Mary’s Reminder of the Main Point

Introduction:

We often forget a few things as we smash whole accounts into one event:

18 months of extraordinary events took place.

The announcement to Zechariah that he and Elizabeth would finally have a child.

Elizabeth’s conception.

The announcement to Mary that she would have a child.

Mary's humility and the maturity she demonstrated as potentially a young girl.

All the Lord did to provide Mary with assurance:

Explained to her the miraculous way she would become with child.

Encouraged her through Elizabeth.

Eventually provided her with confirmation from the shepherds, Simeon, and Anna.

This morning we will focus on what Mary emphasizes in her response to Elizabeth and on Luke's overall framework.

Mary will remind us what all the extraordinary events over that full 18 months was about.

There are two aspects of study.

God rarely acts for the sake of raw power.

There is a broader reality that He wishes man to learn from His demonstrations of power.

Thoughts:

Four key movements:

God saves (1:47)

God's actions reveal His holiness (1:48-49)

God's actions reveal His mercy (1:50)

God is faithful to His word (1:54-55)

Six realities about God:

God looks upon the humble (the entirety)

His true nature does not reflect man's perceptions of what God is like.

He does not impose himself by brute force.

He is long-suffering.

He is not characterized by perpetual anger.

The purpose of the power of God is to reveal his nature.