Come Thou Lord of Might
Sermon Recording
Sermon Outline
Speaker: Rev. Scott Strickman
Sermon Series: Advent 2020
Luke 1:46-55 (ESV)
46 And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on 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 for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
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 offspring forever.”
Sermon Outline
Our weakness stirs a longing that directs us to the Lord of Might (vv49, 51; O Come O Come Emmanuel)
1. Magnification of our lives
v46 “my soul magnifies the Lord”
v51 “scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts”
2. Magnification of ourselves
v48 “he has looked on the humble estate of his servant”
v49 “he has done great things for me”
3. Magnification of our God
v47 “my spirit rejoices”
v50 “his mercy is for those who fear him” (v54)
Prayer of Confession
Almighty and merciful Father, we magnify your name. We remember our humble estate, and we appeal to you for mercy. We are guilty of ascribing great worth to the wrong things. We are guilty of pride. We have acted in ways that have not brought you honor, but have instead been shameful. We look to you for forgiveness and ask that you pardon us all of our sins. Strengthen our weak souls, and through Christ grant us your salvation. May our spirits rejoice in you, our savior. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
How do you feel when you are weak? How do you deal with weakness?
What are your sources of strength? Where do you feel confidence, or where do you look for confidence?
Is it possible to be humble and strong? How would it work?
Why does God have a problem with pride?
How is Jesus a picture of God’s strength? In what ways does Jesus appear weak by the world’s standards?
How do weak people find strength in Christ?
What does it look like to live the Christian life, actively and courageously engaged in our world, even though we feel insufficient for so much of what we face?
What are the marks of godly, humble confidence? How do we grow in it?