Luke 1:26-56
We’re going to read some Scripture. This is from Luke chapter 1, verses 46 through 50, a very familiar passage. So, words are on the screen and you can follow along as I read.
This is Mary’s song, Mary’s Magnificent, as it’s sometimes called, and I’m just going to read a portion of it, and then we’ll look at Luke chapter 1. And Mary said, and my soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. For He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed.
For the Mighty One has done great things for me, holy is His name. His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation. Well, this morning we’re going to look at Luke chapter 1 and think about Mary’s story, Mary’s story. I like meeting people, and I like listening to their story.
Everybody has a story of their life, and for me, it’s just fascinating to listen to a person’s story. I actually even enjoy, in a weird sense, reading obituaries because if they’re well-written, it tells a person’s story. And one of the things that we realize as we look into Scripture, and this is from Ephesians chapter 2 verse 10, it tells us that God is writing a story in our lives.
Ephesians 2:10 says, for we are God’s workmanship. Some translations say handiwork. The New Living Translation says we’re God’s masterpiece created in Christ Jesus to do good works.
The word there translated masterpiece or handiwork is really a Greek word poiéma. It really, we could say we’re God’s poem, we’re God’s story, and God wants to write a beautiful story in the canvas of each of our lives. And we’re going to see that in Mary’s case and Mary’s life this morning as we look at Luke chapter 1. One commentator made this statement, if we want to have a merry Christmas, M-E-R-R-Y, we have to understand Mary’s Christmas, M-A-R-Y apostrophe S. And so, this morning we’re going to look at the Christmas story through the lens of Mary from Luke chapter 1. Now let me set the context for you, because as we look at Scripture, remember that at the close of the Old Testament, the book of Malachi, until Matthew chapter 1, Luke chapter 1, there’s 400 silent years.
400 years go by where there’s no prophets, there’s no revelation, and the nation of Israel is what? They’re waiting for their Messiah. That’s a long time to wait. I mean, this next year, 2026, July 4th, we’ll celebrate 275 years as a country, as a nation, United States of America.
Imagine waiting 400 years where it seems like God’s not doing anything, like God’s silent until Matthew chapter 1, Luke chapter 1, the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth and the message that in their old age they’re going to have a baby, and then of course is John the Baptist. And so that’s the setting of Luke chapter 1. God now is beginning to move after 400 years of silence, seemingly silence. And the angel Gabriel is being sent, and God’s in motion, working out the arrival of the Messiah, as Galatians 4:4 says, in the fullness of time, at just the right time in human history, God sent forth His Son.
I. The facts about Mary
So, we’re going to look at our outline this morning and then think of a couple application truths from Luke chapter 1. So, let’s start with the facts about Mary, the facts about Mary. This will be review for most of us, but we need to understand who Mary was. And so, let’s pick it up in Luke chapter 1, verse 26.
Dr. Luke, physician Luke, writes, in the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. So now he’s giving us the time frame here. Elizabeth is six months along, six months pregnant with John the Baptist.
And what happens? God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth. So, God sends Gabriel, His messenger, there’s only two angels that are mentioned by name in the Bible, Michael and Gabriel. So, God sends Gabriel to a city of Galilee named Nazareth.
Now here’s fact number one about Mary. Mary came from a very small town. Mary came from a little small town called Nazareth.
I looked it up and historians and researchers discover that the population of Nazareth at this point in time, some say between 125 and 200 people. That makes Manchester about 15 times bigger than Nazareth. So, the town that Mary lived in, everybody knew one another.
I mean, there’s only like 150, 200 people. I looked up the smallest town in Michigan, the smallest city in Michigan is called Omer, O-M-E-R. The 2020 census had 274 residents.
It’s up near Standish, Michigan. That’s the smallest city in Michigan. This town that the angel Gabriel went to, Nazareth, was much smaller than that.
And so, Mary comes from a very, very small town. Fact number two that we’re all aware of is that Mary was a virgin. That’s the next statement here in Luke 1, verse 26.
So, Gabriel sent to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin, pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. Before we even find out this young girl’s name, Dr. Luke tells us the fact that she was a virgin.
Why is that so important? 700 years previous to Luke 1, the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 7:14 gives a prophecy about the Messiah, and it’s a passage that we’re all familiar with from the book of Isaiah, verse 14. Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and His name shall be called Emmanuel, God with us.
And so, Mary was from this tiny little town, insignificant town called Nazareth. And secondly, Dr. Luke lets us know that Mary was a virgin, and this is going to be in fulfillment to Isaiah’s prophecy. Fact number three.
We already read it, but let’s go over it again. To a virgin, pledged, or some of your translations will say betrothed, to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. Now, that’s important as well, isn’t it? That Joseph was a descendant of David because that’s a fulfillment of the Davidic covenant found in 2nd Samuel 7:14, that the Messiah is going to come through what? The line of David.
And the promise to David is that one of your descendants will sit on God’s throne and rule forever. That’s fulfilled in Jesus. And so, it’s very significant and important that Joseph was from the line of David.
Now, we need to understand this word betrothed or pledged to. So let me just share a couple of paragraphs here that is kind of similar to being engaged in our culture, but much more binding, actually legally binding. So, if you were betrothed and that relationship broke up, you would have to legally go through a divorce.
Here’s what Alyssa Morgan in her book, Christmas Changes Everything, writes, in the first century Jewish culture, marriages were often arranged by families at birth or in childhood. Young girls became betrothed early in puberty, sometimes as young as 12 years old. Some of you parents are kind of like freaking out a little bit right now thinking about that.
Betrothal was only dissolvable by legal divorce. While the betrothal period usually lasted a year and consummation of the marriage was deferred until after the wedding, the couple was considered husband and wife from the moment of betrothal. So, it’s a much more legally binding arrangement.
And so, here’s Mary. She’s from this little town. She’s a virgin.
She’s betrothed. She’s engaged to Joseph, a descendant of David. Well, let’s also throw in, as we think about this and we think about Mary, that therefore in the story of Luke chapter 1, Mary is probably 13 years old, maybe 14 years old.
This is a young teenage Jewish girl in a small, small town in Galilee, and her life is about to dramatically change. And so, the angel Gabriel comes to Nazareth and comes to Mary. And in verse 28, the angel went to Mary and said, “‘Greetings, you who are highly favored.
ii. Mary’s fear
The Lord is with you.'” Well, there’s a few facts about Mary, but now we’re going to look at Mary’s fear. And we would probably experience these same emotions if we were in Mary’s shoes or Mary’s sandals. And I don’t know how it works when God sends Gabriel to give a message to Mary.
Does Gabriel come and knock on the front door and say, I’d like to speak to Mary? Or does Gabriel just like, poof, appear, and there he is? I don’t know. The Bible doesn’t tell us how that works. But here’s this angel who appears to this young teenage girl, and it says in verse 29, Mary was greatly troubled at his words, as well as you and I probably would have been.
Mary is frightened. Mary is wondering what is going on here. Mary is afraid.
She’s greatly troubled, confused, perplexed, distressed. And so, she’s wondering what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.
iii. Mary’s future
And so, Gabriel’s trying to bring some calmness to this dramatic event that’s happening in Mary’s life. So, Mary’s greatly troubled. And so, let’s think about the next thought here is Mary’s future.
Now the angel is going to tell her what her future is, what this appearance is all about. And we pick that up in verse 31. Here’s the message, God’s incredible plan for young Mary.
You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call His name Jesus. He’s already been named. Matthew 1:21 tells us that means He shall save His people from their sins.
He’s going to be the Savior. His name is Jesus. He will be great.
He will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord will give him the throne of his father David. That’s the fulfillment of the Davidic covenant that we mentioned.
And He will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever. His kingdom will never end. He’s going to be a pretty important person.
This is the Messiah that the Israelites and the world has been longing for centuries and centuries. Mary, you’re going to have a baby. No wonder Mary was confused and troubled though at this.
Let me read again from Alyssa Morgan’s book, Christmas Changed Everything. Mary had plenty to be stressed about and plenty to ponder. There were the obvious concerns of the biological obstacle of her being a virgin and the scandal of being an unwed mother.
But Mary also would have known that pregnancy itself was a dangerous state for women in her day. Further, a large percentage of newborns did not survive their first month, and 50% did not live beyond the age of five. Such pondering or processing served Mary well through her life as she carefully pieced together all God was doing in and through her and all God would allow in the life of her beloved son.
Gabriel offers some facts about the baby she will conceive. As we mentioned, He’ll be called Jesus, which means God saves. He will be great, a reference to the status of His importance.
He would be called the Son of the Most High. And so, here’s this message that’s going to change Mary’s life. You’re going to be the mother of the Messiah, Savior of the world.
I love that song by Mark Lowry, Mary, did you know that the baby you delivered will soon deliver you. Mary, did you know that when you kiss your baby’s cheek, you kiss the face of God? And so, this is Mary. No wonder she’s overwhelmed with God’s plan for her future.
iv. Mary’s frank question
Well, that leads us to try to stay with our alliteration, Mary’s frank question. It’s a question we all would have asked if we were in Mary’s shoes. I’m a virgin.
How am I going to have a baby? This has never happened before in the history of the planet. And so that’s the question that she asks. How will this be? Verse 34, Mary asked the angel, since I am a virgin.
v. Mary’s faith
And so now Gabriel takes the opportunity to answer that question and explain to Mary how this is going to happen. And so, we think about Mary’s faith. That’s the next section here, beginning in verse 35.
Here’s the answer to your question, Mary. The angel answered, the Holy Spirit will come on you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So, the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.
Even Elizabeth, your relative, is going to have a child in her old age. And she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her six months. Verse 37, the NIV says, for no word from God will ever fail.
Some of your translations say, for with God, nothing is impossible. Mary, this seems impossible to you. Let me tell you, that with God, nothing is impossible.
Let me ask you this morning, do you believe that? That with God, nothing is impossible? That was the message of Gabriel to Mary. I don’t know what seemingly difficult circumstances you’re facing in your life right now, but we need to be remembered this truth, that with God, nothing is impossible. Feeling lonely this Christmas season? With God, nothing’s impossible.
A marriage that’s in stress and in trouble, with God, nothing is impossible. A prodigal son or a prodigal grandchild that’s far away from God, with God, nothing is impossible. You have some financial trouble, some financial difficulty, with God, nothing is impossible.
And so, Mary is faced with this awesome responsibility and challenge of God’s plan for her life. It’s really a crisis. Mary, are you going to choose faith in what God has said, or are you going to choose fear? That’s a choice that we often have to make in our lives.
Our oldest grandson has a t-shirt that he wears frequently, and it just simply has the word faith and a line over fear. There’s many times in our lives, especially when life is difficult and challenging and uncertain, where we have to make a similar choice that Mary made, and we’re going to see her choice in a little bit, where we’re going to choose obeying God and not listening to fear. Because when we’re afraid, we don’t make very good decisions.
That’s why 2nd Timothy 1:7 says, God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear, of being afraid, but of love and power and a sound mind. And so, here is Mary, and she asks the question, how is this going to be? And Gabriel explains what the virgin birthed to her, that God’s going to come over you, and you’re going to conceive and bear the Messiah. For with God, nothing is impossible.
And Mary could have responded and said, hmm, I don’t think so. She didn’t. Notice her faith.
Notice her response. I am the Lord’s servant. Mary answered, may your word to me be fulfilled.
So, God, I’m going to take you at your word. I’m going to say yes to your plan for my life. Even though I don’t understand all of it right now, I’m going to say yes by faith.
I’m going to take one step at a time. Oftentimes, we want to see the whole staircase, don’t we? We want to see the whole plan laid out, and God says, trust me, one step at a time. In fact, the scripture says, not only are we saved by faith, but the just shall live by faith.
So, the Christian life after we’re saved is also a life of faith. In fact, Hebrews says, without faith, it’s impossible to please God. And so, Mary says yes to God’s plan for her life, even though it sounds very challenging, confusing how this is all going to work.
Mary says yes. So, just a little summary here. Mary was a woman who trusted.
In the moments between Gabriel’s pronouncement and her agreement, Mary likely considered a huge gap of reality that would need to be bridged. How would her beloved Joseph respond to the news she was pregnant? How is she supposed to explain this to Joseph? Would he divorce her? Would he step away? How would her community and family receive the news and then treat her as a result? Mary had much to lose, and yet she evidenced a soul sold out to God, the God she had come to understand through her training and upbringing, the one true God, Yahweh. And so, Mary says yes.
Now, what’s interesting in the storyline, and we know this in the text here, the angel Gabriel leaves Mary. And what does Mary do? Mary goes to visit Elizabeth. Mary goes to a town in the hill country of Judea, verse 39, and she enters Zacharias and Elizabeth’s home.
And we know this story, when she entered and greeted Elizabeth, verse 41, when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, John the Baptist, six months old. She hears the greeting, and John the Baptist leaps in Elizabeth’s womb. In a loud voice, Elizabeth exclaimed, blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear.
But why am I so favored that the mother of my Lord would come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill the promises to her. And so, Mary leaves that little town of Nazareth.
She goes to Elizabeth’s and Zacharias’ house, and the scriptures tell she stays there for three months. And she spends some time away from Nazareth. What would it have been like for Mary to come back to Nazareth? Maybe at three months along, maybe showing a little bit, certainly as time went on, and you imagine the rumor mill in this little town of Nazareth about, okay, here’s Mary, and what happened to Mary? And so, Mary spends those three months with Elizabeth.
vi. Mary’s famous song
But the last part of our section here is what we call Mary’s famous song. And this was our scripture reading this morning. And I’m just going to take time to read it.
It’s verses 46 through 55. So, Mary is what? She’s worshiping. She’s giving praise and glory to God that she is the one who is chosen to be Messiah’s mother.
So, Mary says, my soul glorifies the Lord. My spirit rejoices in God my Savior. Don’t gloss over those words, God my Savior.
Guess what Mary needed? Mary needed a Savior because Mary was a sinful person just like you and I. And so, Mary acknowledges, I need a Savior. For He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant. From now on, all generations will call me blessed.
For the mighty one has done great things for me. Holy is His name. His mercy extends to those who fear him from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with His arm. He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from thrones, but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped His servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever. Abraham was 2,000 years before this song was sung, just as He promised our ancestors.
And Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home. So just a summary statement. Mary was a deeply committed young Jewish girl. She said yes to what she understood and then leaned into what she did not understand, yielding to God’s invitation.
Her yeses weren’t easier for her than they would be for any of us. Mary said yes, one yes at a time, to God’s invitation in her life. And so, there’s a little overview of the mother of the Messiah, Mary.
2 Application Questions
1. What in your life is greatly troubling you?
This morning, we just want to think about a couple of application questions from Luke chapter 1, two of them. So, here’s the first one as we think about Mary and specifically the fact that Mary was greatly troubled and Mary was afraid. So, my question to you this morning is, what in your life has you greatly troubled? What is it that’s keeping you awake in the middle of the night or when you wake up in the morning and you’re troubled and you’re concerned and you’re wondering about the future, God’s plan for your life? That’s what Mary faced.
It’s interesting that Jesus informed us in John chapter 16 verse 33, in this world you will have trouble. But the last part of the verse says, but take heart because I’ve overcome the world. And so, Jesus tells us we live in a fallen world.
We live in a world full of difficulty and challenges and trouble. Jesus gives some very encouraging words to a room full of troubled disciples in John chapter 14 when right before He was going to go to the cross and they were experiencing some great trouble in their lives because Jesus just told them, hey, I’m leaving, you can’t come with me. By the way, one of the 12 is going to betray me very soon.
And also, one of you is going to deny me three times in the very near future. And all of a sudden, the disciples’ world is rocked. And so, Jesus comes to them with words of comfort.
And if you’re troubled this morning, whatever is troubling you, these are great words to hang on to. Jesus talks about a person, a place, and a promise. Do not let your hearts be troubled.
You believe in God, believe also in me. And so, He’s saying, trust me. And then He talks about a place.
In my Father’s house are many mansions, many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go there to prepare a place for you.
So, He’s saying, hey, get your focus on eternity, on heaven. And then He says, and if I prepare a place for you, I’m going to come back and take you home to be with me forever. So, what’s Jesus doing? Jesus is trying to get His disciples to get their eyes off of their troubles, their fallen world, and to think about the future, to think about heaven, to think about the promises of God.
And it’s similar to what the Apostle Paul wrote in 2nd Corinthians chapter 4. Therefore, don’t lose heart, though outwardly we’re wasting away. Yet inwardly we’re being renewed day by day, for our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So, we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen, because what is seen is temporary.
2. When is God inviting you to say “yes” to His plan and purpose in your life?
What is unseen is eternal. Jesus is wanting us, and the Apostle Paul is wanting us to focus on the future, to focus on the promises of God, to focus on heaven. Well, the second question is this, and it really relates more to Mary’s story that we just looked at.
Where is God inviting you to say yes to His plan and purpose in your life? Where is God inviting you to take that next step of faith? Just like He asked Mary, Mary, you don’t understand all this, but I’m going to ask you to trust Me with this plan for your life. Where is God inviting you to trust Me with your life? We might say this morning, well, you know what, if an angel, Gabriel from heaven, or some other angel came down and had a word for me and asked me to do something, if that happened, I think I’d probably be more likely to say yes. I remember in our previous ministry, there was a fellow in our church, and he worked for University of Michigan, and he was a very smart fellow, researcher, scientist.
His wife came to the church. He very rarely did, maybe Christmas and Easter, but he really didn’t believe in God. He didn’t believe anything from the Bible.
I remember somebody asking him once, what would it take for you to believe? And he basically said, well, Jesus came down and appeared in front of me and spoke to me. Then maybe I’d believe. Well, we don’t have probably an angel that’s going to come and ask us to do something, but we have something that Mary did not have.
We have 66 books of God’s letter to us and instructions to us. And so, where is God asking you to say yes to His plan for your life? So, what are some of God’s invitations? Well, Romans 10:13, for whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord, you’ll be saved. Isaiah chapter 55, the great invitation from the prophet Isaiah, come all who are thirsty, come to the waters, you who have no money, come buy, eat, come buy wine and milk without money, without cost.
Why spend money on what is not bread, on your labor, on what does not satisfy? It’s an invitation to what? Come to God. It doesn’t cost anything. And so, the first invitation to all of us is to say yes to salvation, putting your faith in Christ, in Christ alone, that salvation is by grace alone, by faith alone, in Christ alone, and His payment on the cross for our sins.
And that’s part of the reason we celebrate His arrival, that Christmas and Easter are tied deeply together. God’s invitation is salvation. There’s another invitation in Scripture, and it’s the invitation to follow Him in the waters of baptism.
It’s interesting, you read the New Testament and the day of Pentecost, 3,000 people come to faith in Jesus. What happens next? They’re baptized, not to be saved, but to make a public proclamation of faith in Jesus. Part of the Great Commission, go into all the world and preach the gospel, make disciples, but baptizing them, maybe that’s a step that you’ve not taken in your Christian life and you need to say yes to.
How about daily fellowship with God? Revelation 3, verse 20, written to one of the seven churches in Asia, behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and I will, what, have fellowship with him. Now, that verse is written to Christians, and it’s a picture that God is wanting, what, to have daily fellowship with us.
And maybe that’s the yes that you need to say yes to God this morning. We need to get in God’s Word and have fellowship with Him on a daily basis. What about being involved in the Great Commission? You know, not all of us are called to go cross-culturally to different places in the world.
Thank God for those that do, but there are goers and there are senders, just as we experienced last week of investing money into missions because it costs money to do this, to take the message out. And so, it’s being involved in missionary work and the Great Commission by personally witnessing, by investing funds that support missionaries by praying for those that are involved in missions. Maybe that’s the yes that you need to say yes to.
Tell you what, we are greatly encouraged because every year we have a nominating committee that meets, and we just had our annual meeting last month, and so on any year we have about eight or nine positions, offices, that we need filled. And we need, obviously, people who are part of our church family and members to say yes to those positions. You know, as we went through that process, I think there was five of us on the committee, and we’d divvy up assignments, and there were nine people that we needed to ask initially whether they’d be willing to serve, perhaps another term, or perhaps you’re new to this position, and we asked nine people.
You know how many yeses we got? Nine yeses. Every person we asked said, yes, I’m willing to serve. I tell you, without that we don’t have a church.
It takes what? Willing workers. And so, the question is, and as you investigate your heart, where is God asking you to say yes? I heard one speaker at Maranatha, and this is the way he put it, here’s the way we usually approach God. We get our blank sheet of paper, and dear God, you know, here’s my plans, and I’m going to do this, I’m going to go to college, I’m going to get this degree, hope to be married someday, you know, two children, white picket fence, this is my plan for my life.
God, will you sign it? He says, that’s not the way it needs to work. We need to take a blank sheet of paper and give it to God and say, God, I’m willing to do whatever, whenever you ask me to do. God gives us that blank sheet of paper and says, are you willing to sign that blank sheet of paper and trust me with your heart? And so, are we going to be a Mary who said, yes, Lord, that’s your plan, I’m your servant? Or are we going to be like Moses who, when God asked him to be the leader of Israel, what did he do? He’s like, excuse number one, excuse number two, excuse number three, excuse number four, I can’t speak very well.
God says, well, hey, who made your mouth? I did; I can help you with that. And God shot down every one of his excuses. And God wants us to be Mary.
Whatever He’s asking us to do with the next step of His life, of your life, when you get to the end of your life, you can look back and you can see that God has written a beautiful story in your life because you’ve trusted him and followed him, just like Mary did. Think of Jeremiah 29:11, I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you, to give you hope in a future as we conclude.