In Mel Gibson’s movie “The Passion of the Christ” we are introduced to the story of Jesus of Nazareth’s last 12 hours in a very vivid, graphic and brutally honest way. For many of us who have devoted our lives to sharing the gospel, this was, in some way, vindication. Because no matter how much you talk about the physical aspects of Christ’s crucifixion hoping people can visualize it for themselves, this beautiful and yet disturbing movie finally makes it possible at least to the degree of a movie.
It’s important, however, to remember this movie is not the clever story of a witty producer. It is not the compelling script of one of Hollywood’s brightest screen writers. This is the true account of Jesus of Nazareth. The Son of God, God in the flesh who came to die for the sins of the world. In the Biblical account, just as in the movie, there are four main characters. Over the course of the next month we will embark on a character study of Mary, Peter, Satan and Jesus. Each person teaches us valuable keys to victorious living. Each one, when viewed through the clear lens of the gospel can impact our lives both theologically and practically. As you journey with me on this study, remember these were real people, with real struggles and real stories and with God’s word as our compass we can learn their remarkable secrets for successful living.
In the accounts of the Gospels, we find out more about Mary in the pre-incarnation than we do after Christ’s birth. It is true that she is present on many occasions, but her words are few and her actions always in submission to her Son, for the obvious reason that she knew who He was, is and always would be.
As Mary was depicted in the movie, I believe accurately, she manifested a real strength based on the faith in the words of the angel, who shared with her 33 years before, that Jesus was the Savior of the world. No doubt these words she had kept in her heart until he died. Yet in all the ways she exercised her faith she was still his mother. This God man was still the baby of her womb; He was her first born son. All these truths say to me that Mary was a special woman. No, she was not perfect; no, she is not the co-redemptrix of mankind. She is not the one we are to pray to. The Bible says there is only one mediator between God and man, and it is Jesus. The Bible makes it clear that Mary was chosen among women, not above anyone. It was Mary herself that said “she was the handmaid or servant of the Lord,” and it was Mary who sang a song of joy in the realization that she was going to give birth to the only person who could save not only all mankind, but Mary herself. These facts, however, do not negate the importance of Mary’s life and the key to valuing Mary for who she is and always will be. We need to approach her story with a balanced view of scripture. Don’t write her off as a naïve little girl used only by God for incarnation then discarded as worthless, or elevate her to a place of worship reserved for only God in three persons.
Mary’s life as we see her through scripture and through this amazing film, teaches us a great deal about….
How to trust God in times of crisis.
For instance, Mary knew a lot about crisis. From the moment she was told she would have a child; having been a virgin at that time and pledged to be married to Joseph; her whole life was turned upside down. She knew this, yet her response shows us her great faith and should teach each of us how to trust God in these times. Mary teaches you and me five keys to trusting God in times of crisis. Let’s take a look at each one and be changed by the truth regarding this amazing woman’s story.
When times of crisis come we must:
1. Think about God’s words.
Luke 1:29a (NCV)
But Mary was very startled by what the angel said and wondered what this greeting might mean.
When troubles arise as they did in Mary’s life; remember God had a purpose. Mary knew she was about to face extreme criticism, gossip, even possible banishment; but, her first reaction was to think about the words God sent through the angel.
How many times when potential harm comes our way, do we point at God and say, “Why?” This is the wrong question, we should ask, “What?” “What do you want me to do?” “What do you want to teach me?” God never wastes a hurt. He will never allow a problem into our lives without a purpose to go along with it.
Mary was startled and could have fallen into the fetal position, begging for all this to stop, but she did not; she thought on God’s words. I am sure her mind raced back to the stories of the teachers in her temple, the stories of the promised Messiah, the prophecies about his birth and even prophecies about her. What was once a story with characters that seemed fictional, had now become a biography.
When troubles come, think on God’s word. You may say, “Well, no angel has appeared to me with a message, I’m just facing trouble and have no idea why.” You’re wrong. God’s word is his love letter to you and the answers for all your troubles exist in His manual for life. The Bible. Think on His word.
John Bunyon once said, “I was never out of my Bible!” In other words, he read it faithfully, pondered it, meditated on its precepts, and tried to be faithful to what he read. What a lesson to each of us. Billy Graham once had a lady come up to him after a conference and say, “Reverend Graham, I have been through the Bible 27 times, cover to cover”. His response, “Praise the Lord, now how many times has it been through you?”
It is not a book to be read but to be lived.
The psalmist in Psalm 77:12 (NCV) gives us the key to life whether in good times or bad times.
Psalm 77:12, 13 (NCV)
I think about all the things you did and consider your deeds. God, your ways are holy. No god is as great as our God.
Verse 13 of the same passage tells us “God’s ways are holy and He is a great God.” This should give us the assurance that as God’s children no matter what happens to us it has first passed through the hands of God and is meant for our good without exception!
Mary knew about her God. She had a strong faith and a commitment that was probably unlike any other young girl her age. She could have let the enemy confuse her; she could have doubted God’s purposes; but, instead, she chose to think about God’s character.
This lesson is one we can never master as long as we are in this sinful body. It is important to realize that through the strength and power of the Holy Spirit we can choose to think on the good, even in tough times.
Here is the schematic for this type of thinking!
Philippians 4:8 (NCV)
Brothers and sisters, think about the things that are good and worthy of praise. Think about the things that are true and honorable and right and pure and beautiful and respected.
These eight keys in Philippians 4:8 can transform your life. When troubles come, when situations you don’t understand come your way, think about what is good. God is good, His will is good. What is worthy of praise? Everything God does and every thing we do when we are controlled by His Spirit. Think about truth-His word. Think about honorable saints in scripture. Think about what is right-how you respond to the situation. Will it be right or wrong? Think about what is pure-the love of God, the righteousness of Christ available through faith. What is beautiful and respected? Sometimes the best thing to do in the midst of a trial is to not think about the trial. I’m not saying live in denial. I am saying put your thoughts on what God has done for you and remember He will never let you have more that you can handle. The Bible is God’s word and can give you all you need to live a life of victory. As Philip Brooks put it, “the Bible is like a telescope, if a man looks through his telescope he sees worlds beyond; but if he looks at his telescope, he does not see anything but that. The Bible is a thing to be looked through to see that which is beyond; but most people only look at it and so they see only the dead letter.”
Look at life through God’s word as Mary did.
Next:
2. Recognize God’s will.
Luke 1:31-33 (NLT)
You will become pregnant and have a son, and you are to name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!
Mary was told some very profound theological truths, and yet she didn’t freak out. She pondered these truths and began to recognize God’s will. We often get caught up with the mindset that if I don’t understand everything about what God has said, then I can’t know His will.
You can know God’s will even if you don’t understand everything that He tells us in His word.
Remember, we will never know the full scope of God’s will until we get to heaven. A good illustration for this point is the needle point illustration. A mother doing needle point, a child at her feet looks up and sees a mess of yarn with no rhyme or reason; but the mother sees a beautiful organized work of art. This is the difference between our views of God’s will and the earthly perspective. Someday we will see God’s plan clearly in heaven. The important principle is that what we do understand; we are faithful to live. Just as Mary didn’t fully understand everything the angel said, she still did all she could to live what she understood. If you want to live a confident life of faith, then remember our knowledge and wisdom comes from knowing God. If you lack wisdom, ask God, He will give it to you.
James 1:5 NIV
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
This verse really sums up where our wisdom and knowledge comes from, not from educational institutions, life experiences, or those with more years. Though all of these places and opportunities are good, they are not where ultimate truth lies.
1 Corinthians 8:3 (MSG)
We never really know enough until we recognize that God alone knows it all.
To recognize God’s will we need to simply trust His word.
To Trust God in times of crisis we must also…
3. Understand God’s purpose.
Luke 1:34 (NLT)
Mary asked the angel, "But how can I have a baby? I am a virgin."
Mary knew the right questions to ask. She was no fool. She said “How can I do this?” We should always ask God what He wants from us. Don’t only recognize His will, look for your part. Our purposes are very clear in scripture. We are here to worship God with our lives. Planned for God’s pleasure, formed for God’s family, created to become like Christ, made for a ministry in the church, made for a mission in the world. These are the only 5 purposes for which you and I were put on this planet. This means God will never allow anything to come into your life for any other purpose than one of these five.
Ephesians 5:17 (MSG)
Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the
Master wants.
So be like Mary and ask God “How can I fulfill your purposes through this situation?” He is more concerned about your character than your comfort. “He cares more about your integrity than your image”.
Any other approach to life is careless! It is unthinkable that we as Christians would wander aimlessly through life without wanting God’s purposes more than our own. It is true, however, that most Christians don’t even know God’s word; and if you don’t know His word you can’t understand His purposes. Fifty percent of members in the evangelical churches today do not believe in absolute truth. These are the latest Gallup polls. Less than 20% of subscriptions to “Our Daily Bread” and devotional material belong to women. Men who are called to lead their homes spiritually are not even concerned about knowing God’s word. These facts alone should startle us and make us realize that we will not be able to make it through times of crisis, and, more importantly, be stronger in our faith because of our apathy. Remember we are servants of the living God, as Mary clearly understood when she stated, “I am the servant of the Lord.”
This is the most important truth we can learn. We are servants. What a privilege to serve God.
Illustration : John Kenneth Galbraith, in his autobiography, A Life in Our Times, illustrates the devotion of Emily Gloria Wilson, his family’s housekeeper: It had been a wearying day, and I asked Emily to hold all telephone calls while I had a nap. Shortly thereafter the phone rang. Lyndon Johnson was calling from the White House. "Get me Ken Galbraith. This is Lyndon Johnson." "He is sleeping, Mr. President. He said not to disturb him." "Well, wake him up. I want to talk to him." "No, Mr. President. I work for him, not you. When I called the President back, he could scarcely control his pleasure. "Tell that woman I want her here in the White House."
A true servant does not care what others think or how they will be viewed. They only obey the voice of their master.
1 Corinthians 4:2 (LB)
Now the most important thing about a servant is that he does just what his master tells him to.
However, understanding alone will not make you a servant. It alone will not help you trust God in times of crisis. You must take the fourth step that Mary’s life exemplifies.
4. Surrender to God’s plan.
Luke 1:38 (NIV)
"I am the Lord’s servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.
Mary’s words are very emphatic in the original language “Genoita” “May it be done.” This is true commitment. It wasn’t a response of “Well if I have to, go ahead” or “Poor me, how will I survive?” It was complete and emphatic surrender. What a lesson! We have not truly become followers of Christ until we surrender our will. You may be a Christian on your way to heaven, but you are not a follower or even a disciple of Jesus until you surrender your life! To be saved we surrender our thoughts about who Christ is. This is repentance. Never in the New Testament does repent mean to change your life. It means to change your mind. To repent means a change of mind. But as a Christian, to be blessed of God and led by His spirit; we must not only think about His word, recognize His will or even understand his purpose. To be a follower, a servant, we must surrender to His will.
Psalm 37:7 (GW)
Surrender yourself to the Lord, and wait patiently for him. Do not be preoccupied with {an evildoer} who succeeds in his way when he carries out his schemes.
David learned this the hard way. In times of despair he finally surrendered at the very lowest point. Let’s not get there, let’s surrender our will, our wants and our plans to God’s mighty purposes.
(Put an Illustration here)
There is nothing in life that happens apart from God’s plans and decisions. God holds this world in His hand. He is the creator and sustainer of life. He spoke you into existence, He can speak you out. He is the all powerful, all knowing, never changing God without a beginning and without end. These facts alone should drop us to our knees. Remember we will all surrender. It’s just that right now, Christians and unbelievers, you still have a choice.
Ephesians 1:11a (TEV)
All things are done according to God’s plan and decision…
When you are facing impending threats from a stronger opponent, you look for a weakness. If none is found you may want to surrender. Why battle against a God who never loses? Give up.
And finally, Mary’s life has emulated many keys to your spiritual success; but, one that really often goes over-looked is summed up in this phrase.
5. Treasure God’s trials.
Luke 2:19 (NLT)
…but Mary quietly treasured these things in her heart and thought about them often.
Mary’s life was about to turn upside down and really from a human perspective; it would become a huge struggle. Why? Because no matter how much her motherly instincts desired her son to have the best, and live a long healthy life, with little pain and lots of success; she knew He came to die. He would pay for the sins of the world in a most horrendous way. Yet she treasured these facts.
Like Peter challenges each of us to do when troubles come. As weird as it seems, be thankful.
1 Peter 1:6-7 (LB)
So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though the going is rough for a while down here. These trials are only to test your faith, to see whether or not it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests gold and purifies it--and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold; so if your faith remains strong after being tried in the test tube of fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day of his return.
Mary saw the blessings. She chose to say “Thank you Lord, as painful as the valleys may be, I’m thankful.”
As believers we need to be truly glad about our everlasting position in Jesus Christ. We are going to heaven. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. We need to live our lives with eternity in mind. Mary knew that Jesus came to give her everlasting life. She knew that as painful as the days ahead may be, they would not compare to the joys of heaven and everlasting fellowship with Jesus.
God is building our faith. He is allowing times of crisis so we will look to Him all the more. Not only are these times a chance to earn God’s praise in heaven, but times of trouble are also an opportunity for blessings now. Your character can be stronger, you will be more mature and when you overcome one trial you’ll be better equipped to handle the next one.
James 1:3-4 (LB)
…for when the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. So let it grow, and don’t try to squirm out of your problems. For when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete.
God is helping us to see how truly weak we are. He is allowing these moments of struggle to show us how in need of Him we are.
Grace is God drawing sinners closer and closer to him. How does God in grace fulfill this purpose? Not by shielding us from assault by the world, the flesh, and the devil, nor by protecting us from burdensome and frustrating circumstance, not yet by shielding us from troubles created by our own temperament and psychology, but rather by exposing us to all these things, so as to overwhelm us with a sense of our own inadequacy, and to drive us to cling to him more closely.
This is the ultimate reason, from our standpoint, why God fills our lives with troubles and perplexities of one sort and another -- it is to ensure that we shall learn to hold him fast. The reason why the Bible spends so much of its time reiterating that God is a strong rock, a firm defense, and a sure refuge and help for the weak is that God spends so much of his time showing us that we are weak, both mentally and morally, and dare not trust ourselves to find or follow the right road. When we walk along a clear road feeling fine, and someone takes our arm to help us, likely we would impatiently shake him off; but when we are caught in rough country in the dark, with a storm brewing and our strength spent, and someone takes our arm to help us, we would thankfully lean on him. And God wants us to feel that our way through life is rough and perplexing, so that we may learn to lean on him thankfully. Therefore he takes steps to drive us out of self-confidence to trust in himself, to -- in the classic scriptural phrase for the secret of the godly man’s life -- "wait on the Lord."
James Packer, Your Father Loves You, Harold Shaw Publishers, 1986.
I realize that this may not take away the sting of the hurt and pain you may feel right now. In no way would I want to be insensitive to those who are hurting. I only share these hopes so we can understand there is a bigger plan. Mary demonstrated it through her faithful life.
T – Think on God’s word
R – Recognize God’s will
U – Understand God’s purposes
S – Surrender to God’s plan
T – Treasure God’s trials
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (NLT)
These troubles and sufferings of ours are, after all, quite small and won’t last very long. Yet this short time of distress will result in God’s richest blessing upon us forever and ever! So we do not look at what we can see right now, the troubles all around us, but we look forward to the joys in heaven which we have not yet seen. The troubles will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.
Mary: How to Trust God in Times of Crisis- Outline
1. Think about God’s words.
Luke 1:29a (NCV)
But Mary was very startled by what the angel said and wondered what this greeting might mean.
Psalm 77:12,13 (NCV)
I think about all the things you did and consider your deeds. God, your ways are holy. No god is as great as our God.
Philippians 4:8 (NCV)
Brothers and sisters, think about the things that are good and worthy of praise. Think about the things that are true and honorable and right and pure and beautiful and respected.
2. Recognize God’s will.
Luke 1:31-33 (NLT)
You will become pregnant and have a son, and you are to name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!
James 1:5 (NIV)
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
1 Corinthians 8:3 (MSG)
We never really know enough until we recognize that God alone knows it all.
3. Understand God’s purpose.
Luke 1:34 (NLT)
Mary asked the angel, "But how can I have a baby? I am a virgin."
Ephesians 5:17 (MSG)
Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants.
1 Corinthians 4:2 (LB)
Now the most important thing about a servant is that he does just what his master tells him to.
4. Surrender to God’s plan.
Luke 1:38 (NIV)
"I am the Lord’s servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.
Psalm 37:7 (GW)
Surrender yourself to the Lord, and wait patiently for him. Do not be preoccupied with {an evildoer} who succeeds in his way when he carries out his schemes.
Ephesians 1:11a (TEV)
All things are done according to God’s plan and decision…
5. Treasure God’s trials.
Luke 2:19 (NLT)
…but Mary quietly treasured these things in her heart and thought about them often.
1 Peter 1:6-7 (LB)
So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though the going is rough for a while down here. These trials are only to test your faith, to see whether or not it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests gold and purifies it--and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold; so if your faith remains strong after being tried in the test tube of fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day of his return.
James 1:3-4 (LB)
…for when the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. So let it grow, and don’t try to squirm out of your problems. For when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (NLT)
These troubles and sufferings of ours are, after all, quite small and won’t last very long. Yet this short time of distress will result in God’s richest blessing upon us forever and ever! So we do not look at what we can see right now, the troubles all around us, but we look forward to the joys in heaven which we have not yet seen. The troubles will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.
