The Heart of an Unlikely Hero
By a show of hands:
-How many of you remember hearing the announcement of Nov 11, 1918 the end of WW1?
-How many of you remember hearing the headlines in May 1927, when Charles Lindbergh had successfully crossed the Atlantic Ocean as a solo pilot?
-How many of you remember hearing the news of Dec 7, 1941 when Pearl Harbor was bombed?
-How many of you remember hearing Nov 22, 1963 when President JFK was shot and killed?
-How many of you remember hearing about the tragedies of 911?
-How many of you have heard about the miraculous birth of God’s son to a young woman named Mary?
We all have! Because…
“As huge, staggering, and widely proclaimed as those modern news announcements were, each is almost inconsequential when compared to the startling, far-reaching announcement of Jesus Christ’s birth, which Mary heard from the angel Gabriel.” (MacArthur, John God in the Manger, pg 27)
Now what almost as startling as the announcement of God being born in a human body, is the person who the announcement was made to. Mary the mother of Jesus. Let me give you a little of background before we jump into the text.
First the angel Gabriel delivers a message to Elizabeth one of Mary’s relatives. The angel informs here that she is going to have a baby which is news because Elizabeth was one of Judea’s senior citizens. Then the angel Gabriel appears to Mary, and all of this happened over the course of a few months. Why is that important? Because, these two announcements, were proceeded by roughly 400 years of silence from God.
During this time “God’s people had not seen or heard from an angel…there had been no revelation from the Lord, no miracles, and certainly no sequence of miracles.” As John MacArthur says the angel Gabriel appeared twice, “both times with an extraordinary birth announcement to an ordinary person.” (pg 29)
And though Mary has always been considered one of the heroes of the Christian faith, I think it’s safe to say she was an unlikely hero. Why unlikely you might ask. First, she was most likely a young teenager. And even in our country’s history there aren’t many teenage heroes. Secondly, she was a woman, and there weren’t many female heroes in the Jewish patriarchal society. Third, she was a normal, everyday, ordinary person, that God decided to use in an extraordinary way! Now, keeping all that in mind let’s open our Bibles up to the book of Luke chapter 2, starting in verse 26. If you don’t have a Bible, just raise your hand and an usher will bring you one.
1. A Servant’s Heart
26In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
Now I want to be honest with you this morning and say that I’ve never personally had an angel show up with special news for me. If that did happen I have no idea how I would react. Imagine how you might react if someone showed up claiming to be an angel. I imagine that I would be rather excited, if I believed, but listen to how Mary responded.
29Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.
Sometimes I walk into the living room and say, “Honey, I love you.” And occasionally my wife looks at me skeptically and says, “Alright, what do you want?” Husbands have your wives ever wrongly accused you of a having false motive?
Have you ever noticed how salespeople will flatter you about your appearance, or your taste, or your career, or your education, or whatever in an attempt to get you to buy something? Sometimes your boss will come up to you and say, “You’re one of the only people I can really count on…” Whenever someone starts out with flattery you kind of expect them to ask you for something.
And you almost get the impression that Mary had some of these thoughts. She was greatly troubled and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. Greatly troubled literally means that Mary was disturbed, perplexed, confused.” She was probably wondering why in the world this angel was talking to her! Wouldn’t you? She may have even been scared. In the next verse the angel says…
30But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31You 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."
I think Gabriel was is either an eternal optimist or he was glossing this whole thing over. Yeah don’t be afraid Mary, I’m just hear to tell you that you’re having a baby out of wedlock in a culture where you can be stoned for that sort of thing. Your fiancé will probably want out of the marriage, and your relatives will shun you, and your child will be stigmatized for being illegitimate, but hey, “don’t be afraid, Mary.” This Gabriel guy must be an angel of comfort. So does Mary, calm down at this point? Verse 34…
34"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"
Mary seems somewhat alarmed, maybe in shock of what this angel is saying, and she asks a pretty obvious question. Mary probably wasn’t educated, she wasn’t a scholar, but she knew that pregnancies usually involve some activities which she had not engaged in. “How will this be?” she asks!
35The 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.
Many people have sought to find some magical meaning, or hidden insight, into how God caused Mary to become pregnant. It’s not really that mysterious, it’s really rather simple: God took the same power that he used to speak the universe into existence with, he used the same power that he used to part the Red Sea, and stop time for a day….he used his mighty, awesome, incomprehensible power to cause Mary to be with child. He just made it happen…he’s God, he can do things like that! “How can this be Mary wanted to know?” The answer is in verse 27
And I want you all to underline verse 37 in your Bibles. The angel Gabriel says…
37For nothing is impossible with God."
Did you catch that? Nothing is impossible with our God. And here is the first glimpse at the heart of our unlikely hero.
38"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.
“I am the Lord’s servant…May it be to me as you have said.”
Can you believe her wonderful attitude? Can you believe her servant’s heart? It’s absolutely amazing! What if God marched an angel into your life and said, “I’m going to change your plans, alter your course, and do something that will effect you every day for the rest of your life!”
How would you respond?
What if God sent an angel to you today and said, “Alright it’s time to quit your job, sell your house, and move to Africa as a missionary to a remote tribe of people!” Would you say, “I am the Lord’s servant…May it be to me as you have said?”
What if God sent an angel that said, “You need to start a ministry to the homeless in downtown Portland at dignity village? Would you say, “Okay I am the Lord’s servant…May it be to me as you have said?
What if your fiancé came to you and said, “I’m pregnant, and though we’ve never been together, I haven’t cheated. God gave me the baby.” Would you go for that? Would you say, “Okay I am the Lord’s servant…May it be to me as you have said?
And even if you were able to take this kind of attitude about a life-altering decision, that you had no say in, could you have done it at 14 or 15 or 16 years old? What an amazing young woman Mary must have been!
I’ll tell you something, it’s no mistake that God chose Mary. He didn’t just look in the book of life and say “eenie, meanie, miny, mo” and pick someone. It was no coincidence that Mary was servant-hearted. He chose Mary because she had a servant’s heart. He chose her because he knew how she would respond.
And here’s something else, God is still looking for servant-hearted people. He’s looking for people that are willing to serve him in any way that he asks them to. He’s looking for people that will do what he wants, when he wants, where he wants, and how he wants. God doesn’t need people with opinions and agendas, and talents, and training, he needs people that are available.
Jesus said, “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant…”
Paul said, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus,” and he “took on the very nature of a servant…” (Matthew 20:26 and Philippians 3:5 & 7)
Being God’s servant is a theme throughout the entire Bible and it’s an attitude essential to effective ministry in God’s Kingdom. And if a teenager can find this willing, submissive, servant’s heart so can we. I want you to look inside yourself this morning and ask the question, “Do I have a servant’s heart?”
2. A Trusting Heart
After Mary had heard the news about the miraculous birth of Christ she went to visit Elizabeth. Starting in verse 39:
39At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth.
Now I want you to understand that the journey from Mary’s home in Nazareth to Elizabeth’s home in Judea was somewhere around 80 miles and would have taken at least 4 days of travel. A note of interest for me was the mention of the “greeting to Elizabeth”. In the Middle East it was customary for visitors to greet their host with an elaborate, almost ritualistic, type ceremony that involved a lot of flattering, and glad tidings. Verse 41 says…
41When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Now we know that Elizabeth, Mary’s relative, was pregnant with John the Baptist. And when these two mothers, carrying two babies whose lives would be forever intertwined came together, John the Baptist leaped in her womb. He did one of those summersault deals that babies like to do.
Now why did Mary travel all the way out to the hill country of Judea? Why did she go to see her relative Elizabeth?
1. The first and most obvious reason is that the angel had mentioned Elizabeth in his conversation with Mary. It was natural to want to see her.
2. The second thing is that the angel had said that Elizabeth was six months pregnant. Keep in mind that Elizabeth was an old woman. So if Mary had any doubts as to whether the angel’s message was true, it would be easy to confirm it with a visit to see Elizabeth. But I don’t think that Mary went because she was skeptical and needed proof.
I think she went there trusting that what the Lord had said was true. And seeing Elizabeth just confirmed that what she had trusted in was true. After Mary’s greeting Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, exclaimed…
42In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"
There are a couple of things to take note of here. Notice that Elizabeth says that “Mary is blessed among women.” Some people have wrongly elevated Mary to a special place height which I don’t think God ever intended. The blessing of Mary is not because of her own righteousness, or because of her own merits. Mary is the recipient of God’s blessings. She was blessed not because of her own works but because of what God worked in her.
And in verse 45 the Holy Spirit, speaking through Elizabeth, reveals to us Mary’s motive for traveling to Judea. “Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!” She believed what God had said and went to see the only person that would probably understand. Elizabeth, the other person involved in this miraculous chain of events.
She went their because she believed, or trusted, that what God had said was true. This gives us another glimpse into the heart of this unlikely hero. Mary had a trusting or believing heart. She took God at his word. She believed what he had to say.
-She could have said I can’t be pregnant because I’ve never been with a man. Or I don’t believe that I could become pregnant.
-She could have kicked Gabriel out, or asked him for some angelic ID to confirm his story.
-She could have camped out in skeptical disbelief and not even bothered with the 80 mile journey to Elizabeth’s house. She could have just dismissed the whole thing by saying Elizabeth is the age of a great-grandmother, she can’t be pregnant.
But Mary didn’t do any of those things. Because she had a trusting, believing, heart. And once again let me say that it is no coincidence that God chose to use someone with this kind of heart. He chose her because she had a trusting heart.
And again God is still looking for people who trust him. God is looking for people that will take him at his Word. He isn’t looking for people with the answers. He’s not looking for people that need a detailed explanation, or a thorough blueprint. He’s not looking for people who need to understand before they can act. He’s looking for people that just trust him and do what he asks. Period.
Do you have a trusting heart?
-When God says jump do you do it or do you ask why?
-When God says go talk to that person about Jesus, and you know that his word says he’ll tell you what to say, do you go ahead and talk to the person? Or do you shy away?
-When God says that he blesses people for giving financially to the ministry of his church, do you give?
When God says anything to you, through his word, or through his spirit do you trust him enough to act on it?
I remember reading the story of a preacher who had just gone to the grocery store to pick up some food. While driving home he just sensed that the Lord wanted him to pull over. At first he fought it, thinking he was just dreaming this up. But he kept feeling that God wanted him to pull that car over. So finally, not knowing what else to do he pulled over on a residential street. Now that might seem strange to you but it gets stranger. Next he felt that God wanted him to take a gallon of milk out of his grocery bag, and deliver it to a certain home on that residential street. And he really didn’t want to. He kept thinking to himself, these people are going think I’m crazy and shoot me. They’re going to call the police, but as he went through his various rationalizations, he kept sensing that this was what God wanted him to do. So, trusting God in his mind, and being somewhat reluctant with his body, he got a gallon of milk out and walked to the door of this stranger’s home. He knocked on the door and when a woman answered he kind of looked at the ground and muttered, Uh, I was driving down the street and God told me to bring you this milk. And the woman began to cry. And she went on to tell him that she and her husband had paid all of their bills that month and all they needed to make it to payday was a gallon of milk for their baby. And just moments before he came that woman and her husband has been praying and asking God to somehow supply milk for their child. WOW!
Do you have a trusting heart? If God spoke that same word to you while you were driving down the road, would you stop? Would you trust that what God wanted was right? Would you do it?
Proverbs 3:5-6 says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your path straight.”
Mary had a trusting heart, and God still needs people who will trust him. And in verse 46 we see the last glimpse of this unlikely hero’s heart. In response to what had happened, Mary composed a song, or a poem. Some people call it the Magnificat.
3. A Grateful Heart
46And Mary said:
"My soul glorifies the Lord
47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49for the Mighty One has done great things for me--
holy is his name.
50His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
51He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
54He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
55to Abraham and his descendants forever,
even as he said to our fathers."
and verse 56Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
One of may favorite things to read in the Bible is the historical narratives. Those history books in the Bible, that tell us about the faith of God’s people from ages past. We learn from those people. We see what mistakes they made, and what victories they had. And in those narratives we see people that model for us the kind of life that God desires of US. How could, Mary, such a young woman have such a servant’s heart? How could she so easily trust what God had said when it so greatly impacted her life? And how did she even the strength to write a song of praise and gratitude while going through this ordeal?
How do you have an attitude of gratitude when God’s plan alters your life? How do you praise him when he’s saddled you with a great burden or a tremendous responsibility? I don’t honestly know.
You know I was over talking to Edie and Marie the other day and I couldn’t get over what a grateful attitude that Edie had. She has been confined to her recliner for 6 weeks straining with each breath, while the doctors tried to figure out what in the world was the matter. So I go to visit her and she’s telling me how grateful she is for her mom, how grateful she is for our church, how grateful she is that she’s getting better. How do you have a grateful heart when you’re suffering like that?
Jonah didn’t sing a catchy jingle when God said go to Ninevah. Gideon didn’t dance a jig when God sent him to take on a massive army with 300 men. And Joseph, Mary’s fiancée, didn’t write a happy song when he heard the news.
It’s no coincidence that God chose someone with a grateful heart to bear HIS ONE AND ONLY SON. It’s no coincidence, because God was looking for someone with a grateful heart. He needed someone that could be thankful, grateful, in spite of circumstances. And you know what, God is still looking for people with grateful hearts.
My wife pointed out something interesting the other day that I had never noticed before. She said have you ever noticed that everything our kids pray for starts out with thank you? When my grandfather died, my kids prayed thank you that Grandpa Burt died. Thank you for being with Grandma and helping her feel better. Whenever we ask them to pray for someone who has been through a tragedy they always start their prayers with thank you. Imagine if we as adults prayed that way. It would take humility. It would require us to have a eternal outlook and a heavenly perspective on earthly events. It would take a grateful heart!
In the 1870’s there was a man named Horatio Spafford who was a friend of the famous evangelist Dwight Moody. Moody was conducting a revival in England and the Gates family decided to take a vacation and join Dwight Moody for the revival.
Spafford was delayed by some business, but sent his family on ahead. His plan was to catch up with them on the other side of the Atlantic.
Their ship, the Ville du Havre, never made it. Off Newfoundland, it
collided with an English sailing ship, the Loch Earn, and sank within 20
minutes. Though Horatio's wife, Anna, was able to cling to a piece of
floating wreckage (one of only 47 survivors among hundreds), their four
daughters--Maggie, Tanetta, Annie, and Bessie--were killed.
Horatio received a horrible telegram from his wife, only two words long: "saved
alone." It is reported that as he sailed to England, somewhere near where his daughters drown, he penned the words that most of his know him for.
When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea-billows roll; whatever my lot, thou has taught me to say, “It is well, it well, with my soul.”
What an amazing and grateful heart!
-Do you have a grateful heart?
I think that we all need to be reminded to be servant’s and to trust God and to be grateful despite circumstances. But what a great lesson for all of us grown ups, to learn from a young girl, as we enter the Christmas season. Christmas, the season of Christ’s birth is a time to serve others. It’s a time where we take the focus off of us and onto those around us. Christmas is a time where we remember that our trust is in God. He has made good on his promise to save us through the blood of his son Jesus, and if we can trust him with our souls we can trust him with anything. And Christmas is a timte where we remember all the things we have to be grateful for: Jesus Christ in our hearts, families, friends, and the church body in our lives.
For 400 years God was silent. And when he finally spoke it was to a servant hearted, trusting and grateful young woman. And today he’s speaking to you, through his written Word. He’s looking for people like Mary that he can use to accomplish his purposes. Do you have the kind of heart that God desires? And most importantly does your heart belong to God?
