Sermon Central
-
The Nativity Story: The Faith Of Mary Series
Contributed by C. Raymond Van Pletsen on Oct 19, 2006 (message contributor)
Summary: Mary teaches us that we too can be used by God to change the world. We learn from her that . . . Faith is not age-dependent. Faith positions us to be part of the greatest event in all human history. Faith means do what God says regardless of the cost.
The Faith
Of Mary
The Main Idea
The Faith of Mary is revealed in the Christmas story.
· Mary Was A Teen Believer
· Mary Was An Honored Believer
· Mary Was A Courageous Believer
Mary teaches us that we too can be used by God to change the world. We learn from her that . . .
· Faith is not age-dependent.
· Faith positions us to be part of the greatest event in all human history.
· Faith means do what God says regardless of the cost.
INTRODUCTION
· Jessica
· Kelly
· Beyonce
If you recognize those names it is likely that you have a preteen or a teen in your home. These are the celebrities who fit into the category of “I wanna be her!” They are pretty. They are successful. They are famous. We all agree, who wouldn’t want to be like them?
But watch that list and you will find that it changes overnight. Names come and go so quickly it can make your head spin. While a few stars have staying power, a girl who is cool and popular today may be forgotten tomorrow.
I want to tell you about a teenage girl who will never be forgotten. She has been popular with every generation and every culture where people have gotten to know her. Her name is Mary, and she tends to get a lot of media exposure every year around Christmas time.
In most ways, Mary did not fit the normal criteria we use in ascribing celebrity status to someone. We know that she was not wealthy. We don’t know how attractive Mary was. And she was unknown outside of her home town. But there was something about Mary that captures our attention and affection. She had an inner beauty that impressed even God! Her inner beauty was so powerful that she was chosen to become the mother of the greatest celebrity of all times: Jesus, the King of kings.
One way to describe Mary’s inner beauty is to talk about her faith, for it was her faith that made Mary stand out from all the other contenders in the pageant to select the mother of the King. As we read just the first part of her story we discover that
· Mary Was A Teen Believer
· Mary Was An Honored Believer
· Mary Was A Courageous Believer
Mary teaches us that we too can be used by God to change the world. We learn from her that . . .
· Faith is not age-dependent.
· Faith positions us to be part of the greatest event in all human history.
· Faith means do what God says regardless of the cost.
1.
MARY WAS A TEEN BELIEVER
(Faith is not age-dependent)
Luke 1:26 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
Mary Had Mature Faith Even As A Teenager!
As we read this story, we are impressed at how mature Mary’s faith was at such an early age. Mary was a teenager when the angel appeared to her, perhaps between thirteen and fifteen years of age. The message he brought would change her life in a radical way but she responded with such strong faith that we have to conclude she had been cultivating it for quite some time.
Many of the heroes of the faith in the Bible had a strong faith in God at an early age. Think of . . .
· Samuel. God called him when he was but a young boy and he responded with childlike faith
· David. As a teenager he attributed his success over a lion and a bear to the Lord. He defeated Goliath because rather than fixing his eyes on the giant he saw the greater reality of the presence of the Lord of the Armies of heaven and Israel.
· Daniel was perhaps only 16 when he and his companions were taken into captivity. Yet, despite their youth, they had such a deep faith in the Lord they were willing to face death rather than worship false gods.
Faith is not age-dependent! You don’t have to wait until you are old to become a hero of the faith. In fact, age will not guarantee anything at all. Many young people are more mature spiritually than people decades older than them. The book of Ecclesiastes urges us to start following God when we are young (12:1)!
Mary Believed In The Personal God of Israel!
The key sentence I want to emphasize here is: The Lord is with you. Mary’s faith was not in a creed or a religion. She believed in the Lord God of Israel. Sadly, the same could not be said of most of the religious leaders of Israel at that time. They had a relationship with their religion rather than a relationship with the Lord
