Luke 1:26-29And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

Our God does the impossible by doing the improbable
through those who are incapable but willing to serve Him.

God works miracles in human history through the birth of Children. Jesus loves the little children. The Father of our faith, Abraham, was unable to have children. God promised Abraham that – if he would follow the Lord – Abraham would not only have a child, but a nation that would bless the whole world. Abraham followed, and at the young age of 100 (Genesis 21:5) had Isaac. Through Isaac, God would found the nation Israel. Now the time has come for God to complete His promise to Abraham. We read:

Luke 1:26-27 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 To a virgin …

Focus first on “IN THE SIXTH MONTH”. Why is that important? The Angel tells Mary:

Luke 1:36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.

God uses the broken but willing to bring blessing into this world. He gave Barren Hanna a child, the Prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 1-2). God gave Barren Sarah a child so that Abraham’s line could continue. And God gave Barren Elisabeth a child six months before Gabriel came to Mary. Elisabeth will give birth to John the Baptist. But God has other plans for Mary. God sends Gabriel to Mary six months from the time Elisabeth began to carry John. Mary is a virgin.

Luke 1:27To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

Word Study: Mary was “espoused to a man whose name was Joseph”. The word “espoused” is the Greek “μνηστεύω mnēsteúō”, which means “to be promised in marriage”.

In ancient times marriages were prearranged between families, with the fathers making the decisions. Mary and Joseph had been promised to one another by their parents. Though they had not officially married, they were engaged to be married. Mary was a virgin. She was saving herself for her marriage.

Why does God choose Mary to participate in the Incarnation of Christ? Because Mary and Joseph are people of faith. The Angel says to Mary:

Luke 1:28, 30 (KJV) …. Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. … 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God.

Word Study: The Angel calls Mary “highly favored” (Greek charitóō, khar-ee-to’-o), which means “to be given special honor”. Gabriel also said that Mary “found favor with God”. This is the Greek “heyriskō charis”, which means “you have been found by GRACE”.

There are two horrible things that people have said about Mary and the Incarnation of Christ.

God Uses The Willing But Imperfect To Do His Will

One of the horrible things is that Mary was somehow sinless herself, a special creation of God that never sinned nor knew sin. This is what our brethren the Catholics believe. They offer up prayers to Mary as

“The Mother of God”
“Blessed Mother”
“Queen of Heaven”
“Cause of our Joy”
“Mother of Mercy”

The Catholics see Mary as a Mediator between God and Man. The see Mary as “Immaculate”, that is, sinless. So therefore they pray for Mary, asking her to intercede for them. But the Scripture (which is our standard) tells us:

1 Timothy 2:5 … there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus …

The only Mediator we have is Jesus. Further, when Jesus our Mediator told us to pray, He said:

Matthew 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven …

Mary is not sinless. Like us all Mary has her flaws. But Mary will be given blessing from God because Mary “heyriskō charis”, that is “has been found by GRACE”.

When the broken are open to and available to God, God will pour Grace out on them. Mary is a recipient of Grace. God’s grand plan of salvation is Grace.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (KJV) For by grace (χάρις charis) are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

2 Timothy 1:9 (KJV) {God} hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace (χάρις charis), which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

Eve helped Adam in the downfall of all creation. Mary will help God in the redemption of this fallen world. She will bring forth blessed Jesus.

Mary Was NOT Forced To Bring Forth The Messiah

A second horrible thing the devil has floated through media is that Mary was forced to bear Christ. Some come right out and say that God RAPED Mary. Is this true? Not according to the Scripture. When the Angel came and told Mary that …

Luke 1:31 behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.

The pregnancy had not yet occurred. This is future tense, “thou shalt conceive”. At this point Mary is still a virgin, and still without child. When the Angel tells Mary that she shall have a Child Who would be the Messiah, Mary simply asks:

Luke 1:34 How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

How can she, a virgin, bear a Child such as this? The Angel tells her:

Luke 1:35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

Again, the Angel is speaking in future tense. “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee” and “the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee”. God has not made a move to cause Mary to be with Child yet. God is waiting. He is waiting on Mary. Now God knows the end from the beginning. The Psalmist said:

Psalm 139:4 (ESV) Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.

The God Who made us “counts the number of the stars, and gives names to each one” (Psalm 147:4). Our God knows the secrets of our hearts (Psalm 44:21). He “declares the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done” (Isaiah 46:9-10). Yet God is in no hurry. He has a plan that He wishes to use Mary in, but God will not force this plan. God initiates the Virgin Birth … but does not carry through until she agrees. What was Mary’s response?

Luke 1:38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

Word Study: Mary made herself available to God. What did God do to Mary after her acceptance? The Archangel told Mary says “the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee”. The word “overshadow” is the Greek episkiázō, {pronounced ep-ee-skee-ad’-zo}, which means “to envelope, to cover”.

Illustrate: In the Old Testament when God rescued Israel from Egypt, He led them out with a Pillar of Cloud by day and a Pillar of Fire by night. Israel was saved in the shadow of God. The world has been ensnared in another Egypt, the lostness of humanity. Mankind has fallen deep into sin and desperation. Now God – just as He overshadowed Israel – He overshadows Mary. God will bring the Messiah into humanity through this willing virgin.

Illustrate Another Overshadowing: Many years later, after Christ becomes Incarnate, God becomes Man, Jesus will take Peter, James, and John with Him to a mountain. While on that Mountain Elijah – the Greatest Prophet, and Moses – the Giver of the Law would stand and speak to Jesus. Come to be known as “The Mount of transfiguration” God would give Peter, James, John, and His Church a clear picture of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus came to fulfill the Law (Moses). Jesus came to fulfill the prophecies and promises of the Old Testament (Elijah). Peter spoke not to either Elijah or to Moses, but to Jesus. He said to Jesus:

Matthew 17:4 … Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.

Some believe that Mary was immaculate and without sin, this being the reason that God used her. No, that is not the case. Mary would later praise God for His wonderful Gift, saying:

What happened next? The Bible says:

Matthew 17:5 While {Peter} yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

Just as Mary will be “overshadowed” (episkiázō, {pronounced ep-ee-skee-ad’-zo}) with God, Peter James & John were “overshadowed” by God. God causes the three Apostles to understand on the
Mount of Transfiguration. He causes Mary to be with Christ.

Grace Is God Doing The Work Through Us

We do not know at what point Mary became with Child. Mary is not forced to bear Jesus. God tells Mary (and us) what He wants to do with her. God will use Mary – but only with her permission. God told Mary:

1(vs 31) “Behold, Thou Shalt Conceive In Thy Womb, And Bring Forth A Son”. Jesus will come into the world through Mary as a boy, a man. Mary would conceive Jesus totally apart from any man’s intervention. This will be a fulfillment of the first prophecy of the Messiah. God told Satan in the Garden of Eden:

Genesis 3:15 (NASB) And I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.

A woman does not produce SEED, but the EGG that the man fertilizes. Yet God said that the Avenger that would one day come and destroy Satan – that Old Serpent (Revelation 12:9) will be the “Seed of the Woman”. Later on in Scripture the Prophet would tell us in:

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Mary is this promised virgin. “Immanuel” or “God with us” will come from Mary. Mary is not a perpetual virgin as some think. She would go on to have children by Joseph’s seed (see Matthew 12:46; Luke 8:19; Mark 3:31). Jesus had four stepbrothers named James, Joseph, Simon & Judas (Matthew 13:55), as well as stepsisters (Matthew 13:56), though their names are not mentioned.

God chose Mary to bring His Son into this world because of the promise He made to Abraham (Genesis 12:3) and King David (Isaiah 11:1). Jesus was a Male Jew, just as God foretold. The Scripture says:

Galatians 4:4-5 But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

1 Corinthians 15:21-22 (NASB) For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

Adrian Rogers said:

“No virgin birth, no deity. No deity, no sinless life. No sinless life, no sacrificial death. No sacrificial death, no salvation. No salvation, you’re going to hell. Jesus came to earth that we might go to Heaven: born of a virgin that we might be born again. Thank God for the virgin birth!”

Sin entered the world through man’s failure. Christ came as a Son into the world to pay the penalty for our sins. Mary is also told that …

2(vs 31) … and shalt call his name Jesus. In the ancient world the father of the child named the child. Though Joseph is a good man, rightfully betrothed to Mary, he is NOT the father of Jesus. God tells Mary “you shall call Him JESUS”. The Archangel also goes to Joseph, telling that good man:

Matthew 1:20-21 … the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Word Study: The name “Jesus” (Greek Ἰησοῦς Iēsous) means “Jehovah is salvation”. The same name in Hebrew is Yeshua, the English Joshua which means “Jehovah is salvation”. The Heavenly Father named Jesus as He did because

“He shall save His people from their sins”

In the Old Testament a believer named Joshua (the Hebrew equivalent of “Jesus”) led Israel into the Promised Land, defeating every foe that stood against them. Jesus leads His people today into the Kingdom of God, and promises that one day we shall be in THE Promised Land of Heaven.

If you have given yourself to Christ, if He is your Lord and Savior and you are HIS PEOPLE, then you SHALL BE SAVED FROM YOUR SINS. Not IN your sins, but FROM your sins.

3(vs 32) “He Shall Be Great, and Shall Be Called The Son Of The Highest”. Jesus has ALWAYS been great, because Jesus is more than a mere Man. Jesus is God in the flesh. The Scripture says:

John 1:1-3 (KJV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

and the Apostle Paul declares:

Colossians 1:15-17 (KJV) {Jesus} is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

He shall be great because He is God in the flesh. He shall be great because He is the …

Revelation 1:8 (KJV) … Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

He is the Word become flesh to dwell among us. He is the Light of the world. He is the Only Savior that God has sent. And He shall be called the Son of the Highest, the Son of God. People today do not see Jesus as He is, but those Who saw Him when He walked this earth knew He was more than just a man.

Illustrate His Worship: When the Wise Men came to see the Baby Jesus the Bible says:

Matthew 2:11 (ESV) … going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.

God said in Hebrews 1:6, “Let all the angels of God worship Him”. Jesus Christ is to be worshiped.
Jesus walked on water and was worshiped (Matthew 14:33)
Thomas touched the Risen Savior and worshiped Him (John 20:28)
Following His Resurrection from the Grave Jesus was worshiped (Matthew 28:17)
And we will worship Him now and in Heaven (Revelation 22:3)

The fact that Jesus is worshiped makes the shedding of His Blood so much more valuable than the shedding of the blood of another man. Jesus’ Blood covers the sins of those who call on His Name and receive Him as He is.

1 Peter 1:18-20 (KJV) Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

He shall be Great, for He laid His life down for you and for me.

4(vs 32) “The Lord God Shall Give Unto Him The Throne Of His Father David”. Though Christ would be born of Mary, the Genealogies of Christ found in Matthew (1:1-17) and Luke (3:23-38) show that both His Stepfather Joseph as well as Mary His Mother can be traced back to King David. In fact, Joseph is called “son of David” in Matthew 1:20-21. This Jesus is the fulfillment of the promise God made to King David in:

2 Samuel 7:12-13New American Standard Bible (NASB) …. I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

This Child would be the fulfillment of the Covenant that God the Father made with King David. Jesus alone is the One to Whom “God gave Him the Throne of His Father David”.

5(vs 33) “He Shall Reign Over The House Of Jacob Forever”. God did not say that this Child would rule over the House of ISRAEL, but of JACOB. So what’s the difference.

Jacob is the name of an Unsaved Man.
Israel is the name given Jacob when He was saved.

The world that this Child entered into was a world not of Israel, but of Jacob. Israel had rejected God and ignored His Word, so Israel was occupied by Rome, a foreign superpower. Israel was ruled by Herod, an Idumean or descendant of Edom not a Judean nor a Son of David. The High Priest of Israel was not a believer in God, and the rulers of Israel had turned from God’s Word. In short, Israel had become Jacob, a nation as lost as the Romans around them. Certainly God had a remnant. God has always had a remnant. But the remnant was small at this time.

Israel was fallen.
Unbelief reigned.
America has fallen.
Unbelief reigns.
Yet Christ shall rule over Jacob!

God is not done with Israel, and I do not believe His is done with America. He shall rule over Jacob. Christ shall triumph in the end. He is …

Revelation 1:5-7 (NASB) … Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood— 6 and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7 Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.

Jesus Christ rules and reigns. As the Apostle Paul wrote:

Romans 14:11 (NASB) … “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall give praise to God.”

Philippians 2:10-11 (NASB) … at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

6(vs 33) “And Of His Kingdom There Shall Be No End”. Jesus shall in the end rule and reign over this earth. His Kingdom will never cease. This is an eternal Kingdom with Jesus at the helm. So you must make a choice. Will you follow self, or follow Him? The Kingdoms of mankind come and go, but Christ’s Kingdom is eternal.

What Will YOU Do?

When Mary heard all the things that God promised her – and willingly agreed to it – the Archangel left. His job was done. What does Mary do?

Luke 1:39-40 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; 40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.

Mary did not stay where she was, but she got up, and went to help her cousin Elisabeth deliver her baby. Mary moved. What will you do? Knowing Who Jesus is, will you stay as you are? Or will you move, and be Jesus to someone in need? God reached into the world to move in the life of Mary. He did this to bring blessing to us all through the birth of Jesus. Saved by Grace, what will you do? May God the Holy Spirit move you to yield yourselves to Him this very day. Amen and Amen.