Latest / Fairview Presbyterian Church (PCA) Sermons / The Virgin Birth: Nothing Will Be Impossible With God (Luke 1:26-38)- Pastor Kenneth Collins Maple

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The Virgin Birth: Nothing Will Be Impossible With God (Luke 1:26-38)- Pastor Kenneth Collins Maple · Fairview Presbyterian Church (PCA) Sermons

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And so I invite you now to take your copy of
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God's word and open up. To the gospel, according
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to Luke. Luke, chapter one. We're going to be
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in verses 26 through 38 today, and what we're
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doing is really. Working backwards. Because in
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the sermon series, we have seen the miracles
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that Jesus has done. Lord willing we'll see more
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that he does as we continue through this but
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we have seen Jesus perform healings we have seen
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him casting out demons we have seen even Jesus
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raise the dead here but now we're going backwards
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just a little bit call it Benjamin Button style
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backwards to see not the miracle that Jesus performs
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today but instead to see the miracle of Jesus
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And so would you give your attention to the reading
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of God's holy word, Luke 1, 26 through 38. In
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the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from
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God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth to a
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virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph
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of the house of David. the Virgin's name was
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Mary and he came to her and said greetings who
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favored one the Lord is with you but she was
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greatly troubled at the saying and tried to discern
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what sort of greeting this might be and the angels
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said to her do not be afraid Mary for you have
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found favor with God and behold you will conceive
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in your womb and bear a son and you shall call
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his name Jesus he will be great and will be called
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the son of the Most High and the Lord God will
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give to him the throne of his father David and
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he will reign over the house of Jacob forever
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and of his kingdom there will be no end and Mary
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said to the angel how will this be since I am
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a virgin and the angel answered her the Holy
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Spirit will come upon you and the power of the
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Most High will overshadow you, therefore the
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child to be born will be called holy, the Son
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of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth,
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in her old age, has also conceived a son, and
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this is the sixth month with her who was called
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barren, for nothing will be impossible with God.
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And Mary said, behold, I am your servant of the
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Lord. Let it be to me according to your word.
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And the angel departed from her. The grass withers
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and the flower fades, but God's word stands forever.
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Let's pray. Father in heaven, this is your word.
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And we thank you for it. We thank you that it's
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true. We thank you that it's inspired by your
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spirit. We thank you that it's inerrant and it's
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infallible. It will accomplish its purposes.
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Father we ask that you would help us to hide
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this word deep in our hearts and grant us understanding
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these things we ask in Christ's name amen When
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we began this sermon series on the miracles of
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Jesus I talked about how about a hundred years
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ago Liberalism was on the rise in America within
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the American Church and that there were Christians
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who were denying very important components of
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our faith. And there was a group of so -called
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ministers who published something called the
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Auburn Affirmation in which they rejected the
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miracles of Jesus. They said, you don't got to
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believe in the miracles of Jesus. Those aren't
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necessary. Probably doesn't surprise anyone to
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also learn that those people rejected the virgin
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birth. Well, today, 100 years later, not much
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has changed. People continue to reject the virgin
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birth. But friends, if you reject the virgin
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birth, you reject Christ himself. We need to
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receive this truth of Scripture like Mary does.
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She essentially says, thy will be done. And so
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within this passage, we see the faith of Mary.
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we see the submission of Mary, and these things
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need to characterize who we are as Christians.
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Faith and obedience. But as we look at this you
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might wonder, well why is the virgin birth so
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important? What are the implications of this?
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What would be lost if we denied the virgin birth?
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And what is so necessary to see? This is what
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we want to look at. Look at verse 26. the sixth
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month the angel Gabriel was sent from God. The
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sixth month is simply referring us back to verse
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24. After these days his wife Elizabeth, this
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is Zachariah's wife Elizabeth, conceived and
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for five months she kept herself hidden. And
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so the events of 26 through 38 happen during
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the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy. Now,
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where is this happening? We see the when, but
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where? Gabriel was sent from God to a city of
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Galilee named Nazareth. Nazareth. Later on, Jesus'
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disciple, Nathaniel, would ask this question,
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can anything good come out of Nazareth? And the
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answer is supplied here, yes, Jesus comes out
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of Nazareth. This is where Mary is. We should
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understand something about Mary. And I like the
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way another pastor, R. Kent Hughes, put it. He
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said, Mary is a nobody in a nothing town in the
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middle of nowhere. Nazareth isn't much to write
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home about. And Mary is not well known here.
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She is young. She's probably poor here. But you
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also see this about her. She is betrothed to
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Joseph. We need to understand betrothal in Jesus'
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day. When we talk about that, we're talking about
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legal engagement, all right? These days, if a
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couple wants to get married, but then they break
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it off before they get married, that's pretty
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easy to do. You could do that with a text message
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or over Facebook or something. You can't do that
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in Mary's day. We know this from Matthew's account
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that Joseph, before he knew all that was happening,
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Joseph resolved to divorce quietly Mary. But
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thank the Lord, he intervenes with the angel
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Gabriel. And so look in verse 28. Gabriel greets
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Mary, saying, Greetings, O favored one, the Lord
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is with you. Now, friends, it's better to be
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favored than unfavored. but no doubt Mary here
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is scared. She is frightened, right? Sometimes
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we read these stories around Christmas and we've
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heard them so many times that we breeze right
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through important moments. The moment of an angel
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appearing and greeting a human being, this is
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not all that common. the scriptures but when
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it does happen it's monumental and so Gabriel
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greets her and Gabriel has been well trained
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as an angel because he knows what to say he offers
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these comforting words Mary do not be afraid
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angels communicate what God would have them to
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say and so Gabriel uses these this this common
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language here Do not be afraid. Now, why does
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Gabriel visit Mary? Well, say this. It's one
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thing to be visited by an angel. It's a whole
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other thing to hear what Gabriel has for her.
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Look in verse 31. And imagine this is you. Gabriel
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says, Behold, you will conceive in your womb
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and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
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This is incredible. Jesus is the greatest name.
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Jesus is the name above all names. And Jesus's
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name is not an arbitrary name. Gabriel doesn't
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look through a baby book and find a name. No,
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the name Jesus has the utmost significance to
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it. But what does it mean? I want everybody in
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here, everybody in this sanctuary. to know this
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and to memorize this. The name of Jesus means
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Yahweh saves. I want everyone to know that. There
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will be a test as you exit the sanctuary doors.
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Yahweh saves. This name has so much significance
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to it. And I believe that Mary would have known
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what Gabriel was saying. Gabriel is speaking
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her language and this, while she is young, She
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is no doubt a good Jew. And she knows what creation
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has longed for. She knows that they have been
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in need of a savior. And so, Gabriel, are you
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telling me right now that the savior of the world,
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that Yahweh saves, is going to be conceived and
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born of me? I would be thinking, I think you
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got the wrong person in the wrong town, right?
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And yet Gabriel continues to explain, to help
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her understand this, look in verse 32. He will
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be great and will be called the son of the most
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high. This is Old Testament language, this name
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of the most high. This is harkening all the way
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back to, do you remember when Melchizedek visited
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Abraham and blessed him? And he used the same
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words, the blessing of the Most High God. And
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so Jews would have understood this kind of language.
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But just in case that gets past her, look in
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verse 33. And he will reign over the house of
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Jacob forever and of his kingdom there will be
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no end. This is harkening back to 2 Samuel chapter
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7, the Davidic covenant. That there would be
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one coming from David's line who would be king.
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forever. So again, you're telling me, Gabriel,
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the King of Kings is going to be in my womb.
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I'm going to birth him. So you see, we cannot
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read this just like it's just another day. Been
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there, done that, heard that. No. Friends, this
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time of year, it's a beautiful time. It's a wonderful
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time. We've We've seen it before. We've had the
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lights. We've had the trees. We've sang the carols.
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We've given the presents. But friends, what Jesus
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does as he takes on flesh is the moment when
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God busts into all of creation and does the very
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thing that he promised throughout redemptive
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history. Jesus came for Mary. Jesus also came
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for the shepherds in the field. Jesus came for
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an old devout Jew named Simeon in the temple.
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Jesus came to an old widow named Anna, according
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to the Scriptures. And guess what? Jesus also
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came for you. He came to save you from your sins.
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Jesus came to save those who are weighed down
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by their sins and could not save themselves.
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And all of this comes through the Virgin Mary.
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Now, at that point, you might say, well, hold
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on a second. Just stop a minute. Time out. How
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does this happen? How does this happen? And what
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would be lost if there were no virgin birth?
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Three essential reasons the virgin birth is so
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necessary. One, because it was prophesied about
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in the Old Testament. And so this gets to our
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doctrine of Scripture. We're going to look, Lord
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willing, at Isaiah 714 a little bit next Sunday.
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But the prediction that the Christ would come
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through a virgin. And so if we dismiss the virgin
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birth, we dismiss really the truth of Scripture.
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Additionally, we would dismiss the whole purpose
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for Luke writing this gospel. Look in Luke chapter
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one. One through four. This gives you the purpose
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for why the Holy Spirit had Luke write all of
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this down. Luke one, one through four. In as
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much as many have undertaken to compile a narrative
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of the things that have been accomplished among
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us, just as those who from the beginning were
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eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered
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them to us. It seemed good to me also. having
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followed all things closely for some time past,
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to write an orderly account for you, most excellent
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theophilists, that you may have certainty concerning
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the things you have been taught. Why did Luke
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write all of this down? He wrote it down for
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the sake of history, so that you would believe.
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Luke, who was a physician, by the way, writes
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this down to give an orderly and historical account
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of the events of Jesus. And so what would be
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lost if we dismiss the virgin birth, what would
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be lost is the truthfulness of Scripture. Secondly
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though, what would be lost if we dismissed it
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would be the historical faith of Christianity.
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Because from the time that Jesus was, from the
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time that Jesus was born, Christians, people,
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believers, followers of Jesus have always understood
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the birth to be a virgin birth. Consider the
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affirmation of faith that we'll say in a few
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minutes. The Apostles' Creed, born of the Virgin
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Mary. And so what would be lost is the historical
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Christian faith. But thirdly, what would be lost
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would be our salvation. Yes, our salvation depends
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upon the virgin birth. We need all of Christ.
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Not a little bit of him. Not most of him. We
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need all of Christ from eternity past to conception
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to birth to ministry to crucifixion to resurrection
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to ascension to his return. We need all of Christ
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and how does Christ save us? Christ saves us
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really there's two facets to it in his life.
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his death both being substitutionary Jesus lives
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for us and Jesus dies for us but without the
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spirit birth neither is accomplished I like how
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church father Irenaeus put it he said if one
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does not accept the son of God's birth from a
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virgin how can he accept his resurrection from
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the dead we believe as Christians that Jesus
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really did die on the cross for us. But if we
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get it wrong from the beginning, we will always
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have it wrong. We will be off track. And so look
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at verse 35. There's nothing sexual about this.
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This is a work of the Holy Spirit in the womb
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of the Virgin Mary that the child will be called
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holy. And so contrast your birth with Jesus's
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birth. And what is different? We are born in
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iniquity. Every single one of us born in sin.
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Consider David's words from Psalm 51. Behold,
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I was brought forth in iniquity and in sin did
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my mother conceive me. All of us. born with a
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sinful nature, but not Christ. He was not born
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of natural generation and no sin then was born
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in him. Jesus is born of the Spirit. I love how
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Westminster Larger Catechism 37 puts this, Christ
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the Son of God became man by taking to himself
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a true body and a reasonable soul. being conceived
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by the power of the Holy Spirit in the womb of
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the Virgin Mary of her substance and born of
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her yet without sin. Friends, if Jesus is born
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in sin, he cannot be our savior. And so what
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would be lost by a natural birth here, it would
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be our salvation. And so you see the virgin birth
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is of critical importance. This strikes at the
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fundamentals of our religion to deny this, right?
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And yet I also understand. It's difficult to
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understand, isn't it? It can be difficult to
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wrap our minds around this. Well, guess what?
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If it's difficult for you to understand, you're
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in the right boat. Look at verse 34. And Mary
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said to the angel, how will this be since I am
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a virgin? How will this be? Mary knows how these
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things work. But please notice this. Mary is
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not questioning God on this. She is simply asking
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the question that we would all ask, how will
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this be? I think we can know that she's not questioning
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God on this because of her response. Look down
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at verse 38. And Mary said, behold, I am the
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servant of the Lord. Let it be to me according
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to your word. Mary has faith. Mary has faith.
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But you also see this kindness of God in here
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to assure her of her faith, because look at verse
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36, and behold, your relative Elizabeth in her
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old age has also conceived a son, and this is
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the sixth month with her who is called barren,
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for nothing will be impossible with God. And
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so whether it's the barrenness, or whether it's
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the virgin birth, Gabriel says this important,
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crucial statement, nothing will be impossible
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with God. Friends, I don't know what all you
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have going on. I know some of your stories. I
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know some of the things that you struggle with.
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But perhaps there are things that are just weighing
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you down and you wonder, God, can you do anything
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about this? Will you do anything about this?
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I'm thinking most specifically of family and
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friends and co -workers people that you long
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to see believe in Jesus Christ and maybe you
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think they will never believe Nothing will be
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impossible with God Consider Jesus's words from
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John 6 40 for this is the will of my father in
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heaven That everyone who looks on the Sun and
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believes in him should have eternal life and
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I will raise him up on the last day everybody
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who believes in the name of Jesus will be saved
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and so keep praying for those loved ones keep
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sharing the gospel keep seeking to reach the
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community for Christ keep going after those people
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that you think are too far gone because scripture
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shows us time and time again how Jesus saves
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people that we would have said that person is
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unsavable because really What happens when you
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think about it? What happens with Jesus physically
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is what happens with us spiritually. Let's look
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at Romans 5 for just a minute. Romans 5, 18 through
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19. Romans 5, 18 through 19. Therefore, as one
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trespass led to condemnation for all men, So
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one act of righteousness leads to justification
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and life for all men. For as by the one man's
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disobedience the many were made sinners, so by
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the one man's obedience the many will be made
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righteous. Jesus for the believer undoes the
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curse. He undoes the curse and he regenerates
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us. We are born again. But Romans 5 leads to
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Romans 6. Justification to sanctification. That
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we who are born again, we must live like it.
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We must live like people who are born again because
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you are no longer a slave to sin. You are a servant
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of the Most High. And God doesn't bring people
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to himself kicking and screaming with gritted
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teeth. He doesn't do that. Instead, he changes
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the inclinations of our hearts such that we can
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love God and love our neighbor as ourselves.
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I have seen this in so many of you, your sanctification,
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your growth in Christ. God is at work in your
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lives. And just in case you're not sure, just
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in case you wonder, is God really working in
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our lives? Is God really changing hearts? I want
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to share a story. as I begin to close from one
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of you, a story from one of you this week, and
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I won't say any names, but this is a remarkable
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and yet simple and common and wonderful story.
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There was once a believing woman, a Christian,
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and she was married to an unbelieving husband.
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Her husband had no interest in Christ, he had
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no interest in the church, but the wife, she
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was faithful. and she went to church every single
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Sunday and every Sunday that she sat on that
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pew, she prayed and she longed for God to bring
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her husband with her to worship. She longed for
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God to change her husband's heart. One Sunday
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she was getting ready and she was putting on
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her Sunday best and she gathered her things and
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she walked out the door and do you know what
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she saw? She saw her husband sitting in the car.
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ready to go to church. And he rarely ever missed
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a Sunday after that. Friends, nothing will be
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impossible with God. God changes our hearts to
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believe in him and serve him in such a way that
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we can say along with Mary, I am yours, oh Lord.
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Let it be to me according to your word. Let's
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pray.