Magnify God

Opening

If you have a Bible with you, you can open it up to the gospel of Luke and chapter 1 and We will begin reading from verse 26 in a moment.

Pause

Pray for yourself

We will read Luke 1:26-56 so that we have the whole context of the story, but the passage that we will be in this morning is verses 46-55.

Let’s read then, Luke 1starting at verse 26

Read

Pray

### Introduction

verses 46-55 of Luke chapter 1are young woman’s response to the greatness of God.

When we arrive at verse 46 this very young woman is going through what must have been a spiritually and emotionally difficult time.

Most of the time, when we read about angel visiting someone it is an experience that strikes awe and fear in the person (as we read last week in with Zechariah). This too, must have been Mary’s exerience.

Yet as much as Mary’s news is good, that she would give birth to the long awaited messiah, it was good news mixed with complications. Mary was engaged. This baby would come before they were married. Who would believe her that this baby was a miracle, conveived by the Holy Spirit. Mary trusted the angel’s message, but who would believe Mary?

In the message, the Angel tells Mary that her relative Elizabeth, who is old, has a baby on the way, because God has made it possible for this older woman to have the baby.

Mary, as quickly as she can makes her way to see Elizabeth. At the moment Mary says hello to Elizabeth, Elizabeth knows that Mary is the mother of the Messiah, as her own baby leaps for joy in womb.

It is in this moment Mary’s own mind and heart praise God. It is at this moment who God is becomes more vivid to Mary and she responds by breaking out int song.

Mary, understands this truth, a truth we will look at from this passage, the truth that:

*** Because there is no one like God, we can magnify Him with our all.***

In Mary’s song we see that there she knew this God, a God that could no one could compared to. As she sings, she tells us…

### 1. There is no one like GodVv.48-55

This really is the majority of Mary’s song. She sings of the many ways that no one is like God.

#### a. Mary begins in v.48 saying no one is **gracious and loving** like God.

As she looks back on this privilege of being chosen to be the one to give birht to to long ago promised messiah, Mary says this in v.48

Read v.48

When Mary sings that *”God has looked on the humble estate of his servant.”* What she is saying is that she sees God’s favour for her. She is amazed who God could use her for this amazing task, and she recognizes that people forever will be amazed too.

Mary is wowed by the grace of God to chose a sinner like her, to use really a nobody like her to bring the messiah into the world.

It may seem odd or wrong to call Mary a nobody, but this really is the truth. Mary was not a princess. Mary was not from a family that the world or even the Roman empire knew. She not well known or had any power or privilege. We she this later when her and Joseph have to not only go the Bethlehem to register just like everybody else, but also when they can’t find place to stay. If Mary was a well know person, a person with power and privalgve, the first inn keeper would have kicked people out of their rooms for her and Joseph, yet Mary is a nobody. She was just another face in the crowd.

Mary too was a sinner. We can forget this as we see he in our neat and tidy Naivety scenes, but Mary knew she was a sinner. She disobeyed God just like you and me. She had her struggles with sin as we do. She need the Messiah in her womb just as much as we all need him her today. Mary was no saint.

This is why Mary is amazed by God’s grace and love. That he would look at, the he would favour, that she would chose her to be the mother of Jesus is humbling. Mary sees that no one loves her like God does. No one is gracious to her live God is. Not Joseph, her soon to be husdan. Not her parents. Not Elizabeth.

No one loves her like God. No one shows her grace God does.

Do you know this truth?

More importantly do you trust this truth?

God has diplayed his love by sending his son Jesus to the whole world. God has been gracious with each and every person by not justly giving us the consequences we dersve..giving us death and eternal separation from Him.

God sent His son to live and die so that you may not only know that he is loving and that he is gracious, but that you could know this a trust Him. Jesus has died so that your sins might be forgiven. He died so that you might not have to. Jesus died so that you would be able to be with Him forever.

Mary gave birth to Jesus, but Mary does not save us. Mary could not save us. Mary needed to be saved to. Only by trusting in God, who is loving, who is gracious can you be saved. If you have not trusted in Him you can do that today.

Christinas, have you forgotten how blessed you truly are. We all forget this from time to time. Even when we do remember the truth is that we can always know the more of the depths of God’s love and grace.

One thing that stood out to me in the passage is Mary’s statement that from now on all generations will called me blessed. Did you know this is true of each one of us as Chrisitnas?

I had always thought that this ment that Mary is just well know throughout history. But that’s not what this statement means. It means that Mary will for eternity been know as one who is blessed by God.

And this it true of each Christian. We may not have biographies written about us. We may never be interviewed for TV, or a podcast. But in eternity, in the new heavens and earth we will be know as blessed by God.

Like Mary, by the simple fact that we are in heaven, others will know that we have been blessed by the most gracious and the most loving God.

Doesn’t that make you want to sing? You will have to wait though I have a few more points.

#### b. Mary then moves in to sing that there is no one mighty like God.

She first says this in v.49 pointing out who it could only be a might God would could make it possible for her to have this baby. Only God has the power to create life. Only God can make it possible for a virigin to have a baby.

No one else has the power to give life. We help people heal. We can help people be healthy. But as humans we are limited in our power. We cannot create life from nothing. Only a mighty God can do this.

If we jump down to Vv. 51 & 52 we see that God is also mighter than kindgs.

Read Vv.51-52

Mary now sings of the past. How God had power over kings that ruled over God’s people. Kings like Pharaoh who thought he could keep God’s people as slaves. Pharaoh who would later realize that he did not match God’s power. Pharaoh could not stop the plaques that God sent. Pharaoh could not split the sea into two so the his arm could walk trough. Pharaoh was not mighiert than GOd.

Maybe Mary remember the great king Nebecacer. The king who built wonders and ruled the much of the know world. This great king, God turned mad. God caused him to live as a beast, easting grass, walking on all fours, letting his hair and finger nails grow. God humbled this great king and this king saw God’s power and called out to God and God gave Him his thrown back.

It is these kings Mary most likely sung about, Kings who were scatted by God, brought down from their thrones.

There is no one mightier than God. Not Justin Trudeau, Not Donald Trump. Not Satan or demons.

What is it that causes you to fear today? Maybe it’s not a ruler you fear. Maybe it’s your boss. Maybe it’s a co-worker. A relative. A unkind person at school.

Perhaps it’s not person. You are afraid of all the bad things that could actually happen to you and a loved one.

Fear blocks us from seeing how mighty God is. But when we see how mighty God is fear takes it proper place.

We should be afraid of crossing the street. But not so afriad that we do not cross it. We just need to look both ways.

God’s might helps us put our fear in the right place. Like Mary. I am sure she was afraid. But she trusted God. She humbled herself and obeyed God. In the fear that she must have felt, God’s might allowed her to sing and bring him praise.

In your fears, God’s might can give you the courage to face them and praise Him for it.

#### C. Mary also sings that no one is faithful like God.

In v.54-55 this is what she sings…

Read

God is faithful to Isreal, he is faithful to them even though they are not faithful to Him. He promised to give them land. Which he did. He promised to be with them, which he was. He promised to be their king, which he continued to be even after they asked for another.

Mary sings this song after 400 years of no word from God. But she can see now that God is still being faithful. He was always there. He was waiting. Righting for the time He had planned to send His messiah. He waited for these dark days so that Jesus might shine brightly. He waited until the time in History that Jesus could die on cross. He waited, but was always fathful to his faithless people.

Mary sings something that I am not sure she even knew what it all means, but in v.50 she says this about God’s faithfulness.

Read v.50

Not only does God’s faithfulness for Isreal, but it would be for all those who fear him.

As we noted a few weeks ago in proverbs, to fear is to have this reverence. Like standing at edge of the Grand Canyon, there is awe of the beauty and greatness, but also an awe of death from falling from the edge.

This is what it means to fear God, to see His greatness and it cause a reverance that might cause one to sing like Mary, but also to be humbled as she is to obey His word.

God’s faithfuless extends past a nation that feared Him to all the people in the world who would turn from their sins to trust in Him. His plan is that from generation to generation to generation that God would provided salvation for any who might trust in Him.

God is faithful always. It doesn’t matter who you are. Where you are from. What wrong or good you have done. God is faithful to those who turn from their sins and trust in Him.

In v.49 Mary sums up all that he is sing about God when she sings this:

*”holy is his name*

What it means that God is holy is that he is set apart, that there is none like Him.

The Advent seasons gives is the time to see and remember this truth. Each advent we are given the opportunity to grow in our understanding of the holiness of God.

Just think of the songs we have already sung this morning and the truths we have been reminded of:

Hark the herald angels sing, Glory to the new born king, peace on earth and mercy mild, **God and sinners reconiled**

It is by this new born that sinners could be reconciled to God. Jesus has made a way for us to be in relationship with God again.

Note the prayer at the end of Away in a manger:

Fit us for heaven to live with thee there.

Jesus completes the work he begun in us. He makes us fit, able to dwell and live with God for eternity.

The truths we are hearing and remembering during Advent point to a holy God. We are being told that there is no one like God.

### 2. We can magnify Him with our all Vv.46-47

Yet do we with this truth that God is Holy. That there is no one like Him.

Mary knew this and this is why she sang. But her worship did not end at singing. Listen to how she begins her song in V.46

Read vv.46-47

Mary mentions her soul and spirit. This pair of soul and spirit comes up throughout the Bible, and it means the whole of a person. So when Mary sings read vv.46-47 again she says I will magnify God with all that I have.

To magnify something is to make something larger so that he can be seen. Like when you have picture on a computer , screen or phone, you can make it larger so you can see it better. Or you can magnify one part of it to see the details better.

Mary says, God you are holy, and because it of this it si right for me to make much of who you are with all I have.

This is true for us.

As we go though Advent the season to think on God’s holiness not just as some spiritual excrises, but so that we might make much of Him.

I did not grow up with Christian parents. My parents were saved when I was an older child. So the build up to Christmas Day was all about presents. The anticipation was about what would Santa leave under the tree.

What would always happen with this kind of build up was that as you getting older, the exicment loses it spark. New presents and goodies are not that exciting forever.

Yet what I noticed as an Adult is that when we prative advent, when we take 24 days to ponder, think and worhsip Christ that Chrimas morning takes in a whole new meaning.

The presents, the tree, the goodies, the time with family does point us all to Jesus.

When we think of God’s might and power over human history to bring Jesus just at the right time our minds are blown and our hearts our humbled.

We I remember that Jesus loved us so much to be born next to dirt animals, I am reminded how dirty my own sinful heart is and I am thankful to how he came to live by other sinful people to die for those who wold trust in him.

When I think of his faithfulness I am encouraged, that despite my unfaithfulness I have a great hope. That one day I will be with Him. Not sitting around a tree sorrounded by gifts, but living and eating from the tree of life.

Because there is no one like God, we can magnify Him with our all. Advent is a time to practice this. How will you do this in your family this Advent season?

Is there something you need to change?

Is there something you need to remove?

Is there something you need to add?

Do you need to slow down?

Do you need to take away some distractions?

DO you need a bit more fun?

I would envtouge to think about this at some point this week. Think how in this Advent season you can help your heart see the how there is no one like God, and because of this we can magnify Him with our all.