The Mother of Jesus

Christmas shopping I'm gonna. I'll ask it again. How many of you. Oh, the light's on.

There we are. Anyway, let me have you guys turn in your Bibles to Luke chapter one. Luke chapter One for our time of study and the word this morning. I'm gonna begin the message a little bit differently today.

A couple of weeks ago, my family and I had purchased a Christmas tree and we got it home, set it up, and then the next night we were decorating our Christmas tree and while we were doing all the decorations, someone in the family put in a CD album of Christmas songs and so that was playing and filling the atmosphere as we were decorating. And, and one of the songs on that album especially captured my attention. and so much so that after the album was done playing through, I went back and rewound back to that particular song and listened to it again.

And then even after, that night, I have found every day since then, a few times a day, that song has been going through my mind.

I've been singing it in my head. And contemplating the lyrics. Of that particular Christmas song. And little did I know that the Lord was preparing me for this message, this morning, but it's the song Mary Did.

How many of you have heard that song? OK, everybody, wonderful, meditation on the, just contemplating what Christmas meant to Mary. We, we have an idea of what it means to us, but what did it mean to Mary? And so what I wanna do by way of introduction this morning is I, I have this song, the actual song that we were listening to a couple of weeks ago as we were decorating our Christmas tree, and I'm gonna ask them to put that song on and let's join the songwriter.

In contemplating the wonder that was Mary's as she pondered this child that she had conceived and given birth to. Let's meditate together. your baby boy. Would one day walk on water, Mary, did you.

And that your baby boy would save our sons and. Did he Has come And this child to you will give sight. did he His hand When you Mary, did? but Of all creation, Mary did.

But one day Wonderful song, is it not? A great way to introduce the message, for. the message for this morning, I want to speak to you guys on the subject of what Mary knew. This song that we just played is a long, prolonged, drawn out, multifaceted question.

Addressed to Mary and asking her what did? Did? And our passage this morning in Luke chapter 1 verses 26 to 35 serves to answer the question of what Mary knew. In fact, I'm gonna go ahead and steal my thunder.

I know some of you really struggle from week to week wondering when is the right time to fall asleep during Milton's sermon., what would be a good point that I could fall asleep and still have captured enough of the message to where I could make a contribution in my care group, that evening, but I want to go ahead and make it simple for you and give you a two word summary of the message this morning, and that is Mary knew. She knew, she knew many of the things that are inquired about in this particular song Mary knew and the reason we know that she knew these things even before Jesus was conceived is because we are told that she knew these things in Luke chapter 1 verses 26 through.

35 and we're gonna find this out this morning. In fact, we're gonna look at 8 truths or 7 truths that Mary knew even before Jesus was conceived in her womb and I, I've found this especially fascinating to me when I've contrasted Mary's situation to the situation that we as normal parents have.

think about you before your child was conceived and ask yourself, what did I know? we knew nothing. we didn't even know that our child would actually be conceived. We didn't know that.

And then once our child was conceived, we did not know that our child would live to full term in the womb to where the child could even be delivered. We prayed for that, we hoped for that. But we didn't know that. And when our child was in the womb, we didn't know if that child was a boy or a girl until perhaps a few months into the pregnancy.

Went to the doctor and got an ultrasound, or whatever they call them, and the doctor told you, you have a boy or a girl. And even when they say that, you still are like, I'm still not totally sure. and you think about that when you're contemplating purchasing. items for the child.

When the child is in the womb, you don't know what that child is going to look like when they're born. you, you might get from the hospital a picture, an image of the child. In fact, we got some of those when our children were in the womb, but I remember looking at some of those going, I still have no clue, what this child is gonna look like. The image is so grainy.

I especially remember when Benjamin, my wife was pregnant with Benjamin, and they gave us a picture of Benjamin in the womb. And it was a freaky picture, to be honest with you, because he, as I looked at the image, he was staring right at the camera. There's this huge head and then big gaping holes where the eyes are, and it looked like something from outer space. And then his head, there was a V in his head where there, it was just dark.

And, And I remember saying to my wife, what is that? What is that? Is that normal, there's nothing there. And she said that's normal.

The skull has not fully, closed in. And I was like, will it close in by the time he's born? And she assured me that normally that's what happens. But all it served to do was it gave me another thing to worry about.

And my prayer and my thought was, I hope that his skull closes in before he is born. And I was happy when he came out to see that he did have a fully formed skull. And that there actually is something inside of there also even when our children are born, we still don't know on the day of their birth what their personality is going to be and all of its details and their gifts and abilities and, and, and talents and all the things that are a part of their individual person and personality.

We didn't know that.

We didn't know for certain. On the day of our child's birth, that they would go on and serve the Lord. We didn't know that. And then in what way that they would go on and serve the Lord.

When you think about our situation, there's so much that we don't know. In fact, we almost know nothing, especially before our children are actually conceived. Mary, however, is different because God sent an angel to her to give her a. Number of details about this child that she would be conceiving in her womb, and he tells her a number of things that are really wonderful and as we look at this passage, you're gonna discover that Mary knew she knew many of the things that the song that we played in choir about so what we're gonna do this morning is we're gonna begin in verse 26 of Luke chapter 1 and we're gonna enjoy the narrative.

I love. These stories that are in the Gospels, they're here for us to enjoy, but at the same time to be impacted by, challenged by, and educated by and so we'll be drawing from this narrative seven truths about Jesus that Mary was informed of even before Jesus was conceived. Let's begin in verse 26. Says now in the 6th month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph and of the descendants of David and the virgin's name was Mary.

Now, just in that passage right there, these two verses, we learned a number of things already about Mary. We learned that she was a virgin, so she was sexually pure. she was engaged, and the man she was engaged to was a guy named Joseph, and both Mary and Joseph, we know from Scripture were descendants of David, which was critical because the Messiah. That was promised in the Old Testament was promised to be of the lineage of David.

We also know that Mary lived in a little town called Nazareth, and that may not seem like any big deal to to us just reading that on paper, but just understand that in the biblical era, the city of Nazareth was a very lowly esteemed town. It was a podunk hick town in the eyes of many. and so people did not have a high opinion of this tiny little, village. in fact, so much so that in the Gospel of John, in John chapter one, Philip goes to Nathaniel to say, we found the Messiah, and Nathaniel was like, well, who is he?

And Philip says it's Jesus of. Nazareth Nathaniel replied, can anything good come out of Nazareth? Anything good come out of Nazareth? And so this was a town that was lowly esteemed, certainly not the town that you would expect the Messiah to.

be born or originate from, but nonetheless, this is where Mary, the mother of, the coming Messiah, lived and so Gabriel comes to this poor town of Nazareth. We know from scripture also that Mary and Joseph were both poor. And so they were of lowly, humble material circumstances. And then just one other detail that's not in scripture, but it's something that I think we can safely infer from history is that Mary was a teenager, somewhere between the ages of 12 and 18.

the average Jewish girl back in this day was married. Her marriage was contracted somewhere between her being 12 to 18 years of age. In fact, we know from history that if a Jewish girl was 18 years old, imagine this, 18 years old, and she was still unmarried, she was considered and called an old maid. So imagine that ladies.

Imagine being 19 and people are already looking at you funny, like, why aren't you married? What's the problem, here? By the way, speaking of marriage, Daniel Ben Adler and Cindy Okamura. Became engaged on Friday and so we can congratulate them.

In fact, let's have them stand, the lovebirds. I meant to, I meant to share that before the message. But It seemed to fit here. Anyway, So they were considered an old maid somewhere, after the age of 19 if a girl was still unmarried and so almost certainly Mary was a teenager somewhere between 12 and 18.

And so just so you get a visual, if she were attending Cornerstone, she'd be either in the junior high or more likely the senior high youth group. All right? That's significant because we're gonna be seeing incredible maturity in her. And I look at that and it's like wow, what a teenager.

And it inspires me as a parent to want to build some of these virtues that we see in Mary in my own children, and it convinces me that yes, it is possible for a teenager to have these things in their character. But nonetheless, the angel Gabriel, and by the way, the name Gabriel. Speaks of the mighty one of God. It speaks of a warrior, a hero.

No doubt Gabriel looked the part of the heroic warrior, mighty powerful angel, and we know from the text that Mary was indoors somewhere because in verse 28 it says, and coming in. and so Gabriel comes in, and so just imagine ladies, you're in your home, you're doing something, and suddenly this powerful being who looks every bit the part just steps in, he just comes in where you are. And look at what happens in verse 28 and coming in, Gabriel said to her, greetings, graced one.

The Lord is with you.

Greetings, literally in the Greek text, graced one, the Lord is with you. Now, in the biblical era and in the in in the scriptures, what we find is that whenever, almost always, whenever an angel appears, like suddenly appears, the first thought on the person's mind that the angel has appeared to. Here's the first thought, I'm dead. I am so dead.

if you are even halfway aware of your own sinfulness, and an angel suddenly appears, especially a mighty warrior looking angel, the mighty one of God, your first thought is, I'm dead. They would think he's here to judge me because of their mindfulness of their own sin. And almost always when an angel appears, the first thing that he usually has to say is don't be afraid. Stop being afraid, don't be afraid of me.

and the same thing happens here. We know that Mary was afraid, when Gabriel appeared to her because he has to tell her in verse 30 to stop being afraid, Mary. But nonetheless, Gabriel comes in and he greets Mary and he says, greetings, grace one, The Lord is with you. Look at verse 29.

Normally when someone greets you, it is polite to reply. Verse 29, but she was very perplexed at this statement and kept on pondering what salutation this was. And so she sees the angel, and her first thought, no doubt is, I'm dead. But then she's thinking, but he greeted me and he seems kind, and it's a positive greeting.

It seems like he's congratulating me and telling me that I'm a grace one and that God is with me. And so she's trying to figure this out. And when it says in verse 29 that she was very perplexed, literally, she was agitated through and through, and she kept on pondering. The word pondering is the Greek word we get our English word dialogue from.

So there's this dialogue going on inside of her head and her heart. She's not dialoguing with Gabriel. She's not even responding to him, but all of these thoughts are tossing back and forth inside of our. Heart inside of her mind and so Gabriel comes in and he greets her and she stands there totally flummoxed and flustered with nothing to say and she's just just agitated and tossing these thoughts back and forth in her mind.

Well, Gabriel stands there waiting for a greeting. He doesn't get one, and so he's thinking to himself, this is awkward. So verse 30, the angel said to her, Stop being afraid, Mary. He realizes I need to speak here to calm her heart.

Stop being afraid, Mary, for you have found grace with God. He speaks these words to comfort her troubled heart. And by the way, in scripture, whenever it is said that someone found grace with God or found grace in the eyes of the Lord, what that means? It means that they were chosen by God for something really great.

In the scripture, Noah is said. To have found grace in the eyes of the Lord Gideon, Hannah, the mother of Samuel, David, and now Mary. And so for Mary to be told the same thing, you have found grace with God. Gabriel is saying God has chosen you for something really exceptional and special.

And so Mary receives that and now Gabriel begins to speak and he makes one stunning announcement after another informing Mary so that she would know of certain truths about her son. Even before he was conceived. Truth number 1 that she learned from Gabriel was that her son would bring salvation from Jehovah, that her son would bring salvation from Jehovah. It says in verse 30, Gabriel is speaking to Mary, and he says, and behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus, which in the Hebrew is Yehoshua.

Which is the first half of the name Yahweh or Jehovah, and then it's the word salvation. Yehoshua means Jehovah is salvation or Jehovah saves. And so just the mere fact that the angel is being so deliberate about this, saying when he's born, you are to make sure that you give him this name is informing Mary that this child has something to do with the bringing of salvation to men and. Women.

In fact, when the angel appears to Joseph in a dream, he says to Joseph, you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins, and he makes it very clear why he is to be given this name. And so he is a bringer of salvation from Jehovah God. That's the first thing Mary would know. Mary would know just from this announcement that I'm going to conceive a son.

In my womb, that son will live the full term. He will be born, and he will then live to his 8th day on the day that he's circumcised, and on that day, that's the day that we name our children, we are to give him the name Jesus because he is to be a bringer of salvation from Jehovah. There's a second truth that Gabriel enlightens her to about her son, and that is that her son would be the son of the Most High God. Wow.

a minute earlier, she's doing chores, and now she's being told that you're going to conceive in your womb a son. Name him Jehovah Saves, and your son will be the son of the Most High God. Now understand that back in this day, not only in scripture, but even in society surrounding Israel, that the name or the title Son of God, Son of the Most High God, those were royal titles. It's what you called a king, OK?

That's why even in Psalm 2, the Messianic Psalm, it says kiss the sun. Because a son of God was a name for someone who was king, and they viewed the coronation day, the crowning day, the inauguration day of that king to be the birthday of that individual as a son of God. And so it means other things, but at the very least. It means that Jesus will be a king.

As Mary is processing this, the very least that she would know is that this child that I'm going to conceive, I need to name him Jesus because he's gonna bring salvation from Jehovah, and somehow, in one way or another, he will be a king. The son of the Most High God, God's appointed king. She will know from this that he is to be the Messiah. Have I been one slide behind?

You guys need to tell me this stuff. I am so sorry about that. all right, so we're on truth number 2. Her son would be the son of the Most High God.

and then he goes on to, give her yet another truth about her son. And that is that her son would reign over a restored kingdom of Israel. Her son would reign over a restored kingdom. Of Israel.

Look what it says in verse 32, Gabriel says 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. Now think about this, as for Mary to process this, she'd have to realize that, what, right now the Romans are in charge. There's the Roman Empire that's getting in the way. There is no throne of David that right now is in place for anyone to rule and to reign on.

And so embodied in this announcement is that at some point during the lifespan. Of this child that is to be born, there will be a change that will come over the world, and the throne of David will be reestablished. The Romans will no longer be in charge, and this child to be conceived in Mary's womb will sit on that throne of David. And so there's a lot that's just embodied in this promise that Gabriel is making to Mary.

There's a 4th truth that he educates her on even before Jesus is conceived, and that is that her son would reign forever. Her son would reign forever. It seems like. As Gabriel speaks, it keeps escalating.

just the magnitude of these announcements, one right after another. he says in verse 33, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, forever. No king had ever done that before. David reigned for several days or a few decades, and Solomon reigned for a few.

Decades, King Saul reigned for a few decades. Every king in Israel's history would come to power and then at some point would die or be removed from power. But nonetheless, this child that is to be conceived in Mary's womb is going to sit on the restored throne of his father David, and the duration of his reign will be forever. It will never come to an end.

Not only that, but there's a 5th thing that Mary is told. By Gabriel about her son, and that is that there would be no outer limits to her son's kingdom. There would be no outer limits of her son's kingdom. Look what he says in verse 33, and it, and his kingdom will have no end.

His kingdom will have no end. Now, we can understand that in one of two ways. The angel could be saying that his kingdom will never come to an end in time. If that is true.

then the question that raises is, well, he just said that that he would reign forever and so there are a number of commentators that suggest that what he's speaking of is spatially, in other words, his kingdom will never come to an end. In other words, you will never reach the outer borders of his rule, of his kingdom, of his reign. You can go to Washington DC and see the power that is invested in the president and in the congress and in the Supreme Court and all the branches of our government and then you can go on a spatial journey through this country and you can seek for the outer limits of our government's authority and you will find borders where the authority of our government ceases and stops what our government legislates means nothing, absolutely nothing.

To people living 10 miles north of our border in Canada, they, they couldn't care less because the authority does not extend there.

But if you were to try to find the outer borders of the kingdom of Jesus, you would never find it. It is a sprawling massive kingdom that covers the entire universe, wow. Couple minutes earlier, she's doing chores. Angel, mighty one of God, greeting her.

You're going to conceive, give birth to a son. He's a bringer of salvation. He will be a king. Israel will be restored, the kingdom of Israel, the throne of David will be restored, he will reign on that throne forever, and the expanse of that kingdom, there will be no outer borders.

It will cover the entire universe. There's a 6th truth that Mary knew about her son, and that is that her son would be conceived supernaturally. Her son would be conceived supernaturally. Now please don't take Mary wrong here in verse 34.

Mary is not manifesting unbelief. It's just that Mary understands biology. Her parents had obviously sat down with her and had the talk, with her, so she understood how things operated in this world when it comes to childbirth. And so she's submissive, she believes what the angel is saying, but she simply has a logistical question.

And so verse 34, Mary said to the angel, how can this be since I am a virgin? OK, that's her question. I'm not married. I am engaged.

Gabriel, from the sound of it, you sound, you, you speak like this conception is imminent, like it's gonna happen today or tomorrow, just, it's, it's, it's imminent. And so my question is, I, I've never known a man. I don't intend to have physical relations with a man in the next day or two. And so how can what you're saying happen since I am a virgin?

And so verse 35, the angel answered and said to her, the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. And for that reason, the Holy Child. Shall be called the Son of God, for nothing will be impossible with God. Well, when you look at verse 35, the angels saying, explaining how it can be, he still doesn't give her a lot of details, but he just says that the Holy Spirit's gonna come upon you, the power of the Most High will overshadow you.

And that's how the conception is going to take place. He's basically telling Mary, God in heaven will be the biological father of your child. What an amazing announcement. And he says verse 37 or in verse at the end of verse verse 35, for that reason, the Holy Child shall be called the Son of God.

Not only will he be called the Son of God because he's gonna be a king, it's not just a royal title. But it's a biological explanation too, that your child will come forth from your womb, but he will biologically be the son of God, because God will be his biological father. Verse 37, nothing is impossible with God. Nothing.

Well, there's a 7th truth that the angel enlightens Mary too, and that is that her son would be uniquely holy. Her son would be uniquely holy. Look what he says in verse 35, and for that reason, the holy child shall be called the Son of God, the holy child. No other child that has ever been born in the history of the world could be said to be holy.

Jesus though is described as being holy. All of us would say with the psalmist David, after he had committed adultery and murder and lied and deceived and was guilty of hypocrisy, he says in Psalm 51:5, behold, I was shaken in iniquity and in sin my mother conceived me. I was born this way. I was born the wrong boy.

I was born the wrong man, and I have done the things that I've done. And those things have not made me a sinner. I did those things because I was a sinner from birth, and these things merely reveal the sin that is in me, the corruption that is inside of me, and all of us would be able to give that testimony we sin because we are sinners. No one had to teach us how to lie.

No one had to teach us how to be selfish we were that way naturally. Jesus, however, we're being told, would not be born with that sin nature that we were born with, but he would be holy, and the overwhelming testimony. Of all of Scripture is that Jesus was absolutely holy and perfect in every way from his conception all the way to his death. That means that everything that Jesus did was right.

Everything he said was true, every promise he made was utterly faithful. It means that when Jesus died, he died as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. It means that when he died, God looked upon his sacrifice for our sins and said, that's a perfect sacrifice, and I accept this sacrifice for the salvation and forgiveness of all those who come to my son by faith. It means that because he was holy and because his sacrifice was accepted by God, it means that you and I now can have the forgiveness of all of our sins if we come to Jesus humbly and by faith.

I've been meditating recently just on the holiness of Jesus and And the love that even went into that holiness. We know from scripture Jesus was tempted in all points like as we are and I got to thinking that when Jesus was tempted, certainly he told himself, I need to choose right rather than what's wrong because I love my father and I want to please him. But it seems like the thought probably also went through his mind, I must choose what is right rather than what is wrong, because the salvation.

Of so many depends upon it.

And he was holy because he loved his father. He was holy because he loved you. Because he knew that if he was anything less than perfectly holy. We would have no forgiveness of sins.

And so thinking about it that way just made me realize that His holiness is an expression not only of his love for the Father, but it was one of his ways of loving me. I want to be holy and perfect and spotless. Because the salvation of Milton depends upon it. And so he loved us in every temptation throughout his earthly life in choosing what is right rather than what is wrong, so that he could be the perfect spotless sacrifice that would be acceptable to God so that we could have salvation and forgiveness of sins through Him.

And so Mary was in her house doing whatever. Gabriel appears and just in rapid fire succession makes these stunning announcements to her. Of this son that she was about to conceive in her womb, this is the last slide that I wanna show you this morning just as we turn the corner and wrap this up. Let's just think for a few minutes about how Mary responded to these announcements from Gabriel.

First of all, she responded with faith she responded with faith, and I want you to put yourself in her sandals and ask yourself if you would have responded this way. in Luke chapter 1 verse 45, Elizabeth, who was pregnant with John the Baptist, told Mary that she was blessed because Mary believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord. So Mary stands there and she hears these stunning announcements about her son and what he was going to become.

She hears this stunning announcement about how this child will be conceived miraculously in her womb, and she believed what Gabriel said to her.

That's amazing to me. Especially when you contrast it with the way Zacharias responded to Gabriel's announcement a few months earlier. when Gabriel appeared to Zacharias, who was an old man, advanced in years, married to Elizabeth, who was an old woman, advanced in years, and Gabriel comes to Zacharias and says, hey, I got some good news for, for you. You are actually, your wife is going to conceive a child and give birth.

And then he tells Zacharias about his son. And yeah, that was miraculous, but nothing near a virgin birth and conception. Zacharias, upon hearing this announcement from Gabriel, says in Luke chapter 1 verse 18, how will I know this for certain? Here's a godly man, holy and righteous.

A worshiper of God, a priest in Israel, advanced in years and in walking with the Lord, and Gabriel gives him this announcement and Zacharias is like, I don't know. How will I know for sure that this will happen? Gabriel says, what? I'm gonna give you a sign.

The sign is that you're gonna be dumb. You will not be able to speak audibly from this moment until all these things I've just told you come to pass, because you did not believe what has come to you from the Lord. So this is Zachariahs, highly esteemed, godly man walking with the Lord for decades. And then we come to Mary, a teenager.

Same Gabriel comes to her. And says, you're going to give birth to a son who's Going to sit on the throne of David. His reign will be forever. He's going to reign over the entire universe.

And you're going to conceive this child without ever having relations with a man. It will be miraculous. And Mary says, OK. I got in.

again, guys, look at what Elizabeth says in Luke chapter 1 verse 45, Blessed is she who believed, who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord. I'm sure Elizabeth maybe when she said that she was casting a furtive glance over to her husband. Saying here's a great example here that you should have followed. And she felt free to do that knowing that Zacharias could not reply to.

But amazing announcements and Mary believes she believes. I want this faith in my children. In my teenagers and it teaches me that teenagers can have this faith within them. Mary also believed that as lowly as she was in terms of having humble circumstances and station in life, she believed that God had chosen her.

Look at verse 48. She, as she's worshiping God says, for he has had regard for the humble state of his bond slave. She didn't say, oh no, I don't deserve this, so I don't believe this is gonna happen. No, she believed, she believed in spite of her circumstances, and I know we see this and we're like, wow, it'd sure be great to have an opportunity to have this faith that Mary had.

I want you guys to be excited about the fact that you have a chance today. Today, to have the same response that Mary has, you have God standing in front of you saying, I sent my son to die for your sins so that all of your sins of a lifetime could be forgiven. That's the small sins in the eyes of the world and the mountainous sins, the sins that are easily discarded that you discarded long ago, and even all the sins that are stubbornly ingrained that you battle with from day to day and that seem to keep coming back.

I sent my son to die and shed his blood so that all of them would be instantaneously forgiven.

And we have a chance to say, OK. OK. We have God standing in front of us today saying, because I sent my son to die and shed his blood, and because you were thereby crucified with him, sin's power over you has been completely broken. You don't have to sin anymore.

And we have a chance to say, OK. I believe that I believe that We have God today perhaps standing in front of us saying I love you, even though you don't deserve that love, and I am always working all things together for your good and my glory. Every heartache, every disappointment. Every pain.

Every dashed hope, every trial, and everything. I am doing something good. In you And we have a chance, an opportunity to stand there and say, in the midst of our pain. OK.

I believe this. I believe this. Guys, every day we are presented with the same opportunity that Mary was presented with. God speaks to us through his word.

And we can respond with faith and belief, if a teenager can do it. We can do this, and we have opportunity to do such. There's another way that she responded. Look at the verse on the bottom of the screen.

And that is she responded with submission. With submission, this is even more stunning to me. Mary responds, look at this, Luke 1:38. Mary said, behold the bond slave of the Lord.

May it be done to me according to your word. She basically perhaps even drops to her knees and just says, behold, I'm here. I'm available. I am the slave of God.

I am owned by him. I don't own myself. I'm not even owned by my parents. I am a bond slave of the Lord God of Israel.

And whatever he wants to do, may it be done unto me. Think about what she could have said. She could have said no. I got an upcoming wedding, ladies, what it's like when you set that wedding date, man, you can get fixed on that and, and everything is engineered towards that and something to come in that's a threat to that that can be a shattering experience.

Mary has all these plans and dreams and. She didn't dream of this. She could have said, no, I don't think I'm the right person because what will my family think? What will my fiance think?

Could you go to someone that's not engaged? Because when Joseph hears about this, he's not gonna believe this. He's gonna put me away. I'm gonna lose the man in my life.

What will the people in my town think? We know from the Gospel of John that there were people in this very town who believe that Jesus was an illegitimate child. And so people looked askance at Mary as Jesus was growing up because they did not believe the story of a virgin birth. Mary could have seen all of these problems and said, no, don't do this to me.

She could have said, Gabriel, I'm inclined to say yes, but can you give me one day to think it over? Just one day. To pray about it. Oh, I've heard that as a pastor, you give biblical counsel.

Let me pray about this pastor. To which I reply, there is nothing to pray about. Do not delay saying yes to obeying God's word. You obey what God says.

Mary could have said, give me a day to think about it, pray about it. She didn't. She responded right away. Mary could have complained, said, OK, I'll do it, but It really throws a wrench in things.

She could have said, I'll do it and then tried to manipulate and change certain details., can, OK, I'm willing for this to happen, but could we wait maybe a few months until after I'm married? That Lord, that I don't know if you've thought about this, but that would take away the suspicion. And people thinking that my child is gonna be an illegitimate child, she could have just kinda offered some insight to the Lord to help him with this plan of that, that Gabriel has come to her with.

She could have said, Lord, I am not worthy.

Pick somebody else. In a show of feigned, but unreal, unbiblical humility. Lord, pick someone else who has more going for them. I, I'm poor, there's other people that got a lot more wealth and whatever that would be more appropriate.

She could have responded in all of these and perhaps even more ways, but instead. She comes to the Lord and says, behold. Here I am I am a slave of God. Be it done unto me according to your word.

God, you have every right and my permission to rearrange my life in any way that you see fit for my good and for your glory. I submit. Instantly. And would to God that as we read God's word and he speaks his will to us, that we reply with, behold, I am a slave of God.

May it be done unto me, all of God, your saving intentions towards me, your loving intentions, all of your plans to use me, may it be done unto me according to your word. what this tells me about Mary, that she would submit like this instantly. It tells me that she must have lived this way every day. she wasn't like the few days before, living for herself, doing her own thing.

And then here comes Gabriel making this announcement, and then Mary's like, oh, I'd better switch into surrender mode here. This is just the way she lived. God came to the right woman. By the way, what the name Mary means?

Excellent, excellent. Proverbs 31:10, I believe it is, says an excellent wife, an excellent woman who can find God found the excellent woman. To be the mother of the son of God, who would bring salvation to all. She also responds, and we're not gonna get into this by worshiping God, a beautiful psalm just issues forth from her heart later in this chapter as she worships God.

She says the mighty one has done great things for me, and holy is his name. God, I believe, I surrender, I submit. And I worship. That is her response to these amazing announcements.

Let me ask you to bow your heads this morning. If you're here today and You have brought in with you. A stained conscience loaded with the guilt of your sins, man, I've got great news for you. You came to the right place.

We believe in a savior that died and shed his blood so that all of your sins can be forgiven and you can live under God's favor, a favor that none of us deserve, but that God desperately wants to give you. And I would challenge you to just Acknowledge your own bankruptcy, your inability to save yourself. And throw your trust upon Jesus, the Holy One of God to be your savior. If you would like to talk after the service, please come up to me or anyone seated around you.

We would love to share more with you, how you can experience the saving grace of Christ in your life. If you are a believer, be inspired by this passage. It's a wonderful story and we get to be a part of it. And every day God comes to us over and over again and says loving, saving things to us.

None of which we deserve, and we get the opportunity to respond by saying, OK. I believe I surrender. And I worship God. Here I am to worship you.

For all of your loving, saving attentions towards me. God, we do worship you. What you have done in history was not done in a corner but out in the open. And may we hear the Christmas narrative and this gospel story.

As if we've never heard it before and be stunned anew. At the wonder of it all. And as you visit us each day, may we respond in faith. And surrender And in worship.

We worship you now, Lord, in Jesus' name. Amen. Let's stand together and worship the Lord Jesus as Mary did.