Luke 1:26-38 - The Announcement of the King

Overture is a piece of music that comes at the beginning of the movie/musical.

The directors/producers put this here to set the tone for everything you’re going to see and hear.

They’re also dropping little seeds in your ears of melodies that are going to come later in the movie.

The goal is that they are going to drop little bits early, then give you the whole song later on so when you leave, you leave singing the tune in your head.

In the musical Hamilton, there’s a overture.

Toward the beginning, there’s a bit that will carry the theme for the rest of the musical

“I am not throwing away my shot.”

*Didn’t know I was a rapper, did you? I can spit.*

This theme comes up again/again throughout the movie.

You hear it then you’re rapping it on your way to bed.

These melodies come up again and again throughout the whole movie.

The goal of the overture is setting the tone and dropping melodic seeds until you get the full song that you can’t stop singing.

As we look at the Bible, there is one overarching overture that reoccurs again/again.

God was going to send a Savior into the world to redeem the world from sin.

Up to this point in the Bible, there has been this reoccurring overture, that now is going to be announced in a massive way.

Big Idea: The Announcement of the King

Context

Some miraculous things had been taking place.

The overture was taking root.

Elizabeth and Zechariah were old people, barren for their entire lives when an angel appeared to them and said they would bear John the Baptist.

6 months later, God sends a messenger to a virgin to do more miraculous things and announces the King is coming.

Stand to read

Luke 1:26–33 ESV

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And 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 call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

Leader: This is God’s Word

Everyone: Thanks be to God

A messenger of God, Gabriel, comes to Mary with some intense words of grace.

God is smiling on her—not because she’s impressive; she’s chosen solely by His grace.

We can tell because she’s troubled by the greeting (v. 29)

She’s thinking she’s an unknown woman.

Her life is too small for God to notice/too insignificant for God to be aware of her.

Perhaps you’ve felt that too.

“There’s no way God could do anything with my small, insignificant life.”

Gabriel explains the message (vv. 30-33)

She will give birth to the promised Savior.

She should name Him Jesus because He’ll save His people from their sins.

Her son will actually be God’s own Son.

This is more than anyone could ever dreamed.

This Son will be the realization of God’s covenant with King David hundreds of years prior.

This is a massive announcement over someone who had never considered herself to be much of anything.

This entire interaction is an act of God’s grace.

Mary did nothing to earn it—God simply spoke and now her entire life is going to change.

Church, what this shows us is…

God’s Word will change your life (vv. 31-33)

The message from Gabriel changed everything for Mary.

Until this moment, she was just a little fiance, engaged to a Joseph.

They were wedding planning, swooning over each other, living a normal life.

Then God showed up and now nothing will be the same.

Over the next year she will

Hear about Elizabeth being pregnant with John the Baptist

Almost have her engagement broke off, until an angel stops Joseph and gives him a clear understanding.

Give birth in a barn and be visited by shepherds.

Run away to Egypt to protect her son from a crazy evil king who murders all 2 year old boys, aiming for Him.

This is NOT how she thought life was going to go.

The overture changed suddenly.

The melody of her life shifted.

The rhythms of life that Mary was growing use to has now shifted in the most dramatic way.

Our lives are so customizable moment by moment.

Hilary and I were leading a Church camp in the summer ‘24.

I had massive plans for the rest of the summer.

Hilary was 26 weeks pregnant, no issues, everything was great.

Until the last full day, Hilary woke up and knew something wasn’t right.

We went to the doctor and he said, “Your water has broke. You will be in the hospital until you give birth.”

My world stood still.

“We had plans, Lord. We were going to go hard in the mission, grow this church, so many things.”

In a single moment with a single message, our worlds came to a screeching halt.

Don’t overlook what’s happening to Mary here—Everything has changed.

She’s a young teenage girl, engaged to be married, when the Word of the Lord comes to her.

Not to ruin her life, but to change the world.

Transition

So Mary begins asking questions.

Luke 1:34 ESV

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

She’s not asking, “Can God do it?” She’s asking, “How will He do it?

He question is built on faith, not unbelief.

She’s blown away by God’s grace to choose her, so she says, “Wow. Okay. How is this going to go down?”

I haven’t done the thing that makes babies.

Gabriel answers her question by revealing two of the greatest mysteries in the universe.

The Trinity.

The incarnation of Jesus Christ

Luke 1:35–36 ESV

35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.

Gabriel refers to each member of the Trinity having a part to play.

God the Holy Spirit will come upon her.

God the Father’s power will overshadow her.

God the Son will take on flesh and be born.

God the Holy Spirit will come upon her.

This does not mean that God impregnated Mary like Muslims believe.

That’s heresy and blasphemous.

“Come upon” should call Genesis 1:2, where the Holy Spirit was hovering over the face of creation.

By the full presence and power of God the Father and God the Holy Spirit, a body was miraculously created for God the Son who was going to be brought into the world.

The incarnation means that Jesus Christ was fully God and fully man.

He was not half/half, but full/full.

He was the fullness of God in a person.

As God, He could supply the righteousness of God for sinners that we couldn’t achieve.

As man, He could supply to God the sacrifice we owed for our sins.

He is the perfect Mediator between God and man.

Jesus is the only way that we can come to God and for God to be with us.

Gospel presentation

Jesus is the Son of God who came to us to bring us God’s righteousness and take away our sins.

In ourselves, we have no hope for redemption—We cannot be good enough for God.

Jesus Christ was good enough for us.

He lived perfectly according to God’s righteous demands that we couldn’t live up to

Jesus died on the cross as a man to sacrifice His perfect blood of our sins.

Then He rose, because death could not conquer the Author of Life!

Now, when we trust in Jesus Christ ALONE for salvation, we can be brought in as God’s people.

The only way we can be made right with God is for God to provide us a Savior.

How is it possible for God to provide a Savior for us?

Luke 1:37 ESV

37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Only God can provide a salvation this perfect.

We could never save ourselves.

Jesus Christ is God the Son who became a man to save us from our sins.

Will you trust in King who came to save us?

Will you surrender your life to the lordship of Jesus Christ?

Will your life be changed by the Word of God?

There’s two responses to the gospel.

You can receive it or reject it.

You can’t be indifferent.

Every time you hear the Word of God preached, you come away either a little close to God or a little further away from God.

Either more softened toward the Lord or more hardened toward Him.

But you’re never the same.

This was certainly true for Mary.

God’s Word changed her life forever.

Mary responds to this amazing announcement of God’s grace with faith.

Luke 1:38 ESV

38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

She responds to God’s call with, “Let’s do it. I’m in.”

She responds as a humble servant.

“Whatever God wants for my life, let it be according to His Word. Use me.”

The salvation that God has for us come with a call to respond by living in according to God’s Word.

Church,

We must live according to God’s Word (v. 38)

This means we must know God’s Word.

We can’t assume our own thoughts/emotions/opinions/ideologies.

We lay all those down and submit to what God’s Word ACTUALLY says.

When we approach God’s commands for our lives with a humble submission like Mary did, the entire story shifts and changes everything for us.

The goal of an overture is that you would leave with the melodies and the tunes stuck in your head.

While you’re at work, you’re singing it.

While you’re folding laundry at home, you’re singing it.

While you’re driving in your car, you’re singing it.

The overture of God’s Word is that it would be so engrained into your life that it changes everything.

The overture of the gospel affects every element of your life.

As we grow as believers, as we spend time in the Word (even when you don’t understand it), more seeds of the gospel are being dropped into your mind.

Then when it finally happens and your life is changed, it gets engrained into every element of your life.

Take the Next Step

Get in the Word.

You won’t hear God speak while your Bible is closed.

When you get into the Word, the Word gets into you.

Pick a Bible reading plan/Bible book and stick with it.

Don’t make excuses.

Ask the Spirit to help you.

Read the Bible with someone else.

Spouse—friend—family.

Just read.

Live according to God’s plan for you.

What do you need to change in your life?

What are you not surrendering to Jesus?

We can’t just surrender some to Jesus—This isn’t spiritual hokie-pokie.

You must surrender your entire life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

The Lord turned Mary’s entire life upside down—Why should we not expect Him to do the same with us?