Today, on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. Luke mentions several songs in his gospel. I don't know if he was a musician or not, but he records songs. The first of them is one that we're looking at today: it is Mary's Song. We often call this the magnificat after the words in Latin.
What does it mean to magnify the Lord? She is making the Lord great. She's magnifying the Lord. Welcome to the verdict, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe. God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
Today we're continuing our study of Mary's song known as the Magnificat. Revealing what it means to fear the Lord and experience His mercy from generation to generation. It's an encouraging lesson from our Christmas study in the book of Luke.
Now, here's Pastor John Monroe with his message titled The Magnificat. You've probably heard of the Magnificat, which is Mary's beautiful song of praise found in Luke chapter 1. Mary is visiting her relative Elizabeth, who despite her advanced age has the baby John the Baptist in her womb. What a fascinating conversation these two women must have had. as the angel said, nothing.
will be impossible with God. The word magnificat comes from the Latin translation which begins, magnificat anima mea dominum. My soul magnifies the Lord.
So today, We will take a closer look at the Magnificat and learn some important lessons. We marvel, don't we, at the maturity and biblical knowledge of this young woman? who composes the song. in the power of the Holy Spirit. Uh And so, as we come into her story.
Today we have two women. And so we're going to learn. From these women, Elizabeth and Mary, about worship, about joy.
So let's read, first of all, The first section in chapter 1, verse 39: In those days, Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah. And she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. And she exclaimed with a loud cry, Blessed are you among women.
And blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why is this granted to me? that the mother of my Lord should come to me For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she. Who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from.
The Lord. We'll just pause there. First of all, we want to learn about this visit by Mary. She's a powerful example, isn't she? of active faith.
resulting in humble and instant obedience.
So Mary's faith results in action. Elizabeth's faith results in joy and blessing. When Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
So, first of all, the visit by Mary. Secondly, A song by Mary.
So let's read. Versus Forty-six. Through fifty six. And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord. And my spirit rejoices in God, my Saviour.
For he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed. For he who is mighty has done great things for me. And holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm. He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He's brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate. He's filled the hungry with good things. And the rich he sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever. And Mary remained with her about three months. and returned. to her home. A song of Mary.
This is first of all in verses 46 through 49, we have Mary's personal praise.
Now, as I read the Magnificat, as it's often called, Did you notice how God-centered And scripture-centered is Mary's song. We often call this the magnificat after the words in Latin. We know that the Bible was translated into Latin, been used by Christians who understood Latin obviously. And this is called the Magnificat. Think of Mary.
Saying, my soul. Magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. What does it mean to magnify the Lord? She is making the Lord great. She is magnifying the Lord.
Her prayer is that the Lord will be enlarged in her life. That she is making much of God, and her very spirit is rejoicing in God, her Savior. She acknowledges, verse 48, that she is that the Lord has looked on the humble estate of his servant. She said to Gabriel, I'm a servant of the Lord. The Lord has looked on the humble state of his service.
Here is a woman. who has a very humble view. of herself. A humble view of herself and a high view of God. That goes together, isn't it?
Proud people have a high view of themselves and a low view of God. The more we look on ourselves, The more we look on our achievements, the prouder we become. The more we put ourselves at the center of our world, so that our world all becomes about us and what we've done, and what we will do, and our views, and our opinions, and look at all the things I have done, the more we do that. the less we're magnifying. The Lord.
Mary is a humble person. Notice what she says in verse 47. She describes God in God, my Save her. Her salvation, her joy, all come from the Lord, whom she personally knows. God to her is not just remote.
He's not just the creator of the heavens and the earth. He is that. She's got a big view of God. She realizes the greatness of God, but she also has an understanding, as we will see, of the mercy of God and of the grace of God. And she refers to God as my.
Saviour. The Lord is, my shepherd I shall not want. Jesus is my Savior. He is my Lord. Notice the personal pronoun.
Many people talk about God and Jesus Christ as the Savior, and he is that, but to those of us whose faith is in God, we say God is my. Savior. And she's blessed incidentally. Mary is not without sin. Don't think Mary is sinless.
She recognizes here that she needs a Savior, and God is her savior. She is responding. to the grace of God and the mercy of God in her life. She has no sense of entitlement. She understands she deserves nothing.
Everything she has comes from the Lord. That's true of all of us, isn't it? I hope you understand that. I hope. Do you not make life all about yourself Your achievements.
No, she understands everything she has is received from the Lord. Notice what she says in verse 48. He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. Great things for me, yes. A virgin conceives that's miraculous, that's supernatural.
This God, my God. He is mighty, he's strong, he's almighty, but he has done great things for. Me. And Mary understands this. She understands that God is mighty, God's all-powerful.
He's so powerful that a virgin can conceive. And holy is his Name. What a great example of worship, isn't it? Wh wh why do you come to church? Do you come to worship God?
Did you come to love God? Do you come to hear from God?
So, our focus in worship is not entertainment, it's not performance, but it is to glorify God. great things he has done. What's true of us as a church? It's true true of us as a family. True of us as individuals, isn't it?
I can say. God has done mighty things for me, not because of anything I have done. I'm not special at all. But God in His grace has reached Iron. And saved me, transformed my life, and asked me to follow him in an act of obedience.
And as we come to worship, There is joy in the depth of our souls. We say with Mary, my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior. But there is also, with this joy, there's a humble reverence, isn't there? As we reflect on his holiness, she says, God is holy, holy is his name. Verse 49, we're dealing with God, you're not dealing with your neighbor.
You're not dealing with your buddy or you guys. This is God we're worshiping. He's holy, he's all-powerful. This is the mercy of God and of the redemption that we have in our Lord Jesus Christ, Jesus the Messiah. What a wonderful act of worship.
From this young woman. And then she moves from her Personal praise in verses 46 through 49, to praise for all generations, verses 50 through 55. She broadens her song. from personally thanking God that he is her savior. That he has done great things for her.
She widens that to praise for all. generations verse 50. Aren't you glad she says this? His mercy, it's not just for Mary. His mercy is for those who fear him.
From generation to generation. Every single one of us. Need God's. Mercy. You need the mercy of God, and I need the mercy of God.
Why is that? Because we fail, we're broken people, we're sinned, we come short of the glory of God, and we're entirely. dependent on his mercy. And we must acknowledge our need. of the mercy of God.
You want God's mercy on you, don't you? Unless you've got a tremendous false view of yourself. All of us know. that we require the mercy of God. Who receives this mercy?
According to Mary, verse 50, his mercy is for those who fear him. God's mercy is on those who humbly fear the Lord. You say, what does it mean to fear the Lord?
Solomon tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. There is a relationship with God is fundamental to this. That we must know God, and that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. No, fear of God is not terror, it's not despair. It's an understanding who God is and what he has done.
When we have a sense of the fear of God, there's a sense of awe, a sense of wonder at being in His presence. Think of the greatness of God, His eternality. His power. His work. Who he is.
This is God. My father was a loving father I didn't feel her massage. But I had respect for him. I didn't call him by his first name, Tom? Uh-oh.
He's my father, my dad. A loving relationship, also, a relationship. of respect. Of an understanding that this is my father.
Now, think of that in terms of God. He is my father, He encourages me to come to Him. At all times in prayer, but he's a Holy God. Mary is telling us. He's a God that would From whom his mercy comes on those who fear him.
And to fear God is to love God. To fear God is to know God. To fear God is to serve God. To fear God is, perhaps paradoxically, is to draw near to God. It is to be thankful for the mercy and the grace of God.
Do we fear God? We love John Newton's great hymn, Amazing Grace. You know, there's there's a version that you may have just sung without really thinking about it. Newton has A verse that says this, you know, you know it. It's okay, I'm not going to sing it.
It says this. Twas grace. Grace and mercy are related. We'll think of mercy a little later in Luke chapter 1 when we think of what Benedictus says. and uh Zacharias and the and the Benedictus.
Newton says 'twas grace that taught My heart To fear. I think that's a strange thing to say. God's grace taught me to fear. Yes. When I have an understanding of the grace of God and of the mercy of God, it causes me to have a true relationship with God.
Yes, I come with joy. I come with exuberance, but I also come with reverence. I am in awe. In that sense, God and God alone is awesome. Newton says, Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace.
My fears Relieved. I understand who God is. To fear God. And then I receive the mercy and the grace of God, and my fears are relieved that this God, who is holy, is not there to zap me, is not there to condemn me. Under the law, yes, the soul that sins will die.
But now, in my Lord Jesus Christ, This God, who is all-powerful, who is great, has sent His Son to be my Redeemer. Rescue me. How precious did that grace appear. the hour I first believed. See, when we fear God, we begin to see the truth about ourselves.
We see our desperate need. for God in our life. We realize that we cannot live without God. And instead of chasing illusions and meaningless pursuits, we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. When we fear God, we have an understanding that we are accountable to God.
When we fear God, we understand that one day I'm answerable to God, I'm going to stand before God, and therefore that means if I have a true sense of the fear of God, I'm going to depart from evil and I'm going to pursue good. Yes, he's a loving God, but he's a righteous God. And when we fear God, We humbly live in His. presence. Chico about your Work tomorrow.
Check. wherever you work. your bank, your office, your store, wherever it is. Your home. Do you have a sense that You're living in the presence of God.
Do you have a sense? That God is watching you? That's what it is to have the fear of the Lord, to understand I'm in the presence of God. If I'm involved in sin, that may be a bit scary. But if I'm seeking to live righteously, I realize I need His mercy, I need His forgiveness, but this is a loving God, and His grace is always sufficient.
And Mary is saying that his mercy, verse 50, is for those who fear him. Do you think at church we have a Fear of the Lord. The fear. Because when people experience that, you know what it means? It means we realize that we need the mercy of God.
Because when we come to a holy God, our selfishness and our sin and our disobedience are exposed, aren't they? And that drives us not to despair, but it drives us to Christ. And we call to Him for forgiveness and for salvation and transformation. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. But Mary deals not just with the fear of God.
She deals with the power of God. She says, verse 51, He has shown strength with his arm. He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estates. That's what God does.
He brings down the mighty. He exalts those of humble estate. Mary is the example of that. That of all of the women that could have been chosen in Israel, he chooses this unknown young woman in the inconsequential town of Nazareth. Paul says God chooses the foolish in the world to shame the wise, the weak in the world to shame the strong.
He chooses what is low and despised in the world so that no human being might boast in God's presence. No one can boast in God's presence because of their personal achievements, of their standing, of their talents, of the money, of their achievements. Absolutely not. In fact, if you continue like that, Mary is saying he's going to scatter the proud. And he brings down the mighty from their thrones.
The rich verse 53. He sends away empty. And he fills the hungry with Good things. Those who are self-satisfied, those who are self-righteous, self-indulgent, will never receive the mercy of God. Those who receive the mercy of God are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness.
And then Mary, I love that she does this, she has acknowledged that God's faithfulness. will continue Because he's true to his unconditional. Covenantal promises. Verse fifty four. He's helped his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy as he spoke to her fathers to Abraham and to his offspring forever.
Here she's dealing with a covenant to Abraham. We'll look at this perhaps in a week or two. The covenant that God entered with Abraham, that God chooses Abraham, and He makes this wonderful covenant with Abraham, that Abraham is going to be the father of many nations, and in Abraham, all of the families of the earth are going to be blessed. That is. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of Abraham, and God's blessing comes to everyone through.
Lord Jesus Christ the Messiah. And that his promises to Israel, including the land which were part of the Abrahamic covenant. We'll stand. And Mary, young woman although she was, understood. The purposes of God, and that God never forgets His covenantal promises.
to his people. How wonderful if all of us here could say as Mary did. My spirit rejoices in God. My Savior, today will you humble yourself under God's mighty hand? That's following the example of Mary.
So that our souls and our spirits Always praise and worship our mighty. and merciful God. This is the verdict with Pastor John Monroe, and the final part of a message titled The Magnificat. But don't go anywhere just yet, because John will be right back with his closing remarks for today's program. But first, do questions about your salvation keep you awake at night?
many believers wonder if they can somehow lose what Christ has secured for them. John has written a helpful booklet that tackles this topic with biblical clarity. It's called eternal security. And in this unique resource, John opens up Scripture to show you God's unchanging commitment to those who belong to Him. He also shares from his own journey of faith to encourage anyone wrestling with assurance.
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Now here's Pastor John Monroe with closing remarks for today's lesson.
Well, what's your verdict? How is your personal praise to God? Is it God-centered and scripture-centered, as Mary's song was? Sadly, in some of the songs and hymns we sing today, the focus tends to be on ourselves, our struggles, our feelings, rather than on God. We're reminded today and challenged by Mary Song to keep our focus on our all-powerful sovereign God who sends His Son to save us.
Learn from Mary to have a God-centered life. and to live in the fear of the Lord. Thanks for joining us today on The Verdict. I'm Michelle Davies. Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
