2014 12-21 ‘Mary’s Baby Boy’ (Selected Scriptures)

“MARY’S BABY BOY”
SELECTED SCRIPTURES

I. Introduction
I learned a new word this week – it’s “mondegreen.” It seems that mondegreen can be a noun or a verb. That is, you could say, “That was a great mondegreen.” Or you could say, “I think I just mondegreened myself through that.” So whether we actually did a monde-green or spent some time modegreening, at one time or another, we’ve probably all done it.

What is a mondegreen? Well, it’s a little bit like a malapropism. Does that help? A mala-propism is an amusing error that occurs when a person mistakenly uses a word that sounds like another word but that has a very different meaning. Some of you may remember Archie Bunker from “All in the Family.” Archie was a master of malapropisms. He once spoke of a medical doctor as taking the “hippocritical oath.”

The difference between a malaprop and a mondegreen is that a mondegreen results from a
mishearing of something said or sung. They’re common in poetry and music. In fact, the word “mondegreen” comes directly from an old Scottish ballad. Here’s one stanza…
“Ye highlands and ye lowlands
Oh where hae you been?
Thou hae slay the Earl of Murray
And Lady Mondegreen”

But Lady Mondegreen is mentioned nowhere else in the poem. And there’s a good reason for that. There never was a Lady Mondegreen to be slain. The poem actually says…
“Ye highlands and ye lowlands
Oh where hae you been?
Thou hae slay the Earl of Murray
And laid him on the green”

Thus the birth of the “mondegreen.” Someone asks, “What does any of this have to do with Christmas?” The answer is, “Nothing, but it does have something to do with Christmas music.” It seems that children can really “mondegreen” some well-known Christmas carols.

Digging around on the internet, I found the following example. A second grade teacher asked her students to write out the words of their favorite Christmas songs. Some did just fine with good spelling and adequate penmanship. But others didn’t do quite so well.
• In “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” we sing, “…with th’angelic host proclaim…” But one child thought it was supposed to be, “…with the jelly and toast proclaim.”
• Then there’s “Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly.” But one second grader said the halls should be decked with Buddy Holly.
• All of the children knew that “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.” I always thought he was, “…making a list and checking it twice.” But one youngster seemed to think Santa Claus is a chef because, “He’s making a dish of chicken and rice…”
• And then there was, “Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, Barney’s the King of Israel.” (Just so there’s no confusion – Barney really isn’t the King of Israel.)

I even found one for all the good Calvinists out there.
• You probably thought that “The Twelve Days of Christmas” starts like this. “On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me…” No, that’s not it. “On the first day of Christmas my tulip gave to me…”

This morning we’re going to talk about another Christmas song. Fortunately, there are no “mondegreens” in it. In 1984 Mark Lowry wrote the words to the song Alyssa has sung for us. He read them at the Christmas play at his home church. “Mary, Did You Know?” was so well received that Lowry and musician Buddy Greene, decided to put the words to music.
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II. Text
Turn with me to Luke 1. Scripture makes it clear that Mary knew quite a bit about the child she would bear.
*Luke 1:31 (the angel Gabriel speaking)
31 “And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.”

Mary knew Jesus would be God’s Son and that He would rule Israel forever.
*Luke 1:32-33
32 “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;
33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob (Israel) forever; and His kingdom will have no end.

Mary knew these things because Gabriel had told her. There’s no question that she had faith in what she had been told by the angel.
*Luke 1:38
38 And Mary said (to Gabriel), “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

But do you think she fully grasped the total weight of his words? Over the next thirty years she would learn a lot. However, at that moment, when Gabriel left her, I don’t think she really understood all the ramifications of what would take place. I don’t think it would have been possible for her to take it in and fully comprehend the magnitude of it all.

At the time of Gabriel’s visit, Mary knew of the prophecies of the coming Messiah from the Hebrew Scriptures, the OT.
However, she did not have access to the complete Canon of Scripture, the Bible, which you and I have today, nor did she possess the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God came upon her to for the purpose of conceiving Jesus, but the continuous indwelling of the Spirit didn’t come on God’s people until the church was born on the day of Pentecost. Today you and I enjoy all the privileges and blessings of the Holy Spirit’s presence in us.

So let’s look at seven questions Mark Lowry asks in “Mary, Did You Know?” The answers will tell us a great deal about who that baby boy really is.

The First Question – “Mary, did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new? The child that you’ve delivered will soon deliver you.”

Jesus would not only deliver her from sin and death, He would do so for all who would put their faith and trust in Him. Without the birth of Jesus, Mary would have lived and died virtually unknown outside her own village. But because of Jesus, the Bible tells us that…
*Luke 1:28-30
28 (Gabriel) said to her, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.”
29 But she was greatly troubled at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this might be.
30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.”

Mary had found favor with God. He had chosen her for a singular honor. Now to be clear, we do not worship her! But we do highly esteem her. Think of all those people whom God has chosen to accomplish His purposes. He chose Abraham. He chose Isaac. He chose Jacob (Israel). He chose Moses. He chose David. The list goes on and on. Then Scripture tells us He chose angels, He chose the twelve apostles, and, oh yes, He chose you. And each and every one chosen, has been prepared and equipped by God for service to God.

And each one chosen has needed a Savior. Mary is no different. She was favored and high-ly esteemed, but she still needed a Savior. There is a false teaching out there that says Mary didn’t need a savior. It says that she had been preserved free from the stain of original sin by what the Roman Catholic Church calls the “Immaculate Conception.” But nothing like that will be found in the Bible.
*Luke 1:46-47
46 And Mary said, “My souls exalts the Lord,
47 “And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior…”

The Bible is clear. The Apostle Paul, in Romans 3, tells us repeatedly. “All have sinned… All fall short of the glory of God…There is none righteous…There is not even one.”
Romans 5:12
12 Therefore, just as through one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.
If Mary had been preserved sinless, Paul would had to have said, “because all sinned… except for Mary, our Lord’s mother.” But he didn’t say that; nor does anyone else in all of Scripture. The biblical pattern is unmistakable. There are no exceptions. Listen, a person is not saved, and by that salvation, then finds faith in Christ. A person comes to faith in Christ, and by that faith, is then saved.
Romans 4:3b
3b “…And Abraham (first) believed God, and (then) it was reckoned to him as righteousness.”

From Genesis to Malachi to Matthew to Revelation, salvation is always the result of saving faith. Saving faith is never the result of salvation!

So Mary, now we know that your baby boy is our Savior (and yours too).

The Second Question – “Mary, did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?”

Jesus is alive forever. But it’s more than that. He not only is alive forever; He has been alive forever. He came to us from eternity past and He went on from us into eternity future. In this present age we celebrate Jesus’ birth in the flesh and that’s fine. But we should never think that Jesus came into existence one night in Bethlehem.

Think of it this way instead. Jesus stepped out of eternity for a little while when He walked this earth. Then He stepped back into eternity.
Isaiah 7:14
14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.”
Isaiah 9:6
6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
Micah 5:2
2 “But as for you, Bethlehem… From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.”

In the NT, Christ’s eternality is affirmed by John, by the writer of Hebrews, and by Jesus Himself.
John 1:1-2 (the Holy Spirit speaking)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
Hebrews 1:8a (the Father speaking)
8a …of the Son He says, “Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever…”
John 8:58 (Jesus speaking)
58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM.”

This statement – “I AM” – is, I think, the most incredible thing Jesus ever said about Him-self while He walked this earth. When He said, “I AM,” He took God’s eternal name upon Himself.
Exodus 3:14
14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

In Exodus 3:15 God said, “This is My name forever…” If what Jesus said about Himself was not true, then calling Himself, “I AM,” was a blasphemy of epic proportions. In fact, it is that very thing of which the Pharisees falsely accused Him. And finally, just before He went to the cross, Jesus prayed that God would restore His glory. He did not ask God to give Him something He never had. He asked God to return to Him what Jesus had willingly laid aside and what was rightfully His – the glory that He had in eternity past.
John 17:5
5 “And now, glorify me together with Yourself, Father, with the glory which I had with you before the world was.”

So Mary, now we know that your baby boy has come
from eternity and has walked where angels trod.

The Third Question – “Mary, did you know the blind will see; the lame will leap; the dumb will speak, the deaf will hear, and the dead will live again?”

The gospels tell us that Mary’s baby boy confirmed His deity with no less than thirty-five recorded miracles. He calmed a storm at sea. He walked on water. He turned water into wine. He filled empty nets with fish. He fed thousands with a few bits of food. He cast out demons. The blind did see, the deaf did hear, the dumb did speak, the lame did walk, and Lazarus, dead for four days, arose and walked alive out of his tomb. But that’s not all.
John 20:30-31
30 Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of the dis-ciples, which are not written in this book;
31 but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.

There are many people who don’t believe in miracles. This is even true of some who claim to be Christians. But unbelief doesn’t change the facts.

Here’s an example. This past Wednesday marked the 111th anniversary of a major event in human history. On that day, December 17, 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright flew a powered and controllable aircraft off the sands at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
Years later there were still those who said flight was impossible. They just wouldn’t believe it had been done. Did that unbelief mean the Wrights didn’t fly? Of course not! The Wrights flew. It’s completely irrelevant that some people didn’t believe it!

What about Jesus Christ? He performed miracles but there are those who don’t believe in miracles. Does that mean Jesus didn’t do them? Of course not! He did them! He is God. It’s completely irrelevant that some people don’t believe it!

If you’re a Christian, you’ve already experienced at least one miracle. God changed you from a lost sinner with no hope into a child of God with a glorious and eternal future. You were spiritually dead, but now you’re spiritually alive in Christ. And the day will come when you, like Lazarus, will come out of that tomb just like he did. Jesus came out of His tomb. He has promised us that we will too, and that’s a miracle.

So Mary, now we know that your baby boy is our miracle worker.

The Fourth Question – “Mary, did you know when you kissed your baby boy, you kissed the face of God?”

In Paul’s letter to the church at Colossae, he makes a number of truly amazing statements about the person of Jesus Christ.
Colossians 1:15
15 And He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation.

God is a Spirit invisible to the human eye, but Jesus was visible when He walked on the earth, wasn’t He? The word “image” here is the Greek “ĕikōn,” “an exact representation.”
But as so often seems to be the case with Greek, the word has a deeper and richer meaning. It is not that Jesus is merely a copy. He is “the prototype.” Christ does not simply resemble God – He is drawn from God and is the exact representation of the Father. This is what Jesus meant when He said…
John 10:30; 14:9b
30 “I and the Father are one.” (and…)
9b “…He who has seen Me has seen the Father…”

Mary was able to kiss the face of God because He had veiled His glory. Left unveiled, God’s brilliance and glory is too much for us. It would have been too much for Mary or any other mortal for that matter. We would be destroyed by it. It would be like trying to stand on the surface of the sun. We would be instantly blinded and vaporized.
1 Timothy 6:15b-16a
15b (…Jesus) who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords;
16a who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen or can see.

There is no one else who can be called “…KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

So Mary, now we know that your baby boy is God in human flesh.

The Fifth Question – “Mary, did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?”

Again, the Scripture is clear. Jesus created everything, even you, Mary.
John 1:3, 10
3 All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him…
Colossians 1:16-17
16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things have been created by Him and for Him.
17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

Jesus is not only the Creator of all things; He is the Sustainer of all things. The opening verses of Hebrews restate and reconfirm what both John and Paul already said…
Hebrews 1:1-2
1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,
2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.

So Mary, now we know that your baby boy is the very Creator Himself.

The Sixth Question – “Mary, did you know that your baby boy will one day rule the nations?”
Revelation 11:15b
15b “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.”

The word “world” here can be misleading. We tend to think of the world as our planet earth. But the word means far more than that. The Greek word “kŏsmŏs,” meaning the sum total of the material creation; the universe and all it contains. Remember…
Colossians 1:16
16 …all things have been created by Him and for Him.

Since all things are His, He will rule all things!
Revelation 19:15a
15a And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and He will rule them with a rod of iron…

Here’s something wonderful to ponder.
See if you can envision the day when all the leaders of the earth will fall to their knees and cry out, “Lord Jesus, You are King of kings and Lord of lords. What would You have us do?” A fantasy, you say? No, that day will come!
Philippians 2:10-11
10 …that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in hea-ven, and on earth, and under the earth,
11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God that Father.

So Mary, now we know that your baby boy is King of all creation.

The Seventh Question – “Mary, did you know that your baby boy is heaven’s perfect Lamb?”

In Revelation 13:8 John speaks of the Lamb who has been slain from the foundation of the world. There’s that word “world” again. Remember that it means the entire creation. God planned all of this from before the beginning of time; “from the foundation of ‘creation’.” Jesus came to earth to die, to be God’s perfect and acceptable sacrifice for sin.

When we celebrate Christmas we are really celebrating the fact that Jesus came to us as the perfect Lamb of God. About thirty years after Jesus’ birth John the Baptist said this about Jesus when He came to be baptized.
John 1:29b
29b “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

This was the role He willingly and humbly played over 2000 years ago.
*Isaiah 53:1-6
1 Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
3 He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face, He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed.
6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.

Now someone may say, “That’s a passage for Easter, not for Christmas.” Well, they would be right. It is. But there would be no Easter, no Resurrection Sunday without Christmas.

On that first Christmas, Jesus came to earth as a lamb to the slaughter. But He’ll not do so again. He is coming back. He said He would and He cannot lie. And when He comes it will not be as the humble Lamb of God coming to seek and save His own. He’ll be coming as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah to judge those who are not His own.

So Mary, now we know that your baby boy is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
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III. Conclusion
Earlier I said I didn’t think Mary could grasp the magnitude of it all. Over the next three decades she would learn a great deal. These things would all become crystal clear to her.

How about you? Have you grasped it all? Mankind has had nearly 2000 years to take it all in. This morning, as we look to Mary’s baby boy, it is my prayer that you’ve placed your faith and trust in Him already. But if you haven’t you still can. Jesus is still seeking and saving the lost. God Himself is calling to you from the manger.

Mary’s baby boy came to us from eternity. He is God in human flesh. He is the Savior. He has come from eternity past. He is the Miracle Worker. He is the Creator of all that there is. He is Ruler, King, and Lord, and He the perfect and spotless Lamb of God.

Mary came to know all of that and now, this Christmas, we know it too. So come to the manger and give your life to Mary’s baby boy. He gave His for you.

~ Pray ~