What Mary Knew

What Mary Knew

Luke 2:19, Luke 1:38, John 2:5

Ice Breaker

Good morning church! I hope you are excited about Christmas. The birth of our Savior. This is an awesome time for us to remember that Jesus left glory / heaven to walk in our shoes for a little while.
This was an extraordinary event. It even split time (BC = before Christ to AD = Anno Domini “in the year of our Lord”). If Jesus had never been born of a virgin and lived a sinless life then He could not have died for our sins and conquered death by His resurrection. The time had come, everything was ready, all the prophecies were about to be fulfilled in the birth, life, and death of Jesus.
The Son of God became the Son of Man so that the sons of men could become sons of God.

3 In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. 4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. (Galatians 4:3-7)

Let’s open with a word of prayer.

Introduction

The song “Mary Did You Know” that was just sung has become one of the favorite Christmas songs. It asks Mary did she know all that Jesus would become. Just about every type of artist has recorded this song and I think that is because it carries with it a deeper meaning and a longing to know more about Jesus. We are intrigued with Mary and her role in the life of Jesus.
This morning I want us to think about the birth & life of Jesus through the eyes of Mary, His mother. No one knows a person the way a mommy does. What did Mary know?

Point 1 “Mary Found Out - God Can Use You in the Condition You are In”

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end (Luke 1:26-33)
Now all of this sounds great except for one problem – she is a virgin and virgins are not capable of having children. This is not the first time God has chosen to use individuals that are not in the best of condition:

Mary’s aunt Elizabeth became pregnant after child bearing years as did Sarah (Abraham’s wife)
God chose Moses to be the voice of Israel when most scholars believe Moses had a speech impediment.
God chose David to be king while he was still a boy and the smallest of his family.
God chose – fishermen, tax collectors, and men who were seen as marginal in their society to be the starters of the church.

God always chooses people that are not in the best condition to do His best work. It is in our weakness or inabilities where God can show His mighty power. So there is hope for me and you today. Mary would tell us that God can use us in the condition we are in right now. As the song says:

The blind will see – the deaf will hear – the dead will live again
The lame will leap – the dumb will speak “the praises of the lamb”

The only condition is that you must be willing to be used.

Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. 36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing shall be impossible. 38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:34-38)

Point 2 “Mary Knew that She Should Worship God”

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. 18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. (Luke 2:8-20)

Mary pondered on or meditated on all that God had promised and what she saw coming to fruition and it caused her to worship God.

That word pondered carries with it a similar meaning as found in Psalm 119:11 when David says: “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”

Do you think that Mary could have experienced all that she has experienced to this point in her life and that she could remain cold or neutral to God? (angels bringing a promise, a baby born to a virgin, shepherds coming to see Jesus and telling of the heavenly hosts of angles praising God)

In the same way you and I should worship God – look at all He has done for us.

Ponder in your hearts what the Christmas story is all about. It will cause you to break out into song or dance or a quiet awe of how Marvelous God really is.
Point 3 “Mary Knew She Had to Be Obedient to God”
We see a progress in Mary’s life – she did not stay the same and she grew in her understanding of who Jesus was. Mary moved from just being the mother of Jesus to being a follower of Jesus. Let’s look at her progression:

One of the first times we see Mary is when the angel approached her about the coming birth of Jesus. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:38)

The last time we see Mary in scripture is after the ascension of Jesus – Acts 1: 12-14 says, 12 Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day’s journey. 13 And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. 14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. (sounds like they were having church)

It is apparent that Mary is now a disciple / pupil of Christ.

One of the greatest statements in scripture that lets us know that Mary knew who Jesus was as Messiah and one of those statements that we need to wrap our hearts/minds around is John 2:5

This is at a wedding in Cana, it is the first recorded miracle of Jesus, and Jesus would turn the water into wine. Jesus is reluctant to perform this miracle and tells his mother that his time has not yet come, but you can see the picture as Mary walks off after making this request of Jesus scripture says- 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever He tells you*.”
I am going to get me a sign and put it in my office that says “Whatever Jesus tells you”.
People are always asking my advice on stuff and honestly it does not matter what I think or say – it only matters what Jesus says.

Is it ok for me to work on Sunday – what does Jesus say about it
Is it ok for me to divorce my husband because he is lazy – what does Jesus say about it
Is it ok for us not to tithe right now, you know Christmas has got us a little strapped – what does Jesus say about it.

Mary understood that more than comforts, wants, desires, that the most important thing in life is to “Do Whatever He Tells You”
Be careful here because Jesus will always agree with scripture and you have to be careful that you don’t twist the word of God to say what you want it to say.
But we can know with confidence that Jesus will never lead you down the wrong path – it may not be the easiest path but it is the right path.

Conclusion

Mary teaches us a lot in scripture but there are at least three things that we can be sure that Mary Knew:

First she knew that God could use her in here present condition – she just had to be willing to be used by God. God is saying the same to you this morning. It does not matter your condition because when you let God come into your life He will make you into a useful vessel. (the blind will see, the deaf will hear, the dead will live again – the lame will leap, the dumb will speak “praises of the Lamb)
Second she knew that she should worship God. Our God is an awesome God He reigns from Heaven above with wisdom power and love our God is an awesome God. Look around – how has God shown Himself to you? I know God has blessed you special – praise Him for that.
Finally Mary knew she had to be obedient to God. The ultimate obedience is to follow God – Do whatever He tells you (sometimes it can be scary – even a little unbelievable). It is through Mary’s obedience that she was to be the mother of Jesus, what an honor. God has some great things for you to do as well and you will be blessed for following Him.

Are you ready to be like Mary? Do you want to be used by God? Do you want to truly worship God? Do you want to do whatever He tells you?
I don’t know where you are in relationship with Jesus this morning but I do know one thing and that is that we could all have a closer walk with Him:

Do you need to surrender your life to Jesus for the first time?
Do you need to become a full fledged working member of the body of Christ here at Bethel?
Do you need to have an update in your walk this morning?

God is asking for your obedience. Don’t walk away like so many do, but be like Mary & follow Him.
As we are lead in our invitation this morning let me challenge you to step out, allow God to change you. I will be here along with Mike Corbin - you come and talk with either of us. The alter is open for anyone that just needs to spend some time with God.