PEACE WHERE THERE IS NO PEACE
LUKE 1:26–56
Introduction
Last week we began our series through the gospel of Luke by studying about the birth and life of John the Baptist - the Forerunner of Hope. Today we continue through Luke 1 and search out the theme of Peace. Which is strange - there is very little peace in this text. One young ladies life is disrupted in an eternal way! Life is interrupted in many different ways … death, disease, unhappy events, struggles within and with others. These anxiety producing events leave us struggling to find peace in a world that offers very little peace.
Mary’s world was interrupted with news we find thrilling and amazing, but it was life changing for her. She was expecting a baby, but not with her fiancé Joseph. She would be subject to gossip and criticism from the
community around her. She would have to accept the role she was given, to be the mother of the son of God! Parenting skills? Mary’s disposition of peace was present through all of the challenges of her life.
Read Luke 1:26-38 NIV
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He 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, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” 34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[a] the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.” 38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
We know very little about Mary, the mother of Jesus. Lottie Beth Hobbs wrote she, “holds a place apart from all other women of the world, a position never before known and one which will never again be filled. Who was the young woman selected by God to be the mother of the Messiah? ...Her parentage is not given. She was evidently of very humble station in life.” Likely around the age of fourteen, “as with all poor peasant girls, she was illiterate, her knowledge of the Scriptures being limited to what she had memorized at home and heard in the synagogue. From all indicators, her life would not be extraordinary…. The greatest news ever proclaimed in Israel came to the humblest of its people!” (Hughes). After ruminating over what Gabriel told her, she traveled to see Elizabeth. Instead of being full of doubt and anxiety, instead she expresses greatness of God, not panic!
1. We Find Peace in Praise (Luke 1:46-47)
Luke 1:46-47 And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,"
How often do we turn to praise in difficult times? Craig Groeschel, in Winning the War in Your Mind, suggests that we begin to praise when our hearts are troubled… even if it is hard at first … or we struggle … but as we continue to offer praise, our hearts
begin to open to God.
Psalm 150:1-2 Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.
Isaiah 57:18-19 I have seen their ways, but I will heal them; I will guide them and restore comfort to Israel’s mourners, creating praise on their lips. Peace, peace, to those far and near,” says the Lord. “And I will heal them.”
Mary joins others in the Scriptures who Praise the name of God in difficult times and finds peace.
2. We Find Peace in the Scriptures.
It is full of quotes from the Old Testament. Her song is made up of images and references to Scriptures from Genesis, from Job, from the Psalms, and from Isaiah. Mary’s song “draws heavily on and is patterned after the song of Hannah (1 Samuel 2:1-10).” Often we neglect to turn to the Scriptures when troubles come. Mary turns to them!
Proverbs 4:5 "Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them."
3. We Find Peace in Humility (Luke 1:48-49)
Luke 1:48-49 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name.
Mary was an ordinary young woman. MARY was the most common Jewish name for women at that time in the land of Israel. She was an ordinary teenager who had a world-changing conversation with the angel Gabriel. She acknowledged she is “lowly,” and in need of a “Savior,” yet confessed that she was blessed throughout all generations.
Elizabeth Elliot says that Mary was “strong enough and holy enough to recognize her place under God. Thoughts of what people would say, what Joseph her fiancé would say, or how she would ever convince them that she had not been unfaithful were instantly set aside.”
God always chooses the humble in Scripture.
-Moses, a child of slaves, to deliver His people
-Gideon who was the least member of the smallest clan of the smallest tribe in Israel.
-Samuel chosen as a child.
-David the youngest and least likely in his family
This gives us hope that God can use all of us to do His will!
1 Peter 5:5-6 “…Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you…”
4. We Find Peace in Mercy (Luke 1:50-55)
Luke 1:50-53 His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. 51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. 52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.
Marghanita Laski was a well-known writer and secular humanist. She denied the existence of God and the need for God. Shortly before her death she said in an interview, “What I envy most about you Christians is your forgiveness, I have nobody to forgive me.” How wonderful that we have someone to forgive us — that our hearts can be washed clean. We have forgiveness because we have a God who came to the world to save us.
The mercy of God is a wonderful gift - they are new every morning - that’s when we find peace…when we consider his mercy. God’s mercy comes in times of disruption and concern (51-53). Jesus was the Savior who would right the wrongs of the world and would give those who were downtrodden great reason to rejoice.
-The humble are valued by God.
-The oppressed find help and mercy.
-The weak can be strong in God.
We can find peace in God’s sovereign mercy (Luke 1:54-55 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful 55 to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”)
Conclusion
Mary’s Song is a beautiful poetic expression of peace in the middle of disruption, peace when there is no peace.
She teaches us to find peace … in Praise, in Scripture, in Humility, in Mercy.
Mary was a remarkable woman, an important woman in history, who left a godly example.
-To believe in the Word of the Lord
-To believe that He keeps his promises
-To Trust God and submit to Him
-To choose to worship God even in tough times
-Mary continued her life of belief throughout the life of Jesus and even after the resurrection, Mary was an integral part of the early church, part of the prayer ministry in the Upper Room just before Pentecost (Acts 1:14).
Mostly, we remember that Mary was the Mother of Jesus (1:31). Gabriel told her to name the baby Jesus - the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew name “Yeshua” (“Joshua” in English). The name means, “YHWH saves” (Swindoll). JESUS was one of the most common names for males in the land of Israel at the time. In Hebrew or Aramaic: “The Lord saves.” Peter would later say, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
I encourage you to follow Jesus in the spirit of what we know about Mary.
-To hear and believe the Word of the Lord.
-To trust that God keeps his promises.
-To submit to the Lord in repentance and baptism
-To follow Jesus your entire life.
Note:
There will not be sermon notes next week (December 15). The next sermon will be from Luke 2 on December 22. Merry Christmas!
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Discussion Questions
1. How would you compare and contrast Mary and Zechariah’s response to Gabriel’s messages?
2. Mary begins her song by declaring, "My soul magnifies the Lord." What does it mean to magnify the Lord in your own life? How can we live this out daily?
3. Mary illustrates the beauty and necessity of obeying the word of the Lord above our own comfort levels and ideas. What did Jesus say that references Mary in Luke 11:27-28? What are the biggest challenges of putting God’s Word into action in our lives?
4. Mary acknowledges her humble position and still celebrates being chosen by God. How does her humility inspire you in your relationship with God?
5. What does Mary’s example teach us about rejoicing in God’s blessings, even in difficult circumstances?
6. Mary describes God as merciful, powerful, and just. How do these attributes of God provide hope in your current challenges?
7. Mary recalls God’s promises to Abraham and His faithfulness to Israel. How does remembering God’s past faithfulness encourage us in the present?
8. Mary’s song is rich in Scripture. How can immersing ourselves in God’s Word shape the way we pray or praise Him?
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These are the Resources for this Series.
Anyabwile, Thabiti. Christ-Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in Luke. Holman, 2018.
Barclay, William. Daily Study Bible Series: The Gospel of Luke. Westminster Press, 1966.
Bock, Darrell L. The IVP New Testament Commentary Series. InterVarsity Press, 1994.
Craddock, Fred B. Interpretation Series: Luke. John Knox Press, 1990.
Gallagher, Ed. The Gospel of Luke: Explorations in Christian Scripture. Heritage Christian University Press, 2022.
Geldenhuys, Norval. Commentary on the Gospel of Luke. Eerdmans, 1979.
Hughes, R. Kent. Luke: That You May Know the Truth. Crossway, 2015.
Lum, Ada. LifeGuide Bible Studies: Luke: New Hope, New Joy. InterVarsity Press, 2001.
Schreiner, Thomas R. ESV Expository Commentary Volume III: Matthew - Luke. Crossway, 2021.
Swindoll, Charles R. Swindoll’s New Testament Insights: Luke. Zondervan, 2012.
Wiersbe, Warren W. The Bible Exposition Commentary New Testament Vol. 1: Matthew - Galatians.
