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Our Lord is so Good!
We are already two weeks from Christmas! Can you believe it?
The stores are packed and I feel like everyone is rushing to get everything ready for Christmas. I thoroughly enjoy this season and the anticipation of Christ’s coming but I am often loosing focus on Jesus as I go about ordinary life type things such as shopping for gifts, decorating, bearing with corny holiday sales, and discussing how close Christmas is getting.
I mean, I am just an “ordinary” man going about “ordinary” Christmas preparations before (probably) another “ordinary” year.
Well before I dig into the passage of Scripture for the post I would like you to read about two ordinary women being overwhelmed by the magnificent works of their mighty God.
Read: Luke 1:26-45.
Mary is in no way given any honor even close to what God is given in this passage. As in all of God’s Word He is the focus of praise.
Now read: Luke 1:46-55.
Big Idea of Luke 1:46-55: We should magnify the Lord for His blessings.
The following section of Scripture is often referred to as “the Magnificat”. This is because in Latin “magnificat” is the first word in this section and it adequately describes the entire eleven verses. “Magnificat” simply means “it magnifies”.
When I was a young boy I had a strong fascination with ants and would often stop outside to examine an anthill. At one point my mom purchased a toy detective kit for me. It contained a notebook, pencil, magnifying glass, and various other “detective equipment”. But I think the only thing I used was the magnifying glass… and not to solve mysteries… I used this magnifying glass to get a better look at those ants! My cheep toy made the ants look bigger so I could understand them better. This is what it means to magnify someone.
Luke 1:46 [NASB] “And Mary said: / ‘My soul exalts [makes great, magnifies] the Lord…”
For Mary to exalt, make great, or magnify the Lord was for her to make Him appear bigger to those who would hear or read this song. God, of course, is larger than everything else. In fact, He has no physical limits and is bigger than anything our imagination could conceive of. But we don’t often see Him that way. We are often, to quote Pastor Carl Strine, “placing Him in a box”. In striving to understand and explain God we often make Him look smaller rather than larger. Mary is going to make your God look larger to you than you often see Him. She is about to “magnify the Lord” so that all those who hear or read her song will understand Him better.
To magnify God is to make Him look bigger so others can understand Him better.
I. Magnifying the Lord for His Blessings to Me (vv. 46-49).
Mary begins her song with personal adoration and thanks; magnifying the Lord for how He has blessed her personally. Often our praise springs up like this, flowing out of the joy we have at those mountaintop experiences when the Lord shows Himself to us in a mighty and merciful manner.
A. Beginning to Praise the Lord (vv. 46-47).
“Some question whether a young, uneducated country girl could have composed this magnificent prophetic poem. Yet Mary might have been well acquainted with the O.T. passages alluded to from worship in the synagogue and talk in her home.” (Richards).
Vv. 46-47 (NASB) “And Mary said: / ‘My soul exalts the Lord, / And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.’”
“She called God my Savior (sōtēri mou) showing an intimate acquaintance with Him” (Walvoord).
B. Personal Praise to the Lord (vv. 48-49).
Vv. 48-49 (NASB) “For He [the Lord] has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; / For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. / For the Mighty One has done great things for me; / And holy is His name.”
Christian, has the Lord done great things for you? You better believe it! This entire passage, and the Advent and Christmas season, centers on, flows out of, and brings glory to Jesus. Jesus is our savior from Hell, death, sin, and God’s wrath. Jesus is our Lord and master (a perfect, loving, and caring master). Jesus even sent us the Holy Spirit when, in faith, we laid our lives at His feet. God now resides within us! Christian, God has indeed done great things for you that began with the coming of Christ at Christmas. Due to the events that would follow God being born as a man our Lord would choose you, forgive you, redeem you, fill you, sanctify you, and one day will glorify you.
Our praise, in every song at church, in every daily prayer, in every conversation we have about God, begins with the fact that you are blessed of God. Feel free to praise God for what He has done for you personally. Feel free to praise God like Jesus’ mother, Mary.
But don’t stop there. Remember that you are not the only Christian being blessed. Take a moment to think of your brothers and sisters in your local church. All around you are people blessed of God. People that God has changed, healed, forgiven, encouraged, and empowered. Now imagine how many blessings God has shown to His people over 2,000 years of the existence of His Church. Our Lord has even blessed Israel and repentant Gentiles throughout all of Earth’s history. We can also magnify and praise our mighty Lord for all He has done for all of His people.
II. Magnifying the Lord for His Blessings to His People (vv. 50-55).
Now the more we know of God’s works throughout history the more specifics we have to praise Him for. In other words, if you love God, the better you know Scripture, the easier magnifying Him will be.
Mary must have known the Scriptures very well. There could be up to fifteen different OT references and allusions in this song!
“Mary took God’s promises to Israel literally and did not explain them away” (Wiersbe).
A. Continued Blessings Bring Us to Praise (vv. 50-53).
Vv. 50-53 (NASB) “And His mercy is upon generation after generation / Toward those who fear Him. / He has done mighty deeds with His arm; / He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. / He has brought down rulers from their thrones, / And has exalted those who were humble. / He has filled the hungry with good things; / And sent away the rich empty-handed.”
This is typical Jewish prophecy in that it is pointing both to the past and to the future. Mary is describing the Lord’s works in Israel’s history as well as the works her son, the Messiah, would do in the future.
In v. 50 Mary is quoting a Psalm of David. Psalm 103:17 (NRSV) reads “But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting / on those who fear him, / and his righteousness to children’s children, / to those who keep his covenant / and remember to do his commandments.”
In v. 51 Mary could be remembering a couple different Psalms. One possible passage she could have had in mind is Psalm 98:1 (NRSV) “O sing to the Lord a new song, / for he has done marvelous things. / His right hand and his holy arm / have gotten him victory.”
In v. 52 perhaps Mary is remembering some of the oldest words in all of Scripture; the words of righteous Job. Job 5:10-11 (NRSV) reads “He gives rain on the earth / and sends waters on the fields; / he sets on high those who are lowly, / and those who mourn are lifted to safety.”
In v. 53 Mary may be quoting Psalm 107:9 where David wrote “For he satisfies the thirsty, and the hungry he fills with good things” (NRSV).
God has always had mercy on those who revere Him, He has always given victory and lifted up the humble, He has always supplied the needs of the needy who seek Him.
Ultimately, though, these acts will have their complete fulfillment (here comes the prophecy) in the reign of Jesus Christ on earth. Mary is recognizing that her Son, the Messiah, is going to have mercy on all, He is going to defeat all of the proud, and He is going to eradicate all hunger and starvation from humankind. Jesus will bring about a perfect world. God may do these acts of mercy for His people today but one day we will be practically drowning in His merciful works in a perfect world.
B. The Help of the Messiah Brings Us to Praise (vv. 54-55).
Vv. 54-55 (NASB) “He has given help to Israel His servant, / In remembrance of His mercy, / As He spoke to our fathers, / To Abraham and his descendants forever.”
Through the Child that Mary was to give birth to, God was being merciful to Abraham and his descendants. Mary was aware that the birth of her Child was a fulfillment of the covenant promises to Abraham and his people.
Goodness! Talk about a lot to praise God for. So what is it that keeps us from magnifying God as we should during Christmas? Could it be that not all of life is filled with these mountaintop experiences like what Mary is having here in our text? Could it be that ordinary life suppresses our desire to praise God for all He has done?
Conclusion: We should magnify the Lord for His blessings.
Luke 1:56 (NASB) “And Mary stayed with her [Elizabeth] about three months, and then returned to her home.”
At times we will be overwhelmed by what God is doing in our lives. But the magnificent can soon seem ordinary. Even with an air of anticipation of Jesus’ birth Mary went home to go about her normal life. For us, Christ has already come to earth and returned to Heaven. Many of us have already been overwhelmed by the Gospel and driven to give our lives to God and praise Him. We have God living within us. But we still must go to work, maintain finances, plan meals, care for children, go to school, keep up with family, upkeep our homes, and make Christmas plans. Mary went through something similar. But for Mary, the mother of God, and for us, the dwelling places of God, we have the same reasons to praise and magnify God in the “ordinary” as we do in the magnificent. Our lives will never be the same now that God has shown mercy to us and is residing with us. While we go about everyday life we can praise God as we serve Him in our families, in our church, and in our jobs… because God has now changed the normal into the magnificent permanently. Let us permanently magnify the Lord for this!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mills, M. S. The Life of Christ: A Study Guide to the Gospel Record. Dallas, TX: 3E Ministries, 1999.
Richards, Lawrence O. The Bible Readers Companion. electronic ed. Wheaton: Victor Books, 1991.
Wiersbe, Warren W. Wiersbe's Expository Outlines on the New Testament. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1997.
New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989.
Our Lord is so Good!
We are already two weeks from Christmas! Can you believe it?
The stores are packed and I feel like everyone is rushing to get everything ready for Christmas. I thoroughly enjoy this season and the anticipation of Christ’s coming but I am often loosing focus on Jesus as I go about ordinary life type things such as shopping for gifts, decorating, bearing with corny holiday sales, and discussing how close Christmas is getting.
I mean, I am just an “ordinary” man going about “ordinary” Christmas preparations before (probably) another “ordinary” year.
Well before I dig into the passage of Scripture for the post I would like you to read about two ordinary women being overwhelmed by the magnificent works of their mighty God.
Read: Luke 1:26-45.
Mary is in no way given any honor even close to what God is given in this passage. As in all of God’s Word He is the focus of praise.
Now read: Luke 1:46-55.
Big Idea of Luke 1:46-55: We should magnify the Lord for His blessings.
The following section of Scripture is often referred to as “the Magnificat”. This is because in Latin “magnificat” is the first word in this section and it adequately describes the entire eleven verses. “Magnificat” simply means “it magnifies”.
When I was a young boy I had a strong fascination with ants and would often stop outside to examine an anthill. At one point my mom purchased a toy detective kit for me. It contained a notebook, pencil, magnifying glass, and various other “detective equipment”. But I think the only thing I used was the magnifying glass… and not to solve mysteries… I used this magnifying glass to get a better look at those ants! My cheep toy made the ants look bigger so I could understand them better. This is what it means to magnify someone.
Luke 1:46 [NASB] “And Mary said: / ‘My soul exalts [makes great, magnifies] the Lord…”
For Mary to exalt, make great, or magnify the Lord was for her to make Him appear bigger to those who would hear or read this song. God, of course, is larger than everything else. In fact, He has no physical limits and is bigger than anything our imagination could conceive of. But we don’t often see Him that way. We are often, to quote Pastor Carl Strine, “placing Him in a box”. In striving to understand and explain God we often make Him look smaller rather than larger. Mary is going to make your God look larger to you than you often see Him. She is about to “magnify the Lord” so that all those who hear or read her song will understand Him better.
To magnify God is to make Him look bigger so others can understand Him better.
I. Magnifying the Lord for His Blessings to Me (vv. 46-49).
Mary begins her song with personal adoration and thanks; magnifying the Lord for how He has blessed her personally. Often our praise springs up like this, flowing out of the joy we have at those mountaintop experiences when the Lord shows Himself to us in a mighty and merciful manner.
A. Beginning to Praise the Lord (vv. 46-47).
“Some question whether a young, uneducated country girl could have composed this magnificent prophetic poem. Yet Mary might have been well acquainted with the O.T. passages alluded to from worship in the synagogue and talk in her home.” (Richards).
Vv. 46-47 (NASB) “And Mary said: / ‘My soul exalts the Lord, / And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.’”
“She called God my Savior (sōtēri mou) showing an intimate acquaintance with Him” (Walvoord).
B. Personal Praise to the Lord (vv. 48-49).
Vv. 48-49 (NASB) “For He [the Lord] has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; / For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. / For the Mighty One has done great things for me; / And holy is His name.”
Christian, has the Lord done great things for you? You better believe it! This entire passage, and the Advent and Christmas season, centers on, flows out of, and brings glory to Jesus. Jesus is our savior from Hell, death, sin, and God’s wrath. Jesus is our Lord and master (a perfect, loving, and caring master). Jesus even sent us the Holy Spirit when, in faith, we laid our lives at His feet. God now resides within us! Christian, God has indeed done great things for you that began with the coming of Christ at Christmas. Due to the events that would follow God being born as a man our Lord would choose you, forgive you, redeem you, fill you, sanctify you, and one day will glorify you.
Our praise, in every song at church, in every daily prayer, in every conversation we have about God, begins with the fact that you are blessed of God. Feel free to praise God for what He has done for you personally. Feel free to praise God like Jesus’ mother, Mary.
But don’t stop there. Remember that you are not the only Christian being blessed. Take a moment to think of your brothers and sisters in your local church. All around you are people blessed of God. People that God has changed, healed, forgiven, encouraged, and empowered. Now imagine how many blessings God has shown to His people over 2,000 years of the existence of His Church. Our Lord has even blessed Israel and repentant Gentiles throughout all of Earth’s history. We can also magnify and praise our mighty Lord for all He has done for all of His people.
II. Magnifying the Lord for His Blessings to His People (vv. 50-55).
Now the more we know of God’s works throughout history the more specifics we have to praise Him for. In other words, if you love God, the better you know Scripture, the easier magnifying Him will be.
Mary must have known the Scriptures very well. There could be up to fifteen different OT references and allusions in this song!
“Mary took God’s promises to Israel literally and did not explain them away” (Wiersbe).
A. Continued Blessings Bring Us to Praise (vv. 50-53).
Vv. 50-53 (NASB) “And His mercy is upon generation after generation / Toward those who fear Him. / He has done mighty deeds with His arm; / He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. / He has brought down rulers from their thrones, / And has exalted those who were humble. / He has filled the hungry with good things; / And sent away the rich empty-handed.”
This is typical Jewish prophecy in that it is pointing both to the past and to the future. Mary is describing the Lord’s works in Israel’s history as well as the works her son, the Messiah, would do in the future.
In v. 50 Mary is quoting a Psalm of David. Psalm 103:17 (NRSV) reads “But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting / on those who fear him, / and his righteousness to children’s children, / to those who keep his covenant / and remember to do his commandments.”
In v. 51 Mary could be remembering a couple different Psalms. One possible passage she could have had in mind is Psalm 98:1 (NRSV) “O sing to the Lord a new song, / for he has done marvelous things. / His right hand and his holy arm / have gotten him victory.”
In v. 52 perhaps Mary is remembering some of the oldest words in all of Scripture; the words of righteous Job. Job 5:10-11 (NRSV) reads “He gives rain on the earth / and sends waters on the fields; / he sets on high those who are lowly, / and those who mourn are lifted to safety.”
In v. 53 Mary may be quoting Psalm 107:9 where David wrote “For he satisfies the thirsty, and the hungry he fills with good things” (NRSV).
God has always had mercy on those who revere Him, He has always given victory and lifted up the humble, He has always supplied the needs of the needy who seek Him.
Ultimately, though, these acts will have their complete fulfillment (here comes the prophecy) in the reign of Jesus Christ on earth. Mary is recognizing that her Son, the Messiah, is going to have mercy on all, He is going to defeat all of the proud, and He is going to eradicate all hunger and starvation from humankind. Jesus will bring about a perfect world. God may do these acts of mercy for His people today but one day we will be practically drowning in His merciful works in a perfect world.
B. The Help of the Messiah Brings Us to Praise (vv. 54-55).
Vv. 54-55 (NASB) “He has given help to Israel His servant, / In remembrance of His mercy, / As He spoke to our fathers, / To Abraham and his descendants forever.”
Through the Child that Mary was to give birth to, God was being merciful to Abraham and his descendants. Mary was aware that the birth of her Child was a fulfillment of the covenant promises to Abraham and his people.
Goodness! Talk about a lot to praise God for. So what is it that keeps us from magnifying God as we should during Christmas? Could it be that not all of life is filled with these mountaintop experiences like what Mary is having here in our text? Could it be that ordinary life suppresses our desire to praise God for all He has done?
Conclusion: We should magnify the Lord for His blessings.
Luke 1:56 (NASB) “And Mary stayed with her [Elizabeth] about three months, and then returned to her home.”
At times we will be overwhelmed by what God is doing in our lives. But the magnificent can soon seem ordinary. Even with an air of anticipation of Jesus’ birth Mary went home to go about her normal life. For us, Christ has already come to earth and returned to Heaven. Many of us have already been overwhelmed by the Gospel and driven to give our lives to God and praise Him. We have God living within us. But we still must go to work, maintain finances, plan meals, care for children, go to school, keep up with family, upkeep our homes, and make Christmas plans. Mary went through something similar. But for Mary, the mother of God, and for us, the dwelling places of God, we have the same reasons to praise and magnify God in the “ordinary” as we do in the magnificent. Our lives will never be the same now that God has shown mercy to us and is residing with us. While we go about everyday life we can praise God as we serve Him in our families, in our church, and in our jobs… because God has now changed the normal into the magnificent permanently. Let us permanently magnify the Lord for this!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mills, M. S. The Life of Christ: A Study Guide to the Gospel Record. Dallas, TX: 3E Ministries, 1999.
Richards, Lawrence O. The Bible Readers Companion. electronic ed. Wheaton: Victor Books, 1991.
Wiersbe, Warren W. Wiersbe's Expository Outlines on the New Testament. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1997.
New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989.
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