The Messianic Catastrophe

Thank you for listening to this message from the ministry of Morse Corner Church in Leverett, Massachusetts. Morse Corner is a non-denominational church that is committed to the preaching and teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our church was founded in 1896 by two students of the famous evangelist D .L. Moody. We seek to encourage and edify the body of Christ through the proclamation of God's word through the ministries of the local church.

If you'd like more information, visit our website, morsecornerchurch .com. We hope you enjoy the message. When Luke wrote his gospel, it's believed that he probably interviewed the people that he's writing about.

Luke probably interviewed Mary so we could look at this almost as a testimony of Mary's telling Luke and others about what God has done for her. This is Mary's testimony. Here is what the Lord has done for me.

And that's something that every Christian can do. Maybe you're not a Bible scholar. Maybe you don't feel like you're equipped to teach or preach, but you certainly can tell people what the Lord has done for you.

Amen. So that's the first point. What God has done for me. The second point expands to what God is doing in the world. And God is still at work in this world. Look at verse 51. He has shown strength with his arm.

He has scattered the proud and the imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly. One commentator says this. Mary now sees the messianic catastrophe.

Don't get hung up on that word. But Mary now sees the messianic catastrophe which God will bring about by the means of her son. And she announces it prophetically as having already happened. For she bears in fact the accomplisher of it already in her womb.

And thus the work of God which he is to execute is before her enlightened gaze already as good as completed in the way that she sees and describes it. You know what that requires? It requires faith. Because she knows what Jesus is going to do.

He's going to do all these things. He hasn't done it yet. He's still in her womb. Even when he died and rose again and ascended into heaven. Even at that point it had not been done. When Mary died at that point it had not yet been done.

And you know it hasn't been done yet. We need to have faith. So what is this messianic catastrophe or this crisis that is coming to the world? You know when God created this earth he made Adam in his own image.

And he told Adam who is called the son of God. He said Adam have dominion over the earth. And then that's what? Chapter 1? Chapter 2? Chapter 3? Adam loses dominion. And things quickly changed. As soon as civilization formed it wasn't the godly, the sons of God who were ruling on the earth.

Who is ruling? It was the wicked. Whether it's Lamech in Genesis 4 or Nimrod in Genesis 11 with the Tower of Babel. The world is ruled. And this isn't any statement of slander. It's been the type of thing that's been going on since the book of Genesis.

The world is run by cruel and wicked men. The world order was not and is not at this moment as God intended. The cruel and the violent and the proud and the corrupt. They are the ones who are mighty in the earth.

That's the messianic catastrophe that God is going to tear all that down. Whether it was Pharaoh in Egypt or Herod on the pages of the New Testament. What God was doing in the world through the promise of the Messiah.

He was bringing in a new order. What was the Lord establishing with Moses and then David? He was establishing a righteous rule. When Jesus came, when John the Baptist came, do you remember what they preached?

They preached that the kingdom of God was what? Was at hand. The kingdom is at hand. Jesus taught the day is coming when the first shall be last and the last first. So what is God doing in the world? Through the Christian church He is scattering the proud and putting down the mighty.

Now again it hasn't actually taken place yet. In those places in the world throughout history where Christianity has flourished it has happened. It has happened throughout history but ultimately it is not yet accomplished.

The arc of history. You've heard of the arc of history? Some people talk about the arc of history as though some other system is going to take over and rule the world. Well that's the way it's been but there's a different arc of history.

This is the messianic catastrophe and though things may get worse in the end they will get better. Jesus Christ is what? He is born as what? What is He? The newborn what? The newborn King. Do you believe that?

Is Jesus your King? And rest assured He will rule this earth as King one day. But you know I think the earth actually since the birth of Christ and the ministry of Christ I think the earth has gotten better.

In many ways it has gotten worse. Don't get me wrong you know I believe that it has gotten worse in many ways. But think about this the knowledge of Jesus Christ has literally covered the earth. People all over the globe know the name of Jesus Christ.

There are churches all over the earth. Back then rulers used to declare themselves as gods. That was just the normal thing. If you were the king, you were the ruler, you were a god and you demanded your people worship you.

In the western world at least in the western world even if it appears empty you know our rulers still at least give lip service to the God of heaven. I mean that's a major breakthrough. And here's the thing everything that is good and right and just in our society today.

Everything that is good right and just in western civilization is the result of Christian influence. I know it seems like that is fading and it may be but we're still living off our heritage. That Christian influence and the blessing it has brought.

So whatever good things are happening in the world is because of God. It's because of Jesus. It's because of the gospel. And if we will work and be a testimony and do the work. If all God's people would do the work we can bring that some of that glory back.

And either way it's coming back one way or another so take heart. God is still at work in the world. Don't let television convince you otherwise. God is still at work in the world. Don't let the media and the news media and the internet drive you to despair.

You realize that's the purpose. They want you to despair. And then when you are in despair then you can turn to all the other things they offer. We still have it really really good. So over the past 2 ,000 years in many ways things have got better.

Consider the time Mary and Jesus lived in.

Rome ruled the world.

The Roman Empire was cruel. They tortured people publicly. That's what crucifixion was. Nero Caesar was a type of the Antichrist. But Rome fell. And here's the thing as Rome was crumbling the Christian church was expanding.

Because of the rapid expansion of Christianity people all over the world right now today are celebrating what?

Christmas.

And then in the eastern part they celebrate Christmas I think on January 6th. But still you have people all over the world celebrating Christmas. They are giving gifts whether they know it or not. That is patterned after the wise men giving birth to baby Jesus.

You know there's people doing things they don't even realize that they're following in the line of biblical patterns of history. Every time someone says Merry Christmas whether they think about it or not they're using the name.

Now some people are using it in vain I suppose. But the name of Christ is being exalted. Jesus said about himself why do we put up lights? All over the world people put up lights.

Why?

Because Jesus said I am the light of the world. You know the Christian church has more influence than most people realize. Christ is still at work in the world and what you need to do what we need to do is just to make ourselves available for his service.

You realize we are one catastrophe and then revival away or we are perhaps just it's right around the corner perhaps his glorious return either way his kingdom will come and God's will will be done on the earth as it is in heaven.

So the Magnificat Mary knowing to some extent what her son will do here's the neat thing she just declares it as though it's already taken place. Because why? She had full assurance of faith. So when you walk out of here you can just know all of this is going to happen.

I have every reason to rejoice. I have every reason to be happy.

Why?

Because this is what God has done for me. This is what God is doing in the world. And let's go to the final point number three God does all these things and we can rest assured why? Because he is faithful to keep his covenant.

God is faithful to keep his promises. The Jews understood this. They understood the concept of covenant. Today we don't talk about this as much. We probably should more. We talk about faith. We talk about believing.

But we don't really talk about the concept of covenant. What is a covenant? A covenant is a binding agreement made between two parties. A covenant is a promise. Who did God make the covenant with? Well, he made it first to Abraham.

And if you know the story in Genesis 15 when God made that covenant promise to Abraham, which Mary references in the Magnificat, you remember what God did to Abraham? He put him to sleep. You say, well, that's strange.

What's the significance of that? It really doesn't have anything to do with Abraham, what Abraham did. God was saying by putting Abraham to sleep, he's saying, even if you don't do what you need to do, and even if the church isn't doing what the church should be doing today, and that's probably true to a large degree, God is still going to keep his promise.

His word is still true. His spirit is still at work. His will is still being done, even when men try to oppose it. It's still going to happen. And the kingdom will still come.

Why?

Because God has made a promise. And God's promises never fail. Look at what Mary says in verses 54 and 55. She says, he has helped his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed forever.

All right, let's turn to Galatians 3, and this is where we're going to close. We're almost done. You say, well, yeah, he made that covenant to Abraham. He has helped his servant Israel, but what does that do for me?

What does that do for us? We're the Christian church. Mary says he spoke to our fathers, you know, Moses and David, and, well, we're not Jews, so maybe we're missing out. Well, I think you know well enough that that's not really true, is it?

Look at Galatians 3, 7. What does this have to do with you? Galatians 3, 7, therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. Do you have faith? Then you're a son of Abraham. In the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles, I think all of us or most of us are Gentiles here, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, he preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, in you all the nations shall be blessed.

So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham. See, if you believe in the same God, the same Lord as Abraham, you are spiritually his children. So as you see, if we would walk by faith, those spiritual promises offered to Abraham and then offered to Mary, they are ours to claim as well.

Skip ahead to Galatians 3, 29. This is a great verse that summarizes it. He says,. And if you are Christ, you call yourself a Christian? Have you been baptized into Christ? If you are Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

You have an inheritance. All these promises are for us. So in conclusion, Mary sung the Magnificat. She praises the Lord for all that he has done and for all that he is going to do. And I pray that we would have that same faith, that this Christmas we could be able to say the same thing.

My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior, for he who is mighty has done great things for me. Can you say that?

Amen.

Let's close in prayer. And Father, how thankful we are for what you have promised to your people. And on this day, when people give gifts, we thank you most of all for the gift of your grace displayed in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

And may we walk in full assurance of faith, facing each new day not with fear, and being able to sleep at night knowing that you are faithful and in control and that your will will be accomplished. And Lord, if there's someone listening right now who has never given their life to you, I pray that today would be the day of their salvation.

I ask all this in Jesus' name.

Amen.