(The Greatest Rescue continued)
4: Master Rescuer Appears
The Rescuer is promised
For many years God spoke to His people through prophets—men that served God and heard His voice. They revealed that a rescuer would come and save people from the power of the evil one. The prophecies revealed that the rescuer would be God himself!
For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. —Isaiah 9:6-7 NKJV
Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel (God with us).—Isaiah 7:14 NKJV
Then for 400 years there is no recorded words from God in the Bible. This was the period between the Old and New Testament.
The Rescuer's Family
Finally God begins to speak to His people again about His great rescue plan. The angel Gabriel came with a message to Mary, a young woman in Israel, who was a descendant of King David.
Then 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 bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give 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.”
34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”
35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.
—Luke 1:30-35 NKJV
Mary was pure and had not had sexual relations with a man. God sent His Spirit from Heaven to hover over her, and miraculously she conceived and months later gave birth to Jesus.
Mary had been engaged to Joseph. When he found out she was pregnant he was very upset, because he knew the baby was not his.
18-19 The birth of Jesus took place like this. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they came to the marriage bed, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn't know that.) Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced.
20-23 While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God's angel spoke in the dream: "Joseph, son of David, don't hesitate to get married. Mary's pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God's Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus—'God saves'—because he will save his people from their sins." This would bring the prophet's embryonic sermon to full term: Watch for this—a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son; They will name him Immanuel (Hebrew for "God is with us").
24-25 Then Joseph woke up. He did exactly what God's angel commanded in the dream: He married Mary. But he did not consummate the marriage until she had the baby. He named the baby Jesus. —Matthew 1:18-25 MSG
The Rescuer Is Born
God became flesh when He put on an earth suit. Born in humble surroundings in Israel in the town of Bethlehem, they named him Jesus. Joseph married Mary and became Jesus' step-father. They raised him in the things of God.
So he (Jesus) went back to Nazareth with them(Mary and Joseph), and lived obediently with them. His mother held these things dearly, deep within herself. And Jesus matured, growing up in both body and spirit, blessed by both God and people.
—Luke 2:51-52 NKJV
Jesus grew and was faithful to his parents and to God. He was a blessing to God and to all the people who knew him.
4: Master Rescuer Appears