Christmas time is upon us. When asked to name something about Christmas many people will mention gifts or presents. It’s always exiting to receive a gift! Amen? This morning we are going to see how the Lord would provide Mary with a very special gift within her womb, the gift of a son. He would not be just any child though, but the very Son of God and Savior of the world! Something interesting about her gift is she would not be able to unwrap it until she submitted and believed the Lord’s promise to give it to her. Hang on and I will show you what I mean.
Before we get started, I want to ask you how you would feel if someone promised you a gift, but then said you could not receive it until you believed in it and asked for it. First all you would think that’s ridiculous, and secondly you would have to make a decision to do what was necessary to receive that gift. Would you believe in it, and ask for it, as you were told, or would you walk off in pride thinking, “I am not going to humiliate myself by asking for a gift.” This morning we are going to see that God offers each of us the greatest gift in all the world, but in order to receive it we will have to believe in it and ask for it!
Mary Considered (vv. 26-29)
26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” 29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was.
We read here where the angel Gabriel came to Mary. Just as Gabriel was sent to Mary, the Holy Spirit comes and knocks on the door to our heart, and when He does Jesus is the one doing the asking. He asks us to believe in Him and allow him to come in. In Revelation 3:20 Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” If you are here this morning and Jesus is knocking on the door to your heart, how will you respond to Him?
When Jesus knocks on your heart’s door, He wants to share some Good News with you! God reaches out from heaven and He invites people to a high calling, a calling to become one of God’s own children through faith in Jesus Christ. He reaches out and shares the amazing news that you are highly favored, chosen and beloved by God. In John 15:16 Jesus said, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you . . .” Whenever you hear this amazing news in your heart, how will you respond? Some people will be like Mary. They will feel somewhat troubled.
The reason will be different among individuals. Mary was troubled in a unique way we will never fully understand, as she was told she would be the mother of the Son of God. For many people today, they are troubled because they are faced with a decision to commit their lives to Christ or to deny Him. We read that Mary took time to consider. Some people will become troubled as they consider what they will have to forsake or change in their life in order to follow Jesus. Are you here today, considering deeply what you are hearing? I urge you to consider and ponder carefully.
Mary Questioned (vv. 30-34)
30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” 34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”
Mary was given more detail into why she was said to be favored. Not only was she the mother of God’s Son, but to her was revealed the news of the Savior, Jesus Christ. According to Matthew, the name Jesus means salvation, “for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Jesus would come to lay down His life on the cross, and as He did He would take on the punishment for the world’s sin. When He took our punishment, then we were set free from punishment and saved from the penalty of our sin, which is death (Romans 6:23). If we believe in Jesus salvation takes effect in our life (Romans 10:9-10)
Mary was told that Jesus is “the Son of the Highest” (v. 32), meaning the Son of God. Why is this some important information? As the Son of God, Jesus was divine. John 1:1 and 1:14 tells us that Jesus was actually God in human flesh. Jesus, being God, was perfect and holy. It would take a holy and sinless person to be able to pay the price for our sin. John the Baptist declared that Jesus was the perfect Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29). As a lamb without blemish, Jesus was the perfect sacrifice to lay down his life and atone (or pay the price) for our sin.
Mary was also informed that “the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David” (v. 32). The Messiah and Savior was predicted to have descended from the house, the throne and the lineage of King David. Isaiah prophesied, “Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever” (Isaiah 9:7). This information was important in establishing confidence within Mary that the child she would bear was truly the Messiah. This would also provide her with confidence in Jesus as Savior.
She was told “He will reign over the house of Jacob forever” (v. 33). Jacob is another name for Israel (Genesis 32:28), therefore he would rule over Israel as Messiah and King; and “of His kingdom there will be no end,” referring to the prophecy from Isaiah 9:7 concerning the coming Messiah. This reference to a kingdom with no end speaks of the kingdom of God which will last throughout all eternity, and those who know Jesus as Savior will join him there forever and ever. Mary was being shown that Jesus was the long-predicted and long-awaited Messiah.
We must all acknowledge that Jesus is the Messiah if we are to believe in Him as Savior and Lord. The term “Christ” is the New testament equivalent of Messiah. John said, “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God . . .” (1 John 5:1a). To be born of God is to experience a spiritual birth in the Lord. Jesus told Nicodemus, “You must be born again” (John 3:7), and then explained to him, “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). Being born of water is natural childbirth by the womb. Everyone enters the world through water. However, in order to enter the kingdom of God you must have a spiritual birth. This occurs when you confess Jesus as Christ and Savior.
Mary had earlier contemplated, and here we find her questioning. She asked, “How can this be?” (v. 34). The first part of her question dealt with “Since I do not know a man” (v. 34). Mary had just been given the news that she was the mother of the long-awaited Messiah, and her first question was more carnal than spiritual. She wanted to know how she could become pregnant. She probably wondered what people would think of her since she was only betrothed at that point. She was not yet married, and conception outside of wedlock was punishable by death. Mary’s first concern was, “What will other people think of me?”
When you are confronted with the news that Jesus is the Christ and the one who can save you from your sins, what questions do you have? I bet one of them is, “What will my friends and family think of me?” Maybe you are ashamed of your sin and wondering what people will think. You might say within your heart, “If I walk the isle to confess my sins and receive Jesus, then everyone will look down on me because of my sin. I can’t admit that I’m a sinner. That’s too embarrassing.”
Perhaps a part of Mary’s question had to do with the fulfillment of prophecy and the hope of salvation. Maybe she wondered if it could really be true. How many times, when we hear about salvation from our sins, do we question what we heard? Maybe we feel it can’t be true, or question if Jesus is really the Messiah and Christ. The world says He was just another prophet and only a man. The Bible says He is the Son of God, and “able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him” (Hebrews 7:25). Hopefully our questioning will lead us to consider and believe in Jesus as Messiah, and draw us closer to God instead of driving us away.
Mary Surrendered (vv. 35-38)
35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible.” 38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
When Mary questioned, the Lord answered her. She was told that the “Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God” (v. 35). Jesus, being the Son of God, would be divine; therefore she was being informed that she would have a divine conception. This conception would be by the Holy Spirit (v. 35). When her consideration and questions had been satisfied, she surrendered herself to the Lord and called herself the servant of the Lord, and said, “Let it be to me according to your word” (v. 37). It is my hope that the Holy Spirit will overshadow your heart this morning and satisfy your questions, so that you will surrender your life to the Lord Jesus Christ!
The fulfillment of God’s revelation would take place in Mary’s life after her surrender. Likewise, the fulfillment of God’s salvation in your life, and the forgiveness of sins, can only be accomplished after you surrender to Jesus’ Sonship and Lordship. Romans 10:9 shows you how when you surrender to Jesus you must, “confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead,” and that when you do “you will be saved.” Romans 10:10 says, “For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” In encourage you to allow your questioning to lead you to the place of surrender.
Mary Believed (v. 45)
45 “Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”
Mary considered, questioned and then surrendered, which all led to her belief. She came to believe in God’s promise of Jesus as the Savior and Messiah. I just shared Romans 10:9 which says you have to believe in Jesus to receive salvation from your sins. Notice how verse 45 says that as Mary believed there would be a fulfillment of those things which were told to her. You too must come to a point of belief if you are to receive the forgiveness of your sins, and receive eternal life in heaven. If you want salvation to be fulfilled in your life, then I invite you to come forward and confess your faith and belief in Jesus Christ this very day.
Time of Reflection
The first part of Romans 6:23 tells us, “The wages of sin is death . . .” If you do not believe in Jesus Christ, salvation can never be fulfilled or accomplished in your life. You will die for your sins and spend eternity in hell. The second half of Romans 6:23 shares the incredible gift that awaits those who believe. We read, “But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” If you wish to receive “the gift of God” which is “eternal life” then you must believe in Jesus as the Son of God, who died on the cross to pay for our sins, and who rose from grave victorious over sin and death. Come believe and receive!
