Characters of Christmas : Mary Luke 1:26-55

If you have your bibles open them up to Luke 1.

The title of this message is Characters of Christmas: Mary. Mary is arguably the most famous female in all of the scripture, and rightfully so, because she birthed the savior of the world. Though she is thought after with high regard Scripture does not teach us much about Mary, we only get a glimpse of her life but never the less she is one who is highly favored by God for the task she recieved from him.

But what is most incredible about Mary to me when I read the scripture is that she is faithful to the task that God called her to.

And what I want you to get out of this message as the main idea is this…

Mary was called out by God to bring about the savior of the world and praises God for it!

As we work through part of the chapter I want you to take note of several things that shapes and describes the character of Mary and the first is this..

Mary is a virgin from Nazareth.

Luke 1:26–27 ESV

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.

Mary is from a town that has nothing special going on. It doesn’t even have the prestige of blanchard Oklahoma. Now Jesus was not born in Nazareth, but his family was from there.

And Mary was a young lady who was engaged to be married to Joseph and we will talk about him next week. But Luke is making it clear these people are not yet married during the time the angel visits her.

Mary was a women who was a virgin, she had never known a man, and that is important because of original sin. All men and women have a sin nature because of our father Adam, its passed on from generation to generation, with the exception of one man Jesus. Who was born not of man, but by the power of the Holy Spirit through the virgin Mary.

Now our Roman Catholic friends have a misconception about the virginity of Mary. Thinking that she herself was also conceived without sin. And they hold to the virginity of Mary in a way that the bible does not speak of and that she never bore children outside of Jesus or ever had sexually relations with her husband joseph. They go so far into making her a sort of mediator between God and man and that my friends only belongs to Christ.

So the virgin Mary receives these promises for the angel which brings me to my second point today.

Mary receives promises by God through the angel Gabriel.

verse 28 and following says this…

Luke 1:28–33 ESV

28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

I want you to imagine Mary for a second being greeted by an Angel, she was terrified, and troubled even though the angel proclaims at first greetings O favored one. How could this lady be so favorited, she came from the middle of nowhere didn’t have much, yet she had more than she could ever know because the favored part came from the fact that the Lord is with her! She had the grace of God poured out on her, and therefore she should not be afraid, and this favor would be brought about by the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And the angel tells her several promises starting with the fact that she will conceive in her womb and son who will be named Jesus. And the angel goes on to tell about her Son.

That he will be great. Jesus defines greatness, just like God, he is the original goat. Greatest of all time, like the young ones through around all to casually these days.

Gabriel said he will be called Son of the Most High. Not just son of Mary or son of Joseph but of the most high. A name that belongs to God alone.

Gabriel says that her son will take the throne of his father David. Remember this promise was given all the back in 2 Sam chapter 7. But unlike David who Died Gabriel says he will reign over the house of Jacob forever.

Meaning the Jesus the son of Mary will be the final king reigning over the house of Israel forever.

And to make it all the more clear to Mary, Gabriel says His kingdom there will be no end. Gabriel is describing God Mary whom she will give birth to.

I quite enjoyed what one commentator said, “Before His glorious kingdom, the empires of this world shall one day go down and pass away. Like Nineveh, and Babylon, and Egypt, and Tyre, and Carthage, they shall all come to nothing one day, and the saints of the most high shall take the kingdom. Before Jesus every knee shall one day bow, and every tongue confess that He is Lord. His kingdom alone shall prove an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion that which shall not pass away.

And that my friends in the promise that was given to Mary about her Son Jesus.

But after the promises. Mary has a question, but also has faith. third thing I want you to write down is this…

Mary believes in the promises of God.

You see in verse 34 it say…

Luke 1:34 ESV

34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

I want you to know something, just because you ask how does not mean you don’t believe. She genuinely wanted to know how this was going to take place. God is not a God of confusion he is a God of truth and promises, and he carefully explains about himself and those promises in the word of God, so with her faith the angel tells her how…

Luke 1:35–38 ESV

35 And the angel answered her, “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. 36 And 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. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

I do not have to go through the natural process of how a baby is made, though we have new ways in this day and age to make babies, BUT this way is unlike any other baby made in the history of the world.

This baby came about by the Power of the Holy Spirit. Now Jesus has always been from eternity past he is eternal, but prior to the incarnation he did not exist in a human body like he is now. but only in spirit.

What Gabriel said would take place would be that the Holy Spirit will overshadow you, and this is much like the overshadowing that the Lord did in the tabernacle in the book of exodus. Remember when God overshadowed the tabernacle God chose to put himself in a specific spot for a certain time.

One scholar said, The divine overshadowing of the earthly tabernacle was a foreshadowing of the living tabernacle, the incarnation. The divine cloud that guided the Israelites in the wilderness and infused the tabernacle at Sinai completes the drama of salvation by infusing Mary’s womb with Jesus, the Son of God, and through Jesus, the apostolic community of faith.

So God in his power caused Mary to become pregnant outside of natural means. And what I want you to see is the Trinity in the incarnation. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all at work in the bringing of the Holy Son of God.

And addition to the coming of Christ the angel tells Mary, guess what your relative Elizabeth in her old age is also with Child, the one who was barren now has a son as well. And verse 37 and 38 are the icing on the cake for me because the angel tells Mary For nothing will be impossible with God.

I always tell people when I witness to them to talk to them about God that if you believe Genesis 1:1 which says..

Genesis 1:1 ESV

1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

Than you can believe God can do anything.. God is a God who can do anything. So something like the virgin birth for a God who created all things is something that is not implausible, because God does not work in our own abilities, he is God, and with him nothing is impossible, and Mary gives a statement of faith that we should honor, and we are selves should have.

She says behold I am the servant of the Lord, let it be to me according to your word.

Wow, this statement is faith.. Im not sure if i surveyed every lady in this room and asked you hey if God came and told you this would happen you would say I am a servant of the Lord, let it be according to your word.

But this response is a true faith response. Now the language here doesn’t do justice to what she really says… My translation the ESV says I am a servant of the Lord, but its better translated I am a slave of the Lord.

Unfortunately because of Slavery in our country and around the world this has became a word that has lost’s it meaning, but true followers of Christ are a slave to him, doing whatever pleases the master, and if we are going to have real faith that is what we must do. Submit to what he wants us to do, that is the kind of faith he expects from followers of him.

And when someone sees us believing in those promises other’s will also believe which brings me to my third point today…

Believers rightly believe the promises God gave to Mary.

verse 39 and following say this..

Luke 1:39–45 ESV

39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

So Mary goes on this journey probably two or three days long all alone. And when she arrives at Elizebeth and Zechariahs house the baby leaps. I love that God uses an unborn to celebrate the coming of the messiah! This baby leaps in the womb, and his mother filled with the Holy Spirit cry’s out something really important!

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 leaped for joy.

45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

There is blessing all around in this text Elizabeth is blessed because the Lord is going to be born through Mary and acknowledges the fact that she is going to birth the Lord. One man said, “That God would endow an infant in utero and an elderly mother-to-be with the Holy Spirit before a priest illustrates Mary’s testimony in the Magnificat that the humble and needy are favored over the powerful and privileged (1:52–53). The three family members are filled by the Holy Spirit not for their own benefit but to empower them for witness.

AND true believers believe the witness of Mary and this virgin birth that is going to take place, starting with Elizebeth and through the generations. And recognize that Jesus is Lord throughout all eternity and from the Womb to the tomb and all the way to this day.

But the text does not stop there.

Something else i want you to take note of is this…

Mary praises God for his attributes and his promises that he made her.

Mary writes a song of praise back to the Lord, and it starts with praising him for what he has done for her.

It says this in 46-48

Luke 1:46–48 ESV

46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

God was doing something for Mary that he had never done before, bringing his own son the second person of the trinity into his own creation, and Mary wanted to praise God for it. This song is personal.

She says. My Soul magnifies the Lord. This was a praise that was big it encompassed all of her from head to toe she was full of praise.

And her praise acknowledged that she was but a servant, not worthy to do the task she was called to do, but God looking favorably on her would bring the Son of God into the world. Mary truly praises God for it, and she continues by praising him for who he is and his attributes.

Luke 1:49–50 ESV

49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.

Mary lists three attributes in these two verses. Which are that he mighty, holy, and merciful.

The term mighty was often used for a king who was a rescuing hero. Only a mighty God could cause a virgin to bear a child that would not only save her, but save every child of God throughout time.

In Marys praise she also recognizes the Holiness of God. The Holiness of God is important for several different reasons but in this text the holiness of God is recognized because of what he was about to do for her, and the children of God. ( God did not break his character by sending his son into the world ) ( it was important that Jesus be born of a virgin in order that he would not be stained by original sin, and he could be the substitute for sinners on the cross, because of his perfect life )

Another attribute that she praises is the mercy of God. Gods mercy is clearly seen in this text. He is sending the savior through her… Not only is he sending the savior through he is offering that mercy up to others throughout all the generations if you fear him.

Now this fear is not some sort of i am afraid of God it is a fear that is marked by reverence for God. Which means that we are to show God honor or respect. The greatest way you can honor God is to believe what he says. Mary did that very thing, and he showed her great mercy for it.

Dont miss this God’s attributes are necessary in order to carry out this great miracle, Only God could do such an extraordinary thing and she wanted to praise him for it. and rightfully so.

And as she continues praising him as she sings of his sovereignty and power listen to these few verses…

luke 1:51-53

Luke 1:51–53 ESV

51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; 52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.

Look at the proclamations she makes. He scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. ( The lord does whatever he pleases and he can make the proud humble in matter of moments. ) Remember the likes of Pharaoh, Saul, and Nebuchadnezzar.

He brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate. ( This is seen in several places throughout all of scripture ) Psalm 75:7 says, “but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one down and lifting up another. ) Remember he allowed Isreal to overcome great armies and rulers when they were conquering the promise land.

He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. ( It is only God who can fed the hungriest, and yet at the same time make a rich man walk away with nothing. ) Time and time again God fed the people of Israel when they were hungry in wilderness )

Mary says all these things to make the point that God is sovereign and in that sovereignty he will always fulfill this plans, and no man can stop him.

And there is no greater example of God’s Sovereignty than the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

and she ends this song by singing of his mercy on Israel.

Luke 1:54–55 ESV

54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

The coming of Jesus Christ was the most merciful event in all of history. Prior to this birth their was scripture that pointed to this merciful event. In Genesis 3 we see the fall of all of mankind and it was a tragic event, but shortly after that God said he would send something to save them.

Genesis 3:15 says, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her off spring; he shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel”

Now that something ended up being someone, and that someone was Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ was promised to be an offspring of Abraham

Genesis 12 it says, “ Now the Lord said to Abram, Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all families of the earth shall be blessed.”

See God promised Abraham that he would have multitude of offspring and through that offspring would come Jesus Christ. The beauty of Christmas, and the characters of it is that it didn’t appear out of thin air it came from a promise.

Hear this this morning If God promises something to happen it will occur.

God made a promise to Abraham and he remembered that promise, and because he made it he will not go against his word.

Mary could take the promises of God to the bank and trust that he would do what he said he was going to do.

Jesus birth was the greatest act of mercy for Israel.

because it finally would save Israel from there sins, and Mary couldn’t help but praise God for it.

Where do we land 2000 years later of what we think about Mary well I believe its simple we honor her for her faith, and for her task, but we worship the one who came in her womb, and we believe in him, and sing praises to him.

Mary called herself blessed because she got to be apart of the promise not because she was the promise, Mary was called out by God to bring about the savior of the world and praises God for it!

How do we become more like Mary?

Well we need to say Yes to God every time he asks us to do something. Now if you are in Christ, a believer then you will have the Holy Spirit who will prompt you to faithfulness, listen to Him and the Word of God. Become a slave to the Lord,

You are praise God for all that he has done through Jesus Christ. Our hearts should constantly have a heart of praise for God. Ladies he may not have sent you the messiah to dwell in your womb, but he sent him to you so you could have life, praise him for that very thing.

Men you never fathered the Messiah, and we will talk about Joseph next week, but he was sent by our heavenly Father, by the Power of the Holy Spirit, so you could have life, praise him for that very thing.

One of our key things from our mission statement is exalt, so lets do that everyday.

There is a song called blessed assurance. And I believe it matches the song of Mary of what God has done for us…

It goes like this…

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God Born of his Spirit, washed in His blood

This is my story, this is my song Praising my Savior all the day long This is my story, this is my song Praising my Savior all the day long

Perfect submission, perfect delight Visions of rapture now burst on my sight Angels descending bring from above Echoes of mercy, whispers of love

This is my story, this is my song Praising my Savior all the day long This is my story, this is my song Praising my Savior all the day long Praising my Savior all the day long

If you are not a believer I want you to carefully listen to this..The coming of Jesus was just the beginning of what he did on earth. Remember Jesus is eternal, but he stepped into his creation to the soul purpose to glorify God, and save his people. So what he did was he lived a perfect life, never sinning even in his young age was perfect in every-way and he lived a life pleasing to God. All the way to the point of death, dying on a cross, buried in a borrowed tomb, and raising on the third day signifying he has dominion over life and death, and all who believe in him will have eternal life. There would be no greater gift for anyone this Christmas season than the gift of God himself.

Let us pray.