Sermon – “Magnify the Lord”

Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.” 46 And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. 48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. 49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name. 50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty. 54 He has helped His servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy, 55 As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed forever.”

It’s MORNING a messy dull titled magnify the lower. That said. I will be preachin a long. With our. Forty day challenge. So we began Luke. We’re in Chapter five or six now but. I actually read quite a few chapters ahead John I think word a while what do I want to preach about. From our first week in Luke. I just kept going back to the first chapters is just so this is where I went. This is where the Lord lead me Luke chapter one verse is forty five through fifty five. And just a little bit of a brief. What goes on. Prior to this in chapter or. Verse forty five is the. The angel Gabriel had already appeared to Mary and for Mary that. She had found favor with God and that she was blessed and and highly favored in it she was going to bear a child. Bear that. She was going to carry the Messiah in her womb and so see. She was says. Lord let it be as you say unto the servant and. But he also. The Angel also had already appeared to Zacharias inform him that his wife Elizabeth in her old age was going to conceive and bear a child and. He was going to be the forerunner to the Christ. So all these things that taken place prior to were going to begin today. And this first sentence. The first verse I should say. Is actually Elizabeth addressing Mary. And she says blessid. Is she who believed. For there will be a fulfillment of those things which were TOLD her from the Lord. Which the Holy Spirit has revealed. This Elizabeth speaking. What the Lord has revealed to her through the Holy Spirit. So this is a prophecy she’s prophesied that which has been spoken to you will be fulfilled it will come to fruition. And we know that it has burst forty six in Mary said. My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit has rejoiced in God my say. A viewer. For he has regarded the lowly state of his maid servant for behold henceforth. All generations will call me blessed. For he who has. He who is mighty. Has done great things for May and holy is his name and His mercy is on those who fear him. From generation to generation. There is a promise for us. The God’s mercy is on those who fear him from one generation to the next. This generation included. He has shown strength with his arm. He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things and a rich he has sent away empty. He has helped to serve in Israel in remembrance of his mercy. As he spoke to our fathers to Abraham and his seed forever. They got as blessings to the hearing and reading of His Holy Word. Have you ever experienced a time in your life or a time. More pointedly in your walk with the Lord. Where you have just been so overcome with joy and excitement about something it has happened something that is God has done through you or something as you witness that you just couldn’t hardly contain yourself. You were just that excited about what God has done has anybody ever had an experience like that. I’m sitting to see any hands. Heads nodding her hands wave yes. And I have had some and. You know one was just the kids were young and we was a camp phenomena with the. It’s a Methodist camp and. And one of my daughters was experienced sick and. Extreme headaches and. A man of God came and prayed over her. She was healed and. Was this so excited. So excited I mean I just could hardly contain myself. And there’s been other examples and I’m sure we’ve all had those. Where we just can’t hardly contain. And I know that those experience aren’t something that happens every day. They’re not the norm every every normal every day thing but we do experience them. But we can’t have the joy of the Lord in our heart every single day. We can be joyful every day. While Mary’s. You know Mary was. Mary was your normal. Young woman. Your normal young woman. Your everyday woman. You know she wasn’t a princess. She wasn’t a daughter of the king. Well she was but I’m talking. Internation she was an a princess she was your normal everyday woman. She was engaged to a normal everyday man that was a carpenter. Looking forward to her wedding day. A normal everyday woman. She was one who fear God and love God and was faithful to God in all her ways. And she found favor to got favor with God. Mary’s Joy was a joy that compelled her to lift her voice she could not contain herself. Nor should she have. Because of the favor that she found in God’s eyes. Imagine for a moment women. I’m not speaking to the guys here because we can’t imagine. Carrying a baby in our wombs because we don’t have one. But imagine woman think of it. Women think of this. Imagine being visited by. The archangel. Gable the ARPA Archangel. In told that you were going to carry the Messiah in your womb. Think about that gobs going to come and be born into your womb. Wow. If that sink in a moment. This is that while you. Imagine being the one chosen. Of all the women of all the Jewish young Jewish women. That God could have chosen. He chose Mary. Because she was humble. Because she was faithful. But she was this. Wow. In all of what God has done. Imagine a trend. The tremendous responsibility. That you’re gonna bring into this earth that. Baby Messiah and you’re going to raise him and teach him. Teaching God. Think about death. You’re going to teach and train him up. But God knew that he had chosen a faithful woman to do that. But still they were common ordinary family weren’t to remember when Jesus was twelve you should have read that this week if you’re caught up. Where they went to Jerusalem. And whenever they were leaving they departed. Mary and Joseph thought that young Jesus at the age of twelve he thought he was just with other family members. And he wasn’t. He was at the temple he was listening. And asking questions. Well Mary and Joseph they’re normal people do. You know. She was panic. They went back in search for him for three days before the founding. And said son you know. You’ve scared us to death. Basically I’m paraphrasing. What were you thinking. But he submitted and. Went with them. They were normal everday parents. But what a responsibility they had. God chose her. God didn’t choose her because she was perfect though. Some may disagree with that. But she was a sinner. She was also a sinner like. Others. She was faithful to God. But does not God’s Word say that all have sinned the post short of the glory of God. While I’m telling you today this also included Mary. Because she indicated this truth in this passage. Verse forty seven said in my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. That’s Mary’s words. God my Savior so she too. Needed a Savior. And she was blessed to carry that savior in her womb. She needed a Savior. Mary said my soul magnifies the Lord. Ninety five means to make great. Make great. Do we make him great. And to extol with praises for to the only way that we can magnify God is with our words with our praises to show forth and celebrate his greatness in the great things that he has done for us. Do we celebrate the great things that God has done for us. Do we celebrate them we can celebrate them every day. Because every day we’re able to grow out of that bed and we have. Life in this. We should celebrate God thank you for another day. Thank you for the breath of life for another day. Thank you for the strength Lord. Thank you for what you have done some study for verse three says oh magnify the Lord with me. Let us exult his name to gather. Where you magnify the lower with me. In exult his name together. Mary song is called the bang ific and. Because the Latin version of loop. One forty six is. Magnifique and a name though. The minimum. Her greatest desire was to magnify the Lord and not herself. There’s a lesson in that for us. Her greatest desire was to magnify him. And not herself. She used the phrase. He half in the King James Version or he has eight times in this song. Mama’s New King James. He has regarded the lowly state of his maid servant. He has done great things for me. He has shown strength with his arm. He has scattered the proud. He has put down the mighty. He has filled the hungry with good things. He has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel. There was nothing in there. Sounded like. I have. But he has. He has done it. Does the church reflect the same A through Z. as him today. Because of the mercy that God has shown us. Do we reflect that doozie as him that Mary had to we have that same joy. Because he has helped us. Do we have that joy in our lives your lives reflect that joy. Because he has saved us from our sins. I found in the illustration. And I hope this illustration is not true about the church today. When you hear you understand why I say that I hope it is not true about the church. Today God’s people. It’s called Christianity to took the vividness out of life. And as I went over this I’m thinking I may have used this illustration some years ago but it’s worth hearing again. Said even after Constantine had made Christianity the religion of the Roman Empire. There came to the throne another emperor called Julian. Who wished to put back the clock and bring back the old gods. His complaint as it doesn’t put it was Have you looked at these Christians closely. Hollowed eyes. Pale cheeks. Flat breasted all. They brode their lives away. On spurred by ambition. The sun shines for them but they do not see it. The earth offers them. Fullness but they desire it not all their desire is to renounce and to suffer that they may come to die. As Julian saw it Christianity took the vividness out of life all over when two homes once said I might have entered the ministry. If certain clergymen I knew had not looked and I could so much like undertakers. Robert Louis Stevenson once entered in his diary. As if that he was recording the extraordinary phenomenon. He said I had been to church today and I am not depressed. I hope that that’s not the way the church looks to day I hope we are not hollow odd in the press looking. But that we are full of joy for what God has done to us and done for us. The Emperor Julian’s. His zeal against a Christian. Surprise many. Because he had actually been brought up in a Christian home. He was baptized and he was even ordained as a lector in the church. So this rejection of his upbringing like Christians to call him the. Julian the apostate. Prostate one who falls away from the faith and their service is Justin’s as to why the Julian. Fell away from the church. They say that he was a gifted writer himself. And he fell in love with the Hell in the. Civilization. The pagan ways. He also fell under the spell Maximus F. a mis used magic tricks to get hold of the young man’s mind. Another reason I say. May have turned him away was that a Christian emperor of that day killed all of his family. For political reasons. And although the Julian owed. Owed his life to another Christian. He seemed to blame all Christians for the massacre that took his family. Back to Mary Mary name three specific groups that God had been merciful to. The first being the helpless verse fifty one said he had showed strength. With his arms. Strength to those who were helpless. Think about Mary situation. Mary willingly subjected herself. Here’s she was a young virgin. Engaged to a man named Joseph. She knew that the sock that the society in which she lived. That whenever they found out that she had become pregnant that she could be stoned. She felt she knew that she could have been rejected and forced to live. Unmarried. Supporter self for the rest of her life. She knew that if her father rejected her. The ciggy be forced to live a life of prostitution or begging for the rest of her life. She also knew that. To go back and tell her family and her neighbors it. She’s pregnant and never been with a man did she also be labeled crazy. But she was willing to say Yes Lord. Yes Lord. Even with all that knowledge. She is willing to say let it be. To thy servant. As you say. She was willing to surrender her plans. The plans of planning that wedding and. All the people she was going to invite in all the hopes and dreams she had. She was willing to surrender them. For his plan. For God’s plan. Some sixty two five says my soul. Say this to yourself my soul. Wait silently for God alone. For my expectation is from him. Do we say that. Do we tell ourselves. Wait for God. My expectation is from him. His plans are we willing to surrender our plans for his plans. Mary spoke of humbleness in verse fifty two. He has put down the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly. He has exulted the humble. A devoted Christian name Samy Morse. Who moved from Africa to go to school to give school in America. Although his pathway to service for Christ was not an easy one. His difficulties never deterred him. Perhaps it was because he learned. Genuine whom it humility. One incident that showed his humility occurred when he arrived at Taylor University in Upland Indiana. He was asked by the school president. What room do you want. Santa replied. If there is a room that nobody wants to give it to me. Later the president commented. I turned away from were for two years and I asked myself whether I was willing to take what nobody else wanted. We Americans are not trained that way or we were not trained that way to say. Give me what nobody else wants. Because we want the best. We want the shiny asst. We want the most expensive. We want the best. Apartment or the best hotel or the best. Room. Are we willing to ask ourselves or say. Give me what nobody else wants. It’s a tough one in. Proverbs sixteen one thousand says better to be. Of a humble spirit with the lowly. Then two to divide. To divide the spoil with the proud. Better to be of a humble spirit with a lowly they have to divide to spoil. With the proud. James four six says. But he gives more grace Therefore he says God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble God resists the proud. Do we want to be resisted by God to want to be accepted by God. We need to be humble. If we want to be accepted by God. Verse fifty three of our passage in Luke said that he has filled the hungry with good things. And the rich he has sent away empty. He has filled the hunger with good things this is a celebration of the general mercy of God. He is daily fed the poor the needy. And those who come to him with humble hearts. Psalms one of seven verse nine says. For he satisfies the longing soul. He fills the hungry with. Soul with his goodness. He fills the longing so. God is faithful and just to fill those to come to him with a humble heart. That longs to have more of him. Not more of the world but more of him. The problem is that many people today do not want more of him. That’s a problem with that. Even in the church today. And in the world today the problem is that many people don’t want more God they don’t want all of God They only want to LITTLE BIT OF GOD. Are you picking up what I’m putting down their own little bit of god why. Because if they take all of God They need to give up the world. That’s what we spoke about inside a school. Are we more concerned about the world are we so attached to the things of the world that we only want a little bit of God instead of all of God. I pray that we want. All of him. All that God has for us. Not what the world has to offer. Because of things this world will perish. But he gives everlasting life. What if God only gave us a little bit of His grace. Would you be happy with that. Now I know why I’m sorry son. But you only get a little bit of my grace because you were willing to surrender yourself to me. And want all of me so you’re only going to get a little bit of me. What if he gave us the same measure that we wanted of him. Ah good some comments there. I hope we want all of him. All of all that he has to give us. I hope that he’s the most important thing to us. The very air that we breathe. Are every little mean every long live are sold. Mary said my soul magnifies the Lord. Deep within she modified him. Worship him loved him. Deep within. To we long for him. In Chapter five of our reading in Luke. Most of you’re probably on Chapter five hopefully. There’s an awesome example of not being friends of the world. Luke five four through eleven. And when he had stopped speaking Jesus. He said to Simon. Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch. But Simon answered and said to him Master. We have toiled all night long and caught nothing. All night long they have been fishing there claim in their nets der done there ready to go home and. Nap. Get some sleep. But he says nevertheless that your words. I will let down the net. And when he had done this they caught a great number of fish. And their nets were breaking. So they signaled their partners in the in the other boat to come and help them. And they came until both boats. Not just the one. They let the other nets down until both boats. So that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw he fell down at Jesus’ knees saying. Depart from me for I am a sinful man O. Lord. For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch a fish. Which they had taken. And so also were James and John the sons of Zebedee who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men. So when they had brought their boats to the land they pursued all and followed him. All right how many would have said. Lord that was all some can you come back tomorrow. May I know that’s a great as catch a fish I ever had man I try my billfold is going to be. Plump tonight. Nor can you come back tomorrow. Because man I’d love to do this again. No that’s not what they did. They forsook all. They didn’t clean those fish they left them. To greatest catch a fish they’d ever caught in their lives. The boats were sink and. They walked away from it. To follow him. That is detachment from the world. And he meant the rich sent away. While the poor came to him for a supply of their daily needs the rich come to him. Not that the necessities should be supplied. But they come with lofty hearts and insatiable desires. That their riches may be increased. When this is a case. God often not only withhold what they ask. But it often takes the riches away. By the fire flood or disappointment. And sends them away empty. Proverbs twenty three five said it is better to be poor and go to God for our daily bread than to be rich or forget our dependence upon him. And to seek only a great increase in our property. Another proverb. Is thirty four seven three nine. Two things I request of you. The prob. The Probably not before I die. Remove falshood and lies from me. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food allotted to me. Lest I be full and deny you. And say who is the Lord for lest I be poor and steal. And proving the name of the Lord. We need to practice the. He has done. He has fed me. He has supplied my needs. He has closed to me. He has provided me. My job. He has provided me. My family. He has provided me. A vehicle to drive. He has blessed me with his presence. He has done great things for me. Do we voice that. Do we speak out good God is to us. And all the things that he has done for me. I want to close with First Corinthians Chapter one Verse twenty six through thirty one for you see your calling brother. That not many wise according to the flesh. Not many mighty. Not many noble or called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put the shame the wise. See how true is that the world thinks were foolish. If we are walking in the ways of the Lord and trust in him. And not the things of the world. The full is saying to the world to put the same the wise. He has chosen the weak things of the world to put the same those who are mighty The base things of the world. And the things which are despise. God has chosen. And the things which are not to bring to nothing. Things that are that no flesh should Lawry in his presence. But of him. You are in Christ who became for us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. That it has been written. That as it has been written. He who glories. Let Him glory. In the Lord. Yes friends we can glory. But let’s glory in the Lord. Not ourselves. Not our own ambitions or our own talents or our own abilities. But let’s glory in him. Let’s magnify the Lord together. This give him the praise for the good things he has done. And I will close with this. If you’ve been holding back in only wanting a little bit of god please surrender at all to him. And desire all of him. Surrender all that we have to him not just a little bit. But all of it. Because he is faithful. He deserves. Our all. Amen.