We’ve Heard This Song Before
Notes
Transcript
Open your bibles and turn with me to the book of Luke
1:39-56
As
we continue through the gospel of Luke –
Luke, maybe to our surprise,
though, a Gentile has included a lot of Old Testament
Of which, is fueling his understanding of the expectations
and fulfillment
of the things being accomplished in
his gospel thus far.
And
that will continue – in this song of Mary – often called the
Magnificent!
As we will see, it is a model, much like Hannah’s song,
when she received news of her conception of her son,
Samuel the Prophet!!
Singing – is an expression of joy, it is an overflow….it’s a response!
Worship – has been described as a response
to God for who he is, and what he’s done!
And
the pattern that you see in scripture is that on the heels
of encountering the word and/or the work of God
– God’s people erupt in song!!
For example – when you read the story of the Exodus
from Egypt –
As
I was reading through the bible this week –
by the way, that’s one of the benefits of reading
through the entire bible,
is that you get a sense and feel for the biblical story
and narrative!
But in Exodus
7 – you can feel the tension
building,
as Moses is told to go stand beforePharaoh and let Israel go into the wilderness
that they might worship the Lord!
And for several chapters – you can sense
the tension rising within the text….
Through the various plagues that come upon Egypt,
but Israel is spared!
Pharaoh
is like a schizophrenic madman – wanting control and power!
He hardens his own heart
to the Lord….
and then changes his mind – and then the Lord
hardens Pharaoh’s heart
And the plagues increase in intensity
–
until the death of the Firstborn – and the celebration of
the Passover!
In
which, God destroys all the first born within Egypt,
but in Israel, no
one was harmed!
This infuriated Pharaoh, and he sent Israel
out in anger,
only to change his mind and then pursue them in rage!
In
which the Lord delivers Israel from the hand of the Egyptians,
and Israel is saved,
And it’s like Exodus 15 - is the release value and the resolve
to suspense….
as Moses erupts in worship and in song!!
18 The Lord will reign
forever and ever.”
He is sovereign! He is king!
He
is savior!!
Therefore,
let us sing!!
That’s what we do here each week!
We read the word,
and we respond by singing!
That’s what we do each week after we hear preaching,
prayer, and scripture!!
We respond
to God!!
We
respond in joy and worship!
Sometimes
in sorrow, but always in hope of our redeemer!!
That’s what you see throughout the bible, time
and time again!!
And that’s what you see here
in this text!
Of both Elizabeth
and Mary!
Responding
to God’s good news! ……..In joy and song!!
Sermon Summary: The news of the Gospel sparks joy; the joy of the Lord inspires singing!
What I want to do this morning is put all the themes of both togetherness and worship!
while pulling the various themes of redemptive reversals
and glory
of God
seen within this text!!
But
what we will see, if that what is happening in his text – though, profound!
Is
nothing
new!
In
many ways, we’ve heard this song before!!
We’ve seen
this before –
in Ex 15….in 1
Sam 2 of Hannah’s song!
It’s
what God’s people have been doing
in response to God’s work
and word, throughout
redemptive history!
I. The gospel calls us to rejoice and hope in the Lord together (v.39-45)
I. The gospel calls us to rejoice and hope in the Lord together (v.39-45)
Luke 1:39-40
39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the
hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house
of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
A time reference
is given – in those
days, that is, in the days of Elizabeth’s pregnancy!
She’s
somewhere along the lines of the THIRD trimester!
Mary – who’s received the news of her own child, conveyed
by the Holy Spirit –
Mary makes
some 70 miles journey, into the hill country to a town in Judah!.
And she enters
the town of her cousin, Elizabeth’s house
Now, up until this
point, Luke has written in such a way,
that the reader has an advantage
over the individuals being described!
Luke has presented
the foretelling of John and the foretelling of Jesus
as two separate but significant
events….
But the news has NOT converged
from a human perspective
We see it, but Mary and Elizabeth
are experiencing these truths in real time!!
And what we will see is the sharing
of the bond of faith and hope together,
a mutual encouragement found in
the Lord!
a. Common Story (v.41-42)
Luke 1:41-42
41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her
womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,
These words help us recognize
the joy of knowing the Lord!!
The first to recognize
the Lord Jesus, was of course, John the Baptist
who was filled with the Spirit
even from his mother’s womb!
And even at the sound of Mary’s
voice – John leaped in her womb!
This is fascinating!
Mary would have barely known
of her pregnancy!
She
wasn’t anywhere close to showing!
She’d just traveled
the hill country –
a journey she would make later, under
much more harsh and difficult circumstance!
And when she speaks – John
knows the Lord Jesus!
An
in no small way pronounces and leaps for joy!!
And in turn – Elizabeth
to was to filled with the Holy Spirit!
To be clear, the baby John,
did not cause Elizabeth to be filled with the Holy Spirit!
But these things are
happening, in the providence of God!
The Lord, now opening up Elizabeth’s eyes to see the mystery and beauty of Christ!!
And in short – she
looks at Mary – and notice what she says!
Luke 1:42
42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and
blessed is the fruit of your womb!
Now, here is Elizabeth,
who without a doubt, would be
overjoyed of the news of her soon to be baby!!
Now, turns to Mary -and say!
Mary, you are blessed!!
And
Blessed is the fruit of your womb!!
And Elizabeth
paraphrased Deut 28:1,4 of Israel’s promised blessing for obedience!
Deut 28:1
And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord
your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today,
the Lord your God will set you
high above all the nations of the earth.
Deut 28:4
4 Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of
your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock.
And here…..Elizabeth recognizes Mary has been blessed, not to be worshipped!
But
as one to whom favor has been bestowed upon her,
because she has been chosen by the Lord,
to give birth to the Messiah!
And blessed, be the fruit of your
womb!
And here are two
women – one young, one old!
One
married, one betrothed!
One
formerly barren, the other – a virgin!
And both share a common
story of children!
And
a common story of togetherness in the story of God!
b. Common Savior (v.43)
Luke 1:43
43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to
me?
The
logical connection that Luke is helping us see is the work of the Spirit
of God!
HE
opens the eyes of men and women to see the beauty of the glory
of Jesus!
First – John, filled with the
Spirit!
Recognizes
the Messiah, even through the sound of His mother’s voice, while
in the womb!
And
likewise, Elizabeth – recognizes Jesus as the Messiah!
And calls him Lord!!
And
is humbled saying –
why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord
should come to me?
And we know from scripture that no one can call Jesus Lord, apart
from the Spirit of God!!
And anyone who does not have the Spirit of Jesus, does not belong
to HIM! (Rom 8)
And here is Elizabeth!
Looking
at Mary – and says the child you soon to deliver….is MY LORD!!
He is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings!
He
is the coming messiah – Mary, He is GOD!!
Luke
will pick up this language of Jesus again at the end of His
gospel!
When
Jesus is questioned by the pharisees in Luke 20:
41 But he said to them, “How can they say that the Christ is David’s son? 42 For David himself says in the Book of Psalms, “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, 43 until I make your enemies your footstool.” ’ 44 David thus calls him Lord, so how is he his son?”
And just as the psalmist
anticipated the coming Messiah, the Lord
of Lords to come!
Elizabeth says – you are soon
to be the mother of my LORD!!
And
we, Mary, not only share a common story!
We share a common SAVIOR!!
MY LORD is OUR LORD, JESUS CHRIST!
c. Common Hope v.(44-45)
Luke 1:44-45
44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my
ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she
who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from
the Lord.”
Elizabeth here gives a brief summary of what has taken
place in her body!
My
little boy, John, leaped for joy when he heard your voice!!
But Mary – I also
want to commend your faith and hope in the Lord!!
I remember not too long ago
when the Angel Gabriel visited my husband - Zechariah
and
told him similar news, and he doubted!!
But you, you have believed!
And because
you have believed!!
Aren’t we blessed!!
Isn’t it such good
news!!
What
hope we have to anticipate together!!
We share a common
story!
We share a common
Lord!
And
a common hope anticipating the promises of God together!!
And notice
what it did for both women!!
They were mutually encouraged!
Elizabeth!
Was encouraged – to the
degree she EXCLAIMED with a LOUD CRY!!
Mary – was encouraged!
To the
degree that she will soon sing!!
The encouragement
of others in the Lord!!
Sharing a common
story, a common savior, and a common hope!
And beloved, how we often
need to be reminded
of a common BOND we have together
in Christ!
And the gift of mutual
encouragement and encouragement within the body of Christ!
Of our common
story!
That we were estranged!
And
deserving to perish in our sin!
And
yet, in great mercy and grace, through Jesus,
we have been blessed and saved
by the Lord!!
Of
our Common Savior!
That what unites us together
is NOT common
preference!
NOT a common
bond in the flesh!!
We are enemies
– apart from Jesus!
We have every reason
to disagree on a number of various topics of importance!
Yet, we share a common bond
in the Lord – a common savior!
Who unites us in Love together
in his body!!
Of our common
hope!!
That we anticipate the same
victory and hope in the coming of our Messiah!
All of it, the work of the Spirit – Eph 4:3- the Spirit of God, the bond of
PEACE!
WHO filled John in the womb!
filled
Elizabeth!!
Rejoicing
together with those who share them in the Lord!!
This is what the gospel does, it unites and
encourages us together!
---------------------------------------------------
The gospel calls us to rejoice and hope in the Lord together
II. The hope of our faith encourages singing (v.47-56)
II. The hope of our faith encourages singing (v.47-56)
Upon hearing this Elizabeth’s hope in the Lord!
Mary responded with a song of her own!
This is the first of 4 hymns
in Luke’s gospel.
And as I studied
this text, I want to highlight
what singing does for believers!
and how singing ought to shape us!
Our songs are a response to the Lord!
This song is a response
to NEWS!
Goodnews of Jesus – of the Messiah and Savior!
And sharing together
with others in the hope of Christ!!
5 truths about singing or our worship!!
And there is a good bit of overlap between
these principles and verses
within this text.
It’s not
as clean as I’d like it to be, but that’s ok!
We
come to the word and receive it as unhewed stones!!
a. God’s word guides our singing (v.46-47)
Mary’s
song – is NOT a new song!!
In
fact, the title of this sermon – “We’ve Heard This Song Before”
It
is a play on, to this point – and what I’m attempting to argue
for on a grander level!
Namely, that the saints of God have been singing
for a long time!
The
proper response to God has always been worship!
Throughout REDEMPTIVE
HISTORY!
And Since
we’ve known of God’s grace!!
And
recognize God rightly! Humanity worships the Lord!!
And so,
Mary is following the pattern of many saints before HER!
This
song is NOT new!
But
specifically, Mary’s song is modeled almost identically to Hannah’s
song in 1 Sam 2
Nearly every verse contains parallels!
Luke 1:46-47
46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
She expresses the
idea of her heart, mind, soul, and strength praising the
Lord!
She is filled
with Thanksgiving!
Even in her “exceedingly!!
Just as Hannah said in 1 Sam 2:1
1 And Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation.
MARY confesses her
humility in v.48 before the Lord –
just as Hannah confessed her humility in 1 Sam 2:8
In verse 49 – Mary declares
of the Lord’s might!
Much like Hannah in 1
Sam 2:2
2 “There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.
Both
Mary (v. 51) and Hannah (1 Sam 2:3)
pronounce
the arrogance of the proud who make themselves enemies of
God
Of how God
has satisfied the hungry and sent the rich away (v.53)
Hannah mentions the
same in 1 Sam 2:5
This song, though fresh, is nothing
new!
It is a similar
declaration and thanksgiving of God’s goodness and grace!!
To remind us – God
has brought forth children in unexpecting ways before!
Bringing
forth the prophet Samuel!
And now sending
forth His son signified in common themes of their mother’s
singing!!
But, yet, Mary – was in step with God’s
word!
She
was guided in principle an precept by the word of God!
And beloved, we should
do the same!
That when we sing, the words
we say matter!
We
ought not to desire to be flippant in our speech!
But make our words count!
Beloved, TRUTH is
the aim! …..Not a particular style!
We
desire to sing the truth!
And
truth according to the word
of GOD!
WITH ALL MY SOUL!
MAGNIFY – EXALTING
THE LORD!!
WITH ALL MY SPIRIT! - PRAISING GOD!!! - ACCORDING TO HIS WORD!
b. Worship fuels humility and thanksgiving (v.47-48)
Notice Mary’s words Luke 1:47 “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
Elizabeth,
he’s not just YOUR LORD!!
He’s MY
LORD AND SAVIOR!!
Mary’s hope
is NOT in herself!
It’s not in
her accomplishment or worth!
She’s NOT the object of faith here!
She
is modeling faith!!
She’s
NOT the object of hope!
But
is one placing hope in the Lord!!
And she gives
the reason why she does that!
Luke 1:48
48 for he has looked on
the humble estate of his servant.
I
didn’t deserve this!
The
Lord has been gracious to me!
He
has chosen to work among the lowly!
I’m
just a young virgin from Nazareth!
This
is NOT because I am worthy but
because of the grace of God!
And she continues in THANKFULNESS!
Luke 1:48
For behold, from
now on all generations will call me blessed;
This
is NOT the worth of my hands or credit!
This
is all of grace!
I’ve
been blessed by the Lord!! …
And at every turn, Mary is praising the Lord!
She’s
humble, bowed down!
In
worship, expressing gratitude and thanksgiving!
She’s not making a show or skeptical of herself!
And
SHE SINGS, not as to make much of herself!
But she sings,
to make much of GOD!!
The
focus isn’t on self but directed to the Lord’s grace and mercy!!
To
say God, YOU
ARE GOOD!!
To put into perspective who we are, and to put
into right perspective who God is!!
I’ve
been blessed by the Lord!! …
and it
wasn’t deserved! It was all of grace!
c. Worship rightly focuses our heart (v.49)
Luke 1:49
49 for he who is mighty has done
great things for me, and holy is his name.
Mary declares of the mighty
God who has done great things for her!
She’’ll
soon speak of the Lord’s great work among His people!
Yet, notice that Mary is focusing on the
Lord!
Who has done great
things,
and is rightly
focusing on His greatness and might, not her own!
She’s doing what we learning
in the psalms –
of
having a right perspective,
away
from self and towards the Lord instead!
And she declares of at least two attributes of God here! (a 3rd in the
next verse)
That
He is mighty – or the one who is mighty!
HE
is all-powerful! – STRONG!
He
has delivered his people!
And He
is HOLY!!
God is worthy!
He
is worthy of worship!
He
is deserving of honor!
He
has done great things!
And
he has done great things for ME!!
That Mary is willing to STOP and consider the works
of the Lord!
And
meditate and consider the reason for worship unto the
Lord!
Because
he is worthy!
HE
is great!
He
is powerful!
And
because He is HOLY!!
And that is what we do when we WORSHIP!
We
focus and consider the character and person of God!
Who
He is,
What
he’s done!
And
consider our lives in the right perspective!!
That we consider the blessings
of God!
The faithfulness of God!
And how easy it is to march
right by them with little notice!!
But, in the midst of singing!
She
orients her mind and heart to the Lord!
Considers
her life and circumstances!
And reflects
on the Lord!
Who is MIGHTY
– AND WHO IS HOLY!!
d. Worship puts our story into proper perspective (v.50)
If you think about it – Mary is getting further
away from herself!
And
considering God’s work, not just among her….
but seeing
the story of God, from a much bigger perspective!
God has
been at work – for a long time!
He’s
worth in worship – has a long track record!!
She began – considering herself!
She
continues to think of others in the future….
Then focuses on the Lord’s
character.
And now consider
the Lord’s work throughout history!!
Luke 1:50
50 And his mercy
is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
No doubt, the coming
of Jesus is the climax of God’s work in Luke’s gospel!
What God is doing right now among Mary and
Elizabeth, that they are beholding!
Is of primary consideration!
But it’s not without recognition that God has been
at work in the world.
And specifically
among His people…..from one generation to the next!!
And Mary’s story just got a lot bigger!
And
she now recognizes her story in light of God’s story
and
work in the world and throughout HISTORY!
And is no doubt a reference to God’s covenant work – to Israel!
And
culminating in v.55 – to God’s promises to Abraham!
17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, 18 to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.
Mary says – God’s been gracious
to me!
He’s
been kind to me!
But
he’s always been kind to His CHILDREN!!
And such should be the testimony in the local church!
That as the church
sings!
We are reminded of the Lord’s faithfulness….not
only in our lives and time…but in others!
That as
older saints sing, they see the Lord continuing His grace on His people!
And
as younger saints sing – they recognize God’s faithfulness in generations past!
And we join together – and together declare
of God’s grace!
Of
His holiness and MERCY! From GENERATION TO GENERATION!
But moreover, to know!
God’s
people have been singing for quite some time!
Beloved, the church has been singing
for AGES AND AGES!!
And
she will continue to do so!!
And so, while we certainly want to sing a new song unto the Lord!
We
ought not to forget the faithful
refrains of the saints who have gone before
us!!
To sing the HYMN and TRUTHS of our faith!
OLD
AND NEW…TOGETHER! Singing one generation to the next!
God’s
goodness and grace continue those WHO FEAR HIM!
HE IS
FAITHFUL!!
e. Reminds us that God keeps His promises (v.51-55)
Mary concludes
by listing the specific acts of the Lord!
In
displaying his grace, mercy, and kindness on Israel!
Mary see’s
the as fulfillment of how God has been at work among His people!
And culminates
in the God’s covenant promises, fulfilled in Abraham!!
And in staccato-like fashion
–he begins to list out God’s faithfulness and mighty deeds!
51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; 52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
And bursting forth here are numerous
themes and truths from God’s word!
Some of
which we have seen already in LUKE!
- The
PROUD make themselves an enemy of GOD
The Lord has
shown strength and proven himself to be mighty ….He scatters
the proud!
The arm of the Lord, is
signified to demonstrate the power of God, over his enemies!
The Lord
delivered Israel from Egypt with a mighty hand and outstretched
arm!
The Lord’s arm is
not too weak to save!
He
is the LORD!!
MIGHTY
IN STRENGTH AND POWER!
And able to save to the uttermost!!
It was the
Lord who drowned the Egyptians in the sea!
The Lord showed
his strength and scattered the Philistines in slaying Goliath!
He humbled Nebuchadnezzar
from his throne!
And
send Belshazzar away from his feast!
25 The Lord tears down the house of the proud but maintains the widow’s boundaries.
And God does these things
–
as a means of judgment
on his enemies, but also as a means of salvation for his people!!
- Of these
cosmic reversals –
Of how God brings what appears to be the obviously
defeated one to victory!
And
crushed the obvious victor to a place
of ruin!!
Specifically, that the lowly will be exalted
And
the proud will be humbled!
Luke 1:52
52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted
those of humble estate;
When you consider
the great victories of God and His people in scripture!
There is always this reversal
of sorts!
Of Israel’s
– victory over Egypt and their countless enemies!
Of Moses, who was humbled and
even considered how
The Lord could use him,
and lifted up, that God would
be with him!!
The same
could be said of Joshua!
Gideon!.....RUTH!......HANNAH…..DAVID
JOB!!.....Isaiah
…….Jeremiah
The Lord is
at work among the humble!
6 For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar.
Likewise,
James reminds us
9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away.
6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
And time and time again, in the Lord’s
work in the world, you see the proud,
who are humbled, and it is the lowly
who are exalted!!
And that’s further
emphasized in v.53 of the hungry and the rich!
53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.
53 he has filled the hungry with good
things, and the rich he has sent away empty.
Mary is a testimony
of this truth!
That
she has been favored by the Lord!
Not only has
she been favored by the Lord in her humble state,
but also is being sustained
by the Lord….Just as the Lord cares for His children!!
That when Israel
was in the wilderness – they lacked nothing!
Their shoes
did not wear out!
Their clothes did
not wear thin!
They never went
hungry or without!
Instead, the Lord provided for them!
9 For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.
Because God
provides for the lowly, and he provides for His people!!!
Proverbs 37:25
25 I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous
forsaken or his children begging for bread.
And then, finally, you see the culmination
of this crescendo,
building to God’s
covenant promises to Abraham!
Of God’s faithfulness to His people!
That God has helped ISRAEL! (v.54)
And God
has made his covenant promises to Abraham! (v.55)
In which God promised to Abraham!
Blessing!
Land!
And
offspring – children as numerous the stars in the sky!
God made a covenant with Abraham in Gen….and
through that, promise!
That
He would be blessed, and that the nations would be blessed
through HIM!
AND GOD
HAS NOT FORGOTTEN!!
God is faithful
to His promises to Abraham!
That the seed of the woman
– the seed of Abraham’s offspring is now coming!!
NOT through the birth
of Issac or Ishmael!
But through the TRUE seed – who is Christ!
This is Paul’s
point in Galatians 3:25-29
25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.
And Luke is helping us see that here….….he
doesn’t want us to miss it!
And
he’s allowed Mary to help show us what she sees and sings
about!!
Mary recognizes and knows
- God is about to deliver on all these
promises,
through the son of God, who she
will soon give birth!
Mary sings these things – and remembers how God
has been faithful in times past!
But
sings them in light of what God is doing right now among her!!
And she sees God’s promises
being fulfilled!
They
are as good as done!
Because
they rest in the faithfulness of God!
Luke 1:56
56 And Mary remained with her about three months and
returned to her home.
And she’s seeing it happen
in real time,
Of God’s promises being fulfilled
in the son of God, Jesus
Christ!
And beloved,
that is what we do when we sing!
We remember that NOT only does God keep his promises!
HE has fulfilled them all in JESUS!
That those
who live in PRIDE!
Will
make the grave their pit!!
And
leads to utter destruction!
Those who live as friends of
the world, and rebel from the way of Christ,
make themselves an enemy of God!
Yet, for
those who humble themselves! ……They will be exalted!!
And it is Christ who looks at
us!
In
our sin!
In
our filth and rebellion!
When we deserved
to be condemned and perish because of our sins!
He saved
us!!
And has lifted us up
in Christ and seated us with Christ Jesus!!
That in Christ – we experience
the great cosmic reversal!
our
sin is defeated through Christ!
And
Christ is victorious over our sin on the cross!!
We trade our
sin for His righteousness!
Our
condemnation for underserved grace through Jesus!
Through whom
the Lord continues to provide for us!
He sustains us
through grace!
And
He gives to us all we need in life and godliness!
In
Christ, we lack no
good thing from the Lord!!
Because in Jesus,
we know that all of God’s promises are yes and amen in Christ!!
And so at the height
of our singing!
THE CULMINATION
OF EVERYTHING WE DO as a church and in worship!
Ought to be
for the glory of the Lord, and the exaltation of His son JESUS CHRIST!
That we would sing of Christ
and His gospel!
That we would
pray of Christ and His gospel!
That we preach toward Christ
and his gospel!
And we encourage one another
to Christ and His Gospel!!
CONCLUSION: -------
And how we ought
to do that together!
In
the local church and with one another OFTEN!!
This is why the
Apostle Paul encourages the church at Colossi!
To
love and togetherness in Christ and the gospel!
12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
When you
think about –
Upon
the initial reading of these verses –
It appears
that Mary is singing a song because of the coming birth of
her son!
Of which, that is true!!
But what we see here is that Mary sings –
ultimately, because
she recognizes her
son IS ALSO HER LORD!!
And he’s worthy of worship!
And God is at work!
And
in doing so, she joins the song of the saints from ages past!
---
SINGING of God’s glorious work, and
of God’s glorious NATURE!!
We’ve heard
this song before!
And
we’ll sing this song…..again and again, and again
throughout eternity!
Of God’s faithfulness!
Of
God’s grace!
Of
His mercy!
And
God’s glorious SON!
OUR SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST!!
OH, HOW YOU, HAVE SUCH A REASON TO SING!!
Do you?
Non-Christian….would you consider the song
of salvation!
Of
deliverance and joy to be known in Christ!
That you
would repent of your sin, trust Christ for salvation!
And SING FOR JOY
in your redeemer!!!
Christian – that you would delight in the glory
and goodness of Jesus on your behalf!
The Lord
is faithful!
He
keeps his promises!
And
that we might consider one another!
Live
in light of Jesus, and to encourage one another in Christ!!
Because
of the news of the GOSPEL!
Sermon Summary: The news of the Gospel sparks joy; the joy of the Lord inspires singing!
