Mary & Joseph: Luke 1:26-38

As we take a look at Mary and Joseph's story one of the first things you'll see is really the contrast between last week's story. We have the prophecy of two births. But when we take a look at Elizabeth and Zechariah here's an older couple advanced in years, a woman who was barren and bearing shame of being barren. Feeling that shame of years, crying out to God for a child and God miraculously answering that prayer. As Zechariah is praying and a serving in the temple serving an angel appears to him, this angel Gabriel. And Gabriel's going to inform him that you have a son named John and he will be a forerunner. Now contrast that to this story, so within six months. And if you know, the background 400 silent years where God has not made himself or had a prophet, He has not spoken directly to his people. often referred to these, and if you're clear with scripture is a 400 silent years, these it is in the time between the Old Testament and the New Testament where we pick up with these stories. In the story last week with Zechariah and Elizabeth and the story of Mary and Joseph and these births is about 6 months apart. Within a span of six months, God began speaking to his people and speaking in amazing ways with Zechariah and Elizabeth with a promise of a child to a barren woman, and a husband in their older age and specifically very clear that the picture they say, We're Beyond be able to Bear children. Is not just the fact that Elizabeth has been barren. And with Mary and Joseph we have a completely contrasting situation. We have a couple who is just now getting ready to start their journey together, but they're not even technically married , they're what we call betrothed. I doubt at this point in time Mary was expecting a son . Neither is Joseph. And so their situation is the complete reverse here is two young people about to be married being informed, that their life is about to be changed by a birth.

At the end of this passage, if you caught it when Justine read, are the things that we have is the Angel Gabriel is going to narrate and kind of tell us something significant. when Gabriel looks at These two births he actually tells us what they mean and he says this :

Nothing, nothing is impossible with God.

Both of these stories are united by a single Redemptive thread that has been running literally since Genesis when things began to come apart after sin and God's promise. There's going to be a descendant the One that would step on the head of the snake. And it's only now that would begin to see really see God to begin to unfold these more clearly.

This Thread, that we see all throughout scripture, this Redemptive threat is literally going to come down from the throne room heaven. And this messenger, Gabriel going to come into some pretty insignificant places. He's going to come to to some pretty unsuspecting what we would think of it as Ordinary People. But these unbreakable promises these threads God is is we can give us a glimpse of this beautiful story that God is weaving together to bring us toward this point.

A Salvation.

That plan, not only includes Zachariah and Elizabeth Mary and Joseph. But literally, as we sit, and we preach the good news about Jesus that same thread, is being unfolded here this morning because God is still at work.

So this morning, I want to begin looking at ordinary places Ordinary People Extraordinary God. Beginning verse 26. With what I want to call a very ordinary place. In verse 26 and it says In the six month The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth. Nazareth. Just a few words. The angel Gabriel is one of Three Angels mentioned By name in scripture. The other is Michael and the third is...

I said the first cuz I was thinking Gabriel, Michael. I know them. The third is Lucifer. Three Angels that are very specifically. And what you need about Gabriel to the other place. We see Gabriel was actually in the Book of Daniel. Gabriel is often times called the the angel of annunciation. Sometimes you're here like a church called The Church of annunciation was about Jesus with Daniel. He was about the kingdom. With Elizabeth and Zechariah. It was about the fact that the savior's getting ready to, there's going to be a forerunner. This John who who we would later know, as John the Baptist and this Gabriel comes again here to Mary. We don't know if he appeared to Joseph too there's another account of an angel with Angel, is it named? And in that passage and here's what I can tell you, Gabriel literally sits at the foot of God and is sent from the throne room of heaven. When God wants to dispatch him, a message about Jesus and the kingdom. This might not be the only times we hear from Gabriel. He may have appeared and others but here is the three times you his name. And every time he is announcing news about the kingdom in about Jesus or his birth.

Let's look at Galillee. I don't want to spend a lot of time and it's not just want you to get to maybe help, you see this ordinary place and if you don't recognize Luke and how he writes, then you might miss this one. It says the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth. Did you notice he actually gives us two points of reference, if you would simply said, Nazareth none of his modern readers, would hardly know where it was. So, he specifically take the extra step of telling you. It was in Galilee so that they had a frame of reference when Jesus was from Nazareth. They had a saying, "can anything good come from Nazareth?" What is the first things we run into this account? Is that God is at work in some what we would consider some pretty insignificant places. The reason I want to point that out and I don't know about you. I grew up an Indian Mills New Jersey. It was it was a farming community of a few thousand people . In fact it's actully interesting: The Greek only has one word for city until they call the city, but if they could choose, if you could have, chosen a lesser term, this was not a, a town. This was a village or west Nazareth was a handful of people.

And this is where after 400 years, an angel of God, shows up and begin to inform people that I'm about to begin to set the world upside down. My kingdom is coming. And God does that in some pretty ordinary places . I want to take a look at is just two what we could only call very Ordinary People.

In verse 2 it says that an angel, came to Galillee came to Nazareth. They said to a virgin betrothed. To a man, whose name was Joseph of the House of David and the virgin's name was Mary.

We come to Jospeph. If it's it. It's not in this passage. But if you read Matthew or mark, this is where we learn. That Joseph was a carpenter who worked with his hands. He is not a person of a power. He's not a person of influence. He's not coming from a, a a place as far as a those who would be Learned or very well-educated . He was, he had a trade, he made his living with his hands. If you read the scriptures apart from a few references, in fact, that after Jesus, young younger years. We hear nothing, we did the father of Jesus and he was a carpenter. You're the most important piece that you saw is that Joseph was of the House of David. And this is a marker. There's many people who would have been of the House of David of the house of David meant that he was from the tribe of Judah.

The reason it mentions of the House of David is Joseph is a descendant of King David. And the reason that this is important ordinary person but part of a very specific tribe that God is going to use. Is what we call the Davidic Covenant is that language isn't familiar to you. It's just simply the promise God made to David about the fact that one day from David's own line there would be a king who will rule forever. That first promise is 2nd Samuel, 10 7 through 11. I'm not going to read that passage. I want to fight from you a Psalm. But this this DJ Covenant runs all throughout the Old Testament. We see it in Jeremiah the prophet. We see it and Isaiah, but I want to read you so Psalm 89:1-4 . If you have your Bible and you want to read with me. Here is the Davidic Covanant. The Psalms are, are the praise songs of God's people. This the Covenant that God's promises to David were so significant that they wrote songs about them, because this is what God's people held on to this this promise, that he'd given.

In Psalm 89, vs 1 to 4 It says I will sing of the steadfast, love of the Lord forever. With my mouth, I will make known your faithfulness to all generations. For I said, steadfast love. will be built up forever, in the heavens. You establish your faithfulness. You have said, I have made a covenant with my chosen one. I have sworn to David My servant. I will establish your Offspring forever and build your throne for all generations. Those promises were coming, true, right here with this man named Joseph who apart from God's work we would never know his name. He was an ordinary Carpenter. He was a person. What we would say everyone made in God's image has very value of God, but how we give, I would say how we as a world Look at people. Joseph was persona Non grata, We would say he's an ordinary person who's about to enter into some extraordinary promises and faithfulness that God is going to show his people. Mary at first, all we really understand about her Is that in this passage twice it mentioned, that she's a virgin. We know her name but we don't actually know anything more about Mary as far as her background. In fact, to say that she was a virgin really, would mean that she is a Truly ordinary young Jewish woman because a Jewish, a young Jewish girl would not have any Intimacy. In fact, she wouldn't be with men until she had been first betrothed and then married. So to say that Mary is a virgin, would be to say that. Yes. She is like every other Jewish, girl. This is the way that they have been taught or by God's law and their understanding of marriage, that marriage and intimacy was set aside for The Marriage Covenant. But this is important. We'll come back to this fact that Mary truly is a virgin. So we have two Ordinary People. Joseph, a carpenter Mary, a young virgin. Now into the story. As we look at it, ordinary place named Nazareth. We look at to Ordinary People in verses, 28 to 31. We're going to see, extraordinary grace. In verse 28 he said greetings o favred one. The Lord is with you.

I don't know what translation you're using. Or what you think of when you read this this term? The word here for favored ones, with a compound word, but the root word that you probably are more familiar with is grace. This is from the Greek word, Charis. The same word. We use over and over and over again, for God's grace. Is this same word? Is it a compound form? And it means you're the one who is the recipient of God's grace. So your version might have highly favored one, Greetings or favored woman. Anybody else have a version this little bit different? Favored one, highly favored one.

I want you to see is simply this, and I, we have to get this truth, or you will misunderstand the story.

As people when we read idea of favor, it's very hard to take out this idea that somebody did something to earn that favor. So when you think your greetings o favored one, the Lord is with you. If in your mind the association was Mary was an exemplary young woman and as a result, that God came and showed her favor, You misunderstand what Luke is saying and you misunderstand grace.

Mary is simply a recipient, when we, when we think of the word rates, right? Let's let's talk about this. I think the word Grace Grace, literally means, undeserved blessing, or undeserved favor, which is why a word we use o favorite, right? I'm not saying Mary was not a When we read the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, right it told us they were, right? You, I'm not in any way saying that Mary is unrighteous. But one of the things we have to understand? Is the way that we look at this person is perhaps a a sinner This person is righteous. And if God were to show Grace, one person would be more deserving than other. And if we have this understanding fundamentally don't understand The gospel or scripture. We could have been a funny story when I was a kid being raised in a pasture. So I'll be late in church. I would say being in pretty much. It's a good kid. One day in this place has idea, favor. I was thinking walking around thinking myself, early twenties. I want to write a book on favor with job picking out. My dad's going to Pastor. I've been on the mission field. I see the life of Joseph, Joseph had the favor of God. I see that Paul certainly had God's God's blessing and favor resting on him and I started it in my mind. I want to write a book and I wanted to write about how we position ourselves to receive God's favor. I'm running has never written permit. Every week is about as much as I can. And no, I'm not a writer. But more importantly, my young mind misunderstood because every time I read favor, I understood things I did to basically place myself in this position where I earned God's grace.

If we understand this then fundamentally, we haven't gotten the story right. And we need to get Grace right? Because it's if what we see in this passage.

If it is something that Mary has done to deserve.

And it is not simply an undeserved Grace, and God's favor and blessing then what we make Christianity, to be out out to be.

is simply when we do good things God will do good things back. Man that's a pretty dangerous and man- made religion. A man-made religion is about how we do good things. And when we do good things, God does good things back.

That's not the gospel, and if church is about that then we fundamentally missed what this idea of Grace is. Now, once again, don't misunderstand me. I am not in any way trying to say, or or, or Mar Mary's character, and Joseph character. We know that Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous people. All I'm saying is that righteousness does not earn us to kind of favor God's shows and if it did. Then it's just a system is where in like the old Catholic system of I do, and then God does I do God, let me tell you folks. All of us will fall off that train.

Will never be good enough. Their days were be thinking pretty good. And then there's days you probably know, man. I'm as bad as the rest of them. And if we relate to God and then you start getting in that cycle of how we pray. I was good today. I'm really depressed. I was terrible today. I'm struggling this week and now, you know it. So I stay awau from God got them if we fundamentally misunderstand it. but when you see this word, o favored one, this is straight Grace, straight Grace, the same grace that we translate a Grace and all the rest of pictures. this is the fundamental word.

Next I want to examine this extraordinary child, but Mary was promised in verse 32 it says he will be great and you'll be called the son of the most high will give it to him. The Throne of his father David and will reign over the house of Jacob forever and ever his kingdom. There will be no end now versus last 32 and 33. You caught a glimpse of the day. Did it come to promises again right? Ruler, who ran over Jacob's house forever? And in there will be no end. If you're not familiar with why you would use Jacob. They're just like, it's like 10 ciders for the Jews to say, David, or Jacob was the talk about promises that God is in making to the Israelite people all along the way. If we go back in the Book of Genesis is making promises to Jacob, who is Jacob. Jacob would have 12 sons. Those 12 sons of be the 12. Tribes of Israel. One of those tribes to be Judah from that line, David will come from Judah from the line of David will come Jesus. So using this language is really just connecting. All of the docks is talking about. How were the house of Jacob Marine of the House of Israel as a whole knowing. What does extraordinary child first and foremost. You just see that he will be great. You look at the son of the most high, I'll just make one comment about this extraordinary. Child. Most high actually comes from. To the first time we see, this is your the story of milk is a deck in the Old Testament is a king that number Abram. It is traveling back lot. His nephew has been captured and he's been taken away and they have all his goods and Abram. His nephew lot was living in another area. Rounds up troops goes after the Army conquers, that Army Reserve back lot, bring back everything. And there's a king who walks out and meet them and He blesses. And he said, he blessed in the name of God, most high. What's the weather terminology come from and it simply needs this. The one true God. When we, when we say we recognized a general term for all our culture, right? God. Small Jeep. So they're there is a an understanding to when we say, God were talking about a baby. But yet, this goddamn, any religion of the Son of God knows I saying the one true. God, the singers are the most high God, the God above all God's. This is what it did to the clarifying. Mark, it goes back to milk. Is it at its kids drawing on that language and it's saying this child is going to be extraordinary. This child is the Son of God. Most high the one true God.

Extraordinary Births verses 34 and 35.

When we move to these verses you see, Mary has a very honest question. This is Mary said to the angel, since I am a virgin how will this happen? What this is basically a question of biology. Contrast last week and last week's story Zechariah asked a question and he didn't believe it and he was punished. He was disciplined by the Lord. It says, you will not speak. Mary asked a question and we don't see any kind of discipline. What's the difference? All I can tell you the scripture doesn't try to make it clear the different. that if I gave you an answer, I would be lying. All I can say is God sees the heart to know the intentions of the heart. With Mary She asked a question and she says, how will this be? It seems like a question of biology because as she knows, and we know virgins don't have babies. So it seemed like she was understanding this promise, but not very practical question, which was I don't understand how this could possibly be since I am a virgin and maybe in Mary's, I just thought of of I'm still bethrothed. This is patrolled mean I'm engaged, but we're still not married. And so, Mary has an honest question. Now, the way that Gabriel answer, this is going to really teach us three foundational, doctrines that are absolutely critical . In fact these are foundational doctrines that If you don't assume these doctrines, then you're not a part of the Orthodox Faith, you would be denying Christianity itself. Are Doctrines in the Virgin birth? I'm two doctrines that come with the Incarnation. Incarnation is just mean the fact that God has come to be with us, but he is God incarnate and that is Jesus in Jesus Humanity.

I don't know how well you might know those those doctrines but so that I just don't mention a man named The Virgin birth, Jesus Diety and His humanity I want to refer to restore some time It's just a very helpful. And in every day, practically language resource place. You can go for on the sound, solid doctrine I'm going to read to you what it means by the Virgin Birth, by Jesus diety, And why Jesus Humanity, first virgin births. This is number 50, in our book. I'm just going to read it word-for-word. And once again, this is resource. I can send you the PDF. I just don't want to mention these things and go over them. Like, you know, exactly what I mean. When I say, the Virgin birth, when I say Jesus diety, and when I say you just Jesus's humanity. to let me share with you three doctrines that come right out of this text. The Virgin birth. To the Bible of firms that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. The Virgin birth affirms, the historicity of the Incarnation. What is Incarnation? That is that God took on human flesh and was born a man. Wear a turtle sound. Took on human flesh. The Virgin birth is significant. And that store is as a reminder of the Old Testament prophecies specifically Isaiah 7 while also affirming both the diety and Humanity of Christ. If we don't affirm the Virgin birth then we aren't affirming Christianity. This is absolutely critical. This is foundational to the doctrine of what we believe next. I take a look at Jesus, did it by saying Jesus, DD, what we mean is that Jesus was fully God fully God. There's a mystery of Jesus healing Humanity, but we have to affirm just diety. It says within in the person of Jesus Christ. There are two Natures, the divine nature, and the human nature scripture. Teaches. He is fully Divine, and fully human is on display in passages. That described him as being equal with God. the New Testament also points to the deity of Christ by showing how he possesses the attributes that God Alone, possesses how he performs works. But only God performs the how he himself claimed to be the son of God. And lastly, Jesus Humanity. In addition to being fully Divine, the Bible also affirms, that Jesus is fully human. Not only does Old Testament affirm that. The promised one, the Messiah would be a man, what? The New Testament also affirms. That Jesus Earthly life bore, all the marks of Being Human. A the circumstances, the living such as living human beings, such as hunger, weariness, sorrow and pain. Now, you might think Sam that's the same basic stuff and that's basic you, praise God, that you understand. And know I can tell you, we live in a world where we constantly move away from our foundation, where we accept the teaching of Jesus and the good moral things about Jesus, but we don't accept the deity. We don't accept his humanity. And when we think about things like the Virgin birth, it almost becomes like Fairy Tail specific, just And I just want to affirm Those and tell you. We absolutely believe in these things and we build all of our Christian faith on doctrines like this that are critical to getting right. Don't want to take the time to you just to make sure you know, this, isn't myth. This isn't Fairy Tail. This is God in human flesh fully Divine fully human and a virgin birth. So we have an extraordinary birth Two more, extraordinary things and then we'll wrap up with our time today in the word. The rest is this extraordinary hope. This is really looking at to how Gabriel himself summarizes what is taking place. In verses 36 and 37 Gabriel informed Mary for the first time something She didn't know. Which is it says behold your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, married and noticed. For the First Time Mary is receiving news that something miraculous is taking place. Not only. Has she seen an angel? Gabriel has appeared to Elizabeth who she knows is beyond the age of child-bearing.

It says in the sixth month with her who is called Barren and verse 37 says for nothing will be impossible with God. How does Gabriel summarize these past six months? And God beginning to really lay out? This Redemptive work number, This Thread, that I said, literally came out of Heaven. Gabriel came down from heaven with this thread of redemption. Finally, connecting heaven with Earth with a plan They didn't previously didn't know and understand. That is through these two births, a woman who is barren who was in? It's impossible to have a child. It's interesting that they have impossibility of God. Giving a woman who is bearing a child. In the flip side, we have the impossibility of a woman who's a virgin giving birth to a son.

And Gabriel's description is this: nothing is impossible with God because I wasn't talking about a barren woman and a woman who is a virgin. Gabriel is looking down the corridors of Redemptive history And what he saying it's not only is his God showing you for your own faith but a woman who is barren and when was a virgin will have a child and got to be using them, not even possible talking about what God is going to do. For Jesus, to take on, sin this is why I wanted you to know those doctrines. without the Virgin births, We have a Jesus, so I guess in nature. Without Jesus being human. He can't take on sin and die on cross. Without Jesus being God himself. There is nobody who'd been righteous , no human could have been sinless. And so what Gabriel is a talking about? Yeah, he's opening Mary's eyes and it was Elizabeth's eyes to say nothing is physically is impossible. God, can give birth to or give to a son in the ladies old age into a virgin, but nothing is impossible Meaning, Redemption is going to take place through she. When people got Mary's, a story of heaven and him in his glory and he comes, and he takes on human form and joins us. Nothing is impossible for God.

Lastly, Let's look at Mary's Extraordinary response.

In verse 38 let's look at Mary's response. I am the servant of the Lord. Would it be to me? According to your word and the angel departed from her?

The response that you see. Is when somebody actually knows and sees and comprehend Grace. Because I'm Mary's immediate response. And by the way, Mary didn't go away And Ponder and wonder and come back and then offer her life to God. Mary understood as the angel Gabriel has revealed It, when she understood the grace that God was showing her, she was at Mary, did she took her life. She laid it at God's feet and said, God, you do as you will.

There's nothing in this world, apart from God's grace that can evoke that response. When we truly understand God's love for us in his grace what it does in us as it creates love for God. I love so great That we would be willing to say I'm laying my life down at your feet because this is the only natural response that makes any sense in my mind as I comprehend God's goodness and Grace and love.

Just so you recognize how hard that is when you when you enter a marriage and commitment. Yes, you have any emotions of love? But the reality is meant We have to Die daily to ourselves because truly laying our lives and in my desires at another's feet, I don't get what I want all the time and that's hard. The news is the inconvenience. I might be uncomfortable. Fundamentally just means this. I'm laying control over my life to somebody else. This is what happens. This extraordinary response is the immediate response that happens when we comphrehend grace. It's a natural result.

What I see here is something that we see in 1st John 1st, John 4:19 says we love because God first loved us. We understand and comprehend God's love, it begins to do something and in our hearts that nothing else can do. And the reason for that is this. God is glorious in a way that nothing else is. This world is glorious, God's work. It is when we see it and comprehend, it is worth is so vast. So if you can't even define it. Like if somebody goes and stands next to the Grand Canyon to Landmark that I'm familiar with, I don't know what it is. In your home, country, but when somebody is standing and taking in the Grand Canyon nobody looks at it and says, I am great. I Nobody got when you're taking the Grand Canyon, you're fixated on that and what you say to the person you say that is amazing. How do you put in the word? Picture doesn't do it Justice, you need to see the vastness. You need to see some raw power of creation. When we see grace. This is what happens. We, we, we have them. There's not a box for it. We just know this is so far beyond anything I've ever seen or understood or known. And it's, in fact, it's so powerful, Mary didn't have to think twice. the grace that she's received, and she just lays her life down.

it is yours to do with as you wish. If you you said, I have a son, I will have a son. There's probably a thousand. What do I do? How do I, how do I, how do I, how do I not show Favoritism? Probably many, many prayers. But I want you to see what is, what is the normal response to Grace? We lay our life at Jesus's feet. Here's where we're going to end.

Maybe you're thinking, sometimes I read this. I read the scriptures and thinking I wish I could know God like that, angel appeared to me, Gabriel appeared to me. You're a woman to be chosen to be the mother of Jesus. I wish God would show me that kind of Grace. I wish God would show up in a positive way like that in my life. Here's what I want to end up, giving you an even Greater Grace than Mary. Mary was chosen to be the mother of Jesus.

But even Mary needed to receive forgiveness of our sins. And the only way that happen with receive a Greater Grace, the whole reason Jesus was sent since and came to die for the sins of the world. To receive the grace of having your sins forgiven, a new life being given to the very righteousness of God, were told that we have been given everything in the heavens. We everything that Jesus could possibly earn. Everything that he deserves by being the very Son of God every privilege.

Is ours in Jesus Christ. Mary received the blessing of being the mother of Jesus. Greater Grace has been offered to you and me this morning. We don't have to sit and wonder wish I was like, Mary was I was like Elizabeth something greater has been given it's been made available to every single one of us. That is that through Jesus God has made open the very richest of Heaven. Forgiveness, New Life. Adopted as sons and daughters.

And the Very bride of Christ to be in his church.

There's no insignificant places. There's no insignificant people.

And there's nothing is impossible by God's grace. This morning I want to invite you if you have not responded to God's grace in your life to respond as Mary to lay your life down. To give in God's control and to receive what God has come to offer. We talked about the gospel. We take ourselves out of this story. And talk about the story of why Jesus came. God has made salvation in him through, Jesus Christ, available to you, and I invite you to receive that this morning. So, you know, God's grace spray.

God this morning we take a look at the second story of Christmas, the story of Mary, and Joseph. God, we praise you for this Redemption narrative, this Redemption story. This is the story that shapes us. This is our story, this is a story in our family. The story of what you're doing among the Nations. And today, I pray that we would know and understand your grace. But every single one of us like Mary has been given favor. We've been given undeserved blessing in knowing Jesus Christ. And I pray that you give us the courage to respond his name of Jesus. Amen.

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