WHAT YOKEFELLOWs SHARE—I—Luke 1:39-56
The Holy Spirit confirmed Elizabeth & Mary as yokefellows(partners) who shared their experience in God’s service.
Yokefellows(partners) share their part in God’s service.
What do yokefellows in God’s service share?
Yokefellows in God’s service share...
1—Yokefellows in God’s service share...
EXCITEMENT(:39-40)
Explanation: (:39-40)Excitement(with haste)/Thrilled/Exhilaration
:39—“Now Mary arose in those days & went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah,”
“In those days”—At the time when Mary had received the news of her favor in God’s sight.
Mary departed Nazareth(:26) for the “hill-country” of Judah. She came to an unnamed city of there. The “hill country” parallels the Jordan River & Dead Sea to its west, extending southward roughly from the Jordan’s southern half & down about ⅔ of the Dead Sea’s N-S length. It includes the cities of Jerusalem, Bethlehem & Hebron. “It basically stretches 40 mi. [64 km] from Jerusalem in the north, south to the area just north of Beersheba. The hills in this region range from 2,500 to 3,000 ft. [760 to 920 m.] above sea level.—Holy Land Photos.org
“Luke uses” [“hill country”] “twice in this context (here & 1:65) instead of to orov, the mountains. It is an old word & is in the LXX, but nowhere else in the N.T. The name of the city where Zacharias lived is not given unless Judah here means Juttah (Jos 15:55). Hebron was the chief city of this part of Judea.”—RWP
“Arose”—anisthmi—1) To cause to rise up, raise up; 2) To rise, stand up; 3) At arise, appear, stand forth.
“Haste”—spoudh—1) Haste, with haste; 2) Earnestness, diligence.
“Hill country”—oreinov—1) Mountainous, hilly; 2) The mountain district, hill country. From—orov— A Mountain—Strong—probably from an obsolete orw (to rise or "rear"); a mountain (as lifting itself above the plain):-- hill, mount(-ain).
“City”—poliv—A city. Strong—A town (properly, with walls, of greater or less size):-- City.
:40—“& entered the house of Zacharias & greeted Elizabeth.”
At this point Zacharias had been mute for 6mths after his incident with Gabriel at the Altar of Incense in the Holy Place of the Temple (:20-25, :36).
She traveled to Judah in order to come to Elizabeth. She thus entered Zacharias’ home.
Elizabeth was Mary’s kin(:36—“Relative/Cousin”—Kinsman related by blood.)
Mary “greeted” Elizabeth—They embraced one another(as close as one can with Elizabeth being 6mths pregnant!).
“Greeted/Saluted”—aspazomai—V.—1) To draw to one’s self, 1a) To salute one, greet, bid welcome, wish well to, 1b) To receive joyfully, welcome. Strong—To enfold in the arms, i.e. (by implication) To salute, (figuratively) To welcome:-- Embrace, greet, salute, take leave. From —spaw—To draw out. Noun translated “Greeting” in :29.
Argumentation:
Rev. 2:1-5, 7—““To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, ‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place--unless you repent.”....“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”’”
Php 1:27—2:2—“Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come & see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, & not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, & that from God. For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me & now hear is in me. Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection & mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.”
Rev. 3:20—““Behold, I stand at the door & knock. If anyone hears My voice & opens the door, I will come in to him & dine with him, & he with Me.”
Jn. 15:11—Jesus said—““These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, & that your joy may be full.”
2Jn. 12—“Having many things to write to you, I did not wish to do so with paper & ink; but I hope to come to you & speak face to face, that our joy may be full.”
Rom. 15:30-32—“Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, & through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me, that I may be delivered from those in Judea who do not believe, & that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, that I may come to you with joy by the will of God, & may be refreshed together with you.”
1Cor. 12:7—“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:”
1Cor. 12:26—“And if one member[of the body of Christ] suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.”
It is exciting to know that God is using your gift & that His plan is incomplete without it!
Rom. 12:15—“Rejoice with those who rejoice, & weep with those who weep.”
After all....Gabriel had spoken to her! & mentioned God’s work with Elizabeth! Who better to celebrate with?!
Illustration:
Excitement at Being used of God
Merge our giftedness with others to form a complete witness to God’s greatness/EXCITEMENT
Cross Over Grady County/Divided the county into quadrants/Every SBC church participated in each quadrant/All churches would benefit from the outreach/Thrilling to see so many people involved/EXCITEMENT
Evangelism training/All participants merge to yield their collective knowledge, calling & mission/EXCITEMENT
My attendance at Seminary/Quickly discovered my calling was something both shared & needed by others/Entered with great EXCITEMENT
Application:
?You a yokefellow sharing The EXCITEMENT of God’s service?
?You a confirmed yokefellow in God’s service?
2—Yokefellows in God’s service share...
BLESSING(:41-45)
Explanation: (:41-45)
:41—“And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; & Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Upon hearing Mary’s greeting, the baby “leaped” in Elizabeth’s “womb.” This was a sign that her baby “was filled with the Holy Spirit” as foretold of John by the angel Gabriel(:15).
Simultaneous to John’s movement, Elizabeth herself became “filled with the Holy Spirit.”
“Greeting”(See :44)—aspasmov—1) A salutation, either oral or written. Strong–A greeting (in person or by letter):-- Greeting, salutation.
“Babe”—brefov—1) An unborn child, embryo, a foetus; 2) A new-born child, an infant, a babe. Strong—An infant (properly, unborn) literally or figuratively:-- Babe, (young) child, infant.
“Leaped”(See :44)—skirtaw—To leap. Strong—To jump, i.e. Sympathetically move (as the quickening of a fetus):-- Leap (for joy). Used 3X.
“Filled”—plhyw—1) To fill; 2) To be fulfilled, to be filled.
:42—“Then she spoke out with a loud voice & said, “Blessed are you among women, & blessed is the fruit of your womb!”
Upon this infilling of the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth loudly proclaimed a prophecy by His power... 1)that Mary was indeed blessed among women; & 2)that the fruit of her womb was blessed as well. These things she would not have known or been aware of until after the fact of Mary’s arrival & conversation.
We are blind to the blessings of God on our lives & others until we obtain the eyes of God thru His Spirit.
“Spoke out”—anafwnew—1) To cry out with a loud voice, call aloud, exclaim. Strong—To exclaim:-- speak out.
“Loud voice”—fwnh megalh—
“Blessed”(See :45—makariov)—eulogew—Strong—from a compound of eu & logov; To speak well of, i.e. (religiously) To bless (thank or invoke a benediction upon, prosper):-- Bless, praise.
:43—““But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?””
Elizabeth expresses her humility in being accepted, chosen & worthy to share in the joy & wonder of God’s visitation.
Elizabeth knew that Mary was the “mother of” Her “Lord,” expressing some knowledge of the purpose of the pregnancy & her place in the scheme of things.
“Lord” is a generic term recognizing authority & expressive of respect & dignity, but depends upon the context for the depth of such. It does not mean that Elizabeth recognized Jesus as Divine, but at the same time it may just mean that...particularly as Mary had relayed her encounter with Gabriel(See :45).
Lk. 1:15-17—““For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, & shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will also go before Him in the spirit & power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ & the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.””
“Why...granted/Whence/How...happened/Why...so favored—poyen—1) of place: From where, from what condition; 2) of origin or source: From what author or giver; 3) of cause: How is that?, How can that be?
“Lord”(See :46)—kuriov—1) He to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord. Applicable to the various ranks & relations of life & not suggestive of either property or of absolutism. Strong—Supreme in authority, i.e. (as noun) Controller; by implication, Mr. (as a respectful title):-- God, Lord, master, Sir.
:44—““For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.”
Elizabeth knew that Mary presently bore the Messiah due to the movement(“leaped”:41)? of her 6 mth. old child. His(John’s) association/contact with the Holy Spirit effected Him even while unable to sense visually or physically in other ways apart from his own mother’s physical changes wrought by her being filled by the Spirit.
Elizabeth’s babe(John) had leaped(:41) in great exultation even while in her womb.
Elizabeth openly related what she & John had experienced to Mary.
*If a child within the womb can be filled with the Holy Spirit...A child within the womb can react to God’s presence...thus a child is a child at conception & not a ‘thing’/nuisance/hindrance...to be discarded at will.
“Indeed”—idou—Behold, see, lo. Strong—used as imperative Lo!:-- Behold, lo, see.
“Voice/Sound—fwnh—1) A sound, a tone—1a) Of inanimate things, as musical instruments; 2) a voice—2a) Of the sound of uttered words; 3) Speech—3a) Of a language, tongue. Strong—A tone (articulate, bestial or artificial); by implication, An address (for any purpose), saying or language:-- Noise, sound, voice.
“Greeting”(See :41)—aspasmov—1) A salutation, either oral or written. Strong–A greeting (in person or by letter):-- Greeting, salutation.
“Sounded/Reached”—ginomai—1) To become, i.e. to come into existence, begin to be, receive being; 2) To become, i.e. to come to pass, happen; 2a) of events; 3) To arise, appear in history, come upon the stage—3a) of men appearing in public; 4) To be made, finished—4a) of miracles, to be performed, wrought; 5) To become, be made
“Leaped”(See :44)—skirtaw—To leap. Strong—To jump, i.e. Sympathetically move (as the quickening of a fetus):-- Leap (for joy). Used 3X.
“Joy”—agalliasiv—1) Exultation, extreme joy, gladness. Strong—Exultation; specially, Welcome:-- Gladness, (exceeding) joy. NAS95—Exultation, exuberant joy: From the V.—agalliaw—to exult, rejoice exceedingly, be exceeding glad....Itself being a compound of agan(much) & allomai meaning ‘to leap or spring up.’ Used 5X.
:45—“Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.””
It becomes Obvious here that Mary had related to Elizabeth, her encounter with Gabriel. We can only assume that there was a mutual exchange of information.
Mary’s encounter—:30-35
Elizabeth’s encounter—:13-17
Elizabeth also proclaimed that Mary was “blessed” because of her trust in the fact that God would “fulfill” what the He had spoken thru the angel. God’s angels so faithfully relate/relay what is the mind/voice of God, that their word can be said to be spoken directly by God.
*“Blessing” is the result of personal faith in God’s truth, design & our willing & even unwitting involvement with it.
That which occurred in Mary’s life was not merely God’s choice. His choice of her & for her(for such a great task) was also built upon her faithfulness to His will. She “believed” the angel Gabriel & surrendered herself to “the Lord’s” will(:38).
*We are blind-sided by God’s choosing us for a task simply because we have not had opportunity for involvement in such work previously. However there must always be a beginning point for our work of faithfulness, & these new opportunities for service are indeed “blessings!”
“Blessed”(See :42—eulogew)—makariov—Blessed, happy. Strong—Supremely blest; by extension, Fortunate, well off:-- Blessed, happy(X -ier).
“Believed”—pisteuw—Strong—To have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), i.e. Credit; by implication, To entrust (especially one’s spiritual well-being to Christ):-- Believe(-r), commit (to trust), put in trust with.
“Fulfillment”—teleiwsiv—1) A completing, a perfecting—1a) Fulfilment, accomplishment, 1b) The event which verifies the promise, 1c) Consummation, perfection. Strong—(the act) Completion, i.e. (of prophecy) Verification, or (of expiation) Absolution:-- Perfection, performance.
“Told”—lalew—1) To utter a voice or emit a sound; 2) To speak—2a) To use the tongue or the faculty of speech, 2b) To utter articulate sounds; 3) To talk; 4) To utter, tell; 5) To use words in order to declare one’s mind & disclose one’s thoughts—5a) To speak. Strong—A prolonged form of an otherwise obsolete verb; to talk, i.e. Utter words:-- Preach, say, speak (after), talk, tell, utter. Means an extended or random harangue.
Argumentation:
Deut. 15:12-18—““If your brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you & serves you six years, then in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. And when you send him away free from you, you shall not let him go away empty-handed; “you shall supply him liberally from your flock, from your threshing floor, & from your winepress. From what the LORD has blessed you with, you shall give to him. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, & the LORD your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this thing today. And if it happens that he says to you, ‘I will not go away from you,’ because he loves you & your house, since he prospers with you, “then you shall take an awl & thrust it through his ear to the door, & he shall be your servant forever. Also to your female servant you shall do likewise. It shall not seem hard to you when you send him away free from you; for he has been worth a double hired servant in serving you six years. Then the LORD your God will bless you in all that you do.”
Haggai 2:19—“‘Is the seed still in the barn? As yet the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, & the olive tree have not yielded fruit. But from this day I will bless you.’””
We may not see the full fruit of the blessing, or rather we may not presently experience the fullness of the blessings we can & will receive in the future, but they are promised us by God in Christ!
Col. 2:18-19—“Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.”
1Cor. 3:5-7—“Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.”
Illustration:
Not the mere blessings which both the righteous & the wicked share, but rather those unique to the servant of God.
Every time we turn on the TV Christians should realize they are blessed to know the truth—the difference between right & wrong & God, not society, is the deciding factor!
To witness the growth(within &/or without)) of a church simply because God has brought it about/That we have been faithful to Him & thru that faith we experience His power/BLESSING
Application:
?You a yokefellow sharing The BLESSING of God’s service?
?You a confirmed yokefellow in God’s service?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
Yokefellows in God’s service share...
1. EXCITEMENT(:39-40)
2. BLESSING(:41-45)
Presented 01/23/2010pm to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
