Christmas 2024 - Mary

Mary

As we continue our series for Christmas of the different characters of the true Christmas story, we are looking at Mary the mother of Jesus this morning.

There is a lot that we could say abut Mary, there is a lot of speculations abut Mary, but what we know as facts are found in Scripture.

We do not have the time today to look at all the things the world says about Mary, but we will look at some facts from Scripture.

A simple google search of Mary the mother of Jesus, reveals many things that the world claims are facts about Mary, but many of those can be disproved by simply reading the Word of God.

As we look at some selected Scriptures in the Gospel of Luke, we see some facts that God felt we needed to know.

The reason we know that God wanted us to know these things about Mary is that He included them in His Word.

There are three things about Mary that we will look at today.

We will examine the fact that Mary was a virgin and the importance of that fact.

Second we will look at what Scripture means that Mary was favored by God.

Third we will look at the significance of Mary as the mother of Jesus.

We will be looking in Luke chapter 1 for our main text this morning.

The Gospel of Matthew does not speak much about Mary in the Christmas story, and Mark and John does not really share the birth of Jesus in their Gospel’s

Matthew’s focus is mainly on presenting Jesus as the Messiah, emphasizing lineage and fulfillment of prophecies.

Mary’s role as a person, character in the Bible was to be the vessel through which Jesus would be born, not as someone of prominent character or power.

As we look at our text in Luke this morning we will see that Luke does not present Mary as goddess or a person with supernatural power, but that she was chosen by God to be used for His plan and purpose.

The Gospel of Matthew does mention Mary in the account of the birth of Jesus, but only briefly.

One of those verses is Matthew 1:18, and there we see some facts, the verse states.

Matthew 1:18 NASB95

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.

Pray

There are three things in Matthew 1:18 that we need to see, first, Mary was betrothed or engaged to Joseph, she was with child before Mary and Joseph came together in marital relations, that is she was a virgin, and third that Mary was found or conceived Jesus by the Holy Spirit.

These three things from Matthew come together in our main text of Luke 1.

Some of the verses we will examine today we looked at last week as we talked about the Angel, but today we will look at them from a different view as we talk about Mary the mother of Jesus.

I. A Virgin

Luke 1:27 NASB95

27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

In this verse we are again told that Mary was a virgin.

As I mentioned last week most scholars believe that Mary was around the age of 15 to 16 years of age at this time.

She was engaged to Joseph who we will look at in more detail next week.

Joseph the step-father, or earthly father of Jesus was of the lineage of King David.

Being of the lineage of David is important, as God promised David that his throne would endure forever.

2 Samuel 7:16 NASB95

16 “Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.” ’ ”

We are told in Luke 1 that Jesus will fulfill this promise.

Luke 1:32–33 NASB95

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.”

As verse 27 ends, we are told that the virgin’s name was Mary.

The fact that Mary was a virgin is confirmed by Mary as she states.

Luke 1:34 NASB95

34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”

Mary asks the angel Gabriel how can she conceive and bare a child when she is a virgin.

One reason that Scripture makes it a point that Mary was a virgin is that Jesus’ birth was truly a miracle of God.

Another thing to see is that Mary is the mother of Jesus, she is human, but she conceives through the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit, who is God.

Therefore, we see that Jesus is fully Human, and fully God.

The virgin birth of Jesus was prophesied by the Prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 7:14

Isaiah 7:14 NASB95

14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.

The fact that Mary was a virgin shows us that only God can make something out of nothing; only God could perform the miracle of creation, the incarnation of Jesus Christ, and the virgin birth.

Another important part of the virgin birth is that without man being involved in the conception of Jesus, the sin nature is not there.

Now hear me out here, I am not saying that Mary did not have a sin nature, but we are told that sin came through one man.

Romans 5:12 NASB95

12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned—

All have sinned, Mary had sin nature, but the sin nature came through man.

Romans 5 continues Romans 5:18

Romans 5:18 NASB95

18 So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.

The virgin birth of Jesus is an example of God’s gracious work on our behalf.

God took the initiative—Mary was not looking to become pregnant—it was all God’s idea.

Joseph had no role in the conception—his body was not involved—so the power had to come from God.

In a similar way, our salvation is based solely on God’s initiative and God’s power—we did not seek God, but He sought us; and we did nothing to earn our salvation, but we rely on God’s power.

II. Favored by God

Luke 1:30 NASB95

30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.

Here we see that the angel Gabriel states that Mary has found favor with God.

The word favored comes from a single Greek word, which essentially means much grace.

Mary received God’s grace.

Grace is unmerited favor, that is, grace is a blessing we receive despite the fact that we do not deserve it.

Mary needed grace from God and a Savior, just as the rest of us do.

The fact that Mary was favored by God is simply that God showed Mary grace.

Did she play an important part in the story of Jesus?

Yes, she was used by God to fulfill a plan.

Mary responds to the angel.

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.

Here Mary refers to herself as the bondslave of the Lord.

The word bondslave is translated from the Greek word doulus, which means “one who is subservient to, and entirely at the disposal of, his master; a slave.

Therefore, what Mary was saying when she referred to herself as the bondslave of the Lord, is that she would be obedient, and available to the use of her Lord.

She found favor or shall we say that God showed grace to Mary, because he already knew she would be obedient to the assignment.

God has shown grace on us all, what it comes to is, are you willing to be obedient to God.

First you must receive the gift of salvation, which takes faith and obedience.

Then as we are saved from our sins, we must understand that we are servants, slaves to God who has shown us grace.

In that we must be obedient to what God calls us to do.

III. Mother of Jesus

Mary as the Mother of Jesus is confirmed in our next set of Scripture

in these verses we see Mary’s visit with her cousin Elizabeth who becomes the mother of John the Baptist.

Luke 1:39–45 NASB95

39 Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah, 40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 “And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? 44 “For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. 45 “And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.”

In these verses we see that Mary’s pregnancy is confirmed.

As Mary visits with her cousin Elizabeth it is confirmed that Mary is with child of the upmost high.

As Mary comes into Elizabeth’s presence and speaks, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb, recognizes the voice of Mary as the mother of Jesus.

When John the Baptist the baby in Elizabeth’s womb hears the voice of Mary, he leaps in Elizabeth’s womb.

We know from other Scripture that John the Baptist was the one in the wilderness that proclaimed Jesus before He began His earthly ministry.

John the Baptist was prophesied in Isaiah 40:3

Isaiah 40:3 NASB95

3 A voice is calling, “Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.

Just as John the Baptist fulfilled that prophesy in the wilderness preparing the way, in Luke he begins this calling before he was even born.

John the Baptist leaping in the womb of his mother Elizabeth gives evidence that the child in the womb of Mary is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Elizabeth proclaims that Mary is the mother of the Lord.

Listen to what Elizabeth says in verse 45

Luke 1:45 NASB95

45 “And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.”

Mary believed the message that the angel Gabriel had given her that she would conceive a child, even though she was a virgin.

There are times that God gives us a message that does not make sense to our flesh, but we must believe whatever the Lord tells us.

As Mary asked the question, how can this happen I am but a virgin, even though it does not seem possible to us as humans for a woman to conceive a child in this matter, Mary believed, she had Faith that God was capable of doing what He said He would do.

Will you have the faith that God can do what He has said He would do.

Mary did not believe because she was someone special, or that she possessed supernatural powers, but she believed because of who God is and what He is capable of.

Will you have faith that God can save you of your sins, not on who you are but on who He is?

Will you have faith that God can use you, not because of who you are but because of who He is?

The thing is, it was not who Mary was, but what God had called Mary to do, to be a vessel to be used by Him.

It is not about who Chris Priest is, but what God has called me to do, which is be a vessel for Him to use.

Will you make yourself available to God to use, willing to be used by Him in whatever He calls or leads and obedient to that calling and leading in your life.