Friends, God has given the perfect Christmas gift, and now it is our turn to give back to Him. Sure we could spend our time this morning wondering how God was able to cause a ordinary girl to become pregnant through the Holy Spirit. But to be honest, I don’t know how he did it. And Mary did not know, and Gabriel did not know. Only God knew and that’s all I need to know.
On that first Christmas, God gave the perfect gift in the form of Jesus the God who Saves. And we know that the gift He has given us has the name Jesus or Joshua which means Jesus Saves and that He will is great and is the Son of the Most High and is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and will reign forever and ever. But it would not be fair for us to just receive a gift this morning; we have been taught that it is always better to give than to receive so the question that we must ask ourselves today is this: What are you planning on giving God for Christmas? We have already talked about what God has given us, so what are we going to give God for Christmas?
You might say Chris, you know finances this year, you know the situations we are facing, I don’t really have anything to give back to God? And I would say True dat, I understand but the cool thing is that what God really wants from you, he has already given it to you. He wants from us what Mary gave to Him.
I want us to pick up where we left off last week after Gabriel having told Mary all of God’s gifts that He was going to give her and now it’s Mary’s turn to tell God what she intends to give Him. And it is my prayer that when we leave here this morning that Mary’s decision will be our decision. After all she was like us. She did not have a lot to give back to God. She did not have the money, etc to give but yet she still had something to offer God and she gave him the only thing that she had to give. Mary gave God herself. Let’s look at two ways that Mary gave herself:
I. Mary Gave Herself In Faith
We have detailed Mary’s humble, ordinary, not so exciting life. We know that she was not wealthy, probably did not have movie star looks, She was probably not voted Most likely to succeed in her high school, and probably was uneducated. She was not popular and basically just lived an ordinary life. Yet there is something about Mary that impressed God. Though the outside might not have been spectacular there was something inside of her that was absolutely full of beauty and God chose her to become the mother of the greatest person to ever walk this earth: the Son of God.
What made Mary so special? What does Mary have to do with me? Very simply this is what made Mary special: She believed that God would do what He had promised to do. Look at Mary’s response to Gabriel after being told what God had called Mary to do in verse 34: She could have said Surely you can’t use me. She could have said Say What and ran away. Yet instead of doubting she trusted. She did not question God’s power, she just had questions about the logistics. If God was going to squeeze His awesome greatness into human flesh, it’s no wonder that she was filled with some questions.
Now this is a crucial part of the story so let me repeat it: Mary did not need proof, she just wanted to understand the process of how a virgin could conceive. Now you might be saying wait Chris how do we know that Mary was so willing to give herself to God by her faith. How do we know she did not doubt? Well, let me give you an example:
Go back to the beginning of Luke 1. Before learning of the birth of Christ we learn of another unexpected birth foretold of a man named John the Baptist who was to be born to Zecheriah and Elizabeth.
Who were Zecheriah and Elizabeth? Well veres 5-6 tell us that Zecheriah was a priest in the temple, a minister of God who managed the upkeep of the Temple, who taught the people the Scriptures, and who directed the worship services. He had a wife named Elizabeth who was a relative of Mary the soon to be mother of Jesus. Now verse 6 tells us that both Elizabeth and Zecheriah loved God dearly and obeyed Him completely and verse 7 shares with us an important part of this story. They had no children. Now if you would have been an ancient Jew hearing that a couple was unable to have a child, they would have immediately thought this was a contradictionl You can’t follow God and love Him completely and not be blessed with children. Children were considered God’s greatest blessing and certainly such God-fearing and God-honoring people as Zechariah and Elizabeth should have been blessed with children. But Elizabeth was barren. She could not have children. And not only that but Luke tells us in verse 7 that they were both very old which means that they could not expect any change in their situation.
Fast forward to verses 8 in which Zecheriah had the opportunity a once in a lifetime opportunity to go into the holy place of the temple and offer up prayers for the nation and it’s people. And as he is doing that an angel appears to him just as the angel does with Mary. The angel then proceeds to tell Zecheriah that he and Elizabeth are going to have a baby and that his name will be John. And the angel describes to Zecheriah the important tasks that John is going to have in helping people to turn away from sin and to turn towards the Lord.
So What does this have to do with Mary? Well let’s look at both stories. First, there is the angel Gabriel who comes to both individuals and tells them they are going to have a baby in an unnatural way. To Zecheriah, both are old and Elizabeth is barren. To Mary, she is very young and a virgin. Second, Zecheriah is a priest, he is a minister of God, he works in the Temple and loves God. Then there is Mary a young peasant girl no job but is in love with God. Third, notice their reactions: Both of them ask questions yet a significant difference is that one asks a question based on faith and the other asks a question based on disbelief.
Verse 18 Zecheriah says “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.
Look at verse 34 Mary says How will this be since I am a virgin?
Which one is full of faith and which one if full of disbelief? Well let’s let God’s Word share with us which is which. Gabriel’s response to Zecheriah in verse 19: “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words which will come true at their proper time.”
Figured it out? Zecheriahs’ response is very close to disbelief. Zecheriah needs more than just some angel telling him that he is going to be a proud papa. He wants a sign. He things Gabriel has missed the fact that they are old and Elizabeth is barren. And so Zecheriah asks for a sign and Gabriel gives him one in the form of making him mute until God’s word is fulfilled.
Now go back to Mary in verse 34 and discover how her response is one of true faith. Mary does not doubt but displays her faith. And that is evident by her not asking for any type of sign but by simply saying “May it be to me as you have said.” And to give further proof that Mary gave herself to God by Faith look at the rest of the story. Gabriel informs Mary that her cousin Elizabeth is pregnant also and Mary rushes to see her cousin and in verse 45 Elizabeth let’s us know that Mary has willing gave herself to God by faith. Verse 45 says “Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished.”
Did Zechariah have faith? No Did Mary have faith? Absolutely. Mary unashamedly knew that the Lord would do what he said he would do. Even though it sounded humanly impossible that a young virgin girl could become pregnant with the Son of the Most High, the Son of God, Mary understood that nothing was impossible with God. Mary believed and she exercised her faith by saying I am the Lord’s servant may it be to me as you have said.
I am certain when Mary discovered God’s plan for her life she had no idea of the tremendous opportunity that lay before her, yet that did not keep her from saying Here am I use me Lord. All Mary knew was that she could trust God to do what He said He would do and she was ready to serve him and she willingly obeyed. Friends, it’s important that we understand that we don’t need to know the end before we commit at the beginning. The great thing about Faith is that we offer everything we have to God willingly and trust him.
Think of the stories in the Bible when God came to people and said they were going to have a child. Abraham and Sarah laughed. Zecheriah said I’ll believe it when I see it. And yet Mary simple ordinary Mary says I am your servant. Whatever you need Lord I shall do. Mary believed the angel’s words and agreed to bear the child, even under humanly impossible circumstances. God is able to do the impossible. Our response to his demands should not be laughter, or doubt, but willing acceptance.
Today are you willing to give God the greatest gift he wants this Christmas by giving him yourself through faith. The Bible speaks of the importance of us exhibiting faith. What is faith: Hebrews 11:1 says that faith is “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Let me ask you:
Do you believe that God’s Word is true. That God is not just a faithful father, not just a faithful friend but a faithful Savior? Do you truly believe that God is going to work for the good in your life even when life seems like it’s the pits
Do you truly believe that God sent His one and only Son for you to believe in, to trust in and to have faith in?
Friends if God was able to pour all of his glory and power into the tiny womb of a virgin girl, then why don’t we believe that God is Almighty and allow God to be God in our lives? This Christmas may we give God our selves through our faith.
There is one other thing that Mary gives God in this story and that is
II. Mary Gave Herself In Action
We have established that Mary gave God herself through faith, but faith is much more than just believing something is true. It must also change you. We have a purpose statement here at this Church and if you do not know it, then shame on you, get to know it. It needs to be a part of your everyday life. Our statement is “Welcoming All to a new way of living by Believing, Belonging, Becoming in Christ. The “3” B’s. Well faith is just one aspect of that. In order for faith to be real it must be alive. Faith is the thing that propels you to live differently. To not talk like you used to talk, to not do what you used to do but to become a new person that is alive in Christ.
Here’s an example. I can believe that 2+2=4, or that the sky is blue because it is true, but this kind of faith doesn’t change my life. It doesn’t make any demands upon me. Unfortunately we treat our faith in this way, if I believe in my head that something is true I have faith. To believe something is true in your head, and to act as though it is true are two different things, and that is where faith becomes the balance of both of these.
Here is how it ties in to God’s Word. When Mary was told what was about to happen to her, she could not just simply believe that nothing impossible with God, but she had to act on it. She had to have faith but she also had to act on it. She had to say Not my will Lord but Your will. And that is exactly what she did. She said “I am the Lord’s servant, may it be to me as you have said.” Mary didn’t just believe the impossible would happen, that she would be pregnant by the Holy Spirit, she was willing to be a vessel by which God would accomplish his divine plan.
And this was no light decision. Back then a young unmarried girl who was pregnant risked disaster. Unless the father of the child agreed to marry her she probably would never marry. There was also Joseph who was engaged to be married to her. He could have easily followed Jewish Law and had her killed. She also had to deal with the people calling her crazy for thinking that she had gotten pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Yet despite all of these things and all these risks Mary says in verse 38 “May it be to me as you have said.” Mary had faith and believed that the Holy Spirit would overshadow her and so she was prepared to alter her life into the direction that God had called her to go. She showed her faith through her actions
So here is where it gets tough for us. As Allana tells me let’s keep it real. Now this might sting some but if it’s not true then tell me. We can’t say that we have given all our selves to Christ if we are not willing to give him at the minimum an hour and 15 minutes each week. We can’t say we have given our entire life to Christ if we are not willing to open up God’s Word. We can’t say that we have given Christ are all if we are not willing to serve Him in some capacity. Just as it is humanly impossible for a virgin to give birth to a baby or a barren older woman give birth to a child so it is humanly impossible for someone to say I have given my all my entire life to Christ if we are not willing to do these things at a minimum. It’s a contradiction.
We can talk all day long about belief. You and I can sit in these nice pews on this Sunday morning and say Oh yes I believe that Jesus was God’s Son born of the Virgin Mary. We can say I believe that Jesus died and rose again to pay for my sins so that I can have everlasting life. We can say I believe that God wants to take care of me and bless me and give me abundant life. We can say all of those things but can I ask you what kind of faith is it if we stand here today and say all of those things and then go on living our lives just like an unbeliever ignoring what God would have us to do? Friends that’s not faith because the faith that I know about is a faith that compels us and propels us to desire to follow God, to seek to please God, to do God’s will.
Back in the 1800’s there was a tightrope walker who decided he was going to stretch a tightrope over the falls and walk across. He was successful in his walk and since people lost interest he soon tried more and more difficult feats to get the attention of the crowds. One day he had walked across the rope and someone in the crowd said is that all that you can do. So the tightrope walker said do you believe I can go across this rope pushing a wheelbarrow? To which the observer agreed, sure. To which the tightrope walker invited the man to get in the wheelbarrow.
Faith is more than believing in our head. Faith involves our actions. So here is the So What? What are you going to do about Mary? She was willing to give the greatest gift she could back to God. What was it? It was her life? What about us? Are we willing to live our life differently because of the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit? Are we willing to stop what we are doing and focus on what God is doing? In the book of James, we read in chapter 2:14-17: The message paraphrase is on the screen and the NIV says “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
This morning, I want to invite you to a new way of living not just in believing but in belonging and becoming like Christ. I want to invite you to stand up beside Mary and say: Will you stand up beside Mary and say “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said?” And doing it like Mary did it: No arguments. No complaining, No whining, no ‘Why me’. No excuses. No postponements and No refusals. Just surrender. “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said?” What better gift could a person give at Christmas? It’s the only thing on His Christmas list this year He just wants you to believe in the impossible, to follow the unknown road, to trust with all your heart, to place Him first in your life. The best Christmas gift you can give God is simply You.
And not just a part of you, but your very best. Everything you have. If you are willing to do that, then it will be the best Christmas ever.
