WEBVTT 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:02.160 Uh thank you all for being here. 00:00:02.240 --> 00:00:03.359 My name is Brad O'Kelly. 00:00:03.439 --> 00:00:04.320 Uh I'm filling in. 00:00:04.400 --> 00:00:06.320 Russ is on sabbatical for a couple weeks. 00:00:06.480 --> 00:00:10.960 You're going to get the best that we have to offer, uh, preaching-wise, after today. 00:00:11.039 --> 00:00:12.080 Uh, it's gonna be great. 00:00:12.160 --> 00:00:12.800 You're gonna love it. 00:00:12.880 --> 00:00:13.599 He will come back. 00:00:13.679 --> 00:00:17.440 I, like Matt, uh, did not expect any of you to be here today. 00:00:17.600 --> 00:00:22.079 Like, it's making me a little nervous right now, to be honest with you, that there are so many of you that showed up. 00:00:22.160 --> 00:00:23.199 Uh, but I really appreciate it. 00:00:23.359 --> 00:00:24.000 Glad you're here. 00:00:24.079 --> 00:00:25.519 We're gonna walk through some stuff today. 00:00:25.600 --> 00:00:29.519 I'm gonna read a passage of scripture, pray for us one more time, and then uh we'll get rolling. 00:00:29.600 --> 00:00:32.320 Our scripture today is Luke chapter 1. 00:00:32.560 --> 00:00:34.880 Luke chapter 1, we're gonna start in verse 26. 00:00:34.960 --> 00:00:37.280 You're gonna hear this, you're gonna think, what in the world is going on? 00:00:37.359 --> 00:00:38.399 I'll explain it in just a minute. 00:00:38.479 --> 00:00:38.719 Okay? 00:00:38.880 --> 00:00:39.359 So here we go. 00:00:39.520 --> 00:00:40.640 Luke chapter 1, verse 26. 00:00:40.719 --> 00:00:51.280 It says, In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, and of the house of David. 00:00:51.439 --> 00:00:53.200 And the virgin's name was Mary. 00:00:53.359 --> 00:00:57.520 And he came to her and said, Greetings, O favor one, the Lord is with you. 00:00:57.759 --> 00:01:02.320 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 00:01:02.479 --> 00:01:07.439 And the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 00:01:07.920 --> 00:01:14.400 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 00:01:14.640 --> 00:01:26.879 He will be great, he will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him to the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom there will be no end. 00:01:27.120 --> 00:01:31.280 And Mary said to the angel, How will this be, since I am a virgin? 00:01:31.439 --> 00:01:36.560 And the angel answered her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the Most High will overshadow you. 00:01:36.719 --> 00:01:40.480 Therefore, the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. 00:01:40.640 --> 00:01:50.000 And behold, your relative Elizabeth is in her old age and also conceived a son, and this is a sixth month with her who was called barren. 00:01:50.400 --> 00:01:53.519 For nothing is impossible with God. 00:01:53.840 --> 00:01:57.439 And Mary said, Behold, I am the servant of the Lord. 00:01:57.680 --> 00:02:00.560 Let it be to me according to your word. 00:02:00.879 --> 00:02:02.799 And the angel departed from her. 00:02:02.959 --> 00:02:03.599 Let me pray for us. 00:02:03.840 --> 00:02:04.640 Father, thanks for today. 00:02:04.799 --> 00:02:06.239 Thanks for an opportunity to share your word. 00:02:06.480 --> 00:02:09.120 Be with us as we open it up, as we receive it, Father. 00:02:09.199 --> 00:02:13.039 I just pray that uh your word would ring loud and true in each of our hearts. 00:02:13.120 --> 00:02:19.520 Uh Father, that it would be nothing to do with any of the words that I have to say, but the power of your Holy Spirit filling this place this morning. 00:02:19.759 --> 00:02:22.240 We love you, and we ask all this in Jesus' name. 00:02:22.400 --> 00:02:22.960 Amen. 00:02:23.199 --> 00:02:34.879 So, what we're gonna do, okay, everybody, I know you got like a little Christmas in July kind of feel right there, but um what we're actually doing, what I was told we were doing, I get uh the notes that says, here's what you're gonna do. 00:02:35.039 --> 00:02:39.599 We sometimes when Russ is out and we know he's gonna be out for several weeks, like it's kind of hard to piece together. 00:02:39.759 --> 00:02:44.479 First of all, they know for a fact they can't just look at me and be like, hey, get up there and talk about whatever you want to. 00:02:44.639 --> 00:02:46.319 That would be a complete disaster. 00:02:46.479 --> 00:02:51.520 Uh so they're like, we've got to rein this in, we've got to give him a topic here to make do. 00:02:51.680 --> 00:03:03.759 And so what they did is they sat down, they had this meeting, and Matt and uh Sam and Keel and several of the other staff members came to me and they said, Hey, what we're gonna do while Russ is gone is we want to do kind of a biblical profile on a person in the Bible. 00:03:03.840 --> 00:03:09.120 We want to take a few weeks, and we want to profile a person in the Bible, and that's what we're gonna teach the congregation over time. 00:03:09.199 --> 00:03:09.759 I said, that's great. 00:03:09.840 --> 00:03:11.520 And they said, we're gonna do Mary. 00:03:11.599 --> 00:03:16.960 And I was like, okay, like I didn't see that one coming. 00:03:17.039 --> 00:03:19.599 Like that, that kind of, you know, who are we gonna go after here? 00:03:19.680 --> 00:03:23.039 We got some big names, you know, to deal with, and obviously Mary being one of them. 00:03:23.120 --> 00:03:27.039 I'm not I'm not playing that down at all, but I was like, okay, Mary it is. 00:03:27.120 --> 00:03:31.840 And then they gave me this passage of scripture, and I'm like, man, this is uh we're gonna have a little Christmas story here, okay? 00:03:31.919 --> 00:03:33.520 So I don't really know what to do with this. 00:03:33.680 --> 00:03:38.639 So as I'm looking through it, we look at this passage with a Christmas lens, right? 00:03:38.879 --> 00:03:45.120 And we see that through this Christmas lens, but there's actually a person involved here in Mary, and that's what we want to look at today. 00:03:45.199 --> 00:03:54.159 And the reason I say all of that is because I am going, I've told many of you this before, I'm going to preach here every time they ask me to preach. 00:03:54.319 --> 00:03:57.439 Like, some of you hate it, it's written all over your faces. 00:03:57.599 --> 00:04:00.000 I get it, it's okay, it's perfectly fine. 00:04:00.159 --> 00:04:02.000 You come back the next week, everything's back to normal. 00:04:02.080 --> 00:04:03.599 Some of you love it, some of you don't. 00:04:03.680 --> 00:04:04.159 That's fine. 00:04:04.240 --> 00:04:07.439 I just want you to know, I'm gonna preach here every single time they ask me to preach. 00:04:07.520 --> 00:04:12.080 And the reason is because I have preached in some terrible churches. 00:04:12.319 --> 00:04:14.240 And this one is great. 00:04:14.560 --> 00:04:16.000 I love preaching here. 00:04:16.160 --> 00:04:17.040 I absolutely love it. 00:04:17.199 --> 00:04:19.839 I was asked to preach one time by a buddy of mine in seminary. 00:04:19.920 --> 00:04:20.399 He called me. 00:04:20.480 --> 00:04:23.519 He goes, hey man, I need you to come fill in for me to preach. 00:04:23.680 --> 00:04:28.480 This guy was a bivocational pastor in the middle of the smallest town in East Georgia. 00:04:28.639 --> 00:04:30.959 Bivocational pastor means he had a full-time job. 00:04:31.040 --> 00:04:32.639 He pastored his church for free. 00:04:32.800 --> 00:04:33.839 All right, so think about that. 00:04:34.000 --> 00:04:37.199 Didn't get paid, pastored to church while working a full-time job. 00:04:37.360 --> 00:04:39.920 He was also a volunteer firefighter. 00:04:40.079 --> 00:04:41.199 Like, this guy did it all. 00:04:41.360 --> 00:04:42.959 I mean, he was the most amazing guy I ever knew. 00:04:43.120 --> 00:04:45.439 He calls me one time, he goes, Can you come preach for me? 00:04:45.600 --> 00:04:48.000 I have finally, his oldest daughter was eight years old. 00:04:48.079 --> 00:04:49.680 He said, It's taken me eight years. 00:04:49.839 --> 00:04:55.519 I have finally saved up enough money, I can take my family to Disney World, and I want to take them to Disney. 00:04:55.680 --> 00:04:56.639 Can you come preach for me? 00:04:56.800 --> 00:04:58.639 I was like, brother, say no more. 00:04:58.879 --> 00:04:59.439 I am there. 00:04:59.600 --> 00:05:00.319 Like, I'm there. 00:05:00.480 --> 00:05:01.040 I'll be there. 00:05:01.199 --> 00:05:03.279 He sends me the address in the middle of nowhere. 00:05:03.439 --> 00:05:07.360 I drive out on a Sunday morning, I get to this tiny little Baptist church in the middle of nowhere. 00:05:07.439 --> 00:05:09.360 I walk in, there's 10 people inside. 00:05:09.519 --> 00:05:09.920 All right? 00:05:10.160 --> 00:05:12.079 Ten people inside, that's fine by me. 00:05:12.160 --> 00:05:12.800 It doesn't bother me at all. 00:05:12.879 --> 00:05:13.759 I'm like, that's great. 00:05:13.920 --> 00:05:16.240 Well, I realized Sunday school hadn't let out yet. 00:05:16.399 --> 00:05:19.439 So in a minute, the room was full with 15 people. 00:05:19.600 --> 00:05:21.920 So now we have 15 people in this room, right? 00:05:22.079 --> 00:05:30.240 And so these two ladies walk out, one of them goes to a piano on one side, one of them goes to the organ, and they start banging out these old Baptist hymns, you know, and it's like everything's going. 00:05:30.319 --> 00:05:31.839 I'm like, all right, I get I get what's happening. 00:05:31.920 --> 00:05:40.399 Well, finally I look up, and the lady playing the piano is like mean mugging me, like, and she's going, like, get like get up there, and I'm like, oh. 00:05:40.560 --> 00:05:42.959 So I kind of walk over and I'm like, what am I supposed to do? 00:05:43.040 --> 00:05:44.720 She goes, You gotta do the announcements. 00:05:44.959 --> 00:05:46.639 And I'm like, and the welcome. 00:05:46.800 --> 00:05:47.759 I was like, oh, okay. 00:05:47.839 --> 00:05:49.759 So I walk up, I welcome everybody. 00:05:49.920 --> 00:05:52.399 And in the Baptist world, you have to let everybody shake hands. 00:05:52.480 --> 00:05:55.920 I don't know if y'all knew that, but in the Baptist world, they're like they really want to shake hands in the morning. 00:05:56.079 --> 00:05:58.000 So like you have to shake, let them shake hands. 00:05:58.079 --> 00:06:03.360 So while they're shaking hands, I walk back over to her and I'm like, hey, sorry, I didn't know I was supposed to do the welcome. 00:06:03.600 --> 00:06:05.519 Is there anything else I'm supposed to do? 00:06:05.839 --> 00:06:07.519 And she goes, Well, you did the welcome. 00:06:07.759 --> 00:06:09.279 And I was like, Yeah, I took care of that. 00:06:09.519 --> 00:06:11.120 She goes, You're gonna preach, right? 00:06:11.439 --> 00:06:13.519 I said, Yeah, I'd planned on it. 00:06:13.680 --> 00:06:17.920 Um and then she goes, she goes, All right, well, you'll have to pray for the offering. 00:06:18.160 --> 00:06:19.120 I said, Okay, cool. 00:06:19.519 --> 00:06:20.240 When is the offering? 00:06:20.319 --> 00:06:21.680 She goes, it'll be after the second song. 00:06:21.920 --> 00:06:23.519 I was like, all right, what's the second song? 00:06:23.920 --> 00:06:27.920 And she lays a hymnal up on the piano and she goes, you tell me. 00:06:30.639 --> 00:06:35.040 And I said, I was like, uh, what is it like just pick one? 00:06:35.120 --> 00:06:36.079 Like, do I just like put it? 00:06:36.240 --> 00:06:37.920 She goes, I know every song in that book. 00:06:39.759 --> 00:06:42.079 She goes, you pick it, I'll play it. 00:06:42.480 --> 00:06:44.160 And I was like, oh, okay. 00:06:44.319 --> 00:06:46.959 And I'm thinking, this is weird, like, this is really strange. 00:06:47.040 --> 00:06:50.399 And so I'm thought, and she goes, she goes, just pick the one that you know the best. 00:06:50.480 --> 00:06:52.319 And I'm like, well, why would it matter if I know it the best? 00:06:52.399 --> 00:06:54.879 And she goes, Well, you're leading the music. 00:06:57.920 --> 00:07:01.600 And I'm like, Well, like at that point, I'm having a panic. 00:07:02.000 --> 00:07:03.199 Let me just tell y'all something. 00:07:03.360 --> 00:07:11.920 I, if you can tell me right now, there's five million people outside the doors, and somebody, I know some of you in this room, your worst spirit would be doing this right now. 00:07:12.079 --> 00:07:13.040 Let me tell you something. 00:07:13.199 --> 00:07:13.759 I am fine. 00:07:13.839 --> 00:07:18.000 There could be five million people outside, and you say, somebody's got to go talk to him, I'll be glad to do it. 00:07:18.160 --> 00:07:22.800 But you look at me and go, you need to stand up and sing in front of people. 00:07:23.920 --> 00:07:25.519 I am dead, man. 00:07:25.759 --> 00:07:26.480 Like, I'm dead. 00:07:26.560 --> 00:07:29.439 And so I look at this lady and I'm like, I'm I'm sorry. 00:07:29.680 --> 00:07:30.720 I'm leading the music. 00:07:30.800 --> 00:07:35.360 And she goes, Well, our pastor's wife leads the music here, and she's gone with him. 00:07:35.759 --> 00:07:37.759 And you're the only one that showed up. 00:07:38.000 --> 00:07:40.639 So she goes, I assume you're leading the music. 00:07:40.959 --> 00:07:46.959 Y'all, I had to, I kid you not, I had to lead music in this church of 15 people. 00:07:47.120 --> 00:07:48.079 We said I didn't know any. 00:07:48.399 --> 00:07:58.480 We sang Amazing Grace, we sang Blessed Assurance, and we were getting ready to have Christmas in July because I was going to do a little town of Bethlehem or something, because that's the only thing I knew. 00:07:58.560 --> 00:08:01.759 And she was like, just wave your arm around, they'll sing with you, you know? 00:08:02.000 --> 00:08:04.079 And so I'm up here doing all this stuff. 00:08:04.160 --> 00:08:12.000 I get done, I call my buddy, and I go, hey man, you left out a few details about preaching at your church, and he starts dying laughing. 00:08:12.079 --> 00:08:13.920 He goes, What songs did you sing? 00:08:14.959 --> 00:08:16.720 And I was like, Oh my gosh. 00:08:16.879 --> 00:08:19.759 He goes, I thought maybe you wouldn't come if I told you you're gonna have to do that. 00:08:19.839 --> 00:08:22.079 And I said, I said, okay, well, you got me on that one. 00:08:22.160 --> 00:08:24.160 He goes, Well, let me ask you this, did they at least pay you? 00:08:24.240 --> 00:08:27.120 And I said, No, like nobody gave me anything. 00:08:27.199 --> 00:08:28.720 He goes, Good, they weren't supposed to do that either. 00:08:28.800 --> 00:08:30.399 And he hung up the phone. 00:08:31.199 --> 00:08:36.080 Those are the churches that I get asked to preach, and so when I come here, I'm like, this is the best, you know? 00:08:36.240 --> 00:08:36.879 This is great. 00:08:36.960 --> 00:08:38.879 But I have you have this moment, right? 00:08:39.039 --> 00:08:50.559 This moment, in that moment where I'm standing there trying to pretend like I know how to lead music, thank God for Sam Heilig and all the people that do it here, where I'm trying to stand there and pretend music, and I'm going, how did I get here? 00:08:50.799 --> 00:08:52.159 How did this happen? 00:08:52.480 --> 00:08:53.200 Why me? 00:08:53.440 --> 00:08:54.399 Why am I doing this? 00:08:54.559 --> 00:09:03.919 And I see all of those things, and when we take this passage of scripture in Luke that we're looking at today, and we look through the lens of Mary, not through the lens of Christmas. 00:09:04.080 --> 00:09:04.720 Remember that. 00:09:04.879 --> 00:09:11.600 When we look through the lens of Mary, think about what's happening in Mary's life in this moment. 00:09:11.759 --> 00:09:15.120 The first thing that happens in verse 26 is look what goes on. 00:09:15.279 --> 00:09:18.399 It says, in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel. 00:09:18.480 --> 00:09:19.519 Now we've got to stop right there. 00:09:19.759 --> 00:09:23.200 Sixth month is referring to Elizabeth's pregnancy. 00:09:23.440 --> 00:09:26.240 Elizabeth is pregnant with John the Baptist at the same time. 00:09:26.399 --> 00:09:30.879 So when it says in the sixth month, it's talking about in the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy. 00:09:31.039 --> 00:09:33.519 And it says the angel Gabriel. 00:09:33.759 --> 00:09:38.000 Now, this name Gabriel, it appears four times in the Bible. 00:09:38.240 --> 00:09:40.960 Twice in Daniel and twice in Luke. 00:09:41.200 --> 00:09:45.600 And in both of those instances, so we have an Old Testament instance, New Testament instance, right? 00:09:45.840 --> 00:09:55.200 In all of those instances, what Gabriel comes to do is to come to proclaim to someone else what God's will is going to be. 00:09:55.679 --> 00:10:00.080 He shows up and he goes to proclaim to these people, this is what's going to happen. 00:10:00.159 --> 00:10:04.320 In Daniel's case, it was the interpretation of a vision that Daniel had. 00:10:04.559 --> 00:10:07.600 Gabriel had to come and explain what that vision meant. 00:10:07.759 --> 00:10:14.879 In this case, the angel had to show up and first tell Elizabeth and Zacharias, you're going to get pregnant in your old age and have John the Baptist. 00:10:15.039 --> 00:10:19.120 Then he shows up to Mary and says, You're going to conceive Jesus. 00:10:19.279 --> 00:10:20.879 That's Gabriel's job. 00:10:21.120 --> 00:10:26.080 He says he was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth. 00:10:26.240 --> 00:10:28.000 So he shows up to Nazareth. 00:10:28.080 --> 00:10:33.279 And if you know anything about biblical maps, then good job. 00:10:33.440 --> 00:10:34.320 Because I don't. 00:10:34.480 --> 00:10:38.240 So I would love to tell you exactly where Nazareth is on a map. 00:10:38.320 --> 00:10:40.000 I'd love to tell you that I've been there and walked that. 00:10:40.240 --> 00:10:40.799 I've never been there. 00:10:40.879 --> 00:10:41.200 I don't know. 00:10:41.279 --> 00:10:43.360 I couldn't point to Nazareth on a map if you try it. 00:10:43.519 --> 00:10:44.320 I have no idea. 00:10:44.480 --> 00:10:45.600 Here's what I do know, though. 00:10:45.759 --> 00:10:57.039 I know that if we jumped over to the first chapter of John, in John chapter 46, there are two, or in John chapter 1, verse 46, there are two disciples that Jesus is calling. 00:10:57.279 --> 00:11:04.159 And they go to a friend and they say, We have found the Messiah of the Old Testament prophecies. 00:11:04.320 --> 00:11:09.360 And this guy, Nathaniel, looks up and they go, He is Jesus of Nazareth. 00:11:09.519 --> 00:11:15.120 And Nathaniel goes, There has never been a good thing come out of Nazareth. 00:11:16.320 --> 00:11:19.039 That's the thought of Nazareth. 00:11:19.200 --> 00:11:22.000 So I need you to put yourself in that place. 00:11:22.159 --> 00:11:33.840 I need you to understand that this angel is showing up not only to a person that doesn't expect it, not only to proclaim something that no one knows is going to happen, but he shows up to the worst part of town to do it. 00:11:34.159 --> 00:11:42.960 This is not something where there's this big, grand, incredible thing that's going to take place in this massive major city and all of this stuff is going to happen. 00:11:43.120 --> 00:11:55.279 This is literally an angel of the Lord showing up to an undeserving, unexpecting person in a bad part of town and going, You are going to complete God's perfect will. 00:11:57.840 --> 00:12:02.240 Man, how in the world could that possibly take place? 00:12:02.879 --> 00:12:04.159 So what do we know about Mary? 00:12:04.240 --> 00:12:05.120 In verse 27. 00:12:05.279 --> 00:12:15.600 So he shows up to a virgin, betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. 00:12:16.080 --> 00:12:24.080 And he came to her and said in verse 28, greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you. 00:12:24.240 --> 00:12:29.039 Now, I have to stop right there because here's what happens when we do biblical profiles on people. 00:12:29.200 --> 00:12:30.480 I need you to understand that. 00:12:30.720 --> 00:12:32.559 We walk a fine line. 00:12:32.879 --> 00:12:34.480 The fine line is this. 00:12:34.720 --> 00:12:42.399 We can take a biblical profile of a person, whether it be Mary, whether it be Paul, whether it be Moses, pick whichever one you want to. 00:12:42.559 --> 00:12:54.720 And what we can make a mistake in doing is we can elevate that person to a status above that of Jesus and give them the qualities and the salvation that only Jesus can offer. 00:12:54.799 --> 00:12:58.000 We can elevate that person and say, that's who we need to emulate. 00:12:58.159 --> 00:13:05.679 Or we can swing the pendulum the complete opposite way, and we don't give them enough credit for what God has done through them through the pages of Scripture. 00:13:05.840 --> 00:13:16.639 So where we want to land as a church is somewhere in the middle where we are not placing a person above that of Jesus, but we're also not going, ah, there's really not much to look at there. 00:13:16.799 --> 00:13:26.879 There's always something that God's going to try to accomplish in his word that we need to understand, and it's no different through Mary, because look at what he says in verse 28. 00:13:27.200 --> 00:13:32.559 Greetings, O favored One, the Lord is with you. 00:13:32.799 --> 00:13:35.200 Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you. 00:13:35.440 --> 00:13:37.360 Now, here's what you have to understand about that. 00:13:37.440 --> 00:13:38.879 I'm going to be smart for a minute. 00:13:38.960 --> 00:13:39.600 You ready? 00:13:40.480 --> 00:13:41.679 Don't be shocked. 00:13:42.720 --> 00:13:47.919 That is a Greek word, O favored one, called Harataho. 00:13:48.480 --> 00:13:48.799 Okay? 00:13:49.279 --> 00:13:50.799 Yes, I said it right. 00:13:51.200 --> 00:13:53.200 You can check it later on, okay? 00:13:53.679 --> 00:13:55.840 Somebody enters here and go, nope, I still got it wrong. 00:13:56.240 --> 00:13:56.720 That's fine. 00:13:56.879 --> 00:13:57.679 That's okay. 00:13:58.000 --> 00:13:59.039 Harataho. 00:13:59.440 --> 00:14:01.120 Guess how many times I should use it in the Bible? 00:14:01.679 --> 00:14:02.080 Twice. 00:14:02.639 --> 00:14:03.279 Two times. 00:14:03.600 --> 00:14:04.799 Once right here. 00:14:05.120 --> 00:14:08.559 The second one is Paul uses it in Ephesians chapter 1. 00:14:08.639 --> 00:14:14.799 And Paul uses it to refer to every single believer that believes in Jesus. 00:14:15.039 --> 00:14:15.600 Why? 00:14:15.919 --> 00:14:24.399 Because it has a connotation of betrothed grace, given grace, is what that word means. 00:14:24.639 --> 00:14:27.279 To have grace heaped upon you. 00:14:27.759 --> 00:14:34.399 Paul uses it for all believers in Ephesians chapter 1 because it's literally what Jesus does for us. 00:14:36.320 --> 00:14:44.480 Luke uses it here to show that what was going on with Mary was not anything to do with her own nature. 00:14:44.720 --> 00:14:47.519 It was nothing to do with anything she had done herself. 00:14:47.679 --> 00:14:56.000 What it was was it was literally a gift, a heaping of grace of an Almighty God onto her. 00:14:57.200 --> 00:15:07.679 She would become the person to literally give birth to the Savior of the world, and it was a gift of God bestowed upon her. 00:15:09.200 --> 00:15:14.639 No expectation, no, well, you pick the right person, nothing. 00:15:15.200 --> 00:15:21.120 Mary was given this opportunity out of an abundance of grace from an Almighty God. 00:15:22.240 --> 00:15:27.440 Look at how she handles that grace in the next verse. 00:15:28.000 --> 00:15:29.200 Verse 29. 00:15:29.679 --> 00:15:39.360 But she was greatly troubled at the saying and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 00:15:40.159 --> 00:15:45.759 Now there are plenty of New Testament people that are way, way smarter than I am. 00:15:46.000 --> 00:15:47.360 Way smarter than I am. 00:15:47.600 --> 00:15:51.600 And there are some out there that get a little bit out on the fringes and they say, no, no, no. 00:15:51.840 --> 00:16:08.480 Mary is so important, so elevated, that she actually knew from her birth that she was going to be the mother of Jesus, and she lived a life according to that, so that, which is why we place her on this high pedestal in some circles. 00:16:09.120 --> 00:16:10.000 You see what I'm saying? 00:16:10.159 --> 00:16:11.519 That's what was going on there. 00:16:11.840 --> 00:16:23.679 Why in the world then would you have a verse like verse 29 where an angel of the Lord shows up to her and her first reaction is, she is greatly troubled and trying to discern what this means. 00:16:24.399 --> 00:16:29.279 This is a person that has no idea this is coming, no idea what's gonna happen. 00:16:29.519 --> 00:16:34.879 Regardless of the life that she's lived, it is a gift of God that's been bestowed upon her. 00:16:35.120 --> 00:16:38.720 She did not see this coming. 00:16:39.519 --> 00:16:41.440 Now that I can understand. 00:16:47.120 --> 00:16:48.799 My mother is here today. 00:16:49.120 --> 00:16:49.600 Annette. 00:16:50.159 --> 00:16:50.960 She's right over there. 00:16:51.039 --> 00:16:51.759 Hey Annette. 00:16:52.399 --> 00:16:53.200 Look at her. 00:16:54.480 --> 00:16:55.600 My mom's here today. 00:16:55.679 --> 00:17:00.399 If you know anything about my story, anything about my life, my dad passed away when I was three years old. 00:17:00.559 --> 00:17:03.919 I was raised by that lady right over there my entire life. 00:17:04.079 --> 00:17:06.319 Is it you already know she's amazing, right? 00:17:06.400 --> 00:17:08.079 Like, look, you're like, whoa. 00:17:08.799 --> 00:17:09.599 Whoa. 00:17:10.400 --> 00:17:12.240 Look at the job she did. 00:17:12.880 --> 00:17:14.960 I was raised by that lady my entire life. 00:17:15.200 --> 00:17:17.839 That is the, and listen, let me tell you something. 00:17:17.920 --> 00:17:21.279 If you talk to her afterwards, if you want to come say hello afterwards, say hello. 00:17:21.359 --> 00:17:23.599 You just don't say anything bad about Mandy. 00:17:23.839 --> 00:17:25.680 Don't say anything bad about her grandchildren. 00:17:25.920 --> 00:17:27.359 Me, you can say anything you want to about. 00:17:27.599 --> 00:17:28.559 At this point, she's done with me. 00:17:28.720 --> 00:17:29.680 She's like, whatever. 00:17:29.839 --> 00:17:33.759 Uh, but she has a daughter-in-law and grandchildren, that's really all she cares about at this point. 00:17:34.000 --> 00:17:36.319 So um, she's anything you want to. 00:17:36.400 --> 00:17:37.759 My dad passed away when I was three years old. 00:17:37.839 --> 00:17:38.960 I was raised by this lady over here. 00:17:39.200 --> 00:17:42.000 This is to me, and and I need y'all to understand this I love all of you. 00:17:42.160 --> 00:17:45.359 That's the finest Christian woman that's ever lived on the face of the planet. 00:17:45.519 --> 00:17:46.880 Never done anything wrong, ever. 00:17:47.039 --> 00:17:49.440 She's never done a thing wrong in her entire life. 00:17:49.839 --> 00:17:50.880 Except one. 00:17:52.720 --> 00:17:54.079 I need y'all to know something. 00:17:54.400 --> 00:17:54.960 Annette. 00:17:55.599 --> 00:17:56.720 Sweet little Annette. 00:17:57.920 --> 00:17:59.680 I said a cuss word one time. 00:18:05.920 --> 00:18:07.599 She's gonna be so mad. 00:18:08.799 --> 00:18:09.920 So funny. 00:18:11.279 --> 00:18:12.640 You know when she said it? 00:18:12.880 --> 00:18:14.640 I won't tell you what she said because this is a church. 00:18:14.720 --> 00:18:15.359 You can't say it. 00:18:15.680 --> 00:18:18.480 Um she said it at Christmas. 00:18:18.799 --> 00:18:19.599 That's right. 00:18:20.319 --> 00:18:25.440 At Jesus' birth, the greatest Christian woman on earth cussed. 00:18:26.160 --> 00:18:27.039 You know why? 00:18:27.279 --> 00:18:33.279 Because she was putting up our fake Christmas tree in our house and she hit her head on a mantle on the uh fireplace when she was putting it up. 00:18:33.519 --> 00:18:38.240 So she's like, she about knocks herself out putting up our Christmas tree, right? 00:18:38.400 --> 00:18:39.599 She says a cuss word. 00:18:39.920 --> 00:18:47.039 I'm in my brother, who's three years older than I am, he's sprinting around the house yelling the cuss word because that meant that this was a license now. 00:18:47.200 --> 00:18:49.440 We all had a license to cuss whenever we wanted to. 00:18:49.599 --> 00:18:53.359 I'm, you know, me, I'm in the corner praying for our family that's obviously falling apart. 00:18:53.519 --> 00:19:07.680 And, you know, all of these things, like, that's that was the kid I was, you know, that like all of this is happening, but I just remember in that moment I'm thinking, I'm thinking, like, this is it, it's just it's amazing, but I don't understand it. 00:19:07.759 --> 00:19:09.200 You know, like I don't get it. 00:19:09.359 --> 00:19:22.799 I see all of that stuff, but here's this woman, and we've always joked about that one time because I'm telling you right now, if you know my mother, you would never, ever, ever think that she has ever done anything like that. 00:19:22.960 --> 00:19:25.440 And so I like to remind people sometimes. 00:19:25.680 --> 00:19:26.880 Yes, she has. 00:19:27.119 --> 00:19:28.960 You know, like guess what? 00:19:29.200 --> 00:19:30.559 You have too. 00:19:31.039 --> 00:19:38.319 We've all been in that situation where there's things that go on that we don't understand, we don't get it, it happens, we we just can't figure out how it all comes together. 00:19:38.400 --> 00:19:48.799 But for me, when I look in on this profile of Mary and I see this woman who's standing here in the midst of this angel, going, I don't understand why this is happening to me. 00:19:49.039 --> 00:20:02.079 I think about my mother who, in a time in her life, even as much as she loved the Lord, even in as much as she was so uh tied to his word, so tied to what he was doing in her life, my father passes away. 00:20:02.240 --> 00:20:07.759 She has this opportunity to go, that's it, forget it, cut it off, I'm done with all of it. 00:20:07.839 --> 00:20:16.240 But instead, all she had to say was, I don't understand why this is happening, but there's something going on here. 00:20:17.359 --> 00:20:19.920 And Mary goes on and goes, I don't understand this. 00:20:20.400 --> 00:20:31.680 And in verse 30, the angel says to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God, and behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son. 00:20:31.839 --> 00:20:33.440 You shall call his name Jesus. 00:20:33.759 --> 00:20:37.599 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High. 00:20:37.680 --> 00:20:47.599 And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. 00:20:48.960 --> 00:20:58.319 In all of these things, as Mary is sitting there in her misunderstanding of what's going on, and her misunderstanding of how could this possibly happen to me, it doesn't make any sense. 00:20:58.480 --> 00:21:01.839 What the angel does is he lays out a lot of stuff for her. 00:21:02.000 --> 00:21:07.119 And what it is is it's a full section of theology that we call the doctrine of incarnation. 00:21:07.279 --> 00:21:27.920 And the doctrine of incarnation hangs a lot of important theology, and the reason is because Jesus, in order to be fully God, fully man, had to be born according to a prophecy in Isaiah chapter 7, and the only way that it would be fulfilled is exactly the way that the angel just laid this out to Mary. 00:21:28.079 --> 00:21:30.240 It is all connected. 00:21:31.200 --> 00:21:37.200 None of it is truly by surprise, except when you look through the lens of Mary. 00:21:37.920 --> 00:21:40.559 Because she never thought that she would be the one. 00:21:41.920 --> 00:21:59.759 And the angel lays out all of this important things that are gonna happen right here, all of these things that are gonna take place, all of this is gonna go on, how she is literally gonna give birth to the Savior of the world, and in verse 34, Mary looks at this angel, and you would think, okay, he's laid it all out perfectly clear, and this is what she said. 00:22:00.720 --> 00:22:03.279 How will this be? 00:22:03.680 --> 00:22:05.119 Since I'm a virgin. 00:22:06.400 --> 00:22:10.480 Her misunderstanding doesn't just lead to, I don't get why this is happening to me. 00:22:10.640 --> 00:22:14.160 All of a sudden it brings up questions in her life of, what am I supposed to do with this? 00:22:14.240 --> 00:22:15.920 How can this even be possible? 00:22:16.160 --> 00:22:18.400 How is it even possible that this can take place? 00:22:18.559 --> 00:22:23.599 And the angel continues in verse 35 and says, The angel answered her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you. 00:22:23.759 --> 00:22:26.240 The power of the Most High will overshadow you. 00:22:26.480 --> 00:22:31.599 Therefore, the child will be born, will be called holy, the Son of God. 00:22:31.759 --> 00:22:40.480 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age is also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 00:22:41.200 --> 00:22:48.400 The angel starts to lay out this life progress in Mary and go, Oh, it's not only that I'm at work in you, I'm also at work in a ton of other things. 00:22:48.559 --> 00:22:54.160 He says, God's working in all of these ways so that his will will be accomplished. 00:22:54.319 --> 00:22:58.559 And he goes through her and he says, Look at your, look at Elizabeth. 00:22:58.799 --> 00:23:02.079 She was barren and now she's going to give birth to a son. 00:23:02.240 --> 00:23:13.599 And look at what in verse 37 the angel tells her for the final time, he says, For nothing will be impossible with God. 00:23:16.319 --> 00:23:18.720 Nothing will be impossible with God. 00:23:18.960 --> 00:23:24.640 Now, I would love to plant the flag right there today and go, that's all you need to know. 00:23:24.799 --> 00:23:25.920 Thanks for coming, everybody. 00:23:26.079 --> 00:23:27.680 Nothing will be impossible with God. 00:23:27.839 --> 00:23:30.079 That would not be a profile of Mary, though. 00:23:30.240 --> 00:23:34.480 Because what we have to understand about Mary is the very next verse in verse 38. 00:23:34.640 --> 00:23:39.039 She has so far to this point questioned, how can this happen? 00:23:39.279 --> 00:23:41.759 Questioned, how will it even happen? 00:23:41.920 --> 00:23:44.559 And then she gets to verse 38, and look at what it says. 00:23:44.720 --> 00:23:51.039 It says, And Mary said, Behold, I am the servant of the Lord. 00:23:52.079 --> 00:23:58.079 Let it be to me according to your word. 00:23:59.200 --> 00:24:00.799 And the angel departed from her. 00:24:01.759 --> 00:24:03.599 Now I need y'all to understand something. 00:24:04.720 --> 00:24:13.359 This right here, this verse of Mary, this is Mary's first enunciation to the angel where she says, I accept what you have told me. 00:24:13.519 --> 00:24:14.640 And look at what she says. 00:24:14.880 --> 00:24:22.000 Let it be to me according to your word. 00:24:22.720 --> 00:24:24.960 You say, Brad, this is all well and good. 00:24:25.200 --> 00:24:29.119 What in the world are we as a church supposed to do with this? 00:24:29.359 --> 00:24:31.039 What are we supposed to do with this? 00:24:31.359 --> 00:24:32.960 Well, it's real simple. 00:24:33.359 --> 00:24:40.640 You see, God, in his glory, in his timing, in his way, calls each of us to something. 00:24:40.880 --> 00:24:43.279 Now you may say, I'm not important enough. 00:24:43.519 --> 00:24:45.200 I'm not important enough for God to call me. 00:24:45.279 --> 00:24:49.920 And the reason you say that is because we have kind of misrepresented what a calling is, right? 00:24:50.079 --> 00:24:57.759 You hear the word calling and you think of people standing up here working for the church, think of a missionary across seas, you think about all of these other things that are going on. 00:24:57.920 --> 00:25:00.640 You have to be called to do those things. 00:25:00.799 --> 00:25:08.559 And we place this heavy, heavy burden on the calling and say, in order for this to happen, you have to be called to do this. 00:25:08.720 --> 00:25:12.319 And then it's going to completely change your life, and all of these things are going to happen. 00:25:12.480 --> 00:25:21.359 But what's really going on here is this is Mary sums it up so well where she says, Let it be to me according to your word. 00:25:22.079 --> 00:25:27.039 What Mary is doing is she is laying out a framework for us to go. 00:25:27.279 --> 00:25:31.200 I may not understand it, and I may even question it. 00:25:31.359 --> 00:25:38.960 But if it's supposed to be from an Almighty, holy God, then whatever it is, let it be. 00:25:40.559 --> 00:25:48.079 The lesson for you and I today is that we rarely in the world that we live in today get to that place. 00:25:49.200 --> 00:25:50.960 We say it can't be me. 00:25:51.200 --> 00:25:52.880 We say I'm not this. 00:25:53.119 --> 00:25:54.079 I'm not that. 00:25:54.319 --> 00:25:55.759 I may not be good enough. 00:25:55.920 --> 00:25:57.519 You don't know what's going on. 00:25:57.680 --> 00:25:59.599 You don't know how hard that would be. 00:25:59.759 --> 00:26:02.240 You don't understand what it would take for me to do that. 00:26:02.400 --> 00:26:08.160 You don't understand that the Lord possibly couldn't be calling me to that because that sounds absolutely crazy. 00:26:08.319 --> 00:26:19.200 But in all of that, in every single bit of it, what Mary says, her response to the angel of the Lord is, let it be to me according to your word. 00:26:19.680 --> 00:26:34.400 Church, our response to the things that God is calling us to every single day, whether they are gigantic or whether they are small, should be, Lord, let it be according to your word. 00:26:36.240 --> 00:26:54.880 Our lives should be a picture of God working in us and through us because of his grace and mercy bestowed upon us to go out and live his will and his calling for our lives. 00:26:55.599 --> 00:27:01.519 If there's anything that we take from the beginning of this profile of Mary right here, it is this. 00:27:01.839 --> 00:27:03.039 God is at work. 00:27:03.680 --> 00:27:09.920 He is active at work in you, through you, in all things. 00:27:12.400 --> 00:27:15.200 What is your response? 00:27:16.000 --> 00:27:19.599 My prayer is that it would be exactly like Mary's. 00:27:20.000 --> 00:27:25.039 Let it be to me according to your word. 00:27:25.680 --> 00:27:27.039 Let me pray for us this morning. 00:27:27.119 --> 00:27:27.839 Father, we love you. 00:27:28.079 --> 00:27:31.680 We thank you for this opportunity to come and to worship you. 00:27:39.759 --> 00:27:46.319 And Father, that you would be made known to each and every one of us in this room, Father. 00:27:46.400 --> 00:27:53.200 I pray that today there's one here that doesn't know you, that doesn't understand your grace, your mercy, your power. 00:27:54.079 --> 00:27:56.559 Father, that today would be the day of their salvation. 00:27:56.960 --> 00:27:58.720 And we pray all this in Jesus' name. 00:27:58.960 --> 00:27:59.440 Amen.