MARY, THE MOTHER OF JESUS

Luke 1:26-38

  1. Intro.
    1. have you ever wondered why God chose Mary to be the mother of Jesus
    2. she was the one among millions of women chosen by God to be the instrument for bringing God’s Son into this world
    3. why was Mary so highly favored
  2. Mary was pure
    1. the village of Nazareth was in the pathway of caravans going from Capernaum to the seaports
      1. as in every generation, there were women who got involved with traveling men
      2. not so with Mary, she remained pure
    2. there could not have been any unfaithfulness in Mary
      1. God could not have chosen her if there was
      2. the words from Gabriel reveal God’s full approval – Luke 1:30
    3. there are those today that reject the notion that Mary was a virgin
      1. they attempt to do away with the supernatural birth of Jesus
      2. to deny the virgin birth is to call God a liar
    4. God, through His Word, required Mary to be a virgin – Isaiah 7:14
      1. to reject the virgin birth is to label Mary as immoral
      2. the Bible clearly states that she and Joseph had not come together – Luke 1:34
      3. without the virgin birth, we have an impure Mary
      4. without a virgin Mary we have a human Jesus, and a faulty Bible
      5. with the virgin birth, we have Jesus Christ, Immanuel, God with us
    5. when Mary received the angel’s message, she did not understand how this could be – Luke 1:34
      1. the angel told her how – Luke 1:35
      2. the angel gave her proof – Luke 1:36-37
    6. Mary was pure, and was God’s chosen instrument for bringing the Messiah into this world
  3. Mary was submissive
    1. after the angel’s announcement, Mary had a beautiful response – Luke 1:38
      1. Mary was saying, "Lord I’m your servant, whatever You want, I want"
      2. Mary could have hesitated or even rebelled
        1. she could have said, "I’m so unworthy"
        2. she could have reasoned, "we have not royal home for the Son of God to stay in"
    2. Mary was even willing to lose her beloved Joseph in order to fulfill God’s plan
      1. there is no doubt that Mary had many questions
        1. "what will I tell people since I have no husband"
        2. what will I tell Joseph, the man I’m engaged to"
      2. think of what Joseph must have felt when he heard about Mary – Matthew 1:18-19
      3. Mary was willing to suffer all the shame and reproach that would come from her condition
      4. Mary totally believed God, and knew that it was His hand at work in her life
    3. the Lord rewarded Mary’s submissiveness by sending an angel to Joseph – Matthew 1:20
  4. Mary knew her Bible
    1. Mary loved the Word of God, though she was very young
    2. she knew the Scriptures well
    3. her song refers to portions of OT Scripture – Luke 1:46-49
    4. what Mary had studied and pondered in her heart broke out in glorious praise to her Lord
  5. Mary was industrious
    1. the virtuous woman in Proverbs 31 could well describe Mary (13, 14, 15, 19)
    2. neither Joseph or Mary came from a wealthy home
      1. there was always much hard work to be done
      2. Mary knew what it was to toil in the field, to grind corn, to wash her laundry, and to carry water
    3. the pictures we often see of Mary are quit different from the hardworking homemaker she really was
  6. Conclusion
    1. May God give us mothers like Mary today
    2. let us also remember that Mary was a person with needs
      1. she was a woman worthy of recognition, but also a woman in need of a Savior
      2. Mary will be in heaven not because Jesus was her child, but because Jesus was her Savior
    3. let all of us seek these same qualities that Mary had, so that we too can glorify Jesus Christ