In Luke chapter 1 this morning,
beginning in verse 30 and we'll probably move through verse 56
this morning. As we've been looking at the
pre-incarnate issues with our Lord. Let me
read through these real quick. In Luke chapter 1 verse 30, this
deals with what the angel describes as that holy thing. And in the sixth month, that
would be the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy with John the Baptist. It says in verse 24, after those
days his wife Elizabeth conceived and hid herself five months saying,
thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked
upon me to take away my reproach among men. And in the sixth month,
the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee named
Nazareth to a virgin, a spouse to a man whose name was Joseph
of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary.
And the angel came in to her. and said, hail thou that are
highly favored. The Lord is with thee. Blessed
art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was
troubled at his saying and cast her mind what manner of salutation
this should be. And the angel said unto her,
fear not, Mary, for thou has found favor with God. And behold,
thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a son. and shall
call his name Jesus. And 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. And he shall reign over
the house of Jacob for ever. And of his kingdom there shall
be no end. And then Mary said unto the angel,
How shall this be? Saying, I know not a man. And
the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come
upon thee, and the power of the highest shall overshadow thee. Therefore also that holy thing
which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And
behold, thy cousin Elizabeth, she hath also conceived a son
in her old age, and this is the sixth month with her who is called
barren, for with God nothing shall be impossible. And Mary
said, behold, the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according
to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
And Mary arose in those days, went into the hill country with
haste into a city of Judah and entered into the house of Zacharias
and saluted Elizabeth. And it came to pass that when
Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her
womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost. And she
spake out with a loud voice and said, Blessed art thou among
women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this
to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For lo,
as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, The babe
leaped in my womb for joy, and blessed is she that believed,
for there shall be a performance of those things which were told
her from the Lord. And Mary said, My soul doth magnify
the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. For
he hath regarded the lowest state of his handmaiden. For behold,
from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he
that is mighty hath done to me great things, and holy is his
name. And mercy is on them that fear
him from generation to generation. And he has showed strength with
his arm. He has scattered the proud in
the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from
their seats and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled
the hungry with good things and the rich he hath sent away empty.
He hath hope in his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spake to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever.
And Mary abode with her about three months and returned to
her own house." So we'll be covering that portion of this narrative At some point in this narrative,
it doesn't say exactly which point, but the word of the Lord
to Mary was fulfilled. She was pregnant when she went
down to see her cousin. pregnant by divine means according
to the word of the Lord as was recorded in Isaiah chapter 7,
a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and thou shalt call his
name Immanuel God, God with us. And today, so today I'd like
us just to consider and reflect on the beginnings of this. in this miracle of God with us. The last time we were together,
we took a look at Psalm 139, and I'd like to go back there
and review that, which declares to us, the Lord himself recording
his observation from eternity regarding the conception of what's
called here that holy thing. And it just, the more I read
that, the more it just struck me that God Almighty at that moment transferred to
a cell, a skin. a thing that would, in the womb,
that would become a baby and confined in that for nine months. The Almighty God confined in
that womb for nine months, growing into the Son of God, the Son
of Man for an express purpose. And where does this begin? And
we have to go back to electing love in eternity for the beginning,
as far back as we can conceive it in time as we know it. But in the eternal now of the
Lord God Almighty who declares the end from the beginning and
from ancient times, the things that are not yet done, saying,
my counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure. That's recorded
for us in Isaiah 46.10. He's telling us. The end from the beginning, the
Alpha, the Omega. From ancient times, the things
that are not yet done. A virgin shall conceive and bear
a son. His counsel shall stand. I'll
do all my pleasure." From eternity, the electing love that was in
the covenant of grace. Known unto God are all his works
from the beginning of the world, the Bible tells us in Acts chapter
15, verse 18. And so we have some things to
consider. The number one thing that we
have to consider is the eternal existence of the Lord. Our pastor
quoted from John 1.1, in the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, the same was
in the beginning with God. His very name means the self-existent
one, the eternal one. In his prayer in John chapter
17, when the Lord was in his maturity as a man, and he was
praying with his disciples, and he was praying, probably there's
so much contained in John chapter 17. But he said, I've glorified
thee on the earth. I finished the work which thou
gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou
me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee
before the world was. So it establishes for us a certain
characteristic that the Lord enjoyed before. eternity before
the creation of the world, the glory that he had with God the
Father. I've manifested thy name unto
the men which thou gavest me out of this world. Thine they
were, and thou gavest them me, and they have kept thy word.
And so we also are told of this electing love of a people that
belong to God, that He gave the Son to redeem out of their sins. And this electing love that Jeremiah
described, he said, I've loved you with an everlasting love,
an eternal love. Therefore, with loving kindness
have I drawn thee, drawn the ones that were away from him,
drawn the ones that were at enmity with him in sin and trespasses. Electing love is described to
us in great detail in many of the scriptures. I like to read
from Romans the ninth chapter, verse six. It says, not as though
the word of God had taken none effect, for they are not all
Israel, which are of Israel. And he goes on to point out that
it's not by natural birth line that the Lord loves us. They are not all Israel which
are of Israel, neither because they are the seed of Abraham
are they all children. But in Isaac shall thy seed be
called, that is, they which are the children of the flesh. These
are not the children of God, but the children of the promise
are counted for the seed. For this is the word of promise,
at this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son. It's
reminiscent of where we are in Luke. And not only this, but when Rebecca
also had conceived by one by our father Isaac for the children
being not yet born. neither having done any good
or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might
stand, not of works, but of him that calleth. It was said unto
her, the elder shall serve the younger, as it is written, Jacob
have I loved, but Esau have I hated. That the purpose of God in election
might stand. his sovereign will to love whom
he chose and to hate those that were against him. That he didn't
breathe into them the breath of life and cause them to draw
them to himself. Ephesians chapter 1, we love
these scriptures in Ephesians. It's always so hard just to take
a few verses out of this and read them, but we're going to
read verse 2 through 7 from Ephesians chapter 1. Grace be to you and
peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. He's the Prince of Peace, the
God of Peace. We celebrate that this time of
year. He is the cause of our peace.
between us and God. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as He hath
chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before Him, because in eternity, in
the covenant of grace, He agreed to take on the form of a man,
to come and be confined in this cell, in this womb for nine months
before he was even born, and with the sole purpose of coming
and laying down his life for the sheep. In love, having predestinated
us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according
to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of
His grace wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved, in
whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of
sins according to the riches of His grace." And then we segue
right up to Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 8. where it says,
wherefore he saith, when he ascended up on high, he led captivity
captive and gave gifts unto men. The greatest gift that he gave
was himself, his life. Now that he ascended, what is
it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of
the earth? It follows that if he was here, And He was God and
He ascended back to be with the Father that He descended first
to come down and tabernacle with men. He that descended is the same
also that ascended up far above all heavens that he might fill
all things. What is descending but coming
down? Coming down from where? From the Father in heaven. John
6.37 spells this out for us in no uncertain terms. In John 6.37,
All that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that
cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from
heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent
me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me." The
Messiah, the Christ. that of all which he hath given
me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the
last day. And this is the will of him that
sent me, that every one which seeth the Son and believeth on
him may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the
last day." So today as we contemplate the celebration of the the birth
of our Savior who came down, who took on the nature and flesh
of man, but was still God and God with us in the flesh, the
Bible says. We could think on a few things
which have been recorded for our understanding and which magnify
our appreciation of our Lord and Savior. These things that
Mary lived through, she just contemplated them My soul magnifies the Lord. And I don't think maybe she had a
complete understanding of it. She says, how is this going to
be? And the angel of the Lord told her, and she said, OK. I
believe it. My soul magnifies the Lord. I
trust in God my Savior, she calls him. So, we could think on a few things
which have been recorded for our understanding which magnify
our appreciation of our Lord and Savior. Consider the Lord
God Almighty, the Word of God that was in the beginning with
God and was God. The Creator, the cause of peace
between us and God the Father. the hymns that we sing, peace
on earth, goodwill toward men. It's not worldly peace, it's
a cessation of conflict between nationalities or people. It's
a cessation of conflicts and hostilities between God and the
elect, between God and the church. Because of the eternal love with
which He loved the elect, He agreed to give up where He'd
been from all eternity, in fellowship and unity with the Father and
Spirit, and in the fullness of time be sent to the Father to
be made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that
were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Galatians chapter 4, verse 4, 5, and 6. Hebrews the 10th chapter tells
us, and as we're looking at this, as we think of eternity past
and our concept of time and things, the Lord thinking ahead to where
He was going to go, what He was going to do, what He was going
to be, to satisfy the righteousness of God and redeem the church
from the fall. Hebrews 10, turn over with me
to Hebrews the 10th chapter. All these things that our pastor
has brought to us from the Old Testament, all the sacrifices
and all the things that were done in the Old Testament to
be a shadow and a type of the coming of the Lord and His sacrifice
once for all for the church. In verse 4 of chapter 10 of Hebrews,
it says, for it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats
should take away sins. They were just a symbol. They
were just a picture. Just a representative of what
was... It was just there to have people's minds and hearts look
forward to what the Lord was going to do for them. Wherefore,
when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice an offering
thou wouldest not. but a body thou hast prepared
me. In burnt offerings and sacrifice
for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, lo, I come in the
volume of the book it is written of me, to do thy will, O God. Above, when he said sacrifice
and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin, thou wouldst
not neither had pleasure in, which are offerings by the law,
Then said he, lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away
the first, that he may establish the second. By which will we
are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once
for all. A body thou has prepared. A sacrifice once for all. A lamb
slain from before the foundation of the world. Proverbs, turn
over to Proverbs if you would, chapter 8. We look at all these
Old Testament scriptures that kind of give us a view that our
Savior had and tried to describe to us things not as yet done. but according to the counsel
and will of God the Father. Proverbs 8, verse 22 says, the
Lord possessed me in the beginning of His way. Before His works
of old, I was set up from everlasting. From the beginning, wherever
the earth was, when there were no depths, I was brought forth.
When there were no fountains abounding with water, before
the mountains were settled, before the hills, I was brought forth.
While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor
the highest part of the dust of the world, when he prepared
the heavens, I was there. When he set the compass upon
the face of the depth, when he established the cloud above,
when he strengthened the fountains of the deep, When he gave to
the sea his decree that the water should not pass his commandment,
when he appointed the foundations of the earth, then I was by him
as one brought up with him, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing
always before him, rejoicing in the habitable part of the
earth, and my delights were with the sons of men. Now therefore
hearken unto me, O ye children, for blessed are they that keep
my ways. Hear instruction and be wise
and refuse it not. Blessed is the man that heareth
me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.
For whoso findeth me, findeth life, and shall obtain favor
of the Lord." It speaks to a time before the creation, during the
creation, after the creation, Consider the Lord in eternity
marveling at that which in the fullness of time would come to
be, but recorded for us thousands of years prior to the fact. This
great miracle, this mystery that the Bible described, this change
which He would engage in, which united His holy nature with the
flesh of man. And yet, in total confidence
that his union with the father was total and secure. When he
was here, I've always been about my father's work. I and the father
are one. The father loveth me. I love
the father. So back to Psalm 139 for a bit. this Psalm of David, and I'm
sure David, some of the things in here describe in a dual capacity
the things that he perceived of himself, and yet it's clearly
descriptive of the Lord looking at what was about to happen to
him a long time from when this was written. O Lord, Thou hast
searched me and known me. Thou knowest my down-sitting
and my uprising, and Thou understandest my thoughts afar off. Thou compass
my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
There is not a word in my tongue, but Lord, Thou knowest it altogether. The Lord, He said, I and the
Father are one. They were united in will and
purpose for the redemption of the church. Thou has beset me behind and
before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge as too wonderful
meat is high, I cannot attain unto it. And I can understand
David writing that after he was regenerated and just saying,
you know, I just, when I think about this, he said, when I think
about things like this in the night watch, it's just, My head
just wants to explode. I can't contain it all. It's
just too wonderful for me. It's high. I cannot attain unto
it. Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Whither shall I flee
from my presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou
art there. If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts
of the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me and thy right
hand shall hold me. If I say, surely the darkness
shall cover me, even the night shall be light about me. Yea,
the darkness hideth not from thee, but the night shineth as
a day. The darkness and the light are both a light to thee. For
thou has possessed my reins. Thou has covered me in my mother's
womb. I will praise thee, for I am
fearfully and wonderfully made Marvelous are thy works, and
that my soul knoweth right well. My substance, my creation, was
not hid from thee when I was made in secret, and curiously
wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see
my substance, yet being imperfect, and in thy book all my members
were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there
was none of them." Isn't that what he said in Isaiah? When as yet they hadn't been
done yet, but I speak of them as though they are. In thy book all my members were
written, which were in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there
was none of them. How precious also are thy thoughts
unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them!
If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand. When I awake, I am still with
thee. And I can just think of the Lord
thinking, that's how it's going to be when I'm in the womb for
nine months. Even though it's dark, I have
the light. Even though I'm not physically
present, I'm present in spirit. The thoughts of God are precious
to me. I just still can't kind of fully
grasp the Almighty being contained as it were. A body thou has prepared for
me, it says in Hebrews. prepared to accomplish the purposes
of God and the covenant of grace. Prepared because of electing
love to redeem a people from sin and the fall. A body that he would never be
separated from. We see him when he when he was
resurrected in his body, still had the prints of the nails in
his hand and the wound in the side that he said, Thomas, stick
your finger here. Put your hand in here. We have a high priest that is
passed into the heavens. Jesus, the Son of God. Seeing that we have that great
high priest, let's hold fast our profession. For we have not
a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our
infirmities. That's the purpose of him coming. and taking this body that had
been prepared for him, that in all points he could be tempted
like as we are, yet without sin, it says in Hebrews 4.15. Let
us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may
obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. It just seems like sometimes
we make mistakes and maybe I'll go up to Norm and say, well,
you'll never believe what dumb thing I just did. And he'll say,
oh, I've done that too. I've been there. We don't have
a God that that's so far above us that he has no understanding
of the things we go through. He was given a body like we have
and tabernacled among us. And the scripture says, consider
him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself. That's
hard for us to fathom that he would be holy and righteous unto
God and that He would endure a contradiction of people that
were total opposite to Him. And yet, He loved them from eternity
and never looked at them in any other way. When the very people
closest to Him we find later in the close of this book of
Luke and in the other Gospels, They ratted him out. They turned,
they threw him under the bus or whatever you want to say.
They denied him. And not just Peter, it says,
and they all did the same, all the disciples. When he came to them after he
was resurrected, he said the same thing that he said to Mary,
fear not. I've loved you with an everlasting
love. I've loved you from eternity. In eternity, I planned and proposed
and caused it to come into be the very things that would be your
redemption. A body thou has prepared me,
a body that was for one purpose, so that he could die in the place
as a substitute for his people. So we'll stop there and our pastor
will be kind of taken off from somewhere near there and moving
on through the nativity and the gospel that's so attuned to it. Thank you for your attention
and be free as always.