A SONG WORTH SINGING
Luke 1:46-55
S: Prayer
Th: We have reason to rejoice!
Pr: WE REJOICE IN A GOD WHO SURPRISES.
?: What? What was she surprised by?
KW: Decisions
TS: We will find in Mary’s psalm (known as the Magnificat) three decisions by God that reflect an element of surprise.
The ____ decision is…
I. FAVOR (48-50)
II. FAIRNESS (51-53)
III. FAITHFULNESS (54-55)
Version: ESV
RMBC 08 Dec 02 AM
INTRODUCTION:
ILL Notebook: Surprise (accident victim)
Cindy Wynn’s sister-in-law worked as a nursing instructor at the local hospital. And so, she had enlisted the aid of her husband (Cindy’s brother), Tom, for a community disaster drill. On the appointed day Tom climbed into an ambu-lance, got his instructions, then waited while fellow volunteers gave him a grisly make-over. His "victim costume" included torn clothes, assorted cuts and a mask that made his eyes look swollen shut. Para-medics then set out for the staged scene.
After a few minutes of driving, they sounded the siren, and Tom knew it was show time. When the ambulance stopped and the driver threw its doors open, Tom gave a most convincing performance as an accident victim, staggering, scream-ing and waving his arms wildly.
He was surprised to hear thunderous laughter all around him. Removing the mask from his eyes, he saw he was back home — surrounded by 150 friends and family wishing him a happy 50th birthday.
Do you like surprises?
Well, surprises like the one we just described, we all enjoy.
We like it when someone goes out of their way to surprise us.
It makes us feel special, appreciated and wanted.
You know, there are many reactions to the unexpected.
When someone pops out of a dark room, we are scared.
When we suddenly come across someone we haven’t seen in years, we are stunned.
And when someone gives us good news we weren’t anticipating, we laugh.
TRANSITION:
1. Last week, we observed that Zechariah was shocked by an angelic visitor.
During a once in a lifetime opportunity to serve in the temple, he has a once in a lifetime type of encounter.
As he pours the incense over the hot coals, and the cloudy haze rises, he finds an unexpected visitor.
Surprise!
It’s Gabriel!
While Zechariah is serving the Lord in the temple, he actually hears from Him.
And though that sounds like something that should be natural, when it actually happens, he is shocked.
But he is not the only one to be surprised.
His wife would also be shocked with the news Gabriel told him.
For they were about to have a baby.
And…
2. Elizabeth had to be a bit flabbergasted at the thought of being pregnant at her age.
Yes, she was finally going to have a son.
Now, this was a bit on the weird side, because it wasn’t normal to have children at her age.
But she is not the only one to be surprised.
She had a cousin, Mary, that also was getting some pretty shocking news.
3. Mary also received an angelic visitor with impossible news.
Mary is also visited by Gabriel who tells her that she is highly favored.
And, as a result, she is going to have a son who is to be named “Y’shua” (we know Him as Jesus).
This son is going to possess the throne of David and reign over the house of Jacob forever.
His kingdom will be an eternal kingdom.
Now that does sound like good news.
She is going to become pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit.
But here is the rub – she is engaged to be married to Joseph.
She hasn’t been fooling around with him or anyone else.
So, if she is going to be pregnant, this is not going to look too good.
How would you react to such news?
I know how I would react…
“Lord, this is rather inconvenient at this time.”
“We have no insurance.”
“As you know, Lord, Joseph and I are not fully married yet, and he is not going to be real happy about this.”
“Lord, the community is not likely to see this as a positive thing…they will probably be lining up the stones.”
“Lord, can I get a second opinion?
Well, that is how you and I might respond to this surprising news.
But Mary’s response is much different.
4. Mary reacts with worship (46-47).
She is a remarkable young girl, for she understands.
God is about to change the course of history.
So, when she meets up with her elder cousin, she breaks out in song!
And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…”
This is an outburst of praise that has taken four days to formulate as Mary traveled to see her pregnant cousin.
Instead of being full of doubt and anxiety, she instead understands the greatness of God.
Down deep, in her soul and spirit, she desires to magnify the Lord.
This word “magnify” is an interesting word because when she uses it, she is saying that the Lord is getting larger and larger in her understanding.
The more she thinks about it, it is like a musical crescendo, God keeps getting bigger and better.
Her psalm is one of reasoned emotion.
The text tells us that this is more than joy.
She is “overjoyed.”
The emotion is so intense that her thoughts border on being unspeakable.
She is overjoyed in God her Savior.
And notice she does not say “the” Savior, but “my “ Savior.
She, too, is a sinner that has needed God’s intervention.
As we continue examining her psalm of worship, we will see that she gives us an example to follow.
As Mary shows us, we are to recognize that…
5. WE REJOICE IN A GOD WHO SURPRISES.
Yes, Mary is surprised by this heavenly visit.
And what was she surprised by?
God.
Look at the decisions he was making.
He was occupying himself with two obscure women.
One was old and barren, and the other was young and virginal.
And for Mary, there is only one thing to do.
It is time to break out in song.
So…
6. We will find in Mary’s psalm (known as the Magnificat) three decisions by God that reflect an element of surprise.
OUR STUDY:
I. The first decision is FAVOR (48-50).
“…for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.”
1. Mary: Why choose me?
Mary considers herself the unlikely object of God’s favor.
She is a simple, unpretentious peasant girl.
How could God possibly do this with someone as absolutely common as she?
But what Mary has discovered is that…
2. God is a God of grace.
Mary says that God’s name is holy.
This means that His whole person is holy and that He is infinitely high above all creatures.
He possesses an incomparable greatness.
But yet even though He is infinitely greater, He looks graciously to us.
To pick Mary was an act of grace.
And what Mary finds is that God looks down on those with mercy whose heart and mind are filled with a reverent regard for Him.
Mary also discovers that it is the blessing of God that truly makes us rich.
Which leads us to…
II. The second decision is FAIRNESS (51-53).
“He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away. “
Living under the rule of Rome was oppressive.
1. Mary: Why bother fighting the system?
It is easy to believe that nothing ever changes!
Look at the system that Mary was born under.
Rome was a society built on an elite, racist, and oppressive system that ensured that the rich remain rich and the poor remain poor.
It was a system that took advantage of the handicapped, diseased widows, and orphans.
There was no welfare, no affirmative action, no food stamps, and no Social Security.
Nothing would change.
Yet, Mary realizes that this is no longer the case.
Guess who wins in God’s program: the arrogant, mighty, and rich, or the humble and hungry?
Because God is intervening, Mary now knows that…
2. God is a God of justice.
There is trouble for those that are proud in their innermost thoughts.
Those that are legends in their own minds will find that they will be embarrassed by their own folly.
ILL Notebook: Pride (surgeon v. GP)
A patient was waiting nervously in the examination room of a famous specialist.
"So who did you see before coming to me?" asked the proud doctor.
The patient answered, "My local General Practitioner."
"Your GP?" scoffed the doctor. "What a waste of time! Tell me, what sort of useless advice did he give you?"
"He told me to come and see you."
Arrogantly, there are those that believe that have life sown up.
They are good enough.
They’ve made it.
But Mary sees their fortunes are being overturned.
God turns human attitudes and the orders of society upside down.
He acts with power and scatters the prideful.
They are dispersed, dethroned, and deprived.
And the needs of the poor, whether physical or spiritual, they are not met by God.
This now brings us to…
III. The third decision is FAITHFULNESS (54-55).
I wonder if it was in the back of Mary’s mind…
“He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
1. Mary: Why keep the promises?
If I had been God, I think I would have given up on Israel long ago.
That is not meant to be an anti-semitic conclusion.
It is a conclusion that reflects my own wandering heart as well.
The only consistency these people showed was their inconsistency.
They kept breaking God’s law and wandering from God’s will.
But Mary understood now that…
2. God is a God of the covenant.
God consistently works in conjunction with His past acts.
He is determined to continue His mercy.
So, now in Israel’s distress, the Messiah is coming.
It is mercy again.
It is God’s tender love in action, flowing from the throne of grace.
The covenant promise made to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David still holds.
God is faithful, and that is worth singing about!
APPLICATION:
ILL Notebook: Love (sunshine)
Like any good mother, when Karen found out that another baby was on the way, she did what she could to help her 3-year-oId son, Michael, prepare for a new sibling. They found out that the new baby was going to be a girl, and day after day, night after night, Michael sang to his sister in Mommy’s tummy. He was building a bond of love with his little sister before he even met her.
In time, the labor pains came. Soon it was every five minutes. Every three...every minute. But serious complications arose during delivery and Karen found herself in hours of labor.
Finally, after a long struggle, Michael’s little sister was born. But she was in very serious condition. With a siren howling in the night, the ambulance rushed the infant to the neonatal intensive care unit in Knoxville, Tennessee.
The days inched by. The little girl got worse. The pediatrician had to tell the parents, "There is very little hope. Be prepared for the worst." Karen and her husband contacted a local cemetery about a burial plot. They had fixed up a special room in their house for their new baby but now they found themselves having to plan for a funeral.
Michael, however, kept begging his parents to let him see his sister. "I want to sing to her," he kept saying. Week two in intensive care looked as if a funeral would come before the week was over. Michael kept nagging about singing to his sister, but kids are never allowed in intensive care.
Karen made up her mind, though. She would take Michael whether they liked it or not! If he didn’t see his sister right then, he may never see her alive. She dressed him in an oversized scrub suit and marched him into ICU. He looked like a walking laundry basket.
But the head nurse recognized him as a child and bellowed, "Get that kid out of here now! No children are allowed.” The mother rose up strong in Karen, and the usually mild-mannered lady glared steel-eyed right into the head nurse’s face, her lips a firm line. "He is not leaving until he sings to his sister!"
Karen towed Michael to his sister’s bedside. He gazed at the tiny infant losing the battle to live. After a moment, he began to sing. In the pure-hearted voice of a 3-year-old, Michael sang: "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray…”
Instantly the baby girl seemed to respond. The pulse rate began to calm down and become steady. "Keep on singing, Michael," encouraged Karen with tears in her eyes.
"You never know, dear, how much I love you, Please don’t take my sunshine away…" As Michael sang to his sister, the baby’s ragged, strained breathing became as smooth as a kitten’s purr.
Tears had now conquered the face of the bossy head nurse. Karen glowed. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. Please don’t, take my sunshine away..."
The next day...the very next day...the little girl was well enough to go home! Woman’s Day Magazine called it "The Miracle of a Brother’s Song." The medical staff just called it a miracle. Karen called it a miracle of God’s love!
The miracle of God’s love continues…
Jesus came as God’s love song to you.
For Christmas is God saying, “You matter to me.”
Maybe this is a surprise to you, but Jesus came to tell you that you are His sunshine.
When you discover this, you will discover the true spirit of Christmas.
For…
1. The true spirit of Christmas is worship.
Mary has shown us how to respond to the God of surprises.
It is with worship.
And let us be warned that a lot of what we do during this month has little to do with it.
John MacArthur has issued an appropriate warning:
External, shallow observance of the birth of Christ is distasteful to God and most of what goes on at the Christmas season breaks his heart. Superficial worship finds no place of acceptance with Him.
ILL Notebook: Christmas (In the Bleak Midwinter)
Christina Rosetti was the daughter of Italian immigrants, a woman of great beauty, it is said, striking beauty. A woman of immense poetic talent, a devout Christian once engaged to a Roman Catholic who promised to convert. When he had second thoughts, she broke the engagement and remained single all her life. Through that life she wrote some of the most magnificent poetry, all of it a tribute to Christ. The next words that you will hear are from the poem “In the Bleak Midwinter”:
In the bleak midwinter,
Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone.
Snow had fallen,
Snow on snow, snow on snow
In the bleak midwinter
Long ago.
Our God, heaven cannot hold
Him, nor earth sustain.
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When He comes to reign.
In the bleak midwinder
A Stable place sufficed,
The Lord God Almighty,
Jesus Christ.
Angels and archangels
May have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim
Shone in the air,
But only His mother
In her maiden bliss
Worshipped the beloved with a
Holy kiss.
What can I give Him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd,
I would bring Him a lamb
And if I were a wise man,
I would do my part
But what I can I give Him…
I give Him my heart.
(Now let’s listen to it…City on the Hill CD #11)
Give my heart…now that’s worship!
And it is what we have to offer.
I hope that today you see that we have plenty to sing about.
And there is no better time to do it
So I ask you…
Is your praise long overdue?
2. We have reason to rejoice!
O come let us adore Him!
And rejoice in the God who surprises.
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are ]
Rejoice in the God who answers…He is the on-time, in-time, right-time God, that works for your good and His glory; rejoice in Him today!
Rejoice in the God who surprises…For when He intervenes, it may catch us off guard, but in the end, it is always worth singing about.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
