WEBVTT

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 And before we sing, I'm going to read the passage from which David is going to come and preach to us tonight.

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 The passage is Luke 1 verses 39 to 56.

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 Okay, this is God's holy word.

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 And Mary said,

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 My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he's looked on the humble estate of his servant.

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 For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed.

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 For he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

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 And his mercy is for those who fear him, from generation to generation.

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 He has shown strength with his arm.

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 He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

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 He's brought down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of humble estate.

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 He's filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.

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 He's helped his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy,

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 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his offspring forever.

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 And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her home.

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 Amen.

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 Well, we turn this evening to those verses that Chris read for us just a moment or two ago,

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 and our focus on verses 46 through 55.

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 Advent, Christmas are a time for singing, perhaps more than any other time of the year.

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 Music and song fill our cultural horizons.

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 Christmas music dominates the airwaves.

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 At this time of year, you can't switch on a radio, go into a shop,

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 without your eardrums being assaulted by all kinds of strange and sometimes esoteric tunes,

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 singing of Christmas favorites, white Christmas, jingle bells, winter wonderland, Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer.

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 In many churches, we have the singing of Christmas songs, carols, focusing on that first Christmas,

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 upon the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ in Bethlehem some 2,000 years ago.

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 And here, in the opening chapters of his gospel, Luke introduces us to the very earliest Advent or Christmas songs.

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 There are four of these, each often known by the first word in the Latin translation.

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 We have this evening, Mary's song, the Magnificat.

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 Then we have the words of Zechariah, that God willing, we'll look at next week, the Benedictus.

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 And then we have the song of the angels in Luke 2, 14, the Gloria.

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 We also have the words of Simeon, Luke 2, 29 through 32.

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 That's known as the Nunc Dimitis.

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 We won't actually get to that, so we'll just be looking over the next few weeks at the first three of these songs.

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 And the first one that we turn our attention to this evening, the Magnificat, Mary's song.

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 One of the most famous songs in all of Scripture.

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 A song that's been whispered in monasteries, chanted in cathedrals, recited in churches, set to music with trumpets and drums by Bach.

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 But it was a song first sung by a young Galilean Jewess called Mary.

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 And strangely, perhaps from the perspective of her Jewish culture and society, she was someone who didn't really have a lot to sing about.

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 She was probably, in her teenage years, maybe 14, 15, 16, she was engaged, she was unmarried, and she was pregnant.

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 Her character tainted and stained, really, by sexual scandal.

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 She was facing the ignominy of public shame and disgrace.

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 And nevertheless, she is determined to sing.

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 And in this encounter occasioned by a meeting with her relative, Elizabeth, she finds a song to sing.

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 And this song is occasioned by Elizabeth's spirit-filled outburst.

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 We have that in verses 42 and 43 of Luke chapter 1.

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 Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, she exclaimed with a loud cry,

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 Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

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 And why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

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 Mary is perhaps the most well-known Christian woman in all history.

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 In some traditions, she has been almost deified, the Queen of Heaven.

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 In much Roman Catholic tradition, Mary has been elevated and exalted far beyond the position given to her in Scripture.

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 And while we must be careful not to follow suit,

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 nonetheless, we mustn't overlook and downplay the unique role that this young woman played in the history of redemption.

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 And Mary's song is, quite literally, a shout of triumph and joy and delight in God.

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 In who God is, and in what He has done, and what He is going to do.

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 In this song, Mary reflects upon what is happening to her,

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 and what that will mean for her people, Israel, and beyond Israel for the whole world.

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 Elizabeth's words bring home to Mary the awesome reality and responsibility that is hers.

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 God has broken into her life in an unprecedented way.

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 And through this young girl, He is invading His world,

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 and taking to Himself our own flesh and blood.

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 And it's as if the reality of this is driven home to Mary's heart.

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 And she responds by lifting up her voice to God in prayer and praise.

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 A long time ago, when I was a wee boy in Sunday school,

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 we had a couple of songs that we sang almost every week.

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 At least, I think we sang them every week.

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 One was known as, there were actions to these songs,

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 but I'm not going to do the actions too much.

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 But one was called Wide, Wide as the Ocean.

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 People of a certain generation will remember these songs.

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 The other one was called Running Over.

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 Running Over.

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 Running Over.

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 My cups full and running over.

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 I can still remember the actions.

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 Since the Lord saved me, I'm as happy as can be.

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 My cups full and running over.

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 And here it's Mary, in a sense, whose cup is full and running over.

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 It's an exuberant song of joy that kind of bubbles, overflows,

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 with a spirit of thanksgiving and worship.

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 Not without good reason that the old Belgic Confession,

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 in its first article, calls God the overflowing fountain of all good.

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 So much of God in this song that it kind of spills out in effervescent power.

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 A reflection on the amazing character and ways of God.

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 And in these verses, we're invited, I think, to share Mary's experience

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 and to sing her song.

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 Part, actually, part of what it means to be a Christian.

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 Like Mary, we too are called to rejoice in God our Saviour.

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 John Calvin wrote,

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 The more we see how great God is,

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 the more we will sense our own sinfulness,

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 which will lead us to magnify all the more

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 his abundant mercy towards us in Jesus Christ.

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 And I think that's something of what we see here in Mary's song.

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 And for just a moment or two this evening,

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 I want to reflect on that.

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 And what this song's overflowing praises

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 tell us about the God of the Bible.

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 That we too might rejoice in God as our own Saviour.

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 So, three things, as is my custom.

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 The first, praise the God of saving mercy.

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 Look at verses 46 through 50.

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 Mary said,

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 My soul magnifies the Lord.

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 My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.

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 For he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.

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 Behold, from now on,

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 all generations are going to call me blessed.

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 For he who is mighty has done great things for me.

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 Holy is his name.

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 His mercy is for those who fear him

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 from generation to generation.

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 I think one of the fascinating things about this song

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 is the spirit of humility that pervades it.

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 Mary has no illusions about who she is before God.

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 And indeed, though this is an intensely personal expression of gratitude to God,

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 there is in fact very little of Mary in this song at all.

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 It's all about God.

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 She magnifies and glorifies the Lord.

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 She looks away from herself to him.

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 And the reason she does this

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 is because we're told earlier in the chapter,

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 in verse 28,

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 that she is a woman who has found favour with God.

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 She's received this incalculable blessing

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 to bear the saviour of the world.

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 This is why future generations will call her blessed.

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 Because God has chosen her

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 for this special and unique task.

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 He has done great things for her.

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 In his grace and in his mercy,

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 he has seen her and chosen her

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 for this unique role.

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 And yet, though her experience is unique,

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 there is a sense in which her experience can be ours.

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 Because one of the ways, of course,

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 in which the New Testament speaks of being a Christian

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 is having Jesus Christ to what?

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 To come and to live within us.

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 Remember how Paul talks to the Colossians

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 of Christ in you, the hope of glory.

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 And this is what happens when someone becomes a Christian.

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 In the power of the Holy Spirit,

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 Jesus Christ comes to dwell within us.

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 And we too, like Mary,

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 find favour with God

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 when Christ breaks into our lives.

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 Notice how Mary speaks here.

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 She speaks of her spirit rejoicing in God,

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 my saviour.

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 She speaks of God doing great things for me.

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 Christian faith is always something personal.

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 Mary doesn't speak about God

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 in a kind of abstract or impersonal way.

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 She's awed and amazed by God's grace to her.

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 And she says, and she acknowledges,

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 that this is not of our own making.

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 This is something that God has done.

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 It's all of his mercy.

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 And she confesses that it's God alone

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 who's our saviour.

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 It's God alone who saves.

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 And the reason that I rescue is needed

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 is revealed in verse 49.

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 Holy is his name.

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 That's why salvation is required.

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 That's why a rescue is needed.

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 God is holy.

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 The root of that,

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 the idea of that word holy

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 is this idea of cutting

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 or making separate or being distinct.

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 refers to everything that makes God

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 distinctive and different from us.

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 All that sets us,

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 sets him apart from us.

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 All that sets him above us.

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 All that sets him against us.

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 It's a reference to the otherness of God,

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 his moral majesty.

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 He is a God who,

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 by his very nature,

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 has set himself against all that is evil,

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 all that is wicked,

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 all that is sinful in our lives

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 and in this world.

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 Because we ourselves are sinners,

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 he has set himself against us.

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 Remember Paul's words to the church in Ephesus,

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 Ephesians 2, 3,

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 we were by nature

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 children of wrath.

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 Because of our rebellion against God,

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 we are under his just judgment.

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 Our lives are not centered

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 around the living God.

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 Our lives by nature are centered

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 and revolve around ourselves.

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 And that's why a rescue is needed.

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 That is why an intervention is needed.

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 And that's why it's a rescue

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 that only God himself can accomplish.

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 He alone is a God of saving mercy.

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 That's why Jesus came into the world.

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 That is why, in fact, Matthew tells us

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 he was given the name Jesus.

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 He will save his people from their sins.

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 And this is what Mary is rejoicing in.

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 God in Jesus Christ,

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 drawing near to rescue

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 and to save and deliver

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 a holy baby,

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 come to bring us to a holy God.

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 Mary knows herself to be a sinner.

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 A fallen daughter of Eve.

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 She is no semi-deified Madonna.

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 She is no immaculate co-redemptrix.

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 She stands along with us

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 as one who needs the redeeming work

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 of the Son she is going to bear.

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 And it's clear as we read the text

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 that Mary is someone

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 who's tasted something of God's mercy

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 for herself.

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 She exults in it.

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 She rejoices in it.

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 Let me ask you tonight,

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 what are you rejoicing in?

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 What are you celebrating?

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 Are you rejoicing in God

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 as your Savior?

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 Are you rejoicing in his saving mercy,

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 in his amazing grace,

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 that Christ is in you,

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 the hope of glory?

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 Paul writes to Titus,

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 Titus 3, 4 and 5,

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 when the goodness and loving kindness

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 of God our Savior appeared,

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 he saved us,

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 not because of works done by us

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 in righteousness,

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 but according to his own mercy.

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 Christian salvation is all of God's mercy.

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 It's all of God.

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 Not because of anything we've done,

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 because of our good deeds,

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 or good life,

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 or religious devotion,

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 morality,

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 church going,

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 not because of anything we've done,

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 but only because of what Jesus,

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 the Savior,

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 has graciously done for us.

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 Christianity is all about praising

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 the God of saving mercy.

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 Praise the God of saving mercy.

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 That's our first point.

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 Second point,

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 verses 51 to 53,

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 praise the God of revolutionary power.

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 Look what it says.

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 He has shown strength with his arm,

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 scattered the proud

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 in the thoughts of their hearts,

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 brought down the mighty

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 from their thrones,

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 exalted those of humble estate,

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 filled the hungry with good things,

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 and the rich is sent away empty.

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 So Mary continues to reflect

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 on the ways of the God of the Bible.

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 Not only a God of rescuing mercy and love,

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 he's also a God of revolutionary power.

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 And through the prophet Isaiah,

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 God says,

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 some of you will remember this text,

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 Isaiah 55, 9,

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 as the heavens are higher than the earth,

00:17:30.039 --> 00:17:32.480
 so are my ways higher than your ways,

00:17:32.640 --> 00:17:34.819
 and my thoughts than your thoughts.

00:17:35.539 --> 00:17:38.380
 Here is the God who is beyond us.

00:17:38.440 --> 00:17:41.859
 Here is the God who turns things upside down.

00:17:42.200 --> 00:17:44.420
 The God who upsets the values

00:17:44.420 --> 00:17:46.460
 and the ideologies of this world.

00:17:46.660 --> 00:17:47.620
 He's a God of power.

00:17:47.619 --> 00:17:49.739
 Scattering the proud,

00:17:50.000 --> 00:17:51.419
 bringing down the mighty.

00:17:53.079 --> 00:17:55.679
 We've been thinking that in our morning services

00:17:55.679 --> 00:17:57.899
 as we look through the book of Daniel.

00:17:59.179 --> 00:18:01.459
 The God who exalts the humble,

00:18:01.959 --> 00:18:02.839
 feeds the hungry,

00:18:04.059 --> 00:18:05.539
 sends the rich and the wealthy

00:18:05.539 --> 00:18:06.959
 away empty-handed.

00:18:07.519 --> 00:18:09.299
 You see, he's a God of great reversals.

00:18:09.399 --> 00:18:10.719
 That's what we see in these verses.

00:18:10.720 --> 00:18:13.819
 And when we look through the scriptures,

00:18:14.420 --> 00:18:16.220
 it's exactly the kind of God

00:18:16.220 --> 00:18:17.900
 that we are confronted with

00:18:17.900 --> 00:18:20.259
 on page after page after page.

00:18:20.480 --> 00:18:22.980
 This God of revolutionary power.

00:18:24.720 --> 00:18:26.600
 I think John F. Kennedy was once asked

00:18:26.600 --> 00:18:29.420
 why he wanted to be in the White House.

00:18:30.420 --> 00:18:31.900
 Because, said Kennedy,

00:18:32.259 --> 00:18:34.279
 this is where the power is.

00:18:34.279 --> 00:18:38.700
 He couldn't have been more mistaken.

00:18:40.039 --> 00:18:42.940
 The power does not reside in Washington

00:18:42.940 --> 00:18:47.180
 or Moscow or Beijing or London or Brussels.

00:18:48.259 --> 00:18:52.059
 The power does not rest in the hands of media moguls

00:18:52.059 --> 00:18:55.559
 and faceless multinational corporations.

00:18:56.319 --> 00:18:58.599
 The power lies with him

00:18:58.599 --> 00:19:03.220
 whose arm is mighty to save and to deliver his people.

00:19:03.220 --> 00:19:06.259
 He opposes the proud and the arrogant.

00:19:07.660 --> 00:19:09.259
 Proverbs 15, 25.

00:19:09.620 --> 00:19:12.299
 The Lord tears down the house of the proud

00:19:12.299 --> 00:19:14.600
 but maintains the widow's boundaries.

00:19:15.160 --> 00:19:16.279
 Isaiah 2, 12.

00:19:16.559 --> 00:19:18.380
 The Lord of hosts has a day

00:19:18.380 --> 00:19:20.220
 against all that is proud and lofty,

00:19:21.000 --> 00:19:22.720
 against all that is lifted up,

00:19:22.960 --> 00:19:25.180
 and it shall be brought low.

00:19:25.860 --> 00:19:26.740
 James 4, 6.

00:19:27.019 --> 00:19:28.519
 God opposes the proud

00:19:28.519 --> 00:19:30.500
 but gives grace to the humble.

00:19:30.500 --> 00:19:33.460
 He brings down the mighty

00:19:33.460 --> 00:19:35.619
 and the powerful of this world.

00:19:37.160 --> 00:19:39.380
 Remember Isaiah's words.

00:19:40.019 --> 00:19:41.680
 He brings princes to naught,

00:19:42.279 --> 00:19:44.539
 reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.

00:19:44.819 --> 00:19:46.259
 No sooner are they planted,

00:19:46.640 --> 00:19:48.279
 no sooner are they sown,

00:19:48.579 --> 00:19:50.779
 no sooner do they take root in the ground

00:19:50.779 --> 00:19:53.079
 than he blows on them and they wither,

00:19:53.299 --> 00:19:57.259
 and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.

00:19:57.259 --> 00:20:02.039
 He's the God who sends the rich away empty.

00:20:02.559 --> 00:20:06.839
 There's a parable that Jesus tells later on in this gospel,

00:20:06.960 --> 00:20:08.140
 the parable of the rich fool.

00:20:08.259 --> 00:20:11.720
 Remember how the man amassed a fortune

00:20:11.720 --> 00:20:14.819
 and then sat back to take life easy,

00:20:15.379 --> 00:20:17.000
 to eat, to drink, and to be merry,

00:20:17.000 --> 00:20:19.619
 and God spoke to them.

00:20:20.519 --> 00:20:22.019
 These words to that man,

00:20:22.559 --> 00:20:23.140
 you fool,

00:20:24.220 --> 00:20:27.220
 this very night your life will be demanded of you.

00:20:28.000 --> 00:20:31.279
 Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?

00:20:33.160 --> 00:20:34.980
 Jeremiah 9, 23,

00:20:34.980 --> 00:21:04.400
 The God who exalts the humble,

00:21:04.980 --> 00:21:07.140
 and fills the hungry with good things,

00:21:07.759 --> 00:21:09.660
 the God who satisfies his people,

00:21:10.240 --> 00:21:12.200
 the God who is everything to his own.

00:21:12.940 --> 00:21:15.039
 Nothing compares to him,

00:21:15.339 --> 00:21:17.799
 not money or position or power.

00:21:18.180 --> 00:21:23.160
 All of these things pale in comparison to the living God.

00:21:23.160 --> 00:21:25.779
 Later on in this gospel,

00:21:26.440 --> 00:21:27.300
 Jesus will say,

00:21:27.440 --> 00:21:30.300
 reclining at a Pharisee's table,

00:21:31.300 --> 00:21:33.920
 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,

00:21:34.279 --> 00:21:36.980
 and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

00:21:38.940 --> 00:21:42.740
 After that famous story of the Pharisee and tax collector

00:21:42.740 --> 00:21:43.720
 going to the temple,

00:21:44.500 --> 00:21:46.019
 Jesus concludes with these words,

00:21:46.019 --> 00:21:46.579
 I tell you,

00:21:46.660 --> 00:21:47.119
 this man,

00:21:47.299 --> 00:21:48.160
 the tax collector,

00:21:48.700 --> 00:21:50.339
 the one who cried out for mercy,

00:21:50.920 --> 00:21:52.879
 went down to his house justified,

00:21:53.500 --> 00:21:54.480
 rather than the other.

00:21:54.879 --> 00:21:57.639
 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,

00:21:58.099 --> 00:22:01.200
 but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.

00:22:01.200 --> 00:22:04.580
 That is the revolutionary power of the gospel.

00:22:05.840 --> 00:22:08.559
 Those who think they have everything in the eyes of this world,

00:22:08.860 --> 00:22:10.220
 those that are full of themselves,

00:22:10.640 --> 00:22:11.500
 their own achievements,

00:22:12.019 --> 00:22:14.920
 those that think they have absolutely no need of God,

00:22:15.779 --> 00:22:17.400
 or who think that God owes them,

00:22:18.660 --> 00:22:22.019
 they are brought low and sent away empty.

00:22:22.880 --> 00:22:24.059
 D.L. Moody once said,

00:22:24.059 --> 00:22:27.119
 Christ sends none away empty,

00:22:27.740 --> 00:22:30.839
 but those who are full of themselves.

00:22:33.379 --> 00:22:35.019
 It's those that have nothing

00:22:35.019 --> 00:22:37.819
 that God calls and invites.

00:22:39.039 --> 00:22:40.200
 We say it often, don't we?

00:22:40.299 --> 00:22:43.980
 All you need is nothing.

00:22:45.940 --> 00:22:48.639
 Nothing, we sing the words, don't we?

00:22:48.639 --> 00:22:50.940
 Nothing in my hand I bring,

00:22:51.460 --> 00:22:53.419
 simply to thy cross,

00:22:53.420 --> 00:22:54.580
 I cling.

00:22:55.580 --> 00:22:58.259
 It's believing in Christ alone,

00:22:58.460 --> 00:22:59.680
 out of a sense of our need,

00:22:59.740 --> 00:23:00.620
 our unworthiness,

00:23:01.000 --> 00:23:02.320
 our moral bankruptcy,

00:23:02.740 --> 00:23:05.180
 that indicates we've truly understood

00:23:05.180 --> 00:23:08.360
 and experienced the power of the gospel in our lives.

00:23:09.560 --> 00:23:11.279
 The gospel of Jesus Christ

00:23:11.279 --> 00:23:12.960
 is the power of God

00:23:12.960 --> 00:23:15.900
 for the salvation of all who believe.

00:23:16.980 --> 00:23:18.300
 In that sense,

00:23:19.240 --> 00:23:21.720
 it is never for the strong and the wise

00:23:21.720 --> 00:23:23.080
 and the powerful and the proud,

00:23:23.420 --> 00:23:27.039
 because in their strength and wisdom

00:23:27.039 --> 00:23:28.460
 and pride,

00:23:28.460 --> 00:23:31.600
 they cannot see the living God.

00:23:35.080 --> 00:23:37.039
 He's the God who quite literally

00:23:37.039 --> 00:23:39.380
 turns the world upside down.

00:23:40.259 --> 00:23:41.960
 He reverses the values

00:23:41.960 --> 00:23:43.660
 and expectations of this world.

00:23:43.660 --> 00:23:47.279
 And here his power is being made known

00:23:47.279 --> 00:23:49.800
 in this young Jewish girl,

00:23:51.759 --> 00:23:55.000
 in a baby born in the squalor of a Bethlehem stable.

00:23:56.360 --> 00:23:58.120
 Indeed, a power that will be made known

00:23:58.120 --> 00:23:59.580
 at the end of this gospel,

00:24:00.700 --> 00:24:02.700
 in the weakness and brokenness

00:24:02.700 --> 00:24:04.540
 of a bloody crucifixion.

00:24:04.539 --> 00:24:06.859
 For ultimately,

00:24:07.079 --> 00:24:08.299
 it is at the cross

00:24:08.299 --> 00:24:10.119
 that we come to truly see

00:24:10.119 --> 00:24:11.240
 and experience

00:24:11.240 --> 00:24:13.319
 the revolutionary power of God,

00:24:13.599 --> 00:24:14.639
 the power of his love,

00:24:14.940 --> 00:24:16.059
 the power of his forgiveness,

00:24:16.379 --> 00:24:17.720
 and the power of his grace.

00:24:19.559 --> 00:24:20.000
 Again,

00:24:20.240 --> 00:24:22.059
 do we know anything of that power?

00:24:22.960 --> 00:24:24.619
 Paul writes to the Christians in Corinth,

00:24:24.720 --> 00:24:25.099
 he says,

00:24:25.099 --> 00:24:27.240
 the word of the cross is folly,

00:24:27.439 --> 00:24:28.039
 foolishness,

00:24:28.219 --> 00:24:29.379
 to those who are perishing.

00:24:30.059 --> 00:24:31.459
 But to us who are being saved,

00:24:31.699 --> 00:24:33.939
 it is the power of God.

00:24:35.119 --> 00:24:38.439
 So many look at the cross

00:24:38.439 --> 00:24:40.199
 and shake their heads.

00:24:40.859 --> 00:24:41.559
 They laugh.

00:24:41.899 --> 00:24:42.500
 They mock.

00:24:43.259 --> 00:24:45.559
 It means absolutely nothing.

00:24:46.500 --> 00:24:47.099
 Utter foolishness.

00:24:49.099 --> 00:24:49.579
 Friend,

00:24:49.639 --> 00:24:51.000
 what do you make of it tonight?

00:24:51.000 --> 00:24:54.299
 Is it for you the power of God?

00:24:55.299 --> 00:24:57.680
 Have you encountered for yourself,

00:24:58.880 --> 00:24:59.619
 like Mary,

00:24:59.799 --> 00:25:02.500
 the God of revolutionary power?

00:25:03.460 --> 00:25:04.599
 Well, time's disappearing.

00:25:05.299 --> 00:25:07.700
 Praise the God of saving mercy.

00:25:08.019 --> 00:25:09.960
 Praise the God of revolutionary power.

00:25:10.460 --> 00:25:11.799
 Thirdly, finally, quickly,

00:25:12.339 --> 00:25:14.000
 praise the God of covenant faithfulness.

00:25:14.700 --> 00:25:16.259
 Verses 54 and 55.

00:25:16.640 --> 00:25:18.759
 He has helped his servant Israel

00:25:18.759 --> 00:25:20.839
 in remembrance of his mercy

00:25:20.839 --> 00:25:22.220
 as he spoke to our fathers,

00:25:22.559 --> 00:25:25.579
 to Abraham and to his offspring forever.

00:25:26.899 --> 00:25:29.019
 One of the key features of Mary's song

00:25:29.019 --> 00:25:31.480
 is the way in which it draws so heavily

00:25:31.480 --> 00:25:34.559
 from the language of certain Old Testament passages.

00:25:35.480 --> 00:25:37.879
 Commentators believe there are around

00:25:37.879 --> 00:25:40.699
 15 direct Old Testament references

00:25:40.699 --> 00:25:42.279
 in just these few verses.

00:25:43.639 --> 00:25:45.639
 And perhaps the most notable

00:25:45.639 --> 00:25:47.179
 and significant of these

00:25:47.179 --> 00:25:48.759
 is Hannah's song

00:25:48.759 --> 00:25:51.700
 that we find in 1 Samuel chapter 2

00:25:51.700 --> 00:25:53.359
 verses 1 through 10.

00:25:53.440 --> 00:25:55.140
 There's a very strong correlation

00:25:55.140 --> 00:25:56.400
 between the two.

00:25:57.200 --> 00:25:58.660
 And Mary's language here

00:25:58.660 --> 00:26:01.480
 is informed and shaped directly

00:26:01.480 --> 00:26:03.599
 by the Old Testament scriptures.

00:26:03.960 --> 00:26:05.420
 Her entire view of God

00:26:05.420 --> 00:26:08.220
 is not surprisingly rooted firmly

00:26:08.220 --> 00:26:09.759
 in that revolution

00:26:09.759 --> 00:26:12.379
 that we have in the Hebrew Bible.

00:26:13.079 --> 00:26:14.240
 And these final verses

00:26:14.240 --> 00:26:16.259
 of the song are no different.

00:26:16.259 --> 00:26:20.779
 She reflects on God's covenant faithfulness.

00:26:20.859 --> 00:26:22.960
 The God who has committed himself

00:26:22.960 --> 00:26:24.599
 to his servant Israel.

00:26:25.759 --> 00:26:27.819
 The God who's always true to his word.

00:26:27.900 --> 00:26:29.779
 We've been working through Hebrews 11

00:26:29.779 --> 00:26:30.379
 in the evening

00:26:30.379 --> 00:26:33.619
 and this theme is just repeated again

00:26:33.619 --> 00:26:35.259
 and again and again.

00:26:36.119 --> 00:26:37.379
 Here is the God who remembers

00:26:37.379 --> 00:26:39.180
 the promises he made to Abraham

00:26:39.180 --> 00:26:40.779
 way back in the book of Genesis.

00:26:41.720 --> 00:26:43.059
 Here is the God who does not forget.

00:26:43.059 --> 00:26:45.720
 And what were the blessings

00:26:45.720 --> 00:26:46.700
 of that covenant

00:26:46.700 --> 00:26:48.559
 that God offered to Abraham?

00:26:49.399 --> 00:26:50.960
 Well beyond the promises

00:26:50.960 --> 00:26:52.579
 of people and the land

00:26:52.579 --> 00:26:55.659
 God offered Abraham

00:26:55.659 --> 00:26:57.419
 a relationship with himself.

00:26:58.240 --> 00:26:59.579
 I will be your God.

00:27:00.460 --> 00:27:01.639
 You will be my people.

00:27:02.720 --> 00:27:04.419
 All of the history written

00:27:04.419 --> 00:27:05.339
 in the Old Testament

00:27:05.339 --> 00:27:08.039
 is a consequence of these words.

00:27:09.279 --> 00:27:11.119
 Showing us what it is

00:27:11.119 --> 00:27:12.399
 for a people to have

00:27:12.399 --> 00:27:14.359
 the living God,

00:27:14.819 --> 00:27:15.259
 Yahweh,

00:27:15.459 --> 00:27:16.339
 as their God.

00:27:17.399 --> 00:27:18.979
 And that is at the very heart

00:27:18.979 --> 00:27:20.819
 of the Abrahamic covenant.

00:27:21.879 --> 00:27:23.159
 It lies at the very heart

00:27:23.159 --> 00:27:24.699
 of God's covenant of grace.

00:27:25.099 --> 00:27:26.759
 He will be God to his people.

00:27:27.779 --> 00:27:29.319
 It lies at the heart of the gospel.

00:27:30.299 --> 00:27:32.379
 Heart of the Bible story.

00:27:32.779 --> 00:27:34.579
 At the heart of the Christian faith.

00:27:34.959 --> 00:27:36.879
 It's about coming to know God

00:27:36.879 --> 00:27:37.619
 for ourselves.

00:27:37.619 --> 00:27:40.519
 Sinful, broken human beings

00:27:40.519 --> 00:27:42.619
 being brought to the living God

00:27:42.619 --> 00:27:43.819
 to worship him,

00:27:44.199 --> 00:27:44.899
 serve him,

00:27:45.019 --> 00:27:46.379
 and enjoy him forever.

00:27:48.579 --> 00:27:49.279
 And yet,

00:27:49.659 --> 00:27:50.439
 there was something more

00:27:50.439 --> 00:27:51.079
 in that covenant

00:27:51.079 --> 00:27:52.419
 with Abraham, wasn't there?

00:27:53.339 --> 00:27:54.779
 It was that all the nations

00:27:54.779 --> 00:27:55.479
 of the earth

00:27:55.479 --> 00:27:56.579
 would be blessed

00:27:56.579 --> 00:27:57.319
 through him

00:27:57.319 --> 00:27:58.479
 and his descendants.

00:27:59.419 --> 00:28:01.099
 Abraham and his seed

00:28:01.099 --> 00:28:02.019
 would be a channel

00:28:02.019 --> 00:28:02.899
 and blessing,

00:28:03.339 --> 00:28:04.739
 of blessing and salvation

00:28:04.740 --> 00:28:06.279
 for the whole world.

00:28:08.160 --> 00:28:09.319
 This intimate knowledge

00:28:09.319 --> 00:28:09.859
 of God

00:28:09.859 --> 00:28:11.460
 is for all the peoples.

00:28:13.019 --> 00:28:14.660
 Because God is calling,

00:28:14.900 --> 00:28:15.720
 gathering a people

00:28:15.720 --> 00:28:16.480
 for himself

00:28:16.480 --> 00:28:17.920
 from every tribe,

00:28:18.160 --> 00:28:18.539
 people,

00:28:19.039 --> 00:28:19.339
 nation,

00:28:19.440 --> 00:28:19.980
 and language.

00:28:20.460 --> 00:28:21.700
 He's building his church.

00:28:22.720 --> 00:28:24.180
 He's true to the promises

00:28:24.180 --> 00:28:25.160
 of salvation

00:28:25.160 --> 00:28:25.900
 and redemption

00:28:25.900 --> 00:28:27.480
 made from of old

00:28:27.480 --> 00:28:28.099
 to Abraham

00:28:28.099 --> 00:28:29.019
 and his descendants.

00:28:30.140 --> 00:28:31.460
 And now all the nations

00:28:31.460 --> 00:28:32.200
 of the world

00:28:32.200 --> 00:28:33.319
 will be blessed

00:28:33.319 --> 00:28:34.599
 through Abraham's family,

00:28:34.740 --> 00:28:35.500
 because now

00:28:35.500 --> 00:28:37.420
 the promised saviour

00:28:37.420 --> 00:28:38.480
 has arrived.

00:28:38.779 --> 00:28:39.740
 He's drawn near.

00:28:40.859 --> 00:28:42.019
 Because it's in Jesus

00:28:42.019 --> 00:28:42.799
 that those,

00:28:43.559 --> 00:28:45.460
 God's ancient covenant promises

00:28:45.460 --> 00:28:46.640
 find their fulfillment.

00:28:47.420 --> 00:28:48.220
 It's in Jesus

00:28:48.220 --> 00:28:50.559
 that God's revolutionary power

00:28:50.559 --> 00:28:51.319
 is experienced.

00:28:51.759 --> 00:28:52.480
 It's in Jesus

00:28:52.480 --> 00:28:54.299
 that God's saving mercy

00:28:54.299 --> 00:28:55.200
 is made known

00:28:55.200 --> 00:28:55.880
 to the world.

00:28:57.259 --> 00:28:58.440
 And so it's no coincidence,

00:28:58.720 --> 00:28:59.039
 I think,

00:28:59.099 --> 00:28:59.700
 that in the Bible,

00:29:00.000 --> 00:29:01.180
 God's people are called

00:29:01.180 --> 00:29:02.259
 to be a people

00:29:02.259 --> 00:29:03.400
 of praise.

00:29:03.400 --> 00:29:03.519
 Jesus.

00:29:04.240 --> 00:29:05.440
 In his first letter,

00:29:05.540 --> 00:29:06.320
 the Apostle Peter

00:29:06.320 --> 00:29:07.700
 describes the calling

00:29:07.700 --> 00:29:08.400
 of the church

00:29:08.400 --> 00:29:09.759
 in just those terms,

00:29:09.840 --> 00:29:10.180
 doesn't he?

00:29:10.320 --> 00:29:11.220
 To proclaim

00:29:11.220 --> 00:29:12.920
 the perfections

00:29:12.920 --> 00:29:14.100
 or excellencies

00:29:14.100 --> 00:29:14.920
 of God,

00:29:15.280 --> 00:29:15.820
 the God

00:29:15.820 --> 00:29:16.700
 who has brought us

00:29:16.700 --> 00:29:17.640
 from darkness

00:29:17.640 --> 00:29:19.600
 into his marvelous light.

00:29:20.900 --> 00:29:21.460
 And actually,

00:29:21.560 --> 00:29:22.740
 that's not a bad description

00:29:22.740 --> 00:29:23.440
 of this song.

00:29:24.380 --> 00:29:25.440
 It's a proclamation

00:29:25.440 --> 00:29:27.140
 of the excellencies

00:29:27.140 --> 00:29:28.300
 of God's character.

00:29:28.299 --> 00:29:28.740
 Yes,

00:29:28.799 --> 00:29:29.639
 it's Mary's song.

00:29:31.000 --> 00:29:31.839
 But through faith

00:29:31.839 --> 00:29:32.379
 in Jesus,

00:29:32.859 --> 00:29:34.419
 it can be ours as well.

00:29:35.460 --> 00:29:36.839
 And it becomes ours

00:29:36.839 --> 00:29:37.779
 when we see

00:29:37.779 --> 00:29:39.559
 that his mercy

00:29:39.559 --> 00:29:40.919
 is for us,

00:29:41.000 --> 00:29:42.079
 for people like us.

00:29:42.859 --> 00:29:43.779
 And we come

00:29:43.779 --> 00:29:45.019
 to surrender

00:29:45.019 --> 00:29:45.859
 our lives

00:29:45.859 --> 00:29:46.339
 to him.

00:29:47.519 --> 00:29:48.319
 And so we're able

00:29:48.319 --> 00:29:49.279
 to rejoice

00:29:49.279 --> 00:29:50.919
 in Jesus

00:29:50.919 --> 00:29:52.740
 as our Savior

00:29:52.740 --> 00:29:53.720
 and our King.

00:29:53.720 --> 00:29:55.860
 There's an old

00:29:55.860 --> 00:29:56.920
 Scottish paraphrase

00:29:56.920 --> 00:29:59.480
 of Luke chapter 4

00:29:59.480 --> 00:30:00.640
 that begins,

00:30:01.460 --> 00:30:02.880
 Hark the glad sound.

00:30:03.380 --> 00:30:04.539
 The Savior comes.

00:30:05.019 --> 00:30:06.900
 The Savior promised long.

00:30:07.720 --> 00:30:09.220
 Let every heart

00:30:09.220 --> 00:30:10.900
 prepare a throne

00:30:10.900 --> 00:30:13.319
 and every voice

00:30:13.319 --> 00:30:14.259
 a song.

00:30:16.200 --> 00:30:18.259
 The old Swedish proverb

00:30:18.259 --> 00:30:18.980
 says,

00:30:19.759 --> 00:30:21.120
 Those who want

00:30:21.120 --> 00:30:21.720
 to sing

00:30:21.720 --> 00:30:23.600
 shall always

00:30:23.600 --> 00:30:25.019
 find a song.

00:30:26.400 --> 00:30:27.400
 And here in Luke 1

00:30:27.400 --> 00:30:29.299
 we have the song

00:30:29.299 --> 00:30:32.420
 who wants

00:30:32.420 --> 00:30:33.220
 to sing it.

00:30:33.920 --> 00:30:34.720
 Let's pray.

00:30:41.920 --> 00:30:43.019
 Lord, our prayer

00:30:43.019 --> 00:30:43.720
 this evening

00:30:43.720 --> 00:30:45.319
 is very simple.

00:30:46.220 --> 00:30:47.100
 That we would

00:30:47.100 --> 00:30:48.620
 know you

00:30:48.620 --> 00:30:50.100
 as our God.

00:30:50.099 --> 00:30:51.799
 that we would

00:30:51.799 --> 00:30:52.299
 know you

00:30:52.299 --> 00:30:53.539
 as our Savior.

00:30:54.699 --> 00:30:55.619
 And that we

00:30:55.619 --> 00:30:56.539
 would be counted

00:30:56.539 --> 00:30:57.959
 amongst your people

00:30:57.959 --> 00:30:59.679
 declaring

00:30:59.679 --> 00:31:02.219
 your perfections

00:31:02.219 --> 00:31:03.559
 and excellencies

00:31:03.559 --> 00:31:05.219
 for you have

00:31:05.219 --> 00:31:05.919
 brought us

00:31:05.919 --> 00:31:06.759
 by your grace

00:31:06.759 --> 00:31:07.339
 and mercy

00:31:07.339 --> 00:31:09.119
 from darkness

00:31:09.119 --> 00:31:10.419
 into your

00:31:10.419 --> 00:31:11.240
 marvelous light.

00:31:11.339 --> 00:31:12.079
 May that be true

00:31:12.079 --> 00:31:13.639
 for each one of us

00:31:13.639 --> 00:31:14.679
 this evening.

00:31:14.919 --> 00:31:15.799
 As we pray this

00:31:15.799 --> 00:31:16.619
 in Jesus' name.

00:31:17.119 --> 00:31:17.439
 Amen.

00:31:17.439 --> 00:31:17.579
 Amen.

00:31:17.579 --> 00:31:17.619
 Amen.

00:31:17.619 --> 00:31:17.619


00:31:17.619 --> 00:31:17.619