Can Peace Really Last? (Luke 1:46-55)

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Can Peace Really Last? (Luke 1:46-55)

GIST: We can have peace because Jesus is our marvelous, personal savior; the gracious king who never overlooks the humble; the mighty God who displays His sovereign love; the source of mercy for all who believe; the powerful victor over sin; and the ultimate protector, provider, and promise keeper!

Today, we’re continuing our journey through the first chapters of Luke to see that these “advent themes” aren’t just something we traditionally talk about this time of year, but truths revealed in Jesus’ coming. The passage we’re coming to is sometimes called Mary’s Song, sometimes the Magnificat (because it starts with “My sould magnifies the Lord”). It’s Mary’s reaction to finding out she will be the earthly mother of Jesus…and it’s a beautiful picture of why we should have peace. 

“46 And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for He has looked on the humble estate of His servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. 50 And His mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; 52 He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; 53 He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty. 54 He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, 55 as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to His offspring forever."

I hope this much has been clear as we’ve looked at Mary’s preparation for Jesus coming over the past three weeks→ Any hope or joy or peace she had was dependent wholeheartedly on what God had revealed to her about Himself and His plan. Everything she knew about how life was “supposed to work” pointed in a very different direction. Yet, she responded to fear with faith as she declared herself the willing servant of the Lord. And she faced uncertainty with peace as she her praised the God she knew, loved, and trusted. 

I want to walk through this song together this morning one piece at a time. As we do, I think we’ll see why Mary could have peace. As our mouth-full-of-a-gist, it’s why we can too: We can have peace because Jesus is our marvelous, personal savior; the gracious king who never overlooks the humble; the mighty God who displays His sovereign love; the source of mercy for all who believe; the powerful victor over sin; and the ultimate protector, provider, and promise keeper!

Ok, so full discloser, we have like six points today ☺️. However, I think we can hit them fairly quickly… at least that is my intention. (I know, I should know better than thinking I have any control over this 😀.) That being said, let’s dive in→

I. Marvelous Personal Savior

“46 And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior” 

This summarizes her reaction. It also tells you what this song is going to be all about: magnifying God—extolling His greatness, lifting Him up for who He is. And what is the first thing she notes about that identity? He is her Savior. She got it. He wasn’t just the general savior of the world. Jesus came as her personal savior. He is my Savior. He came to be your Savior. I know I say that a lot, but I don’t know that I can repeat it enough. The deeply personal aspect of His love should define us and shape how we view the world. We’re loved by the marvelous Savior!

II. Gracious King Who Never Overlooks The Humble

“48 for He has looked on the humble estate of His servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed”

He remembers the humble. He never forgets the forgotten. Mary knows her position in the world. She knows she didn’t earn His attention. And she’s very aware that she will be remembered. Now, she’s not referencing future fame. She’s saying she will be remembered for being blessed, a receiver of amazing grace!

Whatever moment you find yourself in right now, please remember that He sees you. He knows you. He hears you. He cares. And… He’s the→

III. Mighty God Who Displays His Sovereign Love

“49 for He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name.” 

This is love displayed! Notice that she says He, the mighty God, has done great things for her and for His name. This is still true. God is the God who loves so much that He does great things around us every day. I was reminded of that this week firsthand, in a way I’ve never experienced. I had a student start choking in my class, and I had to attempt the Heimlich maneuver for the first time in my life. I’d been trained in the past, but there is a big difference between practicing and actually being in that situation. It was terrifying. Guys, I don’t think I did anything right, but I do know this: Jesus saved that girl’s life. It was 100% His grace doing something great.

And when He shows up all around us, which He does…all the time, He is also pointing us back to His sovereignty. “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12)! 

This great God is the→

IV. Source of Mercy For All Who Believe

“50 And His mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation.”

I plan to touch on this a bit more in our takeaways, but let me at least say this here. This beautiful truth is the one that stuck out most to me this week as I pondered the peace of God. How in the world can anyone in this crazy world have peace that’s worth it? Actually, everyone in this crazy world can have transformative, lasting peace because→ Mercy Available For All! How? “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). So, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9)! Because He is the→ 

V. Powerful Victor Over Sin

“51 He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; 52 He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;”

He came in power with victory over sin which at its root is selfishness. See the contrast here? Mary is remembered in her low estate, but the proud are scattered and dethroned. Why? Because they’ll never experience the grace they need if they keep trying to rule their own lives; and if they choose to try and hold on to those crumbling thrones, they’re clinging to destruction in the face of grace. In the face of the→

VI. Ultimate Protector, Provider, and Promise Keeper

“53 He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty. 54 He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, 55 as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to His offspring forever."

The world might feel shaken, but He comes with protection and provision for those in need and those who serve Him. This reminds me of the beatitude: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6). If we’re seeking after Him, we’re running toward exactly what He wants to give us anyway!

And we can trust Him, because He is the ultimate promise keeper. Notice that Mary is remembering all God has done in the past. Her future might feel uncertain, but His character isn’t. She knows He has been faithful from the beginning. This Jesus is the Messiah promised from the garden. Why wouldn’t she trust a God like that? Why don’t we?

Ok, let’s hit the→

TAKEAWAYS

I know I typically just review the points when we come to our takeaways, but I wanted to share another connection that hit me first. When I was thinking about peace this week, another song came to mind. It’s not Scripture, but it sure reflects the heart of this passage. I think you guys might know it: “When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll. Whatever my lot, thou hath taught me to say: it is well, it is well with my soul.”

Horatio Spafford penned those words from a place of deep despair. Two years earlier, he and his wife had lost their four-year-old son to scarlet fever. A few months later, many of their material possessions were lost in the great Chicago fire. Barely recovered from those wounds, his family planned a trip to Europe. Delayed by business, he sent his wife and four daughters ahead of him. On the way, their ship collided with another, and only his wife survived. Upon receiving this tragic news, he went to meet her, and as he passed by the place where his daughters had lost their lives, he wrote this song.

How could he possibly have peace during this time? “Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, let this blest assurance control: that Christ hath regarded my helpless estate and hath shed His own blood for my soul!” He had peace that surpasses understanding because Jesus came victorious over sin and death and destruction.

Do you see the connection here? After being told she would bear the Son of God and receiving encouragement from her relative Elizabeth, Mary sang too. Her song praised God—her savior and the savior of the world because “...His mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation” (Luke 1:50). This child she would bear would come bringing hope and providing mercy—the mercy we all so desperately need.

By nature, we’re enemies of God. We run our own way. We seek our own path. We skip headlong toward our own destruction. Without Jesus, we don’t have peace. Not real peace. Not peace that lasts beyond times of bliss and prosperity. Not peace that’s strong enough to face complete devastation and sing “it is well with my soul”. Not peace that comes conquering all that isn’t peace in our lives—all the selfishness and hostility, all the desolation and degradation. 

“My sin—oh the bliss of this glorious thought—my sin—not in part but the whole—is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, oh my soul!” His mercy takes us from what we deserve and where we are headed and wraps us in His arms of forgiveness and love; and that mercy is for all who fear Him, all who trust and reverence Him wholeheartedly, all who call upon His name for rescue. Peace is indeed possible because the One who loves that much came and already took on Hell in your place.

We can have peace because Jesus is our marvelous, personal savior; the gracious king who never overlooks the humble; the mighty God who displays His sovereign love; the source of mercy for all who believe; the powerful victor over sin; and the ultimate protector, provider, and promise keeper!