Did you know that God left heaven and moved into rebellion? Does this sound over the top? Does this sound sacrilegious? Well, its true. Just give me a few more paragraphs to explain myself before you call me a heretic ?
Almost everyone reading this article knows that 2,000 years ago the Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus. Almost no one knows what Mary means? It means “their rebellion.” That’s right, Mary means rebellion! Think about this, God (Jesus) actually moved on the inside of Mary (rebellion). Why? That was the only way He could transform rebellion.
As holy and pure as Mary was, she was a sinner. She was born into sin; born into Adam’s rebellion. We often whitewash over that and celebrate her virginity and purity, but the reality is at her best Mary was woefully inadequate of having the son of God born through her. Why did God choose her then? It’s not because Mary was good. It’s because God was good. And He still is good, and His mercy never changes.
Why is this important to understand? Because most people today, in the year 2018, think they have to somehow qualify for God to use them. A major reason most people don’t fulfill God’s will for their life is because they believe they aren’t qualified. I’ll go ahead and help you with that. You aren’t qualified. I’m not qualified. God never calls the qualified, He qualifies the called. When we really understand and appreciate this, we realize we can never outrun or out-sin God’s love. The only way we can hinder it is by not believing in it.
Luke 1:28 says, “And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”
Look at how God sees Mary. He sees her as highly favored. The Greek word for favor in this verse is also the same Greek word that is used in Ephesians 1:6 for accepted. In God’s eyes, Mary was acceptable and favored. She was worthy of honor. And it wasn’t because of anything she had done.
The next two verses go on to tell how Mary was troubled by the greeting and then the angel told Mary not to be afraid. Why was Mary afraid? Because the Almighty God was revealing himself to her and she knew how holy and powerful He was. She also knew how unholy and insignificant she was.
In Luke 1:31 the angel tells Mary, “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.” Jesus or salvation was literally conceived in the midst of rebellion (Mary). Mary didn’t work for salvation, all she did was receive the seed of salvation planted on the inside of her. Over a nine-month period the seed grew and eventually salvation (Jesus) worked His way out.
The same holds true in our lives today. We don’t qualify for God’s promises and we don’t work to bring them to pass. We receive them by faith in the midst of being unqualified. Over a period of time, a work is done on the inside of us that eventually works its way out!
When God sent Jesus, he revolutionized His relationship with man. Jesus ushered in the New Covenant that changed everything. Under the Old Covenant, people had to keep the 10 commandments plus the other 600 laws, ordinances, and feasts to be in right standing with God. In the New Covenant Jesus kept everything for us and we are made right by putting 100% of our confidence in what He did.
Under the Old Covenant if a person touched a leper, they become unclean. If a clean person was spit on by an unclean person, they became unclean. This is because sin contaminated whatever it touched. Under the New Covenant, however, believers (clean) are told to lay hands on lepers (unclean) and the lepers will become clean. In the New Covenant when a believer (clean) marries and unbeliever (unclean) the scripture says the believer sanctifies or make the unbeliever clean.
Everything flipped when God put Jesus on the inside of Mary. God sowed a seed of righteousness that was such a force, He had the power to transform everything around himself. He still has the same power today if we will believe and receive Him by faith!
Merry Christmas!
