We Need A Heart Like Mary Series

What Does it Take to See Jesus?

Part 4 – We Need a Heart Like Mary!

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

By Pastor James May

Luke 1:26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,

Luke 1:27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

Most of the world and many in the church would rather that verse 27 would not appear. There are a lot of people who deny the virgin birth of Jesus. But to deny that would be to deny that Jesus was born without the original sin of Adam. To deny that Mary was a virgin would be to say that the Bible is a lie; and if the Bible is a lie, and Jesus was born in sin like every other man, then why do we even bother to believe in God at all. And there is where the problem lies; because so many deny the virgin birth, their whole belief system comes crashing down. Without the virgin birth there could be no Savior, nor could there be salvation, for there would not be a perfect blood sacrifice that would pay the price for all sin and have the power to wash away sin from the heart of any man. The doctrine, and the belief in the virgin birth is absolutely essential to Christianity. Without it, there is no Christ and no church, and we are all nothing but a bunch of delusional fools.

I believe the Bible! I believe every word of it! I believe that it is infallible and all encompassing! I believe it contains the only Truth from the very Throne of God. And I believe that every word of the Bible is inspired by the Holy Ghost, written as the Spirit led the prophets to write and that it is the sole source of perfect truth in all of creation. We have to either accept all of the Bible as absolute truth; or accept none of it. It can be the guidelines for life that will lead to Jesus and then on to Heaven; or it can be like any other historical, self-help book and have no power to change anything in your life.

Mary was a “virgin” and I suspect that this is meant in more than one manner. We tend to think of this in physical terms because man can only reason on the fleshly level, but I wonder if also this term “virgin” might also have meant so much more than “never knowing a man”.

Both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament we hear God speaking of the nation of Israel, his chosen people, as being adulterers and adulteresses; of being espoused to God and yet being unfaithful to the Lord.

Malachi 3:5 And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.

James 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

2 Corinthians 11:2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

One of the most powerful points concerning the heart of Mary is that she had a heart that was true to God, unadulterated by the world and pure before her Lord. She was like David, she was a woman after God’s own heart, and she lived by the law and the spirit of serving her God faithfully. She had not chosen to follow after the idols of her neighbors. She had chosen to remain faithful to the end. She had chosen to be holy before God and to walk uprightly before him. Nothing of this world was important enough to replace the love of God that was found in her heart. Therefore, Mary was not only physically a virgin, never having known a man; but she was also spiritually a virgin, never having united herself with any other God than the Lord God Jehovah.

Luke 1:28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

Luke 1:30-31 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name