TITLE: What Did Mary Know?
TEXT: Luke 1:26-38
INTRO: My favorite Christmas song was written by Mark Lowry, "Mary Did You Know?"
And what did Mary actually know? Do you realize that, looking back at the birth of Jesus, we probably know more than Mary did at that time. We have all the accounts in the Bible about Jesus' birth and life, while at first, all that Mary knew was what Gabriel told her.
You see, for 400 years, Israel had received no direct word from God. Then, suddenly, angels started appearing all over the place to announce the coming of the Messiah. One of those announcements went like this:
[Luke 1:26-38]
I. WHAT MARY KNEW BEFORE JESUS WAS BORN
A. What She Knew About Herself
1. That she was a virgin
2. That she was blessed by God
3. That she would bear a great burden
- Others would not understand the circumstances of
Jesus' birth
4. That she was willing to submit to God's plan
B. What She Knew About Jesus
1. She knew His Name
both she and Joseph were told His name would be
Jesus ("the Lord saves")
2. She knew he would be a King
3. She knew He was the Son of God
4. She knew nothing was impossible with God
II. WHAT MARY KNEW AFTER JESUS WAS BORN
A. She Observed How Others Responded to His Birth
1. Shepherds - who came and worshipped Him
2. Wise Men from the East - who came a long way to
worship Him, and give Him gifts befitting a king
3. Herod - who plotted to kill Him
B. She Knew What She Saw and Heard in the Temple
And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him. And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. (Luk 2:25-35)
C. She Knew About His Miracles
1. She was there when He turned the water into wine
2. Surely she heard about His other miracles:
-How He walked on water and calmed a storm
-How He made the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the
lame to leap, and the dead to live again
and
-How He forgave people's sin and made life worth
living
E. She Was Present at His Crucifixion
1. When He was born, she had counted His fingers and
toes and laid Him in a manger.
-She had nursed Him.
-She had watched Him learn to crawl and then walk.
-She had told Him bedtime stories.
-She had rocked Him to sleep at night.
2. She was there when they crucified Him. Most of the
others had scattered like the wind. Peter was warming
himself by a fire, denying he even knew Jesus.
But Mary was there. That was her firstborn hanging on
the cross.
III. WHAT WORLD KNOWS ABOUT JESUS
A. Most People Know All Too Little
B. They Will Know What We Tell Them
CONCL: It's important that we know about Jesus, but it's more important to actually know Him as our Savior and Lord!
Amen
