A Great God and a Grand Reversal

Luke 1:46-56

The Big Question: How can you put praise on your lips?

1. Meditate on the Word of God.
   1. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.
      • Mary’s song is filled with references to the Old Testament. Here are some: Psalm 103, 1 Samuel 11, Psalm 25, Psalm 22, 71, 89, 99, 103, 44, 98, 107, 147, Isaiah 53, 1 Samuel 2 (Hannah’s Song or Prayer), 2 Samuel 22, Job 5, Genesis 12, 17, 22, Exodus 2, Micah 7.
2. Be filled with the Spirit of God.
   • The text doesn’t say Mary was filled with the Spirit, but we believe that the word of God is divinely inspired–literally “God-breathed” as 2 Timothy 3:16 says. Thus, Mary was filled with the Spirit to have uttered these words.
   • Take every thought captive and crucify the desires of the flesh (2 Corinthians 10:5).
   • You can’t be filled with the Spirit and the world at the same time (Ephesians 5:18, “Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.”).
3. Celebrate the works of God.
   • God’s works in the past are indicators of God’s faithfulness in the future.
4. Trust in the promises of God.
   • Faith is the assurance of things not yet seen. You can praise God for what is to come (Hebrews 11:1).
     • Mary did not need to wait for the birth, death, resurrection, and reign of Jesus to know that God’s promises were true. She praised him in the “completed sense.”