A Humble Servant

Introduction

Good morning and I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving! Please open in your Bibles to Luke chapter 1:46-56 that is Luke 1:46-56. If you are using a Bible that we have scattered throughout the chairs please feel free to our text is on page 804. That is on page 804.

If you ever participated in a choir in high school or college you might have sang a piece of music called The Magnificat. There are many renditions out there, but if you had the pleasure of learning one of these pieces, like a I did, then you would have gotten to learn the Latin phrase Magnificat anima mea Dominum (Mog-nee-fee-cat ah-nee-mah meh-ah DOH-mee-noom) which translates to My Soul Magnifies the Lord. The Magnificat is one of the oldest hymns in the Christian church and this latin translation of Mary’s Song is still famous in classical music circles. Johann Sebastian Bach composed a piece called Magnificat in D, which was first played in 1733 for the Christmas services in Leipzig in the Lutheran church. The piece, as a whole, is about 30 minutes long, and I bet if you looked hard you could probably find some orchestra and choir performing this piece somewhere in Columbus this Christmas season. I bring this to your attention, not to convince you to go listen to classical music, but to point the cultural impact of words sang by a young girl in the hill country of Judah in the early first century. The reality that Bach inserts the Latin translation of Mary’s words into his piece of music 1700 years later proves the truthfulness of Luke 1:48 “for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;”

Mary is a “household” name for many today. We talked about her last week and today we look at the song she sang in response to the visit of the Angel Gabriel and her visit to her cousin Elizabeth. Mary is famous for her role as the mother of Jesus. However, Mary’s song helps us see something vitally important about her and the God she served. Mary was simply a humble servant and God is the kind of God who humiliates the proud, but exults the humble. Humility, is a Christian virtue, because in humility Jesus left his throne in heaven to come and dwell with sinners like us. In humility he would die for sins, and God would exult the humble Christ through His resurrection. And one day all will bow before Him. He is worthy and great, because he was humble and he was slain for our sins. If this is the state of your Savior, then we need to ask, how can I be humble? What does it be to be humble, how can I be humble? I want us to look at this song and ask What do the humble do? What do the humble know? And what do the humble hope in? Let’s read Luke 1:46-56

What do the Humble Do? v. 46-49

Mary responds to the mighty work that God does through her by worshiping the Lord. Luke 1:46-47 parallel one another. That is both lines say the same things using different words to highlight what Mary is saying. Her soul and her spirit, magnify and rejoice, in the Lord and her God and Savior. The soul and spirit are not two different things, but rather both communicate the inner most part of her being. At the deepest level of her soul Mary magnifies the Lord. She rejoices in the God her Savior. Her glorying and her source of joy are God and his saving work through the Christ child in her womb.

And she gives the reason for her joy, it is because God has looked on her, a humble servant, literally a humble slave. She rejoices because God who is mighty, not Mary, she is a humble servant. God does great things for her. His name is holy, that is set apart. Mary does not see herself as special, but rather she sees that the work that God does through her is special. Mary is blessed and all generations will say this, but Mary is not worshipped. Rather, Mary is a worshiper. Mary rejoices in God and his work Mary magnifies, that is honors the Lord.

She does this because she has a right few of herself and a right view of her God. This is the key to humility. The humble worship and rejoice in God because they see themselves as they truly are: Humble servants. And they see God as he truly is: mighty and holy.

Romans 12:3 “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” Proverbs 27:2 “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.” Self- exultation is the opposite of God honoring worship. The humble do not promote themselves, rather they humble magnify the Lord.

Now, this is not to say that the humble are self-deprecating. It is not humble to speak and act in ways that are disparging toward yourself. Eeyore, the donkey in winnie the pooh, is self-deprecating. He only sees the downside in life and in himself. He is melancholy, sad, the sky is always falling and there is no joy in his life. Ff we are all honest Eeyore is annoying. Self-deprecation is not humility. Self-exulation is not humility. So what is humility? What do the humble do? The humble are joyous worshipers of God.

They do not exult in their one work in ability, but they do exult. They do not promote themselves, but they also do not tear down themselves or others. Rather, the truly humble magnify the mighty one who is holy. They tell of the excellent things that He has done for them. And yes, they recognize that God is their personal savior, they declare the God has done great things for them, they are not ashamed to say that because of what God has done they are blessed.

The humble and joyous worship of God leads future generations calling Mary blessed. Rightful worship, which is inspired by a right view of self and a right view of God transmits the truth of God to future generations.

Psalm 78:1–4 “Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth! I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.” It is not prideful to boast in the Lord. Don’t hide that glorious things that God has done from your children. They need to know that he is mighty, and they need to really know it. Do your kids see you rejoice in the Lord. Would your kids look to you and say “Mom, magnifies the Lord with her soul!” “Dad, rejoices in the God of his salvation!” The humble, joyfully boast in the Lord!

As you prepare to enjoy the upcoming Christmas season I want to encourage you to truly enjoy it. You and your kids should have fun at Christmas, but not your fun must be rooted in the works of the mighty and holy one. As you continue or start various Christmas traditions in your home, it Jesus a part of the celebration? Do you magnify the Lord in your remembrance of the birth of Christ? Does your Christmas celebration include Christ? Would a secular non-believing family be able to pick right up and do what you do? Would they get the same joy, that you get from the Christmas season? If the answer is yes, then I have to ask, is your rejoicing really in God your Savior? Let’s rejoice in God this Christmas, let us magnify the Lord from the depths of our inner most being. And may we pass on the truth about Jesus to generation to generation as we put Christ on display for our kids and grandkids.

T/S- We are to pass these promises from generation to generation. The Humble joyously worship God because the humble know that God exalts those who are humble.

What do the Humble Know? v. 50-53

Luke 1:50–53 “And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.”

God’s mercy is for those to fear him. This might be a shock for some of us. God’s mercy is not for every individual, but rather only those who fear him. It is true that God does not delight in the death of the wicked and desires that all would repent, but it is also true that His mercy is only for those who fear Him. This verse is so interesting because it outlines the finite or limited application of God’s mercy while still showing us that God’s mercy is infinite.

You see the application of God’s mercy, those who receive the mercy of God is only those who fear God. It is limited in that sense, not all people receive the mercy of God. It is only those who fear Him. In other words the people who recognize or believe that God is ruler of this world, that God did send his Son to die for sin because of his great love for us, and that in his sheer mercy he chooses to save those who fear him from their sin against him. Those whose who believe in the God of the Bible, those who have faith in Jesus, are those who fear God. Because in order to have faith in Jesus we must rightfully fear the righteous judgement of God. If we don’t fear God’s judgement for sin, then what in the world do we need saved from? Why name the Christ child Jesus, which means God’s salvation, if Jesus did not come to save people from something? But in Matthew the angel tells Joseph, Matthew 1:21 “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”” You fear God, you revere God, when you acknowledge that you are a sinner that needs a Savior. And that Savior is Jesus. Those who repent of their sin, that is they admit their sin is wrong and they turn away from that wrong, and but their faith in Jesus to save them from sin are those that fear God. This is what it means to be a Christian. A Christian knows they are are sinner, they know they need a Savior, they fear the judgement of God, and therefore they turn to Jesus and receive him by faith. And in this act, they become the recipients of God’s mercy.

God’s mercy in application is limited. It is for those who fear God, who follow Jesus. However, it is also infinite. His mercy is applied to those who fear Him, but it effective for all who fear him from generation to generation. It will never run out. You cannot out sin the mercy and grace of God. And there will never be a time in which God’s mercy runs dry. It was sufficient for Mary in the 1st century and it is sufficient to save you now today. Generations later, the mercy of God is still saving. Today, you can turn from your sin and be saved by Jesus. His mercy is for all time and it is for all people. No matter your background, no matter the gravity of your sin the mercy of God is more. ?It is limited in its application, those who believe, but unlimited in its scope.

The humble possess the special knowledge, a mystery hidden for all the ages but now revealed to us in Christ, that God’s mercy is for all people and for all generations. It is exclusive, in that is it only for those who fear him, but it inclusive because any who fear Him will be met with His mercy and grace.

You see God gives this special knowledge not to the proud, the royal, or to the rich, but instead it gives it to the humble. He scatters the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. The heart is the epicenter of a human being in the Bible. The very essence of who you are, like the soul or the spirit from which Mary magnifies and rejoice in the Lord, so to in the inner most being will the proud be humbled. They will be brought low to their very core. Rulers will be brought down from their thrones and the rich will be sent away empty. Now, this does not be now royal figures can be Christians or that no one who is rich can convert to Christianity. Rather it means that none who trust in these things can be brought into the kingdom of God. After all, something like being rich is subjective. Who is rich? Well most of you do not consider yourselves rich, but drop you in a third world country and you suddenly seem rich. The “rich” the “rulers’ of this world are often the ones who are prideful at heart. This is often true, but that isn’t what the text is talking about. It is those who’s trust in their status and riches, those who are prideful at heart who cannot acquire the special knowledge of saving faith.

In order to be saved, you must humble yourself before a holy God and desire His mercy. And if you do that, God makes a promise to you. He promises to exalt those of humble estate and fill the hungry with good things. Luke 6:20–26 “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets. “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. “Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. “Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.”

The point is this, if you find your riches here in this world, if you find your satisfaction and fullness here in this world, if you find your joy here in this world, if you find your self-worth in what others say in this world, then be warned. Your wealth will fade, you will be hungry, you will mourn and weep, and you will incur the wrath of God and his judgement at the end of the age. You do not fear now, but should. It is those who know that this world does not satisfy so they hunger and thirst for righteousness, it is those who weep now because they know this world is fading, it is those who are persecuted now for righteousness sake who will inherit the kingdom of God in the world to come. It is those of humble estate, those who are hungry, those who fear God who will be exalted by God on the last day.

T/S- You see, the humble know that God will exalt them, but they also know that that day isn’t today. They rejoice in the Lord, not because of their present circumstance, they rejoice in the Lord because they know that God will keep His promises. The humble rejoice in the Lord, they know the Lord shows mercy to those who fear Him, and they hope in the Lord’s future promises.

What do the Humble Hope In? v. 54-56

Luke 1:54–56 “He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.”

Mary begins her song with her personal praise to the Lord, she says that she is a humble servant. She ends her song by referring not to her servitude, but rather the servitude of the nation of Israel. She expands the truth she is singing about from a single person to a nation of people which extends generations into the past. She has given us the concept that God shows mercy to those who fear him, those who are humble. And now she makes clear the God will lend his help, his salvation, to a servant nation. A nation, a people, who see themselves as slaves of the Lord. It is a poetic way to say that God’s mercy will extend beyond her and to all those who humble themselves.

You see, Mary is rejoicing, she is blessed for generations in perpetuity, God has done great things for her and her song signals to us that this rejoicing, this eternal blessing, these great things can extend to a people, a nation. But it is a servant people, and nation of the humbled that God shows mercy. His salvation will extend from the babe in Mary’s womb to all those who are servants of the Lord. Why?

Because God remembers his mercy. God spoke a promise to Abraham and to his offspring, and God always keeps His promises. The salvation that Mary carries in her womb is for all people. It will be extend to generation to generation. God promised Abraham, the patriarch of Israel this in Genesis 12:1–3 “Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”” Mary sings her song, bears this child, and rejoices in the Lord because God spoke to Abraham and promises to bless all the families of the earth through his seed. His progenitor, his son, would bless all the world, every family. This promise is made to Abraham and all of his offspring.

And who is the offspring of Abraham? Galatians 3:6–9 “just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.”

Those who have faith are the sons of Abraham. And those who have faith, as we covered in our discussion of what the humble know, are those who fear God. Those who are not satisfied by the pride, the power, or the riches of this world. Those who are of humble estate, who know they need a savior. They are the ones that will become a servant nation. A people for God’s own possession who are object’s of His mercy and grace.

Why is this event happening to Mary in the 1st century AD? Because God spoke to Abraham and the patriarchs 2,000 years before and God’s word will be fulfilled. So, when God spoke to Zechariah his words would be fulfilled and when God spoke to Mary His words would be fulfilled. And so now, to you today God speaks. He tells you through his word that He will help and bless all those who are of humble estate. You have real hope because God has spoken. And His word never fails.

Conclusion

In the book of Hebrews we read, Hebrews 1:1-3 “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high… Jesus, this baby in the womb of Mary, is the Son through whom God created the world, the heir of all things, the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of God’s nature. He upholds the universe by the word of his power, he will grow to cleanse us from sin through his death, and he would ascend into heaven to sit at the right hand of God. This Son in all his glory… humbled himself and became human. He entered into this world through the womb an unknown and unassuming virgin from Nazareth. There is no way to fathom the humility of Christ to leave the right hand of God and be born in a manger. This is why William C. Dix, in his Christmas Hymn ask “What Child Is This?” this, “Why lies He in such mean estate, (humble estate) Where ox and ass are feeding? Good Christian, fear: for sinners here The silent Word is pleading.”

Why does he lie in such humble estate? Because in his birth he shows us how to be born again. If you want to be a child of God you must humble yourself. Humility is the way to Jesus. It is only as we humble ourselves and admit that we don’t have the answers, admit that our way isn’t working, admit that apart of Jesus we can do nothing that we find the joy that Mary sings about. Do you long to rejoice from your inner most being, do long for your heart to magnify the Lord, then embrace your humble estate. Fear God and receive His mercy which extends from generation to generation. I will be at the back if anyone wants to respond to Jesus today.

Maybe you are visiting today have more questions about what it means to follow Jesus, maybe you’re a member here and you’re struggling to rejoice in Christ, maybe you just need someone to pray for you. I’ll be at the back. Take the next step in following Jesus today. Pray.