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Sermon: The Gospel of Luke: Rejoicing in God our Savior Date: January 8, 2023, Morning Text: Luke 1:39–56 Preacher: Brian Garcia Audio: https://storage.googleapis.com/pbc-ca-sermons/2023/230108-TheGospelOfLuke-RejoicingInGodOurSavior.aac
Well, good morning, beloved. You can turn your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 1. We'll be examining verses 39 to 56. We'll be examining these verses. This is the biggest chunk of verses yet that we'll be examining together this morning.
We've been a month into the series, and we're still in the first chapter. That's good progress. And we're going to be, again, examining verses 39 to 56. Please do stand for that reading when you have it.
Luke, Chapter 1, verse 39. Hear ye the word of the Lord. In those days, Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country to a town in Judah. And she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. And she exclaimed with a loud cry, blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.
And Mary said, my soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on, now 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. For he has shown strength of 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 away empty. He has helped his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy.
He has spoke to our fathers, to Abraham, to his offspring. And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home. This is the word of the Lord, you may be seated. Gracious and bountiful, merciful Savior, we do come before thee this morning, asking that you would work in us that which is pleasing in your sight.
Help us, Lord, to remove every idle thought, every high and lofty thought, and every sin that may so easily entangle us from this divine appointment that you have bestowed upon us this morning, to hear the proclamation and the preaching of your word.
Lord, help us to have eyes and hearts of clarity, to receive and to rejoice in God, our blessed Savior. Lord, that we may learn from the example of Mary, who for the joy that was set before her, not only bore your son in her womb, but indeed, Lord, greeted you and greeted this sacred mission with thanksgiving and praise.
Lord, help us in whatever lot we have in this life to greet it with thanksgiving and praise and adoration unto you, the only true and triune God, Father, Son, and Spirit. It is in Jesus' name that we do pray and approach you.
Amen. We see here early in the text of scripture in Luke chapter one, starting in verse 39, the continuation of the narrative of Christ's blessed birth, his entrance, his climactic entrance into the world through the incarnation.
In the previous few verses, as we were introduced several weeks ago, verses 26 all the way to 38, we see how the Lord God appointed this young woman named Mary to be the mother appointed to bring forth God's own son into the world, to bring into the world Jesus Christ, our blessed Savior.
And as the narrative progresses, we see that Mary is actually acquainted, not only just acquainted, but related to this woman named Elizabeth, who was also introduced to us even before Mary in Luke chapter one.
Elizabeth and her husband, Zechariah, were the ones appointed by the Lord God Almighty to bring forth a man by the name of John the Baptist. And as Elizabeth is still pregnant with this child, with John, we see what happens in the narrative in verse 40, when she entered, Mary, that is, entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
It says, and when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby in her womb leaped, leaped. Now, this is pretty remarkable for a couple reasons. Namely, one, how did the child in the womb know that Mary, who had just been conceived, in whose womb had just been conceived, the Son of God?
How did this child in the womb know? I can't begin to answer that question other than the fact that it had been appointed by the Holy Spirit. But here's another thing of great importance that should not be lost on us, dear brothers and sisters.
Life in the womb is precious. Life in the womb is indeed life in all of its glory. You know, I was reading just this week on babies that are in the womb, and it says that they conducted a study, an experiment on babies in the womb, and they would take a light that would be in a shape, three lights that were in the shape of a triangle, but they would have it, you know, kind of exactly in the shape of a triangle, so you have one light up here and then two lights down the bottom, and they would shine it on the stomach of the mother.
And the baby would react to it, but nothing major. But then they inverted. They had the two lights and then one light in the bottom, and then what they found was that the child in the womb responded by following that light with its eyes.
And the reason they believe that the child did that was because the child in the womb was able to, even at that early stage of life, to perceive the pattern of the human face. Two eyes and a mouth. And because of that pattern, the baby in the womb is able to follow that light more closely than if it was inverted the other way.
Very interesting. That even in the womb, life has a way of perceiving and understanding and wanting to be in relationship with others. And here is no different with the example of John the Baptist in the womb of his mother, Elizabeth.
Somehow, by some means of the Holy Spirit, this child in the womb was able to recognize the blessed Savior, Jesus Christ. This shows you the power and the beauty and the glory of life in all of its stages.
Even so vulnerable and so small and so needed in the womb. The Bible says, it goes on to say, in that verse again, in verse 40, it says, and when she entered the house of Zechariah, that's Mary, and greeted Elizabeth.
And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Now, the narrative of this scripture doesn't give us a whole lot of details, but what it does give us is of great value.
Namely, that Elizabeth had some revelation by the Spirit to understand and perceive that what was happening in Mary's life was just as, if not more miraculous than what had just happened in her life. Remember, what had come to fruition through the conception of John the Baptist in the life of Zechariah and Elizabeth was indeed a miracle.
This is a woman who was later in years, advanced in years, who was barren, and whom God had brought forth life in the womb, but still by natural means with Zechariah and Elizabeth. Yet what we see in the virgin birth of Christ is that his mother, Mary, had no human conception.
This was a miraculous work by the Holy Spirit, so much so that even when the angel Gabriel goes to Mary and proclaims to her these words from verse 31, the angel Gabriel declares, behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, and he will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High.
Goes on to say in verse 35, the angel Gabriel says to Mary, the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.
How was it that Christ was conceived in the womb of Mary? By the power of the Holy Ghost, the power of the Holy Spirit. This was not any ordinary conception. This was miraculous. This was a virgin conception.
Never before and never after. Mary is one and unique in this sense, and that she is the only woman in the history of humanity to bear a child through miraculous means of the Holy Spirit without human conception.
Even today in all of our modern progress, so-called progress, and technology that is being able to use in order for women to conceive today, there still needs to be intervention by human hands. And yet, this conception needed no human hands, needed no human partner, needed no scientific discovery, but it required the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit, the power of God, overshadowed this young virgin so that she would conceive in her womb the blessed Savior, the one who would be called holy, the one who would be called the Son of the Most High God, the one who was promised to us by the prophets, who would be a son of David, who would sit on David's throne, and who would reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of whose kingdom there would be no end.
Elizabeth then greets Mary with this in verse 42, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord shall come to me?
I often wonder, how much did these early Bible figures in the narrative of Jesus' life, how much did they actually know about this Son who would be brought into the world? How much did they know? Did Mary know that what was in her womb would not just be a regular human being, not just another child, but indeed God incarnate?
Did she know? Did Elizabeth know the extent of who this Lord, who this Christ would be in all of his glory, in all of his divinity, and in all of his humanity? I do take courage and I take faith in this, and that when Elizabeth greets Mary, she greets her as the mother of my Lord.
Now the word for Lord in the New Testament is a Greek word called kurios, kurios, oftentimes in the New Testament is used in place of the divine name, which is Yahweh or Jehovah. Now oftentimes in the New Testament, the word kurios can simply mean Lord or Master, but in other connotations, as we've learned in previous sessions, we've also learned that the name or title kurios can literally mean Yahweh.
Which one did she mean here? Did she mean, did she know and acknowledge that what was in the womb of Mary was Yahweh come in human flesh? Or simply one with great power and authority? I don't know that I have an answer for that.
I'd like to present one to you, but I don't know that I do. I don't know what was in the heart of Elizabeth. I don't know what her theology was perfectly when it comes to this topic. But here is what she did acknowledge and what we should all acknowledge.
That the one that was in the womb of the virgin was one with great power and great authority. Indeed, it was the Lord. Verse 44, for behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord. This is of great importance, brothers and sisters. Who was the first person beside Mary to acknowledge Christ?
If you're following along today's teaching, it was John the Baptist, followed by Elizabeth. These were the first ones to acknowledge Christ, acknowledge Jesus for who he is and who he is now even. Lord, Jesus Christ is Lord.
Brothers and sisters, if you have not come to know and acknowledge that truth, well, first of all, then you're not a Christian. One who is a Christian is the one who has acknowledged the proper lordship and sovereignty of Jesus Christ.
You've heard it in modern evangelicalism like this. You have to receive Jesus into your heart and you gotta make him Lord of your life. Have you ever heard something to that degree? It's very popular today.
You gotta make Jesus Lord and the fallacy of that is that you do not make Jesus Lord. He is Lord. As Elizabeth acknowledges Jesus's lordship, so then we too must acknowledge what is a fact that Jesus Christ is Lord.
He is Lord of everything. And when we say as Christians that Jesus is Lord, we're not saying he's just another sir or a master, but that he is the master. He is the sovereign. He is the Yahweh who has come in human form.
Jesus Christ is Lord. This is the most consequential statement that can be uttered by the human lips. So much so that John, that the apostle Paul says in Romans chapter 10, verse nine, that if thou would confess of thy mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thy heart that God has raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Not thou might be saved or thou can be saved, but thou shalt be, will be saved. That's the power of the lordship of Jesus Christ, that it can transform the human heart. It can make dead men live again because he is Lord.
Such a powerful and in fact, the most consequential statement of human history is that Jesus Christ is Lord. And even in the conception of his birth and the conception of his earthly beginnings, even Elizabeth acknowledges that the one in the womb is indeed Lord.
And so much so that even her child, John the Baptist, who was in the womb also, leaps for joy in knowing and recognizing that the one before him was in fact the Lord Jesus Christ. In response, Mary sings a song of praise, which is often called the Magnificat.
The Magnificat, we see in verse 46, and Mary said, my soul magnifies the Lord. Some translation would say, my soul praises the Lord. This is a praise, this is a song, this is a jubilant cry. My soul magnifies, praises the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior.
For he has looked on the humblest state of his servant, for behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed. In the Magnificat, Mary magnifies God. I want you to write that in the notes if you're following along.
Magnifies God as her Savior. Now this is of great importance as we will take some time this morning to examine some of the lies that are spoken about in regard to Mary and her position in God's kingdom.
If you come from an Eastern Orthodox or a Roman Catholic background, both institutions and wings of the Christian church teach a pretty dangerous heresy regarding who Mary is in her relation to Christ Jesus.
There's a phrase that is used in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions that Mary is called theotokos. Now do you know what a theotokos is? Maybe some of you don't, but it literally means God-bearer.
They believe that Mary, this is a title, Greek word theotokos literally means God-bearer. This is a title for Mary as the mother of God. This is a title that is used especially and specifically in the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic traditions.
And it teaches that Mary is the mother of Christ divinity, that Mary is the mother of God, the God Jesus Christ. Now why is this not true? Why is it that Protestants, especially in the Reformed tradition, reject totally this notion of Mary being theotokos, a God-bearer in this way?
Now while it is true that in the womb of Mary is the God-man, let there be no doubt about that. Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. He's not half God, half man. He is fully divine, fully God, wrapped fully in human flesh.
He's true man and true God, as the creeds rightfully confess. So then why then would it be inappropriate to call Mary the mother of God? And it would be inappropriate simply for this reason. Mary is herself a created creature.
She is not the mother of the divine nature. Speaking of Christ's divine nature in Hebrews chapter seven, verse three, it says that Christ, using Melchizedek as a foreshadow, has neither father or mother, neither beginning of days or end of life.
Christ in his true divinity has no origin. There is no one who can name claim to the origin of the divinity of God, for God is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last. There is no one before him and there shall be no one after him.
He is the true and only sovereign of all things. Mary is the mother of Christ's humanity, of his flesh, not of his divinity. It would be inappropriate, in fact, heretical, to declare Mary as a theotokos, as the one who is the bearer of the divine nature.
Truly dangerous heresy that is, which has led the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox positions into even deeper heresies in relation to the authority that they've placed on the Virgin Mary. Among those heresies that have continued to be perpetuated by the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox positions is the perpetual virginity of the Virgin Mary, specifically in the Roman Catholic tradition.
The perpetual virginity of Mary teaches this, that Mary was a virgin before Christ, during Christ, and then even after the birth of Christ. And yet we know from the gospel narratives themselves, as we go through the book of Luke, that, you know, here's a spoiler for you, Jesus had brothers, Jesus had earthly brothers, which means that Mary was not a perpetual virgin, as the Roman Catholic tradition teaches.
This too is a heresy, but it has to be perpetrated because they have given Mary this divine title. She is the god bearer, therefore we have to now and kind of make more grand the role of Mary in the redemptive history of the scriptures.
So we have to keep her, not that she just once was a virgin, but now she needs to perpetually be a virgin in order to make her more grand, to make her more akin to God. Among the things that we also see as heretical is the doctrine of the immaculate conception that is also taught in Roman Catholicism, which essentially teaches that Mary was also conceived without original sin, and that Mary was able to be a host for bringing forth God into the world because she too had no sinful nature.
Brothers and sisters, this is a concept that is foreign in scripture. You see, what happens in this theology of Mary that is espoused in these other traditions is that it begins to elevate Mary, and the Bible gives us quite the elevation for Mary.
There is an honor, there is a blessedness to Mary that should not be overlooked. As it says in scripture, it says in verse 48, it says, for behold, from now on, all generations will call me blessed. And indeed, we look upon Mary and believe that she is indeed blessed, that she had such a vital role in Bible prophecy in bringing forth God's Son into the world, and yet we do not elevate her beyond what the scriptures has declared.
She is blessed, but she is not a perpetual virgin. She is not one of immaculate conception, that meaning that she was born without original sin. And why do we not ascribe that to her? It's because the Bible does not ascribe that to her.
Nowhere in scripture does it declare that Mary was conceived without original sin. To do so would go beyond what the scripture says. And we believe in the authority of scripture. Sola Scriptura. And so we reject theotokos, we reject perpetual virginity, we reject the immaculate conception.
We also reject this heresy as well, as it progresses, a heresy called assumption, also taught by the Roman Catholic Church, that Mary not only conceived miraculously the God in human flesh, Jesus Christ, not only was she a perpetual virgin, not only did she not inherit original sin nature, but that she was also taken to heaven bodily.
That is the heresy of the doctrine of assumption taught by Roman Catholicism. You see what they keep doing with every single doctrine regarding Mary, they're elevating her more and more and more and more, where she becomes essentially a deity of her own right, where she becomes a goddess of sorts.
Because not only does she not have a sin nature like Christ, not only does she have a divine nature that she can pass on to Christ, but now even so, she is taken up to heaven bodily like Christ. Mary was not taken bodily into heaven.
And I can prove that very easily in scripture in 1 Timothy. Timothy rebukes in chapter two, those who were teaching that the resurrection had already taken place. Now if one is taken to heaven bodily, that is a resurrection.
It is to literally be taken to heaven, that is you're being raised up to heaven. And the Greek word for resurrection just means that literally a standing up again and being raised up. And yet Paul taught the resurrection had not yet occurred in his day, and that we were still looking forward to a future resurrection.
And that's his whole argument in chapter four of 1 Thessalonians. Chapter four, he's teaching there's a future resurrection. It hasn't happened yet. We're awaiting this. Those who die in Christ are asleep in Christ, and they're awaiting the bodily resurrection from the dead.
And yes, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. There is a real joy to be in the presence of Jesus while we await the resurrection. But the resurrection is not yet. So therefore, to say and to teach that Mary was taken bodily into heaven, which would be a doctrine that would deny the very heart of the resurrection, our blessed hope that we are waiting for at the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
To the doctrine that is presented by the Roman Catholic Church of Assumption is also a false teaching that should be rejected. And to bring this to a climax of examining the false views about the Virgin Mary, we examined a doctrine that is taught by both Eastern and Roman Catholics that Mary is a co-redemptrix in the plan of God.
You see, one of the titles that the Roman Catholic Church places upon the Virgin Mary is it calls her the co-redemptrix, the mediatrix and the advocate that stands before Jesus. Heresy, absolute blasphemy, to call anyone but our Savior, Jesus Christ, our Redeemer and our mediator.
For the Bible says in 1 Timothy 2, verse five, there is but one God and one mediator between God and man, the man, Christ Jesus. One mediator. There's only one Savior, only one Redeemer, and His name is Jesus.
And He is even our advocate with the Father. As it says, if we sin, we have an advocate with the Father, a helper, even Jesus Christ, the righteous one. To call anyone else these things, especially a created person, is indeed the height of arrogance and the height of idolatry.
These are dangerous doctrines, and this is one of the reasons why doctrine is so important, is to study to show ourselves approved, not that we're being tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine. Because the church says so, because an authority like the Pope says so, or because councils have said so, we must bring all things captive onto the obedience of Christ by the Word of God.
And the Word of God does not teach a doctrine of theotokos that Mary is the mother of God, neither does it teach perpetual virginity, neither does it teach immaculate conception, neither does it teach assumption, and neither does it teach that Mary is a co-redemptrix, emediatrix, and advocate alongside Jesus Christ.
Such doctrine is indeed an abomination, which is why so strongly that our forefathers in the Reformed tradition feel about this, that they ascribe even to the very institution of the Roman Catholic Church and to the papacy, the title of Antichrist.
That's how strongly they felt about the false doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church. Now, over the years, we've kind of watered down some of our criticisms against Rome, and we've begun to look at Rome more and more friendly, and we've begun to even consider most Catholics, maybe even our brothers or sisters in the Roman Catholic tradition.
Now, I don't doubt that there are Roman Catholics who love and know Jesus. One of the things that we do share in common, for the most part, is our view of the Godhead and of the person and work of Jesus Christ.
There is some familiarity there. However, as a whole, Roman Catholicism should be considered as anathema, as a heretical institution, and indeed, even a dangerous one, for it teaches lies regarding our blessed Savior, even by elevating a creature like Mary to the status of God the Son of Jesus Christ by sharing titles, divine titles, that are ascribed only to Jesus Christ.
This is indeed a dangerous heresy and should be rejected by all Christians and all those who love our Savior. Think about the danger of calling Mary a co-redemptrix, meaning, essentially, that Mary has authority and power in the saving of the human soul.
This is why Roman Catholics, in their tradition, pray the rosary and pray prayers to Mary. And some of them would say, well, we're not really praying to Mary, we're just asking Mary. Well, when you talk to someone who's not in the room, you're either on the phone with them or you're praying to them.
Those are the only two options. If they're not in the room physically, you better hope they're on the phone or, let me break it to you, you're praying. You're praying. You're praying to someone who's not there.
You're communicating, you're trying to communicate words, emotions, feelings, requests to someone who's not there. That is called prayer. And so when a person prays, in the Roman Catholic tradition, to Mary, ask for her intercession, ask for her to go before the Savior, to plead your case.
Brothers and sisters, does not the scripture teach us that we have now been bought with a price and that we now have access through faith into this grace in which we now stand, that we need not a priest, we need not a pope, we need not even a Virgin Mary in order to approach our most blessed Savior, Jesus Christ.
We have full access now, by faith, to God and to the throne of mercy. We need not a co-redemptrix, a mediatrix, or an advocate other than the advocate that has been spoken to us and delivered to us in Jesus Christ.
He is sufficient. And the doctrine that is taught by the Roman Catholic Church makes Jesus insufficient. By saying we now need another mediator, we now need another advocate, we now need another mediator, and we do not need another of anything because we have all that we need in Jesus Christ, amen?
Therefore, we must recognize the true danger of Rome here, especially as it distorts the simplicity and the beauty and the uniqueness of the role of the Virgin Mary. She is indeed blessed. And notice again in the Magnificat how Mary begins this praise by magnifying, not herself, not saying, thank you, God, for appointing me as a co-redemptrix, as a mediatrix, as the advocate.
No, indeed, she begins to praise God and magnifying God by rejoicing in God as her Savior. You see, Mary needed a Savior. She needs a Savior, and it's Jesus. It's the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel.
That's her Savior. She is not a Savior for anyone else. She indeed needs herself a Savior. And this is why she rejoices and magnifies the Lord, not because she is great, but because God is great. And in verse 48, for he has looked on my humble estate of his servant.
She understands she has a proper view of herself. Her proper view of herself is that she knows that she's a humble servant. She's a young woman who doesn't have much to offer to the world, and yet God has appointed her, blessed, has appointed her to bear his son.
And because of this, behold, from now on, all generations will call me blessed. Indeed, blessed is the virgin who brought forth Christ Jesus into the world. Blessed is she. She gives all the glory to God.
And it says in verse 50, in verse 49, actually, for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. Now, what we see here in the Magnificat is a praise that is akin to some of the other praises of deliverances we see in Scripture.
For instance, when the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, they broke out in a new song, and they began to praise God for the wondrous deeds, his wondrous acts that he had accomplished by bringing them out of slavery in Egypt, bringing them through the crossing of the Red Sea into a land of promise.
We see God also use words of praise similar to this, similar to what we see in 1 Samuel, chapter two, verses four to eight, in Hannah's praise. Under similar circumstances, she begins to praise and exalt and magnify Yahweh, the true God.
And so, Mary follows in this great tradition of after seeing the salvation of the Lord, after seeing the miraculous hand of the Lord at work in her life, she breaks out in song of praise and begins to magnify the one who created her, the one who saved her, the one who sustains her, even the Lord God of Israel.
And she goes on to say, in verse 51, he has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts, and he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate.
You see, what Mary is doing in this moment, and in case you didn't catch the last part, in the Magnificat, Mary magnifies God as her savior. In the next note, Mary acknowledges the sovereign strength of God's arm in the affairs of the world.
Again, Mary acknowledges the sovereign strength of God's arm. She says in verse 51, he has shown strength with his arm. In the Old Testament, when the Old Testament writers used the term the arm of the Lord, it was a euphemism to speak of God's saving power.
In fact, so much so, that in Isaiah 52 and 53, the very arm of the Lord is what comes down from heaven and is indeed our savior, the one who will pay the price and penalty for our sins, by whom stripes we will be healed.
It is the very arm of the Lord that comes forth into humanity to save humanity. God's arm is not short to save, it's not short. Indeed, Mary acknowledges this grand truth of the arm of the Lord and its ability to show strength, to scatter the proud in the thoughts of their hearts, to bring low the mighty from their thrones and to exalt those of humble estate.
The arm of the Lord is able to save, and this is her cry. Similarly to what we see in 1 Samuel chapter two, we'll turn there for a moment, in 1 Samuel, and we see the song of praise from Hannah, starting in verse two.
Actually, I'll start with verse one, so we can see the similarities between the praise and the prayer of Hannah and the magnificant of Mary. My heart, this is at 1 Samuel chapter two, starting in verse one, and Hannah prayed and said, "'My heart exalts in the Lord.
"'My horn is exalted in the Lord. "'My mouth derides my enemies "'because I rejoice in your salvation.'". Do you see the connection? Do you see how closely that resembles what Mary had just proclaimed?
When she says, "'My soul magnifies the Lord, "'my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior.'". Hannah continues on in verse two, "'There is none holy like the Lord, "'for there is none beside you. "'There is no rock like our God.
"'Talk no more so very proudly. "'Let not arrogance come from your mouth, "'for the Lord is a God of knowledge, "'and by Him actions are weighed. "'The bowels of the mighty are broken, "'but the feeble bind on strength.'".
You see, the economy of God's kingdom, the turning upside down of the roles, the mighty being brought low and the low being exalted, this is what happens in the economy of God's kingdom when God intervenes in the affairs of man by His strong and sovereign arm.
It says, "'The bowels of the mighty are broken, "'but the feeble bind on strength. "'And those who have full "'have hired themselves out for bread, "'and those who were hungry have ceased to hunger. "'And the barren has borne seven, "'but she who has many children is forlorn.
"'The Lord kills and brings to life. "'He brings down to shield and raises up. "'The Lord makes poor and makes rich. "'He brings low and He exalts. "'He raises up the poor from the dust. "'He lifts the needy from the ash heap "'to make them sit with princes "'and inherit a seat of honor.
"'For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, "'and on them He has set the world.'". You know, the similarity between Hannah's prayer and Mary's is that it both centers upon the sovereignty of God, that it is God who is intervening in the affairs of man.
It is God who reigns over the affairs of man. It is God who is now and forever the one who exalts and brings low, and is indeed the God in whom we are to exalt and rejoice in as our Savior. It is all by the Lord's hand.
And this is a clear vein, a clear consistency in the vein of Mary's prayer and of Hannah's prayer, of the praises and songs of all saints throughout redemptive history, that the Lord reigns, the Lord reigns.
Therefore, because the Lord reigns, we can rejoice in Him. We can have confidence in Him because He controls the affairs of all things. You see, Mary meets uncertainty with praise. She receives God's word with gratitude, and she looked to the future with fortitude, trusting in the sovereign God of history.
Here's a young woman who has everything to fear in life, every reason to be worried about the future, and yet she meets uncertainty with praise and worship. Brothers and sisters, how do we face times of adversity and uncertainty?
Do we meet it with trepidation? Do we meet it with bitterness? Do we meet it with murmuring? Or do we meet the occasion of the day, as Mary did, by magnifying, making big, making great the Lord and His fame?
I don't know what your lot is today in life. I don't know what it is that you might be struggling with, but know and be assured of this, that whatever it is that you're struggling with in life today, whatever uncertainty has touched the shores of your life, trust in the unshakable sovereignty of the Almighty.
Ultimately, all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose. Mary knew that truth. Mary knew, I don't know how, I don't know why, but I know all things are gonna work together for good.
And because of her fortitude, because of her faith, we too share in this inheritance of faith by calling her blessed. She is indeed blessed. She is the blessed mother of the humanity of our Savior. And she also declares with great certainty that from generation to generation, His mercy is for those who fear Him.
Fear the Lord with fear and trembling. Fear Him. One of the great sins of our time today, even in the Christian church, is that we do not have a proper fear of the Lord. And one of the reasons is because of a misunderstanding of Christian theology, even.
You see, we look at Christian theology through the lens of Jesus Christ, which is the right and correct thing to do, but I think we've misrepresented Jesus in some regard, because we look at all things through the lens of Jesus, meaning this, that well, I'm set, I've been set free from the wrath of God, and that's true, yes, amen, and hallelujah.
We've been set free, brothers and sisters, but we have not been set free to not fear the one who set us free. We are to fear Him. We are to love Him. We are to approach this Mount Zion with fear and trembling, but also boldness, and knowing that yes, our God is a consuming fire, yeah, I can approach Him, and one day we will be with Him face to face.
You see, Moses could not even stand to be face to face with God in that he would fall to his feet and would cover himself so that he would not be consumed, and yet one day we shall stand before Him face to face, but before we get there, fear the Lord, for it is the beginning of wisdom.
It's the beginning of knowledge. The fear of the Lord teaches us to approach Him rightly. It teaches us to have a gratitude and appreciation for all that He has done and is doing and will do in the future.
Fear the Lord in such a way that you fear displeasing Him, that you fear hurting the heart of the one who loves you and gave Himself for you, even Jesus Christ. You see, it should make you afraid to hurt the one you love.
It should make you afraid to hurt the Savior who saved you. Therefore, fear the Lord with fear and trembling, for His mercy is for you from generation to generation, and fear Him with joy and gladness.
Not fear in the sense that you are fearing one who is a tyrant, but you fear one who is a tender father who has affection towards you. And in this way, we're reminded also of the grandeur, sovereignty of God in His arm and His power to save, in scattering the proud and the thoughts of their hearts, and He's brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate.
In our fear, in our pursuit of the fear of the Lord, we ought to remain humble, a humble people. Be a humble people. In this world, especially in Silicon Valley, where wealth and power is the biggest commodity, technology, and all the things that come with it, we're to remember that we are called to be a humble people.
We're called to be a lowly people. As it says here in verse 53, He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty. You see, all the riches that we can accumulate in this life will not be able to follow you in the world to come.
You don't ever see a U-Haul chasing a hearse. You can't bring your things with you. The Egyptians tried that, and now all their belongings are in museums or stolen or lost to time. We cannot bring anything with us.
Therefore, remember the great inheritance of our faith is not in the possessions that we own, but rather the possession of eternal life that has been granted to us through faith in Jesus Christ. He is able to give us many good things, even if we're poor, even if we're hungry.
In verse 54, Mary remembers the plea of the people of Israel. He has helped his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his offspring forever. The way that she ends her song of praise is by remembering that Yahweh is a covenant-keeping God.
That God has made a promise, starting with Abraham, and has brought it to fruition in the fruit of her womb. That what was in her womb would be the culmination of the covenant promises of Yahweh, namely that Jesus Christ is the promises and the amen and the yes that we've been so looking forward to throughout redemptive history.
It all culminates in Christ. To finish off this time together, I ask a question in the notes. Why is the Roman Catholic view of Mary heretical? And you can boil it down to one word, idolatry. Idolatry.
The reason why the Roman Catholic view and the Eastern Orthodox view of Mary is so dangerous and so heretical, and why I've spent so much time and energy today speaking to you about these issues, is because they elevate Mary to a position of idolatry.
And this is dangerous, and this is worrisome for anyone who claims to adhere to the Bible. Because what we see instead is that Mary gives God all the glory. So I want you to write that in there as well, in the last bullet point.
Mary gives God all the glory. And because of that, generations have called her blessed. You see, Mary in her proper role is a good role model for us, and an example who is worthy of our respect and honor, but is not worthy of that which exclusively belongs to the one true God, namely prayer, worship, adoration, and glory.
Those belong to the one true and trium God alone. Mary is not our co-redeemer. She is herself a creature who is in need of a savior. And though it was in her blessed womb that our savior was carried, it would be through Jesus's perfect obedience and his nail-pierced hands and feet that she herself would be carried into eternal life and redemption.
And it is the same way by which we too can enjoy eternal life. Through the finished and complete work of Jesus Christ. At any time another creature is elevated as a co-redemptrix, a co-redeemer, a co-mediator, a co-advocate with Jesus Christ, we cheapen and lessen the finished and complete work of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, have faith in the true Jesus of Scripture, and the Jesus who is sufficient and powerful enough to save even the very arm of the Lord, to whom belongs all the glory, power, and adoration, both now and forevermore.
If you have not come to know this Jesus, he is indeed the savior of the world, the redeemer of the world. He's the one who paid the perfect price, the price for our sins on that tree, on that blessed cross where our savior was nailed to, his hands and feet pierced for you and me, so that through the blood that was shed on that cross, we might have an eternal redemption that can neither be stolen nor taken away, an inheritance that is sure and paid for us in heaven.
May you have faith in this Jesus who is perfect, and whose perfect obedience has won for us an eternal redemption and salvation. May you come to know this one who loved you and gave himself for you, even Jesus Christ.
Let me pray. Blessed Savior, indeed you are blessed. Indeed you are sufficient. Indeed you are great and worthy to be magnified. My soul rejoices in you, God our savior. May all of our hearts, the hearts of your people, rejoice this morning as you receive this word from you that you are indeed our savior, that you are indeed worthy, that you are indeed the one whose arm is not short to save, but indeed mighty to save.
It is to you that all and every knee shall bow and bend. We're to prostrate before you in fear and trembling, for you are the Lord, Yahweh, the God of the living. You're the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last.
Lord, help us to align our hearts with yours. Help us, Lord, to repent of all sin, to trust fully in you and the redemption that you have brought forth. We thank you, Lord, for bringing forth into this world through the Virgin Mary, our blessed savior, even Christ.
We pray as Mary prayed and as she declared. We rejoice and magnify you, God our savior. And we pray this along these lines as well, Lord, that your mercy is for all those who fear you. And from generation to generation, you have shown your strength in your arm, that your arm is powerful and mighty to save.
You have indeed scattered the proud and the thoughts of their hearts, and you've brought down the mighty from their thrones. You've exalted those of humble estates. You have filled the hungry with good things, Lord, and the rich you have sent away empty.
You have helped us indeed, oh Lord, our savior, to trust not in ourselves, but in you who is able to raise the dead. And we thank you for the covenant keeping that you have done so faithfully in times past and the covenant you will keep now, even the covenant of eternal life that you've done through Jesus Christ.
And it is that very covenant that we now turn our hearts, our attention to, as we examine ourselves and examine this table. Lord Jesus, we love you, we thank you for all that you do. To you, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that you are Lord to the glory of God the Father.
All glory be to you, our incarnate deity, Jesus Christ. Amen.
