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FROM THE PASTOR'S STUDY

Topic: Luke's Perspective of Jesus: Ch. 1 Message Outlines (Include Audio)

Luke 1:39-56 (10)

by Darrel Cline
(darrelcline biblical-thinking.org)

Chapter # 1 Paragraph # 4 Study # 10
June 13, 2004
Lincolnton, N.C.

(073)

Thesis:God will absolutely frustrate the unloving because of the wicked nature of all of their pursuits.

Introduction:  We have been looking with some care at Mary's statements regarding the shifting of her theological understanding.This "shifting" has been driven by God's selection of her to be the human instrument of His plan to bring His Son into the world. She sees this as a fundamental challenge to her culture's imbedded legalism. She is fully aware of the fact that she had no foundations in legalism to be chosen by God for the enormous privilege that was suddenly hers. She is also becoming aware that God's selection of her had to have been rooted in His grace. In other words, her thinking about God is shifting from the problem of relating to Him on the basis of His holiness to the privilege of relating to Him on the basis of His mercy. In our studies, we have seen that Mary's experience of this theological shift is what Luke wants for Theophilus and, by extension, what God wants for those of us who are studying Luke's inspired words. God wants us to move away from a focus upon confidence in the adequacy of our performance and move toward a focus upon confidence in the efficacy of His merciful performance on our behalf.

This morning we are going to look into another of Mary's declarations so that we may see yet another reason for moving from Law to Grace. This particular declaration is found in the second half of Luke 1:51: God has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart.


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This is article #074.
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