MARY
LUKE 1:26-33
I. Mary?s Chastity
A. Luke 1:27 "To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary."
B. Isaiah 7:14 "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."
C. Proverbs 31:10 "Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies."
D. The Importance of the Virgin Birth
1. In Jesus Christ, we see the union of God and man.
2. Jesus Christ is all God and He is all man.
3. Had Mary not been a virgin, any claim to the deity of Christ would be suspect.
4. Note the words of Mary in Luke 1:34 "Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?"
5. Mary kept herself morally pure.
E. 2 Timothy 2:21 "If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work."
F. A clean vessel in Thy hand;
With no pow’r but as Thou givest
Graciously with each command.
Channels only, blessed Master,
But with all Thy wondrous pow’r
Flowing thro us, Thou canst use us.
Every day and every hour.
Emptied that Thou shouldest fill me,
(© Public Domain CCLI License No. 754427)
II. Mary Chosen
A. Luke 1:28-30 "And the angel came in unto her, and said, `Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.? And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, `Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God?."
B. Not plena gratia but gratia cumlata ? You have been much graced by God
C. God chose Mary not by any merit of her own but by the grace of the Sovereign Lord.
D. Thomas Watson (C. 1557-1592) ? God did not choose us because we were worthy, but by choosing us he makes us worthy
E. John 15:16 "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you...."
F. Oswald Chambers - "I have chosen you." Keep that note of greatness in your creed. It is not that you have got God, but that he has got you. Why is God at work in me, bending, breaking, molding, and doing just as he chooses? For one purpose only-that he may be able to say, "This is my man, my woman.".
G. 1 John 4:10, 19 "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."... "We love him, because he first loved us."
H. Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."
III. Mary?s Cooperation
A. Mary was not only a clean vessel but she was an empty vessel Luke 1:38 "And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word."
B. Handmaid ? doule ? slave-girl
C. Mary accepts the situation with all its risks
1. There was the idea of being an unwed mother. Who would believe her story?
2. There was Joseph. What would he say? How would He react?
3. There were the legalists. According to Deuteronomy 22:23 if the legalists believed her to be immoral they would have her stoned.
D. Matthew 16:24-26 "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. [25] For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. [26] For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?".
E. Ernest Hello (1828-1885) ? Sometimes a man imagines that he will lose himself if he gives himself, and keep himself if he hides himself. But the contrary takes place with terrible exactitude.
F. God will never abandon the person who abandons himself to Him.
G. There is no greater freedom than being a bondservant to Christ.
IV. Mary?s Confession
A. Luke 1:46-48 "And Mary said, My soul does magnify (declare the greatness of) the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden...."
B. She confessed her need for a Savior like everyone else.
C. Mary possessed the same nature as everyone who has ever lived apart from the person of Christ.
D. Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"
E. As such, she humbled herself in that recognition of who and what she was.
F. James 4:10 "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up."
G. Romans 5:8 "But God commended his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
H. She acknowledged salvation is through the Lord.
I. Jonah 2:9b "... Salvation is of the LORD."
J. Acts 4:12 "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."
