Sinclair Ferguson Preaches The Magnificat

Dr. Sinclair Ferguson, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, SC, delivers a stirring message on Mary’s Magnificat in Luke 1:30-56.

Listen to this sermon by clicking here: Magnificat

Mary’s Song of Praise: The Magnificat

And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

(Luke 1:46-55)

Filed under: Christmas, Incarnation, Jesus, Sinclair Ferguson

The Wise Men Seek Christ

“When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.”

Matthew 2:10

When those that have been earnestly seeking Christ come to find him, they have reason to rejoice with exceeding great joy. The person that they find is exceeding excellent and lovely. Before Christ is found, there is nothing that is truly lovely that is ever found or seen. Those things that they had been conversant with before and had set their hearts upon, had no true excellency. They only deceived ‘em with a false, empty show. But now they have found Christ, they have found one that is excellent indeed. They see in him a real and substantial excellency. Before that, while they were under trouble, they had before them only those things that were objects of fear and terror, such as their own guilt, the wickedness of their hearts, and the wrath of God, and death and hell, but nothing pleasant or lovely. But when they came to find Christ, what was terrible in those objects disappears, and they found a glorious object and far surpassing all things that ever they saw, one of excellent majesty and of perfect purity and brightness, purer than the light of the sun, infinitely farther from all deformity or defilement than the highest heavens themselves; and this conjoined with the sweetest grace, one that clothes himself with mildness and meekness and love. How refreshing and rejoicing must this be after they have nothing before their eyes but their sins staring them in the face, appearing with a frightful

Filed under: Christmas, Jesus, Jonathan Edwards

To You Christ is Born

Excerpted and adapted from a 1530 Christmas sermon by Martin Luther (1483-1546)

“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”

Luke 2:11

We have all heard the story of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ from the Gospel of Luke.  This account tells us how and where Christ was born and how the angel announced the birth of the Lord and Savior to the shepherds who were minding their flocks nearby.  It tells us what in human logic is hard to believe: that this infant Jesus, who was God in the flesh, was born of a virgin.  Difficult to believe…except for those who, through faith, know him as their Lord and Savior.

This is what separates us from unbelievers: Not just knowing that we know that Christ, born of a virgin, is the Lord and Savior, but that Christ, born of a virgin, is your Lord and Savior.  When you have that personal knowledge, you are able to say in your heart, “I hear the Word that sounds from heaven and says: This child who is born of the virgin is not only his mother’s son.  I have more than the mother’s estate.  He is more mine than Mary’s, for the was born for me, for the angel said, “To you is born the Savior.”  Then you can and should say, “Amen, I thank you, dear Lord.”

It is easier to believe that Christ, born of a virgin, is the Lord and Savior for great people like Peter and Paul, but he wasn’t born for a sinner like me.  But if that is what you believe, it is not enough – unless you were to add that you have faith that he was born for you.

Filed under: Christmas, Jesus, Martin Luther, Salvation

The Completeness of the Substitution

Adapted from the writings of Horatius Bonar (1808-1889)

In person and in work, in life and in death, Jesus Christ is the sinner’s Substitute.  His vicariousness is co-extensive with the sins and wants of those whom he represents, and covers all the different periods as well as the varied circumstances of their lives.

Jesus entered our world as the Substitute: “There was no room for [him] in the inn (Luke 2:7) – the inn of Bethlehem, the city of David, his won city.  “Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor,” Paul wrote of him (2 Corinthians 8:9).

Jesus began his life in poverty and in banishment.  He was not allowed to be born or to die as anything but an outcast man.  “Outside the city” (Hebrews 13:12) was his position as he entered and as he left our earth.  Man would not give even a roof to shelter or a cradle to receive the helpless babe.  It was as the Substitute that he was the outcast from the first moment of his birth.  His vicarious life began in the manger.  For what can this poverty mean, this rejection by man, this outcast condition, but that his sin-bearing had begun?

The name, too, that met him as he came into our world intimated the same truth: “You are to give him the name

Filed under: Christmas, Incarnation, Jesus, Salvation

Readings for Advent

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus: Experiencing the Peace and Promise of Christmas

Publisher: Crossway/Good News Publishers
Author: Guthrie, Nancy (editor)
ISBN-13: 9781433501807
Binding: Paperback

It is imperative that all Christians keep their minds and hearts focused on Christ during the Christmas season. Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus is an anthology of Advent readings collected from the writings and sermons of 22 classic and contemporary theologians and Bible teachers.

Between purchasing presents and planning travel, enjoying holiday pageants and attending parties, it is all too easy for Christmas to sneak up on people and crowd out a quiet anticipation of this sacred season. So when editor Nancy Guthrie decided she wanted a reflective book of Advent readings by writers who held a high view of Scripture, she embarked on what she calls a sacred adventure, putting together such a collection herself. This special volume draws from the works and sermons of classic theologians such as Whitefield, Calvin,

Filed under: Book Recommendations, Books, Books and Resources, Christmas, Incarnation, Jesus