Sermon Tone Analysis
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Introduction
When you give a gift, how you do it is important.
Let me explain.
In our house we have a hallway.
In this hallway there is a closet.
In this closet we have all kinds of junk, but that’s not the point of the story.
Among the various items stored in this closet are a plastic tub with about 8 different kinds of wrapping paper.
There are also two approximately 4x10 inch boxes of tissue paper.
In addition to these things, there is a huge box of gift bags.
Whenever we are given a gift bag, we save it and the tissue paper.
Now, why do we have all this?
We have stored and collected all these things for one simple reason.
How you give a gift is important!
You can’t just hand it to someone!
Right?!
You want to have some flair!
Ben and Brian try to use a lot of duct tape in their gift wrapping.
Cause you have to have flair!
When it comes to giving a gift with flair, nothing surpasses the flair around the birth of Christ!
However, we’re not going to talk about Jesus’ birth today.
We are going to talk about the announcement of His birth.
Today is our communion Sunday.
We have spent most of our communion services this year examining .
In that verse Jesus is described as something that God gave.
Jesus is the greatest gift that has ever been given!
With Christmas only three weeks away I wanted to look at how God chose to give us this gift.
This is the greatest announcement that has ever been made.
How God’s gift was given teaches us three important lessons about our God.
He is a God of grace.
He is a faithful God.
He is a sovereign God.
It is my desire today that these lessons would increase our faith.
God’s gift was given through…
1.
The Least Likely Candidates vv.
26-28
The first least likely candidate we are introduced to is
The city v. 26
The city v. 26
In after the coming of the Holy Spirit, when the disciples are speaking in other languages, there is a question asked (S).
When we examined this verse we discussed how Galilee was thought of as the home of the uneducated, common laborer, working class people of Jesus’ day.
This angel is sent by God to Galilee.
One of the accusations against Jesus later is that “no prophet has arisen out of Galilee”.
This is a false statement but it demonstrates the prejudice that existed against this area.
In Galilee there is even a lower class area, that area is Nazareth.
The attitude of people toward Nazareth is clearly seen in Philip’s brother Nathanael in (S).
This angel of God is sent to the least likely city in the least likely county in the least likely country of the world!
If you were going to choose a king to rule the world, this is not where you would look for him!
This is kind of like strike one.
But then we are introduced to the second least likely candidate.
The virgin v. 27
As all of you probably know, women were not highly regarded in ancient times.
A woman’s worth was counted in the number of children she had given birth to.
A virgin is both a woman and not a mother.
Therefore, a virgins value is only in her potential to have children.
This virgin is betrothed to a man named Joseph who is in the lineage of David but in the cursed line of Jeconiah (; ).
Mary is also in the lineage of David, not through Jeconiah (Lk.
3:31), but since she is a woman, no one really cares.
Here we have an apparently poor woman engaged to a poor man who has the dubious honor of being from a cursed line of David.
These are not the people anyone would choose to be the earthly parents of the Messiah, the Son of God!
This is kind of like strike two.
And then, to top it all off, we have
The greeting v. 28
This is the greatest announcement that has ever been made!
And it is greeted with total confusion.
Are you kidding me?
How am I highly favored?
I know the Lord is with Israel, but how is He with me in particular?
I cannot be blessed among women because I have no children!
Three strikes and your out right?
Least likely city, a virgin, a weird greeting.
God what is going on?
Allow God’s Word to explain itself.
Turn to .
This is the greatest announcement that has ever been made!
And it is greeted with total confusion.
God’s grace is seen in His selection of the least likely to accomplish incredible things!
Here’s what I want us to walk away with here.
The Lord never calls the qualified; He qualifies the called.
God is not interested in your qualifications!
Being the least likely candidate doesn’t disqualify you from being used by God!
In fact, it may give you a head start.
After all, we are not saved because we are worthy.
Therefore our usefulness doesn’t depend on our worthiness either.
Mary is from the least likely city, is the least likely person, and is confused by an angel’s greeting and yet she is the one chosen by God to bear the Messiah!
#124 “Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus” verse 2
Being the least likely candidate doesn’t disqualify you from being used by God!
In fact, it may give you a head start.
God’s gift was not only given through the least likely candidates, but also through…
2. The Fulfillment Of The Greatest Promise vv.
29-33
God promised a redeemer back in .
This promises was clarified and developed through the centuries until it is finally fulfilled.
In these verses we learn the method of that fulfillment.
God’s promise is fulfilled through…
The grace of God vv.
29-30
As we already mentioned, Mary is confused by the greeting.
She has no idea what is going on.
What the angel says in v. 30 is powerful.
Don’t be afraid.
Generally speaking, this is only ever said when our human perspective tells us we need to be afraid.
The angel is going to tell Mary some scary things.
Scary circumstances do not mean we should be afraid!
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