“Mary, Did You Know…? ” – V Galatians 4:4-6

(All Scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated)

     But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent 
     forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 
     to redeem those who were under the law, that we might 
     receive the adoption as sons. And because you are 
     sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into 
     your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” (Galatians 
     4:4 through 6).

It was the fullness of time when Mary brought the baby Jesus into the world. It was just the right time for the Messiah to make His entry into humanity! I’m sure Mary had questions, and the modern classic by Mark Lowry puts forth those queries Jesus mother might have had about her divine Son!

Once again, here are the lyrics of “Mary Did You Know…?”

     Mary did you know
     That your baby boy will one day walk on water?
     Mary did you know
     That your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?
     Did you know
     That your baby boy has come to make you new?
     This child that you've delivered
     Will soon deliver you!

     Mary did you know
     That your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
     Mary did you know
     That your baby boy will calm a storm with His hand?
     Did you know
     That your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
     And when you kiss your little baby
     You've kissed the face of God!

     Mary, did you know?
     The blind will see!
     The deaf will hear!
     And the dead will live again!
     The lame will leap!
     The dumb will speak
     The praises of the Lamb!

     Mary did you know
     That your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
     Mary did you know
     That your baby boy will one day rule the nations?
     Did you know
     That your baby boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?
     This sleeping child you're holding
     Is the Great I Am!

     Oh, Mary, did you know?

We are on the last stanza, so let’s begin to finish this series:

  • Mary did you know That your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
   ✡   Isaiah 9:6 and 7 is the main prophesy that shows 
        Jesus as the Lord of all creation:

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and to establish it with judgment and justice
From this time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

    The fulfillments in the New Testament are several. 
       Here is perhaps the main one, Colosians 1:15 through 
       17:
    
           He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, 
           the firstborn over all creation. For by Him 
           all things were created that are in heaven 
           and that are on earth, visible and invisible, 
           whether thrones or dominions or principali-
           ties or powers. All things were created 
           through Him and for Him. And He is before 
           all things, and in Him all things consist. 
  • Mary did you know That your baby boy will one day rule the nations?
   ✡   There is a great prophesy in Psalm 2:6 through 12, 
        in which God the Father says to the rebellious 
        nations...

           “Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of 
           Zion. I will declare the decree: The Lord 
           has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, today I 
           have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will 
           give You the nations for Your inheritance, 
           and the ends of the earth for Your posses-
           sion. You shall break them with a rod of 
           iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a 
           potter's vessel.’” Now therefore, be wise, 
           O kings; be instructed, you judges of the 
           earth.  Serve the Lord with fear, and re-
           joice with trembling.  Kiss the Son, lest 
           He be angry, And you perish in the way, 
           when His wrath is kindled but a little. 
           Blessed are all those who put their trust 
           in Him.

   ✞   This prophesy is fulfilled in the New Testament. Here are two fulfillments:

       ➔   In Ephesians 1:20 through 22 (International 
            Standard Version), Paul writes about Jesus’ 
            power and authority: The Father...

               ...raised Him from the dead and seated 
               Him at His right hand in the heavenly 
               realm. He is far above every ruler, 
               authority, power, dominion, and every 
               name that can be named, not only in the 
               present age but also in the one to come. 
               God has put everything under the Mes-
               siah's feet and has made Him the head 
               of everything for the good of the church
               ....The seventh angel in Revelation 11:15 an-
            nounced, “The kingdoms of this world have 
            become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His 
            Christ, and He shall reign forever and 
            ever!”

Yes, Mary…know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation!

  • Did you know That your baby boy is heaven’s perfect Lamb?
     See the prophesies and fulfillments concerning the 
     Passover Lamb in the previous Gem, “Mary Did You 
     Know...?” – IV
  • Did you know…This sleeping child you’re holding Is the Great I Am!
...the Great I Am!I AMis the name God pro-
        claimed for Himself in Exodus 3:13 through 15, 
        when He commissioned Moses to lead the Israel-
        ites out of Egypt!

           ...Moses said to God “...when I come to 
           the children of Israel...and they say to 
           me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say 
           to them?” Then God said to Moses, “I AM 
           WHO I AM....Thus you shall say to the 
           children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to 
           you.’ ...This is My name forever....” 

   Most Bible scholars recognize that seven times 
       in the gospel of John Jesus fulfilled this Exodus 
       three prophesy, identifying Himself asI am...:

       ➔   John 6:35 – “I am the bread of life.” 
            (See also John 6:41, 48).

       ➔   John 8:12 – “I am the light of the world.” 
            (See also John 9:5).

       ➔   John 10:9 – “I am the door.” 
            (See also John 9:7).

       ➔   John 10:11 – “I am the good shepherd.” 
            (See also John 10:14).

       ➔   John 11:25 – “I am the resurrection and the 
            life.”

       ➔   John 14:6 – “I am the way, the truth, and 
            the life.”

       ➔   John 15:5 – “I am the true vine....   But I see three more times, all in John chap-
       ter 8. And these three are VERY important! I 
       will quote all three from The Literal Trans-
       lation of the Holy Bible, because several 
       versions, including The New King James Ver-
       sion, add an italicized ‘He’ after ‘I am! 
       Any italicized word in a Bible translation 
       has been added, and is not in the original 
       manuscript! This was done to help the reader 
       to better understand the passage. However, 
       it confuses the understanding of the origi-
       nal words and their intent!

       ➔   John 8:24 – Jesus said to the unbe-
            lieving Jews,Therefore, I said to 
            you that you will die in your sins. 
            For if you do not believe that I AM, 
            you will die in your sins.”

       ➔   John 8:28 – “Then Jesus said to them, 
            ‘When you lift up the Son of Man [in 
            crucifixion], then you will know that 
            I AM...’”

       ➔   John 8:56 through 58:

               “Your father Abraham leaped for 
               joy that he should see My day, 
               and he saw, and rejoiced.” Then 
               the Jews said to Him, “You do 
               not yet have fifty years, and 
               have You seen Abraham?” Jesus 
               said to them, “Truly, truly, I 
               say to you, Before Abraham came 
               to be, I AM!” 
  • Oh, Mary, did you know? She was brought up in a culture that emphasized the Scriptures. So had she posed these questions in the lyrics of “Mary Did You Know…?” she most likely did know at least some of the answers to these questions!

Yes, Mary…the sleeping child you’re holding is the Great I AM!

Now, the question is…

Do YOU know the truths
put forth in this provocative modern classic?

“Mary, Did You Know…? ” – IV Luke 1:46-49

(All Scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated)

     And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my 
     spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has 
     regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; for 
     behold, henceforth all generations shall call me 
     blessed. (Luke 1:46-49).

All generations indeed have called Mary blessed! For God entrusted her to bear the Messiah, Jesus Christ! The lyrics of the modern classic by Mark Lowry, “Mary Did You Know…?” raises questions which Mary may have posed as she looked into the eyes of her newborn infant Jesus!

Here are the lyrics:

     Mary did you know
     That your baby boy will one day walk on water?
     Mary did you know
     That your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?
     Did you know
     That your baby boy has come to make you new?
     This child that you've delivered
     Will soon deliver you!

     Mary did you know
     That your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
     Mary did you know
     That your baby boy will calm a storm with His hand?
     Did you know
     That your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
     And when you kiss your little baby
     You've kissed the face of God!

     Mary, did you know?
     The blind will see!
     The deaf will hear!
     And the dead will live again!
     The lame will leap!
     The dumb will speak
     The praises of the Lamb!

     Mary did you know
     That your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
     Mary did you know
     That your baby boy will one day rule the nations?
     Did you know
     That your baby boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?
     This sleeping child you're holding
     Is the Great I Am!

     Oh, Mary, did you know?

We are examining the last three lines in the third stanza! The first of these three is…

  • Mary, did you know?…The lame will leap!
The Old Testament prophesy is found in Isaiah 
        35:5 and 6:    

           Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, 
           and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. 
           Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and 
           the tongue of the dumb shall sing. For wa-
           ters shall burst forth in the wilderness, 
           and streams in the desert.  

   This prophesy concerns Jesus’ whole miraculous ministry! 
   The third category of miracles mentioned is, “...the 
   lame shall leap like a deer....”  This is the only pro-
   phetic reference of the lame being healed that I could 
   find in the first 39 books of the Bible. But once is 
   enough when it comes to God prophesying of things to 
   come!

   ✞   There are four fulfillments concerning Jesus healing 
       the lame in the gospels:

       ➔   Matthew 11:2 through 6 – When John the Baptist 
            sent his disciples to confirm that Jesus was 
            indeed the Messiah, Jesus answered, “The blind 
            receive their sight...the lame walk...lepers 
            are cleansed...the deaf hear, the dead are 
            raised...the poor [receive] ...the gospel....
            And blessed is he who is not offended because 
            of Me.”

       ➔   Matthew 15:30 – “...great multitudes came to 
            Him having with them those who were lame, 
            blind, mute, maimed, and many others. And 
            they laid them down at Jesus’ feet, and He 
            healed them.”

       ➔   Luke 13:11 through 13 (Contemporary English 
            Version) – “...a woman...had...an evil spirit 
            for eighteen years. She was completely bent 
            over and could not straighten up....Jesus 
            called her over...‘You are now well.’ He 
            placed his hands on her, and...she stood up 
            straight and praised God.”

       ➔   John 5:2 through 9 – At the pool of Bethesda 
            in Jerusalem, Jesus healed a man who could 
            not walk for thirty-eight years!...Jesus 
            said to him...‘Do you want to be made well? 
            ...Rise, take up your bed and walk.’ And 
            immediately the man was made well....And there are three instances of the apostles heal-
       ing the lame through the power of the Holy Spirit!

       ➔   Acts 3:1 through 8 – A lame beggar asked 
            alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple. 
            Peter and John saw him, and Peter said, 
            “Look at us....Silver and gold I do not 
            have, but what I do have I give you: In 
            the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, 
            rise up and walk.” The man jumped up and 
            walked for the first time in his life!  
            And ...he entered the temple with them 
            — walking, leaping, and praising God.”

       ➔   Acts 9:32 through 35 – Peter went to Joppa 
            on the Mediterranean coast. “There he found
            ...Aeneas...paralyzed...[and] bedridden for 
            eight years....Peter said to him, ‘...Jesus 
            the Christ heals you. Arise....’ Then he 
            arose immediately.”

       ➔   Acts 14:8-10 – Paul and Barnabas, on their 
            first missionary trip to Asia Minor, found 
            at Lystra a man crippled from birth and 
            couldn’t walk. “Paul, observing him intently 
            and seeing that he had faith to be healed, 
            said with a loud voice, ‘Stand up straight 
            on your feet!’ And he leaped and walked.

Yes, Mary, the blind will see!

  • Mary, did you know?…The dumb will speak The praises of the Lamb!
   ✡   That the dumb will speak is prophesied in Isaiah 
        35:5 and 6 (as featured in “Mary Did You Know...” 
        – III):

           The eyes of the blind shall be opened, and 
           the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. 
           Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and 
           the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters 
           shall burst forth in the wilderness, and 
           streams in the desert.

   But the most specific part of the  “Mary Did You 
   Know...” lyrics isThe dumb will speak the praises 
   of the Lamb!The more involved Old Testament prophesy about 
        the Lamb concerns the Passover lamb! Here are 
        just some of the prophesies:

       ➔   Exodus 12:3 and 5 – “On the tenth day of 
            this month every man shall take for him-
            self a lamb....Your lamb shall be without 
            blemish, a male of the first year.”

       ➔   Exodus 12:6 – “...the whole...congregation 
            of Israel shall kill it at twilight.”

       ➔   Exodus 12:7 – “And they shall take some of 
            the blood and put it on the two doorposts 
            and on the lintel of the houses where they 
            eat it.”

       ➔   Exodus 12:8 – “...eat the flesh...with un-
            leavened bread....”

       ➔   Exodus 12:46 (Easy-to-Read Version) – “Don’t 
            break any of the lamb’s bones.”

       ➔   Exodus 12:13:

               ...the blood shall be a sign for you 
               on the houses where you are. And when 
               I see the blood, I will pass over you 
               and the plague shall not be on you...
               when I strike the land of Egypt.

   ✡   Another reference that ties Jesus to the Lamb is 
        found in Isaiah 53, that great prophetic chapter 
        describing the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus 
        Christ over 700 years before He was born! In verse 
        7 it is written: 

           He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He 
           opened not His mouth; He was led as a 
           lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep 
           before its shearers is silent, so He 
           opened not His mouth.

   ✞   The fulfillment is clear from what John the Bap-
       tist said in John 1:29: “The next day John saw 
       Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold! The 
       Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.’”

   But there are other New Testament Scriptures of 
       fulfillment. Consider the six prophesies mention-
       ed above concerning the Passover lamb:

       ➔   Exodus 12:3 and 5 – “...without blemish
            ...a male of the first year...,”  ful-
            filled in...

           ❏   I Peter 2:22 – Jesus...committed 
                no sin, nor was guile found in His 
                mouth....He was without blemish!

           ❏   Luke 3:23 (English Standard Version) – 
                “Jesus, when He began His ministry, 
                was about thirty years of age....He was in the prime of life, as a 
                lamb of one year old would be.

       ➔   Exodus 12:6 – The lamb was...killed by 
            the whole congregation at twilight...” 
            fulfilled in...

           ❏   Luke 23:18 and 21 – “And they [the 
                Jews] all cried out...‘Crucify Him
                ...!’”

           ❏   Mark 15:34, 37, 42 through 45 – 
                Although Jesus died “...at the 
                ninth hour...,” about three in 
                the afternoon, His body was not 
                taken off the cross until that 
                evening, when at twilight, Jos-
                eph of Arimathea claimed Jesus’ 
                corpse!

       ➔   Exodus 12:7 – The blood applied to the 
            doorposts and lintel, was fulfilled in 
            the crucifixion, where the stain of 
            Jesus’ blood was on the upright and 
            crossmember of the cross! 

       ➔   Exodus 12:8 – “...eat the flesh...with 
            unleavened bread...,” fulfilled in...

           ❏   John 6:53 – “Jesus said...‘...un-
                less you eat the flesh of the Son 
                of Man and drink His blood, you 
                have no life in you.’”

           ❏   The unleavened bread speaks of His 
                sinlessness!

       ➔   Exodus 12:46 – None of the lamb’s bones were 
            broken, fulfilled in John 19:33. The common 
            practice to hasten crucifixion death was for 
            the Roman soldiers to break the legs of the 
            one crucified, so that he could no longer 
            push up on nailed feet to exhale. “But when 
            they came to Jesus and saw that He was al-
            ready dead, they did not break His legs.”

       ➔   Exodus 12:13 – When the angel of death saw 
            the blood on the doorway, he passed over that 
            house, and did not kill the firstborn, ful-
            filled in Colossians 1:19 through 22:

                ...it pleased the Father that...by 
                Him [Jesus] to reconcile all things 
                to Himself...having made peace 
                through the blood of His cross. And 
                you who once were alienated and en-
                emies in your minds by wicked works, 
                yet now He has reconciled in the body 
                of His flesh through death, to pre-
                sent you holy, and blameless, and 
                irreproachable in His sight....

   The dumb will speak The praises of the Lamb!

       ➔   Matthew 15:30 and 31 (Contemporary English Ver-
            sion):

               Jesus...healed...all...People who had 
               never spoken could now speak. The lame 
               were healed, the crippled could walk, 
               and the blind were able to see. Every-
               one was praising the God of Israel.”

       ➔   Revelation 5:6 – John saw “...in the midst of 
            the throne...stood a Lamb, as though it had 
            been slain....”

       ➔   Revelation 7:9 through 12:

               ...a great multitude...crying out...
               saying, “Salvation belongs to our God
               ...and to the Lamb!...Amen! Blessing 
               and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and 
               honor and power and might, be to our 
               God forever and ever. Amen.”

       ➔   In Revelation 13:8 Jesus is identified as...the Lamb slain from the foundation of 
            the world.

So yes, Mary…even The dumb will speak The praises of the Lamb!

“Mary, Did You Know…? ” – III Luke 1:35

(All Scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated)

The angel’s message to Mary in Luke 1:35 was profound:

     ...the angel...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.”

We are examining the modern classic by written by Mark Lowry, “Mary, Did You Know…? ” The lyrics are also profound, in light of Old Testament prophesies and New Testament fulfillment!

Here are the lyrics:

     Mary did you know
     That your baby boy will one day walk on water?
     Mary did you know
     That your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?
     Did you know
     That your baby boy has come to make you new?
     This child that you've delivered
     Will soon deliver you!

     Mary did you know
     That your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
     Mary did you know
     That your baby boy will calm a storm with His hand?
     Did you know
     That your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
     And when you kiss your little baby
     You've kissed the face of God!

     Mary, did you know?
     The blind will see!
     The deaf will hear!
     And the dead will live again!
     The lame will leap!
     The dumb will speak
     The praises of the Lamb!

     Mary did you know
     That your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
     Mary did you know
     That your baby boy will one day rule the nations?
     Did you know
     That your baby boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?
     This sleeping child you're holding
     Is the Great I Am!

     Oh, Mary, did you know?

The third stanza is different from the first two and the fourth. There are several prophesies implied, and most of them are in one section of Scripture in Isaiah 35! Let’s look at verses 1, 2, 5, 6, and 10 (Easy-to-Read Version):

     The dry desert will rejoice. The desert will be glad 
     and blossom. It will be covered with flowers and dance 
     with joy....This will happen because all people will 
     see the Glory of the LORD.... Then the eyes of the 
     blind will be opened so that they can see, and the 
     ears of the deaf will be opened so that they can hear. 
     Crippled people will dance like deer, and those who 
     cannot speak now will use their voices to sing happy 
     songs....The LORD will make his people free...Glad-
     ness and joy will fill them completely. Sorrow and 
     sadness will be far, far away. 

The entire chapter of Isaiah 35 is a prediction of the Millennial Kingdom when Jesus Christ returns to earth as King and Judge, and will rule the world from Jerusalem! But during His first advent Jesus began His ministry by preaching, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Now you can’t have a kingdom at hand without a King also at hand! So during His three plus years of His first advent, Jesus proved He was the coming King by manifesting several of the miracles described in Isaiah 35! So let’s consider what is described in this third stanza of “Mary, Did You Know…?”

  • Mary, did you know? The blind will see!

We covered the blind being healed in “Mary Did You Know?” – II.

The prophesy (one of several in the Old Testament) 
        is mentioned in the above passage in Isaiah 35:5, 
        “Then the eyes of the blind will be opened so that 
        they can see....

But healing in John 9 of the man born blind is an especially amazing miracle! Here are verses 1, 6, and 7:

     Now Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from 
     birth....He spat on the ground and made clay with the 
     saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with 
     the clay. And He said to him, “Go wash in the pool of 
     Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and 
     washed, and came back seeing.

      John 9:18 – The Pharisees found out about this mir-
       acle, but would not accept the man’s testimony that 
       Jesus miraculously healed his blindness!

      John 9:20, 21 – So they called in the man’s parents 
       and questioned them: “We know that this is our son, 
       and that he was born blind. But by what means he 
       now sees we do not know....He is of age, ask him.”

       ➔   They deferred from answering the question 
            concerning their son’s healing because “...
            they feared the Jews. For the Jews had a-
            greed already that if anyone confessed that 
            He [Jesus] was Christ, he would be put out 
            of [excommunicated from] the synagogue.”  
            (John 9:22).

       ➔   According to Vincent’s Word Studies, being 
            “...put out of [excommunicated from] the 
            synagogue......was called thrusting out, and lasted 
              for thirty days at least...The excommun-
              icated person would not be admitted into 
              any assembly of ten men, nor to public 
              prayer. People would keep...the distance 
              of four cubits from him [even his wife!], 
              as if he were a leper. Stones were to be 
              cast on his coffin when dead, and mourn-
              ing for him was forbidden...so...the pen-
              alty which the blind man's parents feared 
              was probably separation from all religious 
	      fellowship, and from ordinary intercourse 
              of life for perhaps thirty days.

   John 9:30 through 33 – The man healed of blindness 
       was not so timid! He boldly stated to the Pharisees: 

       	  Why this is a marvelous thing, that you do 
          not know where He is from, and yet He opened 
          my eyes! Now we know that God does not hear 
          sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God 
          and does His will, He hears him....If this 
          Man were not from God, He could do nothing.

   John 9:34 – This enraged the Pharisees, and they 
       “...answered and said to him, ‘You were completely 
       born in sins, and are you teaching us?’ And they 
       cast him out.   John 9:35 through 38 – Later, Jesus 

	  ...found him [and]...and said to him, ‘Do 
          you believe in the Son of God?’ He answered 
          and said, ‘Who is He, Lord, that I may be-
          lieve in Him?’ And Jesus said, ‘...it is I 
          who is talking with you.’ Then he said, 
          ‘Lord, I believe!’ And he worshiped Him.

Yes, Mary, the blind will see!

  • Mary, did you know? …The deaf will hear!
   ✡   Again, the prophesy is in Isaiah 35:5: “...and 
        the ears of the deaf will be opened so that they 
        can hear.The fulfillment is exemplified in Mark 7:31 through 
       35 – Jesus came to the southwestern shore of the 
       Sea of Galilee

          ...they brought to Him one who was deaf and 
          had an impediment in his speech....And He 
          took him aside...and put His fingers in his 
          ears, and He spat and touched his tongue. 
          Then...He sighed, and said to him, “Ephpha-
          tha,” that is, “Be opened.” Immediately his 
          ears were opened, and the impediment of his 
          tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.

Yes, Mary, the deaf will hear!

  • Mary, did you know? …the dead will live again!
   ✡   While there is no direct prophesy in the Old Test-
        ament concerning the Messiah raising the dead, 
        Isaiah 26:19 tells us this: 

          Your dead shall live; together with my dead 
          body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you 
          who dwell in the dust; for your dew is like 
          the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast 
          out her dead.

Nine of the seventeen translations I have in my Bible study computer application link “...together with my dead body...” with the first part, “Your dead shall live....” For instance, the Lexham English Bible (a quite literal translation of original Hebrew/Greek /Aramaic texts) translates the first part of Isaiah 26:19 as, “Your dead shall live; their corpses shall rise.” So while there may not be a direct prophesy here concerning the Messiah rising from death, there certainly is the implication!

   ✡   Isaiah 26 is a poetic song about the coming king-
        dom and the attending blessings – a kingdom over 
        which the Messiah will reign!

      We know Jesus is the Messiah! He even welcomed 
       Peter’s confession in Matthew 16:16, “You are the 
       Christ, the Son of the living God.”

       ➔   ‘Messiah,’ according to Strong’s Hebrew 
            Dictionary means “...anointed; usually a 
            consecrated person (as a king, priest, or 
            saint); specifically the Messiah.”

       ➔   ‘Christ,’ as in Peter’s confession, also 
            means,anointed, that is, the Messiah, 
            an epithet of Jesus....” (Strong’s Greek 
            Dictionary)  

   So if Isaiah chapter 26 refers to the coming king-
       dom, over which Jesus, the Christ will reign...

       ➔   ...then I Corinthians 15:20 comes into 
            play: “But now Christ is risen from the 
            dead, and has become the firstfruits of 
            those who have fallen asleep.”

           ❏   Firstfruits were brought from the 
                first of the harvest as an offering 
                signifying an expectation of a com-
                ing (large) harvest! (see Proverbs 
                3:8, 9).

           ❏   The risen Jesus Christ is the first-
                fruit of a vast number (harvest) of 
                believers whose bodies will be raised 
                to life at His Second Coming!...then Isaiah 26:19 is a prophesy of Jesus’ 
            resurrection, as well as that of Christians!   

There are other resurrections in the Bible that are prophetic and show fulfillment:

Three in the Old Testament are prophetic:

       ➔   I Kings 17:17 through 24 – Elijah the pro-
            phet stayed at the widow of Zarephath’s home 
            during a great famine in Israel.  He sustain-
            ed her, her son, and himself by miraculous 
            provision. But her son became sick and died. 

               And he said to her, “Give me your son.” 
               So he took him...to the upper room where 
               he was staying....And he stretched him-
               self out on the child...and cried out 
               to the LORD...“O LORD my God...let this 
               child’s soul come back to him.” ...and 
               he revived. (Verses 19, 21, and 22).

       ➔   II Kings 4:18 through 37 – A wealthy Shune-
            mite couple hosted Elisha the prophet as he 
            passed through Shunem. He prophesied the 
            woman would have a son, which came to pass. 
            As the boy grew, he suffered what seems to 
            be heat stroke and died. Laid on the pro-
            phet’s bed, Elisha laid on the child, “...
            and the flesh of the child became warm...
            then [he]...sneezed seven times, and...open-
            ed his eyes.” (Verses 34 and 35).

       ➔   II Kings 13:21 (Contemporary English Version):

               Once, while some Israelites were burying 
               a man's body, they saw a group of Moab-
               ites. The Israelites quickly threw the 
               body into Elisha's tomb and ran away. As 
               soon as the man's body touched the bones 
               of Elisha, the man came back to life and 
               stood up. 

   ✞   Six more resurrections in the New Testament (besides 
       Jesus) fulfill the prophsies – three by Jesus, one 
       by the Father and Holy Spirit, and two by the apos-
       tles:

       ➔   Luke 7:11 through 17 – The widow of Nain’s 
            son!

       ➔   Luke 8:49 through 56 – Jairus’ daughter!

       ➔   John 11:1 through 44 – Lazarus of Bethany!

       ➔   Matthew 27:50 through 54 – The saints of 
            Jerusalem just after Jesus died!

       ➔   Acts 9:36 through 42 – Peter raised Tabatha 
            (Dorcas) from death!

       ➔   Acts 20:7 through 12 – Paul raised Eutychus 
            from the dead after the young man fell from 
            a window!

Mary, be assured,
…the dead will live again!

__________________________________________________________________________

We have not yet completed the third verse of “Mary Did You Know…?” And this Gem has taken much longer to research and write – about ten to twelve hours! I already missed my deadline of publishing this at 8 AM on Saturday, so I will publish this Gem on Tuesday at 8, and continue from there. Thank you in advance for your patience!

“Mary, Did You Know…? ” – II Luke 1:30-33

All Scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated)

Did you notice that I never got to the featured Scripture in the last Gem? Here is Luke 1:30 through 33:

     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, and 
     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.”

This says a lot about the Messiah Mary was going to birth. And I think much of what this Scripture is about, Mark Lowry covered in the lyrics of the new classic Christmas carol, Mary, Did You Know…?

Here are the lyrics:

     Mary did you know
     That your baby boy will one day walk on water?
     Mary did you know
     That your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?
     Did you know
     That your baby boy has come to make you new?
     This child that you've delivered
     Will soon deliver you!

     Mary did you know
     That your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
     Mary did you know
     That your baby boy will calm a storm with His hand?
     Did you know
     That your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
     And when you kiss your little baby
     You've kissed the face of God!

     Mary, did you know?
     The blind will see!
     The deaf will hear!
     And the dead will live again!
     The lame will leap!
     The dumb will speak
     The praises of the Lamb!

     Mary did you know
     That your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
     Mary did you know
     That your baby boy will one day rule the nations?
     Did you know
     That your baby boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?
     This sleeping child you're holding
     Is the Great I Am!

     Oh, Mary, did you know?

We covered the truths found in the first stanza, both the Old Testament prophesies concerning the coming Messiah, and their New Testament fulfillment! Let’s go on to the second stanza.

  • Mary did you know That your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?

Did YOU know that in the gospels, there are records of Jesus healing the blind eyes of seven men? (see Matthew 9:27-30; 12:22; 29:29-34; Mark 8:22-25; John 9:6, 7). But there are three additional Scriptures that mention the Lord healed many more of blindness! (see Matthew 11:5; 15:30, 31; Luke 7:21, 22). But let’s look at the prophesies first.

   ✡   Here are three Old Testament prophesies:

       ➔   Psalm 146:8 – “The LORD opens the eyes of the 
            blind; the LORD raises up those who are bowed 
            down; the LORD loves the righteous.”

       ➔   Isaiah 35:4 and 5 – “‘Behold, your God will 
            come...and save you.’ Then the eyes of the 
            blind shall be opened....”

       ➔   Isaiah 61:1 (The Septuagint version, abbrevi-
            ated LXX): 

               The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, be-
               cause he has anointed Me; He has sent Me 
               to bring good news to the poor, to heal         
               the brokenhearted, to proclaim release 
               to the captives and recovery of sight to 
               the blind....

      Luke 4:18 and 19 – Jesus read Isaiah 61:1 and 2 
       from the Septuagint version in the Nazareth syn-
       agogue:

           
         The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He 
         has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the 
         poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, 
         to preach deliverance to the captives and re-
         covery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty 
         those who are oppressed, to preach the accept-
         able year of the LORD.

   This was what the first advent of His earthly ministry 
   was all about! And the next three plus years proved it!
  • Mary did you know That your baby boy will calm a storm with His hand?
   ✡   While there are no direct prophesies in the Old 
        Testament concerning Jesus stilling the storm 
        on the Sea of Galilee, there is the incident 
        recorded of a prophet about 732 BC who stilled 
        a raging storm at sea! 

   The prophet was Jonah! He was sent by God to Nineveh 
   to preach against it, warning the Ninevites of the 
   LORD’s impending judgment, Jonah didn’t want to obey, 
   and tried to escape in the other direction! Nineveh 
   was east, Jonah headed west! 

       ➔   Jonah 1:3 – “But Jonah arose to flee to 
            Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. 
            He went down to Joppa, and found a ship 
            headed for Tarshish; so he paid the fare, 
            and went [on board].” 

           ❏   Joppa was on the coast of Israel.

           ❏   The location of Tarshish has been 
                lost, but many scholars think it was 
                in southern Spain.

           ❏   The quickest way for Jonah from 
                Joppa to Tarshish was to sail west 
                on the Mediterranean Sea.

       ➔   Jonah 1:4 – “The LORD sent out a great wind 
           on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest
           ....”  

       ➔   Jonah 1:11 – When the ship’s crew found out 
            Jonah was fleeing from God, they fearfully 
            asked him, “What shall we do to you that the 
            sea may be calm for us?”  

       ➔   Jonah 1:12 – Jonah told them, “Pick me up 
            and throw me into the sea; then the sea 
            will become calm for you. For I know that 
            the great tempest is because of me.”

       ➔   Jonah 1:14 – The crew didn’t want to throw 
            Jonah overboard. They...rowed hard to 
            bring the ship to land, but they could not, 
            for the sea continued to grow more tempes-
            tuous....”

       ➔   Jonah 1:15 – So the crew, with a prayer, 
            “...O LORD, please do not charge us with 
            innocent blood...they picked up Jonah and 
            threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased 
            from its raging.”

       ➔   Jonah 1:17 – “Now the LORD has prepared a 
            great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was 
            in the belly of the fish for three days and 
            three nights.   ...which is another great prophesy fulfilled! For 
   Jesus said, “...as Jonah was three days and three 
   nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the 
   Son of Man be three days and three nights in the 
   heart of the earth.” (Matthew 12:40).

If Jonah’s experience was prophetic, Jesus certainly 
       fulfilled that prophesy in Mark 4:37 through 39:

          And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat 
          into the boat, so that it was already filling. 
          But [Jesus]...was in the stern, asleep on a pil-
          low. And [His disciples]...awoke Him and said to 
          Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are per-
          ishing?” Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and 
          said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind 
          ceased and there was a great calm.
  • That your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
The Old Testament prophesy is found in Isaiah 6:1 
        through 3:

          In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the 
          LORD sitting on a throne , high and lifted up, 
          and the train of His robe filled the temple. 
          Above it stood serephim; each one had six wings
          ....And one cried to another and said, “Holy, 
          holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth 
          is filled with His glory!”Isaiah saw God’s glory, and was devastated! (Isaiah 
        6:5): 

          Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man 
          of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a 
          people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen 
          the King, the LORD of hosts.

       ➔   But in verses 6 and 7, an angel took a 
            burning coal from the heavenly altar, and 
            touched Isaiah’s mouth! He said, “Behold, 
            this has touched your lips; your iniquity 
            is taken away, and your sin is purged.” 
           
   “But,” one might ask, “Doesn’t this sound more like a des-
   cription of God the Father than of the Son?” We will get 
   back to this in a moment.

       ➔   Now Isaiah was ready to be God’s prophet! 
            And the LORD told him in Isaiah 6:8 through 
            10 what he was to preach, and what to expect 
            from his preaching:

               ....Also I heard the voice of the LORD, 
               saying...“Go and tell this people...‘Keep 
               on hearing, but do not understand; keep 
               on seeing, but do not perceive.’ Make the 
               heart of this people dull, and their ears 
               heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see 
               with their eyes, and hear with their ears, 
               and understand with their heart, and re-
               turn and be healed.

   However, in John 12:39 and 40, the Apostle John 
       (quoting Isaiah 6:9 and 10 from The Septuagint Ver-
       sion) writes:

          Therefore they [the Jews] could not believe, be-
          cause Isaiah said...“He has blinded their eyes 
          and hardened their heart, lest they should see 
          with their eyes and understand with their heart, 
          lest they should turn, so that I should heal 
          them.✞   What has this have to do with the fulfillment of 
       Isaiah’s prophesy? John 12:41 is the key: “These 
       things Isaiah said when he saw His [Jesus’] glory 
       and spoke of Him.” 

       ➔   The context shows clearly that, according 
            to New Testament Scripture, Isaiah witnes
            sed JESUS’ glory recorded in Isaiah 6!
            (emphasis mine).

       ➔   So Jesus has walked where angels trod!
  • And when you kiss your little baby You’ve kissed the face of God!
One of the most amazing Old Testament prophecies 
        is Isaiah 7:14 (given over 700 years before Jesus 
        was born): 

          Therefore the LORD Himself will give you 
          a sign; “Behold, the virgin shall conceive 
          and bear a Son, and shall call His name 
          Immanuel.”

      The fulfillment? In Matthew 1:21 through 23, the 
       angel told Joseph:

          “And she will bring forth a Son, and you 
          shall call His name Jesus, for He will 
          save His people from their sins.” Now all 
          this was done that it might be fulfilled 
          which was spoken by the Lord through the 
          prophet, saying, “Behold, a virgin shall 
          be with child, and shall bear a Son, and 
          they shall call His name Immanuel,” which 
          is translated, “God with us.” 

We will continue with the third Gem on Mary, Did You Know…?

“Mary, Did You Know…?” – I

Luke 1:30-33

(All Scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated)

It has become a modern classic recorded by over 500 artists. “Mary, Did You Know…?” was written by Mark Lowry as a dialogue for the 1984 presentation of the Living Christmas Tree at Thomas Roads Baptist Chruch! But the music was not composed for seven more years, until Lowry asked Buddy Greene, a Southern Gospel singer and song writer to come up with a fitting tune. It took Green 30 minutes to write the music! The rest is history!

Here are the lyrics:

     Mary did you know
     That your baby boy will one day walk on water?
     Mary did you know
     That your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?
     Did you know
     That your baby boy has come to make you new?
     This child that you've delivered
     Will soon deliver you!

     Mary did you know
     That your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
     Mary did you know
     That your baby boy will calm a storm with His hand?
     Did you know
     That your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
     And when you kiss your little baby
     You've kissed the face of God!

     Mary, did you know?
     The blind will see!
     The deaf will hear!
     And the dead will live again!
     The lame will leap!
     The dumb will speak
     The praises of the Lamb!

     Mary did you know
     That your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
     Mary did you know
     That your baby boy will one day rule the nations?
     Did you know
     That your baby boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?
     This sleeping child you're holding
     Is the Great I Am!

     Oh, Mary, did you know?

Mark Lowry certainly captured both a lot of questions Mary might have had, but also many great Bible prophesies and fulfillments!

  • Mary did you know That your baby boy will one day walk on water?

There is no prophesy in the Old Testament that the Messiah would walk on water. But He surely did, recorded in Matthew 14:25. Jesus had sent the disciples across the Sea of Galilee to the other side. By the very early morning, hours later, when it was still dark, the disciples were struggling against increasing wind and waves, “…Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.Yes, He was Master over all, even to walk on water!

  • Mary did you know That your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?

Where to start? For there are several prophesies foretelling of the saving power of the Messiah! Here are five, four from Isaiah, and one from Zachariah:

     ✡ Isaiah 49:5 and 6 – “…the LORD says, who formed Me 
        from the womb to be His Servant….‘I will also give 
        You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be 
        My salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

     ✡   Isaiah 53:6 – “...He was wounded for our trans-
          gressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; 
          the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and 
          by His stripes we are healed.”

     ✡   Isaiah 53:6 – “All we like sheep have gone 
          astray; we have turned every one to his own way; 
          and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us 
          all.”

     ✡   Isaiah 53:11 – “By His knowledge My righteous 
          Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear 
          their iniquities.”

     ✡   Zechariah 9:9 – “Behold, your King is coming to 
          you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and 
          riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a don-
          key.✞   All the prophesies of God’s salvation are ful-
         filled in Jesus Christ! There are many New Tes-
         tament Scriptures that show this fulfillment. 

         ➔   I think one of the best is found in Luke 
              19:10: Jesus said, “...for the Son of Man 
              has come to seek and to save those who 
              were lost.”

         ➔   This plainly stated fulfillment is found 
              in John 3:16 and 17: 

                For God so loved the world that 
                He gave His only begotten Son, 
                that whoever believes in Him 
                should not perish but have ever-
                lasting life. For God did not 
                send His Son into the world to 
                condemn the world, but that the 
                world through Him might be saved.
  • Did you know That your baby boy has come to make you new?

In Ezekiel there are two prophesies of this divine newness – Ezekiel 11:19 and 36:29. Since God does not waste words, if something is written down twice in Scripture, such repetition designates its importance!

     ✡   Ezekiel 11:16 and 19 – “Thus says the LORD God
          ...I will give them one heart, and I will put a 
          new spirit within them, and take the stony heart 
          out of their flesh, and give them a heart of 
          flesh....”

     ✡   Ezekiel 36:22 and 26 – “Thus says the LORD God...
          I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit 
          within you; I will take the heart of stone out 
          of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.The fulfillment is described by Saint Paul in 
         II Corinthians 5:17: “...if anyone is in Christ, 
         he is a new creation; old things have passed away; 
         behold, all things have become new.
  • This child that you’ve delivered Will soon deliver you!
King David wrote of God’s deliverance in Psalm 
          56:12 and 13: “I will render praise to You, for 
          You have delivered my soul from death. Have You 
          not delivered my feet from falling, that I may 
          walk before God in the light of the living?”

     ✡   Asaph was the leading temple musician in the 
          reigns of kings David and Solomon. He wrote 
          twelve of the 150 psalms in our Bible. Here 
          is what he composed in Psalm 79:9: “Help us, 
          O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your 
          name; and deliver us, and provide atonement 
          for our sins, for Your name’s sake!The Immaculate Conception is a doctrine of the 
         Roman Catholic church that states that the Virgin 
         Mary was free of original sin from the moment of 
         her conception.” (Wikipedia). Mary was blessed in-
         deed to bear the Son of God! But was Mary sinless?There is nothing in Scripture that shows 
              Mary being more than a very human young 
              woman whom God chose to bear His divine 
              Son! And so being human, Mary had a fal-
              len nature and needed to be saved!

         ➔   Did Mary need to put her faith in her son 
              Jesus for her salvation? Yes! She needed 
              a Savior like any other person! For in Luke 
              1:46 and 47 she began her Magnificat (her 
              song of praise) with these words: “My soul 
              magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has re-
              joiced in God MY Savior.” (Emphasis mine).

     Truly, this child that she delivered, also deli-
         vered her from the penalty of sin!

There are still many more prophesies and fulfillments hinted at in Mary Did You Know…? Let’s continue with this study in the next Gem.

The Infinite Infant

John 1:1-4, 14

(All Scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated)

Two Ecumenical Councils of the early church settled what God had revealed concerning Jesus Christ:

  • The Council of Nicea, in 325 AD, declared Jesus co-equal, con-substantial, and co-eternal with the Father! (Con-substantial means “…of the same substance ….the identical nature of the three persons of the TRINITY.” The Dictionary of Religious Terms).
  • The Council of Chalcedon, in 451 AD, declared Christ’s two natures unmixed, unchanged, undivided, and inseperable! He was…truly God and truly Man…like us in all things, sin apart…” (the Chalcedonian Definition of the Chalcedonian Creed).
        Jesus was fully divine, fully God!

     ✞   He was also fully human!

     Orthodox Christianity has confessed this as true over 
     the centuries!

So when He was conceived in Mary’s womb, when He was born and laid in a manger, when He was an infant, Jesus was also infinite God! The Infinite Infant! What a marvelous mystery! What a great miracle!

Here is the Scripture that captures both the deity and the humanity of Jesus – John 1:1 through 4, and verse 14:

     In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with 
     God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning 
     with God. All things were made through Him, and with-
     out Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was 
     life, and the life was the light of men. And the light 
     shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not com-
     prehend it....And the Word became flesh and dwelt a-
     mong us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the 
     only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. 
  • We know the Word is Jesus because in verse 14 it says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us….That He became flesh speaks of His humanity!
  • And we know that He is divine because, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
  • But when Jesus came to earth to be born in Bethlehem, the term kenosis is theologically applied.
     The word kenosis is derived from the Greek word 
         κενόω, (pronounced ken-o’-o) and meaning “...to 
         make empty...” (Strong’s Greek Dictionary). 

κενόω is from verse 7 of Philippians 2:5 through 
         7. 

         ➔   Paul writes: 

                Let this mind be in you which was also 
                in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form 
                of God, did not consider it robbery to 
                be equal with God, but made Himself of 
                no reputation, taking the form of a ser-
                vant, and coming in the likeness of men. 
                And being found in appearance as a man, 
                He humbled Himself and became obedient 
                to the point of death, even the death 
                of the cross.

         ➔    Where it says in verse 7, He ...made Him-
               self of no reputation...,Young’s Literal 
               Translation (and several others) translate 
               it, He “...emptied Himself....” This was 
               what the main discussion of the Council of 
               Chalcedon. For some theologians of that day 
               thought it meant that Jesus had no divine 
               attributes as a human being upon earth!

     But I side with many theologians who say a better 
         translation of κενόω is that He veiledor hid
         His being God on earth!

     That Jesus had no divine attributes on earth is 
         also refuted in Colossians 2:9, “For in Him dwells 
         all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”

So what does it mean for us today that Jesus is both human and divine? Let’s first consider His humanity:

  • He was a fully human baby! Mary (or Josepth!) had to change His swaddling cloths (or whatever they used for diapers as he grew from infant through toddler).
  • At twelve years old…
...Jesus had an understanding of His heavenly 
          Father, and His mission on earth! Mary and 
          Joseph who, after three days of searching... 

         ➔   “...they found Him in the temple...[with] 
              the teachers, both listening to them and 
              asking them questions. And all who heard 
              Him were astonished at His understanding 
              and questions.” (Luke 2:46 and 47).  

         ➔   ...and He said to His parents, “Why is it 
              that you sought Me? Did you not know that 
              I must be about My Father’s business?” 
              (Luke 2:49).

     ✡   ...and in the years following, we are told in 
          Luke 2:52, “And Jesus increased in wisdom, and 
          in favor with God and man.So apparently His 
          wisdom and understanding increased as He grew 
          up! 
  • We know nothing more from Scripture about Jesus until it says in Luke 3:23, “Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age….” However, as His ministry progressed, we learn…
He got tired, like any other human being!

         ➔   Mark 4:37 and 38 – During a tempestuous 
              storm on the Sea of Galilee, when...a 
              great windstorm arose, and the waves beat 
              into the boat, so that it was already fil-
              ling.Jesus was so tired from His minis-
              try,...He was in the stern, asleep on 
              a pillow...”! And the disciples...awoke 
              Him and said...Teacher, do you not care 
              that we are perishing?’”

         ➔   John 4:6 – As He traveled to Galilee 
              through Samaria, we are told, “Jesus 
              therefore, being wearied from His jour-
              ney, sat thus by...Jacob’s...well.”

     ✡   He displayed human emotions, such as when He 
          cried......at Lazarus’ grave! (John 11:35).

         ➔   ...as He began His Triumphal Entry into 
              Jerusalem, ...He saw the city, and wept 
              over it, saying, ‘If you had known...the 
              things that make for your peace! But now 
              they are hidden from your eyes.” (Luke 
              19:41 and 42).

     ✡   He became hungry!

         ➔   Luke 4:2 – “...being tempted by the devil
              ...for forty days...He ate nothing, and 
              afterward...He was hungry.”

         ➔   Matthew 21:18 – “Now in the morning, as 
              He returned to the city, He was hungry.

Hebrews 4:14 and 15 sums it up quite well!

     Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has 
     passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let 
     us hold fast our profession [of faith]. For we do not 
     have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our 
     weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, 
     yet without sin.

Everything we might experience in life, Jesus Christ, in one way or another, has already been there and done that!

But Hebrews 4:16 then goes on: “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

This is where the deity of Jesus Christ comes in: He not only has experienced, in one way or another, everything that we could ever face as a human being, He, being God, has the power and authority to help us in time of need!

Remember, He is fully God and fully Man! And when you behold Him in the manger, remember…

…He is the Infinite Infant!

Getting The Package Ready Matthew 1:18-25

(All Scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated)

Yes, this is Joseph’s story…….when Mary told him she was pregnant! Joseph was to be entrusted with being the earthly father of God’s Son. And the Lord had work to do on this man before he could receive this gift of of Jesus. This work involved getting the package ready!

  • The package, in this case, was the family into which Jesus was to be placed.
  • The package, in a wider sense, is everyone who receives the Son of God as Savior!

Here is the redacted Scripture of Matthew 1:18 through 25:

     After [Jesus’]...mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph
     ...she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then 
     Joseph...not wanting to make her a public example, 
     was minded to put her away secretly. But while he 
     thought about these things, behold, an angel of the 
     Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph...
     do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for 
     that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 
     And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call 
     His name Jesus, for He will save His people from 
     their sins.” ...Then Joseph...did as the angel of 
     the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and
     ...she...brought forth her firstborn Son. And he 
     called His name Jesus.

Joseph was a carpenter by trade. He had a small shop in Nazareth, about ninety miles north of Jerusalem. He was a commoner in Israel, not one of the elite, such as a member of the Sadducees, the Pharisees, or the teachers of the Jewish law. But he had been schooled growing up, and he was familiar with many of the laws in the Pentateuch.

  • He was in love with a young maiden named Mary who also lived in Nazareth. They were betrothed (engaged) to be married in the near future!
Betrothal was a serious commitment! It could 
          only be broken by a divorce!

     ✡   But Joseph had no plans of a divorce with this 
          beautiful young woman.
  • But suddenly Mary went away! And she was gone for more than three months!
What Joseph didn’t know was that Mary went 
          to see her older cousin Elizabeth who had 
          become pregnant six month’s earlier. Eliz-
          abeth and her husband Zacharias lived in 
          the hill country of Judah.

     ✡   Although Scripture doesn’t say, it seems 
          Mary wanted the comfort of a godly woman 
          who was also pregnant, and would under-
          stand Mary’s situation!

     ✡   Mary stayed with her cousin until after 
          Elizabeth’s baby was born. The baby grew 
          up to be John the Baptist!
  • When Mary finally returned, she told Joseph she was pregnant……pregnant by God’s Holy Spirit! And she would deliver the long-awaited Messiah into the world!
     ✡   For the angel Gabriel had told her...

           “...behold, you will conceive...and bring 
           forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 
           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. 
           And He will reign over the house of Jacob 
           forever, and of His kingdom there will be 
           no end.” (Luke 1:31 through 33).

     ✡   But Joseph couldn’t believe her! In his mind, 
          the only explanation was that Mary had been 
          unfaithful!
  • Joseph was …a just man…,and he knew what he had to do! (just meaning “…upright, righteous, virturous, keeping the commands of God…;” Thayer’s Greek Definitions).
     ✡   He may have recalled the words of the Syna-
          gogue’s rabbi, reading Leviticus 20:10: 
          “...the adulterer and the adulteress shall 
          surely be put to death.”But Joseph just couldn’t have Mary put to 
          death!  So, “...not wanting to make her a 
          public example, [he] was minded to put her 
          away secretly.” (Matthew 1:19).

     ✡   He would break their betrothal and send her 
          away to have her baby......... away from 
          Nazareth, away from threat of death, away 
          from his life, away from his heart!

But God had other plans!

  • …plans to ‘get the package ready’
...to prepare Joseph to receive both Mary 
          and her baby!...to be a husband to his wife, and a father 
          to Jesus!
  • Matthew 1:20 and 21:
     ...while he thought about these things, behold, 
     an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, 
     saying, “Joseph...do not be afraid to take to 
     you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived 
     in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring 
     forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, 
     for He will save His people from their sins.” 
  • This was an angelic message from God Himself! It was settled! The package was ready!…Then Joseph…did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and…she…brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.” (Matthew 1:24 and 25).

God had to ‘get the package ready’ for His Son to be born into the world. But this first advent was not the only instance of the Lord working to ‘get the package ready’!

  • I John 5:1 – “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God….
     What does it mean to “...believe...that Jesus 
         is the Christ...”?

         ➔   It means believing that He is the 
              Messiah, the One promised to Israel 
              to redeem them and the whole world 
              from the ravages of sin!

         ➔   It means believing the Old Testament 
              promises, such as Isaiah 9:6 and 7:

                 For unto us a Child is born, unto 
                 us a Son is given; and the govern-
                 ment will be upon His shoulder. And 
                 His name will be called Wonderful, 
                 Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting 
                 Father, Prince of Peace. Of the in-
                 crease of His government and peace 
                 there will be no end, upon the throne 
                 of David and over His kingdom, to 
                 order it and establish it with judg-
                 ment and justice from that time for-
                 ward, even forever.

         ➔   It means believing the many New Testament 
              Scriptures concerning our acceptance of 
              Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord! Here are 
              four:

                 John 11:27 – “...I believe that 
                  You are the Christ, the Son of 
                  God, who is to come into the 
                  world.”

                 Acts 16:31 – “Believe on the Lord 
                  Jesus Christ, and you will be saved
                  ....”

                 Romans 10:9 – “...if you confess 
                  with your mouth the Lord Jesus, 
                  and believe in your heart that God 
                  has raised Him from the dead, you 
                  will be saved.”

                 I John 5:11 and 12:

                    ...this is the testimony: that God 
                    has given us eternal life, and this 
                    life is in His Son. He who has the 
                    Son has life; he who does not the 
                    Son of God does not have life.

     ✞   God, through His Holy Spirit, works in unbeliev-
         ers’ hearts to prepare them to receive the gift 
         of......salvation through Jesus Christ!...being born into God’s family!
  • There is another package preparation in the lives of Christians that God is continually working on!
     ✞   God, through His Holy Spirit, dwells in every 
         Christian believer!

         ➔   I Corinthians 3:16 – “Do you not know 
              that you are the temple of God and that 
              the Spirit of God dwells in you?”

         ➔   I Corinthians 6:19 and 20:

                 Or do you not know that your body 
                 is the temple of the Holy Spirit 
                 who is in you, whom you have from 
                 God, and you are not your own? For 
                 you are bought with a price; there-
                 fore glorify God in your body and 
                 in your spirit, which are God’s

     Jesus told His disciples in John 14:16, “...I 
         will ask the Father, and he shall give you an-
         other Comforter, that he may abide with you for 
         ever, even the Spirit of truth....”

         ➔   The Holy Spirit is......the indwelling seal of God, 
                  that ...He who has begun a good 
                  work in you will complete it un-
                  til the day of [the return of] 
                  Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6).

                 “...the Comforter...” (John 14:6 – 
                  above). According to M. R. Vincent’s 
                  Word Studies, Comforter is the Greek 
                  word, αράκλητος (pronounced par-ak’-
                  lay-tos, and meaning “one who is 
                  called to another’s side to aid him
                  ...”).

                 “...another...” in the Greek is 
                  ἄλλος (pronounced al’-los, and, ac-
                  cording to Vincent it means, “The 
                  advocate who is to be sent is not 
                  different from Christ, but another 
                  similar to Himself.”

         ➔   So much so is the Holy Spirit just like 
              Jesus that, when it is the Spirit who in-
              dwells us,  Paul, in Colossians 1:27, 
              could say,“...Christ in you, the hope of 
              glory.
  • The question is: Are you a ‘prepared package’ (container, temple, dwelling place) for Jesus Christ to live in you?
     ✞   None of us are good enough to provide the perfect 
         dwelling place for our Savior, to live through His 
         Holy Spirit!

     ✞   That is why God is still working on us......to refine us!...to take away our sinful tendencies 
              that dirty upGod’s package!...to become what Paul wrote in Ephesians 
              2:19 through 22 (Bible in Basic English):

                 ...you are numbered among the saints, 
                 and of the family of God, resting on 
                 the base of the apostles and prophets, 
                 Christ Jesus Himself being the chief 
                 keystone, in Whom all the building, 
                 rightly joined together, comes to be 
                 a holy house of God in the Lord; in 
                 whom you, with the rest, are united 
                 together as a living-place of God in 
                 the Spirit. 

     ✞   He isgetting the package ready!

He is getting YOU ready, Christian…
to be a more glorious ‘package’
to house Jesus Christ
through His Holy Spi
rit!