The Annunciation

It's no surprise when we come to Luke's record of Jesus' birth and find that it is replete with angelic announcements of good news.

Luke chapter 1 and 2 is full of gospel news.

Luke 1 · chapter mention

Messengers from God sent to proclaim good news of great joy for all nations.

And that's actually the language that one of the angels uses in chapter 2.

Just flip a page over perhaps from where you are.

Luke chapter 2 and verse number 10.

Luke 2 · chapter mention

This is when the angel appears to the shepherds near Bethlehem and the angel said to them,

Fear not, for I behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people.

And the truth is, God is still sending messengers, his messengers, into the world to proclaim the good news of great joy for all people.

That's part of why we emphasize the Christmas season so extravagantly as Christians.

And I know that we, even as believers, can tend to lose sight of this sometimes,

but you would be hard-pressed to find a church building anywhere in this town or in this county today

that is not in some way decorated or emphasizing in some fashion this Christmas story.

And will continue to do so over the next few weeks.

One of the reasons that we're so intent on doing that as believers is because we are now his messengers,

sent into the world with the good news that brings great joy for all nations.

Lots of people will recognize the Christmas season as a season of joy.

But of course we understand it's not joyful because of family gatherings or presents under the tree,

even though we enjoy those things.

Christmas is joyful because of the good news that God himself entered our broken world

to save us from our sin and death.

So for the next six weeks, I want to examine a few portions of these chapters

so that we might rejoice again in the good news of the gospel.

Because the Christmas story is nothing if it's not about the gospel.

And our text this morning is what is often referred to as the Annunciation.

It's the record of the angel Gabriel announcing to the virgin Mary that she would conceive the Christ child.

But the passage is more than just a piece of beautiful narrative.

And it is indeed that.

Even the secular world around us might display in some way in their home or in their stores some picture of the nativity.

It's a beautiful story.

Even without the incarnation, it's interesting.

It's lovely in a sense.

But it's so much more than a beautiful narrative.

It's a reflection of the very gospel message that is, according to Romans 1,

the power of God unto salvation.

And though there's helpful lessons that we can learn from Mary,

these verses aren't really about Mary.

What we know about her is only valuable insofar as it reveals to us and teaches us about the character and the power of God.

So I want us to take the Annunciation this morning, these verses that we just read,

and I want to highlight three characteristics that makes the Annunciation good news of great joy.

Number one, it's a message of grace.

It's a message of grace.

Look with me again at verse 26.

In the sixth month, 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,

and the virgin's name was Mary.

And he came to her and said,

Greetings, O favored one.

The Lord is with you.

She was greatly troubled at the saying,

tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.

And the angel said to her,

Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

It's a message of grace.

Now, angelic encounters in the Bible almost always include a fearful response from the human individual involved.

There's something about the appearance of angels that's startling to people.

Maybe it's a mixture of their sudden appearance in a place that there wasn't a person before,

and now there's a person.

That's a startling thing.

We've all experienced that in some way before.

Maybe it has something to do with actually the way that they look,

not in the sense of horror, but in the sense of awesomeness, other worldliness,

or their heavenly nature in that sense.

But it always tends to come with an immediate response of fear within the people that they greet.

These two chapters actually give a couple of other examples where that's exactly the case.

In chapter 1, Zechariah, who is the father of John the Baptist,

the angel appears to him,

and then the angels appear to the shepherds near Bethlehem in chapter 2,

and we're told that they are overcome with fear at the sight of the angel.

But Mary's response is unique because it's not the sight of the angel, we're told, that troubles her.

It's the greeting of the angel that seems to trouble her.

Look with me again at verse 29.

But she was greatly troubled at the saying and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.

I'm not saying that Mary wasn't afraid of the angel in the same way that all the others were at first as well.

I'm just saying that Luke doesn't emphasize the sight of the angel with Mary.

He emphasizes something different.

He emphasizes the saying, the greeting, being the thing that troubles Mary,

the thing that in that moment she is trying to contemplate and discern what is this about.

And it's this question of why that I want you to consider.

Why is she troubled by the saying?

What is it that is bothering her that she's confused about, that she's trying to discern?

I think the answer is that Mary, at least from a human perspective,

didn't fit the description of the greeting.

Look again at verse 28.

What is the greeting?

Greetings, O favored one.

The Lord is with you.

Now, interestingly enough, what's translated as greetings is actually an imperative form of the word for rejoice.

Cairo is the Greek word.

Most other places you find it in the Bible, it's translated rejoice.

And in this sense, in Luke chapter 1, it's actually in an imperative verb form.

Luke 1 · chapter mention

So this is actually, you know, in the most literal possible way that you could translate it.

This is actually a command coming from the angel.

Rejoice, Mary.

Rejoice, O favored one.

The Lord is with you.

Now, the confusion for Mary, I believe, is that there wasn't anything about her life that indicated blessing, favor, or the presence of God.

How could she rejoice in something that she didn't understand?

So this angel appears to her.

Rejoice, Mary.

Greetings, Mary.

Favored one.

The Lord is with you.

And she's immediately taken aback, trying to discern what does this mean.

Well, from a cultural perspective, Mary didn't seem to have the blessing of God on her life.

Most scholars believe that and agree that she would have only been somewhere between 12 and 14 years old.

That's too young to have really learned much.

That's too young to have accomplished much.

So there's no favor given to Mary here because of something she's done or a particular intellect that she has displayed.

Though she was engaged, betrothed to Joseph, she didn't yet have a husband or any children that would elevate her status in the world, as would have been the custom of that day.

She was from Nazareth, a poverty-stricken village mentioned nowhere in the Old Testament.

There's not even a mention of it in the contemporary literature of the day.

It was in a region of Galilee known as Galilee of the Gentiles, an area that was despised by the Jews because of the number of Gentile people that lived there.

You'll remember in John chapter 1, when Jesus begins to call some of his disciples, someone, I think it is Nathanael, goes to and says,

John 1 · chapter mention

We have found the Messiah.

It's Jesus of Nazareth.

And you remember what Nathanael's response was.

Can anything good come from Nazareth?

The typical response of the people in that day was, This is a pagan area.

This is an unclean area.

And not only is Mary from that place, she's from a no-named village that nobody cared about,

that historically seems to have been a pretty corrupt place.

She's poor.

She has nothing.

What blessing is there in her life?

In the eyes of the world, Mary was a nobody that was about to marry another nobody.

They were going to have kids that were nobodies, and they were going to live, at least in the eyes of the world,

a meaningless existence, absent from anything that might indicate favor from God.

But this is exactly why Gabriel's announcement was a message of grace.

God sent him to Galilee, not to Judea, where you might expect.

He sends him to Nazareth, not to Jerusalem.

He goes to Mary's home, not to the temple, not to a royal palace.

Martin Luther said,

He might have gone to Jerusalem and picked out Caiaphas' daughter,

who was fair, rich, clad in gold-embroidered raiment,

and attended by a retinue of maids-in-waiting.

But God preferred a lowly maid from a mean town.

It's a message of grace to Mary.

It's a message of grace to us.

And as we examine this text, we must acknowledge an inescapable fact

that the greatest news ever proclaimed in Israel came to the humblest of its people.

And that's part and parcel of the gospel message, even as Jesus proclaimed it.

Remember what Jesus said to a group of Pharisees.

It was on the day that he had called Levi, who we know as Matthew as well.

He calls Levi to follow him.

Levi leaves the receipt of custom, and then he hosts a party at his home.

He's been so impacted by Christ that he hosts a party at his home,

and he brings the other publicans and some of the prostitutes in the town

so that they might meet Jesus too.

And then the Pharisees come by, and they recognize that Jesus is not dining

with who they would consider to be the righteous of the town.

He's dining with sinners and publicans.

And they confront Jesus about it.

Remember what Jesus said.

He said, I didn't come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

In other words, what Jesus was saying to the Pharisees is,

I didn't come for you.

I came for them.

Pharisees were often the wealthy, educated, fiercely devoted to the law,

to their laws in particular.

Jesus didn't come for them.

He came for the prostitutes, the publicans.

But it wasn't the power and the wealth of the Pharisees

that prevented them from receiving blessings from Christ.

It was pride.

You see, God's grace isn't received by those who think they deserve it,

but by those who know they don't.

That's Mary.

Humble Mary.

Lowly Mary.

Remember what Jesus said in the Beatitudes.

Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

And the angel made it clear in verse 30

that Mary didn't earn this favor from God.

She found it.

Look at it with me again.

Verse 30.

And the angel said to her,

Do not be afraid, Mary,

for you have found favor with God.

The Roman Catholic Church in particular

has invented all kinds of heresies about Mary.

They eventually find their root in a bad translation

of this passage in the Latin Vulgate.

But Mary wasn't a perpetual virgin.

She had other children with Joseph.

She didn't possess all the spiritual and secular gifts.

She was not and is not a dispenser of grace

or a mediator that brings us to Christ.

She wasn't free from original sin

and she wasn't kept sinless throughout her life.

Mary was a sinner like you and me.

She was in much, as much in need of a savior

as you and me.

And she says as much in the passage we'll cover next Sunday.

But remember, grace by definition is unmerited.

In Mary's favor, it wasn't about her piety,

but God's abundant and amazing grace.

Says Kent Hughes,

Christmas is not for the proud and self-sufficient.

The Lord comes to needy people.

Those who realize that without Him,

they cannot make it.

Those who acknowledge their weakness

in spiritual lack.

You see, the Christmas story,

being a gospel story,

confronts the spiritual pride

that so many of us carry throughout our lives.

It confronts the pride that tells us

that we are good enough for God.

That we would be a blessing to God

if He wanted to enroll us in His purposes.

That's not the story that we learn from Mary.

It's actually the opposite.

Now, if God was willing to use someone like Mary

to bring His Son into the world,

what would ever make you think

that He's unwilling to supply

His endless grace to you as well?

Because if the gospel story of Christmas

confronts those with spiritual pride,

it may also confront those of us

who think that we are just too far gone

for God to save.

We're not good enough for Him.

There's no way we can be what He wants us to be.

We'll see what the Christmas story tells us

is that it's not about what you can or can't be.

It's about the grace of our Lord.

What do we learn from the Annunciation?

That God is full of grace

and He extends that grace

to the lowliest of people.

It's a message of grace.

Number two, it's a message of salvation.

A message of salvation.

Verse 31,

the angel continues,

And behold, you will conceive in your womb

and bear a son.

You shall call His name Jesus.

He will be great

and will be called the Son of the Most High

and the Lord God will give to him

the throne of His father David.

He will reign over the house of Jacob forever.

And of His kingdom,

there will be no end.

So Gabriel's greeting

brings a measure of confusion to Mary,

but then His announcement

surely brings a measure of shock.

In the greeting,

we learn that Mary is the recipient of God's grace.

But here we find that this grace is displayed

through the birth of a child.

And all the fast facts that are spouted out by Gabriel

in this moment declare that

and make clear to Mary

that this child to which she's going to give birth

is this long-awaited Messiah.

And the announcement of a Messiah

means that this is a message of eternal salvation.

What shock,

what excitement even

as this begins to process on Mary's mind.

Not only has God seen fit in His grace

to send a messenger from heaven to speak to her,

she's going to carry a child,

but this child will be the one

that my parents have been telling me

my whole life

that God has promised.

This will be the one who will save us.

This will be the one

who will establish the kingdom forever.

Salvation has come.

It's a message of salvation.

Well, let's look at the pieces

of what the angel says here.

We don't have time to get into all of it,

but let's note just a couple of things.

Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Yeshua,

which means Yahweh saves or God will save.

Now, Jesus probably was actually a common name

in first century Israel,

but it took on a literal meaning

for the child in Mary's womb.

Here's what the angel said to Joseph later

when he appears to him.

In Matthew chapter one and verse 21,

she will bear a son.

You shall call his name Jesus

for he will save his people from their sins.

Jesus would later teach that his purpose

was to seek and to save the lost.

This child in Mary's womb

didn't come to testify of God's salvation.

He was here to actually be God's salvation.

He was a child born to die

so that we who are dead in our sins

might experience the new birth

and eternal life.

First Peter chapter two,

he himself bore our sins

in his body on the tree

that we might die to sin

and live to righteousness.

By his wounds,

we have been healed.

This Messiah,

this son of David

here to save us.

Well, then Gabriel continued his announcement

by declaring the child will be great

and will be called the son of the most high.

Then he summarized the Davidic covenant

from second Samuel seven

and stated that in Jesus,

the covenant would be fulfilled.

Look at it with me again in verse 35

or excuse me in verse 31.

Behold, you will conceive in your womb

and bear a son,

call his name Jesus.

He will be great.

He will be the son of the most high

and the Lord God will give to him

the throne of his father, David.

He will reign over the house of Jacob forever

of his kingdom.

There will be no end.

It brings to mind another famous Christmas passage

from Isaiah chapter nine.

Unto us, a child is born.

To us, a son is given.

The government shall be on his shoulders.

His name shall be called wonderful counselor,

mighty God.

Everlasting father,

prince of peace.

Of the increase of his government

and of peace,

there will be no end.

On the throne of David

and over his kingdom

to establish it

and to uphold it with justice

and with righteousness

from this time forth

and forevermore.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts

will do this.

This is the one,

the angel says.

The one you've heard about.

The one you've prayed about.

The one you've longed for.

The salvation

has come.

Based on what

historians tell us,

it's likely that Mary was

mostly illiterate.

Even if she could read,

she wouldn't have been able

to own a copy

of the Old Testament.

But you can be sure

that she heard

these passages read

over and over again

as she went to synagogue

week by week.

Perhaps if her father

was faithful,

she would have heard

these passages recited,

these promises told

again and again

in her home

as he obeyed

the Shema

from Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 6 · chapter mention

chapter 6.

Not only were they

to love the Lord their God

with all their heart,

but they were to take

all the things

that God had told them

and they were to pass it

down to their children.

They were to teach it

to those in their house.

They were to talk about it

all the time.

She probably couldn't

comprehend the full impact

of everything

that this child would be.

But she understood

enough to know

that God was bringing

salvation

through this baby boy.

Again, Kent Hughes

is helpful.

He says she understood

the gist of the angel's

announcement.

You're going to become

pregnant.

You're going to call

his name Salvation.

He's going to be

the Son of God

and he will be

the Messiah.

What an earful

for Mary.

What a heartful

for Mary,

he says.

You see,

this is why Christmas

is a story

of good news

that brings great joy

because it's the message

of salvation

for all who will believe

and follow Christ.

It's the good news

that God sent

his own Son

into the world

to save sinners.

Christmas is joy

because salvation

has come.

But then it's also

a message

of incarnation.

So it's a message

of grace.

It's a message

of salvation.

It's a message

of incarnation.

Now betrothal

in Mary's day

was quite different

than modern engagements.

it was a formal

marriage contract

that could only

be broken

by death

or by legal divorce.

The betrothal period

would last

about a year

in most cases

during which time

the young man

would go

and prepare a home

for his new wife

and the young lady

would prepare herself

for this wedding event

and for this new life

with the young man.

And then the year

would culminate

most likely

in a seven day

wedding feast.

Some of you

are stressed out

for your three hour

wedding feast.

Can you imagine

a seven day

wedding feast?

And it's at this

wedding feast

that the marriage

would be celebrated

and consummated

by the bride

and groom.

Joseph and Mary

are at some point

in this betrothal period

where they were

generally regarded

as husband and wife

but they had not

joined in a physical union.

And it's this circumstance

that produces

Mary's logical question

in verse 34.

Look at it with me.

Mary says to the angel,

how will this be

since I'm a virgin?

Now this is exactly

what we should expect

Mary to ask right now.

And she's not asking it

out of unbelief.

If you go back earlier

in Luke chapter 1

Luke 1 · chapter mention

you'll see when the angel

appears to Zechariah

he's actually overcome

with a bit of unbelief

and doubt

in the message of the angel

and he faces the consequences.

He's stricken mute

for the entire duration

of his wife's pregnancy.

Can't talk

until the day

that John the Baptist

is born and dedicated

to the Lord.

That's not the same thing

that's happening with Mary.

It's not that she's

doubting the message.

This is a question

of confusion.

She'd never known

a man in intimacy

so she asked

for clarification

about how it was

even possible.

And the answer

is wonderfully

mysterious.

In fact

that's exactly

the language

that the New Testament

uses over and over

and over again

regarding the incarnation

of Christ

and the gospel message.

it's not that it's

un-understandable

but it is mysterious.

The early church

perhaps this was a hymn

that the early church

would sing

in 1 Timothy chapter 3.

1 Timothy 3 · chapter mention

Great indeed

we confess

is the mystery

of godliness

and it begins with

he was manifested

in the flesh.

This whole thought

of incarnation

is a mystery.

We can understand

the logic of it

as it's described

in the scriptures

but the fullness

of Christ's divine

and human identity

is really beyond

our ability

to comprehend.

So the angel

helps Mary

he answers her

in three distinct ways

that I think

will be helpful

to us.

First

he gave her

an explanation.

He gave her

an explanation.

Verse 35

and the angel

answered her

the Holy Spirit

will come upon you

and the power

of the Most High

will overshadow you

therefore the child

to be born

will be called

Holy

the Son of God.

He says here's how

it's going to happen

Mary.

This will be a

creative act

of the Spirit

of God.

Incarnation.

What does

incarnation mean?

It simply means

God

takes on flesh.

God

becomes a man

and in doing

so

God does not

stop being God.

That's the mystery

of it.

Jesus Christ

fully

divine

truly

God

truly

man

and he

had to be

born of

woman.

It had

to be

incarnation

first

because he

had to be

born under

the law

in order

that he

might

fulfill

the law

on our

behalf.

Second

he had

to have

had flesh

and blood

to actually

be a

sacrifice

for sin.

The incarnation

is absolutely

essential to

the gospel

message.

Without it

we have

no gospel.

But this

was not

the divine

human

cohabitation

that is so

often reflected

in pagan

religions.

Overshadow

here comes

from the

same word

used to

describe

what took

place on

the mount

of

transfiguration.

You remember

Peter and

James and

John are

with Jesus

on the

mountain.

Jesus

is

transfigured

and then

when they

are made

aware of

what is

happening

they are

overshadowed

by the

presence of

God,

the spirit

of God.

It's the

same idea

conveyed in

the Old

Testament

when at

the dedication

of Solomon's

temple.

Remember the

temple was

filled with

the spirit

of God.

It's that

same idea

of being

overshadowed

engulfed

with the

presence and

the power

of God.

That's what

the angel

is saying.

You will

be engulfed

by the

presence of

God,

overshadowed

by his

glorious

presence.

There are

no physical

relations between

God and

Mary.

This was the

creative act

of the spirit

of God and

it was

absolutely

necessary.

MacArthur,

had Jesus

been conceived

by the act

of a man,

whether Joseph

or anyone

else, he

could not

have been

divine and

could not

have been

the Savior.

His own

claims about

himself would

have been

lies and

his resurrection

and ascension

would have

been hoaxes.

Mankind

would forever

remain lost

and damned.

the fact

of the

incarnation

is essential

to the

gospel and

it's affirmed

again and

again in

the New

Testament.

John 1

14,

the word

became flesh

and dwelt

among us

and we

have seen

his glory

as of the

only son

from the

father,

full of

grace and

truth.

Philippians 2

6-8,

though he

was in the

form of

God,

did not

count equality

with God

a thing to

be grasped,

but emptied

himself by

taking on

the form

of a

servant,

being born

in the

likeness of

men,

and being

found in

human form.

He humbled

himself by

becoming

obedient to

the point

of death,

even death

on the

cross.

Hebrews

Hebrews 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1

in verse

3,

he's the

radiance of

the glory

of God.

He's the

exact imprint

of his

nature and

he upholds

the universe

by the word

of his

power.

God in

the flesh.

You see,

the fact is

that Jesus

didn't begin

to exist

at the

moment he

entered

Mary's

womb.

Jesus has

always been.

He's the

second person

of the

Trinity,

co-equal,

co-eternal

with God

the Father

and God

the Holy

Spirit.

And this

miraculous

conception

simply marks

the moment

that he

entered our

brokenness

and suffered

for our

sins.

Gabriel's

message is

not only

one of

salvation,

but salvation

through

incarnation.

God

himself

has become

man.

Emmanuel,

God is

with us.

He gives

her an

explanation.

Then he

gives her a

sign.

A sign.

Look at

verse 36.

And behold,

your relative

Elizabeth in

her old

age has

also conceived

a son.

And this

is the

sixth month

with her

who was

called

barren.

God is

so gracious

to give

us signs

that strengthen

our faith

in his

truth.

And that's

precisely what

he did

for Mary.

If you

read through

the beginning

of chapter

one,

you'll see

exactly how

this story

unfolds.

Zechariah

and Elizabeth,

the parents

of John

the Baptist,

were well

beyond child

bearing years.

the angel

appears to

Zechariah

and says,

your wife

is going

to be

pregnant.

You're

going to

have a

baby.

He's so

old and

she's so

old that

he doesn't

even believe

this heavenly

being who

has suddenly

appeared to

him with

this message

from God.

That's how

old they

are.

And then

it comes

to be that

Elizabeth is

pregnant.

And the

whole point

of the

sign is

this.

If God

was able

and willing

to bless

Zechariah

and Elizabeth

with a

child

through

natural

means,

there would

be no

reason for

Mary to

wonder if

he could

do the

same with

her through

supernatural

means.

So he gives

her a sign.

And then

finally,

he gives

her an

assurance.

An assurance.

Verse 37,

for nothing

will be

impossible

with God.

Nothing

will be

impossible

with God.

Now,

secularists

will deny

the virgin

birth of

Jesus

because it

is not

scientifically

possible

for such

a thing

to occur.

And of

course,

as long as

they're

removing God

from the

equation,

they're

exactly

right.

It's not

possible.

The problem

is that

there's no

basis for

their denial

of God's

existence

existence

outside of

the fact

that they

just don't

want to

believe it's

true.

In other

words,

they cannot

prove that

God doesn't

exist.

They can

only operate

under the

assumption

that he

doesn't.

And if

this is the

foundation of

your belief,

this verse

won't mean

anything to

you.

But then

there's another

type of

person who

is open

to God's

existence,

but is

skeptical of

anything

supernatural,

that might

require faith

that stretches

beyond our

capacity for

understanding.

Most of us

probably at

some point

in time have

either fallen

into that

category or

maybe routinely

slip into that

category even

still.

We have a

faith in God's

existence.

We're not

willing to

deny that.

There's too

much evidence

to the

contrary.

But when it

comes to the

things when the

Bible talks about

virgins being

made pregnant,

when it talks

about people

being raised

from the

dead,

when it

comes to

some of

these things

that are

difficult for

us to

explain by

scientific and

natural means,

we really begin

to struggle with

what the

scripture tells

us.

Now, if

that's you,

this verse is

exactly for

you.

You should be

able to take

comfort in it

actually.

As long as we

attempt to

understand the

things of God

from purely

a natural

perspective,

our doubts

will never

go away.

But there's

tremendous

comfort in

recognizing that

the God who

gave us this

truth is able

and willing to

perform this

truth.

I'm thankful

for God's

explanations.

It's actually

not all that

common that God

deals in

explanations in

the Bible.

He deals in

promises, not

explanations for

the most part.

But even in

this case, he

gives an

explanation because

the explanation

is so necessary

for us to

understand.

I'm thankful

for that.

I'm thankful

for the signs

as well.

I'm thankful

that when we

come to the

scriptures, we

can find all

of the ways,

the factual

historical events

that unfolded

that point to

the truth that

Jesus is indeed

who he says he

was and that he

did these things

and it's undeniable

some of these

things.

I'm thankful

for those signs.

But nothing

should bring us

more comfort and

assurance than

the fact that

nothing is

impossible for

him.

At the end of

the day, the

God who spoke

this world into

existence, who

holds it in his

hand, who knows

you, who knows

everything there is

to know about

you.

as I think it

was R.C.

Sproul said, who

in his power,

there is not

one maverick

molecule in the

entire universe.

That as the

Bible says over

and over and

over, all things

are from him,

all things are

through him,

all things are

to him and to

his glory.

That same God,

this is nothing

for him.

We understand

that, right?

There is

comfort in

that.

And when we

come to these

difficult things

that we cannot

explain and that

we cannot fully

comprehend, just

because we cannot

comprehend it does

not mean that it

is not true.

Because with God,

nothing is

impossible.

He's proven it

time and time

again.

You can step

outside these

doors and look

around you this

morning and you

will see that God

is there and

nothing is

impossible for him.

I thought about

it when I drove

the truck here this

morning with the

trailer and I

was getting out

and it was

raining so hard.

And I don't

know why this

was on my mind,

but I thought

about my grass.

And I thought

this is so good

for my grass.

And then I

thought, you

know, if I was

really thirsty

right now, I

could probably,

I don't know why

I thought about

this, this is weird,

but I did.

And I thought,

if I was really

thirsty right now,

I could dump

out my coffee and

I could just

stick it out here.

I could have

something to drink.

And then it

kind of hit me

there for a

moment.

The God that

we're preaching

about today, the

God that we're

studying today,

he designed all

of this.

He designed our

bodies to function

in the way that

we do.

And then he

designed an

environment in

which we can

live that

perfectly is

suitable for the

bodies that he

created us to

possess.

That God,

nothing's impossible

for him.

He can make the

virgin conceive.

He created her.

This is all his

plan.

It's all within

his power.

And in the

moment this

Christmas season

that you begin

to doubt the

facts of this

story again, go

to this verse and

remind yourself,

with God, nothing

is impossible here,

of course.

Let's finish with

verse 38.

Mary said,

Behold, I am the

servant of the

Lord.

Let it be to me

according to your

word.

And the angel

departed from her.

This is really

amazing coming

from a 12 to 14

year old girl,

isn't it?

If you think

that's amazing,

wait till next

week when we get

to the

Magnificat later

on in this

chapter and it's

going to blow

your mind.

I don't even

think this way as

a 35 year old,

much less as a

12 year old.

The announcement

of Gabriel is

truly good news

that can produce

everlasting joy.

We've established

that.

Mary's response

reflects the

faith necessary

for salvation.

She believed

the word of God.

She turned away

from whatever

personal ambition

she might have

had.

And she

surrendered wholly

to the Lord's

work in her life.

Is that not

what the Lord

Jesus calls us

all to?

Believe his

word,

surrender self,

turn from sin,

and wholly

follow him with

our lives.

That's the call

to salvation.

That's what Mary's

doing here.

But think about

what this faith

and surrender

meant for her.

At least for a

little while,

her future husband

thought to divorce

her.

We learn about

that in Matthew

1.

He was a just

man.

He wasn't going

to make a show

of her.

But it wasn't

until the angel

Gabriel appeared

to him that he

decided to continue

on with the

marriage.

The penalty

for adultery

was death.

It wasn't

typically applied

in her day.

But there was

always the

possibility of

Mary being

killed if

people didn't

believe her

story.

And they

didn't believe

her story.

Last week at

the Thanksgiving

fellowship,

it was Scobie

that was telling

me about being

in Israel one

time and he

experienced

something where

because he or

somebody around

him was violating

the Sabbath

regulations that

people began to

throw rocks at

them.

That's for

violating the

Sabbath.

Now, the

death penalty

may not have

been applied

in an official

sense very often

in Mary's day.

But if you're

from a little

town that cares

about those

kinds of things

and you turn

up to be

pregnant out of

wedlock,

maybe there's

some stones

that got thrown

her away.

Maybe that's

why she went

to live with

Elizabeth for a

while.

Who knows?

This was

great cause

to her.

Apparently

many people

didn't believe

her as is

indicated by the

times that

Jesus'

enemies implied

his illegitimate

birth.

Obeying the

Lord and

following him

in faith came

at tremendous

cost for Mary.

It always

does.

But what we

have in Mary's

example is the

kind of faith

that God requires

of us all.

Abandon

self,

turn from

sin,

trust his

word,

follow his

son,

whatever the

cost may

be.

And there

will be some

cost in your

life.

It may be a

family cost,

it may be a

job cost,

it may be

friendships,

it may be

lots of

things.

But it will

always come

at a cost.

And the

question is,

is the cost

worth it?

For Mary,

it was worth

it.

The story

of Christmas

is indeed

good news

of great

joy.

it's a

message of

grace and

salvation

through the

incarnation of

Jesus.

And all

that's left

for us to

do is

believe it

and receive

the grace

that only

comes through

this salvation,

Jesus Christ

alone.