Mary's Treasure
Advent 2019 • Sermon • Submitted
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SERIES TITLE ANIMATION automatically transitions to SERIES TITLE SLIDE
Introduction
Introduction
Review
Review
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Advent means coming - and in advent we remember how they OT saints waited as we wait now for the second coming of Jesus. We intentionally go back to help us be able to look forward as we also wait.
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Rekindling the wonder of Christmas is being captivated by God - awestruck - as we see him working in the lives of men and women throughout the centuries, unfolding his masterful plan to save a people unto himself.
Rekindling the wonder of Christmas is being captivated by God - awestruck - as we see him working in the lives of men and women throughout the centuries, unfolding his masterful plan to save a people unto himself.
On the first Sunday in Advent, we saw in that
showed us
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Only from deepest darkness does the True Light shine most brightly! So faith in the Lord and his promises is the only helpful approach to life however great the crisis.
Only from deepest darkness does the True Light shine most brightly! So faith in the Lord and his promises is the only helpful approach to life however great the crisis.
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Jesus would come humanly to meet us where we are.
Jesus would come as deity to accomplish what we could not.
On our second Sunday, point us to Bethlehem where we see that
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God delights to choose the weak and despised/lowly things of this world (you and me) to shame the wise and strong. So we rekindle the wonder of Christmas by boasting in the Lord.
God delights to choose the weak and despised/lowly things of this world (you and me) to shame the wise and strong. So we rekindle the wonder of Christmas by boasting in the Lord.
By God’s transforming mercy and power our imperfection, our weakness, our lives that, and let’s be honest here, aren’t that impressive on our own, are used to point to the strong and caring Father in Heaven, the all-wise Holy Spirit, and the sacrificial brotherly love of our Savior, Jesus.
Advent means coming - and we remember how they OT saints waited. We intentionally go back to help us be able to look forward as we also wait. We wait on the Lord in dark days, and we stand in awe as we see God working in the lives of people: saving, bringing renewed desire and focus on living to see Jesus magnified above everything and everyone, even ourselves.Oh, I pray that these truths warm your heart as your thinking is saturated with the greatness and majesty of God and helps you rekindle the wonder of Christmas this year![ pause ]Transition: Today we turn to the NT to look more closely at the greatest miracle of Christmas...
And last week we saw
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The Righteousness & Kindness of God seen in the Virgin Birth
The Righteousness & Kindness of God seen in the Virgin Birth
God sent His only Son into the world because he is righteous and sin cannot go unpunished. So either God delivers the punishment we all deserve, or Jesus had to come because only in Christ, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin (100% God and 100% man), is it possible that sin and death are able to be defeated.
And we see God’s kindness also in the virgin birth because He chose to live among us, to condescend and wear the trappings of our humanity so that he could live a righteous life. Jesus is the Wonderful Counselor because He lived to feel our pain and more. Only a God like this would display such a kindness. And it is that kindness, in fact, that leads us, to repentance.
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ESVThe book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram,
Todd Driessen sings “Matthew’s Begats”
SLIDE(Love me some Andrew Peterson sung by Todd Driessen! Thank you, brother!)The Righteousness & Kindness of God seen in the Virgin Birth
Today in our fourth Sunday in Advent we’ll turn our attention to the story we read often from . And we will see
SERMON TITLE SLIDE
Mary’s Treasure
Mary’s Treasure
SCRIPTURE SLIDES
1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
Luke 2:1-20
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As we’ve seen, so we see again, God revealed himself to shepherds. Now we tend to romanticize shepherds. We think of David who was a shepherd. We re-tell this story and think of shepherds as a special group the Lord went to. But a shepherd’s vocation kept them from being able keep the ceremonial law, so they were treated as unclean folk.
As we’ve seen, so we see again, God revealed himself to shepherds. Now we tend to romanticize shepherds. We think of David who was a shepherd. We re-tell this story and think of shepherds as a special group the Lord went to. But a shepherd’s vocation kept them from being able keep the ceremonial law, so they were treated as unclean folk.
Even worse, they were assumed to be liars and thieves. There word, their testimony was no good in a court of law - it was inadmissible, in fact. Aside from lepers, shepherds were the lowest class of men in all of Israel.
Shepherds were the the working class. They are you and me.
Aside from lepers, shepherds were the lowest class of men in all of Israel. Shepherds were the the working class.
Shepherds were the the working class. They are you and me.
They are you and me.
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Through the birth of the Messiah, God extends his favor to people who have done nothing to deserve it.
Through the birth of the Messiah, God extends his favor to people who have done nothing to deserve it.
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comes to mind immediately,
5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?
“God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?”
5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?
, which we looked at a couple weeks ago further reinforces this incredible reality.
Here the weak of the world are called before the Mighty One. The last are first, and the first last.
The weak of the world are often called before the mighty. The last are often first, and the first last.
Notice the message they received. Key in on the words they are given:
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10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
:
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The darkness which the people had lived in for nearly four-thousand years (and which we saw in ) was about to be illuminated by the true Light of the World, Jesus.
The darkness which the people had lived in for nearly four-thousand years (and which we saw in ) was about to be illuminated by the true Light of the World, Jesus.
The darkness brought about by sin, which began with Adam and Eve and extends through every man, woman, boy, and girl and is felt through our pain, grief, anxiety, abuse, deceit; turning God’s gift of sex into ungodly passions b/t those who aren’t married or perverting it to something unnatural b/t two men or two women; our incessant craving for more stuff; greater approval from others instead of looking to please God; fear of man that is at the root of our unwillingness to do what’s right, though hard; complacency in the heart of even God-fearing people who can be far-too-happy warming a chair for 70-min a week rather than experience the overwhelming joy of pouring our their lives for Jesus and his rescue mission to the world.
All of these and more represent the darkness into which the true Light of the World had just shone and this is the good news of great joy the angels, God’s messengers, came to speak to the least of these - the shepherds - to you and me.
J.C. Ryle says this so well:
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Expository Thoughts on Luke, Vol. 1 Luke 2:8–20: The Angel’s Announcement of Christ’s Birth to the Shepherds
The way to pardon and peace with God was about to be thrown open to all mankind. The head of Satan was about to be bruised. Liberty was about to be proclaimed to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind. The mighty truth was about to be proclaimed that God could be just, and yet, for Christ’s sake, justify the ungodly. Salvation was no longer to be seen through types and figures, but openly, and face to face. The knowledge of God was no longer to be confined to the Jews, but to be offered to the whole Gentile world. The days of heathenism were numbered. The first stone of God’s kingdom was about to be set up. If this was not “good tidings,” there never were tidings that deserved the name.
The way to pardon and peace with God was about to be thrown open to all mankind. The head of Satan was about to be bruised. Liberty was about to be proclaimed to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind. The mighty truth was about to be proclaimed that God could be just, and yet, for Christ’s sake, justify the ungodly...The days of heathenism were numbered. The first stone of God’s kingdom was about to be set up. If this was not “good tidings,” there never were tidings that deserved the name. J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on Luke, Vol. 1 (57)
Take it from here
God extends his favor to you if you will believe. And if you believe your life will be changed. If you believe your heart will spring to life with humility, and deep gratitude. If you believe that God came to save sinners like you, you will be captivated - awestruck - by God which will rekindle the wonder of Christmas.
If this is boring to you, if you find yourself wanting more excitement, or action, or proof, then you need to recognize it for what it is - unbelief.
But unbelief doesn’t need to mark your life. You, like the shepherds, can take the first step of belief and go to Christ. Come to Christ even now. You feel it in your being, in your soul even now. Come to Jesus for healing.
“Well, I’m not positive.” Or “I must deal with something first.”
SLOW DOWN: INVITATION
Friend, do not delay! Come to Jesus now. Recognize the gift of God that you’re able to hear that Jesus came to this earth to live a perfect life, and go to the cross to die the death that everyone of us - including you - deserve. And he rose from the dead to conquer death as proof that we who trust in Jesus alone for salvation, through faith, are truly free from the penalty of sin (death), and the power of sin to enslave you any longer.
Day after day we will hold out the good news of the gospel, pleading with you, with all we can, to come to the light of the Gospel for salvation.
But we see another truth here in this account through The Gloria in vv 13-14:
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14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
LUKE 2:14
As surprising as it may seem, this song actually teaches the doctrine of election, affirming that
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8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
as surprising as it may seem, this song actually teaches the doctrine of election. Its wording is important: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (). According to Darrell Bock, who has written the definitive commentary on Luke, the phrase “with whom he is pleased” is “almost a technical phrase in first-century Judaism for God’s elect, those on whom God has poured out his favor.”9 The peace of God comes according to his sovereign pleasure. The shepherds are the perfect example. They did not choose God; God chose them. They had to respond in faith, of course, but it was by the sovereign grace of God that they heard the good news.
The wording is important:
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14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
According to Darrell Bock, who has written the definitive commentary on Luke, the phrase “with whom he is pleased” is “almost a technical phrase in first-century Judaism for God’s elect, those on whom God has poured out his favor.” (Bock, , 220.)
Bock, , 220.) The peace of God comes according to his sovereign pleasure. The shepherds are the perfect example. They did not choose God; God chose them. They had to respond in faith, of course, but it was by the sovereign grace of God that they heard the good news.
The peace of God comes according to his sovereign pleasure. The shepherds are the perfect example. They did not choose God; God chose them. They had to respond in faith, of course, but it was by the sovereign grace of God that they heard the good news.
As one missionary studied this verse, he struggled to translate it into a native tongue. The term “peace” was especially difficult because there was no equivalent in the local language. But with the help of his assistant, he finally came up with a translation that captured the heart of this verse:
Quoted without attribution in a 2001 newsletter from Wycliffe Bible Translators in Orlando, Florida.)
“God in heaven is just so good! So the people who live in this world, if God’s heart is happy with them, then their fear is all-gone now!”(Quoted without attribution in a 2001 newsletter from Wycliffe Bible Translators in Orlando, Florida.)
“Their fear is all-gone now.” This is the joy, the freedom, the peace we find when we come to God through faith in Jesus Christ. Sometimes even Christians forget to trust God fully for it, but it is ours to be had as we “…walk in the Spirit, so we do not gratify…or give in to…the desires of the flesh.” ()
Trust him. Day by day. Moment by moment. And he gives you peace.
We don’t need to be anxious about the future.
We don’t need to try to solve our own problems with our own wisdom, for God is all-wise.
We don’t need to be afraid of what others will think of us.
We don’t live for them, we live for Christ.
(Very gently)
We do not need to despair if we lose what, or someone, we love. We learn to trust that God is good and to be trusted in all things (even heartbreaking loss).
We do not need to worry how God will provide for us.
Trust in God and he will give you peace!
The Shepherds Go
The Shepherds Go
This is one of the happy results of the Savior’s birth. When we come to God through faith in Jesus Christ, we have real peace. We do not always gain the full benefit of that peace because sometimes we forget to trust God for it. But as we trust in him, he gives us peace. We do not need to be anxious about the future. We do not need to be afraid what people will think. We do not need to try to solve our problems on our own. We do not need to worry how God will provide for us. We do not need to despair if we lose what we love. All we need to do is trust in God and he will give us peace.
We see this exemplified in the shepherds’ response. They go immediately to check it out. And they find everything to be just as it was told to them in vv 11-12. Verse 7 shows that Jesus was wrapped in swaddling cloths. And v 17 tells us that they recount it all to anyone who’d listen.
And they all heard it and wondered. They marveled. They were surprised by the shepherds’ story. They probably thought it was neat. They probably talked about it for months to come.
But Mary, verse 19, don’t miss that contrast. Something was different with Mary:
19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.
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Mary’s treasure was her deep and abiding trust in the God of all glory.
Mary’s treasure was her deep and abiding trust in the God of all glory.
The shepherds were surrounded by the glory of the Lord as angels brought good news of great joy for all people, saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased! The shepherds quickly found that it was all true, and as they told Mary, she treasured everything the Lord did, pondering (or thinking deeply on) the glory of God in the depths of her being.
Mary “treasured up all these things...”
It took Mary a long time to understand these things. Still she walked in faith. Remember, when the angel of the Lord told her she would be the mother of the Son of God (). She asked, “How will this be, since I am a virgin.” Then the angel explained, “...the Holy Spirit will come up on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born to you will be called holy - the Son of God.”
Mary responds in faith (), “…I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
Mary sees Elizabeth whose son, John (the Baptist) leaps in the womb when Mary enters.
Zechariah is filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesies an beautifully().
Then Mary gives birth and is visited by the least likely to come worship Jesus. then they take off, telling everyone they can see, “glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. (Remember, their testimony wasn’t even good in court so who knows who believed them. But Mary did.)
Now fast-forward twelve years. Joseph and Mary go to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast. tells us “the boy Jesus stayed behind” as his parents headed for home. Joseph and Mary were a day’s walk toward home when they realized they forgot Jesus. So they headed back to Jerusalem and searched for him for three days!
Jesus’ mother, Mary, says to him (), 48 “...Your father and I have been searching for you in great distress. 49 And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
49 And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
48 And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.”
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
Joseph and Mary didn’t get it - they didn’t understand, verse 50 tells us.
Even here, Jesus obeys his confused mom and dad and goes home with them. V 51 tells us that Jesus was submissive to them.
“And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.”
to store information in one’s mind for careful consideration, hold or treasure up (in one’s memory) (Sir 39:2; Da 7:28 Theod. τὸ ῥῆμα ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ μου; sim. TestLevi 6:2.—Polyb. 30, 30, 5 the word means ‘keep to oneself, conceal’, as perh. also Jos., Bell. 2, 142) συνετήρει (διετήρει 2:51) τὰ ῥήματα Lk 2:19 (Da 7:28 Theod.; Syntipas p. 102, 1; 104, 9 συνετήρουν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ πάντα); BMeyer, CBQ 26, ’64, 31–49.—M-M. TW.
She may not have understood, but like the conversation with the shepherds, she remembered what the angel had first told her. She remembered and treasured these things. She stored them up in her heart. She imprinted them on her heart.
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights!
Mary’s response, though flooded with a great void of knowledge, was a faith response to treasure the God of all glory.
to store information in one’s mind for careful consideration, hold or treasure up (in one’s memory) (; Theod. τὸ ῥῆμα ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ μου; sim. TestLevi 6:2.—Polyb. 30, 30, 5 the word means ‘keep to oneself, conceal’, as perh. also Jos., Bell. 2, 142) συνετήρει (διετήρει 2:51) τὰ ῥήματα ( Theod.; Syntipas p. 102, 1; 104, 9 συνετήρουν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ πάντα); BMeyer, CBQ 26, ’64, 31–49.—M-M. T
Praise the Lord sfrom the heavens;
praise him in the heights!
She was confused but she trusted God.
Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his hosts!”
You and I walk this journey of faith, and there is so much we don’t understand. And it would be misguided to think that we ought to understand everything to follow in faith. We simply don’t. Remember, we’re the least of these. We’re the shepherds. We’re the last who become first. God came to us! And that’s mind-blowing!
praise him, all his hosts!
And this is what happens as a multitude of angels appeared to shepherds who were caring for their flocks. The glory of the Lord shone around them and after calming their fears, the host of angels praised God saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
The Lord told Abram to go to a land I will tell you ()
The Lord told Joseph in a dream he would rule over his brothers ()
The Lord told Noah to build an ark () because he found favor in the eyes of the Lord
As we worship this morning, we re-tell this story: that God sent his Son to bring peace for all who are resting in Christ alone for salvation. Let’s rejoice in these great truths this morning!
Abraham offered up Isaac ()
Moses chose to be with his people, determining that the reproach of Christ great than the treasures of Egypt ()
Joshua and his army walked around the city of Jericho for seven days and blew their trumpet because God told them to () and the walls fell down
And I love what the writer of Hebrews does and he recounts these stories. He lists this phenomenal history of God’s favor toward his people. Then in verse 32 he’s like, I don’t have enough time to even tell you about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel, and the prophets. And then he just stops name-dropping and lists the craziness that God does for his people through faith who:
conquered kingdoms
enforced justice
obtained promises
quenched the power of fire
escaped the edge of the sword
were made strong out of weakness
became mighty in war
put foreign armies to flight
Some were tortured; others mocked
Some were given opportunity to be free, but they chose death rather than forsake Christ since death in Christ brings freedom forever.
The world was not worthy of them. Why? Because they found favor with God and had peace.
You think any of these understood? Absolutely not! Mary didn’t understand it all. Mary treasured all things things, pondering them in her heart.
She didn’t understand, but Mary believed God! And believing God is what God counts to your credit as righteousness through faith!
I love this story of Mary in Advent b/c she already had baby Jesus. You and I already have Jesus. We believe, yet we don’t understand it all. We remember how OT heroes of the faith looked to Jesus in faith, and we look to Jesus now while we wait in faith for him to come again.
(Let’s catch our breath for a moment.)
What have you received from the Lord that you know is from him? (Take any circumstance in your life that you’ve been given. If you’re experiencing it, it is from the hand of God (just ask Job, or Jesus).
Now, with incomplete understanding meditate on God, think on God through his word. Saturate your thinking with truckloads (immeasurable) wisdom in the Bible. Treasure Christ Jesus above everything, pondering these things in your heart. And walk in faith being assured of what you hope for and are convinced are true even though you don’t understand it all.
Communion Transition
Communion Transition
This, dear brothers and sisters, is why we come to the Lord’s Table week after week. Because as we gather our children and grandchildren, and brothers and sisters in the faith together (you know that this isn’t about your immediate family right? Even you husband or wife here, is brother or sister in Christ). We gather…that’s what the word church refers to in the NT - ἐκκλησία - gathering.
ἐκκλησία -
ἐκκλησία
We gather to help each other remember who God is, what he’s done, and what he’s promised to do in the future.The Lord’s table helps us Look to the Cross; Look Around to our family in the faith; Look Ahead to the promises of God; Look Inward at the state of our own heart, and Back to the Cross again where we smile the smile of those who have peace with God because “our fear is all gone now” as we, with Mary, have a deep and abiding trust in the God of all glory!
PRAY