Advent Series 2023.

David John Winter

Advent 2023 • Sermon • Submitted 4 months ago • Presented 5 months ago

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This is the third in our series on Advent from Luke's Gospel.

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Transcript

My Soul Magnifies The Lord .

Luke 1:46–56 ESV

And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.

It’s highly likely that Mary was brought up in a godly home and was well-verses in Scripture.

It’s also inevitable that the combined effect of the visit that she had from the angel Gabriel and the prophetic cry of Elizabeth when she arrived to visit, probably confirmed in Mary’s mind that what was happening to her, happening in her own body, was the fulfilment of so many of those Scriptures which she as a faithful Messianic-believing Jew was familiar.

Verses like Micah 5:2

Micah 5:2 ESV

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.

But she was not from Bethlehem and was not thinking of visiting down South anytime soon! - She could and would not have ever thought of putting her name to the fulfilment of this Scripture! How could she?

Mary knew she was going to have a child but she did not know, how God would work everything out for her!

A hymn called, “Mary did you know” has become very popular, due mainly to the popularity of Pentatonix, though it was written by Mark Lowry, Buddy Greene, William Barclay, Wayne Buchanan, Courick Clarke and Savory. The song asks:

Mary did you know That your baby boy Would one day walk on water? Mary did you know That your baby boy Would save our sons and daughters? Did you know That your baby boy Has come to make you new? This child that you've delivered Will soon deliver you

Mary did you know That your baby boy Would give sight to a blind man? Mary did you know Your baby boy Would calm a storm with his hand? Did you know That your baby boy Has walked where angels trod? When your kiss your little baby You've kissed the face of God

The blind will see The deaf will hear The dead will live again The lame will leap The dumb will speak The praises of the lamb

Mary did you know That your baby boy Is Lord of all creation? Mary did you know That your baby boy Would one day rule the nations? Did you know That your baby boy Is Heaven's perfect Lamb? This sleeping child you're holding Is the great I am

There was undoubtely lots that Mary did know - she had been told that her child would be conceived via a miracle of the Holy Spirit of God. That, Joseph, her betrothed, would not be the father of the child (Matt. 1:18–25;Heb 10:5), which would leave a doubt in the local population as to his legitimacy(see John 8:41). That the baby born to her would be a “holy thing” and would not share our sinful human nature (see 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22; 1 John 3:5).

And these things she treasured - “she pondered in her heart”(Luke 2:19)

but there was an awful lot that she did not know! However, she had faith and what she did know caused her to sing a song that we call THE MAGNIFICAT which is Latin for the word MAGNIFY!

I. Mary made GOD BIGGER in her heart!

There was a lot that Mary did not know, but what she did know was that God was in Sovereign control of all things and that He willed good to her and to His people!

Luke who recorded her story has as his key message is, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). He presents Jesus Christ as the compassionate Son of Man, who came to live among sinners, love them, help them, and die for them.

This was the reason Mary praised God, because through her womb, God would send His Son to save the Lost! So, she praised him - magnifying God as an habitual act (Mary keeps on magnifying the Lord), and she ‘rejoiced’(Grk: aorist points to a special act of rejoicing),

when the angel Gabriel brought the message to her, it left her in a state of exultation! - “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

Mary had no idea how everything would turn out - she was potentially facing a life-ending event in which she could easily be stoned to death for adultery if things turned out badly; if Joseph rejected her story and abandoned her to the mob!

Yet, Mary believed God! She had no idea how things would turn out but what she did know was that, “nothing is impossible with God.”(Luke 1:37). This has echoes of Hannah’s song in 1 Samuel 2, words which Hannah prayed when she had become the mother of Samuel, which also moved on to see the eternal significance of it all in exalting in God’s name both in the judgment of the wicked and the salvation of those who trust in Him!

So, she answered with total readiness to obey God as her “saviour” - showing that Mary recognized her need, as a sinner like any other person - and submit to the will of God, “Behold, I am the servant (Grk: doule = slave girl) of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her”(Luke 1:38).

LESSON - It is OK to not know every detail of HOW or WHAT God will do what He has promised us in the future; it is enough to know that HE WILL do it! We can, like Mary trust His promise and we can believe , as Mary did, “nothing is impossible with God.”(Luke 1:37).

This is why Mary MAGNIFIED the Lord which means she got a BIGGER and BIGGER view of God, than she ever had before! - “Oh magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together”!

Mary was “blessed” and deserves to be called “blessed” by “all generations”! Why? Not because she was sinless; not because she at this point became co-redemptrix or a blesser to whom we pray, but because God honoured her to be the vehicle by whom the Christ child; the Saviour of the world, came to earth to save us from our sins! - “She had God’s grace and presence (v. 28) in unique measure, but not in measure that lifted her up for eternal praise and worship. Mary’s blessing came not from who she was or would become. Mary’s blessing came from the holy baby whom she carried in her womb. This blessed child placed Mary in the position of blessing…She believed God’s promise. She expected God to accomplish what he said he would do. Faith brings blessing….Mary praised God for his great acts for her. Her praise included two actions: giving glory to God and rejoicing in the presence and actions of God. The Lord had looked down on Mary with loving care. He saw the low economic and social state in which she lived…God had placed her in a state of blessing. Because of her son, humiliation would disappear. From now on throughout all history people would recognize who she was and the state of blessing she occupied. She did nothing to earn or deserve this. The almighty God had caused it with his mighty acts. So praise him. Call him holy.”(Trent Butler : Luke).

Mary had learned that God was faithful and trusted him even though she didn’t fully understand. Even today, as we struggle with issues of life, especially for those who struggle with the possibilities and impossibilities of what God can, can’t, will or won’t do, God is still God. Even when we don’t get it, even when we don’t understand, God is still God.

This trust in the sovereign purposes of God never left her.

She “pondered these things in her heart” and later, at the Wedding in Cana, she had no solution for the empty wineskins; and no solution for the soon to be embarrassed hosts, except to go to Jesus and to say to the servants, “whatever He says to you, do it!”(John 2).

This humble, faith-failed girl, not yet a woman is overwhelmed by the generous grace of God - “ for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.” - Notwithstanding her, rural, northern origins; this ordinary country-bumpkin would introduce to the world; it’s Saviour.

Like Mary, let our hearts be MAGNIFIED this Advent! God sometimes surprises us with the most amazing of blessings. And when he does, let our hearts GROW BIG, like the Grinch!

Do you remember how the Grinch spent his day on the eve of Christmas? - “4:00, wallow in self-pity. 4:30, stare into the abyss. 5:00, solve world hunger, tell no one. 5:30, jazzercize; 6:30, dinner with me. I can't cancel that again. 7:00, wrestle with my self-loathing. I'm booked. Of course, if I bump the loathing to 9, I could still be done in time to lay in bed, stare at the ceiling and slip slowly into madness." — The Grinch

But then after he stole Christmas Dr Suess’ poem tells us: “So he paused. And the Grinch put his hand to his ear. And he did hear a sound rising over the snow.” And then it dawned on him:

“It started in low. Then it started to grow. But the sound wasn't sad! Why, this sound sounded merry! It couldn't be so! But it WAS merry! VERY! He stared down at Whoville! The Grinch popped his eyes! Then he shook! What he saw was a shocking surprise! Every Who down in Whoville, the tall and the small, Was singing! Without any presents at all! He HADN'T stopped Christmas from coming! IT CAME! Somehow or other, it came just the same! And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow, Stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so?" "It came with out ribbons! It came without tags!" "It came without packages, boxes or bags!" And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! "Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store." "Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!" And what happened then? Well...in Whoville they say, That the Grinch's small heart Grew three sizes that day! And the minute his heart didn't feel quite so tight, He whizzed with his load through the bright morning light, And he brought back the toys! And the food for the feast! And he, HE HIMSELF! The Grinch carved the roast beast!”

When the Grinch understood the blessing fo Christmas, his “small heart Grew three sizes that day!” It was MAGNIFIED! Just like Mary’s!

And let this Christmas our hearts be MAGNIFIED as we recount the gracious and wonderful things He has done for us, in Christ Jesus our Lord!

II. Mary made GOD BIGGER in the World!

I am not suggesting that God needs our help here!

Indeed Mary knew that God was doing something quite extraordinary that would make a difference not just in her lifs and family but it would make a earth-shattering difference to Israel and to the whole world - “And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

We have already referenced, Mary’s “low-estate” but here her song speaks of a GLORIOUS REVOLUTION in which the natural order of thigns would be turned on its head , the mighty humbled whilst the poor and downtrodden are raised up. Indeed this song is a song of salvation, with political, economic, and social dimensions that cannot be blunted. It is so revolutionary that the government of Guatemala in the 1980s, recognised the subversive nature of the song— that God is especially concerned for the poor— to be so dangerous and revolutionary that it banned any public recitation of Mary’s words.

God will show mercy in delivering His people Israel in fulfilment of the promise made to Abraham but he will go beyond the nation of Israel for the promise to Abraham was that :all the nations of the earth would be blessed” (Gen 22:18) through him.

God’s mercy will be revealed for the salvation of the world, through Mary’s Son, Jesus! As the hymnwirter said:

Child in the manger, infant of Mary; outcast and stranger, Lord of all; Child who inherits all our transgressions, all our demerits on Him fall.

Once the most holy Child of salvation gently and lowly lived below; now as our glorious mighty Redeemer, see Him victorious o'er each foe.

Prophets foretold Him, infant of wonder; angels behold Him on His throne; worthy our Saviour of all our praises; happy forever are His own.”

“Happy forever, are His own!”

We who are just ordinary people, are part of God’s Kingdom not by merit; not by deserving but by grace! “Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”(1 Cor 1:26-31).

God has filled the hungry - the spiritually hungry; those with longing hearts - with good things and scattered the proud and brought down the powerful.

Jesus is the answer to the emptiness and longing in our hearts - “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”(C.S. Lewis: Mere Christianity).

Mary became the vehicle; her womb, THE MATRIX through which God invaded our World and brought His Kingdom Peace to the earth by providing us with a Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ!

Every day is a politics day! Those in authority making laws for those of us who must live and obey in this world; sometimes good comes of it; sometimes not, and Governments become self-serving and oppressive with plenty of hugry people left unfed and uncared for!

But whatever our thoughts about politics, ultimately, it isn’t governments or politicians that give meaning and purpose to our lives, it is our response to Mary’s God!

Will we, like her MAGNIFY Him in our hearts? Will we rejoice in His savlation and make it known in the world?

Will we thank Him for his mercy and salvation and choose to live in His way?

Will we sing Mary’s song until the final establishment to God’s rule “on earth as it is in Heaven” becomes a reality at the Second Coming of Jesus!

Every time we pray the Lord’s prayer saying, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven” we are asking God to do something that we cannot! We are asking the God for whom “nothing is impossible” to channel His grace into this world and to save His people from their sins through Jesus, our Lord and Saviour!