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The Announcement of Jesus

December 4, 2016 Preacher: Series: Advent 2016: Luke 1-2

Scripture: Luke 1:26–45

Key Truth: Jesus’ birth announcement reveals the upside down nature of His kingdom.


Q: What is impossible for God?

“As we study the Annunciation, we must accept the essential spiritual fact of the Incarnation and the gospel: the Lord comes to needy people—those who realize that without him they cannot make it—those who acknowledge their weakness and spiritual lack. The Incarnation, salvation, resurrection, Christmas are not for the proud and self-sufficient.”

R. Kent Hughes, Luke, Volume 1: That You May Know the Truth

 

Gabriel and Mary, Part 1: The Promised Messiah of the Davidic Covenant:

Luke 1:26-33:

“(Mary) was chosen to be the mother of Jesus, and her lowly estate was part of God’s plan. By choosing Mary, God was beginning to show what humiliation his Son would have to endure for the salvation of sinners.”

Philip Graham Ryken, Luke, Volume 1: Chapters 1-12

Q: What are some ways in which the present reign of Jesus as King evident in your life?

 

Gabriel and Mary, Part 2: The Overshadowing of the Holy Spirit:

Luke 1:34-38

“Questions and doubts will arise in men’s minds about many subjects in religion. They are the natural result of our fallen estate of soul. Our faith at the best is very feeble. Our knowledge at its highest is clouded with much infirmity. And among many antidotes to a doubting, anxious, questioning state of mind, few will be more useful that before us now,—a thorough conviction of the almighty power of God. With Him who called the world into being and formed it out of nothing, everything is possible. Nothing is too hard for the Lord.”

J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke 1-10

Q: What are some ways in which you have submitted yourself to the Lord as His servant?

 

Mary and Elizabeth: John’s First Prophecy:

Luke 1:39-45

“We should not miss the absence of all jealousy in Elizabeth’s attitude to Mary. The older woman, who had received such a signal blessing from the Lord, might well have tried to guard her position jealously. But in genuine humility she recognized the greater blessing God had given to Mary.”

Leon Morris, Luke: An Introduction and Commentary

Q: How has your life been blessed by the faithfulness of others? How is your faithfulness serving as a blessing to those around you?

 

Luke 1:26-45 teaches us that:

-Jesus is the promised Messiah whose kingdom has come and will never end

-We should submit ourselves as servants to the Lord for whom all things are possible

-We are blessed by others’ faithfulness as well as serving as a faithful blessing to others

 

“God had spent centuries preparing for this day, and now he is going to save the world through a simple, poor, teenage, still-unwed girl….There is a note of joy and astonishment that God is blessing and honoring her….We should be just as shocked that God would give us—with all our smallness and flaws—such a mighty gift. And so no Christian should ever be far from astonishment that “I, I of all people should be loved and embraced by his grace!””

Timothy Keller, Hidden Christmas: The Surprising Truth Behind the Birth of Christ

More in Advent 2016: Luke 1-2

January 1, 2017

The Song of Simeon and Anna’s Praise and Evangelism

December 25, 2016

While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night

December 18, 2016

The Birth of John