BEHOLD: Week 4 | Luke 1:39-45

No doubt many of us would characterize our holiday seasons with the word, ‘busy.’ 
As we look at the account of Mary and Elizabeth greeting one another, we see that the scriptures don’t call us to be busy, but rather to behold! To behold to goodness and glory of God in Christ Jesus!

Join us in Luke 1:39-45 as we continue our journey through this Advent season!

Date: December 22, 2019
Speaker:  Jason Jordan
Series: BEHOLD

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Pastor’s Comment

Thank you so much for listening in here at West Side. We often say that we love the word of God because it points us to the son of God. We hope these messages encourage you and equip you to love Jesus more. We also want you to be apart of a local church, we believe these messages are only supplemental, being apart of a local church is essential. Blessings.

Jason G Jordan

Lead Pastor, West Side Church

Sermon Notes

Advent Week 4: Behold! Luke 1: 39-45

INTRO> Charles Wesley along with his brother, John Wesley are the “founders” of the Methodist movement. John was famous for his preaching, Charles was famous for his hymn writing. Charles wrote the famous Christmas Hymn “Hark The Herald Angels Sing!” He has an interesting story. He was apart of a “holy club” when he was in college, they fasted, studied and prayed together. He kept a journal and wrote on Friday, May 19th 1738, “ This morning I received the sacrament; but not Christ…”

APP> That’s so scary to me… but it’s so true isn’t it? We partake in everything else but the substance. It’s the same during the Advent/Christmas season… we do everything it seems like.. but actually participate in the actual meaning.

      • We think the message of this season is: “Busy!” We think that somehow the payoff of the busy is a blessing.
      • The Bibles message of this season is “Behold!” The bible corrects our understand here.

CONTEXT> Our passage today is known as the “Visitation” Mary hears from the angel and sets off to see her Cousin Elizabeth. We see the word “Blessed” used 3x in 7 verses. If there are two people who don’t miss it, it’s Mary and Elizabeth. Here is our big idea today:

Big Idea > The blessings of God are found in beholding God.

  1. Behold with the people of God. v39
        • v39 “Mary went with haste into the hill country..” Mary hears the news about her cousin and takes off!
        • Remember, she is possibly 12 years old.. by herself.. and travels close to 100 miles! It would have been a 4-5 day journey!
          1. Mutual faith.
          2. Mutual experiences.

*ILL> Courtnee and I going somewhere and asking if each other looks good. APP> God uses the community of faith to confirm your faith.

2) Behold by the Spirit of God. v41-45

        • v41 “Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit…” We see something here that is extraordinary. We see what it looks like when someone is filled with the Spirit of God. Luke in this Gospel mentions the Holy Spirit 17x and in his equal the book of acts he mentions it 56x!
  1. A Confession of Jesus “blessed is the fruit of your womb” “Mother of my Lord should come to me?” This is incredible… this is something that could only come from God. Elizabeth is the first person in the NT to give the claim to Jesus “..no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.”- 1 Corinthians 12:3 *ILL> Our babies are born and then they cry!
  2. A Celebration of Jesus. “she exclaimed with a loud voice..” The way that this reads in the original language, it means that she shouted a song literally. “the baby in my womb leaped for joy” it means exceeding joy… gladness!!!

APP> What both of these things have in common is that we can’t do them by ourselves.. we don’t have them within ourselves Elizabeth shows us what it is to be filled with the Spirit. *ILL> I don’t think we experience this filling because its like when we were kids. We wanted to eat the candy.. Mom would say, “Don’t eat that” Why because it will ruin your next meal. APP> If we aren’t full of joy that must mean that we are full of something else?

3) Behold through believing God. v45

        • “blessed is she who believed….” Elizabeth speaks so much blessings over Mary. *NOTE- Elizabeths humility, she doesn’t compare blessings, she celebrates them.

APP> How do we know that Mary believe? Well… she obeyed.

APP> Obedience is the evidence of faith.

        • “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17“We live on promises not explanations.” – Warren Weirsbe
        • “If you love me, you’ll keep my commandments.” John 14:15 APP> Gospel obedience is: “I am loved therefore I obey.”

CLOSE> These past few weeks Mary has been such an example for us. The blessings that she has received are extraordinary but it comes not such much for her theology… as it has been through her experience, her experience of obeying God.

*ILL> Roman hunting getting his first deer this year.

“Never try to explain God until you have obeyed Him. The only bit of God we understand is the bit we have obeyed.” – Oswald Chambers

Big Idea > The blessings of God are found in beholding God.

  1. Behold with the people of God.
  2. Behold by the Spirit of God.
  3. Behold through believing God.