Luke 1:26–33 NLT—“26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, ‘Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!’ 29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 ‘Don’t be afraid, Mary,’ the angel told her, ‘for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!’ ”

Luke 2:9–11 NLT—“9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. ‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said. ‘I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!’ ”

1. Prepare for it.

• John the Baptist was the symbol of preparation.
  • Luke 1:76 NLT—“76 And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord.”
  • Someone would always go in front of a king yelling “Prepare the way!”
  • Villages were cleaned up, cities would put on their best face, mountains would be leveled, and valleys were raised up, all to make a way for the king.
• Application
  • As you are preparing for Christmas, think about how you are preparing your heart for Jesus to come back again.
  • Are you ready? Pull down the mountains, fill in the valleys, clean up your heart, and lift up your eyes.
  • Part of preparation is getting your anticipation up. Get excited about what God is about to do in the earth!

2. Receive it.

• God’s plan is always received with mixed reviews.
  • Elizabeth rejoiced: Luke 1:41–44 NLT—“41 At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, ‘God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. 43 Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? 44 When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy.’ ”
  • Herod wanted Him dead: Matthew 2:16 NLT—“16 Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance.”
• Application
  • Are you open to what God wants to do in the earth? In you? God wants to do great things for you! Stay open and receive with gladness what He is doing.

3. Declare it.

• God always uses people to declare what He is doing.
  • Luke 2:16–18 NLT—“16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished.”
• Practical application
  • Be a constant witness of what God has done, is doing, and will do.