The Lamb Prepared

The Lamb Prepared Luke 1:26-38; & Micah 5:1-6: v. 26-27 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. I. THE SENDING OF THE ANGEL. THE MAIDEN THE ANGEL CONFRONTED. .Luke 1:27-28 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 1. WE SEE A MESSENGER Luke 1:26 "And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God..." 2. WE SEE A MYSTERY. Luke 1:27 "To a "VIRGIN" Isa 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 3. WE SEE A MIRACLE. Luke 1:28 "the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women" Luke 1:34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? Gal 4:4 But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, (without the help of a man) made under the law, II. THE SPECIFICS OF THE ANNOUNCEMENT. Luke 1:31-33 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. (a). THE SIGNIFICANCE OF HIS NAME. Luke 1:31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. (b). THE SUBSTANCE OF HIS FAME. Luke 1:32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. JESUS is THE SOURCE OF LIFE, THE SECRET TO LIFE and THE SPLENDOUR OF LIFE. (c). THE SOLUTION OF HIS CLAIM. Luke 1:33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Isa 9:7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. III. THE SURRENDER TO THE ASSIGNMENT. MARY’S SUBMISSION TO HER LORD. Luke 1:35-38 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. (a). THE PACE OF HER SURRENDER. Luke 1:38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me ac cording to thy word. Rom 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (b). THE POTENTIAL OF HER SURRENDER. Luke 1:34-35 "Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee:......" (c). THE PRODUCT OF HER SURRENDER.Luke 1:35 ..... "therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." I. MARY DISCOVERED THAT GOD'S PLANS ARE ETERNAL. v.33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. A. God Is Eternal.Ps 90:2-"Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God, Psalm 93:2-"Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting." Deut 33:27-"The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms..." B.God's Plans Are Eternal.Ephesians 4:11-"According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord." 1.The Life He Gives Is Eternal Life. 2.The Kingdom He Reigns Over Will Be An Everlasting Kingdom. II. MARY DISCOVERED THAT GOD'S PROMISES ARE UNFAILING 33And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. II Corinthians 1:20-"For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us." II Peter 1:4-"Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises..." III.MARY DISCOVERED THAT GOD'S POWER IS UNLIMITED. v 34-37 God Demonstrated His Power In Mary's Life in the virgin birth of Christ: 1. It is mandatory. Hebrews 7:26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; 2. It is miraculous.35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. 3. It is meaningful. Christianity takes on a special meaning and significance because of it. Our Saviour is different than any other kind of Messiah or Saviour. Ours was supernaturally conceived of the Holy Ghost. Note: I. The Predictions of His Virgin Birth Micah 5:1-6: Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek. 2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. 3 Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. 4 And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth. 5 And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men. 6 And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders. A. A Bethlehem Born One 2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. B. An Eternal One His going forth has been from old of everlasting. C. A Ruling One v 2 says, "He is to be ruler in Israel." D. A Great One "He shall be great unto the ends of the earth" (Micah 5:4). E. A Peace Giving One "This man shall be the peace" (Micah 5:5). II. The Purposes Of The Virgin Birth A.To Provide A Saviour B.To Promote The Sovereign C.To Paralyze The Devil 1 John 3:8–" For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. "Destroy" means to "render inoperative." D.To Perpetuate Salvation Jesus said, "I am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly" (Jn. 10:10). III. The Provisions of the Virgin Birth A. A Unique Person The God man–Deity and human join together. B. An Understanding Priest Heb. 4:15 says, "He was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin." C. An Unchanging Plan He will never cease to be the Perfect One, so we will never have to change our message. D. An Undying Passion Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.