06.14.2026 Sunday Sermon
By Rev. Jeungbok Lee

Text: Luke 1:26–38, 45
Title: The Grace of God That Came Upon Mary

Luke 1:26–38

In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from 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 he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to 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.” And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the holy child to be born will be called the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Luke 1:45

“Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

When believers share fellowship in faith, I believe that God accomplishes His work through words of grace. However, when we are alone or in situations where we must actually depend on God's grace, we often think, “This is realistically impossible. Miracles and direct words from God only happened in special situations back then, not today.”

Yet God first grants us grace and thereby strengthens our faith with courage. Through that grace, we become people who obey even in situations that seem impossible. Today, through Mary's response of faith to the announcement of the Messiah's conception, we will consider how God's grace works in our lives.

1. God's Word announcing the birth of the Messiah who would save the world is quiet, yet transcendent.

1.1) God's Word comes to an unnoticed place—to a young virgin in the countryside.

Luke 1:26–27

“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from 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.”

God's work always begins by coming to the humble and entrusting them with a mission through His Word.

Who could have imagined that Mary, an ordinary young woman living in the rural town of Nazareth, would become the mother of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Savior of the world? No one could have imagined it.

The place where God's redemptive history began was not the center but the margins. The person whom God used was not a ruler but a young village woman. This is God's way.

By contrast, Christians today often assume that large churches possess more grace and more evidence of God's work than small and quiet churches. But this is not the biblical standard. God's grace is not determined by size but by His sovereign will.

There was once a professor who came to Madison as a visiting scholar with his family. He also believed that it was better to experience God's grace through a large church. However, during his year in Madison, he participated in Bible studies and ministry within the limitations of a small church. Through that experience, he realized that both his faith and his family's faith had largely been shaped by the programs of a large church.

While attending a large church, he had believed that he was personally encountering God. Yet he came to realize that this was not truly the case. After returning to Korea at the end of his visiting professorship, he transferred to a small church. As he served there, he discovered what God's grace truly meant. He later shared this testimony with our church.

1.2) Mary received God's grace.

Luke 1:28–30

“And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!’ But she was greatly troubled at the saying and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.’”

First, there is something we must be careful about.

We have said that God bestowed grace not upon a ruler but upon a young village woman. We have also said that a small church may understand God's grace more rightly than a large church. However, it would be unbiblical to conclude that people living in rural areas or attending small churches automatically receive more grace.

God's grace did not come to Mary because she was an unknown young woman living in the countryside. Likewise, attending a small church does not automatically lead one to experience God's grace. God's grace was given to Mary entirely according to His sovereign will.

Second, let us consider the phrase “favored one” in verse 28.

The verb used to describe Mary as one who has received grace is in the passive voice and the perfect tense. The passive voice indicates that receiving grace was not the result of Mary's efforts but a gift originating from God's sovereign will.

The perfect tense indicates that Mary did not suddenly receive grace at that moment. Rather, she had already been living in God's grace, and now she stood in an even fuller manifestation of that grace.

In short, God is the One who grants grace. Mary had been receiving grace all along, and now she was receiving an even greater abundance of grace.

Third, verse 30 says, “You have found favor with God.”

The verb here is active and in the aorist tense. The meaning is that God actively caused Mary to participate in a special grace.

This grace does not merely refer to a spiritual feeling or emotional inspiration. Rather, it refers to God's calling for Mary to participate in the incarnation, the most important event in redemptive history.

1.3) God tells Mary, who has received grace, what she must do.

Luke 1:30–35

The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive and bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will never end.”

Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the holy child to be born will be called the Son of God.”

God does not merely give grace. Along with grace, He also gives a mission that requires obedience.

The grace Mary was called to obey involved conceiving a child as a virgin and giving birth to the Son of God. This child would become the King promised by God who would rule over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom would never end.

Yet Mary was a virgin who was engaged to be married. Humanly speaking, her circumstances made obedience seem impossible.

This is the point believers must remember. A life of grace is not a life devoted to comfort and emotional satisfaction. The life of one who has received grace is the beginning of offering everything in service to God's redemptive work.

Because Mary had received grace, she would now have to bear what lay ahead.

She would face the risk of a broken engagement.

She could become a source of shame to her family and be rejected by them.

She could be publicly branded as a disgraceful woman.

More seriously, she could be judged as an adulteress by religious leaders and even face threats to her life.

2. Mary responds appropriately as one who has received grace.

2.1) If we desire to live according to God's grace, we must first strive to understand God's calling more clearly.

Luke 1:34

“And Mary said to the angel, ‘How will this be, since I am a virgin?’”

Mary could not understand how she could fulfill the calling to conceive a child as a virgin. Therefore, she directly asked the angel a question.

This question was not doubt, unbelief, or the result of some spirit of skepticism.

From Mary's perspective, conception was only possible through a man. Yet the angel told her that she would become pregnant despite never having been with a man.

Mary asked how this could happen because she believed and wanted to understand.

Her question was necessary if she was to faithfully carry out the mission God had entrusted to her.

A true believer wrestles to understand when questions arise concerning God's Word. Mary's question serves as an excellent example of genuine faith.

The angel then gently explained in detail how such a thing could happen.

2.2) The angel clearly explains God's revelation.

Luke 1:35–38

The angel answered her:

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the holy child to be born will be called the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.”

And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

The angel's answer contains three important truths.

First, Mary needed to understand God's power.

Although conception as a virgin was impossible from a human perspective, she would conceive because the Holy Spirit would come upon her and the power of the Most High would overshadow her.

This was not a natural event but a supernatural work of God's power.

Second, the angel provided evidence that could be seen and verified.

To strengthen Mary's confidence, he pointed to Elizabeth, who had conceived a son in her old age despite having been considered barren.

Third, the angel revealed who God is:

“For nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37).

More precisely, this means, “No word from God will ever fail.”

In other words, God's Word never becomes powerless.

The angel was speaking about God's faithfulness. God always fulfills what He promises.

During election seasons, many presidential candidates make numerous promises. Yet people do not simply vote based on those promises. They often doubt whether the candidate has the ability to fulfill them, and they are uncertain whether the promises will actually be kept.

God, however, is different.

God is almighty, and He always accomplishes what He promises. Therefore, every word of Scripture is worthy of our trust and obedience.

3. Grace is revealed as genuine faith when it results in obedience.

Luke 1:38

“And Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.’”

Luke 1:45

“Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

Faith is not believing in possibilities.

Faith is believing God's Word and obeying it.

As one who had received grace, Mary believed God's Word and obeyed it.

Through Mary's obedience, God sent Jesus Christ, the Savior who would save sinners from the world.

Through Mary's faithful obedience, salvation ultimately came even to us, God's beloved people.

4. Applications for those of us who live by God's grace.

First, we must not judge God's Word solely by scientific or rational standards. Rather, we must believe that God's Word shapes reality and therefore obey it.

Second, we must not regard a delay in the fulfillment of God's promises as a failure of God's Word. God's promises are not fulfilled according to our timetable or standards but according to God's appointed time.

Third, we must not mistake grace for emotional excitement.

When the angel greeted Mary by saying, “Greetings, favored one. The Lord is with you,” she was not emotionally overwhelmed with joy. Instead, she was afraid.

Even after hearing that she had found favor with God and learning what that grace involved, she responded with questions.

Mary carefully understood the grace she had received and accepted it by faith:

“Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

5. Conclusion

Through Mary, we learn that grace is neither personal comfort nor emotional fulfillment.

Rather, God's grace was a call for her to offer herself for the incarnation of Christ according to God's will.

And Mary obeyed God's gracious calling.

Therefore, I earnestly pray that every member of our church will clearly discern the grace God has given to each of you and become people of faith who obey the calling that comes with that grace.

Let us pray.

(End)