048 When Grace Appeared
Luke 1:26-38
December 23, 2012
Well this morning we find ourselves just on the cusp of
Probably the most celebrated holiday in the world.
We are all geared up for Christmas.
And since we have just completed the Olivet Discourse in Matthew’s gospel
And have yet to begin the section on Jesus’ Death, I thought it fitting this morning to take a little break and sort of focus in on Christmas a little.
We know that Christmas certainly has a reputation
For being misunderstood.
We’ve all seen times when the focus can be on things
Like Santa, or flying reindeer, or elves.
But even to make Christmas all about presents or food
Or even family is in reality to miss the point.
The point of Christmas is that God became flesh and dwelt among us.
Most holidays today are centered around some sort of human event.
(Presidents day, Memorial day, etc.)
But Christmas is not a holiday that focuses on human achievement
Or one that recognizes human accomplishment.
Christmas is a holiday that focuses solely on
Divine accomplishment and achievement.
Christmas is a celebration, not of what man did, but of what God did.
This makes Christmas more than a celebration,
But in reality a time of worship.
Those wise men had it correct.
Matthew 2:10-11 “When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”
Christmas is a time to worship God for one of the most tremendous things He ever did for us.
It was Zecharias (The father of John the Baptist)
Who said:
Luke 1:68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people,”
WE WORSHIP BECAUSE GOD CAME NEAR!
And that is why I call this sermon, and really the Christmas season, “When Grace Appeared”
As he pondered on the miracle of the incarnation, the apostle John said:
John 1:14-18 “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.'” For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”
It is certainly not to insinuate that God was never gracious before, but grace was never realized like it was in Jesus.
The incarnation, the coming of Christ, the appearance of the Savior,
Certainly took grace to a whole new level for all of humanity.
Grace may not have began at Christmas,
But Christmas is certainly where grace became the most apparent.
Now recently we have talked about grace.
Many of you have been with us on Sunday nights as we have been studying “The Jerusalem Confession”
Acts 15 recounts the story where the issue of circumcision threatened to divide the early church as some Jews were insisting that Gentiles needed to be circumcised to be saved.
The council at Jerusalem met to discuss the issue
And one of the main points made was that grace matters.
Peter actually said:
Acts 15:11 “But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”
And in studying that we talked about grace quite a bit.
Grace has always been defined as “God’s unmerited favor”
And that is certainly true, but I’m not sure it fully grasps all that grace is.
Grace is not just a fond look from God.
Grace is not just a pat on the back.
We actually defined grace like this:
“Grace is the divine answer to human weakness in every way”
• Mankind couldn’t obtain righteousness, grace obtained it.
• Mankind can’t overcome weakness in ministry, grace gives ability.
• Mankind can’t endure suffering, grace is sufficient.
• Mankind lacks resources, grace supplies with what is lacking.
Everywhere you find human weakness in regard to spiritual things
Grace solves the problem.
Grace is the divine answer to human weakness in every way.
And of course the greatest weakness mankind has faced
Is in regard to salvation.
Mankind cannot achieve righteousness on his own.
Romans 3:10-18 “as it is written, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.” “THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING,” “THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS”; “WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS”; “THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD, DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS, AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN.” “THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES.”
If we are to be honest about the whole situation,
HUMANITY IS BESET WITH FAILURE AND WEAKNESS
And nowhere is that more evident than in the effort to become righteous.
• Take all the religious acts in the world…
• Take all the hours spent in temples…
• Take all the sheep slaughtered upon altars…
And mankind never came close.
Isaiah 64:6 “… all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment…”
Mankind was not righteous,
And mankind in his weakness could not achieve righteousness.
The Divine Answer to this problem came at Christmas.
Galatians 4:4-5 “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”
2 Corinthians 8:9 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.”
Hebrews 1:1-4 “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.”
God intervened at Christmas.
God saw human weakness and His grace answered the weakness.
That answer was the incarnation.
The answer was God becoming flesh.
The answer was “Emmanuel” (God with us)
Grace appeared at Christmas.
And from this point on, we could all stand and give testimony of how grace appeared in each of our lives.
We could all stand and give testimony to the difference
That Christ coming into the world made to us.
But this morning we are going to see grace as we look at the life of Mary.
Now, ironically, when most of the world hears about Mary
Grace IS in fact the first thing they think of.
But tragically thanks to the Catholic heresies
Many think of Mary as the one who gives grace.
She has been called “The Mother of Grace”
Pope Pius X called Mary “The dispenser of all the gifts that Our Savior purchased for us…”
In the “Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma” Ludwig Ott writes, “Since Mary’s Assumption into Heaven no grace is conferred on man without her actual intercessory co-operation”
Much of the world actually buys into this Mariolatry.
I can assure you those views are not only false,
But are heretical and damning to those who trust in it.
Mary has never been a savior…
Mary has never been the intercessor for humanity…
Mary has never been the dispenser of grace…
Even Jesus knew that Mary had nothing in her worthy of worship.
Luke 11:27-28 “While Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed.” But He said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”
Mary was a tremendous woman, but she is not worthy of worship,
And if Mary knew the kind of worship that is directed toward her today,
She would be rolling in her grave.
The reality is that Mary is not the giver of grace,
But that Mary is a recipient of grace.
Mary was a fallen sinner, just like every other descendant of Adam,
But Mary was one who tremendously received the grace of God.
So this morning the example of Mary
Is how you and I should receive the grace of Christmas.
So this morning let’s look at how Mary received grace when it appeared
And learn from her example.
Four things
#1 THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF GRACE
Luke 1:26-30
Verse 26 actually records for us a rather tremendous scene.
There had been over 400 years of silence
Since God had last spoken to the prophets in the Old Testament.
And now, this the second angelic message inside a year.
“the sixth month” refers to the pregnancy of Martha
Who verse 36 tells us was “now in her sixth month”
It had only been about 7 months prior
That Gabriel had first broken the silence by speaking to Zecharias,
And now he has spoken again,
But this time in a very strange place and to a very strange person.
It is one thing to speak to a priest in the temple in Jerusalem.
But here Gabriel appears to a young virgin girl
Living in an insignificant town in Galilee.
“Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.”
Nazareth was a spot in the road, only a few hundred people.
Beyond that it was in Galilee.
(Not a place known for righteous supplication to God)
Culturally a Jewish girl entered a pre-arranged engagement when she was about 12 or 13. It would be about a year until the actual wedding feast,
But during that time the man and woman were legally bound.
So Gabriel picked a 13 year old engaged virgin
In the insignificant town of Nazareth.
That alone should be considered an act of grace.
But then comes the amazing statement.
(28) “And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”
That is a remarkable statement.
Sadly it has been grossly misinterpreted.
This verse became the bases for the Ave Maria or “Hail Mary”
In which Mary is attributed to be full of grace.
But that is not what Gabriel said.
“favored one” translates CHARITOO
Which literally means “receiving grace”
Ephesians 1:6 “to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.”
Gabriel did not say, “Hail Mary full of grace”
Gabriel said, “Greetings grace receiver!”
Gabriel called her the one who was receiving grace.
(29) “But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was.”
This 13 year old girl thought, “What are you talking about?”
In what way have I received grace?
(30) “The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God”
Again “favor” translates CHARIS which means “grace”
• Gabriel called her the grace receiver.
• Mary wondered what that meant.
• Gabriel said, “You have received grace from God”
Gabriel told her she was getting something she didn’t deserve.
She was receiving the divine answer to her human weakness.
If Mary was worthy prior to this,
There would be no talk of grace whatsoever.
God gave her grace because she was not worthy.
But Gabriel came and announced that grace was coming.
The Announcement of Grace
#2 THE APPEARANCE OF GRACE
Luke 1:31-33
So Gabriel told Mary that she was a grace receiver
And Mary didn’t full understand what he meant.
Well, here is the explanation.
(31-33) “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”
Mary was a grace receiver because the Savior was about to arrive!
The unique thing is that she had the divine privilege
Of being the vessel through which He arrived.
“you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.”
In Hebrew it was YESHUA which means “Yahweh Saves”
The Savior is coming to you, and He will come through your womb.
AND THEN WE LEARN ABOUT THE COMING SAVIOR
(32-33) “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”
Gabriel gives a quick but powerful resume of the coming Savior.
1) HIS NATURE
“He will be great”
That is an understatement,
But in reality how do you sum up all that Jesus would be in His life?
When Gabriel told Zecharias about John the Baptist
He said “he will be great in the sight of the Lord”
But with Jesus, there is no qualification.
He is just “great”
And really substitute the words if you want, but none will do Him justice.
“He will be great”
2) HIS NAME
“and will be called the Son of the Most High”
Certainly this is a statement of the deity of Jesus.
He is not just the son of man, He is “the Son of the Most High”
Fully God and fully man
A Savior who can be a true mediator between God and man.
3) HIS INHERITANCE
“the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;”
• He inherits a kingdom.
• He is the Messiah.
• He is in line for the throne.
A Savior who will also be King.
4) HIS AUTHORITY
“He will reign over the house of Jacob forever”
He is no paper king.
He is no puppet ruler.
He is a king who will reign and reign forever
5) HIS PREEMINENCE
“And His kingdom will have no end.”
This King will take the throne and never give it up.
He is the greatest ruler ever.
He is the God man, the ruler of all people forever and ever.
That is the brief but powerful introduction that Gabriel has for Mary.
• Mary you will receive grace.
• That grace will come in the form of a coming Savior who will reign forever,
• And that King will enter the world through your womb.
That is the Announcement of Grace and the Appearance of Grace
#3 THE APPREHENSION OF GRACE
Luke a1:34-37
I told you that grace is
The divine answer to human weakness in every way.
Well here we see grace again.
In verse 34 Mary asks the obvious question.
“How can this be, since I am a virgin?”
It should be noted that Mary had no qualms with
• The coming of the Savior,
• The deity of the Savior,
• The authority of the Savior
• The preeminence of the Savior.
Mary had a full belief in all of that.
Her problem was with the arrival of the Savior.
Human logic teaches that virgins can’t bear children.
It didn’t make sense to Mary how this could happen.
THAT IS HUMAN WEAKNESS.
Humans are so weak they can’t bear children without conception.
Well grace answers human weakness and so here it is.
(35) “The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.”
Humanly speaking, it is not possible for you to have a child,
But God will do what is not humanly possible.
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you.”
The Holy Spirit is God’s agent of creation,
And perhaps His most miraculous creation ever
Will take place in the womb of Mary.
God will do by grace what is not possible through human effort.
God will cause you to conceive a child in your womb apart from human effort and “for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.”
I know that is hard to fathom.
That is one of those mysteries that quite honestly
Is beyond human comprehension.
The only explanation is that God will do it.
And if you need proof (which Mary did not ask for) here it is:
(36-37) “And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. “For nothing will be impossible with God.”
Elizabeth actually served as proof for Mary
That God could make the impossible possible.
God by grace causes barren women and virgins to conceive.
He can do whatever He wants.
That is the grace of this whole event.
You are receiving grace, not because you took it, not because you earned it, but because God has chosen to give it to you.
The Announcement of Grace The Appearance of Grace
The Apprehension of Grace
#4 THE ACCEPTANCE OF GRACE
Luke 1:38
And don’t you love that statement by Mary!
Notice the SUBMISSION:
“Behold, the bondslave of the Lord”
That is that word that Paul and Peter and James and John
All called themselves.
They were those willing slaves of the Master.
Mary here placed herself in a place of submission to God’s will.
You also have to love her FAITH:
“may it be done to me according to your word”
There was no argument.
There was no doubt.
God said He was going to do it and Mary believed it and submitted to it.
Grace had appeared and Mary received it.
She is a tremendous example of what it looks like
When a person receives the grace of God
And this morning I want us to learn from her example.
The first thing I would tell you is to make sure you hear the announcement.
The angel approached her and said, “Greetings grace receiver!”
That is the announcement that God makes to us.
He has grace available for us.
He has a plan for salvation.
I would also tell you to understand the implications of the offer.
For Mary that grace meant the appearance of a Savior,
And it means the same for us.
Grace appeared for us in the form of Jesus.
John 1:17 “For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.”
Titus 2:11-14 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”
Understand what grace is all about.
Grace was God answering your weakness.
• You couldn’t earn salvation
• You couldn’t please God
• You couldn’t travel to heaven
But God answered your weakness at Christmas by sending the Savior.
He is Great
He is God
He is King
And His Kingdom will never end
Understand exactly what God is offering.
He is offering salvation.
At that point you need to do like Mary again and recognize your weakness.
Mary knew that delivering the Christ child
Was impossible by her own strength and ability.
Well, you also are too weak to bring this about on your own.
This isn’t a works thing, this is a grace thing.
And finally, like Mary submit to His plan.
Mary gave a tremendous answer: “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.”
I can’t think of a better answer to Jesus than that.
Jesus says, “Follow Me”
Jesus says, “Trust Me”
Jesus says, “Come to Me”
And our answer should be just like Mary’s
“I am the bondslave of the Lord, may it be done to me according to your word.”
That is how Mary received this grace that had been offered to her.
Well this morning I remind you that Grace has appeared.
God intervened.
Eternity stepped into time.
And man’s weakness was answered by God’s appearing.
So Christmas isn’t just a time to give presents…
Christmas isn’t just a time to be with family…
Christmas isn’t a time to dwell on Santa…
CHRISTMAS IS A TIME TO WORSHIP GOD
It is not a holiday that focuses on the past achievements of man.
It is a holiday that focuses on the gracious appearing of God.
Receive this grace this Christmas and worship God for giving it.
John 1:17-18 “For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”
