Responses to the Birth

Introduction

Well if you have your Bibles, you can open them to Luke chapter 1. Last week, we spent our time working through several passages in the Old Testament to lay a foundation for how we are to perceive Jesus in light of the prophecies concerning his birth. We saw Jesus as the Victor, the Blessing, the King, the God-Man, the Shepherd, and the Savior. In doing so, we have covered a lot of the significant details that are woven into the birth narrative that Gabriel and another angel announces to Mary, Joseph, the Shepherds, and the Wise men. What I want us to focus on this morning, and what will help inform us of our posture we should take during the Christmas holidays, is all the responses we see from those in the Birth Narrative. We will be in Luke, but we will bounce back and forth between Luke’s account and Matthew’s account. So if you will, stand with me as we read Luke 1:26-38, then we will jump down to Luke 2:8-20.

Body

(1) Faith

a. Mary-

Luke 1:38 ““See, I am the Lord’s servant,” said Mary. “May it happen to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.”

b. Joseph

Matthew 1:24 “When Joseph woke up, he did as the Lord’s angel had commanded him. He married her”

c. The Shepherds

Luke 2:15 “When the angels had left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.””

d. The Wise Men

Matthew 2:2 “saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star at its rising and have come to worship him.””

(2) Action

a. Joseph- Humble Acceptance

Matthew 1:24 “When Joseph woke up, he did as the Lord’s angel had commanded him. He married her”

b. Mary- Loving Meditation

Luke 2:19 “But Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart and meditating on them.”

c. The Shepherds & Wise Men- Hasty Searching

Luke 2:15–16 “When the angels had left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” They hurried off and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the manger.”

Matthew 2:9 “After hearing the king, they went on their way. And there it was—the star they had seen at its rising. It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was.”

(3) Worship

a. Joseph- Submission

Romans 12:1 “Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship.”

b. Mary- Exaltation

The Magnificat - Luke 1:46-56

c. The Shepherds- Glorious Praise

Luke 2:20 “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had seen and heard, which were just as they had been told.”

d. The Wise Men- Offerings

Matthew 2:11 “Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”

Conclusion