Mary, The Mother Of Jesus

MARY, THE MOTHER OF OUR LORD

A. Today is Mother’s Day.

ILLUSTRATION:

All over the country grateful Moms are pushed back into their PILLOWS, the FLOWER on their BIRD of PARADISE plant (which blooms every other year for 15 minutes) is SNIPPED and put in a pop bottle, and a strange assortment of FOOD is specially prepared for her.

A MIXER whirls out of CONTROL, then stops ABRUPTLY as a voice cries, “I’m telling!” A dog BARKS and another voice says, “Get his PAWS out of there. Mom has to EAT that.”

Mom squirms and then tries to get out of bed, but the YOUNGEST child standing guard, pushes Mom back into her PILLOW.

Minutes pass and finally Mom hears, “Dad! Where’s the chili sauce?” Then, “Don’t you dare BLEED on Mom’s breakfast!”

The rest is a BLUR of banging doors, running water, rapid footsteps and a high pitched, “You started the FIRE, you put it out!”

The breakfast is fairly standard: a 32 oz. tumbler of JUICE, five pieces of BLACK BACON that pulverizes into a THOUSAND pieces as soon as it is touched, a MOUND of EGGS topped with TABASCO SAUCE to disguise the BLOOD, lumpy OATMEAL, and four pieces of COLD TOAST.

The kids line up by the bed to watch you EAT, and from time to time they ask why aren’t you drinking the PRUNE JUICE and touching the OATMEAL with the BLACK OLIVES on top spelling "M—O—M".

Later in the day, after you have decided it’s easier to MOVE to a NEW HOUSE than clean the KITCHEN, you return to your bed where, if you’re wise, you’ll reflect on this day. For the first time, your children have GIVEN instead of RECEIVED. They have offered up to you the SINCEREST form of FLATTERY—trying to EMULATE what YOU do for THEM. And they have presented you with the GREATEST GIFT people can give—THEMSELVES.

B. This morning in every corner of our NATION, America has paused to recognize and appreciate the most INFLUENTIAL group on God’s earth.

1. Someone once said, “If you want to know how somebody will turn out . . . if you want to really want to understand them . . . take a good look at their MOTHER.”

a. The greatest LIFE ever lived was certainly no exception to that rule.

b. I believe that even God’s Son was SHAPED, MOLDED, MOTIVATED, and PREPARED by the POWERFUL INFLUENCE of a GODLY MOTHER.

2. This morning, I want us to take a look at Mary, the MOTHER of our Lord. We will watch her grow from a TEENAGE GIRL where we MEET her, to a MATURE WOMAN. We’ll understand even more why Jesus BECAME what He became and DID what He did by looking at His Mom.

MESSAGE:

I. MARY THE OBEDIENT

A. The first recorded words of Mary were spoken at the FEET of an ANGEL- Luke 1:26ff

ILLUSTRATION:

God sent Gabriel to a tiny VILLAGE in Galilee called Nazareth. He went to a young VIRGIN named Mary who was ENGAGED to a local CARPENTER and tells her that she is going to give birth to a Son who she is to name Jesus.

Mary’s obvious response was: “How can this be, since I’m a VIRGIN?”- v. 34. She was keeping herself PURE for the man she was going to MARRY. She can’t imagine how this is possible. Gabriel then explained that the Holy Spirit will come upon her and she will give birth to God’s Son.

B. The first VIRTUE we see in this TEENAGE GIRL that made her the CHOSEN among all of God’s WOMEN was an unconditional SURRENDER to the unknown FUTURE that God had outlined for her.

1. She could have REFUSED—God would never force anyone to BEAR His Son.

2. But the nature of this young woman is seen so beautifully in her final RESPONSE to Gabriel:

“I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you said”- Luke 1:38.

COMMENT:

What a powerful PORTRAIT of Mary the OBEDIENT. She was willing to do whatever God asked. Mary gave birth to a Son who was entirely GOD and entirely MAN.

II. MARY THE PONDERER

A. The word “PONDER” is used repeatedly in describing Mary.

COMMENT:

In the Greek this word means to “TURN or ROTATE.” There were many events in Mary’s LIFE that STIRRED her HEART concerning her BOY.

1. After being told that she was going to give birth to God’s Son, Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth.

COMMENT:

As soon as she entered the door, Elizabeth’s unborn baby (who later became known as John the Baptist) leaped into her womb. Elizabeth, being filled with the Holy Spirit, cried to Mary, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear.”

2. The night Jesus was born a chorus of Angels dropped out of heaven, poised themselves over Bethlehem and sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men . . .”