Sermon – “Overshadowed”

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; [e]blessed are you among women!” 29 But [f]when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” 34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I [g]do not know a man?” 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.

4 ‘These are the feasts of the Lord, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times. 5 On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the Lord’s Passover. 6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; seven days you must eat unleavened bread. — 23 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. 25 You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord.’ ” 26 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 27 “Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. 28 And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God.

9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; 10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

6 We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for [e]us, leaving [f]us an example, that you should follow His steps: 22 “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness [a]was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

34 Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

Friends the joy is that he has come the manual is with us and that joy that song that the people should be hearing is the joy that’s in our hearts the world should be here and open the doors of your hearts in the dead joy come out and not just this time of the year every day here let the joy of the Lord be expressed through your life through the joy that you have because of the peace that you we have in Jesus Christ amen amen this morning my message out titled overshadowed going to be reading from Luke chapter one verses 26 through 38 and this is the passage where the angel Gabriel sent by God to a humble young lady named Mary hear the word of the Lord now in the 6th month the Angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee name Nazareth to a virgin be troves to a man whose name was Joseph of the House of David the virgins name was Mary and having come in the angel said to her rejoice how the favored one the Lord is with you bless it are you among women now she was not an extraordinary woman she was an ordinary young woman a humble young lady and she was blessed why she was blessed because God has chosen her to be the one to bring forth the Messiah. But when she saw him she was troubled at his saying and considered what manner of greeting this was then 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 bring forth a son and shall call his name Jesus he will be great he will be called the Son of the highest and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever and of His Kingdom there will be no end Amen then Mary said to the angel How can this be since I do not know a man an 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 Now indeed Elizabeth your relative has also can see they son in her old age and this is now the 6th month for her who is called Who was called barren for with God nothing is impossible then Mary said Behold the maidservant of the lower let it be to me according to your word an angel departed from her May God at His blessings to the reading and hearing of his holy word that a sprain Heavenly Father we thank you and praise you thank you that you sent your son Jesus Father we thank you for the many miracles that you perform we thank you most of all for the miracle of redemption father that you desire to reconcile man and to yourself and father you knew that you had to do it because we could not do it we cannot do it on our own we need your grace we need your son and father we just sank you thank you for your word thank you for your spirit and invite your spirit to our father to be present here today to speak to our hearts may your name be glorified may your name be lifted on high in Jesus’ name amen. We all know that back in biblical times that often the the young women would marry at a what we would consider a very early age I mean they would be betrothed it 13 or 14 years old and today we would be like oh that’s is no way it’s crazy you know we think that most people should be 18 in a durned in their twenty’s at least I mean my wife and I married 18 in our parents thought that was this crazy crazy young so magine imagine your 13 year old daughter or granddaughter getting married but for them that wasn’t out of the ordinary they didn’t think it was strange so Mary was very young I’ve heard that they think she was possibly 13 or 14 very young but I believe that she was a very humble faithful young woman the one that God chose and the lesser in those days a father would be more concerned about marrying off his son than the daughter so the father of the groom would pay a dowry if you will to the father of the bride to be so they were more concerned about marrying the the sons off then the daughters and the price paid to the father bride was called Ma whore and that is still used by some today among the Jews as a their wedding contract back in those days kids the marriages were arranged the fathers of the bride and groom would get together and work out the the contract and. They knew that they would learn to love one another and they wanted to make sure that they found the bride for their son that was among the nation of Israel among the Jews they didn’t want to go off in marrying foreigners so these were arranged marriages. In Back then the marriage consisted of 2 separate things you had the betrothal which is what Mary was betrothed to Joseph and then you had the actual wedding ceremony so whenever a young woman was betrothed to a man they were just as good as married because the only way to break that off would be through a divorce and that is exactly what Joseph was considering when they found out that she was pregnant with child but the but God gave him a vision said Don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife so but that’s how important betrothal was think that we have today would be close would be an engagement but so they were betrothed but the young lady or the woman would stay at her father’s house and remain there in the groom was it his father’s house and most likely preparing a place that they were going to live lot of times they were to attach an addition to the house and that’s where the the new young couple would live and then whenever the wedding would take place with a great because procession that the bride would come with this big procession and come to her groom’s else and then they would have the wedding so that’s how that was done back in those days she was betrothed good as married but not yet final last Sabbath down in saddest Well we were talking about the birth of Christ and could it have could actually have been this time of year that it did take place and speaking about well what is in winter time the shepherds wouldn’t get out in the field the winter time and. There’s a lot of debate about the time of the year when it was and when I read this passage and it began with in the 6th month the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and in my reading of my thinking about Whoa that’s the 6 month that’s in there 6 months and gone looking at her calendar it’s like now it’s you know would have been a spring time but before that passage he reveals that Mary is now in her 5th or I mean Elizabeth is now in her 5th month so was that to say and then now the 6 month I don’t know is the answer I am not fully convinced that it wasn’t the 6 month that the angel appeared to her it very well may have been but I think this is true I am convinced brothers and sisters if God wanted us to know the exact date the exact month that Jesus would have was born guess what he would have told us right we agree on that he would have told us God was very specific about certain days certain feasts certain festivals and holy days for example in the biggest chapter $23.00 verses 3 through 6 says these are the feast of the Lord holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times on the 14th day of the 1st month now this is good in Roy specific at twilight is the Lord’s Passover he wanted them to know didn’t it exactly when to begin observing Passover 1st 6 and on the 15th day of the same month. Which is the 1st month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord 7 days you must eat unleavened bread and then moving further along in Leviticus verse $23.00 then the words spoke to Moses saying speak to the children of Israel saying in the 7th month on the 1st day of the month you shall have a Sabbath rest I want to pause for a moment this is not the weekly sabbath so there were other days that were appointed as sabbaths that they should keep a Sabbath Rest a memorial of blowing of trumpets a holy convocation you shall do no customary work on it so again the same principles apply there are not to do any work on this additional Sabbath rest and you show off for an offering made by fire to the Lord and the Lord spoke to Moses saying also in the 10th day of the 7th month shall be the day of atonement it shall be a holy convocation for you you shall flicked your souls and offer an offering made by fire to the Lord and you shall do no work on that same day for it is the day of atonement to make atonement for you before the Lord your God You can clearly see that God gave very detailed instructions dates and times to keep his feast in festivals exact moments at twilight so this truth we do know we do not know the exact time of the visit to Mary by the angel Gabriel do we we do not know because if God wanted us no he would have said in the 4th month on the 22nd day the angel visited Mary but he did not say that. So this much I am certain of are convinced of that we should be thankful every single day of the year for the birth for the life for the death in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As I talked about the joy that should become our heart it should be every day we should rejoice every day that he was born not just this time of the year but let’s be thankful every single day let’s not be so wrapped up and concerned with whether it is or isn’t the right time of the year I have found myself being wrapped up in that let’s be thankful every day $365.00 days a year in 366 only peer Amen every day be thankful and here’s why not 19 verses 9 and 10 and Jesus said to them today salvation has come to this house because he also is the son of Abraham for the Son of Man has come to seek and say that which was lost what was the purpose for Christ’s coming what was the purpose for him being born I want to just read it to say can save the last salvation so my friends every day is the day of salvation Amen amen. In 2nd Corinthians to further back this up Chapter 6 verses $1.00 and $2.00 we then as workers together with him also plead to you not to receive the grace of God in vain for he says in an acceptable time I have heard you and in the day of salvation I have helped to behold now is the accepted time behold now is the day of salvation today’s Christmas now is the day of salvation Christ has come. Every day you know we don’t tell a sinner if we’re talking to him about the Lord now you’re going to have to wait to Christmas Day So you can repent of your sins and believe in Christ now today is the day to day is the day of salvation rejoice today rejoice tomorrow in his birth and his life Amen Now lets go to my true part of my message let’s look at the amazing event that happened to Mary 6 months prior to Gabriel period to marry the age you appeared to a man working in the temple and knowing place a priest named Zacharias an angel came to tell him your prayers are going to be answered you and your wife are going to have a son you’re going to bear a child there are in their own a church you know wonderful man would you wait to be got sold for. But you know what God likes to do the impossible. To know that is of him before the angels message to Zacharias and Mary it had been nearly 400 years since God had spoken to the people God had not spoken through a prophet for nearly 400 years those years have been referred to as the years of silence the time between the Old Testament and the New Testament when you know what during that time the people still had the temple they still continued to offer the sacrifices they still continued to maintain the peace and festivals that I were talking about remember Zachariah was in the temple he was ministering before the Lord whenever the angel appeared to him of course we know that he was unable to speak when he came out but they continued to observe the statutes of the Lord their God now. Obviously they didn’t spend all that time studying and understanding the prophets because they didn’t recognize Jesus when he came they didn’t recognize that he was to be the humble servant that Zacharias spoke of but there were prophecies fulfilled during that time even though it was quiet even though it was silent the prophecy of the $2300.00 days of desecration was fulfilled during that silent time 171-2165 B.C. that was prophesied in DANIEL So even though it was quiet the god was still working but God finally breaks the silence and appears to Zacharias to inform him that they are going to have a son and he’s going to be the messenger to go before the Messiah and then the 2nd mission of the angels to appear to Mary in a descript little city about 70 miles north of Jerusalem a city that would be viewed by many as a very non pristine just place to grow up what they say about Nazareth Can anything good come out of Nazareth Well yes something good can now as Earth would have been what we would think of that place on the other side of the tracks that’s not a very nice place to go but that’s where Jesus grew up in Nazareth Gabriel sent to that young woman be troth to Joseph to declare to her that she was highly favored and blessed among women to announce of her that she was chosen as one to birth the Messiah the Redeemer the Son of God Mary says How can this be how can this be I have never known a man how’s this going to happen I want to divert for just a moment to Matthew I’m not you don’t need to turn Aaron’s not even on and be on the screen where the genealogy of Christ is listed. And there is something very very vital in this to prove the fact and how in the porton of the virgin birth of Jesus Matthew begins by the list the listing all the gotts Abraham the got Isaac Isaac they got Jacob Jacob to got Judah and his brothers and so want to skip down Jesse B. got David David B. got Solomon but then towards the end there was another Jacob Jacob Big got Joseph the husband of Mary of whom was born Jesus who was called the Christ maybe I should read it all but listen all the others it lists the men they list the father should be got the son Abraham be got Joseph they got Isaac and on and on and on the fathers listed in who the son was until you get to Joseph Joseph of whom it is said was husband of Mary of whom was born Jesus the virgin birth cannot be ignored that genealogy list does not let you ignore it because Jesus was NOT be gotten the Joseph. He was born of Mary. Historically and spiritually the virgin birth is of great significance it is important because Jesus was born without the original sin of Adam he did not have the original sin because Joseph was not his father he was actually be gotten of his father from Heaven His Father in heaven what does say For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believe within him should have life Jesus never sin nor was he born into sin. 1st Peter chapter 2 verses 20 wanted 22 for to this you were called because Christ also suffered for us leaving us an example that you should follow in his steps who committed no sin nor was D.C. found in his mouth he never once sinned he was not born into the sin and because of this fact we as born again Christians no longer bear the original sin that was passed down to us through our own when we are born again that original sin is gone is forgiven is cast into the sea of forgetfulness go and sin no more that’s what it is to be born again if we doubt the virgin birth then we doubt the tragedy of sin you follow me if we doubt that Jesus was born of the Virgen then we doubt the tragedy of sin because then we think we can be saved without that virgin birth and we cannot we cannot we must be rid of that sinful nature be rid of that original sin that we inherited because of Adam and be born again through Christ who there is and was no sin Mary was amazed at the message from Gabriel she ask how can this be how can this be are not known to man she’s thinking in the natural which is just naturally what we would do right we do mankind thinks in a natural because that’s what we are for verse $35.00 The Holy Spirit will come upon you in 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 the big gotten of God I’m going to amplify that a little bit. There’s a word here that I’ve never searched out until this past week and that is and it’s extremely important it’s overshadowed overshadow the Greek word forever shadow is easily dissolved in it means to cast a shadow upon to envelop in a haze of brilliancy figure to plea to invest with preternatural influence So in layman’s terms I had to look that up because I’m a layman so I can understand this it means beyond what is normal or natural exceeding what is natural or regular There was nothing natural about Jesus conception in the womb of Mary absolutely nothing natural about it God did not fertilize her eggs it was all God it was all miraculous remember what happened when Moses was up on the mountain with God when it came down from the mountain what happened his face was a glow because he was in the presence of God Do you think Mary face shone when she was after she was ever shadowed with the power of the highest oblate it was I believe she was a glow she was probably shine and she was envelop but a haze a brigand see the power of God What happened to Mary was completely beyond anything that is now after or normal he formed the Son of God within her I think of creation where the Spirit of God is hovering over the face of the earth Genesis 11 and 2 in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth the earth was without form and void and darkness was on the face of the deep and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters the mighty power of God was there and not believe the Creating Power of God was there upon Mary that day. He created within her the Son of God completely unnatural there was a cloud that overshadowed the tabernacle in Exodus 40 then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle the most as was not able to enter the tabernacle meeting because the cloud rested upon it and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle how into you how to you the glorious presence of God The angel further explains to Mary gives her the description of what she’s going to be carrying in her womb he will be great my friends Mary is blessed truly blessed but that which was in her is the one that was great don’t put Mary up on that pedestal she would want you to she just humbled herself but definitely put Jesus on that pedestal because it said he will be great there the Greek word is megas and it made something unusual extraordinary amazing and supreme is describing Jesus here not Mary he will be supreme It also can mean preeminent and sovereign he is the sovereign Lord a man he will be called the Son of the most high and that literally the text reads son of the highest he is son of the highest which is God the Creator Amen he is a Son of God the offspring of the highest we could look at him as Majesty he is Majesty hallelujah you know the as I said the word impossible is not in gods but Kavya Larry the virgin birth bolted declares that there is no limitation to God Nothing surprises him nothing hinders him and nothing can stop him he never runs out of resources he never lacks the energy he never runs out of solutions. Jesus was a solution for our sins Amen he’s never late He never worries about what to do and 2 of the most hopeful world words in the Bible are but God but God in the feet chapter 2 verse 4 but God being rich in mercy because of the great love which he by which he loved us even when we were dead in our trespasses made us alive together with Christ by the great by grace you have been saved and raised up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus hallelujah so that in the coming ages he might show the in measurable riches of His grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus For by grace you have been saved through faith and this is not of your own doing is a gift of God not a result of works not that any no 1 May boast Hallelujah he worked a mighty mighty miracle that day by his amazing grace we were still sinners but brothers and sisters because of that miraculous birth because of that miraculous conception inside of Mary when we were born again that sin is gone that’s what we celebrate every day and every day yeah we’re going to celebrate Christmas but please let’s continue to celebrate it every day we might sing some Christmas songs next June or maybe July I don’t know but that joy should be coming out of our hearts it’s a permit from us always every day don’t get hung up help me not to get hung up on those dates and times Karen’s roll back here. Can’t help myself sometimes help me to rejoice every day you take care Christmas. Day lets me take care Christmas every day let’s us take care Christmas every day because that’s what it is it’s the birth of Jesus it’s not so important as the day it’s important the fact that it was shrewd that we believe it with all that is within us but was that you ready for Christmas do you have it in here then open that door that heart and let it same let the world know that you rejoice because of Jesus Christ because of his birth Amen.