Christmas - I Am The Lord’s Servant!

MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK

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TEXT: Luke 1:26-38, 46-49; 1 Corinthians 1:26-28

ILL. He was an impressive man in his 50's, vice-president of a multinational corporation. He had a great family, & was by all accounts a success in his career & in his life. He was raised in a small town in the Midwest, where he had been active in sports, a good student, & a choirboy.

He went on to college where he had also been active in many clubs & programs. Then came his first big job, & marriage, a child, traveling abroad, promotions, a new home, another child, & finally promotion to his current position as vice-president of a large corporation.

But he had a problem. Listen to his own words: "The problem is that my life is full of good things - a fine house, nice cars, a very good job, & a busy life, …but as I began to think about what really matters most to me, I realized that over these past years, that feeling, that sense of purpose, has gotten lost.

"I've been lulled by a sense of security. My life really hasn't made much of a difference. I've just been watching life go by through the windows of my country club."

By popular standards he was a successful man, but when he looked at the bottom line of his own life, he concluded that he was not making any noticeable contribution to God, to others, or to the world. Something was missing in his life.

ILL. She was a young girl, living in an obscure village in a humble, farming area. And she was pregnant - a scandalous situation for a young, unmarried teenager.

Compared to the rich executive I just mentioned, she had no wealth or position, no obvious security, & the stigma of society's disapproval. Yet she had something far greater. Listen to her words found in Luke 1:46-49:

"And Mary said, ‘My soul glorifies the Lord & 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.’

Well, as you know, this young girl's name was Mary. And we're going to be looking at Luke 1:26-38 this morning to see what we can learn about her.

I like to learn from people. When I see someone admirable, I try to learn from their example. And when I see someone make mistakes, I like to learn how to avoid what went wrong. So let's look at Mary, the mother of Jesus.

PROP. I think Mary is well worth our study because, although the events that take place in her life are unique, her character & attitudes seen in this passage are worthy of praise. So let's try to learn from her.

I. GOD CAN USE US DESPITE OUR LACK OF SPECIAL ABILITIES

The first lesson is that God can use us despite our lack of special abilities.

ILL. When I was a kid in school, we would go to the playground during recess & at lunch time. If we wanted to play a team sport, two captains would be picked. These captains would look over the rest of us, & then take turns picking their teams, based on strength, agility, & skill.

They picked the best players first, & those who were picked last were very aware of their place in the opinions of the captains.

But God is not like that. Some people think that God picks only the brightest & the best. But that’s not necessarily so. He sometimes picks those who would seem to have little to offer because that's the sort of people God often uses to accomplish His purpose.

The apostle Paul says in 1 Cor. 1:26-28 (CEV): “My dear friends, remember what you were when God chose you. The people of this world didn’t think that many of you were wise. Only a few of you were in places of power, and not many of you came from important families.

“But God chose the foolish things of this world to put the wise to shame. He chose the weak things of this world to put the powerful to shame.

“What the world thinks is worthless, useless, and nothing at all is what God has used to destroy what the world considers important.”

Listen to a part of that last verse again, “What the world thinks is worthless, useless, and nothing at all is what God has used…”

As we look at Mary, the Bible doesn’t mention that she has any special skills or abilities.