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Mark chapter 9,. "'And He said to them, "'Truly I say to you, "'there are some standing here "'who will not taste death "'until they see the kingdom of God "'after it has come with power.'. "'And after six days, "'Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, "'and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
"'And He was transfigured before them, "'and His clothes became radiant, intensely white, "'as no one on earth could bleach them. "'And there appeared to them "'Elijah with Moses, "'and they were talking with Jesus.
"'And Peter said to Jesus, "'Rabbi, it is good that we are here. "'Let us make three tents, "'one for you and one for Moses, "'and one for Elijah.'. "'For he did not know what to say, "'for they were terrified.
"'And a cloud overshadowed them, "'and a voice came out of the cloud. "'This is my beloved son, "'listen to him.'. "'And suddenly looking around, "'they no longer saw anyone with them, "'but Jesus only.
"'And as they were coming down the mountain, "'He charged them to tell no one what they had seen, "'until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. "'So they kept the matter to themselves, "'questioning what this rising from the dead might mean.
"'And they asked Him, "'Why did the scribes say that first Elijah must come? "'And He said to them, "'Elijah does come first to restore all things. "'And how is it written of the Son of Man "'that He should suffer many things "'and be treated with contempt?
"'But I tell you that Elijah has come, "'and they did to Him whatever they pleased, "'as it is written of Him. "'And when they came to the disciples, "'they saw a great crowd around them, "'and scribes arguing with them.
"'And immediately, all the crowd, "'when they saw Him, "'were greatly amazed, "'and ran up to Him and greeted Him. "'And He asked them, "'What are you arguing about with them? "'And someone from the crowd answered, "'Teacher, I brought my son to you, "'for he has a spirit that makes him mute, "'and whenever it seizes him, "'it throws him down, "'and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid.
"'So I asked your disciples to cast it out, "'and they were not able. "'And He answered them, "'O faithless generation, "'how long am I to be with you? "'How long am I to bear with you? "'Bring him to me.'.
"'And they brought the boy to Him, "'and when the spirit saw him, "'immediately it convulsed the boy, "'and he fell on the ground "'and rolled about foaming at the mouth. "'And Jesus asked his father, "'How long has this been happening to him?
"'And he said, "'From childhood, "'and it is often cast him into the fire "'and into the water to destroy him. "'But if you can do anything, "'have compassion on us and help us.'. "'Jesus said to him, "'If you can, "'all things are possible for one who believes.
"'Immediately the father of the child cried out "'and said,.
"'I believe,.
"'help my unbelief.'. "'And when Jesus saw "'that a crowd came running together, "'he rebuked the unclean spirit saying to it, "'You mute and deaf spirit, "'I command you, "'come out of him and never enter him again.
"'And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, "'it came out and the boy was like a corpse, "'so that most of them said, "'He is dead.'. "'But Jesus took him by the hand "'and lifted him up, "'and he arose.
"'And when he had entered the house, "'his disciples asked him privately, "'Why could we not cast it out? "'And he said to them, "'This kind cannot be driven out "'by anything but prayer.'. "'They went on from there and passed through Galilee, "'and he did not want anyone to know, "'for he was teaching his disciples saying to them, "'The son of man is going to be delivered "'into the hands of men, "'and they will kill him.
"'And when he is killed after three days, "'he will rise. "'But they did not understand the saying "'and were afraid to ask him. "'And they came to Capernaum, "'and when he was in the house, "'he asked them, "'What were you discussing on the way?
"'But they kept silent, "'for on the way, "'they had argued with one another "'about who was the greatest. "'And he sat down and called the twelve, "'and he said to them, "'If anyone would be first, "'he must be last of all, "'and servant of all.
"'And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, "'and taking him in his arms, "'he said to them, "'Whoever receives one such child in my name, "'receives me, "'and whoever receives me, "'receives not me, "'but him who sent me.
"'John said to him, "'Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, "'and we tried to stop him "'because he was not following us. "'But Jesus said, "'Do not stop him, "'for no one who does a mighty work in my name "'will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me, "'for the one who is not against us is for us.
"'For truly I say to you, "'whoever gives you a cup of water to drink "'because you belong to Christ "'will by no means lose his reward. "'Whoever causes one of these little ones "'who believe in me to sin, "'it would be better for him "'if a great millstone were hung around his neck, "'and he were thrown into the sea.
"'And if your hand causes you to sin,.
"'cut it off.
"'It is better for you to enter life crippled "'than with two hands to go to hell, "'to the unquenchable fire. "'And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. "'It is better for you to enter life lame "'than with two feet to be thrown into hell.
"'And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. "'It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God "'with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, "'where the worm does not die, "'and the fire is not quenched, "'for everyone will be salted with fire.
"'Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, "'how will you make it salty again? "'Have salt in yourselves, "'and be at peace with one another.'". Let's pray. Our gracious Father, we do rejoice at this passage.
We rejoice at Your teaching. We rejoice at the Scriptures that You have given to us that give us such a clear picture of who You are and what You've done. And Lord, we confess that even in the midst of the Scriptures, we often fail in our belief.
Lord, we confess the sin of unbelief that we often don't live to what we profess to know. So Lord, like the man whose son was healed, we pray that You would help us in our unbelief. Lord, give us great faith.
Give us a clear picture of who You are. Give us a clear understanding of what You've accomplished on our behalf. Lord, we thank You for Jesus Christ, that You sent Him to be born a virgin, to be born of a virgin, to be born as a man who entered into history.
We thank You, Lord, that He lived a perfect life, that He obeyed Your law, that He obeyed Your will. Lord, we rejoice that Christ died on the cross as a substitute for sinners, as a propitiation of the wrath of God.
And Lord, we thank You for the incarnation. That is what made this all possible. Lord, we pray that as we study this text this morning, that You would give us great insight into Your character, You'd give us insight into the Gospel, and that we would clearly understand what it means that You are Lord.
Thank You, in Jesus' name, amen.
Well, let's turn in our Bibles, please, to Luke 1. Not John 5, but Luke 1. Now, for several years now, every Sunday after church, we have a fellowship meal, and usually there's about half of us that stay for a meal.
There's plenty of food, and although you may not have known that or planned for it, we hope that you'll stay. It's a good time that we're able to visit with one another and get to know one another more fully.
Well, today we observe Christmas Sunday, of course, being the first Lord's Day or the last Lord's Day before Christmas, preceding Christmas Day. And so we do commemorate in a special way the birthday of our Savior, our King, Jesus, who is the promised son of David.
And so the passage that we've chosen to consider reflects an event actually nine months prior to that first Christmas, the birth of our Savior, and that was the occasion when the angel Gabriel came to Mary and announced to her that she was going to give birth to the Savior.
And it was actually about this time or shortly thereafter that the incarnation occurred. Eternal Son of God, of course, the second person of the Holy Trinity, joined himself, joined to himself human nature, and he became man, God and man in one person.
And this occurred, of course, through the womb of the Virgin Mary. His divine nature is eternal, of course, but his human nature was derived from Mary, and so he is one with us. And so it was at this time when the incarnation took place, when she conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, and this event of Luke 1 speaks of this announcement to her.
He is Emmanuel, meaning, of course, God with us. Here is the account of Luke 1, 26 through 38, which should be familiar to us. It's the angel Gabriel's announcement to Mary. Luke 1, 26. Now in the sixth month, and we're reading from the New King James Version,.
By the way.
Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, who a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, rejoice, highly favored one.
The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women. When she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. And 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 you'll call his name Jesus. 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,.
And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. And of his kingdom, there will be no end. And Mary said to the angel, how can this be since I do not know a man? And the angel answered and said to her, the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the highest will overshadow you.
And therefore also that holy one who is to be born will be called the son of God. 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.
For with God, nothing will be impossible. And Mary said, behold, the maidservant of the Lord, let it be to me according to your word. And the angel departed from her. This narrative portion, this pericope as sometimes they're called, is actually structured in a literary fashion that's common to a number of birth stories in the Old Testament.
And it would seem that Luke purposely cast it in this manner in order to link it with Old Testament history, really as a realization and fulfillment of what had been told and foretold beforehand. And so there's a pattern here, a five-division pattern that can be actually found in other announcements of births of significant persons in the biblical history.
We have the entrance of the angel. We have Mary's perplexity. We have the heavenly message. An objection is expressed by Mary, and then a reassurance and sign is given to her. And again, that pattern, literary pattern, is quite common.
And so the common pattern itself, aside from the word, the content of the message and the words themselves, the common pattern accentuates the significant intervention of God in history, this most important event.
And of course, it far surpasses anything that had gone on before. Those structured announcements, say in the Old Testament of the birth of Ishmael, Isaac, Samuel, Samson, and Samuel. Earlier in the first chapter of Luke, we read of the announcement of the birth of John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Savior.
Earlier in Luke chapter one, the same angel had appeared to Zechariah while he was serving as a priest in the temple at Jerusalem. And Gabriel had told Zechariah of the impending event that he would become the father of John the Baptist, that his elderly wife, Elizabeth, would bear this son, John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Messiah.
And that announcement, of course, came with great fanfare. Gabriel showed himself to Zechariah when he was serving within the temple. He was a part of 24 courses of priests, and it was his unique occasion to serve the Lord that morning within the temple.
And of course, the event was accentuated in Zechariah being made mute throughout the pregnancy of his wife, as well as the unusual manner in which they named the son John. It showed forth the significance of this child.
But it was a public event. Everybody was somewhat aware that God was doing something miraculously, although they didn't know the details. And so the eyes and ears of all Judea were fixed on what God would do through the life of that child who would be born to elderly Zechariah and Elizabeth, the forerunner of the Messiah.
But the annunciation of the birth of the Messiah himself was quite different in character. It would not come in that fashion. Far off from Jerusalem, far off from the temple, in obscure Nazareth, back where Galilee, Gabriel, the same angel who had appeared to Zechariah several months before, now appears to a betrothed virgin.
And in solitude, Gabriel declares to her the news of this miraculous birth of the Savior. So through the public announcement of John's birth, the expectation of all Judea would be raised in anticipation of the soon coming of the Messiah.
Through the private announcement of Jesus's birth, God kept his son in concealment until the time of his full manifestation to the world. As one described it, it was not in the solemn grandeur of the temple between the golden altar of incense and the seven-branched candlesticks that the angel Gabriel now appeared, but in the privacy of a humble home at Nazareth.
The greatest honor bestowed upon man was to come amid circumstances of deepest human loneliness, as if the more clearly to mark the exclusively divine character of what was to happen. There must be significance in this great contrast between the annunciation, same angel, Gabriel, to Zechariah and then to Mary.
We see in verse 27 that Mary was betrothed or espoused or engaged to a man named Joseph. Of course, the marriage procedure was different in that culture at that time than what we're accustomed. So the engagement or betrothal period of the Jews in the ancient world was much more formal than what we have today.
The young man and woman would meet together in the company of witnesses, of course, both families and perhaps friends that were present. And there the couple would openly pledge to one another. They would make vows that were just as binding as marriage vows to us today.
The dowry of the bride would be declared and it would be pledged by the father of the bride and family. And then there would be a pronouncement of blessing during the ceremony and it would conclude, the ceremony would conclude with a shared cup of wine between the man and the woman.
And so it was a significant event, an important event, and it was established and that betrothal relationship could not be broken except to, of course, formal divorce proceedings. And so being engaged, Mary and Joseph would live apart from one another until the time when Joseph would come in the night to Mary's father's house and take her as his bride to himself.
As one described, the marriage of Joseph and Mary was a veil held out before the eyes of the world that he who was commonly supposed to be the son of Joseph might at length be believed, acknowledged by the godly to be the son of God, wrote John Calvin.
The whole point is, again, it's done somewhat obscurely in an obscure place, rather secretly. It wasn't pronounced, it wasn't widely known what was occurring. Well, now let's consider the initial words of Gabriel to Mary as we work through this.
We read, and having coming in, the angel said to her, rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women. First, rejoice, highly favored one. Again, it was to Mary, this young virgin espoused to Joseph to whom the angel was sent, bring news that she would bear a child.
From his very greeting, the angel intimates that God had chosen her to be unusually blessed, and certainly she was. God's grace would be shown to her in a marvelous fashion, why, it was a dream of every Jewish girl to one day give birth to the Messiah.
She was the recipient of God's grace, and we underscore that or embolden that. She was the recipient of God's grace. God was not favorable toward her because she was in herself full of grace, but rather the grace of God was shown to her and bestowed upon her, and so she'd been a recipient of God's favor and grace, not the cause for receiving anything from him.
Yes, she was a godly young woman, a pure young woman, but that was not the reason that God came to her, but rather God was gracious to her. In his good pleasure, he chose her, not because she was one in whom the favor of God was earned or deserved, just as God has favored us.
Though we're sinners, God favored her, though she too was a sinner, and it's very clear that she was. Many believe that the Roman Catholic doctrine of the immaculate conception is the doctrine of the virgin birth of Christ, that Jesus Christ was born in an immaculate way without sin, but the doctrine of immaculate conception has nothing to do with the birth of Jesus.
It has everything to do with the birth of Mary herself. It's the teaching of Rome that Mary was born without sin. How can Jesus be born without sin unless his mother was without sin? And so the doctrine of immaculate conception is the teaching that Mary was born without sin.
This doctrine goes back to the fourth century, but it was only acknowledged officially as Roman Catholic dogma in 1854, and since then. It's not that old. And we would say that despite the claim of a so-called apparition of Bernadette in 1858, at which time the so-called lady, Mary, supposedly declared, I am the immaculate conception, affirming the papal doctrine, we would say the teaching is not found in the scriptures and therefore is not of God.
The doctrine of immaculate conception of Rome is not biblical, and therefore we would argue that it's false doctrine. It diverts people from looking at the truth that's in Jesus Christ. Now, in the birth narrative of the Gospels, Mary is set forth as a lowly but pure young woman who lived in an obscure village of Galilee.
William Hendrickson, the Reformed commentator, wrote of the nature of our Savior's birth. This conception, moreover, will be unique, such as had never before occurred and will never again take place. It is to happen within the womb of a virgin, the mother to be, to whom the promise of the incarnation of the world Savior, the King of kings and Lord of lords must be delivered.
Is living in Rome? Certainly, no. In Jerusalem then?
No.
In Nazareth, a little Galilean town by some lightly esteemed. That is, Nazareth was regarded as lightly esteemed by some. Never even mentioned in the Old Testament. And the womb that will carry this greatest of all treasures, is that of a princess?
No, it is that of a virgin pledged to be married to the village carpenter. And so here we have a lowly, humble scene, a humble family in which the Savior was born. Then Gabriel said to Mary wonderfully, the Lord is with you.
And by the way, that expression is found in many, many places throughout the Holy Scriptures. What a declaration. The Lord is with you. It was often declared when God was about to use someone to accomplish some great feat or some divine assistance was needed, the Lord is with you, go at it.
It was designed to provide comfort and encouragement. Says in the expression, fear not, I am with you. Mary would need this assurance in coming months and perhaps years. Why all in her community would regard her pregnancy to be scandalous sin.
For it occurred, even though it attempted to be covered up somewhat, it occurred before her formal marriage. Perhaps some scandal was averted when Joseph immediately took her to be his wife, cutting short the betrothal period.
But even years later, it would be said of Jesus, we were not born of fornication. I mean, that's how the community viewed this family and viewed Mary and viewed Jesus as an illegitimate son. Her reputation would not be rescued for many decades.
And in all of her undeserved shame, she could rely on this promise stemming from God's kindness toward her, from which the angel could say, the Lord is with you. That must have been a steadfast promise that helped her many, many times.
And so it is with believers, isn't it? In all of our trials and tribulations, may we rest upon our Lord's promise to each of his own. I am with you. He doesn't say that to everybody, does he? But he says it to you if you're a Christian.
I am with you. We have the Lord's promise in Hebrews. I will never leave you or forsake you. And so the great privilege of Mary would bring great trial to her, but the Lord would be with her. And so the Lord will be with you in your trial if you're a Christian.
If you were a believer as Mary was a believer, and perhaps you're going through great trial as she went through great trial. Nevertheless, we may pronounce to you the same word as Gabriel to her, the Lord is with you.
Take that to heart and your difficulty. Gabriel then said to her, blessed are you among women? The blessing spoken of here, of course, is the result of God's kindness toward her, not the cause of it. Mary was a pure and holy young lady, but she was a sinner who needed her savior, like all others of the human race.
God had chosen to bless her. And the word blessed, therefore, should not be understood as worthy of praise as it is translated and preached. Again, by role, that's not the case. Rather, blessed means something akin to being happy and happy because God had been favorable to her.
She may be filled with joy knowing that God was sending a savior for her as well to deal with her sin. She could rejoice all the more in that she was a chosen mother through whom the savior would come.
And this happiness that stemmed from God's undeserved kindness to her was felt deeply by her, and she expressed it, of course, in her song, the Magnificat, that's recorded in Luke 1, where she sang, my soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit is rejoiced in God, my savior.
She knew she needed a savior, for he has regarded the lowly state of his maidservant. For behold, henceforth, all generations call me blessed and we do, why? For he who is might has done great things for me.
Holy is his name and his mercy is on those who fear him. From generation to generation, he's shown strength with his arm. He's scattered the proud and the imagination of their hearts. He's put down the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly.
She saw herself as the lowly who feared him. He's filled the hungry with good things, the rich he sent away empty. He's helped his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham, to his seed forever.
There's no suggestion at all, not even a hint in her words, that she was deserving of God's favor. That idea is so anti-Christian, one wonders how so many embrace it and regard her so highly. No, we'll not diminish her, or diminish her role or think little of her character, but we'll not take the glory that belongs to her son and give it to her.
We'll glorify him, even while we acknowledge her, as do the scriptures. But at the same time, we are aware that the Lord has, and this is important, the Lord has greater regard for his disciples than he even had for his physical mother.
Are you aware of that? If you're a Christian, the Lord Jesus has more regard for you than he did for his own mother and for his brothers. And this is very apparent in Luke 8. He was teaching his disciples, he had a large crowd, and we read there, his mother and the brothers came to him and could not approach him because of the crowd.
It was told them by some, who say, your mother and your brothers are standing outside desiring to see you. But he answered and said to them, my mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.
Now that's not a put down of his mother and his brothers, it's an exalting of his disciples. If you're a Christian, you hear the word of God and you do it, the Lord Jesus has great regard for you. He regards you as the closest of relations, even closer than his own physical family.
And so do not venerate Mary. If you're a Christian, you're more blessed than she is as his mother. Yes, she's blessed too because she was a disciple of Jesus, of course, a believer. And so one like us in that sense.
Yes, she was blessed to be his mother, but she was more blessed to be a believer in him as her Lord and Savior, just as you and I are blessed for being so as well. Do not give her undue regard. Give her proper biblical regard, but not undue regard.
Well, then we read of the response of Mary and the answer of Gabriel to her in verses 29 and 30. We read that the pronouncement that he gave her unsettled her. But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying and considered what manner of greeting this was.
Now I'm sure the very appearance of Gabriel startled her. That happens, doesn't it? Even sudden appearance of a person sometimes startles us if we're not expecting it. I walked through the house, my wife just jumps out of her shoes so I come around the corner.
She's just that way, I don't know. Can you imagine if an angel stood before you all of a sudden and began speaking to you? That would be startling. Why was she so troubled? Well, I think that there was a measure of humility with her.
Me, Gabriel, are you sure you have the right address? You talking to the right person here? There must have been an intrepidation concern here. There was a depreciation of herself and her own side as to the worthiness to be so blessed.
And again, I think she probably responded in a way that anyone in her situation was surprised, wonderment, certainly puzzlement. But notice, she was troubled. It doesn't say so much at his appearance, it was troubled at what he told her.
That's what really bothered her. It was the words of Gabriel that actually troubled her. Again, one would be surprised if she were not by the sudden visitation of a holy man. Struck with fear, as one wrote, again Hendrickson.
In spite of the angel's cordial entrance, Mary was startled. She experienced momentary fright.
Why?
In all probability, because she, though being a young woman of excellent moral and spiritual character, was still a sinner. It was now unexpectedly face to face with a strong, brilliant, sinless being.
It's true that the passage does not mention the cause of her alarm. I would differ from him on that. The cause of her alarm were his words, is what Luke recorded. But that is not a good reason to deny it.
It surely was not necessary for Luke to state the obvious. For the Jewish people, it was commonly thought to stand in the presence of a holy angel was just like standing in the presence of a holy God, because they were always in the presence of God.
And to stand in the presence of God, you couldn't survive as a human being. You'd die on the spot because of an infinite holy God and you being a finite, unholy person. And so it was thought that if you saw an angel, it was like being in the presence of God.
And this is reflected, for example, in the Old Testament, where you have Samson's parents, the angel appearing to Manoah and his wife. And in Judges 13 .22, after the angel departed, Manoah said to his wife, we shall surely die because we've seen God.
They didn't see God, they saw an angel, but to them, it was as the same thing. And so it was no wonder that Mary was troubled when Gabriel appeared to her. But then a word of assurance comes to her in verse 30.
Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Although she was a fallen, sinful human being, like Adam's entire race, nevertheless, she'd been chosen to be an instrument of God's work. The stress here is on God's choice, not her worthiness.
And yet all too often, it's her worthiness that is set forth and stressed. And so it's unfortunate what some do with this expression. They translate the expression, have found favor with the words full of grace.
And what they mean by that is that grace is as a substance and she is so filled with grace, it enables her to become a giver of grace to others that venerate her. The whole idea of praying the rosary, I understand, is a prayer to Mary for grace.
She does not have the ability to bestow grace. She needs enough grace for her own soul. And certainly she's not omniscient that she can hear the prayers of everybody all over the world. And she's not all powerful in that she can't answer prayers either.
It's idolatry. It's clear with this declaration that she is a chosen object of divine favor, not the dispenser of grace to others. She was favored of God. God had shown grace to her. And God was gonna use her to bring Messiah to the world.
All veneration of Mary is a degradation of the glory of her son, Jesus Christ. And it's sinful exaltation of Mary that is so often in the minds of people. I've told you a group here many times in the past.
In Europe, you have cathedrals and particularly the Baroque style cathedrals that the ceilings are beautifully painted. It's just, it's amazing, colorful, beautiful, heavenly scenes. And one that is quite common, right in downtown Munich in the Marienkirche, the Church of Mary, by the way.
You have on the ceiling a throne. You have God as like a sun, the glory shining. You have Jesus standing next to the throne with a crown in his hands. And Mary sitting on the throne and he's about ready to crown her the queen of heaven.
That is blasphemous. It's not taught in the Bible. It's degrading the glory of Christ. He's the king. He's the Lord of lords. She is no queen. Again, we don't wanna take away from what she is, but we don't wanna give her more than what she is.
And yet so many do. In verse 31, we read the declaration of the nature of her blessing. Luke records Gabriel's words. "'Behold, you will conceive in your womb "'and bring forth a son, and she'll call his name Jesus.'.
"'And so she'd have a son, although she was a virgin.'". The virgin birth of the Messiah was quoted in the Old Testament over seven years beforehand, a prophecy. Isaiah 7, 14. We get it on Christmas cards.
"'Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign.'". Talking to Ahab. "'Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son. "'You shall call his name Emmanuel.'. And although Isaiah 7, 14 is not referenced directly in Luke's account that we have before us, it's clear from the words of the prophet they would find fulfillment in the birth of this child, of this Virgin Mary.
Of course, the name Emmanuel means God with us. God is with us. And so there you have his name really as its shortest expression of the nature and the glory of the incarnation, the union of God's transcendence with God's eminence.
The eternal divine son manifested in the human nature of Jesus. The name of the child is announced. He would be named Jesus. And although Luke records that Gabriel told Mary to name her child Jesus, Luke did not explain the meaning of the name.
It's in Matthew's gospel. In Matthew's account, there we read that it was to Joseph, the same angel, Gabriel, came to Joseph and told him to name the child. You'll name the child Jesus. And there we have an explanation of the meaning of the name.
While Joseph 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 marry your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
She'll bring forth a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. And there we have the definition or explanation of the name, for he will save his people from their sins. Jesus wasn't trying to save everybody in the world.
He was trying to save his people, the ones that the Father had given him from eternity. And so in Luke's gospel, Mary is told to name the child Jesus. In Matthew's gospel, Joseph is told to name the child Jesus.
They were both informed in that way. The Hebrew, the name Jesus, of course, corresponds to the Hebrew Yeshua, or Joshua, meaning Jehovah is salvation. It was a common Jewish name, by the way, up to the second century AD, at which time both Jewish people and Christians ceased to call their sons by that name.
Gabriel was announcing to Mary that it would be through her son that God was going to effect the salvation of his people. You shall name him Jesus. We read of the character of this son in verses 32 through 35, he will be great.
I passed over that when I was reading it. And then I looked up a sermon of Spurgeon, and the title of the sermon was He Shall Be Great. And I realized I passed over something marvelous. He shall be great and will be called the son of the highest.
The Lord God will give him the throne of his father, David, and he'll reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. What will become of this son born to this lowly woman?
Remember the lowly estate. First statement, he will be great. How could she have known this? This one who would be born into her poverty, apparently with little resources or property, certainly no reputation drawn from her family other than the fact that she and Joseph were both descendants of King David, ultimately.
Charles Spurgeon put this forth, however. The wonder of these words. And the contrast of this statement, he shall be great, with what Jesus experienced in his ministry on earth. The man Christ Jesus stooped very low.
In his first estate, he was not great. He was very little when he hung upon his mother's breast. In his after estate, he was not great, but despised, rejected, crucified. Indeed, he was so poor that he had nowhere to lay his head, and he was so cast by the tongues of men that they called him a fellow, mentioned him among drunken men and wine-bibbers, and even accused him of having a devil or demon, being mad.
In the esteem of the great ones of the earth, he was an ignorant Galilean of whom they said, we know not whence he is. We don't know where he's from. His life binds up more fitly with the lowly annals of the poor than the court circular, or whatever stood for that in Caesar's day.
In his own time, his enemies could not find a word base enough to express their contempt of him. He was brought very low in his trial, condemnation, and suffering. Who thought him great when he was covered with bloody sweat, or when he was sold at the price of a slave, 30 pieces of silver, or when a guard came out against him with swords, and with lanterns, and with torches, as if he had been a thief?
Who thought him great when they bound him and led him to the judgment seat as a bale factor, or when the abjects smote him, and blindfolded him, and spat in his face, or when he was scourged, led through the streets, buried his cross, and afterwards hung up between two thieves to die?
Truly, he was brought very low, and a sword pierced through his mother's heart as she saw the sufferings of her holy son. When she knew that he was dead and buried in a borrowed tomb, she must have painfully pondered in her heart the words from heaven concerning him, and thought within herself, the angel said he would be great.
But who was made so vile as he? He said that he should be called the son of the highest below. He is brought into the dust of death, and men steal his sepulcher, and cast out his name as evil. But then Spurgeon went on to write, and I wish I could have given a more full declaration, but I'm a little embarrassed to put this long quote in.
He shall be great, the very man who was despised, spat upon, sits glorious on his father's throne. As man, he is anointed king of kings and lord of lords. As man, he's been lifted up from the lowest depths, and set in the greatest heights to reign forever and ever.
Peter and the apostles testified, this Jesus hath God raised up, wherever we are all witnesses, he being at the right hand of God, exalted. And Stephen also said, behold, I see the heavens open, and the son of man standing at the right hand of God.
And so the angel Gabriel told Mary he would be great. He went on to delineate exactly where his greatness lie. He should be called the son of the most high. Certainly dignity there. Most high, of course, is a synonym for God.
The Hebrews avoided saying the word God, using other words to express his person, speak about the heavens. The kingdom of heaven, rather than the kingdom of God. Kingdom of heaven is Matthew's favorite expression, because he sought to avoid using the name God because it was regarded as so holy.
When we look at the expression, the son of the most high, we might immediately think of the deity of our Lord Jesus, but actually what's being emphasized here is the relationship that Jesus has with the heavenly father.
Yes, the focus on verses 34 and 35 is the deity, but here the relationship with his father, he is the son of the most high. What's being conveyed is that they would have a unique and close relationship, one with another.
Secondly, as God's son, he'd possess the character of his father. And thirdly, his son would be shown favor by the father. And fourthly, his son would be fulfilling the will of his father. He will be the son of his father.
A proud son, esteemed by the father. And then next we read the Lord God will give him the throne of his father, David. So here we have a reference to a second father of Jesus. He would be the son of the most high, but he also is referred to as having David, King David, as his father.
He was destined as David's son to reign over Israel, the kingdom of God forever. And so for an understanding of these words, we need to consider the Old Testament briefly. 2 Samuel 7 in particular. David, the ancient king of Israel, was a man after God's own heart.
And what that means is that when David ruled as king, he saw himself as reigning on behalf of God. God was the true king of Israel. And David sought to exercise not his own will when he sat upon that throne, but he purposed to be the instrument through which God himself would govern his people.
And so David rightly saw his role as king to rule Israel on behalf of God, whom David himself regarded as his father, in a sense. As such, King David sat at the right hand of his father, ruling over Israel on his behalf.
And by the way, that's what it means for David to be a man after God's own heart. He wasn't like King Saul, who ruled over Israel according to his own will. David ruled over Israel according to God's will.
David saw himself as a servant of God, ruling and exercising the rule of God over his people, Israel. Early on, God had ruled his own people through judges, but the time came, of course, when Israel demanded a king like the other nations.
They rejected God as king over him, over them. You remember, they expressed this desire to the prophet Samuel. And Samuel was very distressed over this. Haven't I judged you rightly, as in God led you rightly through me?
And God assured Samuel, they haven't rejected you as king. They've rejected me as king over them. You give them a king. And they got King Saul. God in his providence, of course, had always purposed for Israel to have a king.
It's even set down in the law of Moses, how the king should act and live and think, behave. David became king. And in 2 Samuel 7, reflects a time in David's life after he had fully established his kingdom and he was at peace in Jerusalem.
The kingdom was expansive. The other nations were submitted to Israel and David as king. And David had built a large palace that showed forth his power and strength as king. Well, he wanted to build a temple.
What am I doing living in this solid, great palace when God's dwelling in that tent down there, that tabernacle? And so it was in his heart to build God this great house. And of course, it was not in the purposes of the father.
God the father didn't do so. And so God told him through Nathan, no, you will not build my temple. You can gather the goods for the temple, but your son Solomon will build my temple. And of course, that declaration of Solomon had a prophecy with a greater view to Jesus Christ who would build the ultimate spiritual temple, be the church, the house of God, the temple through which God dwells and manifests himself in this world.
And so we won't read that passage in 2 Samuel 7, but there it basically says, God says to David, it was good that you wanted to build me a house. Not gonna let you do it, but I'm gonna build you a house.
I'm gonna build you a household. I'm gonna build you a dynasty. And you're gonna have a descendant that's gonna sit on a throne ruling over my people Israel forever. And of course, that was prophetic of David's greater son, Jesus Christ.
And so in verse 11, the Lord said, I'll make a house for you. I will be a father to him. And your throne will be established forever. David's throne established forever. And in Jesus, the promise of David is fulfilled.
Luke 133 declares it. And Jesus, the earthly throne of David over Israel, the people of God, the heavenly throne of God. God always the true right king of Israel, but they are united in Jesus Christ, his son.
The kingdom of God and the kingdom of Israel are one. That is kingdom of spiritual Israel. The two are to be equated. The throne of God and the throne of David are one and the same. Because David was ruling on behalf of God.
Very important. Some disagree with this position. They say the promise kingdom of David should not be understood as the kingdom over which our Lord Jesus currently reigns. These folks have a tendency to see two of everything in scripture.
They believe God has promised two everlasting thrones. The throne of David, which is a literal physical throne, and the throne of Jesus. He's ruling in heaven. They teach that there will be two everlasting kingdoms.
The kingdom of David and the kingdom of Jesus Christ. They say there's two everlasting kings. I read it last week in a commentary. David's gonna be raised, they say, and he'll be king over Israel while Jesus is king over the church.
It's incredible. No, the Bible teaches that the Lord Jesus was the son of David, and through his life, death, and resurrection, he was seated in heaven on the throne of David. And Jesus Christ now is ruling in heaven on the throne of God, which is the throne of David that God promised David back in the Old Testament.
This is what Peter declared on the day of Pentecost in his sermon. He quoted David. David, in one of his psalms, talked about how his body would never see corruption. Peter said, hey, David's tomb's right over there.
We know it's there. David was a prophet. He wasn't speaking of himself, but he was speaking of Jesus, who God would raise up to be seated on his throne. And Peter declared the very fact that this Holy Spirit has been poured out to you on this day of Pentecost is evidence and proof Jesus is enthroned, he's king, and he's given this gift of the Holy Spirit to his people.
And so the kingdom of, promised kingdom of David is realized, it'll be realized more fully at the second coming, of course, but it's a terrible mistake to say that there's a kingdom of David different than the kingdom of God.
There's a kingdom of heaven different than the kingdom of God. There's a kingdom of David different than the kingdom of Jesus Christ. The kingdom of David is an earthly, thousand-year Jewish millennium, but the kingdom of God is the eternal church.
No, that's falsehood. The Lord Jesus is seated on David's throne in realization, fulfillment of God's promises to David. Verse 33 reads, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever in his kingdom.
There will be no end. Again, some see this as totally future, right in the middle of page nine now. We're getting there, toward the end. They teach it because of the rejection of Jesus by the Jewish leaders that the reign of Jesus was postponed.
God withdrew his offer of the kingdom. And so we've got this church age as this large parenthesis. But after the church is raptured in the future, God will go back to that original plan and establish that earthly kingdom of David in a thousand-year millennium.
This is not the case. Jesus Christ is ruling currently over the house of Jacob. Some would argue, well, that's the earthly people of the Jews, that's the physical lineage of Israel, that's the ethnic Jews.
No, the house of Jacob is spiritual Israel, comprised of all those, like Isaac, who were children of promise. It's not the physical descendants of Abraham who are promised a kingdom, but it is the spiritual seed of Abraham of whom Isaac was a type that the kingdom is promised.
It was not to Ishmael, the physical descendant of Abraham, born to Sarah, but it was to Isaac. And we are, as Isaac, children of promise, whether Jewish or Gentile, if we have the same faith as Abraham.
And Jesus Christ is our king. He's the king over Jacob, ruling over Jacob, ruling over Israel. We were once, say most of us as Gentiles, estranged from Israel, foreigners to the covenants, having no hope without God in this world, but through Jesus Christ, we have been brought into the family of faith, the household of God, the Israel of God.
We are living in a realized eschatological kingdom. Jesus Christ is Lord over Israel. And you and I are Israelites indeed, if we have the same faith as Abraham. Paul declares it so clearly in Romans four and Galatians.
It's really amazing to me how anybody could see it differently, but they do. I have a quote of Robert Lenski. He was a Lutheran commentator down toward the bottom of page nine. The royal side of Jesus's office is described here.
He himself spoke of his kingdom as not being of this world. Thus he shall reign over the house of Jacob to the eons, which means that of his kingdom there will be no end. The manner of his rule will be like the kingdom he rules, a rule with truth and the power of grace.
The house of Jacob denotes all his descendants, not merely the Jewish nation as such, but the spiritual descendants on the throne of Egypt. We need not be reluctant about accepting the angel's word and its full reality that Jesus should rule forever over the spiritual house of Israel, believing Jews and Gentiles alike.
He does so rule now, and this the angel actually foretold. He gives scripture references. And so when we read in the birth narratives that he is the son of David, do not think that that's gonna be somehow realized in a future earthly kingdom.
He is reigning over Israel now. And we are Israelites indeed who put no confidence in the flesh. It's not physical circumcision that makes you a member of the household of God. It's the spiritual circumcision of the heart, the new birth.
Those that are born by the spirit who truly know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, they are the household of God. They are the Israel of God. They are the spiritual descendants of Abraham. They are the ones to whom God fulfills and realizes all the promises that he gave to the patriarchs.
They were spiritual promises and realized spiritually by us. And one day will be realized fully, of course, visibly and physically when the Lord Jesus returns. Page 10, Mary's question, Gabriel's explanation of how conception would occur.
How can this be? I'm a virgin. How am I gonna have a child? How can I have this child, she asked. And Gabriel's answer to Mary's question is in verse 35. The Holy Spirit will come upon you. The Holy Spirit, the agent of the creative power of God will accomplish this.
No suggestion here of any carnal intermingling in a manner that is commonly found in ancient pagan beliefs. The Holy Spirit caused the Virgin Mary to conceive. And in this manner, eternal God came into union with the human nature of this child.
Mary was the mother of Jesus, was the mother of his human nature. Never in scripture is Mary called the mother of God. God cannot be born, he's eternal. Now the second person of the Godhead was begotten, but never was there a time when he actually passed from not being begotten into the state of being begotten.
Jesus is the eternally begotten Son of God. There never was a time when there was not the second person, the Son, the eternal Son of God in eternity. He declared, the power of the most high shall overshadow you.
As the presence and power of God, the shekinah glory of God hovered over the tabernacle in the Old Testament times, and the presence of God was manifested. And so this glory of God, the power of the most high will overshadow Mary.
What is the proof that this will come to pass? Well, he gives her a sign. You've got a cousin who's too old to bear a child. She's pregnant. She's six months pregnant. You know her, Elizabeth. With God, nothing's impossible.
And so Gabriel gives Mary this evidence. What he was telling her was indeed going to come to pass. And what was her response? Well, her humble submission and confession of faith in humility and wonderment, she received the message.
Behold, the maid servant of the Lord be it done according to your word. And may the Lord grant us, you and me, the same submissive spirit that Mary exhibited regarding who he would be and what he would do when we hear of who he is and what he's done.
Amen.
Now, in conclusion, let's just say that the things of which we've considered today are not merely words wrangling over doctrine that have no real bearing on reality. What we have talked about today is true, historical, real.
We have the authority of Holy Scripture. We've got the authority of a voice of an angel, Gabriel, that stands behind these things. Most importantly, we have a privilege of relationship that the Most High himself is tied up in this person of Jesus.
He is the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through him. No other man in history can fill the bill as he did, God with us. And it's through his union, the divine, with the human nature, of course, that you and I can come to have an eternal relationship with God as our Father when we put faith in his Son.
And we know that the Father's appointed a day when he will judge the world by this Son, Jesus Christ, and he'll judge the world in righteousness. But those who put faith in Jesus Christ, who acknowledge him, not just Savior, but Lord, he is the Son of David, he is enthroned, he is king, he is Lord.
And those who come in humble submission to him, as Mary did, those who of us have faith in him for the forgiveness of sins, and we have faith in him as our Lord, and we submit to that as he enables us by the power of the Holy Spirit.
They have the promise of everlasting life and a glorious entrance when that kingdom is fully manifested at his second coming on the day of the resurrection and the day of judgment. And it will be a glorious event, amen.
And you and I will share in the glory of the sons of God. Paul says you and I can't even fathom the glory that's gonna be revealed in you, on that day, and it's all because of the grace of God and Jesus Christ, amen.
Let's pray.
Father, thank you for this Christmas season. Thank you for these birth narratives that we have so many wonderful things recorded for us. We pray that we would take these matters to heart and help us, our Lord, to rejoice in Jesus Christ as our Lord and as our Savior.
We pray, our God, this Christmas season would be one in which we could grow closer to you. And we pray it would be one, Lord, in which we have opportunity to speak to others of their souls and point them to the Lord Jesus Christ, who came into this world and lived righteously, but died upon a cross to atone for his people and rose again and was enthroned, enthroned even now.
For it's in Jesus' name we pray, amen.
