MARY'S DECLARATION

SERMON BY PASTOR JOHN HOLLIS

PREPARED FOR "Early in the Morning"

Sunday December 16, 2007

Text: Luke 1:46-55

This scene takes place in the days of which the prophets had called the coming days. Numerous prophecies had been spoken of the time when Messiah would come. Jeremiah in particular had prophesied: " 'Behold, days are coming,' declares the Lord, 'when I will fulfill the good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous branch of David to spring forth; and He shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth.' "

(Jeremiah 33:14-15). The prophets had spoken, and now we are considering the fulfillment of those prophecies.

The angel Gabriel had spoken to Zacharias about the coming birth of John. He would be the forerunner of Jesus. Then the angel Garbriel spoke to Mary and told her of the child she would bring into the world. The prophets had spoken; the angel had spoken, and the good news was becoming a reality in the lives of Elizabeth and Mary and then to the whole world.

The prophets had spoken of the coming days, and now "in these days" or "at this time" Mary went to visit Elizabeth. Elizabeth was expecting to give birth to a child, according to the promise of the angel, and when Mary greeted her, the baby moved in her womb. These were wonderfully exciting times, and Mary began to speak about the wonderful things that were about to happen.

Mary begins her declaration of things about to happen by saying, "My soul exalts the Lord." The Lord had exalted Mary to the position of being the mother of Messiah. But Mary in her humility lifts up God in her praise. She recognized God as being the high and exalted ruler of the universe. She perhaps had heard the declaration of Isaiah when he revealed his encounter with God and he exclaimed, "I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple." And he saw seraphim around him, and they were calling out to each other, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory" (Isaiah 6:1-3). As Isaiah was humbled in this encounter with God, so Mary is humbled in her encounter with God, and she reverently says, "My soul exalts the Lord."

Mary could have taken this occasion to exalt herself. The announcement of the angel was one that could have aroused in Mary the importance of what was happening and thus could have led to self-exaltation. After all, the child she would give birth to would be called the "son of the most high." But no, Mary was the humble servant of God, and her soul exalted God.

She rejoiced in her spirit. "My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior." The realization of what was happening brought genuine joy to Mary's spirit. In times of good news and in times of stress, there is always the joy of the Lord. It was in great times of stress in Israel that Nehemiah said to God's people, "Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). Mary was being strengthened in "the joy of the Lord."

The prophet Habakkuk in stressful times said:

"I heard and my inward parts trembled;

At the sound my lips quivered.

Decay enters my bones,

And in my place I tremble.

Because I must wait quietly for the day of distress,

For the people to arise who will invade us.

Though the fig tree should not blossom,

And there be no fruit on the vines,

Though the flock should be cut off from the fold,

And there be no cattle in the stalls,

Yet I will exult in the Lord,

I will rejoice in the God of my salvation" (Habakkuk 3:16-18).

The joy of the Lord sustains us in stressful times as well as in good-news times. Mary knew this in her spirit.

There were reasons why Mary made this declaration of exaltation and rejoicing. She knew that God had high regard for and was pleased with genuine humility. She knew that God looked for humble hearts to serve him. David said in a prayer,

"O Lord, open my lips,

That my mouth may declare Thy praise.

For Thou dost not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it;

Thou art not pleased with burnt offering.

The sacrifices of God are broken spirit;

A broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise"

(Psalm 51:17-19).

Because of Mary's willingness to open her heart to God's bidding, her praise came from a heart that was genuine. God had truly opened her mouth to declare his praise.

The apostle Peter gives some good advice about humility. In his first letter in chapter five he writes: ". . . clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time" (1 Peter 5:5-6). God exalts the humble, and the humble exalts God in their lives just as Mary did.

Mary spoke of how God had regarded her humble state and how generations to come would call her blessed. Then she declares, "For the Mighty One has done great things for me; and holy is His name." Think of how Mary must have felt at this time. Some think that she probably was not more than fifteen-years old. She is not married. She is pregnant. Under the law she should be stoned to death. But God has done great things for her. He has blessed her in calling her to be the one through whom the Word would come into this world in the flesh to bless all peoples. He has protected her so that she could fulfill the mission to which she had been called. Mary was a very special individual.

Mary declares that God has extended his mercy "upon generation after generation towards those who fear him." This fear is the awe and respect one has for his creator. We are called upon to "fear God and keep his commandments" (Ecclesiastes 12:13). It is when we fear God that we can exalt him in our lives. Mary had this awesome respect for God.

God has not only done great things for Mary, "He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart." Think of all the mighty deeds God has done in order to bring the Word into the world in the flesh. Look at the call of Abraham to leave his father's house and country and to go to a land that would someday belong to his offspring. He didn't know where he was going, but by faith he finished the journey; and his descendents finally settled in the land of promise.

God gave Abraham and Sarah a son Isaac in their later years. This was the child of promise. God's promise to Abraham was that in his seed all nations of the earth would be blessed. But after giving him this son, God commanded Abraham to offer Isaac as a burnt offering. Abraham did as God commanded him, but God did not allow the sacrifice to be made, for he now knew that Abraham trusted him. He provided another sacrifice for Abraham. Of course this story continues in the sacrificial gift God gave

to us in his son.

God did great things through Jacob. From him came the twelve tribes of Israel. The story of Jacob and his sons being brought into Egypt through Joseph is one of the great works of God. Hundreds of years went by and God's people became the slaves of the Egyptians. But God was not finished with doing great things.

God calls Moses to be the one to lead the descendents of Jacob out of Egypt and on to the land of promise where Abraham had lived for a time. Through the waters and through the desert God led his people. When they entered the promise land, they had to drive out the foreign nations who were there.

During this period of time the priesthood was developed under God's direction. But the people were not satisfied with God's arrangements and asked to be given a king. God gave them a king, but this did not bring peace to them. One of the kings was David, a man after God's own heart. God promised that he would deliver his people from sin through one who would come and sit on David's throne. This one would be the promised seed through whom all nations of the earth would be blessed.

God sent prophets among his people to warn them of what was coming to them because of their idolatrous ways. Through these same prophets God spoke about the Messiah who would come and reign on David's throne. The angel had told Mary that this coming one would "reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end" (Luke 1:33). At the birth of John, Zacharias his father "was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,

For he has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people,

And has raised up a horn of salvation for us

In the house of David His servant-- . . ."

(Luke 1:67-69).

When we consider all the great things God has done to bring redemption to us, we can, along with Mary, say, "He has done mighty things."

Mary continued her praise by saying that God had brought down rulers. "He has brought down rulers from their thrones, and has exalted those who were humble." It was one of the prophets who said of God, "He it is who reduces rulers to nothing, who makes the judges of the earth meaningless" (Isaiah 40:23). When we in our souls exalt God, there is no other ruler or judge that is meaningful to us.

Mary also declared of God, "He has filled the hungry with good things." We remember how that Jesus said, "blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied" (Matthew 5:6). Of Course the physical hunger must be satisfied, but God goes beyond this hunger and feeds the hungering soul with righteousness. This is the greatest hunger of all; and only God can satisfy this hunger.

God had also given help to Israel. Not only was this help given to Israel, it was given to all peoples. Jesus declared to the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well that "salvation is from the Jews" (John 4:22). The Jews were not alone in the blessings given through the Messiah. Salvation came from the Jews, but this salvation was for all peoples, because the help he gave to Israel was "In remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his offspring forever."

And one of the important parts of Mary's declaration was that God kept his promises. It is through the promises of God that we are able to partake of the divine nature. "Seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us his precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust" (2 Peter 1:3-4).

Mary concludes her declaration to Elizabeth about all the great things God had done for her and all peoples by pointing out that God would remember his mercies to all generations. God had made his promises to the fathers, and he would keep all his promises. And the good news is that we were and are included in those promises.

Mary was in a position no woman had ever been before or would ever be again. Her soul and spirit rejoiced to the fullest. As we remember that occasion, let us receive Mary's declaration with gladness and humility, realizing that God has done great things for us. Though we may put special emphasis upon the coming of Messiah at this time of the year, let us always be ready for our souls to exalt God in all that we are and do. He has done great things for us.

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