Mary - Unexpected Favor

Intro

[Thank worship team]

Good morning Bethel Church, and good morning to our network of rural churches that are joining us live on YouTube. And if you are new here, I want to extend a special welcome to you. If you would, there are “Connect” cards in the seat in front of you. If you would fill that out there or at the Welcome Center outside of the sanctuary. We even have a free gift for you if you are new to Bethel. We would love to get in touch with you and discuss how to get connected to our church family.

Announcements:

Today we will be concluding our study called 5 Women. If you are reading out of the Bibles in front of you, our passage can be found on page 855.

TRANS: Pray

Opening Hook

Most people come to God for one simple reason: They want their life to get better.

Better relationships.

Less stress.

More peace.

Maybe a little help when things fall apart.

And honestly—that’s not wrong. God does change lives.

But what if I told you that being close to God doesn’t always make life easier… sometimes it makes it more complicated?

What if God’s favor doesn’t always protect your comfort—or even your reputation?

Tonight, we’re going to look at a woman the Bible literally calls “favored”… and yet her obedience nearly cost her everything that made life feel safe.

Her name is Mary.

If you’re wondering what this has to do with you—stick with me.

All of a sudden, as we shall see, Mary had a very important question to ask herself, one that we all face at one time or another…

A Question We All Face

Is following God worth it?

What if the cost is more than I can bare?

What if God asks me to give up something?

What if the journey is more difficult than I expect?

All of these questions come back to, is following God worth it?

TRANS: Mary was suddenly faced with this question, because as she was going about her life, she was greeted by an angel of the Lord…

Luke 1:26–33 ESV

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

Unexpected Favor

Mary’s favor is announced, not earned.

Luke 1:26-33

Put yourself in her shoes. Here’s a teenage girl who’s betrothed to be married, going about her life, probably has plans for what her future will look like — and then an angel appears, and tells her of what will happen.

Verse 29 says “she was greatly troubled,” and then the angel tells her “do not be afraid.” So, by inference, she was afraid! I imagine her head was spinning with thoughts that she could not process fast enough shooting across her mind — all being fueled by fear. This was feeling more like a curse than a blessing.

But notice, in the midst if the fear, in the midst of the confusion, she was favored. What does it mean to be “favored?” One Greek dictionary put it like this, “to be grace-bestowed.” Meaning, Mary was receiving a blessing from God.

God’s plan of redemption, through hundreds of years of pain, sin, dysfunction, and rebellion, was at hand. And Mary was chosen to bring the Savior into the world. The promise from God at the very beginning, that a descendant of Eve would crush evil under his feet, was being fulfilled through Mary.

What did Mary do to “deserve” this? Truthfully, nothing. She simply was receiving the honor of this task, to bare and raise the Son of God — the True King.

TRANS: [text]

Luke 1:34–38 ESV

34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Without full explanation, Mary responds in faith.

Luke 1:34-38

Mary did not know the future. She did not know how the details would work, but she trusted God.

Think about how her fear could have come up with legitimate reasons not to trust God!

Pastor Kent Hughes summarized the fear that could have prevented her from faith perfectly:

Luke, Vol. 1—That You May Know the Truth Gabriel’s Explanation (vv. 35–38)

Mary instinctively knew her story would be questioned. Indeed, Joseph himself first doubted it (

Would her reputation be harmed? Yes. Could her fiance’ have left her? Yes. Will this change her plans for what she imagined her life to look like? Absolutely.

Yet she trusted. She believed that God’s favor was better — better than whatever risks obedience might bring.

TRANS: [text]

Application

Being favored by God may cost you being favored by people.

Faithfulness to God often means being misunderstood by people. Faith may cost you your reputation.

Raymond Zdunski — Fired for Refusing a Training Conflict with His Religious Beliefs

In 2018, Raymond Zdunski, a senior account clerk in New York, was terminated after refusing to attend a workplace training session that conflicted with his religious convictions. Zdunski explained that attending the session would violate core tenets of his Christian faith, and when he stood by that conviction, his employment ended. International Christian Concern

https://persecution.org/2023/08/25/christian-loses-job-after-refusing-to-attend-training-session-that-violated-his-religious-beliefs/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

This is not about being offensive on purpose

This is not about confusing foolishness with faithfulness

This is about recognizing that it’s not about if we try to please others, but who we are trying to please.

Many many people have gone through life thinking “I will never bow to Jesus! Living my life to please him sounds terrible” all the while they are bowing to their boss’s opinions, to their peer’s opinions, and to the bully from middle school’s opinions.

The question is not “am I trying to please others?” But “who am I trying to please?” And if that answer is God, it’s worth being misunderstood.

Mary didn’t defend herself loudly when she was misunderstood, she entrusted herself to God.

TRANS: But it’s worth it, because…

God’s presence and purpose are better than people’s approval.

Luke 1:46–49 ESV

46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

Notice that Mary states, “my soul magnifies the Lord.” Mary, from the deepest and core place of her being, marveled in God’s wonderful plan to use her to give birth to the promised messiah. Mary did not serve God from obligation, she served Him from Joy! “The God of the universe would choose me? ME?? A lowly person? No status, no family name, no title?” The Lord uses ordinary people to accomplish his amazing purpose.

And here’s the thing, there is no more satisfying purpose than serving God. That sounds cliche, but there is a deep need inside each of our souls to do something that matters, something that lasts. Mary was invited to participate in God’s plan of redemption for humanity. His presence and purpose was upon her, and her reaction was Joy.

When was the last time you felt Joy?

Is following God worth it? Yes, because there is no greater purpose, there is no higher calling, there is no better presence… then when you walk with God.

Mary understood the cost of her commitment: she knew her story would face skepticism, that Joseph initially doubted it, that death penalties existed for adultery, and that Jesus would later be accused of illegitimacy.

If the Christian life were just about being liked, Mary would’ve walked away. But when you realize that God is with you, and that your life can be part of something eternal, the cost suddenly makes sense.

Have you given your life to God? Follow the example of Mary, an ordinary person, who responded with trust and joy to God’s call.

Is it worth it to follow God… yes. Turn from your sin, give your life to God, and live with an eternal purpose.

Invite ushers forward

At this time we will have the choir return to the stage, and I will light the candles.

The candles reflect how Jesus came as a light of hope into a dark world. And as the good news spread, the dark world became more full with the light of Christ. We light these candles tonight not to shine our own light, but to shine His light.

As the candles are being lit, reflect on how Jesus is the light of the world, and join us in singing our closing hymn.

Pray

Talk About It/Think About It

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