Blessed by Believing

Sunday, Dec 10, 2023

Introductory information

This Christmas season we are studying Luke 1 to learn about receiving the promises of God in the Incarnation of Jesus

Christmas is a celebration of “the Incarnation” - when God became human

There are many promises embedded in the Incarnation that we ought to unpack at Christmas

What does it mean to us that Christ is “God with Us”?

Consider this quote: “Christ became what we are that he might make us what he is.” - Athanasius of Alexandria (Lived 296 A.D – 373 A.D. one of the great early defenders of the Christian faith and Bishop of Alexandria.) (1)

In the first part of Luke 1 Zechariah received a message from Gabriel that he had struggled to believe

Zechariah didn’t doubt God’s promise was real, he doubted his capacity to receive the promise

Now we’re going to see an even more incredible promise give to Mary

And learn from how she responded...

READ

Question to consider as we read:

Why should we believe God’s promises?

Luke 1:26–45 CSB

26 In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And the angel came to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was deeply troubled by this statement, wondering what kind of greeting this could be. 30 Then the angel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 Now listen: You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end.” 34 Mary asked the angel, “How can this be, since I have not had sexual relations with a man?” 35 The angel replied to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 And consider your relative Elizabeth—even she has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called childless. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 “See, I am the Lord’s servant,” said Mary. “May it happen to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her. 39 In those days Mary set out and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judah 40 where she entered Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped inside her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 Then she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and your child will be blessed! 43 How could this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For you see, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped for joy inside me. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill what he has spoken to her!”

EXAMINE

What are the key points in this passage?

#1 | Mary’s status is much lower than Zechariah’s

Mary was a common girl in an unremarkable town

Luke 1:26–27 ...Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.

Whereas Zechariah, a priest, received his message next to the altar in the Temple in Jerusalem, Gabriel visited Mary in the middle of a nowhere agricultural town with a low reputation (John 1:46) (2)

#2 | Mary receives the most incredible promise

Mary was being given a special place of highest honor

Luke 1:28 And the angel came to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you.”

She would be the mother of the Messiah - God become human

Luke 1:32–33 “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end.”

Israel had been waiting for this promise to be fulfilled since the days of King David (2 Samuel 7:16)

Isaiah himself had even prophesied about Mary centuries earlier. Now she was finding out that she was the one Isaiah had spoken of. (Isaiah 7:14)

She would become pregnant by the power of God while a remaining a virgin

Luke 1:35 “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.”

This may have been the most incredible part of the whole message - how could this be possible?

#3 | Mary chooses to believe the promise

Mary submits herself to God - this is so simple and yet so powerful

Luke 1:38 “See, I am the Lord’s servant,” said Mary. “May it happen to me as you have said.”...

Unlike Zechariah, Mary doesn’t focus on her own capacity (3)

She could have easily seen herself as unqualified to be the mother of the Messiah

But she doesn’t stumble over the reality that she was of low status, young, inexperienced, etc.

Mary simple believed that God would do what He said

Luke 1:45 “Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill what he has spoken to her!”

We have to really pay attention to this: Mary was blessed because she trusted God when He gave her a promise.

This mirrors the story of Abraham (the father of the Jewish people) where it says in Genesis 15:6 “Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.”

Later on in the Gospel of Luke, while Jesus was preaching, a woman stood up and said that Jesus’ mother (Mary) was blessed because she had Him for a son. And Jesus responded, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.” (Luke 11:27-28)

Think about this emphasis from Jesus. It’s like He’s saying, “the real reason my mother is blessed is not because she has me for a son, but because she believed God when He spoke to her.”

#4 | The Implications for us at Christmas

Just like Mary, we can make the choice to simply believe God

Our own capacity is not a factor in what Jesus can and can’t do in us and through us

We have this fresh opportunity at Christmas to receive the power and love of Christ

All we must do is slow down to hear His promises and trust Him to fulfill them

APPLY

Explore and apply the passage with these questions:

[These questions must be focused, yet very open-ended. Allow the conversation to go where people take it - we want to encourage everyone to share and explore the topics of the passage. You don’t have to ask all these questions. Sometimes a group may only get through one or two questions. Select the questions you think are right for the conversation. Then, as it comes time to wrap up, refocus the conversation to “land the plane.”]

What are some realities of Mary’s life that could have easily made her doubt Gabriel’s message?

What do you admire in Mary’s attitude and response to God?

What are the biggest obstacles you face in believing the promises of God in your life? And how does Mary inspire you?

Where we want to “land the plane”

Let’s be inspired by Mary’s faith to believe that God will fulfill His promises to us - even when we cannot understand how He will do it.

REFLECT

Prayer Points for Today

Thank the Lord for His promises to us and ask Him to mercifully speak them afresh to us today

Respond to the Lord’s promises with faith and trust

Devotional Question for the Week

What incredible things has God promised you? How can you follow Mary’s example of faith?

FOOTNOTES

Athanasius of Alexandria (296–373) was one of the great early defenders of the Christian faith. He was educated in the catechetical school of Alexandria. As secretary to Bishop Alexander, he attended the Council of Nicea (325). He succeeded Alexander three years later. Probably before 318, while still in his twenties, he wrote De Incarnatione (On the Incarnation) and Contra Gentes, explaining how the Logos (Christ) became human and redeemed humanity. Later, in Letters Concerning the Holy Spirit, he defended the personality and deity of the third person of the Trinity. Norman L. Geisler, “Athanasius,” Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics, Baker Reference Library (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999), 55.

Nathanael momentarily stumbled over the lowly origin of the Messiah. Nazareth! Can anything good come from there? Nathanael knew of the poor reputation of Nazareth. Surely the Messiah would come from Jerusalem, Hebron, or some other prominent city. Jesus’ condescension still remains a puzzle to many people. Edwin A. Blum, “John,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 276.

Mary did not seem surprised that the Messiah was to come. Rather, she was surprised that she would be His mother since she was a virgin (lit., “since I do not know a man”). But the angel did not rebuke Mary, as he had rebuked Zechariah (v. 20). This indicates that Mary did not doubt the angel’s words but merely wanted to know how such an event would be accomplished. The answer was that the Holy Spirit would creatively bring about the physical conception of Jesus (v. 35). John A. Martin, “Luke,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 205.