Characters of Christmas Sermon Series for December AM
Sermon 1
Mary- The Willingness of Christmas
The Womb of Christmas
The Woman of Christmas
The Willingness of Christmas
Turn to Luke Chapter 1
I recently asked people to name someone popular or famous named Mary.
The answers came from all ages but here is what I received when I asked people to
name a popular or famous Mary
Someone said
Mary Quite Contrary
Mary who had a little lamb
Mary Poppins
Mary Tyler Moore
Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen
Mary Lou Retton Olympic Gymnast
Mary Kay - Make up...and
Peter Paul and Mary
At namestatistics.com It is reported that the name "Mary" is the most popular name
for females in the US.
It is reported that there are 3351975 females in the US with the name Mary.
Luke Chapter 1
26 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,
27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David.
The virgin’s name was Mary
28 The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord
is with you."
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this
might be.
30 But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.
31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name
Jesus.
32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will
give him the throne of his father David,
33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."
34 "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"
35 The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the
Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of
God.
36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who
was said to be barren is in her sixth month.
37 For nothing is impossible with God." (PAUSE)
38 "I am the Lord’s servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said."
Then the angel left her.
Here we have a familiar angel....Gabriel
Do you have angels around your home?
I have four (three daughters and a son) but they sometimes have crooked halos if you
know what I mean. Or some days retractable horns my wife says.
But here we see a familiar angel named Gabriel he is the same angel that we see in
the earlier verses of this chapter announcing to Zechariah that he and his wife would
be blessed with a son.
But in verse 26 we find Gabriel visiting Mary. He comes to deliver the message that
she will deliver a child who will be called Jesus and He will deliver the people from
their sins.
Certainly no woman is as associated with Christmas as is the name of Mary. This is
why she can be called
I. THE WOMAN OF CHRISTMAS.
Ask 10 people at random on the street what female name is most widely associated
with Christmas and 9 out of 10 will likely say...."Mary"
Now there’s always one silly individual who will say
"Mrs. Claus" But I tell you..... truly it is Mary who should be called "The Woman of
Christmas."
Gabriel did not say she was perfect.
We know that no one has ever been sinless ....except the Lord Jesus Christ.
And so what did Gabriel did say?
Well in v28 the angel said Mary was highly favored !
We must be careful that we do not to make to lightly of the character of Mary and at
the same time we must be careful not to exalt her to highly.
Mary is a wonderful picture of womanhood. While some might scoff and say it was
woman...who brought sin into the world when eve brought the forbidden fruit to Adam
and said let’s eat of this.
Gen 3:6 says When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and
pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.
She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
Some might say it was woman who brought sin into the world but I say to you it was
woman...The woman of Christmas MARY who brought the Savior into the world.
If we had been their that night as Mary gave birth to the Christ Child. We could have
said "that is one small step for womanhood... and one giant leap for all mankind.
But what a model for womanhood was Mary the woman of Christmas.
The one who would bare a child.... who would one day bare the sins of the world.
What a wonderful thing God has given in the creation of woman.
Where would our families be...., our schools of education be ,...where would our
churches be... without God’s blessing of good and godly women.
I had a nightmare one night Guys....
I dreamed that I came to church and all the women were gone.
Think about it men... The Nursery, The Sunday School The Missions Programs,....
THE FOOD FELLOWSHIPS... But seriously friends we need to thank God for good
and godly women.
Women who can make Christmas as well as our entire lives so wonderful.
Mary was just such a woman. She was the woman of Christmas.
Now think with me about
II. THE WOMB OF CHRISTMAS ....the womb of Christmas.
God works through Mary in her heart and her soul but He worked His will of a savior
into her Womb.
God uses Bev’s fingers and works through them to bless us with organ music.
He works through Rich’s vocal cords to lead us in song,
He works in many of the physical aspects of our bodies but I think Mary alone has the
significance of being the womb of Christmas.
You say the womb of Christmas that is a little odd isn’t it?
Actually it is more than odd...it’s amazing!
It is one of the greatest miracles of Almighty God. The miracle of the virgin birth.
V 27 clearly points out that Mary was a virgin. She was pure. She would bear child
without the seed of man that carries the sin of mankind. She would not know a man
and yet she would bring forth out of her womb the God Man. The Lord Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 7:14 says
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will
give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isa 7:14 NIV)
To those who say
"I cannot believe the virgin birth"...they are saying "I can not believe the Bible."
It happened just as the prophets of God had said it would happen...especially in the
words of Isaiah who said the virgin will be with child.
Of all the gospels Luke is the writer who like no one else reveals the depth of this
miracle.
Now keep in ming that he was a physician. If he could believe.... than all can believe
this great miracle of God.
The words ring out in verse 37 for nothing is impossible with God.
Mary herself has difficulty grasping the awesomeness of this miracle..... in v 34 she
said
" How Could This Be?"
She wasn’t saying I refuse to believe this... but she was saying wow, let me recover
from the jolt of this amazing news your saying.
This is the news I would say to you...
Believe that God can do a miracle in you and through you.
Allow God to do the unexpected, the amazing and the miraculous in your life.
God did not stop with miracles in Bible.
We know that the virgin birth was a tremendous miracle, the miracles Jesus
preformed of healing, of turning water into wine and others....and guess what
friends....
the Bible is a complete book but your life and my life can still be filled pages of
miracles.
The key is trusting and believing and that is the final thing and most important thing I
want us to consider this morning about Mary is that she was not only the Woman of
Christmas, and The Womb of Christmas but she was
III. THE WILLINGNESS OF CHRISTMAS
Outside of the resurrection of Jesus the greatest miracle ever is the virgin birth.
When God says to Mary " I am going to make the impossible..possible in you. Mary
does not say...
"wait a minute God I don’ believe it"
She doesn’t say " wait a minute God no one else will ever believe it"
She doesn’t say " God I need something else, someone else, something more to go
on......But instead Mary shows the willingness of Christmas as she says
" I am the Lord’s servant",... "May it be to me as you have said.
Mary says God what ever your will is. Here am I ready and willing to let you do your
will.
What do you think it is that God seeks to do in your life this Christmas?
To bring your home...your family closer to Him.
Perhaps it is for you to trust Him as your savior for the very first time.
Jesus came into world not to merely be a baby in the manger but rather...
He came to earth to live that he might die on the cross and that He might live again
through the resurrection to give you eternal life.
Have you believed that.... and trusted in it.
Have you said Jesus I am WILLING to admit to you...
That I am a sinner
That I need the forgiveness you purchase for me in dying on the cross and then rising
again
and Jesus I willing confess that to you and to others.
As we think about the willingness of Christmas this year.
We can be certain that it is God’s will that all would be willing to call upon the name
of Jesus and be saved and if you haven’t done that would you today.
Be willing to make Jesus your savior.
If you have already.... what is that other area of your life that Jesus is asking you to
be willing to let Him work in.
Are you willing to let God work in your life as Mary was willing to allow God to work
in her life?
Let Him work His will in your life today!
If you are looking for a next in the series and it hasn’t posted here yet you can always go to www.mtpbc.com and then click on pastors coner to view the latest sermon development.
I will try to post sermons #2 On The Wisemen - The Worshippers of Christmas and #3 Jesus The Prince of Christmas as soon as the Lord helps me to complete them.
