"THE PROMISE OF CHRIST'S BIRTH

LUKE 1:26-28

SERMON SERIES: CHRISTMAS 2021

Introduction

Our God is the God of the impossible. Christianity is a miracle faith.

Attention

The moment you say, “I believe in God” what you are saying is, “I believe in miracles. Our God is a God of might and He is a God of the miraculous.

Interest

If God were to become incarnate, you would expect that He would be born in a supernatural way. it is the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ, God taking on humanity, which causes us to learn of the miraculous nature of regeneration, of being born again. God became a man in the person of Jesus Christ through a virgin’s womb.

A virgin’s womb.

Sermon Idea

The Roman Catholic church has made too much of Mary. On the other hand, evangelicals have made too little of Mary. I will seek to rectify that today as we look at the miraculous work of God through an imperfect yet willing maiden named Mary. As we will observe shortly, Mary is a beautiful example of faith, courage, conviction, and humility. There are three facets of the angelic prophecy concerning the birth of Jesus Christ and Mary’s part in God’s plan I want us to take note of.

FACET #1 THE ANGELIC APPEARANCE (1:26-29).

The announcement of the angel brought shock to Mary. Mary was the most unsuspecting and unlikely person to be the mother of the Messiah. Jewish woman down through the ages prayed that they might be chosen as the mother of the Messiah. For this to happen to Mary, there would indeed have to be a miracle. Part of Mary’s background was that she was poor, uneducated, and even illiterate. She was in her teens, between 13-15 years of age. Of course, this was not uncommon during the times in which Mary lived. Adding further to her unlikelihood of ever being the mother of the Messiah was the fact that she lived in Nazareth. It was a backwater town on the other side of nothing. It was a despised and morally bankrupt town. It was a town where Gentiles hung out and where Roman soldiers cavorted. This town was far away from the religious and political power of Jerusalem.

Mary has been described as a nobody living in a nothing town going nowhere. In many respects, this might have been the case. However, Mary is a positive model for us today. Not only was Mary a model for motherhood, but she is a model for Christian living in her humility submission, faithfulness and worship.

A. The Place (26).

The angel Gabriel was sent into the situation because Gabriel is God’s announcing angel (1:18-19). Six months after the beginning of Elizabeth’s pregnancy and her husband Zacharias’ vision in the temple, Gabriel was sent to Nazareth.

B. The Personalities (27).

Gabriel was sent by God to a virgin. That is the most important thing Luke wants us to understand. It is more important than her name. Before going further, we need to address the issue of the virgin birth. We need to recommit ourselves to this truth that is essential to the Christian faith. There are essentials in the Christian faith. Then there are the essential essentials. There are fundamentals and there is fundamental fundamentals. The virgin birth of Jesus Christ is an essential fundamental and a fundamental essential. Without this miraculous arrival, there is no Christian faith. The character of Mary is defamed and the Word of God is defamed without it. Further, the entire Christian faith is defamed and denied at its very core without it.

C. The Proclamation (28).

The first word the angel spoke was, “Greetings.” This was a normal form of address in the New Testament and the larger Greek world. Gabriel then addresses Mary as the “favored one.” The Latin Vulgate is wrong when it translates this as gratia phena, “full of grace.” This was wrongly assigned by the Catholic church as a special grace that made Mary the dispenser of grace in the Catholic church. This teaching is heresy. Mary was the recipient of grace, not the dispenser of it. The angel now announces to Mary the good news that “the Lord is with you.” This is a reference to God’s mighty power being present and upon Mary.

D. The Pondering (29).

Even though the angel assured Mary that there was no reason to fear, the text states that Mary was “greatly troubled.” The main reason Mary was troubled was because it was not customary for an angel to greet a woman. Mary had probably never seen an angel before. Therefore, she sought to discern what sort of greeting this might be. This means that she turned this event repeatedly over in her mind.

FACET #2 THE ANGELIC ANNOUNCEMENT (1:30-34)

A. Angelic Confirmation (30-33).

In these verses the angel presents an accurate description of the coming redeemer. Before that, the angel tells Mary that there is no reason for her to fear. She has found favor with God. This favor is due to God’s sovereign choice, not Mary’s acceptance. Mary is told that she will become pregnant and give birth to a son. Gabriel also instructs Mary as to the name of the child: “He shall be called Jesus.” Now the angel describes the Son in more detail.

1. He will be great.

There have been men down through history that have been referred to as great. Herod was referred to as great. He was great in evil and great in cruelty. John the Baptist was great. In fact, Jesus called him the greatest man who every lived. Yet, Jesus was unqualified in His greatness. The term used for Jesus is used as God as great. Jesus would be great in the glory and of wisdom of God Himself. He will be great in power, in love, and in mercy. He is great because He is eternally and distinctly God.

2. He will be called.

He will be called the Son of the Most High God. Most High is a title for God. This points back to the greatness of Christ. John the Baptist was a prophet of the Most High. However, Jesus is the Son of the Most High.

3. He will be King.

The throne of Israel will be given to Jesus. Through both Joseph and Mary Jesus is doubly a descendant of David. Further, He will reign forever and ever over the nation of Israel (over the house of Jacob). The kingdom that began in a feeding trough in Bethlehem will never end.

God Himself steps into history through the portals of a virgin’s womb. The child to be born would be one hundred percent God and one hundred percent man. He would be the God-Man. He was not half God and half man. He was not all God an no man or all man and no God. He was not a man who became God, which is impossible. He was God who became man. He was the heavenly son of an earthly mother and the earthly Son of a heavenly father.

B. Human Confusion (34).

When Gabriel shows up at Mary’s house, everything in Mary’s life changes. Here entire life was turned upside down. She is betrothed to a carpenter named Joseph. Betrothal was similar but more formal and binding than our concept of engagement. Mary is bound in marriage to the Jewish carpenter named Joseph. She is planning for her wedding and looking forward to a quiet life in the country. No wonder Mary asks the question: “How can a virgin get pregnant and give birth to a child? Can you just imagine other questions that overcame Mary? “What is Joseph going to say? What is going to happen to me?” Mary’s question in this verse is not one of doubt? it was a question that sought clarification. She was overwhelmed, but not unbelieving. She was a woman of humility, not hesitation.

FACET #3 THE ANGELIC INTERPRETATION (1:35-38).

A. The Method (35).

1. The Process (35a).

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.”

2. The Result (35b).

“the child to be born will be called holy-the Son of God.”

The virgin conception of Christ guarantees the perfect union of two natures in one person. Jesus is the God-Man.

B. The Miracle (36-37).

This is not the first miraculous conception in the Bible. However, it is the most significant. Just a few verses back God had demonstrated His miraculous power in Elizabeth’s conception of John the Baptist when she was well past childbearing age. It is also conformation of Gabriel’s message to Mary. Mary’s question (34) is rendered invalid. God had already accomplished the humanly impossible in Elizabeth’s life and He was about to do the same in Mary’s life.

“For nothing will be impossible with God.”

This is where the preacher in me wants to stop and preach a while. This verse means so much. However, one thing it means is that there is no person God cannot save. There is no one outside the parameter of God’s reach. The heardest of hearts is a candidate for the powerful work of the God of the impossible. There is no sin that God cannot forgive. Someone needs to hear that today. In your own life there is some sin you cannot shake or a habit you cannot break. Without Christ it is impossible to deal with such things.

There is another discovery you need to make at this juncture. The Christian life is impossible to live in and of ourselves. That is why God gave us the Holy Spirit to enable us. The God of the impossible can change your life and sanctify your soul and your spirit. Again, thee is no sin God cannot forgive.

There is also no problem that God cannot solve. There is no potential that God cannot achieve in your life. It also need to share this with you. Do not shortchange the potential for God’s power to be operative in your life. Open up your heart and surrender your will, just like Mary did.

C. The Motivation (38).

Mary’s motivation was obedience to God. True obedience brings genuine surrender, not half-hearted platitudes of commitment. Mary was willing to become a “doulos” of God. The Greek term here refers to a household slave. Mary’s motivation to Christ is to be ours as well: “Be it unto me, according to your Word.”

Conclusion

This day after Christmas we have observed three angelic facets of the prophecy of Christ’s birth.

Reiteration

We have observed the angelic appearance, the angelic announcement, and the angelic interpretation of Christ’s birth.

Principle

The people God uses are those who are willing to give the unqualified YES to the word, the will, and the ways of God. This is true even though we may not completely understand it. Too many times we say, “God, show me your will and I will follow it.” That is not how it works. He starts with the massive surrender of ourselves to Him. it is not so much with the enlightened mind, but with a surrendered heart that God does His greatest work. If you want to see your mind truly enlightened and expanded, make sure your heart, the core of who you are, is surrendered to God. Pray the prayer of Mary: “Be it unto me, according to your word, not my preferences.”

Visualization

Looking back a quarter of a century ago, I had no idea what God was going to do with my life. I remember packing up six people, four of which were incredibly young, and moving them several hours away. As one house became empty and another filled up too quickly, I remember thinking, “Dear God, what have I done?” Yet, God has honored that surrender and obedience repeatedly. All I know is that I was called to be a pastor and a proclaimer of God’s Word. All I knew to do was to look forward into the potentiality and not back into the rear view mirror of the past.

Application

What about you today? How will you apply the truths of this passage to the complete obedience of Jesus Christ going into a new year. There are three points of application I want you to apply to the deep recesses of your heart.

We must decide to believe God’s Word.

The reason God used Mary in such a great and mighty way is because she believed God’s Word. When we doubt God’s Word rather than believing it, we miss experiencing the blessings and power that believing God’s Word brings.

2. We must determine to do God’s will.

It is one thing to say we believe God’s Word. It is quite another to pass the acid test-are we determined to do what it says? That is part of what it means to do the will of God. If you talk the talk but do not walk the walk, you are not living in the promises of God.

3. We must desire to prioritize God in worship.

We need a lesson here on worship. Until we decide to believe the truth of God’s Word and determine to do God’s will in our spirit, we will never prioritize God in worship. Conversely, when we decide to believe God’s Word, and determine to do God’s will, we cannot help but prioritize God in worship.

Invitation/Prayer