Luke.1:26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a woman who never had a baby and she was engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”
29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” 34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” 35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible.” 38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
LESSON TIME!
God used Luke to write this story. He was a disciple of Jesus.
Luke probably received all the details of the story from Mary, the mother of Jesus. God inspired Luke to write these details down for all of us to understand today.
Luke was a doctor. Doctors, by trade, are accustomed to examining the smallest of details. So, Luke gave great care to detail as God had him write down this wonderful story.
LUKE 1:26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel
Was sent by God to a city of Galilee named
Nazareth,
It was the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy.
If you remember from our last story, the angel Gabriel told Zacharias that he and Elizabeth would have a son who would be used by God to announce the messiah. This baby was to be John the Baptist, who would point the way to Jesus.
God now sends this same angel, Gabriel, to another place, a little town called Nazareth. Nazareth was not the nicest of towns. In fact, it was known for its sin.
Why do you think God would want His angel of good news to go there?
LUKE 1:27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary.
God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth to bring a message to Mary. Even though she lived in a city that wasn’t very nice, she was faithful to the Lord and willing to obey and be used by Him.
Mary was a girl who lived a life very much like ours. She cried and laughed; she had hopes and dreams just like us. She was at an exciting place in her life.
She was engaged to a young man named Joseph. They were promised to each other as husband and wife. They were not yet married, but being engaged was a very serious thing, more serious than when people are engaged today. They did not live together yet as a family, but this time of betrothal was a time for growing as friends and developing the important and strong emotional bonds of a husband and wife.
LUKE 1:28 And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!"
The angel told Mary to be happy because she was a highly favored young girl. She must have had a beautiful heart, a heart that did what was pleasing to God. She was about to receive the greatest blessing a young girl could have.
God has a plan and a purpose for each of our lives, and He desires to use us to do His will. If like Mary, we desire to please God and offer our lives to be His instruments, He will do wonderful works in and through us.
Explain
Mary was “chosen” by the Lord, but she was still a servant and did not expect any special treatment.
Jesus taught in
Matthew 20:27-28, “And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom.”
LUKE 1:29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was.
Mary was not used to angels appearing. She was very surprised and even afraid! She probably wondered what this visit meant.
What would you think if all of a sudden you saw an angel before you?
LUKE 1:30-33 Then the angel said to her, " Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth that Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will Reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of His kingdom there will be no end. "
The angel tells Mary not to be afraid of him or his message. God was giving Mary a very special honor. The Jewish girls of Mary’s day all hoped and dreamed and desired to be the mother of the Messiah. They longed to be the one God would use as His chosen girl to give birth to Christ. Now, here is the angel to tell Mary that it is she! She was the chosen girl! Gabriel told Mary she would have a son. He told her what name her baby should be called.
What was it? (Jesus). Gabriel told her about her son. What were some of the things he said?
1. He would be great.
2. He would be called the Son of the Highest.
3. He would be given the throne of David.
4. He would rule His people forever.
5. His kingdom would have no end.
Mary may not have fully realized what Jesus would do, but when Gabriel spoke to her, she understood that her son, Jesus, would be the prophesied Messiah, come to save His people. How incredible!
LUKE 1:34 Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a
Man?"
Mary was different than Zacharias in her response to the angel’s news. He had doubted because it seemed impossible to him that he and Elizabeth could have a baby. It was equally impossible for Mary to have a baby. She was not married and had never had a relationship with a man that would make having a baby possible. Yet, even though it looked impossible, Mary knew that God
is worthy of our trust.
Mary does not ask her question out of doubt, like Zacharias, but in faith. She asked how this wonderful thing would come to be. She did not say, “if this can be,” but instead, she asked, “how can this be?” She was not rebuked for her question, as Zacharias was, because she asked a question in faith not doubt. God had said it would happen; Mary believed it would. Mary trusted God because God is worthy of our trust.
We need to trust God when He calls us to do something for Him, even if it seems strange or impossible. God can do the impossible. Let us be like Mary in our response to God the next time He asks us to do something for Him.
Trust Illustration
Use the chair illustration
Sometimes it is hard to trust in God. But we do not have to be afraid. God will always give us the strength we need.
2 Corinthians 12:9 says, “‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’”
It is when we are weakest but continue to trust in God that His strength is made perfect in us to do what He asks.
God is worthy of our trust.
LUKE 1:35-37 And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible."
The coming birth of Mary’s Son, Jesus Christ, was to be a miracle. The Holy Spirit would actually place baby Jesus in Mary’s womb. Why do you think it was so important that God places Jesus in Mary instead of Him being born like every other baby?
Every person born into this world is a sinner. The sin nature is passed on from parents to children. It has happened this way ever since Adam. We know from the Bible that Jesus was without sin. The only way for this to happen is for Him to be born a different way than every other person.
Another reason Jesus’ miraculous birth was so important was to fulfill the Old Testament prophecies which said the messiah would be born to a young girl who had never had a relationship with a man. God wanted to bring His son into the world in a wonderful way to bring Him glory and honor, to prove Himself faithful, and to show that God is worthy of our trust.
LUKE 1:38 Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word. "And the angel departed from her.
What did Mary say regarding all this amazing news? She said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” Mary said yes to God!
She submitted to God’s plan for her.
She did not doubt or argue with God about it.
She just accepted what God wanted her to do.
(WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?)
How important it is when God comes to us that we say YES to Him. If we do not, we can miss out on some pretty awesome blessings. When we are obedient, God is able to bless our lives. Let us remember to always tell the Lord, YES!
Mary submitted to her part in God’s great plan. She was willing to do anything for Him. She didn’t say, “First, tell me what will happen. I need to know all the details before I will say yes to you.” She put all her plans, all her young dreams in the Lord’s hands and trusted Him. Mary said yes and left the rest to God. She didn't know how all of it would work out, but she knew that God is worthy of our trust.
How are some ways we can trust God?
Her life would not be without difficulty and hardship. Her “yes” to the Lord did not mean everything would be easy, but she knew it was better to say yes to Him and experience some difficulty than to say no and live with the consequences.
Mary’s “yes” would mean opposition from people. Sometimes people do not understand why we do what God wants. It would mean difficult travel and uncomfortable conditions for Mary. Life would be simple and poor. She'd have to live in a strange land for a while as King Herod hunted for her baby to kill him. She’d have tears and sorrow at times. She would have to see her baby grow up and die a cruel death on a Roman cross, but she knew that God's plan was perfect and that it was best. The world needed a savior and Mary was chosen to be His mother. There were many things she did not know; so she held on to what she did know. God is worthy of our trust.
PRAYER
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