Explores Mary's faith-filled response to the angel Gabriel's miraculous message about the birth of Jesus, the Messiah.
Good morning, dear family of God. What a joy it is to gather together in this place, to share in the fellowship of believers, and to open the precious Word of God together. We are here today to marvel at the wonders of His love, to bask in the warmth of His grace, and to drink deeply from the well of His wisdom.
Today, we turn our hearts and minds to the beautiful account found in the Gospel according to Luke, the first chapter, verses 26 to 38. A passage that speaks of a miraculous message, the manifestation of trust, and the mercy through the Messiah.
Allow me to read the passage to you:
[Read passage]
What a profound encounter! A young virgin, visited by an angel, entrusted with the most precious gift in all of history. And her response? A remarkable display of trust in the Almighty.
The respected preacher and author, Charles Spurgeon, once said, "Faith goes up the stairs that love has built and looks out the windows which hope has opened." Isn't that what we see here in Mary's response to the angel Gabriel's message? A faith that ascends the stairs built by love and peers out the windows opened by hope.
Let us pray.
Heavenly Father, we thank You for this time together. We thank You for Your Word, alive and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword. As we reflect on the miraculous message to Mary, her manifestation of trust, and the mercy extended to us through the Messiah, open our hearts and minds to receive Your truth. May we, like Mary, respond with unwavering faith to Your call in our lives. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
Let’s get started!
The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a small town in Galilee called Nazareth. This was not a grand city or a place of great importance in the eyes of the world. It was a humble, ordinary place. Yet, God chose this place to deliver His extraordinary message. This reminds us that God often works in unexpected places and through unexpected people. He doesn't need the grandeur of the world to accomplish His purposes. He can work through the humble and the ordinary to bring about His extraordinary plans.
The recipient of this message was a young virgin named Mary: She was pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, who was a descendant of David. This detail is significant because it connects Jesus to the lineage of David, fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah coming from David's line. Mary was not a queen or a woman of high social standing. She was an ordinary young woman. Yet, she was chosen by God for an extraordinary purpose.
The angel greeted Mary with the words: "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." These words reveal that Mary was not chosen by accident or by chance. She was highly favored by God. She was chosen by Him and set apart for this special purpose. The Lord was with her, not just in that moment, but He would be with her in the days, months, and years to come as she walked out the path that God had set before her.
Mary was greatly troubled by the angel's words: She didn't understand what this greeting meant. But the angel reassured her, saying, "Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God." Again, we see that Mary was chosen by God, not because of anything she had done, but because of His favor. She was chosen to be the mother of the Savior of the world, not because she was worthy, but because God in His grace chose her.
The child she would have: The angel then revealed to Mary the miraculous message that she would conceive and give birth to a son, and she was to call him Jesus. This was not just any child. This was the Son of the Most High. He would be great and would be given the throne of His father David. He would reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; His kingdom would never end. This was the promise of the Messiah, the Savior of the world, and Mary was chosen to be His mother.
Mary's response: It was one of faith and trust. She asked the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" She didn't doubt God's promise, but she wondered how it would be fulfilled. The angel explained to her that the Holy Spirit would come upon her, and the power of the Most High would overshadow her. The child to be born would be holy, and He would be called the Son of God. Mary's response to this explanation was one of submission and obedience. She said, "I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled." She accepted God's will for her life, even though it was beyond her understanding. She trusted in God's promise and submitted herself to His plan.
We see God's sovereignty and grace: He chose an ordinary young woman in a humble town to be the mother of His Son. He revealed His plan to her through the angel Gabriel, and she responded with faith and obedience. This is a beautiful picture of how God works in our lives. He chooses us, not because of who we are or what we have done, but because of His grace. He reveals His plans to us, and He calls us to respond with faith and obedience. Just like Mary, we are called to trust in His promises and submit to His will, even when we don't fully understand.
In the heart of this narrative, we find a young woman named Mary ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO
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