The Cost of Sacrifice
26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. – Luke 1:26-38
19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. – Luke 2:19
I. Mary accepted God’s calling to be the mother of Jesus – Luke 1: 26-38
a. She risked ridicule and alienation from her family and community
i. People would talk about the “unwed mother”
ii. If her father rejected her, she would have to resort to begging and prostitution to get by
b. She risked being thought of as crazy
i. Would you believe someone if they told you that got pregnant by the Holy Ghost
ii.
c. She risked possible divorce
i. Joseph had every right to divorce Mary
ii. Joseph had to have asked himself at one point…”Is she cheating?”
iii. He also sacrificed everything by accepting Mary and the responsibility of being the step-father to the Messiah
1. Consider the fact that Joseph’s pregnant wife gave birth to their child in a stable and not the house
2. Why were they living in Galilee?
d. Mary knew the prophesy of the Messiah
i. She knew her Son would be rejected
ii. She knew her Son would have to die to save her and all mankind
II. Mary Cherished every moment with Jesus – Luke 2:19
a. She followed Jesus to the end – John 19:25
i. She is the only person recorded in the Bible that was with Jesus from birth until his death
ii.
b. She remembered as only a mother can.
III. What are you willing to sacrifice for Him?
a. Your Time?
i. Regular Church Attendance
ii. Daily time with God
iii. Time studying His Word
iv. Time giving back to the community
b. Your Talents?
i. God has given all of us a special gift
ii. Everyone must make up the body
iii. There is more talent than just being on the stage
1. Other ministries
2. Building Maintenance
3. Property Maintenance
4. Office Support
c. Your Tariff – It isn’t a sacrifice until you give of yourself more that what you have
18 And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite. 19 And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as the LORD commanded. 20 And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground. 21 And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the LORD, that the plague may be stayed from the people. 22 And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him: behold, here be oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood. 23 All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, The LORD thy God accept thee. 24 And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25 And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD was intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel. – 2 Samuel 24:18-25
i. Are you giving anything to God?
ii. Are you only giving the minimum?
iii. Are you sacrificing all that you have?
Mary gave a great sacrifice to God. She gave her body, reputation, marriage, intimately her entire life.
Want the best?—give your best.
