“Mary the mother of Jesus – She’s a polarizing figure in the bible not because of who she was, but who people made her to be, and peoples reaction to that…
• Let’s look at the real Mary…
• First she wasn’t perfect… only Jesus was… she’s not part of the trinity… Mary had other children through a natural process… but she was an amazing woman… she like other servants of God does need to be respected…
• So today we’re going to look into the real Mary, her humanity and her example…
1. Moms are sometimes worriers…
Matt 12:46-50
Mark 3:20-21 (31-35)
• Our mothers worry about us, they see us when we’re stretched thin, and naturally worry. The reason mother’s worry so much is that they love so much…
• Even Mary worried, so you’re not crazy… to all you worriers, you’re not crazy, only turn to the right source when you worry, don’t allow it to consume you.
Philippians 4:4-7
• Mom, or not, if you’re a worrier please focus on this truth: We serve a God that can do all things, turn to Him, and turn your worry into prayers, and then walk in obedience as He leads you from there!
2. Mary was excited about God…
Luke 1:46-51
• Mary’s life always pointed to Jesus, not herself… She was a worshiper…
• I would encourage all of us to be excited about the things of God. Be a worshiper… This is what we were created to do…
3. Mary was thoughtful in her experiences with God.
Luke 1:29
Luke 2:13-20 (16-19)
• “ponder” – deep reflective thought… Mary was young (16) and profoundly perceptive. And as she experienced the things of God she really thought about them.
• How many times do we have these powerful experiences with God, and then just as quickly as it is over simply move on without doing some deeper evaluation…
• Do we sit and really flesh them out? Do we pray about them and ask, “what about this should I learn and change in my own life…”
• Practical hint: write things down… pray over spiritual experiences asking if there is more that God would show you… follow through as He speaks / when we don’t follow through, we can be robbed of the next thing He’s trying lead us into…
4a. Mary had a good idea of the possibilities of her son, and still submitted to His spiritual authority…
John 2:1-5
• Probably in her 40’s or 50’s at this time… Mary was able to perceive Jesus’ great power before others… Mothers know the limitless potential of their children…
• Mary has taught us two things about prayer; one, to be persistent… two, when you pray listen and obediently do as the Lord leads you… (2:5) Live by this…
• Mother or not please take note: she pushed then submitted… We know Jesus did nothing outside of the will of the Father, so apparently Mary’s will was aligning with the Fathers… but ultimately she submitted to Jesus’ desires…
4b. Mary shows us submission to His will even though she didn’t fully understand…
Luke 1:26-38
• “Favored one” – not a matter of her grace, but the daughter (receiver) of grace, she was not chosen on her merit, but His grace…
• “Bondslave” – her response was that of surrender to His will… do we surrender to the voice of God or fight against it?
• You want to be a strong person, learn surrender to God. There’s no strength found in being stiff necked to God.
• She submitted even though she didn’t fully understand… we want to know all the details before we submit to anything, and sometimes with God we don’t understand, but if we’re faithful in the smaller acts of submission to God He’ll show us the bigger things when we’re ready…
• If we submit and allow God to have His way in our lives, there is no limit to what God can do through us!
5. Jesus knows the weight of a mother’s heart, He knew the weight of Mary’s heart…
• Jesus knew the weight His mother carried, and the pain she felt, and so in His mercy, just as she witnessed His death, she would see His resurrection.
God would teach us today through Mary a few things…
1. Worry may come to our door, just go to the right place when dealing with it, and follow His leading in it…
2. Be excited about God, and the things of God, be a worshiper… Let that excitement rub off on the world around you…
3. Be thoughtful in your experiences with God…
4. Mothers thank you for seeing all the possibilities in your children… remember in prayer, push then submit…
5. Submit to His will even though sometimes you didn’t fully understand…
6. Finally, Jesus is not blind to your needs and knows the weight you carry…”