Mary Magnifies: Luke 1:46-55

Good morning. I am thrilled to have you joining us in person or online for the start of Christmas Playlist, our new sermon series. I’m really excited to preach through the songs and prophecy that we see as we read through the Biblical account of the Christmas story. If you would like to follow along with the sermon notes, you can scan the QR code behind me on the screens. That will give you a link to an interactive worship guide that you can use to follow along.

When we think of Christmas, we likely think of the sounds of the season. The classic Christmas songs of the church come to my mind. Songs like O Holy Night, Silent Night, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, and O Come All Ye Faithful. You probably have a specific Christmas song or two that mean a lot to you or really bring you back to a memory or maybe remind you of Jesus as the reason that we celebrate.

But throughout Luke’s account of the birth of Christ and the events surrounding it, we find people breaking into song and speaking truths about the Lord and His salvation. These are glorious announcements that the Lord is here. He had come.

This morning we are going to look at Luke 1:46-55, where we find Mary, the mother of Jesus worshipping the Lord and proclaiming His greatness in mercy and holiness and strength.

Before we get there, let me bring you up to speed with where this happens in the story and what has transpired up to this point.

RECAP:

This account is coming from the Gospel of Luke. Luke is written by Luke who was a doctor and was writing to give an account to a dude named Theophilus. Luke takes care to give a thoughtful and investigated account of Jesus’ life, dead, and resurrection. He wants to give Theophilus an orderly account of the things about Jesus. So that’s why you find Luke give more detail than say, Mark.

During the time of this story a guy named Herod is king of Judea. And there's a priest named Zechariah and his wife was named Elizabeth. Elizabeth has a cousin named Mary, but we will get back to her in a minute. Elizabeth and Zechariah were both older and had no children because Elizabeth was barren, meaning she was unable to get pregnant and have babies. So one day, it was Zechariah’s turn to minister in the temple burning incense. So people are outside praying and Zechariah is in there and an angel of the Lord shows up standing on the right side of the altar.

Zechariah was scared, as I’m sure I would be in that same situation. Can we think about how terrifying angels must be? They tell people not to be afraid when they show up. Anyway, this angel tells Zechariah that his wife is going to have a child and that he is to be named John. Zechariah asks how this can be because they’re old. The angel announces that he’s Gabriel and stands in the presence of God and was sent to tell him this good news. Gabriel goes on to tell Zechariah that he’s not going to be able to speak until the boy is born because he didn’t believe.

So Zechariah comes out and the people are amazed because he can’t talk. He goes home and Elizabeth gets pregnant.

Some time passes and when Elizabeth is six months along, Gabriel is sent by God to Nazareth to a young woman named Mary, who was a virgin betrothed to a guy named Joseph. Betrothal is a hard concept for some of us to understand in today’s culture. Basically, it was beyond engagement or a promise. It was an agreement that was basically that they would live in every way like a married couple except for physical intimacy. She would stay in her parents home and Joseph would wait till the betrothal period was over and then she would become his wife. Betrothal was so serious that it actually would have taken a divorce to break it. Much more serious than today’s concept of engagement.

Gabriel comes to Mary and tells her she has found favor with God and is going to conceive a son by the power of the Holy Spirit. He instructs her that she is to name Him Jesus and that He’s the Son of God. Mary isn’t sure how all of this could happen but submits to The plan of the Lord willingly.

Mary has a lot of information hitting her at once. She goes into the hill country of Judah to visit her cousin Elizabeth. Mary has great and amazing news to share. When Elizabeth hears Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb. That baby was John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ Jesus. Even in the womb the baby recognized that Jesus was close and leaped for joy at the savior being there. Elizabeth tells Mary about this and speaks blessing over her. And Mary responds by breaking into a song of praise. Let’s read from Luke 1:46-55.

Luke 1:46–55 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. 50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 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.”

PRAY

I. Mary's Song of Praise

Elizabeth filled with the Holy Spirit -

the news of God taking on flesh and coming into the world brought revival to the house of Zechariah.

The news of Jesus Christ, His incarnation that we celebrate at Christmas has enough power and truth that it can bring revival to Christians who have grown cold and gives new life to dead souls.

We have to understand that this was a shocking idea to Mary and everyone else. That God would come to earth as a man, in this way, was unthinkable at the time.

Michael A. Milton writes, “The Greeks have gods who are like men but who play tricks on men or imitate sinful man in ce‐ lestial flings. The Norse pagan deities are like men also, but are oppressive and as brutish as Vikings in dealing with man. The Babylonian gods are ruthless, impersonal things that demand human sacri‐ fice and fleshly indulgences to satisfy their vile and wicked passions. But, in the faith of the Bible, we have a young virgin girl, a sweet-natured woman who brought forth the Son of God who came in love to identify with His Creation. Our God came not to tempt, but to be tempted for us. Our God came not to satisfy passions, but was one who left His royal dwelling with the Father in order to satisfy Divine justice by dying on an old rugged cross. This is the story that needs to be told.”

So after Elizabeth blesses Mary, she responds by bursting into song.

Magnificat - what it means - Latin for the word used by Mary “to magnify”

Elizabeth’s pregnancy is important but the focus here is on the significance of Jesus.

Mary’s response to big news that seems impossible is praise. worship… Here response to God’s sweet confirmation is to worship and magnify the name of the Lord.

The first thing on her heart is WORSHIP. It bursts forth.

REWORD: The Magnificat reveals Mary as, like Miriam and Hannah before her, a divinely inspired poet. This trait she also shares with her ancestor David. Indeed, her spontaneous poem recalls the Psalms (especially Psa. 111:9; 103:17; 89:10; 107:9; 98:3), just as Elizabeth’s words of greeting to her, “Blessed are you among women,” echo Psalm 1: “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly.”

II. The Sweetness of Mary's Song

this is a song from the soul

Her soul magnifies the Lord - From deep within her.

Her spirit rejoices - the very thing that makes her, her - this is the place of her rejoicing… how deep… how sweet this rejoicing

Acknowledges her humble estate

thanksgiving

- God Saves Sinners

Mary praises God for the salvation he is working.

She knew she was just a young Jewish girl and that for whatever reason God had chosen to bring Jesus, the Messiah into the world through her. The good news of Christmas is that God loved us while we were still sinners. Ultimately, Jesus didn’t come to give us a holiday. He came to save sinners from the righteous wrath of God that must be poured out on sin.

- God Changes Things

God reversed common roles in the world.

Exalted the poor, rejected, and oppressed

Humbled the rich, proud, and esteemed

Makes a way. Changes your life. Sets you on a new trajectory of serving and worshipping Him.

III. Mary's song was deep in theology. (50-55)

our praise should also be with right doctrine. Don’t sing stuff that isn’t right.

The Doctrine of the Incarnation

There are quite a few deep theological truths in the Magnifcat. I want to cover three specifically about the Incarnation. The doctrine of the incarnation is vital for us to believe. We get our doctrine from the Bible. We believe what God reveals to us in His Word.

- About God's Mercy

v. 50 God’s mercy on sinners

- About God's Irony (v. 51-53)

exalted the lowly

shown his strength with his arm not man’s arm

scattered the proud and put down the mighty

Isaiah 55:6–9 ESV

6 “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; 7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

1 Corinthians 1:27 ESV

27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;

The idea of the gospel is unthinkable to a religious person who wants to make their own salvation by their merits or their personal goodness. It doesn’t work.

The irony of the gospel is the most powerful being in the universe coming in the most vulnerable form to save those who are living as His enemies by dying as a substitute sacrfice for them.

- About God's Covenant

God keeps his promises. He had promised salvation long prior to this to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and continued to show favor to Israel.

I heard of a lady who had been grieving for a long time over the loss of her husband. She had stopped going to church. Finally, after several of the members of the church had encouraged her and stood beside her, she committed to return. After the service, she greeted the minister at the church door. She told him that it was good to be back in church. She said, “I was afraid of one thing, though. I thought that maybe I had forgotten how to sing. It’s been so long since I did. But, Pastor, that message today touched my soul and I was surprised. Singing just comes naturally when you have faith.”

Because she trusted the God of the covenant, her worship at this news was natural. So should it be with us.

Conclusion:

The news of the incarnation brings revival. DO you believe that?

Some years ago, the distinguished German theologian Karl Barth visited the United States. His so-called “neo” or “new” orthodoxy was controversial but it was primarily aimed at recovering a higher view of the Word, which had suffered under the weight of German higher criticism. At any rate, Dr. Barth had completed a lecture at Princeton and a reporter there asked him, “Sir, in all of your years of study what is the greatest single thought you have ever studied?” Barth smiled and shocked the audience with his reply. “The greatest thought I have ever encountered is this, “‘Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so.’”

A deep, soul-stirring response to what God has done for you.

Evangelism at Christmastime -

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