Christmas - Hope in a Savior
Posted: Saturday, November 27, 2010
by Mark Parsec
Wordcasters
All of us have had people make promises to us in this life. When the promise is for something good we eagerly look forward to it being fulfilled. That is what hope is all about… the enthusiastic expectation and anticipation of obtaining the thing for which we hope.
But, sometimes people don’t keep their promises. We wait, and we wait, and we wait, only to have our hopes shattered. When this happens we can sometimes become hopeless. We lose our enthusiasm and give up on the expectation that the promise will ever be fulfilled. Proverbs 13:12 tells us…
Hope deferred makes the heart sick…
Many of you know what that is like… that sick feeling you get when you realize that the promise that someone has made to you has been neglected, postponed, forgotten or abandoned. That’s one of the problems with us humans. We sometimes make promises and we don’t keep them.
But God is not human and he keeps his promises. Numbers 23:19 tells us…
God is not a man, so he does not lie.
He is not human, so he does not change his mind.
Has he ever spoken and failed to act?
Has he ever promised and not carried it through?
So, it is good to know that in this world of broken promises and hopelessness we still have One to whom we can turn, One in whom we can hope. That is why the psalmist can tell us in Psalm 130:5…
I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.
Like the psalmist, we must put our hope in God’s word, for the Bible contains all of the prophecies and promises of the LORD. And God keeps his promises!
Regarding this, Romans 15:4 informs us…
For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.
So, the Bible was written to give us hope and this hope comes when we understand that all of God’s promises in the Bible will be fulfilled. The greatest promise of God was given long ago in the Garden of Eden, after Adam and Eve had been tempted by the devil and sinned. Their sin caused the fall of mankind. But, God promised that some day One would come who would crush the serpent’s head.
In fact, all throughout the Old Testament you may find numerous prophecies and promises that God had made, that someday a Savior would come. Two of the most profound promises of the coming Savior may be found in the Book of Isaiah.
In Isaiah 7:14, the Lord promises…
Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.
And again, in Isaiah 9:6, the Word of God promises…
For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
So it was with great hope and anticipation that the Israelites eagerly awaited the fulfillment of God’s promises and the coming of the Savior. That is why the account contained in the Gospel of Luke is so very important to us. For it was the fulfillment of God’s promises of the coming Savior.
Let us now refer to Luke 1:26-38…
26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by 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. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”
29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give 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.”
34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”
35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible.”
38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give 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.”
34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”
35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible.”
38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Now, there are some wonderful things about this passage that I would like to comment on today.
1. The angel’s arrival was only a partial fulfillment of God’s prophecies and promises.
When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary it was to inform her that she had been chosen to conceive the Son of God, the Savior. The things that he told her all pertained to promises of what would come in the future.
…you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son
…He will be great
…and will be called the Son of the Highest
…and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David
…And he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever
…and of His kingdom there will be no end.
All of Gabriel’s references were to future events! Mary’s response was also in the future tense…
“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
Which brings us to our second point…
2. The Savior’s conception would be a miraculous fulfillment of God’s prophecies and promises.
Who would have imagined that the Savior’s birth would have been performed in such a miraculous manner? Even Mary was surprised!
But… how else could a virgin be with child? That was impossible! Only God could do that! And God would do that! But how?
God performs the miraculous in the Spirit realm, through the Holy Spirit. In verse 35 the angel said…
The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you
The point here is that God often uses the miraculous to demonstrate the fulfillment of his prophecies and promises so people will understand that it comes from Him.
The angel Gabriel made this clear when he said, 37 For with God nothing will be impossible.
3. Mary hoped in the prophecies and promises.
It is clear that Mary believed the angel’s words and hoped they would be fulfilled. In verse 38 we are told…
Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.
I like the way the New International Version translates this line…
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.”
The account in Luke is the beginning of the Christmas story, a story which unravels in the New Testament to provide us with undeniable details as to the fulfillment of God’s prophecies and promises that Jesus Christ was and is the Son of God, the long awaited Savior. But, that is not the end of the story.
There are many prophecies and promises of the Lord in the Bible that may pertain to you! Just as the angel’s message to Mary contained partially fulfilled promises that would be realized in her lifetime, there may be promises that are yet to be realized in your life.
Just as Mary was given the promise that she would conceive the Savior in her womb, there is a promise that we may conceive the Savior within us... within our hearts and minds. Just as the miraculous was performed in the lives of Mary and Elizabeth, the miraculous may be performed in your life. Whether you are young or old, pure or impure, God has promised that if you believe in and receive his Son, the Savior, Jesus Christ, then He will be born in you.
How is this possible? Through the same Holy Spirit that overshadowed the virgin, Mary. By the same power of the Almighty! For with God nothing will be impossible. The Bible tells us in John 1:12…
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
But, in order for this promise to be fulfilled that we may become his children then we must be like Mary as we place our hope in Him and say…
“I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.”
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)Sounds like your getting ready for a Christmas series. That's the time of the year I have to work harder at keeping my eye's on Him and off of worldy things. Your article is a good reminder. Thank you.Hi Linda,
Yes... this is the first of a series of Christmas messages. Looking forward to spending Christmas with you and yours.
God bless you,
Mark
Amen! I love it Mark.........I wait on God's promises and go to His word for encouragement.........He will never go back on what He has promised us.Hi Kathleen,
Standing on the promises of God my Savior... standing, standing...
God bless you always!
Mark
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