Luke 1 and 2 The Message of Angels December 17, 2023, Lesson 11
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· 15 viewsTo understand there are some messages so important that God chooses angels to make His point to His children.
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Luke 1 and 2 The Message of Angels December 17, 2023, Lesson 11 Class Presentation Notes AAAAAAa
Background Scripture:
· Matthew 1:18-25
Main Idea:
· Angels remind us to abandon our fears, along with the admonition to take action and trust God.
Study Aim:
· To understand there are some messages so important that God chooses angels to make His point to His children.
Create Interest:
· When the angel appeared to Zacharias to announce the good news that Elizabeth would, despite her age, give birth to a son, his words were immersed in the gospel. He predicted John’s ministry: “Many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God” (Luke 1:16).
o Thus, we learn that no one should presume that any person is saved, not even one born to a believing home, who has believing forebears, and grows up in a believing church.
o Moreover, John was “to make ready a people prepared for the Lord”.[1]
· In our lesson Mary learns that God wants her to be a part of his plan to bring salvation. Her part in His plan is one that will change the plans she and Joseph were making for their life together. As each was visited by an angel, they found their plans being adjusted by God’s extraordinary plan to put on human flesh. Joseph and Mary were about to begin an adventure unlike anything either of them could have imagined. It was an adventure that changed their lives, and ours, forever.
· Let’s open our eyes and perhaps look for something we did not know about this most exciting and wonderful story.
Lesson in Historical Context:
· The birth of a baby is usually a time of joy and hope. This was especially true of the two births described in Luke 1–2. A quick glance into Matthew 1 lets us gain an understanding of Joseph. These chapters tell of the announcements and births of John the Baptist and Jesus. These are the first two events recorded in Luke. He obviously considered these very important.
· The accounts of the births are intertwined. Both conceptions and births were miraculous. John was born after his parents were old. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born to a virgin. Both births went largely unnoticed by their world because the babies were not born to the prominent people of the day; believers, however, rejoiced at each birth.
· Today’s lesson examines vital segments in a sequence of bigger stories. On a personal level, it is briefly Elizabeth’s story, but the focus is on Mary’s story. At the time of Gabriel’s visit, she was a virgin and pledged to be married to Joseph (see Matthew 1:18).
· The path modern couples take to marriage can cloud our understanding of Mary’s circumstances. In the ancient Near East, couples might become married through a variety of arrangements. These customs involved various levels of freedom and consent on the part of one or both persons to be married. The betrothal custom was one in which a man and woman became legally bound to one another before the actual marriage ceremony. Betrothal was much more binding than today’s custom of “being engaged.”
· The betrothal period usually lasted about a year. A betrothed couple was committed to see each other but did not live together or engage in sexual intimacy. During that time, a couple made preparations to live together as husband and wife. Since a betrothal was legally binding, ending the relationship required a divorce. Indeed, Joseph considered taking such an action (Matthew 1:18, 19).
· The text of today’s lesson is part of the larger story of God’s relationship with his covenant people. The era in which Gabriel appeared to Mary was a time of subjugation for the Jews. Although Jerusalem and the temple had been rebuilt after the Babylonian exile, the Jewish people remained under the control of various pagan powers over the centuries that followed. The Roman Empire was the occupying power at the time of Jesus’ birth. Oppression by those Gentiles fueled hope and expectation that God would send his Messiah to liberate and lead his people.[2] Hope became flesh!
Bible Study:
Luke 1:5-7, 11-13 (NKJV)
5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name wasElizabeth.
6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.
………………….
11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
12 And when Zacharias saw him,he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.
· Luke 1:5-7: For Zacharia and Elizabeth, their way of life was totally different from that of the rich and famous people of their day. They were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
o They were not righteous in the sense the self-righteous Pharisees were. They were righteous in the best sense of the word. They recognized their need for the mercy of God, and they tried to live in such a way that would please Him.
o Blameless does not mean they were perfect people, but it does mean that the Lord recognized them as choice servants of His.
· The faith of Zechariah and Elizabeth was tested because they had no child. In the scorn dealt by a judgmental society, Elizabeth was barren, and her biological clock had wound down past child baring years.
o A wife without a child was looked down on in their culture. A barren wife was considered a punishment from God, but Elizabeth was not being punished for sins but being prepared for playing a role in the drama of redemption. Elizabeth thus lived under a cloud of her own disappointment and the reproach of others. Now advanced in years their hope of a child slim, though they continued to pray for one.
· Luke 1:11-13: While Zechariah was performing his priestly duties, the priest had two surprises. One of these was the appearance of an angel of the Lord to him. The angel said that his name was Gabriel. Zechariah was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
o This was a normal human response to seeing an angel. Angels were active in the lives of a number of Bible people, but they seldom appeared in visible form and talked with people.
o “Fear not” is a repeated statement in the Gospel of Luke (1:13, 30; 2:10; 5:10; 8:50; 12:7, 32). Imagine how excited Zacharias must have been when he heard that he and Elizabeth were to have a son!
o “Rejoicing” is another key theme in Luke, mentioned at least nineteen times. Good news brings joy!
· Gabriel instructed him to name his son John (“Jehovah is gracious”) and to dedicate the boy to God to be a Nazarite all his life (Num. 6:1–21). He would be filled with the Spirit before birth (Luke 1:41) and would be God’s prophet to present His Son to the people of Israel (see John 1:15–34). God would use John’s ministry to turn many people back to the Lord, just as Isaiah had promised (Isa. 40:1–5).[3]
Thoughts to Soak on:
· Zechariah and Elizabeth exemplify the faithfulness that believers should show daily. Especially during the Christmas season should we show our faithfulness to God and prayer for His will in our lives so others will see Christ in how we live.
What are some lasting truths in Luke 1:5–7, 11–13?
· We challenge others to faith and faithfulness by our good and godly lives.
· Be faithful to God despite disappointments and unfulfilled hopes.
· God often uses ordinary people, but they need to be people of good and godly living.
· God uses people of faith no matter what their ages.
· God’s angel messengers are faithful to deliver His messages as He directs for our benefit.
· As Christians, we can witness for Christ at Christmas by exemplifying faithfulness.[4]
Luke 1:24-25 (NKJV)
24 Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying,
25 "Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people."
· After … Elizabeth became pregnant … for five months she remained in seclusion Most likely, this was because of the excitement of the surrounding people to her pregnancy (v. 25). Mary may have been the first person other than Zechariah and Elizabeth to know the news which the angel had delivered (v. 36).
· Luke did not say in verse 25 if Elizabeth knew about the destiny of her son at this time. However, because she knew that his name was to be John (v. 60) even before Zechariah was able to speak, he probably communicated his entire vision in writing. Elizabeth was overjoyed that she was finally able to have a baby.[5]
Luke 1:26-27 (NKJV)
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 wasMary.
· Isaiah predicted that “a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel” (Isa. 7:14). He further wrote concerning this amazing child,
o The government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. (9:6–7)
· The promise of a Savior, for centuries the hope of the faithful, believing remnant of Israel, continued its realization with Gabriel’s second appearance, this time to a young woman. Luke’s simple, unadorned, unembellished account of Gabriel’s announcement to Mary emphasizes the divine character of Christ’s birth. It reveals the divine messenger, the divine choice, the divine blessing, and the divine child.
· Vs. 26: As noted in chapter 2 of this volume, Gabriel’s appearance to Zacharias had broken four centuries of revelatory silence. Astonishingly, just a short while later in the sixth month (of Elizabeth’s pregnancy) the angel Gabriel was once again sent from Godwith a revelation that would be the most significant birth announcement the world has ever known, heralding the most monumentally significant event in human history—the birth of the only Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
· Gabriel delivered this crucial message from God not to Jerusalem as might be expected, but to a city in Galilee called Nazareth. To call Nazareth a city (as the nasb translation does) is somewhat misleading.
o Nazareth was by no stretch of the imagination a city in the modern sense of the word; it was actually a small village of only a few hundred people. (The Greek word translated city actually refers to a population center as opposed to a rural area, regardless of size.) For the benefit of his Gentile readers, who may not have been familiar with Palestinian geography, Luke noted that Nazareth was in Galilee, about seventy-five to one hundred miles north of Jerusalem.[6]
· Vs. 27: Mary was pure, a virgin. She had never been touched by a man, not immorally. This is unmistakably and clearly stated. She confirmed the fact herself.
o Luke 1:34 (NKJV)
34 Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?".
· The argument that the Hebrew word almameans a young woman who could have a questionable character is weak (Is. 7:14). When a Hebrew spoke of a young woman (alma) he meant virgin. This is clear when the word alma is studied. The word is used six times in the Bible, always referring to a young woman with pure character.
o Rebekah, the young woman, was certainly a virgin (Ge. 24:43). The whole context verifies the point.
o Miriam, the young sister of Moses, was also pointed to as a virgin by the context (Ex. 2:8).
o Young women of pure character were those who were worthy to participate in the worship of God (Ps. 68:25).
o The young women who were worthy of Solomon’s love were not of impure character (Song 1:3).
o There were young women who were compared with queens and concubines (Song 6:8).
o The maiden (young woman) of Proverbs was contrasted with the adulterous woman (Pr. 30:19–20).
· In view of the heavy weight of this argument, the logical translation of almais virgin.
o Of course, the virgin birth does not rest on this argument. However, we need to realize that unbelief snatches at every little gnat, trying its best to add everything it can to disprove the divinity of Christ.
· Let’s take a quick look at the pledge of marriage taken by Mary and Joseph
o Marriage consisted of two distinct stages: engagement followed by the marriage itself. Engagement involved a formal agreement initiated by a father seeking a wife for his son. The next most important person involved was the father of the bride. A son’s opinion would be sought more often in the process than a daughter’s. Upon payment of a purchase price to the bride’s father (for he lost a daughter and helper whereas the son’s family gained one) and a written agreement and/or oath by the son, the couple was engaged. Although during this stage the couple in some instances cohabited, this was the exception. An engagement was legally binding, and any sexual contact by the daughter with another person was considered adultery. The engagement could not be broken save through divorce (Matt 1:19), and the parties during this period were considered husband and wife (Matt 1:19–20, 24). At this time Mary likely was no more than fifteen years old, probably closer to thirteen, which was the normal age for betrothal.[7]
Thought to soak on:
· Society/non-Christians, desperately need to turn from their unbelief and to trust Christ with all his/her heart. There is little time left for any of us.
o “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (Jn. 3:16).
o “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (He. 9:27).[8]
Luke 1:28-33 (NKJV)
28 And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord iswith 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.
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."
· Vs. 28: Gabriel greets Mary with words of grace, really. God is smiling on this young, unknown girl. We might be tempted to think Zecharias was chosen because he was righteous and a priest. The angel’s greeting to Mary reveals she is chosen solely as a matter of God’s grace.
· Vs. 29: Mary doesn’t understand the angel’s greeting. She “was deeply troubled” by it and tried to figure out what kind of greeting it was. How could she, an unknown young woman, be so described by God?
o Did you ever feel like your life is too small for God to notice, too insignificant for God to be aware of you? Perhaps that’s how Mary felt.
· Vs. 30-33: Just as with Zechariah, the angel explains this. Not only would Zechariah and Elizabeth give birth to the promised forerunner, but Mary would give birth to the promised Savior. Note for your memory and sharing:
o Gabriel promises she too will conceive.
o She should name him Jesus, which according to Matthew 1:21 implies, “He will save his people from their sins.”
o Mary’s son will actually be “the Son of the Most High” (v. 32). He will be God’s own Son. This is more than any human could ever have imagined or dreamed.
o This Son will fulfill the promise made to King David hundreds of years earlier (2 Sam 7). This will be David’s son who rules over Israel forever in an everlasting kingdom.[9]
Luke 1:35-38 (NKJV)
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.
· Elizabeth had a cousin whose life was to change dramatically. This godly young woman, Mary, met the angel Gabriel. She was engaged to be married to a carpenter named Joseph. In biblical times, such a relationship was considered as binding as marriage itself; a broken engagement was seen as a kind of divorce.
· A comparison of Matthew 1 and Luke 3 shows that both Mary and Joseph were descendants of King David, who reigned some 950 years earlier. The true royal succession had ended centuries before, and the Herods had usurped the throne.
o Descent from King David was a fact recognized more than once during our Lord’s ministry, some referring to him as ‘son of David’ (see Luke 18:38). As such, he was lawful heir to the throne of Israel. Scripture declares him the ‘King of kings and Lord of lords’ (Rev. 19:16).
· Vs. 35: The Holy Spirit will come upon you. For similar wording see Acts 1:8. Whereas John the Baptist was filled with the Spirit from his mother’s womb (Luke 1:15), Jesus was conceived by the Spirit, and this witnesses to His being greater than John.
· And the power of the Most High will overshadow you. This sentence stands in synonymous parallelism with the preceding one. Luke was fond of referring to the Spirit’s influence as “power”. For “overshadow” cf. 9:34. There is no allusion here to the shekinah glory “overshadowing” Mary.
o The glory of God is the splendor and brilliant beauty that shines through all of the divine attributes but is especially evident in the crucified and risen Christ.
· “therefore” has been explained in two ways:
o Jesus is God’s Son because of the Spirit’s activity in causing the virgin birth,
o Jesus is holy because of the Spirit’s activity. According to John’s Gospel, Jesus was God’s Son before creation (John 1:1–3),
§ so that the manner of his birth would have nothing to do with His nature or being.
· It’s important to stress that the story says nothing about Mary remaining a virgin after Jesus’ birth. That’s a much later idea. Nor does it say anything about the goodness or badness of sexual identity or sexual relations. Whatever Luke (and Matthew) are trying to say with this story, they aren’t saying that virginity is a morally better state than marriage. They are not denigrating sex, women, conception or birth.
o They are simply reporting that Jesus did not have a father in the ordinary way, and that this was because Mary had been given special grace to be the mother of God’s incarnate self.
· That Holy One who is to be born: Gabriel was careful to point out that the Baby would be a “holy thing” and would not share the sinful human nature of man.
o Jesus knew no sin (2 Cor. 5:21).
o He did no sin (1 Peter 2:22).
o He had no sin (1 John 3:5).
o His body was prepared for Him by the Spirit of God (Heb. 10:5) who “overshadowed” Mary.
§ That word is applied to the presence of God in the holy of holies in the Jewish tabernacle and temple (Ex. 40:35).
§ Mary’s womb became a holy of holies for the Son of God![10]
· This doesn’t have the same impact on us today because of our unfamiliarity with the idea of being a Son of God. But Mary (and all other Jewish people from her culture) knew what this meant: this child would be equal to God (John 5:18)….He would have the characteristics of God.
o Jesus did not become the Son of God; He was called the Son of God, recognizing His nature from all eternity.[11]
· All this sounds extremely peculiar, but we should remember that in the Bible, and in Jewish and Christian thought at their best, the true God is the one in whose image humans were made in the first place. We aren’t talking about a pagan god intervening roughly and inappropriately in the affairs of mortals, but about the one who, as St Augustine said, made us for himself. When he takes the initiative, it is always a matter of love, love which will care for us and take us up into his saving purposes. Mary is, to that extent, the supreme example of what always happens when God is at work by grace through human beings. God’s power from outside, and the indwelling spirit within, together result in things being done which would have been unthinkable any other way.[12]
· Vs. 36: Now it is some months since Elizabeth conceived. Mary is told by the angel that she is ‘highly favored’ and ‘blessed among women’ (v. 28). Gabriel’s message begins by focusing on her child, Jesus, soon to be conceived. His greatness and glory are described(vv. 31–33). He will sit on the throne of David, yet be infinitely greater, because his kingdom will never end (v. 33).
· Gabriel describes the immense power involved in bringing this about (v. 35). Mary is also informed of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. In reacting to all this overwhelming information Mary does not question God’s power or his choice, but rather says, ‘Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word’ (v. 38). If only every one of us were so willing to obey the voice of God![13]
· Vs. 38b: As for Gabriel, we picture his ascending Jacob’s ladder (Gen. 28:12) with a light heart. He had been instantly believed. God’s plans for planet Earth had taken a giant step forward.[14]
o Genesis 28:12 (NKJV)
12 Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
We shift gears here an ask Matthew to clue us in on Joseph…this is the Christmas season, and we cannot leave out a main character visited by an angel.
Matthew 1:18-25 (NKJV)
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.
19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.
20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins."
22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:
23 "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us."
24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife,
25 and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.
· Joseph considered the divorce of his fiancée Mary when he discovered that she was going to have a child. An angel of the Lord explained to him that the child was conceived by the Holy Spirit and told him that the child would be the incarnate Savior from sin. When Joseph was told to marry Mary, he obeyed. After the coming of the wise men, Joseph was warned to flee the wicked Herod: and Joseph immediately took his family to Egypt. After Herod died, God led Joseph to head home and led him to Nazareth because Archelaus [ahr-kuh-LAY-uhs], Herod’s evil son, reigned in Judea.[15]It would appear that Joseph was no ordinary man. From our text, it is easy to see that Joseph was a man of compassion, integrity, decency and love. He was a man who honored God’s will in his life and was totally committed to doing God’s will. Joseph was a humble man who was more concerned about what God wanted out of his life than about what he himself wanted. He was a humble man chosen for a heavenly mission.[16]
· Haddon Robinson speaks as Joseph the earthly father of Jesus. Robinson presents a likable, understandable Joseph, a man who had doubts about the immaculate conception, questioned God’s choice of a stable birth, and sometimes wondered if his kid was really the savior of the world. But this man put his thumb print on Christ, raising him and teaching him to be a carpenter. Christ put his thumb print on Joseph as well, but it wasn’t easy. “When God sent his boy to earth,” Joseph says near the end of his message, “he put him into the care of this carpenter, who sometimes believed his doubts and doubted his beliefs but faithed it through. You might want to think about that.”[17] Now let’s press on😊.
· The key verse here is: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: * * she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.
· The Virgin Birth is established by the plain statement of Scripture. The Word of God stands or falls on this one statement: “of the Holy Spirit.”
o The words are true or false.
§ If false, there is no dependency in the Word of God. We are ready to grant that thousands of preachers repudiate the Virgin Birth of Christ. When they do so, however, they leave to themselves a discounted, derided, and defamed Bible. No one can accept any statement of the Bible as inerrant if this statement is untrue.
· The Virgin Birth is true, or else the world has no Savior.
o If Jesus Christ were the son of Joseph and Mary, then His mother was a woman of the street; His father was unclean; and He was a bastard of illegitimate parentage; and, saddest of all, He was, Himself, a sinner.
· How shuddering is this to consider! Yet, if Christ were conceived by man, outside of wedlock, each statement is of necessity true. Thus we would have, if the modernist had his way, not only no Bible worth believing, but we would have no Savior worth trusting. With one stroke of his penknife the modernist would rob himself and all the world of a Savior, who is Jesus Christ the Lord.
o Hear the fiat of Scripture: The angel is speaking to Mary, and he says, “The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: thereforealso that Holy Thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”
· The Babe did not partake of the nature of His mother, for she gave Him only the body that God prepared; He partook only of the nature of the Holy Ghost.
· Christ did no sin, He knew no sin, and in Him there was no sin, all because He was God the Son, and Son of God.[18]
Admittedly most readers by now are wondering if I am trying to retell the Christmas story and work in the fact that angels played a very important roll as directed by God in this most important story in our faith. But I just could not stop without giving the shepherds a short vignette…so read on and then have a very Merry Christmas with, perhaps a few facts and thoughts that you can soak on😊.
Luke 2:7-15 (NKJV)
7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
10 Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12 And this will bethe sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
14 "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"
15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us."
· It is a wonderful thing that the story should tell that the first announcement of God came to some shepherds. Shepherds were despised by the orthodox good people of the day. They were quite unable to keep the details of the ceremonial law; they could not observe all the meticulous hand-washings and rules and regulations. Their flocks made far too constant demands on them; and so the orthodox looked down on them. It was to simple men of the fields that God’s message first came.
· But these were in all likelihood very special shepherds. We have already seen how in the Temple, morning and evening, an unblemished lamb was offered as a sacrifice to God. To see that the supply of perfect offerings was always available the Temple authorities had their own private sheep flocks; and we know that these flocks were pastured near Bethlehem.
o It is most likely that these shepherds were in charge of the flocks from which the Temple offerings were chosen. It is a lovely thought that the shepherds who looked after the Temple lambs were the first to see the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
· We have read that when a boy was born, the local musicians congregated at the house to greet him with simple music. However…..
o Jesus was born in a stable in Bethlehem and therefore that ceremony could not be carried out.
§ It is a lovely thought that the minstrels of heaven took the place of the minstrels of earth, and angels sang the songs for Jesus that the earthly singers could not sing.
· All through these readings we must have been thinking of the rough simplicity of the birth of the Son of God. We might have expected that, if he had to be born into this world at all, it would be in a palace or a mansion.
o There was a European monarch who worried about his court by often disappearing and walking incognito amongst his people. When he was asked not to do so for security’s sake, he answered, “I cannot rule my people unless I know how they live.”
§ It is the great thought of the Christian faith that we have a God who knows the life we live because he too lived it and claimed no special advantage over common men.[19]
· You may think that there could be nothing greater in all the world than to have an angel make an announcement like this to you.
o But can you imagine the awesome responsibility that was placed on Mary? How about Joseph?
o Do you realize the price that Mary had to pay to become the mother of Christ?
· Later, we shall see the promise that goes with the birth of the Messiah is that a sword would pierce her own soul. Yet Mary says to God, ‘If that is your will, then I’ll do it.’
· The beginning of Jesus’ life is marked by a mother who submits to the will of God. The end of Jesus’ life is marked by the words: ‘Not my will, but yours be done.’[20]
· Did you learn anything new? Please let me know and share that with someone you care about….or perhaps someone you think would benefit from knowing just a little more about Jesus.
· I was in college in November 1966 when I accepted Christ. I was told it took on average 7 plus “touches” for a person to formulate a decision for Christ….I surmise it might be more now in our information age….but the point is not whether or not you are there and the one who is with them when they accept Christ or you are touch 1-6 OR 1006…just get in the line and love them toward Christ. No one knows what you know until they know how much you care.
· With over 100 languages spoken in Ft. Bend County, the world has come to us….and they are hungry to know what you know. `
Grace and peace to all who read this😊 JSJ
[1]Billy Graham, Angels: God’s Secret Agents(Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2011).
[2]Lloyd Ludwick et al., “God Promises a Savior,” in The NIV Standard Lesson Commentary, 2016–2017, ed. Ronald L. Nickelson, Jim Eichenberger, and Margaret K. Williams, vol. 23 (Colorado Springs, CO: Standard Publishing, 2016–2017), 122–123.
[3]Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 171.
[4]Robert J. Dean, Bible Studies for Life, Winter 2007-08, Herschel Hobbs Commentary (LifeWay Christian Resources, n.d.), 20.
[5]John A. Martin, “Luke,”in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 204–205.
[6]John F. MacArthur Jr., Luke 1–5, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2009), 43–44.
[7]Robert H. Stein, Luke, vol. 24, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 82.
[8]Leadership Ministries Worldwide, The Gospel according to Luke, The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible (Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 1996), 16.
[9]Thabiti Anyabwile, Exalting Jesus in Luke, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2018), 26–27.
[10]Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 172.
[11]David Guzik, Luke, David Guzik’s Commentaries on the Bible (Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik, 2013), Lk 1:34–37.
[12]Tom Wright, Luke for Everyone (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2004), 10–11.
[13]Gavin Childress, Opening up Luke’s Gospel, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One Publications, 2006), 15–16.
[14]John Phillips, Exploring the Gospel of Luke: An Expository Commentary, The John Phillips Commentary Series (Kregel Publications; WORDsearch Corp., 2009), Lk 1:38b.
[15]Robert J. Dean, Family Bible Study, Winter 2002-03, Herschel Hobbs Commentary (LifeWay Christian Resources, 2003), 28.
[16]Alan Carr, “Joseph: A Humble Man for a Heavenly Mission (Matthew 1:18–25),” in The Sermon Notebook: New Testament(Lenoir, NC: Alan Carr, 2015), 3.
[17]Christianity Today, Today’s Best Sermons: 52 Sermons on Holidays & Special Events, vol. 3, Today’s Best Sermons (Christianity Today, 1988).
[18]R. E. Neighbour, Wells of Living Water: New Testament, vol. 7, Wells of Living Water (Union Gospel Press, 1940), 7.
[19]William Barclay, ed., The Gospel of Luke, The Daily Study Bible Series (Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster John Knox Press, 1975), 22–23.
[20]R. C. Sproul, A Walk with God: An Exposition of Luke(Great Britain: Christian Focus Publications, 1999), 21.