Welcome to a firm foundation presented by Princeton ministries with Dr. Ken Smith. This is Carol Smith, Ken’s wife. Please enjoy.

You will want to have your bibles open to the first two chapters of the book of Luke, our God and our father. We ask now that as we would seek to understand more about the mother of Jesus, that we would seek to know only what the scripture instructs. And as we would look at your word, that we would come away with a fresh look at this one who is called blessed help now the words of my mouth, the Meditations of our hearts, to be acceptable in your sight, for we ask it in Jesus ‘name. Amen.

Each week the church of Jesus Christ assembles, and in many of those churches, they stand to declare the apostles ‘creed. And one of the statements of the creed is that we believe not only in Jesus Christ, but we believe that he was born of the Virgin Mary. Now, the Virgin Mary, one hand, has been adored by some, and on the other hand seems to have been ignored by others. What is the truth about the Virgin Mary? We know that she was chosen by God. We know that it was to this young virgin that the promise was given. That she would bear a son, Jesus Christ We also know that Mary faced the heartache of Golgotha and that she was.

There at the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Now, Mary has been the object of a great deal of speculation on the part of the church at time and certainly on the part of theologians, and where men’s teachings have gone off into all kind of speculative notions about Mary. It seems that the further they would get away from the scripture and the more that they would begin to rely on myth and legend and speculation, the greater the distance became for the average Christian to be able to look even at the name Virgin Mary without it bringing to mind all manner of distortion. And there have been some great distortions about the Virgin Mary that have been presented by the church. Protestants, it seems, are more interested in the virgin birth than we are with the Virgin Mary.

On the other hand, the Catholic Church seems to be more interested in the Virgin Mary than in the virgin birth. Well, as we look at some of the speculations that have come out of the church in Rome, I think it’s important for us to look at these quickly to begin to see how Mary has become in one way such a problem for Bible-focusing christians to even mention her name, because there has been presented the doctrine of perpetual virginity. This is a doctrine that simply says that Mary was a virgin before Conception. Secondly, that Mary was a virgin during Conception, that Jesus was born of Mary, but not in the biological sense that it could be proven by a doctor who was present. She maintained, says this doctrine, her virginity during the birth of Jesus.

And thirdly, the doctrine of perpetual virginity has said that Mary had no other children and so she was a virgin. She was a virgin during Conception, she was a virgin during the birth of the child, and she died as a virgin. Then there is also the doctrine called the Immaculate Conception. This teaching says that the Virgin Mary had no original sin. Unlike everyone else who was born, Mary did not have the curse of sin. It’s interesting to note that the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception did not come into being until 1854. Another one of the speculations of the church that has found its way into becoming a doctrine is the bodily assumption of Mary, the idea that the Virgin Mary never really died.

Instead, because she was perfect and without sin, Mary was assumed into heaven, that she never faced death or the decay of the grave. Now, there’s also an entire group of doctrines that are associated with salvation in relation to the Virgin Mary. One of them sees Mary as the co redemptress of mankind, that Mary, by her merits, was able to influence the salvation of mankind in the same way that the merits of Jesus Christ bring salvation to mankind. And so by this teaching, Mary is seen as a redeemer. There is also a teaching called Mary as the media tricks, the mediatrix being the one between. And the argument goes that as no one goes to the Father except through the Son, no one can go to the Son except through the mother, the Virgin Mary.

And so the Church of Rome has prayed for years, Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. That Mary becomes the mediator between a sinful world and Jesus Christ. Then there is also the doctrine that Mary is actually the queen of heaven. As Jesus is the king, so there must be a queen. And here the church in Rome has declared that queen is Mary. Well, the protestant church has reacted against these speculative teachings. And at times our reaction has been so great against these teachings that even to mention the name of the Virgin Mary in the context of an evangelical church, many people wonder, what are you going to say? Is it going to sound anything like the speculations of the church from which I have come?

Well, it’s very easy to neglect the Virgin Mary. And if were going to do that based upon the abuse of the teachings throughout the church over the many centuries, we might have good reason to not pay close attention to Mary. But on the other hand, the church in its infancy was faced with a great deal of question about Jesus Christ. There was question about his relationship as a man and his relationship as God. We had a group of people called the Docitists. They denied that the word became flesh. They denied that Mary was the real earthly mother of Jesus Christ. And this became a heresy of the church. Later on in the fourth century, there was another heresy focusing upon Jesus and incidentally, focusing on Mary. And that was the heresy of Arianism.

Arianism denied that Jesus was really God at all, and as a result, it denied that Mary was the mother of God. And it seems that every time a heresy raised its head within the church about who Jesus Christ is, it immediately began to ask questions about who is Mary and what is her relationship to this son. In the fifth century, there was a council of Ephesus, and they came to the conclusion that it is impossible to separate our understanding of Jesus Christ from.

Our understanding of the Virgin Mary, that as you understand her, you understand him, and as you understand Jesus, you begin to understand more clearly his mother. In the liturgy of some churches, Mary. Is addressed in this way.

Thou alone hast overcome all heresies. That Mary, through a biblical study of who she is and her relationship to the Son, became the argument by which Augustine would defend the deity of Jesus Christ. And so for the first five centuries of the church, there was great discussion about Jesus his deity and Mary his mother. Now, we live in a time where these questions not many people are interested in. We think that we have come to a very sophisticated understanding. Well, let’s look and see what the scripture has to tell us about Mary. In all, there are some 15 texts that talk about Mary in the New Testament. And of those 15 broad texts, over 75% of all the references to the Virgin Mary are in reference to the birth narratives of Jesus.

Now, there are other verses that talk about Mary, and we want today to get an understanding from the scripture of who Mary is. Well, first we see in the book of Luke, chapter one, verse 28, that Mary was highly favored by God. We read in Luke 128, rejoice, highly favored one. The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women. Looking at Luke 130, we are told, do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And in the 42nd verse of chapter one, we read this, blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And so the Catholic Church has this prayer, hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed.

Is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. But the emphasis that we want to place is upon the fact that Mary was favored, that Mary was chosen. And some translations talk about the grace. That Mary had received from the Lord. And we know that Mary was highly. Favored by the Lord.

Secondly, we know that Mary was a virgin, meaning that she did not have relations and that she maintained her virginity certainly through the conception and birth of Jesus Christ. Because in Luke 134, when Mary is told that she is going to be the mother of this child, she asks the question, how can this be, since I do not know a man? And the angel answered and said to her, the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the highest will overshadow you. And so Mary, we learn from scripture, was a virgin. Third, we learn in Luke 138 that Mary was obedient to the Lord and that she believed the promises of the Lord, unlike Sarah, who when she was told that she was going to give birth to a child in her old age, do you remember what Sarah did? She laughed at the promise of the Lord Mary is told that she shall be the mother of God’s son. Does she laugh? No, as a matter of fact, she.

Says, behold the maidservant of the Lord. Let it be according to your word that Mary was obedient to God’s promises, and she believed the Lord, and she accepted the task that the Lord would give to her. Next, we learn from the second chapter of Luke, verses five through seven, that Mary, not only having been a virgin, we learned that she was in fact the mother of God.

This has been given the term in Greek of Theotokos, and that word was debated for years within the church about Mary being the God-bearer, the mother of God. We read that Mary and the family were to be registered, and Mary his Betrothed wife, who was with child.

 So it was that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered, and she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling.

Clothes, and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. The amazing truth that Mary was theotokos, the God bearer, the mother of God, is the essence of her magnificent, her great declaration of that magnificent thing that God had done. We read about that in Luke, chapter one, verse 49, where Mary declares, he who is mighty has done great things for me. We say, well, what were the great. Things that God did for Mary? It was none other that Mary was highly favored by God to become the.

Mother of God’s son. Martin Luther said of this great thing that God had done. The great things are nothing less than that she became the mother of God For of this, her unique place in the whole of mankind, among which she. Has no equal, namely, that she had A child by the Father in heaven.

And such a child, she herself is unable to find a name for this work. It is too exceedingly great. All she can do is break out in a fervent cry. They are great things, she declared, impossible to describe or define. Hence, men have crowded all her glory.

Into a single word, calling her the mother of God nd Luther says it needs to be. Pondered in the heart what it means to be the mother of God.

Now, you would think that being the mother of God, would it not be natural for the followers of Jesus Christ to begin to worship this Mary? Certainly one who is highly favored, who has been called by God to bear his son, should we begin to worship, to venerate, to look upon her as some type of goddess? Well, exactly the same situation was brought before Jesus. In the book of Luke, chapter eleven, verses 27 and 28. We read that a crowd had gathered, and they learned that Jesus’s mother was outside. And it happened as Jesus spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Jesus, blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts which nursed you.

And Jesus said, more than that. Blessed are those who hear the word. Of God and keep it and with that declaration, Jesus began to Define the place of Mary in the. Life of the church.

Yes, A virgin. Yes. One who is highly favored Yes One who would bear God’s only son, but not one to whom we would bow a knee. For Jesus Christ has declared that he Alone is that mediator between God and man And there would come a day when Even Jesus would deny his mother We read in Luke, chapter eight, verses 19 and 20. Jesus is told, your Mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you.

And Jesus answered and said to them, my mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it now. There would also come in the life Of Mary a day that she would Stand in the darkness as the sun is blotted out, standing on a hill Of Golgotha, to see her son Jesus.

Christ, being put to death. Mary was there. And we might ask the question, where was Peter? Where was Andrew? Where was James? Where were the others, the ones who had declared their allegiance? All but John. All of those disciples are in hiding and fearful. And Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, stands publicly to give her support, to show her devotion of her son. But the question still remains, was Mary a believer? Did the Virgin Mary ever come to a place where she put her faith? In Jesus Christ, her son?

And here we must turn to the book of acts, the first chapter. For we learn that having been raised from the dead, that Jesus Christ spends 40 days teaching about heaven and that kingdom. And on that day, Jesus ascends into heaven. We are told that there were a.

Group of disciples there, and they were instructed to go back to Jerusalem. And in Jerusalem, there they are. Peter, James, John, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James, Simon, Judas, the son of James. We’re told that they all continued in. One accord in prayer and supplication. And with them were the women.

And in particular is mentioned for us that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was there. And so, we have Mary present at the birth of the Son of God. We have Mary present at the death of her son on the cross.
We have Mary present at the ascension Of Jesus Christ into heaven. We have Mary present in that upper room when the instruction is that they should all wait until the Holy Spirit. Would come and fill them all. Mary obediently, joyfully fulfilled the promises that the Lord had given. She gave birth to the son of God. I think Mary, if she were here.

Right now to speak to us, she might say, yes, I gave birth to the son of God. And by faith, I have been made new through that same son. But I ask you, how many of you this day have asked Jesus Christ to be spiritually born inside of you? That you might know the forgiveness of your sins, that you might know the power of my son, that you might know the power of God’s son to forgive you of your sins, to make you new. She was there. She knew that Jesus was the son of God. She knew he was killed on a cross. She knew he was raised from the dead. She knew that he ascended into heaven. Do you know as much as Mary? Let us pray.

Our God and our father, we thank you for the truth that you favored one to be the mother of your son, and that Mary was her name. And to this woman was given the privilege of bearing your only son. Father, help us as we would reflect upon the mother of Christ that we would put aside all of the speculation of men, that we would put aside.

All false doctrines and dogma, but we would come to your word and freshly look upon it and come to understand and to appreciate the place of Mary the virgin and father. We pray that each of us would know the birth, spiritually of Jesus in our own lives, that Jesus might be born anew in our hearts by faith that we would trust him and love him, that we would know of his life, his death, his resurrection, his ascension, and his blessed return. We thank you and we pray for your wisdom. We pray for your guidance. We pray that we would come to love Jesus more, for we pray in his name. Amen.

Thank you for listening to a firm foundation presented by Princeton ministries. This programming is supported by you, the listener. You may go to our website, princetonministries.org, or send your donation to Princeton Ministries post office Box 2171, Princeton, New Jersey 8543. That’s Princeton Ministries Post Office Box 2171, Princeton, New Jersey 8543. The Lord bless you and Dr. Smith looks forward to hearing from you. We would like to thank Rones web development company for making this webcast possible. You can find their link at the bottom of our website, princetonministries.org.