Luke 1:26-38 NLT 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 has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. (37) For the word of God will never fail.” (38) Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.
Luke 1:37-38 NKJV 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.
Luke 2:1-20 NLT At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (2) (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) (3) All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. (4) And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. (5) He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child. (6) And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. (7) She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them. (8) That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. (9) Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, (10) but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. (11) The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! (12) And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” (13) Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, (14) “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” (15) When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” (16) They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. (17) After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. (18) All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, (19) but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. (20) The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.
Heaven Had a Plan for Jesus
The plan of God had a lot of moving parts that all came together at the Birth of Jesus:
- Jesus had to be born in Bethlehem.
The Census caused them to go, David’s place of birth.
- There was no room for them in the inn.
To protect and give privacy, inns were very rough places and dangerous.
- The angels appeared to the shepherds.
Because Jesus would be the Great Shepherd before He would be King
- The Magi brought to Him treasures of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Gold because that was the treasury of royalty, frankincense because He was going to be the sweet-smelling savor in God’s nostrils to hide the stench of our sin, and myrrh because that is one of the spices used in burial. He was going to have to die for us.
- The treasures provided the funds needed for Mary and Joseph to be able to flee to Egypt.
Herod’s plan to kill all toddlers 2 yrs and younger
- He was laid in strips of cloth as He would be when He died.
The stable where He was born was not made of wood but was most likely a cave and the manger he was laid upon was a hewn-out rock.
Heaven Has a Plan for Me
- In the heart of God, His plan for my life is no less important to Him than His plan of Redemption.
Jeremiah 29:11 NIV For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Psalms 138:8a NLT The LORD will work out His plans for my life–for Your faithful love, O LORD, endures forever…
1 Thessalonians 5:24 MSG (24) The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he’ll do it!
- If God’s plan of Redemption required the cooperation of Heaven and man, then so must His plan for my life.
Isaiah 46:11 NKJV Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it.
However, It is not automatic.
1 Corinthians 3:9a AMP For we are fellow workmen (joint promoters, laborers together) with and for God…
- Faith is required for God’s plan for me to come to pass.
Hebrews 11:6 NKJV But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Hebrews 4:2 AMP For indeed we have had the glad tidings [Gospel of God] proclaimed to us just as truly as they [the Israelites of old did when the good news of deliverance from bondage came to them]; but the message they heard did not benefit them, because it was not mixed with faith (with the leaning of the entire personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness) by those who heard it; neither were they united in faith with the ones [Joshua and Caleb] who heard (did believe).
- Take possession of God’s promise for your life.
Even in the Old Testament, God’s people were told to go in and possess the land which God had given them.
Deuteronomy 1:8 NKJV See, I have set the land before you; go in and possess the land which the LORD swore to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—to give to them and their descendants after them.’
The promise was not conceived when the Word was heard.
Conception took place when Mary took ownership of the Word and made it hers.
Luke 1:38 NKJV Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Luke 1:38 NLT Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.
Taking ownership of God’s Word is the key to releasing the supernatural power of God into our lives to accomplish the purpose and will of God. Ownership is thankful.