Expectant Joy
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Intro
Intro
Birth Announcements Illustration
The joy it brings to a family and friends (excited/expecting joy)
This morning there is joy between two mothers who have had miracle pregnancies.
They have shifted from the unexpected blessing of bearing a child (Elizabeth was barren & Mary was a virgin)
to being overcome with expectant joy at receiving the gift of children.
There is a leap of joy in the room.
This morning as we feel the joy,
the celebration,
the excitement of this text,
we will see why this leap of expectant joy has been experienced throughout the ages in all hearts as the fulfillment of the prophets came true that night in the stable.
There is a leap for joy because through the Christmas event we find that all things are possible with God.
Transition: There is a leap for joy in the miracle pregnancies, in the filling of the H.S., in the great reversal of status, and in the faithfulness of God’s spoken Word.
Leap of Joy in the miracles
Leap of Joy in the miracles
Read from BIBLE
But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.
But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.
After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying,
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.”
These miracle pregnancies cause for great Joy because with God nothing is impossible!
Even in this miracle we see expectant joy in John the Baptist
In the womb, John kicked and leaped at Mary’s greeting -
This is a significant moment because John’s mission to prepare the way of the Lord is literally starting as he is in the womb!
John as last prophet
Jesus as fulfillment of all that has been promised and prophesied about in the OT.
WHY DOES THAT MATTER?
These 2 babies are the bridge which brings the spoken promises of God to reality and fulfillment in Jesus.
There is expectant joy in God’s Word becoming flesh for you!
Transition: There is leap for joy in the miracle of conception of our Lord and Saviour because the Holy Spirit is present within them.
Leap of Joy w/the H.S.
Leap of Joy w/the H.S.
And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” (Luke 1:41b-42)
The Holy Spirit filled Elizabeth’s heart which moved her to exclaim with a loud cry (to give proclamation) of blessing to not only Mary, but to the fruit of her womb!
There is a blessing taking place and it’s not from Elizabeth.
The blessing is from God.
The Holy Spirit is at work granting blessing to Mary and Jesus.
There’s a lot packed into this blessing:
This blessing given is fulfilling God’s promise to Abraham in that “All nations will be blessed through him.”
We are a part of this blessing.
Mary is a part of this blessing.
And it is all God’s blessing to us through Jesus.
The fruit of the womb is what makes Mary blessed.
This fruit of Mary’s womb has two levels to it.
The first level is Jesus himself.
He is the fruit - This fruit of the womb is a Saviour, a Redeemer, the One to come down from heaven and become flesh… The long awaited King!
And if this fruit is the Saviour of the world, the true Redeemer, the One to come… the long awaited King....
Then, at a deeper level, we too are the fruit from her womb...
All nations will be blessed through Him
which means that through Christ, through this fruit of Mary’s womb, we are saved and adopted as sons and daughters of God. We are His children...
Through Jesus Christ we are the fruit of God’s mercy and grace.
Transition: Through this blessing from God through Jesus, there is a change in status. There’s this leap for joy in the great reversal that’s taking place through this baby to be born called Immanuel.
Leap of Joy at the Great Reversal
Leap of Joy at the Great Reversal
And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
There is a great reversal between Mary & Elizabeth:
Both are looked upon as lowly/smitten by God
Elizabeth - because of barreness
Mary - Pregnant Virgin out of wedlock
Both are changing places among the status of each other
Elizabeth (the elder) steps aside and raises up Mary
See verse 43
Its a role reversal
There is also a reversal in how the unborn babies are seen
Unborn babies were seen as insignificant because they didn’t contribute to society
We still see that argument today when it comes to the topic of abortion
But we see in our text that not only are these two babies important but they are the focal point of it all… especially Jesus our Saviour.
You see Jesus coming to Earth as a baby is reversing the viewpoint of those in power.
He is revealing the Ones who he has come for to raise up as righteous children of God.
Jesus will enter the world in a lowly state, be born in a manger, not a temple, or palace.
He will enter the world as a carpenter’s son, as an “insignificant baby” with no potential in the eyes of the world around Him.
But that’s the beauty of God. He reverses the status quo.
God will come down to the lowly and raise us up to His Glory through this baby born in a manger.
Our status is reversed in Christ Jesus!
No longer living as poor sinners, condemned to death… seen as insignificant…
NO… We are, through Jesus Christ, significant Children of God.
We are the unrighteous lowly sinners made righteous.
The proud are humbled through Jesus and the humbled are raised up boasting in the Lord Jesus and not ourselves.
Transition: This reversal… this blessing… from God… is given to each one of us as a gift. To those who believe God’s spoken/revealed Word. Who trust and have faith in who God is and what He has done. We leap for joy at Christmas because we are given this mighty and powerful gift by grace through faith…
Leap for Joy by faith in God’s Spoken Word
Leap for Joy by faith in God’s Spoken Word
We leap for joy by faith because God has revealed salvation through His spoken word of promise, fulfilled by Jesus.
And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
We are blessed who believe the spoken word from our Lord who promised salvation to all who believe.
We enter Christmas Eve tomorrow with expectant joy by faith to receive our King… to receive God’s precious gift.
And not only is this child to be born a gift from God, He himself is God our Saviour.
By God’s mercy and infinite grace, He brings much more than a baby… He brings the greatest gift you could ever receive, He brings himself to us and for us.
“Blessed are we who trust in God’s plan and know that He will accomplish His purpose and promise.”
In that miracle gift of the Christ child… in whom we have life, salvation, and the prophetic Word Made Flesh.
Transition: This expectant joy of the miracle gift, is expressed in fully in Mary’s song.
Conclusion
Conclusion
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.”
May we sing with Mary:
My soul magnifies the Lord
The Holy Spirit dwells in me, magnifying God’s goodness.
My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour
From now on all generations will call me blessed
I am called blessed in Jesus because he looked upon me with love though I am a sinner
For He who is mighty has done great things for me and His holy name
He has sent His Son for me, to redeem me from my corruption
And His mercy is for those who fear him
His compassionate love and mercy for me was displayed and accomplished by Jesus on the cross
We leap with expectant Joy this Advent season because the Almighty God has done the impossible…
He has given us His Son, Jesus… The only Saviour.
Today is the last Sunday in Advent.
This expectant joy that we leap for is going to change.
It is going to change because; “she who is bearing a child is about to give birth” (Micah 5:3a)
This joy will shift from expectancy, to joy of His continued presence in our lives for all eternity.
So we sing - Joy to the World the Lord has come… and is here and present…
Amen.