TWO LADIES, TWO MIRACLE BIRTHS
Luke 1:39-56
WALK BY FAITH
V:39-40. " At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a
town in the hill country of Judea ,
40 where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth ."
A. Mary traveled 75- 90 miles going up hill from Nazareth
to Elizabeth 's home.
1. We are not told
how she traveled.
2. Did she walk?
3. Did she ride on
a donkey or in a carriage?
4. We are not told
if she made trip with someone or by herself.
B. Mary was informed
by the Angel Gabriel that Elizabeth
in her old
age was pregnant
with a baby.
1. Did Mary travel
to Elizabeth 's house to see the
miracle that the
angel
described?
2. Did Mary go to comfort Elizabeth ?
3. What we do know is that Mary was guided and
protected by the
Holy
Spirit.
4. Life for a believer is a journey guided
and protected by the Holy
Spirit.
5. Life for a
believer is an up hill walk toward Christ.
COMFORT EACH OTHER WITH SPIRIT OF GOD
V:41-42. "When Elizabeth
heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth
was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you
among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! "
A. Mary was filled with the Holy Spirit from conception of
Jesus in her body.
1.Elizabeth
was filled with Holy Spirit when she was greeted by Mary.
2. How you greet a
person can effect their mood and well being.
3. If we are
excited about the Lord, others will get excited.
B. While Elizabeth's pregnancy was a miracle because of her
age, it was
by human means
directed by the power of God.
1. Mary's
pregnancy was without human hands and totally the work of the
Holy Spirit.
2. Both pregnancies was the fulfillment of
prophecy and part of God's
plan of
redemption. Malachi 3:1. Isa 7:14
C. Each believer play a part in God's plan of redemption.
1. Each of us are blessed and highly favored.
2. Every Christian
ought to allow themselves to be used by the Holy
Spirit.
3. Our relationship with God affects the well
being of our children.
4. The training of
a child begins in the womb.
5. In the womb. the unborn baby is nourished
by what ever the mother
puts into
her mouth and mind.
6. The nourishing of an unborn child effect
not only it physical
well being,
but also it mental well being.
FAVORED BY GOD TO SERVE
V:43-44. " But why am I so favored, that the mother of
my Lord should come to me?
44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the baby in my womb leaped for joy."
A. Both Mary and Elizabeth were bonded together by the Holy
Spirit.
1. We should be
careful who we associate with.
2. The spirit of
someone else can affect you.
3. Stay away from
negative and evil people.
4. Their emotional
state can affect your mental well being.
B. When God favors
us, we can pass on that favor to others with encouragement
and support.
1. When we are
excited, we pass our excitement to others.
2. When we are
sad, we can pass on our sadness to others.
3. What we hear
can affect us eternally.
BLESSED WITH THE ABILITY TO BELIEVE
V:45. " Blessed is she who has believed that what the
Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"
A. We must put our trust in the Word of God.
1. God makes
promises to us all throughout the Bible.
2. We must study
the Word to know God's promises
3. Every stage of
our lives is the fulfillment of the promises of God.
B. The blessings of
God are all around us.
1. All we have to
do is observe and see the glory of God in our lives.
2. God gave us
the ability to believe in Him.
a. To each is
given a measure of faith.
b. We have to
exercise our faith daily.
c. Whatever we
need, God will provide.
3. We are blessed
when we believe the Word of God.
a. Many of
God's blessings are realized when we act on the Word.
FROM THE HEART, GLORIFY GOD
V:46-48. " And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the
Lord
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his
servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed,"
A. The attitude of a Christian should be one of
thankfulness.
1. Love and joy
comes from the heart.
2. Deep inside of
us are our true feelings.
3. We can't
hide love or hate. It will soon show itself.
B. When we reflect on the goodness of the Lord, we should
give Him glory.
1. We can do
nothing of ourselves.
2. Any ability we
have comes from the Lord.
C. God hates the proud.
1. Those who
humble themselves before the Lord will be lifted up.
2. The love of the
Lord never ends.
3. Long after we
have pass on, we will be remembered for what we did
for the Lord.
4. Only what we do
for the Lord counts.
5. Mary and Elizabeth are remembered for their
sacrifice to the Lord.
6. They both gave
up their first born to the Lord.
GOD HAS DONE GREAT THINGS FOR US
V:49-51. " for the Mighty One has done great things for
me — holy is his name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation
to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has
scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. "
A. The love of the Lord for us is manifested in what He does
for us.
1. Whatever God
does is holy.
2. His grace and
mercy never ends.
3. Those who love
the Lord and those who serve Him are blessed.
4. What we do for
God has an effect on our families and all who are associated
with us.
B. The power of the Lord is manifested all around us.
1. Everything that
our eyes can see was spoken into existence.
2. Faith in God
has to start with the first Words that God recorded.
3. The proof of
the creation story is all around you.
4. The proof of
God's existence is in His creation.
C. When we consider our lives, we must come to the
conclusion that
all our good
comes from the Lord.
1. If the wages of
sin is death, we should be dead.
2. It is only by
His grace and mercy that we still live.
OBSERVE THE WORD AND BELIEVE
V:52-53. " He has brought down rulers from their
thrones but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent
the rich away empty. "
A. Understanding the power of God comes by observation.
1. History tells us
that powerful armies have been destroyed by the Lord's work.
2. Starting with
the Pharaoh of Egypt, who was brought down before
the Lord.
a. The nation
of Israel ,
untrained and unarmed was allowed to cross the
red sea on
dry land while Pharaoh's army drowned.
b. The Bible is
a history lesson on the greatness of God.
B. The Bible is also a history lesson on God's grace and
mercy toward
His chosen
people.
1. Our lives today
is a record of God's mercy.
2. Mary recounted
the Word she heard doing Bible Study.
3. It is very
clear that Mary believed the Word of God.
4. Faith comes by
hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
APPRECIATE WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR YOU
V:54-55. " He has helped his servant Israel ,
remembering to be merciful
55 to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said
to our fathers."
A. Mary remembered the rich history that her nation had with
the Lord.
1. Mary gave God
credit for what had been done for her nation
2. Belief in our
history with God is an important part of our faith.
B. We can't just focus on our present situation, we must
focus on the
big picture.
1. We have to find
the grace of God in our present trials and tribulations.
2. We can only
understand the magnitude of God's grace and mercy by
reviewing our
long term history with God.
THERE ARE SOMETHINGS WE WILL NOT UNDERSTAND
V:56. " Mary stayed with Elizabeth
for about three months and then returned home. "
A. Mary came to Elizabeth
when she was six months pregnant.
1. So it appears
that she stayed until John The Baptist was born.
2. It is a good
thing when we are there when people need us the most.
3. I am sure that
Mary was a great comfort and help to her old aged
cousin.
4. Both women
being filled with the Holy Spirit may have comforted each other
with the Word
and praise and worship.
5. That is what
we should do for each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.
B. I am sure I am missing something here.
1. We have no
indication that Mary told anyone where she was going when
she left Nazareth
.
2. Her trip to Elizabeth 's
home may have been as much as ninety miles,
which may have
been a ten day trip.
3. There is no
indication that she traveled with anyone or what her mode
of transportation
was.
4. There is no
indication that her family looked for her or was alarmed
that she was
gone for three months.
5. In the story of the prodigal son, God
shows a father looking and waiting
for his lost
son to return home.
a. We don't
get a sense of anyone waiting for Mary's return.
b. We don't
even get a sense of Joseph waiting for his chosen wife to return.
C. Since the births of Mary and Elizabeth's babies were God
designed and
God controlled,
maybe Mary was supernaturally transposed
from Nazareth
to Elizabeth 's
home and back to Nazareth .
1. We know God
can do this.
2. Elijah was
transposed by a whirlwind out of earth into heaven. 2 Kings 2:1
3. It certainly
would be no problem for God to provide transportation for
Mary by a
whirlwind.
D. In case of the concern
for Mary's well being, maybe God shut up the minds of
the family.
1. We know He can
do this.
2. Jesus shut up
the minds of His disciples so that they could not understand
His
death until after the resurrection.
3. The birth, death and the resurrection of Jesus
are supernatural events that cannot
be
understood by human reasoning.
4. We can only believe by the faith that God
has measured out to us.
5. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the
Word of God.
6. The Just live by faith and not by sight.
THANK GOD FOR THE FAITH TO
BELIEVE IN THE BIRTH OF JESUS
For more lessons, follow me
on facebook and visit my blogs
www.revmmitchell.com and
goodnewsrevmitc.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment