The Birth of Jesus Christ Foretold
Notes
Transcript
Opening Illustration
Opening Illustration
History has recorded some amazing births.
Born near a small town in Ontario, Canada, on May 28, 1934, the Dionne sisters became the first known set of quintuplets to survive infancy.
For the first decade of their lives they were Canada’s biggest tourist attraction—bigger even than Niagara Falls—generating several hundred million dollars in tourist revenue.
January 11, 1974, saw the birth of the Rosenkowitz sextuplets, the first recorded set of sextuplets to have survived to adulthood, in Cape Town, South Africa.
The seven children born to Bobbi and Kenny McCaughey of Des Moines, Iowa, on November 19, 1997, are the first set of septuplets to survive infancy.
Another notable birth involved only one child.
On July 25, 1978, Louise Brown was born in Oldham, England.
What was noteworthy about her, however, was not her birth, but the manner of her conception:
She was the world’s first “test-tube baby,” conceived by means of in vitro fertilization.
And in 2008 a single woman gave birth to octuplets by means of in vitro fertilization.
All are currently alive.
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The Bible also records some amazing births.
Isaac’s birth was nothing short of miraculous, since his father (Abraham) was one hundred years old and his mother (Sarah) was ninety years old and barren.
The Lord also miraculously opened the womb of Manoah’s wife, and she gave birth to Samson.
Similarly, God allowed Hannah, who had also been barren to become pregnant with Samuel.
Only a few months before Gabriel’s appearance to Mary, the Lord enabled an elderly, barren couple, Zacharias and Elizabeth, to conceive a child.
That child, John the Baptist, was called by God to be the forerunner of the Messiah, and was the greatest man who had ever lived up to his time.
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But the most remarkable birth of all was that of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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So, please turn your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke.
We will conduct our study in Chapter 1 and focus on verses 26 through 38.
Our message this morning is called, “The Birth of Jesus Christ Foretold”
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As you are finding your place in God’s Word...
I want to share that this message this morning will focus on five points:
The Greeting.
The Message.
The Answer.
The Proof.
And The Response.
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Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Before we consider our text, please join me in prayer...
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For your truth to be proclaimed with this message...
For those called by you to be faithful servants...
For your true church to be equipped and ready to boldly share the Good News...
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Let’s turn to our text for today:
Reading of the Text
Reading of the Text
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,
27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.
28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”
29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.
30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
32 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,
33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
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.
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.
37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”
38 And 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.
So, let’s look at our first point...
1) The Greeting
1) The Greeting
Verses 26-29: 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!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.
The NIV and NLT provides some further clarity to the “sixth month” reference.
Those translations render the beginning of verse 26 as:
“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy”
So, this is taking place right after Elizabeth had kept herself hidden for five months after she conceived John the Baptist.
We know this from what we read and studied last Sunday in Luke 1:24:
24 After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying,
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The fact that Nazareth must be identified as “a city of” or “town in” Galilee indicates its obscurity...
In fact, calling it a city can be misleading...
Nazareth was a small town or hamlet and probably only had a population of about 500 individuals.
The 8th volume of the Expositor’s Bible Commentary says:
“Luke calls Nazareth a polis, which can often be translated ‘city,’ but here describes a ‘town’ or ‘village.’
It was off, though not totally inaccessible from, the main trade routes.
Its relatively insignificant size contrasts with Jerusalem, where Gabriel’s previous appearance had taken place.
John 1:46 records the contemporary Judean opinion of Nazareth.
Which says:
46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
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Likewise, the region of Galilee contrasts with Judea.
Surrounded as they were by Gentiles, the Galileans were not necessarily irreligious.
They were, however, somewhat lax respecting such things as keeping a kosher kitchen.
Though the Galileans had a reputation for pugnacity, Galilee was not a hotbed of revolutionary activity, as some have thought.”
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Our passage says Mary was betrothed to Joseph who was in the line of David...
Hold onto the fact of the connection to David as we will come back to this later in our study today...
But first it is appropriate at this time for the term “Betrothal” to be defined which was:
“A custom where a man and woman commit to become married at a future time.
This also includes when the parents of each arrange the couple and plan for them to be wed.”
So, it means to be legally promised in marriage...
This usually took place a year or more before the marriage ceremony.
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From the time of betrothal the woman was regarded as the lawful wife of the man to whom she was betrothed...
The term is even figuratively employed of the spiritual relationship between God and his people...
For example take a look at was Hosea 2:19-20 says:
19 And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy.
20 I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord.
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So, to be betrothed was no a small matter...
In fact, this relationship was legally binding, but intercourse was not permitted until marriage...
Only in the case of a divorce or death could one sever a betrothal...
In the latter scenario of a future husband dying before the wedding ceremony day...
The woman, though unmarried, would be considered a widow.
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Next we see that the angel Gabriel greets Mary whom Luke identifies for us is still a virgin...
Before we get to the importance of Mary being a virgin or even the message of Gabriel...
Another term needs some clarity...
That term is “favored one” which is the same the same word used of all believers in Ephesians 1:6 which says:
6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
This term indicates one receiving God’s favor or grace...
So, this verse portrays Mary as a recipient of divine grace and not as some falsely claim as the dispenser of it.
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Please consider this note from the MacArthur New Testament Commentary on Luke regarding how misunderstanding this can lead to false theology:
“The angel’s first word to her was the common, everyday salutation “Greetings,” or “Hello.”
Since Zacharias panicked when Gabriel appeared to him, his low-key introduction and immediate statement of blessing was likely intended to calm and reassure Mary.
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By addressing her as favored one, Gabriel indicated that Mary had nothing to fear, but was to become the recipient of God’s grace.
There was nothing intrinsically worthy about her that set her above other believers, as if she was perfectly holy;
Like all people, she was a sinner in need of God’s grace.
The salutation has been confiscated to form the basis of the familiar Roman Catholic prayer known as the Ave Maria (“Hail Mary”).
The erroneous premise of that prayer, based on the Latin Vulgate’s rendering of favored one as gratia plena (“full of grace”), is that Mary has been granted and possesses fullness of grace, which she then bestows on others...
Pope Pius the 10th, in a bizarre distortion of truth, has called Mary not the recipient of grace, but the “Dispensatrix [dispenser] of all the gifts that Our Savior purchased for us by His Death and by His Blood;
The supreme Minister of the distribution of graces;
[And] the distributor … of the treasures of His merits.”
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Pope Leo the 13th agreed, declaring...that “Mary is the intermediary through whom is distributed unto us this immense treasure of mercies gathered by God.”
Pope Pius the 9th...cited the Catholic Church’s belief that Mary is “the seat of all divine graces … adorned with all gifts of the Holy Spirit … an almost infinite treasury, an inexhaustible abyss of these gifts.”
Summing up the Catholic view that Mary is the mediator of all graces Ludwig Ott writes,
“Since Mary’s Assumption into Heaven no grace is conferred on man without her actual intercessory co-operation”.
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That false, unbiblical view of Mary is an integral part of the Roman Church’s practice of Mariolatry (the veneration and worship of Mary), which blasphemes the Lord Jesus by worshiping another.
In reality Mary was a humble, redeemed sinner.
She was not sinless from her conception until her bodily assumption into heaven, as Catholic dogma maintains, since as Jesus Himself declared, “No one is good except God alone”.
Nor is Mary the co-redeemer of the human race, since sinners are “justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus”.
She does not hear and answer prayers or intercede for anyone, since there is “one mediator … between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”.
The teaching of Roman Catholicism that “there is no surer or more direct road than by Mary for uniting all mankind in Christ and obtaining through Him the perfect adoption of sons, that we may be holy and immaculate in the sight of God” is utterly false and blasphemous.
The exalted, quasi-deified Mary of Roman Catholic dogma is far removed from the humble, unassuming “bondslave of the Lord” revealed in Scripture.
Gabriel’s pronouncement to Mary, “the Lord is with you,” speaks of God’s enabling of her.
It reinforces the truth that Mary was a recipient of God’s grace, not the dispenser of it to others.
Only God gives grace to sinners, as Scripture indicates continually.”
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I echo MacArthur’s assessment of the blasphemes practiced by the Roman Catholic Church...
And my 32 years in the Orthodox Church along with my extensive study of the Mariology (the theology of Mary) in the Oriental and Eastern Orthodox Churches...
Has lead me to confidently conclude that their beliefs are just as blasphemous and should be avoided by any true born again believer.
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So, with the angel’s greeting...
In which Gabriel said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”
We see that Mary is quite troubled...
Wondering what message from the angel was to be give to her...
A simple young virgin girl in a insignificant town in Galilee...
And this takes us to our next point.
2) The Message
2) The Message
Verses 30-33: And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and 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, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Gabriel starts his message by again reassuring Mary to not be afraid...
And then tells her the reason to not be afraid id that she has found favor with God.
Then this angelic messenger tells her that she will bear a son...
And not just any son...
But the Son of God...
The Son of the Most High!
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The promised Messiah is not only coming...
Mary is going to give birth to Him...
The One who is will rightfully sit on the throne of David...
And whose Kingdom will last forever...
The One who is the Savior of the world...
And that is why He has the name He has...
The name “Jesus” is from the Hebrew name Joshua and means “Yahweh is salvation” or “Yahweh is help.”
Whereas John is the “prophet of the Most High” and forerunner of the Messiah...
Jesus is the “Son of the Most High” and the Anointed One who was promised back in Genesis 3:15 which says:
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
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Beloved, consider this note from the New American Commentary on the Gospel of Luke comparing the birth of John the Baptist with Jesus:
“Luke in no way minimized John the Baptist’s greatness in describing Jesus.
Rather he showed that whereas John was great, Jesus is greater still.
This is shown in several ways.
John was ‘great in the sight of the Lord’, but Jesus is ‘great’, and his greatness is unqualified...
[Keep in mind that in Scripture greatness without a qualifier is an attribute of God alone].
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Whereas John is later described as ‘a prophet of the Most High’, Jesus is the ‘Son of the Most High’.
Whereas John’s birth was miraculous and had Old Testament parallels, Jesus’ birth was even more miraculous.
John’s conception, like that of Isaac, Samson, and Samuel, was miraculous; but Jesus’ conception was absolutely unique.
It was not just quantitatively greater; it was qualitatively different.
Whereas John’s task was to prepare for the Coming One, Jesus is the Coming One who will reign forever;
And whereas John was filled with the Spirit while still in the womb, Jesus’ very conception would be due to the Spirit’s miraculous activity in a virgin.”
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The birth of Jesus was also prophesied throughout the Old Testament...
And we see how in those prophecies it makes it clear that the Messiah will sit on the throne of David...
Although Luke will later show how Mary is part of David’s line too...
It is Joseph who was first mentioned to be of the house of David.
Mary as a virgin will give birth to Jesus but as Joseph is Jesus’ earthly father and caretaker...
That means Jesus is adopted by Joseph...
And meaning legally Christ is rightfully in the line of David.
So, in Jesus’ genealogy we see He is connected to David by both Mary and Joseph.
That is important as it relate to what the Old Testament says about the one who sits over the throne of David forever:
For instance, Isaiah 9:6–7 says:
6 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.
7 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.
And 2 Samuel 7:12–16 says:
12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men,
15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you.
16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ”
But that is not all...
In the book of Daniel...
In the book we just completed our study in Sunday School...
We see more prophesies about this...
Daniel 7:14 says:
14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
And Daniel 2:44 says:
44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever,
So, as Gabriel is giving this message to Mary...
There is a good chance passages like this are coming to her mind...
Realizing how profound this message is that this angel has presented to her.
Mary does not doubt the truth of what Gabriel says...
She just is confused about how is this to come about...
And this takes us to our next point.
3) The Answer
3) The Answer
Verses 34-35: And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 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.
Again, it should be noted that Mary’s question was borne out of wonder...
And it was not out of doubt or disbelief...
So, the angel did not rebuke her as he had Zacharias.
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That means although what Gabriel said was amazing...
She believed it would happen...
But Mary wanted to know how this could happen since she was still a virgin...
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The answer was the Holy Spirt.
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The MacArthur Study Bible contains this helpful note on this manner:
“The importance of the virgin birth cannot be overstated.
A right view of the incarnation hinges on the truth that Jesus was virgin-born.
Both Luke and Matthew expressly state that Mary was a virgin when Jesus was conceived.
The Holy Spirit wrought the conception through supernatural means.
The nature of Christ’s conception testifies of both His deity and His sinlessness.”
This aspect of a virgin birth of the Messiah was also prophesied...
Isaiah 7:14 says:
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
The name “Immanuel” means “God with us”...
That is the very definition of who Christ is...
He is God with us.
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Notice the language Gabriel uses to describe the action of the Holy Spirit in the incarnation of Christ...
The Holy Spirit will overshadow Mary...
And come upon her with the power of God.
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Keep that in mind as we look at Genesis 1:1-2:
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
That hovering over or overshadowing...
Was the action of the Holy Spirit as He created life...
Creating something from nothing.
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The Holy Spirit which is often described as wind or breathe is seen again in the creation account with the creation of man...
Look with me at Genesis 2:7:
7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
So, as the Holy Spirit was involved in the creation account...
It makes sense that it is the Holy Spirit that created life in Mary’s womb despite not having man’s seed involved.
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This truth is noted elsewhere in Scripture...
Look at Psalm 104:30 as the psalmist says:
30 When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.
And Job 33:4 that says:
4 The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
And again looking a the book of Psalms we see the truth in Psalm 33:6 which says:
6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
In Matthew’s account...
In his Gosepl...
We see that their is agreement that Mary conceived Jesus from the Holy Spirit...
Matthew 1:18-20 says:
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ 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.
19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
20 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 fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
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It should then not be surprising that when one is a born again believer they are described ans being born of Spirit...
For the Holy Spirit was not just the power in creation...
He is the source of our spiritual regeneration...
Our spiritual rebirth.
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Another fact to note before we move to our next point...
The term “therefore” indicates that Jesus’ holiness derives from his being conceived by the Holy Spirit...
Though Jesus was a genuine human being, he did not inherit a sinful nature and disposition from Adam, as all other human beings do...
This is why the virgin birth is essential to true and proper faith in Christ.
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As Gabriel shared this remarkable truth...
He provided Mary with assurance that she could hold on to to prove these things would happen.
Notice that Mary did ask for proof...
But the angelic messenger does so anyway...
And this takes us to our next point.
4) The Proof
4) The Proof
Verses 36-37: 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.”
Please note that Gabriel shares with Mary the truth we already covered last Sunday...
That Elizabeth...
Although she is barren....
And although she is in her old age...
She is already six month pregnant.
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This miraculous truth was to show Mary impossible things have already happened...
So, be reassured...
The promises made to her will also come trurh.
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In fact, Gabriel’s words are very similar to what we find recorded in Genesis 18:14 which says:
14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”
And the truth found in Job 42:2:
2 “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
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In the Gospel of Mark...
Jesus Himself proclaims this same truth...
Just take a look at Mark 10:27 which says:
27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”
So, may be as followers of God never forget this truth...
With man...
We understand many things would be impossible...
But that is not the case with our God...
Nothing is impossible for our God!
Nothing is to difficult!
Nothing is to immovable!
Nothing is to too much!
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Impossible is not an obstacle for God!
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So, after learning of the miraculous and impossible things already happening...
Mary has a response that models true and sincere faith...
And this takes us to our final point.
5) The Response
5) The Response
Verse 38: And 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.
Once again the MacArthur Study Bible is a great source with useful information for our study...
Consider this:
“Mary was in an extremely embarrassing and difficult position.
Betrothed to Joseph, she faced the stigma of unwed motherhood.
Joseph would obviously have known that the child was not his.
She knew she would be accused of adultery—an offense punishable by stoning.
Yet she willingly and graciously submitted to the will of God.”
So, as the Lord’s slave...
Mary expresses her faith in complete and ready submission to God’s word and promise...
As Theologian Joel B. Green stats it,
“She unreservedly embraces the purpose of God, without regard to its cost to her personally.
Her response is exemplary, demonstrating how all Israel ought to respond to God’s favor.”
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As we see in Romans 1:1 this is the same attitude of other servants of God like the Apostle Paul...
That passage says:
1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,
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I would like to point out something...
When Mary in our passage calls herself a servant and when Paul in the verse we just read calls himself the same thing...
The actual Greek word is “slave.”
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So, Mary and Paul are calling themselves slaves to Christ...
And that is true of all believers.
That is why despite what may happen to Mary she surrenders to the Lord...
For Mary understands that her conceiving by the Holy Spirit would probably not be understood by the world...
What would Joseph do?
What will her family and friends say?
To the outside world she would be seen as an adulterer...
Someone who was not faithful to the man she was promised to...
She would run the risk of being stoned...
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Yet Mary had the heart of a true follower of God...
And surrendered to Him no matter the cost.
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So, as a recap I would like you to consider what theologian and scholar James R. Edwards says in comparison to birth announcements of John the Baptist and Jesus that we have now covered over the last few weeks:
“The annunciation narratives of John and Jesus complement each other, but they also exhibit powerful countercurrents beneath their surface complementarities.
Zechariah and Elizabeth have proper credentials; Mary has none.
The first annunciation is set in the Jerusalem temple, the center of Jewish religion, culture, and economics; the second in rustic Nazareth.
Zechariah enjoys the status of a priest; Mary is unmarried, and to be unmarried or widowed in Israel was to know bitterness.
The old couple is well connected and financially secure; Mary is neither.
Zechariah and Elizabeth are likened to noble Abraham and Sarah; Mary to outcast and vulnerable Hagar.
The countercurrents of irony continue in the respective responses of Zechariah and Mary to the divine word.
Zechariah responds on the basis of human possibilities: he and Elizabeth are too old for children, and he doubts the heavenly promise.
Mary responds on the basis of divine possibilities: she hears the heavenly promise and asks, How can it be?
The mystery of divine grace is at work in spite of and because of these complexities and contrarieties, and through them it ushers in the dawn of salvation.”
Closing Illustration
Closing Illustration
As this message comes to a close...
I would like to share this about the topic of being a servant:
The great leaders of men in all fields have not been the arrogant and the greedy, but the servants.
The real servants are the true nobility.
The greatest of all, the Son of God Himself, declared that He had come not to be served but to be a servant, and to give his life a ransom for many.
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And it is now about the greatest of all servants and the life that was given as a ransom that we bring our attention to.
Communion
Communion
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As we begin our communion service, I want to invite every genuinely born-again believer in the room to partake in this act together.
If you do not yet know the Lord and do not have a relationship with Him...
Or if you are under church discipline from this church or another church...
Then I will ask that you wait until you have resolved your issue before participating.
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As you came in you should have picked up a communion packet if you are joining us.
This has both the bread and juice in a convenient package.
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If you have not received one of these please raise your hand and someone will get you one.
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Before we join in communion together, I would like us to look at Philippians 2:7–8 which says:
7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
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Our finite minds will never truly grasp the magnitude involved in the incarnation...
But it is important we try our best to understand it.
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The Son of God...
The King of Kings and Lord of Lords...
Humbled Himself by taking on flesh...
Out of love for His sheep He experienced things like hunger and thirst and hurts...
He was tempted in all ways but never sinned...
He a royal King was humiliated...
And beaten...
And blooded...
All for the sake of those who where enemies of God...
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Christ voluntarly gave His life...
In obedience to His Father...
For our sake!
This is the reason we are gathering together right now...
To remember all He has done...
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That is why His very name carries the mission He was sent to earth to accomplish...
As Matthew 1:21 says:
21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
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Let’s all take a moment right now in silent prayer to thank the Lord for all He did for us...
(MOMENT OF SILENCE)
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Tom will you pray before we partake in the bread:
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The Word of God says in Luke 22:19:
19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
(TAKE THE BREAD)
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Adrian will you pray before we partake in the cup:
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The Word of God says in Luke 22:20:
20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.
(TAKE THE CUP)
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With that we conclude the communion portion of our service.
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To God be all the glory.
Amen.
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Please join us for one more song from the Praise Band.