Sermon #9 Luke
Sermons
Title: Mary’s
Song
Text: Luke 1:46-56
Subject: Mary’s
Song of Faith
Date: Sunday Evening –
Tape
# V-39b
Introduction:
And
Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate of his
handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great
things; and holy [is] his name. And
his mercy [is] on them that fear him from generation to generation. He hath shewed strength with his arm; he
hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from [their]
seats, and exalted them of low degree.
He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent
empty away. He hath holpen his servant
After Mary heard the good news of Christ's
incarnation she went to visit her older, beloved cousin Elizabeth, who was six
months pregnant with John the Baptist. When the two women met together, they
talked of the marvellous things God had done for them and taught them. Both
were full of faith and joy. They were mutually inspirational to one another.
What a blessing good companions are! They help
each other in the way. Happy are those family meetings where Christ is the
theme of thought and conversation! When we meet with our families and friends,
let us pray that our time together may be both pleasant and profitable. We
ought to always try to be spiritually helpful to those around us, to those who
come under our influence.
We have before us, in this paragraph (Luke
1.
Her
Remarkable Faith -- Here is a women who believed God's
Word concerning a totally unprecedented matter, scientifically impossible,
without any evidence to support her. Compare verses 35 and 45.
Gabriel said to Mary, "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."
-- Luke 1:35. And
2.
Her Tremendous Familiarity with Holy
Scripture -- As we read Mary's hymn, though she was but a young woman,
we cannot help noticing that she had a ready grasp of the Old Testament
Scriptures. She quotes the Psalms, refers to God's works of old, refers to his
goodness to Leah, and repeats many of the words of Hannah's prayer (II Sam. 2).
Let
us strive to become more and more fully and more and more experimentally
acquainted with Holy Scripture. "Let
the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing
one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your
hearts to the Lord." --
Such knowledge of the Bible can never be
attained without regular and daily study. The benefits of such study will prove
priceless. When she needed them most, Mary had a firm grasp of the promises of
God in the Bible; and these strengthened her faith.
2.
Her
Deep Humility -
"She who was chosen of God to the high honor of being Messiah's
mother, speaks of her own `low estate,' and acknowledges her need of a Savior.
She does not let fall a word to show that she regarded herself as a sinless,
`immaculate' person. On the contrary, she uses the language of one who has been
taught by the grace of God to feel her own sins, and so far from being able to
save others, requires a Savior for her own soul." (J.C. Ryle).
3.
Her
Spirit of Thankfulness -- That which stands out in this hymn,
perhaps above everything else, is the fact that Mary considered herself a
debtor to mercy alone. Therefore she sought to magnify the Lord her God, from
whom all mercy and grace springs.
5.
Her Contentment with Christ --
Mary was a poor woman. We have no evidence that she ever ceased to be afflicted
with poverty. When the Savior died, he committed his poor mother to the care of
one of his disciples. Yet, Mary was perfectly content. Having Christ to be her
Savior, she wanted no more. She says, "My
spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior" (v. 47). In verse 56 we read
that "Mary returned to her own
house." Though she was blessed in the most extraordinary manner, she
was content to go back to her modest home and become the wife of a simple
carpenter. May God give us that blessed spirit of contentment, so that we can
say with Paul, "I have learned, in
whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased,
and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to
be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need." -- Phil 4:11-12.
Now,
I want us to look at this tremendous song of faith. Remember, everything spoken
of in this song is spoken of as though it had already been accomplished,
though, as yet, Christ had not even been born.
Proposition:
All true praise arises from a heart of faith, humility, gratitude and love.
Divisions: As we look at the lines of this song, let me
call your attention particularly to seven things for which Mary gives praise to
God. Here are seven reasons to sing…
1.
Being Her Savior (vv 46-47)
2.
The Mysterious Incarnation of Christ (vv
31-35)
3.
His Distinguishing Grace (v 48)
4.
His Glorious Holiness (v 49)
5.
The Great Things He Has Done (vv 49-53)
6.
His Unfailing Help (v 54)
7.
His Covenant Faithfulness (v 55).
I.
First
Mary gives praise to the Lord God,
who was in her womb, for BEING HER SAVIOR.
And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. -- Luke 1:46-47
If
Christ is my Savior, I have reason to sing!
A.
Mary spoke of her God with great
reverence.
B.
She claimed a personal interest in
Christ.
C.
She magnified her Lord.
·
By Acknowledging Him as Her Lord
·
By Ascribing Greatness to Him as God
·
By Making Room in Her Soul for Him
NOTE:
The word magnify here means to enlarge and make room for. Mary flung open the
gates of her soul for the King of glory to come in!
D.
She rejoiced in her Lord.
The word means "danced". Like her
great grandfather David, Mary danced before the Lord.
II.
Secondly,
Mary's song of praise was inspired by
THE ONDROUS MYSTERY OF CHRIST’S INCARNATION.
-
2 Corinthians 9:15
Mary
sang this song because she believed the report of the angel Gabriel. – “And the angel said unto her, Fear not,
Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in
thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 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: And he shall reign over the house of
Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto
the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 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.” -- Luke 1:30-35
Let sinners sing praise to God –
IMMANUEL HAS COME!
-
Matthew 1:21
III.
Mary
particularly gives praise to God for HIS PARTICULAR, DISTINGUISHING GRACE.
For he hath regarded the low estate of his
handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me
blessed. -- Luke 1:48
A.
God chose her to be the mother of our
Redeemer.
B.
She was blessed of God in Christ.
C.
She was blessed because Christ was in her
by a supernatural work of grace and power by God the Holy Spirit.
D.
She is called blessed because of God's
goodness to her as the object of his grace.
We who are the objects of God’s special love and
distinguishing grace have reason to sing his praise!
IV.
Mary
gives praise to the Lord God because of HIS GLORIOUS HOLINESS.
She
declares, "Holy is his name” (v
49). That which caused Moses, Isaiah and Daniel to tremble caused Mary to
rejoice, because she saw clearly that God in his holiness had provided a holy
Sacrifice.
Holiness seen through the blood shed at Calvary
is the most comforting and delightful thing in the world. Let this heart sing
God’s praise. I have seen mercy and truth meet together. I have seen
righteousness and peace kiss each other.
V.
Then, fifthly,
Mary offers praise to the Lord for
THE GREAT THINGS HE HAS DONE.
For he that is mighty hath done to me great
things; and holy is his name. And his mercy is on them that fear him from
generation to generation. He hath showed strength with his arm; he hath
scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the
mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the
hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. -- Luke 1:49-53
A.
In Providence
B.
In The Incarnation
C.
In Redemption
D.
In The Experience of Grace
·
God puts down the mighty.
·
He exalts them of low degree.
·
He fills the hungry with good things.
·
The rich he sends away empty.
Oh that [men] would praise the LORD [for] his
goodness, and [for] his wonderful works to the children of men! (Psalms 107:31 AV)
The
righteous shall see [it], and rejoice: and all iniquity shall stop her
mouth. Whoso [is] wise, and will
observe these [things], even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the
LORD. (Psalms 107:42-43 AV)
VI.
Sixthly,
Mary gives praise to the Lord God for
HIS UNFAILING HELP.
He hath holpen his servant Israel, in
remembrance of his mercy. -- Luke 1:54
The
word "holpen" means to place one's hand under the fallen, prostrate
one, and lift him to his feet.
A.
God helps his elect.
B.
He always remembers mercy to his own.
I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever:
with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations. (Psalms 89:1 AV)
VII.
Lastly,
in verse 55, Mary gives praise to the
Lord her God for HIS COVENANT FAITHFULNESS.
As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to
his seed for ever. -- Luke 1:55
In Christ God has fulfilled his promises to the
fathers, and particularly his promise to Abraham.
-
The Woman's Seed (Gen. 3:15)
-
The Lamb Provided (Gen. 22)
-
The Blessings of Grace (Gal 3:13-16)
While God abideth faithful, I have reason
to sing his praise.
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly;
and [I pray God] your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless
unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Faithful [is] he that calleth you, who also will do [it]. Brethren, pray for us. (1 Thessalonians 5:23-25 AV)
Application:
Let us each, from the depths of our hearts, join Mary in this song of praise to
our great God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
-
-For Who He Is!
-
-For All That He Has Done!
-
-For His Distinguishing Grace (I Cor
1:26; II
-
Cor. 4:7)
-
-For His Great Faithfulness!