{"id":10176,"date":"2021-12-12T08:51:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-12T13:51:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/?post_type=message&p=10176"},"modified":"2021-12-27T08:52:42","modified_gmt":"2021-12-27T13:52:42","slug":"a-simple-response","status":"publish","type":"message","link":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/message\/a-simple-response","title":{"rendered":"A Simple Response"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Below is an automated transcript of this message<\/h3>\n\n\n\nWe <\/i><\/span> are continuing our series called, \u201cSimply Christmas.\u201d Last Sunday, we titled it, \u201cA Simple Invitation.\u201d Appropriately, we’ve entitled this message today, \u201cA Simple Response.\u201d Last week, we talked about how God has given us a simple invitation at Christmas to believe in His son, Jesus. Today, we will be looking at how to RSVP to that invitation.

\nChristmas invites us to respond to the message that Jesus, the son of God, has come and is coming again. He’s come and is coming again; that’s what the word, \u201cadvent,\u201d means. You hear people talk about this season as advent. It comes from the latin word, \u201cadventus,\u201d which has the idea of coming or appearing.

\nDuring this season, we look back across history and we say, \u201cJesus has come,\u201d but we also look forward into the future and say, \u201cHe is coming again. Just as surely as He has come, He’s coming again.\u201d So, how <\/i><\/span> do we respond to this message?

\nPeople respond in many ways. It depends on where they are in their journey. Some people come to faith immediately. They hear the message about Jesus and it’s something that they’re just ready to commit to. Other people might reject believing outright. They decide, I don’t believe. I don’t buy it. Some go through a long season of searching and asking questions and then, after going through much travail, they finally come to a place of faith. Still others remain skeptical or even apathetic about the whole thing for the rest of their life.

\nDon’t you wish you knew how to respond? Maybe, some of you know how to respond. Some of you have already responded. How will you respond today, I guess, is the main question. We’re going to be looking at how Mary responded to the message from the angel Gabriel that she was to bear the son of God, that she was to be the mother who would bear Jesus. We will be looking at <\/i><\/span> the gospel of Luke today, where the angel Gabriel announced God’s word to Mary that she would give birth to the Messiah. Mary answered with a simple response of faith. We can respond to God’s word with a simple response of faith.

\nAs we look at the text, we’ll see three ways we can respond to God\u2019s word with a simple response of faith. Let’s look at the text: Luke 1:26-38 (ESV) 26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, \u201cGreetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!\u201d 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, \u201cDo not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold,you <\/i><\/span> you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.\u201d 34 And Mary said to the angel, \u201cHow will this be, since I am a virgin?\u201d 35 And the angel answered her, \u201cThe Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy\u2014the Son of God. 36 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. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.\u201d 38 And Mary said, \u201cBehold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.\u201d And the angel departed from her. This is God’s word.

\nWe’re looking for three <\/i><\/span> ways on how to respond to God’s word with the simple response of faith. Here’s the first way:

\n1. Be receptive.

\nBe receptive to God’s word. Notice, in verse 29, it talks about how Mary was responding inside; her internal response. She has not said a word yet in verse 29, \u201cBut she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.\u201d

\nI would have been greatly troubled by the appearance of an angel. I don’t know about you. Mary was greatly troubled, I’m sure, by that but, especially, by the greeting. The scripture says that she tried to discern its meaning. The word, \u201cdiscern,\u201d comes from a Greek word \u201cdialogizomai.\u201d It\u2019s the idea of weighing a thing or logically coming to a conclusion about a thing. She deliberated,she reasoned and she wondered. In other words, she engaged her intellect. She was thinking to herself, What kind of a greeting is that?

\nHere’s what I would say: Faith begins in a place, often in the intellect, sometimes in the heart <\/i><\/span>, sometimes with the will, but often with the intellect. Some would say that faith is the absence of the intellect. That it’s blind faith or that it’s like intellectual suicide to commit your life to the Lord. But, I would say that genuine faith, Christian faith, is based on an object and that object is the historical reality, that Jesus really came and He really interrupted history 2000 years ago. He really came. He really died on a cross and was raised again. So, you have to deal Intellectually with those facts.

\nThis is what she’s doing. She is wondering, How am I greatly favored? She’s thinking about that. I really think, in order to have a genuine Christian faith, you have to engage the mind, it’s appropriate to ask questions of God’s word.

\nNotice the difference between questioning God’s word and asking questions of God’s word. Can you hear the difference? To ask questions of God’s <\/i><\/span> word means you’re receptive and you want answers, but to question God’s word means you doubt it\u2019s validity. There’s a difference. She’s questioning God’s word in the sense of I have a question. You can see her question in verse 34; it’s a very practical question. It’s a biological question. Perhaps all of us would be ready to ask such a question. The angel said to her, \u201cyou’re going to bear a son.\u201d She’s not even married; she\u2019s never been with a man. She says, \u201cI’m a virgin,\u201d which literally means in the original Greek, \u201cI’ve never known a man.\u201d She is a virgin. Mary is probably around 13, 14, 15 years old. I don’t know how old you think she is in this story or what version of the story you’ve heard growing up.

\nMary is betrothed; she is not married. To be betrothed in that time period, in jewish life, is more than engagement. We have engagement today and <\/i><\/span> it usually has to do with the bride and the groom. Back in this time, the fathers often arranged marriages. The father of the groom, the future groom, would often think, We really like this girl from this family. Marriages were arranged; the groom was often much older. Joseph may have been around 28, 30 years old, perhaps; that would have been very normal. The age of betrothal was usually around 12, 13 or 14 years of age and then they would be married usually by the time she was 15 years old. Mary is in that age group.

\nVerse 34, And Mary said to the angel, \u201cHow will this be, since I am a virgin?\u201d Mary has never been with a man. She’s very young, but she doesn’t respond with a youthful kind of faith. She responds with a very mature kind of faith, which I would say to you, if you’re a young person today, just because <\/i><\/span> you’re young and aged doesn’t mean you can’t respond in a very important, mature way to God’s word. She asked, \u201cHow will this be?\u201d Very practical question.

\nNow, in contrast, in chapter one, the old man, Zachariah, had asked a similar biological question, but he got in trouble for it. Let’s see if we can tell the difference between how they asked. Mary asked, \u201cHow will this be?\u201d but Zachariah asks differently.

\nEarlier in Luke, chapter one, Zachariah said to the angel, \u201cHow shall I know this?\u201d Notice that this is different. \u201cHow shall I know this?\u201d not \u201cHow will this be?\u201d In other words, he’s asking for proof that God’s word is true. \u201cHow shall I know this?\u201d And then, he asked this biological question, \u201cI’m an old man and my wife is advanced in years.\u201d In other words, We’re old; how are we gonna have a baby? The angel answered him. You can tell Gabriel is kind of \u201cticked\u201d by <\/i><\/span> the way he answers. \u201cI am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.\u201d Zachariah got a different response than Mary. Mary got a good explanation. Zachariah got silenced. He came out of the temple trying to talk and the people wondered what happened to him while he was in there.

\nZachariah was from the house of Levi and he had gone into the temple at the time of the year when his part of the tribe was on duty. They rotated by month and so it was his month to serve. It was his turn to go in and light the incense on the table on the altar of incense which stood right before the holy of holies where the ark of the covenant was on this side of the curtain. He goes <\/i><\/span> in; he was supposed to be alone. He’s in there by himself, maybe he’s holding the light and looking down at it like some would do to keep it from going out. He’s going towards the altar of incense and the bible says that the angel was standing to the right of the altar of incense and greets him. You can imagine Zachariah shaking all of a sudden; he’s old. It freaks him out. He thought he was alone there. The angel, Gabriel, tells him this and then he says,\u201cHow shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.\u201d He had been praying for this but wonders how this is possible. Because he doubted God’s word. God took his words. He was unable to speak for nine months, until the day of John, the Baptist’s birth. He was born to Zachariah and Elizabeth. On the day of his birth, Zachariah\u2019s tongue was loosed and he said <\/i><\/span> to name him John.

\nThis is the difference between questioning God’s word and asking questions of God’s word. You can see the differences illustrated here.

\nNotice how today\u2019s passage opens up in verse 26, \u201cIn the sixth month, the angel Gabriel\u2026\u201d The sixth month of what? If you look on, towards the end at verse 36, \u201cAnd 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.\u201d This is the way Luke has chosen to tell the story; he tells us about John the Baptist, about that miraculous conception and then he drops down and tells us about Jesus\u2019 miraculous conception. Gabriel makes a trip to Jerusalem, makes an announcement and then he makes a trip to Nazareth. The chronology is six months later. It’s the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy.

\nLuke is a very careful historian. He includes places, names and chronology. He is very ahead of <\/i><\/span> his time for this time period with his historical accuracy. He says that Gabriel, the angel, was sent from God to the city of Nazareth, which was in the region of Galilee. I see a place that triggers the need for a map. Here’s a map; here is the region of Judea. Jerusalem is right here. This is where the activity is taking place, earlier in chapter one, where Zachariah sees the angel Gabriel. The part of the story that we’re reading now is taking place in Nazareth of Galilee. It’s called the region of Galilee because it’s just to the west of the Sea of Galilee. This is where Jesus grew up; this is the city of Nazareth. It’s a real place. The reason we point these things out is because when you read God’s word, it’s about real places and real people. It really happened.

\nI think it’s important to note that Mary says , <\/i><\/span> \u201cI’m a virgin.\u201d She’s a marriageable maiden who’s yet to be with a man. This is very clear and this is in fulfillment of a seven hundred year old prophecy because the prophet Isaiah had predicted that the messiah would be born to a virgin in Isaiah 7:14 (ESV) \u201cTherefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.\u201d Immanuel means, \u201cGod with us.\u201d

\nIt was told, through the prophets throughout the Old Testament, that the Messiah would be born to the house of David, which was the tribe of Judah. I wonder if every little girl, who grew up in the tribe of Judah, thought to herself, I wonder if it’ll be me; if I will be His mother? It was Mary who was chosen; she is highly favored. She’s betrothed, but not yet married. \nBetrothal is different than engagement because the fathers would exchange the bride price <\/i><\/span>. Because when the bride left the bride’s family, she now becomes part of the groom’s family. She brings her labor and her effort, which adds to the groom’s family but it’s taken away from the bride’s family. The groom’s family would pay a bride price to the bride’s family. There was an actual transaction at the betrothal. They would have a betrothal party and an announcement and it was much stronger than engagement. In fact, betrothal had to be broken by divorce, just like marriage. So,they were going to get married soon, but not quite yet.

\nThis is the state that Mary is in right here. It’s legally binding and so, she’s in a situation; How is this going to happen? The angel answers; He doesn’t rebuke her for this question. It’s a very practical question. He gives her one of the most <\/i><\/span> beautiful descriptions of how this will happen. There’s nothing sensual about this. There’s nothing about this that looks awry or wrong. It’s a beautiful thing. It’s a spiritual thing. The angel answers her in verse 35, \u201cThe Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy\u2014the Son of God.\u201d This shouldn’t be difficult for us to believe. Many say, Well, this is a fantastic story. It’s a wonderful story. If God could make Adam from the dust of the earth and breathe upon the man that he had formed so that he became a living soul, he can certainly place the Lord Jesus in the womb of Mary.\u201d Notice, Gabriel says, 31 \u201cAnd behold, you will conceive in your womb.\u201d This is very <\/i><\/span> specific stuff, isn’t it? This is very specific information. This will be a miraculous conception, but a normal birth, with all of the details of labor. There will be nine months of of pregnancy followed by labor. The conception is miraculous, but the birth is every day. This is the very practical description that Gabriel gives. \u201cYou will conceive in your womb.\nGabriel, then, says, \u201c…you shall call his name Jesus.\u201d He had told both Joseph and Mary this, through the angel, Gabriel, because the father God named His son. He names Him Jesus, which in the Hebrew is Yeh-SHU-ah. Would you like to see what it looks like in Hebrew writing? \n

\nThoseare <\/i><\/span> the Hebrew letters. You read them from right to left. You read from right to left in Hebrew. Yeshua, means it comes from Jehovah or Yahweh, which is God’s name. \u201cI am that I am.\u201d That’s His name. Yahweh. The name of Jesus means, \u201cGod saves, God’s salvation.\u201d That’s what His name means.

\nGabriel tells Mary to name her son, Jesus. 32 \u201cHe will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.\u201d He is the son of God. \u201cAnd the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David. This means that He’s the Messiah who has been long promised. 33 \u201cand he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.\u201d He will rule over Israel. These are all titles that are given in <\/i><\/span> this passage.

\nHow do we come to understand it? Gabriel has given Mary a lot of bible facts; a lot to believe. How do we begin? We begin by engaging the intellect, listening and then asking questions for understanding.

\nHere’s what it says in Matthew, this is Jesus speaking, Matthew 11:15 (NLT) \u201cAnyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!\u201d Are you engaged in your mind right now, to look at the text, to read it, to think about it, to hear me talk about it and to ask questions about it. To look at the text and not to question its validity, but to understand it so that you can make a faith decision.

\nPaul teaches that faith needs an object. Faith needs something or someone to place your faith. Romans 10:17 (NKJV) \u201cSo then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.\u201d Faith needs an object; someone or something to believe in. There’s a kind of doubt that’s evidence of a closed mind . <\/i><\/span> The person who asks questions just to keep from believing. Then, there’s a kind of doubt that comes from an open mind, which just means the person doesn’t know yet; they lack understanding. Which are you?

\nZachariah had a closed mind but it got opened, but Mary was receptive. Now, you may say today, I’m kind of skeptical and I have a lot of questions. That’s okay, God is not afraid of your questions. You can ask questions, but you might say back to me, Yeah, but you religious people say, \u201cJust believe.\u201d Well, first of all, I’m offended that you called me a religious person because, actually, I believe that following Jesus is about a relationship, not a religion. It’s about knowing Jesus. It\u2019s not about some ritual or regulation. It’s about knowing Christ and believing in Him and then, second of all, believe in a faith where you can ask questions and engage with your intellect. It’s not intellectual suicide to become a Christian. In fact, I think it’s the <\/i><\/span> most thoughtful, well thought out, intelligent, logical decision you could ever make.

\nThat’s where Mary is at right now. She’s engaging her intellect to understand and she’s receptive to the answer. How about you?

\nHere’s the second way that you can respond to God’s word:

\n2. Be humble.

\nNotice, in verse 34 that Mary has already asked her \u201chow\u201d question, \u201cHow will this be?\u201d Now, her response down in verse 38 is this, she says, \u201cBehold, I am the servant of the Lord.\u201d The angel Gabriel had given her the explanation for her \u201chow question\u201d and her response was \u201cBehold, I am the servant of the Lord.\u201d

\nFirst of all, as I’ve told you before, I’m trying to get the word, \u201cbehold,\u201d back into the modern English language. I am trying to get people to say \u201cbehold\u201d again. I like that word, \u201cbehold.\u201d I’m Pastor Gary and behold, I am speaking to you now from the pulpit. Behold, you are seated before me . <\/i><\/span> I like that word. I think we should bring it back. Its modern sense might be something like, Look here from the south or hey, look at this or hey, you know what? You’ve told me something new that I, maybe, had some questions about. I wasn’t so sure about it, but now that you responded to me to my satisfaction, I do kind of understand. That’s kind of what \u201cbehold\u201d is; \u201clook here.\u201d

\nHere’s what I think is going on: Gabriel tells Mary this information; he tells her how this is going to work out. Noone has <\/i><\/span> ever had that happen before. I don’t see this anywhere else in scripture. Isaiah said something like this was going to happen, but he didn’t say how. Mary didn\u2019t understand it all, but she said, \u201cBehold, I’m the servant of the Lord.\u201d She showed humility.

\nYou’re God and I’m not. That’s the hardest thing for most of us. We want to be in control. To lose control means to say, I’m a servant of the Lord. I’m not in control. Mary is a servant.

\nThe Greek word for \u201cservant\u201d here is doul\u0113. Here, it has the feminine ending because it speaks of Mary. She says, \u201cBehold, I am the servant of the Lord.\u201d I’m a doul\u0113 of the Lord; it <\/i><\/span>has the feminine ending. Some versions are translated, \u201cI am the Lord’s maid servant,\u201d or \u201chand servant.\u201d I think that’s kind of beautiful; it’s got the feminine ending, \u2018I’m the Lord’s doul\u0113.

\nYou’ve probably heard this word in modern English, \u201cdoula.\u201d \u201cDoula\u201d comes from the same word as one who instructs and encourages and helps a woman during her labor. Maybe someone here has hired a \u201cdoula\u201d to help you with your pregnancy. That’s where the word comes from. Mary right here says, \u201c I am the (doula) of the Lord.\u201d That is beautiful.

\nWe have this trinitarian response. The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the most high (which implies the father) will overshadow you. And then a son will be born to you. We have the Holy Spirit, the Father and the Son, all in this explanation of how she will conceive. It’s beautiful.

\nThe word, \u201covershadow,\u201d reminds me <\/i><\/span> of the Mount of Transfiguration, where Jesus took Peter, James and John. It says in Matthew 17:5 (ESV) \u201c \u2026 behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, \u201cThis is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.\u201d It’s a passage where it’s like God pulled back the veil of heaven and let the three disciples, Peter, James and John see. They saw Jesus standing there on the mountain and suddenly His clothes began to turn white and He was standing there talking to Moses and Elijah. They heard a voice from heaven; it was the Father speaking. He said, \u201cThis is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.\u201d It’s got that same word; they were \u201covershadowed.\u201d

\nMary would be overshadowed. It’s kind of the same idea in the Old Testament where the spirit of God overshadowed the Tabernacle and by day it was a cloud and by night it was a pillar of fire. It’s the same kind <\/i><\/span> of verbiage\u2019 it’s beautiful.

\nWhat’s His name? Well first of all, He will be holy. The word, \u201choly,\u201d has a couple of connotations. One speaks of purity and sinlessness. Certainly, that’s true, but it also speaks of \u201cOne who is set apart for special purpose.\u201d Someone who is anointed. That’s what the word, Messiah, means. It means \u201cThe Anointed One.\u201d That’s what it means in Greek. The Greek word for Messiah is \u201cchristos;\u201d that’s where we get the word, Christ. It means the same thing. The Anointed one, The Holy One, The \u201cset apart\u201d One. That’s what He willl be; that’s His title.

\nGabriel decides that, although Mary didn’t ask for a sign, he would give her one anyway. Zachariah asked for a sign and he got one. He was quiet for nine months. Mary didn’t even ask for one, but he gave her one anyway. He says, \u201cBehold your relative Elizabeth\u2026\u201d Some translations <\/i><\/span> say \u201ccousin,\u201d but, basically, the Greek word could mean any kind of relative. If it was translated into Southern it would be your kin. Behold your kin, Elizabeth. We’re not sure, but she’s a lot older than mary. Mary is around fourteen years and Elizabeth is past childbearing age. Elizabeth has never had a child. Let’s say Elizabeth is over seventy years of age. She’s old. Here’s the sign: Elizabeth has been pregnant for six months. They didn’t have Google, Internet, Twitter or Facebook. This was news to Mary; it would have been big news. Verse 36 \u201cAnd 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.\u201d

\nGabriel then gives her a beautiful proclamation, 37 \u201cFor nothing will be impossible with God.\u201d Do you believe that today? Nothing is impossible with God. I don’t know what you’re facing today , <\/i><\/span> but say that to yourself, \u201cNothing is impossible with God.\u201d You may not understand everything, but you can still humbly submit to God’s word. You can understand enough of it to where you believe the rest of it.

\nJames said this, James 4:6-7 (ESV) \u201cGod opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.\u201d Submit yourselves therefore to God. Will you humble yourself? This is about your will if the first part of the response is about your intellect that that faith needs to understand, but to grow in faith, you have to finally say, I understand enough to make a decision as an act of the will. I am the Lord’s servant. You’ve explained it to me. I don’t fully comprehend every bit of it, but I believe it. And so I am the Lord’s servant.

\nFaith and pride are irreconcilable, but humility and faith are friends. They go together because, in humility, we believe I can’t save myself. But I do believe that Jesus has done all that is <\/i><\/span> necessary for my salvation. Therefore, I understand it intellectually enough to believe it and so, as an act of the will. I submit.

\nMary’s response moved from seeking understanding to simple acceptance. \u201cI am the Lord’s servant. \u201c She understood that the Lord was going to cause her to conceive without knowing a man and that she would become pregnant. That didn’t answer all the problems that she would be beset with. In her pregnancy, when she started showing , as one betrothed and Joseph would know and the people in the village would find out. The book of Leviticus says that she would be brought before people and stoned to death for being pregnant out of wedlock. This is what is before her, but we don’t see her asking any detailed questions about any of that. She found out enough to know one thing and to make this declaration. \u201c I’m the Lord’s servant.\u201d I don’t understand how I’m going to get through all of this, but I am the Lord’s servant. She humbly submits to God’s word.

\nWill you do that ? <\/i><\/span> Are you ready to do that?

\nHere’s the third way that you can respond to God’s word: \n3. Be resolved.

\nThe final way that she responds is she is resolved. Will you be resolved? We’re in verse 38, the latter part of verse 38. She says, \u201cBehold, I am the Lord’s servant,\u201d and then, she says, \u201clet it be to me according to your word.\u201d \u201cLet it be to me according to your word.\u201d She sought understanding and she has humbly surrendered herself to the Lord’s word. Now, she declares that she has resolved herself for it to happen just as Gabriel has said, just as God’s word has said.

\nA lot of us get our identity from external things: our family, our friends, our peers. The world tells us, This is who you are. This is what you are. Some of us look within and think, Well, I feel more like this on the inside than that, and so, we identify ourselves that way.

\nMary looks up and she <\/i><\/span> says, \u201cLet it be to me according to your word.\u201d What you’ve said about me, I agree with. Let it happen to me just as you’ve said. She found her identity and her purpose in God’s word. She said, \u201cLet it be to me according to your word.\u201d

\nHave you ever resolved to say, I’m sick and tired of trying to lead my life according to my own direction, or according to the advice and direction of others. I need something dependable. I am going to give my life to the Lord. I’m going to say whatever You say. I believe and I want it. Let it be to me. It’s a way of saying, \u201cAmen,\u201d to a thing. It’s like she says, Amen and Amen. Let it be to me, having resolved her will to God’s word.

\nIf we could keep reading, just for a little bit, she’s really happy about that sign. She resolves herself. She’s engaged her head ;<\/i><\/span> she’s engaged her will. She has made a resolution that she is going to do this. How is her heart? We don’t see any evidence of how she feels yet. But, if we keep reading, we’ll see that her faith grows and begins to beat in her heart.

\nLet’s see what she does. The minute that the angel leaves, we go to Luke 1:39-45 (ESV) 39 \u201c\nIn those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, \u201cBlessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.\u201d When this old lady, Elizabeth, heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in Elizabeth\u2019s womb. This baby is John. This has a lot of implications about the life of the child within the womb, because the Holy Spirit came upon, six months in the womb, John the Baptist. Just think <\/i><\/span> that through for a second; it\u2019s the sanctity of life. The Holy Spirit comes upon the infant within the womb of Elizabeth; he’s in the womb six months and she feels it.

\nNotice this last part; it is very important. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.\u201d Mary believed it and she came there to see it and she saw Elizabeth six months pregnant. How does Elizabeth know all this? The Holy Spirit told her. She knew Mary was carrying the Messiah. The baby within her womb <\/i><\/span> knows it. That’s what’s going on in this wonderful Christmas story. We overlooked the miracle of this, the many miracles of it.

\nNow, Mary\u2019s heart is engaged. How do you know, Gary? Because now, she starts singing and you can’t sing like this unless your heart is engaged. This is called \u201cMary\u2019s Magnificat.\u201d Mary said, \u201cMy soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked on the estate of his servant.\u201d I don’t have time to read the whole thing. You can read it, but she writes a song right there, inspired by the Holy Spirit. It is in the bible. That’s Mary\u2019s song; that’s the one she sang right there that burst forth from her heart in response to what Elizabeth told her. You see now that her heart’s engaged.

\nYou know, sometimes faith begins in your head and sometimes it begins in your heart. For Mary it started in her head. She had questions <\/i><\/span>. She heard from the angel. She heard God’s word and she began to discern it. She was a little troubled.

\nSometimes it troubles us when we hear God’s word. It stirs us up. We have to let go of some things. Things aren’t going the way it was planned. I’m not going to be able to do what I thought I was going to do. I will have to change some things in my life.

\nMary started thinking that this has implications. I wonder what they are? She thought and she asked her questions. Then, she was satisfied and understood it. And then, she engages her will. We don’t see evidence of her heart until she goes and hears the testimony of her relative Elizabeth. And then, she burst forth in song. Now, she’s in a different place in her faith and her faith is going to keep growing.

\nWhere are you at in your faith? Where are you at in your response to the true message of <\/i><\/span> Christmas, this miraculous reality that God interrupted history and time and send His own Son to be conceived in a woman’s womb and be born of a woman in a normal way except in a stable. This King of glory, born in a stable. We see the overshadowing of the cross over the cradle because this baby was born as a lamb in a stable. He’s the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

\nWill you say, with the way Mary said it, \u201cLet it be to me according to your word.\u201d I want what you want for me, God; that’s how I respond to you today. When we talk about advent, we talk about Christmas. We look back to the reality that He has appeared. He has come and He will appear again. He is coming.

\nTitus 3:4-7 (ESV) 4 \u201cBut when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by usin <\/i><\/span> in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.\u201d

\nGod, our Savior, has appeared in Jesus and He will appear again. Believe in His will and engage the mind. It will engage the heart and ultimately the will to make a decision to say, I am the Lord’s servant not my will, but Yours be done in my life according to your word? Let it be so to me.

\nHave you come to that place yet in your life? Have you given that simple response? I don’t know where you’re at in your faith today. Maybe you’re still skeptical, maybe you’re still searching. Ask your questions and get out of the question asking phase and make a decision for Jesus. If you haven’t done so, make it today. Know this that <\/i><\/span> faith is not faith in faith. it’s not how much faith you have, you’re not faithing into faith. So it’s not focused on your faith, but it’s focused on the object of your faith and the object of your faith is the person of Jesus Christ and that He has appeared, He died for our sins, He was raised from the grave and He lives today.

\nWe place our faith into the name of Jesus so you take hold of that intellectually and to know Him of the heart and to feel His presence, to be in a relationship with Him and of the will, I am your servant. It engages all three, the whole person. Are you there yet? If not, why not?

\nLet’s pray. Lord, thank You for this message, this old message, that we’ve heard so many times. It\u2019s the message of Christmas and the message of this young woman. There are young people in this room right now. There are many young people and many that are older, <\/i><\/span> but it doesn’t matter. Both women are in this story, old Elizabeth and young Mary and they’re both responding with faith. Where are you at today, my friend? Whether you’re young or old, will you respond with faith? You can do it right now. You can, as an act of the will, talk to the Lord. You can join me right now, in your seat. Pray like this, Dear Lord Jesus, I’m a sinner and I believe You died on the cross for my sin. I believe You came and died on the cross, You were raised from the grave on the third day and that You live today. Come and live in me, forgive me of my sin and make me the person You want me to be. I want to be a child of God and I desire You as my Lord and Savior. If you’re praying that prayer, believing, He will save you. Others are here and you’ve prayed that prayer and you have placed your belief in Jesus to <\/i><\/span> follow Him as Savior and Lord but, today, you’re thinking about that place where things are impossible. You don’t know how to overcome this. You’ve made some decision that you’ve tried to be in control of. You’ve kind of taken back the driver’s seat. Would you rededicate your life right now and say, Lord, I put You in charge afresh. I’ve always believed in You, since my decision to follow You, but Lord, I’ve taken some things back. Right now,I give them back to you afresh. Lord, lead, guide and direct me in a new way. I believe all things are possible in You. We pray it now in Jesus’ name. Amen.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every invitation deserves an RSVP, a response. Christmas invites us to respond to this word: the Son of God, the Savior, Christ Jesus has come. And He is coming again. This is what we mean when we speak of this Christmas season, this season of Advent. The word \u201cAdvent\u201d is derived from the Latin word adventus, meaning \u201ccoming.\u201d Advent speaks of the incarnation and the return of Christ Jesus. He has appeared and will appear again.<\/p>\n

How will you respond? People respond in different ways. Some come to faith immediately. Some reject believing outright. Some go through a long season of searching and stumbling before finally believing, while still others remain skeptical or even apathetic their whole lives. Don\u2019t you wish you knew how to respond?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s look at the story of Mary\u2019s simple response of faith to God\u2019s Word to consider our response.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":10138,"template":"","tags":[2015],"series":[2843],"scripture-book":[1309],"scripture-chapter":[1334],"speaker":[2007],"class_list":["post-10176","message","type-message","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-christmas","series-simply-christmas","scripture-book-luke","scripture-chapter-1334","speaker-gary-combs"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/message\/10176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/message"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/message"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/message\/10176\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10176"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=10176"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-book","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-book?post=10176"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-chapter","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-chapter?post=10176"},{"taxonomy":"speaker","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/speaker?post=10176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}