Lakeview Church of the Nazarene

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Sermons in Brief - Mini Messages from Pastor Harmon

"Magnificent Praise" - Luke 1:46-55 - Second Sunday of Advent

Mary offers us an example of a Christmas Praise which, if adopted, could change our entire Advent season! Mary offers us an attitude of Praise and Worship which teaches us how to worship. For example, as we observe Mary we learn our Praise and Worship must be:

1. PERSONAL

By personal I do not mean PRIVATE. Mary's praise was not private. Elizabeth her cousin was there. She perhaps sang this song dozens of times among the peasants in the village where she stayed 3 months. It was, however, PERSONAL!Internal ! Mary said, "My soul exalts the Lord", or "magnifies the Lord." And then "My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior." The term "soul" and the term "spirit" speak of the inner person. By repeating the two words she is summing up her whole inner being--All that is in her; All that she is. All she can express.

Our worship must rise from inside ourselves. It must be PERSONAL. It's not something you do on the outside: it does not depend on the SIZE OR BEAUTY BUILDING or the DAY OF WEEK or the HOUR OF THE DAY or the LENGTH OF THE SERVICE or the STYLE OF MUSIC. WORSHIP IS HAVING A TRANSFORMING ENCOUNTER WITH GOD--A PERSONAL ENCOUNTER WITH GOD. If it doesn't bubble up from inside, It's not worship. True worship Jesus said is in "spirit and truth." The essence of worship is the inner heart of adoring praise. It is internal and PERSONAL.

Soren Kierkegaard, the Danish philosopher and theologian, writes "In the theater, there are actors, prompters, and an audience. If you think of worship as a theater, you might normally think the worship leaders, the clergy, and the choir are all actors and that the audience is the gathered congregation. In fact, the worship leaders are really prompters who stay behind the scenes and enable the worshipers, who are the real actors, to do their work. God is the audience! We do not worship God when we go to a church building and act as spectators at a performance. We worship when we are actively engaged in the praise of Almighty God."

2. PASSIONATE

I was sorry to see that the NIV translates verse 46 "My soul glorifies the Lord." It's correct - but I like "my soul magnifies the Lord" or the KJV "My soul doth magnify the Lord." You don't have to know much New Testament Greek to appreciate the word being translated: meg-al-oo'-no. You can hear it can't you MEGA LOONO. MEGA! Mega is a Greek word we use in English when we want to say something is bigger than normal or louder than normal.

Mary uses the word - mega loono: GLORIFIES! MAGNIFIES! TO MAKE GREAT! TO CELEBRATE! CRESCENDO! for you musicians. It means something caused to swell or to caused to grow. Something caused to crescendo. It starts at some point and becomes larger and larger. She is not just praising - she is mega-praising. She is not just worshipping - but mega worshipping. She is not just celebrating - she is mega celebrating. Mary's Worship was passionate - intense. It wasn't shallow or superficial or half-hearted.

And then we have the word REJOICES. Tthere could be any number of words used there in the Greek. The word chosen is one that means to be OVERJOYED, UNSPEAKABLE JOY, EXCEEDING JOY, JUMP UP AND DOWN WITH JOY!

Sometimes I think if we were to see ourselves at worship as God sees us how ashamed of ourselves we would be. We arrive with less than passion. We slump in our pews with less than passion. Our body language communicates dispassion. We sing with anything but passion. We listen to the Word with apathy - a-passion - no passion! Mary portrayed the right attitude - a mega attitude. Her praise and worship was passionate - intense.

God abhors apathetic worship. In seminary I spent some time studying the minor prophet Malachi. In chapter 1 God says "you know Sons respect Fathers and servants respect masters. Where is the respect due me?" Priests say "how have we disrespected you?" God says: "You bring crippled, blind, diseased, animals to sacrifice to me. Try offering those animals to the governor - see what his reaction would be - would he be pleased? You come to the altar and say 'what a burden.' You sniff at what you are doing in contempt. Is that not wrong? I AM NOT PLEASED WITH YOU." GOD DESERVES PASSIONATE WORSHIP!

3. HABITUAL

By habitual I mean that this personal, passionate, posture of praise and worship was a Lifestyle. It was deeply ingrained in who she was. Think with me of Mary's circumstances: Pregnant without benefit of marriage. When she returns Nazareth after 3 months with Elizabeth the townspeople will definitely aware of her condition and tongues will wag. She hasn't told her fiancé Joseph, -who will have every right to dissolve the engagement. The life of this little girl "not even old enough to get a driver's license" is in turmoil! Yet she praises and rejoices! She jumps up and down with joy! Circumstances don't interrupt a lifestyle of praise and worship. I repeat: circumstances do not interrupt a lifestyle of praise and worship.

John Macarthur, the pastor-author from California: If worship for you only happens on a Sunday morning when it sort of gets pumped up, or only happens around the Christmas season or other special events, you're kidding yourself about whether you're a true worshiper. If worship only happens when things are going well in your life and you can whistle a tune because you got what you wanted, or because you're happy about the current events in your life, or because your measure of comfort has been met, if worship is connected to that then you don't understand the real stuff because true worship is unaffected by fluctuating circumstances. It doesn't rise and it doesn't fall. It is the constant praise that comes from deep within the soul because that which is spiritually true is unchanging...unchanging.

When I was became a new Christian as a teen I began reading some little paperbacks I purchased at a Christian book store. One was "Praise the Lord Anyway." PTL was a popular acronym at the time:Praise the Lord. But this author's trademark was PTLA-Praise the Lord Anyway! When the unexpected happens, embarrassment comes, Discomfort rears its ugly head or grief strikes. PTLA. Early in my Christian experience I learned the valuable truth to adopt a lifestyle of PTLA in spite of circumstances. Oh, I don't often live that way! My family can attest to that. PTLA stands for "PITTY PARTY THRU LIFE ANYWAY" for me. So I need to be reminded--and am pleased when I am reminded by one like Mary that PRAISE AND WORSHIP must be PERSONAL , PASSIONATE, AND HABITUAL.

4. HUMBLE

"He has been mindful of the humble state of his servant." A life of praise and worship comes from a humble heart. When Mary was was greeted by the angel Gabriel with the news that her womb would carry the Son of God she said: "I am the handmaid, servant of the Lord. May it be to me as you have said." Here again in vs 48 she refers to herself as a handmaid, a servant, the lowest form of female slave. Mary is just overwhelmed by fact that God would have such regard and consideration for such a poor, common girl.

It was just incomprehensible that He would be mindful of her! The word "mindful" means: "to gaze at, look upon, have regard for , have respect to." In that spirit of humble gratitude she can live a life of praise and worship. HE WAS MINDFUL OF HER. WE NEED TO BE REMINDED HE WAS AND CONTINUED TO BE MINDFUL OF HER.

He gave her Elizabeth, who affirmed her and blessed her in her confusion: "Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!" --He was mindful of her.

He chose for her Joseph who was a righteous man, a very good man. --He was mindful of her

He brought to her curious, worshiping shepherds. Upon giving birth in a filthy cow stall they confirmed to her she was in the right place at the right time. --He was mindful of her.

He kept her baby safe from murderous Herod and warned them to escape to Egypt. --He was mindful of her.

He provide means for the journey through the gifts of the Wise Men - gold, frankincense and myrrh. --He was mindful of her.

He gave her the desires of every parents heart. As the child grew He grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man. --He was mindful of her.

And when the unthinkable came, and she watched her son dying on a cross, He provided her security: "John behold your mother; mother behold your son." --He was mindful of her.

We, too, can and should be humble worshipers. We, too, have the promise that God was and is and will be mindful of us.

Recently I visited with a retired pastor,now 82, who shared with me his thoughts on the legacy he was leaving his family. He told me he had little as far as worldly goods but there were other elements of his life that he hoped would be the kind of legacy of which his children and grandchildren would be proud. Part of that legacy was the knowledge that God is Mindful. He told me that at the age of 52, having pastored small churches his entire ministry, he was unsure of what to do. The churches were unable to provide much in the way of salary, housing or retirement. It was a time when all churches wanted young pastors and he wasn't young any more. He was offered a job at the district office. He felt it a demotion; the pastorate was where it was at. But he worked in the office for 15 years and to his surprise it became a real ministry. Besides a ministry he was able to purchase a home and able to put aside for retirement. "I tell you this," he said "Because God took care of me." And with tears in his eyes he said "and God will take care of you." That might not speak to you but it does to me. I need to be reminded, and you do too: GOD IS MINDFUL, GOD IS MINDFUL. And so we praise.