The Virgin Mary's Son

Today we are considering the virgin birth of Christ which is widely celebrated this time of year mention is made of it.

A great deal, though, I'm afraid to many, it's just background Muzak that doesn't really strike them, but nevertheless the testimony does go forth.

I still am amazed at how much emphasis upon the message of Christ and the gospel is acceptable during the Christmas season when it doesn't seem to be acceptable in public. Any other time of the year, but even going to stores and here wonderful traditional Christmas carols that tell us about the coming of Christ and the virgin birth of Christ is at the center of the head and that's what we are looking at today in Gabriel's announcement to Mary that she would be the virgin mother of the long awaited Messiah, the virgin birth is truly a great mystery beyond the comprehension of mortal mind was a divine act to create the human nature or Jesus within the womb of Mary and to unite that human nature with the divine nature of Almighty God's physical nature made of the flesh and blood of Mary true descendent therefore of David and Abraham and Adam's human soul created by God as all human souls are in fact created by God. That is not widely known, but it is in fact revealed to us in Scripture we read, for example in Hebrews chapter 12 verse nine.

Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect, shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the father's spirits and live really had thought about exactly what the import of that verse is, until I was agitating upon it this week. I kind like that phrase this the father of spirits just passed me by. When you see in the context you can see that he's talking about our father's are human fathers, on the one hand, and the obedience that we give to them and then he parallels that with the father of spirits and the reverence and obedience that we owe to him are human fathers are responsible for our biological conception of our heavenly father is responsible for our spirit and if that were not enough, we have this very clear statement in Zechariah chapter 12 verse one the burden of the Lord against Israel. Thus says the Lord who stretches out the heaven lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirits of man within him. Our spirits come from God. The direct creative act of God. Every child was born into this world has a spirit that was created for that person by the act of Almighty God.

And so it was true of the Lord Jesus Christ. He had a human body of the flesh and blood of Mary. He had a human spirit or human soul that was created for him by Almighty God. As God creates the spirits of all meant that spirit that on the cross he said to his father, into thy hand, I commit my spirit.

That is his human spirit. See died laying down his humanity in payment for our sins. So the result was that there is one person with two natures in Jesus Christ.

He was both divine and human. He was both God and man 100% God 100% man.

These two natures existing in one person in one sense, they cannot be separated and the other since they cannot be confounded. They are forever separate and yet they are forever together release from here on out. They are forever together. And so Jesus acquired the form of a servant without relinquishing the form of God, he was God forever more. From the beginning, which, of course, in the case of God. There is no beginning, because he is eternal. But now he is forever the God man having taken upon him a human nature and in their glorified nature forever united with his divine nature, he will exist for the remainder of eternity. Mystery of mysteries. His divine glory on relinquished not extinguished though veiled veiled in flash the Godhead see hail the incarnate deity.

Wonder of wonders, mystery of mysteries were looking down at the announcement of this birth by the angel Gabriel to Mary.

We read in Luke chapter 1 verse 34 then Mary said to the angel, how can this be, since I do not know a man in the angel answered and said to her, the Holy Spirit shall 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. This our text for this morning we see first of all that informative question and then secondly, an astonishing answer and informative question which is in response to the angelic announcement which begins in verse 26 and I read that earlier when did this take place.

This announcement told verse 26 that took place in the sixth month and as we read on. In the passage coming down to a verse let's see the verse 36 we find very clearly that this is a reference to the sixth month of Elizabeth, a relative of Mary, who was now bearing a son who would would be born as John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus Christ, she who had not been able to conceive a child and had she and her husband Zechariah said virtually given up on ever becoming parents found to their astonishment that an answer to prayers that they had prayed years before, but I'm sure had not prayed any time recently because they'd decided that they prayers were never going to be answered but in the mysterious ways of God. Elizabeth is now bearing a child and she's in the sixth month of her pregnancy, and at that time, the angel who had announced Elizabeth's child to Zacharias now comes to Mary to announce the birth of her child and who is this heavenly messenger who comes to Mary. It is no one less than Gabriel, one of, if perhaps not the highest ranking angel of Almighty God. He has an arc angel. He he serves very close to the throne of God to see himself told Zechariah's earlier in the same chapter in Luke, he is recorded in Scripture is coming to Daniel in the Old Testament to Zacharias in the New Testament and again to Mary in the New Testament in all three of these appearances have to do with the announcement of the coming of Christ, he it seems carried to the most important announcements on assignment from God invited Gabriel, where did he find Mary the object of his announcement. He found her in the city of Nazareth, in the territory of Galilee, which we know from history and also from Scripture was a place of rather lonely reputation who was it was a Nathaniel who said to get any good thing come out of Galilee. It wasn't expected that anything good would come from there. That would just considered to be sort of the backwoods area of Jewish society is trying to think what up parallel might be. I don't want to insult anyone but I suppose if I said the someone said I come from slightly quarter Mississippi, you probably would not have the same impression of them if they said I come from New York City knowing New York City might actually be a greater negative in the minds of some people which understand what I'm saying that there's a certain connotation that goes with that. This is sort of a backwoods area, a place where you wouldn't expect anyone of any particular grandeur or greatness to be found, but that's where Mary was. That's where the one was was living who has was chosen to bear the Christ child into this world. So Jesus by the appointment of God was born into a very humble home a very lonely home. The Honda did not have greatness did not have wealth did not have reputation.

We usually think of that is being evidence of the degraded extent of Christ's condescension. I suppose in some ways it is. And yet it occurred to me the fort for Christ. There was little difference in his condescension as to whether he came to a king's palace or came to a humble humble blue-collar home because that that the gap is so great that it hardly made any difference in in the level of his condescension. The degree of his condescension.

Suppose that for some impossible reason I was going to enter into the life of a worm and the angel said to me know what you like to be an earthworm or tapeworm and fixing what difference does it make that the condescension is so great. What difference does it make going to become a fly with what you want to be a housefly or fruit fruit fly, no matter no matter, it makes little difference of one wouldn't go from being a human being to something that Lolita the degree of loneliness doesn't make much much difference at that point to Christ, but makes a great deal to us makes great deal of difference to us. Doesn't for us. There is a significant message. He did not choose to be born in a king's palace. That would seem to be beyond the reach of most people, but he chose to be born in a peasant home so that everyone can feel comfortable with this one who comes to reveal God the father to us and who comes to lay down his life that sinners might be saved.

And again it was the one that Gabriel came to she's identified in verse 27 is Mary undoubtedly was a teenager because of the customs of the day what we know about their marriage customs. She undoubtedly was a teenager and we know of humble roots, but was also of the line of David. She really was of royal lineage, but Israel under the yoke of Roman was not enjoying it. There their royal family and so she's not enjoying any advantages, humanly speaking on earth being in the line of David. But it was important for the lineage of the one who was to be born that she would be in the line of David and we are also told in verse 27 that she was a virgin betrothed to Joseph in the customs of that day betrothed all meant that the legal part of their marriage had already been entered into the marriage was recorded. They were considered in society. Husband-and-wife but according to the customs of that day there was a waiting period after the truffle was entered into before the marriage was actually consummated, generally at.

Of about one year.

Mary was in that betrothal. At that time. What was it that the angel told Mary.

First of all, he announced her favorite position in verse 28, rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women that's followed by Mary's attractive discomfort. She is not used to this kind of adulation.

This kind of recognition and so we read in verse 29 when she saw him she was troubled and he is saying, and considered what manner of greeting was this again a testimony to her humility, a testimony to the fact that she was not full of herself.

She wasn't full of pride. She was in full self-esteem chewed inside. I'm glad somebody finally recognized what a great person I am. It wasn't that she couldn't believe that anyone was speaking words like this in reference to her. It is striking that, though she was a teenager she was. Evidently she was clearly a godly teenager that was saturated with Scripture. When you read Mary's Magnificat and see the language that the exalted language. The mature language they Scripture, saturated language of that see him of praise to God, you realize that she had a godly upbringing and that the grace of God had already worked in her heart to a great degree, and she was a believer in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and was a student of the Scriptures. But the angel Gabriel tells her what he means by this greeting of her being highly favored by God and what is it it is that she's going to their a son, an amazing child.

Do not be afraid, Mary, for you found favor with God.

And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a son, and shall call his name Jesus.

He will be great that he will be called the son of the highest in the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no in this amazing child that is now announced to Mary which will come to her as a result of God's favor because you are highly favored. You are going to be the mother of this child which the angel now describe though the angel does make reference to this we know that though she is highly favored. What a privilege it is to be chosen to be a mother who will bring the long promised Messiah into the world to be the human vehicle through which the Savior of the world shall, can there be a higher earthly privilege than this, but her privilege is going to be attended with great sorrow and great sacrifice all of her life. She's going to be gossiped about and slander developed and thought to be the mother of an illegitimate child for those who do not know or will not accept the message of the virgin birth.

Her heart is going to be pierced through many times was sorrow so she sees the way her firstborn son is mistreated by the world that he came into and the world to which she brought salvation and of course the culmination of that when this son dies upon the cross. You see, it's a mistake to think that divine privileges should ever come without sacrifice, they always come with sacrifice to tremendous privilege to be called upon by God to bear the gospel to foreign land, but that great privilege comes with great sacrifices to leave home to leave friends to leave loved one to leave the familiar comforts of the United States of America behind to go into places some some mama may be mildly difficult. Some that are exceedingly difficult. That's a great privilege to be able to spend your life in such a way but it's attended with great sacrifices, and so it is with all of us.

All of us who have been privileged everyone here today was a child of God we have received great privilege great favor. What does that mean does that mean that God has promised us a life without care without sickness without suffering without sacrifice, far from it. Just the opposite, that great privilege calls us to great sacrifices, great suffering great sorrow and joining with the man of sorrows, yet that's how we bring honor and glory to him.

And so Mary is is singled out for unique favor a level of divine favor that is bestowed upon no other human being and you Gabriel said to Mary shall bear a son and call his name Jesus, which is the Greek form of the Hebrew Joshua, which means Jehovah is salvation. J knew enough of Scripture to realize what the angel was say you are bearing the Messiah, the long promised Messiah.

That godly believing Jewish people have been looking forward to for hundreds of years you are the mother of that Messiah, the son, you will barely be they a son of highest distinction, he shall be great, how great will keep listening and you'll find out, but he shall be great, now it was said of John the Baptist, also, that he shall be great, but his greatness doesn't rise the level of this one, but John the Baptist was also great greatly blessed of God greatly used of God called upon for great sacrifice for God is, he lost his his head in bearing truth faithfully for God. But how great to listen carefully.

He will be the son of the highest he will inherit the throne of his father David and he will reign, not for a lifetime.

Like David, but forever and ever and ever.

Without end he's the son of the highest is the highest Almighty God. That's the highest, the highest of the high he's not only kidding, but he's king of kings is not only Lord but is Lord of lords. He is the son of the highest which means the son of God getting in Hebrew thinking and Jewish thinking that was understood in the comes out in some of the dialogue between Jesus and his adversaries, that when Jesus said he was the son of God. They heard him to say your claiming to be God because in their minds. There was such a strong correlation between the nature of the father being passed on to the son, stronger correlation than than is is customary in our culture, but nevertheless we can see that connection, but for them it was very strong, the son of Jacob is a little Jacob he's got the same nature as his father, the son of God is saying little God, he has the same nature as God, but it's not one of many gods. There is only one God will write back to the mystery of the Trinity, but to call your son married the son of the highest is to tell us that he is none other than Almighty God, who is coming into this world by way of a virgin's womb. He is the son of God. That is another way of saying he's God the son, and Jenny's going to inherit the throne of his father David. This takes us back in the direction of his humanity is in the line of David and Abraham and Adam is going to inherit the throne of his father David and so he is the son of God, but is also a man who will inherit this royal throne. He is son of God, he Son of Man is God, he is man but he will reign eternally forever and forever and forever and forever of his reign there will be no end when the some announcement comes to Mary. We are not surprised at her question in verse 34 then Mary said to the angel, how can this be, since I do not know a man. How is this possible, since I am a virgin betrothed to Joseph, but not yet in a marriage relationship and furthermore have never had a physical relationship. How different, how different were the customs of Jewish society to the customs that we have come to in America today who would better know whether or not Mary was a virgin. Then Mary she's talking to Gabriel said to her from God. She's not saying something that is not true. She is stating what is actually a fact and the fact that she knows right well at this point in her life.

She is a virgin.

Therefore, how can she conceive any son, much less the sun that has just been described to her.

Her question is not a question of disrespect.

How can this be, she says inside do not know a man Zacharias or relative. It also questioned the announcement of the angel Gabriel.

When he said that he and Elizabeth were going to become parents of a son name him John and he was quite skeptical. As you know, and was rendered unable to speak until the birth of the child as a rebuke as a chastisement for his disrespectful questioning of that announcement, Zacharias said to the angel in verse 18. How shall I know this for I am an old man and my wife is well advanced in years that we would read this and read what Mary said we might not be able to pick up on the tone of voice, and certainly can't read the heart and therefore would necessarily know what is unfolded in in what transpires afterwards.

Here's Gabriel's response to Zacharias's question and the angel answered and said to him I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings that they hold. You will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.

I can almost see Gabriel pulling himself up to his full height as the years that the questioning tone of the doubting tone of the maybe even sarcastic tone. Zacharias pulls himself up to his full height and says, in effect, don't you understand who I am.

Don't you understand who's talking to you. I am Gabriel. I come from the presence of Almighty God. From his very throne and I am a holy angel. I've never sinned. I've never said anything that was not absolutely true and what I bring to you a message from God. You could be certain that every word of it is truth and God expects you to believe it. And because you have not believe these words you will be unable to speak until it's all fulfilled and indeed that's what came to pass, with Mary, there is nothing like that. She also questions the angel but obviously it's a question of the wonder of amazement of respect of of compliance and yet just curiosity. I suppose as much is anything how shall this be, how can this be, since I do not know a man.

This does not seem humanly possible, and indeed it's not humanly possible. And so the answer is given in verse 35 the angel answered and said to her, the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the highest will overshadow you. The Holy Spirit will come upon you the power of the highest will overshadow you to phrases that evidently very very obviously mean virtually the same thing. The two different ways of stating the same thing.

This is an example of Hebrew parallelism. The Holy Spirit will come upon you the power of the highest will overshadow you will please note in stating it this way, here is a very clear statement that the Holy Spirit is God. God the father's God, God the son is God God the Holy Spirit is God's child, that is to be born is going to be the son of the highest, the son of the most high God and who is going to overshadow Mary. The Holy Spirit will overshadow Mary the power of the highest will overshadow you. The Holy Spirit is therefore as much God as is the father and is the son statement of the deity of the Holy Spirit. And this is where we derive the doctrine of the Trinity from Scripture frequently. We are told that Jesus is the son of God and that the son of God is God, not quite as frequently. We are told that the Holy Spirit is God. We are told that more than once and so you you take these clear statements and then you have to make a deduction. The Bible nowhere says God exists eternally in three persons, father, son and Holy Spirit, all equally God. Yet when one God in three persons. The whole look. The Scriptures don't ever put that doctrine together in a creedal formula like we have today and is very helpful to us today, but we know from Scripture that God the father is God.

We know from Scripture that God the son is God. We know from Scripture that God the Holy Spirit is God taking these statements we come to an inescapable conclusion. God exists in three persons, father, son, Holy Spirit, the God of the Bible is a triune Godhead. Three persons one God the Holy Spirit is in that triune Godhead and this Holy Spirit will come upon you, he will overshadow you a way of saying that the Holy Spirit will creatively bring about the physical conception of this son of Mary and you remember from last Sunday I told you, reminded you that there are four known ways by which God has produced human being's first without either man or woman he created Adam a fully functioning human being exactly like you and me Homo sapiens. He brought him into be thorough man but without a woman he created Eve fully functioning human woman was brought into this world without virtue of a mother and then by the union of a man and a woman all the rest of us have been born and that's the way we are accustomed to. Because there are so many of us that have come that way.

But there is yet this fourth way it is now going to be revealed to us. God is going to bring a fully human being a fully human male fully human boy who will be a fully human man into this world without benefit of a man fully brought into this world through a woman, Mary, by the creative power of God. This is mysterious. This is incomprehensible to us.

The Bible does not give us biological details. We would ask for more. I ventured a little bit into a biological statement last Sunday that may have gone farther than the Scripture allows. I'm not sure someone asked me about that afterwards said if if Jesus was created entirely out of the genetic material of Mary than he would have been a woman so it would seem. But of course if he was created entirely out of the rib of Adam, and she should've a man so how do we explain that we can't biological details are not given to us are the much is left unclear what is given is what Mary needed to know she needed to know how it could be that she could see a son without union with a man Gabriel gives her that information it's going to come about by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit of God, who in some way in a mysterious way in which details we do not know and cannot know fully is nevertheless going to produce within your movement.

A human man, a human male child, and that's all you need to know Mary and anything beyond that. You just need to believe and submit to and accept what Almighty God has said it will be accomplished by God.

That's all you need to know it cannot be accomplished in the normal way but it will be accomplished because God said so. And because God is God and there's nothing impossible with him and this is the way he has chosen to do it, and there are good reasons for his doing it this way, which we will not venture into this morning but it will be accomplished by God. That's all you need to know Mary, that's enough.

From here on out. Demonstrate your faith and submit to what God has said that's enough for us to know.

We might long to have additional details and understand a little bit more about the exact biology of how this is going to be accomplished, but we don't need to know we have been given all that we need to know that's enough that's enough. Goddess told us what we need to know, and we need to accept the divine revelation and bow before the divine will and so Mary is going to have a divine child. The Holy Spirit will come upon you, said Gabriel in the power of the highest will overshadow you. Therefore, therefore, the result is that the holy one who is to be born will be called the son of God. This result of the Holy Spirit's overshadowing you will bring about a child who will be that holy one who of human beings born into this world can that be correctly said David said in sin did my mother conceive me.

I was a sinner from the time I was conceived. And I want to stray from the womb of speaking lines. The Bible is clear that ever since the fall of Adam in the garden. Everyone who had been born into this world has been born not holy but sinful. We all have a sin nature, which we get busy manifesting, demonstrating, ratifying as quickly as we can.

But not this one.

That holy one without human depravity. Without a sinful nature without the corruption inherited from Adam. One of the reasons no doubt for the virgin conception that one who is to be born.

He will have a human nature like ours, evidenced by his passage into this world through a virgin's womb.

A human birth is going to be born of a woman is wearing read in Galatians 44 but at the same time he will be called the son of God, the same as the son of the most high, as he was called in verse 32 and now in verse 35, the son of God, not the son of Joseph, not the son of any human father, the son of God with the power and wisdom of God.

We cannot understand it fully. But then who can understand God caught his God. We cannot understand the power of God. We know that he is omnipotent.

He has all power, we surely cannot understand the wisdom of God. His his ways are so high above our ways. His wisdom is beyond our searching out. We can know what he has revealed to us and no more, and so were thankful for what he does reveal to us, but we cannot go beyond that will never understand the power and wisdom of God.

But when it is revealed to us. We can bow and wonder and admiration, which is what all of you should do. The revelation of the virgin conception of Jesus Christ.

We are also amazed at the love and the mercy of God that is shown in this why would God do this for sinful fallen angels. He provided no remedy. They rebelled. They send a sealed their condemnation yet for men and women sons and daughters of Adam. We to have sand against Almighty God sent repeatedly send grievously send autumn on unbelievably in the Innes in his magnitude of the sinfulness of all of us are guilty of and yet God in an amazing act of love and mercy sent his own son.

Yes, came himself wrapped in human flesh to redeem those who were under the law and broke the law again and again and again and again and again and so we see again the love and the mercy of God and we bow in faith and gratitude, and we are reminded again of the glorious message of this good news. What a privilege it is to give ourselves every one of us in the service of Almighty God, to spread this message far and wide. Give the winds a mighty voice, Jesus saves. Jesus saves. Let the nations now rejoice. Jesus saves.

Jesus saves shout salvation full and free to highest hills and deepest caves. This our song of victory Jesus saves Jesus say thou shall call his name Jesus. Jesus, for he is sent to save sinners from their sins, shall we pray Almighty God, we do bow and wonder in your presence as we consider these truths in this great mystery. We acknowledge that there is much here that we do not understand and cannot understand yet a Lord we have learned by the, the teaching of your Holy Spirit to believe what you have spoken and two in childlike faith believe it and receive it and to benefit from it a father.

If there are any among us today who are unbelieving and skeptical and scoffing all Lord crush that fatal pride and bring them humility to receive this truth.

Yes, to receive the one this this truth reveals for we ask it in Jesus name, amen