Mindful, Mighty, Merciful (Part 2 of 2)

The words humble or hungry, is probably our key descriptors you'd include on your resume or your social media bio but the damn Truth for Life weekend. Alastair beg explains why these attributes are prerequisites for becoming a Christian were concluding a message titled, mindful, mighty and merciful and were in Luke chapter 1. Looking at verses 46 to 56.

What we have in this song is a song of overflowing thankfulness that marriages from the overflowing generosity of God himself is a tremendous amount in this short song and our time is constrained and so we're going to look at the song with three words in mind I tell you what they are. So you know where were going first of all, then God is mindful of the significance in this is as follows that God is mindful of Mary is an individual because he is mindful of his people as a company or significance in the scheme of God's plan of redemption is entirely related to the purpose of God to choose out for himself a people that are his very own, and that people is the focus of his love and of his concern. They are if you like the very Apple of his eye and the wonder of what it means to be in the remembrance of God is directly tied to being part of the people of God.

Secondly God is mighty God is mighty the picture in verse 51 of his arm being bared is obviously in anthropomorphism, which is a good word if you are having a real run at Scrabble.

Actually, if you can ever come up with the word anthropomorphism then you've had a really really bad run Scrabble and that you've got almost all of the tablets at your place but anyway you know that that is just the ascribing to God, of a human for ascribing a human form to God, who is spirit so that it is an accommodation to us as human beings so that we can get some kind of an indication of what this mean God was. Obviously has no arm to bear. Therefore, when it says that he is bared his holy harmonizing Exodus 6 in bringing his people out of Israel.

It is a picture to help us understand this mighty God has stepped forward, you find that again and again, for I am the Lord your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says you do not fear I will help you and God himself extends his arm and so in her song she mentions this as she reflects on what God has done throughout history.

She realizes that he is mindful of his promises and he is mighty in his deeds. He is a merciful Savior but he is also a mighty warrior and as a mighty warrior. He turns human attitudes upside down. Notice this, he has performed mighty deeds with his arm. What is he done what he is taken what society, what culture, what men and women laying greatest store by any is demolished. It look carefully one he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. One day when God's records are opened up some of the things that we have lived through in our lives, which we tried to explain socially or economically or politically will be explained to us in terms of his mighty deeds. Luke 151 he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost oh that's what happened to that financial institution oh that's the explanation for what happened to that guy who thought he had the ball at his feet and rule the world. That's what's happened he has scattered those who are proud in their innermost thoughts he has reduced them to nothing right in the core of their being. Secondly, he has brought down the rulers from their thrones. You can go through the whole of the Old Testament, and you can see that happening again and again you can go through social history, and you can see it happening again and again, the proud empires of the world of eventually crumbled, and I think all of them eventually will, there is only one kingdom that will last forever and ever and ever. There is only one king, one majesty, before whom we ought about. And thirdly, he sends the rich away empty.

Those of the hungry with good things. Says here have some more of this.

The rich sends them away empty. See the paradox in this rich empty empty rich. Is it possible to be rich and empty. I think so because the more the rich have of the wealth we made price. The emptier and more hollow things will be seen to be unless we are to discover true riches for you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, so that we through his poverty might become rich. Easy. No matter. Women can ever really handle material wealth until they have discovered that there genuine and truest riches are found in Jesus when that matter is settled then all the benefits that he may give to you all the privileges that you may enjoy enjoy may then be used in a way that recognizes the fight that God is mighty and he sets down the proud and the arrogant he doesn't do it vindictively doesn't purposefully he sets people down. He scatters the proud. He removes people saw that once they have been brought down, they might been delivered from their vein schemes and from there, proud assertions. That's why is the story of Saul of Tarsus is not going with the papers to Damascus.

I'm going to deal with this Jesus thing once and for all is a fairly arrogant person proud of what he knows, proud of his place in the great scheme of things and able to have the acquiescence of their religious authorities and civil authorities of his day. Obviously have some significant influence and he was on his way to deal with Jesus once and for all. And then he met Jesus. Jesus that he denied Jesus that he said was not life and the ends up groveling on the ground.

As a result of a light shining brighter than the noon day sun. The blame said suddenly in his blindness on the dust of the road he hears a voice from heaven saying Saul, Saul, when you persecute me why you kick against me and eventually when his site is restored. His life is transformed, he writes his letters and one of the C rights in all the things that I really priced. I regard them as donkeys for the sake of knowing Jesus Christ. In other words, he says, I haven't. I've experienced the revolution. I once could've explain my life in terms of being powerful, be an intellectual and being significant with the money that went with and I'm here to tell you that none of those things make sense to me anymore. Apart from the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus Christ. This loved ones is conversant you think that's another story of somebody says I think I might add, trying turn over a new leaf or whatever might be.

I go along and try and read about all of those things you may do and you can do all of these things, but the one thing you can do is the one thing that both of us need and that is that we need the invasion of God in our lives to show as that all of the things that we regard as making significance for us are nicely totally insane and that is why, in his might.

He scatters the proud, he reduces the rulers to nothing and he sends the rich away empty. Why is it that the rich young ruler goes away sad, especially when he comes to Jesus with all those wonderful questions, good master, what must I do to inherit eternal life. Nicely says that he fell on his knees and he asked Jesus what must I do to inherit eternal life and you go and read that story for yourself. You find that in the end of it. He went away sad and he went away sad. Why because he is very well there you go. A lot of great wealth in front of the roadway said no it in this case it was money in your case, it might be sex your case, it might be a relationship. In your case, it might be your PhD and you guess it could be held on the things you're prepared to tolerated Jesus as long as it fits in with all of your perform. But you don't want to annoy Jesus humbled you, cashing down on the ground shows you're a blind man or woman before he opened your eyes. He is mighty. Finally, he is merciful is merciful because not only is he done these things in the display of his mighty arm. You will notice verse 52 he is lifted up the humble and he is filled the hungry with good things here are two prerequisites for becoming a Christian, you need to be humble and you need to be hungry, humble and hungry as it I don't know if my lunch I getting my lunch right now I'm so hungry but fighting Snickers bars all through the three morning services. She's a pretty good idea, but I don't do that. But if I fighting Snickers all the way through the ones our development circuit on my most fit my most favorite Sunday lunch for me and I give it any and anything because I'm not hungry when I'm hungry. She may give me a boiled egg in English month scruff because I'm hungry. So if you can come and listen to the sermons apart site is very interesting, I suppose, is as in Galway you're not hungry enough to become a Christian, or if you can go away and say why I don't like that stuff about having to accept Jesus as the only sacrifice for my sin, about somehow or another, and coming to invade my life and make me a new person I want to have a more assertive intellectual approach to things whereby we meet one another as seen on on par value.

Not humble enough to become a Christian. No humility, and hunger are prerequisites and God in his mercy is the one who makes that possible. You will notice that he in verse 50 extends his mercy to those who fear him from generation to generation to fear God is to trust God to love God, to obey God. In this verse 50 here is fantastic. It's the story of God's people. The account of his absolute commitment. His persistent refusal to wash his hands of his wayward people that the remnant of his people has continued all the way through until eventually. Jew and Gentile in bond and slave and male and female are standing together around the throne of God and are declaring the same thing of one another, standing with Abram and see Abram why are you here because his mercy was extended to me and and why are you here from as as an Arab Christian from the West Bank because his mercy was extended to me in and I see that you are here from Romania is his mercy was extended to me and end at some Scott's year one or two. Scott's wife mercy extended to me the same story we will stand before the throne of God and we will say our God is mighty to say, and his mercy has been extended to all, as his humble servants and from one generation to another.

That's why, in the midst of all of the darkness in Lamentations 3 with all of the bad things happening today. Jeremiah says all of a sudden he burst into the middle of it and he says it is because of his mercies that were not consumed, because his mercies were not considered their new every morning great is thy faithfulness.

I got up this morning as I find myself just because these things are on my mind. They're not on your mind so I can hold this to you but I I I had that old song we used to sing it here years ago. I will sing of the mercy of the Lord forever. I am silent hundred years you know to know do not you know some I will sing of the mercy of the Lord forever. I face a genuine. I will sing, sing, and when as well. I will saying I will saying the mercy of the Lord forever. I will see all the mercies of the Lord. Here we go with my love landline made no thy faithfulness, thy faithfulness is with my booth landline made no thy faithfulness through all January Ray John. I see the mercies of the Lord for ever. I will see all the mercies of that's it.

That is Mary so we apply yourselves now. I but that's the song that's the song we want our children to say that's a song we want our grandchildren to see non-songs of arrogant little children focused on themselves with no awareness of their need.

No awareness of the majesty in mind of God. The fact that it is an account of his mindfulness. He is restored in The remnant of his people throughout all generations, and Mary fits in the middle of all of this and because he is mighty. We need to bow down before him and because he is merciful we are to trust him. And if you're getting confused about all this Abram stuff.

Just remember the last time you had your grandchildren or children come home from a Sunday school spectacle and they were singing for neighbor is Evans and and so on and in right there you're on track so I don't know why you're doing the songs you know notes left or whatever this now.

I just feel like singing. It is Christmas and Galatians chapter 3 we just figure this out because somebody reads this in civil and tracking so far my mindful merciful, but where is Abram and is weird Abram and his descendents fitting or you see this is this is how we must speak to all of our Jewish friends and say to them love this is your story ever.

Is anyone story is your story. This is the fulfillment of God's promise to Abram this this is why Joseph was in Egypt because God was mindful and God was mighty in God was merciful because he didn't want his people to be cut off and extinguished in the famine, and so Joseph was put in place. This is why out of the tragedy of Naomi's triple bereavement, the loss of her husband to limit lack the loss of her husband in the loss of her two sons. We have the bloodline through which we get from not only to David but also eventually to Jesus why because God is mindful and God is mighty was he doing is fulfilling his promise to Abraham and every Gentile that is converted is converted because God is fulfilling his promise to Abraham two separate deals. One and so Paul, when the people in Galatia brother so confused he tells him straightforwardly. Galatians 36. Consider a brand he believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness understand then notice year ago that those who believe our children of Abraham, the Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abram and I was the gospel to Abram. Did you know that they brand-new the gospel what was the gospel that was announced answer Genesis 12.

All nations will be blessed through you. So says Paul those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. Go to verse 26. You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus for all of you were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ there is neither Jew. No Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, does not mean there are no boys or girls left. There are no people from a Jewish background or Gentile background or loping with her employers and employees know it means that the gospel transforms all of those relationships that those who were near on account of the promises. Who are the true children of the Abram in terms of their faith have the privilege of seeing Gentiles, who were far away and removed from the premises being called mingled with them. Intermingled with them in that great company that will eventually be there that no one can count. Verse 29.

If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise or promise, promise to Abraham.

Well, that's merely song a song number one we need to stop for those of you who have been tempted to this point. Civil nice little song than a little feminine song ladies offspring playing their music on their own know you can't we can do that this this is revolutionary. This if we miss this we missed that all some years ago I remember way back in early on, I went down with some friends to the King Kennedy project here in Cleveland we were down there doing some that can remember the details of it all. I only remember one thing I wrote it down and that was some graffiti on the side of a house in the graffiti read as follows revolution is the only hope of the hopeless, you know, I think the right.

The question is what kind of revolution Marxist revolution was frankly a disaster lantern is long gone.

We toppled him. Now in his little red book has not been selling very well lately and all the way down the line. There is no external political economic revolution that can bring about the change that is necessary. The only revolution that is hope for the hopeless is the revolution brought about in the hearts of those who in our riches and our self-assuredness and in our authority are brought down, humbled, made hungry and made to eat of he who is the bread of life. This is then an invitation to those who do not believe to bow down before the mindfulness the might, at the mercy of God is revealed in Jesus and it is a reminder to those of us who do believe that our God is mighty that he is mindful and that he is merciful in the words of one of my old songs from Glasgow.

God is still on the throne and he will remember his old though trials may precious and burden's distress.

He never will leave us alone. God is still on the throne and he will remember his own and his promise is true, he will not forget you forgot is still on the throne because he is mindful of us. He's mighty enough to subdue our rebellions and he's merciful in all his dealings that is Alister Greg reminding us why Mary's song in Luke chapter 1 is actually about marriage. It's about our mighty and merciful God will never forget us your listing to Truth for Life. We can the series titled songs for a Savior. In today's message Alister mentioned that the gospel transforms our relationships. If you'd like to find out more. We want to invite you to visit the learn more page on our website. There you'll find two videos to help you get a better understanding of what Alister meant when he talked about the term conversion one video shows Alister explaining the gospel. The other is an animated presentation of God's plan of salvation. It's called the story you can watch either or both of these videos is a Truth for Life.org/learn more at Truth for Life.

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When you visit our website Truth for Life.Bob Lapine asked for listing. Hope you can join us again next weekend will find out why the good news of Jesus is the key to understanding the whole Bible not just the New Testament Bible teaching of Alister Beck is punished by Truth for Life where the Learning is for Living