519. The Gospel According to Luke - Chapter #1 (#2) - Jesus's Birth Announced to Mary March 28, 2024

[00:00:00] Welcome to Wisdom Today. My name is Bill Kelley and I'll be your host. In this podcast

[00:00:12] we will be exploring the book of Proverbs.

[00:00:21] Let's open in prayer. Father God, I thank you for anyone listening to this podcast today.

[00:00:27] Lord, I pray that you give everyone ears to hear and a heart to receive everything

[00:00:32] you have in store for them today. I ask this in Jesus name, amen. This is Proverbs 28 beginning

[00:00:41] in verse 1. The wicked flee when no one pursues but the righteous are bold as a lion because of

[00:00:50] the transgression of a land. Many are its princes but by a man of understanding and knowledge,

[00:00:57] right will be prolonged. A poor man who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain which leaves no

[00:01:06] food. Those who forsake the law praise the wicked but such as keep the law contend with them.

[00:01:16] Evil men do not understand justice but those who seek the Lord understand all.

[00:01:23] Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than one perverse in his ways though he be rich.

[00:01:32] Whoever keeps the law is a discerning son but a companion of glutton's shames his father.

[00:01:41] One who increases his possessions by usury and extortion gathers it for him who will pity the poor.

[00:01:50] One who turns away his ear from hearing the law even his prayer is an abomination.

[00:01:59] Whoever causes the upright to go astray in an evil way he himself will fall into his own pit

[00:02:09] but the blameless will inherit good. The rich man is wise in his own eyes but the poor who has

[00:02:18] understanding searches him out. When the righteous rejoice there is great glory but when the wicked

[00:02:27] arise men hide themselves. He who covers his sins will not prosper but whoever confesses and

[00:02:37] for sakes them will have mercy. Happy is the man who was always reverent but he who hardens his heart

[00:02:46] will fall into calamity like a roaring lion and a charging bear is a wicked ruler over poor people.

[00:02:56] A ruler who lacks understanding is a great oppressor but he who hates covetousness will prolong his days.

[00:03:07] A man burdened with bloodshed will flee into a pit let no one help him.

[00:03:15] Whoever walks blamelessly will be saved but he who is perverse in his ways will suddenly fall.

[00:03:24] He who tills his land will have plenty of bread but he who follows frivolity will have poverty enough.

[00:03:34] To show partiality is not good because for a piece of bread a man will transgress.

[00:03:42] A man with an evil eye hastens after riches and does not consider that poverty will come upon him.

[00:03:53] He who rebukes a man will find more favor afterward than he who flatters with the tongue.

[00:04:01] Whoever robs his father or his mother and says it is no transgression the same is companion to a

[00:04:10] destroyer. He who is of a proud heart stirs up strife but he who trusts in the Lord will be prospered.

[00:04:21] He who trusts in his own heart is a fool but whoever walks wisely will be delivered.

[00:04:30] He who gives to the poor will not lack but he who hides his eyes will have many curses.

[00:04:38] When the wicked arise men hide themselves but when they perish the righteous increase.

[00:04:48] Friends today I'd like to take a closer look at verse 13 and

[00:04:53] Proverbs 28 verse 13 says this.

[00:04:57] He who covers his sins will not prosper but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.

[00:05:08] And friends we will take a closer look at verse 13 prior to closing today but what I'd like

[00:05:15] to do is to pick up where I left off on yesterday's podcast and we are in chapter 1 of the gospel

[00:05:25] according to Luke. And yesterday I left off on verse 17 and I told you that John the Baptist had come

[00:05:36] with the spirit and power of Elijah and they were very similar in a number of ways but today we're

[00:05:46] going to pick up right there and begin in verse 18. And Zacharias said to the angel,

[00:05:55] how shall I know this for I am an old man and my wife is well advanced in years.

[00:06:04] Friends on Monday's podcast I made reference to the fact that Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth

[00:06:12] were both in their old age and I compared them to Abraham and Sarai way back in the book of Genesis.

[00:06:24] How God had come to them and made the decision that because of their faithfulness he was going

[00:06:32] to bless them with a child even though they were many years past the customary age in which

[00:06:42] you can have kids. Let's go on to verse 19 and the angel answered and said to him,

[00:06:51] I am Gabriel who stands in the presence of God and was sent to speak to you and bring you

[00:07:01] these glad tidings but behold you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things

[00:07:10] take place because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.

[00:07:18] And this particular paragraph reminds me of when Sarai laughed when she was informed that she

[00:07:29] was going to have a child in her old age and she was asked why did you laugh and she lied because

[00:07:38] she was afraid and said I didn't laugh. Fortunately for her she did not lose her ability to speak

[00:07:50] or like Zacharias did in here and the people waited for Zacharias and marveled that he lingered so

[00:08:00] long in the temple but when he came out he could not speak to them and they perceived that he had

[00:08:08] seen a vision in the temple for he beckoned to them and remained speechless. So it was as soon

[00:08:17] as the days of his service were completed that he departed to his own house and friends when you

[00:08:26] were in the position as he was you would serve for one month at a time for a particular point

[00:08:36] in time and then several months or a number of months later then you would come and serve again.

[00:08:44] So it is now time for Zacharias to go home and now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived

[00:08:53] and she hid herself five months saying thus the Lord had dealt with me in the days when he looked

[00:09:02] on me to take away my reproach among people. Now friends it was very common at that time

[00:09:12] when people or women who had been barren for a number of years it was embarrassing to them.

[00:09:22] It was a source of embarrassment because they felt that if you were barren then something

[00:09:31] had gone wrong and basically you were maybe in a way being punished for something that you had done.

[00:09:40] So when she became pregnant she was excited and she was joyful and yet at the same time I believe

[00:09:50] she probably may have been a bit embarrassed because of her age and she wanted to make sure

[00:09:57] before she announced herself that she indeed did have the child. But now let's go on to one

[00:10:05] of the greatest stories in history and this is beginning verse 26 of Luke's gospel.

[00:10:15] Christ's birth is announced to Mary. Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God

[00:10:24] to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin, the trove to a man whose name was Joseph

[00:10:33] of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary and having come in the angel said to her

[00:10:41] rejoice, highly favored one. The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women. So friends just like

[00:10:53] earlier in the first chapter when the angel came to Zacharias and announced to him that his wife

[00:11:02] Elizabeth would be fathering a child, John the Baptist, the four runner of Jesus. The same angel

[00:11:13] Gabriel has been sent by God to come to Mary and announce to her that she will be the mother

[00:11:23] of Jesus, the Savior of the world. Now friends I want to talk a little bit at this point of the

[00:11:32] age of Mary. And we do not know for sure exactly what age she was, but rest assured she definitely

[00:11:44] was a teenager. When I looked online they estimated that she actually could have been as young

[00:11:52] as 13 or 14, but they wanted to give a little bit of latitude and said she may have been between

[00:12:01] 14 and 19 years of age. Let's continue in verse 29, but when she saw him meaning the angel Gabriel

[00:12:12] she was troubled at his saying and considered what manner of greeting this was. And you got to sit

[00:12:20] there and think how would you feel if an angel said highly favored one, you are blessed among women.

[00:12:29] So this must have been both exciting, but it also must have caused a bit of confusion with Mary.

[00:12:39] Now Mary was obedient, Mary was very willing to do whatever she was going to be asked to do. She just

[00:12:50] had a few questions as would any of us today. Then the angel said to her, do not be afraid Mary

[00:13:01] for you have found favor with God. So earlier in our chapter he's saying do not be afraid. He told

[00:13:11] that to Zacharias, he now is telling Mary not to be afraid that what is going to happen is good news.

[00:13:21] This is something that we should celebrate and you should be looking forward to and behold

[00:13:29] you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a son and shall call his name Jesus. He will be great

[00:13:38] and will be called the son of the highest and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father

[00:13:47] David and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever and of his kingdom there will be no end.

[00:13:57] So friends, the first point is that Mary is told by the angel Gabriel that she will be the mother

[00:14:06] of Jesus. Let's go on. Then Mary said to the angel, how can this be since I do not know a man?

[00:14:18] So point number two Mary asks how this will happen and the angel answered and said to her,

[00:14:28] the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the highest will overshadow you.

[00:14:36] Therefore also that holy one who is to be born will be called the son of God.

[00:14:45] Now indeed Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age

[00:14:52] and this is now the sixth month for her who was called Baron. For with God nothing will be impossible.

[00:15:05] Now friends that is simply one phrase we can not overlook and this is one of the most important

[00:15:16] phrases that I want everyone if you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior to never forget

[00:15:24] that anything is possible with God. Let's go on, Div. 38 then Mary said, behold the made servant of the Lord.

[00:15:38] Let it be to me according to your word and the angel departed from her.

[00:15:46] Now friends, the third point I'd like to make is Mary is obedient to what God has asked her to do

[00:15:55] and friends I would like to suggest that we be obedient to what God has called each and every one

[00:16:06] of us to do. I believe one of the most important prayers that we can continually be asking God

[00:16:16] is what it is that he wants us to do. I believe that once you are obedient to God if he asks you

[00:16:26] to do something and you begin moving in that direction then more clarity will come. There may be some

[00:16:36] people listening in this audience today that are really not sure if they are in the perfect will of

[00:16:46] God. They do not know what if anything God has called them to. I am here to tell you he has

[00:16:54] called you to do something to further advance his kingdom. Now if you are new, if you are a new

[00:17:02] Christian you have never volunteered at a church. You have never had any position and even if it is

[00:17:10] like in the nursery and helping out with kids on Sunday morning service but you can do anything

[00:17:21] as long as it is advancing the kingdom of God. Basically when I talk about advancing the kingdom

[00:17:28] of God I am talking about showing the love of God which means loving people. So anything having to do

[00:17:37] with showing love for people is a step in the right direction. Friends before we close today I would

[00:17:46] like to go back to our verse of the day and spend just a little bit of time on this because it's

[00:17:52] so important. Today is the 28th so we were in Proverbs 28 and verse 13 says he who covers his sins

[00:18:04] will not prosper but whoever confesses and for sakes them will have mercy and friends I know

[00:18:13] that we are often embarrassed by the sins that we commit. We're not wanting to let people know

[00:18:22] about them. This verse is telling us that if we cover our sins in other words if we hide our sins

[00:18:34] basically because we are shamed by them and we're embarrassed by what we've done

[00:18:41] we will not prosper. Friends I want you to think of the ramifications of that statement. That

[00:18:49] is powerful. We want to prosper so let's look at it one more time he who covers his sins will not

[00:18:59] prosper but whoever confesses and for sakes them will have mercy. Friends be obedient to the Lord

[00:19:11] listen to this verse if you make a mistake admit it confess your sins let people know you did that

[00:19:22] be apologetic be regretful you can do that it's okay it's simply humbling yourself and friends I

[00:19:34] always feel when people humble themselves before me and try to give credit to God and sit there and say

[00:19:41] wow I shouldn't have done that I never get upset about that I don't I get upset with pride I don't

[00:19:49] want to hear people say how great they are but when people admit their faults and their mistakes

[00:19:56] I always am going to be gracious and merciful to them. Friends I will never end a podcast without

[00:20:05] giving anyone an opportunity to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior if there is anyone listening

[00:20:12] today and you've never taken that step I invite you to repeat a simple prayer after me today.

[00:20:18] Jesus I confess that I am a sinner and I have need of a Savior I believe that you are the son of

[00:20:26] God and you came to earth and died on a cross you were buried and on the third day you rose from

[00:20:35] the dead by doing that all of my sins have been forgiven. Jesus thank you for forgiving me of my

[00:20:44] sins. Jesus I invite you to come into my heart I ask that you lead me and guide me from this point

[00:20:52] forward in my life I make you my Lord and Savior. Now may the Lord bless you and keep you the Lord

[00:21:02] make us stay shine upon you and be gracious to you the Lord lift up his countenance upon you

[00:21:10] and give you peace. Friends please join me again tomorrow as we close out the week with wisdom today.