How to Receive God's Promises

Sunday, Dec 17, 2023

Introductory information

This Christmas season we are studying Luke 1 to learn about receiving the promises of God in the Incarnation of Jesus

Christmas is a celebration of “the Incarnation” - when God became human

There are many promises embedded in the Incarnation that we ought to unpack at Christmas

What does it mean to us that Christ is “God with Us”?

Consider this quote: “Through union with Christ all that is his by incarnation becomes ours through faith. - Sinclair Buchanan Ferguson (Scottish theologian born 1948) (1)

So far in Luke 1 we have seen two different responses to God’s incredible promises:

Zechariah who doubted his own capacity to receive God’s promises

Mary who received God’s promises despite her capacity

Now we’re going to consider Mary’s words, classically known as “the Magnificat” (2)

It’s an incredible poem/song about the work of God and His faithfulness to His promises

READ

Question to consider as we read:

What does it look like to receive God’s promise?

Luke 1:46–56 CSB

46 And Mary said: My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 because he has looked with favor on the humble condition of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed, 49 because the Mighty One has done great things for me, and his name is holy. 50 His mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear him. 51 He has done a mighty deed with his arm; he has scattered the proud because of the thoughts of their hearts; 52 he has toppled the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly. 53 He has satisfied the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering his mercy 55 to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he spoke to our ancestors. 56 And Mary stayed with her about three months; then she returned to her home.

EXAMINE

What are the key points in this passage?

#1 | Mary’s sets an example for how to receive God’s promises

She appreciates the weight and glory of the promise

Luke 1:48 “...he has looked with favor on the humble condition of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed...”

By God’s own choice and favor, her status and circumstance was significantly and permanently changed

She sees God in the promise

Luke 1:49–50 “...the Mighty One has done great things for me, and his name is holy. 50 His mercy is from generation to generation...”

She understands what the promise reveals about God - who He is and what He is like

She sees His power, faithfulness, uniqueness, and mercy

She speaks about the promise as if it is already fulfilled

Luke 1:51–53 “He has done a mighty deed with his arm; he has scattered the proud because of the thoughts of their hearts; 52 he has toppled the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly. 53 He has satisfied the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty.”

She listed things that would be the result of Jesus’ life as if they had already happened, while Jesus was still in her womb

She sees the bigger picture of God’s promise - it’s not just about her

Luke 1:54–55 “He has helped his servant Israel, remembering his mercy 55 to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he spoke to our ancestors.”

God isn’t just starting a work in her - He has been at work for generations leading up to her

The promises she is receiving is connecting her to the whole people of God and the larger scope of God’s work through history

#2 | The Implications for us at Christmas

We have promises to receive as well

Let’s appreciate the weight of what we have received in the Incarnation of Jesus

Let’s allow the Incarnation to reveal God’s heart to us

Let’s speak with confidence about the things He has promised: Healing, protection, justice, etc.

Let’s see our story as part of the larger story of God’s people

APPLY

Explore and apply the passage with these questions:

[These questions must be focused, yet very open-ended. Allow the conversation to go where people take it - we want to encourage everyone to share and explore the topics of the passage. You don’t have to ask all these questions. Sometimes a group may only get through one or two questions. Select the questions you think are right for the conversation. Then, as it comes time to wrap up, refocus the conversation to “land the plane.”]

What part of Mary’s song most inspired or encouraged you?

What part of Mary’s attitude do you most want to emulate?

How does the way we talk about God’s promises, affect they way we receive them?

Where we want to “land the plane”

We must learn to receive God’s promises the way that Mary did - as a revelation of God that connects us to something larger than our present moment.

REFLECT

Prayer Points for Today

Thank the Lord for the Incarnation of Christ

Ask for a greater revelation of what it means that to receive Jesus as “God with Us”

Devotional Question for the Week

Sometimes we fail to grasp the promises of God because we are too focused on the small window of our present circumstances. In what ways might you need to “step back” in order to receive God’s promises?

FOOTNOTES

Sinclair Buchanan Ferguson (born 21 February 1948) is a Scottish theologian known for his teaching, writing, and editorial work. He has been Chancellor's Professor of Systematic Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary since 2017, commuting from Scotland, where he was an assistant minister at St. Peter's Free Church of Scotland, Dundee. He is currently a preaching associate at Trinity Church, Aberdeen

The Magnificat. The song of Mary found in Luke 1:46–55. This poem is in the style of the OT psalms, and is strongly reminiscent of the prayer of Hannah in 1 Samuel 2:1–10. At an early date it found a place in Christian worship. It was chanted in the vesper service of the Roman Catholic Church, and was carried over into Lutheran and Anglican usage. From the time of the Renaissance, countless musical settings have been written for this beautiful canticle, both in Latin and in various Western languages. Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, “Magnificat,” Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), 1377.