Elevate - The Story Pt 22 - Mary's Song

Mary's song of praise and her response to God's plan of her giving birth to Jesus teaches us important lessons. Mary, despite the challenges and shame she would face, willingly accepted God's assignment. She recognized her humble state and understood that God uses the willing, not the wealthy or skilled. Mary's response to the angel's news shows her complete surrender to God's plan. Her words of praise and trust in God's faithfulness are inspiring. What I want for me is not as important as what God wants for me. Yes, I have a God-given destiny, and if you are questioning what that is, or you have never given it two thoughts in your life, I'm telling you, you've got to get to a place in your heart where you're saying, God, why am I here? What is it, God, that you are calling me to? Because I need something to chase after. And if I'm not chasing after God, if I'm not chasing after His plan and His call on my life, then all I'm chasing after is the world. Welcome to Elevate, from Authentic Black Church in Mobile, Alabama, with Pastor John DeQuatro. We hope it builds your faith and helps you to live a life for God that you've always wanted to live. We hope it inspires you to be a fully devoted, authentic follower of Jesus Christ. Enjoy the message, and welcome to Elevate. We are continuing on our sermon series in the story Bible that we've been reading together, and it's the story of the Bible. It cuts out all of the stuff that is, you know, writings and poems and all that kind of stuff, and it's just the narrative, the story of how God reveals Himself to mankind, how God raises up a nation to Himself so that He can send His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to redeem all of humanity. This is the story of Jesus Christ right here in our hands. The Bible that we read is a story. It's a wonderful story. And so we have been in this story, and we've been in the Old Testament this whole time. And just to give you a little recap of where we were, we know that the Israelites, God's people, had been disobedient, serving other gods, not doing what they were supposed to do and following the law, and they were exiled to Babylon. They were conquered and taken to Babylon. But eventually, after 70 years, through a series of ways that God moved on the hearts of the leaders of Babylon, they were able to come back, they were able to rebuild the temple, they rebuilt the walls, and the people were getting settled, and they were living in their homes and going about their lives. However, after all of that, still, many of the priests and the people were far from God. So God sends one final prophet to speak into Israel to try to get them to turn their hearts back to Him. And that was the prophet Malachi. And after Malachi speaks, things went a little quiet for about 400 years. Now, it's not that stuff wasn't happening, right? The Maccabean Revolt took place during that time, and the scriptures were translated into Greek, which is called the Septuagint, and what eventually became the Dead Sea Scrolls, right? All those things were scribed during that season of time, during those 400 years. But God was not speaking to Israel like He had been through His prophets. And so Israel just continued on their path of half-hearted worship and devotion, and a corrupted priesthood. But the time had finally come for God to set His people free once and for all. So the Lord reveals Himself to a young virgin in the town of Galilee. She was engaged to a man named Joseph. An angel comes to this girl, Mary, and tells her that she's going to give birth to a son that was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And this son would be the promised Messiah that would come to once and for all restore the relationship between God and humanity, between God and His creation. And so we're going to be focusing... Now listen, you know, I know it's a little weird, it's June, here we are talking about the birth of Jesus Christ. Like, I know that that maybe seems a little out of place, but you know what? This is the gospel. This is the gospel, but we'll get into a lot of that stuff once we get into the Christmas season. But I really want to focus on Mary. I want to focus on Mary's heart posture toward God in the midst of an angel coming to tell her that she is going to give birth to the Son of God, to the Messiah. And I believe, you know, the byline of this message is keys to fulfilling your God-given destiny. I don't believe that any one of us are here just to take up space. I don't believe that you're here just to breathe up the oxygen that's in this world. I believe that each one of us here has a God-given destiny, a God-given purpose, something for which God has called you to be, something that God has called you to accomplish here on the earth. And I believe that through the story of Mary and understanding how she postured herself toward God, she was able to live out an amazing purpose and destiny. The most amazing purpose and destiny, but there's a lot that we can learn from her. But I cannot imagine the range of emotions that Mary felt when she heard this news, that you are going to give birth to a son that will be the Messiah that has been conceived of the Holy Spirit. But she gives us a clue to her heart posture by her response to this life-changing news. And in the Word of God, a song is recorded that Mary sang to the Lord in response. So we're going to look at this song of Mary. And I think we can all agree that Mary's story is a special one. Throughout history, God gave many people, many women in the Bible, gave them babies, right? We read about Sarah and we read about Hannah and we read about Elizabeth, but there was something special about this baby that God had given to Mary. Because this time, God, through the Holy Spirit, placed His seed into a woman. And this ensured that the child would be fully human, born of a woman, fully human, so that we can identify with Him. But that He would also be fully God, fully divine, so that He had the power to do what He came to do, which is to redeem mankind, to reconcile us back to God. And so as we look at Mary's song and get a glimpse into the way that she postured her heart toward the Lord, let's just allow ourselves to stand in awe at the miracle that has taken place. Let's remember that although we're at the birth of Jesus here in this portion of the story, there was a cross in sight. There was a cross that awaited Jesus. And it was all for us, so that we would be brought into relationship with the Father, and then fulfill our God-given destiny here on earth, and spend eternity with Him, ultimately. Do you believe that you have a God-given destiny? Do you really believe that? Amen. Well then, let's get into this. We're going to look in Luke chapter 1. I'm going to read 11 verses here, beginning in verse 46. Luke 1, verse 46, And Mary said, This is right after the angel gives her the news. Mary said, My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant. From now on, all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me. Holy is His name. His mercy extends to those who fear Him from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with His arm. He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things, but He has sent the rich away empty. He has helped His servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as He promised our ancestors. And Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months, and then returned home. What beautiful words spoken by the mother of Jesus. I think we have a lot to learn from this response. You see, this was not easy for her. Being pregnant outside of marriage was shameful, and would bring much hardship to her and her family. But her response to God in accepting this assignment can teach us some great things. And the first thing that I think that this teaches us is this, God uses the willing. God uses the willing. Verse 48, we just read it, it says, For He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant. You know, the word humble here, it's not referring to how she feels about herself and her posture of heart, although we will get to that, but it's referring to her position in life. Her humble state. Mary belonged to the peasant class. And in those days, the peasant class, they eked out a living through agriculture and small commercial ventures like carpentry. And we know that the man that she was engaged to, Joseph, was a carpenter, and most likely his son, Jesus, was also following in his footsteps as a carpenter. But in those days, 90% of the population bore the burden of supporting the state and the very small privileged class. Their life was grinding. And they had a triple tax burden. You think you're taxed hard now. They had a triple tax burden. They had to pay taxes to Rome, because in this time, Rome had conquered Israel and was occupying Israel. So they had to pay taxes to Rome. And they had to pay taxes to Herod the Great. And they also had to pay taxes to the temple. And so they were triple taxed. This was a humble state that they were in. This was a lowly state. So we know that Mary was not chosen for her status, or her wealth, or her skills, or her ability. She wasn't chosen because her family was of noble descent, or because she was particularly gifted, or because she had good birthing hips. That's not why God chose Mary. But let's look a few verses back and see really why she was chosen. And this goes all the way back to verse 26. We're not going to read it, but the angel visits her and tells her a few things. Number one, the angel says, You are highly favored, and the Lord is with you. And then he tells her, You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you're going to name him Jesus. And when she asked how that could possibly be, since she was a virgin, the angel replied, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and so this child will be the Son of God. I mean, this is mind-blowing stuff that she's hearing from this angel. But this is Mary's response to the angel when he told her this news. Look at verse 38. I am the Lord's servant, Mary, and may your word to me be fulfilled. Then the angel left her. Now, let me just say this. If an angel came to me and said, You're going to get pregnant by God. Assuming that I could get pregnant. And despite what the popular opinion seems to be in this crazy mixed-up culture that we're living in right now, men cannot get pregnant. Can we all agree on that? So don't use those pregnant emojis in your phone. Those male pregnant emojis. That's ridiculous. All right. But if an angel came to me and said, You're going to be pregnant by God. I might just freak out a little bit. Like, no way you're putting a baby in me. This is like something from the Alien movie or something crazy, right? I'm pretty sure that most people would have a freak-out moment of learning of this news. But not Mary. Mary didn't freak out. She had questions. She's like, Are you sure you know what you're talking about? Like, I'm a virgin. She had questions, but eventually she just says, All right. Let it happen just as you have said. She knew the implications of this. To be pregnant and unwed. It meant becoming a social outcast. It meant shame for her and her family. But she said, Okay, let's do it. And that's why she was chosen. Because she was willing. She was willing. And that's all God wants from you. Can I tell you that? What God wants from you is a willing spirit. A willing heart. That when He speaks, that you respond with one word. Yes. What is it that you want, Lord? If that's what you want me to do, then yes. Whatever it is. That when He points you in a particular direction in your life, that you willingly go that direction and leave everything else behind you and you follow what it is that God has called you to do. He's looking for willingness. He's looking for a willing spirit. That's why He chose Mary. And that's what I love about this gospel. Because it is a whosoever will gospel. You know, there's very little requirement in order to be brought into God's plan. Right? You need to acknowledge Jesus. You need to turn from sin. You need to have a willing heart. That's it. Right? Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. And have a willing heart then to walk into the plan that He has for you. You know, when I came to Christ, I was running in every way a person could possibly run. I knew the truth. I grew up in church. But I was trying to find myself in every other thing. Whether it was business and trying to identify with that world or education and friends and partying and those kinds of... I was trying to find myself in those things. But while I was on the run, Jesus reached out to me. And I responded with a willing heart. And for these 26 years, my heart has remained willing. And the rest, as they say, is history. But listen, you don't need status or money or skills or a perfect life. Mary had none of those things. But she was willing. You just need a willing heart. A heart that allows Jesus to transform you first and then use you. And you'll find that God's plan for you is greater than what you could have ever imagined. No matter what plan that you had set up for yourself already, when you get in lockstep with God and His plan for your life, you will find that it is so much greater than anything you could have ever imagined. And if you are in Christ, you can go as high with Him as you want. It's just all about how willing you are to follow Him. How willing are you to follow Christ's plan for your life? I'm not talking about following the world and just keeping Jesus in your peripheral. That's how a lot of us live. Jesus is kind of a bolt-on, an add-on to our life. I'm talking about a willingness to go all in. A willingness to say, Alright God, go ahead and do it just like You said. I'll follow You. I'm with You. A willingness in all or nothing. And if you're willing to do that and live your life that way, you can keep going higher and higher and higher in Him and you will be amazed and blown away how God will use you in your life. So God uses the willing. But I think the second thing that we can learn from Mary's response to this news is this. God blesses the humble. Humility is a very, very important currency in the Kingdom of God. Look what it says here in verse 50. His mercy extends to those who fear Him from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with His arm. He has scattered those who are proud and their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has lifted up the humble. You know, God's not looking for people who have their act together. He's not looking for the most talented. He's not interested in the arrogant or the selfishly ambitious. He just wants us humble. He just wants us in that state where we realize that we need Him. That's where He needs us to be. And we don't need to look much further than Jesus' life to see this in action. Right? We've all heard the expression to walk a mile in someone's shoes. Jesus certainly walked a mile in our shoes. But really, He walked a mile in shoes that many of us are unwilling to wear. Look what it says in Luke 9, verse 58. Jesus replied, Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head. Jesus set out to change the world, yet He was homeless. Now let's fast forward this to the world that we live in today and how we advise people to establish their lives. Take care of yourself first, then take care of everyone else. If you don't have your act together, then people won't respect you or listen. And unfortunately, that seems to be very true. People want to see that you're buttoned up and that you have your act together in order to follow you, respect you, receive from you. When I was seeking ordination with the assemblies of God, they wanted to make sure I had my act together. Some of you are looking at me going, he still don't have his act together. But they did. They ran my credit. They looked at my credit report and they wanted me to explain things that are on there that don't look quite right. Like, are you borrowing money that you're not paying back? They wanted to make sure I had my act together. And that's our reality for today, right? But that's not how God works. God's not looking for you to be buttoned up and have your act together. It's not what He needs. He doesn't need you living in the nice part of town. He doesn't need you wearing the nicest threads and wearing Nike sneakers. Like, that's not what He needs. That's an earthly thing, right? Because we run after things before we run after God. That's why people don't tithe or at least they don't give offerings, right? Because something else is always more important. They're running after something else. That's why we don't witness to our friends or our neighbors, right? Our reputation is more important than somebody else's soul or simply being obedient to the Great Commission. That's why some people don't regularly attend a church service or get involved and serve because weekends at the beach and sleeping in and binge-watching Netflix, right? Those are all the priorities in their lives. But in your life, what God is looking for is not for you to be chasing after every little thing and keep Him in the peripheral and be like, I'm okay, I've got this, Lord, I'm okay, my life's good enough, right? He wants you humble. He's looking for humility. And listen, humility is not a feeling that I'm less than other people. That's insecurity. Okay, humility is not meekness, having a gentle spirit. That's not humility. I mean, it's a good quality, but that's not what humility is. True humility is a willingness to give up myself for another person, right? When I was a children's pastor, you don't have to break everything down to real simple terms. When I was a children's pastor and I was teaching humility to children, I would say, here's what humility looks like in reality. Don't call shotgun when you're on your way to the car so that you can sit in the front seat and your brother or your friend sits in the back. Let them use it, let them have it, right? Defer to them. When there's one more slice of pizza left, that you don't go just grab that thing, but you make sure if somebody else wants it, they get it, right? This is how we talk, because humility is I don't put myself before others. That's true humility. Humility says my life, my conveniences, my desires, they are all second to the call of God in my life, to obedience in His Word, to His Word. That's true humility. That's saying that I've got a dream that I want to be a fill-in-the-blank. This is what I want to be when I grow up. This is what I'm chasing after. I want a boat. I want to be able to live in a house on this side of town, or I want to be able to do... And then God comes along and says, Wait a second, that is not what I've called you to. That's not what I want for you. I've told you this a hundred times. My dream and my vision for myself was to just be a nice upper middle class citizen in a nice little suburban area of wherever I was living with a picket fence and 2.4 kids and a dog and a cat. That's what I wanted, right? And that's not reality. I wasn't able to chase after those things because God got a hold of my heart and said, That's not what I've got for you. Now, I still don't have a white picket fence, but I do have more than 2.4 kids. I've got three. And I do have a dog and a cat. But it took a long time to get all these things. But that's not what we were running after. That's not what we were running after because that wasn't the call that God placed in my life. Your true humility in your life says, What I want for me is not as important as what God wants for me. And I'm telling you, you all agreed with me. Yes, I have a God-given destiny. And if you are questioning what that is, or you have never given it two thoughts in your life, I'm telling you, you've got to get to a place in your heart where you're saying, God, why am I here? Why? The answer for everybody isn't going to be a preacher. The answer for everybody is not going to be that you're going to be a worship leader. The answer for you might simply be that you've got to get out of your comfort zone on your job so that you can begin to share Christ with other people. It might be that He wants you to do something in your community where you live. It may not be in the context of the church. And most likely, it won't be. But what is it, God, that you are calling me to? Because I need something to chase after. And if I'm not chasing after God, if I'm not chasing after His plan and His call on my life, then all I'm chasing after is the world, which is the very thing that got the Israelites in trouble that we've been talking about for the last 496 weeks of this sermon series. We need to chase after God. So the last thing I want you to see, so we talk about God uses the willing. God blesses the humble, right? He wants us willing and He wants us humble. But the third thing is this, and this is His part, God keeps His promises. Look in verse 54 of the song that Mary sang. He said, He has helped His servant Israel remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as He promised our ancestors. You remember, right? We talked a lot about Abraham through this series and the promise that God gave to Abraham, the promise that I'm going to make you into a great nation and through you all the nations of the earth will be blessed. God was faithful to keep that promise. Mary saw that what she was receiving as her calling and her destiny was a fulfillment of the promise that God made to her ancestor Abraham. So this scripture tells us of God's faithfulness to His promise to Abraham and to Israel, that the Messiah would come, but I want to specifically personalize this to Mary. Because I believe that many of us have received some sort of promise or some sort of direction to go from the Lord, whatever that might be, and we're just, we're going, Really? Really? Is that really going to happen? Am I really going to? God gives us promises, but He's faithful to keep them. But I want to personalize this specifically for Mary, not for all of Israel, not for all of the world, but specifically God's faithfulness in keeping His promises towards Mary. Now there are other written records of Mary's life, one of which is a gospel that was written and is attributed to James. And the earliest manuscripts of it date to around 150 AD. Now this particular manuscript was not accepted into what we call the biblical canon. Right? You're not going to find the gospel of James in the Bible. But there are many, many historical books and letters that have been written that while not necessarily in the biblical canon, still have historical value that we can learn from. Some of these are what are called the apocryphal writings. Catholicism and many Eastern Orthodox believers actually consider some of these apocryphal writings as Scripture. Their Bible is a little different than ours. They've got more books in it because they consider some of these other things to be Scripture. But we don't. We believe that this is the canonized Bible, that this is the Word of God, that what's in here is inspired by God for men to write. So what I'm about to share with you is solely for illustrative purposes. Please understand that, OK? I'm not saying that this is inspired Scripture, but this is for illustrative purposes. The written history explains that when Mary was three years old, that she was presented to the temple by her parents, Anna and Joachim. And the gospel of James describes it like this. When the child turned three, Joachim said, Let's call the pure women of the Hebrews. Let them pick up lamps and light them so the child will not turn back and her heart will never be led away from the temple of the Lord. And they did these things until they went up to the temple of the Lord. And the priest welcomed her. This is Mary, OK? The priest, as a three-year-old. The priest welcomed her, kissing her. He blessed her and said, The Lord God has magnified your name for all generations. Through you, the Lord will reveal deliverance to the children of Israel in the last days. And he set her down on the third step of the altar and the Lord God poured grace upon her. And she danced triumphantly with her drinks and every house in Israel loved her. So she's presented to the temple and the priest of the temple proclaims that Mary will be an instrument of deliverance used by God. This promise came to Mary at age three. And here's what I want to say about this. We know the amazing story of the birth of Christ and how God used Mary to bring redemption to mankind. God has purposes for His people and He is faithful to those plans and those promises that He makes. But here's what I also want to say about this. We play a part in the promises of God being fulfilled in our lives. We have excellent children's nursery and youth programs so bring the family. For Pastor John DiQuatro, I'm Scott Chestnut. Thanks again for listening and God bless you.