A Scripture Reading:
Luke 1:26-33 (NIV)
1:26 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,
27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary.
28 The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.
30 But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.
31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.
32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,
33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."
Who is this Messiah? What will he be? What is it that will be born among us?
1:26 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,
27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary.
28 The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.
30 But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.
31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.
32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,
33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."
Who is this Messiah? What will he be? What is it that will be born among us?
The very first words about Jesus are an announcement that he is the fulfillment of an ancient proclamation - the fulfillment of the “David” promise. He is a King and shall be the King of God's promise to David -- get this, over 1000 years before!
David was a King for a time, a season of history, and yet is considered Israel's greatest King. David was called "a man after God's own heart". Flawed and faithful, he was a human who saw God as central to all of life. In 2 Samuel 7, David announces he is going to build a house for God. God says "No" - "You won't, but your son Solomon will"; AND THEN, God says the words that find their fulfillment a 1000 years later:
7:11 "...'The LORD declares to you that the LORD himself will establish a house for you: 12 When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom." 2 Samuel 7:11-12 (NIV)
In the immediate sense, history presumed this to be in Solomon, David’s son who took over the throne after his death. The kingdom under Solomon, and all of the Kings that followed him, were flawed – often driven by selfish ambition and the lust for power and money.
The promise remained unfulfilled. David’s Son was not yet visible to the nation until Gabriel came to Mary. It was in what he told her that the promise comes to its fulfillment.
“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."
It’s this that helps us understand why – 30 years later – John, the Baptizer, comes announcing “the Kingdom of God is at hand”. And when John is later arrested it is Jesus who keeps the message going – “the Kingdom of God is at hand”.
Here is the deeper meaning of God's purpose - the Kingdom of God - and to Mary comes the news – this child to be born is the King that shall reign over God's Kingdom forever and ever.
Here is the deeper meaning of God's purpose - the Kingdom of God - and to Mary comes the news – this child to be born is the King that shall reign over God's Kingdom forever and ever.
Jesus:
Name of wondrous love, name all other
names above,
Unto which must ever knee bow in deep humility.
Jesus:
Name decreed of old to the maiden mother told -
Kneeling in her lowly cell--by the angel Gabriel.
Jesus:
Name of priceless worth to the children
of the earth
For the promise that it gave, "Jesus shall his
people save."
Jesus:
Name of wondrous love, human name of
God above;
Pleading only this, we flee, helpless, O our God,
to Thee.
Amen.
- William W. How, 19th century
Maybe you've never seen this before, but it's one of the most eloquent and beautiful statments, prose, about Jesus as King. Listen and join in with the audience...."yes Lord", "Amen, Lord"...over and over again.
A Prayer: “Lord help me to live as a Kingdom person. May I be captivated by the desire to show forth the beauty of you Jesus as the one who rules over the Kingdom of God. Lord Jesus, my allegiance is to you, the King, My King, and my desire is to submit to your rule in all that I do. ” Amen.
A Prayer: “Lord help me to live as a Kingdom person. May I be captivated by the desire to show forth the beauty of you Jesus as the one who rules over the Kingdom of God. Lord Jesus, my allegiance is to you, the King, My King, and my desire is to submit to your rule in all that I do. ” Amen.
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