Luke 1:26 ( ESV )
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After the announcement to Zechariah and
Elizabeth six months later Gabriel visits Mary.
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When he talks about Galilee the nation was
divided into three parts. Judea, Samaria and Galilee. Galilee was in the
northern part. It had the richest and most beautiful parts of Israel. Yet, this
is the area was covered with Gentiles and was looked down upon for this fact.
It was known for its spiritual darkness.
Is. 8-9
·
If this was not bad enough in some people’s eyes
it was also in Nazareth which had a Roman military outpost. It was known for
its corruption and vice. Mary though lived a godly lifestyle in this town.
Luke 1:27 ( ESV )
27to a virgin betrothed£ to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the
virgin’s name was Mary.
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What is even greater is that Mary remained a
virgin in this sin polluted town. The word here is not young maiden but virgin.
Is. 7:14, “ And behold a virgin shall conceive
and bring forth a son and thou shalt call Him Immanuel.”
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This was more than an engagement period in that
they were looked upon as being man and wife except for sexual union and living together.
She was pledged to a man by the name of Joseph who was of the house of
David. According to the scriptures
Messiah would come from this line. Gen. 49:8-10 and II Sam. 7:16. The Messiah
had to come from the line of David.
Luke 1:28 ( ESV )
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Nowhere does it say she is above all women but
was endued with grace. (Same phrase is used of other believers in Eph. 1:6. She
is not above all women. She is the first person in scripture to call Jesus,
Savior in Luke 1:47 so she needed a savior as well. How did she react when she
saw Gabriel?
Luke 1:29-30 ( ESV )
29But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern
what sort of greeting this might be.
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She was troubled or agitated like a roaring sea.
She began to deliberate in her mind at what the angel was saying to her and
what his message from God might be. What would God say to a young teenage girl?
Why me?
·
Do not be afraid was his words to her. She would
not experience fear but the Grace of God given to a sinful man. For the word
favor means Grace that is undeserved.
Luke 1:31-33 ( ESV )
32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And
the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,
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Can you imagine the sense of wonder she had at
this announcement? His name was to be
Jesus or Jehovah is salvation. O.T. equivalent of Joshua. The deliverer who led
the people out of the desert to the promised land. This one would deliver them
spiritually
.
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The Most High was a term used for God and God
alone. Even one of the demons would call Jesus this in Mark 5:7.
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He would be a king but not just any king, coming
from the line of David He would be Messiah.
Not only would He rule over the house of Jacob but the world. The people
wanted a Savior who would deliver them from Rome. He had come to be king of
kings and lord of lords over all the earth.
Now Mary asks the question HOW?
Luke 1:34-35 ( ESV )
35And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be
born£ will be called holy—the Son of God.
·
Mary is not rebuked like Zechariah for two
reasons. One, Zechariah knew God had
opened up the wombs of Sarah and Hannah from his O.T. readings. Two, A virgin birth had never happened and
will never happen again.
·
Evidences in the passage for the Virgin
Birth: NIV virgin or know in KJV means
to have sex. Mary had not had this happen to her yet. She is described as a virgin not once but
twice in 1:27. In 1:35 pregnancy would happen by the power of the Holy Spirit.
In John 3:23 Jesus was called the son of Joseph so thought. It completed the
promise of Is. 7:14. Church fathers claimed her as a virgin.
·
Why is this so important? Deny this and you make
Jesus a mere sinful man who could not make atonement for sin. Scripture would
be in vain if this was not true. What would you believe and what would you not
believe? To deny the virgin birth also denies the fact that the God of the
impossible was able to do the impossible.
·
The Spirit of God would come over her. One
illustration is like that of how the Shekinah glory fell upon the tabernacle.
Thus without human father the Son would not inherit the sin nature. He was
known as the Holy One the one who knew no sin according to II Cor. 5:21 and II
Peter 2:22. He did not sin and had no sin in Him. I Jn. 3:5
Luke 1:36-37 ( ESV )
36And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also
conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.
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As a sign to her Gabriel tells her of her cousin
Elizabeth in 1:36. If God could do this He could allow her to give birth to the
Son of God. Mary, God is able to do this
because there is nothing in this world that He cannot do. He allowed Abraham to
have a child. He also will use this phrase with the apostles in Matt. 19:26 of
how that man cannot save himself. Only God can save man. When everything seems
like it is impossible, there is always hope for God can bring hope to the
darkest night. He is the God of the impossible.
Luke 1:38 ( ESV )
38And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant£ of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the
angel departed from her.
·
Without further questions she shows her
immediate obedience to God. (She was willing to give up Joseph, suffer humiliation.)
No matter the cost I am willing to do whatever you want me to do. I AM YOUR SERVANT.
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