Bethlehem Baptist Church
Sunday Morning 12/21/25
  • Joy To The World (Unspeakable Joy)

      • 1 John 4:7-9ESV

      • 1 John 4:10-11ESV

  • I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day
  • The Virgin's Lullaby
  • The First Noel
  • O Come All Ye Faithful (His Name Shall Be)
  • Breath Of Heaven (Mary's Song)
  • Introduction:
    What’s your favorite Christmas song?
    Most of the songs we sing at Christmas feature some common themes like the birth of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, the angels, etc.
    All of these songs would make them labeled Christmas songs.
    This morning, we are going to take a look at a large swath of Scripture this morning to see three key songs that also serve as prophecies regarding the birth of Jesus.
    This morning, we will look at the praises of His people.
    Luke 1:39–56 ESV
    39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” 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.” 56 And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.
    Pray

    1. Elizabeth’s Praise - (Luke 1:39-45)

    Praise God for the Faithful
    The Holy Spirit comes upon her to utter these prophetic words. They serve as reassurance to Mary and confirmation of the message of the angel Gabriel
    She is filled with (controlled by) the Holy Spirit
    This enables her to recognize that the Baby in Mary’s womb was special
    She does this due to the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit
    Key verse: v. 42
    Luke 1:42 ESV
    42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
    Blessing on Mary for her faith and obedience
    She is realizing the blessings of Deuteronomy 28:1–6
    Deuteronomy 28:1–6 ESV
    1 “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. 3 Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. 4 Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. 5 Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 6 Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
    Blessing of Jesus’s Presence
    Elizabeth recognizes that Mary is carrying the Messiah by the revelation from the Holy Spirit coming upon her
    The reason that Mary is blessed is because of Jesus
    The purpose of Elizabeth’s song is to praise God for faith and obedience in the life of God’s servants as well as the presence of Jesus in their lives.
    Application:
    While Mary is blessed in a unique way, all of us who obey the Lord and serve the purpose He has for each of our lives are blessed and are able to be a blessing as long as Jesus is with us.
    Do you need to look at the lives of the saints in your Bible or the people you know who are still living today to see how God blesses obedience?
    Nothing is impossible with God!
    Most importantly, Elizabeth is able to recognize the blessing of Jesus because of the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit.
    Is God illuminating your heart today to be able to see that Jesus is no ordinary man, but is the Son of God and the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world?

    2. The Magnificat (Mary's Song) Luke 1:46-56

    Mary responds to Elizabeth with a song of praise of her own.
    Look at vv. 46-47
    Luke 1:46–47 ESV
    46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
    The Purpose of Mary’s Song is to praise God for Salvation and Deliverance
    Mary recognizes her need of a Savior in (v. 46-47)
    RC official church doctrine is that Mary was sinless and didn’t need Jesus to save her.
    Mary didn’t not agree.
    She quotes in a manner similar to Hannah at the praises that the Lord had heard her prayer for a child.
    She also echoes David when He says in the Psalms 110:1
    Psalm 110:1 ESV
    1 The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”
    What I love the most about Mary is her humility. She refuses to let the focus be on herself and instead puts it back on God.
    She rejoices that God chooses to use the humble and lowly (vv. 48-49)
    Luke 1:48–49 ESV
    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.
    He is merciful (v. 50)
    Luke 1:50 ESV
    50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
    She praises God for the mighty works that He has done (vv.51-55)
    Luke 1:51–55 ESV
    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.”
    Application:
    Humility and faith are what God is looking for in a believer to use them to accomplish His kingdom purposes.
    Are you humble and willing?
    Do you give praise to God and point the attention back to Jesus?
    Do you live in a way that would glorify God or bring Him shame.

    3. The Benedictus (Zechariah's Song) Luke 1:65-80

    The last song we are going to look at today is Zechariah’s song
    We left Zechariah a few weeks ago when the angel Gabriel told him that his prayers had been heard and he didn’t believe
    Well, what happened after Elizabeth gave birth is recorded in vv. 57-66
    Luke 1:57–66 ESV
    57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58 And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59 And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, 60 but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” 62 And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered. 64 And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. 65 And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, 66 and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.
    Comments on John’s birth
    Zechariah was not only unable to speak, but seems to have been deaf too
    Zechariah had the right to name Jesus
    Zechariah has repented and obeys the angel’s instructions
    Immediately his tongue is loosed and he praises God.
    Purpose of the Song: Praise God for sending us a Savior and sending us witnesses
    God has visited His people
    Luke 1:68 ESV
    68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people
    God has saved His people
    Luke 1:69–71 ESV
    69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, 70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, 71 that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us;
    God has shown mercy to His people
    Luke 1:72 ESV
    72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant,
    God has delivered His people
    Luke 1:73–74 ESV
    73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us 74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear,
    John concludes with prophesying over John’s future that he would go before the Messiah and point people to Him (vv. 76-79)
    Luke 1:76–79 ESV
    76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high 79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
    Recounts passages from Malachi in his prophecy
    Sunrise shall visit us from on high
    Light in the darkness
    John would serve to be a small light to the big Light
    Conclusion:
    What do all of these songs mean for you? They are wonderful, but up to this point you may be wondering how does it impact your life?
    To answer this question, let me use Jesus’s strategy of asking a question to answer a question. In fact, I want you to consider each of the people involved in the Christmas story this morning and what they did and answer these questions about your own life.
    Are obedient to the Lord’s will for your life like Mary was? Do you have faith in the promises of God?
    Have you surrendered to Christ and received Him as your Lord and Savior? Mary was given the mission of Jesus by the angel, but she also recognized him as her own personal Lord.
    Have you received Christ as your Lord and Savior and King?
    Have you praised Him lately for what He’s done for you? Mary responded to all that was happening with a Holy Spirit inspired worship.
    The reason we gather in church is to praise the Lord for HIs salvation and blessing.
    If knowing these things cannot produce praise in your heart to God, then you are lost and still in your sins.
    What these songs teach us is that God keeps His promises. They may be ancient promises made long ago, but God always delivers on time in just the right way.
    Don’t wait until the Christmas season is over and New Year’s resolutions are being made to try to get right with the Lord. Now is the time. It’s the whole reason for this season.

      • Luke 1:39–56ESV

      • Luke 1:39–45ESV

      • Luke 1:42ESV

      • Deuteronomy 28:1–6ESV

      • Luke 1:46–56ESV

      • Luke 1:46–47ESV

      • Psalm 110:1ESV

      • Luke 1:48–49ESV

      • Luke 1:50ESV

      • Luke 1:51–55ESV

      • Luke 1:65–80ESV

      • Luke 1:57–66ESV

      • Luke 1:68ESV

      • Luke 1:69–71ESV

      • Luke 1:72ESV

      • Luke 1:73–74ESV

      • Luke 1:76–79ESV

  • Come Just As You Are
Bethlehem Baptist Church
info@bbced.org
478-272-7827
https://www.bbced.org
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