396 - The Blessed Woman Mary#
396 - The Blessed Woman Mary
(JP Text Group - shalom compilation)
The topic of sharing is: The Blessed Woman Mary
Luke 1:26-38:
26 In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city in Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary; 28 and the angel came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was very perplexed at this statement and kept pondering what kind of greeting this was.
30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. 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 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy child shall be called the Son of God. 36 And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age, and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Let us begin with a prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You and praise You for bringing us before You. Your words are powerful, and through these words, You grant me strength, provision, and help. I need Your words to become the power in my life; You are the Most High, and I am a child of the Most High, possessing Your authority and power. You give me wisdom to apply these words in my life and to bear witness to Your glory. I give this time to You, that every seeker may find You. Thank You and praise You, in the name of our Lord Jesus, Amen.
In the West, there are many named Mary, more than those named Peter. There are many named Peter and Paul, but there are even more named Mary. Do you know why? People feel this name has a celestial quality; it is different! Who has this name given birth? This woman named Mary gave birth to "God," which is remarkable! Therefore, some also call Mary the Holy Mother. Jesus is called the Holy Son.
Is there a concept of the Holy Mother? No, there is no Holy Mother; brothers and sisters must understand this! Mary is an ordinary person like us, only she was used by God. Why is she called the blessed woman? Not because her name is Mary, but because she was willing to be a vessel for the Lord, used by God. No matter what your name is, if you are willing to be used by God, you too can become a blessed person. Hallelujah!
The Bible records that Mary's background is different from others; she was born into a priestly family. If you trace her lineage, it goes back to royal descent, but by her generation, it had already fallen into disrepair. When the angel greeted her, she was very startled and did not know what this meant.
The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city in Galilee named Nazareth. Nazareth was not a city with a good reputation; the people there were not well-regarded. People like to give nicknames to those from less favorable places. For example, there was a man in the Bible named Nabal, which means foolish, and indeed, Nabal acted foolishly. His wife later said that he was called Nabal, which suited his name perfectly, indicating that this person was as foolish as his name suggested.
Nazareth was actually looked down upon. When Nathanael heard that Jesus came from Nazareth, he said, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” He despised the people from that place. Jesus was born in that place, which signifies that in God's eyes, there is no distinction between people from different regions; if you are willing to believe in Him and live according to His words, you are blessed.
The angel Gabriel went to a virgin who was engaged to a man named Joseph, emphasizing that this person was named David. David symbolizes a king, a descendant of a fallen royal family, and God directly reminded her that she is a descendant of David, and Joseph is also a descendant of David.
The virgin's name was Mary, and becoming the mother of the Messiah has been the dream of many Israelite women throughout history. Do you know why Israelite women longed for this? They hoped that one day, among them, there would be a woman who could give birth to Jesus. At that time, they did not know His name was Jesus, but they knew He was the Messiah, called Christ. Amen.
Which woman would experience such a thing? No one knew, and unexpectedly, such a good fortune fell upon Mary, a rural girl from Nazareth. She was not chosen for her vast knowledge or wealthy family, nor for her exceptional wisdom or beauty; how was she chosen?
Let us first look at the prophecy at that time, Isaiah 7:13-14:
13 Isaiah said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel (which means God with us).
This was the prophecy Isaiah gave to the people of Israel. At that time, the descendants of David, the royal family, had already fallen. God said to them, “Is it a small thing for you to weary God?” But God still gave them hope, that a virgin would conceive and bear a son, indicating that the child to be called Christ would indeed be born of a woman.
Because of this prophecy, many Israelite women wondered if they could be the one to receive such a blessing. Why was Mary chosen? Have you thought about it? From the scene where the angel Gabriel was sent by God to deliver the message to Mary, it can be seen that Mary was a woman who was very obedient to God's words; she placed great importance on God's words.
Let us look again at Luke 1:28-29:
28 The angel came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you!” 29 But she was very perplexed at this statement and kept pondering what kind of greeting this was.
As a rural girl, she may have never seen an angel before; like others, she would go to the temple to worship God at the appointed times and pray sincerely. Now, the angel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you!” These were the words of the angel.
I often tell everyone that the people of Israel did not even receive this blessing because many lived contrary to God's words, casting aside God's commandments and statutes, living however they pleased. Only Mary was different; since the angel said she was favored, Mary must be a blessed woman. The angel's greeting, “The Lord is with you,” proved that Mary had already enjoyed the joy of being with God.
The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city in Galilee named Nazareth, to appear to this virgin Mary and greet her; this statement is very precious. You must understand that in that era, being called righteous and favored by God was rare.
The Bible records some people who, despite the corrupt world, still lived according to God's words. For example, in Noah's time, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, with few interested in God's matters; only Noah and his family were righteous, living according to God's words. Can everyone distinguish this? It is not that they were without sin, but they lived according to God's words in that generation, which was different from others.
When the angel greeted her, Mary was first very startled because she had never encountered such a thing; secondly, she pondered why the angel would greet her this way. Why did the angel call Mary the favored woman? She wondered why the angel was asking her this. What does it mean that the Lord is with her? Although she did not understand, she did not disregard God's words; instead, she pondered them. When the angel spoke to her, she began to think about what was happening, indicating that she placed great importance on God's words.
Let us continue to look at Luke 1:30-33:
30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. 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 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”
From this passage, we understand how Mary could find favor before God at that time; it must have been through good behavior. Because Mary was still under the law, do we need good behavior under grace? Yes. Although you are righteous, whether you can be blessed depends on whether you can apply God's words in your life; if you do, you are a blessed person. At that time, Mary had already found favor before God.
The next part says, “You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. 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. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”
Mary almost did not understand this; whether it was the announcement of her pregnancy or the long list of descriptions that followed, Mary was likely in a state of confusion because she could not comprehend these words. This passage is not only for Mary but also for us; it tells us what kind of person this Jesus, called Christ, is. The angel made a very accurate description of this child, that He is the Son of the Most High, that is, the Son of God.
Later, when Jesus preached in the world, He did so as the Son of God. Before He was born, the angel had already said this, telling Mary that this child is the Son of the living God, indicating that this infant is the son of a king, and the matter of Christ being the Savior was clearly stated.
The Lord Jesus will sit on the throne of David; He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. What does this mean? Mary is a descendant of David; David is her ancestor, and Jesus is born of Mary, so He is also a descendant of David. This passage is very long; you can read the books of Kings or Samuel, which detail David and his descendants ruling.
To summarize, in 2 Samuel 7:12-13:
12 When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
At that time, David received revelation from God; this passage indicates that God told him that because he had shed much blood, he was not suitable to build a temple for God, but his son could build a temple for Him. When you return, I will raise up your descendant to succeed you. Who is this descendant? Many people think it is Solomon because Solomon indeed built the temple, right?
This is correct, but do you know who else built a temple besides Solomon? It was Jesus, a descendant of David! Solomon's temple was indeed magnificent at that time, but after Solomon died, the subsequent words could not be fulfilled.
Because it says, “I will raise up your descendant to succeed you; I will establish his kingdom forever.”
It is clear that Solomon's throne did not last forever; it ended with Jehoiakim. Only Jesus, another descendant of David, built a kingdom and a temple that still exists today. Do you know what it is? The Church. Jesus, even after Herod, when the temple was destroyed, said, “In three days, I will raise up this temple.” Now do you understand? “I will raise up your descendant to succeed you; He will build a house for My name.” This refers to Jesus, who will one day rise to build the Church, and only this temple will last forever, and His throne will also last forever.
Although it was said of Solomon, it is not only about Solomon; in 1 Kings 8, Solomon indeed fulfilled the prophecy, but this prophecy is not just about Solomon. Solomon's throne did not last forever; after Solomon died, most of his kingdom was taken by others, leaving only the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, while the other ten tribes were lost.
In 722 BC, those ten tribes were destroyed by Assyria, and the kingdom of northern Israel came to an end. The two tribes of Rehoboam were also destroyed in 587 BC, meaning that after 587 BC, both northern Israel and southern Judah no longer had a throne. When their throne ceased to exist and their nation was invaded, where did the so-called descendants of Solomon go? Were they still kings? Were they still royal descendants? No.
According to Solomon's descendants, they were no longer. Just like after a regime change, you were a princess of the previous dynasty, but now you are just an ordinary person; do you understand? Moreover, it has been over a hundred years, and now we are in the AD era, at least four or five generations have passed. If you trace back the ancestry of Joseph and Mary, they too were descendants of a once-powerful kingdom! But people could only say, “Oh, it is what it is!” and look at their lives in Nazareth, thinking, “What is there?”
However, they did not look down on themselves; they believed that God was still there. Therefore, Mary and Joseph were very devout and continued to serve God. When the angel appeared, it did not tell her that they were descendants of Solomon or Rehoboam, but directly stated that they were descendants of David, indicating that God was once again bringing up the lineage of kings. Amen.
In fact, the Lord Jesus was not born from Solomon's line; the Lord Jesus sits on the throne of David, not on the throne after Solomon. You must distinguish this; it is primarily about Jesus replacing David's throne. He will build a house for God's name, referring to the Church. Now do you understand the spiritual meaning here? We thought it was Solomon, but it is actually Jesus Christ.
When reading the Old Testament, you must place Jesus within it, and many things will be clarified. Otherwise, it seems that God promised David that this throne would be eternal, but when Solomon died, the kingdom split; does that not seem like a lie? No, what God said is not that. What does it mean? From here, you can understand that the Bible is very interesting; although it speaks of past events, if you read Ecclesiastes, you will know.
There is nothing new under the sun; what you see now has already happened in the past. In God's spiritual realm, there have always been certain rules. These rules apply to anyone who enters them; they must operate according to God's rules. Solomon was like this, David was like this, and we are now in Christ, which means you are destined to be in the blessings of Christ. No matter how you operate, you are walking in the kingdom of heaven; it is impossible for you to be led into hell. Amen.
The kingdom of Christ can never decline, and you are a citizen of the kingdom of Christ. Amen! The kingdom of Jesus still exists today; God supports the kingdom of Jesus Christ. When Jesus revealed salvation on the cross, God's kingdom was established, and it is an eternal kingdom.
Let us look at another passage, 2 Samuel 7:13-16:
13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish his throne forever. 14 I will be his father, and he will be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. 15 But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.’”
When reading this passage, it can be understood that it refers to Solomon, but as we look further, we will find that God acts very justly. That is to say, He will not overlook sin just because Jesus is His Son; His standard of justice is the same for everyone. Amen. This is why Jesus had to be born into the world, and He had to be sinless; He could not sin or violate God's words.
So this passage says, “I will be his father, and he will be My son; if he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men.”
Can this be applied to Jesus? If Jesus had sinned, would He have been chastened with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men?
Is this not what happens when a person sins? When we think about this passage spiritually, did He ever sin? Was He ever chastened by men? Why? Because we sinned and violated God's words, and that sin was ours. Only when a person bears the punishment from God can God's mercy continue to rest upon him. Now you understand why Jesus had to suffer for you, to bear the consequences of your sin; this is why Jesus came into the world.
The passage continues, “But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you.”
No king of Israel at that time was without sin; they were all chastened by God. Only Jesus Christ, after sitting on the throne, never sinned but bore the punishment for us, so God's mercy will never depart from you. This also indicates that your house will always be watched over by God and will stand forever before Him. Amen.
The kingdom of Jesus Christ is still firm today and will last forever. This is a guarantee for you. Why do we need a kingdom? Because a kingdom provides not only supply but also protection. The people of Israel once lost their kingdom and were bullied everywhere, with no one to plead their case. Later, God allowed them to restore their kingdom, and after restoring it, they could protect themselves, and others would respect them. When the world does not respect you, remember that your kingdom is not here; you belong to the higher realm, as a citizen of God's kingdom. Amen.
Solomon's descendants did not reign forever; his throne ended with Jehoiakim. The Lord Jesus is a descendant of David, and He will reign forever. So after the angel spoke to Mary, she already understood the mission she was about to undertake. She knew that the child she would conceive would be significant, and this was made very clear. Now Mary had to make a choice: would she accept this blessing?
Brothers and sisters, if the word of God comes to you, would you be willing to accept it? It is indeed quite difficult! Why? At that time, Mary was under the law, just engaged to Joseph, which means she was newly betrothed. She had to wait at home for Joseph to come and marry her. If she became pregnant during that year, who could bear the shame? Moreover, if anyone discovered she was pregnant, according to the law at that time, she would not be allowed to live; she would have to be stoned to death.
When this word came to Mary, it was a very difficult choice. Was she a blessed woman? Did this blessing fall upon her? But with it came the danger of losing her life, and even if she were not stoned to death, every day in the world, people might point fingers at her. Have you received grace? Has no one pointed fingers at you? Just because you believe in Jesus and focus on Him, has no one slandered you? What to do? Do not forget that when blessings come, the devil is the least willing to see you blessed and will surely raise some minions to attack you!
Mary faced the greatest attacks. What to do? First, let us look at Mary; she was a person under the law and had to meet certain conditions to be used by God. This is a characteristic of being under the law because a person under the law must first ensure that their outward appearance is blameless. Why were the Pharisees, scribes, and Sadducees able to dominate the religious world for so long? They had one thing: their behavior was polished beautifully.
Anyone who looked at them would see their piety; when they prayed, they would stand at the street corners for a long time. The people would look and think, “Look how pious our pastor is!” When I went to buy groceries, they were praying; when I returned, they were still praying. You could always find them busy in the temple, trimming the candles or sweeping the floor. This was a good example, and their behavior was blameless.
At that time, the religious people under the law had to meet this standard, but merely meeting this standard was not enough. When Jesus came to preach, He criticized the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees. Why did He criticize them? Because these outward appearances were false, fabricated; their hearts did not truly fear God. They honored God with their lips, but their hearts were far from Him. They could deceive people and believers, but could they deceive God? No, they could not. Some say that we are under the New Covenant and under grace, making it easier.
Is it better to choose to live under the Ten Commandments and strive to keep them, or to strive to keep Jesus' commands? Which is easier? Some would say, “Surely Jesus' commands are easier!” I tell you, Jesus' commands are harder.
In the Ten Commandments, it says that as long as you do not commit actual sins, such as hating someone and wanting to kill them, but do not actually kill them (no action), it is considered not violating the Ten Commandments. When Jesus came, He made it very clear in Matthew 5, saying, “I tell you, if you hate someone, you have already killed them; if you insult your brother, you are guilty.” Which is harder? Clearly, Jesus' commands are harder, right?
Brothers and sisters, when the angel came to choose a person, the first thing He looked at was whether this person's outward appearance was pious, and secondly, their heart must also be obedient to God. Whether one can achieve this is one thing, but if one does not want to achieve it at all and despises God's words, God will not use them. This is why God did not go to the temple to find those people.
In Malachi's time, the people of Israel had already gone too far; they offered the lame and blind, the things they did not want, before God, indicating that their hearts were no longer concerned about God. But Mary was different; she had great respect and piety towards God; she feared God. How many such people were there in that era? Not many.
Let us look at another person, Acts 10:1-4:
1 There was a man at Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian cohort, 2 a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually. 3 About the ninth hour of the day, he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who had just come in and said to him, “Cornelius!” 4 And fixing his gaze on him and being much alarmed, he said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God.”
Reading this passage, you will understand why Mary was chosen; it is not that she lay at home sleeping all day like the Pharisees and was randomly chosen for grace. In reality, her heart was already prepared. Of course, Cornelius was also devout and feared God, but why did this not happen to Cornelius? Because he was a man! Just kidding.
Why was he a devout man? He and his whole household feared God, gave many alms to the people, and prayed to God continually. He was not only spiritually close to God but also blameless in his outward behavior. In that era, only such people could be used by God.
The prophets in the Old Testament who were used by God all met this standard. Therefore, God's grace fell upon Mary because of her piety, and the angel conveyed this good news to her about what would happen. At that time, Mary did not understand and did not know how this would come to pass; let us look at where Mary's questions were.
Luke 1:34-37:
34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason, the holy child shall be called the Son of God. 36 And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age, and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”
This passage is interesting; when God gave this blessing to Mary, although she did not understand, she knew what kind of person this child would be, but she did not know how God would accomplish this. You can have misunderstandings about God; it is okay, just pray. But you must believe that God can accomplish this. For many prayers, we do not need to know how God will accomplish them; we just need to see the results.
For example, is everything in the universe created by God? How did God create it? Some say He spoke it into existence. There are many skeptics today who question, “How can something come from just a word? Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” They start to argue. As long as there are chickens and eggs, it is fine, right? You do not need to worry about which came first. Just see that God has created this world and believe that it was created by Him through His words. As for how God accomplishes it, you do not need to study that. Amen, and besides, you cannot study that.
Some people also try to delete parts of God's words, saying this passage is unnecessary, that passage is not needed. Many people view the Bible this way, so they cannot see the manifestation of God's power. Only those like Mary, who believe exactly as God says, will see His power; mixed doctrines will cause God's words to lose their power.
At first, was Moses not a person under the law? Did Moses perform many miracles? Yes, he did. But why did the people fail to perform miracles later? For example, during the time of the great prophets and minor prophets, why were their miracles fewer? It is because people added too much of their own interpretation to God's words. In the New Testament, for example, before Jesus came, the temple was very magnificent, but the scribes and Pharisees in the temple had not seen miracles for many years, let alone heard angels speak. This is why Mary was very startled when she saw the angel; it had been so many years since anyone had encountered an angel, and she did not even know what an angel looked like.
In reading the Old Testament, did God not often speak to those prophets in this way? They read the Scriptures and knew that this would happen, but why did it not happen in their time? It is because they had added too much that did not belong to God to His words. I have mentioned before that on the Sabbath, nothing could be done, but the priests could work and find very reasonable excuses. Jesus said, “You hypocrites! If your sheep falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not pull it out?” Why did He say this? It indicates that if your sheep falls in, you are allowed to pull it out, but why are the people not allowed to do the same? They added things to God's words. If you want to keep God's words, you should treat everyone equally.
If we, in this generation, add to or modify God's words, it indeed diminishes God's power. You can see how much power God's words carry when they come out of you. For example, if our own words account for 50% and God's words account for 50%, what is the success rate? 50%, that’s right.
Many people may not realize that there is such a problem. I often give an example: if someone has a cold and fever, what should we say? “In the name of the Lord Jesus, I command this fever to go away.” We think this is a small problem and will surely be accomplished. But if someone has late-stage cancer? We might say, “Let’s pray more, let’s fast!” Why do we have this thought? People think the problem is so serious that they must exert more effort! Congratulations, this is your 50%. Now do you understand?
If you believe it is God’s doing, is there a difference between a cold and cancer? They are the same! Why do we make it seem different? Because we add our own interpretation, thinking we must fast for ten days for it to be accomplished! Did God say that? No. When you believe this is God's doing, it becomes very simple, and God's power will be fully manifested. Amen!
Another way of thinking is that when we pray for someone, there has been a saying in the church for many years: “Many hands make light work.”
I often hear people online sending us messages, urging us to forward this message to 20 people. If this person is in trouble, the more you forward, the faster God will act. Why do people think this way? They feel that God's hand is so hard to move that they need thousands of people to shake God's hand to get Him to notice this person and perhaps heal them. This is human thinking at 100%, and God is at 0, so even if thousands pray, it is useless.
Brothers and sisters, our Lord accomplishes things by looking at whether a person believes. If they believe, even if only one person prays for them, it will be accomplished. When we pray for others, we should have this mindset: you use the name of the Lord Jesus, and it will be accomplished; that is enough. If they ask you if it will work, you say, “I don’t know; let’s keep praying.”
Brothers and sisters, when Mary heard the angel's words, she did not ask if it would work; she said, “I am the Lord's servant; may it be done to me according to your word.” This is very important; she did not hesitate. She did not discuss the possibilities or the likelihood of success; she unconditionally obeyed God's words, pondered them repeatedly, and ultimately chose to believe in God's words.
As I mentioned earlier, accepting this matter required taking risks! Because once this matter is accomplished, she would face family persecution, attacks from her peers, and the possibility of being stoned to death. Mary certainly did not worry about being stoned because the angel spoke directly to her, assuring her that God would make a way for her. However, she would have to bear the rumors.
“I am the Lord's servant.” The reason Mary was blessed was precisely because of this: “I am the Lord's servant.” She had considered all these matters and thought them through repeatedly. She said, “I am the Lord's servant.” In this last generation, people either see themselves as the Lord's servants or, under grace, think of themselves as the Lord, with Jesus as the servant, believing that Jesus will accomplish whatever they want.
What are we? What does it mean to be a servant? It means being a woman used by God. Amen. We are vessels used by God; we cannot get this order wrong. God uses us, and His words manifest power through us. It is not because we are so great; you are healing others in the name of the Lord, but it is still God using you. Amen. How He uses you is determined by the user. Many times, we insist on doing things our way, and that is when we become the master, and things do not work out.
Mary said, “I am the Lord's servant; may it be done to me according to your word.”
We need to do the same; believe that we are vessels of the Lord, channels used by God. Only when you believe this will God's power flow through you. When you pray for others or for something, having this mindset of being a channel will allow you to see God's power fully manifested. When you extend your hand to pray for others, it is not about your ability; it is God's power flowing through you to that person. Hallelujah! Blessed people usually have obedient hearts. Mary was blessed because she obeyed God, and indeed, grace greatly descended upon her.
Finally, let us look at a passage about Jesus' obedience. Philippians 2:6-11:
6 Who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bondservant, and being made in the likeness of men; 8 and being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Many people have read this passage many times. What is the significance? In Mary, we can see the shadow of Jesus' obedience. Was Jesus not the Son of God? A standard Son of God, in the kingdom of heaven, but He did not manage everything with His mouth! Now, He became a baby, limited by the flesh when He came into this world! He was originally free, full of authority and glory, but now He came into this world and was restricted by the flesh, which was a humiliation for Him! But that was not the greatest humiliation; the greatest humiliation was that He was born in Nazareth, in the house of Joseph the carpenter, a descendant of a fallen royal family, with few people knowing Him. Even if He went out and told others, “I am of royal descent,” people would just listen and dismiss it.
Brothers and sisters, it is this Jesus who came into this world. He had God's power within Him, yet He did not use this authority to oppress others. I often ask everyone to think: if your words had the power of life and death, what would the world look like in your hands? Now think about it: if your words had the power of life and death, if someone dared to offend you, even if you felt just a tiny bit uncomfortable, you could just get angry, and that person would immediately drop dead. What would happen to the world? It would be chaos!
In fact, the reason God does not fully manifest such great authority and power through us is not that He is unwilling, but because there is too much of our own stuff inside us. Using a bottle as an analogy, if this bottle is 100% filled with God's words, it will be 100% filled with God's power. But if this bottle contains only 1% of God's words, that person already feels remarkable, thinking they are great, with 99% of their own stuff mixed in, saying, “Be careful, or I will curse you in the name of Jesus!” How powerful is this person?
You see, when Jesus was on this earth, He had the appearance of a man, yet He emptied Himself and took on the form of a servant. Truly powerful people are very humble. Amen. If you have it inside, you do not care about showing off; when interacting with others, if colleagues or friends often speak harshly, do not pay attention to such people; they usually do not have much power. It is precisely those who seem to be nice and friendly who you must be cautious of; they might bite you back, and you could get hurt.
But in Christ, you do not need to worry. Jesus is full of power, yet He took on the form of a servant. Others could treat Him however they wanted, look down on Him, even beat Him or insult Him, but Jesus still served us in the form of a servant because He is the true King of kings! Now you understand why Jesus was so blessed, right? There is a reason for that.
He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
If you can emulate Christ and live on this earth like Jesus, obeying God's words, the more you obey, the more God's power will be manifested within you. Jesus was completely obedient, ultimately to the point of death on a cross, and the blessings came upon Him. God highly exalted Him; what does this mean? The law of God's kingdom is like this: everyone wants to be blessed, but do you know what God's law for blessing is? You cannot climb up by yourself; you must humble yourself. Obedience means going down, and God will lift you up.
What is the law of the world? People strive to climb up; they do not realize that a group of people is pulling them down. Therefore, the higher they climb, the harder they fall! In Christ, we should not do this; instead, humbly serve, believing in God's power. Even if you are wronged or attacked by others, we bless them and pray for them before the Lord, and God will lift you up. No one can pull you down, and the glory God gives you will last forever!
Look at what Jesus received: God highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth. This authority is quite great! How did He obtain it? By obeying God's words. Therefore, Mary could be blessed simply by obeying God's words. Although there were dangers and persecutions ahead, she said, “I am the Lord's servant; may it be done to me according to Your word.” She believed that God's words are powerful; you must also believe that God's words are powerful. Amen.
Jesus obeyed the will of the Father and became a servant because He believed the Father's words, trusting that God would raise Him from the dead, and saw the results of His obedience. Mary obeyed the angel's words and witnessed the miracle; indeed, her belly grew day by day, and she really gave birth to a child named Jesus. This is how miracles occur, and she saw the beautiful purpose God brought into her life.
I hope that each of us, brothers and sisters, becomes a blessed person in Christ, not just women; men can be too! How do men receive grace? Like Jesus. How do women receive grace? Like Jesus. In your life, let Christ's words fill you; however much you can live out, ask the Lord for help to live out the likeness of Christ. If you have this heart, God will show you how much of His glory you can see.
Let us pray together
Heavenly Father, we thank You and praise You. Thank You for leading us today. Mary is the blessed woman. She believed in God's words, and although she knew she would face many persecutions and dangers, she still believed in God's words, acknowledging that she is the Lord's servant, a favored person. We believe we are the children of God, favored people.
Lord, grant us strength, brothers and sisters, to live out Your words in our lives, which will benefit not only ourselves but also those around us. Under grace, let Christ's words be accomplished in us, so that the glory and authority of Christ can help more people through us. We are channels of blessing, vessels in God's hands. Lord, please use us, brothers and sisters, to help more people, to be outlets of the gospel. In this Christmas month, grant us wisdom to spread the gospel, bringing more people to Jesus for salvation! All glory be to You. In the name of our Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen.
Let us partake in the Holy Communion together
In the name of the Lord Jesus, we set this bread apart. From this moment on, it is no longer ordinary bread but the body of Jesus given for us. Jesus' body was given for me; I need His body for healing. This is the body of Jesus, filled with great power, leaving all His blessings for you because you are a beloved child of God. At this time, through this bread, He grants you health and blessings. No matter what disease you have, you can receive His health through the body of Jesus.
By His stripes, you are healed. Pray for yourself, setting aside your preconceived notions. Do not try to understand how God accomplishes things; just believe that He can accomplish them! Place your hand on the afflicted area and pray for yourself. When you hold the body of Jesus and eat it, all diseases within you will disappear. Receive it in this way before the Lord! Thank You and praise You, Lord. Each person, according to their situation, receives His body before the Lord. If you believe, you will see God's glory!
No matter how serious your problem is, do not focus on your problem or disease; focus on God's words, which are powerful. God's words do not lack power. Just as God spoke to Mary, although she did not understand, she believed and received, and she saw. You should also believe that God's words carry power. Pray for your body in this way, placing your hand on the area needing healing, and in the name of the Lord Jesus, command the disease to leave now. Hallelujah!
In the name of the Lord, you have received this healing. God's health fills you. In the name of the Lord Jesus, your body is whole! No matter what problems you had in the past, in the name of the Lord Jesus, I restore your body. You have received it. Thank You and praise You, you have received it! Hallelujah! God's health is upon you. If you can believe, you will see this miracle happen! Hallelujah! Thank You, Lord.
In the name of the Lord Jesus, I set this cup apart. From this moment on, it is no longer ordinary wine but the precious blood of Jesus, shed for me. Jesus' precious blood has forgiven all my sins. I am justified by faith. Jesus' precious blood means God has forgiven me and accepted me. I can be called a child of God, a beloved child of God, just like Mary, a blessed woman. Thank You for reminding me of Your covenant, Heavenly Father. This is the covenant between You and me, established by the blood of Jesus. Therefore, no matter what grievances or attacks I face, at this moment before the Lord, let them all fall away. Hallelujah! Jesus will heal you, filling you with His peace and joy. If you have any needs, open your mouth and pray!
Let us pray together
Heavenly Father, we believe Your grace has descended, and Your glory is among us, touching our brothers and sisters, removing all feelings of condemnation and guilt, filling them with Your peace and joy. By the punishment Jesus received, we have peace; peace is upon us, it is upon us. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, no matter what difficulties or persecutions you encounter, at this moment, in the name of the Lord Jesus, let them all fall away. You can rejoice before the Lord! Hallelujah! God's joy will fill you. This will be a different week; God will fill you with His glory. Hallelujah! So, brothers and sisters, if you have anything to pray for, let us stand before the Lord and pray in tongues. I will give you a moment to pray loudly before the Lord. Please raise your hands and pray together!
In the name of the Lord Jesus, I bless the brothers and sisters who listen to the word. No matter where you are, God's blessing is upon you! As the new week begins, wherever you go, you will carry God's blessing. You are a vessel used by God, a channel of God's blessing. God will bless the work of your hands, and you will also become a blessing to those around you! Hallelujah.
In the name of the Lord Jesus, I bless you and your family to be free from all diseases. No matter how this world changes, you will always stand firm in God's hands. Thank You and praise You, bless the work of your hands, and you will become a help to many. In the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen. Hallelujah! Thank You, Lord!