(Mary); A Woman for Such a Time As This 10/25/2020

Well today it is only about 12 minutes after 11. I'm going to try to shoot for a less than 30 minute sermon today what you think about that? So that's right. So today I what I wants to talk about and and we're in our series a king is coming. We talked about the Nativity Story and today's message. I've been titled a woman for such a time as this remember last week. We talked about Joseph and how he was a humble man and how God used him. What day we going to talk about Mary because of course, she plays a big part in the Nativity Story So the events preceding the announcement to Mary and Joseph when we looked at the announcement to him last week. We have to understand all this is Carrot been carefully planned by God this Nativity the birth of Christ and every detail has been prepared before the foundation of the world. I think about that before anyone was ever created God already had this in plan. Now, let's take a moment and let's just take a picture of the temple in Jerusalem. There was an older man. There is name is Zacharias and he was discharging if you will his Priestly duties at the altar and suddenly an angel appeared to him at the right side of the altar. And Zacharias Had a Wife by the name of Elizabeth and she was childless and she was Barren. And now of course they had already reached past the age of child-bearing anyway, but the angel tell Zacharias that Elizabeth is going to give birth to a son. Not everybody know the name of that song. She gave birth to John the Baptist. It was John the Baptist. So several miles away from Elizabeth several days. Later. the same Angel appears Again by the name of Gabriel and he appears to a young girl marry. And Mary was probably somewhere around 13 or 14 years old when the angel appeared to her. And the angel said there's going to be another berth not only is Elizabeth going to give birth Mary, but you are also going to give birth. without the aid of a human father I think about that you ladies in here. If an angel come to you say will you know something you going to give birth? But no man's going to be involved in this Borough. You know, how would we look at that? What would we think in the angel said Mary you going to be child you going to be with child of the Holy Ghost is the way the King James says it and then that same angel came again to Joseph two or three days later and told him what we talked about last week. Well, we're going to read 13 vs here today and we're going to frame this study into three sections the three sections are this the revelation. The Redeemer and they're in the report. So first of all, and one of them do we'll just read the scriptures as we come to a moment you turn to Luke chapter 1 if I hadn't told you already Luke chapter 1 and we're going to look at verses 26 to 38. And we going to see how all this came about how Mary found out. That she was going to give birth but not to any child to the savior of the world. So Luke chapter 1 and the first point I want to make is the Revelation that Mary received now, let's read vs26 down through 31. It says now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth. To a virgin but Trove to a man whose name was Joseph. and of the House of David The Virgins name was Mary and I remember last week we talked about betrothed. I was even a lot more expensive than our engagement. They were basically married, but they just wouldn't living together. But I want you to notice something here in verse 27. Before we ever hear of the girl's name twice. The Bible says that she's a virgin. Specifying that she had never been with a man the Bible who wants us to understand that this was a 12 13 year old girl. Who was already betrothed to a man probably move in with him within a year or two? And she is a virgin the Bible tells us twice in verse 27. Okay, it says the virgins name is Mary verse 28 and having come in the angel said to her Rejoice highly favored one. The Lord is with you blessed. Are you among women? But when she saw him speaking of Angel she was trouble at his saying and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her do not be afraid Mary for you have found favor with God and behold you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a son and shall call his name Jesus. Well, that's what the angel had told Joseph, you know in the Bible. There's only two angels mentioned by name Gabriel was one who's there? Michael that's the only two angels in the Bible that his given is mentioned by name in whenever Gabriel Piers anywhere in the Bible. It's always to make an announcement. So here he makes a birth announcement now something that I learned this week that I didn't know. This is I was studying Jewish historians who lived and wrote during this time here first century. Said that the Jewish women in Mary's day. Would oftentimes pray in secret if it was God's will that they would be chosen as the human mother of the Messiah? That dial ladies and young girls without actually prayed that they would be chosen to carry the Messiah and I want you to look specifically at verse 28. It went Angel says having come into angel said to her Rejoice highly favored one. The Lord is with you. Blessed. Are you among women? Well, Gabriel makes three statements here to marry that I want to look at closely. We going to put them up here on the screen and we're going to go through each one of those in the first one is Rejoice highly favored one. Well, what does this mean? It means literally it says. You are full of grace. Now some tea that this grace is favor that Mary could pass on to others. They are some denominations and some people who believe. That Mary herself was kind of divine. And that Mary you worship Mary that you could sheet that she could pass on Grace to others but friends, there's no biblical evidence that Mary can pass Grace the other people matter fact every time you see this phrase highly favored one in the Bible. It is translated to speak. Of all believers who are accepted in the Beloved Ephesians, 1:6. So that is we are accepted by God as his children because of our trust in Christ alone as our savior and we're saved from God's Wrath. So we are accepted in the Beloved. He says Rejoice highly favored one. That's what it means to be highly favored now if you're here this morning and you are Christian God has accepted you. Into his family you are one of the Beloved so the angel was telling Mary that God Has Smiled upon her and chosen her as the one through whom Jesus would be born in to humankind. This is all he was saying it doesn't mean that marries Divine. It doesn't mean that we are to worship Mary Mary with just a normal person just like we are and she was just a young girl but to be but accepting or he says you are highly favored means that God has shown us Grace because God has chosen us and called us to Salvation And when we accept Christ we are highly favored ones. Amen. That's what we are. We are highly favored just like she was All right. So that's the first one number to the phrase. The Lord is with thee. Now. This doesn't mean that when the angel told her this that Jesus was conceived in her womb at that very moment. That's not what it means. It means that the Lord will help you in the Old Testament the phrase the Lord be with you. Was just a common Jewish greeting every time you answer the phone at home. What's the first word you say? Hello. That's just common. That's how we greet people we say. Hello. Well the Lord be with you. Was there greeting that you always said the somewhat Gabriel was saying this Mary The Lord be with you Mary. The Lord is going to help you. Marry. The Lord is going to encourage you in these times and little did Mary know how much encouragement one day that she would need. It not right notice here the angel tells Mary that you going to give birth and he says to the savior of the world. He didn't say anything about what Jesus was going to go through. He didn't say anything. You going to give birth to the savior of the world and he's going to be great and he's going to be all that he tells her that later but he never says he's on people's going to rejecting. He never says he's going to die a horrible death on a cruel Roman cross. He never mentions anything about that. He just says marry you going to give birth to the savior of the world and she's going to need the Lord's help. The Lord is going to be have to be near her and with her and in her if she is going to make it through this and when we're safe to the Lord doesn't give us the big picture. He didn't tell us everything that we going to have to go through. He didn't tell us every relationship is going to be broken every job. We're going to be that we're going to lose every surgery that we going to have all the difficulties in life. He didn't say that He just gives us a picture at a time so we can take one step of Faith with him and then it versus 30 and 31 we read where the angel said to her. Well fear, not marry for you found favor with God and then you going to conceive in your room and bring forth a son and call his name Jesus. I Remember the Name Jesus meant it was a kind of Old Testament Joshua. Y'all Way saves or Jehovah saves matter fact when Jesus was born one of the most popular names to name a boy was Jesus. They was a lot of people being named Jesus, but by the end of the second century Jews and Gentiles alike. Never named our son again Jesus you say well why not? Well because this Jesus came and he turned the world upside down by going to the cross and he made everyone showed do reverence for that special name. So people stop naming their boys Jesus in the in the second century. Well, that's the cycling. I look at the third phrase blessed. Are you among women now? This is caused a lot of misunderstanding as well. I want you to look in verse 42 of chapter one because the same expression is used when Mary visits Elizabeth and it says been she spoke out with a loud voice and said in this is Elizabeth speaking blessed. Are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb? Now, what did the angel mean when he said to Mary blessed are you among women? Well, the angel was saying this Mary of all the women born on the Earth. You have been chosen to be used by God to bring the Savior into the world. There's no evidence in God's word that she was set apart because she was perfect that she was set apart because she had earned this right nothing in the Bible says that he says you've been highly favored you have been selected among women to be a part of God's Redemptive plan. She was simply the recipient of God's grace and God choosing her for certain tasks. And that's what we all are. Just know that Billy Graham is the same thing. God could have chose anyone to do what Billy Graham did but he chose Billy Graham. You see it's all about God. He calls us he equips us he enables us and he empowers us to do exactly what he wants us to do you see All of us have received God's favor because all of us have been recipients of his grace. And this is what it means blessed. Are you among women that you just been favored by God God has chosen you to do that and we can all say that about ourselves. So we look at first of all the Revelation Mary received. Secondly, I want you to look at the Redeemer. Mary conceived now look at it in verse 31 through 33 for the angel tells her, you know, don't fear you found favor with God that look at verse 31 and behold you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a son and shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the son of the heist. And the Lord God will give him the Throne of his father David. And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever and of his kingdom. There will be no end. Now we know that to be true now the last two things that has spoken up here has not happened yet. It's still yet in the future, but the other five have now that's let's break this down a little bit and I'll just look at verses 31 and 32. First angel said You shall conceive in your womb. Secondly, you going to bring forth a son? 3rd, you going to call his name Jesus 4th. This son is going to be great. That's what the angel says here. He will be great and fear He Shall be Called son of the highest. They're the first five prophecy. The first five that I just mentioned has been already fulfilled when Jesus came to this perfectly already been fulfilled and wrapped up in these five prophecies are some of the greatest doctrines of the Christian faith about Jesus Christ, you know, a lot a lot of preachers when I was in seminary Seminary. I used to hear preacher say Well, I don't know what I'm going to preach on this Sunday. I just don't know what what it was a good passage by preachers do that. They'll ask other preachers. What's a good passage of free? I don't have anything to preach this sun. I want to show you here into versus how you can preach about two months on these two versus right here. I want you to just look at these statements and let's look at them again in the first state that shall conceive in thy womb. You know what that's about. the doctrine of the Virgin birth This woman is going to conceive in her womb and she has never been with a man. This is this is a major Doctrine in the Bible the doctrine of the Virgin birth. I can't you preach on the Virgin birth and how the Holy Spirit came upon her. I mean, this is just what this is the doctrine of the Virgin birth and I look at the second statement. He says here in verse 31 and bring forth a son. You know what that is. That's the doctrine of the humanity of Jesus. Jesus became a god became a man God In the Flesh was Jesus and he came and dwelt Among Us. That's the humanity of Jesus. Jesus was 100% God and he was 100% man. It not incredible. What good preaching. Can you could you not do on the doctrine of the humanity of Jesus will look at the third one. You shall call his name Jesus. What does Jesus mean? Jehovah? What saves what's Jesus going to do? He's going to save his people not from Roman law not from the tyranny of rum. He's going to save us from our sins when it says here in the Bible. You shall call his name Jesus can't we preach on Jesus as the savior of this world? We ought to do that at Christmas time. We ought to do it at any time. So we see the doctor another virgin birth. We see here of the doctrine of the humanity of Jesus and we see a reference to his massage yet that he's going to save the world from RC and then the force statement says he shall be great. Never heard the word omnipotent. God is omnipotent. That means he is all-powerful and I'll great there's not a force in this universe greater than God himself. He is omnipotent. The Bible says here and he will be great. This is the Bible saying that Jesus Christ is God and he is the one and only savior this world and he's going to rule and he's going to come back and he's going to set up his kingdom. He is an omnipotent King a great and powerful King. Wow, just think how much you can preach just on that statement itself. And then the fifth statement he shall be called the son of the house. Here we're told of Jesus's deity that he's God. Not only is he fully human? He's going to be called The Son of God because he is God himself. This is talking about the deity of Christ. Think about all this doctrine that we have it Christmas and we don't need to be talked about wrapping paper and giving gifts and all that. We need to talk about the gift has been given to us the omnipotent one the savior of the world the one who was fully man and fully God who understands what we go through each day. The one who was tempted just as we are yet without sin. That's who we need to be talking about. This is about Jesus Mary. This point here is the Redeemer that Mary would conceived and so we see this in Jesus not you know, it had to be overwhelming Angel presented Mary with the angel basically said Mary God is going to be born in you as a human being you're going to carry God In The Flash in your room. And then when he was born think about for Joseph now, you know, he never said a word. Guess what Joseph had to do. He had to teach Jesus the law as a young boy cuz it was the father's responsibility to teach him the Bible. How would you like to teach God the Bible? What could you please God but he had to teach this little boy Jesus and he did have to teach and why because of his Humanity. He was 100% He he needed to learn he put aside his deity in certain ways where he had to learn the law and Joseph had to teach him that and married the angel could have said you going to carry God in your room, but I just want you to know that God didn't begin in your room. He is from Everlasting he is eternal but yet as a man, he's going to begin in your room. Now would you have understood that as a 12-13 year-old girl can't you imagine how afraid she was within? Let's look at the other two statements and we'll move on to the last point. The first one says here in verse 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever or the first one says the Lord God would give him the throne. His father David in verse 32 at no time while Jesus was on Earth. Did he ever possess the Throne of his father David that's yet to be fulfilled in the future when he comes back. He'll set up his kingdom on Earth and that's when he will fulfill that prophecy. And then the last prophecy said he was going to rain over the house of Jacob his kingdom there shall be no in this also awaits his second coming but the other five things we talked about has already been fulfilled. So we see the Revelation Mary received Mary Rejoice because you highly favored and I remember the Lord's going to be with you and he's going to help you and you are going to be blessed among all women. And then we see the Redeemer Marywood conceive and lastly. I want you to see the report that Mary believed and I will give you four statements that the slow process Mary went through and we going to put them up here on the screen in there. They are right there and they're in your bulletin as well. Here's the first thing Mary did when the angel came to her. First of all, she was greatly confused. I look at it again in verse 29 when the angel comes and tells her you know, you're highly favored the Lord's with you and blessed. Are you among women? Look what it says Mary, but when she saw him she was trouble that his saying she was trouble. In her mind, she was wondering what in the world is going on Mary remember now? She's probably 12 or 13. She probably never seen an angel before what what is going on, but there was something about this angel of God that troubled her spirit and that's why the angel immediately said after he saw that she was afraid in trouble. He says fear not he calmed her fear. So she was greatly confused number two. She really thought about what she heard look at it again in verse 29 the last part it says and considered what manner of greeting this was. Well, it says the word considerate means that she kind of cast her mind or she turned it over and over in her mind she sat there and she pondered and she thought about it and she said what is all this mean and she played it back in her mind, you know today you can be listening to the radio or something going down the road and you can listen to a song that you like and then you hit a button and play it again. I like that. I like it and I was sometimes all this place off two or three times in a row. This is what Mary did she listen to what the angel said and she replayed it in her mind over and over and over and she was saying what's going on here just a sense of wonder and uneasiness overcame her when she was thinking about what this Angel was saying to her. Well, then she does some investigation now look at it in verse 34. What Mary does? So after the angel said what's going to happen you're going to conceive and he's going to be great. And he's going to do this a sign of the heist all of that and verse 34. Mary said that angel. How can this be since I do not know a man and not logical. Just logical is all the good this young girl with how am I going to concede anything? I don't I don't know a man. I mean she had she had every right to ask this question because what was going to happen to her had never happened before or since Play this is unprecedented. This had never happened. Don't you think it would be hard if the Lord come to you and me and said you're going to do this and it was something that had never happened before on Earth. Would you have a hard time believing that sure you would you know, and so the angel understood that and as soon as she said, but how can this be? I don't know a man. Look what the angel says in verse 35. And I need to answer and said to her the holy spirit will come upon you and the power of the high will overshadow you therefore also that Holy one who is be born will be called The Son of God now. I know that Mary didn't understand all the doctrinal teaching that's here. But there's something she did know she did know that a miracle was about to happen and she knew that she was a virgin and she knew that she was going to give birth even though she had never been with a man. She knew that. Unprecedented she knew and then of course, he listens to her questions Angel does and then he goes on and if you look even further and he tells her about in verse 36 Elizabeth, your relative has also conceived the sun in her old age. She's past childbearing to and this is now the six month for her who was called Baron. So that means a live list of 6-month break. I want you to see Mary even though this is unprecedented. I want you to look at Elizabeth your relative. She's pregnant 6 months and she's passed child-rearing herself childbearing. So he kind of consoled her by telling her of that and then lastly. Look what happened. She submits herself to the will of God not she was filled with doubts, of course. She had to fight. What am I going to tell Joseph? I mean and what she know she ran to Elizabeth after this is over when the Angel leaves her but she had to think it was Joseph going to think what you what he thought last week. He was going to put her away privately. So just think about all the emotions that she was going through think about the emotions. She went through about 33 years later When her son is hang in there on a cross think about that in the whole world at that time. I almost rejecting him. So this is what Mary says it will close it out in verse 38 after hearing all this and after being fearful after not knowing really what's going on. Look what verse 38 say has been Mary said behold the maid service in that word maidservant mean slave behold the slave of the Lord talking about herself. Let it be to me according to your work. She believed it. She trusted God even though this was something that had never happened before on Earth. She says, I believe it and I'm going to trust you and let it be to me as your word says you see Mary said Lord, I don't understand how all this is going to happen. It's never happened before in the history of the world and yet you're telling me that it's going to happen to me. Mary said Lord. I just want you to know that I'm going to be your person. And I'm willing for you to do in me and through me anything you choose. That's what Mary saying. That's exactly what she saying. And so Lord be it unto me according to your word. I submit myself to your will you see the people that God uses humble people who will believe God when the world to say, that's not even logical that could never happen believe God trusting God and submit yourself to him and he can do great things in our lives if we'll just trusted. All he wanted was to Humble people Mary and Joseph who would be willing to sacrifice and submit to him. Well, it's my prayer today that all of us if we could that God would give us the spirit of Mary. Because she indeed was a woman for such a time as this and maybe we can all say this morning Lord. Be it unto me according to your word. That's what we all need to say. And if he does that then Christmas and every other day of the year will be just one continuous joyous worship day, and we'll be able to put out all the Clutter and it's of life and we'll find room for Jesus in our life as well. Just like Mary and Joseph. Amen. All right, let's pray father. We do. Thank you and praise you love you today. Lord we thank you for Mary. She was just a humble just probably a poor little girl, but Lord you chose her you have graced her just like you have us that you've called us to Salvation in your son Lord. We thank you for that. She was willing to believe you and to trust you and to submit her life to you Lord help us to have those characteristics in her own life. And even though there's times in our lives when we going to be confused and will hear things that we will have to think about it and ponder about it and we'll have to investigate it but in the end Lord help us to be people who will submit Our Lives to you force in Christ's name. I pray amen.