Why Mary - Part 1

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Please make your donation to Visionathon today at vision.org.au. Don't you just love how God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things? Perhaps the best example is choosing a common teenager as the mother of the Messiah. Today on Turning Point, Dr. David Jeremiah profiles Mary, the young girl whose faith and obedience make it clear why God favored her with his vital role in the Christmas story. Listen, as David introduces today's message, Why Mary?

And today we turn our attention to, apart from Jesus, the main character in the Christmas story. It was through Mary that Jesus came into humanity. And what a woman she was.

Most people think that Mary was in her 20s, but it is more likely that when she heard from the angels and told that she was going to be a child of the Holy Spirit, she was maybe 15 or 16 years old. She was a young girl, and she was a girl, a young woman who had great faith and confidence in God. What a testimony she is for us.

This is a wonderful story, and we'll get to it in just a moment. You know, we've been going through some really difficult times in our culture, in our country, and what we need more than anything else is a real great embracing and appreciation of the true meaning of Christmas. That in this dark season, the light of the world has come. It's the season of lights. It's lights on our trees.

It's candles. It's the beautiful light of Christmas. A reminder to us that while the world around us may seem dark, there is light. And this light dispels the darkness. If we will embrace that light, it makes all the difference in the world. We are not without hope. Our hope is in God.

We know the one who holds the future. Now, let's dig into this story about Mary. Here's Why Mary. Millions of people in all of the world have named their daughters Mary. This Hebrew name has been popular in all the countries of the Western world and has altogether some 20 different variations like Maria or Marie or Marian. Several years ago, a survey was taken to see which names were most popular in America, and Mary was far and away the most popular girl's name. In fact, one study said there were 3,700,000 girls named Mary in America and another 645,000 named Marie. The name Mary is a very popular name.

It's a very good name, and it appears 51 times in the New Testament. Now, Mary, the mother of Jesus, who is front and center during this season of the year, is better known than any other female character in all of the Bible. She has been the best-known woman in the world since the days of the manger in Bethlehem, and after centuries, the statement still stands, blessed are you among women. Now, all that you will ever know about Mary, you will have to learn from Matthew and Luke. They're the ones who tell us about this woman, and today we're going to look at the mother of our Lord's life and discover three characteristics of godliness that she teaches us that are illustrated in her life that should be true in our lives as we walk with the Lord.

Every person in the Bible has their story in the Bible, not so that we could learn about them particularly, but so that we can learn from them and apply the lessons of their lives to our lives as well. I want you to know we all have much to learn from Mary. First of all, Mary teaches us the submission of godliness. In Luke chapter 1 and verse 38, we read these words. Then Mary said, Behold, the maidservant of the Lord, let it be to me according to your word, and the angel departed from her.

Now, I read that verse out of context so that I can go back and put it in context and you can see how profound this truth really is. From the very beginning of Mary's relationship with Jesus, it was all about submission. When the angel Gabriel came to Mary with the news that she was to be the human mother of the Messiah, Mary had no warning, she had no preparation, she had no timeline, she had no precedent.

She was presented with this announcement in the normal routine of a young Jewish maiden's life. And the entire dialogue between Mary and the angel took place in Mary's home. Now, truth be told, every Jewish woman had this dream that perhaps she would be privileged to be the mother of the long-awaited Messiah.

And they would dream of this, but not really believe that it could ever happen to them. Surely Mary had this thought, but perhaps just casually. She could not have imagined that such a thing would happen to someone like her, a peasant woman of the least estate. Mary was told by the angel that day, when the angel intervened in her life, that she would bear a son and that this son's name would be called Jesus. And she was told that this Jesus would be born to her in a manner by which no child had ever before been born into the world. She was to have a child without having a relationship with a man. She would be with child of the Holy Spirit.

Now, once again, I want you to read with me the words of Luke 1-38. This is how Mary responded to the news that she was to become the mother of the Messiah. She said, Behold, the maidservant of the Lord, be it unto me according to your word. In other words, Lord, I don't understand this, I don't comprehend it, but whatever you desire, be it unto me according to your word. Now, Mary must have wondered in her heart, why have I been favored to be the mother of Jesus?

Why me? The reasons she was chosen are not told us in the Word of God. They're known only to God himself, but it is clear from studying her life and the little information that we have that she was no random selection.

She was an ordinary small town girl, and she would be obedient and courageous as she was. From her son, we learned that she was a woman of Scripture, a woman of faith. She should be a virgin, that the glory of God might be miraculously demonstrated. She should be a peasant in keeping with the humble nature of the Lord's birth. Mary was all of these things. She honored and obeyed the will of her father, providing his only son a home from which he could emerge to launch the work that would define all of human history and explain the very reason why we sit in celebration today. The child, Jesus, toddled behind Mary in his infancy. And then in time, she walked behind him.

In fact, she walked behind him all the way to the cross and all the way to the tomb. Proverbs 31, 30 defines the kind of woman that Mary was. Charm is deceitful, and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Mary teaches us the submission of godliness. Could I pause for just a moment and say that in all of our lives, there comes a moment when God asks us to do something or gives us a word that we should obey.

And we face the same dilemma that she did. Will we accept it, or will we turn from it? And it is my prayer that in my life I can learn from Mary that when God asks me to do something that may be hard or certainly that I don't understand, I can allow my soul to rise up in obedience with the words of Mary, be it unto me according to your word. Lord, whatever you want, I am your servant.

I will do what you tell me to do. And then Mary teaches us not only the submission of godliness, but she teaches us the surprise of godliness. I get weary with people who talk about the Christian life and say, you Christians must not have any fun. It sure looks like it's a boring life being a Christian. Well, anybody who really knows what Christianity is all about knows that's about as far from the truth as anything could be. The adventure of walking with Jesus Christ is the greatest adventure you will ever know on this earth. Heaven will be better, but nothing before that will be. But you are related to the King of kings and the Lord of lords and that the creator of the universe has sent his son to live within your life and that you have a direct communication to Almighty God and that every day you can fellowship with him and walk with him and he will direct you and guide you and strengthen you and be with you and you don't have to face this world by yourself. The adventure of walking with Jesus is truly a great adventure. But let's be honest about it. It's also full of surprises.

Can I get a witness? The Word of God tells us that when you walk with the Lord, he doesn't always give you a lot of information about what's going to happen in the distant future. It's sort of like need to know basis.

Isn't that the way it is? Need to know. David, you need to know this today. I know it's going to raise some questions about tomorrow.

When tomorrow comes, I'll tell you what you need to know. And that was the way it was with Mary. Mary's whole relationship with Jesus Christ was a relationship of surprise. When Gabriel made his startling announcement to Mary concerning the birth of Jesus, here is how Mary first responded. She said, when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying and she considered what manner of greeting this was. Mary was dumbfounded by all of this.

She had no way of preparing. God surprised her with the message of his plan for her life. And when the shepherds told Mary and Joseph what the angel had said about Jesus at his birth, she became quietly pensive. We read, and all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds, but Mary kept all of these things and pondered them in her heart. Mary was so taken by the message that she went inward. She went inward to her heart. She collected all these truths and deposited them within the deep recesses of her heart. And she did not discuss them with others.

She just thought them through herself. Have you ever had a moment like that? When Almighty God speaks to you or something happens in your life and this is rare and new and different and surprising, and there's no way you can even explain it, you just go inward to your heart and you ponder what God has said. We, like Mary, often find ourselves surprised and confused as we try to submit to God. We often struggle as we see what he is doing in the lives of our children.

We, like Mary, do not have a blueprint for their lives any more than we have one for our own. But when we submit to the Lord by faith, we discover, along with Mary, that he is worthy of our trust. How many of you know he always comes through? He always is there for us.

He hears our prayers and he meets our needs. Mary teaches us the submission of godliness and the surprise of it. But finally, we need to take a pause here away from the joy and gladness of Christmas and just remember that Christmas is only meaningful in light of the fact that it is the beginning and not the end. Christmas by itself is a beautiful story and nothing more. Christmas without Easter is one of the better stories in the history of the world, but no more. But when you put Christmas together with Easter, when you realize that the cradle and the grave have a straight line drawn between them, then even Christmas becomes more profound and more meaningful. Mary teaches us not only the submission of godliness and the surprise of it, but she teaches us the suffering of it as well.

And somehow this story is all wrapped into the fabric of Christmas, and the threads from Christmas spin out and keep going until you end up standing outside of the tomb on the first resurrection morning. In John chapter 19, verses 26 and 27, we read these words. When Jesus therefore saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing by, he said to his mother, "'Woman, behold your son.' And he said to the disciple, "'Behold your mother.' And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home." Now, we move from the announcement of Jesus' birth to the agony of his death.

It is the right transition to make. I remember years ago in our Christmas program, we used to start with the birth of Jesus and all of the celebration of Jesus, and then we actually went through his life story, and we acted it out, and we ended up at the cross. I cannot tell you how many people wrote me letters angry that we had the cross in the Christmas story and saying that was a bloody story and it took away from the joy of Christmas. Well, I had to explain to them that if you don't have the cross, you might as well not have the cradle.

There's no reason for the cradle if there isn't any cross. And so the transition from the birth of Jesus to his death is a normal and natural one. Ladies and gentlemen, Jesus Christ was born to die.

That's why he came to this earth. As most of you know, the words from Jesus on the cross, the seven distinct statements that Jesus made in his dying hour before he gave up his spirit to the Father. And those seven statements are found in all the gospels, spread out in the gospels, some here, some there. They're usually a series of messages that some preachers preach before Easter, the seven last words from the cross. And I want to give them to you quickly.

I just want to show you what they are because there's a point I want to make from all of this. The first word from the cross is in Luke 23, 34. Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. That is a prayer for God to forgive those who were crucifying Jesus Christ. The second word is Luke 23, 43.

Jesus said to him, Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise. That's a word of forgiveness to the repentant thief who was hanging next to Jesus. The fourth word is Matthew 27, 46.

And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama savakthani? That is, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? A word of resignation spoken to the Father in heaven. The fifth word is John 19, 28. After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, I thirst. The sixth word, so when Jesus had received his sour wine, he said, It is finished.

Bowing his head, he gave up his spirit. And the seventh word is, and when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, he said, Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit. Now, if you've listened carefully, you know I left one out.

And some of you are saying, I'm gonna have to go up and ask him afterwards, what was the third one? Well, I left it out on purpose because, in many respects, it doesn't belong. It's out of context.

It doesn't fit. All these words, these profound words from the cross, from the lips of Jesus, words of forgiveness, words of resignation, words of thirst. But the third word is the word we read a few moments ago. When Jesus therefore saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing by, he said to his mother, Woman, behold your son. And he said to the disciple, Behold your mother. And from that hour, that disciple took her to his own home.

And you say, Pastor, so what's the big deal about that? Is it not an amazing thing that when Jesus hung upon the cross in the agony of the crucifixion, in the last moments of his life here on this earth, he turned his thoughts away from all that was involved on the cross to his concern for his own mother? Around the cross that day were the onlookers and the bystanders. The critics of our Lord were there. Many were there who had mocked him with their words.

Some were heard to say, If you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross. The chief priests, the scribes, the elders of the Jews pointed their fingers at him and shouted, If you're the Christ, save yourself. And some of Jesus' friends were also there. John mentioned some who were present that day. If you merge the two lists where the names are given, you will discover that Mary, Jesus' mother, Mary the wife of Cleopas and Salome and John's mother and Mary Magdalene and John his beloved disciple were there.

Isn't it interesting? Three Marys left at the cross. And Jesus turned to John in one of the last moments on the cross and concerned himself with the well-being of Mary. And the Scripture says that when they left the place of crucifixion, John took Mary to his own home. It has to be one of the most tender moments in all of the New Testament record. By the way, did you notice the first three words from the cross from Jesus were all about others?

Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. This day you shall be with me in paradise. And John, that's my mother.

You take care of her. The record concerning Mary and John is filled with insights about godliness translated into our culture and into our very homes. As we think back through the life of Jesus and his mother, we identify with so much they must have experienced. In fact, in the Christmas story, there is a little prophecy that makes us look into the crucifixion. Do you remember when Jesus was taken to the temple by his parents and presented to Anna and to Simeon?

Do you remember that part of the story? It's right there in Luke chapter 2, often omitted from the Christmas message. But let me just read to you verses 34 and 35 of the second chapter of Luke. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, Behold, this child is destined for the fallen rising of many in Israel and for a sign which will be spoken against.

Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. These words recorded by Luke were spoken by Simeon when Jesus as an infant was presented to Simeon and Anna in the temple. Now, the Bible says that Simeon took Jesus in his arms and blessed God, and then Simeon turned to Mary and prophesied the words that we just read. He told Mary that her child would be the cause of much sorrow and much pain in her life. He spoke of a sword piercing through her own soul. This prophecy was given 30 years before the crucifixion, but it was being fulfilled now as we have read from John. Mary watches her son being beaten and nailed to the cross. Well, there's more. There's more about Mary for us to talk about, but we're going to have to take a little break for the weekend, and we'll come back on Monday and finish up that discussion.

Next week, it's Why Bethlehem and Why No Room in the Inn. Don't forget, on the weekend, you can find us on television in your community. We're almost everywhere available now, either through a network or a local station. There's a station finder on our website. You can go there and get some help.

But most of you know where we are. If you can't watch because you're in church or in a small group or something, just record it and you'll be able to watch it at another time. Friends, be sure to go to church on Sunday if you can, and then join us again here on Monday as we continue to discuss the question, Why the Nativity? Today's message came to you from Shadow Mountain Community Church and Senior Pastor, Dr David Jeremiah.

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