Luke chapter 1. We're returning to this chapter that we've been in for the last number of weeks, and as wonderful as the birth announcement was that we considered last two weeks of John there in verses 5 through 25, it is surpassed this morning by the announcement of Jesus' birth in verse 26 through 38. There is no greater birth announcement than this. This is an announcement of the gift of God's grace. This is an announcement of the gift of God's grace that's found in the fulfillment of His promise that was made all the way back in Genesis 3. If you'll remember, to the man and the woman there in the garden, that a seed would come to strike a mortal blow to the head of the serpent, Genesis 3.15. This is a gift of God's grace, it's the fulfillment of the promise of Abraham's seed who would be a blessing to all the families of the earth after centuries of waiting for his arrival, starting there in Genesis 12 verse 3, he is coming now. This is the fulfillment of the prophecies of the star out of Jacob in Numbers 24 and the prophet of Deuteronomy 18. and the descendant of David who would reign forever, 2 Samuel 7. This is the fulfillment of the prophecies about the Redeemer in Job 19, the Son of God in Psalm 2, the cornerstone, Psalm 118, and God with us in Isaiah 7, and many, many other prophecies throughout the Old Testament. Not only then is this an announcement, a grand birth announcement of Jesus' coming, and that's grand on the stage of biblical history and salvation history, there's a magnitude to all this that relates to every individual Christian that's gathered here this morning. This is the gift of God's grace that's found in this announcement of Christ's birth that is very personal because Christ is your salvation. And He is yours, and because He is yours, He is what is most precious to you. Precious is a word I was talking with someone about last night that I don't use very often, and you probably know that. It means to have great value, to see something as highly treasured, highly esteemed. And it's most appropriate, I think, to describe what's going on and what we find in the text this morning. In the providence of God, I came across a Spurgeon quote that related to this, where he highlights for us the meaning and the definition of what is precious. He says, for a thing to be called precious, it should have three qualities. One, it should be rare. Two, it should have an intrinsic value of its own. And three, it should possess useful and important properties. He says, all of these three things meet in our adorable Lord and make Him precious to discerning minds. I want you to think as we read through this text now of how it's telling us what it is that's precious about this child whose birth is being announced. Verse 26. Now, in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph of the descendants of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, greetings favored one, the Lord is with you. But she was very perplexed at this statement and kept pondering what kind of a salutation this was. The angel said to her, "'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end.' Mary said to the angel, "'How can this be, since I am a virgin?' The angel answered and said to her, the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. And for that reason, the holy child shall be called the Son of God. And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age, and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing will be impossible with God." Mary said, "'Behold, the bondslave of the Lord, may it be done to me according to your word.' And the angel departed from her." Now I want to take a moment and I want you to think about an overview of Luke's gospel to this point because it's important to consider where we came from to where we're at this morning. In those opening four verses, Luke gave us the subject of his gospel. He told us he's going to be talking about Jesus. And he told us his purpose for writing was to strengthen the conviction of Christians that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah and the fulfillment of God's promise and plan of salvation. He's writing then to you as a Christian that you would be edified, encouraged, and that you would be assured of your salvation being complete in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Then you'll remember the last two weeks he started by telling us the account of Jesus' life by going all the way to the beginning and giving us the announcement of the forerunner to Jesus, John the Baptist. And our conviction there was strengthened that God answers prayer, God governs all things, God is faithful, God can be trusted and He offers real joy. And then last week we considered the reasons that the angel's proclamation about John's birth are a cause for joy and how faith is dependent upon joy. Faith is essential for joy. And that brings us then to those verses I just read to you a moment ago, where the angel Gabriel is now giving us a greater birth announcement. The greater proclamation of one who is greater that's coming into the world, and he's announcing it to Mary. He's announcing that God is sending this precious gift of His grace into the world. And within that announcement of God sending this gift, it's not only a declaration that He's coming and how He's coming, that's all there and we'll see that, but this is a declaration of who is coming. And within that announcement of who is coming, that's where we learn of why Jesus is precious to His people, why He's your greatest treasure, because we find those three qualities that Spurgeon highlighted. What comes here in the angel's announcement shows us that He's precious, but there are treasures along the way before we get to that angel's announcement. The first thing Luke presents here is a rather modest scene in verse 26. Verse 26, now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth. This is the sixth month, not in terms of the year, but in terms of Elizabeth's pregnancy. Two verses earlier, we were told she was in her fifth month, and there towards the end of all this, in verse 36, the angel highlights again she's in her sixth month. In this sixth month, then, of Elizabeth's pregnancy, this angel Gabriel is tasked here with another mission. This angel showed up in the Old Testament. We were told the last two weeks that he is one who stands in the presence of God, he speaks on behalf of God, and he's the one that was sent to Zacharias with this message of good news there in verse 13 through 20. Remember, when he's sent to Zacharias, Zacharias is serving in the temple on this rather extraordinary assignment for a priest similar to that. Gabriel is sent on an extraordinary assignment here. Think about what he's tasked to do. This angel is given the responsibility of proclaiming that the long-awaited Messiah is coming. Now you might think that would be a moment of great fanfare where dignitaries and crowds gathered in the city for this announcement, but again what you find here is a most modest scene. It's modest compared to what we just read last week. It's modest whereas before his previous assignment was sent there to the temple in the city of Jerusalem, sent to a priest who is noted for his being righteous in the sight of God and walking blamelessly in the commandments of God. This scene that I just read to you a moment ago occurs in a far off place, 80 to 90 miles north of Jerusalem in a tiny village called Nazareth that consisted of maybe 100 people. It's rural and it's obscure. so insignificant that the Old Testament never mentions Nazareth. The historian Josephus doesn't mention Nazareth. It's not on any major trade routes of the time, and all the important roads bypassed Nazareth. And then instead of a dignitary or notable figure that is the recipient of this great and wonderful message of God's grace, he comes to a humble young teenage girl engaged to be married. One commentator said, the great God of heaven sends the gift of salvation to humans in a serene, unadorned package of simplicity. Everything about this surrounding the message of the angel bespeaks of humility, lowliness. The angel here is dispatched to take a message from God to Mary. And if you think about Luke's doing a careful investigation, he told us that in the first four verses, his careful investigation tells us Mary is a virgin. She's never had sexual relations. Would you just look at the verse there? That's going to be emphasized again in that verse, again in her response in verse 34, again in the angel's response in verse 35, and then if you were to read Matthew's account of all of this from Matthew 1, it would be emphasized again. The New Testament wants to make this very clear. This needs to be settled in your mind and believed. This is an essential truth of the Christian faith that Mary was a virgin. It's critical because it's going to speak in a moment to the work of the Spirit And what the Spirit is doing in this moment, and it speaks to the person of Christ and His being a sufficient Savior. Luke tells you here that she was engaged, note that word, to a man whose name was Joseph of the descendants of David. Jewish custom divided marriage into two components. You had engagement followed by marriage, and to us that sounds very familiar, but there were some significant differences. One scholar notes this, engagement, as we're thinking about it here, this is what's different. Engagement involved a formal agreement initiated by a father seeking a wife for his son. The next most important person was the father of the bride. A son's opinion would be sought more often in the process than the daughter's opinion. Upon payment of a purchase price to the bride's father, because he was losing a daughter and a helper, whereas the son's family was gaining one, and upon a written agreement and an oath by the son, the couple was engaged. Engagement, he tells us, was legally binding, you could only sever the contract by death or divorce, and any sexual conduct with another person was considered adultery. In all of that scene of engagement that you're thinking about there, Mary's most likely no more than 15 years old when she's engaged, and she's probably even closer to 13. That was customary, that was normal. Would you note here, Luke tells you the man she's engaged to is Joseph, and then he tells you something about Joseph. He's a descendant of David. Luke's preparing you for what's about to come. what the angel is going to say in verse 31 through 33 that has to do with a descendant of David. Luke's preparing you to understand why it is Joseph is traveling to Bethlehem in chapter 2 verse 4 when the child is about to be born. Joseph could trace his lineage, his heritage to King David. Luke emphasizes here at the end of this section that, again, she is a virgin when he's even telling you what her name is. The virgin's name was Mary. So in this modest scene, Luke is introducing you here at the very beginning before he gives you this major announcement to all the characters in this place where the angelic visit is occurring, and it's very humble. Now comes the magnificent announcement, verse 28, and coming in, he, this angel Gabriel, said to her, "'Greetings, favored one, the Lord is with you.'" Luke doesn't tell you where Mary's at as she's receiving this message. Most likely, she's at home, and she's doing the ordinary chores of an ordinary day that didn't seem like anything about this day stuck out when Gabriel arrives, and he announces his arrival there with the word, greeting. Mary would have heard that salutation over and over again, very common when a person entered a room. It can be translated, as some of your Bibles say, rejoice. But it was most likely always received just like when somebody walks into your house, they say, hello. It's what the angel says next that's perplexing to Mary. He calls her favored one. For you grammar nerds out there, it's a verbal adjective, and it's describing Mary. Mary's the favored one. It's a word that means to bestow favor on, to highly favor, to be blessed, to be shown grace. That's describing Mary. The angel's saying, she has been shown grace. She doesn't yet know why she's been shown grace. That's about to come in verse 31. What that means comes in verse 31 and what follows. But the angel is expressing here she's favored. And given the nature of that word describing her, it isn't because her life merited this great privilege. This word is closely associated, as I said a moment ago, to grace. So it is expressing that there is no particular worthiness here on Mary's part. We'll consider that a bit more next week. But for now, Luke records those words because he wants you to see that what is about to happen with Mary is God's grace upon her life. And that would have been reassuring. You've just been startled by an angel as you're going about your normal day here. Those words would have been comforting when the angel decides to say something to you. All this is frightening in this moment, and he says, favored one. And he also says, would you know here, the Lord is with you. So Gabriel is coming along and one of the first things that he's doing is he's comforting this young girl who is in a most terrifying moment. The Lord is with you, Mary, meaning He's at your side. He will be with you through everything that's about to take place. He will be your helper who gives you aid through all that is about to transpire that at this very moment you don't yet know anything about. All of this would be a lot for anybody to take in, much less a 13-year-old girl. from Nazareth." So you get verse 29, but she was very perplexed at this statement, and she kept pondering what kind of greeting this was. He describes her response as very perplexed. Some of your translations translate that with the words, greatly troubled. She's disturbed. She's confused. She couldn't imagine in her wildest dreams why an angel from heaven would visit her and why God would show her grace. It wasn't like she was waiting around for more reward from God because she knew of her great piety. She wasn't expecting to be part of God's plan for saving sinners. Nothing about her past indicated that in a moment like this, this was going to happen. Certainly she's not divine and she is not omniscient. This is a surprise to her. God isn't surprised. This is confusing to her. God is never confused. She's pondering what kind of a salutation this was. She's trying to figure out what's going on. What does all of this mean? And would you note here, before the angel tells her what's going on, he's going to answer that question. He again mercifully reassures her to console her greatly troubled and greatly confused heart there in verse 30. The angel said to her, do not be afraid, for you have found favor with God. You must not fear Mary. Fear is a normal response. We looked at that a couple of weeks ago. If an angel shows up, you probably will be terrified. You'll be shaking. Mary is told here, there is no reason for you to fear. You have nothing to fear about what's fixing to take place. You have found favor with God. That's emphasizing God's choosing Mary, His choosing her out of His good pleasure. Nothing about the announcement says anything about Mary's worthiness, nothing about the announcement says anything about Mary's character. When you think about what Luke has already told us, he's told us way more that's commendable about Zacharias and Elizabeth than what he's telling us is commendable about Mary. The only reason she is a beneficiary of God's grace is because of the good pleasure of a sovereign God who chose to show His favor to this young woman. By all accounts, when you think about Mary here, she would have appeared to be the least likely candidate to be an instrument through which he would bring his only begotten son into the world to redeem his people. The only recognition that Mary might receive is for the lowliest person, the weakest person, the most insignificant. She's a teenage girl in a time and in a culture that didn't value women much at all. She's the least likely suspect for God to choose. She's a bit like a lowly and weak and insignificant nation enslaved to one of the strongest nations on earth in the Old Testament. She's a bit like a lowly shepherd boy who was the youngest among his brothers and really not even in the starting lineup whenever the prophet showed up to find a king. I think 1 Corinthians 1.27 may be helpful to understand what we see taking place here, where Paul writes, but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world, and the despised God has chosen the things that are not so that he may nullify the things that are so that no man may boast before God. Of all that's about to transpire, The only one you can boast about in all of this is God. Son of God is going to come into the world here in the most humble way through the womb of the lowest of the low. And when he exits this life, you'll remember it will be in the most humbling fashion nailed to a cross, Philippians 2.8. And all of it from beginning to end highlights what's most lowly and humble to emphasize what's most important. The great glory of God is in salvation. This will be His work. No man, no woman can boast in and of themselves. He alone is to receive all glory, honor, and praise. So a lowly young lady receives this world-changing message. And it's a message that gives us eight qualities here that show us Christ is precious, treasured, valued among His people. All that was the introduction. Here's the eight qualities that are rare, valuable, and useful about Jesus. Eight reasons that Christ is precious to His people and a gift of grace, that there's no one else that could ever be described with such a high and lofty description as what the angel says here about the person of Jesus. Certainly, you know that there have been those that are born amongst women who would inherit riches and kingdoms and thrones and powers and all sorts of influence, but all of them combined are inferior to what the angel tells you about the child in verse 31 through 35. Eight reasons Jesus is precious to His people. He is, number one, born of a virgin. The child will be born of a virgin. Verse 31, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son. In case you missed it, I hope you didn't, but in case you missed it, the angel is telling a young woman who is a virgin that she is going to have a child. If something is precious because something is rare, then what is more rare than a virgin having a son? Joseph, the man that she was engaged to, he knew this does not happen. That's why you have Matthew 1, when Joseph finds out that the woman he was engaged to was with child, he planned to send her away secretly in Matthew 1 verse 19. This was so unthinkable to him. that this was even possible. This is so unthinkable to righteous Joseph that the Lord had to mercifully send an angel to him to tell him what's going on there in Matthew 1 verse 20, "'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.'" Matthew chapter 1 verse 22 and 23 adds that this is a fulfillment of Isaiah 7.14, therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son. That was foretold, this was going to happen. Jesus is the child of a virgin. Who else could claim that? God's gift of grace comes through a means that's impossible to man. unimaginable and unthinkable to man. And we'll consider in a moment why that's necessary. Reason number two, the child is named Jesus. The child is named Jesus. He's given the name Jesus there in verse 31. You shall name him Jesus. That's a common Hebrew name. What about that name is so precious? Yeshua, meaning Yahweh, saves. Remember when his name is announced to Joseph, Matthew 121, the angel added, for he will save his people from their sins. That name may have been common, not rare, not unusual, but here's the only man who lived up to that name. That's rare. His name is going to identify him. His name is going to identify His work. His name is going to identify where it is that salvation comes from. Every time you hear the name Jesus, we ought to remember Acts chapter 4 verse 12, there is salvation in no one else for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved. No name has greater value. No name is more useful. It tells you where salvation is found, and it's here assigned to the one child who lived up to the name. He's named Jesus. Number three, he's identified as great. The child is identified as great. Verse 32, he will be great. Perhaps you remember from the last two weeks that description connected to John there in chapter 1 verse 15, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. The angel doesn't say that here. Jesus' greatness is unqualified here. He's greater than John the Baptist. What do you mean he'd be great in the sight of the Lord? He is the Lord. When that word great, magos, is used by itself in the Old Testament, it's used in a way in which it refers only to God. That's happening here. The only possible qualifications we could attach to his being great, his being described as great here, is going to come in what else the angel says about the child here in a moment. And then perhaps you could identify what's great about him and what Luke tells you about the child throughout his life as it unfolds there in Luke's gospel, all of which is conveying the same truth. The nature of this child is divine. All of this is saying He is God in flesh. His greatness is demonstrated in His role, we'll see that. He's superior as a prophet, priest, king, sacrifice, teacher, servant, master, healer, redeemer, Savior, counselor, shepherd. He's superior as a friend. None are greater than Jesus. His greatness is demonstrated in His nature, His love, and His mercy, and His grace, and His goodness, and His wisdom, and power, and authority, all are superior. There's none who has greater love and more perfect love, and sinless and holy love than Jesus, and mercy, and grace, and goodness, and power, and so forth. Luke describing Jesus as great, on qualified greatness, is a critical quality of this child is to be deemed precious to His people, a gift of grace. Number four, the child is called a son. The child will be son of the Most High there in verse 32, will be called son of the Most High. In verse 76, John is a prophet of the Most High. In verse 32, Jesus is greater. He is called the son of the Most High. The angel, do you see what he's doing here? He's announcing Jesus' divine sonship before his Davidic sonship. This phrase was common in regal context to announce the coming of a king, to announce the birth of a future king, but here there's one that's even greater. The regal context is coming and what follows, but here it's announcing the coming of the Son of God, stated there again in verse 35. And if the Son of God as He is described, our Son of the Most High, then He is like His Father. And if He is like His Father, then the Son is divine. This is the divine Son, God of God, light of light, very God of very God, being of one substance with the Father. Go back to what makes something precious. What did Spurgeon say? Rare, intrinsic value, useful, and important properties. Who then is precious like the Son? The Son of the Most High. Number five, given a throne. Given a throne. They're in verse 32. This is Davidic sonship now being announced. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. Now it's coming together. Why? Luke was telling us that Mary is engaged to a man who's a descendant of David. This child will be an heir to the throne of David. He must be a descendant of David if Jesus is the fulfillment of the promise made to David. What we read a moment ago in 2 Samuel 7, 12, I will raise up your descendant after you who will come forth from you and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. He must be given the throne of his father David if he is to be the horn of salvation in the house of David as Zacharias prophesied in chapter 1 verse 67 here in Luke's gospel. This is also why he must be born in the city of David in Luke chapter 2 verse 11. So there is a regal quality that's being described here that will prove useful. But this child is the fulfillment then of Israel's hope for a ruler and a redeemer. He is qualified to be Messiah. He is qualified to be king. He is qualified to be Savior. Number six, qualities identifying Jesus as precious. He is bestowed authority. Verse 33, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. The house of Jacob is the name given to Israel in Exodus 19, 3, Isaiah 2, 8, 48, chapter 48, verse 1 of Isaiah. Hear this, O house of Jacob, who are named Israel." So not only does He have a throne, but He has a people, and His reign over them is eternal. the house of Jacob forever, so He must possess useful and important properties such as being eternal and being sovereign if He is to reign over them forever. All of this was foretold Psalm 89 verse 29 reads, so I will establish His descendants forever and His throne is the days of heaven. That is what? Forever. It's foretold in Isaiah chapter 9 verse 7, there will be no end to the increase of his government or of peace on the throne of David over his kingdom to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore the zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this. Bestowed authority. Number seven, he's presented an eternal kingdom. Presented an eternal kingdom, verse 33, and his kingdom will have no end. The great Roman Empire that was ruling over all of the people there, as Luke is writing this account, had an end. The Babylonian Empire had an end. The Egyptian Empire had an end. No other kingdom is everlasting. But what Luke and the angel here are telling us is nothing can overcome this king. Nothing can bring his reign to an end. Nothing can take his people from him. No one can defeat him. Therefore, his kingdom has no end. What could possibly end it? In fact, this king frees people from a tyrant who is over another kingdom of darkness, and Jesus makes them citizens of His kingdom. He will reign forever, therefore His kingdom will exist forever, just as 2 Samuel 7, 16 says it will. when the Lord made the promise to David, never to be defeated, never to come to ruin, never to be overthrown, he will never be impeached or deposed, meaning he must be powerful, he must be wise, he must be sovereign to squelch every threat against his kingdom. That would have to be some king who possesses such useful and important properties. When the text is telling us Jesus is such a king, Gabriel is saying this child that is coming is such a king, such a king as was prophesied in Isaiah 9 verse 6. A child will be born to us, a son will be given to us, and the government will rest on his shoulders, and his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. Such a king and such a kingdom as is anticipated in Revelation 11, verse 15, where the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever. Kingdom's existence is only as secure as its king. This kingdom is everlasting because this king is divine and will reign forever. Wonderful news to Mary. But would you note there in verse 34, Mary identifies a very serious problem. Mary said to the angel, how, that's a key word, how can this be since I'm a virgin? There's your problem. The literal translation of Mary's words, since I know no man. Luke's already established this fact. Matthew's gospel establishes this fact. How can one have a child if no sexual relations have occurred? Meaning, how is this possible? Because it's impossible. Now, if you'll note here, Mary says this in a way that doesn't express the same doubt and unbelief that we considered in Zacharias. There's no rebuke going to come here from the angel. Instead, the angel is going to answer Mary's question and tell her how it's possible. And this is where we get the eighth precious truth about Jesus. Number eight, conceived by the Holy Spirit. The child will be conceived by the power of the Spirit. This is going to be a work of the divine. Verse 35, the angel answered and said to her, the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. And for that reason, the holy child shall be called the Son of God. The angel's answering the question that's not only on Mary's heart, but that actually came out of her mouth, and the very first person that the angel points to is the power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit's all throughout Luke's gospel. The Spirit was upon Simeon who blessed Jesus in Luke 2. The Spirit descended upon Christ at his baptism in Luke 3, filled Jesus leading him into the wilderness in Luke 4, ministered through Jesus in Luke 4.14. It was the Spirit that Jesus preached about in His first sermon there in Luke's gospel in Luke 4.18, the same Spirit who is present and active and whose creative power is displayed here at conception. The Holy Spirit who was at work all the way back, if you think back weeks ago, to Genesis chapter 1 verse 2 is an agent of creation, is again a powerful agent of creation. And as that creation was an act of the triune God, this creation is an act of the triune God, His sovereign action in and through the Virgin Mary. God is going to create humanity in Mary's womb. The language there, the Holy Spirit will come upon you, frames all of this in the context of creation, overshadow their And in the Old Testament, that word frequently refers to the Shekinah cloud that rested on the tabernacle, or to God's presence in protecting His people. In Luke chapter 9 verse 34, it's going to refer to the cloud of the transfiguration overshadowing the disciples. What is being described by the angel here in Luke's gospel is the incarnation. This is the mystery that we sung about a moment ago. This is the Word becoming flesh, John 1 14. More specifically, Luke is telling us, detailing for us here how it happened. The Word is eternal. Word becomes flesh. Word is eternal. Jesus is divine nature. No beginning, no end. But when He becomes flesh, taking on a human nature, there is a beginning. And that is the creation sense that you have here. Luke is telling us that the Son taking a human nature is by the work of the Spirit. Remember Philippians chapter 2 verse 6, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself. You get a sense of Jesus acting there, His work there, taking the form of a bondservant and being made in the likeness of man. Luke is telling us of the Spirit's work in that. And he tells us, for that reason, the Holy Child shall be called the Son of God, the only begotten Son of God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father. Think back to number four, conceived here by the Holy Spirit, verse 35. Luke is telling us that the Spirit is the reason that we can say of Jesus, truly God and truly man, two natures, one person, and also say, so that in all things likened to us, yet without sin. Go back to what I mentioned before that this is in the context of creation. Finally here is another sinless man like we saw in Genesis 1 and 2. Finally here is a true and better Adam. Through the first Adam all die, through this Adam all live. How is that possible? The only way this is possible is through a virgin birth and the Spirit working. Why is Christ precious to His people? Because He is uniquely qualified to be your Savior. Christian, I hope you see this. I hope you see that all of these precious truths have to do with your salvation. I hope you see that this is the rare and valuable child that is able to save. I hope that you see that he alone possesses useful and important properties. Truly God, truly man, holy, sinless, blameless, a life-giving Adam. I hope you see that what the angel proclaims is that all the qualities that make something precious converge in the person of Christ like they do nowhere else. The angel tells Mary there's a sign to confirm all of this, verse 36. Mary! A great miracle has already occurred with Elizabeth, and her child is going to be great. Conceiving a child in her old age, that seems like it's impossible. But Mary, something more seemingly impossible is going to take place. A greater miracle is going to involve you, a virgin birth. Your child is going to be even greater. And Elizabeth is proof of that. But the definitive statement And an answer to Mary's question of how comes here in verse 37. For nothing will be impossible with God. Lots of things are impossible with humanity that leads to the perplexity of how's a lady who's advanced in age going to have a baby? How's a virgin going to have a baby? Lots of things are impossible for men. Humanity could never produce its own Savior, but nothing is impossible with God. Mankind could never produce anything with the qualities required to bring about a precious savior, redeemer. But praise be to God, the angel is announcing nothing will be impossible with God. What does Mary do with all this? Look at verse 38. Mary said, behold, the bond slave or just slave of the Lord. She calls herself the slave of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word. and the angel departed her. Mary willingly and faithfully accepts what the Lord has revealed to her through the angel, what God's will is for her life here. She's not fighting against it. She's not constantly questioning it. She accepts it. She's a wonderful example of thinking, acting, and believing, Psalm 119 verse 38, that reads, you'll remember, establish your word to your servant as that which produces reverence for you. The word of God has been given to Mary here, and she's received it, and it has produced reverence, and she says, I'll accept what you've said, not arguing with you at all. The servant of God has received the Word of God, and the servant here is revering her God, and her response and her life demonstrate this. I mean, what child is this? The most precious child. And Mary's response indicates she gets it. And the question I have for you is, do you get it? This child is he who is most precious to his people. Nothing and no one else in the entirety of the universe is on par with him. This child is unlike anything before or since, and the way the angel describes him highlights why he is precious and why he is to be treasured. Christian, would you just consider this morning all that you have in Christ? that there's a world out there that's constantly bombarding you with all that you need and all that you don't have. Would you remember this morning all that you have already in Christ? There's a world out there that's constantly taking from you of your time and your health and your energy and your strength. Would you remember all that you have in this child, the Lord Jesus Christ? Christian, Christ is yours. and He's the rarest of the rare, as we've already seen. He's the one way by which you must be saved. He possesses the greatest intrinsic value. He is God. He possesses the most useful and important qualities and properties. He is God, and He is man, and He is therefore uniquely qualified and useful. He's singularly useful as it regards your salvation from your sin. He's singularly useful as it regards your eternal life. Christian rejoice. Christ, Christ is precious and He's your greatest treasure. These eight qualities here that Luke notes is coming from the angel are attributable to no one else. And together they show you that there is no greater treasure than the treasure you have in the Lord Jesus Christ. Christian, what child is this? This is your most precious treasure. What child is this? This child is your riches that can never be lost. He is your manna that will forever nourish your soul. He's your treasure that is worth selling all to possess. He's your light illuminating your way forward. He's your mediator always pleading your cause. He's your redeemer securing your ransom. He's your substitute standing in your place. He's your strength carrying your burdens. He's your access, your gate. He's your way to eternal life. He's your great deliverer from the wrath of God. Spurgeon went on to say about this child, he is the one who emptied the quivers of hell, quenched every fiery dart, and broke off the head of every arrow of wrath. For who? For you, his people. He is your defender, destroying the works of your enemy. He's your healer, mending your wounds. He is your prophet, removing your ignorance. He's your priest, putting away your sin. And He is your King, subduing your rebellion and your defiance. This child is the death of your death, and He is your eternal life, and He will one day wipe away every tear from your eye when the first things have passed away, and He will be your light for an eternity spent with Him. Who do you have that is like Jesus? What do you have that is like Jesus? Nothing else. He's most precious. And friend, one minute, when you get to heaven, one minute in heaven, and it will be confirmed forever to you, this child, Christ Jesus, was always and will forever be your greatest treasure. Father, thank you for giving us your Word that points us to the wonderful nature of our Lord Jesus Christ. Father, I pray that it would be settled forever in our mind and upon our heart that he is most precious to us. I pray that we would look at this text that's here before us this morning and that it would remind us of all that we have in Christ and that it would fan the flame of our affections for him and that all the things that are drawing at our heart and tempting us and pulling at us would be informed by this one singular truth that Christ is our treasure and He is most treasured, most cherished, most valuable, most precious to His people. Father, thank you for sending your Son, your only begotten Son. Thank you for providing salvation in a way that was unthinkable for man to come up with. Thank you for providing your Son who is uniquely qualified to save us from our sins. Most powerful God who the text has told us nothing is impossible for you. Our prayer is that you would change the hearts of sinners this morning. who've long been in rebellion and defiance against you. Lord, it seems impossible from a human perspective when we think about those that we were praying for for their salvation. Nothing is impossible with you. And our prayer is that you'd be merciful and gracious to those who don't deserve it, that you'd be gracious like you were gracious to Mary who had no merit of her own to fill the role that you called her to fill. Would you be merciful and gracious and save those that we're praying for to come to you to repent from their sins and to find Christ most precious? All to the glory of your great name we pray, amen.