Message Notes

INTRODUCTION

1. Lofty Greetings given to Mary

a) “Rejoice, highly favoured one”   (Luke 1:28a)

b) “The Lord is with you”   (Luke 1:28b)

c) “Blessed are you among women”   (Luke 1:28c)

2. Reasons for these special Greetings

a) Not in Mary herself

b) But in the Son that she will bear

THE GREATNESS OF THE SON PROCLAIMED

“He will be great”   Luke 1:32a

1. More than a Prophecy

2. This is a Divine Proclamation!

a) Where there is Divine Proclamation

b) There will be Divine Power applied

c) There will be Definite Fulfilment

But wherein is this Greatness?

THE GREATNESS OF HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH REFERENCE TO GOD

“He will be great,
And will be called the Son of the Highest”   Luke 1:32b

1. God is called “The Highest”

a) It was a title Melchizedek, the Priest-King used with reference to God

“God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth”   Genesis 14:19

b) It was also used by the angel Gabriel

2. Significance of this Title “The Son of the Highest”

a) This was drawn from a Messianic Psalm

“You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You”   Psalm 2:7

b) This was a Messianic Prophecy

i) A lofty Prophecy

ii) Fulfilment of this great Messianic Prophecy

THE GREATNESS OF BEING MADE KING

“And the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David”   Luke 1:32c

1. Kingship

a) Not everyone will be made a king

b) Even if chances are given, one may not make it as a good king

2. Failure of many kings

a) Kingdom of Israel

b) Kingdom of Judah

3. King David

a) A benchmark for kings

b) Features

i) Humble

ii) Faithful

iii) Dedicated

iv) Responsible

4. The throne of David

a) The Messianic throne

b) The Fulfilment of this promise

“Once I have sworn by My holiness;
I will not lie to David:
His seed shall endure forever,
And his throne as the sun before Me;
It shall be established forever like the moon,
Even like the faithful witness in the sky.”   Psalm 89:35-37

GREATNESS OF RULING AN UNENDING BUT A DIFFICULT KINGDOM

“And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever,
And of His kingdom there will be no end.”   Luke 1:33

1. A difficult people to rule

a) “The house of Jacob”

i) Strong differences among the people

ii) Sinful tendencies to be curbed and corrected

b) He will reign

i) With power

ii) With skill

iii) With love

2. The Stress of leadership

a) This was felt by Moses

b) His prayer to the Lord on one occasion

“Then Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, everyone at the door of his tent; and the anger of the LORD was greatly aroused; Moses also was displeased.
So Moses said to the LORD, “Why have You afflicted Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the burden of all these people on me?
Did I conceive all these people? Did I beget them, that You should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a guardian carries a nursing child,’ to the land which You swore[e] to their fathers?
Where am I to get meat to give to all these people? For they weep all over me, saying, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’
I am not able to bear all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me.
If You treat me like this, please kill me here and now—if I have found favor in Your sight—and do not let me see my wretchedness!”   Numbers 11:10-15

i) Leadership was described as a “burden”

ii) It is “too heavy”

iii) One feels a sense of “wretchedness”

CONCLUSION

1. Appreciation

A new sense of appreciation of the Lord as our King to be found

2. Adoration

Let there be a special sense of adoration for the Lord Jesus

“I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate,
that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing,
which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.”   1 Timothy 6:13-16

a) The Blessed

b) The only Potentate

i) The King of kings

ii) The Lord of lords