SERMON OUTLINE:
(1). The Joy of Elisabeth (vs 39-45).
(2). The Joy of the unborn son, John (vs 41):
(3). The Joy of Mary (vs 46-56).
SERMON BODY:
• The passage in Luke’s gospel contains Mary’s song;
• It is one of the most famous songs in Christianity.
• It has been whispered in monasteries,
• Chanted in Cathedrals,
• Recited in small churches by evening candlelight,
• And set to music with trumpets and kettledrums by Johann Sebastian Bach.
• Which is a song of joy, a song of praise!
• And as we start the month of Advent it is a fitting song to sing.
• Like these other songs that are fitting songs/Hymns to sing (tongue in cheek of course!)
Ill:
• The Dentist’s Hymn:..... “Crown Him with Many Crowns”
• The Weatherman’s Hymn..... “There Shall Be Showers of Blessings”
• The Builder’s Hymn:..... “The Church’s One Foundation”
• The Tailor’s Hymn:..... “Holy, Holy, Holy”
• The Golfer’s Hymn:..... “There’s a Green Hill Far Away”
• The Opt-om-e-trist’s Hymn:..... “Open My Eyes That I Might See”
• The Tax man’s Hymn:..... “I Surrender All”
• The Electrician’s Hymn:..... “Send The Light”
• The fisherman's hymn – “Shall We Gather At The River”.
• The car accident hymn – “We Saw Thee Not.”
• The salesman's hymn – “Almost Persuaded”.
• The watch repairman's hymn – “I Need Thee Every Hour”.
• The day you find out you're pregnant hymn – “O Happy Day”.
• The day you find out you're NOT pregnant hymn – “O Happy Day”.
Ill:
• Hymnals might seem to have been fixtures in churches since time immemorial,
• But they haven't!
• Traditionally it was psalm singing, not hymns,
• That formed the main musical component of church services in the English-speaking world.
• One day around about the year 1694 a young man living in Southampton;
• Complained to his father about the dull psalm singing in their local church.
• His father encouraged him not to moan about the situation;
• But to be positive and see what he could do to solve the problem.
• The young man went away and wrote his first hymn, "Behold the Glories of the Lamb,"
• He would go on to write approximately six hundred and fifty hymns,
• Among his better known songs are, "When I survey the wondrous Cross",
• “Oh God, Our Help in Ages Past,” “I’ll Praise My Maker While I’ve Breath.”
• The young man’s name was Isaac Watts (born on 17th July 1674);
• And he has been called 'The father of modern hymns'.
Ill:
• It was Isaac watts who in 1719:
• “Joy to the World" the hymn/carol we will sing at the end of the service.
• It is one of our most loved Christmas carols;
• Because it really captures the essence of Christmas, which is joy.
• Watts was right when he titled his carol "Joy to the World",
• For Christmas is not just joy to the United Kingdom - it is not a national joy.
• It is not joy to the white, the black or the yellow skinned person - it is not a racial joy.
• It is not joy to the West--it is not a cultural joy.
• It is not joy to the rich - it is not financial joy.
• It is not joy to the educated - it is not intellectual joy.
• It is not joy to the happy - it is not emotional joy.
• It is not joy to the healthy - it is not physical joy.
• It is joy to the world. It is universal joy.
• TRANSITION: Mary’s song is a song of joy, a song of praise!
• It is one of the most famous songs in Christianity.
• It has been whispered in monasteries,
• Chanted in Cathedrals,
• Recited in small churches by evening candlelight,
• And set to music with trumpets and kettledrums by Johann Sebastian Bach.
• In Luke chapter 1 verses 39-56:
• We discover two women who choose to surrender their lives to God’s will;
• And note that they surrender to do so - in joy!
"Joy" is the major theme of this section as you see three persons rejoicing in the Lord.
(1). THE JOY OF ELISABETH (VS 39-45).
Verse 41-42:
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!
• As Mary entered the house,
• Elisabeth heard her greeting and was filled with the Holy Spirit;
• And she was told by the Lord why Mary was there.
• Notice in verse 42 the first word that filled Elisabeth’s lips – it is "blessed."
• Notice that she did not say that Mary was blessed ABOVE women but AMONG women,
• And that was certainly true.
• While we don't want to ascribe to Mary that which only belongs to God,
• Neither do we want to minimize her place in the plan of God.
• Seems to me Mary is either wrongly deified or wrongly neglected.
If you are familiar with the story:
• You will know that Elizabeth & Mary could not be more different.
• i.e. Elizabeth is elderly ‘well on in years’
• i.e. Mary was a teenage girl/young woman.
• i.e. Elizabeth has barren all her life, unable to have children until late in life,
• i.e. Mary has a conceived a child early, in fact too early, as a single (engaged) woman.
• i.e. Elizabeth is respectable married to the priest Zachariah.
• i.e. Mary will cause a scandal, unmarried and pregnant.
• i.e. Elizabeth lives in the south in the Judean hill community.
• i.e. Mary lives in the north, in Nazareth, Galilee (place of disrepute – John 1:46)
• i.e. Elizabeth life is settled and comfortable.
• i.e. Mary life at this point in time could not be more unsettled.
Yet, these two women are joined together by a common experience: Both of them are carrying special babies:
• Elizabeth is carrying John the Baptist.
• Miracle child because he is the child of her old age;
• He is also a child filled with the Holy Spirit from before he was born (Luke 1:15)
• Mary is carrying Jesus the Messiah;
• Miracle child because he is the Son of God.
These two women are brought together by a Spirit-birthed joy.
• Until they meet, each is troubled, scared.
• Alone, they are entering places they never imagined.
• But now they share the experience of an unexpected pregnancy;
• A first child for each .
• And they spend three months of seclusion together (Luke 1:56).
Notice what Elisabeth chooses to emphasize in her encounter with Mary:
• Elisabeth focusses on Mary's faith:
• "Blessed is she who has BELIEVED" (vs 45).
• God always works in response to faith!
• i.e. I love Hebrews chapter 11;
• Which is a chapter listing a varied bunch of ordinary people;
• What sets these people apart and makes these people special;
• Is that they all ‘believed’ they exercised ‘faith’.
• They took God at his word and great things always follow!
Ill:
• It’s always good to have faith!
• A pastor was speaking to his people on the relationship between fact and faith.
• He said, "That you are sitting before me in this church--is fact.
• That I am standing here, speaking from this pulpit--is fact.
• That I believe anyone is listening to me--is faith!"
• TRANSITION: Mary was a young woman of incredible faith;
• Because Mary believed the Word of God, she experienced the power of God.
• And God was able to use her in a miraculous way.
• So Elisabeth’s joy was centred in a young woman;
• Who was chosen to bring into the world, the Messiah, the Son of God!
(2). THE JOY OF THE UNBORN SON, JOHN (VS 41):
“When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.”
• As mentioned already;
• The baby Elizabeth would give birth to would go on to be John the Baptist.
• The fore-runner, the one who was born to prepare the way for the Lord.
• John the Baptist had one message; “get ready to meet Jesus!”
• John’s pointing people to Jesus started even before he was born!
• Verse 46:
• “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb”,
• And John the Baptist,
• Would have the great privilege of introducing the Messiah to the Jewish nation.
(3). THE JOY OF MARY (VS 46-56).
• Verse 47:
• “…my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,”
• The joy that Mary experienced caused her to sing;
• And she spontaneously composed and sang a hymn of praise.
• Mary’s song is a song of joy, a song of praise!
• It is one of the most famous songs in Christianity.
• This song of prise is known as the ‘Magnificat’,
• Because in the Latin Vulgate translation, the first word of verse 46 is ‘magnificent’,
• Which means ‘praise’ or ‘magnify’.
• (verse 46 reads "Magnificat anima mea Dominum." )
Notice:
• There are three important truths I want to highlight from the song,
• Three gold nuggets for us to mine.
• Three key statements that Mary made.
(1). Salvation (vs 46)
“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour”.
• The keyword here is ‘saviour’
• Mary’s first response to the message of the angelic being was to worship.
• The first thing Mary sang about was words of praise to God for his salvation.
• “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour”.
• Salvation of course is always our greatest blessing;
• Whatever else happens in our lives it has to come second to our salvation.
Ill:
• You might recall the incident in the gospels (Luke chapter 10 verses 17-24);
• Where the disciples are excited about being able to perform the supernatural;
• They are able to carry out miracles and exorcisms etc.
• Jesus replied to their enthusiasm by saying:
• That’s good, but there is something much better to get excited about!
• “Rejoice that your names are written in heaven”
Salvation is of course is always our greatest blessing;
• The Bible gives many reasons why salvation is our greatest blessing:
• But here are two that spring to mind.
• First it was planned out even before the beginning of the world;
• (Ephesians chapter 1 verse c4).
• Second it cost the very blood of the Son of God!
• (1 Peter chapter 1 verse 18).
• Salvation may be free but it is never cheap!
In this song Mary sang about was words of praise to God for his salvation:
• N.I.V.: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour”.
• K.J.B.: “Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,”
Ill:
• When you use a magnifying glass,
• It doesn't change the size of what you look at. It changes your perception.
• Mary’s perception has been enlarged;
• And so she is telling others how great she thinks God is.
Mary had an enlarged, an immense appreciation of the Lord:
• Some of that was due to her experience;
• I think if you spoke face to face with an angelic being you would be on a spiritual high!
• I think if you had a personal message via an angelic being you would be on a spiritual high!
• I think if you realised you were chosen for a special purpose you would be on a spiritual high!
• Now her supernatural experience may have helped;
• But this song reveals a much deeper reason for her appreciation of God!
• God is her saviour!
• Notice this song is saturated with quotes from the Old Testament.
• And is especially kin to Hannah’s song of praise (1 Samuel chapter 2 verses 1-10).
• She also quotes or alludes to the Psalms, Isaiah, Esther, Ecclesiastes, Job & Genesis.
• One commentator suggests that every line of this song has an Old Testament reference.
• Mary knew her Bible, she knew her Old Testament.
• For a teenage girl, a young woman;
• Mary has amazing maturity and spiritual depth for her age.
• The Holy Spirit does not magically insert Bible verses into our minds or on to our lips;
• We have to be disciplined and learn them;
• And then the Spirit of God can bring them back for us to use.
Ill:
• Now I’m not on a Catholic bash this evening;
• But the Roman Catholic church has a wrong emphasis on Mary – an over emphasis;
• They go beyond the Bible in their appreciation of this great woman.
• And in 1854 Pope Pius IX formally proclaimed doctrines that we see as unbiblical.
• One of them is the “immaculate conception,”
• By using that expression they are not talking about the birth of Christ,
• But rather the birth of Mary.
• They believe that she was born without original sin.
• They also believe that she lived a sinless life.
But this song, Mary’s own words refute that idea:
• Notice Mary did not say, “My spirit rejoices in God THE Saviour;”
• She said, “God, MY Saviour.”
• Sinless people do not need a saviour.
• And in spite of the fact she was just like the rest of us,
• God not only became her saviour,
• But miraculously through her he would bring the saviour of the world.
(2). Victory (vs 49-53)
“For the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name.”
• The second thing Mary sang about was God’s might:
• Again and again she refers to his mighty deeds.
• i.e. Verse 51a: “He has performed mighty deeds with his arm”;
• i.e. Verse 51b: “He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts”.
• i.e. Verse 52 “He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble”.
• i.e. Verse 53 “He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty”.
• i.e. Verse 54 “He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful”.
The keyword here is: victory:
• Because the mighty deeds that God was doing would overcome the world;
• And turn the world right-side-up.
Ill:
• The first time we invited Penny’s family to our house on Christmas Day for dinner,
• We got a bit of a shock.
• We lifted the turkey out of the oven;
• It was beautify brown and crisp and looked delicious.
• When we went to carve it – to our amazement it was skin on bone;
• It had no meat – just skin on bone.
• Then to our embarrassment Penny’s mum said;
• I think you have it upside down!
• And she was right, somehow one of us had turned the turkey over to help it cook evenly;
• In the hustle and bustle of cooking for lots of people;
• One of us had forgotten to mention it or turn it back the right way.
• Once we turned the turkey over and it was the right way up;
• We carved it and there was plenty of delicious meat for everyone.
• TRANSITION:
• We live in an upside down world:
Ill:
• Jesus often viewed the world this way;
• And used this paradoxical teaching in so many of his parables.
• i.e. “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11; 18:14; Mt 23:12; etc.).
• i.e. “There are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last
• (Luke 13:3; etc.)
• i.e. See also the Beatitudes in Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain
• (Luke 6:20-26).
Mary also sang about God sorting out the world by turning it the right way up!
• Mary not only quoted the Old Testament;
• But recognized the promises in the Old Testament would be fulfilled in the Messiah;
• It would be the coming of Jesus;
• Who would bring mercy to all those who were lowly in their position on this earth.
Ill:
• The common people of Mary’s day:
• Were almost helpless when it came to justice and civil rights.
• They were often hungry, downtrodden, and discouraged.
• And there was no way for them to "fight the system."
• A secret society of patriotic Jewish extremists called "the zealots";
• Tried using violent means to oppose Rome,
• But their activities made matters only worse!
Mary knew the answer to the nations need was not political but relational:
• They need to be right with God.
• Because he alone could turning everything upside down or the right way up!
• Notice that Mary named three specific groups to whom God had been merciful:
• The helpless (vs 51),
• The humble (vs 52),
• The hungry (vs 53).
• And Mary sings about God turning this world upside down or the right way up!
• In showing mercy and justice to these people.
• i.e. The weak dethrone the mighty,
• i.e. The humble scatter the proud,
• i.e. The nobodies are exalted,
• i.e. The hungry are filled,
• i.e. The rich end up poor!
All of this would take place because of ‘The Lord”
• i.e. Verse 51a: “He has…”
• i.e. Verse 51b: “He has…”
• i.e. Verse 52 “He has…”
• i.e. Verse 53 “He has…”
• i.e. Verse 54 “He has…”
• God’s mercy (vs 50) of course is made tangible in the person of Jesus Christ:
• Jesus Christ will reverse the fortunes of:
• The proud and humble, the rich and poor, the strong and weak.
• He is the Saviour who would right the wrongs of the world;
• And would give those who were downtrodden the great reason to rejoice.
These verses are a great reminder that Jesus came for everyone:
• Regardless of their status in the world.
• The humble are valued by God,
• And even the arrogant can humble themselves and become right with God.
• The oppressed find mercy and help.
• The oppressors can stop their oppression, and find grace.
• Those who are weak can be strong in God.
• The strong can admit their weakness apart from God, and find true strength.
• But we have to come to God on his terms rather than ours.
• We humble ourselves. We admit our weakness. We turn from our sin.
• And we turn to God for his strength, his wealth, and his wholeness.
• And discover that Christ, and Christ alone, brings forgiveness and victory.
(3). Covenant (vs 54-55):
“He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful
55 to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers”.
• The third thing Mary said in her song was: “He has helped his servant Israel.”
• He has done this by being “merciful to Abraham and his descendants”
• Mary is referring to God’s covenant with Israel.
• The covenant here is the sacred agreement that God made with Abraham & his descendants.
That word ‘covenant’ is so important because it remind us that God keeps his promises:
• God has bound himself to us in loving faithfulness.
• Not only are we bound to God, but he is bound to us.
• Therefore he does not forget. He does not get side-tracked.
• And even when it looks like nothing is happening,
• God is at work behind the scenes.
Ill:
• Remember that between our Old Testament and our New Testament;
• There has been a period of 400 years.
• That is a long time to wait for something to happen.
• But not only has the nation been waiting,
• They have been waiting while God has been silent.
• For 400 years there has been no “Thus says the Lord”;
• For 400 years there has been no “The word of the Lord came to me”;
• For 400 years there has just been silence;
• But now God is visibly active in his world again.
• He is visibly active in the nation of Israel, among the Jewish people.
Ill:
• Luke records for us God being visibly active:
• Through an angel – Gabriel!
• Through a miracle – Virgin conceiving & becoming pregnant!
• Through people – Elizabeth & Zachariah, Shepherds & kings.
• Through a messenger/prophet – John the Baptist!
• Through his Son – Jesus Christ!
Mary’s song reminds us that God keeps his promises!
• There were many who had grown weary in their waiting for the Messiah to appear,
• Four hundred years is a very long time.
Quote: Warren Wiersbe:
“Never judge God’s faithfulness on the basis of what you see or how you feel.
His promises do not fail”.
Mary reminds us to hold onto the word of God and not to our feelings or experiences:
• Remember that God doesn't operate on our time tables:
• He isn't ruled by wristwatches or by a calendar,
• His promises are timeless.
• Mary is a great example of holding on to the word of God for our encouragement;
• We noted earlier that this song is littered with quotations from the word of God;
• One commentator suggests that every line of this song has an Old Testament reference.
Conclusion:
Mary communicates three great truths to us in this song:
• (1). Salvation (vs 46):
• What God did for her – he has provided salvation!
• We too can say Amen - he has provided salvation!
• (2). Victory (vs 49-53)
• What God did for us – he has shown mercy to the helpless, humble, & the hungry.
• That was our spiritual condition and God has shown each one of us mercy!
• (3). Covenant (vs 54-55):
• What God did for Israel –
• Despite the nations destitute condition, the nation was still God’s chosen people;
• They would help him fulfil his purposes.
• Through them ‘All nations will be blessed’;
• And that blessing is in and through Jesus Christ!
• We have enjoyed that blessing – salvation through Jesus Christ!
SERMON AUDIO:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=baXaShzqdsbn6cJTSkKY2iAlBeQPosTT
