HE’S COMING!
Rev. Mark F. Bartels
Epistle Lesson;
Hebrews 10:5-10
Old Testament Lesson;
Micah 5:2-4
Sermon Text,
Luke 1:39-55
Have you ever stopped to wonder what went through Mary’s mind, after the angel, Gabriel, left her? The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her that she would be with child, even though she was a virgin! Gabriel told her that the Holy Spirit would come upon her, she would be with child, and would give birth to a son. Gabriel told her that the child to be born of her would be called the Son of God! He would be the Savior of the world! Then, the angel was gone. And, there was Mary, that humble, insignificant maiden, left all by herself.
Do you ever wonder what went through her mind, at that point? You know the devil wants to challenge any promise that we have from God. The greater the promise, the more the devil challenges it. Do you think that the devil began to tempt Mary? Do you think that the devil began to challenge whether what had just happened was really true? Do you think that the devil began to whisper into Mary’s ear, saying, "Did you really see an angel, or was that just a hallucination? Were you just imagining things? Do you really think that YOU, a humble, insignificant maiden in Nazareth, (which is a no name town), would be the mother of the LORD, the mother of God, Himself?" Do you think that the devil began to tempt Mary, trying to make her to be weakened in her faith? I am almost positive that he probably did try to tempt her.
Mary, (like any believer, no matter how strong a believer they are) wanted to be strengthened in her faith. She wanted to have it confirmed that what the angel told her, was actually true. So where could Mary go? Where could she go, to have it confirmed in her heart that this was not a hallucination, this wasn’t her imagination, it was really true?
The angel had left her a very significant piece of information. Mary, being a good listener of God’s Word, had picked up on that piece of information. The angel said to Mary,
"Even Elizabeth, your relative, although she is well advanced in years is expecting, and will give birth to a son. She, who has been called barren, is in her sixth month. For with God, nothing is impossible."
Mary, wanting to be strengthened in her faith, knew exactly where to go. Gabriel had just given to her some significant information that could confirm her faith. The angel had said that Elizabeth, an old woman, was, by a miracle, in her sixth month of pregnancy. Where else would she go, but to Elizabeth? The Bible tells us Mary got ready and hurried to the hill country of Judea. If she truly found Elizabeth with child sixth months, she would have confirmation that what the angel told her was true. You can imagine young Mary, hurrying through the hill country, on that seventy-five mile journey, bursting into the house of Elizabeth!
Now, I want you to see how the Holy Spirit used two people to strengthen and confirm Mary in her faith. As she burst through that door of Elizabeth’s house, what was the first thing that Elizabeth said to her? It is almost enough to make your heart stop! Because, as soon as Mary walked through the door, the Holy Spirit filled Elizabeth’s heart, she looked at Mary, and said,
"Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the child you will bear!"
Now, nobody knew that Mary was pregnant. You have to remember there weren’t telephones in those days, and there wasn’t E-Mail, either. And so, Elizabeth had no word from Mary, whatsoever, of what the angel had told her. Mary was the only one who had heard that message of the angel. So, how did Elizabeth know that information? How did she know that? It was by special revelation of God. And there it was confirmed to Mary.
Elizabeth said to her, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?"
There, it was confirmed to Mary that she would give birth to the Lord, the Savior of the world, God, Himself! The Holy Spirit used Elizabeth to strengthen Mary in her faith.
Then Elizabeth said to Mary, "Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"
There, Elizabeth told Mary that she is blessed, because she trusts God’s Word. It is not so much because she was going to be the mother of the Savior. You know someone once said to Jesus, when He was full grown, "Blessed is the womb that gave birth to you", as if giving birth to Jesus is some great blessing.
You know what Jesus responded? He said,
"No, rather,
blessed are those who
hear the Word of God and keep it."
Here Elizabeth was saying to Mary that she was blessed because she trusts God’s Word.
So Mary was strengthened through the words of Elizabeth. The Holy Spirit used Elizabeth. But then the Holy Spirit used someone else, too.
The Holy Spirit used
someone who could not even talk,
a little, tiny baby who was still in his mother’s womb,
little John the Baptist, who had not even been born yet!
Here the Holy Spirit used that little, tiny infant to strengthen Mary in her faith and confirm what the Lord had said was true. As soon as Mary walked into the house, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leaped. Elizabeth explained to Mary, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, that the baby leaped for joy. What a miracle! That little, unborn infant knew his Savior. He knew that his Savior was in the room. He was happy and he was joyful! How that confirmed and strengthened Mary in her faith.
What a wonderful time of year it is for us to look at this! Christmas is an awesome time for you and me to be strengthened in our faith! And, it is an awesome time for you and me to be instruments of the Holy Spirit, by which we strengthen one another, in our faith! Oh, how we all need to be strengthened in our faith, to have those promises confirmed to us.
Let us just look at the two ways that the Holy Spirit strengthened Mary in her faith. First of all the Holy Spirit used a little, tiny infant. That is an awesome thing to think about! You know, God tells us in the Book of Psalms that out of the mouths of infants and children, the LORD has ordained praise. Little children, even the littlest child, can be there and be an instrument of the Holy Spirit to strengthen us in our faith. For example, I think about our Sunday School Christmas Service, that we have at our church. And, I think about our school’s service that we had the other evening. I think about those little children. I think about how the Holy Spirit works, through the words of their mouths, with joy on their lips, as they witness their simple faith in their Savior, who was born to them, confirming us once again in our faith. I think about how the Holy Spirit works through those words to strengthen fellow believers in their faith. There, through the words, the mouths of little children, the Holy Spirit works through song and scripture, to build us up and confirm us in our faith.
And you, children, don’t think that you are too small, or too young, or too insignificant to be an instrument through which the Holy Spirit strengthens someone in his or her faith. What a wonderful opportunity to speak to your mom and dad. What a wonderful opportunity to speak to Grandpa and Grandma! What a wonderful opportunity to speak to aunts and uncles, and to neighbors, expressing your simple faith in Jesus, as your Savior! What a wonderful time to be strengthened in our faith and strengthen one another in our faith.
And so, God used that little, tiny infant. But, He also used Elizabeth, who was close relative of Mary. This is the time of the year, when we especially think about being in contact with close friends and family. This is especially the time of the year, when it is the perfect opportunity to witness our simple faith in Jesus as our Savior, to our friends and family. Through that simple witness, the Holy Spirit works to build us up and strengthen us in our faith.
I think about all the Christmas cards and letters that come to our house. And, I will tell you that it is always a joy to stop at the paragraph where someone talks about his or her faith. I know that through that message, the Holy Spirit works to strengthen me in my own faith.
I want to give you some examples of Christmas Cards and letters that we received in the mail. One card from somebody had a simple, little piece of paper inside, with this Bible verse,
"This is how God showed His love among us.
He sent His One and only Son into the world,
that we might live through Him.
This is love.
Not that we love God,
but that He loved us and sent His Son
as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."
1 John 4:9-10
What a witness of faith! What an opportunity to strengthen another person in their faith.
We got this letter that starts out,
Dear family and friends,
What a great treasure the LORD has given us in His Son Jesus. Jesus is God who came to take away the sin of the world.
Thanks be to God, for this fabulous gift of grace!
What a wonderful opportunity to witness and strengthen others in their faith!
Here’s a letter I got from my uncle, who is a carpenter, out in Nebraska.
Dear family and friends,
2003 has been a good year. God has blessed all of us more than we can even realize. The fact that He sent His Son on that first Christmas to take care of our sins and give us the hope of heaven is the good news of the year!
What a witness of faith!
Here is another message we got.
A lot of promises that we make are so easily broken. That is why I like the promises that God makes to us. There are three that I especially enjoy:
The promise to always be with us,
The promise to forgive our sins, and
The promise to take us to Heaven, when we die.
I know that I can count on those promises. Thank goodness for the Christmas reminder that when God sent His Son to this earth, it was simply because to Him a promise is a promise.
What a wonderful witness of faith!
Then, this message we received really went into depth.
As we contemplate the scene of the Virgin Mary, Joseph, and the infant Jesus, what can come to mind is a very serene image. But, we have to ask ourselves, what lies below the surface of this quiet moment? The infant of Bethlehem was not born that night in a clean hospital, with attending doctors and nurses. No. He entered the world, and was He not wrapped in fine baby clothing and placed in a fine nursery? No. He was wrapped in strips of cloth and placed in a feeding trough.
This reminds us that He became poor and lowly, to raise us to eternal glory. He took upon Himself, our lowliness, sin, and death. And in exchange, gave us His forgiveness, life and salvation.
What is this child who laid to rest on Mary’s lap is sleeping? He is the Word of God. He is the Lamb of God, who came to take away the sin of the world. He is the Lord of lords, and the King of kings, who will bring salvation to all people.
Again, a wonderful witness of faith!
Christmas time is an awesome time to use the opportunity to share your faith in Jesus, as your Savior, with your friends, your family, and your relatives. And, it is an awesome time to be strengthened in your faith, by your friends, by your family, and by your relatives!
Now, I want to get to the response of Mary, to all of this. Let me preface it this way. On Friday night, we were at a Holy Cross basketball game, up in Lebanon. Before the game started, Sherri and I went up to the concession stand and bought a couple of hotdogs. As we were sitting in the cafeteria there, we were talking to another school parent from Holy Cross. We got onto the topic of witnessing our faith, and people who, when you witness to them, basically say that Christianity is for weak people. These people think that Christianity is for people who are not strong enough to get through the troubles and trials of this world and need some crutch to lean on. In other words, they think Christianity is for weak people.
The man, we were talking to, came back with such a simple, profound answer that cut through all the fat, and got right to the point! In response to the comment that Christianity is for weak people, he looked at us and without batting an eye said,
"They are right. They are right! Christianity is for weak people. All you have to do is look at yourself in the mirror for five seconds and you see how weak you are."
Isn’t that true? All you have to do is look in the mirror for five seconds and there you see the wrinkles that are appearing, and the gray hair that are sprouting! And, you can’t stop it. We see the progression towards death, which we can’t stop and then we see how weak we are.
When I look in the mirror, I see what everyone else sees when they look at me. But, I also see what no one else sees. I see the hypocrisy. I see the sinful thoughts that I have had, and the things that have gone through my mind that no one else knows. I see the sins that I wish were gone. I see how weak I am.
That is whom Jesus is for.
Jesus
is for
weak people,
who know that they
need
a strong Savior.
That is exactly how Mary responded to the words of Elizabeth. Just listen to what she said, and hear the theme of strength and weakness come through in here.
"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 in most thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty."
There is someone who understood her weakness. She understood that she was poor, humble, and lowly. And she needed a mighty, strong Savior who with His arm would save her. If anyone is proud and thinks, "I am so special, why would I need a Savior?" Then Christmas doesn’t bring any special happiness.
If anyone thinks, "I am rich. I have everything that I need. Why would I need a Savior?" Then Christmas brings no special joy.
If anyone thinks, "I am a ruler. I am in control of everything." Then Christmas is of no special significance.
But,
to those who recognize their weakness,
to those who say, "I am a sinner",
to those who see death approaching
to those who see the strength of hell and sin,
what a special joy Christmas is!
There we see our strong and mighty Savior, who has come to save us. Look at how He did it.
He did it, by becoming weak and lowly in our place.
He did it, by being wrapped in swaddling clothes, laid in a feed trough, weak and lowly.
He did it, by being bloodied and put to death, weak and lowly on the cross.
Underneath that weakness, in a different dimension, was the strong and mighty arm of our Savior, who
v
by His power and might, defeated all sin, and paid for it completely.v
By His power and might, defeated the power of death.v
By His power and might, broke the bonds of Hell."For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given. The government shall be upon His shoulders. And He shall be called wonderful councilor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the prince of peace."
Christmas is a time for weak people, to be strengthened in their faith and strengthen one another in their faith.
Amen.
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