Ministry Partnerships-4(2025)

MINISTRY PARTNERSHIPS-IV—Luke 1:39-56

--Luke 1:46-55[part-2--:51-53](1:39-56)

Attention:

Old Mr. Woodruff loved the game of golf, but his age was making it increasingly difficult for him to play. He complained to the pro-shop staff about his eyesight.

He said, “I can't play with my glasses on, because my trifocals mess up my line of sight so that I lose the ball after I hit it.” “But I'm too nearsighted to play without them.”

One of the staff suggested, “Why don't you play with Mr. Hughes?”

“Him?!”, Woodruff scoffed. “He's ninety-eight if he's a day, & he can't get around without a wheelchair!”

“True,” said the pro-shop attendant, “but he IS farsighted, which you are not”!

So the next day, Mr. Woodruff & Mr. Hughes set out to the first hole together. Mr. Woodruff took a tremendous swing & hit the ball well. He exclaimed, “Boy, that felt good!” “Did you see it?”, he asked Hughes.

“Oh, Yeah, I saw it! That was a beautiful shot!”, old Mr. Hughes replied.

Mr. Woodruff answered, “Well, where did it go?”

Mr. Hughes stammered, “I, I, I can't remember,”

Mr. Woodruff & Mr. Hughes had great potential for a good golfing partnership!...Even though certain obstacles became apparent in the process of that partnership.

Likewise, God’s people have great potential when they work together & face obstacles together, in God’s service!

Need:

Ministry Partnerships bring both challenge & reward!

•Ministry Partnerships teach us about the importance of Christian teamwork, as we work toward common goals. They reveal the significance of depending upon God.

Those partnerships can help us to see the personal weaknesses & strengths that God has blessed us with, & that He works thru & with.

Ministry Partnerships help divulge & complete our passions & giftedness in the Lord.

•Ministry Partnerships show us the power of God to overcome our human weakness.

Elizabeth & Mary shared their experiences as ministry partners in God’s service.

Ministry partnership fosters a sharing of experience in God’s service.

BUT, What exactly do ministry partnerships share?

Previously we’ve discovered that...

Ministry Partnerships share...

1. EXCITEMENT(:39-40)

2. GOD’s BLESSING(:41-45)

3. GOD’s MAGNIFICATION[part 1--:46-50](:46-55)

a. His Regard for the LOWLY(:46-49)

b. His Regard for the FAITHFUL(:50)

Today, we will continue looking at the fact that:

3—Ministry Partnerships share...

GOD’s MAGNIFICATION[part-2--:51-55](:46-55)...

Also comes...THRU—c. His Regard for the WEAK(:51-53)

Explanation:(:51-53)

:51—“He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.”

c. His Regard for the WEAK(:51-53)

:51a—“He has shown strength with His arm;...”

Mary’s God has shown Himself to be worthy & deserving of Mary’s deep respect, because of His mighty deeds(:49) of the past, that were not done in a corner(Acts 26:26).

God had performed His deeds “with His” own “arm.” His “arm” being witnessed by people. The ultimate product or outworking of God’s “arm”, being the man, Christ Jesus.

•Isa. 53:1—“Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?”....

*God’s people have “believed” the “report”—i.e., those who ‘trust’ in God & are ‘faithful’ to Him!

•And Jesus of Nazareth has been unquestionably shown to be “the arm” of the LORD! That is, He is “the arm”, to those who ‘trust’ in God, & are ‘faithful’ to Him!

Thus Mary’s God needs no real ‘aid’ from others! God acts with all power & all sovereignty, needing no intervention from anyone. “His arm” is the one which designed, initiated & accomplished the deeds.

:51b—WORDS—

“Shown”—poiew—1Aorist Active Indicative 3rd Sing.—Strong—To make or do (in a very wide application, more or less direct).

“Strength/Mighty deeds”—kratov—Noun Accusative Sing. Neuter—1) Force, strength; 2) Power, might: mighty with great power—2a) A mighty deed, a work of power; 3) Dominion. Kratov is might, relative & manifested power -- in the NT chiefly of God. Strong—Vigor[“great”](literally or figuratively); perhaps a primary word. Used 12X.

“Arm”—braciwn—Noun Dative Sing. Masc.—1) The arm—1a) The arm of God is a Hebrew idiom for the might & the power of God. Strong—properly, comparative of braciwn[(short(of time, place, quantity, or number)], but apparently in the sense of brassw(to wield); The arm, i.e. figuratively--Strength. Used 3X--Lk. 1:51; Jn. 12:38; Acts 13:17.?English prefix = ‘brachy(i)-‘--’brachial’/‘brachiation’(branched).

:51b—“He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.”

As a further testimony to God’s magnification, Mary states that God has “scattered”/divided/dispersed all those who have allowed their human “pride” to control their world!

1Jn. 2:15-17—the apostle John warns us,—“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, & the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, & the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”