Subject - The Involvement of the Holy Spirit in Christmas
by Rick Welborne
Luke 1:2638 (NLT)
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee,
27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.
28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”
29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.
30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God!
31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.
32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.
33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.
36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she’s now in her sixth month.
37 For nothing is impossible with God.”
38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.
--What an amazing story: that God would send Gabriel to a virgin Mary to tell her that she was going to have a baby...a son. That’s wonderful but one she says I have one problem...I am a virgin.
--Not only are you going to have a son but He will be called the Son of the most High, Jesus...why would he be called that...because He will be God’s only Son!
1. Stop looking to man for your miracles.
--It is not that God will not use people in the process of our miracle, but what we must see and know that it will be God Himself Who puts everything together for His glory.
--What is the significance of the birth of Jesus...man will not be involved...the miracle will happen because God the Holy Spirit does it and not man.
Luke 1:34-35 (NLT)
34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.
--Life Church, stop thinking that man has to get involved...We must figure out somewhere along the way that God is our source for our miracle whatever it might be! We expect too much from man.
--One of the reasons marriages and churches struggle and even split is because we place unrealistic expectations on each other…we expect things from one another that only God can do.
--Mary, the Holy Spirit will come upon you...
Adam Clarke Commentary - this miracle…this conception will happen quickly as not to leave any question that man was involved. The Holy Spirit Himself will be the orchestrator of the conception and now the miracle has begun.
--Could it be possible that the Holy Spirit could come upon us and conceive in us the assurance that the miracle has begun...not by man but by the Holy Spirit? The obvious answer is yes!
2. Once the miracle has begun…we have to use wisdom how we carry it and nurture it.
--Make sure you understand the nature of this miracle...there was the promise of the birth, the conception of it, but then there was the time of carrying the miracle on the inside until it was manifested.
--Too many miracles are aborted or we have a spiritual miscarriage because we were not careful how we lived and how we stewarded the gift of God.
--Yes, allow the same Holy Spirit to come on you for the conception of your miracle but also determine that you will carry the miracle to full term…you have to be intentional.
Adam Clarke Commentary - The power of the Most High will overshadow you...The power, the miracleworking power, of the Most High shall overshadow you, to accomplish this purpose, and to protect you from danger.
--Mary, not only will the Holy Spirit come upon you to begin the miracle, to conceive in you the Christ-child but He will also overshadow you with His divine protection and power to make sure the miracle is brought to fruition.
--Life Church, hear your pastor, not only will the Holy Spirit come upon you and plant His promise in you, to assure you of the miracle He is bringing forth, but He also has the power to carry it out to its completion!
--He will overshadow you with His power! As long as we stay under the shadow of His protection we will see the miracle.
Psalm 91:1-7 (NKJV)
1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust."
3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence.
4 He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you.
1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust."
3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence.
4 He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you.
Philippians 1:6 (NLT)
6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
3.The goal of the conception and birthing process should be Jesus in us.
--Our goal should be the same as what the Holy Spirit intended for Mary...So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.
--What was birthed in her was Jesus, the Son of God...As His followers should that not be what our desire is...To have what is conceived in us and what comes out of our lives is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Colossians 1:27 (NIV)
27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
--The truth is, that anything good in us will be birthed by Holy Spirit…we conceive so many dreams and aspirations that are not of God…they are of our own spirit…usually selfish desires.
Luke 1:35-43 (NKJV)
35 And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.
36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.
37 For with God nothing will be impossible."
38 Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.
39 Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah,
40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.
41 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
43 But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
35 And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.
36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.
37 For with God nothing will be impossible."
38 Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.
39 Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah,
40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.
41 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
43 But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
--I love the message to Mary about how Holy Spirit will come upon her and the power of the Highest overshadowing her but we see that it is not only about her.
--The whole story of Jesus coming as a baby, having been sent by the Father, and being conceived by Holy Spirit is such a beautiful analogy of what God wants from us. Unity and a sharing of the miraculous.
--The same Holy Spirit Who has done the miracle in Mary is the same Holy Spirit Who has caused Elizabeth to be with child in her old age. The miracle of Christmas and Holy Spirit is to be shared to everyone.
--Please get this…Jesus in us and Holy Spirit filling us should mean that what will be coming out of lives will be incredibly wonderful…the impossible will become possible because of Immanuel. God in us!
Luke 1:37(NKJV)
37 For with God nothing will be impossible."
37 For with God nothing will be impossible."
--Life Church, nothing is impossible with God! Do you believe it? Growing to one thousand…starting a new campus…seeing your prodigal saved…seeing your life go from ashes to beauty.
--Mary knew that the entire process was going to, of necessity, be walked out in her life. Some would judge her unfairly, there would be humiliation, there would be the questions, there would be the looks...the whispers.
--There would be the changes in her body and in her emotions. Her time to be with her husband would be pro-longed. Please get over the fact that life is not going to be easy when you trust Jesus.
Sarah Mally - Miracles do not come without pain and challenges. “When you chose to follow the way of purity, did you expect it to be easy? When you decided to wait for the best, did you think that waiting would be fun? Did you think that your faith would not be tested? When you decided to take the narrow path, did no one warn you that difficulties, hardship, and tears would be part of the journey, and that you would often face rejection from others and be forced to walk alone? My daughter, that which you wait for the longest you treasure the most, and through much struggle the prize is won.”
Luke 1:38 (NKJV)
38 Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.
38 Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.
--I find this Christmas story to be of such great beauty and of such a wonderful example of how we are to follow Jesus.
--Mary is given such a beautiful promise…the baby Who will be conceived in her will be the Son of God…we have the same promise…Christ in us! Listen to Paul:
Galatians 4:19 (NLT)
19 Oh, my dear children! I feel as if I’m going through labor pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives.
19 Oh, my dear children! I feel as if I’m going through labor pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives.
--Like Mary, we have the same power to come upon us to ensure what comes out of our lives will be Jesus, the Son of God. I hope you see this power:
Acts 1:8 (NLT)
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
--The only thing coming out of the lives of the disciples after Jesus was crucified and died was insecurity, fear, and terror of being caught and executed like Him. But after they received power:
--They began to preach about that Jesus Who was in them and the church was added to daily and, then suddenly, the church began to multiply. Holy Spirit power changed them forever.
--Let’s close on this…Mary received the promise and it happened because of the power of Holy Spirit…what was her position?
Luke 1:38 (NKJV)
38 Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word”
38 Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word”
Luke 1:38 (NLT)
38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.
38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.
--Her position:
A. I am the Lord’s!
B. I am His servant!
C. I am subject to His Word from now on!
--I am positioned for a miracle!
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