Christmas 2024 The Angel

The Angel

Today is the first day of December, and with that we will start a Christmas series.

For the next four weeks we will look at four characters of the Christmas story.

Today we will look at the part the angel Gabriel take in the Christmas story.

Next week we will look at Mary, the next week we will look at Joseph and the final week, the Sunday before Christmas we will look at the birth of Jesus.

Each week we will learn lessons from these characters of the Christmas story.

And just so your know, this is not the Christmas story movie, it is the true Christmas story.

The year Jesus was born is unknown but most scholars believe it was between 4 to 6 B.C.

That would make it up to 2030 years ago.

We celebrate Jesus’ birth on December 25th, Christmas, which was originally a pagan celebration of the winter solstice.

The the exact date and year of Jesus’ birth does not matter, see if God would have felt it was important for us to know the exact date of Jesus birth, He would have certainly have told us in His Word.

What we do know is truth and factual because it is in God’s Word.

This morning our text is found in Luke 1:26-38, the first 25 verses of Luke gives an introduction and then the account of John the Baptist being told to his parents.

We are going to look at all the verse of our text then we will go back and look at three things from our text.

Look with me at Luke 1:26-38.

Luke 1:26–38 NASB95

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. 30 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 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 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. 36 “And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. 37 “For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Pray

From these thirteen verses there are three things we will see, a greeting, a message, and a response.

I. The Greeting

Luke 1:26–29 NASB95

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was.

First we are told that this account happened in the sixth month.

As the Gospel opens with the birth of John the Baptist being foretold, we therefore know that this is six months of Elizabeth pregnancy, the mother of John the Baptist.

We are then told that this was the angel Gabriel, he has appeared at least two other people.

First he had appeared to Daniel in chapter 8 of Daniel, at that time Daniel had a vision and Gabriel comes to explain the vision to Daniel and a second time to Daniel at the evening sacrifice in Daniel chapter 9.

The second person that Gabriel appeared to was Zechariah the father of John the Baptist, Gabriel announces the birth of John the Baptist.

Zachariah was married to Elizabeth, but she had been barren, unable to have children, but the Gabriel tells Zachariah they will have a son.

Zachariah and Elizabeth were both beyond child baring age, and therefore Zachariah did not believe Gabriel and for that Zachariah was unable to speak until after the birth of his son, John the Baptist.

Today we are looking at the third person that Gabriel appeared too.

This third person is the virgin Mary.

We will see next week why Mary being a virgin is important.

Mary was engaged to Joseph, a descendant of David.

Joseph is the descendant of David, not Mary.

As the angel Gabriel comes to Mary, he states, Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.

Mary had been chosen by God to bear His son.

The greeting of favored one, or highly favored, can also be translated as full of grace.

The statement, The Lord is with you, is not a wish like (may the Lord be with you), but a powerful statement that is stating that God’s mighty power was present and upon Mary.

Mary was very perplexed or troubled at the greeting.

It was not the greeting itself, but that it was not customary for an angel to greet a woman.

Mary was surprised that the angel Gabriel came to her, because she was a woman, and she was no one special.

She was not the kings daughter, she was not a prophets daughter, she was not a leader or the daughter of a leader.

But she was highly favored by God, He had personally chosen her for the assignment.

We need to understand it was not who Mary was, but what God was going to do in and through her life.

We also need to understand that if we will be available and willing, God can use us, but we then need to be obedient.

II. The Message

Luke 1:30–33 NASB95

30 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 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 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”

Gabriel tells Mary to not be afraid, because God has found favor with her.

The emphasis is on God’s sovereign choice, not on human acceptability.

We all need to remember that, God does not call us because of who we are but because of who He is.

Gabriel then tells Mary that she is going to conceive a son, and that she is to call Him Jesus.

Gabriel continues telling Mary about the Son she will have, that He will be great and called the Son of the Most High, and that God will give Him the throne of His father David.

This Son will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.

Jesus being the Son of the Most High is revealing that Mary’s Son will be of divine nature.

As we know Jesus is fully human and fully God.

As for Jesus having the throne of David, and reign is all fulfillment of past prophecies.

This message to Mary is powerful, is unexpected, and could even be overwhelming.

When we listen to God, His messages to us, can be powerful, unexpected and even overwhelming.

What we need to realize is the message is not about us, but about what God is planning to do through us.

III. The Response

Luke 1:34–38 NASB95

34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. 36 “And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. 37 “For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Now we have the response to the message that Mary was given.

She begins with how is this going to happen, I am but a virgin.

She has been told she is going to conceive a Son.

But Mary knows that in human perspective that is not possible.

But we must realize, what we see as impossible is made possible with God.

Jesus was approached by a rich young ruler in Luke 18, and asked what shall he do to inherit eternal life?

Jesus first tells him, that one must obey the commandments, Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, and to honor your father and mother.

Another words obey the ten commandments.

The rich young ruler states, he has kept these commandments from his youth.

Jesus tells him to go and sell all his possession and give it to the poor and then come follow Him.

But the rich young ruler became very sad because he had a lot of earthly riches.

Jesus tells the rich young ruler, how hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God.

Jesus then states, in Luke 18:25

Luke 18:25 NASB95

25 “For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

Those who heard this asked who can be saved?

Jesus responds with, Luke 18:27

Luke 18:27 NASB95

27 But He said, “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.”

What Jesus calls us to do appears to be impossible in our human eyes, but when we are obedient to God, and are available to God to use us, anything is possible.

People that knew me 20 years ago, would have told you that it was not possible for me to be a pastor, I would have told you and I told God that is was not possible for me to be a pastor.

But with God all things are possible.

As Mary responds to the angel, she states, I am a virgin, but the angel Gabriel tells Mary that the Holy Spirit will come upon her.

Gabriel then tells Mary that her relative Elizabeth that is far past the age of child bearing, is now in the sixth month of her own pregnancy.

Gabriel tells Mary, Luke 1: 37

Luke 1:37 NASB95

37 “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

We must hear that today, there is nothing impossible with God.

We may think, oh I cannot do that, I cannot go there, I cannot and we are right when we say, I cannot.

But God can, whatever He calls us to, He will guide through, supply the needs necessary to accomplish it, and will be with us through it.

Mary could not conceive a child because she was a virgin, but God could make it happen, He has the power to do whatever He desires.

In our human mind, it is impossible for Mary to conceive a child, but God got involved, He chosen Mary, and He made it happen through His power.

We cannot doubt God.

Many people say, I am not good enough, or I have done to many wrong things, I am not able to be saved.

And they say it rightfully so, as in our own power we are not good enough, we have all sinned done wrong things, and on our own we are not able to be saved.

But with God all things are possible.

Mary responds back to the angel Gabriel, Luke 1:38

Luke 1:38 NASB95

38 And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Mary’s response is obedience, she says may it be done to me according to your word.

She is ultimately saying, I am willing to do whatever God has called me to do.

Are you willing to do whatever God calls you to do?

Are you willing to receive the free gift of salvation?

Jesus came through a virgin that was willing to be used by God, to live a perfect life, to give of His life freely to die on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins, but then God.

God raised Jesus from the dead, defeating death and sin, and giving ultimate victory over sin.

Jesus is alive, and in heaven to be our mediator so that we can be forgiven of our sins, and have a right relationship with God.

Will you believe something that in our human minds does not make much sense, a virgin conceiving and giving birth, a man dying the worst known death, and then rising from the dead.

Will you believe that it is possible for God to forgive you of all your mistakes, all your sins, and that it is possible for God to save you.

If you will believe that and receive the gift of salvation, Jesus is waiting with arms wide open to receive you.

Let me tell you that salvation is the greatest gift that you can ever receive.

There is no gift that you can receive this Christmas that will top the gift of salvation.