Blessed Is She Who Believed

Scripture

Luke 1:39–45 “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.’”

Intro

BELIEVE!

What do we believe in?

What can we believe in?

In some sense, it is easier for us to believe the lie

I say in some sense because even in believing the lie we know something isn’t right

Tozer Topical Reader in Two Volumes 504. God: His Majesty; Concept of God; Church: Services

I am positively sure after many years of observation and prayer that the basis of all of our trouble today, in religious circles, is that our God is too small.

The Annunciation

The angel Gabriel told Mary she would bear the Messiah

Mary asked how

Honest question where others asked out of disbelief

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

Mary’s response

Luke 1:38 “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.”

Elizabeth Prophesies

Remember the word given to Zechariah was that John would be filled with the Holy Spirit from the womb

Life begins in the womb

John leapt in the womb then Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit

Luke 1:43 “And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”

“The mother of my Lord”

Elizabeth made another proclamation about Jesus, Lord

The Trinity

Elizabeth knew Mary was pregnant and with the Savior of the world because of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit was with Elizabeth and John

Jesus was inside the womb of Mary

Distinct yet one

To Believe

Luke 1:20 “And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.””

Zechariah didn’t believe because it was physically impossible

Luke 1:45 “And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.””

Mary believed what was physically impossible

Mary believed what God said, that He would do what He said He would do

Is it really as simple as believing? Yes

Genesis 15:6 “And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.”

John 3:14–15 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”

Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

1 John 3:23 “And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.”

What is belief?

A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible 4100. πιστεύω

4100. πιστεύω pistĕuō, pist-yoo´-o; from 4102; to have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), i.e. credit; by impl. to entrust (espec. one’s spiritual well-being to Christ):—believe (-r), commit (to trust), put in trust with.

pistĕuō - Believe - 241 times

pistis - Faith - 243 times

To believe is to have faith, to trust

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

I know the arguments for God, but I can’t see Him

I expect, hope, God’s promises to me to be fulfilled, but they’re not yet

I can’t prove God to you but I know He is real

I can’t prove to you that Mary really was a virgin and that Jesus really was/is the Son of God and Son of Man

But I can tell you I believe it without a shadow of doubt

How can I believe it even though I can’t prove it?

Faith

Mary didn’t understand how it was going to work but she believed it

James 2:19 “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!”

Just to say that you believe is not to believe

Action is required

By faith Abraham left the land of his father and journeyed to the promised land

Would he really have believed if he stayed with his father?

You came to church today because you believed we were going to have service

You may have judged that from past experiences

The Bible is full of past experiences that tell us we can trust God

What do we believe?

Don’t believe just anything

1 John 4:1 “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

Immanuel, God came to be with us

You are not alone

God wants to be with you

God is big enough to create all things and be involved in your life

God came into this world to save us

This is not how he had appeared before, this was in our flesh

You don’t have to be afraid to come to Him

If He has saved us then...

Why go back to what we were saved from?

We have nothing to fear

We can trust Him even when things don’t go as expected

How now shall we live?

“Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” And blessed are you to believe in the promises God has given you. Live your life as one who believes.