The title of the message this morning is Gabriel was sent to Mary. In last week's text, the angel Gabriel was sent to and appeared to Zacharias, a priest, as Zacharias offered incense in the holy place inside the temple. So the Israelites are a holy people and Jerusalem is a holy city. Inside Jerusalem is a holy place called the temple. Inside the temple is a holy place called the the inner courts where only the priests would go.

The priests are a holy part of the holy people. There was a holier place. You see this progression of holiness. Israel is holy, but within Israel Jerusalem is holier still. Within Jerusalem the temple is holier still.

Within the temple the holy place is holier still. Within That is the holy of holies where only one priest can go one time a year. You can see that we're talking about something that is super special in last week's text because Zacharias as a priest would only be allowed to do this one time. Many priests never got the opportunity to do it, so this is his chance. This is the culmination of a lifetime of serving in the priesthood.

What a holy moment with or without an angel. It was a special moment. We might expect an angel to appear there within the Holy Land and the Holy City and the Holy Temple and the Holy Place within the temple with the priest doing the one time he would do it You might expect an angel to show up and say something there. Where we might not expect an angel to appear is in a small unknown farming community in the outer reaches of Israel appearing to an unknown young woman. But that's where the angel appears in this week's text.

Our God, thank You for the glory of the Gospels. And It is thrilling to consider Luke's reciting of eyewitness accounts of these things. Thank you for giving us this orderly account of promises fulfilled. Pray that you would use them for our strengthening and encouragement. In Jesus' name, Amen.

We're going to break this text in half. It's 13 verses. The first subsection being 26-33. That's how I've broken it up. So hopefully your Bibles are still open to Luke 1.

Follow along as I reread Luke 1, verses 26-33. Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. Having come in, the angel said to her, Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women.

But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 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 a 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 forever and of his kingdom there will be no end." These are amazing words.

In this subsection, Gabriel visits and speaks to Mary. We met Gabriel last week. He was the angel who appeared to Zacharias in the holy place in the temple as Zacharias offered incense for the one time in his life. Our text begins now in the sixth month of June? June is the sixth month.

Does this mean June? No. Look back at verse 24. Now after those days, Zacharias' wife Elizabeth conceived and she hid herself five months. So she becomes pregnant, but she's keeping that under wraps for five months.

And now, in the sixth month, Look forward to verse 36. Verse 36 says, this is the words of Gabriel, 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. So the time marking has to do with the fulfillment of what Gabriel told Zacharias what happened that Elizabeth would become pregnant with John the Baptist. So this is the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy. Gabriel is now sent by God.

So God says to Gabriel, go here, go to this person, say this, Gabriel is sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth. So, Galilee is the larger region. It's northwest of Jerusalem, if you're counting miles from Jerusalem to Nazareth, the city, it's about 70 miles, and Galilee is the region bordering and to the west of the Sea of Galilee, and Nazareth is the city, which is about 70 miles northwest of Jerusalem. Nazareth is near but not right on the Sea of Galilee. So it's near the Sea of Galilee, but it's not a coastal city.

It's maybe five miles off of the Sea of Galilee. ESV has a note that says this, ESV study Bible, Excavations at Nazareth have located tombs, olive presses, wells, and vaulted cells for wine and oil storage, indicating that the village was a small agricultural settlement. I wonder how many obscure little farming towns we have in North Carolina. We went down near Wilmington yesterday And I bet we saw a hundred just between here and Wilmington. This is just one direction Just part of the way and we probably saw a hundred obscure little farming communities And so and so this is what Nazareth is and obscure Nobody knows about it unless you live near it.

Agricultural community in Israel. David Garland in his commentary says this, the town of Nazareth receives no notice in Scripture, no notice in intertestamental literature, no notice in Josephus, No notice in rabbinic literature. Meaning, if you look in Jewish literature, inside or outside the scripture, no matter what the genre of literature is, they don't talk about Nazareth. This is Nowheresville. This is where the angel Gabriel is sent to a young woman named Mary and we're given information about Mary.

Mary is a virgin. Mary has never been in a physical union with a man as an unmarried woman. This is exactly what Mary ought to be, and this is exactly what Mary is. Mary is betrothed. That means much more than she has agreed to get married.

That's what we think it means. It's much more than she is 21st century American engaged. She's that plus a million. MacArthur explains in his study Bible, this is a note from the MacArthur Study Bible, betrothed, i.e. The first stage of marriage in Jewish culture, usually lasting for a year before the wedding night, more than legal, more legal than engagement.

Engagement in 21st century America is not a legal contract. If you break your engagement, you don't have to divorce to do it. This is actually a legal binding contract, essentially a contract, and to break it you have to divorce. You cannot think 21st century American engagement. ESV Study Bible has this note, the truth, a legally binding engagement breakable only by divorce, and then it references Matthew 1 19 which says that Joseph was thinking about divorcing her when it says He was considering putting her away.

That's what it meant. It was like break off this engagement, which was legally binding divorce this woman. That's what he was considering. David Garland says this about being betrothed in his commentary. Luke assumes the marriage customs without explaining that Mary's father has given his consent for her to marry Joseph and the bride price has been paid but Joseph has not yet taken her to live with him in his household." So this is between the period where he has asked and been granted permission to marry her by the father, the family, and he's paid a bride's price, and then they're in this normally a year before then the man would take his wife into his household.

So this is not, we don't have an equivalent of this. Robert Stein says this of betrothal in his commentary, upon payment of a purchase price to the bride's father, the bride's price, for he lost a daughter and help her whereas the son's family gained one. And a written agreement and or oath by the son, the couple, was engaged or betrothed. And engagement was legally binding and any physical union by the daughter with another person was considered adultery. So you have to know this, this is incredibly important to the history here.

If you're not married and there's physical union, it's fornication and there's a penalty for it, but the penalty isn't for death. If you're betrothed and there's physical union, then it's considered adultery because you've entered into physical union with somebody else's wife and you die for that. So you can see there's a enormous difference here. The engagement could not be broken except through divorce, Matthew 1.19, and the parties during this period were considered husband and wife. At this time, Mary likely was no more than 15 years old, probably closer to 13, which was the normal age for a betrothal.

Now, that last part is speculation. There's nowhere in the Bible that says she was 13 or 15 or 17. We don't know, but it is at least speculation informed by the customs of this time. We do know that during that time, it was very common for young women, we don't almost even consider this age as young women, but young women of 13 or 15 to become betrothed and then in a year to be taken into their husband's home. So Mary is a virgin.

Mary is betrothed. And the man Mary is betrothed to is a descendant of King David. Great-grandfather no. Great-great-grandfather no. Great-great-great-great-grandfather no.

A thousand years have gone by. They kept track. You would know what tribe you were of. Joseph was of the tribe of Judah, but more than that, within the tribe of Judah, one family, the family of kings, the family of King David, a thousand years earlier, King David was the father of these descendants. His name is Joseph, a descendant of King David, a thousand and fifty years before.

A thousand and fifty years gets you really close. Now we have the background information. The where? Nazareth in Galilee, and the who? Mary betrothed to Joseph.

Now Gabriel comes in and speaks. He says, Rejoice, highly favored one! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women. I know I'm supposed to say blessed.

I can't do it. I just can't do it. It's too formal. I don't think he said blessed. I think he said blessed.

You're blessed by God. Rejoice, as in rejoice highly favored one, isn't an irresponsible translation, so I'm not complaining about the translation, but we probably don't properly understand it because it was a very standard greeting in the time when Luke was writing. So when I greet you I'm not going to say, rejoice Riley. That's not our standard greeting. It is their standard greeting.

Gabriel is coming to Mary with the standard greeting of the time. So, rejoice isn't a bad translation, but when we read it, we're thinking something different than she would have thought. Or, the most excellent Theophilus would have thought when he's reading this account. It's the standard greeting at the time when Luke was writing, which is why the NASB and the ESV and the NIV translated greetings, highly favored one, and the King James translates it hail. We don't say that either, but it's at least we recognize it as a greeting.

We don't recognize rejoice as a greeting. Greetings we recognize as a greeting and hail we do. So Gabriel greets Mary and then he tells her, from the Lord, Mary, I'm an angel, God sent me from heaven to say this to you. This is what we have before us. He tells her from the Lord what the Lord's disposition is towards her.

God sent me from heaven to tell you this. This is His disposition towards you. He highly favors you. He's with you. Mary, you are so blessed.

Many women enjoy the blessing of God, but even Among blessed women, you are highly favored. You are receiving a distinct honor among the blessed women. You are blessed among the blessed. Like Israel was a holy people and then the priests were holy within Israel. Like there's blessed women, the universe of blessed women.

In the universe of blessed women, you are highly favored. You are blessed among the blessed. Now, it should be said that the Roman Catholic Ave Maria, have you heard of this? The Ave Maria, Hail Mary, full of grace. If you go out of the abortion clinic, they'll be across the street with their rosaries saying, Hail Mary, full of grace.

It comes from this verse. That's where they got it. So let's talk about that. That rendering, the Ave Maria, the Hail Mary, full of grace in the Roman Catholic Church, makes it sound like Mary has grace to give. Hail Mary full of grace.

Oh, give me some of that grace. Not that she is the recipient of grace. And that is an irresponsible understanding. The Greek doesn't bear that in any way, shape, or form. Listen to J.C.

Ryle. In no way can the word bear the sense of one full of grace to bestow on others. You can't make the language do that if you understand the language. It doesn't do that. The Greek doesn't bear that.

It never has, and it doesn't now, and it never will. In fact, that Greek word that is translated highly favored, Hail Mary, highly favored one, or full of grace in the Roman Catholic Ave Maria, is the exact same Greek word that is used in Ephesians 1 verse 6, which says that all believers are accepted in the beloved, or highly favored in the beloved. That's what Paul says in Ephesians 1.6. All believers are accepted in or highly favored in the beloved, and the beloved is the Lord Jesus Christ. So It says of me, just a run-of-the-mill believer, the same thing that it says of Mary in the Ave Maria, or whatever you want to call it.

I don't want to call it that. I think it's misnamed, I think it's bad, I think it's a perversion. By the way, don't blame Mary. It's not her fault. The perversions about Mary aren't her fault.

She's a wonderful woman of faith. We should say, right on! Thank you God for raising up a woman who has that much faith that we see here. She's a blessing. I find myself sort of blaming Mary in my mind.

It's not her fault. The average run-of-the-mill believer is not a run-of-the-mill believer. There is no such thing. If you are in the Lord Jesus Christ by faith, you are highly favored. You are accepted in the beloved on the authority of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 1, chapter 6.

You are full of grace. Not the dole out, but you are the recipient of an abundance of grace in the Lord Jesus Christ, joined by faith to the Lord Jesus Christ. I don't say that to diminish the position of Mary. I say that to elevate how we think of all who are in Christ Jesus, God's beloved Son. So We're not trying to shrink Mary here, we're trying to elevate what you are when you're joined to Jesus Christ by faith.

You are highly favored in God's Son because He loves His Son. When you're joined to Him by faith, you are highly favored in Him in the way that Mary was highly favored by God to be given this honor. I can tell I need to calm down. Okay, I'll calm down. That's great.

Isn't it great that you're highly favored in the same way that the text says Mary is? I'm not wrong to be excited about that, but I will calm down. So Gabriel has said wonderful things, but still, Gabriel is an angel. She's encountering an angel, so Mary has the same reaction practically everyone else has in Scripture when in the presence of an angel, when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and she wondered what manner of greeting this was, and Gabriel needs to tell her, do not be afraid, Mary. Last week Gabriel appears to Zacharias.

He's troubled, and Gabriel needs to say to him, don't be afraid, Zacharias. Now he comes to Mary and she's troubled, and he needs to say to her, do not be afraid, Mary, and this is very common in Scripture. This is essentially the same as Zacharias in last week's text. His reaction is the same as her reaction now. Gabriel tells Mary why she has no need to fear.

He doesn't say, angels are nothing to fear. That's not true. But He gives her the reason why she has no reason for fear. She has found favor with God. Let's let that be a rule of thumb.

If you have found favor with God, you have nothing to fear from angels. If you don't have the favor of God, you have plenty to fear from angels. The Greek word translated favor is charis, grace. Most of the places that Greek word is translated in the New Testament is translated grace, which is no problem because grace is unearned, unmerited favor. So it's fine to say, highly favored one, or one who receives grace, because grace is unearned, unmerited favor.

Just as in our study of Genesis, Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. And everything in Noah's life flows after that statement in Genesis. The first thing that is wonderful about Noah that we get is Noah found grace, but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. And then the wonderful things in his life flow out of that statement. The same with Mary.

Scripture isn't about the people who have gotten their act together. Thank God. Only one person in Scripture has his act together. The Lord Jesus Christ, the God-man. And the rest of us need Him." So the scripture gives us one man who has His act together and the rest of us need Him, and that one man is Jesus Christ.

Gabriel continues. Behold, meaning look at this thing that is about to come to pass behold you will conceive and bring forth a son. You're going to be pregnant. You're going to give birth. You're going to name this baby boy Jesus.

In Matthew chapter 1, when an angel appears to Joseph, is it Gabriel? We don't know. The angel is unnamed in Matthew chapter 1. In Matthew chapter 1, when an angel appears to Joseph, is it Gabriel? We don't know.

The angel is unnamed in Matthew chapter 1. In Matthew chapter 1, when an angel appears to Joseph, this man that Mary is betrothed to, The angel gives the meaning of the name. The angel says to Joseph, you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. So why Jesus? Because Jesus literally means, the name literally means, Jehovah is salvation.

You name him Jesus because he's going to save his people from their sins. It's going to be God saving his people from their sins. So name him Jesus. His mission is to save his people, so his name should be Jesus, Jehovah is salvation. Gabriel foretells other things about this baby.

Jesus will be great and will be called the Son of the Highest. In last week's text, Gabriel told Zacharias that his son, John the Baptist, would be great in the sight of the Lord. Gabriel tells Mary that her son, Jesus, will be great, no qualifier, full stop. John the Baptist, great, in the sight of the Lord. Jesus, great, period.

Jesus will be called the Son of the Highest. The Highest is a descriptive name used for God in Scripture. You can find it all over the place. If you go looking for it, you find this descriptive name for God, the Highest. Yes, Jesus will be that, true, But Jesus will also be called that.

He will be called the Son of the Highest. Jesus will be revealed to the world as that, so that he is called the Son of the Highest. Now, we're not threatened by that because we don't automatically understand it in the same way the Jews instantly understood it. Meaning, the Son of the Highest, great. We know our privileges in Christ, I could say I'm a son of God.

No, no, no, it doesn't say he is a son of the highest. It says he is the son of the highest. Different thing to a Jew. We're not threatened because we don't automatically understand it in the same way the Jews instantly understood it. For a Jew, the Son of God means, wait for it, God.

To a Jew, the Son of God means God. Period, full stop. The Son of God means having the absolute essence in every sense of God the Father. And so that reduces the options to just two. So once you understand, when that went into a Jewish ear, they heard a person with the absolute essence in every sense with God the Father.

Now, we've given ourselves Jewish ears, now that's what now that's what we're hearing. We now have two options, two and only two. True or blasphemy? Pick a finger. True or blasphemy?

True or speaking against God with the utmost reverence, stealing the glory from God. You might as well be worshiping a golden calf as call someone the Son of the Highest, the Son of God, unless of course it's true. Unless you really mean that person is God and that person really is God. More than any other charge, this is the charge that Jesus was crucified for. For accepting the designation upon Himself, the Son of God, Jesus says, yep, I am the Son of God.

I have the absolute essence in every sense of God the Father. I am God. And the Jews understood exactly what he was saying. He was not crucified over a misunderstanding. He was crucified over an understanding.

He accepted upon himself the designation as the Son of the Highest, and the Jews knew exactly what that meant, and they crucified him for it. When Gabriel says to Mary, your son will be called the Son of the Highest, Gabriel is saying, Mary your son will be God. Mary your son will be God. Got an amen from Tobin. Let's go.

Gabriel tells Mary that the Lord God will give Jesus the throne of his father David. And Jesus will reign over the house of Jacob forever and of his kingdom there will be no end. So David's throne, this baby is going to get David's throne, sit on David's throne, King David's throne a thousand years earlier, and everlasting kingship and kingdom. Problem with kings is they die. Not this one, says Gabriel.

An everlasting kingship, everlasting kingdom sitting on the throne of his father David. So now we're unmistakably tying into Old Testament prophecies. Now we can go right to prophets foretelling these things in the Old Testament. And Gabriel is saying, Mary, your son is the fulfillment of all those prophecies. Those prophecies are promises and your son is the fulfillment of those promises.

That the Messiah, the promised Savior would be of the lineage of David, was so well established and understood that in Matthew 22, when Jesus asked the Pharisees, what do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He? They instantaneously answer the Son of David. And they're right. That's the right answer.

Those who know the prophets, if that's the question, what do you think about the Christ, the Messiah, the promised Savior? Whose son is He? There's only one answer, there's only a right answer, and it's the Son of David. But then there are also these mysterious Old Testament prophecies about an eternal king. Guys, you can't blame them for not understanding this because how can the king not die?

How can he have an eternal kingship and an eternal kingdom and reign over it forever. Let me take you to just two. Isaiah 9. You can go there if you'd like. Probably should.

Isaiah 9. Probably should. Isaiah 9. There it is. Isaiah 9.

It's bad when you can't find it and it has a bookmark. Isaiah 9. Verses 6 and 7. I could start these sentences and you could finish them. They're so familiar.

Isaiah 9 verses 6 and 7. For unto us a child is born. Unto us A son is given. And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of His government and peace, there will be no end upon the throne of David and over His kingdom to order and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. I freely acknowledge you got to have the New Testament as a lens to look through to make sense of this. A son who is an eternal father, how can that even be? A son of David who will be a king, but his kingdom lasts forever, how could that be?

You probably have to have a God man for that. A man who is man in every way, but also somehow God in every way all at the same time. You can see how many touch points there are between our text, a son is given, the throne of his father David, an everlasting kingdom there are with Isaiah 9 verses 6 and 7. The other place I'd like to go is Daniel chapter 7. By the way, I won't say more of it than just this.

In Daniel chapter 8, Gabriel shows up to talk to Daniel. In Daniel chapter 9, Gabriel shows up again to talk to Daniel. So this is 500 years before Gabriel was being sent with messages from God. Gabriel, go tell Daniel this. Gabriel, go tell Zacharias this.

Gabriel, go tell Mary. I highly favor her. Go tell Mary I'm with her. Wonderful. Daniel chapter 7 verses 13 and 14.

Daniel writes this, I was watching in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom that all people's nations and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away and his kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed." By the way, it's not the only prophecy that's like that, where you have an eternal king, and you have a hard time making sense of it, but this is a good one. Gabriel's coming to say these Old Testament prophecies are fulfilled in this Son that we're going to have.

Needless to say, this is a lot, so I hardly think that it's surprising that Mary has questions. You surprised? Not surprised. Back to Luke chapter 1. The final section The final section verses 34-38.

Luke 1, 34-38. Then Mary said to the angel, How can this be, since I do not know a man." An angel answered and said to her, the Holy Spirit will come upon you. The power of the highest will overshadow you. Therefore, also that one, 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. Then Mary said, Behold the maidservant of the Lord, let it be to me according to your word. And the angel departed from her. These verses, Mary asks and Gabriel explains.

So if you're taking notes on the handout by filling in blanks, asks and explains, fills in the blanks. Mary asks and Gabriel explains. Gabriel, I'm betrothed, but Joseph hasn't taken me into his home yet. That might not take place for a year. We don't know at what point of the betrothal, but if a normal betrothal was a year long, this was the front end of it, it's not gonna take me into his home for a year.

How can this be? Not will this really be, but how can this be, not I don't think this will happen, but I don't understand how it can happen. I only know of one way for conceiving and having a baby, and that does not apply. Then how? I think we have to understand it that way.

Gabriel rebukes Zacharias for unbelief, but he does not rebuke Mary for unbelief at all. I think we have to take it in that sense. She's not looking for a sign. Zacharias is looking for a sign, she's looking for understanding. How?

Gabriel answers, the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the highest, there's that descriptive name for God again, the highest and the power of the highest will overshadow you. Having just been students of Genesis, we should instantaneously be taken back to Genesis chapter 1 verse 2. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And then things start to happen. Starts to take shape.

Things start to be creative. The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. By the way, these two phrases, the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the highest will overshadow you are never used in any sense for human conception. Not inside scripture, not outside of scripture. These phrases are never used for physical union.

There's nothing odd or strange here. This is God the Holy Spirit in a way that is unexplained, unifying God the Son with humanness So that God the Son is now the God-man. So that God the Son can now embark on his saving work and become a substitute for human sinners. That's what's happening here. It's interesting trying to choose words and not become a heretic.

We're talking about mysteries, and we're talking about mysteries that have historic errors. If you trace the historic errors out to the end of the error you get really bad places. So I want to be really careful with my Christology, with our study of who Christ actually is and the Incarnation. We should probably take another week at some point and just talk about how our confession helps us to understand very God and very man. That's what the creed say.

Jesus was very God, meaning he was 100% God, and at the same time 100% man. Well that can't be. We're not saying it's not a mystery. We're saying You have to be both without forfeiting the other and mixing. Unconfused is what the creeds say.

Without confusion. Without mixing. The Gospel writer John, John chapter 1 simply says, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus being the Word. Jesus, the eternal Son, became flesh and dwelt among us.

This too, conception and birth without physical union, unknown in the history of mankind, is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. Listen to Isaiah 7 verse 14. Isaiah 7 verse 14, you know it. The Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel.

Emmanuel means God with us. A virgin, No physical union between man and woman. A virgin will conceive and give birth to a son. This is the sign. And you'll call his name, Emmanuel.

God with us. Therefore, says Gabriel, therefore because of that, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Jesus is God. Jesus is God. Jesus is God.

Jesus is the Holy One. The one that God set apart, holy, that's what holy means, set apart, consecrated for, the one that God set apart for His saving work. Son, you're going to save. Yes, I'll go. Yes, I'll go.

Then Gabriel says to Mary, Elizabeth, your relative who is well advanced in years, The old relative who has always been childless, she's already pregnant. She's already pregnant. Remember, Elizabeth has hidden herself away. Mary is her relative, but she hasn't heard. That's been by design.

Now she hears it from an angel, and in our next text, she's going to go with haste to see her. Say, I know your secret! I added that. Mary, with God, nothing is impossible. He can do anything, Mary.

He can do everything, Mary. With God, nothing will be impossible. Finally we have Mary's wonderful response, and then Gabriel departs from her. Mary says, Behold the maidservant of the Lord, let it be to me according to your word. Mary says in this week's text what Zacharias should have said in last week's text.

Amen! The angel speaks on behalf of God. He says just what God sent him from heaven, from the presence of God to say. And Zacharias should have said, Amen, let it be to me just like you said. But that's what Mary does say.

She says, Amen, so be it. May it be. Let it be to me exactly as you have said." The Greek word translated as maidservant, behold, the maidservant of the Lord, is just the feminine equivalent of what Paul and Peter call themselves when they call themselves bond servants of the Lord. Some languages have masculine and feminine, this is just the feminine version of the same word, doula or doulas. Peter and Paul call themselves doulas, male slaves.

She says, okay, I'm the female version of that. Of course, in time she says it before they say it. Behold the maidservant of the Lord, the bond servant, the female bond servant of the Lord. She's saying just what Paul and Peter say of themselves. What is the highest honor that we can achieve in this life?

To be a servant of the Lord. So says Mary. So says Paul. So says Peter. J.C.

Ryle says this, it was no light matter to become the mother of our Lord in this unheard of and mysterious way. It brought with it, no doubt, at a distant period, great honor. He's being honored today in 2025 in Youngsville, North Carolina, a small agricultural community like Nazareth. But it brought with it for the present no small danger to Mary's reputation and no small trial to Mary's faith. All this danger and trial the Holy Virgin was willing and ready to risk.

She asks no further questions. She raises no further objections. She accepts the honor laid upon her with all its attendant perils and inconveniences. Behold, she says, the handmaid of the Lord. This is wonderful.

Mary's wonderful. Before we close, I want to read Matthew 1. I expected to find a cross-reference for this account of Gabriel coming to Mary in one of the other Gospels, but there isn't one. It's only here in Luke. In Matthew, the angel comes to Joseph, and in Mark, it skips past that, and in John, it skips past that and just starts with the ministry of John the Baptist.

So just drives home the point how we need all the Gospels. They all contribute things that we need. We need to have the account of Gabriel coming and saying these things to Mary. They're important, but we need also to know what happened on the other end with this man that she's betrothed to, who now has to swallow that this woman is betrothed to, he hasn't brought into his house, hasn't been in physical union with, is pregnant. That's Matthew 1.

So you can turn to Matthew 1. I'll read it and we'll pretty much leave it without comment. I'm certainly not going to attempt an exposition of it now. Fifty-two minutes in. No thanks.

Matthew 1. Verses 18-23. Matthew 1, 18-23. Matthew 1 verses 18-23. Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows.

After his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph, her husband being a just man and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly, to divorce her secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary, your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bring forth a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." So all this was done that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which is translated God with us." That's the other side of the story. Application.

I'll give you one and it counts as our Lord's Supper Meditation 2. So this is a twofer. Consider 2 Corinthians 8 verse 9. 2 Corinthians 8 verse 9. Paul writes this to the Corinthian Church, For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, Yet for your sakes he became poor, that you through his poverty might become rich.

This is what we're watching happening before our eyes in Luke chapter 1. Jesus Christ, enjoying His glory as God in heaven, leaving his riches to become poor. Not even poor by heaven standards, poor by earth standards. His mother is no no one from Nowheresville. He became poor for our sakes that through his poverty we might become rich.

What kind of a God does that? The God of this book. Nobody else has a book like this. Nobody else has a God like this. J.C.

Ryle says, it would have been condescension for Jesus to come on earth as a king and reign. Do you realize how true that is? Had he come to be the king of earth and lived as the king of earth, it would have been so far below him. He's the King of Heaven, but did he come as the King of the world to reign that way? No, He came and his mother was nobody from nowhere's ville.

When it comes time to give the offering for a firstborn, it will be doves because a lamb is too pricey. We'll get there in time. If you have means, you bring a lamb. You're nobody from Nowheresville. You bring doves.

They bring doves. The next time he comes in glory to judge. The first time he came in humility to save. He became poor to bring us riches. It's so glorious to be in the Gospels.

It's in there. I shouldn't say another word. Let's just pray. God, it is glorious to think that Jesus made himself poor. Made himself poor.

Not by heaven standards, even, but by earth standards. We might be rich. Took on sin. We might be righteous. He drank of the cup of your wrath that we might have a cup of blessing.

These things are glorious. Thank you for the Gospels. They really are the mountain peak of a Bible that is full of mountains. A Bible that's so full of good truth. No truths higher than this.

No truths that can compare to this. Thank you for revealing yourself through your Son, in your Son Jesus Christ. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.