KEY THOUGHT...

Jesus will be magnified in my rejoicing as I express my thanks and praise to him.

1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. 8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" 15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. 21 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

LUKE 1:39-45 ESV

39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord."

LUKE 1:46-56 ESV

46 And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; 52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever." 56 And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.

1 SAMUEL 2:1-10 ESV

1 And Hannah prayed and said, "My heart exults in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord.My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation. 2 "There is none holy like the Lord:for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God. 3 Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. 4 The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble bind on strength. 5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger.The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn. 6 The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up. 7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts. 8 He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor.For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and on them he has set the world. 9 "He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail. 10 The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven.The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed."

MARY MAGNIFIES GOD AND REJOICES IN HIM…

1] Because He Blessed Her vs 46-50: Mary praises God for showing favor to her | she realizes her position | and she thanks him for doing so in such an extraordinary fashion, above and beyond | The only people who can MAGNIFY God and REJOICE in him are people like M and E who acknowledge their lowly estate and are overwhelmed by the fact a magnificent God has done such amazing things for us

2] Because He Blesses All Who Fear Him vs50-53: What fills Mary's heart with joy is that God loves to undertake for the underdog who calls on his mercy.

--> One side of God’s holiness is that…
...verse 50, "He has mercy on those who fear him";
...verse 52, "He has exalted those of low estate";
...verse 53, "He has filled the hungry with good things."

--> The other side of God’s holiness is that…
...verse 51, "He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts";
...verse 52, "He has brought down the mighty from their thrones";
...verse 53, "The rich he has sent away empty."

3] Because He Keeps His Promises vs 54-56: Mary praises God because he is faithful to fulfill his promises to Israel, fulfilling the messianic prophecies and bringing everything about, in incredible, miraculous, extraordinary ways

6 ATTRIBUTES OF GOD IN THIS PASSAGE...

God is…
1] GRACIOUS vs 47-48
2] MIGHTY/STRONG vs 49,51
3] HOLY vs 49
4] MERCIFUL vs 50
5] PROVIDER vs 53
6] FAITHFUL vs 54-55

WHY SHOULD WE REJOICE...

1] Because he shows grace and mercy to us in our humble, needy state. We need to remember how lost and hopeless we were before Jesus saved us by his mercy.

2] Because he does great things through us…things we can’t do and could never be strong enough to do on our own. We need to remember who should get the glory for all the good things we have done and experienced…he is the one who has done it all.

3] Because he provides for us in miraculous ways. He is STRONG, MIGHTY and loves us as we rely on him and call out for his mercy. We need to remember everything we have comes from his gracious provision in our lives...everything!

4] Because he always does the right thing, he blesses the humble and disciplines the proud, he empowers the weak, feeds the hungry, he is just. And we, when we act in just ways, are an extension of his grace and mercy to a broken world who desperately needs to know Jesus. We need to remember he is just and will do the right thing. Always.

5] Because he remembers his promises and always does what he said he would do…he is faithful…even when we aren’t. We need to remember he is so faithful. He will do what he says. He will accomplish his purposes. In us. Through us. In spite of us!

WEEKLY STATEMENT OF FAITH...

“God I praise you for…”

Jesus will be magnified in my rejoicing as I express my thanks and praise to him...
· As we pray and offer up our personal worship and praise
· As we tell others of his work in us and for us