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What the Healthy Church Looks Like – Luke 1:39-45

In this excerpt from Luke, Mary sought Elizabeth after receiving news from Gabriel the angel. Her situation must have not been easy- Mary was a pregnant betrothed virgin. But through the fellowship between Mary and Elizabeth, Mary was encouraged and stirred to praise God. By Mary and Elizabeth’s example of biblical fellowship, we can see the essential marks of a healthy church.

The healthy church is available. Members of a healthy church are available for one another not necessarily because they have the time, but because they are ready to help. The church is one body, and if one member suffers, we all suffer. (1Cor 12:19-24) Being available can accomplish great things as we sacrifice our lives for others. After Mary received the news from Gabriel the angel that she would bear a son, she went to go see Elizabeth, who was available and ready to confirm and comfort Mary. It was only until Mary was edified by Elizabeth that she rejoiced and praised God. (Lk 1:42-55)

The healthy church is joyful. True joy is the wellbeing of the soul. It does not come from the comforts and treasures of the world, but from Jesus Christ alone. Joy is a gift from God. It is a result of godly living, as you trust and obey Jesus. John the Baptist leaped for joy in Elizabeth’s womb when he heard Mary’s voice. Only those who are in Christ experience this joy as they know God through the gospel. (Jn 15:5, 11)

The healthy church is filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit guides and comforts believers. He is our advocate, and He compels us to go through the narrow gate leading to eternal life. Just as Elizabeth was filled with the Spirit, we must seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit by meditating, memorizing, and apply Scripture, and by prayer. Being filled with the Holy Spirit leads to obedience to Christ. Many Christians believe in Jesus, but they think they walk alone. They don’t realize that the Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead dwells within them. (Gal 5:22-23; Col 3:16)

The healthy church is discerning. Members of a healthy church stay sober minded and awake at all times. Elizabeth was able to discern that Mary’s pregnancy was a divine event because she viewed all things through the lens of Scripture and was filled with the Holy Spirit. Healthy churches always focus on the Word of God. (Gal 5:16)

The healthy church is humble. Although Elizabeth was much older than Mary, she honored Mary because she was pregnant with the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the head of the church, and those who trust in Him are humble. What is humility? To be humble is to count others as more significant than yourself. True humility causes you to obey God without question, complaint, or doubt. If you are not humbled before God, you will not be humble before men. We must learn humility from Jesus, who submitted to the Father’s Will to the point of death, even death on a cross. When we judge God, His Word, and His ways, we are not being humble. (Phil 2:3-8)

The healthy church is completely submissive to the authority of Scripture. Elizabeth blessed Mary because she understood and believed that Mary’s conception was a fulfillment of Scripture. Elizabeth believed God’s Word and submitted to it. (Lk 1:45) Jesus taught us to seek God’s Word above all. (Matt 4:4; 6:32-33) Blessing comes as you trust and obey Scripture.

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Is Your God Able? – Luke 1:34-38

The Bible is the inerrant and infallible truth. In the first book of the Bible, Genesis, which means beginning, God makes the universe and all life. In the entirety of Scripture, the Bible reveals who God is and in Genesis, one of the important aspects we learn is that God is powerful. God is not just powerful, but omnipotent (all-powerful). It is wise to remember, we walk with Almighty God. Hudson Taylor once said, “All God’s giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned on God being with them.” (Mt 19:26, Job 42:2)

Do you see God in this way? Not just with confession of mouth but in the actions of your life? When faced with trial or hardship, do you trust in God’s power? (Zec 8:6) When Gabriel spoke, Mary asked “How can this be?”. Like Mary, We often forget the power of God.

Why do we forget God’s power?

  1. We think we can achieve our desires through money, skills or work, and that we don’t need God. We think that with man it is also possible.

  2. We replace God with other things, such as science or entertainment. We try to conquer death with science or appease our boredom with entertainment.

  3. The society is becoming more feminine and therefore a powerful and masculine God is unappealing. Power in the traditional sense is offensive and unattractive, while a kind and gentle God is more accepted.

The truth is though, since the fall of Adam, we’ve been powerless due to our sin. Sin is a plague and a most terrible curse that we cannot defeat. Man is completely under the dominion of sin (Rom 6:23, Mt 4:4). No descendant of Adam  has ever overcome the power of sin or ever will without God’s saving power.

God’s power is the same as the beginning
The birth of John the Baptist and the virgin birth of Jesus Christ is an example of God’s unlimited power. It is the same as Creation, where life was created from nothing or ex nihilo (Lk 1:34-35, Mt 1:18, Gen 1:1). God is the Creator who can bring anything into existence by the power of His words. God doesn’t change and His power never fades (Heb 11:3, Ma 3:6, Heb 13:8).

We must believe in our minds and trust in our hearts that God is powerful. In our sin, we limit God’s ability or think God is not the same as He was in the Bible. Our God is the God of Genesis. We must have faith. Like the centurion, we must understand God’s authority and power (Mt 8:7-9)

God can save you
God saves you through the power of the Holy Spirit and works of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit was also present in Creation, and where there is the Holy Spirit, there is God’s power (Acts 1:8). It is through Jesus Christ, the holy Son of God that sinners are saved (Eph 2:1-3, Mt 3:13). To be saved from sin, we need a sinless Savior. Only Jesus has the power and the righteousness to save sinners from death (Acts 4:7-12).

If men are saved by God’s power, the why are all people not saved? It is not because God couldn’t save them but because they are unwilling to be saved.  The reject the Savior, Jesus Christ. The gospel is offered fairly and freely but not all receive it by faith

God can sanctify you
After hearing Gabriel, Mary accepts God’s will for her, she receives it by faith and obeys. She demonstrates that by the power of God, we are sanctified.

Three means of sanctification

  1. Humility: Mary says she is a bondslave of the Lord. Whatever means God has given, she is willing to submit, even if it’s to be an outcast of society. If we cling to pride, we would hinder sanctification. By pride, we reject God’s will for us and remain in disobedience (James 4:6, 10).

  2. Willing prayer: Mary prays ‘may it be done to me’ in submission to God’s will

  3. Faith in God’s word: ‘according to your word’.

God used these three means to help Mary obey and accomplish His saving will. Our response to God’s will and word must be be like Mary’s. We forget that God is powerful and able to do the impossible, even save a wretched sinner unto eternal life. May we remember and believe.

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The Real Jesus Stands Up, Part 7 – Luke 1:26-33

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; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” Lk 1:26-28

As we are saved by knowing and believing in the real Jesus, we are sanctified in as much as we continue to grow in knowledge of Him. (Eph 3:17-19; 2Pet 3:18) All our blessings and our ability to endure suffering depend on our knowledge of Christ. In this current sermon series, we are learning about the real Jesus of the Bible. He is the Messiah who saves His people from their sins. He is the sinless Savior who died on the cross and rose again from the dead. The real Jesus is great because He is the only true God who reigns supreme in the lives of those who truly know Him. (Rom 3:23, 10:4; Jn 3:16-17; 8:54) As we see in this text, the real Jesus is also the King who received all authority from God the Father. Just as God the Father is called the Lord God, the same phrase is used to refer to Christ. (Is 1:2, 24; Lk 1:68; Jn 20:28) Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, born from the root of David according to the will of God.

Is Jesus honored as King in your life? God’s Word and your flesh are in constant conflict with each other, so you must fight the good fight of faith to declare Jesus as the only King of your life. Jesus is our humble servant King who came to redeem us. This King gave Himself up for us, and He continues to serve us today as our Lord and Mediator. When we dwell on His grace and mercy on us, our love and gratitude to Christ compels us to exalt Him as the King of our lives. (Lam 3:22-23; Col 1:17)

How can you receive the kingdom of God? Repent and believe the gospel. You must repent of your unbelief and believe the good news that Jesus died for your sins and was raised from the dead. Jesus reigns everlastingly in love and provides all things to those who are His. Let us honor Him by growing in personal holiness and by manifesting the kingship of Christ for all the world to see.

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The Real Jesus Stands Up, Part 4 – Luke 1:26-33

There is no other miracle like the virgin birth and there will never be another like it. It was significant for Jesus to be a man but not be born of a man to the sinless Savior. When Jesus returns again it will not be a baby but in glory as the resurrected Lord. It is to the true Jesus, the Messiah, to which we must believe and follow. Any other understanding of Jesus is false and unable to save. Many people wish Jesus was a different sort of Messiah. Many Jews expected an earthly King who would rid them of Rome’s rule. Even currently, many people wish Jesus to be different, to be a friend, to be like them. Maybe people think they find Jesus in their own way, but Jesus is the one who seeks us. We are the sinners, and He is the Savior. When we surrender to the true Jesus, then we can truly be saved.

The real Jesus lives up to His name

The angel Gabriel tells Mary that she ‘would call His name Jesus’. The name Jesus was actually very popular in the first century. It has led to some misunderstandings, even finding a box of bones with Jesus name. Josephus, the historian, mentions a few people named Jesus during this time. The name Jesus stems from Joshua (Jeshua) which means `Savior`. Out of all the men named Jesus, only Jesus was born of a virgin and fulfills that role.

Christianity is unique in its view of sin and the Savior (Mt. 1:21). All other religions either claim man is essentially good and able to work towards salvation, or that sin is not evil and deserving condemnation. The Bible says all men are sinners in nature and that death and hell are the consequence (Zeph 1:17, Rom 6:23). It is not merely the action of sin that man is guilty of but our attitude of sin. We are not sinners because we sin, but we sin because we are sinners.

According to His namesake, Jesus comes to save us from sin, to remove the power, the presence and penalty of sin. Just as sin and its consequence is real, so is the the redemption and atonement of sin. By dying on the cross, Jesus appeased God’s judgement and become propitiation for us (2 Cor 5:21). It was a heavy price, but through His death and resurrection, our sin is forgiven and we are saved (Heb 9:18-22).

By the substitutionary work of Jesus, God is appeased and no longer angry at us. It is only by the interceding of Jesus are we saved from fiery judgement, but instead beloved by God, adopted as sons and daughters and promised eternal life. Our righteousness and blameless legal standing before the Holy God is accomplished by Jesus, the true Messiah. Only the Jesus of the Bible has done this and one day will return.

Conclusion

Who do you say Jesus is (Mt 16:13-16)? Is Jesus just another man or is He the Son of the living God, the Messiah? Do you live according to your own desires or do you follow and obey Jesus? By answering according to the truth of Scripture, you will be saved by the real Jesus who lives up to His name.

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The Real Jesus Stands Up, Part 3 – Luke 1:26-33

In Revelation 1, the Apostle John falls like a dead man when the resurrected Lord Jesus appears in all His glory. Jesus is glorious and to be worshipped. A very different attitude then our current culture, where the name Jesus is most commonly used as a swear word. For true salvation, life and joy, Jesus is not a swear, he is not just a friend, he is not just a good man, but He is the Messiah, the Savior of sinners. Do you believe and follow Him? (Mt 17:5, Acts 4:12)

Jesus is the Messiah

  • Descendant of David and the true King (2 Sa 7:12-16)

  • Born of the Virgin and without sin unlike all other men. (Mt 1:20, Rom 3:23)

Jesus is fully man and fully God

There is a danger in dismissing the humanity of Jesus Christ. The suffering and atoning work on the cross is possible because Jesus was a sinless man as an appeasing sacrifice. Without the shedding of His blood, we would not be forgiven for our sins (Heb 2:12, 14-17)

Jesus did not stop being God while He was a man. Jesus was not in the form of God but was still divine in nature and essence (Phil 2:5-6, John 1:1, 14, Heb 1:3). Jesus is equal to God but humbled himself to fulfill the role as the Savior of men (Phil 2:7). His deity was never lost, he never ceased to be God. In hypostatic union, Jesus was fully God and fully man.

Jesus the Messiah is the one who has opened the way to heaven through his death and resurrection (Heb 4:13). He is a man without sin, He is almighty God. Through faith in Jesus, we can fearlessly ask God in prayer and approach the throne of grace with confidence (Jn 14:13, Heb 4:16) Because He is man, He knows our needs and cares. Because Jesus is God, He can handle any situation. Jesus knows everything and is able to accomplish His good and perfect will. Is Jesus the Messiah your Lord and Savior?

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The Real Jesus Stands Up, Part 2 – Luke 1:26-31

The most important and central subject of the Bible is the Lord Jesus Christ. A person may understand many different doctrines in the Bible but if their Christology is wrong, then they cannot be saved. Many false religions use the Scriptures and have genuine faith, but they do misunderstand Christ and stand condemned, for example the Jehovah’s Witness or the Pharisees from Jesus’ time. Only knowing the real Jesus will produce real faith with a real salvation. Additionally, we can only know God through Jesus. The Bible from beginning to end is a continual progressive revelation of Jesus, perfectly finished in the New Testament.

Previously, we learned Jesus is the Messiah, the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy. One of the ways Jesus is the Messiah is because He was miraculously born of the virgin Mary. The virgin birth is God’s supernatural act proving Jesus is the Messiah and the starting point of Gospel’s saving message.

Was Mary really a virgin?

The prophecy in Isaiah 7:14 uses the word ‘alma’ in Hebrew which can mean young women. Many intellectuals and scholars use this translation as evidence against Mary’s virginity. This coupled with Joseph and Mary being engaged doesn’t require Mary to be a virgin.

Alma when used in other places in the Bible (Gen 24:16) shows that the word must be taken in context. The Septuagint use the word pure virgin when translating 1 Kings 1:1-2. In the New Testament, both Mary and Joseph were righteous (Matthew 1:1-20). Even though engaged, they had not known each other yet.

There are claims the virgin birth is a myth borrowed from pagan stories. When looking closely, these myths are not similar but in fact opposing in purpose and means (no actual intercourse). Why would Peter, a staunch Jew, who even refused to eat pork, spend his life spreading a revised pagan myth?

The more significant evidence for the virgin birth lies in the Gospel. Jesus is the Savior who saves people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).

  1. A mere man cannot be the Messiah for everyone born of Adam is a sinner himself in need of salvation. (Rom 5:12)

  2. A sinful man has no power over death yet Jesus died and rose again on the third day (1 Cor 15:3-4, Acts 5:35-29, John 10:18, Luke 1:2-4)

The manner of Jesus’ saving work, his death and resurrection are not possible without the miracle of virgin birth. Only the virgin born Jesus can be the true Messiah, the Son of God and Savior of the world.

To deny the virgin birth of the Lord Jesus is to deny the truthfulness and authority of the Bible. If the Bible is wrong about the birth of Jesus, then it is no longer trustworthy and the gospel is not good news but fake news. The gospel is the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. A true and biblical faith believes fully in Jesus Christ.

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