![[ Inline Church Graphic ]](church.jpg)
Vol. I Issue 15 December 21, 1997
Luke 1:26-56
26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of
Galilee, named Nazareth,
27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of
David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
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.
29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind
what manner of salutation this should be.
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour
with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and
shalt call his name JESUS.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the
Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom
there shall be no end.
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a
man?
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon
thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that
holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her
old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to
thy word. And the angel departed from her.
39 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste,
into a city of Juda;
40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary,
the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among
women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the
babe leaped in my womb for joy.
45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of
those things which were told her from the Lord.
46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from
henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the
imagination of their hearts.
52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low
degree.
53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent
empty away.
54 He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;
55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
56 And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own
house.
Everyone here knows about the birth of Jesus Christ, so this year I want to point your attention to the faith of Mary. Mary had no doubts about the truth of what the angel Gabriel told her. Though what she knew was an impossibility, she had the faith to believe the messenger of the Lord. For at the close of the conversation between Mary and Gabriel, Mary says, ``Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.'' She had the faith to say be it unto me according to thy word. While her cousin's husband also received a message from Gabriel, he didn't believe the message and was struck dumb until John the Baptist was circumcised. How important it is for us to believe the word of God with the same assuredness that Mary had. Though she was just a young maid, when the angel met her she was full of faith to believe in the power of God. She had no doubt when she was told that there is nothing impossible with the Lord. She believed that she was going to become pregnant without knowing a man, and she would give birth as a virgin.
When Mary goes to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, she again shows
her tremendous faith in the Lord. Though she is very young
physically, and Elizabeth is beyond child bearing age, Mary preaches to
her older cousin. Look at the sermon from Mary:
46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from
henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the
imagination of their hearts.
52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low
degree.
53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent
empty away.
54 He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;
55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
First she says that her soul doth magnify the Lord. She first
shows her reverence for the Lord, and how she magnifys the Lord.
To her the Lord is the central part of her life, while others around her have
placed daily living as the central theme of their lives. It is
imperative in these last days that the born again Christian have Jesus as
the foremost entity of their lives. Earning a living and seeking
ways to increase wealth will take away from having Jesus as the central
figure of your life. We all need to draw closer to the Lord and
be like Mary having the Lord foremost in her thoughts.
Next she rejoices in God her Saviour. There is no doubt in her heart who her Saviour is. She realizes that without her living Saviour, the Lord, she is nothing. Without Jesus as the forefront emphasis of her life, there will be nothing to rejoice in. Only a Christian who has Jesus as the forefront portion of his life is there any real rejoicing in the Lord. While a nominal Christian is continually fighting an internal battle between serving the Lord and mamon. The saint who is on fire for the Lord has no internal conflict, and consequently can truly rejoice in the Lord.
Now she looks toward the future and sees that future generations will call her blessed. She sees this though she is just a poor hand maid. She sees beyond her present condition to the time when she will be held in high esteem. The saints of the Lord may not be rich in the world, but being rich in the knowledge of the Lord is more important than anything else. Throughout the Bible, it is the poor, rich in faith that have made a difference. Look at the prophets, who were either captive slaves or were considered enemies of the state of Israel. These men and women were the ones who really made a difference whereas the rich and powerful of this world only make a temporary impression.
In verse 49 Mary acknowledges that the Lord has done great things for her, and that the name of the Lord is holy. Though she knows that she is bearing the child of the Lord, she realizes that it is the Lord that is holy and righteous. She reiterates that the Lord is the one that does all of the work and that she is just the bearer of his work. And finally, the name iof the Lord truly is holy.
The mercy of the Lord is on them that fear him. She tells her cousin that the Lord shows unto those who fear and reverence the Lord, whereas those who have no fear of the Lord will not see the mercy of the Lord. The great mercy of the Lord is to those who reverence the Lord and worship him.
Next she emphesizes that there is strength in the Lord's arm and that the proud are scattered by the imagination of their heart. How true is this, for the proud are always looking for another goal r target. They are never satasified and are always seeking for more. This search causes them to wander astray and scatters them.
How different is Mary's view of those of today. She sees that the Lord brings down the mighty while exhaulting them of low degree. She sees how the mighty are fallen while the Lord lifts up the humble and sets the humble in esteem. It is so much better to be accepted of the Lord than to be praised by men. It is a higher value to be esteemed by the Lord than to have men praise you with empty praises. For the esteem of the Lord is far greater.
Notice how the Lord fills the hungry with good thingas while sending the rich away empty. Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will be filled by the Lord, while those whose god is their belly will be sent away empty. Notice how the rich of this world are never filled and satisfied. Look at how they boast that they never have enough. The reason that they never have enough is because the Lord has sent them away empty.
Notice the great spiritual insight that Mary had. See how she was able to see the situation while others could not see. Look at the keen spiritual insight that she had while the learned of her day did not see. See how she is able to see the situation while the religious leaders, like Zacharias, Elizabeth's husband was struck dumb by his unbelief. This Christmas season reflect on the faith of Mary and compare your faith to hers. If there is a lack of faith in your life, seek the lord for more faith and he will increase your faith accordingly. How is the time to seek the spiritual and not just the worldly.
Jesus is seeking those who esteem Him and hold Him in high esteem. He is seeking the humble who will humble themseves and be like Mary who knew that all good things come from the Lord. This Christmas season, seek the Lord with all of your heart and allow Him to lift you up.
3014 E Street Philadelphia, PA 19134 Church Office Phone: (215) 634-3637 Published by: Rev. LeRoy D. Cressy (215) 389-5870
Services:
Sunday School . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10:30 AM
Sunday Morning Worship . . . . . . . . . . 12 NOON
Sunday Evening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6:30 PM
Wednesday Evening . . . . . . . . . . . . 7:30 PM