SUCCESSFUL LIFE - Luke 1:26-38

[Guest guest]

roman" size="3">But what is success? Is success the same as making money or

overcoming difficulties? The same as being first or reaching the top? Some

define success that way. But a better definition says, “Success is finding

God’s will for your life;” “And carrying it out.” We will

leave this life as a successful person, if we have done what God wanted

us to do. He has a plan. Every believer who ever lived; Every believer alive

today;

14pt">And every believer who lives in the future is a part of that plan. When we

stand before the judgment seat of God, our success in life will not be measured

by the fortune we amassed; Or the people we supervised; Or the problems we

overcame; Or anything like

that. Our success in life will be measured by our response to the things God

wanted us to do. These things will determine our success in life. Mary

is an example. God had a special

plan for her. It was an unusual plan. It seemed impossible. But Mary responded

in a positive way. God sent an angel to her; Not just any angel; The angel

Gabriel. It’s the angel Gabriel who told

Daniel that the Messiah would appear in 483 years (Dan. 9:24-27); It’s the

angel Gabriel who told Zacharias that John the Baptist would be born. And now

it’s the angel Gabriel who is delivering this message to Mary. He went to a

place called

Nazareth. This was a small city. We would call it a small town; A relatively

insignificant little town. Not much went on there. But a virgin named Mary

lived there. Gabriel appeared “To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was

Joseph, of

roman">the house of David;” “And the virgin's name was Mary.” The Bible is

clearly teaching that Mary was a chaste woman; That Mary had never been

involved in a sexual relationship with a man. This is emphasized because God

knew men would deny the virgin birth. He knew men would say it is a biological

impossibility. So He picked a doctor to record this event. And doctor Luke

tells us twice in the same verse that Mary was a virgin. There are at least six

Mary’s mentioned in the New Testament. This Mary lived in Nazareth. She was

engaged to a man named Joseph.

roman">We don’t know for sure, but Mary's parents probably arranged this

engagement. That was the custom back then. Mary was poor. And she was probably

a teenager (perhaps 13 or 14 years old). Joseph was of the house of David; A

descendant of the old royal family. He was poor too. He and Mary were too poor

to offer a sheep when they took Jesus to the Temple to be circumcised. This

is the kind of people God chooses. He can overcome things

like age and poverty; Where we are from, where we live, etc. God can overcome

our circumstances. It’s things like pride, unbelief and rebellion that stop

Him. Gabriel greeted Mary in a special way, “Hail, thou who art highly favored,

the Lord is with

thee; blessed art thou among women.” And God DID choose her for a very

special task. What did she think about this angel? “When she saw him, she was

troubled at his saying, and considered in her mind what manner

of greeting this should be.” Mary was troubled and perplexed. The mere presence

of this angel would be enough to make any teenager apprehensive. Mary

pondered the meaning of this greeting. Is this a joke? Is this really an angel?

Is this really a message from God? Am I really being favored by God? What does

blessed art thou among women mean? Gabriel sensed her alarm. He tried to assure

her. He repeated part of

the greeting. “Fear not, Mary; for thou hast found favor with God.” Don’t be

afraid Mary. God is pleased with you. God has something special for you.

“Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt

call his name Jesus.” You will have a baby; A baby boy. God wants you to name

Him Jesus. Jesus means “The Lord is salvation.” He chose Mary to bring the

Savior into the world. Next, Gabriel began to tell Mary what her child would be

like. Only God can do that. Only God can reveal someone's future before they are

born. Gabriel said five things about Jesus: 1st---Gabriel said, “He shall be

great.” Jesus showed great power by raising the dead, healing the sick, walking

on water and casting out demons. He was great in compassion; Great in

knowledge; Great in wisdom. A greater person never lived. He changed this

world. And everyone knows it. 2nd---Gabriel told Mary, “He shall be called the

Son of the Highest." Who is “The Highest?” “The Highest” is God; And the “Son

of the Highest” is the Son of God. Gabriel was saying Jesus will have a special

relationship with God. He will be related to God in a unique and intimate way.

He will even be called the “Son of

the Highest.” 3rd---Gabriel told Mary, “The Lord God shall give unto him the

throne of his father David.” Several hundred years before this, God promised

King David a descendant to sit on his throne. And to rule over an eternal

kingdom.

14pt">God put that promise in the form of a covenant. He made it binding and

unconditional. Gabriel was saying Jesus will be the fulfillment of God’s

promise to King David. He is the promised heir; The anointed one; The

King of

kings and Lord of lords. 4th---Gabriel told Mary, “He shall reign over the house

of Jacob forever.” Jesus was, is, and always will be, the King of the Jews.

5th---Gabriel told Mary, “Of his kingdom there shall be no end.” Jesus is

establishing a kingdom that will last forever. He will have dominion over the

entire creation.

new roman" size="3">Nothing can stop His reign. Daniel said it will never come

to an end (Dan. 2:44). All this raised a question in Mary's mind. She wanted to

know “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” “How can I have a child when

I’m not even married?” Gabriel’s answer contains four facts.

1st---Gabriel said, “The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee.” Mary’s pregnancy was

a miracle. No man had anything to do with it. A person cannot believe the Bible

and deny the virgin birth. 2nd---Gabriel said, “The power of the Highest shall

overshadow thee.” Mary came under the awesome power of God; The power that

created Adam and Eve; The power that created all things. The power that healed

the sick and raised the dead. It overshadowed Mary; And caused her to conceive.

3rd---Gabriel called the baby Jesus, “That holy thing.” This could mean two

different things. It could mean that Jesus would be that “holy thing” in the

sense that He would be born with a sinless nature. He would never sin;

Keep every jot and tittle of the law; Be righteous

in every way. It could also mean that He would be that “holy thing” in the sense

that He would be set apart for a special task; Set apart as a sacrifice for

the sins of the world. His unyielding devotion to God; And His love for each one

of us; Would lead Him to the cross. His holy life would qualify Him to take the

place of others. He was holy; Sinless; set apart. 4th---Gabriel told Mary,

“That holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”

Unbelievers called Him the carpenter’s son; Some called Him Joseph’s son. But

Gabriel said He would be called the Son of God. In fact, Gabriel said He shall

be called three things: Thou shalt call His name Jesus. He shall be called the

Son of the Highest. He shall be called the Son of God. These names and titles

refer to the unique relationship Jesus has with God. They speak of His deity.

Next, Gabriel strengthened Mary’s faith. This teenager was being asked to

accept some incredible things. She needed help to believe that this was true.

Gabriel knew what to

say. “Behold, thy cousin, Elisabeth, hath also conceived a son in her old age;”

“And this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.” Gabriel focused

Mary's attention on her cousin Elisabeth. A miracle had taken place in

Elizabeth's life. She was an older woman; Past child bearing age; Called

barren. People mocked her; Made her a reproach among men; But God caused her to

conceive. And that barren woman was now in the sixth month of her pregnancy.

Gabriel was telling Mary, “God wants you to believe in miracles.” He worked a

miracle in Elisabeth’s life. And He can work a miracle in your life too. Then,

Gabriel added, “For with God nothing shall be impossible.” Mary knew the

Scriptures. And Gabriel was simply reminding her of something she already knew.

Moses said, “Nothing is too hard for the Lord” (Gen. 18:14). Jeremiah said,

“Nothing is too hard for the Lord.” And he added, “God created all things.”

Paul said I am “fully persuaded that, what he has promised, “He is able also

to perform” (Rom. 4:21). Gabriel was saying, “God’s promises are certain.” “He

turns the impossible into reality.” Let’s get Mary’s response. And remember,

she is just a teenager. It’s an amazing response for a teenager. This teenager

replied, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord;” “Be it unto me according to thy

word.” She said, “Look at me.” “I am God’s handmaid.” “Look at me, I am God's

servant.” She didn’t consider her life her own. She was determined to serve

Him. She had no excuses; No questions; No discussion; No wavering. Mary simply

said, “Be it unto me according to thy word.” “I want to do whatever God wants.”

“I want God’s will for my life to come true.” And the angel departed from her.

Gabriel received Mary’s answer and left. Today, God still looks for people like

Mary; People who want to be successful in life. He’s not looking for people

who are rich. How much we have has nothing to do with it. He’s not looking for

people with power and influence. How much power and influence we have has

nothing to do with it. He’s looking for people who will say yes to Him. No

matter how much we own, if we exit this life without God’s favor we are a

failure. And no matter how little we own, if we exit this life God’s favor, we

are a success. Success is finding God’s will for your life; And carrying

it out.

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