“How can this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, seeing I am a virgin?”Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?And Mary said unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
11 sermons cite this verse
… between Zacharias and hers, verse 34. How will this be, Mary asked. The angel said, asked the angel, since I am a virgin. And the angel answered, the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. so the holy one to be born will be called the son of God. Even Elizabeth, your relative, is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. I wanna pause right there. She who is besaid that she's unable to conceive. I wanna tell you today that I believe that God can get any couple pregnant because he has the power to give. Children are a gift from the Lord. Come on, clap if you believe it today. That what is impossible for man, y'all better get some faith today. What's impossible for man is possible for God. And they said it was impossible for your relative Elizabeth. She's about to have a child. …
… I want to ask that you'll stand to your feet. Luke chapter 1, verse 34 and 35. Thank you, Pastor Heis. Just me and you. We all we got. Thank you. Amen. That's job security. Luke chapter 1, verse 34 and 35. Amen. Amen. Glad to have Pastor Lillian and Chip Owens with us today. Thank you so very much. Let that be the last time you sit there. Thank you so very much. Luke chapter 1, verse 34 and 35. Won't you find it? Won't you say, I got it? If you can't find it, say, Lord, help me. Amen. Amen. Luke chapter 1, verse 34 and 35. I don't know how y'all feel about it. I'm ready for this year to be over. It's been a lot taking place in 2025. How many of y'all need 26 to just come on? Just come on already. Amen. New Year's Eve is going to be absolutely amazing. You ought to be with us in one of those two services, either at 12 noon or at 10 p.m. Luke chapter 1 verse 34 and 35. Amen. Let's read it together aloud. …
… and he's announced to her that she's going to give birth to the Son of God. And we're going to start reading right there in verse 34. Mary asked the angel, but how can this happen? I am a virgin. And the angel replied, the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy and he will be called the Son of God. What's more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age. People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month, for no word from God will ever fail. Mary replied, I am the Lord's servant. May everything that you have said about me come true. And then the angel left her. A few days later, Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea to the town where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary's greeting, Elizabeth's child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. …
… Okay? And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a son. and watch the symmetry, the connection between this and Luke 17. Look at this. And you will conceive in your womb and bring forth the Son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord will give him the throne of his father David. Watch the kingdom language. And he will, say that word, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. Now, stop. This is what God is saying he is going to put in her. We focus, rightfully so, on what he put in her, but sometimes we miss the fact that he put it in her. Are you hearing me? Mary wants to show us how to receive something. Mary wants to show us how to have an empire within us, but not let it stay in us. She wants to show us how to birth what God puts in us so powerful things can happen in the earth. …
He will reign. How will this be, Mary asked the angel. Since I am a virgin, the angel answered, the Holy Spirit will come on you and the power of the most high will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth, your relative, is going to have a child in her old age, and she who is said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. I love that. That's watching God work. People said, oh, Elizabeth was barren. Elizabeth wouldn't ever be able to conceive, but I love this, watching God work. It says right here that she was. So for no word from God will ever fail. I love that. Other translations say that nothing with God is impossible. You'll hear us say this around here at Zoe, that if God is here, anything is possible. And if God is with you, if the Bible is true and says that God is with you, anything is possible in your workplace, anything is possible in your home, anything is possible with your finances, anything is possible with your calling, anything is possible if God is with you. …
… no, here's the answer to your clarifying question, and Mary saying, behold, I'm the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your will. I don't know how much time passed in that moment. I don't know how much she had to reflect on this, or how much she had to process this, how much time she needed. But right now, you and I don't need any time. We just need to give our answer. We don't have to wait. God's grace has already been given. all we have to do is say yes. You know, this feast, this Immaculate Conception, is not about Mary being special. It's about God's determination to save us. It's about his ability to reach deeper than sin, reach deeper than brokenness, reach deeper than death. And he can heal before something even breaks. And that means that he can restore everything after it's broken. There's no need to wait. God's grace is greater. Sin does not have the last word. …
And Mary said to the angel, how will this be since I am a virgin? 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. 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, for nothing will be impossible with God. 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. I went to Food Lion late Friday night because our family goes to the grocery store about 15 times a week. I am not joking. And I was hustling to get a few essential things, probably chips and cheese. My daily bread. when I was interrupted in my thoughts by a voice from the loudspeaker. Attention, Food Lion shoppers. I thought, what did I win? …
… so that your prayer and your heart are pointed in the right direction. Luke chapter 1, verse 34 and 35. Luke chapter 1, verse 34 and 35. Once you've found it, won't you say, I got it? If you can't find it, say, Lord, help me. Amen. It's right there on the screen. It's right there. Amen. Like you carrying a black Bible in your hand. It's right there. Luke chapter 1, verse 34 and 35. Let's read together with uplifted voices. Come on, everybody. everybody. How will this be?" Mary asked the angel, since I am a virgin. The angel answered, The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will be shed. The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will be shed. Bless the Lord. You may be seated in the presence of the Lord. How will this be? Mary asked the angel, since I am a virgin. The angel answered, the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. …
… the dead, but all that is for naught without the virgin conception of Jesus. And we see this in the gospel of Luke. Luke 1, 34. How will this be, Mary asked the angel, since I am a virgin? And the angel answered, the Holy Spirit will come on you. And man, this just gives me chills just to read this line. And the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One will be born, to be born will be called what? Son of God. Now Jesus used primarily son of man, but right now we want to see that he's fully man and fully God. This virgin now is going to be overwhelmed by the presence of God and it is God who's going to conceive the baby in her womb. Son of God. but then we see in Luke 2, we're going to get to all hear this at the Christmas gathering. In those days, say it with me, you know it, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken in the entire Roman world. And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth, we're going to come back there in just a minute, in Galilee, that's up in the north, to Judea, to Bethlehem, the town of David. Why? Because he belonged to the house in the line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him, not yet, and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for …
… a woman changed the world. Now watch this. She hears all that, and verse 34 says, How will this be? Mary asked the angel, Since I am a virgin. And the angel answered, The Holy Spirit will come on you. The power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth, your relative, is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. Watch God do stuff that people said he couldn't do. Watch God do stuff that people said he couldn't do. She who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month for no word from God will ever fail. Well, since you put it like that, I am the Lord's servant, Mary answered, may your word to me be fulfilled. Then the angel left her. And at that time, Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. Last verse. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. All right. Now I'm going to give you your title. …
… There will be no end. Then Mary said to the angel, how can this be since I do not know a man? 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 the holy one who is to be born will be called the son of God. Now, indeed, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age. And this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God, nothing will be impossible. For with God, nothing will be impossible. That feels good to me. And for with God, nothing will be impossible. Then Mary said, behold the maidservant of the Lord, let it be to me according to your word. And the angel departed from her. Do me a favor, be a preacher for a moment and find a neighbor next to you and tell him, neighbor, oh neighbor, God is up to something. You may be seated in the presence of the Lord. …