The Annunciation

The Archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her she was going to have a son. Shortly she knew the pages of the Old Testament Scriptures. Surely she understood that David's son was king that would last forever and ever be the Messiah Israel telling me the the baby.

You say I'm going to have will be the Messiah. You tell me not to be afraid and said it's not enough to believe in God, we must believe God. Mary is an incredible example of the trust when she heard that she was going to bear the Messiah, she submitted, even when she was front today on Renewing Your Mind. Dr. scroll preaches from Luke's gospel, and as we pick up in chapter 1 we learn about the amazing announcement that Jesus the Messiah against the Archangel Gabriel is scratch from the presence of God on a mission to give an announcement of extraordinary importance is been selected by God to give a similar announcement to Zacharias, one that Zacharias staggered before its content, wondering how the message could possibly be fulfilled since they thought he was too old and his wife was beyond the age of child bearing and if Gabriel had his hands full with Zacharias. The announcement he was going to be giving to Mary was even more extraordinary because, at least in antiquity in the pages of the Old Testament. There were historical precedents of women who were bare and then past the age of childbearing, whom God quickened their womb and granted them son but no time in the history of the world than a woman ever had a child while she remained a virgin.

This would be the first and last time in all of history that such an event would take place and so were told in the text that during the six months of Elizabeth's pregnancy, Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth a tiny village that was situated almost halfway between the Mediterranean Sea. That was 22 miles to its west and the Sea of Galilee, which was 15 miles to its east and slightly north so this little village of no grand significance.

Historically, was visited by this heavenly messenger who came to a virgin who was betrothed to a man, and betrothal. Of course, was more serious than engagement to break a betrothal necessitated actually a divorce among Jewish people. Though the couple had not yet actually been married nor consummated their union. But Mary was promised and betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, who was of the house of David, and when the angel came to Mary. He greeted her with these somewhat strange words rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women. Those of you who are of Roman Catholic background may notice immediately.

These words as being familiar to you as they are part of the rosary. The words are uttered. Hail Mary, full of grace, blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. The translation I just read here has the angel saying rejoice, highly favored one in the Latin Vulgate translated by the church father Jerome. The words there that are user Grazie a plane I which means literally full grace and the angel recognize that Mary has received such a nub abundance of grace, that no woman prior to this moment in history had ever ever experienced her favor with the Lord was with out equal and so with this greeting. Obviously, Mary is stunned and bewildered. What can this possibly mean. Who is this angel. What does he say that I'm filled with grace that I'm highly favored and that's I am supposedly supremely blessed and that the Lord is with me. Imagine this young peasant girl, hearing these words from the angel and the angel says Mary God is with you. God is with you right now.

In an extraordinary measure.

He has come to you with a plenitude of grace, and you have been a highly favored in his sight when she saw the angel she was troubled at his saying as he wondered what manner of greeting was this an inner wonderment. The angel spoke to her again saying don't be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a son, and shall call his name Jesus. Just as the angel instructed Zacharias about the name of his son.

So the angel instructs Mary what her son shall be named.

He will be great. He will be called the son of the highest and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, you're going to have a son and your son will be great. And not only will he be your son, but he will be known as the son of the most high God anomaly. Will he be known as the some of the most high God. But he's the son of David, the one that God promised would be David's son and David's Lord, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.

Mice son staying how can I handle these things it's not enough that I'm going to have a somebody's going to call the son of God, or not enough. The real son of God but is going to be a caring family would be king but he's going to be a king on the throne of David for ever and ever and ever. This young girl was godly woman. Surely she knew the pages of the Old Testament Scriptures.

Surely she understood that David's son whose kingdom would last forever and ever be the Messiah Israel he's telling me the the baby. You say I'm going to have will be the Messiah. You tell me not to be afraid it's only rejoice yes this is joyous news but it's terrifying totes at the same time, so Mary said in the angel how you think that she would of said first take the success how can this be, since I know not in the Mr. Gabriel maybe you have the wrong address. I am a virgin and I'm not a sophisticated biologists, but I know something that every woman in Nazareth. Every woman in Galilee of everyone in Judea knows and that is the start doesn't bring babies I can't have a baby I'm a virgin. How how can this be the let me just pause here for second Mary is responding like any child of nature would respond even in her day, people assume that there were such things as natural law's laws of nature that acted independent from the sovereign providence of God and this is the view that we have of nature today we have somehow think that the laws we call the laws of nature like the law of gravity and the law of inertia and so on are laws that are inherent in the created universe and they operate independently from the power of God from the providence of God from the sovereignty of God. That's the reason why historically theologians them define miracles as actions of God that are contra mature room. I danced nature, but we have to stop for a minute and realize that what we call natural law's are simply the ordinary way in which God governs his creation. God governs his creation. According to a pattern that he establishes and that pattern. For example, includes the regularity of things falling when you drop them because of gravity but even gravity has no power whatsoever. Apart from the sustaining power of God himself.

Ladies and gentlemen were Christians we believe in the Lord God Almighty reign's over everything who sets the planets in their courses. Who sends the birds south in the winter and a few snowbirds with you can depend on them there already starting to here at St. Christopher Mary's perspective from the perspective of the natural there was no way that this announcement could come true. It was simply against the laws of nature. But the angel has the answer to her question of how and he takes the time carefully to explain it to this young lady, Mary. Here's how the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the highest will overshadow you. The Holy Spirit in biblical terms is sometimes act, often referred to as the dude in this book. Power of God. We get the English word dynamite from it. That is the spirit of God in which God invests his supernatural sovereign power. It is by the Holy Spirit's brooding over the waters that the original creation came into existence. If we go back to Genesis 1 where we say in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and the earth was without form and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep there and that uncreated states in Genesis the universe is described as being formless, amorphous and be a vacuum. Nothing there and enveloped in total darkness until the spirit of God hovered over the waters and as the spirit of God through and the hovered like I and broods over her legs and over her chicks mother spirit's brooding over this form states God spoke P light and the lights came on and the earth became filled with all kinds of creatures and the earth was formed and shaped and structure by this omnipotence creates her to remember that every and right now there's nothing in your will both form it's empty store, but the same spirit that hovered over the darkness at the beginning will overshadow you will come upon you, and by his omnipotent power, you will conceive so that the one whom you will bearable be the holy one, the other one, the one who was either from every other creature ever born the supremely sacred and consecrated one and he will be called the son of God, your relative Elizabeth.

By the way, has also conceived a son in her role in each happen six months or sooner six months. Mary for her who was called barren Mary for with God nothing will be impossible course every seminary class I ever had. I had the students who came up with the tired conundrum professor do you believe that God is omnipotent.

Yes, the God can do all things, yes, nothing is a puzzle God yes welcome God build a rock so big that he can't move it if I say yes we can build a rock so big that he can't move it, then there's something that's not possible for him to do that is not really omnipotent. If I say no we can't build a rock so big that he can't move with them again mom skewered on the horns of this dilemma and I'm left with saying the God is not omnipotent that there are certain things that he can't do well I told you this before. There is a right answer that question is very simple. Can God build a rock so big that he can't move it course not, why not because he's on the present. Why not because no saying is impossible with God. The be omnipotent does not mean that God can do anything God can die. God can't lie. God can't be God and not be God at the same time and in the same relationship he can't stop being God in this longer sees God whatever he makes whatever he creates the controls and he has power over that's the theological lesson that the Angels reiterating here to marry with God nothing is impossible. All things are possible. That is, he has power over everything in his creation, including your empty womb. Remember speaking Pittsburgh in the shadow of Carnegie Mellon University many years ago and it was a dinner followed by a lecture and I was seated by a professor of physics at the dining room table and I was speaking on God talk on whether human language is adequate to communicate anything meaningful about God and the physicist bring something of a skeptic, said was a theologian, you have a tough ticket tonight.

He said you fellows they are dealing with philosophy and theology have a difficult time speaking meaningfully about all these concepts that you use less of what you should be sympathetic with me. You should be able to relate to that difficulties what you mean.

I said we are physicist Argentines suggest possible. Don't you have the same difficulty in your company supporting me possible. Tommy, please tell me what is energy.

This way energy is the ability to do work and I said no, I'm not asking you what I can do. I'm asking you what it is. Tell me it's ontology what's it's being consist of anything. Well energy is MC squared.

I said I want to know its mathematical equivalency, or how it can be measured. Don't you see I'm asking you what it is because every day you talk about energy as if it were something something real, some entity lesson two minutes to turn the sky upside down and he despises where you got me very decisive. This it's a concept you talk about all the time and were supposed to assume that we know what it is I don't know what it is from my notes, Holy Spirit, I still don't know what it is except when I lose it, but we need to think in terms of the transcendent reality of the one whose so now we consider the announcement of this child who was born to die. When God speaks it is truth and no human philosophy can alter the truth, were glad you joined us for the Sunday edition of Renewing Your Mind.

I'm Lee Webb as copastor of St. Andrews Chapel here in Sanford, Florida Dr. RC Sproul have the opportunity to preach through entire books of the Bible. My wife and I are members of St. Andrews. RC was our pastor and we remember those expository series so well and with heartfelt gratitude is biblical wisdom has been captured in his commentary series and when you contact us today with a donation of any amount we be glad to provide you with a digital download of this commentary from Luke's gospel. This is an online offer only.

So we invite you to go to Renewing Your Mind.org to make a request. Again that's Renewing Your Mind.org before we go today.

A quick reminder here Renewing Your Mind. Our goal is to come alongside the local church and provide resources to help growing Christians know what they believe and why they believe it when you listen RC sermons each Sunday here in this program. It is not her intention for this time to replace your regular attendance and worship at your church were glad to offer these messages as a supplement to your study and were glad that you could be with us, but we trust that you are a member of a local church there in your own community. Next week we will get to hear Mary's response to the Archangel Gabriel's announcement to make plans to join us here next Sunday for Renewing Your Mind