We turn together to Luke chapter 1 to read the account from which that song comes. Luke chapter 1, reading verses 46 through 56, considering 46 through 55. Continuing on from where we have been the last couple of weeks, Again, just a reminder that Luke 1 begins with the foretelling of the birth of John the Baptist. As we have considered then the birth of Jesus foretold as Gabriel had come to Mary. And then last week, considering Mary's visit to Elizabeth. And now tonight, what is called Mary's song. Verse 46, hear now God's holy word. And Mary said, 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. 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 their 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, even as He said to our fathers. Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home. There ends the reading of God's holy Word. Well, beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, God's amazing Word, His amazing announcement to Mary through Gabriel was confirmed by Elizabeth and her unborn child as we considered together last week. And we know that unbelievably good news is often met with shouts of joy. It's met with words of gladness. It's met with screams of exaltation at times. Here, Mary sings. And Mary sings a song which really is similar in nature to Hannah's song. The prayer of the song that Hannah sang after God gave her Samuel in response to her request. And Mary's song is filled with allusions to the Old Testament. It's filled with a knowledge of Old Testament church history. And it is especially filled with the knowledge of the worship of her ancestor David. As in many places, really, she quotes David. But at this time, it's clear that God shielded Mary from the truth that was to be spoken a little bit later by Simeon in the temple when He said to her, a sword will pierce your own soul too. Our Lord's mother at this time did not yet know how He would bring salvation. She did not yet connect at this time the words of Isaiah 53 that He would be despised and rejected, that He would be smitten, that He would be pierced. She did not yet connect those words with her unborn child. If she had, like any earthly loving mother, she would have been filled with grief even before this child was born. This was not the time for grief. This was the time of rejoicing. It was a time of praising God for His wisdom, for His work, as Mary magnifies the Lord. Now we know it is called by many Mary's Magnificat. Magnificat is the first word in the Latin translation. To magnify or glorify, as our NIV translation has it, means to make great, to make large. Now, that may seem strange, but boys and girls, think about a magnifying lens. You know what a magnifying lens does, right? A magnifying lens makes items larger to your sight. Here, the idea is to make great by what one says about another. And more specifically, to proclaim, to praise the greatness of the Lord. to make Him large to others by speaking of and exalting His excellencies, giving a verbal picture, if you will, of the greatness and the goodness of God. Now, it's possible, we know, to boast of another person and to overdo it. To say things that are more than are deserved for that other person, and therefore, what is said then, in a sense, becomes untrue. But you see, beloved, we can never say too much about. We can never fully express the praise of. We can never exhaust the majesty of God. We cannot describe it well enough. We cannot say enough. We cannot explain the greatness of God enough. And Mary said, my soul glorifies the Lord. And my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior. Indeed, an echo of David in Psalm 35, verse 9, when he says, Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord and delight in His salvation. Now we are to understand here that these were not just thoughtless words on Mary's part. She displays very beautifully what Jesus later on describes in Matthew 12 when He says, out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. She was speaking out of the overflow of her heart. For Mary, there was no disconnect between her heart and her mind and her mouth like there is sometimes with us. For example, maybe you know of yourself that at times when you recite the Apostles' Creed, we know it so well. The words roll off our tongue so easily. But you know to yourself that you haven't thought about what you've said. Or there are times when I find myself singing the hymns, the redemptive songs that we sing. And we sing all the words, we sing all the stanzas. But we don't think about the message that we have sung. You see, beloved, her mouth expressed what filled her heart and her mind as Mary magnifies the Lord, first of all, for His blessing to her. His blessing to her personally. Indeed, we are to recognize the blessings and their God's blessings and their effects to us personally. Mary magnifies the Lord for His blessing to her as her God and Savior. She claims Him as God. He is her Lord. She's talking about Him as the covenant God. And then also that this covenant God is the one and only sovereign, supreme one. As she describes Him as the mighty God. Again, echoing David in Psalm 24, verse 8. And she describes Him as the Holy One. And all of these designations that Mary gives for God are designations of His divinity. And He is the One who has now revealed Himself as Savior. She speaks of Him as God, my Savior. Now, beloved, this confession, my Savior, is key to this song. It is key to Mary's song. As by this confession, Mary reveals that she clearly understands not the how, but she clearly understands the what of God's wonderful plan for her great Son, which she needs too. Mary herself needs a Savior. That's what she's expressing here. She has a need in common with all of mankind. There was no immaculate conception for Mary, as the Roman Catholic Church teaches, which means that Mary herself was conceived without original sin and that somehow she was kept free from original sin all the days of her life. Mary was a sinful woman. And Mary glories in her own salvation more than being the mother of Jesus. Her own salvation was more important to her than having the status of being the mother of Jesus. Yes, she does magnify the Lord for her blessing as His choice. Verse 48 begins, for he has been mindful of the humble estate of his servant. Now, she is not arrogantly boasting here, but Mary is humbled. She is humbled that God had looked upon her, that God had been mindful of her, that she had become the object, the focus of His attention and His kindness. God had set His mind on Mary. God condescended to Mary. He came down to Mary, and He demonstrated His compassion on this one of humble state. This one of a low position, low position in the sight of the world. One who was unknown, unrecognized, unpopular, unneeded in society. One who was among those who would be the most unlikely to be the object of God's attention and favor. Indeed, beloved, Mary is a picture of those for whom Jesus came. Those who are unlikely because we do not deserve a Savior. Yet she was chosen by God as His vessel. Verse 48 continues, From now on, all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me. Holy is His name. She was chosen by God as His vessel in whom for Him to accomplish great things. You might say, well, what great things? the great things spoken of by Gabriel the great things that were confirmed by Elizabeth these are the great things that a virgin, she a virgin would conceive and bear a child that this child would be holy God Himself and most of all that the Messiah would now finally come and to come in this way these were the great things that god had done for her things that could only be accomplished by the mighty power of god himself and these great things people of god would be the reason for her place in the minds of the generations from now on all generations will call me blessed not because of her but because of the great things that god had done you see here mary boasts not in her worthiness. It's not as if she says, well, you know, I was of a low estate, but look at me now. Look at me now. That's not what Mary does. She boasts not in her worthiness, but she boasts in the undeserved goodness of God. She was nothing. God was everything. And she is not saying here that all generations would consider her to be the legitimate object, a legitimate object of worship and honor as some believe and practice. But she is saying here that the generations would praise God. The praise would be directed to God because of the marvelous manner in which He has honored her for the great things that He has done for her which were also for the world's benefit. Beloved, the great things that the Lord had done for Mary a point to His mercy in her salvation as she recognized her own salvation. What a reason to magnify the Lord. What a reason to sing of His goodness. His goodness also demonstrated to us by His grace. And beloved, as we are in this season of the year and as we reflect once again this year on His Son for our salvation, May our response be with David in Psalm 103 that all our inmost being would praise His holy name. That we would magnify Him. That we would make Him great for the sight of others. Because we too are included as Mary magnified the Lord in the second place for His righteous acts among men. For His dealing with mankind. beginning in verse 50 his mercy extends to those who fear him from generation to generation not just to marry you see but 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 their thrones but has lifted up the humble he has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty as she sings of His righteous acts among men. Notice Mary lays before us a contrast. The contrast between men. Between those who fear Him and the proud. Very simply, we are to understand between believers and unbelievers. First, those who fear Him. The idea of those who reverence Him. Those who have genuine devotion to Him. those who are truly pious, those who are filled with awe and awe that fills their heart and awe that recognizes God's majesty and greatness, so that His power and holiness and righteousness deter them from treating Him and His commands lightly by disobedience, and whereas His love and His mercy and His grace move them to honor and obey Him with childlike reverence. Those who fear Him are further described as the humble, as the hungry. Very simply, those who are poor and despised, those who are forgotten by the world, the world who is proud. Proud in their thoughts, proud in their heart, those who are arrogant, those who are self-confident in their heart against God. That's what she is saying. Those who are proud against God, those who despise Him, those who think that they have no use for Him. or those who think that God owes them something. And they are further described, some as ruler, some as rich. And their position and their riches are those things which in their case are the cause of their self-confidence and their rejection of God. As Mary gives the contrast between men, she also points out that God acts opposite of the expectation of men. Indeed, we know much of the world would say that there is no God. But if there is, the expectation of men is that then God certainly has no time for the weak and the humble and those of low status and those who do not measure up to His greatness and majesty. He has no time for those who are useless. And instead, the expectation of men might say that God must be well pleased with the successful and those who are self-confident. Indeed, He helps those who help themselves, right? Well, Mary says the exact opposite. Certainly, it is the powerful, those whom He can use with effect. They are the ones who have it made. That's the expectation of men. Yet, Mary clearly points out that the practice of God tells a much different story than the expectation of men. And Mary is proof as He exalted her from her low estate. She was exalted not in the eyes of the world, but more importantly, she was exalted in the eyes of the church to see in her a reflection of all believers. To see in her a reflection of Christ's work accomplished for those who fear Him. She teaches clearly, as all of Scripture does, even as Isaiah 25 that we read this morning, she teaches that the proud cannot stand against. The proud cannot overpower the sovereign God they reject. His mighty deeds that He has done with His arm are done on behalf of His people and at the very same time are done against those who reject Him. And this was true throughout Israel's history versus other nations which Mary knew well. Israel was smaller. Israel was weaker. And it was true even within Israel as God cared for the helpless and the hungry and the fatherless and the widow and to help those was to demonstrate the love of God, God's love which He pours out upon those who are helpless because of their sin. In Psalm 2, the psalmist says the nations conspire. Peoples plot. Kings and rulers take their stand against the Lord and against His anointed and the psalmist makes clear that they do so for nothing. It's foolish. It's vain. It's hopeless. The proud cannot stand against or overpower a sovereign God. But on the other side, as David says in Psalm 103, But from everlasting to everlasting, the Lord's love is with those who fear Him, and His righteousness with their children's children, with those who keep His covenant and remember to obey His precepts. Beloved, Mary's child would turn the world upside down. He would do that which was not expected of someone like Him. He would not be the Messiah that Israel thought He would be, riding in, as it were, in His chariot with His entourage, His army around Him. Paul points this out as well in 1 Corinthians 1, That He would turn the world upside down, as Paul says, beginning at verse 26, Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards. Not many were influential. Not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things and the things that are not to nullify the things that are so that no one may boast before Him. Paul also says before that that God has chosen through the foolishness of the message preached, the message of Jesus Christ and His cross of a crucified Savior to save those who believe. Beloved, God's dealing with Mary, this one of humble estate, was indeed in keeping with His general attitude toward His people throughout the generations. she represents those who are humbled because of their sin and understand it by grace through faith she represents those for whom Jesus came in Christ Jesus the mercy of God is for those who fear Him who by faith understand their unworthiness and their helplessness their hopelessness and their poverty because of sin it is them He satisfies completely and eternally In Christ Jesus, God helps those who could not help themselves. But those who are not rich in Him. Those who are proud in themselves. Those who have no need of Him. To them He will say one day, Depart from Me, for I never knew you. Dear people of God, God acts righteously according to His Word as He pours out His righteous judgment against unbelievers but extends His mercy to those who fear Him by grace. Mary magnifies the Lord for His loving kindness, for His mercy, for His grace, for His saving love demonstrated to her and to all who fear Him and she magnifies Him in the third place for His fulfilled promise to His people to which all of this points. She magnifies Him for what He has done for her and to all who believe. And He has done it because of His promise. Verses 54 and 55, He has helped His servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as He said to our fathers. You see, beloved, Mary knew she was brought to know and to understand that she was a part of something much bigger than just for herself. She was a part of God's master plan. And therefore, she sings of God remembering His Word. The birth to come. The birth to come was a deed of divine grace to Israel. You see, the promise of the One to come, that promise began in the garden. That promise was repeated in various ways at various times throughout history, whether in more specific ways, such as Isaiah speaking of the virgin to conceive or the child to be born, or such as Micah speaking specifically of the birthplace being Bethlehem. Or whether it was repeated in more of a veiled way. For example, speaking of Him as the Son of David or the Son of Righteousness. That promise of the One to come was repeated throughout Israel's history. And this hope was not a surprise to Mary and to Elizabeth and Zechariah. It was not a surprise to those who were looking for the consolation of Israel as Simeon was. But instead, it was expected. It was anticipated. Just as we are called to expect and anticipate the return of our Lord Jesus Christ in the clouds of heaven. It was expected and anticipated by them and therefore she sings of God remembering His mercy. Not remembering after having been reminded as if God had forgotten. And all of a sudden, something jogged his memory and he were to say, oh, that's right, I forgot. I need to do that. But you see, his mercy in sending the Messiah was a demonstration of his faithfulness in remembering his word to Abraham and his descendants, Whom we know, as Paul makes clear, is spiritual Israel. All who share in Abraham's faith. Believers throughout the generations. And that means, beloved, that we stand in the line of God's promise to Abraham. Mary magnifies the Lord. She sings a song of redemption. She sings of God's redeeming love. She magnifies the Lord as the faithful God, the one and only one who can be dependent upon because all of His promises, as Paul says, are yes and amen. They are sure in Christ Jesus. Beloved, God remembered His promise so that He might remember our sins no more. So that Jesus Christ might come and take the punishment that was due to you and to me to pay for our sins completely, entirely, each and every one, that we might have new life in Him. That's what Christmas is all about, isn't it, boys and girls? That's what it's all about. Salvation from sin. Deliverance from hell. And all of this for all eternity. And as those who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are called to live before Him in humble praise. In humble trust. And especially as we face the dark days of this life, especially as we face seemingly hopeless conditions in society and the world around us, knowing that our hope and our future is secure in Christ Jesus, we will be lifted up. We will reign with Him in eternal glory forever and ever. And until that day, beloved Mary's song is an encouragement for us to magnify the Lord as those who stand with her as recipients of the mercy and the great things of God for us. He has done great things. It's an encouragement for us to rejoice in His saving benefits to us individually. Because indeed, Jesus Christ is a personal Savior. We can say that He died for me too. He is a personal Savior. and at the same time we are those who are a part of His complete church, the Bride of Jesus Christ. Beloved, there is no greater motivation to bring to the eyes and the ears of the world through our words and lives to bring to the eyes and ears of the world a picture of the greatness and the goodness and the glory of God in sending a Redeemer, Jesus, to save His people from their sins. And as the psalmist says, put your hope in God. Why? Because in Jesus Christ, He has proven that He is faithful. In Jesus Christ, He has proven that He never forgets His people. Amen. Let's pray together. Father, we thank You once again for Your marvelous Word. We praise Your name for remembering Your promise to Abraham and all those with like faith of Abraham. We praise Your name, O Lord, that some 2,000 years later, we might have the confidence of knowing that we too stand in the line of the generations of those who fear You, for whom You have given that promise. and kept that promise, and continued to apply that promise to our hearts and lives. We rejoice in You. We rejoice in Christ, our Savior. We praise Your most holy name. Hear us for Jesus' sake, and in His name we pray. Amen.