Mary’s Trust: Finding Contentment in Surrender

Possible main points for the series

Contentment is obtained through surrender.

Contentment is maintained through obedience.

Contentment is magnified/renewed through wonder/worship.

Summary:

Felt Need: lack of clarity and control  discontentment

Solution: surrender

Big Idea: Contentment isn’t found in control but in surrender.

Intro

Found out having Isaiah (timeline of it)- have you ever had a plan, a hope, a vision for how you wanted something to go and went completely the opposite?

Define contentment: the state of being happy or satisfied (Merriam-webster dictionary) || to be satisfied with internal and external conditions

Have you ever been satisfied before? To be satisfied is to have a feeling of satiety. Example: Thanksgiving meal - there is no more longing - b/c you are full/content.

How do we find contentment in the moments of our life where the way it is going is drastically different than the way we had envisioned it?

Read Luke 1:26-38.

Luke 1:26–38 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. 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.” 34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 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.

Two sources of discontentment: (obv not an exhaustive list)

1. a lack of clarity and

2. a lack of control

Lack of clarity

Where does discontentment come from? Sometimes we are discontent because we lack clarity

Give examples in school and relationships

Luke 1:29 “29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.”

Luke 1:30 “30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”

Luke 1:34 “34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?””

Luke 1:35 “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.”

Lack of control

Could you imagine being Mary in this moment? The expectations she had for her wedding day, for her family, how she was viewed in the community (paint the picture)

And then the angel of the Lord appears to her and says, Luke 1:31 “31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.”

Give more historical context: Jewish culture: 5-7day weddings celebration, not only was it taboo to be pregnant before the wedding but if she had a baby through someone other than her fiancé she was subject to the death penalty - this would have been huge!

How many of us would be content in this circumstance? How many of us are content in our current circumstance?

Often times the reason we’re discontent is because we’ve done everything we can and we feel powerless to change or control the outcome.

Give examples

How do we find contentment when God’s Word and His plan seem unsatisfactory/unpleasant?

Fame/Power

Mark 10:45 “45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”” - called to serve

John 3:30 “30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”” - called to decrease

2 Corinthians 12:9–10 “9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” - called to be weak

Money

Hebrews 13:5 “5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.””

Lust

1 Thessalonians 4:3–5 “3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;” - called to avoid sexual pleasures outside of marriage

God’s plan for Mary was radically different than her own.

Do you believe His Word, His plan is better than your own?

Proverbs 16:1 “1 The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.”

Isaiah 55:8–9 “8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Ephesians 2:10 “10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Do you believe this? do you trust Him? Is He enough? If He is you will be able to be satisfied in your circumstance.

Big Idea: Contentment is obtained not through control but through surrender

Define surrender: to yield to the power, control, or possession of another upon compulsion or demand.

Surrender isn’t just throwing up a white flag - it’s choosing to submit your power and control to a greater power.

Why did Mary surrender? why did she choose to trust God and His Word for her life?

because her identity was already subjected to/(rooted in) His authority

Luke 1:38 “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.”

When we surrender to the Word of God we discover a satisfaction that only comes from His will and His way

Action step: Give them a moment to surrender their circumstance to God //and present gospel and give opportunity for them to make Jesus their Lord - to ultimately surrender to His Lordship

Plug next week: how do we maintain contentment?

End.

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Step 1. Ask ourselves what about our current situation do we want to change?

Step 2. If we could change that how would it impact us? what are we trying to protect? Our image, significance, reputation?

Mary’s reputation was on the line. Her status as a virgin was on the line, her integrity was in question.

How many of us would be content in this circumstance? How many of us are content in our current circumstance? If we are not content - not satisfied with circumstances, what do we

Discontentment is rooted in a longing for something more. Sometimes what we long for is to keep our significance or reputation in tact.

When our significance isn’t rooted in status

Yet she wasn’t discontent with her circumstances - how is this possible?

I’ll tell you what she didn’t do - she didn’t try to take control into her own hands

sometimes we’re discontent because we long to control that which we can’t control. we’re discontent because we don’t have enough power or authority to change our circumstances.

we cant speed time up and skip to

How do we respond when God’s plan for us is different than what we hope or dream about? - often times we try to take control when life winter break

give more examples

seems to go different than we had hoped.

How do we access contentment?

Give examples of times in which we try to take control

Answer: Contentment isn’t found in control, but in surrender.

Define surrender give examples

imagine the tension. Has God’s Word ever brought about tension within your heart?

Proverbs 13:20 “ Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”

Job 31:1 ““I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin?”

Proverbs 11:24 “24 One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.”

Matthew 6:33 “33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Luke 1:38 ESV

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.

Felt need/desire:

- control/accomplishment?

overwhelmed with God’s plan...

Jesus is coming to reign as King, Jesus is reigning as king maybe the reason you feel restless is because have yet to surrender to Him as Lord.

reputation is on the line, her wedding and family plans are on the line, - all of it isnt going according to her plan -

How do we have contenment when the circumstance seems out of control - when we can’t seem to catch our breath or find rest?

How do we have contenment when people’s view of us or our circumstances aren’t what we want them to be?

why aren’t we content? b/c we are striving.. b/c we have greed/unmet desire/want

Solution: surrender

Big Idea: Surrender to the Word and way of Jesus is the entry gate to the way of contentment.

Contentment isn’t found in control, but in surrender.

Mary’s journey of accepting God’s plan and her willingness to surrender.

surrender isn’t passive - it’s a choice. it’s not quitting throwing in the towel it’s submiting. It’s submitting to the power and authority of a soverign Lord.

It’s choosing to give control to the one who truly has control.

It’s choosing to trust the one in control is greater than me/you.

we think contenment is found in that which we can gain - when we’ve already obtained the greatest.

Context:

engaged, virgin, angel appears and says Luke 1:28 “28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!””

Luke 1:29 “29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.”