Luke 1:46-55

Magnify the Lord

After the announcement of the Angel Gabriel to Mary , and of Mary’s humble acceptance of her calling (1:26-38), She visited her cousin Elizabeth to find out about Elizabeth and her baby as declared by the Angel Gabriel (1:39-45).

Here in our passage today, she praise the Almighty God. The God who promises to make the impossible possible is mighty. He does great things.

What is the Magnificat? The song of praise by Mary recorded in Luke 1:46–55. This name comes from its first word in the Vulgate version, Magnificat mea anima (“My soul doth magnify”).

Mary spoke this song in response to the assurance from Elizabeth that God would surely fulfill the words of the angel Gabriel that she would be the woman chosen to bring the Son of God into the world.

The song resembles closely the poetry of the OT; its similarity to Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel 2:1–10 is very striking.

This song composed by Mary is a song that points us to the greatness of God!

She is pointing us not to herself but to God!

God is to be continually exalted, God is great! He is the Mighty One!

The character of God - kindness, holiness, and mercy.

I. Mary’s Declaration of Faith and Rejoicing (vv.46-47)

Luke 1:46–47 NASB95

46 And Mary said: “My soul exalts the Lord, 47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

Expression of Praises

A. Mary Exalt’s the Lord (v.46)

a. exalt - enlarging, magnify. Mary is saying that she want’s the greatness of the Lord to be seen in her life.

B. Mary Rejoiced in God her Savior (v.47)

a. Mary sees her need of a savior

b. She is not sinless, only those who are sinners need a savior.

The Roman Catholic teaching that Mary is sinless since birth is not supported by Scripture - Immaculate Conception

Immaculate Conception. This doctrine asserts that the Mary was kept free from any taint of original sin from the instant of her conception. Many Fathers in the early church, such as *Justin Martyr and *Irenaeus, saw Mary as the new Eve. It was argued that only a sinless vessel could give birth to a sinless savior.

This view was never endorsed by the Orthodox church and was denied in the Western church by many Scholastic theologians, including *Thomas Aquinas. Nevertheless, in the papal bull Ineffabilis Deus of 1854, issued by Pope Pius IX, the immaculate conception of Mary became official dogma of the Roman Catholic Church. This view is not affirmed by most Protestant denominations.

1 Feldmeth, N. P. (2008). In Pocket Dictionary of Church History: Over 300 Terms Clearly and Concisely Defined (p. 78). Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic.

II. Reasons why God is to be magnified (v.48-55)

God’s action in the past and His faithfulness in fulfilling the covenant through the Messiah

a. God’s kindness to Mary (vv.48-49)

Luke 1:48–49 NASB95

48 “For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. 49 “For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name.

She is joyful in her role as bearer of the 2nd person of the Trinity.

She did not do anything to deserve this blessing as the bearer of the Messiah.

Mighty One - name of God. - Powerful (nothing is impossible for God)

Holy - God is set-apart, No other gods can be compared to him. God is pure and free from evil, what he does is good and right.

b. God’s Mercy to those who Revere him (v.50)

Luke 1:50 NASB95

50 “And His mercy is upon generation after generation Toward those who fear Him.

Mercy - God’s mercy is unending, and is new every morning.

It’s because of the mercy of God that the Israelites were preserved, despite of their hardheadedness.

Mercy extended to Mary and the Israelites.

This Mercy is extended to Gentiles (generation after generation) through Christ.

God is the loving and merciful Father portrayed in the Parable of Jesus in Luke 15:11-32. The Prodigal Son or rather The Prodigal Father.

Holy fear - is a sign of healthy relationship with God.

In the Bible, we find that “to fear God is to revere God”,

The reverent fear of the the Lord means a desire to obey his commands and be willing to turn away from evil. The fear of God is portrayed in the Bible as the beginning of wisdom.

“fear in the Lord means faith in the Lord”

Psalm 103:13 NASB95

13 Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.

c. God’s display of Holiness and Righteousness (vv.51-52)

Luke 1:51–52 NASB95

51 “He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. 52 “He has brought down rulers from their thrones, And has exalted those who were humble.

Mary uses a frequent biblical image to describe God’s might: she speaks of God’s arm. The Psalmists often refer to the mighty arm of the Lord. The right arm of God has power that no human force can resist.

“Thus the kind of power which God showed at the Exodus is now demonstrated in the birth of the Messiah (Pss. 89:13 (88:11); 118:16 (117:15); Ex. 6:1, 6; Dt. 3:24”

“But salvation also implies judgment, and so God is also said to scatter his enemies (Nu. 10:35; Pss. 68:1; 89:10).

God hates the proud - Contrast between the proud and humble.

d. God’s provision to those in need (v.53)

Luke 1:53 NASB95

53 “He has filled the hungry with good things; And sent away the rich empty-handed.

God is the great provider and God cares for the those who are hungry and oppressed.

He calls those who are hungry to come to Him!

Those who are hungry (physically and spiritually) and would seek the Lord - the Lord will provide.

Those who are rich (materially) has difficulty in approaching God - they usually don’t see the need to seek God.

Money and comfort can blind a person. Wealth can make a person prideful for money can become their god.

Poor people can be prideful as well…and that is a tragedy.

e. God’s faithfulness to His Covenant (v.54-55)

Luke 1:54–55 NASB95

54 “He has given help to Israel His servant, In remembrance of His mercy, 55 As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and his descendants forever.”

Mary remembers the covenant between God and Abraham.

God is a covenant keeper. What he says, he will do it and he will not delay.

In His appointed time, God the Father sent the 2nd person of the Trinity - Jesus (the Son of God, Immanuel) to fulfill the covenant - Jesus is the fulfillment of the covenant - “That all the nations will be blessed through you (Abraham)”.

Through Jesus, man is reconciled to God.

Through Jesus, we Filipinos (not Jews) are now part of the Kingdom of God.

Through Jesus, we received the blessing of eternal life.

Conclusion:

God is a covenant-keeping God and He fulfills His promises. The first coming of Jesus is the fulfillment of the covenant that “all nations will be blessed”. Indeed, God is worthy to be magnified in the lives of every believer.

Proper Response:

Like Mary, exalt God in your life through humility and obedience.

ways to show humility

Extending forgiveness to those who wronged you.

Asking forgiveness to those whom you wronged.

Reach out to those whom you don’t usually talk to (people who work for you or under you, people on the street - beggars, street workers, etc...

Treat others with respect, let your words build others up in the faith, let your words be like honey that brings joy to others.

Like Mary, exalt God by pointing people to God and not to self.

Let your actions be a living display (a bill board) of the Word of God. The unbelievers around you might not be reading the Bible. So, You might be the walking and talking Bible that they might get to see and hear.

Point people to Christ by what you say and do - Pray, Care, Share

Exalt God in your celebration this Christmas above everything else (food, gifts, presentations)

- Prepare the passage of Scripture that you will be sharing with the family together on Christmas eve/day.

- If you have the capacity and the authority in your company, school, community, or club - Read a passage of Scripture that honors Christ and preach the gospel.