​Promises, Promises. Every time someone breaks a promise, they just blame it on the old saying "Promises were meant to be broken." It is very hard not to believe that and accept it as a way of life.  You hear promises all the time that you know are not true; Promises like the check is in the mail; and I'm from the government and I'm here to help you.  We have elections with Politicians who are famous for making false promises. Income Tax will only apply to the wealthiest individuals.  I will not raise Taxes.  Social Security will always be there for you. And I love this one.  The Medicare program will never allow bureaucrats to interfere with your doctor's medical decisions.

 

Unfortunately, we have just simply come to expect that people are going to break their promises. Five out of ten people that make a sacred promise to God when they get married that they will stay married for life, break that promise. People, who borrow money and promise to repay it, break their promise. We are basically numb to promise breaking, because it happens all the time. In fact, we have almost come to expect it.

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But aren’t you glad that God never breaks a promise.  Back in the book of Isaiah, God made a promise to his people.  He promised a deliverer; “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. “

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We find in the Gospel of Luke, God is keeping the promise made.  Luke explains from the onset that this is an account.  He wasn’t there, but that this was an account of things that had been fulfilled and therefore he (himself) has carefully investigated everything from the beginning.  We know from the apostle Paul that Luke was a Physician.  Here is Luke is giving an account to the most excellent Theophilus.  Who is this Theophilus?  We really don’t know.  It could be a person or a group.  In the Greek language, Theos means God and Philius means Love.  So here, Luke could be writing to Theophilus “One who loved God”, or “to the Lovers of God.”  But in any case, he is writing here so that we may know with certainty of the things we have been taught. Though many attempts have been made to discredit Luke’s writing, it has been determined and agreed upon by scholars’ world wide, spanning centuries of time, that this is a flawlessly accurate historical account of events.

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So here in verse 26, it tells us that in the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Mary, a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David and he said to her, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."  Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

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Gabriel was there to announce the arrival of the promise.  And Mary was chosen to play an important role in fulfilling the promise.  Mary was a Jewish girl, who knew the promise of God that a deliverer would someday come and deliver her people.  She was chosen by God because she was spiritually fit for such an honor.  Chosen by God because of her spiritual fitness!!!  We choose to be fit.  We eat the right foods, exercise regularly.  Some of us go to the gym 4-5 times a week, especially now in the holiday season.  We do all the right things to keep our body fit, but what about our spiritual fitness?  We spend a lot of time on our physical body, but how much time do we devote to our spiritual body, the temple of the Holy Spirit.  How many times do we pick up a newspaper instead of picking up the bible?  How many times do we blow off Church school or Tuesday night bible study?  How much of the “me time” do we spend with God and give him “His time”.

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Mary was chosen by God because of her spiritual fitness.  Mary was minding her own business preparing to get married to the love of her life and living a Godly life and…poof!  God steps in to give a miracle.  Isn’t that how God is?  Here you are minding your own business and without your education, your own intellect or your own abilities, God steps in and blesses you.  You’re minding your business, doing your job, and you boss walks over and tells you that you’re getting a bonus. Mary was minding her business, being faithful and Gabriel says “you have found favor” with God. 

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Now Mary would have been quite content just to go ahead and get married, because she was as good as married already, she was in the 'betrothal stage" of marriage. She would have been content just to go on and live her ordinary life but God had different plans.

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It says that after hearing the news, the bible says Mary was troubled.  Pregnant?  With Child?  Even as amazing as this news was, Mary knew the law.  She could get stoned for this.  She knew that Joseph would be more than a little upset about this “Good News”.

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Gabriel must have sensed her anxiety and said 36Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37For nothing is impossible with God."

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Do you actually think that when Mary found out her cousin was also going to have a baby, it made her feel any better? Come, on. That's like when you wreck your brand new car; someone comes up and says, "Oh, man, I wrecked my car, too. Do you really care at that time about their car?  You break your leg and somebody says man, I broke my leg a year ago….  So?   My leg is paining right now.

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Here’s the point I’m trying to make.  Some blessings from God don’t always start off looking good.  Let me help you.  You’re at a company for 18 years and all of the sudden, downsizing.  How is downsizing good?  Well after you get over the initial shock, God leads you to start your own company.  Now you have more time to take classes and before you know it you’re receiving your Masters in Theology Degree.  Okay, that was my example.  Let’s look at this one.   That girlfriend or boyfriend broke up with you on the playground.  Your first love and it was supposed to last forever.   It didn’t feel good when they left and you thought you were gonna lose your mind, well here you are years later celebrating your 20 or 30 year wedding anniversary and married to the King or Queen that God selected just for you.  And you don’t even remember what’s his name.  Sometimes God’s blessings don’t always start off feeling good or looking good, but He’s always working for THE good.

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No, that wasn't the purpose of that statement about Elizabeth - to make Mary feel better.   The amazing announcement was not that Mary was going to have a baby and she was a virgin. That wasn't the amazing announcement. The amazing announcement was not that her cousin Elizabeth was old and was going to have a baby. The amazing announcement was nothing is impossible with God.  That dead-end situation that you find yourself in and there seems no way out, Well nothing is impossible with God. 

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After Mary got herself together, she got ready and she went to see Elizabeth.  As soon as Mary spoke, the bible says Elizabeth’s baby leaped for joy.  Even then there was something about being in the presence of Jesus.  This was no ordinary baby.

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I started this message by saying man may break promises, but God never breaks a promise.  Here are some of the promises that God has promised us.  I will never leave you or forsake you.  I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.   Weeping may endure for a night but joy will come in the morning;  For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life; if you confess your sins He is faithful and just to forgive us."  And this is my favorite, That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  These are special promises that God made us.  Even in this world of financial uncertainty, wars, the mortgage crisis, God has still made us promises.

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Mary believed God for the promised and in her, the promise would be fulfilled. In verse 45 Elizabeth says to Mary, “Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!" Mary was blessed because she believed.  Blessed, Favored, Revered; just because she believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished. 

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How many of you believe this story?   If you believe, give me a hearty YES. Good, but it goes further.  Blessed are you that believe, believed that He was the Only Begotten Son of God, born of this virgin, Mary, wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger.  Do you believe?  Good, but it doesn’t stop there. Blessed are you that believe he walked this earth for 33 years, turned water into wine, healed the sick, raised the dead, gave sight to the blind.  Do you believe?  Good, but it doesn’t stop there.  Blessed are you that believe that he was tried and convicted for a bogus crime, that he went to the cross on Calvary, that he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and by his stripes we are healed.   Do you believe?  Good, but it doesn’t stop there.  Blessed are you that believe they hung him high, and stretched him wide and he died on that cross.  That he went to a borrowed tomb, (why was it borrowed, cause he planned on giving it back).  He stayed on Friday, and on Saturday, but got up on Sunday Morning with all power in his hands and now sits at the right hand of the Father?  Do you believe?  Good, but it doesn’t stop there. Blessed are you who believe that he’s coming back for you and for me, for the bible says For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.  Do you believe?  Do you believe?  Well, Blessed are you that believe!!