Mary-Maidservant of the Lord (Part A)

Mary said behold the maidservant of the Lord, let it be to me according to your word on the maidservant, I am your servant Esther she say whatever you say.

I'm with you I'm here I am at your service and busted the title of the message Mary maidservant of the Lord course of your men, that becomes manservant. What a wonderful example of this is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Genesis. Please stay with us after today's message more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching, but for now let's join Pastor Rick in the Gospel of Luke chapter 1 as he begins his message.

Mary, maidservant of the Lord. We are going to discuss Mary and the title of the message would be Mary maidservant of the Lord of text will be in the Gospel of Luke chapter 1 that's what will spend most of our time, but I want to preface the study by saying that I don't want to take time to address all of the un-biblical thoughts about Mary, held by many who say that they are Christians is as it was with Peter to their those that assign certain attributes to Peter and Mary especially that the Bible never does will address some of that as we go along but I don't plan to spend too much time wanting I can say that the Marian Peter of the Roman Catholic Church is not the Marion Peter of the Bible and if they don't like that and they should just get with the Bible is very easy thing to fix. Now Mary worship is not new. The names change. There was the worship of 10 moves which Ezekiel spoke about the Scripture speaks about the Ashtoreth in the Diane of the worship of these female characters. Of course, male characters worship tuna just reflects the sinful nature of fallen man, but we are supposed to know better.

And while people have the power to worship people or their imagination. They don't have the right, and Scripture makes is very clear and I think we need to be very guarded against the influences of the groups that do direct their worship to those who are less than God. Know what I enjoyed about the study personally is that just of finding how closely joined Joseph and Mary were together and wanting almost midstream, wanting to just do a study on Joseph to but I felt God's blessing this summer going to go forward with it. I'm excited about it. I hope I can communicate that.

So let's look at our text, the gospel of Luke chapter 1 verse 38 of this sets the pace for everything else were going to talk about. At least that's the goal, and there we read Luke verse 38 then Mary said, behold the maidservant of the Lord, let it be to me according to your word and the angel departed from her very very special moment ties right into what was going on. Months before with Zacharias, the priest in the temple, but we gotta talk about everything surrounding the events here because I think that the very helpful as we look at human nature and its relationship to God because that's what this is about stuff about Mary spell the God of Mary who is our God also now our text belongs to the BC. Of Scripture before Christ. That is, before the coming of Mary's greater son, Jesus Christ, and here we are at a time where God is performing a triple bypass. He is going to bypass wrong. The political center of power in the world at that time. He is going to bypass Athens, the intellectual center of the world at that time in Rome.

She was famous for her military for engineering for the government as the Greeks were famous for her's. Their science and their philosophy and their culture. And so God passes the world world establishments military might, the government, the culture sciences.

The philosophies and he also passes Jerusalem does not dispatch Gabriel to Jerusalem concerning the son of God, he does for Zacharias that's with the priestess, but he doesn't do it when he is about to announce what he is going to do in human history concerning the Savior. Jerusalem was known as the religious center of the world famous for the temple famous for the prophets famous for her monotheism and up in a world where people worship many gods in any God's there was the Jew worshiping one God, one only basically all three were fools at this time.

When it came to the knowledge of God.

Jerusalem had no excuse. The others really had no good excuse but you could understand it. I think easy really is is easier to understand why Rome and Greece and the other places in the world. They fell apart with five Jerusalem. We see this today with great Bible teachers teaching from the Scripture verse by verse and still then engaging in unscriptural behavior. I don't get except to say there is a very real devil and we are very real sinners saved by grace but still susceptible to the flesh, susceptible to the devil's keeps us from becoming was on. Knowing these things. Observing the things that keeps us from becoming full of ourselves, which is so easy to do so easy to say had God is feeding me because I'm special.

I am special. But I'm no more special than anyone else and that something the flesh does not want to receive. And so again they were when it came to understanding the knowledge of God totally ignorant, totally foolish because they had gone into a different direction. Listen to what Mary will say as the story develops, which I think is very appropriate at this point in Luke chapter 1 verse 52 you look at it with me.

She says he has put down the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly pass Rome past Athens past Jerusalem to Galilee, Galilee of the Gentiles. God dispatches his angel Gabriel.

The same angel that spoke face-to-face with Daniel same angel that spoke with Zacharias which is a huge part of what's going to develop. Look at me. Verse 26 on the six month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth. The very word was one of scorn to the Jerusalem aristocrats Galilee. It was overrun with Gentiles, Herod had developed it extensively. The building projects.

The, the theaters, the arenas, the pagan temples Gentiles stamped all over the northern part of Israel again known as Galilee and their sophistication in Jerusalem would not allow them to pay attention to what God was doing and what God said he would do in that very region through the prophet Isaiah will quote Isaiah just yet, Galilee of the Gentiles which actually comes from a statement in Isaiah Matthew picks it up in the fourth chapter, we will quote that just yet either are not.

Gotta love these places to get back to with you but the main highway ran through Galilee to Jerusalem within a half-mile of Nazareth. Nazareth was a promise within Galilee, which itself had a reputation for being not only corrupt but super corrupt that Mary lived in Nazareth you might remember Nathaniel saying when his friend Phyllis said, we found the Messiah Jesus of Nazareth and he says can anything good come out of another really give me a break. What how does Philip respond to his friend nothing he could say about Nasrin nothing in his defense so he just says come see their relationship was such that they can use. Nathaniel went to see and never stop seeing as we often say of John the apostle, so within this despised province of corruption within this Gentile region of darkness, Galilee of the Gentiles. God dispatches Gabriel to go there because there is the innocent last Mary if I had to put a face on innocence a human face. I don't mean original innocence that means no Sammy, but amongst humans amongst those who are born sinners. It would be Mary's face. Remember this verse from song of Solomon chapter 2 like a lily among thorns. So is my love among the daughters that Mary that should be the church is the church and it is not the church. Every church, every group of believers should be hoping that God will be able to save this about them like a lily among thorns, so was my love among the daughters. So in the midst of corrupt Nazareth. There is this peasant maiden who actually belongs to a line, a royal line really is a princess out of the palace royal line of David, and she has been kept pure in the midst of this, listen to what Paul says because Paul Paul Wright doctrinally speaks about Mary's behavior. Philippians chapter 2 verses 15 and 16 that you may become blameless and harmless, all that I wish I could be harmed children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain as Mary's talking is Joseph that's Zacharias and Elizabeth all these characters Simeon and Anna so many to come after. So as I mentioned, God dispatches Gabriel, the game changer. Everything is about to move from BC to A.D. the world doesn't even know it. You know when it says that there was no room in the end Greek word suggest strongly. I should add that really it wasn't an end but more of a shelter Romans built these long travel paths and loan towns along the way. There was no room in the shelter.

That means there really wasn't a barn for the baby to be born, likely born in a shepherds cave or out in the open and then later moved to a shepherds cave where manger would've been at historical milieu. There they found these things that I don't get sidetracked. Want to go back now to one of the verses I said I wanted to mention the many of you like reviewing the whole Christmas story you get past Matthew chapter 4, quoting the prophecies concerning the birth and the coming of Jesus Christ. Verses 14 and 15 are 15 and 16, the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali that those tribes were in the Galilee region. Though they were not malfunctioning is tribal leaders or tribes in that area that opened split up he continues by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.

The people who sat in darkness. Darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow.

The shadow of death light has dawned, and so there.

Matthew is talking about the coming of Christ into this dark region.

This place, that the whole world looked upon, especially the religious self-righteous Jews, not God. As mentioned, Gabriel arrives look at verse 28 of Luke chapter 1 and there we read, having come in, the angel said to her, rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you blessed are you among women, not above women among them. Now that's pretty big. This is troubling to her.

I think I think Mary.

She is young, very young and ditzy, but good ditzy righteous for sure but once once the spirit starts moving. Everything starts turning around to see when Zechariah sees Gabriel. He is a little different reaction because his mortality on the not a negative way.

But is is developed, calculable with it was this guy doing the temple and noised these is thinking of it differently when she sees in Jesus is like if I went up and dialed 911 or you know hemi that firearm to deal with somebody in my house like this it would had been doing something doing something very special to make me stand down, but the way the story reads is that she's very comfortable and in dialogue with this stranger in the home now and he says that your highly favored is actually saying you are endued with grace he mentions that she is favored from the Lord like Joe heaven was mindful of her character of her person how she behaved just like us.

This momentous book is another. Peering down watching us. That's not the idea at all the ideas that the heart is deceitful above all desperately wicked. No man can know it. But God searches the mind, heart, God looks past what he sees us doing. He goes much deeper than than what's on the surface, and this should be something that encourages us to look again verse 30. This is, she was troubled by all is well. Verse 37 to the virgin betrothed to a man to make this backup your little bitty citizen having come in the interested router is highly favored one verse 28 the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, but when she saw him she was troubled at this saying, and considered what manner of greeting was this a CS like when you make, that's all.

Again, I would've been what you doing in my house and then it goes on and the angel said to her, do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a son, and shall call his name Jesus. He will be great verse 32 and will be called the son of the highest in the Lord will give him the throne of his father David and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever and of his kingdom there will be no man all prophetic doesn't have anything to do directly with Savior of saving mankind of the name doesn't go with it.

That's the meaning of it, but it's interesting how Joseph gets a little bit of a different presentation than Mary. Not contradictory, not at all, but this angel is saying, you are going to give birth to the ruler and his name will be Jesus – you Yahweh is salvation is with the name means by the time he gets trans pronounced from the Hebrew to the Greek to the English we know it as Jesus Savior her reaction to all this is our text. It comes in waves. There's not one bit of epiphany and that's it business light that shines through.

She begins to get it. She submits to it.

And then there's a second wave a big wave of tsunami that hits her yet again. Celeste read our text they are in verse 38 and there it says Mary said, behold the maidservant of the Lord, let it be to me according to your word on the maidservant, I am your servant.

This was she saying whatever you say. I'm with you I'm here I am at your service and busted the title of the message Mary maidservant of the Lord course of your men, that becomes man servant of the Lord, what a wonderful example. I think it is fitting as a look at Scripture. I understand it in the end God makes sense with everything he does. I think it is fitting that the Savior of sinners enters the human race through a sinner. I think it is fitting that he comes through woman representative of Eve, by whom sin first entered into humankind sin entered into the human experience through woman. The Savior enters into the human experience through woman, not just anyone, Savior of maidservant Savior enters through a maidservant, and it is still that way the gospel is given through men and maidservants of the Lord. It comes through sinners it comes to people that don't understand all there is to understand about sin, but understand enough about the Savior to keep moving forward in spite of said otherwise were all knocked out of the game.

I can reference it, but in first Timothy chapter 2 verse 14, that this is what Paul was talking about about the Savior coming through a woman who herself was a sinner bringing the solution to all mankind. Look at Luke chapter 1 verse 47 Mary and her magnification of the Lord in the power of the spirit and just in passing one has counted at least 23 references to various scriptures in her song. The magnification of Mary. It is known but in verse 47, she says, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior, which means she's a sinner and she's confessing this idea of the immaculate conception that Mary was born without sin is sinful. It is blasphemous. It is on biblical it is to be rejected on every level, and again that's trying to beat up one of the groups we don't have to. We just have to stand for the truth of the truth beats up on them than that's their problem and the solution is to get onto the right side of truth, but new. I've got to put my culture first, I gotta put my mom and dad first. Well, you put your mom and dad before God, you're in big trouble. This is been the case and throughout the whole Old Testament is never been right unless mom and dad are right that is there's no dishonor to the honor of mother and father. When a person says I must uphold the truth. I must stand for the truth of God, dishonor, and that but it's not easy.

And so, again, a woman brought sin to mankind. A woman brought Savior to mankind. Problem the solution does not mean women are any less than men at all mean Scott is going to deal with it and when he deals with it, whatever it may be. He's going to be right is going to make sense and we are going to praise him in the end, and I want to versus 4645.

Once again, getting a little ahead of the story as far as its current chronology goes. But listen again to this woman's confession and admission that she is a sinner herself in need of a Savior and Mary said my soul magnifies the Lord in my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior, for he has regarded the lowly state of his maidservant, for behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. Not not God, she's not God. The mother Gabriel's message of prophetic message concerning rule is limited to the son he is going to be the one that fulfills the prophecies he is going to be the one whose kingdom never ends.

He is going to be the one that fulfills Isaiah chapter 9 verses six and seven for unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, now that's the Christmas story, but here comes the rest of the story and the government will be upon his shoulder, not the government we have now, or any other government of men. This will be the righteous government, and his name will be called wonderful Counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of peace of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end and upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment, justice from that time forward. Even forever the seal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

And here is one of the next phase is taking place in Luke's gospel chapter 1. Listen to what the prophet Nathan said to David, he says your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever. This goes beyond David goes beyond Solomon. It goes all the way to the Messiah, who is now coming to the world. Mary, wife of Joseph, mother of Jesus, but never mother of God. She could not produce God. The race the Jewish race could not produce God.

That's why we have the virgin birth. As I said, she's not the mother of God, and if you were to call her. The mother of God pray to her, she would call it glass and she would have probably been part of the process of having you stoned to death under this government because that was the penalty.

It was a capital crime to blaspheme God who you've been listening to cross reference radio daily radio ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel in Mechanicsville, Virginia. Pastor Rick is teaching from God's Word each time you tune as we mentioned at the beginning of today's broadcast is teaching is available free of charge at our website. Just visit cross reference radio.com that's cross reference radio.com would also like to encourage you to subscribe to the cross reference radio podcast subscribing ensures that you stay current with all the latest teachings from Pastor Rick you can do so@crossreferenceradio.com or search for cross reference in your favorite podcast app store. That's all for today. Join Pastor Rick for more character study right here on the cross reference or a