Latest / HBCWestminster / 12.8.19 Luke 1:39-56 Pastor Danny Gardner

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12.8.19 Luke 1:39-56 Pastor Danny Gardner · HBCWestminster

• 0:00
  You guys, I love the Christmas season in general, but I love the Christmas season at the church. I really do. I'll even admit that I really like Christmas music. I really do. I don't, you know, I'm not crazy. I'm not listening to it in August, but I don't wait until December either. I mean, I'm not afraid to admit it. You know, mid-November, sometime after Halloween, I start listening to Christmas music. Although, if you're going to listen to it in November, you kind of have to do it on the sly, you know, like...
• 0:26
  Because people will make fun of you. They will. And so I just, you know, until about December, that's when I go public. But the month of December, we purposefully, I know we sing a lot of Christmas music in the church in December. And it's not like it's the only music we could sing. All of the praise and worship songs that always apply, we could sing every Sunday in December as well.
• 0:50
  But we purposely sing a lot of Christmas stuff in December. And one of the reasons is, not only do we want to celebrate the coming of Christ, but we actually want to combat the false message that is so permeated and so pervasive in our culture that Christmas is about anything else. It's not about anything else. It's the birth of Christ. It's about God becoming a man. That's what it's about.
• 1:16
  And it's nothing wrong with celebrating other things. There's not. I mean, our family enjoys, you know, Advent calendars and our family enjoys all of the fun things, all of the fun movies that are made and all of that stuff. We enjoy all of those, the Grinch and everything else. You know, we watch those. They're fun. But really, what we're trying to do is really put in our heads and in our hearts that this season really is about the coming of Christ. And that's it. It's not about jolly old Saint Nick and it's not about reindeers and it's not about anything else. It's about...
• 1:45
  God and his son, Jesus. And my youngest son, Chase, who is nine years old, loves dinosaurs. He loves them. And all little boys like dinosaurs. At some point, they all go through a dinosaur phase. But Chase has kind of taken it to a next level where he has actually memorized an incredible number of dinosaur names. I mean, way more.
• 2:11
  than other boys his age, certainly more than I ever did when I was a kid and more than my other sons ever did. He has these things. Remember, I mean, crazy, like obscure dinosaurs. He knows what they are, knows facts about them, can name them. I mean, so obscure sometimes that I wonder if he's not making the names up. Like, that's not a whatever you just said it was. That has to be a made-up name. You know, but they're so complicated, the names that he comes up with, that I'm like...
• 2:37
  They have to be real because who would come up with that? You know, that has to be real. And so he enjoys dinosaurs. He watches all of the dinosaur shows on TV. You know, many of those shows are not Christian shows. They're not biblically centered. They don't teach about creation. They're secular shows. And so we allow him to watch them, but we have told him not everything you hear in those shows is necessarily true, right? Dinosaurs didn't become birds, which became...
• 3:08
  which became us. That's not what happened. And I don't know that I could explain to you what Genesis 1 says in any great detail. Like, how does God create something out of nothing? You guys, I don't know. I'm not going to pretend like I know how He did that. I don't know. But I'll tell you how He didn't do it. He didn't do it like that. Right? And although these shows are piping this stuff out, I mean, they're cranking it out. They are making all kinds of assumptions and then teaching them as though they are true.
• 3:37
  We allow them to watch him, but you better believe that I'm pushing pause throughout those shows and saying, now, Chase, listen, I know that's what he said, and he looks really smart because he's wearing a white coat, right? But here's what God says, and God was there, and so I'm going to tend to believe him.
• 3:54
  Right? God's word says it this way. And as he's watching these things, I am also combating that. What is, I think, a false gospel, right? I'm combating that with the truth of God's word over and over. And it's okay to enjoy these shows. It's okay to love dinosaurs. It's okay to want to grow up to become a paleontologist. Absolutely, you should do that.
• 4:12
  Right? See if the museum someday is hiring. Absolutely. You should do all of those things. But you better make sure that you're combating some of those things that are guesses with the truth of God's Word. And we want to do the same thing here at Christmas. That's why we do it. We make it about what it's really about. And this morning's passage fits right in line with that. We continue in Luke 1.
• 4:36
  With what we call Mary's Magnificat, the Magnificat, just a magnifying of God, the magnification of Mary's heart, in her heart of the Lord, bringing Him, like Sam said, into focus. So our passage is Luke 1, but our Scripture reading, I'm actually going to take from the book of Psalms this morning, Psalm 46, beginning in verse 1. I'll read verses 1 to 3, Psalm 46, and then we'll get into Luke.
• 5:03
  So if you guys would like to turn there, Psalm 46, beginning in verse 1. I would ask if you're able to stand in honor of God's word as we read to do that now, if you would. And then we'll pray and begin. Psalm 46, beginning in verse 1. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea.
• 5:36
  though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. And Lord, we would ask that you use the preaching of your word this morning to glorify yourself, to magnify yourself, God, and to bring strength to our souls. We know, Lord, that apart from your grace, we are nothing. God, apart from your grace, we have nothing.
• 6:05
  That all of our efforts, God, apart from your abounding grace would amount to nothing. And so we thank you for your grace, grace upon grace, which we so desperately need. We thank you for your redemption of our souls. God, be blessed by our worship. Be blessed and honored in our fellowship. Be blessed by our commitment to your scriptures. And it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Thank you. You can be seated.
• 6:39
  Does your mind ever need realignment? You know, we realign our cars. We realign the wheels of our cars to make sure that the wheels, the tires, are going the same direction as the steering wheel. There are times when our alignment can be off. And so it looks like we're driving straight. We're actually veering off the road. And I find that my mind is very much the same way. It must be adjusted.
• 7:11
  Aligned and even small alignments or adjustments can actually make a very big difference. I've told you before that I love Thanksgiving. It's not only my favorite holiday, but Thanksgiving is actually my favorite day of the year. I love the food. I love the football. I love having friends over. I love the games and laughter and all of that stuff, the music and everything else about Thanksgiving Day. My family typically hosts Thanksgiving in our home.
• 7:39
  We open our home to just about anybody who wants to come. In fact, many of you have been to our home at some point for Thanksgiving. I love everything about it. But years ago, about 15 years ago, I think, I think that Pearson was just a little squirt. I don't even think Zach was born yet, okay? We decided that we, instead of hosting, we hadn't gotten into that groove of hosting Thanksgiving, that we were going to go to a family member's house for Thanksgiving instead.
• 8:06
  And so we went with high expectations, of course, because the best thing about walking into somebody else's house at Thanksgiving is the smell that you're hit with when you walk in, right? You open the door, you come in. For the first time, everybody else is acclimated, but you haven't. And so you can smell all of the wonderful smells of Thanksgiving. And Thanksgiving has a certain smell, right? We walked into this family member's house, and the smell was off.
• 8:34
  There was something not right about the smell. And you guys, I couldn't put my finger on it. You know, I mean, I wasn't going to go researching, but I definitely thought there is something not right. This ain't Thanksgiving. There's something not kosher. And so the hours progressed and we did our thing. We're watching football, whatever, and it's announced that it's dinner time. And so we walked into the dining room table, all sat down, only to realize, to my horror,
• 9:01
  that rather than, and I'm quoting now, rather than making a turkey this year, and I'm like, wait, stop there. Like, what? Rather than making a turkey this year, I made fish. You guys, there's nothing inherently wrong with fish. I mean, maybe, you know, but I mean, okay, any other day of the year, fine, but wait, what? And then she said, and in case, in case you guys who love turkey are missing turkey, I've also made a turkey casserole.
• 9:34
  She set that on the table and I looked at Hallie and I said, I told you my mother-in-law was a communist. I didn't say that. And she's not a communist. She loves the Lord and whatever else. But I was just like, wait, this is so wrong. This can't be right. I'm mad. You guys, I was seething. And this was not a righteous indignation like we call it that sometimes. It was just plain indignation. Like I was mad.
• 9:59
  I was definitely ready to start flipping tables and making a whip and driving everybody out. I mean, I was definitely ready to do that, but certainly not in a holy way, not in a righteous way. I'm complaining to Hallie. I'm squeezing her hand under the table like, what is this? You know, and she just politely, graciously, as my wife very often does, whispers, you might be missing what's most important right now. Mind your own business.
• 10:31
  and we're not coming here next year, right? Now, we love them. We love, we really do. I love my mother-in-law, my father-in-law. They're wonderful people. My mind drifts, not in a daydream kind of way, but I find that unless I make constant corrections, and very often those corrections do come in the form of friends and family members, very often in the form of my wife whispering, right, doing those realignments, those spiritual realignments, I find that my mind drifts.
• 11:04
  And unless I purposely dwell on what's true, if I purposefully set out to say, to take my mind captive and to dwell on what is true, I find that my mind can go to some pretty negative, critical, and even really dark spiritual places. I need constant correction. It was C.J. Mahaney who said that the person I preach the gospel to the most is me.
• 11:31
  I'm the one who needs the gospel message more than anyone else. I'm the one that I preach the truth to most often. And I find that true in my own life. I need constant encouragement. I find that spiritual encouragement does for our minds what realignment does for our cars. The main thrust of this morning's passage, and we'll go to Luke 1 now if you haven't already. The main thrust, it's really got two kind of focuses. First, verses 39 to 45 are Elizabeth's...
• 12:01
  Mary, we find, after having received this blessed news that she would bear the Messiah, that she had conceived of the Holy Spirit, we find that rather than necessarily rejoicing and kind of bopping down the street and going about her way, we find, I think, that she needed encouragement. She didn't know what to do. And so she goes to the house of her older cousin, more mature in the faith.
• 12:27
  Also having miraculously, although not immaculately, conceived for encouragement, we find Elizabeth's encouragement, Elizabeth's praise, holding up and sustaining this young lady. And then we find, verses 46 to 56, what are famously called the Magnificat, the magnifying of God in the heart of Mary. The Magnificat is one of the most famous prayers, in fact, ever uttered.
• 12:55
  And I believe that a proper understanding of this brief prayer, what we'll look at this morning, would not only give modern believers an example to follow, but make sure you hear this, it would also, I believe, correct the heretical superstitions that have convoluted the essence of the true gospel for so many and for so long. Here's what I mean. I think it is true that no other woman in history has ever been more highly favored by God than Mary.
• 13:23
  I also think it true that no other woman in history has ever been more blessed by God than Mary. I think no other woman in history has ever been more highly esteemed by mankind than Mary, right? She's the name that is on the lips of almost every person around the world. They know who this woman is. I also think that no other woman in history has ever been more misunderstood by mankind than Mary. You'll notice as we continue our study of Mary's life,
• 13:54
  We find that scriptural details regarding her biography, regarding her life, are actually really scarce. The Bible doesn't say much about who she was. Why would you say that that is? Why doesn't the Bible talk much about her? Humans sure do. Why doesn't the Bible? I think the answer is because the story is not actually about her, right? It talks about her just enough to let us know who she is so that our attention can be focused on who? Jesus, who the story is actually about.
• 14:29
  Abounding detail regarding the Savior, but not much in terms of the Savior's mom. One thing that we do know is that Mary has just been told, and you'll recall from the sermon from last week, she's just been told that she would fill the highly coveted role as the mother of the Messiah. In fact, every Jewish woman leading up to Mary prayed and asked the Lord that she would be the fulfillment of that promise, that she would be the one who would bring Jesus.
• 14:59
  to the world. We looked last week at the archangel Gabriel's revelation to this adolescent from Nazareth that she would bring the Savior of the world to mankind. We pick up the narrative with Mary having just been told that she would conceive. She, in verse 39, says, arose even with haste to go into the hill country to a town in Judah.
• 15:28
  She immediately, this young lady, I think maybe 13-ish years old, makes the three- or four-day walking journey from Nazareth down to Judah. Imagine one of our junior high young ladies making a four-day trek to another town. She wanted to go there to confirm Gabriel's revelation to her that Elizabeth...
• 15:52
  in her old age, has also conceived a son. And so she wanted to go in order to verify the truth of Gabriel's claim, but this visit also provided the added bonus, I think, of support, the support that Mary would desperately need. I think, and Scripture doesn't necessarily say this, but I think at this point in verse 39, Mary has divulged the news. I think she's already conceived. I think she has divulged the news to her parents, who perhaps have not yet believed.
• 16:22
  I do think she's divulged the news to her fiancé. Remember, the Bible says that it was during this one-year betrothal period to Joseph. We said last week, worst thing that could happen, worst case scenario, is that the young lady turns up pregnant, right? And so she goes to Joseph. She tells him, I don't think he believed. I think that's why Matthew 1 says that he determined in his heart to divorce her quietly.
• 16:53
  so as not to bring added reproach and shame on her, right? So he's a righteous young man. He doesn't want to heap scorn on her. And so he just said, you know what? I'm out. I mean, the whole immaculate conception thing, okay, whatever. This is not what I planned for. And he was just going to put her away, divorce her quietly, so as not to bring added shame to her. But I don't think he believed. He hadn't yet been visited by Gabriel. He hadn't gotten that dream yet.
• 17:20
  And so she, now having told her closest family members, and them, I think, not having believed, decides to go to Elizabeth in the hope that if the angel's message is true and she has conceived, certainly she would believe. Zechariah saw the same angel. What we see in Luke 1 and verse 39 is Elizabeth's incredible encouragement, not only belief in the story, but even speaking prophetic blessing and encouragement.
• 17:50
  over Mary, which she so desperately needed. And so let's look at it. The first thing we're going to notice is Elizabeth's praise or Elizabeth's encouragement. Look at verses 39 and 40. It says, Now, we are a people who live by faith and not by sight. We know that. But even the most faithful among us.
• 18:27
  Isn't that true? If your experience is like mine, I find that I am very difficult to encourage and very easy to discourage. Those words that cut, I hold on to.
• 18:45
  I replay in my mind the conversations I wish I could get back. I replay, I replay, I reread emails. I really do. I reread text messages to the point that at times I even just have to delete them because I can't look at them anymore. The encouraging ones roll right off my back. Like, of course you have to say that. You're my wife, right? You'd be a lousy pastor's wife if you critiqued the pastor's sermon every Sunday, right? You wouldn't be good at your job. So of course you have to say nice things. You're married to me, obligated, right?
• 19:15
  And therefore, can't be trusted. But all of the discouraging things, man, it's crazy to me how my mind hangs on to those things. I am easily discouraged. I am difficult to encourage. Well, if you find that to be the case, I think Mary here, in a moment of discouragement, you can imagine a confused and discouraged Mary now comes to Elizabeth. What should I do? She's afraid. It says she believes.
• 19:44
  But she needs this encouragement. She visits her older, faithful, more mature cousin, whose encouragement becomes the first of five hymns. Now, this is really cool. Five hymns recorded in the Gospel of Luke, either prayed or sung before the birth of Christ. This one is the first one, Elizabeth's encouragement, hymn number one. Mary's Magnificat is hymn number two. We'll look at that this morning.
• 20:10
  The third one we find at the end of Luke chapter 1, Zechariah's prophetic song and prayer after the birth of John the Baptist. That's the third. The fourth is by the angels themselves. Chapter 2 and verse 14, glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased. The fifth comes immediately following the birth of Christ when his parents go to the temple and hand him to an old man named Simeon.
• 20:37
  And in chapter 2, verses 29 to 32, Simeon prays and sings this fifth and final hymn, rejoicing and saying, I have seen the Messiah and I can finally die in peace. So the first of these five hymns that we'll study for the next couple of months, probably, is Elizabeth's encouragement. And pick up in verse 41. Notice how she encourages Mary. It says, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary,
• 21:06
  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. Her first point of encouragement is to confirm the Lord's calling and blessing on Mary. In other words, Elizabeth says, the Lord did this and therefore it is a blessing. Even if it doesn't feel like one, even if this feels like a tremendous burden, don't forget that God
• 21:37
  did this, and He only does good things for His people. Church, all of the circumstances in your life that are outside of your control, that are outside of your sphere of influence, that are outside of your ability to manipulate, all of the circumstances in your life that are outside of your control must be the Lord's will for you. Say it again. All of the circumstances in your life that are outside of your control
• 22:10
  must therefore be the Lord's will for you. You believe in the sovereignty of God, right? God does what he wants. God knows what he's doing, amen? And therefore, everything that happens to you that is outside of your ability to manipulate must be the will of God for you and can therefore be counted as a blessing. You say, well, it sure doesn't feel like a blessing in the moment.
• 22:42
  Might feel much more like a burden, maybe even a tremendous burden. It might not even make sense in the moment. But Scripture says the Lord will use all things, all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. And there is perhaps no greater encouragement than to be reminded by someone you love and trust that the Lord has called you, that He has equipped you, that He will...
• 23:11
  bless you as you walk in humble confidence in that calling. And sometimes I think, church, we just need to be told that our obedience is good. Trust and obey. Listen, let me talk to specifically husbands and wives for just a moment. You married couples kind of tune in for a minute. This kind of encouragement to look into somebody else's eyes and say, I have seen the Holy Spirit of God in you.
• 23:45
  I have seen you walking in obedience. I have seen you suffer and yet endure. I have seen this in you. I have seen the Spirit manifesting Himself in the fruit of the Spirit. I have seen that in you. This kind of encouragement must happen in your marriage. It has to. Husbands, listen, guys.
• 24:08
  If you have not looked into your wife's eyes and told her, I have seen, these are the good things of God I have seen in you, then you must remedy that. You have to. Do it this afternoon, okay? And she's going to say, we're only doing that because Pastor Danny just said you have to do it, okay? So he just said that you're only doing that because he just told you you had to. Listen, good. You can say, that's the kind of man you married.
• 24:39
  I pay attention in church. I listen to the sermon. I apply it as soon as I can, right? How are you going to criticize me for doing what the sermon was about? You don't get to do that. I have seen the Holy Spirit in you. I have seen the fruit of the Spirit. I have seen you grow. Good for you. Keep walking in confidence of that calling. Believe me, every one of your wives is going to be blessed to hear it. They will.
• 25:09
  and they're going to be blessed that they are married to a man who pays attention in church, who listens to the sermon, and then does what the Bible says to do. I love this. Elizabeth just looks at her and says, don't forget who did this. Verse 42, you are blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. I know this was outside of your control. I know that it came from God, but you are blessed. Continue walking in humble confidence. Notice second, Elizabeth, and even Elizabeth's baby.
• 25:38
  are genuinely excited at Mary's presence. Look at verse 43. 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. We know that Elizabeth's son, John the Baptist, would be the forerunner, the herald of Christ. And here, this is so cool, here he makes his first pronouncement.
• 26:07
  Still in utero. Hasn't even been born yet. And he's already proclaiming the coming of Jesus. I believe, church, that joy is contagious. I really do. I believe that joyful people make joyful people. And as I'm picturing for a moment, just picture, if you could, in your mind's eye, Elizabeth's face. The Bible doesn't describe Elizabeth's face.
• 26:36
  But imagine this pronouncement being made, right? In my womb, the baby leaped for joy as soon as he heard your voice. I don't imagine in this moment, as I picture Elizabeth's face, I don't think she's wearing a frown, right? I don't think she's got a grumpy face on. The baby keeps kicking. Every time you talk, the baby kicks.
• 27:05
  Like, I don't think that's what... I think that she is rejoicing. I think that she is exuberant. Mary, don't forget, this is good news. This is good news. Church, make no mistake, joy is contagious, but so is grumpy. Grumpy people make grumpy people too. The Bible says that the fruit of the Spirit is love and joy and peace. And the more...
• 27:36
  that we display, the more that we put on display those types of character qualities, the fruits of the Spirit, the more we declare the coming of Christ's kingdom to earth. Third, notice that Elizabeth reminds Mary that to believe is to be faithful. I don't think Mary knew what to do. What do I do? And Elizabeth just says in verse 45, believe. Look at verse 45. Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.
• 28:06
  I think Elizabeth's simple reminder to Mary is that the Lord would follow through with his promise and that Mary's job was simply to put one foot in front of the other. You know, faithfulness cannot be measured, is not determined by leaps of faith. I know that we use that phrase, but you know, the Bible never says that. The Bible never says leaps of faith. It doesn't say, in fact, that we leap by faith. The Bible says that we walk by faith.
• 28:37
  Leaps of faith, I believe, are overrated because they really only happen maybe two or three or five times in our entire lives. We might have an opportunity to do something extraordinary, but that's not how our faithfulness is determined. Our faithfulness can be determined by the steps we take every day when nothing extraordinary happens. You can imagine Mary looking at Elizabeth and saying, what am I supposed to do? And Elizabeth says, nothing.
• 29:09
  What do you mean? One foot in front of the other, Mary. Be faithful today. Let the Lord take care of tomorrow. Be faithful today. Be faithful this moment. Take one small step. And over the course of much time, those small steps add up to a great distance. Elizabeth reminds her that to believe is to be faithful. So that's first Elizabeth's encouragement. Now let's go to Mary's Magnificat or Mary's prayer.
• 29:40
  Mary's prayer, and man, how do you not love the Magnificat? Look what she says in verse 46. My soul magnifies the Lord. You know, the Bible doesn't say, it doesn't say that the Magnificat, her prayer was contingent upon the blessing, that prophetic blessing from Elizabeth. But I do think it can be implied. I think there is a possibility that without Elizabeth's words in Mary's life, Mary doesn't respond with this incredible prayer.
• 30:10
  Right? I think that Elizabeth's encouragement pushed her because verse 46 says, and Mary said, it's almost in response to Elizabeth's blessing. Mary says, my soul magnifies the Lord. And just like Pastor Sam says, this is telescopic magnification, not microscopic. May the Lord be bigger in my life. May he come into focus so that I can worship him more accurately.
• 30:35
  And as she gives this magnificent, we're going to notice some things about Mary's character. First, you'll see in verse 47, I'm sorry, verse 47, you'll notice her depravity. Verse 47 says, and my spirit rejoices in God. What does it say? My Savior. My spirit rejoices in God, my Savior. Contrary to popular opinion, Mary was not.
• 31:07
  Full of grace. She wasn't. I know that we've said it tens of millions of times. Hail Mary. Full of grace. But that's not what she said about herself. If she were full of grace, she would not have needed a Savior. In fact, I think that she would be appalled at the way in which she is venerated and even prayed to today. I think she would have been the first to point out that John 1.14 says that God became flesh.
• 31:39
  and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. Do you want to know who was full of grace? It wasn't Mary. And listen, this is not to knock a 13-year-old girl. That's not what I'm trying to do. I think she was remarkable. I'm going to say some pretty nice things about her here in a moment, okay? I think she was incredible. A model junior high girl, okay?
• 32:04
  But I think that she had original sin. I think that she had inherited sin, just like you and I. I think that she rebelled against her parents at times. I think that she cheated and lied and complained in her heart. I do, just like all of us. I think she would have been the first to say, it's God who is full of grace and not me. Hail Mary? No. Hail Jesus? Yes. Yes, we must be careful, church, to pray like Mary and not to Mary.
• 32:34
  Not to Mary. She needed the Savior. Notice, as you go through the Magnificat, you're going to notice that she had an incredible depth of knowledge of Scripture. A depth of knowledge of Scripture. Not only does Mary in these 10 verses include in her prayer two specific echoes of Hannah's prayer of thanksgiving to God in 1 Samuel 2, but almost this entire prayer is directly quoted from the Old Testament.
• 33:04
  Just listen for a minute. If you want all of these references, you can go back online, listen to it, slow it down at a human speed, and you can write them down. But in the next 10 verses, you will hear either quoted or alluded to, catch this, Genesis 8, Genesis 30, Psalm 34, 35, 102, 136, 71, 89, 98, 126, 111, 103, 105.
• 33:33
  You will also hear Isaiah 61, Isaiah 12, 45, 57, 51, 52, 44. You'll hear Micah 7, verse 20, and you'll hear Malachi 3, 12. All in 10 verses and all from a 13-year-old girl. I think that's pretty remarkable. You could explain that away by saying, yes. But Danny, wasn't she speaking under inspiration from the Holy Spirit?
• 34:02
  Right? Of course she could do that. She was speaking under inspiration, right? The Holy Spirit was guiding her along and she was just opening her mouth. The Holy Spirit was the one talking. You want to know why I don't think that's true? Obviously she was speaking under inspiration, but when you get to the end of her prayer, she doesn't seem startled that all of that just came out of her. Did you catch that? It's just normal. It's the way she talked. It's the way she prayed. Let me ask you honestly, if I asked you next Sunday,
• 34:33
  would you please open the service? Next Sunday, would you open the service with prayer? And you stood up here and said, let's pray. And then without any preparation on your part, you opened your mouth and 45 verses came out, verses you had never memorized. In fact, most of them from the least used third of your Bible, right? The third where the gold leaf still sticks together. That part, they're all coming out of there.
• 35:03
  Would you get done and be like, in Jesus' name, amen. I'm better at this than I thought. You should ask me to pray more often. No, you wouldn't say that. You'd be like, what in the world? Where did all of that come from? Mary doesn't do that. I think these were verses that she was familiar with. I think she had memorized these verses. And so when she prayed, Scripture just came out.
• 35:27
  J.C. Ryle says, so full of the Old Testament was the Virgin Mary. Catch this. So full was she that when she opened her mouth, Scripture was vented. That's the word that he used. Can I ask you honestly, when your mouth opens and you vent, what comes out? You know, you come home from work, like, sweetheart, I'm sorry. I just need to vent for a minute. You use that word, right? I just need to vent.
• 36:02
  Listen, when I use that word, Bible verses don't come out. That's not what comes out. That's not how we vent. But so full of the Old Testament was Mary that even in a time of discouragement, maybe even consternation, confusion, she just opens her mouth and Scripture just floods out. It floods out. It can't wait to come out of her mouth. Her depth of knowledge of Scripture is incredible. Notice third, her dependence. Her dependence. Look at verse 48.
• 36:31
  estate of his servant, the humble estate of his servant. Mary was humble. She was lowly in her own eyes. She was, as should we be, clothed with humility. It's what people would have noticed first about her. It's what filtered everything that she said on the way out, this cloak of humility that her words had to get through.
• 36:59
  What's the first thing that people would notice about you? I enjoy watching the drafts, Major League Baseball draft, NBA draft, NFL draft. I watch those, see what young men teams are choosing to kind of help their franchise, the future of many of these franchises. In 2014, I was watching the NFL draft, and one of these young men was chosen in the first round. And it's often the case, you know, cameras are there for the first round selections.
• 37:29
  They televised most of it. And as soon as one of these young men is chosen, all the media all rushes over. How does it feel? What does it feel like? And how, you know, this has been a lifelong dream and all of that stuff. And I remember the day, and I won't use his name, but I remember the day when this young man had just been drafted. Now he's swarmed with all of these cameras. And he said this, he said, I just hope people see now this is proof. I'm not kidding. He said, this is proof of how amazing I am. And there was a kind of a pause, you know.
• 38:01
  And how humble I am. He said that. And how humble I am. And I thought, man, he just blew it. Nobody's falling for the old humility thing now. I hope people just see this is proof of how amazing I am. Oh, shoot, my grandma's watching, right? Oh, how humble. I'm humble. I'm really a humble man, and this team is lucky to have me. Imagine the Virgin Mary, one of the most famous people that has ever lived, looks at verse 48 and says, look at verse 48, has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
• 38:29
  Humility, genuine humility. Notice her direction, 48 to 53. She just points everything to him. It's not about her, it's to him. Verse 48, for behold, from now on, all generations will call me blessed. Why? Why will all generations call me blessed? Because he who is mighty has done great things for me and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation.
• 38:53
  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 estate. He has filled the hungry with good things and the rich he has sent away empty. Why will the generations from now on call Mary blessed? Had nothing to do with what Mary did, but rather what God did. She directs the praise that is due to his name and keeps none for herself.
• 39:22
  She finishes verse 54 and 55 with a declaration. And I love this. She knew exactly who this son would be. And she declares the truth when she has the opportunity. Verse 54, he has helped his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever. Remember all of those Old Testament promises. This is the fulfillment. This son is the fulfillment.
• 39:50
  She takes the opportunity to declare the goodness of God to generations. Verse 56 says, and Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home. When you have opportunities to declare the truth of the gospel, the truth of God's kingdom, the truth of the coming of God's son, do you ever chicken out? Man, I'm such a chicken, you guys. I know that there are opportunities that God gives me. He puts them right in my lap. And so many times I turn my nose up at it.
• 40:23
  I'm afraid, a fear of rejection, I guess. I don't do it. I don't take those opportunities. When our family had first moved here, we'd only been here a few months. I was in downtown Denver with Pastor Sam, although this was before he was a pastor, another one of our young adults named John. So John and Sam and I were all in downtown Denver. We were walking around, just getting to know the city. Like I said, we'd only been here just a short while, and we walked into a hat store in downtown.
• 40:51
  which is a super cool hat store, like super hipster, whatever, trendy place, okay? I am definitely the oldest person that has walked into that store in many, many moons, okay? But I walked in there and I've got these two very tall, very handsome young men with me. And so when I walked in, the young lady who was working behind the cash register immediately went googly-eyed over these two young men and completely ignored me, okay?
• 41:17
  Even though the truth is I was probably the only one of the three of us who could actually afford one of the hats. Nevertheless, she's looking at these two young guys. And I'm just trying on hats. Really a fun place to go if you like hats. Not stuff you'd wear every day, but definitely fun just to try on and see what a big dork you are. And so we're trying on these hats. And she is just talking to these two guys, John and Sam. She eventually works her way around to figuring out that they had just moved here from California. We just transplanted.
• 41:48
  Right? And she asked them, well, why? Why'd you move? Why'd you come here? Why'd you come from California here? You know? And so, of course, my pastor ears are perking up because I knew why they came. They moved to advance the kingdom of God. They moved to help and support the church. They moved in order to make sacrifices that we pray would advance the gospel. That's why they moved. So she asks, why did you move? And I was curious what their response would be. One of these young men, John.
• 42:20
  Until there's kind of a pause. Denver seemed like a cool place to be. Maybe opportunities and vibrant and fun and whatever. So we moved. Okay. So I'm just kind of smirking. I didn't say anything else. We leave the store. Outside, John is under such conviction. He knew he blew it. So he comes to Sam and I, and he's kind of even pointing at us. He's very out there. And so he's just pointing at us.
• 42:52
  You guys, man, he's so mad at himself. He's feeling convicted. I blew it. I didn't do it. I had this opportunity. I didn't take it. Whatever. And he's kind of kicking himself. And he says, listen, next time somebody asks me that question, next time somebody asks, why did you move to Denver? I'm going to tell them. Because the spirit of Christ is bringing revival to Denver. The kingdom of God is at hand. Prepare your soul. Right? I'm doing it. And he's pointing at us. You guys hold me accountable. You guys hold me accountable. Okay.
• 43:23
  We walked a block, then we turned and we walked another block. And there was a young lady standing out in front of another retail store. She's holding an iPad. She's taking a survey. Can I survey you guys? Again, not asking if I wanted to be surveyed, but these two, you know, six foot five young men. And so I, you know, she's looking up at them and I'm just fading into the distance. And she says, can I ask you some questions? Yeah, yeah, you can ask us some questions, sure. You know, she starts asking about these, you know, what...
• 43:52
  all these things about their lives. And she figures out they've just moved from California. She says, why'd you guys move from California? There's a small pregnant pause. Listen, this is less than 10 minutes later after the hat store. Less than 10 minutes. There's this pause. Sam and I both look at John. You know, he just kind of hangs his head. Spirit of Christ, bring a revival to the city of Denver. The kingdom of God is at hand. Prepare your soul.
• 44:28
  It was so great. Sam and I are kind of laughing. You better do it. There's no backing out now. You asked us to hold you accountable. We're doing it. We're doing it. Prepare your soul. It turns out this young lady was a believer. She said, oh, you guys are believers. I go to another church here in town. Two of them actually struck up a friendship that I think they're still friends even today. We're almost five years later. You guys, what is it? What is it about when we know we have opportunities to declare the truth?
• 44:58
  That we chicken out? Are we really so afraid of the rejection of people that we don't know and we'll probably never see again? I love Mary's example here. She doesn't know what to do. Elizabeth's just telling her, you know, one foot in front of the other. Don't worry about it. The Lord did this. The Lord will work it out. And at the end of it, she says, to God be the glory. I'm going to tell everybody. He's helped us serve in Israel. He's remembered us. He spoke to our fathers. And now it's coming to pass.
• 45:32
  Proof that the Lord had remembered his people. Beloved church, let us emulate Elizabeth's life. Let us become encouragers the way that she was, speaking the truth over people, giving life, giving words to those who need it. And let us become like Mary, that we would declare our own inadequacy and dependence. It would be quick to point others to the truth of the gospel. Let me pray. When we're done, we're going to sing together. And then at the end of that song, we're actually going to have a baptism today, which I'm excited about. And so...
• 46:02
  We'll pray and close. God, I pray that you would give us strength to live with such humility as Mary did, that you would make us a people who are quick to point out our dependence upon your grace. Lord, who would acknowledge that any good thing we have has come from you. Pray that you would give us the strength and courage to declare your faithfulness to outsiders. I pray that we would, like Mary, be a people in whom your word...
• 46:29
  richly dwells so that when we vent, God, it would not be our heart but yours. We ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen.