The Son of Man, announced

The Son of Man, Announced
Luke 1:26-38
July 14, 2024

The promise of the Messiah who would redeem Israel and serve as her King was no secret; it had been declared throughout Israel’s history, beginning with Moses:

• “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.” (Gen. 3:15)
• “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him.” (Deut. 18:15)
• “Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.” (2 Sam. 7:16)
• “Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.  He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.” (Is. 53:1-3)
• “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the LORD of hosts. (Mal. 3:1)
• “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim And the horse from Jerusalem; And the bow of war will be cut off. And He will speak peace to the nations; And His dominion will be from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.” (Zech. 9:9-10)

But after all those announcements, there were 400 years of silence.  Yes, there was worship in the temple and sacrifices were made, but God, who had spoken so frequently through so many, said nothing directly and nothing through any spokesmen.  And then Gabriel appeared.  Twice.  In six months.  And the message was different, but related — “a forerunner to the Messiah is coming,” and “the Messiah is coming.”

Those announcements were words of grace — messages infused with kindness, compassion, mercy, and hope.  They were announcements that God had not forgotten or forsaken His people.  Today, as we consider the announcement of Christ’s birth to Mary, we will find that —

God’s announcement of Christ’s birth is a message of grace and power.

In using Mary for the birth of the Savior, God is being gracious; in the incarnation of the God-Man, He is demonstrating His power; in providing the Messiah, He is equipping His people with boldness and hope.  In this announcement, see four words (messages) from God — what would He have us hear and understand about the coming of Christ?

1. God’s Messenger: a Word of Grace (vv. 26-30)
2. God’s Message: a Word of Promise (vv. 31-36)
3. God’s Lesson: a Word of Power (v. 37)
4. God’s Servant: a Word of Submission (v. 38)

Download the rest of this sermon on Luke 1:26-38.

The audio will be posted on the GBC website by Tuesday.

Relief of Angel Gabriel, Byzantine, 6th C. AD. @ Bible Places.