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University SDA Church- East Lansing

David Shin

Leaped in Her Womb

We're going to go to verse 24, back up a little bit before our scripture reading, get a little bit of the context.

If you're using the Bible, that has been provided for you there in the pew.

Now, after those days, his wife, Zacharias, his wife, Elizabeth, conceived And she hid herself 5 months, saying, Thus the Lord has dealt with me in the days when he looked on me to take away my reproach among the people.

You remember that Zacharias came into the temple and the angel Gabriel came and told him that you're going to have a son, a miracle child.

She was way past the years of childbearing you get the picture this was a miracle child she became pregnant verse 24 now after those days his wife conceived and she hid herself 5 months saying the Lord has dealt with me in these days when he looked on me to take away my reproach among the people.

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth.

Here the angel Gabriel is commissioned again to go to Mary and you know the story is going to tell Mary that you are going to have a child now if you back up in the Old Testament we're not going to turn there to go to the book of Daniel, Daniel chapter 9, there is what is called the 70 week prophecy, the messianic prophecy.

The angel Gabriel was the 1 that foretold the coming of Jesus, 490 years.

The same angel that foretold the prophecy now comes to deliver the fulfillment of that same prophecy.

Jesus is about to be born in verse 27, 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 1 the Lord is with you blessed are you among women?

But when she saw him she was troubled saying and Considered 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.

38.39 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a son, and he shall be great and will be called the Son of the Highest.

39.41 The Lord of God will give Him the throne of His Father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom shall be no end.

We can preach an entire sermon just on those few passages.

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

Other translations say how can this be because I'm a virgin?

Now this is a rational question, isn't it?

And I remember I was giving a Bible study to someone and we were talking about creation and he told me, David, I can't believe in a 6 literal consecutive contiguous day creation because it goes against science, evolutionary science.

I said, okay, well, my friend, do you believe in the virgin birth?

I mean, evolutionary science, yes, but no 1 was there at the creation of the world or evolution But we're talking about hard facts We know that certain things need to happen for there to be conception and birth the virgin birth is something that is against everything that we know about science and yet millions of people around the world today, especially in the western part of the world, celebrate Christmas, which is predicated on the notion of a virgin having a baby.

Not only that, but that virgin is none other than the Son of God.

And yet it is an understatement to say that it is unscientific.

I want to read a quotation from a gentleman by the name of Spinoza.

And he lived during the time of the pre-enlightenment period.

And he brought to view a methodology of interpreting scripture called demytholization, which means that You take the Bible and you shake out all of the myths that are there.

In other words, you have a scientific lens for viewing Scripture.

Spinoza argues that any event in scripture which is inconsistent with natural laws must be interpreted either as unreliable testimony or as metaphorical or allegorical representation of a moral teaching.

Because the masses are wholly ignorant of the workings of nature, they were prone to interpret any natural event they could not explain as a miracle.

And this ridiculous way of expressing ignorance often found its way into scripture.

This has taken hold in the scholarly circles of the Protestant world where people view the Bible as a Historical book and anything that is against science should be demytholized How do we take into account this notion of a virgin having a son will come back to that in a moment so first thirty-four 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, notice what the angel says, the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the highest will overshadow you.

Therefore also the Holy 1 who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

Verse 36, now indeed, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age and now is the sixth month of her who is called barren what is the angel doing here the angel here is giving corroborating or substantiating evidence for Mary to believe in the reality of the virgin birth you know God never asked us to believe anything without giving us sufficient evidence on which to base our faith amen but he never removes the possibility of doubt here the angel Gabriel says look Elizabeth elderly is 6 months pregnant base your faith on that bit of evidence Now there is still room for doubt and then he goes on and says a theological sentence in verse 37 for with God nothing will be in possible.

Then Mary said behold the maidservant of the Lord.

Let it be the most powerful words that you can say in your relationship with God let it be what is she doing consent I believe friends that when she consented conception took place right in that moment the power of God overshadowed her conception took place she said Let it be to me according to your word.

Now Mary in those days went into the hill country with haste to a city of Judah.

Now, why did Mary go with haste to a city in Judah?

You'll find out in the next verse, and greeted and entered the house of Zacharias, and greeted Elizabeth.

She is going there for validation, isn't she?

Substantiating evidence that is given by the angel Gabriel it took many days when you look geographically for her to travel those amount of miles but she went with haste because she wanted to see Elizabeth the substantiating corroborating evidence given by the angel Gabriel.

And it happened that when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary that the baby leaped in her womb.

And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she spoke out with a loud voice and said, "'Blessed are you among women, "'and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

"'And why is it granted to me that the mother of my what is your Bible say that the mother of my Lord should come to me Elizabeth recognizes that that Mary is pregnant with God that the mother of my Lord should come to me.

For indeed as I soon heard the voice of your greeting sounded to my ears, the babe leapt in my womb for joy.

Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things were told to her from the Lord.

I'm gonna spend our entire time in this passage here.

This is what happened according to scripture.

I have the verse that we want to focus on here this morning on the screen, verse 41.

And it happened when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary that the babe leapt in her womb or leaped in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

This is what the Bible is telling us, a fascinating exchange.

Mary comes into the house and says, Hi, Elizabeth.

There's no dialogue, no exchange no exchange of information at all it is instantaneous oh hi Elizabeth you're pregnant aren't you you're pregnant with God instantly she recognizes that Mary Being a virgin is pregnant with God.

It's not what pastor Shin is making up here It says and it happened when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary.

Do you see it heard the greeting of Mary?

You're pregnant You're pregnant with God Now the question is how is it possible for Elizabeth to recognize immediately the spiritual reality of what is taking place?

Not only that, it is a reality that is Incredulous to believe isn't that right not only is she given the spiritual illumination the spiritual revelation But immediately she believes it and says you're pregnant and you're pregnant with God.

That's what the verse is telling us there how is that possible to know and to believe in that moment and the answer is found right there in the verse there's 2 reasons that she knew the first reason the baby leaped in her womb as a side note the Bible says that life begins at conception amen the baby leaped in her womb John the Baptist recognized in utero that he was in the presence of God.

Interesting relationship between Jesus and the John the Baptist.

She recognized that the baby had recognized divinity.

The second reason, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit had given her divine revelation, divine illumination.

I want to focus and hone in on the first reason here this morning.

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Leaped in Her Womb

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