Well, if you came this morning expecting to hear about Saul's death and getting to the end, finally, of 1 Samuel, I hope you're not too disappointed. That's not where we're going this morning, although at one time not too long ago, I did expect that we would this morning. But instead, we are going to be using these five Sundays in December to focus our hearts and minds on what is undeniably one of the most mysterious and greatest happenings in all of human history on a level with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And that is the incarnation of the son of God, the eternal word. the one by whom and through whom and for whom all things were created. He entered himself into his creation, taking on human flesh, the uncreated one. He lived as a creature in this world that he made alongside men and women whom he also made. Now, the account that we're going to be looking at today is a familiar one to most of you, and that's good. I'm glad it's familiar. It should be. But there is sometimes a problem that comes with that. It's not a problem with familiarity per se, but it's a problem with us when we look at things that are familiar. Very often we lose our sense of awe and amazement, don't we? And it's like for those of you maybe who didn't grow up here, but you moved to Arizona from the east or just from somewhere greener, which is just about any other place on the planet. When you first got here, you were probably amazed at the beauty of the desert landscape, the sunsets, and the fact that you can swim outside and march. But then, after a little while, what happens? Well, you get used to it. It becomes common and it no longer inspires awe like it used to or like it should. And I'm afraid that's what happens a lot of times with even biblical history and biblical doctrines too. We hear about things like God parting the Red Sea or feeding his people with bread from heaven. You know, God working victories for his his the army of Israel over over enemies that were much greater and stronger than they or miracles that were wrought through prophets, things that if we were just to see with our own eyes, you would think we would be forever changed, blown away. And yet very often we'll read those things and then we will get up from our chair and not give it another thought. Because it's familiar. Right, we've we've heard it before, we've read it before, we're not surprised and we're not in awe. And the same thing happens when we come to the birth narrative of Jesus Christ, the words that we're going to read in a moment, particularly the words of of the angel Gabriel that he speaks to Mary are some of the most amazing and truly shocking words ever spoken. Truly, they are. And yet, isn't it also true that we have read these words countless times and not been overwhelmed and just blown away by the force of what is communicated in them? We've read, we've been unaffected, unamazed, unmoved. And the reason for that is not because this message is boring or uninspiring or just not exciting enough. The problem is that in our familiarity with what is said, we simply have not taken time to think anymore about what is implied. What are the implications? And beyond that, we have also failed to see how this message addresses our most dire need, yours and mine. See, this word is of absolute interest to every one of us. There is a message for Mary. Yes, but it's not just for her and it's not just for the Jews of her day either. It is for you and for me. Your and my eternity is at stake. In this message that Gabriel is announcing, our soul's eternity is staked upon the truth of what he says. If what he tells Mary doesn't happen, then we don't have a savior. We remain dead in our sins and will be condemned along with the rest of the world. This message absolutely concerns us. And a message of this gravity is one that should command our attention every time we hear it or every time we read it. And we should never cease to be amazed or filled with gratitude to hear over and over what God has done to save our souls. You know, like those who've been rescued from a great disaster, from certain death. We say, tell me that story again. I want to hear it. Tell me about what God did to save my soul. This morning, we're going to listen to that story again, at least this short part of it, of what God did to save our souls, and we'll pray that as we do, we would be put in awe of what God has done. So follow with me as I read from Luke chapter one, verses 26 to 38. 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, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, Greetings, O favored one. The Lord is with you. But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And 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 bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and he will be called the son of the most high. And the Lord God will give to 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. And Mary said to the angel, how will this be since I am a virgin? And the angel answered her, the Holy Spirit will come upon you. The power of the most high will overshadow you. Therefore, the child to be born will be called holy, the son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth, in her old age, has also conceived a son. And this is the sixth month with her who was called barren, for nothing will be impossible with God. And Mary said, behold, I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word. And the angel departed from her. Now, this chapter introduces us to a lot of different individuals. At the beginning of the service, we listened to a reading from verses five to twenty five, and there we were introduced to a priest named Zechariah and to his wife, Elizabeth. And then we learned something about the future son that would be born to them, whose name was John. Next, in the passage that I just finished reading, we were introduced to Mary and to the man she was betrothed to, Joseph. So already that's five different people, but none of them are the focus of this chapter. And none of them are the focus of Luke's book. Luke said at the start of his second volume, of which this is volume one, volume two is the book of Acts. He said there that the focus of his writing is the person of Jesus Christ. He said that the purpose of his gospel account, which we are looking at today, was to deal with all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he ascended to heaven. My concern is entirely with Jesus. I am writing about him. That's what Luke would say. So that means that the significance of Zechariah and Elizabeth and of John and of Mary and of Joseph is found entirely in their relationship to this one singular object of Luke's attention, this one person, Jesus. The most important thing that can be said about them, in fact, the only reason Luke mentions them at all is because of their connection to Jesus Christ. Now, I say that just to highlight the unparalleled significance of this one that we are looking at today, whose birth is announced in this passage. He is so great. that the most important thing that can be said about you or me or any other person on this planet comes down to who we are in relation to him. What you've done, what you've accomplished, how rich you are, how smart you are. You may be very proud of that, but it means very little. This is what matters. What is your relationship to this person, Jesus Christ? That is the most important thing that can be said about you. It's what ultimately defines you. What is your connection to Jesus? Now, looking at the passage, my plan this morning is not to go through it verse by verse, but instead simply to focus on verses 31 to thirty three. However, I would encourage you, whether it's later today or later this week, to spend some time reflecting on the verses just before that versus twenty eight to thirty, where the exchange between Mary and Gabriel begins and to especially consider what it means to be favored of God. That is what the angel says to Mary, you who are Highly favored. You are favored. What does it mean to be favored of God and then to think about how the unmerited favor of God, which is the only kind of favor Mary knew and the only kind of favor any one of us can know unmerited favor, how that serves as the basis for Gabriel's command not to be afraid. You have found favor grace from God. Therefore, do not be afraid. And there's a lot that we can draw from that for our own encouragement and edification. But I want to focus now on the central message that Gabriel was sent by God to deliver to Mary in verses 31 to 33. You see, this great work that God was going to do in redemptive history, he was not going to leave uninterpreted to be misinterpreted by men. God was going to interpret this work himself so that it would be absolutely sure we don't misunderstand it. And no question arises as to its significance. And so he sends Gabriel. And from Gabriel's announcement, right away we see that God's plan centers on and revolves around a person. God's plan revolves around a person, not Mary. but the one that she would give birth to. Mary, Gabriel said, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son. You will call his name Jesus. He will be great and he will be called the son of the most high and the Lord will give to 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. God's plan revolves around a person. And what I want to do in the time that we have this morning is just to consider him in some of these aspects that Gabriel highlights concerning who he is and what he would accomplish. And so we begin with his name. You shall call his name Jesus. You shall call his name Jesus. Now, you can argue about the significance of a name when you or I give it. But you can't argue about the significance of a name when God himself gives it. And if God did not leave it up to Joseph or Mary to name this child, then it's very clear that his name is of absolute significance to communicate what God is going to accomplish through his life. You shall call his name Jesus. which is the Greek rendering of the Hebrew Yeshua, which is short for Yahoshua, which means Yahweh saves or Yahweh is salvation. So this person whom God's plan of redemption revolves around is, first of all, identified to Mary as a savior. As a rescuer. But what kind of salvation did he come to bring? What kind of saving or rescuing do men need? What do you think? You know, most of you know the right biblical answer to that question. Salvation from sin, right? As the angel told Joseph later on, Mary will bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins. We know the answer. But how many of us truly believe and feel that that truly is our greatest problem in our biggest need? Salvation from sin. Is it evident in the way that we talk? Is it evident in the way that we pray? You see, we complain a lot. We complain about a lot of things. We complain about other people, complain about our job, complain about our house, our health, our circumstances, as if those things were what we needed rescue from. They're not. How many of us are complaining to God about our sin? How many of us complain to God about our sin, pleading with Him, Oh God, take it away. Take it from me. Don't let me do this again. Don't let me sin. Don't let me bring shame to your name or hurt others or destroy myself. I want to be rid of it. I want to be holy. This is the salvation that we desperately need to be saved from sin, from the power of sin, from slavery to sin, from the guilt of sin. from condemnation that sin brings. And it was for this reason that the Son of God came to save us, to rescue us, to free us from our sins. He came to do what no other man could. First Timothy 1.15, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. The next thing that Gabriel says about him, This unique son to be born of Mary is that he will be great. He will be great, the honor that he deserves, the honor that he receives, the position that he assumes, the power that he possesses is greater than any man who ever came or anyone who ever would come after. He is great. He is worthy of all esteem and admiration. then would you ever feel ashamed of Him? Would you ever feel ashamed to be associated with Him? Embarrassed to bow your head at lunch around colleagues and friends and take the name of Jesus upon your lips as you pray? To speak of Him to others? To tell them that you know Him? You know Him? and to tell them of the things that he has done for you. You know, we boast about our connections to great people, don't we? Even when that connection is like non-existent, right? Like one time I sat on a plane behind, it was just like two rows back between, you know, this guy who's really famous. I saw so-and-so in a restaurant. I went to camp once with Brad Pitt's cousin. You know, we boast about these connections that we have with great People will listen. The child born of Mary is greater than the whole lot of them. Infinitely greater and so infinitely more worthy of our adoration and our admiration. Next, Gabriel says of him that he will be called the son of the most high. Now, the idea here is not that he simply called the son of the most high when he, in fact, is not the son of the most high. The idea is that he will be called the son of the most high because he will be recognized as such. He will be recognized for who he is. He is a man conceived in the womb of a human mother. And from that point on, he developed up until birth in an ordinary biological process. But he is not merely a man, the son of Mary. He is divine, the son of the Most High God, and he bears the exact nature, exact nature of his father. And how that is so, Gabriel explains in verse 35 where he makes clear that the life, the human life that is created in Mary's womb is not going to originate from a man, nor could it since Mary was a virgin. But this life is conceived through the mysterious operation of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will come upon you. The power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the child to be born will be called Holy, the Son of God. Now, why does that matter? Well, it matters because if it was an ordinary conception, then he would be not more than an ordinary man. He would not be fully divine. And if he were not fully divine, the son of the most high, then he could not be for us what we most desperately need him to be for us. He could be an inspiring example, but he could not be our savior. He could not bear away sin and guilt. His death could not satisfy the justice and wrath of a holy God. His death would be nothing more than the tragic death of a martyr. And not only that, but if he were not fully God, then his revelation of God to man would be imperfect and hollow. Imperfect. But is that him we sing God revealing God to man, that's what we need. a perfect revelation of God. And if he were not God in human flesh, we would not have that revelation of God. His love for sinners would be merely his own, and it would not truly demonstrate God's love for sinners. If Jesus were not fully God, then God has not come down to us. And if God has not come down to save us, then we are not saved. The gulf between God and man is not bridged. But because Jesus is Son of the Most High and not merely Son of Mary, every action in the whole of Christ's life is identical. It is identical to the actions of God toward us. Christ's love is God's love. Christ's mercy is God's mercy. In Christ, God was reconciling sinners to himself. Now, finally, at the end of verse 32 and in verse 33, Gabriel delivers the climax of his message to Mary concerning this son that is to be conceived in her and born of her, saying the Lord will give to 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. What Mary is being told by Gabriel is that the son to be born of her is none other than Israel's long-awaited Messiah. The fulfillment of that promise God made to David in 2 Samuel chapter 7 of an offspring through whom the throne of his kingdom would be established forever. This is he, Mary. This is the one. And there isn't Gabriel's words, not only a reference to that covenant that God made to David and second Samuel seven, but these words also harken back to that prophecy and Isaiah that we read earlier. Isaiah, chapter nine, versus six and seven, four to us, a child is born. To us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder. No one else's. His shoulder. of the increase of his government and of peace. There will be no end on the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish it, to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. Gabriel is announcing the fulfillment of a most incredible promise. This is good news, joyful news. But not for everyone, not for those outside of his kingdom. Right. For them, this is not good news at all, is it? For rebels against the king, for those who seek to depose of him and set themselves up in his place to be kings and queens of their own lives, this can mean only one thing. their rebellion will be crushed, their own power overthrown, and the king that they seek to depose will endure forever on his throne, undaunted, untouched, undisturbed. That's not good news for those who refuse his authority and make themselves his enemy. But for those of us within his kingdom, Those who recognize this Christ as King, then Gabriel's announcement could hardly have ended on a higher note. This is exceedingly good news, and it's not only for the fact, listen to this, it is not only for the fact that he will reign forever and that we have this one who secures us in his kingdom forever. But it's also for the fact that we have been given a glimpse of what kind of king he is. You see, the eternal reign of a king could be a horrifying thing if he were not like Jesus. The endless reign of a tyrant, of a cruel and callous king, could we rejoice in that? But the king who rules our lives and rules our souls now and forever is a king like no other. One who is first and foremost, as his name implies, a savior. A savior. Think about this, the one who sits on the throne. The one to whom I bow my knee is a king who came and gave his life to save my soul. He loved me and gave himself up for me to die my death, to drink my hell, to snatch me out of the clutches of sin and death, to free me to live with him in his kingdom forever. How deep and great is his love? Gabriel was right. He is great, very great. He is a matchless king, great in love, great in power, worthy of more praise than everything in creation combined. I love how John Flavel put this. He says of him, when we have borrowed metaphors from every creature that has any excellence or lovely property in it, till we have stripped the whole creation bare of all its ornaments and clothed Christ with all that glory, when we have even worn out our tongues in ascribing praises to Him. Alas, we have done nothing when all is done. He is worthy of the praise to be ascribed of Him of a million worlds. He is worthy, as someone once said, no tongue but His own is fit to praise Him. This is the King. my king, and he will reign forever and ever and ever and ever. That is very good news, isn't it? Let's pray. Father, we are delighted to know that what we have read this morning from your word concerning this one who is born, the eternal son of God, who in a moment in history took on flesh, is the king who reigns forever, who reigns right now. Our king. And to see what kind of a king he is, he is great. Our words fail to describe how great he is. worthy of more praise than we can even imagine. And right now we see him only dimly, but the day is coming when we will see him face to face. How great will our joy be in that day? Father, we look forward to the coming again of this king who came once in humility, and when he comes again, He will be recognized by all as the great king of all the universe, king of kings, lord of lords. To him, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is king. We pray that we would be doing that now. We pray that our lives would be lived in homage to him. May Christ be praised. In his name we pray. Amen.