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 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
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