He'll turn with me in your bulletin page six. You'll find leop chapter one verses 39 through 55 printed there Continuing our series in the gospel of Luke when love comes to town. There's the name of it This look now at leop chapter one 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 explained with a loud cry blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb 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 the hold from now on all generations will Call me blessed For he who his 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 He has shown strength with his arm. He has scattered the proud and the thoughts of their hearts He has brought down the mighty from their phones 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 to serve at Israel and remembrance of his mercy And he as he spoke to our fathers to Abraham And to his offspring forever. Let's pray or become do you once again? So we have many times in this service praying to you because we need you But all we come to you is we just come with need and So would you fill us now from your word from the good news of the gospel as we've just heard it in Jesus' name? We pray. I'm in the question this sermon is why is Mary singing Luke gives us an opportunity to see the gospel through the eyes of certain people He gives us the opportunity to see this good news from the eyes of Mary. He was in a stoop historian and he did personal interviews And so most scholars believe that he interviewed Mary And Mary gave him this song that she sang that day. Why is Mary singing? If we could understand why Mary is singing the maybe we could also be filled with the same joy And that is Luke's intention for his entire gospel so that you might know and have certainty of Who Jesus is and that you might trust Jesus? That's why he gives the gospel He wants you to see This good news from the eyes of Mary that you might be filled with the same kind of joy Do you see how wonderful this scene is? I think it's good that we're not doing it during Christmas because it helps it allows you to see it from a different perspective without all the Trappings of Christmas. It's it like we see it in a fresh way, right? This woman this little young woman No older than my own daughter has left her home in Nazareth It is making her way to the hill country of Judah. Where is that? There's no town mention that means this is in the county and Arkansas when you lived in the country say they live in the county, right? Theo box the county, right? This is the middle of nowhere. This is a flyover area This is this is the country and they're going to this small town to To meet Elizabeth because she's been told that Elizabeth is pregnant her relative and it's she would have known that Elizabeth was Baron that would have been a big deal But Elizabeth is pregnant and everything is happening. It's just she makes haste to go to this place and Before she can even get into house It's like right she walks in the door Elizabeth the older one blesses her says blessed are you who have I that you should come to my house and here's what happens? the the six-month-old baby within her leaps When she hears when when when when Elizabeth and this baby hears Mary just coming close One commentator said that this is a picture of the old covenant and the new covenant together in other words John the Baptist is the greatest of the Old Testament prophets the two is He's the greatest laugh Elijah. He's better. He's he's more important. Isaiah. He's greater He's the great Jesus said that he's the greatest prophet that has ever lived second him of course The greatest prophet that has ever lived and he's the last of the Old Testament prophets and here's what's happening as As Jesus who is growing inside of Mary is coming to have the a house of Elizabeth this six-month-old in utero prophet leaps with joy to Detestify that this unborn child is the Messiah And when Mary hears it she starts singing she starts singing
God wants you To feel the same way about Jesus
be why is Mary singing two things first? Because of the promise Because of the promise that's been kept Second because it's personal to her The promise that's personal and so what promise personal so what let's begin Why is Mary singing it's first because of a promise that's been kept and she sums it up in verse 54 if you look with me he has helped his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy as he spoke to our fathers To Abraham and to his offspring forever you can go to places like Genesis 15 4 through 7 Genesis 17 this promise what is this promise the first thing about this promise is that is it is an ancient Promise it's the promise of all promises It's not just one promise right it is the Promise that began in Genesis chapter 3 verse 15 when God promised to send a rescue war to the world to remake the world That humanity sin that Adam and Eve fell from grace They fell from God and they ran from God and God promised immediately to send a rescuer to make things right To remake the world and this promise was seen in a greater fulfillment given to a man named Abraham Who was from er of the cow these that means he is from modern day Iraq and he was a pagan just like all the other pagans Doing all the other pagan things that they were doing in that day He looked at Abraham and said I am going to bless you because the rescuer is going to come from your line The world will be blessed. I'm going to remake the world through you Abraham the people of the Jews This is the promise great promise great promise So he says go to the land that I'm going to give to you And so he leaves Iraq and he goes to Canaan he goes to the promise land where Richard pretz says why does he go to the promise land is because the promise land is the center of the world Go back to the place where the promise fell apart Go back to the place where my where you lost the relationship with me go back to that place and he does one problem. He has no kids And he's old just like Zechariah and Elizabeth and his wife is Advanced in years remember It's the promise that this world is going to be remade into a paradise where there will be no more crime or cancer or fear or worry Or anger or jealousy. That's the promise And it's the promise that he gives to Abraham I'm going to it's going to come through your seat. It's going to come through your seat Now why is this important for someone like Mary and someone like Elizabeth and someone like Zechariah Because they were of the people of Israel Their identity was the promise That's literally their identity the Old Testament Everything in the Old Testament is about this promise everything in the Old Testament is about the promise that God is going to send a rescue Or even make the world that's what he that's what it's all about and so all the mighty acts You see or talk about the mighty acts the mighty act all the mighty acts of God like the great mighty act of the extra This and the parting of the Red Sea all those mighty acts were was God keeping the promise for taking his people delivering his people over and over and over and over again And so the praising God because God is keeping his promise big big deal What Mary has realized is that she's carrying the promise Think you might sing too and she says here you have remembered your mercy Because all the way back into this is 15 we are told that Abraham believed the Lord And it was reckoned to him or counted to him as righteousness in other words There was nothing about Abraham. There was nothing about Isaac. There was nothing about Jacob There was nothing about Moses. There was nothing about David. There was nothing about any single person who saw the fulfillment of this covenant That merited this promise none of it not one bit in fact. They were all turkeys like the rest of us They were sinners and When she says you have remembered your mercy. It's a very important Old Testament word You have remembered your He said you have remembered your covenant Faithfulness your promise your mercy you have remembered it because I am not worthy of it either and no one ever is the promise is a gift You're not good promise is a gift The promise is by mercy alone Here's what's occurring to her And the reason she starts to sing and the reason they're having a little dance in a song their dancing present series They're having a good time. They are not like this. Shall we sing Elizabeth? I got a chance to see Jewish people celebrate in Israel or wedding It was the coolest thing I've ever seen it was loud. It was in a hotel room and and they were picking up the groom and they were They were dancing around and they were singing songs. It was a joyous occasion. That's what that's what's happening here They weren't the frozen chosen they were they were free. Do you know why they were celebrating? They were celebrating because the greatest thing that could ever happen to the world was happening to them It's true It's true. We are people of the promise Why would anyone want to be a Christian if they look at many of us?
Got to go to church today. Hmm Well, sign me up. No No This was an earthy real Promise that she could feel kicking inside of her flesh and blood It's an ancient promise, but here's the second thing about the promise before we move on to our second point And that was a promise of victory. That's what this is really good news It was a promise of victory the greatest victory of all time because Mary and Elizabeth were oppressed people They were oppressed people because they were of the tribe of Israel They were the people of Israel who had spent more time under the oppression of tyrants like Herod and like Caesar and like and like and like Nebuchadnezzar They lived more and more of their life under oppression than they lived as free people the only time where they are Had a good kingdom was a little bit of a sliver of time with David and Solomon. It's over and Then their own kings terrorized them So they were oppressed people because they were Israelites, but they were oppressed people because they were women See this passage women women this passage honors you Isn't that great? The only man up to this point is Zechariah. He ain't saying much honors you It's you that is celebrating and dignified you and a world where where they were second-class citizens It brings them to the height The Godbearer is what they call Mary Elizabeth says you are pregnant with the Lord It was a great victory Because these women were oppressed Not just from tyrants not just from socio-political oppression, but from religious oppression This time in the first century was at the height of ferrous aeical religious tyranny Jesus describes the religious world the Judaism of his day as being a religion of of of of of of burdens Burden after burden in other words, you got to do this you got to do that you got to do this you got to wash this You can't eat with these people you can't be with these people and if you mess up God's mad at you You talk about pressure anyone ever been in religion like that. Maybe you're in a religion right now like that and tell you it's from a devil The reason they're singing is because the great promise is the overturning of Every bully it's the end of tyranny Verse 51 says he has shown strength with his arm He's scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the mighty from their thrones We learn something very quickly and very early about the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth is that Jesus realized that the ultimate enemy was not Herod it was not Caesar it was Satan it was the it was the devil and He goes toe-to-toe with the liar of liars the reason you have just we have to seat in this world is because the devil The reason we have oppression in this world is because he is the great oppressor the reason we have murder in this world is because Jesus calls him the murderer The reason what we have anything that's evil in this world is because he is the the father of evil the father of lies the father of bullies and And all religious oppressions social oppression political oppression can on ultimately be traced back to him And so what we find out early on and this is what Mary realizes is that the devil is done in Jesus Christ and she's carrying him You know that means for you Do you know what's really wrong with your life? It's really wrong with this world. It's really wrong with Memphis
spiritual It's a spiritual power that oppresses us that it chooses you You don't deserve this you can't have this remember this the accuser Satan is called the accuser and we're surrounded But by all the suppression and all this evil in this world and here's the good news The promise is that the seed of the woman the seed of Abraham is going to undue undue all oppression forever He has had He has shown might with his arm. He has scattered the proud Promise you know, we like those books About heaven Like the books about heaven that people have seen heaven. I don't know if they see heaven. Okay. I don't know We're not I'm not saying yes or no, but I'm just saying we like those books because we like the fact that someone could have gone to see Heaven and see what it was like and then come back and tell us and they're like oh my goodness It's awesome. It's wonderful and they're all these things right but what I really want to hear is like you What if people come back and they say I've been to heaven and then they tell us God really loves you You if God really loves you are what what if you're having someone to say I've been to heaven and God really loves you And he really for as forgiven you and he's not mad at you and he can't wait to be with you You want it? You want to hear that message? That's what we buy all those books It's because we want to hear that God really loves us and that God's really in control Wait, that's what we desperately want. Here's the here's the the reason they're singing is because it happened That's what Jesus is He left his father thrown above he came to tell us he is announcing to you right now God is not mad at you God loves you. He wants to be with you He wants you to be his people get over yourself stop looking at your past and believe the good news That's the message you might sing to if you believe that right You might fall some of the frozen the promise the promise is the promise of wonder Here's the second thing because it's personal. This is really quick look at verse 48 It's a promise that's personal for he has looked on a humble estate of his servant Look at verse 49. He has done mighty things for me. And she's talking about herself Holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate. He has filled the hungry with good things See this is very personal for Mary You know why? Because Mary knows who she is She knows that she's not important Do you see this? She knows that she's not the child of a of a team. She knows that she's poor She knows that she's weak, but here's what she's saying and she wants you to hear listen You've got to hear this you have done this for me This gospel is for me It's finally important that you see your hopelessness and your helplessness and all you're broken in shattered dreams And you bring this gospel and say you still love me You see unless we do that they're gonna be frozen chosen It's called dead orthodoxy That's what theologians call it dead orthodoxy as I can tell you all the things about predestination about God's grace about all these wonderful things about God's love But it doesn't change the way I live. It doesn't make my heart sing and that means you know it in your head But you do not feel it in your heart and the way you feel in your heart is that you realize that all these action verbs and verses 48 49 50 52 through 53 are personal God has looked on the humble estate of his servant. God looks at me like this He has done mighty things for me. He has brought down the mighty from their thrones He has exalted those of humble estate. He's filled the hungry with good things if you're hungry today. Your soul is hungry God fills you with good things You see you have to bring it into your story You see when you bring it into your story it changes the way you think about Jesus Jesus stops being the the person that you learned about Jesus stops being the person that is this figure of history and he becomes your Jesus
your Jesus Well, how do I get that? Richie? Elizabeth tells us Look at verse 45 Blessed is she Who believed? That there would be a fulfillment of who's spoken from the Lord Surely, she's probably thinking about her mute husband at this point Who did not believe it, but God still did it in that wonderful?
Blessed is she who believed that he does it over and over again. Here's this is Luke giving us a little hint again Telling theophilus who's writing this book for and for us Luke giving us a hint and the Holy Spirit giving us a hint This is how you respond to the good news believe it believe it for you believe it for you so what let's finish This story Let's become your story This is what I mean You all have a story There's parts of our story that we would kill to keep hidden right There are parts of our story which are so scary maybe future things that we can't imagine there are there are great disappointments And there are great moments of joy in our story. There are shattered dreams in our story that there are good things and there are hard things There are crazy things and there are just sublime things in our story. And here's what it means for you to sing like Mary Jesus wins must become the end of your story
What this story is saying even before the birth of Jesus is that Jesus wins You may have cancer You may die of cancer Jesus wins in the end. We know how the story ends You may be afraid of what's going to happen in your job Jesus wins You may be dealing with great relational pain and weirdness Jesus wins the only way to have hope in this world Is that you live in this story believing you know the end of the story And so here's the ultimate question and it's the question that Dan Allen proposes will I trust in God's goodness to protect me and Provide for him for my needs or am I going to trust myself? It's the ultimate question The question before us today is am I going to trust in what God is doing or am I going to trust in myself to control my world? And so what Alander says is am I going to believe like the rest of the world believes that life is random pointless and absurd because it really seems that way sometimes Or am I going to believe that is ordained purposeful and meaningful? What will win the abundant indication of randomness or our desire for something more? That's the ultimate question that God is wanting you to grapple with today. Are you going to trust the song of Mary and the good news of Jesus? Are you going to trust yourself? Here's the second thing question for you to end with What is your biggest shame? Don't answer out loud right now. What is the great secret? Where do you feel the most cursed? I'm hit and paid hurt. I know I am. Because that's where Jesus goes. You see most of us have a long to do list for Jesus. Fix my marriage, give me peace, give me health, give me a good job, save my kids. And by the way all those things are good and you should want every single one of them. But what's so surprising is that when you get close to Jesus you find that he goes to the place that you have kept hiding your entire life. He goes to the place of your greatest curse. He goes to the place of your greatest insecurity. He goes to the place of your greatest fear and he touches on it and maybe you've forgotten and it hurts. It hurts and it's scary. And he goes to that place and he says I want to bless in the place of the curse, the greatest. How do I know he's doing that? Think about the whole Bible folks. What happens in Genesis chapter 3 when they sin and Eve takes that fruit and she rebels from God. Do you know the curse comes first to her? And what does he say? You will be cursed in childbearing? Do you see what is happening in chapter 1 for crying out loud? The place of the curse is now the place of blessing. You see we want to clean up our hiding places first. No, that's where God gets the most glory. He really knows you. He goes to the place where we can no longer fake it. He goes to the place where we're covering over with layers and layers of our gifts and layers of respectability and layers of machismo and layers of beauty over and over again that we think we can hide it. And Jesus Christ cuts through every single bit of it by the power of his spirit and he says here the promise I love you and I'm never going to stop. Lord bless us your people. We are insecure. We are neurotic. We are afraid. And we're fakers. And Lord we have been so well fed with good teaching. But we seem to be starving. And how we apply it to our lives. We are starving for hope and joy. Would you take all this truth and personalize it for us? Bring it home so that we can sing. And as Mary was singing the angels were singing. And Jesus wins. Bless us to that end. In his name we pray. Amen.