Israel forever!

If we interpret literally what Gabriel said in Luke 1:30–31, then we should also interpret literally what he said in Luke 1:32–33.

He was referring to God’s covenant with David (2 Sam. 7) and His kingdom promises to the people of Israel

He came from the light into the darkness.

He came from splendor into squalor.

He came from purity into a world of sin.

But still he came!

For true transformation to take place you have to receive him as your savior and serve him as your king

Overshadowed by the Spirit vs. 34-38

The final way we see heaven touching earth is that Mary was overshadowed by the Spirit

Mary asks a simple question

How is this going to happen?

Gabriel tells her that she will be overshadowed by the Spirit

The word overshadow means “to cover with a cloud,” as in the cloud of Shekinah glory

This cloud was a visible manifestation of the glory and presence of God; this means that the same power of God that was with Moses and others in the Old Testament was now going to do a unique work in the life of Mary.

Psalm 2:7 ESV

I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.

Heaven touched Earth