What Does it Take to See Jesus?
Part 4 – We Need a Heart Like Mary!
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
By Pastor James May
Luke 1:26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
Luke 1:27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
Most of the world and many in the church would rather that verse 27 would not appear. There are a lot of people who deny the virgin birth of Jesus. But to deny that would be to deny that Jesus was born without the original sin of Adam. To deny that Mary was a virgin would be to say that the Bible is a lie; and if the Bible is a lie, and Jesus was born in sin like every other man, then why do we even bother to believe in God at all. And there is where the problem lies; because so many deny the virgin birth, their whole belief system comes crashing down. Without the virgin birth there could be no Savior, nor could there be salvation, for there would not be a perfect blood sacrifice that would pay the price for all sin and have the power to wash away sin from the heart of any man. The doctrine, and the belief in the virgin birth is absolutely essential to Christianity. Without it, there is no Christ and no church, and we are all nothing but a bunch of delusional fools.
I believe the Bible! I believe every word of it! I believe that it is infallible and all encompassing! I believe it contains the only Truth from the very Throne of God. And I believe that every word of the Bible is inspired by the Holy Ghost, written as the Spirit led the prophets to write and that it is the sole source of perfect truth in all of creation. We have to either accept all of the Bible as absolute truth; or accept none of it. It can be the guidelines for life that will lead to Jesus and then on to Heaven; or it can be like any other historical, self-help book and have no power to change anything in your life.
Mary was a “virgin” and I suspect that this is meant in more than one manner. We tend to think of this in physical terms because man can only reason on the fleshly level, but I wonder if also this term “virgin” might also have meant so much more than “never knowing a man”.
Both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament we hear God speaking of the nation of Israel, his chosen people, as being adulterers and adulteresses; of being espoused to God and yet being unfaithful to the Lord.
Malachi 3:5 And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.
James 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
2 Corinthians 11:2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
One of the most powerful points concerning the heart of Mary is that she had a heart that was true to God, unadulterated by the world and pure before her Lord. She was like David, she was a woman after God’s own heart, and she lived by the law and the spirit of serving her God faithfully. She had not chosen to follow after the idols of her neighbors. She had chosen to remain faithful to the end. She had chosen to be holy before God and to walk uprightly before him. Nothing of this world was important enough to replace the love of God that was found in her heart. Therefore, Mary was not only physically a virgin, never having known a man; but she was also spiritually a virgin, never having united herself with any other God than the Lord God Jehovah.
Luke 1:28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
Luke 1:30-31 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name
If the above was not true, how could Mary have been highly favored among the women of Israel? What would have been special about her if she had been a spiritual adulterer? But God did say that she was favored “among” women, not “above” women. This means that she was not without the original sin nature, and that she too needed salvation.
I know that our Catholic friends teach the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, and that their doctrine not only teaches that Jesus was conceived without sin; but that Mary herself was born without sin. Nowhere in God’s Word is this doctrine taught. Mary was highly favored because of her faithfulness, but she was not without sin and needed that salvation that Jesus would bring.
Mary had a heart that was pure before God; searching to serve God in holiness and faithfulness. Those are things that are very much lacking in the modern church world. Too many Christians are trying to ride the fence between serving God and serving the god of this present world by embracing what the world has to offer, allowing things to steal their devotion that only belongs to God.
Luke 1:29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
I have no doubt that she was troubled about the message from the angel, not only because the Word says so, but how would it make any young woman feel to be told that she was going to bear a child that God himself would place inside of her? The implications of what that would appear to be was a very serious matter and Mary fully understood what the penalties of having a child out of wedlock in the eyes of man would mean.
The angel continued….
Luke 1:32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
Luke 1:33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Luke 1:34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
This verse shows us that while Mary did not question God’s will, she did question how it could possibly happen? This wasn’t a question to say I just don’t believe it; it was a question of saying, okay, God’s going to do something special in my life, but I just don’t understand at all, how this could be done!
Have you ever questioned God? It’s not wrong to question as long as we are not questioning in doubt and unbelief. God knows that we are frail human beings and that we do not know his ways fully. Sometimes asking the right question in the right manner will get you the answers you really need.
Even James told us that we have not because we ask not. I believe that’s more than just asking for things; it’s also asking God to explain how or why. I don’t believe our questions bother God, anymore than your children asking you a question will bother you. But like you and I, when those children ask the same thing over and over and won’t accept the answer we give, then the trouble starts.
Mary had a heart of faith; but also a heart that wanted to understand the ways of God more!
Luke 1:35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
Luke 1:37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
It sounds like God was answering Mary’s question in a way similar to what I’ve answered my kids after a while. “It will happen because God says it will happen.” God can do anything. Don’t worry about how. That’s not important. What is important is that you realize that God is working in you and that if you will allow him to work in you, then He will see it to the end.
Luke 1:38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
There’s a part of the heart of Mary that we need to see. Mary had a heart of submission to God’s will in spite of unanswered questions. She was willing to be God’s tool in anyway that God saw fit to use her. She believed the Word, accepted the Word, let the Word move in her heart, and then started walking by that Word. God’s will be done at all costs! I am his and I trust God no matter what he does. AMEN
Later in the first chapter of Luke we see where Mary begins her song of praise unto the Lord for using her in such a wonderful way! Oh to be God’s vessel in bringing forth His only begotten Son – What an honor! What a privilege! Truly she was special; she was blessed and she knew it and gave God glory!
Luke 1:46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
Luke 1:47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
Luke 1:48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
Luke 1:49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
Mary did say that all generations would call her blessed, but she also understood that she was so unworthy in herself of being used by God in so great a manner. If Mary were to see and hear that she was being lifted up as though she were even greater than the very Son of God that she bore, I believe she would shout it from the house top, “Don’t worship me. I am nothing! Worship Jesus, God’s Son! He alone is the Savior; he alone is my Savior!”
We need the Heart of Mary that is willing to allow God to birth in us more children of God. Mary was blessed to give birth to Jesus, but you and I are now called upon to give birth too.
It has been said that Sheep beget Sheep! That’s so true! Every one of us today can say that we are highly favored among men and women in this world. God has planted his seed of eternal life within each of us and then said, “Go forth and bring newborn babies into the Kingdom of God”! God is looking for all of us to birth sons and daughters of God into his family. Consider that every soul that is born again by the Holy Spirit is a new son or daughter born into the family of God!
The heart that we all need is a heart that is willing to take that seed of God that has been implanted into our lives and plant it into other people. Go and tell the world about Jesus and bring forth that seed of eternal life through the power of the Holy Ghost and the blood of Jesus!
Jesus commanded that we go and preach the gospel to every creature. In effect what he has told us to do is to copy what the angel did for Mary. We are the messengers of God, the servants of God; and we are called and anointed to go out and announce that the Jesus can be conceived into the heart of every man who will accept him.
We need to have that heart of Mary that is willing to bring sons of God into the world. We need that heart of Mary that says, “Whatever thou will; do unto me! Use me, mold me, make me; create within me that heart that will tell the world about Jesus! Birth forth new life through me! Make me a profitable servant in thy kingdom.
We need to have that heart of Mary that also says, “It’s not that I deserve anything; but it’s by God’s grace alone.” Let us keep that heart of humility before God; keeping in mind that it’s only by God’s grace that any of us are used.
We need that heart of Mary to praise and give glory to God for all that he does through us and in us! What a privilege it is to be able to tell people about Jesus. What an honor it is unto us to have the high calling of God upon our lives! Let us never fail to give God all of the glory, honor and praise for all that He enables us to do for him.
We need to have the heart of Mary to acknowledge the awesome responsibility that we have of fulfilling the will of God in our lives. Mary knew that her obedience would bring forth a Savior that would be a great blessing to all mankind, for all of human history.
Luke 2:19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
What might Mary’s thoughts have been? What was growing in her heart?
I’m sure she thought of the millions of people who had already died in faith and would be so greatly blessed and filled with joy to see her son born into this world.
I’m sure who wondered how God would bring about the Salvation of mankind through Jesus. God did not reveal the details of his plans to Mary for to do so would have been a horrifying thing to her at that point in time; just as much as it was 33 ½ years later when Jesus died on the cross. No mother would want to know that her son would die such a terrible death, even though he was completely innocent. No mother could enjoy raising a child if she knew that at a date and time in the future that child would suffer untold agony. Thank God that He does not always tell us everything, but gives us grace to have victory through whatever may come!
Perhaps Mary thought of the eternal consequences of what was about to happen through her life. How blessed she must have felt, and yet to realize that in the big picture of what God was doing, she was but a single vessel out of many thousands that God had used to bring forth His Son.
She was giving him birth physically, but how many prophets and teachers and judges in Israel had done their part to bring forth God’s Son? How many prophecies were given? How many people had died for their testimony of a coming Savior? All of those, both past and future, who do their part to bring God’s plan to past, carry an equal burden of honor and credit for having done their jobs faithfully to the end.
God is no respecter of persons and he will reward all of us equally for our unfailing faithfulness to his call upon our lives. Mary will be blessed, right along with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; right along with each of you who are faithful to spread the seed of God’s Word that will spring forth into eternal life through the blood of Jesus!
Yes, we need the heart of Mary! We need that heart that will say, “Be it unto me as thou hast said. I am yours Lord. Use me in whatever manner you see fit. God’s will be done.” AMEN
