Mary, a Chosen & Obedient servant

Gabriel informs Mary that her pregnancy will be supernatural and that her child will not have a human father. Instead, the Holy Spirit will be the Agent of Conception ()

Gabriel informs Mary that God is capable of doing the impossible ()

Mary accepts the mission and wants God’s will to be accomplished ()

Mary leaves Nazareth immediately following this encounter and goes to stay with her cousin Elizabeth for 3 months (, )

Elizabeth is given supernatural knowledge of Mary’s baby. When Mary speaks, the babe in Elizabeth’s womb jumps for joy. Elizabeth commends Mary for her faith and trust in God ()

The Magnificat - Mary’s Praise Song to God ()

Mary returns to Nazareth after being with Elizabeth for 3 months. Mary either tells Joseph she is pregnant, or he discovers it. Mary would have told Joseph about the supernatural origins of her child, but Joseph can’t accept this. He concludes that she is lying and that she has been unfaithful

Joseph does care about Mary so he wants a discreet divorce ()

Gabriel pays Joseph a visit and confirms Mary’s account. Gabriel tells Joseph the Holy Spirit is the father of the child and that her Son will be the Savior in fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. Joseph accepts the truth ()

Mary and Joseph remain together, but remain chaste until after the birth of Jesus. For the next 5 - 6 months the couple have to endure the gossip, ridicule, and rejection from the townspeople.

The Emperor Augustus decrees a census so Joseph is forced to take his very pregnant wife to Bethlehem for registration ()

While in Bethlehem, Mary has the baby Jesus. Since the town is full due to the Census, there are no vacancies in any of the houses or inns. Joseph finally finds shelter for his wife in a barn, and the baby is laid in a manger ()

Angels visit nearby shepherds and inform them that the Messiah has arrived. These shepherds are the first to hear the Good News. They immediately travel to the barn to see the Messiah. They tell Joseph & Mary about the Angel choir and the news of the Messiah ()

Mary was Chosen by God for a mission ()

Explanation: Mary was a young Jewish girl who was living a quiet and ordinary life in her home town of Nazareth. She probably knew that she was in the lineage of King David, but it probably did not impact her life on a daily basis. Before the angel came to visit, Mary was most likely practicing her faith and having the desire to be a good wife and mother. She was engaged to Joseph and was probably planning for life with him.

Gabriel’s visit changed her entire life and the direction she had anticipated. Along with the rest of the Jewish people, Mary was aware of the prophecies concerning Messiah, and at some level she understood that some woman would have to be His mother, but she certainly didn’t expect it to be her. Consider how amazed she must have been when Gabriel informed her that she was God’s choice for the Mother of the Messiah

Illustrate: winning the Publisher’s Clearing House Sweepstakes when you did not even enter!

Argument: As the Sovereign God of the Universe, God has the Right to choose whoever He desires to perform His missions. God’s choices are very often considered surprising by the world’s standards. He has chosen to use some very unlikely and deeply flawed people to accomplish His purposes. That is why it is important that we Remember that He is God and that His judgments are not like ours (cf. )

Application: Ask yourself: “What has God chosen me to do for Him?” It is vital to have the understanding that we have been chosen by God. Otherwise we will consider it our mission instead of His. And if we aren’t sure it is of God, we are likely to quit and give up when things get difficult

Mary was Obedient to God’s Will (Lk 1:38)

Explanation: Mary submitted to God’s will for her life. She understood her position as God’s servant and she willingly submitted to the Master’s desire. While Mary did question Gabriel as to how she would become pregnant, hers was a sincere and honest question. Her attitude was not one of disbelief such as Zechariah’s (), or one of false modesty like Moses ().

Illustrate: difference of attitude. One receives a directive as states, “that’s not possible,” or says “that’s pointless!” Another receives the directive and says, “okay, but I’m not sure exactly how this is going to work.”

Argument: Obedience is the key that unlocks the blessings of God. When we are obedient, we are recognizing that He is in charge and that we are simply His servants. In fact, Obedience frees us up from having to figure things out on our own. In Obedience, we are following His mandate and mission. We aren’t responsible for that, we are just the messengers

Application: Are you walking in obedience to what God has revealed to you? Some folks want to know the whole outcome before they proceed, but God generally doesn’t give us that. Remember Abraham - he walked in faith, not knowing where he was going. (Hebrews 11:8)

Mary’s faith & obedience did not shield her from hardship ()

Explanation: Consider Mary’s story at her own time. She is a young girl engaged to be married. She leaves town for 3 months and when she returns she is visibly pregnant. Not a problem because she tells her parents and her fiance that she is still a virgin; she is carrying the Messiah and the Holy Spirit is the Father! The problem is that no one believed her. (would you?)

Joseph, feeling betrayed and lied to, wants to quietly divorce her. It takes another visit by Gabriel to get Joseph to come around to the truth. But what about all the other towns people that did not receive a visit from Gabriel? Do you think they believed Mary’s story?

Illustrate: Tracy flipping a car in the ditch only going 25 mph. Not physically possible!! We didn’t believe her

Argument: Do not believe the myth that just because you are living for God that people are going to be kind to you or that God is going to protect you with a magic shield. Very often in the Christian life obedience will bring us into contact with persecution, opposition, and hardships. When Moses came to the Israelite slaves and announced God’s impending deliverance, their situation actually got worse ()

Application: Determine to follow Christ regardless of the consequences. Jesus went to the Cross on our behalf to accomplish our Redemption. He was in perfect obedience and He was tortured and killed! Our prayers should be focused on “God, use me for your glory!” instead of our selfish prayer of “God, please keep me safe and comfortable.”

Mary treasured God’s truth in her heart ()

Explanation: On the night Jesus was born a band of Angels appeared to shepherds who were keeping sheep nearby. The Angel informed these shepherds that the Messiah had arrived and that He was nearby. They then opened the heavens with glorious praise to the Mighty God!!

The shepherds quickly traveled to Bethlehem and found Mary, Joseph and the infant Jesus. They told Mary they knew her baby was the Messiah because of the angelic message. The shepherds went about telling everyone the good news of the angels concerning Jesus. Mary pondered on these words and treasured them in her heart as a validation of Gabriel’s earlier message

Illustrate: when times are difficult in the ministry it is encouraging (and needful) to reflect back on the Call of God, along with the signs of confirmation from others.

Argument: Because life is often difficult for a Christ-follower it is vital to have those special memories locked away. We need to be able to access the circumstances and the affirmations that started us on a particular path. Without these reminders, it is more likely that we can become sidetracked from the mission

Application: Know for certain the path to which God has called you. Don’t be wishy washy or fuzzy about it - know it.

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