The Announcement

Introduction

A. Every year at Christmas time you hear the story of the Birth of our Lord and Savior. It’s nothing new to us and it is expected. As a result, it is hard to find some new nugget of information or some new perspective to keep things fresh and give us direction in a Godly way of life. I mean, not many of us get visited by an angel and hear that we will be with child miraculously and He will be the Savior of the world. Or, is it just me?

So, why rehash the same old story every year? Because it’s not like a the new Hallmark movie that tells the same story in a new town with a new couple. It’s the beginning of the gospel of our salvation. It isn’t just a feel-good story with holiday cheer, it’s a meaningful, life-alternating event that connects us to a Living God.

It can be easy to get distracted during the holidays: lots of food to make, family visits to organize, shopping sprees to plan for, decorating to accomplish, and every other little project and plan we make during this time of year. We can get so busy trying to make the holidays a special time of year, filled with lasting memories, that we can often neglect the Reason for the Season.

B. When I was a kid we would always go to my grandparents’ house for the holidays. The big family gathering usually happened on the holiday itself (and we might celebrate a birthday or two if it were close enough in the month). Easter, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, we’d spend these holidays as a family with good food and fun. In the hustle and bustle of it all we hardly had a moment to breathe. But when the food was ready and there was a hush so we could pray and eat. My Papaw would bring out his Bible and read a passage and give a devotional thought for why we were gathering then he would pray.

So, as we prepare ourselves to dive into a familiar passage that we tend to check out of, I want us to focus on why we are reading it. In The Announcement to Mary that she is having a baby, the Savior of the World, I don’t want us to focus on the angel, Mary, the miraculous conception, or even on Jesus’ birth. I want us to see God’s handiwork in it all. (Luke 1:26-38).

I. God is the God of History (v. 26-27, 32-33)

A. v. 26-27: “In the sixth month” of Elizabeth’s pregnancy (v. 24-25). Mary and Joseph, both were descendants of David, a man after God’s own heart whom God made a covenant with saying, “Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever”, 2 Samuel 7:16. God worked through history to bring about His plan.

The culmination of human history is bound up in the birth of Jesus. This was God’s purpose from the beginning. From Adam to Abraham to Moses to David to Zerubbabel to Mary and Joseph. God worked through faithful people to bring about His Messiah.

Galatians 4:4–5 “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” God didn’t just work through Bible history, He worked through world history. “When the fullness of time had come...” Alexander the Great conquered the world 300 years before Christ which caused Greek to become the common language. Afterward the Romans conquered, paving roads and highways for ease of travel. Jesus also came during the time of Roman peace, no war means a direct focus on the work of the gospel.

B. Our God is a God of History and He can use yours too. What has He been working on in your life that has gotten you to this moment? He has changed everything in Jesus. Look to Him for your hope and peace. If you lack direction and struggle with where you’re at in life then look to the King who sits on David’s throne. For His reign has no end.

II. God is the God of Promise (v. 28-31)

A. “Favored one” can mean “one rejoiced over.” God has rejoiced over Mary and her faithfulness. He looked upon her and saw her as worthy to carry the greatest gift the world had ever seen. Thus, she would conceive and have a son named Jesus (Savior).

A promise like that would probably be enough to ignite a debilitating fear in most of us. Mary was a virgin, married to Joseph (marriage contract signed but wedding and consummation had not occurred yet), a young girl (potentially early teens), and would be seen by all as an unfaithful swine who got knocked up out of wedlock. Any of us would have looked at that deal and said “No thanks.”

But God called it joy, grace, favor. He was providing comfort by saying “don’t be afraid, this is good news and a wonderful thing for you.” She had been counted faithful and righteous and was chosen for a once in a lifetime task. She is now forever known as the mother of the Messiah. A promise God has given is a promise God has kept.

B. God has done nothing but prove Himself faithful in keeping His promises. Abraham received a son, Abraham’s descendants inherited the promised land, David became king, God would punish Judah with captivity and redeem them after 70 years. The list goes on and on. God’s track record is perfect.

He has given us promises as well. First and foremost, salvation (Acts 2:38-39), His Holy Spirit to live in us (Romans 8), strength to overcome temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13, Ephesians 6:14-17), the hope of heaven (Hebrews 6:19-20).

If we have God’s promises, and we do, then we have His help. You are His child, you have His salvation, you have His Spirit living in you, now live like it. Living with the promises of God gives us confidence, peace, joy, assurance, and so much more.

Our God is the God of Promises

III. God is the God of Power (v. 34-35)

A. Curious, knowing the reality of physics, Mary asked how this could possibly happen. God’s explanation was that He’s moving.

The Holy Spirit would come upon her. Whenever we see the phrase that the Spirit would come upon or on someone then a miracle usually happened. The Holy Spirit came upon Samson and he gained great strength, the Spirit came upon Balaam and king Saul and they prophesied, the Spirit came upon the apostles on Pentecost and they spoke in tongues.

In Mary’s case the Spirit would come upon her and she would miraculously conceive. Her womb would be opened and an egg would develop into a fetus and grow into a mature baby boy, all without a male counterpart. The Spirit of God would overshadow (or cover) Mary, thus, the Son in her womb would be both the Son of Man and the Son of God. For the Eternal Word Himself chose to put His own Personhood into her womb and add humanity to His nature. Thus, Jesus is fully God and fully man. God has the power to do anything.

B. If God has the power to slay giants through a young man’s sling, to cause fortified walls to fall down at a shout, to create the world in 6 days, and raise a man from the dead then He has the power to give you life and strengthen you in that life.

What in your life are you trying to do on your own? Where do you seem to be hitting a wall over and over? Have you surrendered to God and sought His ways? Only God has the power to transform your life in a way you couldn’t imagine. Surrender to Him your desires, your will, your body, your life. Change your ways to His, your character to His, and see how He empowers every aspect of your life.

IV. God is the God of Proof (v. 36-38)

A. His explanation told Mary what He planned to do and how He planned to do it but it’s still feeble for a measly human to try and understand it all.

Illus. I can’t imagine trying to explain gravity to Susan would go very well. I could tell her to think of our universe as a fabric and when matter is placed into space it warps that fabric and causes other things to be pulled toward it, like a marble on a bedsheet. There’s also stuff about our planet spinning at tens of thousands of mph, the earth’s core, the tilt of our planet, etc. Stuff I don’t fully get, let alone, trying to explain it to a 5 year old. Instead, I can explain that gravity pulls you back down and have her jump. Very basic and you don’t really get how it works but you see the proof.

God explained how He would have Mary conceive miraculously but it was a miracle and thereby unexplainable to finite human beings. Instead, He showed her proof that He could do it. Elizabeth, who was barren, now is 6 months pregnant. Nothing is impossible with God.

Mary’s response was not another question but willing service (v. 38). She was going to follow God and trust Him no matter what. Why? He showed her the proof of His faithfulness and power. So she gave hers back to Him.

B. God has given you proof. Proof that He exists, that the Bible is true, that Jesus rose from the dead, and that He’s been working in your life. Now will you say, “Let it be done to me according to your Word”? God is the God of History, of Promises, of Power, and He proves it every day. Won’t you give your life to Him today, tomorrow, and for the rest of your life? Do it His way, become more like Jesus, walk by the power of His Spirit. Watch and see what He’ll do.

Conclusion

Don’t just focus on the festivities this holiday season. Put God at the forefront. He is the God of History, the God of Promises, the God of Power, and the God of Proof. Surrender your life to Him. And from this day forth you will be changed.