For Thou Hast Found Favor With God

"For thou hast found favor with God"

Text: Luke 1:26-38

Introduction:

-As we remember our mothers on this first mother’s day of the new century.

-I want us to go back 2,000 years and look at one of the greatest mother’s of all time.

-I am speaking about Mary, the mother of Jesus.

-We see in our passage in verse 30 that the angel Gabriel said to Mary, "For thou hast found favor with God."

-We need to ask the question.

-Why of all the Jewish virgins of that time was Mary chosen to bear and give birth to the Son of God?

-As a woman this mother’s day, I believe there is nothing greater that could be said about you than "For thou hast found favor with God."

I. SHE SUBMITTED TO THE WILL OF GOD

-Notice in v. 38, how Mary responds to all that the angel Gabriel had to say.

-Read v. 38.

-She describes herself as "the handmaid of the Lord"

-A handmaid is a female slave.

-She believes everything that God told Gabriel to tell her and totally surrenders herself, body, soul, and spirit over to the will of God.

-Notice she does not try to make excuses and try to get herself out of doing the will of God.

-Once the will of God is revealed to her, Mary just makes up her mind to do it.

-She purposes in her heart to live the surrended life for the Lord.

-Many a Christian today, struggles with submitting to and yielding to the know will of God for their lives.

-Then when their lives end up a mess, they just cannot understand it.

-The Apostle Paul instructs us to live the surrendered life.

-See Romans 12:1-2, Read.

-The reason most Christians have a difficult time knowing what the will of God is for their lives.

-Is number 1, they will not surrender their physical lives over to the Lord and number 2, they love the world to much and conform to much.

-So, number 1, this morning, Mary found favor with God because

SHE SUBMITTED TO THE WILL OF GOD.

II. SHE SAW HER NEED FOR A SAVIOUR

-Notice what Mary said in Luke 1:46-47.

-She recognized that she was a sinner and in need of a Saviour.

-She was humble.

-For a person to realize that they are a sinner and unable to save themselves shows hunility.

-That the reason people do not get saved is because of pride.

-Most folks think they are to good to be called a sinner and able to save themselves based on their good deeds.

-My dear friend that pride is going to end them up right in hell.

-Notice what the Bible says about humility.

-See James 4:6 & James 4:10 - Read

-You see the Bible tells us "To up must go down first"

-You want God’s grace then humble yourself before.

-You want to be lifted up?

-Don’t lift yourself up.

-The devil tried it and he ended up being kicked out of the third heaven to the sides of the pit.

-If you want to be lifted up, then humble yourself in the sight of God and he will do the lifting.

-So, number 2, the reason Mary found favor with God was because she realized that she was a sinner and humbled herself in the sight of God.

-And He lifted her up!

III. SHE TAUGHT OBEDIENCE TO CHRIST

-Please turn to John 2:5.

-Notice what Mary tells the servants at the marriage in Cana of Galilee.

-This is the only commandment that Mary gives in the Bible.

-And it is a commandment to obey Christ.

-Mary reminds us all this morning, this Mother’s Day,

"...Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it."

-She did not say listen to me and do what I say.

-She did not say that you have to first go through me to

get to Jesus.

-When she spoke she simply said, "Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it."

-Mary is telling all of us this morning to be obedient to Christ and do what he tells you in His word.

-Christian today just as they have a struggle with submitting to will of Lord.

-They also have a struggle obeying God.

-The great hymn of the faith "Trust and Obey" tells us,

"Trust and obey, for there’s no other way To be happy in

Jesus, But to trust and obey"

-I believe that Mary was the type of woman described by the Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 3 - Please turn to 1 Peter 3.

-Read - 1 Peter 3:1-5.

Conclusion:

-This morning we have seen three reasons why Mary

found favor with God.

*SHE SUBMIITED TO THE WILL OF GOD

*SHE SAW HER NEED FOR A SAVIOUR

*SHE TAUGHT OBEDIENCE FOR CHRIST

-This was a mother’s day message but I believe it applies to all of us.