Hope Announced

Purpose of Luke’s Gospel

Luke 1:3–4 NASB 2020

it seemed fitting to me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in an orderly sequence, most excellent Theophilus; so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.

A few years ago, my family and I went on vacation to Trinidad. While we were there, we had to rely on Uber to get around the island. As we drove from place to place, I started asking our driver questions, about the economy, education, and eventually healthcare.

At one point, he said something that caught me off guard. He told me that Trinidad doesn’t produce many of its own doctors. Instead, they bring doctors in from Cuba.

At first, that surprised me. But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense.

You see, Cuba doesn’t have access to the same medical resources we have. Cuban doctors don’t rely on high-tech machines or expensive equipment. So what do they develop instead?

They develop careful observation.

They ask better questions.

They pay attention to small details.

They learn to think critically about the human body.

Because when you don’t have fancy tools, details matter. In many ways, Luke is like a Cuban doctor.

Luke tells us he is a physician, and he is also known as a careful historian. He doesn’t just repeat stories, he examines them. He documents details that other Gospel writers leave out.

For example, when Peter’s mother-in-law is sick, Matthew tells us she had a fever. But Luke says she had a high fever. That’s a medical detail. That’s the eye of a physician.

Luke tells us at the beginning of his Gospel that he carefully investigated everything from the beginning and wrote it out in an orderly way, for a reason. He’s writing to a man named Theophilus, so that he may know the exact truth about the things he has already been taught.

1. Luke writes his Gospel so that believers may know the exact truth about what they have been taught. 

Theophilus is already a believer. And because Luke refers to him as “most excellent,” many scholars believe he was a Roman official, someone educated, influential, and shaped by Greco-Roman culture.

So Luke isn’t just telling stories. He’s anchoring Theophilus’ faith in Scripture. He’s showing him that Jesus fulfills the promises God made to Israel. And today, we’re going to look specifically at the announcement of the Messiah through the virgin birth.

Now this is important, because Theophilus comes from a Greco-Roman background.

In his world, the idea of a god producing a child with a human woman wasn’t shocking. Greek mythology is full of these stories. They called them demigods, hybrid children born from gods and humans.

But those stories always followed the same pattern: the gods behaved like humans. They deceived women. They used trickery. At times, they committed acts of violence and abuse.

Luke wants Theophilus to see something radically different.

2. Unlike mythology, the birth of Jesus does not come from lust or deception, but from God’s promises.

Jesus is not born out of lust.

Not out of deception.

Not out of force.

Jesus comes from a promise.

The Holy Spirit does not act like the pagan gods of mythology. God does not take advantage of Mary, He overshadows her in holiness and power. This is not mythology. This is redemption history.

And here’s where this connects to us.

Just like Theophilus, we also come with presuppositions, ideas we’ve picked up about God that don’t actually come from the Bible.

Maybe you’ve heard sayings like

Do your best and let God do the rest.

Or God helps those who help themselves.

Do you know that those phrases are not in the Bible?

One of them comes from Benjamin Franklin. And the idea itself traces back to Greek philosophy and mythology, the belief that human effort activates divine help.

But Luke is showing us something different.

Salvation doesn’t start with what we do.

It starts with what God promises.

And what God fulfills.

That’s why we need Scripture, to correct our assumptions, anchor our faith, and show us who God truly is.

Encounter

Luke 1:26–29 NASB 2020

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. (V28-29) And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was very perplexed at this statement, and was pondering what kind of greeting this was.

Luke gives us an incredible amount of specificity.

He gives us a time.

He gives us a messenger, not just any angel.

He gives us a city in Galilee.

He gives us a virgin, her marital status, the man she’s betrothed to, and even his lineage.

And finally, he gives us her name.

Luke is doing this intentionally.

He’s helping Theophilus see that God is fulfilling His promises perfectly, exactly, and on time.

Think of it like this, have you ever seen a stealth fighter jet?

A stealth fighter flies under the radar, undetected. It has a specific mission, a specific location, and a specific target. And it’s flown by the most experienced pilot available. That’s what’s happening here.

Luke tells us this messenger is Gabriel—not just any angel, but an angel with a mission history. Gabriel has delivered messages before. He knows what he’s doing.

And what’s fascinating is this: there’s only one other place in Scripture where Gabriel plays a major role—and that’s in the book of Daniel.

In Daniel 9, Gabriel delivers a prophecy about the coming of the Messiah—and not just that He’s coming, but when He’s coming.

Daniel 9:24 NASB 2020

“Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the wrongdoing, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness…

I’m not going to unpack all the details of that prophecy today—it would take far too long. But here’s what I want us to see:

God decreed a specific timeline for redemption.

A time when sin would be dealt with.

A time when guilt would be atoned for.

A time when everlasting righteousness would be brought in.

And now, centuries later, Gabriel shows up again.

The same angel who announced the timing of the Messiah now announces the arrival of the Messiah.

3. God fulfills His redemptive plan with perfect timing early and never late.

Luke is showing us: God is not late. God is not guessing. God keeps His promises down to the detail.

Next, Luke gives us a specific city—Nazareth, in Galilee. Nazareth was a nothing town.

Remember Nathanael’s words later in the Gospel: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

Luke is making a point.

God doesn’t choose the most impressive places to display His favor. He chooses the forgotten, the rejected, the overlooked.

4. God often chooses the rejected and overlooked places to display His glory.

Then Luke tells us about a virgin, but at first he doesn’t even give us her name. He gives us her role, a virgin who is betrothed to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. That detail matters.

Betrothal in those days meant you were legally married, but the marriage had not yet been consummated. The husband would go prepare a place, then return later to bring his bride home.

Here’s why this timing is crucial:

If Gabriel came before Mary was betrothed, Jesus would have no legal claim to David’s throne.

If Gabriel came after Mary and Joseph were together, God’s word about the virgin birth would not be fulfilled.

5. The virgin birth required exact timing so that Jesus would be both truly human and legally David’s heir. (Galatians 4?)

God’s timing is exact.

Then Luke finally gives us her name, Mary.

A young teenage girl.

From a town no one cared about.

From a family with no status.

And Luke says, “And coming in…” That phrase matters.

It means God meets Mary where she is.

This is how God’s favor works. It does not miss its target.

God sends His experienced messenger—Gabriel—on a mission, at the exact moment, to the exact place, to the exact person, and meets her exactly where she is.

And Gabriel says, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”

That language is unique.

No one else in Scripture is greeted this way.

Mary is favored—not because she earned it—but because God sovereignly chose her for a specific role in redemptive history.

And yet Luke tells us she is troubled by this greeting.

Not proud. 

Not presumptuous.

Troubled.

Why?

Mary knows who Gabriel is. She knows the covenant promises. She knows the Scriptures. When you read her song later, it’s saturated with the Word of God.

And still—she’s unsettled.

Now think about how Theophilus would hear this.

In Greco-Roman culture, favor was measured by circumstances. Good things meant the gods were pleased. Bad things meant they weren’t.

Favor had to be earned. Manipulated. Secured.

And if we’re honest—we often think the same way.

We believe that if we pray enough, read enough, feel sorry enough, or perform well enough, we can increase God’s favor toward us. (I catch myself doing this.)

But Luke is teaching us something radically different.

Biblical favor is unmerited.

It is not a reward, it is a gift.

It is a sovereign decision of God.

So what did Mary do to receive favor? Nothing.

6. Biblical favor is not something we earn; it is something God freely gives.

She didn’t come from wealth.

She didn’t come from influence.

She didn’t come from an important family.

The only thing we see is that she trusted the promises of God.

God’s favor is not earned by effort—it is received by faith.

Announcement of Messiah

Luke 1:30–34 NASB 2020

And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. (V32-34) 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; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” But Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

Gabriel speaks to Mary and says, “Do not be afraid, for you have found favor with God.”That phrase“found favor”is not new in Scripture. It’s the language God uses when He calls people into His purposes.

God said this about Noah.

He said it about Abraham.

He said it about others He would use in redemptive history.

And now,He says it to Mary.

But notice something important: Mary’s favor is not about her.

Her grace is attached to someone else.

She is favored because of the Son she will carry. 

The favor she receives flows from the work God is about to do through Jesus.

Then Gabriel says, “Behold.” That word is a call to attention.

Be present.

Slow down.

Take this in.

And here is the news: “You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.”

Gabriel gives her the identity of where hope is found.

The name Jesus means “Yahweh saves.”

Even the name carries weight.

Even the name preaches the gospel.

This child will not just inspire.

He will not just teach.

He will save.

And then Gabriel tells us what this Son will do. He says, “He will be great.”

That word “great” is not vague, it’s loaded with meaning. It echoes what Gabriel once said centuries earlier in Daniel: that the Messiah would put an end to sin, make atonement for guilt, and bring in everlasting righteousness.

This is where our hope rests.

Not in what we do.

Not in our effort.

Not in our obedience.

Our hope is in what Christ does.

Luke then shows us something astonishing about this Son.

He is called a son, fully human.

And He is called the Son of the Most High, fully divine.

Jesus is not a demigod like the stories Theophilus grew up hearing.

He is not half-god and half-man. He is truly God and truly man.

And this matters deeply.

If Jesus were only man, His sacrifice would not be eternal.If He were only God, He could not stand in our place.

Only a true man could atone for human sin.

7. Jesus is not a demigod—He is fully man and fully God.

Only God could offer a sacrifice of infinite worth.

And because Jesus is both, He can save completely.

Gabriel then tells Mary that God will give Him the throne of His father David.

That throne is not just a position, it is a reward.

Jesus earns it by living the life we could not live.

By obeying where we failed.

By remaining faithful where we fell.

And the reward He receives is not gold.

It is not land.

It is a people.

You and me.

The Davidic throne was always meant to be a light to the nations. Israel was meant to be the means by which God would reach the world.

And now, through Christ’s obedience, God gives Him a kingdom, and that kingdom will never end.

So why does the incarnation matter?

Because you are the reward of Jesus’ work.

You don’t earn God’s favor by measuring your performance.

You see God’s favor most clearly when you look at the finished work of Christ.

Our confidence is not in our obedience, but in His.

Response

Luke 1:35–38 NASB 2020

The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; for that reason also the holy Child will be called the Son of God. (V36-37) And behold, even your relative Elizabeth herself has conceived a son in her old age, and she who was called infertile is now in her sixth month. For nothing will be impossible with God.” (V38) And Mary said, “Behold, the Lord’s bond-servant; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

After hearing all of this, Mary asks a simple question: “How?”

And that question matters.

Mary is betrothed. In her culture, becoming pregnant before the marriage was consummated would bring shame, suspicion, and even danger. So her question is not doubt, it is faith seeking understanding.

She believes what Gabriel has said. She just wants to know how this will take place, since she cannot have relations with Joseph.

Gabriel’s answer is breathtaking, because Luke uses creation and temple language to describe what is about to happen.

The angel says the Holy Spirit will come upon her, and the power of the Most High will overshadow her. (This is not random language.)

In Genesis, the Spirit of God hovered over the waters at creation.

In the Old Testament, the presence of God overshadowed the tabernacle and the temple.

And now, Mary’s womb will become the place where the Word becomes flesh.

8. The incarnation is the great miracle because God comes to dwell with His people.

This is why the incarnation is the great miracle.

C.S. Lewis said that the incarnation is the miracle of all miracles. It is what the Old Testament was pointing toward, and it is what every miracle in the New Testament flows from.

All of Scripture tells one story: God dwelling with His people.

Because of the way Jesus is born, and because of the purpose for which He is born—He will be called the Son of God.

Then Gabriel does something very tender.

He encourages Mary.

He reminds her of what was mentioned earlier, the sixth month. Elizabeth, her cousin, is also pregnant. And until this moment, Elizabeth had told no one.

God gives Mary community.

She is not meant to carry this calling alone. She now has someone who understands. Someone who can rejoice with her. Someone who can remind her that the Lord has been gracious.

And Gabriel closes with these words: “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Mary is being invited to take God at His word, to trust that He will fulfill every promise He has made.

Her hope is now fully attached to a Person, the Messiah.

And Mary’s response is simple, humble, and profound.

“Behold, I am the Lord’s servant. May it be done to me according to your word.”

9. The proper response to God’s grace is humble surrender to His word.

This is surrender.

Mary doesn’t negotiate.

She doesn’t ask for guarantees.

She places herself entirely in the hands of God.

And from that moment on, everything in her life changes. She had plans, marriage, family, daily routines. And now obedience to God would reshape all of it.

Her surrender would require sacrifice.

She would leave her homeland.

She would live under suspicion.

She would witness suffering and loss as others sought to destroy her child.

Submission to God was not easy, but it was faithful.

And her response becomes a model for us.

Because of the grace that has been shown to us in Christ, we too are servants of the Lord.

When we surrender to God, our lives are changed, not because He takes something from us, but because He gives us something greater.

Mary trusted the promise.

We trust the fulfillment. And both responses are rooted in grace.