OH, COME, OH, COME, EMMANUEL
Rev. Bernt P. Tweit
The Psalm;
Psalm 89
Old Testament Lesson;
2 Samuel 7:1-16
Epistle Lesson;
Romans 16:25-27
Sermon Text;
Luke 1:26-38
It is during this season, (and finally on this Sunday), that with great anticipation we can't wait for our Emmanuel to come. And, we sang that in our opening hymn this morning. "Oh, come, Oh, come, Emmanuel."
Today, as we look at our text, I am going to be asking many questions, one of which is going to be this: What caused God to choose Mary to be the mother of the Savior of the world?
In order to answer that question, I want to go back a thousand years into the Old Testament. And, I want to go to the end of the rule of King Saul, to see how God, through His Word, helps us to answer that question.
The Bible tells us that the Lord was displeased with the reign of King Saul, because he began to do that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord. And so, the Lord rejected Saul as king, in Israel.
This is what the Lord told the prophet Samuel to do. He told Samuel to go to a small, little town called Bethlehem, to find a man whose name was Jesse. Then, he was to ask Jesse to gather his sons together, because it would be one of his sons who would be the next king in Israel.
And so, Samuel went to Jesse in Bethlehem. Jesse gathered together his sons. Samuel thought he knew whom the Lord would select, as the next king. Samuel thought for sure it was Jesse's son Eliab. But, the Lord told Samuel, "This is not the next king." And then, He told Samuel, "Don’t look at the person's appearance. Don't look at his height." Then the Lord said, "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart."
And so, seven of Jesse's sons walked in front of Samuel. The Lord told Samuel, "None of these will be the next king in Israel."
That troubled Samuel, a little bit. So, Samuel asked Jesse, "Jesse, do you have any other sons that I don't know about?"
Jesse said, "Well, I have one more, but he is the youngest and he is a shepherd. He is out in field, right now, attending the flocks."
Samuel said, "Send for him and have him come."
And so, the boy came. The Lord said, "This is the one who is going to be the new king in Israel."
Samuel took his horn of oil and dumped it over David's head, because it would be David who would be the next king in Israel.
What caused God to choose David to be the next king in Israel? It was not his outward appearance, the Bible tells us. It was not his height. But rather, scripture says, "While we look at the outward appearance, God looks at the heart." And, it was because of His grace and favor that He chose David to be the new king in Israel.
We now go forward a thousand years, to a time of Zechariah and Elizabeth. What was it that caused God to choose Zechariah and Elizabeth to be the parents of the forerunner of Christ? Again, it was not because of who they were, but it was because of God's grace and favor that He chose them to be the parents of the forerunner and He chose John to be the forerunner of our Savior.
Which gets us to our original question this morning. What was it that caused God to choose Mary to be the mother of the Savior of the world? Well, it was not because of who she was, but rather it was because of God's grace and favor upon her. It was God who chose her in His grace and favor that He wanted her to be the mother of the Savior of the world. We find that recorded twice in our scripture reading for today. It is twice that the angel tells Mary that the Lord has found favor with her. In verse twenty-eight, the angel says, "Greetings, you who are highly favored." In verse thirty it is the angel who says, "Mary, you have found favor with God." It was because of God's grace and favor that He chose her to be the mother of the Savior of the world.
Would you be troubled if an angel were to appear to you today? I think that we all would say, "Yes, we would be greatly troubled." Every time that an angel appears to an individual in scripture, one of the very first things that they say is, "Do not be afraid." "Do not be troubled." But then, they say, "The Lord is with you."
What comfort the people of the Old testament received, as the prophets shared with them that the Lord was with them, even though impending danger was coming (like the Babylonians coming to sweep them away).
It was the prophet Isaiah who brought comfort to the people by saying, "Do not fear for I am with you. Be not dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
It was the angel who brought comfort to Mary, "The Lord is with you."
It was Jesus, Himself, who brought comfort to His disciples when He was ascending into Heaven, "I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
It is the Lord who also brings comfort to you, reminding you that He is with you, reminding you that He is your Emmanuel.
In the last few years there have been a number of members who have come to me and said, "Pastor Tweit, the benediction brings such great comfort at the end of each worship service. As we have gathered together to hear God's Word and we are about to go on our way, what comfort the benediction brings because we have a promise from God that He is with us, that He will guide us, and that He will bless us."
The Benediction are words of comfort:
"The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make His face shine upon you
and be gracious unto you.
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you
and give you His peace."
What comfort we receive, knowing that the Lord is with us!
As we also look at our text today, what was it that caused God to fulfill His promise to send a Savior? Well, when the angel spoke these words to Mary, the time had fully come. It was God who had promised that the Savior would come through the line of Adam and Eve, that the Savior would come through Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, and also King David. As a matter of a fact, our Old Testament Lesson for today found its fulfillment. Those words that were spoken to King David a thousand years before Jesus was born, find their fulfillment in Christ’s birth. Yes, it is the message of the angel to Mary that you will be the mother of the Savior of the world.
Notice, today, it is not a typical question that Mary asks. I think if it was me, I would ask the angel the "who, what, where, when, why" questions. But, Mary does not ask any of those questions, rather the question that she asks is the "how" question. "How will this be, since I am a virgin?"
The sign that Zechariah received at the birth of John the Baptist was that he would not be able to speak, until his son was named John. The sign that Mary received to that "how" question, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" is a prophecy that was given by Isaiah the prophet. "A virgin will be with child, who will give birth to Son, and you will call Him Emmanuel."
What caused Mary to believe the words of the angel? It is God's grace, once again, it is God's favor. It was the angel Gabriel who told Mary that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and the One, the holy One to be born to her will be called the Son of God, because nothing is impossible with God. Mary knew that God had created the world in six days. Mary knew that God had parted the waters of the Red Sea for His people to walk across on dry ground. Mary knew that it was God who had provided manna and quail in the wilderness for forty years. And, if God can do that, nothing is impossible with God, not even a virgin birth. So Mary simply says, in faith, "May it be to me as you have said."
Which gets to you, this morning. Today we have looked at the questions, "What caused God to choose David to be the next king in Israel?" "What caused God to choose Mary to be the mother of the Savior of the world?" Well, as we get to you, today, I ask the question, "What caused God to choose you to be His daughter in faith, or to be His son in faith?"
We don't deserve it. And, it is not because of who we are. Rather, it is because of what God has done for us, and it is because of what our Savior has done for us.
Once again this year, as we are swept along during this Advent and Christmas Season, have we spent more time shopping or studying God's Word? Have we spent more time telling our children about Santa, or about our Savior, Jesus? We must confess that as sinners we have not taken the time to study God’s Word each day the way that we should, and that we have been more wrapped up in Santa, than our Savior.
But, the message of the Advent Season and the message of the Christmas Season, is to prepare our hearts and our minds for the coming of our Savior, and to prepare our hearts and our minds for the day in which He came and will come again.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, it was Mary who confessed that her spirit rejoices in God, her Savior. She knew that Jesus came because she was unworthy. She knew that Jesus came to save her from her sin. It was God's grace and favor that was given to her. That is also what God, our Heavenly Father, has done for you. It is God, our Heavenly Father who has sent you a Savior, even though we don't deserve it. But, our Savior came and our Savior came to save us from our sin. He was born in Bethlehem. He was laid in a manger. He lived every waking moment, and every sleeping moment of His life, perfectly. And, He took that perfect life to the cross, where He took all of your sin, and placed it upon His shoulders. As He suffered and died, He paid for all of your sin. Your sins are forgiven. And you have everlasting life with Him in Heaven!
May our response to the message that God has brought you to faith to believe in Jesus, as your Savior, be the same as that of Mary's.
"May it be to me as you have said."
As we close this Advent Season, let us close in prayer.
Oh come, oh come Emmanuel. And ransomed captive Israel that mourns in lowly exile here, until the Son of God appear. Oh come, oh root of Jesse free. Your own from Satan's tyranny. From depths of Hell your people save and bring them victory over the grave. Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel, shall come to you, oh Israel.
Amen.
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