INTRODUCTION
• Over the next three weeks, we will look at different characters in the Christmas story to see how the birth of Jesus was good news of great joy for all of them, a poor young couple like Joseph and Mary, the marginalized shepherds, or even cosmic beings (angels).
• We tend to focus on the scene of baby Jesus in the manger, and let there be no doubt, Jesus is the star of the story!
• However, this story would not be the same without the supporting cast to examine these subsequent three messages.
• I wonder how much thought we give to the supporting cast of the birth of Jesus.
• The story of the birth of Jesus highlights an important point we need never forget.
• I know Christians tend to get excited when a person of prominence or power starts to proclaim Jesus.
• I also get excited to see that because of the potential impact those folks can have because of their celebrity or position.
• I see this play out a bit in the church as folks get wrapped up in the celebrity preacher syndrome.
• When we focus on the celebrity or the powerful and important, we will miss the great things God does through the seemingly weak and what we would call insignificant people in the world.
• Big Idea of the Message: God uses the weak to shame the strong; he does this by choosing the young Mary for the vital task of bearing his Son.
• I would say that the most significant task ever handed over to humanity from God was the birth of Jesus.
• Everything rises and falls with the success of that calling.
• Who did God use to carry out this most vital mission?
• Did He use the rich and famous or the celebrities of the day?
• He used a poor young couple who had no power, no influence over society.
• We know that Mary and Joseph were poor.
• We know this from two details.
• The first comes from the infamous first crib of Jesus: the manager (Luke 2:12, 16).
• Joseph did not have any family connections or influence to provide a more substantial lodging for him and his very pregnant wife.
• In a culture that placed such a high value on patronage and social connections, they had to make do with these humble surroundings as they delivered their first child.
• Second, after Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph took him to be presented in the temple.
• The sacrifice they offered was two turtledoves (see Luke 2:22–24).
• This again tells us that they were poor.
• Leviticus 12 outlines the rules for offering a sacrifice when presenting a firstborn male child at the temple.
• The pigeon or turtledove is only to be offered if the parents cannot afford the lamb.
• This option was a demonstration of God’s mercy toward the poor and a reflection of their social status—it was all they could afford.
• Today, we are going to look at Luke 1:26-38.
• This passage is a well-known passage of the Angel Gabriel telling Mary what would happen.
• Luke’s version of this story comes from the perspective of Mary.
• In Matthew1:18-25, we find the story from the perspective of Joseph.
• Let’s begin our journey by turning to Luke 1:26-28.
Luke 1:26–28 (CSB)
26 In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,
27 to a virgin engaged to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
28 And the angel came to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you.”
SERMON
I. The weak became favored.
• As I touched on in the introduction, we tend to devalue what we consider a lower social standard than ours.
• When God chose the family who would raise His Son, it would be logical to assume He would use a prominent family with the financial means to give the child all the advantages and the things we all think a child needs.
• I mean, doesn’t God value His Son having the latest cell phone with the best cellular plan?
• Shouldn’t the Son of God have all the advantages money and status could provide to Him?
• It kind of makes you think for a minute, doesn’t it?
• Did you know that in 2018, the average American household took on $1,054 of debt during the holiday season?
• If they could afford only the minimum payment of $25 each month, the debt (with interest) wouldn’t be eliminated for five years (Kari Paul, “Here’s How Long It Will Take Americans to Pay Off Their Christmas Debt,” MarketWatch, January 2, 2018, https://www.marketwatch.com/story/heres-how-long-it-will-take-americans-to-pay-off-their-christmas-debt-2017-12-29).
• I wonder if sometimes our priorities as parents were a bit off-center.
• Maybe in our pursuit of giving our children everything they want, we are missing the most important thing they want and need US!
• We can see from who God chose to be the parents of His Son, and economics did not play into the decision.
Luke (An Angel Promises the Birth of Jesus to Mary / 1:26–38 / 5)
Mary was young, poor, female—all characteristics that, to the people of her day, would make her seem unusable by God for any major task.
But God chose Mary for one of the most important acts of obedience he has ever demanded of anyone.
You may feel that your ability, experience, or education makes you an unlikely candidate for God’s service.
Don’t limit God’s choices. He can use you if you trust him. Take him at his word.
• The Angel Gabriel appears before this young girl Mary.
• In verse 28, Gabriel begins the conversation with Mary by saying, GREETING FAVORED WOMEN. THE LORD IS WITH YOU!
• Here is Mary. she may have been as young as 14 and most likely not over 18.
• We know nothing about Mary; she was not famous, she was not someone others hoped to be, she was a simple woman who, in the eyes of the world, was little to no consequence in life.
• Guess what?
• God knew her!
• Mary was favored for no other reason than the fact that God was with her!
• And since God was with her, God would give her His help in the privilege and responsibility for which He had chosen her!
• Mary and Joseph were going to need all the help they could receive because of the task of raising Jesus; the fact that Joseph and Mary would be rife with social obstacles would not make the task any easier.
Luke 1:29–37 (CSB)
29 But she was deeply troubled by this statement, wondering what kind of greeting this could be. 30 Then the angel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 Now listen: You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end.”
34 Mary asked the angel, “How can this be, since I have not had sexual relations with a man?”
35 The angel replied to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 And consider your relative Elizabeth—even she has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called childless. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”
II. The weak became comforted.
• Once Mary was called FAVORED WOMAN, Mary was troubled.
• The phrase DEEPLY TROUBLED denotes someone confused, and at its worst, terrified!
• I cannot imagine why?
• Mary was confused by the whole thing, and the words further confused her.
• She knew she was a very young woman of lowly social standing.
• Why was she picked for whatever was getting ready to be handed to her?
• Sometimes, we allow Satan to make us feel useless if we are not rich and powerful or not a person of great influence.
• When we feel that way, we can miss a significant number of opportunities to do wonderful things for God’s kingdom.
• Gabriel starts with the difficult news for Mary first.
• You are going to have a child!
• In verse 34, Mary is more perplexed because she says she has not done what needs to be done to conceive a child.
• The passage clarifies that Mary was a virgin and that she engaged to a man named Joseph.
A Handbook on the Gospel of Luke (Luke 1:27)
According to Jewish law, betrothal established a legal relationship between a man and a woman, binding upon both parties, cp. Deut. 20:7; 22:23–27.
It took place after the marriage contract between the parents and was performed by exchanging something of a certain value between the parties.
The interval between betrothal and marriage was usually one year, during which time the woman and her property LAWFULLY already belonged to her future husband, and unfaithfulness on her part was considered adultery.
• During this period, being engaged was akin to being married, except without some of the benefits.
• The couple would live separately with their own parents during this year.
• The engagement was a binding legal arrangement that required a divorce to dissolve.
Matthew 1:19–20 (CSB)
19 So her husband, Joseph, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly.
20 But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
• Imagine for a moment that you are an unmarried woman in a society where such a woman who became pregnant could be charged with adultery and stoned to death.
• Now imagine that you become pregnant.
• Who do you tell? Your parents?
• They can’t support you, or you’ll bring this “shame” upon them.
• Your fiancé?
• He cannot stand by you because you’ll ruin his reputation.
• Your friends?
• They’d most likely join in the crowd judging you.
• Whom do you turn to for support?
• Where can you go with your bad news?
• This is the problem Mary faced when she learned she was pregnant.
• In verses 30-33, Gabriel seeks to calm Mary’s fear by explaining to her exactly who this child will be!
• In verses 35-37, Gabriel explains to Mary just how she would conceive this child.
• In verse 36, Gabriel offers some proof of the truth of his report to her; Elizabeth was now six months pregnant.
• This
• In verse 37, Mary is reminded of something we always have to keep in mind!
Luke 1:37 (CSB)
37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”
• Let’s turn to verse 38.
Luke 1:38 (CSB)
38 “See, I am the Lord’s servant,” said Mary. “May it happen to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
III. The weak became strong.
• This whole scene could have played out a couple of ways.
• Mary could have tried to pull a Jonah and ran from God screaming and crying, or she could go from weak to strong!
• In verse 38, we do not see a reaction of resignation but rather a sign of power and strength!
• Mary makes a complete body and soul surrender to God and His will!
• She placed herself at the complete disposal of God.
• The God who loved her and by means of the promise gave her the most crucial task handed out to a human!
• Mary knew that no matter how hard the road would be, God would be with her.
• Knowing that gave her strength.
• When you know God is with you, you too can even walk through the valley of the shadow of death, knowing you are not going it alone!
CONCLUSION
• This series reminds us of what Paul would later write: “God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong” (1 Corinthians 1:27).
• When it comes to the characters of Christmas, the elderly and childless Zechariah and Elizabeth, and now with Mary and Joseph: God is using the weak, the poor, the non-influencers, to bring about his entry into this world; and by doing so, He is turning the whole system upside down.
• In what ways are you participating in this part of the Christmas story?
• Are you on the lookout for how God is moving among the poor and the unseen?
• Or are you looking to the powerful, the influencers, to change the world?
• God is showing you through this birth narrative that God uses even the weakest among us for His kingdom and His glory!
