Adoring the Lord

Alright. If you've got your Bibles with you, I invite you to turn to Luke chapter one. We're starting at verse 46 through to 55. So Luke chapter one, starting at verse 46. And Mary said, my soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my saviour.

For he has looked on the humble estate of his servant, for behold, from now on, all generations will call me blessed. For he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm. He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

He's brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his offspring forever. And Tony started his prayer a moment ago with, we love you and we adore you. I don't know if Rob realised it when he chose Behold Our God, but that song says, behold our God seated on his throne.

Come, let us adore him. This morning, we're going to look at what it means to adore the Lord. We don't use the word adore very often. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, adore means to love someone very much, especially in a way that shows a lot of admiration or respect. A husband should adore his wife and vice versa.

We adore chocolate. We adore a hot bath or a good book or a beautiful home. The interesting thing is that the word adore is never found in our English Bibles. The word adore expresses our love for someone or something more in terms of our emotions than our commitment. When we say we adore our spouse or chocolate or a good book, we're expressing how those things make us feel, which is why I think the word appears so often in worship songs to describe our feelings about God.

For example, Holy, Holy, Holy, all the saints adore thee. Father, I adore you. Jesus says, no one like you. Jesus, we love you, ever adore you. Here I Am to Worship has the line, beauty that made this heart adore you.

But the word adore is especially used in Christmas carols. Angels We Have Heard on High, verse three, come to Bethlehem and see him whose birth the angels sing. Come, adore on bended knee, Christ the Lord, the newborn king. Or Come and Sing the Christmas Story has the line, son of man, let us adore him. Hark the Herald Angels Sing has the line, Christ by highest heaven adored, Christ the everlasting Lord.

And you can't go past O Come, All Ye Faithful. It has, O come, let us adore him, not once, but nine times, and it's not even written by Hillsong. The word adore expresses our feelings of love for Jesus, especially at Christmas. This morning, we're going to look at Mary's song of adoration, and we're going to see who it is that we're to adore, why we ought to adore him, and how we ought to adore him. So let's start with who do we adore.

The title of the sermon sort of gives it away. We're to adore the Lord. That's how Mary starts her song: my soul magnifies the Lord. The Lord here is a reference to Yahweh, the eternal and almighty God. This is the God who created the heavens and the earth.

This is the Lord God who formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. This is the God who destroyed the world in a flood. This is the God who called Abraham, who rescued his people from Egypt, who gave them the law on Mount Sinai, who gave them Canaan as their inheritance. This is the God who promised a Messiah who would save His people. This is the God who declares the Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

That is the God whom Mary adores. The interesting thing is that the Lord is used over and over, not only as God's proper name, but as a title for Jesus. Jesus is called the Lord hundreds of times in the New Testament. Paul says, you and I are to confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord. We are to adore Jesus in the same way that Mary adored the God of the Old Testament, because Jesus is God in the flesh.

That's what we celebrate at Christmas, that in Jesus, the Lord God has become one of us. You and I are to adore the Lord Jesus Christ as we adore our heavenly Father. But secondly, Mary refers to the Lord as God, my saviour. In verse 47, she sings, and my spirit rejoices in God my saviour. The Lord that Mary adores is the God who saves His people.

Mary echoes the word of David, who sings, the Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God and my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my saviour. David saw God as his saviour as well. And over and over in Isaiah, God declares Himself to be the saviour of His people. God says, for I am the Lord your God, the holy one of Israel, your saviour. And He says, you shall know that I, the Lord, am your saviour and your redeemer, the mighty one of Jacob.

In fact, He says, all flesh shall know that I am the Lord your saviour. Mary adores the one who not only saves her, but who saves God's people. And again, this title, saviour, is applied to Jesus. The angel tells the shepherds, unto you is born this day in the city of David, a saviour, who is Christ the Lord. In John's first letter, he writes, we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His son to be the saviour of the world.

One of Peter's favourite phrases is our Lord and saviour, Jesus Christ. Like Mary adored God as her saviour, so we are to adore our saviour, Jesus Christ. Next, Mary adores he who is mighty. In verse 49, she sings, for he who is mighty has done great things for me. The Lord is mighty.

Moses says, for the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God. Asaph, the psalmist sings, the mighty one. God the Lord speaks and summons the earth. Over and over, the Bible speaks of God's mighty right hand and His mighty deeds. In fact, Mary herself has experienced God's mighty power.

Early, the angel tells her, the holy one will come upon you, and the power of the most high will overshadow you. It's by the mighty power of God that Mary conceives Jesus. And Mary adores the Lord because He is mighty. In fact, Mary's baby is called Mighty God. Isaiah writes, for to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God.

That's a prediction of the birth of Jesus. Jesus is mighty God come down as a little baby. And we see Jesus' might in the miracles that He performs, how He raises the dead and calms storms and heals the sick and casts out demons. We adore the Lord God Almighty, who has come into our world in the person of Jesus. Finally, Mary adores he whose name is holy.

Verse 49 in its entirety says, for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. The Lord's name is holy. Mary's song is full of Old Testament references, in particular Psalm 103, where David sings, bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name. What makes the name of the Lord holy? Well, according to Calvin, God's name is holy because it is entitled to the highest reverence.

And he adds, whenever the name of God is mentioned, it ought to immediately remind us of His adorable majesty. I didn't put that word adorable in there. Calvin put that in four hundred odd years ago. Some think he's a bit dry, but he wants us to be in awe of God's love and majesty. His adorable majesty, as he puts it.

But what is true of God's name is also true of the name Jesus. Peter declares, there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Jesus' name is unique. Paul writes, God has bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Like Mary adored the name of the Lord, we adore the name of Jesus.

It's holy. It's set apart. It's special. This Christmas, in fact, every moment of every day, we get the privilege of adoring our Lord Jesus Christ, our saviour, the mighty one whose name is holy. So the second question I want to ask us this morning is why do we adore the Lord?

Mary gives us six reasons why she adores the Lord, and there are six great reasons for you and me. Firstly, because the Lord regards the humble. Mary adores the Lord for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. Basically, Mary is saying that she is a nobody. Nobody special, just an ordinary teenage girl, and yet God took notice of her.

God cared about her. God reached down and changed her life. Mary is amazed by the fact that God would take notice of someone like her. And that's true for you and me as well. We're no one special.

We are nobodies, ordinary everyday people, and yet God takes notice of us. The Psalmist actually asks, what is man that you are mindful of him and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honour. That's the gospel. We are nothing compared to God, and yet he has regard for us.

He reaches down and he saves us. He crowns us with glory and honour. Paul actually says, God chose what is low and despised in the world so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. In fact, the Bible says, God opposes the proud, and yet gives grace to the humble. We adore the Lord because he regards the lowly, because he saves ordinary people like you and me.

Secondly, we adore the Lord because he's blessed us. Mary adores the Lord, for behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed. They will call, we call Mary blessed because God blessed her. In fact, that's the first thing Elizabeth says to Mary: Blessed are you among women.

Blessed are you among women. And why is Mary so blessed? Because she will be the mother of the son of God. Nothing she did, something that God chose her for. The phrase from now on marks a turning point in Mary's life.

Before she was a nobody. But from now on, she will be called blessed. Have you experienced that turning point in your life? Paul says, we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures. But then he says, but when the goodness and loving kindness of God our saviour appeared, he saved us. Peter writes, once you were not a people, but now you're God's people.

Or to use Paul's terminology, once you weren't blessed, but now God has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Have you experienced that in your life? Once you were without God, but now God has come into your life. Once you weren't blessed by him, but now you have every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus. And if you want to know what those blessings are, just read Ephesians chapter one.

At least blessing after blessing after blessing. We adore the Lord because he's so richly blessed us in Jesus Christ. Thirdly, we adore the Lord because he's done great things. Verse 49, for he who is mighty has done great things for me. I think that's an amazing statement.

We often, at Christmas, reflect on just how difficult this situation was for Mary. You know, a virgin, pledged to be married, suddenly finds herself pregnant, not a good look. Luke tells us she was greatly troubled at the angel's greeting. Later she asked, how will this be? Even her words, behold, I am a servant of the Lord.

Let it be to me according to your word, aren't really filled with a lot of excitement. You know? This if this is the way it has to be, let it be. And yet here she says, the Lord has done great things for me. All through the Old Testament, God has done great things for His people, redeeming them from Egypt, giving them the promised land, bringing them back from exile.

And now Mary senses that what God is doing in her life is one of these great things, not just for the world, but for her. In the birth of her son, God is doing a great thing. And God has done great things, or He wants to do great things in your life and in mine as well. The New Testament talks about our great salvation and the great love with which God has loved us and God's great mercy. There is nothing greater that you and I can receive than God's love and mercy in Jesus Christ.

We adore the Lord because of the great things He's done for us in Jesus. In fact, we adore the Lord because He's shown us mercy. Mary sings, and his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. It's not that God has just shown mercy to Mary, but he will show mercy to all those who fear him, all those who humble themselves before God. God's promise of mercy is for every generation who are willing to submit themselves to Jesus Christ.

If you are willing to humble yourself before the Lord, he will show you mercy. God's mercy means instead of punishing you for your sins, he will forgive you. God the Father showed mercy to you when he sacrificed his son Jesus on the cross to pay the price for your sins. David prays, have mercy on me, oh God, according to your steadfast love, according to your abundant mercy, blot out my transgressions. Have you experienced God's mercy?

Has he blotted out your transgressions because of what Jesus did for you on the cross? Jesus tells a parable about a tax collector who prays, God be merciful to me, a sinner. And Jesus says, I tell you, this man went to his house justified. Brothers and sisters, if you humble yourself before the Lord, he will show you mercy. And when you have experienced God's mercy, you will adore him as the one who has forgiven you, washed you clean, adopted you as his child.

Next, we adore the Lord because he shows strength. Mary sings, he has shown strength with his arm. But how has Mary seen God's strength? Well, she tells us, verse 51 continues, he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate.

He's filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. Mary has seen God's strength in how God has humbled the powerful and exalted the humble. And we see that all through the Bible. God humbles those in power. He disposes of kings, and he cares for the weak and the oppressed.

In fact, that's exactly what Jesus has come to do, to defeat Satan, and to defeat death, and to defeat sin, and to exalt those who put their faith in him. Jesus says, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. When you hunger after the things of God, he will satisfy your hunger. We have seen the Lord's strength in how he's defeated our sin, how he's defeated Satan, and how he saved us. And for his strength we adore him.

Finally, we adore the Lord because he helps his people. Mary sings, he has helped his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever. God doesn't just remember his promises, he acts on them. God sent Jesus into our world, born of Mary, in order to help his people, and not just Israel, but you and me.

We adore the Lord because he's helped us in our great spiritual need. The writer of Hebrews says, let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. God's help is available for you and me. Paul says, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. You can turn to God for help and he will help you.

In your time of sorrow, he will be there to comfort you. In your time of weakness, he'll give you strength. In your time of doubt, he will give you faith. Our heavenly Father helps us and for that we adore him. You and I have so many reasons to adore the Lord.

But how do we adore the Lord? What does it look like to adore the Lord? Well, Mary tells us three things. Firstly, you magnify him. That's how Mary starts her song of adoration.

My soul magnifies the Lord. The word magnify means to make something larger. But when we praise God, we don't actually make him larger. We can't make God any larger. In fact, God is much larger, much greater than we could ever imagine.

Rather, when we magnify the Lord, we make him larger in our own eyes. We make him larger towards other people. They get to see how big and great and awesome our God is. You magnify the Lord by listing all the ways that God is great and all the great things that God has done. Magnifying God reminds us of just how great God is.

We do the same when we adore our spouse. We list all the reasons that we love them so much. That's what it means to magnify the Lord, to list all the reasons that he deserves your praise and glory. Secondly, you adore the Lord by rejoicing in him. That's what Mary does in verse 47, and my spirit rejoices in God my saviour.

You adore someone by rejoicing in them. When you love someone, you find joy in them. And the foundation of Mary's joy is not in her circumstances, but in the fact that God is her saviour. David writes, may we shout for joy over your salvation. And later he says, restore to me the joy of your salvation.

Sometimes we forget that we've been saved through faith in Jesus, and when we forget that, we lose our joy. But ultimately, we rejoice not just in our salvation, but in the one who saved us. Habakkuk says, I will rejoice in the Lord. I will take joy in the God of my salvation. Paul says, we rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

And he's even more emphatic in Philippians chapter four, rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say rejoice. You adore the Lord by rejoicing in him, the one who has reconciled you to God, the one who saved you from sin, the one who has helped you. You can't say you adore the Lord if you're not filled with joy at his undeserved gift of salvation. Adoration is filled with joy.

Finally, you adore the Lord with your whole being. Mary sings, my soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my saviour. Often in Hebrew poetry, they use synonyms. They place two words together to emphasise something. So I don't think we should see a lot of difference in soul and spirit.

What they really refer to is all of our being. David says, bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name. Notice the connection between my soul and all that is within me. In Hebrew, the word soul doesn't refer to the immortal part of ourselves that lives forever, rather it refers to our whole being, our whole life. We are to adore the Lord with all of our being, with everything that we are and all that we have.

Jesus says the greatest commandment in all of scripture is you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. Adoring the Lord means loving the Lord with all that you are. You adore the Lord with everything. And that doesn't just mean you adore the Lord with all of your thoughts or with all of your emotions, but with all of your body. Paul says, offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.

This is your spiritual act of worship. You adore God by offering your very life in worship of Him. Paul says your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, so glorify God in your body. Are you adoring God with your whole being, with all that you are, with all that you have, in everything that you do? This Christmas, will you slow down and take the time to adore the Lord?

Will you adore Him for all the things that He's done for you in Jesus Christ? Will you adore Him by magnifying Him and rejoicing in Him with all that you are? Let's pray. Dear heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of your son, Jesus Christ. Lord, we thank you for all the ways that you have blessed us in Him.

Lord, you have regarded us even though we are so small. Lord, you have shown your strength to us. Lord, you have blessed us. Lord, you have shown us mercy. Lord, you have done so much for us.

And for all these things, we want to adore you. We want to love you, and we want to declare our great love for you. Lord, we want to magnify your name. Lord, we want to rejoice with all that we are because of all the wonderful things that you have done for us. Lord, this Christmas, may we adore you.

May we adore your son, Jesus Christ, who gave his life for us. Holy Spirit, we pray that you would grow in us a deeper love for you, that in everything and in every way, we might adore our Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.