And invite you to turn with me again this morning to Luke's gospel Luke chapter 1 Luke chapter 1 will read a section beginning in verse 39 and With God's Word open before us. Let's seek the Lord in prayer and and ask the Lord to speak to our hearts now through his word. Let's pray. O Lord, as we bow in thy presence now with thy word open before us, we look to thee to send forth thy word with power. May each one here discover this word to be a living word to their souls today. We invite thee, O Lord, to deal with our lives, to convict us, to challenge us, but we look to Thee as well to encourage us and strengthen us. And we look to Thee, Lord, for the needed strength to give heed to Thy word. May we consider, O Lord, that this portion of the worship service is very much a part of our worship. And may we therefore hear and heed Thy word as unto Thee in worship. And I ask of Thee, Lord, that it may please Thee to take me up and make me a vessel fit for Thy use. O Lord, I know full well I can do nothing apart from Thee, but I also know that with Christ I can do all things. So, Lord, grant to me unction from on high, and may it please Thee to grant to me strength of heart and mind, clarity of thought and speech, but especially unction from on high. So the message will be perceived as the very word that God has for this people at this time. And we'll give thee the thanks and the praise in Jesus' name. Amen. Luke chapter one, we begin in verse 39. This is the word of God, let us hear it. And Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste. into a city of Judah and entered into the house of Zacharias and saluted Elizabeth. And it came to pass that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost. And she spake out with a loud voice and said, blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she that believed, for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord. And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the lowest state of his handmaiden. For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things, and holy is his name. And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. He hath showed strength with his arm. He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath helped his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy, as he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed forever. And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house. Amen, we'll end our reading there in verse 56. And we know the Lord will add his blessing to the reading of his word, for his name's sake. Let me call your attention in particular to the very beginning part of Mary's prayer, Mary's Magnificat, it's sometimes referred to. This is found in verse 46, note there what it says. And Mary said, my soul doth magnify the Lord. My soul doth magnify the Lord. In our last study, we considered the elevated view of God that's presented to us by the angel Gabriel. He's the one who says in verse 37, for with God, nothing shall be impossible. His remark comes on the heels in the narrative of all sorts of things that, from a mere human perspective, are impossible. Zacharias and Elizabeth having a child in their old age, that's impossible. but not with God. A virgin conceiving to bear a child without the natural use of a man, that's impossible, but not with God. Now keep in mind, and I failed to mention this last time, but I'll remind you of it again this time, the purpose statement in Luke's gospel, that statement is given to us in chapter one and verse four. This is the reason that Luke wrote to Theophilus that thou mightest know the certainty of those things wherein thou hast been instructed." You could say that the purpose behind Luke's gospel serves a purpose of assurance. And the way that you gain assurance is to know certain things with certainty. So far, we've considered the certainty of the historical narrative of Luke. We're dealing with events in this gospel that really did take place. We're not dealing with fable or fiction. We're dealing with true history. We can now add to the things about which we can be certain the category of the supernatural or the truth of miracles. Christianity, you see, is a supernatural religion. Salvation with men is impossible. But with God, all things are possible. The new birth is impossible, but not with God. Being highly favored with God is impossible, given the character of God and the character of men as sinners. But with God, nothing is impossible. So you can know with certainty that miracles do happen and with God nothing is impossible. We add the supernatural to the things about which we can be certain. Recall also the difference in the narrative between Zacharias and the Virgin Mary. Zacharias, even though he and his wife Elizabeth are described as justified and sanctified and blameless in their walk with the Lord, Zacharias was nevertheless plagued with unbelief and was chastised, therefore, with being dumb or unable to speak until the day that the angel's statement about a son being born to him and Elizabeth was fulfilled. You know, that's not really a bad thing, is it? Well, you ought to be struck dumb when unbelief dominates our hearts. Better to keep your mouth closed if you're being governed by unbelief rather than by faith. Mary, by way of contrast, received the angel's word with faith, or in other words, the word that she would be the mother of the Messiah. Her question to the angel Gabriel was not a question of doubt like Zacharias, but was a question of how. How will the angel's announcement find its fulfillment in her since she knew not a man? I've really come to recognize and appreciate all the more from the portion of Luke 1 that we've just now read, how very important it is for those of like precious faith to band together. Who in the world do you suppose would have believed Mary had she attempted to explain what the angel Gabriel had told her was going to happen and that she would supernaturally bring the Savior into the world? Her own husband-to-be didn't believe her, at least not initially. Her cousin Elizabeth would. The two of them, you see, had much in common. They would both bear sons supernaturally. They were both informed by the same angel about their miracle sons that they would bear. One commentator paints the picture very vividly when he writes, we take up Mary's story with her immediate decision to visit her aged barren relative, Elizabeth. who, as Gabriel had just revealed to Mary, was pregnant and six months along. Her pregnancy was miraculous, but we must never confuse how vastly different it was from the miracle occurring within Mary. Baron Elizabeth was not a virgin, and Zacharias was the natural father of her child. Nevertheless, what a surge of joy swept through Mary as she heard the shocking good news about the miracle and Elizabeth's womb, for it bore parallel testimony to God's power. Mary made hasty arrangements with her parents. Did she tell them? We don't know. And she rushed the 80 to 100 miles south to the countryside of Judah, a three- or four-day journey. Her haste indicates her eagerness. She could not wait to get there. There were no leisurely teenaged conversations along the way. As she hurried along, she thought long and deep of their crossed destinies as she and Elizabeth were both in miraculous pregnancy. And then she was there, unannounced, silhouetted in the old couple's doorway. Oh, we can only imagine the fellowship they would have enjoyed together over the next three months, and the kinds of discussions they must have had based on their unusual encounters with the angel Gabriel, as well as their common experiences of being with child. They stand out as very good examples of the need that Christians have for each other. What a remarkable and gracious provision God gave to Mary in giving her her cousin Elizabeth to strengthen and encourage her during that season. There are many lessons I'm sure we can draw from the mutual bond of affection that Elizabeth and Mary would have for each other. What I'm interested in this morning, however, is what they both teach us about one very important and particular topic in particular, which is the topic of worship. This is where we find Mary in verses 46 through 55. She's worshiping the Lord. Verse 46 makes that very clear. My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior." There's a general consensus among commentators that Mary very well may have some of those words that come to be known as the Magnificat, which is from the Latin word meaning magnifies. What I'd like to do this morning is to draw from this Magnificat, as well as from Elizabeth's words that precede this Magnificat, the lessons that they teach us about worship. Worship, you know, and we need to be reminded of this constantly, because it's so easy to forget. Worship is the primary reason we're here. Worship is the reason that we gather in the Lord's house on the Lord's day. Worship is supposed to have a very high place in the priorities that govern how we live as Christians The hour cometh Christ says in John 4 in verse 23 the hour cometh and now is When the true worshipper shall worship the father in spirit and in truth for the father seeketh such to worship him. Oh You see how interested God is in worship? It is the very thing that the Father is seeking. You were created for that very purpose, and you were redeemed by the blood of Christ for that very purpose, the purpose of worship. Christians ask sometimes, what are we going to do in heaven? And there may be many things that we do that we can't even begin to comprehend while we're here in the present state of things in this world, but this much we can say for sure, we will worship Christ in heaven. Revelation chapters 4 and 5 make that very clear. Listen to the words from Revelation chapter 5, beginning in verse 11. Keep in mind, this is now the setting of heaven. This is what we're headed for. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the beasts, and the elders. And the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the land that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever. And the four beasts said amen, and the four and 20 elders fell down and worshiped him that liveth forever and ever. Well, you see what a high priority then worship will have in heaven. It ought to have that kind of priority to us here on earth. So this morning, let's look at Mary's song, and let's consider from her words, as well as the words in the narrative about her cousin, Elizabeth, the lessons they teach us about worship. The lessons they teach us about worship. Let's consider, first of all, how this narrative points out to us some of the prerequisites for worship, the prerequisites for worship. Upon her arrival at the house of Zechariah and Elizabeth, we read in verse 41, and it came to pass that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost, underscore the last there in particular. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost. There's the first prerequisite to worship then, being filled with the Holy Ghost. You may recall that when the angel Gabriel told Zacharias about the son that would be born to him and Elizabeth, he told them that this miracle child would be filled with the Holy Ghost even from his mother's womb. In verse 15, Now in verse 41, we find the fulfillment of that very thing. So the babe in her womb is filled with the Holy Ghost, and Elizabeth herself is filled with the Holy Ghost. Looking ahead in the narrative to the time when John the Baptist would be born, we read in verse 67 of chapter one, and his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost. Certainly not hard to detect, is there, in this first chapter of Luke, an emphasis on the ministry of the Holy Ghost. And we can gather from the words that Elizabeth loudly proclaims, verse 42, that where the Holy Ghost is at work, the focus will be on Christ. So we read in verse 42, and she, Elizabeth, spake out with a loud voice and said, blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, and whence is this to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? Christ himself said in John 15 and verse 26, regarding the ministry of the Holy Ghost. But when the Comforter has come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me. That is the primary ministry of the Holy Ghost, to testify of Christ. And we certainly find this to be the case, even in this instance of Mary and Elizabeth being together. And when it comes to our worship of Christ, this is something that as believers in Christ, we should seek in preparation for our worship of Christ. Oh Lord, grant me the Holy Ghost today. As I head for your house, as I anticipate the time when I'll be gathered with my brothers and sisters in Christ, grant to me the power of the Holy Spirit. Grant to it, not simply to the preacher, oh Lord, we know he needs it, but Lord, grant it to us all. We all need it. And what's more, we are commanded along these very lines. So in Ephesians 5, in verse 18, we are commanded to be not drunk with wine wherein is access, but be filled with the Spirit. It comes as an imperative. We are to be filled with the Spirit. And the application of being filled with the Spirit is then applied to our corporate worship when we read in the next verse in Ephesians 5 and verse 19, speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. And since Thanksgiving is approaching this week, I'll go ahead and add verse 20 from Ephesians 5, giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. When we're filled with the Spirit, then we will sing out unto the Lord in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. When we are filled with the Spirit, our hearts will be filled with thanksgiving for all that God is and for all he's done. So that's the first prerequisite to our worship then, being filled with the Holy Ghost, which means simply being under His influence. And in this connection, we have the promise given to us by Christ, a promise that places a very strong emphasis on God's willingness and even desire to give us the Holy Ghost. So Christ says, if ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? I know I've referenced that verse in the past, and I've said that ought to be a prayer that you utter before your feet even hit the floor out of your bed in the morning. I'll extend that application now to say that ought to be a prayer that you utter in preparation for your time in coming to the Lord's house to worship. Oh Lord, give us the Holy Spirit. Keep that promise in mind then. When you prepare to come to church, it's true for us all. It's true for the man who preaches God's word. It's true for the people who hear God's word. In both cases, we need the power of the Holy Ghost. The next prerequisite for worship is found back in Luke chapter one, in the words of verse 45. Here you might say is a benediction pronounced by Elizabeth with regard to Mary. where she says, And blessed is she that believed, for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord. And we see from this benediction that the next prerequisite to worship is simply faith. That's what Elizabeth and Mary shared in common. They both had faith in the promises of God. I hope you're here this morning to worship Christ because you have faith in Christ. I hope that like Mary, you're able to say, my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. If Christ is your Savior, then you too can affirm that there will be a performance of those things that have been told you by the Lord. Your sins will and have been forgiven. You have been accepted in the beloved. You too will join Christ in paradise, just as the thief nailed beside him was promised paradise that day. These are the blessings promised to Christians. These are the blessings in which there will be a performance of the things that are promised. So these are just a couple of the prerequisites that are required for worship. We need the Holy Spirit and we need faith in Christ. It's faith that brings us to Christ and it's faith that is increased as we worship Christ in the power of the Holy Ghost. May we keep these prerequisites in mind when we prepare to worship Christ corporately or when you prepare to worship him personally. Keep them in mind. They apply on a corporate or on a personal or individual level. Same thing applies there as well. You need the power of the Holy Ghost and you need faith. Well, let's move on to the next lesson then that we learned from Mary when it comes to worship. We've seen some of the prerequisites for worship. Let's think next on the actual practice of worship. The actual practice. Notice again the words of verse 46 and 47. And Mary said, my soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. My soul doth magnify the Lord. Stop for a moment and just pause there and ask yourself this question, what does that even mean? How is that even practiced? My soul doth magnify the Lord. What does that look like? Is this just a pious sounding phrase to be utilized when the occasion may present itself? Or is there much more to it than just a phrase used in worship or in prayer? The first thing I'd have you see when it comes to magnifying the Lord is that it requires active involvement on the part of the Christian who is worshiping. Active involvement. This is something you know that we can trace back to our Protestant heritage. The worshiper of Christ being actively involved in worship. In the days that preceded the Reformation, the person who came to church was merely a spectator. That's all he was. He or she would pretty much plant himself in the pew and listen as the service was performed in a language he didn't even know, language being Latin. He might be struck with a certain sense of awe based on the ritualistic performances of the priest done under the echo chamber created by a high cathedral ceiling. There might even be a performance by a choir that the person in the pew would simply listen to. The Reformation changed all that. It called on the person in the pew to be actively involved in worship. Congregational singing became an active part of that worship. We really trace congregational singing to our Protestant heritage. And the preaching of God's word became preeminent and the understanding of the person in the pew was ministered to. And it became his task to do what Mary does in our text, that is to magnify the Lord. So magnifying the Lord, and this is the point I want to really get across, this is really what captured my heart about this narrative, very tempting to restrict the whole sermon to this text. Magnifying the Lord requires mental and spiritual energy on the part of the worshiper. You can't do it by simply being a passive spectator, and yet I fear too often that we're content to do just that. Oh, if we only knew how much we resemble Roman Catholics when we sink into a spectator mentality in our worship. And just as the Word suggests, To magnify the Lord means to make it larger. To magnify is to make something larger, okay? You're familiar, some of you, I don't know, maybe I'm dating myself in this, you're familiar with a magnifying glass? You ever seen a magnifying glass? I don't know how common those are today. It's that circle-shaped lens, you know, four or five inches in diameter on a handle, which makes things larger or magnified when you look through that lens. Now, I recognize, of course, there is a sense in which we cannot magnify God, because we can't make him larger than he already is. He's already immense. He's already omnipresent. The universe doesn't contain him. He contains the universe. So there's no way he can be magnified when he already fills all space and is all present and is all powerful. The challenge we face is in striving to comprehend all that he is and all that he does. The magnification, you see, needs to take place in our minds and in our hearts. We can't add to him, but let's face it, our views of him are pretty puny, so often. We tend to make him too small. That happens, you know, when we walk more by carnal sight and less by faith. We assign too much to the things that are temporal and passing, and we fail to assign adequate significance to the unseen things that are eternal. To magnify the Lord, then, is to strive to comprehend in increased measure the greatness of your God and the greatness of the Savior that you worship and serve. And you can do this in any number of ways. You can do this in nature, as you take in the greatness of His creation, as you gaze at the sky on a clear night, and you see the stars that are more than can be numbered. Those are ways that you can magnify the Lord in your thinking, and you can especially magnify him in your thinking when you contemplate what he's done for you in his atoning death and in Christ's condescension to come into this world. You may recall from our study last week that I paraphrased a quote from Thomas Chalmers, that 19th century Presbyterian theologian from Scotland who said that whatever your vision of God is, it's too small. And this is by a man that was greatly used of God, who was seeing souls saved, who was seeing churches started, who had what, relatively speaking, would be, I suppose, a grand vision of God. And yet he was convinced that in his own life and in the lives of Christians in general, our vision of God is too small. We're so prone to be like Zacharias, who placed limits on God. He didn't think God could do impossible things. This is an infirmity, you know, that we find ourselves as Christians having to fight to overcome. Our God and our Savior truly is able to do, in the words of Paul, exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think. So let's make sure that in our worship of Christ, we're not simply pew-planted spectators who do little more than observe whatever is taking place in the worship service. Make sure that you're actively involved in the practice of thinking great thoughts of your Savior and Lord. I might add here, based on Mary's words, that this practice of magnifying the Lord is something that you need to be engaged in with all your heart. Listen again to the words of verses 46 and 47. And Mary said, my soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. You see how in verse 46, she refers to her soul, and in verse 47, she refers to her spirit. Now it's not my purpose this morning to enter into an extended argument about whether or not man exists as a dichotomy creature consisting of body and soul, or a trichotomy creature consisting of body, soul, and spirit. The reformed view has been that man exists as a two-part being, body and soul, And the reason he's viewed this way arises from the difficulties of making the distinction between soul and spirit. The terms are interchangeable, you see, and the things that very often in Scripture are attributed to the soul can, in other instances, be attributed to the spirit. I've always found Dr. Cairns' view to be most appealing to me. He held to the view that while there is a distinction between soul and spirit, it's not a distinction that we can make, it's a distinction that only God can make. I think that holds true. The thing to note regarding Mary's words of magnifying the Lord with her soul and rejoicing with her spirit in God, her Savior, is that she's simply saying that she's engaged in worship with all that is within her, soul and spirit, her entire inner being, being involved, being engaged. The words of Psalm 103 come to mind. when David says, bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and forget not all his benefits. And here we find another instance, don't we, of David preaching to himself. Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. You see what he's doing in the opening verses of the 103rd Psalm? He's harnessing all of his internal strength. He's psyching himself up, you could say, to apply himself with all his internal fortitude to blessing God. He's engaging himself with all his heart in the worship of his Lord. So the practice of worship involves magnifying the Lord, It also involves, in the words of verse 47, rejoicing in Christ our Savior. And this leads to the final lesson on worship that I'll cover this morning. We've seen some of the prerequisites. I've touched upon the actual practice in our worship. Let's think finally on the proper perspectives for our worship. the proper perspectives, the things that govern our worship, the reasons, you might say, that we worship. And we can view these perspective under two headings. There's a personal perspective that governs our worship, and there should be what I would call a worldwide perspective that governs our worship. From a personal perspective, Mary could say that her spirit rejoiced in God, her Savior, because of what her Savior was doing for her personally. Verse 48 shows us that perspective. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden, she says. Keep in mind, she's just acknowledged in the previous verse the truth that God is her Savior, Her low estate, therefore, would encompass more than the fact that she was simply an unknown young virgin from an obscure location. Her low estate would also take into account her standing as a sinner before a thrice holy God. Last week, I quoted from our shorter catechism, we have two questions and answers that pertain to the sinfulness of our estate and the misery of our estate. Let me review for you the answer this week to the sinfulness of our state found in question 18. The answer to that question goes like this. The sinfulness of that estate wherein to man fell consists in the guilt of Adam's first sin, the want of original righteousness, and the corruption of his whole nature, which is commonly called original sin, together with all actual transgressions which proceed from it. There's the sinfulness of our estate. The sin of Adam's transgression, you see, has been imputed to the whole human race. I know of nothing so offensive to preach to an unsaved crowd than that truth. Adam's sin has been imputed to you. And the thinking of the natural man is along these lines. Well, how is that fair? How can God hold me accountable for a sin that took place in the Garden of Eden before I even existed? To which my reply would be, if you're not happy with the one who represented you, another representative is available, that being Christ. Pretty amazing how many people don't want to choose representatives or choose a different representative in that circumstance. But Adam's sin has been imputed to the whole human race. and we've inherited his corrupted nature. And we prove this daily by the sins we commit, or by how far short we come of measuring up to the law. So here is worship then from the perspective of humility, for he hath regarded the lowest state of his handmaiden, and he's regarded your lowest state, and my lowest state, in providing salvation for us. But there's also the perspective of blessing that enters into the picture. Verse 48 continues. The Virgin says, And this is why she could rejoice in God her Savior. She was blessed of the Lord, her lowest state notwithstanding. And the same thing can be said for you and for me. Oh, there is a sense, to be sure, in which Mary was blessed in a way no one else would be. But that doesn't take away from the fact that you and I are bountifully blessed as well. We're blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. We can anticipate that on that day when the nations are gathered before Christ's throne as humble and grateful believers in Christ, we will hear him say, come ye blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Matthew 25 and verse 34. Part of our blessedness will be being perfectly conformed to His image when He appears. Behold what matter of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. Therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3, verses one and two. Oh, that is ultimate blessing indeed, being perfectly conformed to our Savior at last. We're striving for that now. We make steps forward. We suffer defeats. And that is the nature of the Christian life while we're in this world below, still struggling against the sin nature. Time is coming when that process will be complete. And we will be perfectly conformed to the image of our Savior. Brings to mind another favorite catechism answer of mine, question 38. What benefits do believers receive from Christ at the resurrection? And the answer, at the resurrection, believers being raised up in glory shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted in the day of judgment. Could I pause there just long enough to let that sink in? What an incredible truth that is. being openly acknowledged and acquitted in the day of judgment and made perfectly blessed in the full enjoying of God to all eternity. I tell you, every time I read that answer, it just stirs a longing in my heart that cries out, even so, Lord, come quickly and bring it to fruition. Because I know so little of what it means to be perfectly blessed in the full enjoying of God. I may enjoy Him in some measure, but just as surely as the struggles of sin continue, I know what it is to not enjoy Him at all. In fact, I know what it is to be disappointed in Him at times, and to be questioning Him at times. Oh, what a blessing it will be when that day comes when we're made perfectly blessed in the full enjoying of God to all eternity. Doesn't the very thought of what we are and what we have and the way we'll be acknowledged before God's judgment bar give you cause to rejoice in Christ your Savior? Doesn't the truth of salvation stir your heart to magnify God in your worship and apply yourself wholeheartedly to praising and worshiping God and Christ? So that's the personal perspective on worship. Humble blessedness due to salvation being ministered to our souls. There's also a worldwide perspective to our worship as well. In verse 51 and in the verses that follow, Mary broadens the scope of her worship to include the whole world. He has showed strength with his arm. He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from their seats and exalted them of low degree. He has filled the hungry with good things and the rich he has sent empty away. Oh, those who gain much in this life and have failed to become rich toward God, they lose it all in the end. This is why Christ asks the question in Mark chapter eight and verse 36, for what shall that profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? The Lord in the end puts down all conspiracies against him and against his kingdom. So we read in Psalm 2, I will declare the decree the Lord has said unto me, thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with the rod of iron. Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. It may have been with that Psalm in mind. that the Apostle Paul wrote the words of Philippians 2 in verse 9, with regard to Christ, wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Thrills my soul to realize that every atheist is gonna make that confession when that day comes. And every follower of every cult and every adherent to every false religion is going to be compelled to make that confession before Christ on the judgment day. Unfortunately for them, once that confession is made, it doesn't lead to their salvation, it leads to their condemnation. I wonder today, is that a confession that you have made to your salvation, that Jesus Christ is Lord, that he rules and reigns over all? So we worship God and Christ from the perspective of how blessed we've been and are and will be, and we worship God and Christ from the perspective of the triumph of his cause in all the earth. Mary really does teach us quite a bit about worship, doesn't she? Not bad for a young teenage virgin. And we didn't even consider how well grounded in scripture she was. Not only can much of her worship be cross-referenced to that passage we read earlier from 1 Samuel 2, but nearly every statement she makes in her song alludes to some Old Testament passage. Oh, may we rise to her spiritual level, therefore, when it comes to our worship of Christ. May we meet the prerequisites, engage in the right practices, and do so from the proper perspectives. And in so doing, God will be honored, and we will be blessed in our worship. Let's close then in prayer. Let's all pray. O Lord, as we bow in Thy presence now and bring this time to a close, we pray that Thou wilt indeed help us to magnify the Lord in our worship. May we think thoughts toward our Savior that He is worthy to receive. May we be engaged with all our hearts for Christ is worthy of that also. May we be spared, O Lord, from being mere spectators that occupy spaces in a pew and do little else. O, let us recognize the greatness of the God that we worship and serve, and may we do this with the help of thy spirit in increasing measure, for we ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen.