Selah Moments - Parts 1 & 2

​Dr. Mike Richardson

Part I—The Elevation of her soul

1. In Luke 1:46 she states that her soul magnified the Lord. How is this done?

• When we meditate of the greatness of God
• The more we meditate on God the greater he becomes I Tim. 3:16 “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory”
• In Luke 1:47 Mary says, “And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour”
• Think how she marveled when she realized that the baby, she held was not only her savior but also the divine logos—the divine creator!

1. Meditation on the life, death, and atonement of Jesus Christ will increase your theological knowledge
2. We need to follow her example. Charles Hadden Spurgeon said, “I like, sometimes,  to leave off praying and singing and to sit still, and just gaze upward till my inmost soul has seen my Lord, then I say, “He is inexpressively lovely; yea, he is altogether lovely.”
3. I feel sorry for those who absent themselves from congregational worship. Meditation does happen in church worship. Martin Luther said, “At home in my own house there is no warmth or vigor in me, but in the church when the multitude is gathered together, a fire is kindled in my heart and it breaks its way through.”

​Part II—Her personal reasons

1. Mary’s song mirrors that of Hannah in the Old Testament
2. In Luke 1:48 Mary remarks how the Lord took regard for her in her low estate
3. Mary is humble. We need to understand that the Lord resisted the proud
4. Mary means that neither she nor her people can deliver their souls
5. Jesus comes to those who know that they cannot save themselves
6. I like the way Dr. R. Kent Hughes puts it: Jesus did not come to the Department stores, the mechanical Christmas windows, T.V. Christmas specials, the stretch limousines, or the 1st float in the Rose Bowl Parade
7. Aurelius Augustinus or St. Augustine say, “For those who would learn God’s ways, humility is the first thing, humility is the 2nd thing and humility is the 3rd thing.”
8. Mary states in Luke 1:48 that generations would call her blessed:

• Blessed in the original means happy, counted fortunate
• In the Jewish culture every young girl longed to be the mother of the Messiah
• Today, people indeed highly esteem Mary. Today, Mary is the most popular name for a girl