GOSPEL MESSAGE: The Angel Gabriel Appears to Mary

Yes, I know it might not feel like it and the days are all blurring together, but it’s Sunday and that means I have a wonderful message from our good friend Pastor Robb to share with you.

Quick notes:

Today’s Sunday message is all about Luke chapter 1 & 2, where the Angel Gabriel Appears to Mary.

We will look at these chapter’s and think about what Mary went through after Gabriel was sent from the Lord to announce that she would be the mother of Israel’s Messiah.

Can you imagine what thoughts went through her mind? How about Joseph before the Angel appeared appeared to him in a dream. The pressure that they must have under.

How could they explain to their parents or family? The pressure that they must have felt? We can learn alot about their reaction. God was well pleased with them both.

Imagine the people that were talking behind their backs? That I’m sure was difficult to bear. They needed the grace of God. Imagine the Shepherds as the Angel gave off the biggest light show in human history.

Shepherds weren’t looked upon very nicely by the people of their time. They were very poor, they may have smelled like wild nature. Yet the Angels appeared to these humble Shepherds.  Just think about it a while. How would you have reacted? But the Lord chose these people to announce the birth of Jesus.

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I pray that this message will encourage you and bless you. May the Lord speak to your heart and comfort you. In Christ, we are now highly favored by the Lord.  We are so blessed to live in the grace of the new covenant, the Brit ha da Sha. The new covenant  in Hebrew.

I want to wish you a very Happy New Year and a blessed 2025!

Pray for President Trump as he awaits to take office soon.

Love & Blessings,
Pastor Robb Goodman
Sr. Pastor of Zion Freedom Fellowship USA

Please enjoy:

FULL TRANSCRIPT:

[Speaker:] Hello and happy Sunday to everyone! Today is Sunday, December 29th. Can you believe it? This year is just about over. My goodness, it seems like it was just January, and here we are at the end of the year already. It’s just unbelievable how fast time goes by.

Today, I have a wonderful message about how Gabriel came and announced to Mary, who was betrothed to Joseph to be her husband, that she was going to bear the Son of God.

We have a marvelous study today. I pray that the Lord will bless you and that He will fill your hearts with great joy and gladness today.

Even though we just celebrated Jesus’ birth, the way these messages worked out falls in perfect timing with God’s plan. Amen! God is so good. He is righteous, and He is worthy to be praised.

[Speaker:] Let’s pray.

[Prayer:] Father, we praise You, and we thank You this day that You, O God, are in our midst. By being born again of the Spirit of God, we are like the wind, for no one knows where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone that is born of the Spirit.

Father, let Your word have first place in Your servants’ lives. Lord, fill them with Your glory, Your understanding, and Your power. Let Your anointing break every evil yoke of the evil one right now in Jesus’ name.

Satan, we bind you over the lives of God’s people. Take your hands off them in the mighty name of Jesus!

O Lord, we worship You, and we thank You this day that You are the mighty one of Israel. You, O Lord, will never change. You are the mighty one, and I thank You that the enemy is bound, defeated, and we are victorious in Christ Jesus!

We will shout unto God with a voice of triumph. Hallelujah! For the Lord is good, and He is worthy to be praised.

We shall be saved from our enemies. Yes, we will be saved from our enemies. Hallelujah! Glory to God!

God is so good. He is worthy of all our praise. We continue to give Him a shout of glory, for He is worthy. Yes, Jesus, the King of Kings, is worthy—worthy, worthy, worthy of all our praise.

So let’s just shout unto God with a voice of triumph and lift up a voice of praise to our God, for He truly is worthy.

We pray all of these things in Jesus’ name. Lord, we ask for Your anointing on this message right now as I yield myself to You. Lord, You have placed Your words in my mouth, and I thank You that You will speak through Your servant this day.

In the mighty name of Jesus, amen and amen. Glory be to God!

[Speaker:] Well, let’s turn to Luke chapter 1. We’re going to start reading at verse 26.

[Scripture Reading:] Now, in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.

And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women.”

But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying and considered what manner of greeting this was.

Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and you 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.”

[Speaker:] What a greeting this was! Can you imagine being a young girl—14, 16, or 17 years old—and hearing such a message?

Let me continue formatting…

[Speaker:] And the angel said, “He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom, there will be no end.”

Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be since I do not know a man?”

And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you. Therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

Now indeed, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God, nothing will be impossible.”

[Speaker:] Blessed be the name of the Lord!

We’re going to stop there and share some notes. The title of today’s message is The Angel Gabriel Appears to Mary.

Of course, we just read the verse where, in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to Nazareth to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.

Nazareth, located in the general region of Galilee, was 15 miles away from the Sea of Galilee and six miles from the closest road. It had no good water supply, only one fairly weak well in the center of the village.

Can you imagine that? Every woman in the village had to travel to the same well daily for water.

[Speaker:] Jesus would forever be identified with this place, being called Jesus of Nazareth. His followers were also referred to as Nazarenes, as we see in Acts 24:5.

The ceremony of betrothal, where mutual promises were made, was a binding agreement. A divorce was required to break it.

This was not a casual promise. It was a solemn vow, a commitment of faithfulness.

The name Mary is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Miriam, which means exalted one.

[Speaker:] Let’s continue with Gabriel’s message. The angel said, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women.”

Mary was troubled at his saying, pondering what manner of greeting this could be. Imagine her humility. Her question was not one of unbelief but of seeking understanding.

Gabriel reassured her, saying, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”

He then declared, “You will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Highest.”

[Speaker:] Think about this—Mary, a young virgin, was being told she would bear the Messiah. What a moment of awe and humility!

Let me move to the next section…

[Speaker:] Gabriel continued, “The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom, there will be no end.”

Mary then asked, “How can this be since I do not know a man?”

Gabriel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you. Therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

Now indeed, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God, nothing will be impossible.”

[Speaker:] Mary received these words in faith and submission, trusting in the plans of God.

[Commentary:] What an amazing story of faith! Mary accepted this divine message, knowing it would change her life forever.

Gabriel’s announcement included three key affirmations:

Mary was highly favored.
The Lord was with her.
She was blessed among women.
When Gabriel declared these words, Mary, being a woman of the Word, recognized the fulfillment of prophecy.

[Speaker:] Isaiah 7:14 says, “The virgin shall conceive and bear a Son.”

Mary must have pondered these prophecies deeply as she heard Gabriel’s words.

[Reflection:] Imagine how overwhelming it must have been for Mary to realize that she was part of God’s divine plan, prophesied centuries earlier.

[Speaker:] Let’s continue with the message.

Gabriel also gave Mary a word of knowledge about Elizabeth, her cousin, who had miraculously conceived in her old age.

“With God, nothing will be impossible,” Gabriel assured her.

[Speaker:] This same assurance applies to us today. With God, nothing is impossible!

Let’s move further into this powerful story…

[Speaker:] When Mary visited Elizabeth, it was a moment of profound confirmation and joy.

Upon Mary’s greeting, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leaped, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She exclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”

[Speaker:] What a powerful affirmation for Mary, confirming all that Gabriel had shared with her!

Then Mary responded with her beautiful song of praise, known as the Magnificat:

“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 will call me blessed.

For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.

He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy,
As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and to his seed forever.”

[Speaker:] Mary’s response was one of humble gratitude and awe at God’s work in her life.

Let’s now move forward to the birth of Jesus in Luke chapter 2.

[Scripture Reading:] “And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.”

Let me continue without pause…

[Scripture Reading Continued:] “So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”

[Speaker:] Think about this moment. The King of Kings, born in the humblest of settings, wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger. Swaddling clothes, as I mentioned earlier, were used to wrap newborn lambs destined for sacrifice.

How symbolic that Jesus, the Lamb of God, came into the world in this way!

[Scripture Reading Continued:] “Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.

Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.’

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

‘Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!'”

[Speaker:] Imagine the sight! Shepherds, the humblest of workers, were the first to hear this glorious news.

[Scripture Reading Continued:] “So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.’

And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.

Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.

Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.”

[Speaker:] What an incredible testimony from the shepherds! Their simple obedience led them to witness the greatest miracle of all time—the birth of our Savior.

Let’s wrap this up with a powerful reflection…

[Speaker:] As we reflect on the events surrounding Jesus’ birth, we see the faithfulness of God’s promises fulfilled in every detail.

Mary and Joseph, chosen by God, demonstrated obedience and faith in the face of extraordinary circumstances.

The shepherds, humble and ordinary, were the first to witness and share the good news of the Savior’s arrival.

The angels declared a message of peace and goodwill to all, emphasizing the universal nature of Christ’s mission.

[Reflection:] The birth of Jesus was not only the fulfillment of prophecy but also a demonstration of God’s immense love for humanity. He sent His Son to be born in humility, to live among us, and to offer salvation to all who believe.

[Speaker:] If you are listening today and have never been born again of the Spirit of God, I invite you to take this moment to receive Jesus into your heart.

Pray this prayer with me:

[Prayer for Salvation:] Heavenly Father, I believe that Jesus Christ is Your Son. He was born of the Virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, and died for my sins.

Jesus, I ask You to come into my heart. Wash me clean of all sin and make me a new creation.

I commit my life to You, Lord. I surrender all to You and ask that You guide me in Your ways.

Thank You for saving me and giving me eternal life through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

[Speaker:] If you prayed that prayer, congratulations! You are now born again, a child of God. I encourage you to email me at Zion Freedom Fellowship at [email protected].

I’d love to hear from you and help you grow in your relationship with Christ.

[Closing Remarks:] For those already walking with Jesus, commit to living every day filled with the fire and power of the Holy Spirit.

Let His name be glorified in your life, and may you walk in the fullness of His love and purpose.

Thank you for listening to today’s message. God bless you all, and have a wonderful New Year!

In Jesus’ name, amen.

LAST WEEK:

CHRISTMAS GOSPEL: Gabriel Announced the Coming of John the Baptist!

CHRISTMAS GOSPEL: Gabriel Announced the Coming of John the Baptist!

Happy Sunday friends!

Hard to keep track of the week right now with kids off school and leading up to Christmas, but it is indeed Sunday today and our good friend Pastor Robb brings us this wonderful, Christmas Gospel message.

Today we will study from Luke chapter 1 where Gabriel appears to Zechariah in the Holy Place.

Can you imagine how Zacharias may have felt?

God's timing for everything is perfect for everything that happens in our lives.

I pray that you have a very Merry Christmas this year.

The Lord is with us all.

Pastor Robb Goodman
Sr. Pastor of Zion Freedom Fellowship USA.

Please enjoy:

And if you'd like more from Pastor Robb, he just wrapped up a 5-part series on the Tabernacle of Moses.

You can catch up on those here if you missed it:

SUNDAY GOSPEL: The Tabernacle of Moses Part 5 — “The Golden Candlestick”