Jesus: The Son of God (Luke 1:26-38)

Will the title of my message this morning is Jesus the son of God. And over the course of our Christmas sermon series, we've had the opportunity to look at the story of Christmas from the perspective of 2/3 and ultimately for different people the first week we started by looking at John's perspective on Christmas Jesus the word of God John told the story of Christmas from before it began. In fact from before anything began is he wrote these words in the beginning was the word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God all things were made through him. And without him was not anything made that was made and the word became flesh and dwelt among us and we have seen his glory glory as of the only son from the father full of grace and truth. John told the story of Christmas from the very beginning of all things that the word of God through whom all things were made God himself came into this world and took on flash for the sake of our Redemption the Apostle Paul told the story of Christmas that in the way of which Speaking of Jesus as the righteousness of God. So, hopefully that Christ did come but what he had accomplished when he did come you wrote in Galatians chapter 4, but when the fullness of time had come God sent forth his son born of a woman born under the law to redeem those who are under the law. God did not simply come to the world to display his glory before men, but he came to the world to free them from slavery to sin and death that those who had been in Shackled by law by the sin of their hearts might be Redeemed by a man born of a woman born under the law to fulfill the law and the Dutch live and lay down his life to redeem those who had broken the law will this morning we turn from those theological truths at the core of the coming of Christ did the actual story of Jesus's birth in first this week. We'll look at the announcement of that birth by the angels to both Mary and Joseph. You got a Bible take it out and turn with me to Luke chapter 1 verse 1 Before we convey Luke's story of Christmas. It's important to know how Luke wrote In what he intended to convey as he wrote. The story that Luke will tell us will be an amazing one. It will be a miraculous one and as a result it will somewhat be an unbelievable won the things that which he speaks are not things that take place each and every day of our lives. In fact there things that are hard to believe and yet listen to how Luke begins his gospel begins it with the statement of his intentions and a statement of his method. It's not often we get a chance to see behind the pain. It's not often. Do we have a chance for a gospel writer to tell us how he put together his message or for what reason but. Luke, does that plainly in the prologue of his gospel? He writes in Luke chapter 1 verse 1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile A Narrative of the things that have been accomplished Among Us just as those who from the beginning I Witnesses and Ministers of the word, it would have delivered them to us. It seems good to me. Also having followed all things closely for some time past to write an orderly account for you. Most excellent Theophilus that you may have certainty concerning the things that you have been taught. Luke as you may recall was not one of the Apostles he was not one of the 12 he is coming to Christ is not recorded in the scripture and it doesn't seem that he knew Christ from the very beginning of his ministry, but he pins are gospel by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and he comes to know what he knows because he's carefully studied the accounts that were written by eyewitnesses to those things. He Faithfully conveys what Jesus did and who he was so that his reader Theophilus and all those who would read afterwards might have certainty concerning the things that they have been taught. Luke's Gospel According to Luke is not based on conjecture or myth or hoax but it's based on facts taken from the accounts of eyewitnesses. It's very important to understand right off the bat because the first story that he's going to tell is an unbelievable story of events that we can hardly imagine. It's so many down Through the Ages had denied because of the remarkable claims that they entail and yet according to Luke. It was fact verified by eyewitnesses and solute begins his gospel this way that he might firmly ground the story of Christmas that he tells as a historical fact of what God did in this life on this Earth in our world in his day. Here's what Luke rights in Luke chapter 1 verse 26 and he writes words that no one else could have known except marry herself. Scholars believe that either Luke got his account from Mary herself because he did know the apostles. He knew Polly to the other Apostles. He made very well have talked with her personally or he got his account from an account that Mary drafted to convey her own experience. And so what we're probably looking at here is Mary's recounting of what Happened One Night the most remarkable night of her life. Most likely when the angel appeared to her completely out of the blue. Here's what Luke records of Mary's experience the Christmas story and it's very beginning. Hey the 6-month Luke writes. The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the House of David in The Virgins name was Mary. Just the other day. I went to pick up the boys from my parents house. As you guys know, they live just down the street from us, which is very helpful to us. Especially when the kids are wearing us out. We can make a phone call and 90% of the time they'll take them which is great. Right we can bring them up there and they'll watch him for a bit while the boys had been at my parents house playing during the day. In fact, I think it might have just been Bryce that day and I swung back around hours later and thankfully hours later to pick him up. I found Bryce sitting there in the living room behind a familiar green cardboard table card table that my parents have had ever since I was a kid and and Bryce was sitting there on the couch in front of this green card table that had hundreds if not thousands of puzzle pieces on it. I thought to myself what in the world is going on as I came and I said you wouldn't you guys been up to in my mom explained to me that they were putting together a puzzle and I looked at Bryce there on the couch and he looks somewhat befuddled. I can still remember as little boys going when they were first born going to pick up those First puzzles. Do you guys remember that his parents those wooden puzzles with the little plastic handle on top of the pieces and you pay like $15 and it's like a 5 piece puzzle that can be done. Just that quick, but that's kind of where they're at at that time and they have a picture of what goes on top when they try to match it. And you remember when you're a kid and I think it's kind of a rite of passage when you buy one for your own child and oh and of course prices work from the time he was young on puzzles like that and then 10 piece puzzles in 20 piece puzzles, but I don't think that boy did I have ever bought a puzzle with hundreds of pieces for Bryce and so he said it as he sat on my mom's couch in front of these thousands of or hundreds of vitamin A Thousand piece puzzle have to ask her. Brought hundreds of puzzle pieces before him I was concerned for him. You know any looked a little bit confused about my mom said ask Bryce how things went and he began to explain to me but that he had had some success and he was able to put the corner pieces in the edge pieces together puzzle pieces that stood out that gave you a sense of what was to come and of course most helpful at all before Bryce was the box top of the puzzle which had the picture there, but they told you what ultimately it would look like it was a picture of the Nativity the birth of Jesus Christ there in the manger and though the puzzle pieces that he had put together didn't tell the story plainly the picture on the box did Let me reach back into the Christmas story. We find a whole bunch of puzzle pieces that have been set out in advance puzzle pieces that the prophets have laid out over hundreds of years inspired by the holy spirit that don't provide the complete picture of who Jesus is but provide incremental snapshot of what is to come and some of those puzzle pieces stand out more plainly than others. Some of them are more impactful and insightful and give us an anchor Point by which we can build the picture. And here if you're a sensitive biblical reader as you read this language a puzzle piece might come to mine in the sixth month. The angel of Gabriel was sent from God to his city of Galilee named Nazareth. At least for me when I hear that story. I recall one famous puzzle piece. That's always stood out in my head. It's taken from the prophet Isaiah. There will be no more Gloom for who her who was an English in the former time. He brought contempt to the land of zebulun and naphtali. But in the ladder time, he is made glorious the way of the sea the land beyond the Jordan Galilee of the Nations. In this prophetic puzzle piece God by the inspiration of the holy spirit is pinpointing the exact place where his son will come to bring about a redeeming Ministry. The people that he will call Isaiah goes on from there. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light those who dwelt in the land of deep Darkness on them has light show in only a few versus later at puzzle piece grabs hold of an anchor spot as we put together. The picture of the Son of God to come for to us a child is born to us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name Shall be Called wonderful counselor, Mighty God Everlasting father Prince of Peace of the increase of his government and peace. There will be no in on the throne of David and over his kingdom he will sit to establish it and uphold it with Justice and with Righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The Zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. And so if we're sensitive to the pieces of that puzzle that are set before us on the pages of history and the prophetic witness of God's people when we hear these words in the sixth month. The angel Gabriel was sent from God to City of Galilee name Nazareth to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph. We've got to realize that that picture is coming into Focus the very place in which God for told to us a child would be born is Galilee and that's the very place in which the angel announces the coming of the son of God. But those are not the only remarkable pieces of the puzzle in these first opening phrases of Luke's account the recognize a few other things as well and the 6-month the angel Gabriel was sent from God name that's familiar to anyone who's familiar with the biblical witness. There's angels that appear in the scriptures in many different ways. But Gabriel held a unique role in God's economy of redemption. I remember that puzzle piece from the story that Daniel told in his own accounts of God's work in the life of his people while they were in captivity Daniel Road in Daniel chapter 9 verse 21 while I was still in prayer Gabriel. The man I had seen in the earlier vision came to me and Swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice instructed me and said to me Daniel I have now come to give you insight and understanding as soon as you began to pray A word without which I have come to tell you for you are highly esteemed. Of all the Angels recorded in the scriptures Gabriel this probably the one who stands out the clearest as the messenger of God to his people specifically tasked to proclaim the good news of redemption that would come through his people and ultimately through the Messiah at puzzle piece does not Escape my reading as I look at Luke's account and it doesn't seem to escape Mary's as we'll see in a few moments in the 6-month. The angel Gabriel was sent from God through the city of Galilee named Nazareth to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the House of David and The Virgins name was Mary. He came to her and said Greetings or favored one. The Lord is with you. But she was greatly troubled at the saying head try to discern what sort of greeting this might be. Hidden Escape Mary is it didn't Escape us as readers of Luke's account that Gabriel is is no insignificant messenger and it would Gabriel appears with the message. He appears with great purpose. It's fascinating at the faithfulness of Mary. She wasn't surprised by the appearance of the Angel. What's interesting is she's not dumb struck by him as well. But she immediately realizes that if an angel is standing before her and if it's Gabriel himself in the message that he is bringing is a great message of great importance.

So she was trouble that the saying trouble in what sense trouble that the impact in the import trouble to understand what it was that this Angel this messenger of god. That's literally what the word angel mean with about to reveal to her and no less trouble by the fact that it was Gabriel himself who would declare the words of God to him even as he had once declared them to Daniel one of God's most anointed prophets. Why would this Angel be talking to her and so carefully she listens to the words that follow an 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 bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and you will be called the son of the most high and the Lord God will give to him the Throne of his father David and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever and hope his kingdom. There will be no end. The immediately marry who though she was very young probably in her teens was a faithful student of scripture knew exactly what this Angel was referring to this. Angel was declaring to her that she would be the mother of the Messiah. But the one who God had foretold from ages past. In fact all the way back to the Lush garden landscape R Adam and Eve fell for the promise that one day one of his descendants would have Eve's descendants would redeem men from their sin and crush the head of the serpent that promise was going to come to pass in her lifetime and not simply in her life time. But from her very womb the Messiah would be born into the world. She was very well aware of the weight of these words and immediately she began to try to figure out how it would be that God would bring these events about And so what did she respond to the angel not with questions of whether or not this could possibly happen and and she's not worthy and how could these things be but a very simple straightforward and clear-minded question. Mary said to the angel how will this happen since I am a virgin? What's a good question to ask. The truth is Mary was already betrothed to Joseph betrothal was kind of like the engagement process that we have in our own culture, but it was a great deal more formal gifts were given and the betrothal was made illegal contract publicly before the Elders of a village or the leaders of a community everyone in the area would know who was betrothed to her and those commitments those compacts those Covenant or binding on the families in the individuals involved and so it could have been possible that God's intent was that Mary and Joseph betrothed to be wed would be wed and then sometime soon afterwards would have a son and that son would become the king of Israel the Messiah of God. But even betrayed in Mary's question that she had a sense that the Angels message was a message with immediate import and impact it seems as if she had a sense that the angel was not speaking of something that would come to pass in the distant future but something that would come to pass even as he spoke. And so she asks a question. I'm certain with some confusion and perhaps some concern how will this be since I am a virgin? And the angel answered her words that Generations have come to question words that would define the very nature of the son to be born to her Words, which if you cannot Embrace and you cannot call Jesus the Christ. He said this to her. The holy spirit will come upon you and the power of the most high will overshadow you there for the child to be born will be called. Holy the son of God. And those four words that no one else no woman or man had ever heard in the history of the world or the history of God's people. But the way in which the Messiah would be born would not be by natural means and not even by Supernatural natural means but by a supernatural act in which God's spirit would conceive this child in Mary's womb such that there would be no question who the father of this child because this father the father of this child would be the most high himself. And we're familiar is students of the scriptures with miraculous births with the supernatural intervention of God in the lives of a husband and a wife from the very beginning of the story of God's people were told of Abraham who was credited with righteousness because of his trust in God, we're told him his struggle that God promised that he would have a son but the reality that both Abraham and his wife Sarah were Barren and get God supernaturally intervene and he gave them a son when by any natural means they would not have been able to have a son so that Isaac a miraculous Birth by Supernatural means and intervention through a natural course of human physiology and that's the case time and time again Isaac and his sons and later on in the scriptures multiple times. We learn of God's miraculous intervention in the life of a cup. To bring about his redeeming plan. In fact in this very story of Christmas. We hear of Zechariah and Elizabeth the father and mother of John the Baptist too. Have a son and he prayed for a child for their whole lives at this very Angel Gabriel appeared before Zachariah as he lit the candles in the temple in in the service of worship and told them that God was going to intervene in their marriage and give them the Sun and yet Zacharias response was not nearly as faithful as marriage because he said there's no way that's going to happen and was struck dumb until his son John was born just as the angel and promised and yet here the angel tells Mary that the means by which God's son would come into the world would not only be Supernatural but it would be divine that this child would be distinguished from other as any other child would ever been born because his father would be The most high brought about by the power of the holy spirit in a way that God had never brought about a child in human history. I saw poll recently that talked about people's answers to a specific question. The question was do you believe in the Virgin birth? And maybe I can ask you that to hopefully some good reasons for you before we're done. But do you believe in the Virgin birth? It was the question that was asked and this is 2017 was the most recent poll that I've seen if you conducted it with folks. So those are the numbers that I have 66% of those polled said that they did believe in the Virgin birth. 85% of those who would self-identify as Christians said they believed in the Virgin birth, but in intercede for a moment here. If you don't believe in the Virgin birth of Jesus Christ, then you are not a Christian. Because the only way that you can be a Christian is to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who lay down his life and rose again to save you from your sins. And if Jesus Christ was not the Son of God not simply a highly exalted man than your salvation is not anything for you to trust in it. So the 15% here who would deny the Virgin birth of Jesus Christ deny his lordship and deny his salvation and denied the authority of the scriptures and deny that they have a redeemer at all and yet 85% of these Christians are firm the Virgin birth in 15 South claim Christians, do not interesting enough for you can look at the ages and see that shift in culture that we've talked about begin to take root. For those who are 50 and above if you ask them the question, do you believe in the Virgin birth of Jesus Christ? 74% of them will say yes. I do believe in the Virgin birth of Jesus Christ and you think 74% of people 50 and above believe in Jesus as their lord and savior. I don't think so, but they at least would have firm to upholster that they believe in the Virgin birth of Jesus, but those 29 and under only 54% would say that they believe in the birth virgin birth of Jesus Christ. That's a significant shift 20% difference and yet I was surprised to see 54% of 30 and unders with affirm the Virgin birth of Jesus Christ. The Virgin birth of Jesus Christ is what the scriptures claim and his virgin birth his Divine bird his identity as the Son of God and not simply a son of man is essential to who he is and what he accomplished on our behalf. And so the angel tells Mary that know it will not be after heat. She is wed to Joseph that God supernaturally intervenes and gives birth to his son in the world, but it will be before that and the gospels make that very plain. In fact, we see that recorded not simply in Luke's account which seems to be a lux account which teams did Dikembe Mary's understanding of this story, but in Matthews account is well, and we turned the pages of Matthew's gospel. We find the story told from Joseph perspective and get it's the very same story Matthew differently than Luke doesn't begin his gospel with a statement of why he wrote or how he wrote. It doesn't begin a statement his gospel with us an interaction between the angels and Joseph or Mary but he begins his gospel with the genealogy of Jesus.

Genealogies were very important to the people of Israel. It was their genealogies or their family histories that gave them to rot the right to do what God had called them to do and you probably remember from the Old Testament that God made it very clear that the only ones who were to serve before him in the temple would be the descendants of Aaron the Levites and so they kept very faithful genealogical records for thousands of years so that they would know completely and plainly and clearly who it was who was a descendant of Aaron for the dishes to. It was the sons of David and David's line who had the right to rule over Israel anyone outside of that line would be claiming their kingly status in an unlawful way in so they kept very clear records of who the sons of David were. Then simply keep those records that they knew who could be priests and who can be Kings but they kept those records so that they can look down to the pages of history and be able to tell plainly who it would be it would be the Messiah when he would come. And so Matthew begins his gospel with the genealogy of Jesus tracing it through David and through Abraham and making the case that that Jesus Christ born Joseph and Mary was born through the line of David and yet though he makes Jesus's family history and his ties to David and Abraham so clear and so plain and so on contestable. He makes it very quickly clear that do Jesus was a descendant of David. He was not the son of David and the way that it was often understood. Until he gives us Joseph's account of that same experience and Matthew Chapter 1 Verse 18. He writes this now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When is Mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph before they came together? She was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit and you see how Matthews account and loose account corroborate one another and the facts are playing at Mary betrothed to Joseph before they came together either physically or even as husband and wife was found to be with child and Matthew gives us a little heads up by the Holy Spirit something that he is the author knows the Joseph at least in his narrative account does not yet know. Matthew goes on and her husband Joseph being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame resolved to divorce her quietly and we hear that language of divorce. We think well, then they must have been married at that point. But as we've already said they were not they were betrothed but so formal was a betrothal process process required a legal act before Witnesses and before the authorities it was on par with being married in terms of The Binding this of that Covenant. And so Joseph being a righteous man, when he learned that his betrothed was pregnant did not call for her to be stoned or put to death for what would have been considered adultery in that time because if you broke the bonds of betrothal it was as it is if you broke the bonds of matrimony, but instead of calling for her to be judge and even executed for adultery he chose to put her away quietly. What would be a great shame to him and his family and let it go from there? It's interesting that the angel does not appear to Joseph earlier in this process. How do you learn about Mary's pregnancy? Patrons of the way in which young people related to one another in a betrothal process is mini Scholars think Joseph was older in that process. You're not exactly sure sometimes a couple might know each other in a small village. They might be aware of who they work. They might have communicated at times over the course of their lives, but other times in a culture in which marriages were arranged those two individuals might not have a lot of interaction up to that point that arranged marriage might have been arranged by their parents completely without their consent. That's just what an arranged marriage culture looks like. So we don't know if Joseph had the opportunity to hear first-hand from Mary that she was pregnant. And in that she had heard from an angel. We just don't know that in fact the text seems to indicate maybe not but he simply heard that your betrothed partner has become pregnant and this horrible event is taking place. What do you want to do a course? You should let her go or even call for her execution. Joseph does not do that. He decides to put her aside quietly and just at the time in which he made that decision. He has a dream in which an angel appears to him Matthew 1:20 tells us what took place again. Joseph would have had to share these things or we wouldn't know them. But as he consider these things behold an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream St. Joseph. Son of David do not fear to take Mary as your wife for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus for he will save his people from their sins. Matthew goes on to tell us this all this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet and then another puzzle pieces right before us to remind us of the portrait that God had painted so many hundreds of years before behold the Virgin shall conceive and bear a son and they shall call his name Emmanuel which means god with us and Joseph woke from sleep. He did is the Angel of the Lord commanded. He took his wife but knew her not until she had given birth to a son and he called his name Jesus.

Jesus Christ the word of God Jesus Christ the righteousness of God Jesus Christ the son of God, there's no man like him who is ever been born. As Christians we do not believe in Christ Man became God. We believe that in Christ. God became man. How is it that God might become a man. That's a remarkable claim Luke establishes that it's not conjecture and it's certainly not speculation or myth but it's fact, how is it that God is the creator of all the universe could become a man. How is it that Flesh and Blood could hold the very spirit of God within it? How could the great one the Holy One the most holy inscribe himself to the Flesh and Blood and Bone makes up our Earthly existence and yet we're told from the very beginning that God created man. And he created man with a purpose and he created man with a plan and then we probably would never have seen that puzzle piece in the picture of the birth Narrative of Jesus Christ. It's there from before the very first sin of Adam and Eve because God created man in His image from the very beginning when he knelt down into the dust of the earth and he formed man he formed that very vessel that he would take on one day in the person of his son. Jesus Christ, not simply for a single season, but for all eternity as the visible witness of who he was not as it shall that he would put on a nature that he would assume assume. and in the fullness of time born of a woman born under the law God himself took on flesh and dwelt Among Us that Jesus Christ possessed a divine nature the nature of his father overshadowed empowered by the Holy Spirit the very Holy Spirit himself and it's human nature that he might bring about the course of our Redemption if Jesus was simply a son of David he could have certainly ruled over Israel and you could have certainly defeated Israel's enemies. But if Jesus Christ were not the Son of God, he would never have defeated death and he would never have overcome sin and he certainly wouldn't have ruled for all eternity over the angels and all of creation. Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the son of man the one who came to save his people from their sin. And so God didn't simply come to demonstrate his power and His glory in the person of Jesus Christ, but he came to affect our Redemption even as the angel said to Joseph and you shall name him Jesus because he will save his people from their sin. And so it is at the name of Jesus which means Yahweh saves that every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the father. Let's close in a word of Prayer. Mighty and merciful god

With Mary we stand before your word.

a message the truth revealed and because we know you

though we are at all of what you have done. We are not in disbelief. Sweet of you. Thanks God that you have done Mighty things for the sake of your people. We give you thanks for this young woman Mary and her betrothed husband Joseph that when they heard your word that they had faith in trust and they raised Jesus in a loving and kind way and helped him understand who he was and an inmate a family for him that he might grow in wisdom and stature and strength. We thank you for John and Paul and Luke and Matthew who gave witness to the truth and we pray almighty God the even as those angels announced to the Shepherds the good news of what you have done in the person of your son and we too might have the courage to do that. Very thing. But thank you for the birth of your son. Thank you for the Redemption that we have experienced in him.