Blessed Through Belief

1:23And these messages were wonderful, but they also ushered Zechariah and Elizabeth into. A period of waiting, a season of waiting for God to keep his promises. And we learned that we can faithfully wait because God is a promise keeper. And so today we're going to build on that theme that God is a promise keeper. Since God is a promise keeper, we can believe His Word. We can trust that it will certainly come to pass. It might not be when we want it, it might not be how we want it, but we can certainly trust that it will come to pass. We can trust God's Word.

2:12And the amazing thing is that God blesses that trust. He blesses belief in His Word. And we're going to see that through Mary, a woman who believed God's word, even though she would look foolish in the eyes of the world for believing God's word. Mary believed God's word and she was blessed for it. And that is the challenge for us, isn't it? That is the challenge for us to believe God's word, to trust that it is true and will certainly come to pass.

2:51Because I think for most of us, we have heard God's word many times. We know God's Word, we've read it, we know what it is. Says, our challenge is not that we don't know what God's word says. Our challenge is that we struggle to believe God's word every single day. We tend to respond like Zechariah when Gabriel announced that his wife was going to conceive and bear a son. Zechariah said, How shall I know this? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.

3:31Zechariah doubted God's word. Now, we can empathize with Zechariah, can't we? He doesn't want to get his hopes up. He doesn't want to get his wife's hopes up. He doesn't want to be wrong and look foolish. What if he goes out and tells all of his friends and his family, God told me that we're going to have a baby? And then they never conceive. Or they have a miscarriage. But in this case, God told Zechariah, this is happening. Your wife is going to conceive and bear you a son, and your son is going to prepare the way for the Messiah.

4:15God made a promise, and God always keeps his promises. So Zechariah should have believed God. And what we're going to see in today's text is this. God blesses. Those who believe his word. God blesses those who believe his word. And we're going to see this in two parts. The first part is that God's blessing comes through belief in God's word. And then, secondly, salvation is God's greatest blessing to believers. So let's look now at the text and see that first point.

4:56God's blessing comes through belief in God's word. Here in verses 39 through 45, we see that Mary, after learning about Elizabeth's miraculous pregnancy, goes to stay with her. And we learned last week in the previous text that Elizabeth is about six months pregnant at the time. And we're told that Mary, at the end of this section in verse 56, Mary goes to stay with her about three months. And so it seems that Mary not only went to go and rejoice with her elderly cousin Elizabeth at the news of her pregnancy, but she also went to go and help her for those last three months of the pregnancy. Mary is such a godly servant. We can't forget that she herself is pregnant at this time. We have to remember that Mary's conception was miraculous, but her first trimester wasn't.

5:56The birth wasn't. All of these things were ordinary. And yet, Mary is going in the first trimester of her pregnancy to go and serve her elderly cousin, Elizabeth, for three months. What an incredible servant that Mary is. When Mary arrives, she greets Elizabeth for the first time, and baby John leaps in Elizabeth's womb. And Luke records that Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Which must be true because no woman, I think, who is pregnant and has a baby leap in her womb could say anything godly unless she was filled with the Holy Spirit. And so, filled with the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth pronounces a blessing on Mary, calling her the mother of my Lord.

6:44Now, the angel Gabriel had already revealed that this was no ordinary child, and Elizabeth confirms that. Mary's child is the Lord himself. Think about how that must have strengthened Mary's faith. I mean, by this point, she knows she's pregnant. She knows she's going to have a child. But was she really carrying the Son of God? How kind of the Lord to encourage her through Elizabeth with those words. I want you to look with me at verse 45. Here's how Elizabeth's spirit-inspired blessing ends: verse 45.

7:23And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment. Of what was spoken to her from the Lord. Why was Mary blessed? She was blessed because she believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord. Mary was blessed because she believed God's word. That's a stark contrast to Zechariah, isn't it? He didn't respond in faith to God's word. He responded with doubt, telling God, my wife and I are too old to have a baby. And of course, here's the irony with the whole situation: Zechariah is a priest. And Zechariah the priest is telling God, old infertile couples don't have babies. When has that ever happened in our nation's history?

8:23Zechariah is not some casual believer. He is a very godly, faithful priest who was described earlier in the chapter as righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all of the commands and statutes of the Lord. Zechariah is a priest who ought to know better than to question the word of God. God told him, I'm just going to do for you the very same thing that I did for your ancestors, Abraham and Sarah. Your age is not a problem for me.

9:04I am not limited by your limitations. Here's what I want you to see. If Zechariah can give in to doubt, if he can fall into the temptation to doubt God's word, any of us can. You might struggle with doubt regularly as a believer. Or you might only struggle with doubt from time to time. But every believer, at least once in a while, is tempted to doubt God's word. In other words, we do believe, but from time to time we struggle with unbelief.

9:49Now, friends, we all want God's blessing. I trust that's why we're here. We want God's blessing, and God blesses belief in his word. That's what Elizabeth, speaking in the Holy Spirit, says to Mary, isn't it? And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord. So, if God blesses belief in his word, then it's very important to understand what belief is. Belief is not merely hearing God's word or knowing about God's Word. Word, or agreeing intellectually that God's Word is true.

10:37Belief is heart-level trust. Belief is heart-level trust that informs the way that you live. Belief is saying, I trust that what God says is true, and I trust it so much that I'm going to order my entire life around it. This past week, I was really wrestling with the question: do I believe God's Word? Do I believe God's Word? And I was tempted to answer that question quickly: like, of course, I believe God's Word. I'm a Christian. And at one level, it's certainly true that I do believe God's Word. I believe every word of Scripture is true, that it proceeds from the mouth of God, that the Bible is not a collection of opinions from religious teachers, but rather that these men spoke as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. I believe all of that. So, at one level, I do believe God's word.

11:48But the more I thought about it, the more I came to see all of the areas of my life where I have to admit that maybe I believe God's Word in my head, but sometimes... I don't believe it fully in my heart. Maybe I agree with it intellectually, but I'm not always living my life as though it's true. And so let me give you a few examples, and let's see if you can relate in any way. Look on the screen at Matthew chapter 11.

12:22Jesus says, Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Do you think Jesus meant those words? That if we're heavy laden, that if we're burdened, that if we're weighed down with all sorts of cares and concerns and worries and anxieties, that we can come to Jesus and He will give us rest?

13:15I think at some level we do. But sometimes our lives say something different, don't they? Sometimes our lives say, real rest is not found in the presence of Jesus. Real rest is found on Netflix or YouTube or playing video games. Real rest is found in my hobbies or at the end of a self-care routine. Real rest is found in traveling to new places and having new experiences. What does your life say? Does your life always say real rest is found in Jesus?

14:08How about Hebrews 13:5? Look what it says. Keep your life free from love of money and be content with what you have, for he has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. Do you believe that? That God will never leave you or forsake you? I know at some level you do. Deep down, you do believe that God is never going to leave you. He's never going to forsake you. But maybe you have these moments where you look around and the economy is not doing well.

14:53And the stock market is down. And eggs are $12 a dozen. And you realize that you should have kept your big jeans from 15 years ago because now your skinny jeans are out of style. And you're tempted to worry, to be discontent, to think that money is the answer to all of your problems, to become tight-fisted, to believe that you've got to watch out for yourself financially because nobody else is going to watch out for you.

15:32What does your life say? Does it say, I'm content knowing that God will never leave me or forsake me? What about Acts 20:35? In all things, I have shown you, this is Paul talking, in all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way, we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, it is more blessed to give than to receive. Do you believe that? Do you believe that it is more blessed to give than to receive?

16:16I trust at some level you do. We've all learned through experience the great blessing of giving. But especially at this time of the year, When we are assaulted with advertising aimed at making us discontent with what we have, we can start to believe that actually it is better to receive than to give. And so we spend money on ourselves, on our kids, on our extended families, and we miss out on the blessing of giving. What does your life say? Does it always say it is more blessed to give than receive?

17:10How about one more? Revelation 22:7. Jesus says, and behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book. Friend, do you believe that Jesus is coming soon? He actually says it twice in this section. I think at some level we do believe that Jesus is coming soon, at least we want to believe that he's coming soon. But I also think that maybe we aren't sharing the gospel very often.

17:49We aren't making time to disciple younger believers. We aren't praying and living for heaven because deep down we're not fully convinced. Jesus is coming soon. Like maybe next year, or maybe before the next election, but not today. Not tomorrow. What does your life say? Does it say Jesus is coming soon? Brothers and sisters, Mary was blessed because she believed God's word. Not because she knew it, not because she intellectually assented to it, but because she had heart-level trust that it was true. And because she had heart-level trust that it was true, she reordered her life around it. We want God's blessing. And if we want God's blessing, we have to understand that his blessing comes through belief in his word.

18:59Let's look now at verse 46, where we're going to see that second truth. Salvation is God's greatest blessing to believers. Verse 46. And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on, 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 has 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 Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.

20:24Salvation is God's greatest blessing to those who believe. Mary's song is known as the magnificat, because magnificat is the first word in this song in the Latin translation of the Bible. And in this song, Mary praises God for what he has done and what he's going to do through her, namely, bring salvation to his people. Now, what is salvation? Have you ever actually tried to define that before? Like, you have a conception. Of what it is, but have you ever tried to put a definition to it?

21:04That was a good exercise for me this week. What is salvation? Salvation is deliverance from everything that interferes with enjoying God and His blessings. Salvation is deliverance from everything that interferes with enjoying God and His blessings, which sets us free to enjoy God and His blessings. And what is it that most interferes with enjoying God and His blessings? Sin, and the wages of sin, which is death. After Adam and Eve sinned, they were cursed. Their descendants were cursed, the whole world was cursed, and now everything and everyone is under a curse. Sin and death are everywhere, and they keep us from enjoying God and His blessings as God intended us to do. Sin is why people are proud in their hearts, as Mary sings about in verse 51.

22:12Sin is why some people are hungry and don't have enough to eat, while other people have more than enough and yet they won't share, like Mary sings about in verse 53. Sin is our biggest problem because. Sin keeps us from enjoying God and his blessings as he intended. So, what do we need? We need salvation. We need to be delivered from the power of sin in our lives and from sin's consequence, death. But, friends, we cannot deliver ourselves.

22:51We can't deliver ourselves from the power of sin. It doesn't matter how hard we try because we were born with sinful hearts. And that means we give in to temptation and we violate God's good commands. So, it doesn't matter how hard we try to overcome the power of sin on our own. We can't do it. And it doesn't matter how hard we try to overcome the power of death. We can't do it. No amount of scientific, technological, or medical advance is going to allow us to overcome the power of death because death is the result of sin and all have sinned. Remember Romans 5:12?

23:37Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, so death spread to all men because all sinned. We need salvation. We need to be delivered from the power of sin in our lives and from the wages of sin which Death, but we cannot save ourselves from the power of sin or the penalty of sin. We need God to save us, and thankfully, He has promised to save us. That is why Mary praises Him. Look again at verse 46.

24:19She says, My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior. We need God to save us. But why does God save? Look at verse 50. And His mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation. Friends, God saves because God is merciful. We're all sinners. Every one of us has sinned against God in thought and word and deed. And what do sinners deserve? Death. The wages of sin is death. So we do not want what we deserve because what we deserve is death. We want mercy because mercy is not getting what you deserve. And thankfully, God is merciful. Look at Deuteronomy chapter 4.

25:30For the Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them. God saves because he is merciful. But who does God save? Look again at verse 50. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. According to Scripture, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. And in the Bible, the fear of the Lord is not being terrified of God. The fear of the Lord is reverence for God.

26:22It is understanding and believing that he is God and we are not. It is understanding and believing that he is the creator and we are his creatures. It's understanding and believing that he is the judge and every one of us will stand before him one day to be judged by him. The fear of the Lord leads to a humble posture of worship. That's what you see in verse 48. Look what Mary says. For he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.

27:00You see, when you understand that you are a sinner who deserves death, but that those who fear God receive mercy, what does that do? It humbles you. It makes you grateful for every single blessing that you receive from God because you realize that you don't deserve anything but death. So every blessing you receive from God is an undeserved gift. The air in your lungs is a blessing. The food in your stomach is a blessing. The clothes you're wearing are a blessing. Your house, your friends, your family, everything in your life are all undeserved gifts. Great blessings from God.

27:48But friends, God's greatest blessing to us is salvation. And that is because our greatest problem is sin. And in the Bible, especially in Mary's song, we learn that God's salvation isn't just spiritual. It's not just forgiveness for sin. It is comprehensive. It is holistic. It includes every part of us and every part of this world. That is why, uniquely, The Christian faith is such good news. A couple weeks ago, we went to the BSM Thanksgiving dinner, and we got to sit with this wonderful international family. They had moved to college station recently because the father was pursuing a second post-doctorate. This guy had more degrees than a thermometer.

28:59And we were looking for a way to share the gospel with them over dinner. And they mentioned that they love American horror movies. Like The Conjuring. And I'm like, you know, maybe I don't have the gift of evangelism. But led by the Spirit, I trust, I said, you know, those movies really highlight the spiritual reality of evil forces at work in our world. Where do you think that evil comes from? And the father said, in our religion, we believe that the world goes through four cycles: that it starts off good, and people are good, and they do good things, but then. It gets worse and worse and worse in each cycle until at the end of the fourth cycle, the world is destroyed and then it is remade and the cycle starts all over again forever.

30:17And he said that he believes that we are in that fourth cycle because the world is so wicked. And I said, you know, the Bible actually teaches some of the things that you just said. The Bible teaches that God created this world and it was very good and people were good. But we sinned against God and so we brought evil into the world. And ever since then, the world is getting worse and worse and worse because of sin.

30:50But unlike what you said, what we learn in the Bible is that at the end, the world doesn't get destroyed and then remade just to go through the same cycle forever. The Bible teaches that Jesus is going to return and he is going to make all things new. He's going to save us and he's going to save this world. And there's going to be no more evil or pain or crying anymore, but everything is going to be perfect forever and ever. Christianity is the most hopeful religion in the world.

31:30In our passage today, that is what Mary is rejoicing in. That God is her Savior, and not just her Savior, but the Savior of His people. In His kingdom, in the new heavens and the new earth, He is going to exalt those who are of humble estate. He is going to fill all of the hungry. He's going to lift the heads of the poor. He's going to make all things new. He's going to save us once and for all. And He is going to do this because He is a faithful God who remembers and keeps His promises. Look what we see in verse 54 and 55.

32:19Mary 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's blessing comes through belief in God's Word. And salvation is God's greatest blessing to believers. Friends, I trust that you're here today because you want God's blessing. That is good. There is nothing better. There is nothing more desirable in this life. Than the blessing of God. Receiving God's blessing should be the highest goal in your life.

33:09But God's blessing comes through belief in His Word. And I'm sure that there are some here today who are trying to get God's blessing in other ways. You're trying to figure out the formula to receive God's blessing. How many times do I need to go to church each year or each month? How many good things do I need to do? What do I need to start doing or stop doing to receive God's blessing? These are the questions that anybody who wants God's blessing asks.

33:57These are the very same questions that people who listened to Jesus asked him. Look on the screen at John chapter 6. Then they said to him, What must we do to be doing the works of God? Jesus answered them, This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent. Jesus said to them, and Jesus says to you, this is the work of God, that you believe in him whom God sent. The work is belief in Jesus Christ. And when you believe in Jesus, you receive salvation, God's greatest blessing to believers. And so, my friend, if you have not received Jesus through faith, if you've never believed that he is the Son of God, who came to live a sinless life for you, who came to die on the cross in your place, who rose again, defeating sins, power and penalty for you, if you've never believed in Jesus, let this morning be the day that you believe in him. Christmas has no meaning apart from Jesus and his work for you and for me. So put your trust in Jesus today and receive that great blessing of salvation.

35:44If you're already a believer in Jesus, then I trust that you've heard God's word. You know God's Word. You agree intellectually with God's Word. But the question for you this morning is, where are you struggling to believe? God's Word. Mary was blessed because she believed that there would be a fulfillment of what God had spoken. And we want to be like Mary, don't we? We want to exercise the same faith that she had in God and His Word.

36:21But I think for many of us, sometimes we're like Zachariah. People who love God, who are righteous by God's grace, but who struggle to believe His Word at times. And my friend, when that happens to you, I don't want you to despair. I want you to do what Mary did and rejoice in God your Savior. That's who God is for you. He is your Savior. Do you understand that the whole reason He sent His Son is because you mess up, because you're not perfect, because you sin against God and others regularly?

37:13That is why the Christian gospel is good news. The Christian gospel is not good news because you get a fresh start to try harder to do better. The Christian gospel is good news because you have a Savior, one who lived and died and rose again for you. That you might enjoy God and all of his blessings as he intends. And so, friends, let's believe this morning in God's Word because God blesses those who believe His Word, and salvation is God's greatest blessing to believers.

37:49Let's pray, Father, we do want your blessing. There is no greater desire that we could have than wanting your blessing to hear well done from you. There's no greater blessing than enjoying you and all of the good gifts and the good things that you want for us. But we see all through your word that blessing comes through belief, and so we confess today that. Of us who are believers in Jesus Christ, God, we do believe. Would you please help our unbelief?

39:10Would you help us when we don't functionally believe that we can come to you because you'll give us rest? When we don't functionally believe that you will never leave us or forsake us, when we don't functionally believe that it is better to give than to receive, when we don't functionally believe that you are coming soon, forgive us and help us. And God, for those here who do not yet believe in Jesus, I pray that you through your Holy Spirit would impress upon them that salvation is the greatest gift that you give.

39:58And that salvation comes through faith in Christ. Would you give them saving faith this morning? I pray for children in the room that you would meet them where they are and give them a childlike saving faith in Christ. I pray for teenagers and for college students, pulled in many directions by the world and everything that it offers. Would you say that it is the world? Save them this morning. I pray for adults, perhaps adults who are new to church.

40:37Thank you for listening to the sermon audience from New Life Baptist College Station. Meet them this morning. For more information, support our ministry. Visit us online at newlife. Would you grant them saving.innet today? God, we are so glad that you are a God who loves to bless. I pray that you would bless us through belief as you promise to do in your work. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.