We should have slavery once again Luke 1:26-38
THE LIGHT SIDE A little girl wanted her daddy to tell her a story. He wove together a fine tale that involved slaves. After he finished his story, she asked, "What’s a slave daddy?" He explained it the best that he could. When he was through the little girl looked up at her daddy and asked, "Is that what mommy is?" (Humorous Notes, Quotes, And Anecdotes, Leslie and Bernice Flynn, 1973
My wife is a wonderful woman
We need to be bond slaves of the Lord by being Available, Obedient, and willing.
We are going to start opening these verses by starting at the end. Because I see this passage as Mary making herself available, obedient, and willing to be a bondslave of the Lord. And you are really called to do the same thing.
Look;Paul was a bond servant- Ro.1:1
James was a bond servant—Jas.1:1
Peter was a bond servant –2Pe.1:1
Luke and Silas were called bond servant in Acts 16:17
And in Phil.2:7 Jesus was called a bond servant.
What is a bond servant (slave)?
The word is the same word that is used for slave. bond-servant 11, bond-servants 12, bondslave 3, bondslaves 8, both men and women 8, servants 1, slave 58, slave’s 1, slaves 39
.A bond servant is one who gives himself up to another’s will, those whose service is used by Christ in extending and advancing His cause among men. Devoted to another to the disregard of one’s own interest
Mary says in verse 38.
“Behold the bondslave of the Lord” In that time and place this was quite a thing to say. A slave, you see, was reckoned to be less than human. By law, the slave was classified as a piece of merchandise, a piece of moveable property. He or she had no rights and could own no property. Even his own family did not belong to him. The rights of a master over a slave were absolute and no one could hinder or prevent a master from doing with a slave what he wanted.
”Behold the bondslave of the Lord” Before God, Mary adopts the status and attitude of a slave.Mary knew what it meant to be the servant of God.
. Did you know the cross gives indirect proof to the virgin birth? Yes; Mary was at the foot of the cross and no one doubts she loved her Son Jesus. If Jesus is not the virgin born Son of God Mary would have cried out take Him down I know He was not born of a virgin, I know He had an earthly father. She did not because she could not. He was the virgin born Son of God and Mary Knew it.
”Behold the bondslave of the Lord” Mary is stating here that she is dedicating herself to the Lord’s service. She is expressing her willingness to follow the Lord’s leading and to live before Him a life of obedience, availability and willingness.
”Behold the bondslave of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word.”." On this third Sunday of Advent, the Lord wants to hear these words from every one of us. He wants every person here to commit themselves to His service. He wants every person here to follow His leading and to live before Him a life of availablilty, obedience, and willingness..
But now a warning. To serve the Lord, my friends, does involve risk.Being Available, Obedience and willing is always costly. I know of a woman struggling about giving her life to Christ. When I talked with her she said, "I want to be a real Christian. I know I have to give myself fully to the Lord. And, this means I will have to do things I dislike doing now." Yes, my friends, to follow the Lord, to be His servant, is never easy. It will cost you money, time, and maybe even life.
”Behold, the bondslave of the Lord,” What exactly does this mean? A slave’s calling in life is to serve the master. He has no other purpose. He has to devote 100% of his time, gifts, talents, and abilities to the master’s service. Together with service there must be obedience. A good slave serves the master by being available, obedient, willing.
In 1904 William Borden, heir to the Borden Dairy Estate, graduated from a Chicago high school. His graduation present was a trip around the world. Traveling through Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, Borden was really stricken by all the poverty and hunger he saw. Writing home, he said, "I’m going to give my life to prepare for the mission field."
When he made this decision, he wrote in the back of his Bible two words: No Reserves.
His parents tried to talk him out of it, but to no avail. He graduated from Yale University. Turning down high-paying job offers, he enrolled at Princeton Seminary.
At this time, he entered two more words in his Bible: No Retreats.
Completing studies at Princeton Seminary, Borden sailed for China to work with Muslims, stopping first in Egypt for some preparation. While there he was stricken with cerebral meningitis and died within a month.
Most people said, "What a waste." Even Borden’s parents thought this until they paged through his Bible. In his Bible, underneath the words No Reserves and No Retreats, he had written the words, No Regrets.
No Reserves. No Retreats. No Regrets. That was Mary’s attitude as she dedicated herself to the Lord’s service. That ought to be your attitude too. Yes, you know it will cost you. But, like Mary, you decide the cost is worth it.
To be involved in the Lord’s service we must willingly take the role of a "doule", a slave or a servant. Unlike Mary, the disciples of Jesus had a hard time learning this, and so do we. Even the most godly sometimes rebel when called upon to do something they feel is risky or beneath their dignity.
In this season of Advent God wants to hear that we are willing to be His slave and He wants to see that in each and every one of us.
What do we need to do to be God’s bondservant?
I. First as a bond servant we make ourselves available to God.
—Like Mary,-- Gabriel was sent from God to tell her God was going to do something great with her. It doesn’t use the word available but the whole demeanor of the passage tells you that. That Mary was available.
When we make ourselves available God calls us.
Almost as clear as when the Angel summoned Mary.
1. He calls us to salvation. Ro.19:10 For the Son of Man has come to seek and save that which is lost. 1Corth.1:9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
2. When God calls us we wonder why? It troubles us that God would take someone like us to do His work .
ILL: When I first got saved I went on a Emmaus walk (spiritual week-end) and when I seen the Love of Jesus Christ shine through people in a way that we so unbelievable and so magnificent, I had a hard time understanding why God showed His great mercy on someone like me. I stood under the stars an looked up, got on my knees and asked Him rather loudly, if there where any people around they would have know then how crazy I am, “Why me Lord?”
It was a time of cleansing and realizing that we just need to be available in God’s timing He’ll fill us in on the rest.
3. He calls you to use you for His purpose. Eph 2:10 For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
We know what God’s purpose was with Mary –She was fond favored by God. Was it because she was a super human spiritual Giant? NO! it was cause God had called her to do His work. Just like He has called You to do his work.
A. Do you think God finds favor with us? Will He look at you and say, don’t be afraid I have found favor with you? Ya He will but only because when He looks at you He sees the Jesus in you.
II. When as a bondservant you make yourself obedient to God-
God leads you
The Angel says Look Mary if you are obedient to what I tell you this is what’s going to happen:
And when we are Obedient God He says look my child this is what is going to happen:
A. I’m going to lead you to Jesus. Vs 31 And behold you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son and you shall name Him Jesus.
To us He says the same thing. In your heart you will bear the name Jesus.
Jn 12:32 Jesus says “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” He will lead you to Jesus.He will draw you to Him. He the one we can count on He is always faithful, even when we are not.
b. He will lead you to have a king in your lives. Verse 32 The Angel tells Mary He will be great, and will be called the Son of the most high and the Lord God will give Him the throne of David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end.”
Jesus is identified by many names stated or implied in the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John). Notice how Jesus is identified in just this one passage: child, son, Jesus, great, Son of the Most High, King, son of David, and leader of Israel (Jacob). Jesus exhausts all descriptions, and yet chose to be limited to imperfect descriptions by becoming human. But this flood of names and descriptions helps us find Jesus a Savior, a Lord, a King of Kings in every trial and blessing of life. Jesus is Savior for all seasons. He leads you to make Him the ruler and reign over your life.
III. When you are a bondservant that is willing,
God Fills you
A. With the Holy Spirit
Verse 34 Mary says,” How can this be, since I am a virgin?” And the Angel answered and said to her, “ the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy offspring shall be called the Son of God.”
You and I want to be filled with the Holy Spirit!! If fact God commanded we be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Eph 5:18, ”And do not get drunk with wine for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Holy Spirit.” It is His command, and therefore it is God’s will. His will for you is to be filled—and to refuse to be filled with the Spirit is to act contrary to the will of God. This is a wonderful thing. God wants us to have a full measure of the Spirit and not reluctantly or unwillingly Luke 11:13, If You then being evil. Know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”
What blocks the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives? What is the thing that gets in the way of God? SIN! Before we can be filled with the Holy Spirit we must deal honestly and completely with every known sin in our lives. That’s a hard and painful thing to do sometimes.
(Story of Sewer) Most of you have had the experience at one time or another with your pipes in your house being plugged so things went down slow or not at all. Up north a lot of the pipes get frozen and you have to use a blowtorch to melt the ice at the elbow in the pipe.
Sin is like the ice in our pipes- our spiritual lives have been “frozen” by hostile world by sin. There is only one solution and that is repentance to, clear the blockage and restore the flow of the Holy Spirit You need to be willing to confess your sin and turn from them. So the will of God, that the Holy Spirit flow in your life, will take place.
When you as a bondservant are willing God can do the Impossible
1. Verse 36 “And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month.” 37 –“For nothing will be impossible with God.”
Will be- almost like there is a condition. I like the amplified version it says “For with God nothing is ever impossible, and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment.” When you become a bondservant for Christ and you make yourself available, obedient and willing nothing is impossible with God. And you can do all things through Christ.Phil 4:13
God has a divine ability to make the impossible possible.
Ability to deliver.Da 3:17
TO fulfill promises(Ro4:2)
To make grace abound (2Cor 9:8)
To do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think (Eph.3:20)
TO subdue all things (Ph.3:21)
To guard the soul’s Treasure (2Ti.1:12)\
To Keep from Stumbling and make stand in the presence (Jude 24)
To save forever (He.7:25)
God can make the Impossible possible for us.
The last thing that Mary says in this passage is “Be it done to me according to your word.” Can you say that today? Can you ask God to let His will what ever that might be, be done to you today?
We have great gifts from God waiting for us. He waiting for us to be available, obedient and willing to follow Him. WE have every thing it takes to do just that And His name is Jesus. And yes daughter the answer is Jesus!!
Dear Abby recorded a powerful story. A young man from a wealthy family was about to graduate from high school. It was a custom in their affluent community for parents to give their graduating children a new car, and the boy and his dad had spent weeks visiting one dealership after another. The week before graduation they found the perfect car. They boy was certain it would be in the driveway on graduation night.
One the eve of his graduation, however, his father handed him a small package wrapped in colorful paper. The Father said the package contained the most valuable gift the Father could think of. It was a Bible! The boy was so angry he threw the Bible down and stormed out of the house. He and his father never saw each other again.
Several year later the news of the father’s death finally brought the son home again. Following the funeral, he sat alone one evening, going through his father’s possessions that he was to inherit when he came across the Bible his dad had given him. Overwhelmed by grief, he brushed away the dust and cracked it open for the first time. When he did, a cashier’s check dated the day of his high school graduation fell into his lap --in the exact amount of the car they had chosen together. The gift had been there all along . . . but he had turned away.
Perhaps the greatest surprise at Christmas is the declaration that God loves us And has wonderful things planned for your life..and some of us want to just pass it by and tossed it out. Yes, you. God is aware of your failures but sent Christ anyway. He knows of your rebellion but still reaches out His hand in love. He has seen you walk away from Him countless times . . . but He still pursues you in love. He knows how you have been hurt and He wants to make you whole again.
. I didn’t come to Him . . . He found me. And He is reaching out to you as well. His invitation is simple, "Dare to trust me. One more time dare to believe that someone . . . no, not just someone . . . the Lord of Creation, loves you." continue your Christmas celebration by welcoming God’s forgiveness and love. Become His bondslave and live the life He has planned for you.
respond like the little child, "whatever my daddy chooses for me is fine." Or in the words of Mary . . .
Behold the bondslave of the Lord: Be it done to me according to your word.
