WHAT CHILD IS THIS? -- ADVENT SERMON

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Isaiah 9:6-7

 

Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born,

    to us a son is given,

    and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 Of the greatness of his government and peace

    there will be no end.

He will reign on David’s throne

    and over his kingdom,

establishing and upholding it

    with justice and righteousness

    from that time on and forever.

The zeal of the Lord Almighty

    will accomplish this.

 

            -- on Saturday, June 23, 2018, a soccer coach led his 12 team members, aged 11 to 16, into a cave complex in Thailand to celebrate one of the boy’s birthday -- it was to be a joyous event -- a time when the team would band together to explore the cave system that underlies their region of Thailand

            -- but disaster occurred when heavy monsoon flooding unexpectedly flooded the passages of the cave, trapping them deep underground with no light, little food, and little hope -- for days, the world watched with growing despair as rescue teams tried unsuccessfully to locate the boys and their coach -- everyone began to lose hope as they realized it had been too long -- the boys and their coach were surely dead

            -- however, ten days later, on July 2nd, a British rescue diver located the team deep within the cave structure -- all 12 team members and their coach were alive -- they were hungry -- they were tired -- they were scared -- but they were alive

            -- the question now was how to rescue them with the flood waters filling the cave and more waters entering every day, producing a strong current that tested even the strength of the most seasoned divers -- and, to make matters worse, oxygen levels in the cave had dropped to just 15% -- a few more days and they all would not have enough air to breathe -- no one knew how to get the team through the flooded, narrow channels and out to safety

            -- for the next week, the world watched in breathless anxiety as effort after effort -- plan after plan -- was tried and failed -- finally, in desperation, someone came up with the idea to have the divers escort the boys out one-by-one with their own SCUBA equipment -- with each boy being led by a rescue diver through the passageway and out of the darkness into safety

            -- on July 8th, the world cheered as the first four boys were successfully rescued from the cave and reunited with their waiting families -- the next day, four more boys were brought out -- and, then finally, on July 10th, the remaining team members and their coach were successfully rescued^{1, 2}

            -- the only word the news broadcasters could use as they relayed to us the story of this daring and improbable rescue was “miracle” -- “it was a miracle,” they said, over and over again, as the boys rejoiced that they were out of the darkness and back in the light again

 

            -- today is the last Sunday in our Advent Season -- as you remember, Advent is the period the church recognizes as a time of waiting -- as a season of hope for a people who are walking in darkness longing for the Light -- it is the time in the church when we prepare our hearts and our souls for the coming of the Messiah

-- first, His coming at Christmas as the baby born in a manger -- then His coming in our hearts in salvation and with the forgiveness of sins -- and finally, His return as our Lord and King when He comes to establish His throne in Jerusalem and reign over us forever

            -- Advent is a season when we look for the Light that is to come and we rejoice in the hope we have in Christ

            -- this morning, we are going to conclude our Advent season by looking at Isaiah 9:6-7, where Isaiah proclaims the coming of the Light of the World -- the hope of Israel realized through the return of the King

 

II.  Scripture Lesson (Isaiah 9:6-7)

            -- if you would, look back with me again at Isaiah 9, beginning in verse 6a

 

Isaiah 9:6a For to us a child is born,

    to us a son is given,

    and the government will be on his shoulders.

 

 

            -- Isaiah opens this verse with the word, “for” -- this is a remarkable word -- all too often, we pass right over words such as these in our scriptures, but we need to see them -- we need to spend time with them -- we need to dwell on them -- because they explain the will and the purpose of our God

            -- in this case, Isaiah has been announcing a coming transition on earth -- a time of hope and life and peace -- a time when a light will shine in the darkness to dispel it from the earth and from the souls of men -- a time when war is ended and is known no more -- a time when peace shall reign

            -- it will be a time like that of Eden -- when Adam and Eve were in perfect harmony in their relationship with the Father and there was no darkness, no war, no violence, no sin

            -- Isaiah cries out in these verses of the glorious hope of this time -- and the unwritten question from the Israelites is “How?  How will this come to pass?”

            -- and Isaiah responds, “it will come to pass…for…”

            -- it will come to pass for -- because -- a child is born to us -- a Son is given -- and that will make all the difference -- because of the coming Messiah, all will be made right again -- a new light will dawn -- and we will no longer see darkness or war or crime or violence or sin in our lives

            -- with this little preposition, Isaiah announces the culmination of the Promise and all the prophecies of the Messiah throughout scripture -- Christmas has come, and the world will never be the same again

 

            -- in speaking of the Christ Child, Isaiah tells us that the Messiah will be a child born into the lineage of the Jews -- born to “us” -- and being born makes it clear that this is referring to the incarnation of God Himself -- God with Us -- Emmanuel

            -- this child is not a created angel, as some religions like to claim -- nor is He simply the naturally born son of humans, filled with the divine Spirit -- no, this is the Son of God -- born of a virgin -- born to become one of us while still never ceasing to be God -- fully God and fully man

            -- the Son was given to us -- as it says in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave us His only Son…” -- Jesus was a gift -- an act of grace from the Father to a people living in darkness and sin with no way out

            -- this time of the year, we need to remember who this baby in the manger is -- He is not just the child of Christmas -- He is God Almighty -- the Son of God -- who chose to set aside His deity and become one of us so that He might live with us and die for us on the cross of Calvary as an atonement for our sins

            -- I like the way Greg Laurie put it: “He left His Heavenly home so we could have a Heavenly home. He left His home in Heaven to make a home in our hearts. He was born so we could be born again.”

            -- the New Testament expounds on what Jesus did when He came to earth on that first Christmas morning -- let me read Philippians 2:5-11 for you

 

Philippians 2:5-11

New International Version

5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

 

6 Who, being in very nature God,

    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

7 rather, he made himself nothing

    by taking the very nature of a servant,

    being made in human likeness.

8 And being found in appearance as a man,

    he humbled himself

    by becoming obedient to death—

        even death on a cross!

 

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

    and gave him the name that is above every name,

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,

    to the glory of God the Father.

 

            -- Paul makes it clear here -- Jesus was not a created being -- He was not a normal man -- the baby in the manger was the God-man -- and Paul tells us here that Jesus, being in very nature God, humbled Himself and came to earth, taking the very nature of a servant and being made in human likeness

-- As C. S. Lewis put it in Mere Christianity: “The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God.”

            -- so, the child that was born -- the Son that was given -- was God incarnate -- God in the flesh -- Christ, the Messiah -- the Savior of the world

 

            -- Isaiah continues in his proclamation of the coming of the Messiah in the first part of verse 6 by saying that “the government will be on His shoulders”

-- in other words, the government will rest on His shoulders -- this is a reference to the coming reign of Christ in the millennium -- when He shall physically reign from Jerusalem for 1000 years prior to the coming of the new earth and the new heaven

-- Isaiah tells us that in the first Advent, Jesus comes as the child born and laid in a manger -- the Son who was given -- but when He comes again, He will come as the Lord of Lords and King of Kings

 

            -- look back at the second part of verse 6

 

Isaiah 9:6b And he will be called

    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

 

            -- one of the things that couples do when they have a baby is try to come up with the perfect name -- to choose what they’re going to call their child -- the name that will follow them for their whole lives

-- sometimes, we give our children a family name -- you see a lot of sons named after their fathers or grandfathers -- and you’ll see a lot of little girls named after their mothers or grandmothers -- I’ve noticed a trend of late where people are naming their children based on the surname of the family, as a way to commemorate the maternal side of our family trees

            -- sometimes we name our children based on the sound -- on what names just naturally come together and just sound good with our surname -- you don’t want a first name and a last name that is going to cause the child difficulty or confusion later on in life -- for instance, there was a football player at the University of Arkansas called Bumper Pool -- and you’ve got a kid at Alabama named Kool-Aid McKinstry -- and you just have to ask, “what was going through their parent’s minds?”

            -- sometimes we name our children based on what is currently popular in today’s culture -- find a culture-defining movie or tv show and you’re going to have a plethora of children named after the characters or the actors or popular singers -- because of the movies Frozen and Barbie, there’s a bunch of kids in America right now named Claire and Elsa and Ken

            -- but the thing about naming our children as we do, their names rarely reflect who that child is or who that child will become -- that’s why it’s so common in the Bible to see people’s names change as God works in their life to change who they are and what they are to do

            -- so, Abram becomes Abraham -- the father of many nations -- Jacob becomes Israel -- he who had struggled with God -- and Simon becomes Peter -- the rock upon which the church will be built

            -- in this case, though, the incarnate child will be called by names that describe the character and nature and purpose of the Messiah -- wonderful counselor -- mighty God -- Everlasting Father -- Prince of Peace

            -- I want us to look at these separately

 

            -- first, “wonderful counselor” -- some translations divide this into two terms, changing the meaning to “He will be called wonderful and He will be called counselor” rather than one title alone, “Wonderful Counselor” -- you hear that interpretation in Handel’s Messiah in the song, “For unto Us a Child is Born”

            -- regardless, the meaning remains the same, whether it is one title or two

            -- wonderful means extraordinarily good or great -- excellent -- admirable -- impressive -- it reminds us of how we are to see the name of Jesus -- of how we are to react when we hear His name

            -- when is the last time you heard the name of Jesus and trembled in its presence? -- when is the last time you stopped and reflected on just how wonderful Jesus is?

 

            -- I like what Adrian Rogers wrote about this -- he said, "Jesus is wonderful. Everything about Him is wonderful: His birth is wonderful -- His life is wonderful -- His works are wonderful; His words are wonderful -- His death is wonderful -- His resurrection is wonderful -- His ascension is wonderful -- His intercession for us is wonderful -- His coming again is wonderful.

            “I heard of a preacher who was on a train, and he noticed a man looking out the window. And, as they went past the landscape—and it was beautiful landscape— [the] man kept saying, “Wonderful—wonderful.”

            “He’d pause and look for a while, wipe the tears from his eyes, and would say, “Wonderful.” -- The preacher’s curiosity was aroused, and he went over and sat by this man. -- And, he said, “I’ve never seen someone enjoy a train ride quite so much. Can you tell me why it is so wonderful?”

            “He said, “Sir, you don’t understand. -- I’ve just had surgery -- I have been without sight for years and years and years and years; and now, I am seeing things that I’d long since forgotten -- I’d forgotten how blue the sky was -- how green the grass was -- how beautiful the trees -- how bright the flowers.” He said, “It’s wonderful—it’s wonderful.”

            -- I pray that this is the way we react whenever we hear the name of Jesus -- whenever we realize His presence in our lives -- whenever we see His hand on us -- wonderful, wonderful, wonderful

 

            -- the text calls Him, “wonderful counselor” -- in English, a counselor is someone who gives advice to us from their great wisdom -- who stands with us in court -- and who looks over those in their care, like a summer camp counselor with their kids

            -- as our wonderful counselor, the Messiah is our source of wisdom -- He speaks the words of God into our hearts and our souls -- He enlightens our understanding -- He gives meaning in a meaningless world

            -- He stands with us as our defender and champion -- He carried our sins to the cross to declare us free and innocent before the Father -- and He intercedes for us at the right hand of God Himself

            -- He is our Great Shepherd -- the One who watches over us -- the One who keeps us in His hand and guards our life and keeps us from all harm -- not necessarily physical harm, but eternal harm -- harm to our spirits

            -- Jesus is the wisdom and the Word of God made flesh -- He counsels us on the way we should go -- He leads us and directs our path, so that we might live our lives in all holiness and righteousness -- and He continues to dwell in us through His Holy Spirit -- guiding and guarding and protecting us throughout our days

 

            -- next we see the Son who will be given described as Mighty God and Everlasting Father -- a reminder again that the Messiah is not just a man -- not just an earthly king -- but fully man and fully God -- part of the blessed trinity

            -- when Isaiah is describing the Messiah as the Everlasting Father, we need to understand that Isaiah does not mean that Jesus is the Father -- rather, this is a reference to the role of the Messiah as the author of our salvation and the protector of the faith -- Isaiah described Him as our everlasting father because he won for us eternity on the cross by paying the penalty for our sins and defeating sin and death forever -- in this sense, He is our father because He is the author and perfecter of our faith and cares for us as a father cares for his children and provides for our needs

           

            -- Mighty means having or showing great strength, force, or intensity -- it means being powerful or strong -- possessing impressive power

            -- this is no ordinary child who will be born on Christmas morning -- this is the mighty God who will bring light and life to this world and conquer sin and death once and for all

            -- it’s obvious here that Isaiah is proclaiming to the Jews that the long-awaited Messiah will be God Himself wrapped in human flesh -- God incarnate -- God with us

            -- Jesus is our Mighty God -- through Him we have all the power we need to live the Christian life -- He indwells us as the Holy Spirit -- He fills us with His presence and His power and His provision -- as our Mighty God, He stands for us and strengthens us in our weakness

 

-- He is our Everlasting Father -- as Jesus said in John 10:30, “I and the Father are one” and in John 8:58, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am”-- Jesus is the Great I Am -- He is God incarnate -- He is God with us -- and He will return to be our King and our Savior and our Lord for all eternity

-- the adjective “Everlasting” refers to our future -- it points to the victory that was won by Jesus on the cross of Calvary and evidenced by the empty grave -- through Christ, we have everlasting life with Him -- through Christ, our eternity is secure -- through Christ, our salvation is safe

 

            -- I’ve shared with you before that one of my favorite Christmas songs of all time is “Mary, Did You Know?”, written by Mark Lowrey -- more than any other Christmas song we usually hear this time of the year, “Mary, Did You Know” captures this proclamation of Isaiah so wonderfully in its last verse:

 

“Mary, did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?

Mary, did you know that your baby boy would one day rule the nations?

Did you know that your baby boy is Heaven's perfect Lamb?

That sleeping child you're holding is the great I am”

 

-- for the Messiah is all of those things -- Ruler -- Lamb -- King of Kings -- Lord of Lords

-- the Great I Am

 

            -- finally, we see the Messiah prophesied as the Prince of Peace -- the One who will finally bring lasting and eternal peace to this world

            -- peace is something that all of us long for -- it is what we have been looking for since the fall in the garden of Eden -- but true peace cannot be found in this world -- it cannot be found in any of the places the people are looking for -- true peace is found only in the person of Jesus

            -- that’s because peace is not a precept but a Person -- the Messiah is our peace because He is the Prince of Peace

 

            -- when the Bible speaks of peace, it doesn’t speak of it the way we normally do -- when we speak of peace, we recognize it as the absence of conflict -- the absence of war -- in other words, peace is what we experience when war and conflict and hostilities cease

            -- but, the Bible realizes peace as not the absence of something, but the presence of God permeating all -- the Hebrew word for peace is Shalom -- it is defined in the positive, because it not only erases war and hostility, but it brings with it serenity and harmony and restoration -- it makes all things right -- it restores what once was back to God’s original plan

 

            -- Shalom results in several different expressions of peace in our lives and in this world

            -- the first is peace among men -- the traditional definition of peace as we understand it -- the absence of war and hostility

            -- the second type of peace is peace from God -- that internal feeling of comfort and support that lets you survive daily in the chaos and the struggles of life

            -- the third type of peace is peace with God   -- this is the peace of Christmas -- this is the peace of the cross -- this is the peace that only Jesus can bring -- this is the peace that Isaiah is talking about in this passage

 

            -- J.I. Packer wrote, “The Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity—hope of pardon -- hope of peace with God -- hope of glory" -- all because of Jesus -- all because God didn't give up on us, but sent His only Son in exchange for peace with us

            -- In Chapter 2 of the Gospel of Luke, we read that after Jesus was born, angels appeared to shepherds who were there in the fields outside of Jerusalem and proclaimed to them the birth of a Savior -- the birth of the Messiah -- and promised peace and good will to them from the Father above -- they promised peace would come through Jesus

            -- it is this promise of peace through Jesus that leads Isaiah to proclaim Him as Prince of Peace

 

            -- verse 7

 

Isaiah 9:7 Of the greatness of his government and peace

    there will be no end.

He will reign on David’s throne

    and over his kingdom,

establishing and upholding it

    with justice and righteousness

    from that time on and forever.

The zeal of the Lord Almighty

    will accomplish this.

 

            -- in verse 6, Isaiah’s prophecy began with a child -- here in verse 7 it concludes with a King -- the baby who was born in the manger -- the Christmas Child who died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead on the third day and ascended to the Father in Heaven will return again -- this time as King of King and Lord of Lords

            -- His kingdom will be greater than any kingdom ever before known -- its greatness will continue to increase as God’s grace and mercy continue to be poured out on us for eternity -- and it will be an eternal and everlasting kingdom -- a kingdom with no end

 

            -- when Isaiah says that the Messiah will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, it is a prophecy that the Messiah will come from the house and line of David -- God made a covenant with David that said a descendant of David would sit upon the throne of Israel and reign in righteousness forever -- that is the same thing that Isaiah is prophesying here

            -- it also means that the kingdom of the Messiah will be based in Jerusalem and will be established with justice and righteousness -- we’ve all seen how power corrupts people and how governments tend to favor their supporters over others -- that will not be true in the kingdom of the Messiah -- here true justice will be known by all and righteousness and holiness will reign from the throne

           

            -- Isaiah says that the zeal of the Lord will accomplish this -- zeal means intense fervor, passion, and emotion -- to have zeal means that you have an interest or devotion in pursuing something

            -- in this case, Isaiah is saying that the Lord desires to establish His throne on earth -- that He desires to be with us as our God and our King -- that He desires that His will would be done and that peace and righteousness and holiness would be known among all those in His kingdom

            -- the time is coming, the Bible says, when Jesus will return and we will know Jesus as the King on His throne and finally experience true and lasting peace in our lives forever

 

III.  Closing

            -- Years ago, there was an ad in the New York Times that said, "The meaning of Christmas is that love will triumph and that we will be able to put together a world of unity and peace." -- In other words, the ad proclaimed that since we have the light within us, we are the ones who can dispel the darkness of the world -- and if we work together, we can create a world of unity and peace and overcome poverty, injustice, violence, and evil

 

            -- we live in a time when the term, “Fake News,” is commonplace -- know this -- that ad was fake news -- it wasn’t true, because we cannot do what the ad proclaims -- it is impossible for us as humans to come together to create a world of unity and peace -- that is not what Christmas is about -- that is not what Advent teaches

            -- no, the only One who can create a world of unity and peace is the One who was born in the manger on Christmas morning -- the One who went to the cross to pay the penalty for our sins and who rose from the dead on the third day -- the One who will return again as King of Kings and Lord of Lords

 

            -- it is then that we will realize a world of unity and peace -- it is then that we will know what it means to live in righteousness and holiness and justice for all eternity

            -- this is the hope of Advent -- this is the Light of Christmas that is promised to us -- this is what we are waiting for as we live in a world trapped in darkness

            -- so, as we close in prayer, let us remember to prepare our hearts for His coming and to proclaim the good news of Christ and of Christmas to all we see

            -- let us pray

1 Thailand: Boys’ Soccer Team Lost in Cave Found Alive [https://www.dw.com/en/thailand-boys-soccer-team-lost-in-cave-found-alive/a-44494040]

2 Thai Cave Rescue: All 12 Boys and Soccer Coach Freed, by Euan McKirdy, Kocha Olarn, and Steve George, CNN [https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/09/asia/thai-cave-rescue-mission-intl/index.html]

 

THE CALL OF MARY -- AN ADVENT SERMON

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Luke 1:26-38

 

Luke 1:26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, 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 conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him 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 Jacob’s descendants 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 on 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 unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”

 

38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

 

            -- growing up, I remember a common trope that several TV shows at the time shared -- it was “The Greatest Moments” -- depending on what you were watching, they would have a short segment that would be announced as, “The Greatest Moments in Sports,” or “The Greatest Moments in History,” or “The Greatest Moments in Science,” -- and then they would go on to share some historical event of great significance -- such as “the shot heard round the world” -- the start of the American Revolution -- the story of Roger Bannister running a mile in less than four minutes -- Benjamin Franklin discovering electricity -- Thomas Edison inventing the light bulb -- things like that

            -- and the story would focus on how revolutionary those moments were -- how they changed the course of history for the world -- and how we still experience their effects to this day

            -- well, without a doubt, one of the greatest moments in all of history is captured here in the Book of Luke, as we read the story of the calling of Mary -- because of her faith -- because of her humble acceptance of the will and the calling of God in her life -- our world and our eternity was changed forever -- apart from the actual birth of Christ, His death on the cross and His resurrection three days later, I can think of no more momentous event in history than this moment that we read of here

            -- so, on this third Sunday of Advent, I wanted us to look again at the story of the calling of Mary, as told by Luke here in Luke Chapter 1

 

II.  The Calling of Mary (Luke 1:26-38)

            -- let’s look at this story again right now -- verse 26

 

Luke 1:26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, 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.

 

-- as I was saying last week, we’re all familiar with this story of Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus -- and if I was to ask you to tell me the story from Mary’s perspective, all of you could -- and I’d wager that you’d begin by saying that the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her that she was going to bear a son

            -- and, honestly, I’d probably begin the same way -- the angel appeared to Mary, right? -- but I think that misses something here at the start of verse 26 that is important -- look back at what it says

            -- “in the sixth month” -- the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy -- “in the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel” -- “in the sixth month, God…sent…”

 

            -- I think sometimes we miss what Luke is telling us here -- when I was studying this passage this week, those words just jumped out at me -- “God sent” -- and I think that what Luke is pointing out to us here through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is a reminder that this entire event -- this entire incarnation and advent  and all the stories that go with it -- the blessing of Zechariah and Elizabeth with a child in their senior years -- Mary being chosen to bear the Son of God -- Joseph being visited in a dream confirming what she had said -- the baby being born in a manger -- shepherds seeing angels in the fields outside Bethlehem -- none of that just happened -- it was all planned from the very beginning and only occurred when God said, “Go”

            -- so contrary to what all of us think, the angel didn’t just appear to Mary one day -- he was sent by God on a certain day -- on “the” day -- the very day that God had ordained from before the beginning of time -- the very moment that God had chosen to share His grace on this world in such a miraculous way -- the very moment that God had chosen to step into time and become one of us

            -- what Luke is reminding us of here is that before time began -- before this world was created -- before there even was a Mary or a Joseph or an Elizabeth or even a nation of Israel -- God decided, “This is the day” -- and all of history and all of time marched to that very moment -- to this very point

-- and, as the Bible says, “in the fullness of time” -- when the time was right -- on that special day six months after Elizabeth became pregnant -- on “the” day chosen before time itself -- God told Gabriel, “Today is the day -- go to Mary” -- and with that command, everything that He had planned and willed began

 

            -- I think this is very important for us to grasp and to understand as we’re going through this Advent Season -- as we’re preparing for Christmas -- that this is all from God -- that this is all His plan and His timing -- and when we read here in verse 26 that God sent Gabriel to Nazareth, we need to recognize and know that everything that is occurring is because God willed it and put it into motion to occur at just the right time

            -- and we need to take that to heart, because a lot of us are asking the question, “When?” in our lives -- when will the healing come? -- when will I feel better? -- when will I find the right job? -- when will I get pregnant? -- when will the decision be made? -- when will the money come? -- when will things finally work out? -- when will the world be made right and crime and violence and injustice be removed? -- when will Jesus come again?

            -- but when we ask those questions, we need to remember what Luke is telling us here about God’s will and God’s plan and God’s timing -- when the Bible speaks of time, there are two words that are used -- Chronos and Kairos -- chronos is what we normally think of when we talk about time -- it's chronological time -- it's time measured in seconds and minutes and hours -- it's time measured in days and weeks and years -- chronos -- chronological time

            -- but the Bible also uses the term kairos -- Kairos is God's time -- it’s how God views time -- it is not a chronological measure of time -- it doesn’t refer to seconds or minutes or hours -- kairos is the term that the Bible uses to express the right moment -- the perfect moment -- God’s moment

-- Kairos is that moment in chronological time that coincides with God’s perfect time -- the moment the Bible describes as the right time -- the fullness of time -- Kairos time is the moment when God says, “Now”

            -- that’s the moment that we’re longing for when we ask, “When?” -- that’s the moment that we’re waiting for -- that is the moment that Luke is referring to here in verse 26 -- it is a Kairos moment

-- in the fullness of time -- when everything was right -- when “the day” occurred -- an angel didn’t just appear to Mary -- God said, “Now -- it is time -- Go, Gabriel, and tell her the news”

            -- and that should be good news to us -- because it may look to us like God is not answering our prayers -- it may look like God is delaying His answer -- but He is not -- He is waiting for the Kairos moment in our lives -- for the right moment -- for the moment that He has ordained -- and when the Kairos occurs, He will speak into our chronological time and say, “Now” -- and we will experience His presence and His hand and His will in our lives just like Mary did so many years ago in Nazareth -- and that Kairos moment will become one of the greatest moments in the history of our personal lives

            -- the bottom-line here is trust God -- trust His timing -- trust that when the time is right -- God is in charge and then, and only then, is God going to say, “Now”

            -- so, on this day -- this preordained day of God’s timing -- God’s Kairos moment coincided with Mary’s chronological life -- and He sent the angel Gabriel to her to set into motion one of the greatest moments in history

 

            -- look back at verse 26

 

Luke 1:26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, 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.

 

            -- regardless of all the Christmas dramas and stories that we have heard, the truth is that we don’t know a lot about Mary -- and a lot of what we think we know comes from the stories and the movies and pageants that we have watched

-- the only thing the Bible tells us is that Mary is niece of Elizabeth, who has been chosen by God to bear John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ -- we’re told she lives in a little backwoods village in Galilee called Nazareth -- one of those little towns that probably doesn’t really show up on anyone’s map -- one of those towns that you tell people about by referencing someplace bigger -- “we live in Nazareth -- it’s about 90 miles north of Jerusalem”

-- we know her family tree -- Luke gives us that in Chapter 3 -- but that doesn’t really tell us about Mary, the person

            -- we know she’s engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, but we don’t know much about him, either -- all we know about him is that he’s a carpenter who lives in the same town as her -- there’s some indication that he may be older than Mary, and some scholars believe that Joseph passed away before Jesus began His public ministry -- but that’s an educated guess -- not a fact

            -- so, that’s what we know -- but there’s a few things we can guess based on the traditions and culture Mary grew up in

-- she’s probably a lot younger than you picture her in your mind -- in that day, girls married very young -- scholars believe that Mary may have only been around 12 to 15 years old when this story begins -- without a doubt, she’s living with her parents, because unmarried women did not live alone

            -- and the other thing that we can sort of be sure about is that her thoughts -- her plans -- her dreams -- were just like all other young girls who are recently engaged -- they’re thinking about the wedding -- they’re dreaming about their groom and their marriage and the life they’re looking forward to

-- the Bible doesn’t tell us this, but I think it’s a safe bet to assume that as Mary lived and worked with her mother and the other women in her household and in Nazareth, they talked about the wedding and the marriage and her future life with Joseph

            -- so, as verse 26 opens, Mary and Joseph's lives have been planned out -- everything is in place and it's just a matter of time before they're living the dream -- but then Kairos happens -- and God sends Gabriel -- and Mary’s life changes forever

            -- Gabriel went to Mary and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored -- the Lord is with you” -- Luke says that Mary was troubled at his words -- she wondered why someone would be greeting her in this way -- it wasn’t a normal type of greeting -- especially, to someone as young as her who is already betrothed to someone else

            -- and, just as an aside, I think that Gabriel appeared to her here as a man, not in his angelic form -- when angels first appear, they always say, “Do not be afraid,” but Gabriel doesn’t begin that way -- and Luke says that Mary was troubled by Gabriel’s words, not his appearance

            -- I think that Mary was just going through her normal day when this stranger approached her and greeted her in such a strange way -- I think Mary experienced what the writer of Hebrews told us about when he said that we sometimes entertain angels unaware -- God sends His messengers to us, but they don’t always appear in angelic form -- sometimes, that person at the checkout counter or that guy who speaks to you on the street corner or that person that stops you for a moment just to share a good word may be an angel in disguise

            -- I honestly believe that is how Gabriel appeared to Mary here, at least at the beginning -- he didn’t want to scare her with his angelic appearance -- the important thing was the message

 

            -- verse 30

 

Luke 1:30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him 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 Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

 

            -- it may have been at this moment that Gabriel revealed who he really was to Mary -- he tells her, “Do not be afraid,” but it’s unclear as to the potential source of her fear -- was it being in the presence of an angel? -- or was it the message and calling Gabriel shared?

            -- he tells Mary that she is going to become pregnant and bear a son -- that she is to name Him Jesus -- Yeshua -- Joshua -- a name that means “God Saves” -- that this son will not be an ordinary child, but is to be called the Son of the Most High -- The Lord God was going to give Him David’s throne -- and He would reign over the house of Jacob forever -- His kingdom would never end

            -- those would certainly have been scary words to a child of only 12 to 15 years of age -- “Hey, Mary -- you’re fixing to be pregnant and the child you carry is going to be the Savior of the World and the King of Kings -- God Himself -- it’s your job to bear Him in your womb and to raise Him to be the King of all creation and to take care of Him until He’s ready to start His ministry and take His throne -- oh, yeah, by the way, this is going to happen now, while you’re still a virgin and before you get married, so you’ll need to let Joseph know, too”

            -- yeah, no worries -- no biggie -- you can see how that would be scary, whether it was an angel or someone else telling that to you

            -- honestly, Mary handled this a lot better that any of us would

 

            -- verse 34

 

Luke 1:34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

 

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on 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 unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”

 

38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

 

            -- remember the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth that we looked at a couple of weeks ago? -- Gabriel appeared to Zechariah when he was ministering in the Holy Place and told Zechariah that his prayers had been heard -- that it was finally God’s timing -- and that he and Elizabeth would have a son, who would go before the Lord to make straight paths for Him

            -- and Zechariah says, “Yeah, right -- How can I be sure of this? -- give me a sign” -- and Gabriel struck Zechariah speechless for his lack of faith

 

            -- well, Mary asks a similar question here, but her question is different in one major aspect -- she isn’t questioning whether it’s going to happen or not -- she doesn’t say, “I don’t think this is possible -- how can I be sure of this?”

            -- no, look at what she says: “How will this be?” -- she believes -- she has heard the message of God from Gabriel and she accepts it in complete and total faith -- she believes him -- she knows it will happen -- she’s just not sure of how it’s going to happen -- “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

            -- earlier, I pointed out that most of us ask the question, “When?” of God a lot in our lives -- but do we ask it like Zechariah or like Mary? -- are we asking in doubt or in faith?

            -- Mary heard the word of God and immediately believed -- she trusted God with her whole heart -- she trusted Him with her life -- she trusted Him with her dreams -- because from this very moment, everything changed -- all those dreams of the wedding and the marriage and the life after with Joseph changed -- and Mary looked at it -- she heard what God said -- and her response was, “I believe -- Thy will be done, and not mine”

            -- that is the mark of a true believer -- that is the mark of a mature believer -- and, as young as she was, Mary believed and had faith and total trust in God

            -- may we reflect the nature of Mary’s faith in our lives when doubt and fear assail us

 

            -- Gabriel explains how the incarnation is to happen -- that the Holy Spirit will come upon her and the power of the Most High would overshadow her -- and that the very Son of God would come to life in her womb

            -- and even though she didn’t ask for a sign -- even though she didn’t need proof of the veracity of God’s word -- Gabriel gave her a sign anyway -- “even though she was considered barren and too old to have a child, your relative Elizabeth is also going to have a baby -- for with God, nothing is impossible”

-- the point that Gabriel is making is clear -- God did the impossible in Elizabeth, and He will do the impossible in you -- just as we read last week from Isaiah, “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

            -- and Mary heard the word of God -- she trusted and believed in Him -- and said, “I am the Lord’s servant -- may it be to me as you have said”

            -- and with that, history was changed forever

 

III.  Closing

            -- the theological term for what we just discussed is called “The Annunciation” -- the announcement by the angel Gabriel to Mary that she would conceive the Savior of the World

            -- but behind the theological term -- behind the scholarly dissertations -- behind the interpretations and discussion of the meaning of the original Greek words Luke uses here -- behind all of that stands a scared little girl whose life has changed forever

            -- we sometimes gloss over this event in the life of Jesus -- we skip straight to Christmas -- to the manger and shepherds and the wise men -- but in doing so, we miss this story -- one of the greatest moments in all of history -- the moment when the fate of this world -- the fate of all eternity -- depended on the faith of a child

            -- but when Kairos meets faith -- when we hear the word of God proclaimed -- when we believe in His word and trust in His calling and respond, as Mary did, “Lord, I am your servant” -- then our lives are changed forever

 

-- In a Peanuts comic strip, Lucy said that Christmas is a time for kindness and a time to forgive one another. -- Charlie Brown replied: "Why do that just at Christmas? Why can't we have the Christmas spirit the rest of the year?" -- Lucy turned to Charlie and said, "What are you, some kind of religious fanatic?"

-- that’s exactly what we should be -- that’s exactly what Mary was -- for her faith and humility were the key ingredients in God choosing her to bear His Son at Christmas

-- I pray that all of us can become religious fanatics like Mary -- that we learn to trust in God’s will and His timing in our lives -- that we learn to trust in His word -- to accept what He says -- to do what He tells us to do -- to trust Him and His plan for our lives -- regardless of whether it makes sense to us or not

-- Mary trusted and believed in God -- I pray that we would do the same

-- let’s pray