Apr 23
9
Pre-Introduction
The Old Testament Scripture reading is 1 Samuel 2:1-11. The New Testament reading is Luke 1:39-56. This is also the sermon text. As most of you know, it is my custom to read from the Old Testament and the New at the beginning of each sermon. This helps us to remember that both Testaments are the Word of God and authoritative for the Christian. And it is also my custom to select a passage, either from the Old Testament or New, that corresponds somehow to the sermon text. Sometimes I make much of the connection between the passages in the sermon, and sometimes I do not. Either way, this custom should help us to remember that the Old and New Testaments are very much interrelated. Many have noticed this. I like the way that Augustine puts it: “The new is in the old concealed; the old is in the new revealed.”
This morning I want you to see the obvious relationship between the Song that the Virgin Mary sang after she was greeted by her relative Elizabeth, and the prayer that a woman named Hannah said as she brought her weaned son, Samuel, to the temple to leave him with the priest Eli so that he might be devoted to the service of the Lord. We should remember that Hannah was barren. She was deeply depressed about this. And one day she wept at the temple and made a vow to the Lord, saying, “And she vowed a vow and said, ‘O LORD of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head’” (1 Samuel 1:11, ESV). The LORD answered her prayer. The barren one conceived and bore a son. After he was weaned, she brought him to the temple to leave him to the service of God. Hear now 1 Samuel 2:1-11.
Old Testament Reading: 1 Samuel 2:1-11
“And Hannah prayed and said, ‘My heart exults in the LORD; my horn is exalted in the LORD. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation. There is none holy like the LORD: for there is none besides 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 bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble bind on strength. Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger. The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn. The LORD kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol 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. He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail. The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.’ Then Elkanah went home to Ramah. And the boy was ministering to the LORD in the presence of Eli the priest.” (1 Samuel 2:1–11, ESV)
What a marvelous prayer this was. I hope it is clear to you that it was very much about the faith and hope that Hannah had in the promised Messiah. Let us go now to our New Testament reading and our sermon text. Luke 1:39-56.
New Testament Reading: Luke 1:39-56
“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 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. He has shown strength with 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, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.’ And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.” (Luke 1:39–56, ESV)
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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.
Introduction
As we begin to consider our passage for today I would like to make make a few preliminary observations.
One, do not forget the final piece of information that the angel Gabriel revealed to Mary as recorded in the previous passage. He said, “behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren” (Luke 1:36, ESV). It is not surprising, therefore, to read “In those days Mary arose and went with haste…” to visit her relative Elizabeth. Surely, Mary wished to see for herself that the word of the Angel was true. Surely, she wished to be comforted and encouraged by Elizabeth. And perhaps she wished to have some privacy in the early months of her pregnancy as she continued to process all that was happening to her along with the life-changing implications.
Two, notice the emphasis on the activity of the Holy Spirit in those days. The angel Gabriel told Zachariah that his son, John, would be “filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb” (Luke 1:15, ESV). After Mary asked how will these things be, The angel answered, “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” (Luke 1:35, ESV). And here in our passage, it is said that “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!” (Luke 1:41–42, ESV), etc. Luke’s Gospel is all about Jesus the Messiah. Messiah means “anointed one, that is to say, one who is anointed with the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the Anointed One, as we will soon see. It is no wonder, then, that the Holy Spirit was so very active in the process of bringing the Messiah into the World. It was the Father who sent the Son to be incarnate, and this he did by the working of the Holy Spirit.
Three, notice the prominent role that women play early in Luke’s Gospel. Both Mary and Elizabeth demonstrate great faith and courage. They also display great knowledge concerning the Scriptures and especially the promises of the Old Testament pertaining to the arrival of the Messiah, the scull-crushing seed of the woman. More women will be added to this list as we progress through Luke – Anna the prophetess (Luke 2:36), Mary and Martha (Luke 10), and others who “had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for [Jesus and his disciples] out of their means” (Luke 8:2–3, ESV). Here we have an example of how Christ turns everything on its head compared to the way of the world. True, Jesus’ core disciples were all male. And true, he does command that men lead within the home and church. But women are highlighted in Luke’s Gospel as being particularly faithful, and we should not miss this theme.
Having made these three introductory observations, let us now carefully consider the sayings uttered by these two faithful women, Elizabeth and Mary, as they met with one another.
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The Words Of Elizabeth
First, let us consider the words of Elizabeth as found in verses 41 through 45.
In verse 41 we read, “And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.”
It is not unusual for babies to move around in the womb. But this movement of John was exceptional. It happened at the moment that Mary spoke, and it was very strong – both the timing and the strength of the movement of the child caused Elizabeth to take notice. It was a sign to her that Mary was indeed the mother of her Lord. I think we are to remember the prophecy of Malachi 4:2, which speaks of the coming Messiah, saying, “But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall” (Malachi 4:2, ESV). Well, John the Baptist leaped with joy even in the womb of his mother. He was conceived for this purpose – to prepare the way for the Messiah.
When the text says that Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, it is not referring to the ordinary operations of the Spirit such as the conviction of sin, effectually calling, regeneration, and sealing, but to the extraordinary operation of the Spirit. The Spirit of God filled Elizabeth and empowered her to prophesy.
Consider now verse 42-45: “[A]nd 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.’”
Notice two things about the words of Elizabeth:
Firstly, notice the threefold repetition of the word “blessed”. To be blessed is to have the favor of God bestowed upon you. Elizabeth, being moved = by the Holy Spirit, declared Mary to be blessed. “Blessed are you among women”, she said. “And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” This confirms what was said in the previous sermon regarding the innocence of Mary’s question, how will this be? She did not doubt, she wondered. She believed. And she is an example to us in this. And Elizabeth also declared Jesus to be blessed: “blessed is the fruit of your womb!”, she exclaimed.
As you probably know, the Roman Catholics have elevated Mary to a position she was never meant to occupy. They venerate her. They pray to her as if she was a mediator between God and man alongside Jesus. They claim that she was without sin. Some will even refer to her as a co-redemptrix. All of these errors are to be avoided as unscriptural. How then are we to regard Mary? Answer: As one who was blessed of God. The favor of God was bestowed upon her, not for any merit of her own, but by God’s grace alone. Mary was the recipient of grace – in no way is she the giver of grace. Though I do not doubt that Mary was a faithful and devout young woman, she needed a Savior just like you and me. She was uniquely blessed, however, to be one who would bring Jesus Christ the Savior, the only mediator between God and man, into the world. Elizabeth was right to call Mary and her child, blessed, blessed, blessed.
Secondly, notice that Elizabeth referred to Mary as “the mother of my Lord”. The Greek word for “Lord” could be used in a generic sense to refer to any master or superior. But used in this context it is clearly a reference to the promised Messiah. Psalm 110 is a very important Psalm. King David spoke concerning the Messiah when he said, “The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool’” (Psalm 110:1, ESV). Who is the first LORD mentioned? It is YHWH. And who is the second Lord mentioned? It is the Messiah, the LORD’s Anointed. Again, hear Psalm 110: “The LORD [YHWH] says to my Lord [Messiah]: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool’” (Psalm 110:1, ESV). When Elizabeth referred to Mary as “the mother of my Lord”, she meant, the mother of the Messiah, the promised son of David. Furthermore, it should be noticed that the title “Lord” has already been used ten times in Luke’s Gospel. In each instance, it refers to the God of Israel. So then, when Elizabeth referred to Mary as “the mother of my Lord”, she meant the mother of God. Indeed, we know that the Messiah was the eternal Son of God, the second person of the Triune God incarnate. Mary was blessed to be the mother of the Messiah. Indeed, she was the very mother of God come in the flesh.
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The Words Of Mary
Let us go now to the words of Mary as found in verses 46 through 55. I’ll read them again in their entirety, and then we will consider them in some detail.
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 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. He has shown strength with 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, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever” (Luke 1:46–55, ESV).
Truly, Mary’s song of praise needs to be considered alongside Hannah’s song of praise, which we read just a moment ago. When you set 1 Samuel 2:1-11 alongside Luke 1:46-55 the similarities are hard to miss. The significance of the similarities is this: Hannah and her miraculously conceived son, Samuel, were a type, or foreshadowing, of Mary and her son, Jesus. And the song that Hannah sang, though it had a more immediate fulfillment in King David, was ultimately about the Messiah, David’s son, and David’s Lord. It is marvelous to consider that when Hannah exclaimed “My heart exults in the LORD; my horn is exalted in the LORD. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation”, she was really exalting and rejoicing in Jesus Christ, the LORD’s Anointed one, and the salvation he would earn. When Hannah rejoiced in the humiliation of the proud and the exaltation of the humble, she anticipated the judgment and salvation of Christ. When she said, “The LORD kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up”, she (perhaps unknowingly) anticipated the death, burial, descent, resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, and our new and eternal life in him. And when she uttered these words: “The LORD will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed”, she did not only speak of King David, but of King Jesus, the King of kings, and Lord of lords.
Though it is true there are many obvious similarities between the songs of Hannah and Mary, it is also true that Mary’s song is filled with quotations and allusion to many other Old Testament passages and themes. We do not have the time to trace them all down. When all is considered, it becomes clear that Mary had God’s Word stored up in her heart. The same can be said of Elizabeth. These women were very familiar with the Old Testament Scriptures. They knew the promises of God concerning the coming Messiah, and the Holy Scriptures so filled their minds and hearts that when they sang, they sang with the words and phrases of Holy Scripture. Brothers and sisters, does God’s Word so fill your mind and heart that when you pray you cannot help but pray with the words and phrases of Scripture? I pressed you with this question at the end of the last sermon, and I will likely press you with it again. We really need to grow in our familiarity with Bible, especially the Old Testament.
Let us now move (rather quickly) through Mary’s expression of praise line by line.
Verse 46: “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.” Notice that Mary is humble before the Lord. She regards herself as the Lord’s servant. Her response to the good news regarding the arrival of the Messiah was to rejoice in God and to magnify him, this is to say, to praise. She is an example to all of us in this. We too ought to walk humbly before God, regard ourselves as his servants, rejoice in him, and magnify him in the soul. Notice also that Mary refers to God as “God my Savior”. This recalls the opening of Hanna’s song: “My heart exults in the LORD; my horn is exalted in the LORD. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation” (1 Samuel 2:1). It also recalls the language of Habakkuk 3:18: “yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.” (Habakkuk 3:18, ESV). When Mary refers to God as “God my Savior” she communicates both her trust in the promises of God concerning the salvation he would work through the coming Messiah and her belief that that salvation was at hand, for the Messiah was in her womb.
Look now at the second half of verse 48. There Mary says, “For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.” Mary agreed with Elizabeth’s assessment that she was blessed by the Lord. And she was certainly correct to say, “from now on all generations will call me blessed”. As has been said, some elevate Mary to a position she was never intended to hold. Nevertheless, who from among God’s people would not agree that she was indeed blessed by God to be the woman who would give birth to the Messiah? Mary was blessed indeed. Generation after generation has acknowledged this fact. But notice how Mary gives glory to God and does not seek glory for herself. She would be called blessed from generation to generation. Why? She tells us why. “For he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.” God alone is holy. Mary was not holy, by nature. Though undoubtedly faithful and devout, she was a sinner in need of a Savoir. Her son was her Savior. She trusted in him before he was miraculously conceived, by believing in the promises of God concerning him. And she trusted in him from the miraculous conception onward, believing him to be the fulfillment of all the promises of God previously made. Yes, very great things were done in and through Mary, but it was the Lord who did these things for her by his might and by his mercy and grace.
In fact, this is what Mary confesses, not only for herself but for others too in the words of verse 50, “And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.” God is merciful, gracious, and kind. He does not give us what our sins deserve, namely eternal judgments. He gives us good things instead, namely eternal life. And his mercy and grace is extended to us through Jesus the Messiah. He is the only mediator between God and man. He is the one who reconciles us to the Father and blesses us with life eternal given the salvation he has earned through his life, death, burial and resurrection. God is merciful, gracious, and kind. But note this: “his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.” Mary feared the Lord. She honored him as God and trusted in his promises. God’s mercy was for her, therefore. Indeed, it is for all who fear the Lord and trust in the Lord’s Messiah.
In verses 51-54, Mary speaks of the salvation that God had, and was about, to accomplish. The terminology she uses is really important and fascinating. We should remember that Mary, at this point in her life, did not know how this Messiah son of hers would accomplish our salvation. The Old Testament Scriptures revealed that he would accomplish our salvation. And there are certainly hints about how he would do it. We can see these things clearly as we look back upon the Old Testament in light of the accomplishment of our salvation as recorded in the New Testament. But the details were still a mystery to Mary at this point in her life. It is not surprising, then, that she spoke of the accomplishment of our salvation in Old Testament terms, especially with language that is reminiscent of the Exodus of Israel from Egypt. The point is this: Mary did not know how exactly the Messiah would work salvation for her and for all who feared the Lord with her. But she knew it would be like the Exodus. She understood that the first Exodus anticipated a second and greater Exodus. She understood that the Messiah would overthrow the powers of darkness and set his people free, leading them on towards the eternal promised land, in fulfillment of the promises made to the fathers.
Look at verse 51. There Mary says, “He has shown strength with his arm.” Those familiar with the Old Testament will know that this is how the Scriptures speak of the Exodus of Isarel from Egypt. YHWH delivered Israel by the strength of his arm. Take, for example, Moses’ words to Israel in Deuteronomy 7:18: “You shall not be afraid of them but you shall remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt, the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, the wonders, the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, by which the LORD your God brought you out. So will the LORD your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid” (Deuteronomy 7:18–19, ESV). Israel was not to fear. They were to remember the salvation of the Lord and the strength of his arm. They were to trust that the Lord would deliver them from all their enemies in the future. When Mary says, “He has shown strength with his arm”, she remembers the Exodus, and she expresses the belief that the Messiah who was in her womb was the second and greater Moses, the one who had come to accomplish a second and greater Exodus. The first, which was worked through Moses, was earthly, temporary, and a type of the one to come. The second, which was worked by Christ, was heavenly, eternal, and the antitype (fulfillment) of the first. Mary understood that Messiah had come to accomplish this greater work of salvation. She did not know how exactly he would do it – the details were a mystery to her at this point in her life – and so she spoke using the terminology that was available to her. It was the terminology of the Old Testament Scriptures – terminology reminiscent of the first Exodus.
Look now at the second half of verse 51. There Mary says, “He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts…”. Think of the way that God confounded Pharoah and the wise men of Egypt. Think of the way he humbled Nebuchadnezzar to show his sovereignty over him. Christ came to do the same. Though the powerful in his day would have him crucified, he would rise on the third day and ascend to the highest heavens, with all authority in heaven and on earth being given to him. Through the foolishness of the cross, he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
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In verse 52 Mary says, “He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate…”. Yes, think of Pharoah and Nebuchadnezzar and the way in which the Lord brought them down from their earthy thrones to humble them. But as you think of these earthly kings, do not forget about the spiritual powers of darkness that were behind them.
If you read the story of the Bible carefully you will see that throughout the course of human history, there is a spiritual and heavenly reality that runs concurrently with the physical and earthy realities that we experience. This dynamic is introduced to us even in Genesis 2 and 3. There we see that the God of heaven entered into a covenant with the man and woman on earth, whom he had created. And there we see that the same man and women were tempted by a heavenly and spiritual being – a fallen angel – Satan. According to the Bible, after the fall of man into sin, the whole course of human history is marked by conflict between those who belong to the Evil one by nature and those who belong to God by faith. The Evil one is continuously striking at God’s people seeking to devour them. But God = promised to preserve his people. And he promised to crush the head of this serpent who strikes at them. This he would do through a Savior, or Redeemer. As you know, it was the heel of Jesus the Messiah that dropped on the head of the serpent. And this was accomplished, ironically, at the foot of the cross.
I mention this spiritual battle to you now in brief because Mary’s words, “he has brought down the mighty from their thrones…” (Luke 1:52, ESV), have an ultimate reference, not to Pharoah, Nebuchadnezzar, Caesar, Nero, or to any other earthy being with political power who persecutes God’s people, but to Satan himself. To state it differently, when Christ accomplished our salvation he did not merely cast Pharoah or Ceaser down from their thrones. No, he cast Satan from his.
Brothers and sisters, please understand this. When Adam bowed the knee to Satan in the garden and defected from the kingdom of God that was offered to him, Satan was given a kind of authority on earth and over the nations. Adam was called to rule on earth as God’s vice-regent, but when he obeyed the voice of the serpent, he brought himself, and all whom he represented, under subjection to the Evil One to whom he has bowed the knee. This is why Jesus referred to Satan as the “ruler of this world” (John 12:31). Paul refers to him as “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4). This does not mean that Satan is equal to or above God. But it does means that after the fall of man into sin, and until the resurrection of Christ from the grave, Satan was given a kind of authority over the nations. He kept them in darkness. He led them away into idolatry. These nations were alienated from God and from his salvation, the one exception being Israel (see Ephesians 2 and Colossians 1). Israel was the first nation on earth whom God reconciled to himself (in an earthy sense). To them, he gave his covenant promises. And through them, he would bring salvation to all nations, for from them the Messiah would be born. And what would the Messiah do to make it possible for the salvation of God and the kingdom of God to spread to all nations? One thing is this: he would bring down the mighty from their thrones. Above all, he would cast Satan down from his. That usurper, Satan, was, in a sense, sitting on the throne that was offered to Adam in the garden. Christ Jesus came to cast him off of it. And having cast Satan off through his obedient life, sacrificial death, and victorious resurrection, he ascended to his throne in heaven and sat down, with all authority in heaven and on earth being given to him. Indeed, all who are united to him by humble faith are exulted with him.
I introduce this theme to you now because it has a very prominent place in Luke’s Gospel. Luke presents Jesus to us as the one who came to save us from all our enemies. And as we progress through this Gospel we will see that this enemy is none other than Satan himself. Christ was tempted by Satan in the wilderness but overcame him (Luke 4). He told his disciples that he “saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Luke 10:18). He and his disciples cast out demons to demonstrate that the kingdom of God was present with power and that Satan’s kingdom was being overthrown. And of course, this culminates with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all flesh and the spreading of the kingdom of God to all nations through the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Given what has just been said it should be clear that when Marys says in verses 52-54, “He has… exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things… He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy…” (Luke 1:52–54, ESV), this is not about being exulted on earth, (perhaps in a socio-economic sense), nor is it about being filled with good things such as meat and bread, nor is it about being helped through earthly difficulties, ultimately. No, Christ came to win victory in the spiritual realm, and he has come to exult his people to glory, to fill them with eternal joy and satisfaction, and to bring them through the trial of death and judgment itself. These verses, if ripped from their context in Luke (and the rest of the Bible), could be twisted to mean that Jesus came to give you a better life now! But taken in context, they certainly mean that Christ has come to free his people from eternal death and to give them abundant and eternal life now and forever through faith in him. Also, the words, “and the rich he has sent away empty”….
Verses 54 and 55 make this clear, for there Mary puts everything in context saying, “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 point is this: if we wish to know what Christ has come to save us from and what he has come to save us to, then we must remember the promises that he made to Abraham and to his offspring forever. And what were those promises about, ultimately? Answer: eternal life in the blessed presence of God in the new heavens and earth. This is what Jesus Christ has earned through his life, death, burial, and resurrection, not only for himself, but for all who turn from their sins and trust in him. “[Christ] has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:13–14, ESV)
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Conclusion
I have one question to ask by way of conclusion. Do you, like Mary, have God as your Savior? He is your Creator. This is true whether or not you acknowledge him as such. And if he is your Creator only, then he is also your Judge. All who are not in Christ will stand before him one day to be judged. Not will stand. All will come under his eternal wrath, for all are guilty of sin. The only hope is to turn from sin and to trust in Jesus Christ. He is the Savior that God has provided. Indeed, “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12, ESV). Turn from your sins and to Christ for the forgiveness of sins. Say, “Jesus is Lord” in the waters of baptism, “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9, ESV).
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Scripture For Further Reflection
Brothers and sisters, Psalm 89 was likely in Mary’s mind when she said, “he has shown strength with his arm”. This Psalm is wonderfully complex. In it, we find Exodus themes mixed in with talk of King David and the salvation that his anointed offspring would accomplish. I did not have the time to cover this text in the sermon, so I commend it to you now for consideration.
“A MASKIL OF ETHAN THE EZRAHITE. I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations. For I said, ‘Steadfast love will be built up forever; in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.’ You have said, ‘I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant: ‘I will establish your offspring forever, and build your throne for all generations.’ Selah Let the heavens praise your wonders, O LORD, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones! For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD? Who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD, a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him? O LORD God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O LORD, with your faithfulness all around you? You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them. You crushed Rahab like a carcass; you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm. The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours; the world and all that is in it, you have founded them. The north and the south, you have created them; Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name. You have a mighty arm; strong is your hand, high your right hand. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you. Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O LORD, in the light of your face, who exult in your name all the day and in your righteousness are exalted. For you are the glory of their strength; by your favor our horn is exalted. For our shield belongs to the LORD, our king to the Holy One of Israel. Of old you spoke in a vision to your godly one, and said: ‘I have granted help to one who is mighty; I have exalted one chosen from the people. I have found David, my servant; with my holy oil I have anointed him, so that my hand shall be established with him; my arm also shall strengthen him. The enemy shall not outwit him; the wicked shall not humble him. I will crush his foes before him and strike down those who hate him. My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him, and in my name shall his horn be exalted. I will set his hand on the sea and his right hand on the rivers. He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’ And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. My steadfast love I will keep for him forever, and my covenant will stand firm for him. I will establish his offspring forever and his throne as the days of the heavens. If his children forsake my law and do not walk according to my rules, if they violate my statutes and do not keep my commandments, then I will punish their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes, but I will not remove from him my steadfast love or be false to my faithfulness. I will not violate my covenant or alter the word that went forth from my lips. Once for all I have sworn by my holiness; I will not lie to David. His offspring shall endure forever, his throne as long as the sun before me. Like the moon it shall be established forever, a faithful witness in the skies.” Selah But now you have cast off and rejected; you are full of wrath against your anointed. You have renounced the covenant with your servant; you have defiled his crown in the dust. You have breached all his walls; you have laid his strongholds in ruins. All who pass by plunder him; he has become the scorn of his neighbors. You have exalted the right hand of his foes; you have made all his enemies rejoice. You have also turned back the edge of his sword, and you have not made him stand in battle. You have made his splendor to cease and cast his throne to the ground. You have cut short the days of his youth; you have covered him with shame. Selah How long, O LORD? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your wrath burn like fire? Remember how short my time is! For what vanity you have created all the children of man! What man can live and never see death? Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah Lord, where is your steadfast love of old, which by your faithfulness you swore to David? Remember, O Lord, how your servants are mocked, and how I bear in my heart the insults of all the many nations, with which your enemies mock, O LORD, with which they mock the footsteps of your anointed. Blessed be the LORD forever! Amen and Amen.” (Psalm 89, ESV)
