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A MARY CHRISTMAS

Luke 1:26-35 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32 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: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35 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

Galatians 4:19 My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you

I. Merry Christmas

A. Perversion of the Season

1. Debt

a) People spend more than they can afford trying to buy Christmas Happiness

2. Crime

a) People know they can’t afford it, so they try to steal Christmas Happiness

3. Stress

a) People stress out about making sure that everyone else is happy at Christmas

4. Depression

a) Then they realize that they are not happy

5. Suicide

a) If I can’t be happy at Christmas time, then will I ever be happy again?

II. Old Testament Prophecy

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel

A. Isaiah

1. Prophesied about the Messiah

a) Born of a virgin

b) Born to take away sins

c) Born to be our sacrifice

B. The Name of Jesus

1. Immanuel

a) Literally means God with us

2. Jesus – Yeshua

a) Means Jehovah has become our salvation

b) Jesus was the promised Messiah

c) He was God with us

d) He was God becoming our salvation

III. The Announcement

A. The angel

1. Was sent from God

2. Unto a region – Galilee, unto a city – Nazareth, unto a person – Mary

a) God can deal with nations, states, towns, or individuals

b) God always knows right where we are

B. The message

1. Assurance – Fear not

2. Promise – You will have a son

3. Command – Call His name Jesus

4. Prophecy – of His kingdom there shall be no end

IV. Mary’s Response

A. Yes Lord

B. Reproach

1. Mary has done nothing wrong

2. Yet the town will talk about her

a) She will be mocked and scorned

b) Her child will not be accepted on His own

(1) Old Testament law forbids that an illegitimate child can be part of the covenant relationship that the Jews had with God.

3. Her own fiancée would not accept her.

a) But she said Yes Lord

C. Joseph

1. Much like his namesake was a dreamer

a) Joseph is told in a dream to take Mary as his wife.

b) Jesus came to fulfill the Law.

(1) He must be accepted as a Jew into the covenant.

(2) Acknowledged that He is of the lineage of King David

V. Mary’s Christmas

A. Mary was overshadowed by the Holy Ghost

1. This created the miracle inside of her

B. Mary carried her miracle

1. She had to see a doctor

a) Regular check-ups on the miracle

2. She had to dress a certain way

a) It’s easy to spot someone who is pregnant

b) Eventually everyone knows

3. She had to be careful what she ate and drank

a) What she ate and drank, the baby ate and drank as well

4. She had to be careful where she went

a) Some activities could not be participated in anymore

b) Because of the Miracle

C. After carrying the miracle – she delivered it to the World

1. There was some pain

2. There was some hardship

3. But she never gave up on the miracle.

VI. Christmas today

A. Should be about the miracle

B. Be overshadowed by the Holy Ghost

1. Let God’s presence come into your heart and soul

C. Regular Check-ups

1. At church, in prayer – because of the Miracle

D. Dressing a certain way

1. People that are pregnant with the miracle of God can be easily spotted

2. If someone claimed to be pregnant but never had to change their wardrobe, you would wonder if they really were.

E. Careful what you allow in

1. What you take into your heart will affect your miracle

F. Careful what activities you participate in

1. What you do, will affect your miracle as well.

G. Delivered to the World

1. A miracle must come out of you to those around you

2. The miracle of salvation

3. The miracle of healing

4. The miracle of God’s love

VII. Closing

A. The miracle came 2000 years ago

1. It was not a loud flashy affair for most people that day.

2. But for some it changed their lives forever

3. Are you carrying a miracle?

a) Have you been overshadowed by the Holy Ghost?

b) Are you taking care of your miracle?

c) Are you willing to deliver it to the world?

(1) There might be hardship

(2) There might be sacrifice

(3) There might be pain, but this world needs the Miracle.