WEBVTT 00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:12.539 It's good as a reminder every once in a while 00:00:12.539 --> 00:00:20.420 to think about worship, to think about expository 00:00:20.420 --> 00:00:25.379 preaching, to think about church, why we gather, 00:00:25.640 --> 00:00:30.160 why we come together, what the purpose of it 00:00:30.160 --> 00:00:34.759 is. Some weeks are more difficult than others 00:00:34.759 --> 00:00:37.259 to get to the Lord's Day. Aren't they, brothers 00:00:37.259 --> 00:00:42.340 and sisters? Some weeks it's more difficult to 00:00:42.340 --> 00:00:46.640 get to the house of God and to praise His holy 00:00:46.640 --> 00:00:52.679 name. Especially, it seems like Saturday evenings. 00:00:53.399 --> 00:00:57.920 And Saturdays, in general, it's hard to get to 00:00:57.920 --> 00:01:02.539 Sunday to worship the Lord. But brothers and 00:01:02.539 --> 00:01:07.120 sisters, when the Lord's day arrives, when the 00:01:07.120 --> 00:01:11.700 worship of God comes upon us, It is good for 00:01:11.700 --> 00:01:18.120 us. It is good for your soul. It is good for 00:01:18.120 --> 00:01:25.359 your heart to worship God. God does more in your 00:01:25.359 --> 00:01:29.060 heart, in your mind, in your soul, during this 00:01:29.060 --> 00:01:32.379 day, during this time, than any other day of 00:01:32.379 --> 00:01:35.620 the week, brothers and sisters. More than any 00:01:35.620 --> 00:01:40.129 other hour that you enjoy. He uses this time 00:01:40.129 --> 00:01:45.090 for your good as a believer in Jesus Christ. 00:01:45.430 --> 00:01:50.670 He uses this time for the edification, the strengthening, 00:01:50.989 --> 00:01:56.569 the encouragement, the sanctification of his 00:01:56.569 --> 00:02:00.549 people. Always remind yourself, never get in 00:02:00.549 --> 00:02:05.109 a rut. Always remind yourself it is good for 00:02:05.109 --> 00:02:11.270 you to worship. with the people of God. I realized 00:02:11.270 --> 00:02:15.270 that today. I was thinking and praying and thanking 00:02:15.270 --> 00:02:21.229 God. How blessed I am to be a part of this body. 00:02:21.870 --> 00:02:25.650 How blessed I am to have fellow pastors who are 00:02:25.650 --> 00:02:30.509 godly and humble and love one another. How blessed 00:02:30.509 --> 00:02:33.770 I am to bring the Word of God to a congregation 00:02:33.770 --> 00:02:37.750 and a membership. who eagerly seeks after God. 00:02:38.689 --> 00:02:42.590 Brothers and sisters, that's of grace. All of 00:02:42.590 --> 00:02:46.169 this is of God. It's good for us to be here at 00:02:46.169 --> 00:02:49.169 this time. Don't forget that, brothers and sisters. 00:02:50.729 --> 00:02:56.009 Today we're going to pick up in Mary's song of 00:02:56.009 --> 00:03:02.069 praise to God. We're going to consider three 00:03:02.069 --> 00:03:05.520 different things. We're going to consider Mary's 00:03:05.520 --> 00:03:12.199 praise to God for his mercy towards her personally. 00:03:13.020 --> 00:03:16.900 We're going to consider Mary's praise to God 00:03:16.900 --> 00:03:21.879 for his character and the nature of his works 00:03:21.879 --> 00:03:26.500 in the world and among his people. And we're 00:03:26.500 --> 00:03:30.819 going to see Mary's praise to God for his faithfulness. 00:03:31.449 --> 00:03:37.490 to fulfill all his promises to his people. So 00:03:37.490 --> 00:03:41.969 in considering Mary's praise to God first, for 00:03:41.969 --> 00:03:46.870 the mercy of God toward her personally, we read 00:03:46.870 --> 00:03:50.930 in verse 46, and Mary said, My soul exalts the 00:03:50.930 --> 00:03:55.409 Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. 00:03:56.090 --> 00:03:59.810 For he has had regard for the humble state of 00:03:59.810 --> 00:04:03.400 his bond slave. For behold, from this time on, 00:04:03.520 --> 00:04:08.000 all generations will count me blessed. For the 00:04:08.000 --> 00:04:14.099 Mighty One has done great things for me. Notice 00:04:14.099 --> 00:04:17.519 in this that Mary's making this very personal, 00:04:17.600 --> 00:04:24.779 brothers and sisters. It's my Savior, my soul, 00:04:25.120 --> 00:04:31.779 my God. He has done great things for me. me. 00:04:32.800 --> 00:04:36.339 Mary is making this very, very personal, this 00:04:36.339 --> 00:04:41.600 praise, this magnifying of God. Consider the 00:04:41.600 --> 00:04:45.500 nature of her praise and her rejoicing. When 00:04:45.500 --> 00:04:51.579 she says, My soul exalts the Lord, and her spirit 00:04:51.579 --> 00:04:56.939 rejoices in God my Savior. She's saying that 00:04:56.939 --> 00:05:04.509 her heart is magnifying Her heart is enlarged 00:05:04.509 --> 00:05:08.170 to God. Now we know that God can't get bigger. 00:05:08.889 --> 00:05:13.870 And we know that God can't get smaller. God is 00:05:13.870 --> 00:05:18.029 immutable. He's unchanging. He doesn't change, 00:05:18.290 --> 00:05:21.910 brothers and sisters. He is infinite and sovereign 00:05:21.910 --> 00:05:28.230 and powerful. He needs nothing from anyone. He 00:05:28.230 --> 00:05:31.490 is perfect in and of himself. He doesn't change. 00:05:31.610 --> 00:05:38.310 But we as his people do change. Our hearts have 00:05:38.310 --> 00:05:41.990 ebbs and flows. They have ups and they have downs. 00:05:42.750 --> 00:05:48.050 They are warm sometimes and they're cold other 00:05:48.050 --> 00:05:52.810 times. They're warmer sometimes and they're colder 00:05:52.810 --> 00:05:59.569 other times. We're dry at times in our spirituality, 00:05:59.629 --> 00:06:03.449 in our longing for Christ, and other times we 00:06:03.449 --> 00:06:06.769 feel as though there's a deep longing and thirst 00:06:06.769 --> 00:06:10.730 for the things of God within us. Why is that? 00:06:11.870 --> 00:06:16.589 It's because of the defilement of our flesh and 00:06:16.589 --> 00:06:21.129 the corruption that is within us. It's that which 00:06:21.129 --> 00:06:26.120 is in us that makes us change. It is not God 00:06:26.120 --> 00:06:30.879 that changes or fluctuates. It is our hearts 00:06:30.879 --> 00:06:35.620 as they're influenced by our corruption as sinful 00:06:35.620 --> 00:06:40.139 men and women, brothers and sisters. That's why 00:06:40.139 --> 00:06:43.259 we view God as big sometimes, and that's why 00:06:43.259 --> 00:06:47.620 we view God as little sometimes. Because of the 00:06:47.620 --> 00:06:52.649 sinfulness of our own hearts. Mary is not. changing 00:06:52.649 --> 00:06:57.870 or manipulating God in some way. Her heart is 00:06:57.870 --> 00:07:02.930 enlarged and her heart is magnifying God in Christ 00:07:02.930 --> 00:07:08.649 for the work that He has done. It involves her 00:07:08.649 --> 00:07:15.290 affections, her heart, her longings, her feelings, 00:07:15.449 --> 00:07:19.589 her emotions, brothers and sisters. This is whole... 00:07:19.920 --> 00:07:25.720 Binged worship and praise on Mary's behalf. What 00:07:25.720 --> 00:07:29.079 is she responding to and why is she worshiping 00:07:29.079 --> 00:07:34.579 in this situation? Well, notice in verse 56 of 00:07:34.579 --> 00:07:37.540 this text, and Mary stayed with her about three 00:07:37.540 --> 00:07:41.939 months and then returned to her home. So this 00:07:41.939 --> 00:07:45.100 is still taking place at Elizabeth's home. If 00:07:45.100 --> 00:07:47.319 you remember last week, we considered and we 00:07:47.319 --> 00:07:51.970 saw Elizabeth. praise in her prophetic speech 00:07:51.970 --> 00:07:55.930 to Mary to confirm and encourage her in the Lord. 00:07:56.370 --> 00:07:58.649 If you remember some of the things that Elizabeth 00:07:58.649 --> 00:08:01.730 said to Mary, they're very, very incredible. 00:08:02.870 --> 00:08:06.310 They're very, very wonderful things that she 00:08:06.310 --> 00:08:11.069 said. She said, blessed are you among women and 00:08:11.069 --> 00:08:14.189 blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how has 00:08:14.189 --> 00:08:18.889 it happened to me that the mother of my Lord 00:08:19.660 --> 00:08:23.519 would come to me. That's a remarkable statement. 00:08:24.019 --> 00:08:31.660 The mother of my Lord. The reality that Mary 00:08:31.660 --> 00:08:37.299 was bearing in her womb. The son of God that 00:08:37.299 --> 00:08:42.740 took on flesh and dwelt among us. That's an incredible 00:08:42.740 --> 00:08:49.279 truth that is given and experienced by Mary, 00:08:49.279 --> 00:08:52.139 brothers and sisters. And it's being confirmed 00:08:52.139 --> 00:08:55.480 prophetically by the Spirit of God through Elizabeth. 00:08:56.100 --> 00:09:01.220 This praise that Mary is giving, this praise 00:09:01.220 --> 00:09:06.240 to God, is her response to these grand realities 00:09:06.240 --> 00:09:10.440 of the gospel and redemption that God has faithfully 00:09:10.440 --> 00:09:14.480 brought about in her own life. It's a response 00:09:14.480 --> 00:09:19.250 to the reality that the child in her womb Is 00:09:19.250 --> 00:09:23.190 the son of God. It's a response to the reality. 00:09:23.450 --> 00:09:28.429 That the child in her womb. Is God incarnate. 00:09:29.129 --> 00:09:35.230 That's taken on. A human nature. She's responding. 00:09:36.669 --> 00:09:39.750 To the works of God. And to the revelation that 00:09:39.750 --> 00:09:42.990 comes through. Elizabeth. And what does it do? 00:09:44.230 --> 00:09:50.009 These truths. Affect. Her heart and her mind 00:09:50.009 --> 00:09:56.269 and her will and her mouth. These truths stir 00:09:56.269 --> 00:10:03.250 up her affections. These truths stir up her longings 00:10:03.250 --> 00:10:07.850 for grace. They stir up her longings to worship 00:10:07.850 --> 00:10:10.169 and praise God. It's as though it's bubbling 00:10:10.169 --> 00:10:14.809 up within her and she can't hold it in. Because 00:10:14.809 --> 00:10:19.360 of... the realities of grace and the gospel that 00:10:19.360 --> 00:10:23.759 God has accomplished in her life. She has to 00:10:23.759 --> 00:10:27.100 worship God as a result of this. The Spirit of 00:10:27.100 --> 00:10:29.460 God and His movements and His influence and His 00:10:29.460 --> 00:10:34.480 motions and her soul are compelling her to praise 00:10:34.480 --> 00:10:39.539 the living God. Everything we see about Mary 00:10:39.539 --> 00:10:46.840 here is the complete opposite. of obligation 00:10:46.840 --> 00:10:52.820 and duty -bound worship that's completely devoid 00:10:52.820 --> 00:11:00.759 of emotions, of affections, of longings, and 00:11:00.759 --> 00:11:06.360 of feelings. There's nothing here about duty 00:11:06.360 --> 00:11:09.740 with regards to Mary. She can't help but praise 00:11:09.740 --> 00:11:16.450 God. She wants to worship God. Yes, she is obligated 00:11:16.450 --> 00:11:21.049 as a creature, as a redeemed sinner, doubly to 00:11:21.049 --> 00:11:23.690 worship and praise God. But brothers and sisters, 00:11:23.970 --> 00:11:28.090 this is something purer and more sincere than 00:11:28.090 --> 00:11:31.190 worship out of duty and worship out of obligation. 00:11:33.169 --> 00:11:39.110 This is worship from the heart as it is moved 00:11:39.110 --> 00:11:44.860 by truth. As it is moved. By the work of God 00:11:44.860 --> 00:11:50.059 in the gospel. What is the object, the center, 00:11:50.120 --> 00:11:54.740 and the focal point of Mary's praise, of Mary's 00:11:54.740 --> 00:11:57.240 worship in this, brothers and sisters? What does 00:11:57.240 --> 00:12:06.120 she say? My soul exalts the Lord. Rejoiced in 00:12:06.120 --> 00:12:17.470 God my Savior. The Lord. is the object, the focus, 00:12:17.490 --> 00:12:22.669 and the center of her worship, of her praise. 00:12:23.190 --> 00:12:28.909 It's in him and who he is. And as we'll see, 00:12:29.049 --> 00:12:33.289 what he has done and what he is going to do. 00:12:33.429 --> 00:12:37.950 I don't think it's a coincidence that we see 00:12:37.950 --> 00:12:43.120 that her soul is exalting in the Lord. And we 00:12:43.120 --> 00:12:47.799 just saw Elizabeth say, And how has it happened 00:12:47.799 --> 00:12:53.480 to me that the mother of my Lord would come to 00:12:53.480 --> 00:13:01.779 me? In some way, the reference that Mary is making 00:13:01.779 --> 00:13:08.879 has to do with the child in her womb. In some 00:13:08.879 --> 00:13:14.200 way, she is referring to Christ in the flesh 00:13:14.200 --> 00:13:21.879 that she is bearing as a mother. She's referring 00:13:21.879 --> 00:13:26.139 to God, her Savior, as he's seen and known throughout 00:13:26.139 --> 00:13:28.620 the nation of Israel and redemptive history. 00:13:28.720 --> 00:13:31.840 But brothers and sisters, she must be referring 00:13:31.840 --> 00:13:36.779 to God in the womb as we see it in this text 00:13:36.779 --> 00:13:43.330 as well. She's coming. And she's worshiping God. 00:13:43.470 --> 00:13:47.230 But listen, brothers and sisters. She's worshiping 00:13:47.230 --> 00:13:52.690 God in her womb. That's taken on flesh. That's 00:13:52.690 --> 00:13:56.409 dwelt among men. She's worshiping Christ, who 00:13:56.409 --> 00:14:00.690 is the strength, the refuge, the shield, the 00:14:00.690 --> 00:14:03.389 arm of the Lord that comes to rescue his people. 00:14:04.389 --> 00:14:10.990 She's worshiping God, her Savior. that she will 00:14:10.990 --> 00:14:17.230 bear in the flesh as the Son of God. So the object 00:14:17.230 --> 00:14:21.710 is God and not herself. When we think about this 00:14:21.710 --> 00:14:25.230 whole song of praise, it's very, very much like 00:14:25.230 --> 00:14:28.710 a psalm. It's basically a New Testament psalm, 00:14:28.710 --> 00:14:33.250 just like the Old Testament psalms and many other 00:14:33.250 --> 00:14:36.669 songs throughout redemptive history. We could 00:14:36.669 --> 00:14:41.639 think of Miriam. After the Exodus, if you recall, 00:14:41.799 --> 00:14:45.720 Moses sings a song and all the sons of Israel 00:14:45.720 --> 00:14:48.500 come and sing a song. It's very similar to this. 00:14:48.559 --> 00:14:51.519 And then directly after that, Miriam, Aaron's 00:14:51.519 --> 00:14:56.080 sister, takes up her instrument. I don't quite 00:14:56.080 --> 00:14:59.279 remember which one. She takes up her instrument 00:14:59.279 --> 00:15:01.860 and she goes out dancing, leading other women. 00:15:01.919 --> 00:15:04.480 And they're asking her and she responds. And 00:15:04.480 --> 00:15:09.490 her response is almost identical. to what we 00:15:09.490 --> 00:15:14.929 see here in Mary. We could think of Hannah's 00:15:14.929 --> 00:15:19.929 song in 1 Samuel chapter 1. Do you remember the 00:15:19.929 --> 00:15:23.970 gracious work of God in Hannah's life and giving 00:15:23.970 --> 00:15:28.590 her a child and opening her womb? This great 00:15:28.590 --> 00:15:31.509 and mighty deed that God had done for Hannah 00:15:31.509 --> 00:15:36.389 and to bring Samuel into the world. Do you remember 00:15:36.389 --> 00:15:41.139 what Hannah does? She sings a beautiful, wonderful 00:15:41.139 --> 00:15:47.379 song just like the one we have. Mary is rejoicing 00:15:47.379 --> 00:15:52.240 in God who has worked a great thing on her behalf 00:15:52.240 --> 00:15:57.220 and on behalf of all God's people. She's praising 00:15:57.220 --> 00:16:00.720 God for the fulfillment and the realization and 00:16:00.720 --> 00:16:04.379 the reality that the Messiah has actually taken 00:16:04.379 --> 00:16:08.559 on flesh and dwelt among us. That God has broken 00:16:08.559 --> 00:16:12.059 into history and come among men to deliver them 00:16:12.059 --> 00:16:14.919 from their sins, brothers and sisters. This is 00:16:14.919 --> 00:16:18.840 a song of praise for the victory that God has 00:16:18.840 --> 00:16:21.720 accomplished in and through Jesus Christ, the 00:16:21.720 --> 00:16:26.379 Messiah that is sent for God's people. That's 00:16:26.379 --> 00:16:29.379 what Mary's doing, brothers and sisters. She's 00:16:29.379 --> 00:16:33.379 praising God for his work in her life. So what 00:16:33.379 --> 00:16:37.370 is the cause of this? What is the cause? That 00:16:37.370 --> 00:16:42.669 invokes her to worship in such a way. Well, it's 00:16:42.669 --> 00:16:49.470 her lowly estate. And God's regard for her in 00:16:49.470 --> 00:16:54.789 that lowly estate. But it's also the fact that 00:16:54.789 --> 00:16:59.649 she is reckoned or she's counted as blessed because 00:16:59.649 --> 00:17:04.190 of God's grace in her life. Because God has regarded 00:17:04.190 --> 00:17:08.369 her in such a way. She will be called blessed 00:17:08.369 --> 00:17:12.910 for many, many generations. The reality that 00:17:12.910 --> 00:17:16.390 we're talking about Mary, that we read about 00:17:16.390 --> 00:17:19.430 Mary in the scriptures. Brothers and sisters, 00:17:19.509 --> 00:17:22.369 we are counting her. We are calling her. We are 00:17:22.369 --> 00:17:27.769 reckoning her as blessed of God for how he used 00:17:27.769 --> 00:17:32.930 her in the story of redemption. But it's also 00:17:32.930 --> 00:17:35.609 the fact that the mighty one has done great things 00:17:35.609 --> 00:17:41.740 for us. God has exerted his divine, sovereign, 00:17:42.000 --> 00:17:48.079 and miraculous power in the life of Mary to bring 00:17:48.079 --> 00:17:55.200 about the birth of the Messiah, the virgin birth. 00:17:55.680 --> 00:18:01.099 He's done great and mighty things for her. She 00:18:01.099 --> 00:18:06.380 has great reason to rejoice in the Lord. and 00:18:06.380 --> 00:18:12.220 to sing praises to him. Mary is doing this herself. 00:18:13.680 --> 00:18:17.700 She's experiencing this. She's wrestling through 00:18:17.700 --> 00:18:21.440 these things by herself in her own person. It's 00:18:21.440 --> 00:18:25.640 a personal thing. It's something she deals with 00:18:25.640 --> 00:18:29.279 in her heart, in her mind. It's not something 00:18:29.279 --> 00:18:32.799 that other people can take on and deal with for 00:18:32.799 --> 00:18:39.500 her. She is praising God. She is magnifying the 00:18:39.500 --> 00:18:44.680 Lord. She is rejoicing in God, her Savior. Nobody 00:18:44.680 --> 00:18:48.519 can rejoice for her. Nobody can magnify the Lord 00:18:48.519 --> 00:18:51.660 on her behalf. It's something that she individually 00:18:51.660 --> 00:18:55.680 and personally is doing as one who with faith, 00:18:55.819 --> 00:19:03.019 who believes in the God who redeems. Brothers 00:19:03.019 --> 00:19:07.380 and sisters, Christianity will always have a 00:19:07.380 --> 00:19:14.059 corporate nature to it. Always. And we'll see 00:19:14.059 --> 00:19:19.759 that a bit later. Christianity is not purely 00:19:19.759 --> 00:19:24.480 an individual, personal, and privatized religion. 00:19:25.599 --> 00:19:30.299 It is corporate. That is why we are here, corporately, 00:19:30.380 --> 00:19:33.859 as the people of God. That is why we are gathered 00:19:33.859 --> 00:19:37.740 as a group. That's why we have multiple songs 00:19:37.740 --> 00:19:41.420 and multiple voices that sing those songs as 00:19:41.420 --> 00:19:45.099 a people, as a congregation, as a fellowship, 00:19:45.259 --> 00:19:50.579 as a local manifestation of the church. It's 00:19:50.579 --> 00:19:52.779 corporate, but listen, brothers and sisters. 00:19:55.480 --> 00:20:00.539 Christianity will always be a personal religion 00:20:00.539 --> 00:20:07.000 as well. Christianity has to do with your soul. 00:20:08.700 --> 00:20:14.200 The gospel has to do with your sin. The gospel 00:20:14.200 --> 00:20:18.000 has to do with Christ redeeming you by his blood. 00:20:19.859 --> 00:20:23.880 The gospel has to do with your never dying, immortal 00:20:23.880 --> 00:20:29.359 soul that God created. The gospel has to do with 00:20:29.359 --> 00:20:33.819 your faith. And your destiny, whether it's heaven 00:20:33.819 --> 00:20:37.279 or hell, whether it's enjoyment of God for all 00:20:37.279 --> 00:20:40.799 eternity, or whether it be damnation and suffering 00:20:40.799 --> 00:20:45.819 and humiliation after judgment, that has to do 00:20:45.819 --> 00:20:50.619 with you as an individual. But brothers and sisters, 00:20:50.920 --> 00:20:57.440 worship and praise to God is personal as well. 00:20:59.240 --> 00:21:01.960 If we are a part of the Christian religion and 00:21:01.960 --> 00:21:04.940 if we claim to be professing believers in Jesus 00:21:04.940 --> 00:21:08.059 Christ, we do have an obligation and a duty. 00:21:08.099 --> 00:21:14.160 But listen, a great privilege to worship the 00:21:14.160 --> 00:21:20.460 one true living God. That means that it requires 00:21:20.460 --> 00:21:26.380 your voice be lifted to heaven in praise. That 00:21:26.380 --> 00:21:29.940 means it requires your participation in the means 00:21:29.940 --> 00:21:34.460 of grace. That means that it requires your ears 00:21:34.460 --> 00:21:37.680 to hear the word of God. Not everybody else's, 00:21:37.700 --> 00:21:42.940 yours. So when we gather, we gather as a group. 00:21:43.019 --> 00:21:49.240 But listen, when we gather, it must be you coming 00:21:49.240 --> 00:21:52.539 and worshiping the living God, not everybody 00:21:52.539 --> 00:21:58.349 else. Christianity is always corporate. But listen, 00:21:58.430 --> 00:22:03.289 brothers and sisters, it is always personal. 00:22:04.549 --> 00:22:08.930 It's always intimate. It always has to do with 00:22:08.930 --> 00:22:14.410 your heart and your soul and your mind and your 00:22:14.410 --> 00:22:18.329 longings and your relationship and your fellowship 00:22:18.329 --> 00:22:22.279 and your communion with the living God. It always 00:22:22.279 --> 00:22:24.640 has to do with the fact that you walk before 00:22:24.640 --> 00:22:28.900 the sight of God. It always has to do with the 00:22:28.900 --> 00:22:32.880 fact that you live before your maker. That he 00:22:32.880 --> 00:22:37.480 knows you personally. Christ said in John chapter 00:22:37.480 --> 00:22:44.140 10 that he calls his sheep by their name. He 00:22:44.140 --> 00:22:48.559 knows them individually. He knows us personally. 00:22:49.579 --> 00:22:52.079 And it is our duty and our obligation and our 00:22:52.079 --> 00:22:57.660 great privilege to walk with him personally in 00:22:57.660 --> 00:23:06.039 this world, in this life, before his face. We 00:23:06.039 --> 00:23:11.900 also see Mary's praise to God for his character 00:23:11.900 --> 00:23:20.450 and the nature of his dealings with men. When 00:23:20.450 --> 00:23:24.410 we think about this, I think it's important to 00:23:24.410 --> 00:23:29.490 recognize that Mary's, the basis for Mary's joy, 00:23:29.710 --> 00:23:35.190 the basis for her praise, and the basis for her 00:23:35.190 --> 00:23:40.069 magnification of God is not simply rooted in 00:23:40.069 --> 00:23:47.849 God's work in her life alone. We also see that 00:23:47.849 --> 00:23:52.099 it's rooted and God's treatment of others, and 00:23:52.099 --> 00:23:56.220 God's character, and the way that God works. 00:23:56.839 --> 00:24:01.559 It's not purely based on her own life. It's based, 00:24:01.599 --> 00:24:03.960 it's rooted, it's grounded, it's connected to 00:24:03.960 --> 00:24:09.839 the very character of God and how God works in 00:24:09.839 --> 00:24:14.160 the world, in the lives of men in providence, 00:24:14.160 --> 00:24:17.099 but also, brothers and sisters, in the life. 00:24:17.799 --> 00:24:21.720 Of his people. Throughout history. And in the 00:24:21.720 --> 00:24:30.099 ages to come. So we see. That Mary. Finds cause 00:24:30.099 --> 00:24:35.839 to rejoice. In the character of God. Who he is. 00:24:36.079 --> 00:24:42.839 And what. He has done. We read in verse 49. And 00:24:42.839 --> 00:24:50.609 holy. Is his name. We read in verse 50, His mercy 00:24:50.609 --> 00:24:55.329 is upon generation after generation. We read 00:24:55.329 --> 00:25:01.650 again in verse 55, His mercy. We read of His 00:25:01.650 --> 00:25:07.490 power and His sovereignty when Mary speaks of 00:25:07.490 --> 00:25:12.809 His arm. She says in verse 51, He has done mighty 00:25:12.809 --> 00:25:16.529 deeds with His arm. We look at the very first 00:25:16.529 --> 00:25:23.130 part of verse 49. The mighty one. She looks to 00:25:23.130 --> 00:25:25.609 the character of God. She knows the character 00:25:25.609 --> 00:25:29.970 of God. And the character of God is a source 00:25:29.970 --> 00:25:37.329 of joy and praise for her. She looks at who he 00:25:37.329 --> 00:25:43.910 is. And she knows that his treatment of her. 00:25:44.880 --> 00:25:50.599 is not rooted and anchored to who she is, but 00:25:50.599 --> 00:25:54.220 God's treatment of Mary is rooted and grounded 00:25:54.220 --> 00:25:59.500 and anchored to who the Lord is, who God is, 00:25:59.599 --> 00:26:04.680 the fact that he is merciful, the fact that he 00:26:04.680 --> 00:26:09.720 is faithful, mercy and compassion and love for 00:26:09.720 --> 00:26:16.200 his people from age to age. Faithful mercy, which 00:26:16.200 --> 00:26:20.559 transcends generation to generation. That means 00:26:20.559 --> 00:26:23.420 that even after we die, brothers and sisters, 00:26:23.579 --> 00:26:29.920 the faithful love of God endures. It continues 00:26:29.920 --> 00:26:35.740 in our lives as those who fear him, but also, 00:26:35.799 --> 00:26:38.960 brothers and sisters, in the life of all those 00:26:38.960 --> 00:26:41.900 who will come in the... future generations that 00:26:41.900 --> 00:26:46.259 fear him and that know him by faith, that walk 00:26:46.259 --> 00:26:49.059 and live a holy life before his sight, those 00:26:49.059 --> 00:26:52.220 who have experienced and known and enjoyed his 00:26:52.220 --> 00:26:57.980 grace. She knows that God is holy, that he's 00:26:57.980 --> 00:27:02.380 righteous, which essentially is telling us that 00:27:02.380 --> 00:27:07.900 God is perfectly just in everything he does and 00:27:07.900 --> 00:27:10.880 all that he is. That he's completely separate, 00:27:11.140 --> 00:27:17.619 distinct, and transcendent of sin and transgression 00:27:17.619 --> 00:27:24.200 and wickedness. So everything he does, he does 00:27:24.200 --> 00:27:30.759 in holiness. Everything he does, he does in righteousness. 00:27:31.339 --> 00:27:36.119 That means that all his ways, all his deeds, 00:27:36.460 --> 00:27:42.700 all his works. are carried out with perfect justice. 00:27:43.900 --> 00:27:47.380 They are carried out with perfect righteousness 00:27:47.380 --> 00:27:55.319 in this world. Does it stir you up to praise 00:27:55.319 --> 00:28:02.319 and joy in your heart knowing that God's treatment 00:28:02.319 --> 00:28:09.589 of you in Christ Is not based on your character. 00:28:10.789 --> 00:28:15.470 Based on your life. But it is based wholly and 00:28:15.470 --> 00:28:19.250 completely. On his mercy. His grace. His holiness. 00:28:19.450 --> 00:28:23.410 And the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Does that 00:28:23.410 --> 00:28:26.789 stir you up brothers and sisters? How does that 00:28:26.789 --> 00:28:32.769 affect the way you live? Knowing. That you don't 00:28:32.769 --> 00:28:36.470 walk in a performance -based righteousness, but 00:28:36.470 --> 00:28:39.609 that you walk on the foundation of grace in your 00:28:39.609 --> 00:28:45.890 life. How does that affect your affections? Or 00:28:45.890 --> 00:28:53.410 have you fallen into erroneous thinking and given 00:28:53.410 --> 00:28:58.950 in to the misconception that God treats you in 00:28:58.950 --> 00:29:06.240 accordance with how you, That God treats you 00:29:06.240 --> 00:29:12.240 in accordance with your character, with your 00:29:12.240 --> 00:29:16.000 obedience or your disobedience, with your righteousness 00:29:16.000 --> 00:29:20.059 or your unrighteousness. That's false thinking, 00:29:20.200 --> 00:29:23.839 brothers and sisters. And listen, there is absolutely 00:29:23.839 --> 00:29:30.019 no joy and there is no praise that will come 00:29:30.019 --> 00:29:35.150 as a result of that. Works based righteousness. 00:29:36.230 --> 00:29:40.250 Self righteousness. Obedience to the law. Listen. 00:29:40.869 --> 00:29:45.390 Does not lead to joy. Hope. And thanksgiving. 00:29:46.910 --> 00:29:54.150 It leads to despair. And hopelessness. And depression. 00:29:55.990 --> 00:30:04.819 But listen. His. Treatment of you in Christ is 00:30:04.819 --> 00:30:09.579 based wholly and completely on the life, the 00:30:09.579 --> 00:30:12.900 person, and the work of Jesus Christ and who 00:30:12.900 --> 00:30:17.519 he is and what he has accomplished. That is cause. 00:30:17.740 --> 00:30:23.519 That is reason for rejoicing and praise. Amen? 00:30:25.339 --> 00:30:31.779 That is cause for praise to God. That should 00:30:31.779 --> 00:30:36.759 stir our hearts. That should warm our souls. 00:30:37.640 --> 00:30:40.259 We should be able to hear and meditate and dwell 00:30:40.259 --> 00:30:43.160 on those truths, and like we're standing by a 00:30:43.160 --> 00:30:46.759 fire, it should slowly and gradually de -thaw 00:30:46.759 --> 00:30:51.140 our hearts, our minds, and affections. It should 00:30:51.140 --> 00:30:56.819 warm us to worship. It should invoke praise to 00:30:56.819 --> 00:30:59.599 the living God who has accomplished these grand 00:30:59.599 --> 00:31:03.819 realities on behalf of undeserving sinners who 00:31:03.819 --> 00:31:08.359 could do nothing to obtain these things. There 00:31:08.359 --> 00:31:13.059 is joy in knowing the character of God, brothers 00:31:13.059 --> 00:31:17.680 and sisters. There is joy in knowing who He is 00:31:17.680 --> 00:31:22.880 and what He is like. There is joy in understanding 00:31:22.880 --> 00:31:29.839 His separation from sin. There is joy in knowing 00:31:29.839 --> 00:31:34.859 the righteousness of Christ. There is joy in 00:31:34.859 --> 00:31:38.380 knowing the nature of the Gospel and what God 00:31:38.380 --> 00:31:40.519 has accomplished in His grace and His mercy. 00:31:41.500 --> 00:31:45.920 That is the source of hope and happiness and 00:31:45.920 --> 00:31:49.539 joy and contentment and peace in the life of 00:31:49.539 --> 00:31:52.799 God's people. Mary knows this, brothers and sisters. 00:31:53.500 --> 00:31:58.500 And she's teaching us. To look to the free and 00:31:58.500 --> 00:32:03.779 sovereign grace of God for our joy. To look to 00:32:03.779 --> 00:32:09.079 God himself and his character and who he is and 00:32:09.079 --> 00:32:14.119 what he's done. She finds cause to rejoice in 00:32:14.119 --> 00:32:18.180 the character of God himself. But she also finds 00:32:18.180 --> 00:32:23.799 cause to rejoice and praise in the nature of 00:32:23.799 --> 00:32:30.779 God's dealings. With men. We read in verses 51 00:32:30.779 --> 00:32:38.019 through 53. He has done mighty deeds with his 00:32:38.019 --> 00:32:41.519 arm. He has scattered those who are proud in 00:32:41.519 --> 00:32:44.380 the thoughts of their heart. He has brought down 00:32:44.380 --> 00:32:49.079 rulers from their thrones. And he has exalted 00:32:49.079 --> 00:32:52.319 those who are humble. He has filled the hungry 00:32:52.319 --> 00:32:55.809 with good things. and sent away the rich empty 00:32:55.809 --> 00:33:01.309 -handed. We see in this text that she finds joy 00:33:01.309 --> 00:33:08.990 and praise in how God works in the world, generally 00:33:08.990 --> 00:33:14.930 speaking, but also in how God works in the life 00:33:14.930 --> 00:33:18.569 of his people, in particular with regards to 00:33:18.569 --> 00:33:27.920 the gospel. In providence, when we consider the 00:33:27.920 --> 00:33:30.619 nature of God and how he works in the world, 00:33:30.700 --> 00:33:36.339 we have to conclude, and the Bible is clear, 00:33:36.559 --> 00:33:47.079 that God has contempt for the proud, the arrogant, 00:33:47.380 --> 00:33:53.579 and the self -righteous. That he lowers them, 00:33:54.599 --> 00:33:58.240 That he disciplines them. That he sends judgments 00:33:58.240 --> 00:34:04.160 upon them in this world. And normally speaking, 00:34:04.460 --> 00:34:08.519 and in this text, the proud and the haughty and 00:34:08.519 --> 00:34:12.559 the arrogant would be the enemies of God and 00:34:12.559 --> 00:34:20.039 unbelieving men. Those who don't know God. And 00:34:20.039 --> 00:34:24.690 the humble and those in need. And those that 00:34:24.690 --> 00:34:28.289 would be exalted would be the people of God, 00:34:28.510 --> 00:34:32.090 those who fear the Lord and have tasted of His 00:34:32.090 --> 00:34:38.630 mercy. But we must come to the conclusion. It's 00:34:38.630 --> 00:34:42.250 clear throughout Scripture that the living God, 00:34:42.389 --> 00:34:49.090 who is holy and merciful, has contempt for righteous 00:34:49.090 --> 00:34:56.420 men, for unrighteous men. And that he honors 00:34:56.420 --> 00:35:04.900 and exalts humble people. Therefore, the arrogant 00:35:04.900 --> 00:35:07.579 and the prideful and the haughty are brought 00:35:07.579 --> 00:35:13.300 low by the sovereign God. And the humble and 00:35:13.300 --> 00:35:18.920 the meek and the lowly are brought high by the 00:35:18.920 --> 00:35:24.059 sovereign God. We see this. play itself out throughout 00:35:24.059 --> 00:35:25.880 the scriptures, don't we, brothers and sisters? 00:35:26.400 --> 00:35:30.480 Think about the Bible. And think about many of 00:35:30.480 --> 00:35:33.599 the examples we see. What's one of the first 00:35:33.599 --> 00:35:36.199 ones that comes to your mind, thinking early 00:35:36.199 --> 00:35:40.380 in the first 10 or 11 chapters of Genesis? The 00:35:40.380 --> 00:35:47.599 Tower of Babel. Men exalted themselves, and they 00:35:47.599 --> 00:35:49.800 sought out heaven for themselves. They sought 00:35:49.800 --> 00:35:53.099 out deity for themselves. And what does God do? 00:35:54.420 --> 00:35:57.460 He humbles them and He scatters them abroad. 00:35:59.159 --> 00:36:03.619 He disperses them among the nations. Think about 00:36:03.619 --> 00:36:07.280 the history of the nation of Israel and the kings 00:36:07.280 --> 00:36:11.739 and the rulers. Think about the nations that 00:36:11.739 --> 00:36:14.659 Israel interacted with throughout the Old Covenant. 00:36:14.739 --> 00:36:19.599 Think about Egypt and Assyria and Babylon, the 00:36:19.599 --> 00:36:22.869 Ammonites. Think about all these different nations. 00:36:25.090 --> 00:36:28.289 What do we see time after time after time with 00:36:28.289 --> 00:36:32.150 the kings? When they exalt themselves and their 00:36:32.150 --> 00:36:35.329 pride and the arrogance of their heart, what 00:36:35.329 --> 00:36:39.989 does God do? He humbles them, either by the word 00:36:39.989 --> 00:36:47.610 of the prophet or by his difficult and hard providences 00:36:47.610 --> 00:36:53.860 in their lives. And what happens when those kings 00:36:53.860 --> 00:36:59.719 humble themselves and lower themselves? What 00:36:59.719 --> 00:37:04.699 does God do? He honors them. He blesses them. 00:37:04.820 --> 00:37:09.239 He exalts them in the eyes of the nations. He 00:37:09.239 --> 00:37:12.400 blesses the nation on behalf of those men on 00:37:12.400 --> 00:37:16.260 behalf of that king. He exalts them, brothers 00:37:16.260 --> 00:37:23.970 and sisters. What happened to Nebuchadnezzar. 00:37:23.970 --> 00:37:28.349 He thought he was a big deal. It was getting 00:37:28.349 --> 00:37:33.909 to his head. His head was puffing up. He thought 00:37:33.909 --> 00:37:38.690 he was somebody. And what does the sovereign 00:37:38.690 --> 00:37:42.949 God of heaven do? He makes him to be a wild beast. 00:37:44.170 --> 00:37:47.449 To crawl around on the grass like an animal eating 00:37:47.449 --> 00:37:54.400 herbs. Until what? Until Nebuchadnezzar humbles 00:37:54.400 --> 00:38:00.539 himself. And then God raises him up. We see this 00:38:00.539 --> 00:38:03.840 pattern throughout the history of the world. 00:38:04.179 --> 00:38:08.400 We see this pattern in providence, and it still 00:38:08.400 --> 00:38:12.059 happens in our world today, brothers and sisters. 00:38:13.340 --> 00:38:19.300 We live for a very short time span. Which means 00:38:19.300 --> 00:38:24.800 we only see so much. We are finite. We only see 00:38:24.800 --> 00:38:27.519 and understand and grasp so many things. We only 00:38:27.519 --> 00:38:29.699 recognize so many things taking place in the 00:38:29.699 --> 00:38:34.000 world or around the world. But listen. God is 00:38:34.000 --> 00:38:39.380 eternal. Age to age. Generation to generation. 00:38:39.619 --> 00:38:42.739 And what is God doing in his holiness and in 00:38:42.739 --> 00:38:45.659 his mercy with perfect justice and righteousness? 00:38:46.179 --> 00:38:50.119 He's raising men up. And he's bringing men down. 00:38:51.139 --> 00:38:54.579 Mary recognizes that this is the character of 00:38:54.579 --> 00:38:57.059 God and this is how this God works throughout 00:38:57.059 --> 00:39:01.199 history. That his hand is favorably disposed 00:39:01.199 --> 00:39:06.519 toward the humble. His hand is favorably disposed 00:39:06.519 --> 00:39:10.380 towards the lowly, the meek, those who are humble 00:39:10.380 --> 00:39:15.219 and gentle. She recognizes this. in the nature 00:39:15.219 --> 00:39:17.760 of the world and providence and how God works 00:39:17.760 --> 00:39:22.199 in the world. But brothers and sisters, the same 00:39:22.199 --> 00:39:26.900 thing is true. In particular, with regards to 00:39:26.900 --> 00:39:31.159 the gospel and redemption, is it not? Let's read 00:39:31.159 --> 00:39:34.699 a couple different texts just to consider this. 00:39:35.699 --> 00:39:39.679 The gospel operates in the same exact manner. 00:39:40.760 --> 00:39:46.969 The same exact way. That God lowers the prideful. 00:39:47.250 --> 00:39:51.650 And he exalts the humble. We read in 1 Corinthians. 00:39:54.489 --> 00:40:01.989 Chapter 1. Verse 18. For the word of the cross 00:40:01.989 --> 00:40:07.650 is foolishness to those who are perishing. But 00:40:07.650 --> 00:40:10.030 to us who are being saved, it is the power of 00:40:10.030 --> 00:40:12.809 God. You see this paradigm that's already starting 00:40:12.809 --> 00:40:17.670 in this text. Foolishness and power of God. Opposite 00:40:17.670 --> 00:40:20.710 ends of the spectrum. Two very different things. 00:40:21.230 --> 00:40:24.570 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom 00:40:24.570 --> 00:40:26.630 of the wise and the cleverness of the clever. 00:40:26.710 --> 00:40:31.769 I will set aside. Where is the wise man? Where 00:40:31.769 --> 00:40:35.590 is the scribe? Where is the debater of the sage? 00:40:36.429 --> 00:40:39.650 Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 00:40:41.039 --> 00:40:49.900 For since the wisdom of God, for since in the 00:40:49.900 --> 00:40:53.079 wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did 00:40:53.079 --> 00:40:56.940 not come to know God, God was well pleased to 00:40:56.940 --> 00:41:00.980 the foolishness of the message preached to save 00:41:00.980 --> 00:41:04.960 those who believe. For indeed, Jews ask for signs 00:41:04.960 --> 00:41:13.159 and Greeks search for wisdom. But we preach Christ 00:41:13.159 --> 00:41:17.260 crucified. To Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles 00:41:17.260 --> 00:41:20.280 foolishness. But to those who are called, both 00:41:20.280 --> 00:41:24.659 Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and 00:41:24.659 --> 00:41:29.340 the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of 00:41:29.340 --> 00:41:33.000 God is wiser than men and the weakness of God 00:41:33.000 --> 00:41:36.820 is stronger than men. For consider your calling, 00:41:36.960 --> 00:41:40.699 brethren. That there were not many wise according 00:41:40.699 --> 00:41:44.739 to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble. 00:41:45.440 --> 00:41:49.480 But God has chosen the foolish things of the 00:41:49.480 --> 00:41:54.460 world to shame the wise. And God has chosen the 00:41:54.460 --> 00:41:57.059 weak things of the world to shame the things 00:41:57.059 --> 00:42:00.079 which are strong. And the base things of the 00:42:00.079 --> 00:42:04.280 world and the despised, God has chosen the things 00:42:04.280 --> 00:42:07.829 that are not. so that he may nullify the things 00:42:07.829 --> 00:42:11.690 that are, so that no man may boast before God, 00:42:11.929 --> 00:42:15.849 but by his doing you are in Christ Jesus, who 00:42:15.849 --> 00:42:19.690 became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness 00:42:19.690 --> 00:42:24.630 and sanctification and redemption, so that, just 00:42:24.630 --> 00:42:28.909 as it is written, let him who boasts, boast in 00:42:28.909 --> 00:42:33.090 the Lord. Brothers and sisters, the gospel does 00:42:33.090 --> 00:42:37.210 not operate according... to the convention, the 00:42:37.210 --> 00:42:42.909 structure, and the design of the world. When 00:42:42.909 --> 00:42:46.929 we consider honor and humiliation, lowliness 00:42:46.929 --> 00:42:50.550 and exaltedness, when we consider power and wisdom, 00:42:50.710 --> 00:42:56.050 the world will say it is a certain thing. The 00:42:56.050 --> 00:42:58.630 world will say this is what power looks like. 00:42:59.469 --> 00:43:03.929 This is what wisdom looks like. But that is not. 00:43:04.539 --> 00:43:07.900 how God defines and determines those realities 00:43:07.900 --> 00:43:13.420 to be. In the Gospel, the power of God was a 00:43:13.420 --> 00:43:16.500 man that bled and died and was humiliated on 00:43:16.500 --> 00:43:21.019 the cross. The wisdom of God was to send His 00:43:21.019 --> 00:43:26.300 Son into the world to humiliate Himself, to humble 00:43:26.300 --> 00:43:28.639 Himself, to take on the form of a servant, a 00:43:28.639 --> 00:43:31.679 slave, and to suffer and die on the cross, brothers 00:43:31.679 --> 00:43:37.449 and sisters. The wisdom of God sent Christ into 00:43:37.449 --> 00:43:43.389 the humiliation of his earthly ministry. But 00:43:43.389 --> 00:43:48.889 the wisdom of God also leads to the exaltation 00:43:48.889 --> 00:43:54.170 and the glory of Christ and his resurrection 00:43:54.170 --> 00:44:00.329 and his ascension and fully and finally in his 00:44:00.329 --> 00:44:06.829 return. When we consider how God works in the 00:44:06.829 --> 00:44:11.329 gospel, we must conclude, brothers and sisters, 00:44:11.650 --> 00:44:15.969 that he exalts the humble and provides for those 00:44:15.969 --> 00:44:21.150 who have nothing. And that he lowers the arrogant 00:44:21.150 --> 00:44:25.090 and the prideful and the haughty. And he sends 00:44:25.090 --> 00:44:30.409 the rich away empty -handed. Sinners who humble 00:44:30.409 --> 00:44:34.369 themselves in repentance. are those in possession 00:44:34.369 --> 00:44:38.210 of faith and those that lay hold of the righteousness 00:44:38.210 --> 00:44:44.409 of Christ. Sinners who refuse to humble themselves 00:44:44.409 --> 00:44:50.269 and to repent of their sins are those who will 00:44:50.269 --> 00:44:52.590 not taste of the righteousness of the Lord Jesus 00:44:52.590 --> 00:44:57.110 Christ. Because in their minds they already possess 00:44:57.110 --> 00:45:01.289 righteousness. In their minds they already have 00:45:01.289 --> 00:45:05.630 what they need. But those who repent and mourn 00:45:05.630 --> 00:45:09.210 and grieve over their sin and look to God alone 00:45:09.210 --> 00:45:12.889 for righteousness in Christ are the ones that 00:45:12.889 --> 00:45:16.289 will be exalted and blessed and accepted by God 00:45:16.289 --> 00:45:21.190 because of the faith. Because they humbled themselves. 00:45:22.369 --> 00:45:26.670 We see this pattern over and over and over. It's 00:45:26.670 --> 00:45:32.030 true in the lives of God's people now. We could 00:45:32.030 --> 00:45:35.909 read Matthew chapter 5. Blessed are the meek, 00:45:36.050 --> 00:45:40.710 for they shall inherit the earth. Over and over. 00:45:40.969 --> 00:45:43.710 But it's also true, brothers and sisters, that 00:45:43.710 --> 00:45:46.469 there's this divine and redemptive reversal that 00:45:46.469 --> 00:45:49.269 takes place not just in the life of believers, 00:45:49.730 --> 00:45:54.610 but also in the life of unbelievers. When we 00:45:54.610 --> 00:45:58.969 consider the believer and the church today, we 00:45:58.969 --> 00:46:03.840 follow the same pattern. As our Lord. The church 00:46:03.840 --> 00:46:08.559 today is in the humiliation. We have a theology 00:46:08.559 --> 00:46:11.960 of the cross. Not a theology of glory in this 00:46:11.960 --> 00:46:17.199 life. But what happens fully and finally one 00:46:17.199 --> 00:46:22.420 day? What is reversed? What is changed? What 00:46:22.420 --> 00:46:25.219 comes about? What is accomplished at the return 00:46:25.219 --> 00:46:29.539 of Jesus Christ? There's vindication. for those 00:46:29.539 --> 00:46:32.860 who are lowly and humble and suffering, those 00:46:32.860 --> 00:46:35.699 who are in possession of a theology of the cross 00:46:35.699 --> 00:46:40.260 in this life. In that day, there will be full 00:46:40.260 --> 00:46:46.000 knowledge that God's people are exalted and take 00:46:46.000 --> 00:46:50.099 part in his glory, and they are past humiliation. 00:46:50.739 --> 00:46:55.320 They are past the lowly phase in this world in 00:46:55.320 --> 00:47:01.550 redemption. But... The same is true for unbelievers, 00:47:01.550 --> 00:47:07.110 brothers and sisters. For unbelieving men, now 00:47:07.110 --> 00:47:15.590 is your time of exaltation. For unbelieving men 00:47:15.590 --> 00:47:20.550 here, in our presence, listening to this message, 00:47:20.869 --> 00:47:27.500 this is the high time in your existence. This 00:47:27.500 --> 00:47:30.139 is the time where you run with unfettered liberty 00:47:30.139 --> 00:47:35.300 and enjoy the lust of the flesh. This is the 00:47:35.300 --> 00:47:38.480 time where you walk in arrogance and self -righteousness 00:47:38.480 --> 00:47:43.059 and pride in your heart, exalting yourself. But 00:47:43.059 --> 00:47:47.199 hear me well. If you are here today and you don't 00:47:47.199 --> 00:47:51.159 know Jesus Christ, the day of your humiliation 00:47:51.159 --> 00:47:56.380 will arrive. The day... where you are humbled 00:47:56.380 --> 00:48:00.679 and brought low, it will arrive when the Lord 00:48:00.679 --> 00:48:03.699 Jesus Christ appears in the sky with a sound 00:48:03.699 --> 00:48:09.659 of a trumpet. The same time the saints are exalted, 00:48:09.719 --> 00:48:13.900 brothers and sisters, on that great day will 00:48:13.900 --> 00:48:18.739 be the same day that unbelieving men who have 00:48:18.739 --> 00:48:21.280 walked in the pride of their heart for all their 00:48:21.280 --> 00:48:24.639 days will be lowered and humbled and brought 00:48:24.639 --> 00:48:29.139 low to suffer for all eternity because of their 00:48:29.139 --> 00:48:32.559 sin and transgression against the sovereign and 00:48:32.559 --> 00:48:37.880 holy and merciful God of heaven. So if you're 00:48:37.880 --> 00:48:41.820 here today and you don't know Jesus Christ and 00:48:41.820 --> 00:48:44.760 you're enjoying pride in your heart and you're 00:48:44.760 --> 00:48:47.780 refusing to repent of your sins, I tell you now, 00:48:48.139 --> 00:48:51.559 Turn from your sins and trust in Christ that 00:48:51.559 --> 00:48:56.019 you might be exalted on that day. Look to Him 00:48:56.019 --> 00:49:00.480 by faith. Give up whatever it is in your heart 00:49:00.480 --> 00:49:03.539 that you're so clinging to that you don't want 00:49:03.539 --> 00:49:07.820 to let go of and submit your life to Jesus Christ 00:49:07.820 --> 00:49:12.340 who died for sinners, who humbled Himself that 00:49:12.340 --> 00:49:17.139 you Might enjoy exaltation and glory. The forgiveness 00:49:17.139 --> 00:49:22.699 of sins. With him brothers and sisters. Bring 00:49:22.699 --> 00:49:30.400 yourself low. Or Christ will. But the promise 00:49:30.400 --> 00:49:37.739 saints. Is that if you walk in lowliness. And 00:49:37.739 --> 00:49:41.199 meekness. And mutual submission and love towards 00:49:41.199 --> 00:49:44.969 one another. if you faithfully walk in this life, 00:49:45.110 --> 00:49:50.170 seeking to fear the Lord in holiness and reverence 00:49:50.170 --> 00:49:59.730 of life, then take heart. Take heart. Because 00:49:59.730 --> 00:50:07.510 humiliation only lasts for a time. Suffering 00:50:07.510 --> 00:50:13.900 and hardship, trials, In difficulties, it's only 00:50:13.900 --> 00:50:18.360 for a little while. The day is coming when you 00:50:18.360 --> 00:50:21.619 will see Jesus Christ face to face and you will 00:50:21.619 --> 00:50:26.840 be like Him. And we will glory in His glory. 00:50:28.059 --> 00:50:32.599 And we will revel in His righteousness and our 00:50:32.599 --> 00:50:37.300 own righteousness that He has provided. The sinless 00:50:37.300 --> 00:50:40.360 perfection that He possesses and the sinless 00:50:40.360 --> 00:50:43.679 perfection that we will enjoy when we are glorified 00:50:43.679 --> 00:50:51.099 with Him. Take heart, believer. Repent, unbeliever. 00:50:53.099 --> 00:51:02.380 So we see that Mary recognizes how the Lord works. 00:51:03.400 --> 00:51:07.280 She sees the nature of His dealings. Brothers 00:51:07.280 --> 00:51:10.400 and sisters, where does she get this knowledge? 00:51:11.739 --> 00:51:16.360 How does she understand these things? How does 00:51:16.360 --> 00:51:20.880 she know that this is how God works? How does 00:51:20.880 --> 00:51:26.420 she know that this is the character of God? How 00:51:26.420 --> 00:51:29.659 does she understand and grasp these things? It's 00:51:29.659 --> 00:51:33.199 from the scriptures. It's from the Old Testament 00:51:33.199 --> 00:51:36.900 scriptures that she loved. And she sought out 00:51:36.900 --> 00:51:42.260 the character of God. We can have praise and 00:51:42.260 --> 00:51:47.340 joy, peace and contentment to greater measures 00:51:47.340 --> 00:51:50.719 and greater degrees now in this life, brothers 00:51:50.719 --> 00:51:56.820 and sisters, by growing more certain of who God 00:51:56.820 --> 00:52:01.280 is and how He works. And we can have that joy 00:52:01.280 --> 00:52:04.679 and that peace and that contentment in our lives. 00:52:05.360 --> 00:52:09.719 Moving forward. Because with that certain knowledge 00:52:09.719 --> 00:52:12.880 of who he is and how he works, we can look to 00:52:12.880 --> 00:52:17.119 the future with confidence knowing how he will 00:52:17.119 --> 00:52:24.880 work and who he will remain to be. Who he is. 00:52:26.260 --> 00:52:30.880 But we must search those things out in the scriptures. 00:52:32.019 --> 00:52:36.860 There's only one place. That we can go to learn 00:52:36.860 --> 00:52:41.480 about the mighty deeds of God. There's only one 00:52:41.480 --> 00:52:45.539 place, brethren, where we can go. And we can 00:52:45.539 --> 00:52:48.599 learn about who our sovereign, great, mighty, 00:52:48.880 --> 00:52:52.980 holy, and merciful God is. There's only one book. 00:52:54.079 --> 00:52:57.699 There's only one revelation. And we've been given 00:52:57.699 --> 00:53:05.219 it. It's ours to search out. It's ours. To seek 00:53:05.219 --> 00:53:09.719 His face in it. To grow in the grace and knowledge 00:53:09.719 --> 00:53:15.000 of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now the last thing 00:53:15.000 --> 00:53:18.900 that we have to consider is Mary's praise to 00:53:18.900 --> 00:53:23.800 God for His faithfulness to fulfill all the redemptive 00:53:23.800 --> 00:53:27.280 promises He's made to His people. We read in 00:53:27.280 --> 00:53:30.320 the last section of this, He has given help to 00:53:30.320 --> 00:53:33.920 Israel, His servants. In remembrance of his mercy. 00:53:35.239 --> 00:53:39.739 As he spoke to our fathers. To Abraham and his 00:53:39.739 --> 00:53:43.420 descendants forever. The last reason that Mary 00:53:43.420 --> 00:53:48.340 rejoices and praises God. Is because she recognizes. 00:53:48.920 --> 00:53:52.780 That he has faithfully. Fulfilled and brought 00:53:52.780 --> 00:53:58.420 about the realization. And the fulfillment. Of 00:53:58.420 --> 00:54:01.760 his gospel promises. that he's declared throughout 00:54:01.760 --> 00:54:05.880 the history of the world. Ever since the garden, 00:54:06.039 --> 00:54:10.880 ever since Abraham, ever since David, ever since 00:54:10.880 --> 00:54:14.480 Moses, all of these promises we have in the Old 00:54:14.480 --> 00:54:16.980 Covenant, in the Old Testament Scriptures, brothers 00:54:16.980 --> 00:54:19.920 and sisters, she recognizes their fulfillment. 00:54:20.599 --> 00:54:24.960 And how does she do that? How does she know that 00:54:24.960 --> 00:54:29.219 these are being realized? Because of the child. 00:54:30.380 --> 00:54:34.219 That's in her womb. Because of the Lord Jesus 00:54:34.219 --> 00:54:37.059 Christ who has taken on flesh and dwelt among 00:54:37.059 --> 00:54:41.280 us. She knows that God has faithfully fulfilled 00:54:41.280 --> 00:54:45.059 his promises. It's not just the Messiah for Israel. 00:54:45.940 --> 00:54:48.400 But brothers and sisters, it's Mary's Messiah 00:54:48.400 --> 00:54:52.360 that has been brought about. It's Mary's Messiah 00:54:52.360 --> 00:54:59.199 that is in the womb that she's carrying. So she 00:54:59.199 --> 00:55:03.420 knows. That God is faithful. She can look to 00:55:03.420 --> 00:55:08.380 the circumstances. The word of God. And Christ. 00:55:08.739 --> 00:55:13.579 But brothers and sisters. We can look back. And 00:55:13.579 --> 00:55:18.139 we can view the virgin birth. We can see Christ's 00:55:18.139 --> 00:55:21.139 life unto the law of God. And perfect righteousness. 00:55:22.019 --> 00:55:26.719 We can see his death. We can see his resurrection. 00:55:26.820 --> 00:55:30.420 We can see his ascension. We can see His mediation 00:55:30.420 --> 00:55:33.539 in heaven now. And by faith, brothers and sisters, 00:55:33.659 --> 00:55:36.260 we can look forward to the day when He returns 00:55:36.260 --> 00:55:41.739 to exalt and bring His people into His glory 00:55:41.739 --> 00:55:47.320 in a joy that we know nothing about now. So we 00:55:47.320 --> 00:55:52.159 can praise God along with Mary that God is always 00:55:52.159 --> 00:55:56.619 faithful and He always will be faithful to fulfill 00:55:56.619 --> 00:56:02.269 and bring about Every single redemptive promise 00:56:02.269 --> 00:56:05.869 is ever made to his covenant people.