PM Luke 1:26-56 Mary's Magnificat

[0:00] Luke's Gospel and chapter 1 and we're going to read from verse 26 down to 56.

[0:13] Luke chapter 1 and verse 26. And we're going to think this evening of Mary's song which is generally called the Magnificat.

[0:34] It's her song to God contained in verse 45, 46 down to the end. But we're going to read the whole of this passage from verse 26 this evening to get connection.

[0:47] Verse 26 then of Luke chapter 1. In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David.

[1:06] And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, Greetings, O favoured one. The Lord is with you. But she was greatly troubled at the saying and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.

[1:24] And the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus.

[1:38] He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David.

[1:49] And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. And of his kingdom there will be no end. And Mary said to the angel, How will this be since I am a virgin?

[2:04] And the angel answered her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you. And the power of the Most High will overshadow you.

[2:16] Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son.

[2:28] And this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God. And Mary said, Behold, I am the servant of the Lord.

[2:42] Let it be to me according to your word. And the angel departed from her. In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country.

[2:54] To a town of 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.

[3:07] 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?

[3:24] 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.

[3:40] And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord. And my spirit rejoices in God. My Savior. My Savior. For he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.

[3:53] 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.

[4:04] 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 and the thoughts of their hearts.

[4:18] He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate. He has filled the hungry with good things.

[4:29] He has filled the hungry with good things. And the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy. As he spoke to his father's father's father's father's father.

[4:43] And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home. Amen. And may God give us good understanding of his written words.

[4:59] Now let's turn back to that passage that we read a moment ago in Luke's Gospel in chapter 1. We're going to be thinking of this Song of Mary that's contained in the latter part of our reading from verse 46 down.

[5:19] Christmas has always been a time for songs and singing. Historically, the music industry gets a new album out on the streets.

[5:33] Or a song out to the public because they know the Christmas market is the best of the year. We hear songs, don't we?

[5:44] Everywhere we go in shops, on the radio, even in our homes. We play more music at Christmas than at any other time of the year. Well, Luke in his Gospel here.

[5:58] Records also a series of songs that surround the birth. Of the Lord Jesus Christ. There's probably five songs in the New Testament about the birth of the Lord Jesus.

[6:12] But each of the songs are songs of praise and worship to God. There's Zechariah's song. There's Mary's song that we're going to look at.

[6:25] And then in the next chapter, reading on, there is Simeon's song. An old man who had been waiting for the coming Messiah.

[6:37] And he composes and sings a song to God. You see, God's people have always sung songs about God's salvation.

[6:49] And it's a good thing to do that. Throughout church history, when God does great things, wonderful songs and hymns and psalms of salvation arise.

[7:03] And today I want us to look at this song of Mary. It has the grand Latin title of the Magnificat.

[7:15] In which Mary magnifies and worships the greatness of God. For who he is and for what he does.

[7:27] The word Magnificat really just comes from the word magnify. It means to make large. Doesn't it? If you have a magnifying glass.

[7:39] Yeah? Some of the children may have magnifying glasses. And you have a magnifying glass and it makes something big. Or if you're getting old like me, you need a magnifying glass to read small print.

[7:50] But the Magnificat is really Mary's song of magnifying God. Of making him big in her heart.

[8:01] To exalt him in her worship. And so that's why she says in verse 46. My soul magnifies the Lord.

[8:13] And my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour. But before we get to that, let's have a look at the background to this.

[8:25] This is a song of a young peasant girl who was probably no more than 15 to 17 years old. She came from a backwater village called Nazareth.

[8:38] A sort of despised place. A lowly place. She was a nobody in this world's eyes. But she had just been visited according to Luke.

[8:52] By an angel. Sent from the very throne of God himself. Verse 26. Look at it.

[9:03] In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God. To a city of Galilee named Nazareth. To a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph.

[9:15] This angel was sent to her from the very throne of God himself. Not just any angel because there's myriads of angels.

[9:30] But Gabriel, one of only two named angels in the whole of God's word. The angel Gabriel resides at the very throne of God.

[9:42] It's been a frightening encounter for Mary. With a terrifying message. A message that troubled her.

[9:53] Look at verse 29. Verse 29 says, But she was greatly troubled at the saying and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.

[10:04] It's not every day that somebody is confronted by an angel. And whilst it's a message of blessing and favour from the angel.

[10:20] Angel Gabriel comes to her in verse 28 and says, Greetings, O favoured one. The Lord is with you. And while it's a message of blessing and favour.

[10:34] Mary's confused and somewhat bewildered. The message is that she is going to conceive a child. A son.

[10:47] And she's going to call, she's to call this child Jesus or Jeshua. And this child is going to be great. Verse 32 tells us that. He's the son of God.

[10:58] Who will have a kingship and a kingdom that will last for all eternity. And Mary's response in verse 34.

[11:10] Look at Mary's response to the angel. How is this going to be? I don't get this, she says. Because I'm a virgin. She's confused, she's bewildered.

[11:25] How is this going to happen? She says, since I know not a man. And whilst Mary may not have been formally a highly educated person.

[11:40] She knew full well the facts of life. She hadn't slept with anybody. She hadn't been unfaithful to what we might call today her fiancé.

[11:54] She was betrothed to him. She knew that this sort of thing doesn't just happen. But the angel explains to her, doesn't he, in verse 35.

[12:10] That in a miraculous way. In a supernatural way. She will conceive a child. And the Holy Spirit is going to come. And overshadow her.

[12:23] And a supernatural conception is going to take place. And the person of Jesus will be born in her womb. And if you cast your minds back.

[12:39] If you know your Bibles at all. You will remember that. When God created in the first chapter of Genesis. The Holy Spirit hovered over the creation.

[12:50] And just as the Holy Spirit hovered over God's creation. So he's going to hover over. Superintend. Overshadow Mary.

[13:02] And a child is going to be conceived by the Holy Spirit. God and humanity would be joined in one person.

[13:18] A holy person. A holy thing. Verse 35 says. Would be born. Mary's confused.

[13:32] She's bewildered. But then she finds from the angel in verse 36. It's as if the angel says to her. And by the way. I know that you're bewildered.

[13:43] And you're confused about this. But by the way. Your cousin Elizabeth. Who is old. And who was unable to conceive a child. Well.

[13:54] She's going to have a child also. And a miracle is going to happen to her. In her old age. And she has also conceived.

[14:05] And so. With God. Nothing. Is. Impossible. The angel says. And so Mary decides to go to see Elizabeth.

[14:19] And whilst Mary believes. What the angel has said. She needs to speak to somebody. Somebody tangible. About this. And who better than Elizabeth.

[14:32] Mary needs to explain to her. And unfold to her. Her story to Elizabeth. And as she does so. We read that the baby in Elizabeth's womb.

[14:46] Leaps for joy. Elizabeth hears the message. And Elizabeth. Elizabeth then prophesies. Doesn't she. And says.

[14:57] You are blessed. You are the blessed mother of my Lord. And so Mary's emotions. Overflow in her song.

[15:08] As we shall see. Called the Magnificat. And declaring. My soul magnifies the Lord. Mary's giving voice. Mary's giving voice. As it were.

[15:18] To the words. That the Holy Spirit. Inspired in her. As she responded. To the extra. Ordinary promise. Given about God's coming.

[15:30] Saviour. And we are told. That Mary believed. That there would be a fulfilment. Of what was spoken to her. From the Lord. Verse 38. And having.

[15:44] Digested. Each other's news. And traded stories. And compared notes. You know. Can you imagine.

[15:55] Mary speaking to Elizabeth. An angel has visited me. And Elizabeth saying. Well an angel visited me. And Mary then says. I was scared. And Elizabeth says.

[16:08] Well I was scared too. And I got some promises. Did you get any promises? And they both had plenty. To talk about.

[16:18] And sing about. But the interesting thing. About Mary's song. As we shall see. Is that it's not really. About the baby. That's to be born.

[16:29] Her song. Is about God. How great. God is. And how he is to be magnified. And how he is to be exalted.

[16:42] It's not simply. A song. About what God has done. For her. As we shall see. It's a much bigger song. She understands. That this intervention.

[16:53] In her life. Is something. That not only affects her. But will have global. Implications. It will impact.

[17:04] Upon. The whole world. The baby. That she's going to have. Is going to impact. The whole world. This child.

[17:18] Was going to be. A saviour. A king. The son of God. And one whose reign. Would be. Eternal. We read that.

[17:29] In verse. 32. And this peasant girl. Interestingly. Might not have had any. Big high. Folluting. Formal education. But she knew.

[17:40] Her scriptures. Of the old testament. She was steeped. In those. And her song. Is full. Of theology. As we shall see. Every verse. Makes reference.

[17:51] To God. What he has done. Who he is. How he acts. How he exalts. Some people. How he humbles. Others. And that is the essence.

[18:03] Of true worship. Isn't it? To focus on. Who God is. And what he has done. And I want us. Just to think about. Three things.

[18:14] As we think about. This song. This evening. I want us to think. Firstly. What he. God. Has done. For Mary. Then secondly. What he is doing.

[18:25] For others. And then thirdly. What he has done. For Israel. As a nation. This news.

[18:37] This whole idea. Grips Mary. It amazes her. It causes her. To sing. In worship. What firstly. God has done.

[18:49] For her. In this amazing. Conception. That is going to take place. She understands. Things. About. Herself. Firstly.

[19:00] As she talks. With Elizabeth. She realises. That she is indeed. The mother. Of my Lord. As she says. She is blessed. And she is.

[19:11] Exalted. The name Mary. Comes from. Miriam. Which means. To be. Exalted. And the angel. Tells her that. So too.

[19:22] Does Elizabeth. Twice. That Mary. Is. A favoured person. And great. And astonishing. As this news is.

[19:33] She realises. That this baby. Is also. To be. Her. Saviour. And so she says. In verse 46.

[19:44] And 47. My soul magnifies. The Lord. And my spirit. Rejoices. In God. My Saviour. Mary.

[19:55] Recognises. And this is important. To understand. Mary. Recognises. That she too. Is a sinner. She recognises. That she.

[20:07] Like all of us. Need. A Saviour. She realises. That she needs. God's mercy. And she needs. God's grace. Like everyone else.

[20:20] She realises. That she is among. The people. That he has come. To save. Because she. Is the virgin. That was promised.

[20:30] 700 years. Before. In the prophecy. Of Isaiah. When Isaiah. Prophesied. In chapter 9. That a virgin. Would conceive. And bear a son.

[20:42] And you would call. His name. Emmanuel. God. With us. And whilst. Mary.

[20:53] Mary. Is unique. As a person. In the New Testament. And she's a favoured. And blessed. Person. She's no.

[21:04] Saviour. Of sinners. She doesn't. Have. In her possession. Or in. Her position. Any ability. To dispense.

[21:15] Grace. Or mercy. To anybody else. She's not. Alongside. The only. Saviour. Of sinners. The Lord.

[21:25] Jesus. Christ. She requires. Salvation. Herself. She is no. Co.

[21:36] Redeemer. With Christ. She recognised. Her lowly. Position. Before a great. And holy. God.

[21:47] God. And whilst. This. This. This. Conception. Was of the Holy Spirit. There's no idea. In these verses. Of what we call. Or some other people call.

[21:58] The immaculate. Conception. That is. That somehow. God. Preserved. Mary. From the taint. Of original sin. Herself. No.

[22:09] Mary. Knew. That she. Was a sinner. And that she. Need. A saviour. Her praise. Is entirely. Directed.

[22:20] To God. For his mindfulness. And regard. For her. As a humble. Servant. Look at what she says. In verse 49. She says.

[22:30] The mighty one. Has done great things. For me. For me. You see. She was a humble person.

[22:41] She was a lowly person. And God. Loves. The underdog. In life. As we shall see. He loves. Those.

[22:51] Who are. Downtrodden. Those who have no ability. To help themselves. I wonder as believers.

[23:03] Do we focus on. Those kinds of people. In our lives also. Are we keen. To help. The downtrodden. And the marginalized. In our society.

[23:17] And so. Her song is about. What God has done. For her. She says. My soul. Magnifies the Lord.

[23:27] And my spirit. Rejoices in God. My. Saviour. It was personal. It was. Her. Saviour. Her song.

[23:38] Her song is also. Not only about. What God has done. For her. But secondly. Her song is about. What he has done. For. And to. Others. Her song.

[23:48] Was initially. Full of. Personal. Pronouns. Look at verse 47. It's about. My soul. And my spirit. And my saviour. And then in verse 49.

[23:59] The mighty one. Has done great things. For me. It's a bit like. When the apostle Paul. Later on. In the new testament. Says. The son of God. Loved me.

[24:10] And gave. Himself. For me. But she quickly. Moves. Away from. Focusing even. On her own. Salvation.

[24:21] And what God has done for her. To focusing. On others. And that's the essence. Of humility. Isn't it? Because when I was here. Before we spoke about. Philippians 2. Didn't we?

[24:32] That great passage. Of the Bible. That talks about. The Lord Jesus. Who humbled himself. In coming in. To this world. And he humbled himself.

[24:43] As an individual. When he was here. And he put others. In front. Of his own privileges. And his own. Position. That's the essence. Of humility.

[24:54] Is to put others. Before. Ourselves. And so. She quickly. Moves. To a focus. On what God. Has done. For others. Not only.

[25:05] Has God. Shown mercy. To her. But firstly. That mercy. Extends. To others. Look at verse. 50. His mercy. God's mercy.

[25:17] Is for all those. Who fear him. From generation. To generation. Not only. Has God regarded. Her.

[25:28] Humble. Position. As an individual. But he is the God. Who secondly. In verse 52. Who lifts up. And exalts.

[25:38] Humble people. And then in verse. 53. We see. That he fills. The hungry. With good things. Also. So there's this focus.

[25:50] On others. What God does. For other people. He lifts. Up the exalted. He lifts. Up the humble. People. He fills.

[26:00] The hungry. With good things. His mercy. Extends. Beyond. Just Mary. And then. The song.

[26:11] We see. A contrast. There's those. Three things. That God does. For the humble. And the hungry. And his mercy. Extends. To people like that. But look at verse.

[26:22] 51. Again. Look at what God does. He scatters. The proud. Verse 52. He brings down the mighty. Verse 53.

[26:33] He sends. The rich. Away. God shows mercy. Mary says. In her song. To all those who.

[26:45] Fear him. Verse 50. In other words. God is a God. Who moves. Towards. Who inclines. Who reaches out.

[26:56] To those sort of people. To those who. Fear him. Well what is. Fearing God. Fearing God.

[27:07] Means living. In awe. And respect. And reverence. Towards him. And his laws. And his word.

[27:18] Knowing that God. The eternal creator. Sees our every action. Hears our every word.

[27:31] Knows our every thought. And to fear God. Is to live under the eye of God.

[27:43] And to control our behavior. In the light that. The holy one. Sees us. You see. The marks of a godless. Or a pagan society.

[27:55] Is that there's. No fear of God. There's no respect. For his word. There's no respect. For his person. There's no. Adoration. Of his son.

[28:05] The Lord Jesus. It's the mark. The writer to the proverb. Says. It's the mark. Of a foolish person. You remember. What the writer to the proverb. Says. Says. The fool has said.

[28:16] In his heart. There is no God. There's no fear. In their eyes. It's the mark.

[28:27] And the writer to the proverb. Says. That the fear. Of the Lord. Is the beginning. Of wisdom. It was said. Of the early Christians.

[28:40] That they were those. That walked. In the fear. Of the Lord. Acts 9. Verse 31. The eye of God. As it were. Was on them.

[28:51] And they were careful. How they lived. They were careful. What they said. They were careful. Of what they thought. Upon. And so.

[29:04] God shows mercy. To those. Kinds. Of people. To those. Who fear him. But then. Mary in her song. Says.

[29:14] That God. Exalts. The humble. Verse 51. And verse 52. God. Scatters. The proud. He brings them down. From.

[29:25] Their thrones. Mary says. This is a general principle. Isn't it? That runs. Throughout. The entire. Bible. Just. As he.

[29:36] God. Had regard. For Mary. As a humble. Servant. Verse 42. So too. He exalts. Others. Who. Are humble. Verse 52.

[29:49] You see. God. Is a God. Who hates. Pride. Isn't it? He hates. Those. Who exalt. Themself. We see that.

[30:01] In many. Characters. As. If you were to read. Through the Bible. But we see that. Supremely. In a man. That we read about. In the book of Daniel. In the Old Testament. A man called. Nebuchadnezzar.

[30:11] He was a proud man. And he exalted. Himself. And he prided himself. In his abilities. And what he had done.

[30:24] He was proud. Of his achievements. What he had built. Great empires. But God. Brought him down. God.

[30:35] Abased him. God humbled him. God made him. To go about. Like. An animal. Eating grass. You see.

[30:48] The command. Of scripture. To us. Is to humble ourselves. Under the hand. Of God. That he may exalt us.

[30:59] In due. Season. Listen to these words. From. First Peter 5. Verses 6 and 7. And then James 4. Verses 10. And 11.

[31:10] Humble yourselves. God says. In the sight of God. And he shall lift you up. Those who humble themselves. Shall be exalted.

[31:22] But those that exalt themselves. Shall be abased. And then the words of. An Old Testament prophet. Called Micah. He says.

[31:33] What does God require of you. His people. Well here's the answer. God requires us. To act justly. And to love mercy.

[31:45] And to walk humbly. With your God. We saw that principle. In the life of Christ.

[31:56] When we looked at Philippians 2. Didn't we? The one who humbled himself. Was hyper exalted. By God. And God delights to come to those.

[32:10] Who are humble. And I think. I said the definition of humility. When I was previously with you.

[32:21] Is humility is not thinking. Less. Of yourself. But rather it is thinking. About yourself. Less.

[32:32] Less. Less. Less. Less. It is not thinking. Less. Of yourself. Woe is me. I am nothing. I have got nothing. To offer. But it is thinking.

[32:44] About yourself. Less. And putting others. Before you. A famous preacher. In London. Many years ago. A man called. Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

[32:56] Said. That God has nothing. To say to people. Who are full of themselves. God has nothing. To say to people.

[33:07] Who are full. Of themselves. Well God shows mercy. To all those who fear him. God exalts the humble. According to Mary.

[33:18] Verses 51. And 52. And then God fills the hungry. Look at verse 53. He has filled the hungry. With good things. And sent away.

[33:28] The rich. Empty. Handed. You know. There were a number of. Godly. Individuals.

[33:39] At this time. Who were. Awaiting. The coming. Of this baby. The long. Promised. Messiah. Of the Old Testament.

[33:50] People like. Anna. And Simeon. And Zechariah. And Elizabeth. With that. You can read. In the first two chapters. Of this gospel. Of Luke. These godly.

[34:01] Individuals. Were waiting. For the promises. Of the Old Testament. To be fulfilled. They had waited. Eagerly. And hungrily.

[34:12] For God. To reveal himself. For God. To appear. Because for 400 years. From the close. Of the Old Testament. As we know it.

[34:22] Until the New Testament. Canon. Was put in place. Or before Christ came. There was a period. Of 400 years. Where God. Had said nothing. There had been.

[34:33] No visions. Or revelations. From God. For 400 years. There had been. Just silence. And some people. Were hungry.

[34:43] For God. To come. They were waiting. For the consolation. Of Israel. And it's to them.

[34:54] That God. Will satisfy. And fill them. It is the rich. That he will send away. Empty handed.

[35:06] Verse 53. You see. The rich. So often. Are those who are. Self satisfied. Who are complacent.

[35:18] Who are self made. Who don't see. Their spiritual. Need. They see.

[35:29] No need. Of God. Well. I wonder tonight. How hungry. Are you. To know God.

[35:40] How serious. Are you. Even as a believer. To obey. And to know God. And to live your life. To please him. Or perhaps.

[35:54] You're here. And. You don't really. Have faith. And you don't believe in God. You're not a Christian. You've never. Come to the Lord Jesus Christ. As a savior.

[36:04] You know. You know. The Bible tells us. That those who are blessed. Are those.

[36:17] Who hunger. And thirst. After righteousness. And they are the ones. That shall be filled. Those are those.

[36:28] Those people. Who are blessed. Are those who are poor. In spirit. The Lord Jesus says. Who recognize. That they are spiritually. Bankrupt. And that they need God.

[36:42] And they have nothing. To give to God. And acknowledge. That they need mercy. And grace. In their lives. Mary realizes.

[36:57] As we all must do. That we are. A needy people. We need mercy. We need God's grace. We need salvation.

[37:10] We need mercy. And love. And we need all these things. Because God is holy. And we are sinful. And we can't appear before God.

[37:24] In our own strength. And in our own righteousness. In our own strength. Well what are we to learn. From Mary's song.

[37:36] There are unique things. Associated with the song. But there are similarities. And lessons. That we can take. From this song. And practical implications.

[37:49] For ourselves. Firstly. Firstly. She is. The unique. Mother. Of Christ. She is blessed. And she is favored.

[38:00] In a unique way. But like us. She needed a savior. She needed salvation. And she needed grace.

[38:12] And mercy. From God. For her own life. Christ secondly. Was literally. Literally. Physically formed.

[38:25] Inside of Mary. That's a unique experience. For her. But. The apostle Paul. Tells us. As believers. That Christ.

[38:36] Is to be formed. In us. In Galatians 4. And 19. He tells us. That Christ. Is to be formed. The life of Christ.

[38:47] Is to be seen. In our lives. Day by day. That life. That exhibits grace. And mercy. And patience.

[38:58] And love. And kindness. And all the attributes. That Christ exhibited. While he was here on earth. Are to be formed.

[39:09] In us. As his people. They're to be seen. In our lives. And thirdly.

[39:20] I think he values. God. Values. Humility. And service. Not arrogance. And pride.

[39:35] Well. He's done these things. For Mary. He's done these things. For others. We've seen. How God operates. But then finally.

[39:46] What he has done. For Israel. Look at verse 54. And 55. Mary realized. And vocalized. The truth. That the message. She received. Was firstly.

[39:56] For Israel. The Messiah. Comes. To fulfill. The promises. Of Israel. Of Israel's destiny. He comes.

[40:07] To save. His people. From their sins. That's why he's called. Jesus. He shall save. His people. From their sins. You see. You can't understand.

[40:18] The gospel. The good news. Without understanding. That Christ. Came to Israel. As his people. And Christ. Comes to fulfill.

[40:29] The promises. Made. To Israel. Verse 54. Tells us that. As he spoke. To our fathers. To Abraham. And to his offspring. Forever. He has helped.

[40:40] His servant. Israel. In remembrance. Of. His mercy. Mary understands. That grace. And mercy.

[40:51] Has been dispensed. To her. Grace. And mercy. Can be dispensed. To the humble. And grace. And mercy. Is here being dispensed. To the people of Israel.

[41:03] Because God is fulfilling. The promises. That he made. Millennia ago. Given to Abraham. In the Old Testament. That in his seed.

[41:16] The whole world. Would be blessed. Christ. Not only Israel. But the Gentiles. Like you. And I. And in the words.

[41:28] Of the next song. That we find. In Luke's gospel. In Simeon's song. That he. Christ. Is the light. Of the revelation.

[41:39] To the Gentiles. And the glory. Of his people. Israel. That's all. All of this. Is contained. In Mary's.

[41:50] Magnificat. She exalts God. She magnifies. Who he is. The great God. And saviour. Who shows mercy.

[42:01] To all those. Who fear him. He's the God. Who exalts. And values. The humble. He's the God.

[42:12] Who satisfies. And fills. Those who are. Hungry. To know him. What should. Our response.

[42:23] Be then. At this Christmas time. Or at any other time. When we think. Of the incarnation. Well.

[42:34] Our song. Should be. In the words. Of the psalm. O magnify. The Lord. With me. With me.

[42:45] Exalt. His name. When in distress. To him. I called. He. To. My rescue. Came. I wonder.

[42:56] How much. Of your life. This evening. Exalts. God. How much. Of your life. Is taken up. With. Living. For him.

[43:07] In a humble way. How much. Of your life. Is taken up. By focusing. On God. How much.

[43:19] Of your life. Is taken up. Like Mary. Here. Magnifying God. Before others. Telling people. That God. Is great. Taking.

[43:31] Every opportunity. To do that. In your life. Life. I finish. With a quote. From. John Piper. Who says. These words.

[43:41] God. Is most glorified. In us. When we. Are most. Satisfied. In him. May God. Help us. To be satisfied.

[43:52] And taken up. With this God. That Mary. Sang about. Let's pray together. Father. Father. We thank you. For your goodness. To us. We thank you.

[44:04] That. Your kindness. Has appeared. In this world. In the person. Of your son. The Lord Jesus. We thank you. That he has come.

[44:14] To be. Our saviour. Not only. Mary's saviour. But he's come. To be. Our saviour. And our redeemer. And our lord. Lord. And father.

[44:26] We would ask. That. You. By your holy spirit. Might speak. To us. This evening. That we might. Look at our lives. And assess. How much of our lives. Are filled with.

[44:37] Humility. And hunger. For you. Father. Save us. From. Mere religion. Save us. From. Merely.

[44:49] Attending. And help us. To live. For you. And may our lives. Be worthy. Of the calling. To which you. Have called us.

[45:02] And father. For those. Who do not know you. This evening. We pray. That they might. Come to know you. And that they might. Receive. Eternal life.

[45:13] And become. Those who. Fear you. We ask this. In Jesus name. Amen. Now we're going to finish. By singing. The is decks.

[45:24] And to go. Tolaf God's.