According to Luke 1:26-38, the birth of Christ was carried out through Mary's surrender. Here I would say a word to the young people. It was not easy for a young virgin like Mary to accept the commission to conceive a child. If I had been she, I would have said, "Lord, if You would ask me to do anything other than this, I would do it. But You ask me to conceive a child! This is not humanly possible; it is neither moral nor ethical. I can't do it!" For us to read this record is easy. However, suppose a young sister among us were to receive such a commission tonight. Could she accept it? This is not an insignificant matter. Mary might have said, "Gabriel, don't you know that I am espoused to a man already? How can I conceive a child?" Who among us would accept such a commission? If an angel spoke such a word to you, could you accept it?
After listening to the angel, Mary said, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word" (Luke 1:38). This may appear simple, but the price was extremely high. To bring forth Christ Mary paid a very high price—the cost of her whole being. It is not easy to bring forth Christ; it is not cheap. If we would bring forth Christ, we must pay a price. Mary did.
Joseph reacted immediately, planning that he would put Mary away secretly (Matt. 1:19). Thus, Mary was in trouble. I assure you, whenever you accept the commission to bring forth Christ, you will find yourself in trouble. All the angels will understand you, but not one human being will understand. Do not expect anyone to be like the angel Gabriel. Everyone will misunderstand you. In fact, the person closest to you may misunderstand you the most. Nevertheless, in large measure, the birth of Christ was accomplished through Mary's surrender.
However, Mary's surrender was not directly related to the conceiving of Jesus. The conceiving of Jesus was directly related to the Holy Spirit (vv. 18, 20; Luke 1:35). Without the Holy Spirit, Mary's surrender would have meant nothing. No matter how much we may surrender, without the power of the Holy Spirit our surrender means nothing. Do not estimate your surrender too highly. Our surrender means little; it simply affords the opportunity for the Holy Spirit's power to come into us and accomplish something.
Although there was the sovereignty of God, the surrender of Mary, and the power of the Holy Spirit, there was the need of Joseph's obedience and coordination (Matt. 1:19-21, 24-25). What would have happened if Joseph had insisted on a divorce? He was planning this. However, he was the person selected by God for the birth of Christ. Therefore, he was not so rough and quick; rather, he was considerate and thoughtful. Because at that time Joseph was a young man, I would take this opportunity to say a word to the young people: Do not make decisions too fast or act too quickly. Be a little slow and give the Lord a chance to come in. At least, give the matter another night. During that night, the angel may come and speak to you. This happened to Joseph. While he thought on these things, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream (v. 20). Joseph obeyed the word of the angel.
Suppose you were engaged to a young girl and discovered that she was with child. Would you still take her? To take such a woman would surely be a shame. Therefore, not only Mary paid a price, but Joseph also paid a price. The bringing forth of Christ cost him a great deal, for it caused him to suffer shame.
The points we have covered thus far in this message are merely some minor points. We come now to the major points.