1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:16,880 Luke chapter 1 verse 26 leading up to this and the first part of Luke chapter 1 you can 2 00:00:16,880 --> 00:00:23,080 go back and read it this week but it had been revealed to Zechariah that he and Elizabeth 3 00:00:23,080 --> 00:00:30,160 were going to have a child and that child would be John and this had several months had passed 4 00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:36,080 after Elizabeth became pregnant with John and that's where we take up tonight in verse 5 00:00:36,080 --> 00:00:44,360 26 in the six month of her pregnancy, of Elizabeth's pregnancy, then we are introduced to Mary's 6 00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:45,360 pregnancy here. 7 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:47,120 So let's pray and we'll get started. 8 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:51,600 Father God we come to you, we thank you for a good day, we thank you that we can come 9 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:54,080 here and sing these songs and see your word. 10 00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:58,560 I pray God that your word would speak to us, that your Holy Spirit would lead us in your 11 00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:03,520 word dear Lord, that you would help us to grow in it tonight, that we would see things 12 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:08,200 in our life maybe that we need to see to be the people we need to be for you God. 13 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:13,600 I pray that during this season that we reflect on who Jesus is dear Lord in the midst of 14 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:18,400 the busyness and the hustle and the bustle that we would just seek Jesus not just at 15 00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:24,120 this season but every season of the year dear Lord, every day of our life and I pray that 16 00:01:24,120 --> 00:01:27,840 your Holy Spirit would just hide me behind the cross as I preach and teach tonight in 17 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:31,880 Jesus name I ask it, amen. 18 00:01:31,880 --> 00:01:41,160 Luke chapter 1 verse 26, in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town 19 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:49,040 in Galilee called Nazareth to a virgin engaged to a man named Joseph of the house of David. 20 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:56,360 The virgin's name was Mary and the angel came to her and said, rejoice favored woman, the 21 00:01:56,360 --> 00:01:58,200 Lord is with you. 22 00:01:58,200 --> 00:02:01,800 She was deeply troubled by this statement wondering what kind of greeting this could 23 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:03,160 be. 24 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:09,480 Then the angel told her, don't be afraid Mary for you have found favor with God. 25 00:02:09,480 --> 00:02:16,720 Now listen, you will conceive and give birth to a son and you will call his name Jesus. 26 00:02:16,720 --> 00:02:22,280 He will be great and will be called the son of the most high and the Lord God will give 27 00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:24,520 him the throne of his father David. 28 00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:31,080 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever and his kingdom will have no end. 29 00:02:31,080 --> 00:02:37,360 Mary asked the angel, how can this be since I have not been intimate with a man? 30 00:02:37,360 --> 00:02:42,920 The angel replied to her, the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the most 31 00:02:42,920 --> 00:02:46,000 high will overshadow you. 32 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:50,160 Therefore the Holy one to be born will be called the son of God. 33 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:56,240 And consider your relative Elizabeth, even she has conceived a son in her old age and 34 00:02:56,240 --> 00:03:02,320 this is the sixth month for her who was called childless for nothing will be impossible with 35 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:03,640 God. 36 00:03:03,640 --> 00:03:11,360 Now we can imagine the difficulty, the fear that Mary must have felt when all of this 37 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:12,880 came to be. 38 00:03:12,880 --> 00:03:20,080 We see here in just a few verses, in just a minute's time we see some really heavy news. 39 00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:25,220 I mean can you imagine what it must have been like for Mary, a young woman, probably not 40 00:03:25,220 --> 00:03:27,380 very old at all. 41 00:03:27,380 --> 00:03:33,200 And here is this angel that appears, that in and of itself would have been a scary thing 42 00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:39,840 and this angel tells her that she has been chosen by God, that in and of itself is a 43 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:45,400 scary thing and that she is going to give birth to the son of God. 44 00:03:45,400 --> 00:03:49,480 And it's all going to happen miraculously. 45 00:03:49,480 --> 00:03:53,800 Even Mary questions, wait a minute, I've never been with a man before, how is this going 46 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:54,800 to happen? 47 00:03:54,800 --> 00:03:59,440 Mary understood how this works, she understood how giving childbirth worked and she said 48 00:03:59,440 --> 00:04:02,400 wait a minute, this is not even possible. 49 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:08,080 But the angel says this is the Lord's plan and through the Holy Spirit you will conceive 50 00:04:08,080 --> 00:04:13,840 and you will give birth to the son of God and all things are possible with God. 51 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:18,800 And this would have been unbelievable news to receive. 52 00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:23,960 And I suppose, especially for the women in here, how would you feel if that experience 53 00:04:23,960 --> 00:04:24,960 happened to you? 54 00:04:24,960 --> 00:04:29,960 What would be our response if the Lord appeared to us tonight, if an angel appeared to us 55 00:04:29,960 --> 00:04:33,160 tonight and told us news like that? 56 00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:38,080 Now we all like to think that we would be ready to go like Mary, that we would say, 57 00:04:38,080 --> 00:04:41,960 okay Lord, I'm willing, I'm ready, whatever you say. 58 00:04:41,960 --> 00:04:44,160 But maybe we're not so willing. 59 00:04:44,160 --> 00:04:48,320 For us guys, maybe the story is much like it is for Joseph. 60 00:04:48,320 --> 00:04:53,040 Joseph's ready to call the whole thing off when he finds out that Mary is pregnant. 61 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:58,200 But yet the angel of the Lord appears to him and says, hold up Joseph, this is of the Lord. 62 00:04:58,200 --> 00:05:04,280 How many of us men would say, yeah right, I'm not stupid, I know how babies are made. 63 00:05:04,280 --> 00:05:11,780 So we look at Joseph and Mary and it's a pretty amazing thing that the Lord speaks to them 64 00:05:11,780 --> 00:05:14,520 and they both say yes Lord. 65 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:16,400 They both follow through. 66 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:22,000 That Mary doesn't really question the angel too much other than the obvious questions, 67 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:26,960 but not questioning in a way of doubt like, no, go on to the next woman angel, I'm not 68 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:28,720 the woman for the job. 69 00:05:28,720 --> 00:05:35,120 She questions, obviously there's probably some fear and there's some uncertainty there, 70 00:05:35,120 --> 00:05:41,640 but nonetheless, Mary receives the message from the angel and Joseph receives the message 71 00:05:41,640 --> 00:05:47,840 from the angel and they both follow through in the plan of the Lord. 72 00:05:47,840 --> 00:05:52,400 Now you and I are not going to be approached by an angel tonight. 73 00:05:52,400 --> 00:05:55,960 You women are not going to be approached by an angel tonight that's going to tell you 74 00:05:55,960 --> 00:05:58,280 that you're going to give birth to the son of God. 75 00:05:58,280 --> 00:05:59,680 It's not going to happen. 76 00:05:59,680 --> 00:06:03,080 If an angel appears to you tonight and tells you that, then you call me. 77 00:06:03,080 --> 00:06:04,600 We want to have a talk. 78 00:06:04,600 --> 00:06:06,520 Jesus has already come. 79 00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:08,880 The one and only son of God has already come. 80 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:10,680 That's not going to happen to us. 81 00:06:10,680 --> 00:06:15,880 There's no angel going to appear to us men and tell us that our wives are going to give 82 00:06:15,880 --> 00:06:18,120 birth to the son of God. 83 00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:24,720 That's not going to happen to us, but God calls us to do things all the time. 84 00:06:24,720 --> 00:06:28,160 We might like to say, well, if I was Mary, I would have done that. 85 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:31,560 I would have been willing to do whatever God called me to do. 86 00:06:31,560 --> 00:06:36,720 We may say to us men, we'd say, if my wife was pregnant and God sent that message to 87 00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:42,680 me, I would stand by her and be a man of God and raise that child just like Joseph did. 88 00:06:42,680 --> 00:06:47,320 Maybe we would, but then again, maybe we wouldn't. 89 00:06:47,320 --> 00:06:50,760 We might like to say that we would do the big things for God, but the question that 90 00:06:50,760 --> 00:06:56,480 we really have to answer tonight is are you ready to do the small things for God? 91 00:06:56,480 --> 00:06:59,640 Because God's not going to appear to us and tell us that our family is going to bring 92 00:06:59,640 --> 00:07:04,920 the son of God into the world, but there may be other ways that God speaks to us and that 93 00:07:04,920 --> 00:07:10,280 God calls us to do something, not to bring the son of God into the world through birth, 94 00:07:10,280 --> 00:07:15,040 but to take the son of God into the world that needs to hear the gospel. 95 00:07:15,040 --> 00:07:19,000 How many times in our life do we feel the Holy Spirit leading us to do something? 96 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:22,480 Yeah, it may not be an angel appearing to us in the middle of the night, or maybe it 97 00:07:22,480 --> 00:07:23,480 will be. 98 00:07:23,480 --> 00:07:25,680 I'm not going to say what God will or won't do in your life. 99 00:07:25,680 --> 00:07:29,520 There are certainly people that claim that angels appear to them with some pretty powerful 100 00:07:29,520 --> 00:07:32,120 things even still today. 101 00:07:32,120 --> 00:07:38,120 Maybe God still works in that way, but more often than not, God doesn't work that way. 102 00:07:38,120 --> 00:07:43,160 More often than not, we read God's word and maybe God speaks to us through his word. 103 00:07:43,160 --> 00:07:48,000 He puts something on our heart, some way that he wants us to serve him, some way that he 104 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:50,960 wants us to serve other people. 105 00:07:50,960 --> 00:07:52,080 Perhaps it's the Holy Spirit. 106 00:07:52,080 --> 00:07:56,040 We're driving down the road in the middle of the day and the Holy Spirit really begins 107 00:07:56,040 --> 00:07:59,520 to burden us about someone or something. 108 00:07:59,520 --> 00:08:05,880 We really feel led by God that we need to help somebody out, that we need to give somebody 109 00:08:05,880 --> 00:08:11,640 a phone call, that we need to give somebody a visit, that there's something that God may 110 00:08:11,640 --> 00:08:12,640 want us to do. 111 00:08:12,640 --> 00:08:15,160 There's some way that God may call us to serve. 112 00:08:15,160 --> 00:08:20,440 How many times do we say yes and how many times do we say no? 113 00:08:20,440 --> 00:08:27,240 And Mary and Joseph didn't say no in this pretty amazing event that occurred. 114 00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:31,920 And many of the things that God call us to are not nearly as hard to do as what he called 115 00:08:31,920 --> 00:08:33,800 Mary and Joseph to do. 116 00:08:33,800 --> 00:08:38,240 It takes a pretty strong man of God to say, okay, God, if this is what you tell me to 117 00:08:38,240 --> 00:08:41,880 do, I'm going to stay with this woman and I'm going to trust that this is of you. 118 00:08:41,880 --> 00:08:43,200 That takes a pretty strong man. 119 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:47,800 It takes a pretty strong woman to say, okay, God, this is a crazy thing. 120 00:08:47,800 --> 00:08:50,480 And man, what if people see me pregnant before I'm married? 121 00:08:50,480 --> 00:08:51,480 What are people going to think? 122 00:08:51,480 --> 00:08:53,840 Or I'm not ready for this responsibility. 123 00:08:53,840 --> 00:08:57,960 We can make a lot of excuses, but neither one of them made any excuses. 124 00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:00,440 But what about you and I? 125 00:09:00,440 --> 00:09:02,600 Do we do the big things? 126 00:09:02,600 --> 00:09:06,240 Well, if we don't do the small things, probably not. 127 00:09:06,240 --> 00:09:09,920 If we're faithful with the little, we'll be faithful with a lot. 128 00:09:09,920 --> 00:09:12,200 But are we faithful with the little? 129 00:09:12,200 --> 00:09:15,760 Or are we faithful to pick up the phone of that person that maybe God puts on our heart 130 00:09:15,760 --> 00:09:19,040 that we need to call and reach out to and say, how you doing? 131 00:09:19,040 --> 00:09:20,880 You're on my mind. 132 00:09:20,880 --> 00:09:24,160 Are we willing to go see that person that's really hurt us? 133 00:09:24,160 --> 00:09:27,880 Maybe knock on the door of a neighbor that hadn't been too good to us. 134 00:09:27,880 --> 00:09:29,820 Maybe they're just an old scrooge. 135 00:09:29,820 --> 00:09:34,760 Maybe we really don't want to go see him, but maybe that's who God put on our heart. 136 00:09:34,760 --> 00:09:38,480 Maybe there are ways that God calls us to serve him. 137 00:09:38,480 --> 00:09:43,800 Maybe not nearly as beautiful and as wonderful and as amazing as what God has called Joseph 138 00:09:43,800 --> 00:09:45,960 and Mary to here. 139 00:09:45,960 --> 00:09:50,600 But nonetheless, if God calls us to something, then we need to be faithful to be servants 140 00:09:50,600 --> 00:09:53,080 to God when he calls us to it. 141 00:09:53,080 --> 00:09:59,400 So this angel comes before Mary and presents this information, and Mary's response is good 142 00:09:59,400 --> 00:10:02,060 for us to consider tonight. 143 00:10:02,060 --> 00:10:10,240 She says, in verse 38, at the end of the angel speaking to her, she says, I am the Lord's 144 00:10:10,240 --> 00:10:12,640 slave, said Mary. 145 00:10:12,640 --> 00:10:16,800 May it be done to me according to your word. 146 00:10:16,800 --> 00:10:19,640 Then the angel left her. 147 00:10:19,640 --> 00:10:21,560 What a good response. 148 00:10:21,560 --> 00:10:26,040 God sends an angel to her and says, Mary, this is how I'm going to use you to accomplish 149 00:10:26,040 --> 00:10:27,360 my will. 150 00:10:27,360 --> 00:10:30,080 And Mary said, I am the Lord's slave. 151 00:10:30,080 --> 00:10:31,920 I am the Lord's servant. 152 00:10:31,920 --> 00:10:35,600 Here I am, Lord, send me, as we see in Isaiah. 153 00:10:35,600 --> 00:10:37,280 That's Mary's response. 154 00:10:37,280 --> 00:10:41,920 And so what is your response and my response today? 155 00:10:41,920 --> 00:10:44,800 Maybe our response is like Mary here. 156 00:10:44,800 --> 00:10:48,320 Maybe God speaks to us and calls us to serve him in some way. 157 00:10:48,320 --> 00:10:50,720 And we say, God, here I am. 158 00:10:50,720 --> 00:10:52,600 I am your slave. 159 00:10:52,600 --> 00:10:55,120 I am here to do your will. 160 00:10:55,120 --> 00:10:58,840 Or maybe we're more like Moses and say, God, it's not me. 161 00:10:58,840 --> 00:11:00,520 I'm not the man for the job. 162 00:11:00,520 --> 00:11:01,520 I don't want to do it. 163 00:11:01,520 --> 00:11:03,880 I'm not good enough to do it. 164 00:11:03,880 --> 00:11:08,600 Are we those who make excuses when God calls us to serve in some way? 165 00:11:08,600 --> 00:11:13,740 Are we those that make excuses when God says, I want you to be part of my will to accomplish 166 00:11:13,740 --> 00:11:16,000 my will for my kingdom. 167 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:19,440 I've chosen you to do it. 168 00:11:19,440 --> 00:11:22,140 But what is our response? 169 00:11:22,140 --> 00:11:28,140 More times than I'd like to admit, my response is making some excuses. 170 00:11:28,140 --> 00:11:30,660 But Mary gives us the right example. 171 00:11:30,660 --> 00:11:35,500 And our response should be today, if there's something God's been calling you to do, if 172 00:11:35,500 --> 00:11:39,960 there's somebody that God's been putting on your heart, if there is something that you 173 00:11:39,960 --> 00:11:45,840 just really feel like you need to do, then maybe today is the day that you need to say, 174 00:11:45,840 --> 00:11:47,680 God, I am your servant. 175 00:11:47,680 --> 00:11:49,440 I am ready to serve you. 176 00:11:49,440 --> 00:11:51,440 I'm ready to go where you send me. 177 00:11:51,440 --> 00:11:53,880 I'm ready to do what you want me to do. 178 00:11:53,880 --> 00:11:57,040 God, here I am to do your will. 179 00:11:57,040 --> 00:11:58,880 That was the response of Mary. 180 00:11:58,880 --> 00:12:01,960 And that needs to be your response and my response tonight. 181 00:12:01,960 --> 00:12:02,960 Let's pray. 182 00:12:02,960 --> 00:12:03,960 God, we come to you. 183 00:12:03,960 --> 00:12:05,720 We thank you for your good word. 184 00:12:05,720 --> 00:12:09,720 And I pray, dear Lord, that we can learn from this beautiful story. 185 00:12:09,720 --> 00:12:16,120 What a beautiful and amazing night that must have been for Mary when she heard this news. 186 00:12:16,120 --> 00:12:21,800 Dear Lord, when the angel appeared to her, what fear and just amazement she must have 187 00:12:21,800 --> 00:12:23,760 felt that night. 188 00:12:23,760 --> 00:12:26,880 But dear Lord, what a beautiful response she had. 189 00:12:26,880 --> 00:12:31,760 So God, I pray that those of us in here tonight would be a little more like Mary and a little 190 00:12:31,760 --> 00:12:33,040 more like Joseph. 191 00:12:33,040 --> 00:12:37,860 God, sometimes the things that you call us to, the things that you put before us may 192 00:12:37,860 --> 00:12:43,200 seem just as crazy and as impossible as what Mary and Joseph heard. 193 00:12:43,200 --> 00:12:49,640 But dear Lord, your will and your kingdom is going to be done, dear Lord. 194 00:12:49,640 --> 00:12:53,260 And you call us to help do it so many times. 195 00:12:53,260 --> 00:12:57,640 And dear Lord, I pray that you would help us to be faithful servants to what you call 196 00:12:57,640 --> 00:12:59,180 us to. 197 00:12:59,180 --> 00:13:05,280 So God, I pray tonight that maybe if there are areas in our life that we've seen that 198 00:13:05,280 --> 00:13:08,280 you would help us to walk in obedience to you in those areas. 199 00:13:08,280 --> 00:13:11,360 Maybe there's some areas to serve tonight that we have not seen. 200 00:13:11,360 --> 00:13:12,720 Maybe we hadn't been asking you. 201 00:13:12,720 --> 00:13:14,920 Maybe we just need to ask you tonight. 202 00:13:14,920 --> 00:13:19,800 Maybe we need to open our eyes and we need you to help us to open our eyes to see the 203 00:13:19,800 --> 00:13:23,840 ways that you may be calling us to serve, the opportunities that you may put before 204 00:13:23,840 --> 00:13:24,840 us. 205 00:13:24,840 --> 00:13:28,600 That tonight we would be like Mary, dear Lord, and say, I am your slave. 206 00:13:28,600 --> 00:13:30,480 I'm your servant, dear Lord. 207 00:13:30,480 --> 00:13:33,160 I'm here to serve you and to do your will. 208 00:13:33,160 --> 00:13:35,440 And I ask these things in Jesus' name. 209 00:13:35,440 --> 00:13:50,120 Amen.