Luke's Gospel

Great. We're back in the gospel of Luke tonight for our next installment of this amazing true story. But before we get into the passage that Caitlin just read, I want to read to you again. I think it's so important the first few words of the gospel of Luke. It's this is this is Luke's purpose statement why he wrote it.

So just gonna read read it. Luke 1 verse 1 to 4 many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us. Just as they were handed down to us, by those whom from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning. I too decided to write an orderly account for you most excellent theophilus.

So that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. Now whether you're, someone who's just covering who god is or you're a full on god lover. You're a theophilus. Wherever you are in that in that spectrum, my aim tonight is to bring from this story, some principles and some bible truths that will make your heart sing. So listen on so that you might grow in your love and be strengthened in your certainty.

Of the things that you are being taught and have been taught. Let's pray. Following, we come to this, this story tonight of 2 women, 2 singers Lord, and we pray that you would help us to as we read it, as we, as we take in all that happened, as Luke has carefully investigated it. We pray that it would affect us to the core of our being Lord, that we would be those who are marked by true faith, true belief, and true worship. For this lord, we need the help of your Holy Spirit.

We we need you to come and open our eyes and make our hearts sing, we pray in Jesus' name, amen. Can you remember as a child, what you wanted to be when you you grew up. Can you remember? Some of you, you are still a child. So, you know, you shouldn't know any problems.

Others, you might have to reach back a few a few years. Hands up if you became what you wanted to be when you were growing up. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, wow. Amazing. Alex, you were the first 1.

You wanted to be a you wanted to be a physicist. You wanted to be a an engineer. Okay? Alright? You wanted to be a nurse.

You are brilliant. Okay. I really honestly didn't expect, there to be that many people. Well, The reason I'm asking this question, whoa. Who?

Did you wanna be a preacher? No. Did you, as as a kid. Yeah. Okay.

Alright. Here's the thing. Here's the big point. Alright? This is the the question.

The reason I asked the question is because we have we have you in our passage tonight. This there's a girl here a teenage girl, she's not a 30 something or a 20 something, and she's been told that she's getting the dream job. She she was told by the angel in verse 31 that she would conceive and give birth to a son, and she was told to call him Jesus. Verse 32 to 33 tells us all about what he's gonna be like. He will be great and will be called the son of the most high.

The lord will the lord god will give him the throne of his father David and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever. His kingdom will never end. So ancient Jewish girls dreamed of being the mum who would bring the Messiah into the world. That might sound strange to modern ears. But this was the dream job for every every young girl growing up in Israel.

And she's just been visited by angel and given this drop this jaw dropping news, that she would carry and give birth to the long 4 promised king. Now just imagine it for a second. Make yourself a fly on the wall in that hot dusty Nazareth house. Gabriel Gabriel disappears And what does Mary do? Does she does she sit down immediately?

Does she burn the dinner running the scenarios of what's gonna what's gonna happen what it means for her and Joseph? Does she have trouble catching her breath? Could you blame her? Does she pace up and down trying to get her head around this news? Maybe maybe she goes to the door and opens it and looks outside up and down the street to see if anyone else noticed what happened.

And we don't know what we don't know what she did immediately after. We do know her reaction in verse 38. Luke tells us, just before the angel left, She she gave an expression of of trust and acceptance of this this high calling. Do you see what she says? I am the lord's servant Mary answered.

May your word be fulfilled. May your word to me be fulfilled. This this she's accepting the mission. She's she's taking the job. And the next thing we learn is that Mary is in a hurry.

She's in a hurry in verse 39 to visit her relative Elizabeth. And Elizabeth lived in the we're told in the in the hill country is of of Judea. And that was about 4 or 5 days walk from from Nazareth. And and so just listen to how it said how how Luke tells us it. At that time, Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea.

Where where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. Now, I want you to picture the scene. You've got these 2 2 women, these normal women And miles apart in age, 1 older, probably in her sixties or seventies. She's now 6 months big being pregnant. That's a bump, isn't it?

Who's who's got is there any are there any bumps in the house tonight? So, but you you've got Elizabeth, this old woman who, you know, miraculously is is pregnant in her old age and you've got this young this young girl, probably secondary school age. And by now, she's carrying the son of god. And there's Elizabeth and she's She's sweeping the floor in her backroom and she hears the door go and she hears a familiar voice. Shalon, maybe, was the greeting.

Peace. And at that moment, Elizabeth feels this poof as baby John the Baptist does like a a double back somersault in her womb. Look at verse 41. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, Imagine what that was like. I I was very I have to admit I was really tempted to use this this little verse as a as a as a heading for my, for 1 of my points tonight.

I just I couldn't crowbar it crowbar it in. I wanted to call it the flipping fetus, but it just it didn't make it. It it got left on the cutting room floor. Maybe maybe for the director's cut, I don't know. But but along with John's joy at coming into the presence of of the son of the most high, we're told that Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit and bursts out in praise.

Just listen to what she says. Verse 42. In a loud voice, she exclaimed blessed are you among women and blessed is the child that you will bear. But why am I so favored that the mother of my lord should come to me As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Bless is she who has believed what the lord would fulfill that the lord would fulfill his promise promises to her.

Now, I wanna go back. Remember Luke has written these things. I read it at the start, didn't I? He's written these things for a reason. He's written this story that there's no accident that they're here.

He's writing these words so that the god lover would be could be certain of the things that have been fulfilled among them and so that he could be sure of what they'd been taught. And I I think in verse 45, we do we have the key verse of this story. Notice how it it reads as as kind of like a beatitude, and it's rewarding the 1 who believes in the promises that god has kept. Blessed are you who believe. Just look look at it again.

Verse 45. Bless is she who has believed that the lord would fulfill his promises to her. Now, this is a big apostolic theme in the new testament. Just give give you a couple of examples, from from John's gospel and from from 1 Peter. So John's gospel in in chapter 20, Jesus has appeared to Thomas, the doubter, and, he's shown himself to him, and, and Jesus utters these words.

He says blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. And then 1 peter 1 8 says this as well. Though you have not seen him, you love him. And even though you do not see him now, you believe in him. So I think it's I think it's right to use it's okay for us to use this passage to ask what we can learn about true faith or true, I'm just gonna call it true belief because that's what that's all faith is.

Faith is is belief is trust. So what is true belief? What is what is true faith? How do I know that I have true belief. So I'm gonna draw 6 quick truths from this this short passage before we look at Actually, the first 5 are, from from this little passage and then the sixth 1 is is from Mary's response.

So number 1, point number 1, wanna write this down, if it if it helps, here it is. True belief starts with the Holy Spirit. True belief starts with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth is is being like many of the prophets in the old testament that that were were given the Holy Spirit for a special job some some of the some of the men that made the the tabernacle were gifted by the holy spirit to to do all kinds of work. And this this this is how it how it worked before the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at pentecost.

He came upon people to to do, as I said, to do special jobs. But at Pentecost, after 50 days after the resurrection, the holy spirit we're told in acts is poured out on all believers. And so the young church the people Luke's writing to would just be coming to grips with this amazing new covenant reality. So Elizabeth is a living illustration for us of what it's like to be a spirit filled believer. If you wanna know what it is to be spirit filled, look at Elizabeth.

She's filled with the spirit and she sings her blessing over Mary. She speaks truth And there doesn't seem to be much difference between what happens here and what Paul says in ephesians. It's it's just a difference of of writing style. So Luke is narrative and and and, Paul is writing a letter to the ephesians. Just Listen to these examples from Ephesians, Ephesians 5 18.

It says do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Heard about about that this morning, didn't we? Instead, be filled with the spirit speaking and this is what happens if you're filled with the spirit speaking to 1 another with Psalms hymns and songs from the spirit, sing and make music from your heart to the lord. Always giving thanks to the to god the father for everything in the name of the lord Jesus Christ. That's what it is to be a a spirit filled person, a person of of true faith.

It starts from the Holy Spirit. And and, Ephesians one:seventeen. Paul says, Paul, this is Paul's prayer for the Ephesian believers. I keep asking that the god of our lord Jesus Christ, the glorious father may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation. Why?

So that you may know him better so that you may know him better. So I don't know I don't know where you are on in your knowledge of of, the Christian faith, maybe you're a young Christian, and you're just getting your head around who god is and you think, you know, you you've heard a lot of wacky things about the Holy Spirit. Just listen to what the Bible says about him. This is what it is to live the spirit filled life. We're gonna see.

It starts with the holy spirit, but it ends up meaning a few other things and that's what we're going to go on to look at. But is this how you live? Do you want to know god better? Ask him to help you live the spirit filled life. Ask him to give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation.

Ask it for other Christians. Do what paul did. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Lord, give Daryl the spirit. So that he might be filled with wisdom and revelation.

Open his eyes to see marvelous things in your world as he teaches people in schools all over Kingston. Yeah, help him, give him the spirit. So it starts with the holy spirit. But then true belief, number 2, true belief grasps true doctrine. True belief grasps true doctrine.

Look at verse 43. It says And this is Elizabeth talking to Mary, but why am I so favored that the mother of my lord should come to me? Now, this this point might be only here in seed, right? But I think it's I think it's worth saying. It's just appear to be strange that Elizabeth what what she knows and what she doesn't know.

Did you did you see that? She she uses this expression I don't know why you've come to me as a way of showing she feels honored and humbled by the visit. She she she phrases it as a question. I don't know why you would come to me, Mary, mother of my lord. She's not in doubt about 1 thing.

Is she? And she's asking a question about another. Elizabeth knows that Mary is carrying the lord. Mother of my lord. Elizabeth is filled with the spirit and grasps true doctrine.

True truth about god. Meaning, I think she is an example of someone who takes god at his word and therefore believes what she's been told, even if those things seem impossibly miraculous. And unbelievable at face value. I mean, we're reading this this this story tonight. Babies flipping over in your womb.

And we're gonna go on to see some other amazing things that that Elizabeth knows. But, you know, she's before her, she has a teenager who is a virgin, but who is pregnant She's with child. I mean, that's amazing enough as it is, isn't it? But she's not just pregnant. She's She's carrying the son of god.

Emmanuel, god with us. Now Elizabeth might be speaking better than she knows. You know, when said these things. We don't know whether she knew, you know, the ins and outs of, of, you know, of the doctrine doctrine of the trinity. She might, you know, lots of people in the Bible speak better than they know.

She She might be 1 of them. But by the time Luke wrote this down, there was no doubt as to what they understood about the the statement Jesus' lord. So do you see Elizabeth as she speaks these words? She's demonstrating her faith in god. She's demonstrating that true belief, grasps true doctrine.

Let me read 1 more verse from 1 Corinthians 12 that ties these 2 first points together quite nicely, I think. So, 1 Corinthians 12 3 says, therefore, I want you to know that no 1 who's speaking by the spirit of god says Jesus be cursed, and no 1 can say Jesus is lord except by the Holy Spirit. The no 1 would say Jesus is lord unless they had faith with That's 1 1 of the things you believe, isn't it? 1 of the things you you trust in is that Jesus is lord. He's the king.

He's He's in a I mean, I haven't got time to unpack what that means, but, you know, in the old testament, the the word lord was Yahway was was the personal name for god. We've we've heard that in previous weeks. And in the new testament, that this word lord curious is it it's it's sort of in it's interchangeable. The the new testament writers are calling Jesus Yahweh They're calling Jesus lord. But you can't say Jesus lord except by the Holy Spirit.

You wouldn't say it if you didn't have faith, and no 1 can say Jesus' lord. Unless they are filled with the spirit. So do you see that true belief starts with the holy spirit and true belief grasps true doctrine. That's the first 2 points. So here's my challenge to you.

Are there things about god that you don't fully understand. Now, welcome to the club. Okay? Welcome to the church. Can I encourage you to keep going, keep struggling, keep wrestling with those those truths about god?

Those doctrine, that's what doctrine is, is truth, teachings from the Bible. Keep going with that struggle to get to know who god is to get to know what he said and what it means, especially the things that are hard to wrap your head around which pretty much everything, if you're me. Keep going with it. Get some books if you need to. They can be helpful.

But at the end of the day, faith is taking god at his word, isn't it? Sally Lloyd Jones, I love the way she she words this in her little storybook bible. She says faith is believing what god says more than what your eyes can see. I love that. And I would add my this is how I how I would say it from from what we're reading tonight.

Faith faith is believing what god says more than what your mind can think. So true belief starts with the Holy Spirit, true belief grasps, grips, true doctrine. Number 3, true belief is not anti evidence. True belief is not anti evidence. Just just look down verse 42.

In a loud voice, she exclaimed, blessed are you among women and blessed is the child you will bear. It seems to me that Elizabeth is used by god here to confirm to Mary what the angel has said. This this would be this actually would be in line with the principle of having 2 witnesses to confirm a fact, which was, you know, common in in this ancient time. And it appears here that god has been very kind to Mary even though she didn't ask for it in contrast to Zechariah, and he he gave her confirmation anyway. Bless to you.

Among women, and blessed is the child you will bear. Now it wasn't wrong for Mary to go looking for confirmation. I don't know if I don't think she did, but she got it anyway. But I I think maybe that is why the angel told her. Remember verse 36?

Have a look at it. And the angel speaking, he says, Even Elizabeth, your relative is going to have a child in her old age. And she, who was said to be unable to conceive is in her 6 month and then he goes to say for no word from god will ever fail. You can trust it. You can believe it.

So here's the thing. The Christian faith the Christian faith is, you know, there's there's a lot of things that you you know, you're you're called upon to believe, isn't it? They're, you know, miracles for a start. You know, they're they're they're hard to get your head around. They're, you know, mind boggling.

But I think, you know, it's This this this just shows me that actually, Mary wasn't expected to to just believe it cut blanche, you know, blind faith. God actually said, look, here he's, you know, go see your go go see your relative, Elizabeth. She she's carrying she's carrying a baby too. So when people say to you, you have faith and I have evidence, don't accept it. Don't don't stay quiet.

Object to that. I was I was speaking to a gentleman yesterday in our dadly group. That meets once a month. And I'll I'll go into a brilliant conversation with him. You know, really nice guy.

And he asked what I was up to this weekend. I saw you know, actually, I've been writing a sermon on preaching Sunday night. And we got into a discussion about about this this, this story. It's an amazing story. And I was saying, you know, it's it's there's some pretty amazing things happening.

Flipping fetuses and stuff like that, you know? And people speaking, you know, stuff they shouldn't really know. Virgin births. And I said, you know, the thing is Luke. I went back to the first few verses of Luke's gospel.

Luke tells this stuff like it, you know, because it's as historical fact, you know, he doesn't he doesn't sort of say, here's a few things that you know, that that people say happened and and we can sort of, you know, let's take a moral lesson from them, you know, He says, no, I've carefully researched these things from the beginning. This happened. You know? So so there's it's not don't don't don't think that to be a Christian, you have to you have to just, you know, swallow, hard to believe things and just bear through it. You know?

True belief isn't anti evidence. So get into the Bible. Think about, you know, what it says and what it means. What does it mean for Luke to be a a doctor and to have interviewed Mary at length? I I wish he probably did.

Most definitely did. And he he wrote these things down. These things happen. Just like Paul wrote about the the resurrection, these things didn't happen in a corner. So true belief starts with the Holy Spirit.

True belief, grasps, true doctrine, true belief is not anti evidence fourth. True belief gives birth to joy. True belief gives birth to joy verse 44. As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, The baby in my in my womb leaked for joy. I don't know about you, but I love that Luke has included this verse.

This little word joy as well. How did Mary how did Elizabeth know? The baby leaped for joy. Who knows? But this was revealed, isn't it?

She's speaking by the Holy Spirit. Of course, she would know. Elizabeth knew that John was jumping. Why was John jumping for joy? Well, let me read you some passage, some verses from from the book of Isaiah.

This comes from, I haven't got the, I'm not gonna tell you the verses because I want you to go and have a look. So read Isaiah between chapter 33 and 35. It's absolutely brilliant about what, you know, what happens when Messiah comes when when the savior comes and makes all things new. It says, and just think about as as I read this 700 years before before Jesus comes on the scene and says and does all that he did. This is Isaiah speaking.

Then will the eyes of the blind be open and the ears of the death be unstopped? Then the lame will leap like a like a deer. The mute tongue will shout for joy. Everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them and sorrow and sighing will flee away Are you ready for that?

It says also for the lord is our judge, the lord is our lawgiver. The lord is our king. It is he who will save us. The mother of my lord has come to me. And my baby is jumping for joy.

Says, finally, no 1 living in Zion will say, I am ill. And the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven. Amazing. Can you blame John for flipping out? Can't can you?

I think he I think he wanted to preach right there. I think he was You know? I'm not waiting for this birth. You know? Let me out of here.

True belief gives birth to joy. And I I wonder if that's true in your life. Well, after true belief gives birth to joy, grows by continuing to believe the promises of god and the result is a blessed life. So fifthly, true belief is blessed. True belief is blessed.

Notice the praise Mary receives from Elizabeth in verse 45 again. Blessed is she who has believed that the lord would fulfill his promises to her. Mary is praised for making the promises heard here Did you notice that? Bless is she who believed that the lord would fulfill his promises to her. Mary sings later on in a verse 54 and 55 in her song that god is the helper of Israel.

Side note, men's breakfast. Remember? God is the helper. Just if you were there, tuck that away for later on. Okay?

God is the helper of Israel and she and she proves herself, to be in the family line of faith. Mary proves herself to be in the family line of faith that god had promised to remember in his in his mercy. She's she she takes on this promise as a promise to her. Verse 44 and 40 54 55 says this. He has helped his servant Israel remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever.

Just as he promised our ancestors. She's taken she's she's she's taken the promises that god has made to her. That she's been thinking about them, and she's taken them to heart for herself. She's applied them to herself. What what what does this mean?

This baby, this messiah that's gonna come from me. God has been kind. God has remembered his promises to me. So Do you make the promises yours? That's that's I wanna ask you.

Do you make the promises yours when you read a promise that god made to someone in the Bible. Do you make that yours? Do you count yourself to be a descendant of Abraham? You should. If you're if you're someone who is is believing in the lord Jesus Christ, you are a child of Abraham.

You're a child of faith. If you are someone who has taken a hold of the promises of god making them your own, you are related to this old patriarch. And therefore according to Elizabeth, you are living the blessed life the complete life, the whole life. So why would you wanna be anywhere else? Why would you want anything else?

True belief is blessed. It's the blessed life. Being a Christian is, isn't it? Do you do you do you believe that? What would I want any would I wanna be anywhere else?

I hope not. So just summing up true belief, true belief starts with the Holy Spirit. True belief grasps true doctrine. Tribalief is not anti evident. Truealief gives birth to joy, and true belief is blessed.

Now I wonder Is your heart singing it? I can't hear much. I gotta I gotta admit. Can't even hit beating, let alone. Singing.

So here's what we're gonna do. We we're gonna sing just in case you're someone who keeps it all in we're gonna sing before we get to Mary's song, we're gonna sing Mary's song. It was an old hymn written many years ago. It's called Tellout myself. And the band are gonna come up and lead for us.

And then after we've sung this song, we're gonna we're gonna get to our our next point a stand to sing. Amen. Please have a seat. Fantastic. Alright.

Now, back to back to our passage. Mary's song. I've I've already been 35 minutes on this passage. We haven't even got to Mary's song yet. Fear not It's 1 more point with 2 sub points.

Okay? Okay. So So the for the rest of our time together, we're gonna be gonna be looking at Mary's Mary's song, and we're actually gonna it's gonna lead us into, to celebrate in the lord's supper together. But here's my here's the sixth point of of this this little passage. I think it's it's right to say true belief leads to true worship.

True belief leads to true worship. Up till now, we've been considering Elizabeth's example of faith. Now it's Mary's turn. This is this response shows, Mary's true belief as much as it shows Elizabeth's if not more. She said nothing yet but hello.

But because of what follows we can assume her journey south must have been a rich time of meditating meditating on the Psalms and the stories that she'd been brought up on. Just listen to the first first few lines. 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 1 has done great things for me. Holy is his name. Amazing. So here's the thing, true worship. True worship is knowing the depths of your to to the depths of your being who god is and revelling in him.

True worship is knowing who god is to the depths of your being and revelling in him. She wants to shout about god from the rooftops. Look at him. See the savior. Isn't he lovely?

She's magnifying god. The kids would say she's big and got up. She's zooming in on who he is. She's zooming in on what he's done, what he's promised to do. She's saying, I don't want you to see god as just a little Sunday idol.

He's bigger than that. She wants to supersize god for you. Something got me thinking about supersizing this week. And then I remembered that Morgan spurlock movie. Is it 2004 where he he goes around and any any McDonald's forgive me for equating this with Mary Song for a minute.

Okay? But he goes around asking, you know, he asking for McDonald's meals. And if the per if the if the McDonald's restaurant said, do you wanna supersize that? He would have to say yes, and he lived like this for, you know, for a month or whatever. He was massive afterwards and very sick.

And, well, what a shock that was, but Mary, I think she's doing similar thing. She's supersizing god. Yeah? She's she wants us to see who he is. She's revelling in him.

Mary wants you to give up your medium size god. That only gets you to Tuesday. She says, can I rent recommend to you, the supersize god? Who saves to the utmost. He's the 1 who humbled nebuchadnezzar remember.

And he raised him up again, and he brought him to his senses. He's the 1 who defeated pharaoh and rescued millions of people from slavery. He's the 1 who humbles the proud. And lifts the humble. This god will get you Sunday to Sunday.

This god will fill your hungry soul He will show you the meaning of life. How many people need to know about this today? He would demand everything from you, and and why would he not? He wouldn't be any kind of god if he didn't. And she would she would have a say, that's the kind of god I need.

That's the god kind of god I want. I need a mighty 1 who will do great things for me, who will fill my life with purpose who will tell me what this is all about, who will take away the guilt and shame of my sin. That's what she's doing. You might hear this song if you, you might hear it called the magnificat It's a Latin word for magnificent. It's what she's doing those first first couple of verses.

My soul glorifies the lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my savior. Now, remember, this is all from a teenager. Amazing. Who's the teenage? Any teenagers here tonight?

Nice 1, Ollie. Hold on. Nathan, you stuck your hand up. That's not Oh, okay. Alright.

Okay. Well, I hope you're listening brother because you're gonna get it now. This is so challenging right off the bat as to how we we view teens today or students or or anyone. You know, and thorough good. Could you do this?

Probably could actually, but Could you come up with something this bible rich? By the way, if you want to have, Tom gave you 7 7 brilliant sort of devotionals this week. If you wanna do something similar this week, get a cross rest cross reference bible and look at verse a day and and see where Mary was what Mary was taken from the Old Testament at the Psalms and using brilliant. See how many she's quoting from. But she's not just showing off is she.

She's not just, you know, boasting about how much bible knowledge she has. She's revelling in her god. She's revelling in her relationship with god. I think that's re that's so challenging. What do I how do I do that?

How am I getting on with that? Do I revel in god? When? Where? How?

She's she's showing us what true worship is, isn't she? True worship is knowing to the depths of your being who god is and revelling in him. That's my first sub point. Second, true worship is knowing that to the depths of your being who you are and running to god for mercy. True worship is knowing to the depths of your being, who you are, and running to god for mercy.

Consider than you who who who run to god for mercy verse 48. Look at look at verse 48. It says for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. Now, I wonder what you think what what does humble mean? What what kind of picture do you have in your mind when you read that word humble state?

I think we have a horribly wrong, what I do anyway. I mean, here's what I thought of. Yes, master. You know, Igor, You know, he's, apparently, he's, he's, that's what popped into my head, you know. He's he's wringing his his hands.

Groveling. Maybe that's that's the idea you get when you think humble state. Some a lot of people do, I think. Or maybe, you think it's just talking about a really nice person, you know, passive and, you know, never upset anybody. That's what a humble person is.

But that aside, humble starts in the Bible, where somebody is is, you know, realizes who god is and is on their face. So they then they're aware of their sin. They're, you know, Isaiah. Whoa to me. I'm undone.

That's what that's what it is to be humble. That's Bible humility. To know we are guilty before god and deserving his punishment. He would be right. David says in Psalm 51, you do not delight in sacrifice or I would bring it.

You do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, oh god, and he's got it right here, this is humility, is a broken spirit and a broken and contrite heart. Now you won't despise that. God, you won't despise that. And this is what Mary is talking about.

Mary was not focused on on mere externals. Her song reveals that true worship is from the heart. And it's out of the lips. It doesn't stay in the heart. It comes out the lips.

She knows who her savior is and revels in him. And she knows who she is before this mighty 1, and so she runs to him for mercy. And it is it's an amazing thing. It's 1 of those, doctrines that you need faith to believe. How can god be so awesome and so holy and you're to fear him, but he's the same person you have to run to for mercy.

How do how do I hold those 2 things together? Well, I have hundreds of examples of people who did. So I might not understand how it works, but I I see it, and I I've done it, so I feel the truth of it. 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. No.

It's also she doesn't say he has seen all the good I've done. And, you know, therefore, he will forgive me. No. He he doesn't say He knows I'm not really that bad compared to him or her or him. She doesn't also she doesn't say it's alright.

He'll let me off. He's he's got his love, by the way, isn't he? Look at what she says about god in verse 49, the the end the end of it. This is just like Holy is his name. Holy is his name.

Mary knows who god is. She knows the full character of god that he is the awesome creator who has made all things, who owns all things and he's the utterly righteous judge who will put all things right. He will right all the wrongs. He will bring justice to the world. She knows the 1 who can be as tender as a mother hen.

Flocking around her chicks, and she knows what it is that god is a consuming fire. Sin can't be in his presence. She knows her own state before a holy god, so pure and free from the taint of a fallen world. And so glorious. To look on it, to behold him, we would She would, we would never want to look on any other beauty ever again.

But she knows that she wouldn't survive She wouldn't survive his presence apart from someone taking away her sin. She also knows his mercy is big and wide and long. Verse 50, look at it. His mercy extends to those who fear him from generation to generation. For your children, for your grandchildren, for your great grandchildren, his mercy will extend to them.

It's not amazing. Isn't that wonderful? It won't run out. His mercy is enough for everyone here in this room enough for everybody in Kingston. His mercy is enough for everyone in the world.

It's stretched from from Evold, isn't it? It's gone it's gone through the ages. 2000 years ago, Jesus was around 2000 years before that. Abraham, who knows how many years before that? He has performed mighty deeds with his arm.

He has scattered those for a proud in their in most thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones as 52, but has lifted up the humble. Mary knows, doesn't she? She knows who her god is She knows that god is a consuming fire. She knows that he is a merciful merciful father.

She knows to the depths of her being who god is. And she revels in him. She knows herself to the depths of her being, and she runs to him for mercy. That's what true worship is. This is Mary's song.

This is this is true worship. And my question to you as we close and as we as we prepare to to take the lord's supper together is, is this your song Is this your song? Can you sing this song? Can you utter these words from your heart? You can.

Once you make it your song? I don't know where you are. I know whether you're and not a Christian. You're weighing it all up. You're maybe just taking your first steps as a baby Christian, but get get into this.

This is the Christian life. This is true belief. This is true faith. Starts with the Holy Spirit. Grasps true doctrine.

It's not anti evidence. Don't buy that. It gives birth to joy. And it is the blessed life and true true true faith, true belief leads to true worship. Let's pray.

Father we thank you so much for this, this wonderful passage. Lord, I pray that everybody here would be able to be warm to their soul tonight because of what you said father, we pray that you would help us to continue to dwell on these words to think about these people, these 2 women. We thank you for this teenager, this old woman. We thank you for their faith. Thank you for the spirit at work in them, and please would that same holy spirit be at work in us.

Father, I pray for anyone here who is, is not a believer who who is This is new to them. Please lord, would you would you open their eyes? Would you help them to see how amazing you are and what a merciful, awesome god you are. Help us all to see this lord. And worship you.

And may this may this not just end here? Maybe you may you be a god who who we just we we give everything to. We give our lives away. We give it all to you. For you, have you have shown us mercy to bring you glory.

And so lord, we as we come to the table now, this family meal, we pray that you would forgive us of our wrongdoing. We pray you cleanse us from all unrighteousness where we failed you this week, where we've thought too less of you, where we've given in to the flesh given into our old desires, we pray father that you would renew us. And and help our daughter to to walk with you revelling in you, knowing you. In Jesus' name, we pray. Oh, man.