Luke 1:26-38
The Promise of Christmas
Introduction
How many promises have you ever made in your life? What was the biggest one? For some, perhaps the greatest promise or covenant we can ever make is our marriage covenant with our spouse. At yet the Bible explains that our marriage covenant parallels or helps us understand the relationship between Christ and the Church, the unconditional and sacrificial love that Christ had and has for His bride, the Church.
In an article in Time Magazine dated 24th Dec 1956, it reads:
The old legend that there are 30,000 promises in the Bible is a bit off, according to schoolteacher Everek R. Storms of Kitchener, Ontario. A member of Canada’s United Missionary Church, Storms slowed down enough on his 27th reading of the Bible to tally up the promises, which took him a year and a half. He came up with 7,487 promises by God to man, two by God the Father to God the Son, 991 by one man to another, 290 by man to God. Twenty-eight promises were made by angels, one by man to an angel, and two were made by an evil spirit to the Lord. Satan made nine. Grand total of promises: 8,810.
85% of promises in the Bible are by God to man.
This evening/morning, we will be looking at one such promise, the promise of Christmas, found in our Bible passage for today in Luke, chapter 1, verses 26-38. Let us stand to read God’s word together. This is the word of the Lord. Please be seated.
Context
Luke, being one of the 4 gospels, marks the beginning of a new phase in Jewish history. It also marks the breaking of a 400-year silence between God and man. Between the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi, and the first book of the New Testament, Matthew, is what is known as the inter-testamental period, where God’s voice is almost never heard, and there are few records of God revealing Himself to His people or prophets.
1. The Promise of God’s Abiding Presence (v.26-28)
- The context of today’s passage is set in the small Jewish town of Nazereth in the city of Galilee, a small insignificant community of a population of about 2,000. Mary is a young girl, probably between 12-14, engaged to be married to Joseph, a carpenter. As both a woman and a young person not yet married, Mary had virtually no social status.
- v. 28 The title (you who are highly favored) and the promise (The Lord is with you) was not traditional in greeting, and was normally reserved for royalty.
- Yet isn’t it the same for us today, that God, in His great love and grace, chose to invite us into a loving relationship with Him.
- The promise of Christmas begins with God promising Himself, not what He can do, but a relationship that is personal and intimate
- The Incarnation: precisely part of God’s redemptive plan, Immanuel = God with us
- God continues to invite us into this personal relationship today
- Jn 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me, and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
- Rev 3:20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
- We are assured and promised of God’s presence through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (the promise of Christ Himself)
- Jn 14:16, 17 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever - 17 the Spirit of truth.
- Matt 28:20 And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
- PEACE: And because of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we can be assured or promised of God’s peace.
- Phil 4:6-9 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus ... And the God of peace will be with you.
- Jesus, our Personal Saviour: Will you open your life to God?
2. The Promise of God’s Eternal Power (v. 29-33)
- Mary’s reaction: greatly troubled, wondered, afraid (reveals her humility and honesty)
- Angel reassures her, calls her by name, repeats (grace = undeserved favour)
- v. 31 // Isa 7:14, the Immanuel promise (Jesus = Jehovah is salvation)
The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
- Gabriel affirmed both the deity and the humanity of Jesus. As Mary’s son, He would be human (v. 31), as Son of the Most High, He would be the Son of God (v. 32, 35)
- Jesus was fully God and fully man, necessary to identify with man, but also pay the penalty as a perfect sacrifice for our sins (Col 2:9)
9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form
- HOPE: victory has been won, Jesus has overcome sin & death through the cross (Col 2:15)
- 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
God’s everlasting kingdom and reign = both His personal reign in our hearts, as well as His future kingdom, dominion when he comes again
- Jesus, our Everlasting King: Will you allow God’s power to work in your life?
3. The Promise of God’s Sovereign Purpose (v. 34-38)
- Mary’s question (v. 34), so affected only focused on the birth process (She believed the promise, but she did not understand the performance).
- Angel’s response: The answer to Mary’s question about "how can this happen?" is "God will do it!" (v. 37).
- What is physiologically impossible, Mary’s pregnancy, will happen by divine purpose. Only by a miracle of the highest order could this be accomplished.
- God’s loving sovereignty - Rom 8:28 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
- 3 statements about who God is: God is good, God is in control, God will bring it to pass.
- LOVE: God is, and because He is, and because He is good, that which is impossible to us, that which is beyond our control, beyond our abilities or beyond our imagination is within God’s ability.
- God’s plans and promises - Jer 29:10-14 10 This is what the Lord says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you," declares the Lord, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the Lord, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile."
- God’s love is balanced with His holiness (balance between salvation and judgment)
- Mary’s response "I am the Lord’s servant, may it be to me as you have said" (NAS - Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word)
- Mary experienced the grace of God, believed the word of God, and therefore could be used by the Spirit to accomplish the will of God. (A bond-slave or hand-maid was the lowest kind of female servant, which shows how much Mary trusted God. She belonged totally to Him.)
- Mary recognized God’s voice, she yielded her life to God, she obeyed what was asked of her, and so she received God’s promises.
- Jesus, our Sovereign Lord: Will you surrender your life to the lordship of Christ?
This Christmas, God promises His peace through His abiding presence, God promises His hope through His eternal power, and God promises His love through His sovereign purpose. Will you receive this promise of Christmas in your life today?
Our response
- For non-Christians: Heaven (eternal life) is a free gift. It is not earned or deserved. Man is a sinner. He cannot save himself. God is merciful but God is also just, and must punish sin. God solved this problem for us in the person of Jesus Christ. He died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins and rose from the grave to purchase a place for us in heaven. This gift is received by faith. Saving faith is trusting in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. You need to transfer our trust, receive Christ as Saviour and Lord, and repent from your sins.
- Sinner’s Prayer - Lord Jesus Christ, I know I am a sinner and do not deserve eternal life. But, I believe You died and rose from the grave to purchase a place in heaven for me. Lord Jesus, come into my life; take control of my life; forgive my sins and save me. I repent of my sins and now place my trust in you for my salvation. I accept your free gift of eternal life.
- For Christians: Perhaps we need to remind ourselves of the promise of God’s abiding presence, or His eternal power, or His sovereign purpose.
- For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through Him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. (2 Cor 1:20)
- Will we claim God’s promises for our lives? If so, let’s take some time to respond to God’s word and His Spirit right now.
- God, we bow at the lordship of Your word tonight/today. Be it unto me, according to your word. Let your word be birthed in our hearts today, let it come alive. Help us to receive and claim the promise of Christmas today.
- Benediction: May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (Heb 13:20-21, NIV)
