Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / Special Services / Advent 2006
Mary...A Young Women Of Faith
Text: Luke 1:26-38
Introduction: Brittany, Jessica, Lindsay, Paris and Hillary…Duff not Clinton. If any of these names rings a bell it’s probably because you have a per-teen or teenage daughter. They are the role models many children are identifying with and want to be like when they grow up. They’re young, successful, attractive, and famous with lots and lots of money.
But don’t worry, this list, in a year or so from now, will change. Popularity fades and the famous often become the forgotten in what seems like overnight.
Today I want to look at a young girl whose popularity has staying power. Her name is Mary and she tends to get a lot of media exposure, especially this time of the year.
Interestingly enough, Mary doesn’t fit the current ‘role model’ picture. But there was something about Mary that captures our attention, an inner quality; perhaps her faith that caused her to stand out among all the young women of her day…and ours as well.
Transition: Open your Bibles to Luke 1:26 (pg. 781 in the Bibles under the chair in front of you). Here we’ll see Mary, a young woman of faith.
I. Luke 1:26-27 Faith and Age
Read: Luke 1:26-27
Mary was a teenager, perhaps 13-15 yrs old when the Angel Gabriel appeared to her. The message he would bring promises to radically change her life. But as we will read she responded with faith.
There have been many ordinary teens in the Bible who were made extraordinary by the touch of God’s hand in their life.
· God called Samuel when he was a young boy and he responded in faith.
· As a teen David placed his faith in God and defeated the giant Goliath.
· When Daniel was perhaps 16 he was given the choice to either follow the law of the King or the command of God. Daniel chose to place his faith in God and because he did he faced certain death.
The wonderful thing about faith is that it’s not dependant upon someone’s age. Jonathan Kunkel at age 4 asked Jesus into his heart and many of you here can attest to a becoming a Christian at a young age. Faith is not guilty of age discrimination.
But what it faith? I understand at play practice yesterday some of you had a personal experience with faith and a hand truck.
Faith defined means ‘to think to be true, to place confidence in’. Yesterday, by facing out instead of looking at the person pushing the hand truck, you had to exercise faith. You had to place your confidence in the one pushing you that they wouldn’t let you fall. Am I right?
Read: Hebrews 11:6 ‘And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.’
The simplicity of faith is this:
· I believe God exists
· I believe I can know God
· I believe I can please God
· I believe he wants to know me
· I believe he will reward me for seeking him
Faith, simple biblical faith believes that I can have a personal relationship with the One True and Ever Living God.
Transition: Young or old, faith in God is really quite simple, yet when you think about it, quite extraordinary.
II. Luke 1:28-33 Faith and Grace
Read: Luke 1:28-33
Let me highlight three verses here.
Read: Luke 1:28-30
These three verses have been the cause of division between the Catholic and Protestant churches surrounding Mary and what it means to be ‘highly favored’.
So I want to examine the two phrases ‘you who are highly favored’ and ‘Mary, you have found favor with God.’ Both of which are saying the same thing…but what exactly? What does it mean to be ‘highly favored’ or to ‘have found favor with God?’
To find out we need to go to the Greek. The word ‘favored’ is the Greek word Charitoo
χαριτόω [khar·ee·to·o/] 1 to make one grace-ful. 2 to peruse with grace, 3 to honour with blessings.
It comes from the root word
χάρις [charis ] “grace” 1 grace, the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues.
Key here is ‘to make someone grace-ful’ and ‘to exert holy influence’. Remember that.
Roman Catholic doctrine states that when Mary was told by the Angel that she was ‘highly favored’ it meant she was special, chosen by God for her godliness (it’s taught that she was without sin, how else could she be the mother of Jesus who is also without sin)
However, the Greek tells us something entirely different. It tells us that Mary was not being rewarded for something she had done (being sinless), she was chosen by God for a special purpose and was given grace to accept and do what she was called by God to do.
Literally the phrases would read
· ‘Greetings you who are much graced’ and
· ‘Mary, you have received grace from God’.
What is grace? It’s undeserved favor/blessing
from God.
What was the grace given to Mary by God? ‘The Lord is with you.’ Do you what’s happening here? Mary being chosen and the promise of God to be with her, was grace. God would be especially present, real for her, as she goes though the child birth and rearing process.
Why would Mary need much grace? Because
· she was going to have a baby out of wedlock
· she faced Josephs rejection
· she faced the rejection of her own family
· she faced a ruined reputation
· she faced death by public stoning
But even though she faced all this, she would not go through it alone, God would be with her and his grace would sustain her. This tells me that
· the greater, more demanding the call by God, the greater the grace from God.
So lets consider something for a moment, was Mary really that special?
· Isn’t it true that every Christian has been called by God to serve him in one way or another?
· Isn’t it true that many, perhaps even some here today, have suffered for serving God?
· Isn’t it true that God promises to provide us with all we need, to do all that he calls us to do?
· Isn’t it true that God promises to sustain us as we serve him?
· Isn’t it true that God promises to never leave us nor forsake us?
Then it’s also true that every Christian who is called by God to serve him is ‘highly favored’ ‘much graced’. And remember
· the greater, more demanding the call by God, the greater the grace from God.
Perhaps you find it hard to believe that you too are ‘much graced’ or have been blessed with the favor of God’s presence because your life doesn’t seem blessed at all.
Perhaps you just don’t feel God is close and he’s adequately sustaining you by his grace.
Let me remind you of what God wants you to know and place your faith in.
Read: 2 Cor. 12:9a ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’
Read: Romans 8:35-39 ‘Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’
By faith, we place our confidence in the God who made these wonderful promises to us.
When facing an uncertain future or one that will certainly bring hardship, the Angel Gabriel told Mary and he tells each of you here today ‘Do not be afraid…the Lord is with you!’ Here again these wonderful words of the Christmas story … ‘Do not be afraid!...the Lord is with you!’
Transition: Mary’s faith was bolstered by the extraordinary sustaining grace of God, and I pray yours will be too, when it’s needed..
III. Luke 1:34-38 Faith and Courage
Read: Luke 1:34-38
Nothing is impossible with God
Mary was told that
· The Holy Spirit would ‘come upon’ her and cause her to become pregnant
· her human son would be divine from birth
· he would be called the Son of the Most High (God’s Son)
· he will rule on David’s throne forever
· his kingdom will have no end
To reassure Mary, the Angel told her that Elizabeth, her cousin would also give birth, even though she is barren and past child bearing age.
Then he said ‘For nothing is impossible with God.’
I’m not sure Mary fully understood all the angel said to her, and I’m sure her faith was challenged. But she placed her confidence in the God who could do the impossible.
Mary agreed to be God’s servant
I want you to notice that even before Mary went to visit Elizabeth, she believed God and placed her faith in his Word. She declared ‘I am the Lord’s servant…may it be to me as you have said.’
There is a wonderful child-like aspect to her faith. With absolute trust Mary surrenders to the will of God and says she is his servant, implying, no matter what.
Hear again Hebrews 11:6
Read: Heb. 11:6 ‘And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.’
I’m sure her words of faith pleased God. Just as it does whenever one of God’s children, in faith, surrender to his will, even though they may not understand it all, or are uncertain of what may happen to them.
Mary’s faith and ours as well, must be a simple, obedient and courageous faith.
Conclusion
God knows that there will be times of great uncertainly and severity of events that would attempt to overwhelm us. That’s one of the reasons we have the Christmas story.
· The Christmas Story is not really about Mary, Joseph, the angels or shepherds.
· The Christmas Story is about our gracious and loving God who sent his only Son Jesus, in whose birth is the promise of forgiveness and salvation to all who believe.
· The Christmas Story is about Jesus, Immanuel, God with us…forever!
· The Christmas Story is about the promise that nothing is impossible with God
· The Christmas Story is also about Mary who was given much grace to play her part in proclaiming God’s redemptive plan.
· The Christmas Story is also about you, who are also given much grace to tell the Good News that God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
Regardless of how old or young you are, like Mary, place your faith in God.