Turn with me, if you would, back
to Matthew chapter one. Matthew chapter one, verse 18
says, now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise, when
as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, Before they came together,
she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Last Sunday morning,
we started looking at the announcement of our Savior's birth. And from that announcement, we
saw who it was that came to save. God came to save. God was the one, and what an
amazing thought that is. God was the one that came to
save. God himself was manifest in the
flesh. There's a song that a dear brother
wrote, and the line says, as poor wretched sinners, no God
and no hope, it seemed there was no one to help. But God,
in his mercy, salvation supplied, emptied heaven, and came down
himself, and a ransom was found. God himself call his name, Emmanuel,
because this is God with us. God with us. And from this announcement, we
also saw who it was that God came to save. He came to save
sinners, real sinners. Call His name Jesus, for He shall
save His people from their sins." From their sins. This morning,
I'd like for us to see something else from this announcement.
I'm going to tell you what it is by setting it up in this way.
The Scripture very clearly tells us the truth about mankind's
condition in the flesh. Man cannot see his own condition. Man likes what he sees. He likes
what he looks at when he looks at himself. But the scripture
tells us the truth of man's condition in the flesh. This is what the
scripture says. It says that man is totally ruined
in sin. I mean, completely ruined, nothing
salvageable. Totally ruined. Don't turn to
these, but Romans 3.23 says, all have sinned and come short
of the glory of God. Romans 3 says, there is none
righteous, no, not one. What does that mean? It means,
Romans 3 says, there is none that doeth good, no, not one. There's none that do with good,
no not one. Now somebody will hear that and
say, I don't believe that. I believe there are good people
out there. Well, let's just think about
this for one second. In order to make a statement
like that, we have to deny the Bible. We have to deny the word
of God to make a statement like that. We have to deny what God
has said in his word to believe that we have to disbelieve God's
word because God says in his word, there is none that do with
good. None. No, not one. Not one. God says mankind is
totally ruined in sin. Somebody says, I don't see it
that way. God does. And that's what I want us to
enter into for just one moment. What we see in each other, there
are people who I can say, I believe that's a good man compared to
me and compared to others. There may be a way that we humans
see other humans. There may be a way that this
flesh sees flesh, but it's not the way God sees it. It's not
the way God sees it. God says that man in his flesh,
man at his best, stay, pick out the finest man you can find.
We have people we know and we believe it when we say, you'll
not find a finer man than that right there, or a finer woman
than that right there. We'll pick out the finest man
and the finest woman. And God says, man at his best
state is altogether vanity. Empty, that means worthless,
what it means, worthless. He actually said, God actually
said that From the crown of man's head to the sole of man's foot,
he is nothing but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores. Now that's what the Word of God
says about man. With that declaration about man,
the scripture also very clearly tells us the truth about God.
The Godhead, God in his three persons. It tells us the work
of God, the father, the work of God, the son, and the work
of God, the spirit. And after exposing the horrible
condition, the horrible truth of man's condition, the scripture
literally says, but God. That's what the scripture says.
It just tears man down. And then it actually says, but
God, but God, God, the father did something about man's condition. God, the son did something about
man's condition. God, the spirit did something
about man's condition. Now I could just start naming
scriptures. You know, many of them, and I could have written
them down and we could have turned scripture after scripture, after
scripture that says God, the father chose some of those ruined
centers to save them. Scripture after scripture that
says God, the father elected. And that means selected some of those ruined sinners
to save them. And God the Son shed His blood
to carry out that salvation. For every ruined sinner, the
Father selected. The Father selected them. And
the son shed his blood on every particular soul, the father selected. And then in time, God, the spirit
is going to quicken. And what that means is give spiritual
life to, we have physical life with no spiritual life until
God, the spirit brings it. And in time, God the Spirit will
come to every person the father chose and the son redeemed, and
God the Spirit is gonna quicken that person, give life to that
person. And God the Spirit is gonna call
that person back to God. The salvation that the father
ordained, And the son secured in his own blood, that salvation
is going to be made effectual and it is going to be applied
to every person that it was meant to be applied to. All right. Now that's what I want us to
look at this morning. That is our message this morning.
I want us to look at the work of God in bringing that salvation
And applying that salvation to the center that it was purposed
for. And I want us to see that work in the announcement of our
savior's birth. We're going to see how salvation
comes to centers. And we're going to see it in
and through the announcement of our savior's birth. In this
announcement, we're going to see how God's people, sinners
go from death to life, darkness to light, blind to seeing,
lost to found. All right. This is going to show
us how God moves in saving his people. Now we just read a verse
concerning this woman and her name was Mary and Mary is going
to represent for us all of God's people. In this woman, we're
going to see that what was told to her and what was done to her,
what happened to her, that's what happens to all of God's
people. All right, this is how God moves
every time. What he did to her is what he
does every time. Let's read a few verses right
here, and then we're gonna expound on these over in Luke chapter
one. But Matthew one, verse 18, it says, now the birth of Jesus Christ
was on this wise. That means this is what happened.
When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together,
she was found with child of the Holy Ghost." That is something
that neither one of them were expecting. They were not expecting
that. They could not have been expecting
that. They had not yet come together,
it says. This had to be strange. This
had to be puzzling. Verse 19, it says, "...then Joseph,
her husband," and that word means future husband, it means espoused
husband, it means fiancé. "...then Joseph, her husband,
being a just man and not willing to make her a public example,
was minded to put her away privately, according to the law being found
in this condition." before marriage was an exposing of sin. That's
what it was. According to the law, if you
were found in this case, you were found in sin. And the punishment of this sin
for anyone who was found in this case outside of marriage was
stoning to death. That was the punishment back
then. They were to be brought before the public And they were
to be made an example of so everybody could see, you see this person,
this is what happens to people in this condition. They were
to be made an example of by stoning them to death. But Joseph didn't
want that for her. He loved her. He didn't want
that to her. So he thought he would put her away privately.
Verse 20 says, but while he thought on these things, behold, the
angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph,
thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee, marry thy wife. And that word wife means future
wife, betrothed wife, fiance. Fear not to take unto thee Mary
thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name
Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all
this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of
the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with
child. and shall bring forth a son,
and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted
is God with us. Then Joseph, being raised from
sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took
unto him his wife." his fiance, verse 25, and knew her not till
she had brought forth her firstborn son and he called his name Jesus. Now, our Lord came into this
world in sinlessness, absolute sinlessness, but he came in such
a way to show that all men and women are sinners. Even this
woman, Mary, the Virgin Mary, all men and women are sinners. Mary did not commit this sin
that she was accused of. It's very important that we know
that. This was conceived of the Holy Ghost. But she was still
a sinner, and so am I, And so are you all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God, but Mary represents a center who
God came to save. What happened to Mary? That's
what happens to all of God's people. When salvation comes
to them, when salvation is applied to them and salvation is made
known to them. And I want us to see that in
more detail here in Luke chapter one. So turn with me over there
to Luke chapter one. Luke one, now from Matthew's
account, We know what the law had to say to Mary. Stone her,
kill her. She's a sinner against God. That's
what the law had to say to her. From Luke's account, let's see
what the gospel had to say to her. Verse 26, Luke chapter one,
verse 26. And in the sixth month, the angel
Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee named Nazareth. The name angel means messenger. Anytime you see the word angel,
it means messenger. That's what an angel is, a messenger.
God sent a messenger and through this messenger, something is
about to be applied to Mary. She's about to be notified of
something that's going to happen to her. And it starts right here. God sent a messenger with a word
directly from God to her. And he said in verse 26, in the
sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city
of Galilee named Nazareth to a Virgin espoused to a man whose
name was Joseph of the house of David. And the Virgin's name
was Mary. And the angel came in unto her
and said, Hail. Now that word hail right there means
rejoice, be glad, rejoice exceedingly. That's what he came in and told
her. He said rejoice, be glad, rejoice exceedingly. Verse 28, he said, hail thou
that art highly favored. Does your Bible have a center
reference in it? Highly favored means graciously accepted, much
graced. That's the message of the gospel.
That is the message of the gospel. The message of the gospel is
not a call to action. It's not a call to works. It's not a call to do anything. It's not a call to do anything. The message of the gospel is
an announcement of good news, surprising news. The message of the gospel is
nothing more and nothing less than a declaration of glorious
news to a bunch of miserable, wretched sinners who don't deserve
it. They're not owed it. They didn't
earn it. The message of the gospel is
a message of a free gift, free grace. That's what grace means.
It means a gift. Free gift. The message of the
gospel is a message of a free gift given by God just because
God wanted to give it. The message of the gospel declares
that God is in the heavens doing whatever He's pleased to do and
this is what He was pleased to do. It pleased Him to show kindness
to you. It pleased him to make you his
people. You have been much graced." I
love the thought of that. I love the message. I love the
message. I'm so thankful that that's the
message of the gospel. Gabriel came up to Mary and the
first thing out of his mouth was, God has poured grace all
over you. God shed his grace on thee. Verse 28, the angel came in unto
her and said, Hail thou that art highly favored. The Lord
is with you. That was his message. I'm going
to tell you, that's a message of good news. That is a message
of good news. The Lord is with you. Here's someone who stands in
the very presence of God. That's what this angel said.
I am Gabriel who stands in the very presence of God, listening
to what he wants me to say. And this is what he sent me to
say. God has poured grace all over you. The Lord is with you. Hold your place right here and
go with me to Romans 8. Romans 8 verse 28, it says, we
know that all things work together for good to them that love God,
to them who are the called according to His purpose. Who loves God? Whoever God loves first. Whoever
are called according to His purpose. Verse 29 says, for whom He did
foreknow, the word means elect. He also did predestinate to be
conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn
among many brethren. Moreover, whom He did predestinate,
them He also called, and whom He called, them He also justified,
and whom He justified, them He also glorified." That's called
an announcement of good news. Now verse 31 says, what shall
we then say to these things, if God be for us, who can be
against us? If God be for us, how is the
Lord for us? With us, he said, the Lord is
with you. How is the Lord with us and for us? What does that
mean? Look at verse 32, it means he that spared not his own son,
but delivered him up for us all. How shall he not with him also
freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who
is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather,
that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who
also maketh intercession for us. The gospel comes to a sinner
when God sends a messenger to that sinner saying, And not just
saying, but by the Spirit of God, the Spirit takes the Word
of God and speaks it to the heart. The Lord is with you. The Lord is with you. He that
spared not his own son. Why did he spare not his own
son? Look at you. Look at what you are. Look at
what you deserve. He spared not His own Son and
He shed the blood of His own precious Son in order to pay
your sin debt against Him. In that and with that, because of
that, because of that action, He's given you all things, all
things with Christ, all things in Christ. And He's freed you
from all the charge. Who shall lay anything to the
charge? Who shall lay anything to your charge? That's the message
of the gospel. Nobody will lay anything to your
charge. And you say it with confidence.
Nobody will ever condemn you in Christ, with Christ, no condemnation. And he's right
now seated on his throne daily making intercession for everything
you do. You know what you're going to
do as you sit in those pews? Sin against God. And you know
what you're gonna do when you walk out of those doors? You're
gonna sin against God. You know what you're gonna do
for the rest of your days on this earth? You're gonna sin against God.
The Lord Jesus Christ, the one who was not spared, and the one
whose blood was shed, is seated on his throne every single day,
making intercession for you, saying, I paid for that. I paid
for that. I paid for that. I paid for that. My blood paid for that. Condemnation's
over. Judgment is settled. Justified
in me. Every time a sin takes place,
He cries, justified in me. Justified by me. The messenger's
message from God was, dear sinner, in Christ and because of Christ,
the Lord is with you. That's an amazing announcement.
Go with me back to Luke 1. Verse 28, it says, and the angel
came in unto her and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored,
the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women. He said, you've been chosen by
God to this. Blessed art thou among women. Verse 29, and when she saw him,
she was troubled at his saying and cast in her mind what manner
of salutation this should be. When the message of the gospel
comes to a sinner, it's arresting at first. It's startling at first. You hear about God's holiness
and it's something that you've never really heard before and
it's troubling. And you hear about the depth
of your sin, just how wicked you are and how vile you are.
And it's something you've never really heard before. And it's
troubling. And the reason it's troubling
is because deep down, you know, it's true. And you hear about the father's
particular election of a people. You hear that this was in God's
hands, not mine. And you hear about the son's
particular redemption and how it's finished. God's election
is finished. And the son's redemption is finished.
And it strikes fear into you because you start to wonder if
it was finished for you. Did he do it for me? And you
start to ask, I see in this word what you're saying is true. I
see he did this for somebody, but did he do it for me? Verse
29, when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying and cast
in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And for all of
God's children, this is the moment where the Spirit of God speaks
to their heart. And this is what he says to them.
You're a sinner. When God speaks, this is what
he says, you're a sinner. You are a sinner. When God speaks
to you, how can I know if God is speaking to me? People talk
about God speaking, you know, to his people, and how can I
know if God's talking to me? Because he says, you are a sinner. Me? Yes, you. I'm talking to
you. You are a sinner, you are a sinner,
you are a sinner. And then he says, Jesus Christ
came into the world to save sinners. You mean me? Yeah, you. He did it for you. He did it
for you. Fear not, you have found favor
with God. Verse 30, and the angel said
unto her, fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favor with God. And behold, thou shalt conceive
in thy womb and bring forth a son and shalt call his name Jesus.
What he said was, life has come to you. You know, she said, but I'm not
even married. I've never known a man, she said. How can this
be? I didn't do anything. Life has come to you in spite
of you, in spite of your lack, in spite of the fact that you
didn't do anything. Life has come to you. Life has been put
in you. That's the message. When the
messenger comes with the message, he says, life has been put inside
you. To every child of God, the message
of God's Spirit is Christ in you is your hope of glory. That's your hope of glory. Christ
has been put in you. Who's in me? Christ is in you. God put Christ in you. And you've been put in Christ.
God has done a work in you and God is the work in you. Verse
31, and behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a
son and shall call his name Jesus. He is the message. He's the object
of the message. He's the reason for the message. He's the reason for the announcement.
It's all about him. When the gospel comes to a child
of God, that child is notified of Christ. That's what the gospel announcement
is. It's a notification of Christ, who he is, what he's done and
what he's going to do forever. Verse 32, it says, he shall be
great and shall be called the son of the highest. And the Lord
God shall give unto him the throne of his father, David. Who is
he? He's the king. He is the King
of kings. And verse 33 says, he shall reign
over the house of Jacob. He's going to reign over the
house of the sinner. He's going to fill his kingdom
with chosen, redeemed, called sinners. And how long will he
do that? How long will He reign over them
and be their King and be their provider and their protector
and their Lord and their Savior? How long will He do that for
them? Here's the message. Forever. Forever. Verse 33, He shall reign over
the house of Jacob forever and of His kingdom there shall be
no end. When that message pierces the
heart of a sinner, life is given. Life is given. It's not something
anybody can do. God has to do it. But in that
moment, life is given. Light is given. Eyes are given. Ears are given. A heart to believe
it is given. When the message of the reigning
Christ pierces the heart, that's the moment a sinner goes from
being lost to found. Dead to alive. A sinner to a sinner saved."
Still a sinner in the flesh, but a sinner to a sinner saved. Saved by the grace of God Almighty. Here's all of our prayer. This
is my prayer, all of our prayer. May God do that in us. What he did for Mary, may he
do that for us. May this announcement come to
each one of us. Christ in us, that's our hope
of glory. All right, Brother Eddie, you
come and lead us in a closing hymn.