PT-2 “Mary’s Submission” (Luke 1:38)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/8/2026 07:53 PM

My Worship Time                                                                    Focus:  PT-2 “Mary’s Submission”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                       Reference:  Luke 1:38

            Message of the verse:  “And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.”  And the angel departed from her.

            Now this evening I will pick up where I left off from this morning’s SD, and I begin with a quotation from John MacArthur’s commentary along with verses from the book of Jeremiah.

            “Later, God once again used Jeremiah to confront His rebellious people over this issue.  Defiantly, they replied,

“16  "As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we will not listen to you. 17  But we will do everything that we have vowed, make offerings to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we did, both we and our fathers, our kings and our officials, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of food, and prospered, and saw no disaster. 18  But since we left off making offerings to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by the sword and by famine." 19  And the women said, "When we made offerings to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, was it without our husbands’ approval that we made cakes for her bearing her image and poured out drink offerings to her?’” (Jer. 44:16-19 ESV)

“In response, the prophet solemnly warned them of God’s impending judgment:

“24  Jeremiah said to all the people and all the women, "Hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah who are in the land of Egypt. 25  Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: You and your wives have declared with your mouths, and have fulfilled it with your hands, saying, ‘We will surely perform our vows that we have made, to make offerings to the queen of heaven and to pour out drink offerings to her.’ Then confirm your vows and perform your vows! 26  Therefore hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah who dwell in the land of Egypt: Behold, I have sworn by my great name, says the LORD, that my name shall no more be invoked by the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, ‘As the Lord GOD lives.’ 27  Behold, I am watching over them for disaster and not for good. All the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, until there is an end of them. 28  And those who escape the sword shall return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah, few in number; and all the remnant of Judah, who came to the land of Egypt to live, shall know whose word will stand, mine or theirs.”

            MacArthur goes on with these important words “To worship Mary as if she were the queen of heaven is to mix paganism with biblical truth and to blaspheme the true King of heaven.  To proclaim that Mary is co-redemptrix and mediatrix of saving grace, only compounds its false, syncretistic view of her.

            “Mary’s dramatic encounter with the angel Gabriel ended with this short, simple postscript: And the angel departed from her.  His mission accomplished, Gabriel returned to the presence of God.  The God-man was going to be born; the only begotten Son of God, Jesus, who would save His people from their sins, the divine Redeemer, the holy offspring, the divine King who will reign over a kingdom that will last forever.

            “This account demonstrates that God’s promises will be fulfilled, as they were in Mary’s life.  It also reveals that the sovereign God accomplishes His purposes through His willing and obedient slaves, as He did through Mary.  Without regard for the implications and potential risks, Mary faithfully rested in the sovereign purpose of her Savior and God.  That is her true magnificence. 

            “God is still doing His work today, if not through visible miracles, then spiritually through His people who trust Him (Isa. 26:3; cf. Prov. 29:25), obey His Word (Ps. 119:17, 67, 101; Matt. 7:24; Luke 11:28; James 1:25), and humbly submit as obedient slaves to His will (Josh. 24:24; Ps. 119:35; Eccles. 12:13; Phil. 2:12-13).”

(Isa. 26:3; cf. Prov. 29:25)

“3  You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”

“25 ¶  The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.”

(Ps. 119:17, 67, 101; Matt. 7:24; Luke 11:28; James 1:25)

“17 ¶  Deal bountifully with your servant, that I may live and keep your word.”

“67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word.”

“101 ¶  I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word.”

“24  "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

“28  But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!’”

“25  But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”

(Josh. 24:24; Ps. 119:35; Eccles. 12:13; Phil. 2:12-13)

“24  And the people said to Joshua, "The LORD our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.’”

“35 ¶  Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it.”

“13 ¶  The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”

“12 ¶  Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13  for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

3/8/2026 8:23 PM

 

 

PT-1 “Mary’s Submission” (Luke 1:38)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/8/2026 10:19 AM

My Worship Time                                                                    Focus:  PT-1 “Mary’s Submission”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                       Reference:  Luke 1:38

            Message of the verses:  “And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.”  And the angel departed from her.

            We can be assured that Mary not only knew the story of Abraham and Sarah, as both were in their 90’s and Sarah gave birth to Isaac.  But there is another story we also can be assured of that that story is seen in 1 Samuel 1:1-2:10, which of course is the birth of Samuel.  Hannah, the mother of Samuel had no children and so she prayed for a child as seen in 1 Samuel 1:10-11.  “10  She was deeply distressed and prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly. 11  And she vowed a vow and said, "O LORD of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.’”

Like Hannah, who called herself God’s “maidservant,” Mary also saw herself as the bondslave of the Lord (cf. v. 48).  “48  for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;”  John MacArthur writes “The Greek word rendered bondslave (doule, which always should be accurately translated ‘slave’) is the same on used in the Septuagint version of 1 Samuel 1:11, thus linking Mary’s submissive attitude to Hannah’s.  Her humble response demonstrated Mary’s willing submission to God’s unfolding purpose.  She saw herself as nothing more than His willing, humble slave, and responded by saying, “May it be done to me according to your word.”  She did not ask about Joseph, who obviously would know that the baby was not his.  Mary would thus have to face the stigma of unwed motherhood and the appearance of having committed adultery—the punishment for which was death by stoning [Deut. 22:13-21; Lev. 20:10; cf. John 8:3-5].)  But in humble, obedient faith Mary willingly trusted God to vindicate her (cf. Matt. 1:19-25).”

(cf. Matt. 1:19-25)

“19  And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20  But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21  She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." 22  All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23  “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). 24  When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25  but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.”

            John MacArthur writes the following “One of the Roman Catholic Church’s most egregious errors is its turning of this self-proclaimed humble slave of God into the exalted queen of heaven.  Such worship of Mary, which would have appalled and horrified her, is nothing less than idolatry.  There is no queen of heaven, only the true and eternal King (Pss. 29:10; 47:8; Dan. 4:37; cf. Matt. 11:25; Acts 17:24), the triune God.”

(Pss. 29:10; 47:8; Dan. 4:37; cf. Matt. 11:25; Acts 17:24)

“10  The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD sits enthroned as king forever. 11  May the LORD give strength to his people! May the LORD bless his people with peace!”

“8  God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.”

“37  Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.”

25 ¶  At that time Jesus declared, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children;”

“24  The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,”

            MacArthur goes on:  “Catholicism’s elevation of Mary finds no support in Scripture; the concept of the ‘queen of heaven’ does appear in the Old Testament in connection with ancient pagan religion.  The idea derives from Assyrian and Babylonian beliefs and practices prevalent during Jeremiah’s time in apostate Judah.  Their idolatry caused God through the prophet to pronounce judgment on His people:

“16 ¶  "As for you, do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with me, for I will not hear you. 17  Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18  The children gather wood, the fathers kindle fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven. And they pour out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke me to anger. 19  Is it I whom they provoke? declares the LORD. Is it not themselves, to their own shame? 20  Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, my anger and my wrath will be poured out on this place, upon man and beast, upon the trees of the field and the fruit of the ground; it will burn and not be quenched.’”

“The ‘queen of heaven’ (v. 18) was the pagan goddess Ishtar (also called Ashtoreth and Astarte), the wife of Baal or Molech.  Because those false deities symbolized fertility, worship of them also involved prostitution.”

Spiritual Meaning for my Life Today:  I have learned one thing for sure as I continue to study the Bible each day, and that is to continue to study the Bible each day so that you don’t fall into traps like worshiping Mary.  It’s not in the Bible to do that.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I am praying that the Lord will give a season of revival in my heart  so that I can get out of this spiritual funk that I am in, and I suppose that it has to do with all that is going on with my wife’s cancer.

3/8/2026 11:02 AM

 

“God’s Sovereignty” (Luke 1:37)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/7/2026 8:25 AM

My Worship Time                                                                             Focus:  “God’s Sovereignty”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                        Reference: Luke 1:37

            Message of the verse:  “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

            It is one thing to say something is going to happen, but quite another to make it happen, unless it is God speaking.  What Mary heard was, she realized, humanly impossible.  Therefore, Gabriel reminded her that because God’s unlimited power, then nothing will be impossible with Him.  The proof Gabriel offered, as noted above, in the last SD, was Elizabeth’s conception of John.

            However there was another older couple that God miraculously allowed to conceive a child.  Mary would have been familiar with the Old Testament account of Isaac’s birth to Abraham and Sarah seen in Genesis 18:1-15.  “1 ¶  And the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. 2  He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth 3  and said, "O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. 4  Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, 5  while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on— since you have come to your servant." So they said, "Do as you have said." 6  And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, "Quick! Three seahs of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes." 7  And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly. 8  Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate.   9 ¶  They said to him, "Where is Sarah your wife?" And he said, "She is in the tent." 10  The LORD said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son." And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. 11  Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. 12  So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, "After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?" 13  The LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ 14  Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son." 15  But Sarah denied it, saying, "I did not laugh," for she was afraid. He said, "No, but you did laugh.’”  Like Zacharias and Elizabeth, Abraham and Sarah were well beyond their childbearing years.  Genesis 18:12-14 is the key passage of that account which is highlighted above in yellow.

            Gabriel’s emphatic declaration that nothing is impossible for God answered God’s rhetorical question in verse 14. (highlighted above) If nothing is too hard for God’s omnipotence, then everything is possible with Him (Psalm 115:3; Daniel 4:35).”

(Psalm 115:3; Daniel 4:35)

3  Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.”

“35  all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, "What have you done?’”

God, whose power knows no limits (Deut. 3:24; Job 9:4; Psalm 89:13), and who is not bound by the laws of nature that He created can accomplish anything consistent with His holy nature and purposes.  Gabriel’s reminder of what God had done in the past reassured Mary of His power to keep His word to her now.

(Deut. 3:24; Job 9:4; Psalm 89:13)

“24  ’O Lord GOD, you have only begun to show your servant your greatness and your mighty hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as yours?”

“4  He is wise in heart and mighty in strength— who has hardened himself against him, and succeeded?”

“13  You have a mighty arm; strong is your hand, high your right hand. 14  Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.’

3/7/2026 8:41 PM

 

 

“God’s Sign” (Luke 1:36)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/7/2026 9:21 AM

My Worship Time                                                                                         Focus:  “God’s Sign”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                        Reference: Luke 1:36

            Message of the verse:  And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month.

            This morning’s SD, like yesterday morning’s SD will be short as this section in MacArthur’s commentary is a short one.

            Gabriel, in this verse is giving a sign to Mary, for I have to believe that Mary knew the situation that Elizabeth and Zachariah went through because they could not have any children.  I have mentioned in an earlier SD that for a Jewish girl they wanted to have children of their own, and if they could not then it was like a curse to them. 

            Now speaking of signs we really don’t see that Mary was asking for one, but Gabriel gave her one anyway and if there was any doubt in Mary’s heart then this sign will help her get rid of it for Mary probably knew that Elizabeth was too old to have children, as she was past childbearing age.

            John MacArthur writes about the Greek word relative, “Sungenis (relative) is a non-specific term for a kinswoman or female relative, and the exact relationship between Mary and Elizabeth is not spelled out.  According to Luke’s record of her genealogy (3:23-38), Mary was a descendant of David (v-31) and through him of Judah (v-33).  Elizabeth, on the other hand was a descendant of Aaron (Luke 1:5), and through him Levi (Numbers 26:59).”

(Luke 3:23-38)

“23  Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli, 24  the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, 25  the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, 26  the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, 27  the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, 28  the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, 29  the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30  the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, 31  the son of, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32  the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala, the son of Nahshon, 33  the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34  the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35  the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, 36  the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37  the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, 38  the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.”

(Luke 1:5)

“5 ¶  In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.”

(Numbers 26:59)

59  The name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt. And she bore to Amram Aaron and Moses and Miriam their sister.”

            “The shocking news (introduced by the exclamation, behold), which Mary was undoubtedly hearing for the first time, was that her kinswoman had conceived a son in her old age.  Mary was well aware that Elizabeth was barren,” (something I was asking about earlier), “and past childbearing age.  She must have been amazed and overjoyed to hear that she who was scornfully, derisively called barren (cf. 1:25; Gen. 30:22-23; 1 Sam. 1:6) was now in her sixth month of pregnancy.”  Now the verse list above speaks of those women who could not but then did have children. 

            “The miracle that occurred for Elizabeth was one of conception in old age, not the virgin conception that Mary would experience.  Nevertheless, Elizabeth’s conception was a sign for God to Mary that He was still able to perform miracles, that He could do the humanly impossible (cf. Jer. 32:17, 27; Matt. 19:26).  God gave the sign, not because Mary doubted the angel’s words, but to provide an anchor (cf. Heb. 6:19) for her faith.”

(cf. Jer. 32:17, 27; Matt. 19:26)

“17  ’Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.”

“27  "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?”

“26  But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’”

(cf. Heb. 6:19)

“19  We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain,”

Spiritual Meaning for My Life Today:  I remember years ago on the day before we had to take our 18 month son to the hospital to get an operation on his heart, a serious operation.  The day before I was watching a baseball game in which our home team was losing very badly.  It seemed to me that the Lord began to speak in my heart that He was going to give me a sign, to which I said that I really did not need a sign because I was trusting Him for the outcome.  In an amazing way our team came back in an unbelievable way to win.  That was a long time ago as our son is now 57 years old and has three children of his own, one in college.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  To trust the Lord in a difficult situation that my wife is going through, trusting that the Lord’s will, will be done, and the grace to be given to us as we go through this very difficult situation.

3/7/2026 9:59 AM

“God’s Strategy” (Luke 1:35)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/6/2026 7:46AM

My Worship Time                                                                                     Focus: “God’s Strategy”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                       Reference:  Luke 1:35

            Message of the verse: “The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.”

            We know from the previous verse that Mary wanted to know what exactly was going to happen to her. Gabriel told her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you.”  There is no doubt that the Holy Spirit plays a prominent role in Luke’s narrative of the Lord’s birth as seen in Luke 1:15, 41, 67; 2:25-27.  The Holy Spirit would also be the power source throughout  His earthly life and ministry as seen in Luke 3:221-22; Matthew 3:13-17; and John 1:32-34.  MacArthur writes: That the Holy Spirit would be involved in the creative miracle of the conception of the God-man is not surprising, since He is God and was involved in the creation of the world.  When ‘the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep,…the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters” (Gen. 1:2).  The Holy Spirit, the original agent of creation, would again become an agent of creation, this time in Mary’s womb.  There is not the slightest suggestion in this text or anywhere else in Scripture of human sexual activity involved in the conception of the Lord Jesus Christ.”  That my fellow blog readers helps me to understand the conception of the God-man Jesus Christ.

            “Restarting the profound reality of the Spirit’s involvement to underscore its significance, Gabriel said to Mary, The power of the Most High will overshadow you.  The familiar Old Testament title Most High (Heb. El Elyon) depicts God as the sovereign, omnipotent ruler of heaven and earth.  The God who made and upholds the universe (Ps. 104:30; Col. 1:16-17) through His Spirit (Job 33:4) would create life in Mary’s womb.”

(Ps. 104:30; Col. 1:16-17)

“30  When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.”

“16  For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17  And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

(Job 33:4)

“4  The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”

            “The verb translated will overshadow (episkiazo) is also used in the accounts of the transfiguration (Matt. 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:34) when the glory cloud descended on Peter, James, and John.  It means ‘to surround,” ‘to encompass,’ or in a metaphorical sense, ‘to influence.’  The creative influence of the Spirit of God would overshadow Mary to produce a child in her womb.”

            Now the divine creative miracle guaranteed that there will be two things that would be true of Mary’s Son.  First, He would be a holy Child, which would be unlike any other infant ever born.  Everyone who has ever lived, with the sole exception of the Lord Jesus Christ, has been born a sinner (Job 15:14; 25:4; Eccles. 7:20; Isa. 53:6; Rom. 5:12; Gal. 3:22; cf. Gen. 3:6-13). 

(Genesis 3:6-13)

“6 ¶  So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7  Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. 8  And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.  9 ¶  But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?" 10  And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself." 11 ¶  He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" 12  The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate." 13  Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate.’”

David illustrated that truth when he wrote, “I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me” (Ps. 51:5).  David was not saying that he was an illegitimate child, but that from the time of his conception he was a sinner.  But Christ has always been the sinless Son of God (2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 7:26; 1 Peter 1:19; 2:22; 1 John 3:5; cf. John 8:46)

            MacArthur goes on to write “Some have erroneously suggested the reason that Jesus was sinless was that He had no human father.  But there is no biblical evidence that the sin nature is passed on genetically only through the father.  All men and women are born sinners because ‘in Adam all die’ (1 Cor. 15:22), since ‘through the one man’s [Adam’s] disobedience the many were made sinners’ (Rom. 5:19).  In a manner beyond human comprehension, Jesus was fully human, yet completely sinless from conception.  The explanation of how that could be is shrouded in the unfathomable mystery of the incarnation.      

            “Jesus had to be the perfectly holy Son of God because His nature is that of the Holy One Himself, God the Father.  That rich title is uniquely appropriate for Him, and Jesus Himself 22:70; cf. 2:49; 10:22), God the Father (3:22; 9:35), Satan 4:3, 9), the demons (4:41; 8:28), and Paul (Acts 9:20; 13:33) all applied it to Him.  The title has profound implications concerning the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. John 1:49; 3:18; Rom. 1:4; 1 John 5:20). Here, however, the term is used in a more restricted sense, signifying that Jesus is by nature the Son of God manifested in human flesh.  In the words of the writer of Hebrews, Christ ‘is the radiance of [God’s] glory and the exact representation of His nature’ (1:3; John 1:14; Phil. 2:6).”

3/6/2026 8:26 PM

“Mary’s Supplication” (Luke 1:34)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/6/2026 9:46 AM

My Worship Time                                                                            Focus: “Mary’s Supplication”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                       Reference:  Luke 1:34

            Message of the verse:  “Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”

            This morning’s SD will be a rather short one as we will just look at this verse this morning. 

            Mary heard this astonishing announcement from the angel Gabriel, the angel of God that she was to be the mother of the long-awaited Messiah (1:30-33), and this left Mary shaken and confused (cf. vs 29).

(1:30-33)

“30  And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32  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, 33  and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’”

“29  But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.”

Mary was overwhelmed by the implications of his announcement, and wondering how it would be practically implemented, Mary asked Gabriel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”  Mary knew that no woman had ever given birth to a child without being impregnated by a man, and so she thought what the angel said was inconceivable.  MacArthur adds “But Mary’s question did not reflect doubt or incredulity (unlike Zachariahs’s [1:18-20]).; she believed what the angel told her, but did not understand how it could happen.”

            MacArthur concludes this very short section by writing: “It must be remembered that miracles were extremely rare in history, as the record of the Old Testament shows.  By Mary’s day there had been no divine revelation or miracles for four centuries.  No one had seen an angel during that time either, until Gabriel’s appearance to Zacharias which Mary probably did not know about since the angel had to tell her about Elizabeth’s pregnancy [v. 36]) a few months earlier Mary realized that the angel did not mean that she would become pregnant naturally, after she consummated her marriage to Joseph.  She understood that he was saying she would become pregnant while she was still a virgin; her question was not an expression of doubt, but a request for an explanation of the means for that impossibility.”

            Now as I look ahead in this chapter, and into chapter two after Jesus was born, and when His mother and father took Him to be circumcised we will see that there were two people who knew that it would be time for the Messiah to be born.  Now the reason that they had a good idea of when the Messiah was to be born was from the great prophecy found in the ninth chapter of Daniel.  I like to explain this prophecy by looking at a giant stopwatch which began at a certain time and ended when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey found in the 19^th chapter of Luke.  The prophecy is for 490 years and it is broken up into different parts and at the end of the first part. “25  Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time.”  Seven weeks means 49 years and the sixty-two means 434 years for a total of 483 years.  So to sum it up after the 49 years there would be nothing coming to Israel generated by a prophet as all was silent.  After the 481 years were done, which happened when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a colt, a young donkey it would stop again awaiting the time of the beginning of the tribulation period for the antichrist to begin this last seven years of this prophecy.  At the end of that time, as seen in Revelation 19 the Lord Jesus Christ will return with His saints to stop the battle of Armageddon. 

Spiritual Meaning for My life Today:  Just as the birth of Jesus Christ happened like it was prophesied, so will the rapture, which ends the church age, along with the second coming will all happen just as the Bible tells us it will.  I can take comfort in this, awaiting the rapture of the church to take me and all other saints to the clouds where the Lord will be there to take us all into heaven.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I want to make sure that as I write these Spiritual Diaries that the truth is given out to all of those around the world who read them that the Holy Spirit will use them for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.

3/6/2026 10:20 AM

PT-2 Intro to “The Virgin Birth: A Divine Miracle” (Luke 1:34-38)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/5/2026 8:14 AM

My Worship Time                             Focus: PT-2 Intro to “The Virgin Birth: A Divine Miracle”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 1:34-38

            Message of the verses:  34  And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35  And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36  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. 37  For nothing will be impossible with God." 38  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.” (ESV)

            I begin where I left off this morning:  “Highlighting the crucial, indispensable role of the doctrine of the virgin birth John M. Frame writes:

“The consistency of this doctrine with other Christian truth is important to its usefulness and, indeed, to its credibility.  For Matthew and Luke the chief importance of the event seems to be that it calls to mind (as a ‘sign,’ Isa. 7:14) the great OT promises of salvation through supernaturally born deliverers, while going far beyond them, showing that God’s final deliverance has come.  But one can also go beyond the specific concerns of Matthew and Luke and see that the virgin birth is fully consistent with the whole range of biblical doctrine.  For example, the virgin birth is important because of : (1) The doctrine of Scripture.  If Scripture errs here, then why should we trust its claims about other supernatural events, such as the resurrection? (2) The deity of Christ.  While we cannot say dogmatically that God could enter the world only through a virgin birth, surely the incarnation is a supernatural event if it is anything.  To eliminate the supernatural from this event is inevitably to compromise the divine dimension of it. (3) The humanity of Christ.  This was the important thing to Ignatius and the 2d-century fathers. Jesus was really born; he really became one of us. (4) The nature of grace.  The birth of Christ, in which the initiative and power are all of God, is an apt picture of God’s saving grace in general of which is a part.  It teaches us that salvation is by God’s act, not our human effort.  The birth of Jesus is like our new birth, which is also by the Holy Spirit; it is a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17).  (‘Virgin Birth of Jesus,’ in The Concise Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, ed.  Walter A. Elwell, abridged by Peter Toon [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1991], 540, emphasis in original.)

            Now if you want to look more into this subject you can see John MacArthur’s book Nothing But The Truth.

            “Though fully revealed in the New Testament, the virgin birth is foreshadowed in the Old.  In Genesis 3:15, God declared that the seed of the woman (Christ) would crush Satan’s head.  Psalm 2 predicts that at a specific time (‘today’; v. 7) the eternal second person of the Trinity would be born into the world.  The only way for that to happen, as previously noted, would be through a virgin birth.  Isaiah 7:14 records the startling prediction that ‘a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel’ (God with us’ [Matthew 1:23]). Some translations render the Hebrew word alma (‘virgin’) ‘young woman.’  But the common, everyday occurrences of a young woman becoming pregnant in the normal manner could hardly constitute the sign from the Lord promised earlier in verse 14.  Further, ‘There is no instance where it can be proved that alma designates a young woman who is not a virgin’ (R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke, eds., The Theological Workbook of the Old Testament [Chicago:  Moody, 1980] s. v., ‘alma’).  Noted Old Testament scholar Edward J. Young agrees: ‘We may confidently assert that the word’ almah is never employed of a married woman’ (The Book of Isaiah [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1985], 1:287).  Matthew’s inspired translation of Isaiah’s prophecy places the issue beyond doubt; it translates alma using the Greek word parthenos, which can only mean ‘virgin’ (Matt. 1:23; cf. 1 Cor. 7:28, 34, 36-38; 2 Cor. 11:2)  The Septuagint (an ancient translation of the Old Testament into Greek) also uses parthenos to translate alma.

            “Despite the virgin birth’s solid biblical foundation, there have always been false teachers, purveyors of ‘doctrines of demons’ (1 Tim. 4:1) who, for the purpose of rejecting the deity of Jesus, deny it.  In John 8:41, the Jewish leaders scornfully said to Jesus, ‘We were not born of fornication,’ thus implying that He was.  Later Jewish writings propagated the blasphemous lie that Jesus’ real father was a Roman soldier who slept with Mary.  Others throughout history have maintained that Jesus was the natural son of Joseph and Mary, ignoring the Bible’s explicit statement that Joseph ‘kept [Mary] a virgin until she gave birth to a Son (Matt. 1:25).  The biblical evidence clearly gives the lie to any teaching that denies the virgin birth.

            “This passage may be summarized under five points:  Mary’s supplication, God’s strategy, God’s sign, God’s sovereignty, and Mary’s submission.”

3/5/2026 8:54 PM