SUNDAY, MAY 9, 2021
MOTHER’S DAY: THE ALL TIME MAMA
Pastor Troy Brewer, OpenDoor Church, Burleson, TX
There are six Marys in the New Testament and today I’m going to be talking about Mary of
Nazareth, the magnificent mother of Jesus.
Mary was a common female name in Israel during the time of Christ. Again, the New Testament
mentions six women with the name Mary. The Hebrew form of the name is Miriam (or Miryam),
also given to the sister of Moses.
However, the best-known Mary in the Bible is Mary the mother of Jesus. She was the virgin
chosen by God to bear His Son, the Savior of the world. Mary lived in Nazareth, a city of
Galilee, when the angel Gabriel made the announcement to her of the virgin birth (Luke 1:26,
56). She married Joseph, a carpenter, but remained a virgin until after Jesus was born in
Bethlehem (Matthew 1:25). Scripture reveals Mary as a humble, godly, and blessed woman.
Mary was also present at Jesus’ crucifixion. After Jesus’ death, she was cared for by the apostle
John (John 19:25–27).
A second Mary in the New Testament is Mary Magdalene.
This Mary was called “Magdalene” to help distinguish her from some of the other women named
Mary in the Gospels. Magdala was a city on the southwest coast of the Sea of Galilee. This
Mary was a follower of Christ, and Luke 8:2 says Jesus had cast seven demons from her. No
doubt this deliverance increased her dedication to and love for the Lord. When Jesus arose
from the dead, Mary Magdalene brought the news of the empty tomb to Peter and John, and
she has the distinction of being the first person to see the risen Christ (John 20:1, 18).
A third Mary in the New Testament is Mary of Bethany. This Mary was the sister of Lazarus and
Martha.
Bethany is a town near Jerusalem. Jesus and the disciples were frequent visitors in the home of
Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Mary of Bethany was the one sitting at Jesus’ feet listening to His
words while Martha set up for dinner (Luke 10:38–42). Before Jesus’ arrest, Mary of Bethany
anointed Jesus’ head with costly oil. Jesus told those gathered in the room that Mary had done
so in preparation for His burial (Matthew 26:6–13).
A fourth Mary in the New Testament is identified as Mary the mother of James the younger and
his brother Joseph. She was the wife of Clopas (also called Alphaeus in Luke 6:15).
She is mentioned in Mark 15:40, Matthew 27:56, and John 19:25 as watching the crucifixion of
Christ. She is mentioned again in Mark 15:47 as seeing the place where Jesus was buried. And
this Mary appears again in Mark 16:1 and Matthew 28:1 (where she is called “the other Mary”)
in connection with the empty tomb, as she was one of the women who brought spices for Jesus’
body and met an angel instead.
A fifth Mary in the New Testament is Mary the mother of John Mark. She is mentioned in Acts
12:12.
She had opened up her home for believers to meet for prayer, and it was during one of their
prayer meetings that Peter was miraculously released from prison. This Mary’s son is the author
of the Gospel of Mark.
A sixth Mary in the Bible is mentioned as a member of the church at Rome (Romans 16:6).
Paul includes her as one of the many people to greet at the end of his letter and describes her
as one “who worked very hard” on behalf of the church.
The number one and most famous of all the Marys is the the all time greatest Mama. Mary of
Nazareth, wife to Joseph and mother to Jesus.
Mary had four other sons, Joseph, James, Jude, and Simon.
(Matt. 12:46; 13:55; Mark 6:3)
Luke 1:5-58
5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the
division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And
they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the
Lord blameless. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well
advanced in years.
8 So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division,
9 according to the custom of the priesthood, [c]his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the
temple of the Lord. 10 And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of
incense. 11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of
incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your
wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy
and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord,
and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from
his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.
17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to
the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for
the Lord.”
18 And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is
well advanced in years.”
19 And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God,
and was sent to speak to you and bring you [d]these glad tidings. 20 But behold, you will be
mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe
my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.”
21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple.
22 But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a
vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless.
23 So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own
house. 24 Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months,
saying, 25 “Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away
my reproach among people.”
Christ’s Birth Announced to Mary
26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named
Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David.
The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly
favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”
29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of
greeting this was. 30 Then 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 bring forth a Son, and shall
call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord
God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob
forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I [g]do not know a man?”
35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power
of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be
called the Son of God. 36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her
old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing
will be impossible.”
38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your
word.” And the angel departed from her.
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39 Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah,
40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And it happened, when
Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled
with the Holy Spirit. 42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among
women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 But why is this granted to me, that the mother
of my Lord should come to me? 44 For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in
my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 Blessed is she who [h]believed, for there will
be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”
The Song of Mary
46 And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth 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 on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
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 seed forever.”
56 And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.
Birth of John the Baptist
57 Now Elizabeth’s full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son. 58 When
her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced
with her.
She was a Mama of all seasons
She was there at the announcement of the birth of Jesus.
She was with Elizabeth and when the Holy Ghost hit both of them as pregnant women.
She was there at the birth of Jesus.
She was there when the wise men from the east gave gifts.
She was there when the demoniac Herod killed all the babies in his attempt to kill the promise of
the messiah.
She was there when Joseph had his dream and moved them to the foreign land of Egypt.
She was there when he taught the teachers at the age of 12.
She was there when he performed His miracle at Galilee.
She was there when he was performing other miracles in his three-year ministry on earth.
She was there at the crucifixion.
She was listed as one of the 120 In the Upper Room on the day of Pentecost.
She went on to be a huge influence in the early church and history tells us she moved to
Ephesus and lived with John, the disciple whom Jesus loved.
She walked in extreme favor in her role as a mama.
Grace is often identified as unmerited or underserved favor. Favor, however, can have a
broader definition, as favor can be released upon a person for obedience, hard work, or acts of
kindness.
THE LOVE OF GOD
THE BLESSING OF GOD
THE FAVOR OF GOD
Proverbs 8:34-35 (KJV)
Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my
doors. 35 For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favor of the LORD.
OBTAIN: to gain by planned action or effort
What is favor ?
The best definition of the word favor is
“Demonstrated Delight”
The favor of God can be described as “tangible evidence that a person has the approval of the
Lord.”
FAVOR IS HEAVEN’S AUTHORITY ON EARTH.
FAVOR IS GOODWILL. It is God’s kindness and benevolence given to those who love Him.
Favor will release great blessings, including prosperity, health, opportunity and advancement.
The Bible records numerous examples of God’s favor upon His people causing them to
experience many breakthroughs. Favor is God’s lovingkindness.
FAVOR IS WHEN GOD’S GOODNESS CAUSES YOU TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
Psalms 90:17 (ASV)
And let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; And establish thou the work of our hands
upon us; Yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.
Make my enterprise successful. My project, my work, my business my parenting successful.
FAVOR.
Let the sum of His gracious acts, in their harmony, be illustrated in us, and favor our enterprise.
The word favor is found 70 times.
The Bible is filled with promises of favor for the believer:
Psalms 5:12
“For Thou, oh Lord, will bless the righteous: with favor you will compass him as a shield.”
Your shield is faith. His shield for you is favor.
Proverbs 8:34
“Whosoever findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favor of the Lord.”
Finding life in Christ brings favor.
Proverbs 13:15
“Good understanding giveth favor, but the way of the transgressor is hard.”
Wisdom and favor go hand in hand.
Solomon chose wisdom and with it came great great favor and riches.
Proverbs 22:1
“A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver or
gold.”
Proverbs 14:9
“Fools make a mock of sin, but among the righteous there is favor.”
With new heights in faith and belief comes favor.
She was anointed for supernatural timing
in her role as Mama.
Luke 2: “Its time for me to do the Fathers business.”
She’s like, “No. It is not. Get home with me and your other dad.”
Her mouth was in service to the Lord
in her role as a Mama.
She kept quiet
Her last biblical words:
Luke 2:5
“Do whatever He tells you.”
She has been through the fire
but she didn’t smell like smoke.
She lost a husband.
She saw her child hated, tortured and murdered.
She was nearby throughout the passion and watched Him carry His cross. She watched as they
drove the nails through His hands and his feet. She stood agonizingly and helplessly by as He
was raised on the cross. For three hours she stood there watching every drop of blood leave her
boy’s body. She was at the foot of the cross when He died.
No Mom should ever have to witness such cruelty heaped upon her own child. Who could have
loved him more than she did?
A victorious and selfless mama makes it look easy to be her even tho it is not. God honors and
blesses that and that is why we honor and bless that.
But let me close by going back to the major point of this message: the way to be the right kind of
mother – indeed, the way for any of us to be the right kind of person – is to surrender to God. If
you’ve never done so, meet those two conditions set forth in
Acts 20:21
“…repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.”
If you’re already saved, this would be a good time to make any needed course corrections in
your life. A reset.
AS AWESOME AND GODLY A MAMA AS MARY WAS, EVEN SHE NEEDED A SAVIOR!