Luke 1:26-35 NKJV
“Highly Favored”
November 26, 2023
What Is God's Favor? God’s favor, or grace, is God giving us the ability to do something which is humanly impossible for us to do. "Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!" (Psalm 90:17) The “favor of God” can be described as a divine kindness, or an act of true compassion on the part of God Himself toward needy and undeserving human recipients. Often, in Scripture, this act of God toward unworthy men or women is referred to as God’s “grace” – which means “the unmerited favor of God.” “For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield." (Psalm 5:12) Noah, found favor in God’s eyes amidst a corrupt and sinful world. Genesis 6:8 “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” Job, amidst his trials, acknowledges that God has granted him favor. Job 10:12 “You have granted me life and favor, and Your care has preserved my spirit.” Joseph, despite being falsely accused and imprisoned, found favor with the prison warden. Genesis 39:21“But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.” Moses, found unmerited favor in God’s sight. Exodus 33:12 “Then Moses said to the Lord, Yet You have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.'” Samuel, the last judge and first priest to the kings in Israel’s history, grew in favor with both God and people. 1 Samuel 2:26 “And the child Samuel grew in stature, and in favor both with the Lord and men.” David, a man after God’s own heart, found favor in God’s sight. Acts 7:46 “David found favor before God and asked to find a dwelling for the God of Jacob.” But the Bible says in our text today that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was “highly favored of God.” There is no description of higher favor given to any man or woman in the history of the Bible than Mary! She alone is described as “highly favored.” There are great and many people that are indeed favored of God, but I’ve come today to share some insight about a teenage girl that the angel recorded in the annals of history as “Highly Favored.”
A. V. 28 Her Character - The angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!" I want us to reflect on the life of a truly remarkable woman, a woman whose character and personality have inspired countless believers for centuries. Mary's willingness to submit to God's will, even in the face of uncertainty and potential hardship, exemplifies her profound trust in the Lord. Her steadfast faith serves as a powerful example for all believers, reminding us that God's plans are always greater than our own, and that we are called to surrender our lives to His divine purpose. When Gabriel appears to Mary, she is probably about 14 or 15 years old. She has probably grown up with dreams of marriage, home and family. She is engaged to a man named Joseph and according to the text, she has maintained her sexual purity, as well as her spiritual purity. She is living close to the Lord and is living a good life before the Lord. We are told that the angel came to “a virgin.” In fact, the virginity of Mary is affirmed twice in verse 27. This is contrary to what some modern theologians may say. The word virgin does not simply speak of a “young woman,” but it speaks of one who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. This doctrine is important because God promised that the Savior of humanity would be “the seed of the woman,” Genesis 3:15. This simply means that God would send the Savior into the world through the body of a woman without the aid of a human male. When Adam sinned in the garden, he became a sinner. And, just as he passed on his human nature to his offspring, Romans 5:12 teaches that Adam also passed along his sinful nature to his children. David said, “We were born in sin and shapen in iniquity!” God’s plan to send a Savior into the world involved Him sending a pure Savior, through the virgin birth of Jesus, “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman,” Galatians 4:4.
B. V. 34 Her Challenge - Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" When Gabriel makes His announcement to Mary, her life is immediately turned upside down. Mary is called upon to bear shame, reproach and humiliation for the glory of God. Blessing always comes with burden. Favor is never fair! Often, God will allow things to happen in our life that are hard to bear and hard to understand, yet the Lord sends them our way so that we might grow in Him and come to know Him in a better way. When these times arise, it is easy to question the Lord and His judgment. But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, for you have found favor with God… and the Son that you will bring forth, you shall call His name Jesus!” The angel addresses Mary’s problem by giving her a promise, v. 35; offering her some proof, v. 36; and by declaring God’s power, v. 37. Gabriel declares, “For with God nothing will be impossible.” - “He shall be great.” Calanders will mark time according to Before Him and After Him. “He shall be called the Son of the Highest.” He will be the eternal Son of God, with the name “Immanuel” meaning “God with us,” Matthew 1:23. “the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David…” He Is the Final King of Israel - a direct descendant of King David. When you say the name “Jesus,” you are calling the name of the King of Kings! “And He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever…” He Is The Fulfillment Of Prophecy – “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be,” Genesis 49:10. Shiloh has come and the Messiah’s name is Jesus!
C. V. 38 Her Consecration - Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." Despite the shame that was sure to come her way, despite the humiliation she would bear, Mary was willing to submit her life to the will of the Lord. In doing so, she sets and example of obedience and surrender that every child of God needs to take to heart. Regardless of what may come our way in life, we can rest assured that God is going to use it to get glory to Himself and to help us learn more about Him. To watch Mary as these verses unfold is to see a young teenager who has been prepared for this moment. History tells us that every faithful Jewish girl hoped that she would be the vessel chosen through which God would send His Messiah into the world. Imagine the faith required for Mary to respond to the Lord as she did. For a young unmarried woman to become pregnant in that day was to be the focus of shame, disgrace and a possible death sentence. But, Mary was willing to bear the shame and the burden of being the vessel through which God would send His Son into the world. She later sings, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior" (Luke 1:46). I know that the Church has commonly used the phrase, “Blessed and Highly Favored” over the last decade. No one in scripture has been declared Highly Favored until Jesus was born unto Mary! I submit to you today that the blessing of God and the favor of God that began in eternity past came to fruition on earth through Jesus and Jesus alone. The GREEK word charitoo (khar-ee-to'-o); from NT:5485; means to indue with special honor. This word charitoo only shows up twice in the entire KJV translated, “to make accepted” (Ephesians 1:6), “to be highly favoured” (Luke 1:28). Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. According to the good pleasure of God’s will, we were made accepted, we were highly favored because of Jesus! Place your trust in Jesus today and you can NOW say that you are “Blessed and Highly Favored” because of Jesus!
