Reading: Luke chapter 1 verses 26-56.
Ill:
• A teacher gave her class of second graders a lesson on the magnet and what it does.
• The next day in a written test, she included this question:
"My full name has six letters.
The first one is the letter M. I pick up things. What am I?"
• When the test papers were turned in,
• The teacher was astonished to find;
• That almost 50 percent of the students;
• Answered the question with the word “Mother”.
Ill:
• Of course not all mums are perfect, sometimes they can be embarrassing:
• Unknown to her son, one mother wrote this letter:
"Dear Sir: My son has been accepted for admission to your college and soon he will be leaving me. I am writing to ask that you give your personal attention to the selection of his roommate.
I want to be sure that his roommate is not the kind of person who uses foul language, or tells off-colour jokes, smokes, drinks, or chases after girls.
I hope you will understand why I am appealing to you directly.
You see, this is the first time my son will be away from home…… except for his three years with the paratroops regiment."
Ill:
• When the will of Henry J. Heinz,
• Wealthy distributor of the famous "57 Varieties" line, was read,
• It was found to contain the following confession:
"Looking forward to the time when my earthly career will end, I desire to set forth at the very beginning of this will, as the most important item in it, a confession of my faith in Jesus Christ as my Saviour. I also desire to bear witness to the fact that throughout my life, in which there were unusual joys and sorrows, I have been wonderfully sustained by my faith in God through Jesus Christ.
This legacy was left me by my consecrated mother, a woman of strong faith, and to it I attribute any success I have attained."
This morning we are thinking about one of the greatest:
• If not the greatest mother of all-time,
• Mary the mother of Jesus.
I want to look at this topic in 2 ways this morning:
• (1). The background facts.
• (2). The narrative itself.
Let us look at the background facts:
(1). An over emphasises.
• For example in the Roman Catholic Church;
• (Now I’m not on a Catholic bash this morning.
• Might surprise you to know,
• That I have worked with Roman Catholics on a number of occasions (have a go afterwards)
• That doesn’t mean I agree with all they teach;
• Especially what they teach about Mary.
• They have a number of beliefs about Mary, which I believe are an over-emphasis;
• Actually they are wrong because they go beyond this book!
• These beliefs exalt Mary to a place and position that the Bible does not give her.
• And as a result,
• They cause us protestants to react by going to the other extreme.
• It is important to take a few minutes to see what is wrongly believed about Mary.
(1). MARY AS MEDIATRIX:
• This teaching asserts that Mary mediates the salvation that Jesus Christ won on the cross.
• It teaches that none of God’s graces come to us except through Mary.
• People who hold this view teach;
• That without Mary’s submission in the plan of God, there would have been no Jesus;
• No Jesus of course equals no salvation,
• So they would say; Mary is an essential player in the plan of salvation!
• So from this teaching comes the wrong doctrine;
• That asserts that Mary mediates the salvation that Jesus Christ won on the cross.
Note:
• The New Testament makes it quite clear (e.g. First Timothy chapter 2 verse 5).
• There is only ‘ONE mediator, between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus’
(2). MARY AS A PERPETUAL VIRGIN:
• Perpetual virgin simply means; Mary was a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus;
• And remained a virgin always. Never having sexual relations & therefore children.
Note: Once again if you examine the New Testament;
• It is quite clear that although Mary was a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus.
• She did not remain a perpetual virgin afterward the birth of Jesus.
• The Bible clearly shows that Jesus had brothers and sisters.
• (Luke chapter 8 verse 19; Mark chapter 3 verse 31).
Ill:
• In fact one verse Matthew chapter 13 verse 55:
• Gives to us the four names of Jesus’ brothers ‘James, Joseph, Simon and Judas’
• The verse also uses the word sisters, implying more than one!
• Mary may well have had at least six, maybe more children after Jesus was born.
• The fact that Jesus is called Mary’s firstborn son (Luke chapter 2 verse 7);
• Would again suggest she had more children!
(3). MARY AND HER IMMACULATE CONCEPTION:
• This teaching is that Mary had no sin like other human beings.
• The logic being
• That in order to give birth to Jesus, who was perfect,
• In some way she had to be perfect herself.
• Unfortunately the same logic is not applied to the mother of Mary also being perfect!
• And to her mother etc etc etc.
Note: Evangelical Christians say this teaching is wrong;
• Romans chapter 3 verse 23;
• “For ALL have sinned”,
• The Bible clearly teaches that only three people have ever been without sin;
• Two were created sinless Adam & Eve & One was born sinless Jesus Christ.
(4). MARY AND HER ASSUMPTION:
• This teaching (declared 1950) says;
• That Mary did not die like other people, but was taken directly into heaven.
• The idea is that is Mary was conceived without sin,
• As the result of sin is ‘death’.
• If Mary was sinless then death had no claim on her;
• And therefore it would not be able to hold her.
Note: Once again there is no biblical basis for this teaching:
• It is purely built on tradition and not the Bible!
• Bible teaches only one person was born sinless, lived a sinless life & died a sinless death!
(2). An under emphasis.
• Mary is a much under emphasised character among evangelical Christians.
• Question: How many sermons have you heard on Mary?
• Preachers are happy to teach about other biblical mothers;
• Such as; Sarah – Isaac’s mother, or Rachel – Joseph’s mother,
• Or Jochebed – Moses mother or Hannah –Samuel’s mother etc etc
• But when it comes to Mary the mother of Jesus, we back away, in dread of worshipping her!
Just look at how the word of God describes the great woman:
• Luke chapter 1 verse 28:
• “Highly favoured of the Lord”.
• Old Latin version reads ‘gratiae plena’; Meaning “full of grace”
• God has chosen her above all women to receive the worlds greatest gift – his son.
• Luke chapter 1 verse 30:
• “Found favour with God”.
• Those descriptions alone mark Mary out as being unique.
• And deserving a respect and a greater prominence than so often we give her.
• Don’t forget every parent helps shape the;
• Personality, intelligence and mental health of their offspring.
• Mary would be no different;
• And the living God chose this teenager
By way of background: 4 things we know about Mary
(1). SHE WAS A JEWESS.
• Mary was a Jewess of the tribe of Judah,
• A descendent of David.
This information is actually very important because:
• Matthew in his gospel traces the Jewish ancestry of Jesus through Joseph;
• Joseph was the earthly step-father of Jesus (his legal but not literal father).
• His ancestry provided a problem for Jesus;
• In fact it alone would have prevented Jesus making a claim to the throne of David.
• The prophet Jeremiah (chapter 22 verses 28-30) had declared that;
• No king in Israel could be a descendent of King Jeconiah.
• And in Matthew chapter 1 verse 12 we are told that Jehoiachin or Jeconiah;
• Was in the linage of Joseph and this would have disqualified Jesus in making a claim.
But Dr Luke in his gospel traces the Lord’s genealogy from Mary’s (his physical) mothers side:
• Where we see that Jesus is a qualified descendant of David through Mary,
• He was born of her flesh (and not Joseph’s as we will see in a moment)
• So it is through Mary that Jesus is qualified as a descendent of David.
• And so he is able to be a fulfilment of prophecy and to qualify as the Messiah.
(2). SHE WAS VIRGIN.
• Mary is famous of course for the virgin birth;
• Or more accurately, the virgin conception of Jesus.
Quote:
• In talking about conception;
• I came across this quote, which I thought you might enjoy! (Written by a lady!)
“The male’s inability to ask directions is genetic.
That’s the reason why it takes 500,000,000 sperm to fertilize one egg.
None would bother to stop and ask directions”.
Well, the Bible clearly teaches:
• That no human sperm ever came near Mary;
• She conceived in a miraculous way! Not through sexual intercourse but via the Holy Spirit!
In the narrative before us we see two insights to this event:
(a). The human witness of Mary & Joseph:
• Quote Luke chapter 1 verse 34:
• "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"
• When Mary encountered this angelic visitor;
• She is believed to be between thirteen and fifteen years old.
• It is very evident by her reaction that she is shocked.
• She was aware that she had never had sexual relations with a man.
• And so she is well aware that it was impossible for her to be pregnant.
• And so she informs the angel of this fact.
Joseph too is also amazed when he hears the news that Mary is pregnant;
• And he reacts in a way that shows his shock and surprise and also his humanness.
• He was planning to do what any self-respecting Jewish man would do.
• He immediately wanted to break their engagement and have no further dealings with her,
• He felt betrayed, let down, heart broken, she had obviously committed adultery!
• Because he knew that the child could not be his, for he had not slept with her.
• So for him the only explanation is another man.
(2). The Divine witness:
• The gospel records make it quite clear;
• That the Holy Spirit is responsible for the impregnation of Mary (Mathew 1:18, 20, Luke 1:35).
• And this was achieved via a miracle;
• It did not occur through a sexual act but a miraculous act.
• Question: How did it happen?
• Answer: God! (Divine act! We just do not know!)
• Some say you need a lot of faith to believe that.
• Actually you just need a lot of God (not how big your faith but how big is your God!)
• Ill: If we (human scientists) can almost create life in a test tube.
• Why cannot God create life in a woman’s womb?
(3). SHE WAS ENGAGED TO A CARPENTER IN NAZARETH NAMED JOSEPH,
Quote:
• Jim Bishop in his book ‘The Day Christ Was Born’.
• Reveals the importance of the Jewish betrothal customs.
“When the two mothers and two fathers were agreed, the QIDDUSHIN (Kid-I-shin) took place. This is a formal betrothal, and much more binding than any other.
The QIDDUSHIN (Kid-I-shin) has the finality of marriage.
Once the marriage contract was negotiated, even though the marriage ceremony had not occurred, the bridegroom-to-be could not rid his betrothed except through divorce…..
If Joseph had died between QIDDUSHIN (Kid-I-shin) and marriage, Mary would have been his legal widow. If, in the same period, another man had knowledge of her, Mary would have been punished as an adulteress.”
• So Jewish betrothal customs.
• Were almost as binding as marriage itself!
(4). She was poor.
• If you look at the offerings that they made in Luke chapter 2 verse 24,
• The offering was in connection with ‘The Purification After Childbirth’.
• A woman was expected to bring a lamb and a pigeon (Leviticus chapter 12 verse 8).
• If a person could not afford a lamb they were permitted to bring two pigeons.
• This was technically called ‘The Offering of the Poor’.
• This is what Mary & Joseph bought to the Temple (Luke chapter 2 verse 24).
(2). LET’S LOOK AT THE NARRATIVE:
(a). Mary's surprise (verses 26-33).
(1). An angel (verse 26 & 28):
26In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,
• An angel is a spiritual creature, who acts as messengers for God.
• Luke mentions angels twenty-three times in his Gospel.
• There is little attempt to describe them in the Bible;
• Apart from the fact they have a radiance, a lustre, a brightness.
• Although there are innumerable angels (Revelation chapter 5 verse 11),
• Only two of which are actually named in the Bible:
• Michael (e.g. Daniel chapter 10 verse 13)
• And Gabriel (e.g. Luke chapter 1 verses 19 & 26).
• And if you want a useless pieces of information regarding angels:
• They never sing they only speak!
In verse 28:
“The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favoured!
The Lord is with you."
• The angel greets Mary;
• And let’s her know ‘God is with her’, she need no fear this spiritual being.
• He has not come because she has done wrong but because she has done good!
• He is there not in judgement but in blessing, because God is pleased with her!
(2). A response (verse 29-30):
29Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God.”
• When you consider Gabriel's greeting,
• "Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you!"
• You can well understand Mary’s response;
• She was perplexed and afraid:
Ill:
Student in a university with the letter ‘K’ on his t-shirt.
• “What does that stand for?” I asked.
• He replied; “The ‘K’ stands for confused”.
• I said to him; “You don’t spell confused with a k”
• He replied; “You don’t know how confused I am!”
Mary must have been confused, perplexed as well as being afraid:
• She must have been asking herself question after question:
• Why would an angel come to greet her?
• In what way was she "highly favoured” by God?
• How was God with her?
And although those questions remain unanswered:
• What we see in Mary's response;
• Reveals her humility and honesty before God:
• She certainly never expected to see an angel; she thought of herself as ordinary.
• And she certainly did not expect to receive special favours from heaven.
(3). An announcement (verses 31-33):
31”You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."
• For generations,
• Mary’s people have anxiously waited for the Great deliverer that the angel described:
• Devout Jews searched the scriptures for clues about him.
• Fathers taught their children to watch out for him.
• Mothers have peered into the eyes of their newborns,
• Wondering whether their child might be the one.
• And now God, in his wisdom is saying; ‘enough waiting’,
• Mary he is coming and you will be the one who will bring him into the world.
• Gabriel gives Mary the good news:
• She would become the mother of the promised Messiah whom she would name Jesus.
Note: that the angel Gabriel affirmed both the deity and the humanity of Jesus.
• In verse 32: As Mary's son, He would be human; a descendant of David,
• In verse 35: He would also be the Son of God.
• We are also told in verses 31: what the baby was to be called ‘Jesus’ – ‘Jehovah saves’.
• And that name reveals his purpose for coming to this world.
(b). Mary's surrender (verses 34-48).
(1). A question asked (verse 34).
"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"
Ill:
• One night a house caught fire and a young boy was forced to flee to the roof.
• The father stood on the ground below with outstretched arms,
• Calling to his son, “Jump! I’ll catch you.”
• He knew the boy had to jump to save his life.
• All the boy could see, however, was flame, smoke, and blackness.
• As can be imagined, he was afraid to leave the roof.
• His father kept yelling: “Jump! I will catch you.”
• But the boy protested, “Daddy, I can’t see you.”
• The father replied, “But I can see you and that’s all that matters.”
• With that the boy jumped!
Mary’s faith in God is just as daring and terrifying as that little boy:
• Mary knew what would happen – she would have a baby.
• But she did not know how it would happen – it was beyond understanding.
• Her question in verse 34 was not an evidence of unbelief;
• Rather, it was an expression of faith.
• She believed the promise,
• But she did not understand the performance.
• How could a virgin give birth to a child?
• It was an impossibility!
(2). An answer given (verses 35-37)
The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37For nothing is impossible with God."
• In response to Mary’s question;
• The angel Gabriel says three things to her.
FIRST:
• Gabriel explained that this would be a miracle,
• The work of the Holy Spirit of God.
• Joseph, her betrothed, would not be the father of Mary’s child,
• But the step-father.
• Until the age of thirty; and even during his earthly ministry;
• Jesus would be legally identified and recognised by the people as the son of Joseph.
• His real identity would be hid;
• Until the time was right in God’s sight.
SECOND:
• Gabriel was careful to point out that the Baby would be a "holy thing";
• And would not share the sinful human nature of humanity.
Quote: Romans chapter 5 verse 12:
“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned”
• The bible clearly teaches that Jesus knew no sin (2 Cor. 5:21), He did no sin (1 Peter 2:22),
• And He had no sin (1John 3:5).
THIRD:
The angel ended his message by giving Mary a word of encouragement:
• Her aged relative Elisabeth was also with a miraculous child,
• Know the story – fell pregnant in her old age.
• In telling Mary this, God was proving to her that 'with God nothing shall be impossible."
• And also showing her that she had an allie, someone who would believe and support her!
(3). A response declared (verse 38).
“I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said."
Then the angel left her”.
Mary responded to this mind-blowing news by submitting herself to God as His servant:
• This was an incredible response;
• Remember she was only a teenage girl!
• A girl who could if Joseph wanted too, could be accused of adultery.
• And have to face all that that could involve!
• And even if Joseph did accepted her,
• Accusations of indecency would always follow her the rest of her life;
• From now on her reputation was shot!
• As far as her community was concerned she was damaged goods!
What we have in this story are two perspectives on view here.
• God’s perspective:
• She was ‘highly favoured’, a chosen instrument.
• Man’s perspective:
• She was a foolish pregnant teenage girl, an embarrassment & shame to her family.
• Incredibly Mary responds to this daunting situation;
• By submitting herself to God and trusting in him to lead the way!
Quote William Barclay:
“The world’s most common prayer is ‘Thy will be changed’.
Mary prayed the world’s greatest prayer; ‘Thy will be done!’”.
Ill:
• Native American (Red Indian) went into a Bank in Texas.
• He looked at the bank manager and said: “Grass all gone, sheep all sick, waterholes all dry!”
• The bank manager took him through to the back of the bank,
• And opened a safety deposit box which contained gold the Indian had mined.
• The Indian then said:
• “Plenty of grass, sheep well, waterhole full”.
• His circumstances were the same,
• But he had resources to survive in abundance.
• Mary was willing to co-operate with God’s plan;
• Believing he had the resources and ability to bring her safely through this test.
• Despite the potential trouble she will face from;
• Her family, her village and of course, her fiancé!
(4). A song composed (verses 46-56).
• From a human viewpoint this song would have to be ‘the blues;’
• A song talking about her hard and demanding situation.
• Instead this is a song of joy, a song of praise; a song of worship.
• Why because Mary is walking in the will of God and trusting fully in God.
• She believed that the will of God is not a chain that shackled us;
• Rather, it is a key that opened doors and set us free.
Mary's song is saturated in the Old Testament Scriptures:
• Mary knew her Bible; she had hid God's word in her heart.
• That is one reason why she could trust him.
• She had hid God's word in her heart.
• And now she will turned it into a song.
• This song is called "The Magnificat"
• Because the Latin translation of verse 46 ("Magnificat anima mea Dominwn." )
• Mary’s great desire in the song is to magnify the Lord,
• And not herself.
• Eight times she uses the phrase ‘He has’ or ‘He hath’;
• As she relates what God had done for three different recipients of His blessing.
A simple outline of the song is:
• You get the skeleton, put your own meat on later!
• (1). What God did for Mary (verses 46-49).
• (2). What God did for us (verses 50-53).
• Enjoy those verses because you are included in them.
• (3). What God did for Israel (verses 54-55).
• God always keeps his word, no matter how long ago he may have promised something.
Final application:
• At times we all receive news (not nescercery from an angel) that shatters us.
• Question is how do we react?
• Is it like a wedge that comes in between us and God;
• Or like a vice that binds us closer.
Ill:
• Dr Judson was one of the first missionaries sent abroad by nonconformist churches;
• He arrived in India in 1813 and settled in Rangoon, Burma.
• Later when war broke out between Burma and the English Government of India;
• He was arrested, and put in prison and accused of being a spy.
• As he was lying in a foul jail with 32 lbs. of chains on his ankles,
• And with his feet bound to a bamboo pole.
• A fellow prisoner with a sneer on his face, said,
• “Dr. Judson, what about the prospect of the conversion of the heather?”
• Judson’s reply was instant;
• “The prospects are just as bright as the promises of God.”
• No matter how dark and stormy our situation may be,
• God does not change and neither does his word!
Ill: Dr Judson went on to achieve an incredible amount in his life;
• Translated the Bible in Burmese, produced the very first Burmese dictionary;
• And left a Christian community of about half a million people.
• “Dr. Judson, what about the prospect of the conversion of the heather?”
• “The prospects are just as bright as the promises of God.”
• Mary demonstrates tremendous faith;
• The priest Zechariah doubted and disputed with the angel.
• Mary simply listened and believed.
• She is willing to co-operate with God’s plan;
• Despite the potential trouble she will face from;
• Her family, her village and of course, her fiancé!
Quote: George Mueller
“God delights to increase the faith of His children...I say, and say it deliberately—trials, difficulties and sometimes defeat, are the very food of faith...We should take them out of His hands as evidences of His love and care for us in developing more and more that faith which He is seeking to strengthen in us”
Quote:
Trust Him when dark doubts assail thee,
Trust Him when thy strength is small,
Trust Him when to simply trust Him
Seems the hardest thing of all.
Trust Him, He is ever faithful,
Trust Him, for his will is best,
Trust Him, for the heart of Jesus
Is the only place of rest.
