SERMON OUTLINE:
• Mary’s Surprise (vs 34)
• Mary’s Miracle (vs 35-37)
• Mary’s Submission (vs 38)
SERMON BODY
Ill:
• One day around about the year 1694 a young man living in Southampton;
• Complained to his father about the dull psalm singing,
• That took place each Sunday at their 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 650 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'.
• One of his hymns will be sung in many Churches this Christmas;
• He penned it in 1719 and it is the carol “Joy to the World".
• Isaac 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: The title I have been given to speak on is:
• ‘Finding Joy - The Fiancée & The Son,’
• The fiancée being Mary and the Son being Jesus.
• It seems to me that Christians have always gone to extremes regarding Mary;
• Those who almost worship her, that is they have an over-emphasis on Mary.
• And those who almost ignore her! They have an under-emphasis on Mary.
AN OVER EMPHASISES.
• This is especially true in the Roman Catholic Church;
• The R.C. Church have a number of beliefs about Mary,
• e.g. Mary as Mediatrix, e.g. Mary as a perpetual virgin,
• e.g. Mary and her Immaculate conception, e.g. Mary and her Assumption.
• Which I believe are wrong because they are not Biblical teachings,
• But rather the invention of the Roman Catholic Church.
• They are wrong because they go beyond this book (the Bible)!
• These beliefs exalt Mary to a place and position;
• That the Bible never does.
• And as a result, they can cause many evangelical Christians;
• To react by going to the other extreme and almost neglecting her.
AN UNDER EMPHASIS.
• Mary is a much under emphasised character among evangelical Christians.
• As a result we get very few sermons on the character of Mary.
• Preachers are happy to teach about other biblical mothers;
• e.g. Such as; Sarah or Hannah or Ruth.
• But when it comes to Mary the mother of Jesus,
• We back away, we tend to play safe and talk about other female examples.
Note:
• But that is to our loss!
• But just look at how the word of God describes the great woman:
(a).
• Luke chapter 1 verse 28:
• “Highly favoured of the Lord”.
• Old Latin Bible translation/version reads ‘gratiae plena’; Meaning “full of grace”
• God has choose her above all women to receive the world’s greatest gift – his son.
• The verse literally reads: “Grace, you who are highly graced”
• She was a godly woman but God’s grace was still neeed in her life.
• She was blessed among women but not above women.
(b).
• Luke chapter 1 verse 30:
• “Found favour with God”.
• Those descriptions alone mark out Mary as being unique.
• And deserving a respect and a greater prominence than so often we do not give her.
Ill:
• Don’t forget every parent helps shape the;
• Personality, intelligence and mental health of their offspring.
• ill: We often say when we see troubled children;
• We look at ‘John & Terry’s’ kids and shake our heads saying; “I blame the patents”.
• ill: And when we see well brought up children like ‘Gordon & Penny’s’;
• We congratulate parents on what a fine job they are doing!
Note:
• Remember that Mary would be no different to any other parent;
• In the development of the human nature of Jesus!
• She would have influenced and helped shape the baby, the child and the teenager!
• And so when the living God chose this teenager,
• He chose someone he could trust to do a good job,
• He chose someone who would parent his son well, in fact very well!
LET’S LOOK AT THE NARRATIVE:
(1). Mary’s Surprise (vs 34).
"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"
• When Mary is told by the angelic being she is to have a child;
• She responds like most of us would with a question:
• Mary knew WHAT would happen – she would have a baby.
• But she did not know HOW it would happen – it was beyond understanding.
• Her question in verse 34 was not an evidence of unbelief;
• Rather, it was an expression of faith.
• She believed the promise,
• But she did not understand the outworking of that promise.
• She knew that it was impossible for a virgin to give birth to a child,
• So she responds with a question of believing faith not a question of doubt.
Ill:
• Louise Joy Brown was born at Oldham General Hospital,
• On the 25th July 1978
• By planned Caesarean section and delivered by registrar John Webster.
• She weighed 5 pounds, 12 ounces (2.608 kg) at birth.
• Her parents, Lesley and John Brown, had been trying to conceive for nine years.
• Lesley faced complications of blocked fallopian tubes.
• On 10 November 1977, Lesley Brown underwent a procedure,
• Later to become known as in vitro fertilisation (IVF),
• Developed by Patrick Steptoe, Robert Edwards and Jean Purdy.
• Although the media referred to Brown as a "test tube baby",
• Her conception actually took place in a Petri dish.
• TRANSITION: The point I want to make is this,
• If science and medicine can cause an egg and a sperm to fertilise in a Petri dish,
• Surely the Almighty God can do the very same thing in a womb!
• And although no scientific explanation was given to Mary,
• A miracle had been performed on her.
• And she was with child.
Ill:
• During the second world war;
• A small boy looked frequently at a picture of his daddy on the table.
• He had left when the boy was a young infant.
• His dad was called up for service when the boy was very small,
• The boy had no memories of his dad except for that photo.
• One day the bot turned to his mother and said;
• "If only my father could step out of that picture and be here with us"
• TRANSITION: For that boy it was an impossible request,
• But what he could not do God did.
• God the Son stepped down from heaven and was born into this world!
• He was ‘born of a woman’ – he was fully human,
• But he was ‘conceived of the Holy Spirit’ – he was fully divine!
(2). Mary’s Miracle (vs 35-37)
The 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. 37For nothing is impossible with God."
• In response to Mary’s question;
• The angel Gabriel says three things to her.
FIRST:
• Gabriel explained that this would be a miracle,
• The work of the Holy Spirit of God.
• Joseph, her betrothed, would not be the father of Mary’s child,
• But the step-father.
Ill:
• Now we take that statement for granted;
• Many Moslem’s can understand or grasp this idea;
• Many think we are saying, God had sex with Mary,
• But that of course is not what the Bible teaches at all.
• And not what we mean!
SECOND:
• Gabriel was careful to point out that the Baby would be a "holy thing";
• And would not share the sinful nature of humanity.
• He was born of ‘The Holy Spirit’
• And therefore he would be holy!
ill:
• We have a saying; “Like Father, like son”
• When I speak to a school group I sometimes show the children this photo.
• It is one photo in which I have blended three people.
• (My father, myself and my son all as teenagers).
• I then ask the school group to point out which one of the three faces is mine,
• Always the group will be split and all three options will be said to be me.
• Then I can make my point; “Like Father, like son”
• TRANSITION: God the Son was like God the Father and like God the Spirit.
• He was and is holy!
• The bible clearly teaches that:
• Jesus knew no sin (2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 21),
• Jesus did no sin (1 Peter chapter 2 verse 22),
• And Jesus had no sin (1 John chapter 3 verse 5).
• And because he was sinless,
• He would be perfectly qualified to give his life on the cross as a ransom for many!
• The perfect for imperfect people,
• The just for the unjust,
• The holy one for sinful people.
THIRD:
• The angel ended his message by giving Mary a word of encouragement:
• Her aged relative Elisabeth was also with a miraculous child,
• Hers was not a virgin birth;
• Rather she fell pregnant in her old age.
• We might say when she was well past her ‘sell-by-date’
• In telling Mary this, God was proving to her that
• ‘That' with God nothing shall be impossible."
• And he was also showing to her that she had an earthly allied,
• Someone she could go to who would both believe and support her!
(3). Mary’s Submission (vs 38).
“I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said."
Then the angel left her”.
• Mary responded to this mind-blowing news;
• By submitting herself to God as His servant:
• This was an incredible response;
• Remember she was only a teenage girl!
• A girl who could if Joseph wanted too, be accused of adultery.
• And have to face all the shame and hurt and rejection that, that could involve!
• And even if Joseph did accepted her,
• Accusations of indecency would always follow her the rest of her life;
• From now on her reputation was shot!
• As far as her community was concerned she was damaged goods!
• She had shamed her family!
What we have in this story are two perspectives of Mary in this story.
• From God’s perspective:
• She was ‘highly favoured’, a chosen instrument.
• From mankind’s perspective:
• She was a foolish pregnant teenage girl,
• An embarrassment & shame to her family.
• Yet, incredibly Mary responds to this daunting situation;
• By submitting herself to God and trusting in him to lead the way!
Quote William Barclay:
“The world’s most common prayer is ‘Thy will be changed’.
Mary prayed the world’s greatest prayer; ‘Thy will be done!’”.
Mary embraced God’s will for her;
• Even though it would cause heartbreak again and again and again,
• As she experienced the misunderstanding and sneers of people.
• ‘A foolish pregnant teenage girl, an embarrassment & shame to her family.’
• And heartbreak at the cross as she watched her firstborn,
• Beaten, bruised, humiliated and nailed to a tree like a lump of meat,
• Then finally killed.
Ill:
• Mark Lowry puts the mystery to music in his song Mary Did You Know?
• Available on YouTube - The words say:
Mary, did you know that your baby boy would one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy
has come to make you new;
and this child that you delivered
will soon deliver you?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
would give sight to the blind man?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
would calm a storm with his hand?
Did you know that your baby boy
has walked where angels trod?
And, when you kissed your little baby
you’ve kissed the face of God?
Oh, Mary, did you know?
Mary, did you know?
The blind will see, the deaf will hear
the dead will live again.
The lame will leap,
the dumb will speak the praises of the Lamb.
Oh, Mary, did you know?
that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
would one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy
was Heaven’s perfect Lamb?
And, the sleeping child you’re holding is the great I Am?
Oh, Mary, did you know?
So long ago?
• TRANSITION: I think she knew the important truth of that song;
• That ‘this child that she delivered, would one day deliver her”
• Remember she was told to call the baby ‘Jesus’ meaning ‘saviour’
• And told ‘he will save his people from their sins’
In conclusion: Let me challenge you:
• Do you know Jesus as your saviour?
• Not as A saviour, that is just history,
• But as your saviour, that is salvation!
SERMON AUDIO:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=A6s37KLsUK8FfPXu0k5o8dd0nj7MRWsB
