The Announcement of Jesus' Birth

Follow His Steps  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  42:19
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Luke 1:26-38
As we continue down our path where we are learning to Follow His Steps, we come to the passage in Luke where it is announced to Mary that she will give birth to the Messiah.
What a moment in human history!
What a moment in a young girls life!
This is the moment introducing the incarnation of the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
This is the greatest news ever heard in the world, but especially in Israel at this time.
But before we get into the passage itself, i want to look at some important background of this passage.

I. The Mention about Mary

A. Mary’s Visitor

26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God...
Verse 26 tells us that the angel Gabriel came to Mary and gave told her that she would give birth to a Son named Jesus in the sixth month of Elisabeth’s pregnancy.
Gabriel is a special angel who five hundred years earlier had appeared to Daniel in a vision.
Last week we saw that he appeared to Zecharias in the holy place in the temple.
There he announced the birth of John the Baptist.
Gabriel came to Nazareth at the time appointed by God to declare the purpose and plan of God.
Galatians 4:4–5 KJV
4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

B. Mary’s Town

26 ...Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
This passage takes place in Nazareth, an obscure town of about one hundred people in the Galilean region.
This small town was roughly fourteen miles west of the southern tip of the Sea of Galilee.
The people of Nazareth were simple people, working to make a living for their families.
In contrast to the Nazareth of Jesus’ day, the modern city is home to roughly 200,000 people.
One preacher said, “A place is not judged by its institutions or advantages, but by the righteous people within its borders.”
In this case, No place could be more righteous at the time of Jesus than this town.
It’s not the big men that God calls, it is the shepherds.
It’s not the grand and beautiful cities that he uses, it is the humble villages.
Calvin Miller, in The Christ of Christmas, said, “Great works of God rarely start in big places. Rather, they start in small places — in some person with a big commitment.”
Oh, Mayville is ripe for God to use, if her people will just yield to Him!

C. Mary’s Reality

27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
Mary must be counted as the most significant woman in history.
She was specifically chosen by God to bring Jesus into the world.
We see a few things about her:

1. Mary was a pure woman

the word translated virgin, from the Greek partenos — means a maiden; by implication an unmarried daughter — virgin.

2. Mary was a prepared woman

Matthew 1:18 KJV
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
She was espoused to a man.
The espousal period was after a couple was legally bound in a marriage contract, but the couple had not consummated the marriage physically.
Sometimes this period would last as long a a year as the husband was preparing a home for his new bride.
But during this time she was a virgin…don’t let deniers tell you different - the Bible is clear!
Isaiah 7:14 KJV
14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, And shall call his name Immanuel.

3. Mary was a preferred woman

She was highly favored, and full of grace.
Because God chose her to be the mother of Jesus, she was blessed among women.

D. Mary’s Fables

Mary has become godlike in her reverence in many churches.
She was the most important woman in history, but she was still but a woman.
One week a Sunday School teacher had just finished telling her class the Christmas story. After telling the story the teacher asked, “Who do you think the most important woman in the Bible is? Of course, the teacher was expecting one of the kids to say, “Mary.” But instead, a little boy raised his hand and said, “Eve.” So the teacher asked him why he though Eve was the most important woman in the Bible. And the little boy replied, “Well they named two days of the year after Eve, You know Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.”
Although the truth about Mary revealed to us by scripture are truly remarkable and show that she was a great woman…she was, like the rest of us, a sinner in need of a Savior.
Mary called Jesus her Savior.
Unfortunately, the Catholic church has elevated Mary above the teaching of Scripture.

1. Prayer to Mary

The Catholic church teaches its members to pray to Mary.
The “Hail Mary” prayer first appeared in print in AD 1495 in a exposition by Italian friar Savonarola.
Praying to Mary is not compatible with Bible doctrine, as Jesus instructed us to pray in His name, not in Mary’s name.
It is through Jesus and Jesus alone that we have access to the Father.
John 14:13–14 KJV
13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

2. Perpetual virginity of Mary

The Catholic responsive liturgy for the feast of the Lord’s Presentation says, “The virgin conceived and gave birth to a son, yet she remained a virgin forever.”
Explain to me, then the Matthew 13:55
Matthew 13:55 KJV
55 Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?
How does that work?
Are they all virgin born?

3. That Mary is co-redeemer

The Catholic church also teaches that Mary is necessary as an intercessor to obtain salvation.
However, this heresy is blasphemous to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the only way to heaven.
St. Bernard is quoted as saying, “[Mary is called] the gate of heaven, because no one can enter that blessed kingdom without passing through her.”
that is blasphemous!
Pope Leo XIII said, “The recourse we have to Mary in prayer follows upon the office she continuously fill by the side of the throne of God as Mediatrix of Divine grace; being by worthiness and by merit most acceptable to Him, and, therefore, surpassing in power all the angels and saints in Heaven.”
John 14:6 KJV
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
There are some grave errors taught by the Catholic church about Mary.
But let’s continue and see...

II. The Message to Mary

30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
When Gabriel greeted Mary, the Bible says that she began to muse in her heart why the angel had come.
Gabriel told her “Fear not” before he delivered his message to her.
Cast in her mind —to bring together different reasons.

A. She Had Favor with God

30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
Mary was lady full of grace.
favour is translated from the same Greek word charis, that the English word Grace is translated from.
Not only did she find grace in God for the task, but God found her to be full of grace.
In this day when men and women are often brash and crude, graceful people stand out.
Many times in my life I have seen my mother go out in public, and I see the vast difference in the way some very rough looking men treated her, compared to other women in the same vicinity.
My mother was a woman full of grace.
She carried herself like a lady, she was a true southern belle.
And people treated her with respect, with care, and with dignity.
Mary was a humble lady and desired to live for God.
James 4:6 KJV
6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

B. She Would Have a Son

31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
His name shall be called Jesus.
Jesus - Greek for the Hebrew name Joshua - Jehovah is salvation.
The idea here is communicated that Jesus had come to deliver Israel.
God sent Jesus as Savior, the Messiah.
Acts 4:12 KJV
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
We see here the Greatness of Jesus
He was the “Son of the Highest.”
Jesus was to be conceived of the Holy Ghost.
He was not merely a man, but God incarnate in the form of man.
Hebrews 1:6–8 KJV
6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. 7 And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. 8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
HE was of the tribe of Judah, and of the house of David..
Romans 1:1–4 KJV
1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, 2 (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) 3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; 4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
The Lord God will give Him the throne of David.
This passage is referencing the fact that Jesus will fulfill the promises made to David.
This is not fulfilled in His first coming, but will be established forever at His Second coming!
2 Samuel 7:12–13 KJV
12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
Isaiah 9:6–7 KJV
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: And the government shall be upon his shoulder: And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, Upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, To order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice From henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
The message to Mary must have been overwhelming!
But what a message!
Next we see...

III. The Miracle of the Conception

34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
One of the greatest miracles of Scripture is the divine conception of Jesus Christ in Mary by the Holy Spirit!
This happened because of ...

A. Mary’s Purity

34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
In humble sincerity, Mary asks the question, “How can this be?” because she was already betrothed to Joseph.
humanly, it does not make sense that a virgin could conceive and bear a child.
There have been others who have claimed to give birth as a virgin, but they have always been proved false.
Here The Holy Ghost made it very clear in this passage that Mary, was in fact, a virgin.
Secondly this divine conception happened because of...

B. God’s Power

35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
This miracle, as with all miracles, was based on God’s power.
Here, specifically, to produce a child without a human father.
Warren Wiersbe said it this way, “As Mary’s son, He would be human; as Son of the Highest, He would be the Son of God.”
Charles Spurgeon put it this way, “He who never began to be, but eternally existed, began to be what he eternally was not, and continued to be what he eternally was.”
How did this happen?

1. The Holy Ghost Shall Come Upon Thee

Gabriel was careful to point out that the baby would be a ‘holy thing’ and would not share the sinful human nature of man. Jesus knew no sin.
2 Corinthians 5:21 KJV
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
He did no sin
1 Peter 2:22 KJV
22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
and He had no sin
1 John 3:5 KJV
5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
His body was prepared for Him by the Spirit of God
Hebrews 10:5 KJV
5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
And this was done by the Holy Spirit as...

2. The Power of the Highest Shall Overshadow Thee

God himself saw to this process.
He overshadowed Mary, similar to the Shekinah glory that filled the Temple.
Verse 37 tells us that nothing is impossible with God.
God is able to anything He desires to do.
Why do we doubt Him so often?
Situations that man would deem impossible are no problem for God.

IV. The Mind of Mary

38a And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord...
We see in Mary here...

A. A Humble Spirit

Her response is that she is the handmaid of the
This word comes from the Greek word doule - a female slave, bondmaid, the feminine gender of the word bondservant.
Mary was verbally presenting herself as a humble servant to the Lord.
She understood that she did not have much to offer the Lord, but she gave herself to Him anyway.
But we also see that Mary gave...

B. A Humble Consent

38b ...be it unto me according to thy word...
She consented to His Will.
... be it unto me ...
Even though Mary did not understand what was happening to her, or how it would work out, she surrendered her will to the Lord.
When we face circumstances that seem impossible, we must remember to surrender our will to God’s.
There is a story of a man named Ivan who endured all the horrors of a Soviet prison camp. One day he was praying with his eyes closed when a fellow prisoner noticed him and said with ridicule, “Prayers won’t help you get out of here any faster.” Opening his eyes, Ivan answered, “I do not pray to get out of prison but to do the will of God.
William Barclay said, “The world’s most popular prayer is ‘Thy will be changed.’ But the worlds greatest prayer is, ‘Thy will be done.’”
She consented to God’s will, but she also consented to His Word.
38c ...according to thy word...
Mary is perhaps the most extraordinary illustration recorded int he Bible of a life yielded to God.
She completely laid aside her will and desires and trusted completely in God’s perfect plan for her life.
Whenever God speaks to us through His Word, we should humbly respond and yield to His will.
Andrew Murray said, “God is ready to assume full responsibility for the life wholly yielded to Him.”

Conclusion

God may ask us sometimes to do what seems impossible, but we should have the faith to believe His Word and yield to His Will!
We know that God has a better plan that anything we could think of ourselves!
Faith like this begins with a relationship with Christ.
The Jesus that Gabriel announced in this passage is the very same Jesus that died on the cross for our sins.
The Holy Son of God took upon Himself every sin that we have ever committed, and paid for them in full.
2 Corinthians 5:21 KJV
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
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