Strong Women of the Bible Week 4 – Mary

Countdown Video

Thank you for joining Faith Vision Christian Ministries

Where We Walk by faith! Not by Sight

Faith Vision is a Christian church, based on the Word of God.

We are a training ground for all things Jesus Christ.

loving God, Loving People living by faith

Thank you for joining us today,

Please set everything aside as we come to God in Prayer this morning under the anointing and the Power of the Holy Spirit.

Faith Vision Family Please welcome each otheronline

Faith Vision Christian Ministries Announcements

Blessings and Thank you for those that are helping us stay current with Faith Vision’s Monthly Financial Obligations

Faith Vision is now using donations for St Jude Children’s Hospital and American Heart Association.

2 Corinthians 9:7–8 (NKJV)

7. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

8. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

If you would like to Make a Tax deductible donation to the ministry: mail it to the Church address. (All donations go to Faith Vision Christian Ministries)

Please mail it to: 10950 Arrow Route, #3662 - Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91729

Faith Vision’s Zelle acount is: [e-mail]

Please remember, when giving by Zelle, the church account is under our email, not the phone#

Please “Follow” & “like” our Church page and leave Questions and comments

Faith Vision Christian Ministries is available on Facebook and YouTube.

Please don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel YouTube/@ DocDewberryLIVE

If you have a prayer request, or need to talk to someone confidentially, The Pastor is available

You can message the Pastor at [e-mail]

At the end of the teaching we will be taking prayer requests

Add to your calendars*

Please join us each Thursday night at 7:00 pm. conference phone number. # [phone] access code 896791

September 15 to October 15 is National Hispanic American Heritage Month

Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

The day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September18, respectively.

Happy National Hispanic American Heritage Month

Happy September Birthdays!

(pause)

Mary Ann - 6

‌Ray Gross - 7

‌‌Rene - 10

‌Fernando Jr. - 11

‌Greg Youngblood - 15

‌Tyrone Bell - 17

‌Pam Vincent - 18

‌Lady Trina -20

‌Kim Bell - 25

‌Sam - 27

pEppER: Let’s sing “Happy Birthday Everyone”

Scripture Reading by Lady Pepper

Thank you Lady Pepper for the announcements and the reading of God’s Word.

Welcome! to everyone especially those who are joining us for the first time.

My name is Pastor Doc, and I will be sharing the Word of God with you today.

Have your Bibles Ready and take notes

Sermon Bumper Video - Week 3 - Esther

Title of the Series

Strong Women of the Bible

Title of the message this Morning

Week 4 – Mary

Big Idea:

God invites ordinary people into extraordinary purposes, and His power is released through lives that fully surrender to His will.

Mary’s response shows that obedience often comes with uncertainty and cost, but trusting God’s word opens the door for Him to do what is humanly impossible.

True strength is found in humble, faithful surrender..

Prayer:

Lord, give us hearts that trust You fully, even when Your plan is unexpected or costly.

Help us to surrender to Your will with faith, believing that You are working for Your glory and our good.

Key Verse:  Luke 1:38 — “I am the Lord’s servant… May your word to me be fulfilled.”

Main Scripture: Luke 1:26–38

Introduction

Over the past three weeks in this series, Strong Women of the Bible, we’ve seen a powerful progression…

With Deborah, we learned that strength begins with listening—being formed in private so we’re ready when the moment comes.

With Rahab, we saw that no past is too broken for God’s grace—that faith can rewrite our story.

And with Esther, we discovered that God positions us in specific places for a purpose, calling us to step forward with courage when the moment arrives.

But today, we take another step deeper.

Because what happens when God doesn’t just give you a moment…

what happens when He gives you an assignment that changes everything?

That’s where Mary’s story meets us.

Because Mary isn’t stepping into a position of influence.

She’s not rising into leadership.

She’s not even responding to a long-building moment.

She’s living an ordinary life… and suddenly, God interrupts it.

Luke 1:26–28 tells us that the angel Gabriel appears to her and says,

“Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Luke 26:28

And in an instant, everything changes.

Her plans. Her future. Her reputation. Her understanding of what her life would be.

This wasn’t convenient.

This wasn’t expected.

And it certainly wasn’t easy.

And yet—this is how God often works.

He steps into ordinary moments and invites people into extraordinary purposes.

Pastor -

Do you have a personal story of this kind of thing happening in your life that you can share here?

What we’re going to see today is this:

Real strength isn’t just found in stepping up in a moment— it’s found in surrendering your entire life to God’s plan.

Because when Mary hears what God is asking of her, she’s faced with a decision that will define everything that comes next:

Will she hold onto the life she planned… or will she trust God with the life He’s calling her into?

And that’s not just Mary’s question.

That’s ours.

Main Teaching

Before we look at Mary’s response, we need to fully understand what God was actually asking of her.

Because it’s easy to romanticize this story, but in reality, this was a moment filled with uncertainty, risk, and cost.

So let’s step into the conversation and see the weight of the calling placed on her life.

Point 1: God’s Calling Often Comes with Cost and Uncertainty

As we jump into Luke chapter 1, we see this moment unfold in real time.

Luke 1:30–31 says,

“But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.’”

Now, we hear that—and because we know the story, we immediately think:

This is beautiful.

This is sacred.

This is an honor.

And it is.

But for Mary—this is also an amazingly complicated situation.

She wasn’t just living in a vacuum where this was the ONLY thing to consider.

No.

She’s a young woman in a small community, engaged to be married, with a future already forming in front of her…

And then God steps in and says: “I’m about to do something in your life that will change everything.”

This is a social, relational, and personal disruption.

A tidal wave of change in her young life.

In large part because in her culture, becoming pregnant before marriage carried serious consequences.

Misunderstanding. Shame. Rejection.

Joseph, her fiancé, would have every reason to walk away and Matthew 1:19 tells us he initially planned to divorce her quietly…

And yet—the angel continues in Luke 1:32–33:  “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High… and his kingdom will never end.”

This is a divine calling— but it comes wrapped in real cost.

And Mary feels that tension. Luke 1:34—she asks the question:

“How will this be…?”

That’s not disbelief.

That’s processing an all new reality in real time.

That’s the honest response of someone who is trying to understand what obedience will require.

We must remember as we read this story that God’s calling often comes with both promise and uncertainty.

We want clarity. We want details. We want guarantees.

But God often gives us just enough to require faith.

2 Corinthians 5:7 says,

“For we live by faith, not by sight.”

Mary is being invited into something she cannot fully explain, control, or predict…

But it’s all from God.

And that’s where this story, like many of the others we’ve shared throughout this series, becomes personal for us:

Because we often assume that if something is from God, it will feel easy… clear… and comfortable.

But Scripture shows us a different pattern.

Because real surrender only means something when there’s actually something to surrender.

Point 2: Surrender Trusts God Even Without Full Understanding

After hearing everything the angel says— after processing the weight, the cost, the uncertainty—

Mary gives one of the most powerful responses in all of Scripture.

Luke 1:38:

“I am the Lord’s servant… May your word to me be fulfilled.”

Can you imagine what’s going on here?

No negotiation. No conditions. No demand for more details.

Only surrender.

And don’t miss how remarkable that is…

Mary doesn’t have the full picture.

She doesn’t know how Joseph will respond.

She doesn’t know how her community will react.

She doesn’t know what the road ahead will look like.

But she knows enough about God to trust Him.

That’s what surrender is.

It’s not having all the answers— it’s trusting the One who does.

Proverbs 3:5–6 says,

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

Mary is living that out in real time.

She’s not leaning on her own understanding— because there’s no way to fully understand this.

Instead, she’s choosing to submit, to trust, to yield her life to God’s plan.

And notice how she identifies herself:

“I am the Lord’s servant…”

That’s identity language.

She’s saying, “My life belongs to Him.”

And that’s where true surrender begins.

Because as long as we see our lives as our own, we will always struggle to trust God with them.

But when we recognize that we belong to Him— that He is good, that He is faithful, that He is trustworthy— it changes how we respond.

Romans 12:1 says,

“Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”

Mary becomes a living picture of that.

She places her life on the altar and says, “God, whatever You want to do… I trust You.”

And remember this: Surrender is rarely, if ever, a passive act.

Mary doesn’t say, “Fine, I guess this is happening.”

She says, “May your word to me be fulfilled.”

That’s active trust.

That’s willing participation.

She’s not just accepting God’s plan— she’s embracing it.

Here’s where the proverbial rubber meets the road:

Because we all love the idea of God having a plan…

until that plan interrupts ours.

Until it stretches us.

Until it asks something of us we didn’t expect.

And in those moments, we face the same decision Mary faced:

Will I trust God only when I understand… or will I trust Him because of who He is?

Because real surrender doesn’t wait for clarity— it moves forward in trust.

Mary didn’t have all the answers.

But she had faith.

And that was enough.

Point 3: God Works Powerfully Through Lives Fully Surrendered to Him

After Mary says yes, her surrender becomes the pathway for God’s plan to unfold.

In Luke 1:35, the angel tells her,

“The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you…”

This is not something Mary could accomplish.

This is not something she could control…

This is the work of God.

And that’s the key:

When we surrender our lives to God, we make room for Him to do what only He can do.

Mary’s role was not to figure everything out.

Her role was not to manufacture the outcome.

Her role was to say yes, while God’s role was everything else.

And what God does through her life changes the world.

In Luke 1:46–49, Mary responds in worship:

“My soul glorifies the Lord… for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is His name.”

Notice the language: He has done great things.

Mary understands something we often miss:

This is not about her ability— it’s about God’s power.

And through her surrender, Jesus enters the world.

The Savior.

The fulfillment of promise.

The hope of humanity.

Galatians 4:4 says,

“But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman…”

That woman was Mary, and her willingness became part of God’s redemptive plan for all people.

And here’s what that means for us:

God is still looking for people who will say yes.

Not because they have it all together.

Not because they understand everything.

But because they trust Him enough to surrender.

Because when you surrender your life to God, your life becomes part of something bigger than you.

Ephesians 3:20 says,

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us…”

Within us.

God’s power works through surrendered people.

Mary’s life wasn’t about comfort.

It wasn’t about control.

It was about participation in what God was doing.

And that’s the invitation for us:

Your life is not too ordinary.

Your situation is not too small.

When placed in God’s hands, it becomes a vessel for His purpose.

Mary surrendered… and God worked.

And that’s still how He works today.

Conclusion

When you step back and look at Mary’s story, the pattern becomes clear.

God’s calling came with cost and uncertainty— it disrupted her plans, challenged her expectations, and required real trust.

And in that moment, Mary chose surrender over control.

Not because she had all the answers, but because she trusted the One who was asking.

And because of that surrender, God worked powerfully through her life— bringing about something far greater than she could have imagined.

That’s the kind of strength we’ve been seeing throughout this entire series.

With Deborah, we saw the strength to listen. With Rahab, we saw the strength to believe and act. With Esther, we saw the strength to step into the moment with courage.

And now with Mary, we see the strength to surrender everything.

Because at the end of the day, the deepest form of strength is not control… it’s trust.

So the question for us is simple, but not easy: What is God asking you to surrender?

Your plans? Your timeline? Your comfort? Your sense of control?

Because God is still inviting people into His purposes.

And just like Mary, you don’t have to have it all figured out.

You just have to be willing to say, “God, my life is Yours.”

And next week, as we close out this series, we’re going to see one more expression of strength.

Because if Mary’s story is about surrendering your life to God’s plan…

Priscilla’s story is about what happens after that.

It’s about living that surrender out over time.

Building. Investing. Discipling.

Priscilla doesn’t stand on a stage.

She doesn’t have a single defining moment like some of the other women we’ve studied.

But she faithfully pours into others— helping shape leaders, strengthening the early Church, and multiplying the impact of the gospel.

And what we’re going to see is this:

God’s greatest work isn’t just what He does in you… it’s what He does through you into others.

So don’t miss next week— because Priscilla’s story will challenge you to move beyond a moment of surrender and into a life of lasting impact.

Let’s pray together.

Salvation:

The Word of God says in: John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Romans 10:13 NKJV

For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

If you’d would like to receive Jesus today, please pray this prayer with all of us:

Lord I believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and that He died On the cross for my sins and His resurrection from the dead gives me eternal life. I ask forgiveness of my sins, and I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Amen.

Pastor [e-mail]

Church Office: 909-922-8090

And I will send you a Bible & a Free Book on how to begin your first 21 steps with Jesus (show the book)

***Leave slide up until Pepper gets in position***

Lady Pepper Please Join Me

Pepper Praise Reports

Share your Praise Reports!

Prayer Requests - (Pepper Read)

Marcella - Pray for her and her family for traveling mercy as they travel to Donovan's graduation from Basic training in South Carolina.

Patty - Pray for her daughter Sharrell

Let us Pray (P/P)

Praying for the 10-40 Window

Prayer initiatives focus on breaking spiritual strongholds, bringing humanitarian relief, and supporting the persecuted church.

The Unreached:

Pray for the billions of individuals who have never heard the Gospel message, particularly among Frontier People Groups.

The Persecuted Church:

Intercede for local believers who face severe restrictions, imprisonment, or violence for their faith.

Humanitarian Crises:

Pray for relief from extreme poverty, human trafficking, and the oppression of women and children.

Laborers & Discipleship:

Pray for the protection of frontline missionaries, effective local church planting, and the translation of scriptures.

Pray for the United StatesI

Today, we focus our prayers for the nation on asking for unity to overcome the division, wisdom for the government leaders, and a nationwide spiritual revival.

National unity and healing: pray for reconciliation where division exists, asking that the nation learns to live together peacefully despite differences.

Government and local leaders: intercede for wisdom, godly counsel, and discernment for all elected officials (local and national) to make righteous decisions

Spiritual revival: pray for a national to return to godly values, with a focus on repentance and the desire to seek truth.

!!!!!!!!Relocate Logos to original location for Pepper !!!!!!!!

This is Pastor Doc & Lady Pepper with:

Faith Vision Christian Ministries

Pepper Please Continue Reading

See you next Sunday @ 10:55 on Facebook Live!!

Those of you watching on YouTube,

don’t forget to subscribe!

youtube.com/@ DocDewberrylive

Prayer Line - Thursday night at 7:00 pm. conference phone number. # [phone] access code 896791

Pastor: please continue reading

Benediction

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” 

Ephesians 2:10

Have a Great Week!

This is Pastor Doc and Lady Pepper signing off until next time we meet. Blessings to you all!

Pepper: - Happy National Hispanic American Heritage Month