Erlo Stegen emphasizes the significance of the virgin birth of Jesus, highlighting that while all humans are born in sin, Jesus was born without sin, making Him the only one capable of defeating Satan. He reflects on Mary's unique character, her purity, and her acceptance of God's plan, contrasting her life with the moral decline seen in many today. The sermon calls for self-examination, urging listeners to consider if they, like Mary, are living a life that is pleasing to God and whether they are highly favored in His eyes. Stegen also points out the role of angels as ministering spirits and encourages young women to aspire to the virtues exemplified by Mary.

Summary of sermon by Erlo Stegen, 02 Feb 2014 Luke 1 26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. 36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing shall be impossible. 38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. This celebration is not for our honour but His honour - He who is spotless and sinless. From the time of Adam no one was born as He was. David acknowledged that he was born in sin. All of us were born in sin. Even Mary was born in sin, even though some deny it. But Jesus was born without sin, unlike us. Only He could defeat the power of satan, for He is the spotless Son of God. The Bible explicitly states how He was born, that we may know that He was not born as we are. That's why we celebrate the way in which He was born. He who is God Himself. The mysteries the Bible reveals is wonderful regarding His birth. God commanded the angel Gabriel to bring these glad tidings to Mary, a pure virgin. When he met her he greeted her as favored and blessed among women. But she marveled at him and his greeting. Mary asked Gabriel, the chief angel, how this would be possible, and he answered her that the Holy Spirit would come over her and the power of the Most High overshadow her. She was satisfied and accepted it out of God's hand. Mary was a special girl unlike most of the girls today. She was concerned about the things of God. She wasn't imitating the world but had no time for worldly pleasures, neither desired them. Few girls could have been greeted as she was for most are immoral and live for the pleasures of the world. Do you grasp these wondrous words spoken to her? We might not have seen angels but Mary saw him. We read in the Bible of many men and women of God who had seen angels. The Bible says a lot about angels. We're told they are ministering spirits for God unto the saints, protecting His saints (Hebrews 1:14). There are very few girls who live the life Mary had been living. How about you, young girl, do you take after Mary? Neither Mary nor Joseph were wealthy. What radiates from your life? With some it's evil talk. Can Jesus be born in you through the life you are living? Mary and Joseph lived another type of life. It wasn't normal for young people of their generation to bear children out of wedlock. Remember the Samaritan woman who went at noon to draw water alone. She was an outcast because of her immoral lifestyle. Girls who kept themselves pure went in a group and in the morning. Pure girls didn't want to associate with her. However although Mary was so upright and favoured, yet she was not sinless. She was also born in sin. Are you highly favoured before God? Are your children following the Lord?