The angel Gabriel startled Mary with this glorious gospel announcement.
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 name Him Jesus. 32 "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; 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 His kingdom will have no end." Luke 1:30-33 (NASB)
God profoundly interrupted and complicated Mary’s life. He put her in the then almost unbearable situation of being pregnant without having married. What would her fiance Joseph say? What would he think? What would he do? What would her family and friends think? Mary exhibited extraordinary courage and trust in God by saying yes to him and carrying God’s own Son.
Later, the angel proclaimed to Joseph in a dream.
... “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:20-21 (NLT)
We learn from this that when we say yes to God, he handles those who will be affected. Our obedience impacts others, but God’s grace extends to them as well.
After Jesus’ birth, an angel appeared to shepherds in a field outside Bethlehem and made this bold proclamation.
..."Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:10-11 (NASB)
Each of these three pronouncements or proclamations contains key elements of the gospel. Jesus is the promised Messiah King of Israel – the Lord. He will save God’s people from their sins as Savior. The angel combined both ideas in his announcement to the shepherds: Jesus will be a Savior who is Christ (Messiah) the Lord.
Many years later, when Jesus officially announced his public ministry in Nazareth, his boyhood home, he did so by quoting one of the great freedom proclamations of Isaiah the prophet.
“The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, 19 and that the time of the LORD’s favor has come.” Luke 4:18-19 (NLT)
Jesus understood that his purpose in life, death, and resurrection was to be the Savior King of Israel who would free people from the power of sin, Satan, death, disease, and everything else that holds them in bondage.
After the resurrection, when Peter made the first gospel proclamation of the church era, he fearlessly and boldly announced to the city that had recently put Jesus to death that the risen one is both Lord and Savior.
“So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!” Acts 2:36 (NLT) The gospel is a bold proclamation that Jesus is the promised Messiah King, the Lord, who died to liberate us from the tyranny of sin and death.
It includes a call to action. The gospel invites us to believe the good news that Jesus died for us and rose again. It calls us to repent from our rebellious death-filled ways, accept God’s forgiveness, and publicly declare our lifelong allegiance to Jesus through water baptism.
The gospel proclamation of freedom becomes effective in our lives when we respond to it. A bold public gospel deserves an equally bold public response, followed by a life of loving service.
