The Overlooked Gems of the Christmas Story

Micah 5:2 – But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.

Introduction:

• We will continue to journey through seeking gems of the Christmas story.
• The language of the season.
• Started two weeks ago with the meaning of Advent.
• Last week was – The Least – Jesus came and became the least
• Even the place of His birth in Micah had no influence or greatness, little among thousands.

1. Stories of strange tales.

1.1. A baby being born in a stable.
1.2.Wise and powerful men coming from far away lands to bring their

worship.
1.3.Angelic visitations.
1.4.Shepherds in the field.
1.5.Heavenly choirs bursting forth into otherwise quiet still nights. 1.6. Even our songs change during this season.
1.7. The words and phrases we use change.
1.8. The story itself is enough for us to sing about and be amazed.

(ESV) Luke 1:18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 19 And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 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.” 21 And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. 23 And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home. 24 After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, 25 “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”

2. The angelic visitations and the questions that followed:

2.1. Zechariah questioned the angel.

(ESV) Luke 1:18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 19 And the angel answered him,
2.2. The girl Mary also had a visit and a question.

Luke 1:(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, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 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, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, 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.” 34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

2.3. Seemingly, the same question though completely different results… 2.3.1. Both visitations were similar…
2.3.2. A visit from the angel Gabriel…
2.3.3. Both were trouble at first sight…

2.3.4. Both were initially comforted from their troubled spirit.
2.3.5. Then comes the difference… One ends with silence another with an answer.
2.4. The motive of the questions had to be different.

2.4.1. There are a few gems guiding us to understand the difference of results

2.4.2. They were both troubled at the visit yet troubled in completely different ways.

Luke 1:12 (KJV) And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
Luke 1:29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.

2.4.3.They were both troubled completely differently….
2.4.3.1. Zechariah’s trouble: tarassō – to cause one inward commotion, take away his calmness of mind, disturb his equanimity, to disquiet, make restless, to stir up, to trouble, to strike one’s spirit with fear and dread, to render anxious or distressed, to perplex the mind of one by suggesting scruples or doubts

2.4.3.2. Mary’s trouble: diatarassō – to disturb wholly, i.e. agitate (with alarm): — trouble. – More of a startled.

2.4.4. Mary’s trouble did not stop her from her attentiveness to the visit.

2.4.5. The difference was that one had faith and one doubted – can you guess who was who.

2.4.5.1. How we respond tot he visitation of the lord is important.

2.4.5.2. Zechariah gets a verbal whooping and comes out and cannot speak for 10 months.

Luke 1:19,,,, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 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.” 21 And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute.

2.4.5.3. Mary gets the answer she was really seeking…

(ESV) Luke 1:35 And the angel answered her, “The 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—the 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.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

2.4.5.4. Mary goes to visit her cousin and begins writing and signing songs.

2.4.6. Faith sings aloud and Unbelief is silenced.

3. Both Mary and Elizabeth were such women of faith.

3.1. Both of their initial responses were better than their husband’s.

Luke 1:24 After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, 25 “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”

3.1.1. Zechariah questions the angel
3.1.2. Jospeh is going to put Mary away quietly. 3.1.3. They both came around pretty quickly.

3.2. How long did it take Mary to realize she was the virgin prophesied.

Isaiah 7:14 (NKJV) Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

3.2.1. A virgin birth.

3.2.2. How can such a thing be?

4. Jesus is the Begotten of the Father

John 1:(NKJV) 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Psalms 2:7 (NKJV) “I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.

4.1. Correction: I misspoke last week while talking about the preciousness of this virgin birth. I was talking about the preciousness of the incarnation, the Begotten of the Father and what I should have said the Miraculous Conception, what I said was the immaculate conception. (You can take the boy out of the catholic church but it still seeps out here and there.) The immaculate conception is an erroneous teaching. But the miraculous conception is describing the prophetic miracle of the virgin giving birth.

4.2. The miracle of the virgin birth in Bethlehem was just a continuation of the miracle that has been from eternity,

4.3.The only begotten Son who lives in eternity and became a human in Bethlehem.

4.4. Here is how CYRIL OF JERUSALEM: describes this verse. “It is enough for piety for you to know, as we have said, that God has one only Son, one naturally begotten, who did not begin to be when he was born in Bethlehem but is before all ages. For listen to the prophet Micah: “And you, Bethlehem, house of Ephratha, are little to be among the thousands of Judah. From you shall come forth for me a leader who shall feed my people Israel; and his goings forth are from the beginning, from the days of eternity.” Therefore do not fix your attention on him as coming from Bethlehem simply but worship him as begotten eternally of the Father. Admit no one who speaks of a beginning of the Son in time, but acknowledge his timeless beginning, the Father.”

4.5. “For the early church fathers this was the litmus test of faith, that Christ existed from eternity, He was and is the only, eternally begotten Son.

4.6. That’s the part that confuses human understanding,
4.7. He is the only begotten Son of God without a human mother. He is at the same time the Son of man, born in this world by the Virgin Mary without a human father.

4.8. That’s the mystery of the ages, the eternal word took on human flesh and came to live among us, that is what we celebrate at Christmas, the Son of God became a man.”

5. So Mary prompted by the Word from Gabriel goes to visit Elizabeth.

(ESV) Luke 1:39 In 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, “Blessed 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.”

5.1. In response to the word of Gabriel…
5.1.1. Mary traveled around 100 + miles to visit Elizabeth in her 1st trimester.
5.1.2. She would end up staying for 3 months and likely until the birth of John.
5.2. When she arrived and walked into the door, unannounced she was coming, Elizabeth having kept herself out of the public for 5 months, is greeted with the most faith filled joyous likely unexpected greeting… 5.3. How did Elizabeth know (sign it like – Mary did you know song)

5.3.1. John reacts to the entrance of Mary and Jesus.
5.3.2. John leaped for joy inside his mother’s womb.
5.3.3.This was not just a normal – awwwww he’s moving moment. This was undeniably something different.
5.3.4. There is only one other time this word leaped is used in theBible:

Luke 6:23 (NKJV) Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.
5.3.5. John leaped like one who knew his heavenly reward just walked into the room.

5.4. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
5.4.1.So much so that simultaneously Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
5.4.2. I’ve said it before but I wonder if this was the very moment when John was filled with the Holy Spirit and as an overflow his mother Elizabeth was also.
5.4.3. Talk about responding to the Presence of God.

5.5. The Word of Prophesy.
5.5.1. Elizabeth being filled with the Holy Spirit, baby leaping in her womb, received the Word of the Lord and began to Prophesy to Mary…

Conclusion: Mary’s song of faith.

(NKJV) Luke 1:46 And Mary said:
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
54 He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy,
55 As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and to his seed forever.”
56 And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.