WEBVTT 00:00:09.699 --> 00:00:12.400 I'd like you to take your Bible and to turn with 00:00:12.400 --> 00:00:18.300 me to Luke chapter 2. We're going to look tonight 00:00:18.300 --> 00:00:23.379 at another one of these individuals who is on 00:00:23.379 --> 00:00:27.500 the fringe of the Christmas story. Last week 00:00:27.500 --> 00:00:31.980 we looked at John the Baptist. The greatest of 00:00:31.980 --> 00:00:36.880 those born among women, said the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:00:38.560 --> 00:00:41.920 Tonight we're going to look at a man that some 00:00:41.920 --> 00:00:45.259 of you may not have heard about before. Although 00:00:45.259 --> 00:00:47.740 if you have read your Bible, you will recognize 00:00:47.740 --> 00:00:50.219 him. All we know about him is found in Luke chapter 00:00:50.219 --> 00:00:56.679 2. We'll begin in verse 21. And when eight days 00:00:56.679 --> 00:01:01.259 were completed before his circumcision, His name 00:01:01.259 --> 00:01:04.739 was then called Jesus, the name given by the 00:01:04.739 --> 00:01:08.799 angel before he was conceived in the womb. And 00:01:08.799 --> 00:01:11.620 when the days for their purification according 00:01:11.620 --> 00:01:14.879 to the law of Moses were completed, they brought 00:01:14.879 --> 00:01:18.159 him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. 00:01:18.560 --> 00:01:21.599 As it is written in the law of the Lord, every 00:01:21.599 --> 00:01:24.900 firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called 00:01:24.900 --> 00:01:29.939 holy to the Lord. and to offer a sacrifice according 00:01:29.939 --> 00:01:33.379 to what was said in the law of the Lord, a pair 00:01:33.379 --> 00:01:38.400 of turtle doves or two young pigeons. And behold, 00:01:38.560 --> 00:01:42.019 there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. 00:01:42.780 --> 00:01:46.980 And this man was righteous and devout, looking 00:01:46.980 --> 00:01:51.519 for the consolation of Israel. And the Holy Spirit 00:01:51.519 --> 00:01:55.640 was upon him. And it had been revealed to him 00:01:55.640 --> 00:01:59.019 by the Holy Spirit, that he would not see death 00:01:59.019 --> 00:02:04.420 before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he 00:02:04.420 --> 00:02:07.939 came in the Spirit into the temple. And when 00:02:07.939 --> 00:02:11.580 the parents brought in the child Jesus to carry 00:02:11.580 --> 00:02:15.360 out for him the custom of the law, then he took 00:02:15.360 --> 00:02:21.699 him into his arms and blessed God and said, Now, 00:02:21.719 --> 00:02:26.900 Lord, thou dost let thy servant thy bondservant, 00:02:26.900 --> 00:02:32.159 depart in peace, according to thy word. For my 00:02:32.159 --> 00:02:35.479 eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast 00:02:35.479 --> 00:02:39.800 prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light 00:02:39.800 --> 00:02:42.979 of revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory 00:02:42.979 --> 00:02:47.159 of thy people Israel. And his father and mother 00:02:47.159 --> 00:02:49.500 were amazed at the things which were being said 00:02:49.500 --> 00:02:53.780 about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to 00:02:53.780 --> 00:02:57.759 Mary his mother, Behold, this child is appointed 00:02:57.759 --> 00:03:02.460 for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and 00:03:02.460 --> 00:03:06.979 for a sign to be opposed, and a sword will pierce 00:03:06.979 --> 00:03:10.919 even your own soul, to the end that the thoughts 00:03:10.919 --> 00:03:17.500 from many hearts may be revealed. The Lord Jesus 00:03:17.500 --> 00:03:22.280 Christ was taken by his parents to the temple 00:03:22.280 --> 00:03:26.849 in Jerusalem. in order to fulfill the requirements 00:03:26.849 --> 00:03:31.250 of the law for a Jewish male. That was because 00:03:31.250 --> 00:03:34.750 the Lord Jesus Christ desired that he might fulfill 00:03:34.750 --> 00:03:39.189 all righteousness. Therefore, he voluntarily 00:03:39.189 --> 00:03:44.770 placed himself under the law, that in every respect 00:03:44.770 --> 00:03:49.969 he might observe it and keep it for our sakes. 00:03:51.919 --> 00:03:55.979 On this occasion, as they brought their eight 00:03:55.979 --> 00:04:00.879 -day -old infant to the temple, they were confronted 00:04:00.879 --> 00:04:06.219 by an old man who apparently had long been a 00:04:06.219 --> 00:04:10.620 part of the temple scene. As I said, this is 00:04:10.620 --> 00:04:14.319 the only reference to Simeon. The words really 00:04:14.319 --> 00:04:18.459 are brief, but what occurs here is not unimportant. 00:04:20.040 --> 00:04:22.740 I'd like for us to think about Simeon tonight 00:04:22.740 --> 00:04:27.439 as one of these people, one of these significant 00:04:27.439 --> 00:04:31.000 people, who is often placed on the fringe of 00:04:31.000 --> 00:04:34.839 the Christmas story. Let's consider three things 00:04:34.839 --> 00:04:40.439 about Simeon. His person. What kind of a person 00:04:40.439 --> 00:04:43.980 was he? Well, we find out in the text that is 00:04:43.980 --> 00:04:48.300 before us. Let's consider, secondly, his prayer. 00:04:49.120 --> 00:04:54.040 which is significant. And then, thirdly, let's 00:04:54.040 --> 00:04:59.579 consider his prophecy. Simeon is described in 00:04:59.579 --> 00:05:05.339 verses 25 through 27 in a five -fold way, which 00:05:05.339 --> 00:05:08.060 gives us an insight as to the kind of person 00:05:08.060 --> 00:05:13.500 that he was. In the first place, we read that 00:05:13.500 --> 00:05:19.149 he was righteous. That does not mean that Simeon 00:05:19.149 --> 00:05:23.290 was a perfect man or that he was sinless. What 00:05:23.290 --> 00:05:28.709 it does mean is that he was right with God. Of 00:05:28.709 --> 00:05:33.550 course, he lived before the cross. The Lord Jesus 00:05:33.550 --> 00:05:36.350 Christ had not been sacrificed. In fact, he holds 00:05:36.350 --> 00:05:40.209 Jesus in his arms. But here was a man who was 00:05:40.209 --> 00:05:45.790 justified before God by his faith. His faith 00:05:45.790 --> 00:05:52.470 was in God's promise of a coming Redeemer. And 00:05:52.470 --> 00:05:57.769 that righteous position before God overflowed 00:05:57.769 --> 00:06:01.389 in the way that he lived so that his moral character 00:06:01.389 --> 00:06:07.149 can be also described as righteous. And so we 00:06:07.149 --> 00:06:11.329 have a man who is known as a righteous person. 00:06:11.769 --> 00:06:13.990 But there's a second word that's used of him. 00:06:14.600 --> 00:06:18.579 It says he was devout. That is a word that we 00:06:18.579 --> 00:06:22.079 don't use much anymore because it seems to have 00:06:22.079 --> 00:06:24.680 certain overtones that belong to the pilgrim 00:06:24.680 --> 00:06:28.240 era of our country. But the term devout is a 00:06:28.240 --> 00:06:33.360 very warm kind of word, really. For to be devout 00:06:33.360 --> 00:06:37.300 meant to be pious in the very best sense of the 00:06:37.300 --> 00:06:44.740 term. It is a mingling of love and fear. The 00:06:44.740 --> 00:06:48.199 word really describes for us what it meant to 00:06:48.199 --> 00:06:52.100 have the fear of the Lord in the biblical sense. 00:06:53.060 --> 00:06:57.740 As to his religious makeup, Simeon is described 00:06:57.740 --> 00:07:04.019 as a devout person. He realized as he served 00:07:04.019 --> 00:07:08.939 in the temple that this was the temple of God. 00:07:10.920 --> 00:07:13.959 Furthermore, he knew the claims of God and the 00:07:13.959 --> 00:07:16.660 prophecies of God upon the nation of Israel. 00:07:18.040 --> 00:07:20.920 And in a day when there was a great deal of self 00:07:20.920 --> 00:07:23.480 -righteousness and hypocrisy on the one hand, 00:07:23.519 --> 00:07:28.759 and on the other, a lot of theological liberalism 00:07:28.759 --> 00:07:33.660 among the Jews, the two extremes being the Pharisees 00:07:33.660 --> 00:07:37.899 and the Sadducees, here is a man who is properly 00:07:37.899 --> 00:07:41.730 described by the Holy Spirit as being both righteous 00:07:41.730 --> 00:07:47.629 and devout, a God -fearing person. Furthermore, 00:07:47.670 --> 00:07:51.250 we see that he was a man of faith, for it says 00:07:51.250 --> 00:07:55.189 concerning him in verse 25, he was looking for 00:07:55.189 --> 00:07:59.610 the consolation of Israel. This term, consolation 00:07:59.610 --> 00:08:03.889 of Israel, is actually a messianic name or title 00:08:03.889 --> 00:08:08.040 for the Lord Jesus Christ. The term consolation 00:08:08.040 --> 00:08:11.439 is the same one used of the Holy Spirit in the 00:08:11.439 --> 00:08:16.319 Gospel of John. The paraclete, the encourager, 00:08:16.399 --> 00:08:20.639 that is the one who is called alongside for assistance. 00:08:22.019 --> 00:08:24.779 One of the names given to the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:08:24.959 --> 00:08:27.420 a name which we sang in that song a few moments 00:08:27.420 --> 00:08:33.000 ago, is the consolation of Israel. What a beautiful 00:08:33.000 --> 00:08:36.600 name for him. And I doubt that there was ever 00:08:36.600 --> 00:08:39.360 a time when the Jewish people needed consolation 00:08:39.360 --> 00:08:44.340 more than in that time. He was to be their encouragement. 00:08:44.340 --> 00:08:47.779 That was God's plan for him. As the Messiah, 00:08:48.039 --> 00:08:53.299 the one who was called to them to aid them. Israel 00:08:53.299 --> 00:08:57.120 had been in spiritual darkness basically for 00:08:57.120 --> 00:09:01.379 400 years. Their last prophet Malachi laid down 00:09:01.379 --> 00:09:05.509 his quill and that was the end. No more revelation 00:09:05.509 --> 00:09:09.230 from God. And during those 400 years of darkness, 00:09:09.389 --> 00:09:14.090 there were only a few, only a few who truly looked 00:09:14.090 --> 00:09:17.990 for the consolation of Israel. But one of them 00:09:17.990 --> 00:09:22.070 was Simeon. When it says that he looked, it means 00:09:22.070 --> 00:09:26.289 that he eagerly anticipated the coming of this 00:09:26.289 --> 00:09:28.629 one who was called the consolation of Israel. 00:09:28.990 --> 00:09:34.289 This word to look means to wait, to expect. It 00:09:34.289 --> 00:09:38.250 is used elsewhere in this very gospel of a slave 00:09:38.250 --> 00:09:41.429 scanning the horizon, looking for his master 00:09:41.429 --> 00:09:47.889 to come back. And so it seems as though, perhaps 00:09:47.889 --> 00:09:50.830 particularly because of the specific revelation 00:09:50.830 --> 00:09:57.690 he had, Simeon Daly was expectantly longing for 00:09:57.690 --> 00:10:01.610 the coming of the consolation of Israel, the 00:10:01.610 --> 00:10:06.360 Christ. And so he was a man of faith, a man of 00:10:06.360 --> 00:10:10.360 faith. Furthermore, we see about him in our text 00:10:10.360 --> 00:10:14.399 that he was a spiritual man. He was a man who 00:10:14.399 --> 00:10:19.320 waited upon the Lord. We notice several times 00:10:19.320 --> 00:10:23.360 the mention of the Holy Spirit in relation to 00:10:23.360 --> 00:10:26.080 him, and you must realize that is unusual in 00:10:26.080 --> 00:10:29.509 the Old Testament. For there was not the ministry 00:10:29.509 --> 00:10:32.850 of the Holy Spirit to believers in those days 00:10:32.850 --> 00:10:36.669 as there is today. It says regarding him that 00:10:36.669 --> 00:10:40.990 the Holy Spirit was upon him. Now that is unusual. 00:10:42.690 --> 00:10:45.889 There was a special ministry of the Holy Spirit 00:10:45.889 --> 00:10:49.110 to this man. And it says that that included, 00:10:49.350 --> 00:10:53.110 verse 26, that the Holy Spirit revealed to him 00:10:53.110 --> 00:10:56.830 that he would not see death before he had seen. 00:10:57.500 --> 00:11:03.039 the Lord's Christ. And it says, and he came in 00:11:03.039 --> 00:11:07.279 the Spirit into the temple. So here was a man 00:11:07.279 --> 00:11:12.080 who waited upon the Lord, a man who walked with 00:11:12.080 --> 00:11:14.460 God, and the result of that was that the Holy 00:11:14.460 --> 00:11:18.600 Spirit revealed some things to him, and the Holy 00:11:18.600 --> 00:11:23.029 Spirit guided his steps. Now may I make an application 00:11:23.029 --> 00:11:25.710 before I go on to say that that is part of the 00:11:25.710 --> 00:11:29.289 ministry of the Holy Spirit to us today, to be 00:11:29.289 --> 00:11:33.490 our teacher, to show us what God has revealed 00:11:33.490 --> 00:11:37.909 in His Word, and to direct and to guide our lives. 00:11:38.830 --> 00:11:41.750 We can only know that ministry, though, when, 00:11:41.830 --> 00:11:46.029 like Simeon, we walk with God and we wait upon 00:11:46.029 --> 00:11:52.299 Him. this man had not obeyed the Holy Spirit. 00:11:52.399 --> 00:11:56.840 Let's just suppose for a minute that he was resting, 00:11:56.899 --> 00:12:00.620 being an older person perhaps in the middle of 00:12:00.620 --> 00:12:04.679 the day, resting and preparing himself to go 00:12:04.679 --> 00:12:08.519 back to finish his duties. And suddenly the Holy 00:12:08.519 --> 00:12:11.820 Spirit impressed upon Simeon as he rested, go 00:12:11.820 --> 00:12:15.480 now to the temple. And let's just suppose that 00:12:15.480 --> 00:12:18.200 he stretched there on his couch and said, Lord, 00:12:18.320 --> 00:12:22.820 I'll do it later. Not now, please. What if he 00:12:22.820 --> 00:12:25.379 had been disobedient to the Lord's specific direction 00:12:25.379 --> 00:12:27.799 to him at that moment? Think of what he would 00:12:27.799 --> 00:12:32.179 have missed. He would have missed seeing the 00:12:32.179 --> 00:12:35.659 Lord Jesus Christ. Furthermore, he would have 00:12:35.659 --> 00:12:39.539 missed having his name in the Bible. He would 00:12:39.539 --> 00:12:42.379 have missed out on a lot, but he was obedient. 00:12:43.460 --> 00:12:46.840 The Holy Spirit prompted him, and away he went 00:12:46.840 --> 00:12:52.970 to the temple. And at that very moment, coincidentally, 00:12:53.029 --> 00:12:57.809 Mary and Joseph were walking into the temple 00:12:57.809 --> 00:13:07.129 with their new baby in her arms. And I think 00:13:07.129 --> 00:13:10.029 that that says something to us. This is probably 00:13:10.029 --> 00:13:12.809 an application out of context, but I'm going 00:13:12.809 --> 00:13:19.799 to do it anyway. How do we come to worship? Do 00:13:19.799 --> 00:13:26.820 we come in the Spirit, as did Simeon? Do we come 00:13:26.820 --> 00:13:30.659 with the Holy Spirit having prepared and prompted 00:13:30.659 --> 00:13:34.720 us to come for worship? Do we come expecting 00:13:34.720 --> 00:13:38.899 God to say something to us, to do something in 00:13:38.899 --> 00:13:43.059 our lives? Simeon did, and we ought to follow 00:13:43.059 --> 00:13:46.519 his example. Well, furthermore about him, we 00:13:46.519 --> 00:13:49.399 see that he was a humble man. You'll notice in 00:13:49.399 --> 00:13:53.460 verse 29 that he calls himself a slave, a bond 00:13:53.460 --> 00:13:57.000 servant. And I would compare his humility to 00:13:57.000 --> 00:14:00.139 that of John the Baptist. You see, it's that 00:14:00.139 --> 00:14:03.379 kind of a person that God really deals with. 00:14:04.100 --> 00:14:07.559 The kind of person who walks humbly with his 00:14:07.559 --> 00:14:10.919 God, as the Old Testament prophet commanded. 00:14:11.379 --> 00:14:13.919 The kind of one who perhaps doesn't care who 00:14:13.919 --> 00:14:17.580 gets the credit, who gets the glory. as long 00:14:17.580 --> 00:14:19.919 as he's obedient and does what God wants him 00:14:19.919 --> 00:14:23.899 to do. We see the humility of this man, Simeon. 00:14:24.899 --> 00:14:27.659 And then in verse 28, we see Simeon's prayer. 00:14:28.879 --> 00:14:32.019 This prayer is sometimes called the nunc dimittis, 00:14:32.080 --> 00:14:36.779 the two first words in this prayer in the Latin. 00:14:37.419 --> 00:14:41.799 It means, now Lord, let your servant depart. 00:14:42.779 --> 00:14:46.049 In this prayer, Simeon says, Lord, I'm ready 00:14:46.049 --> 00:14:50.909 to go. Lord, I'm ready to die. Only a true believer 00:14:50.909 --> 00:14:56.070 can say that. Only one who knows that his after 00:14:56.070 --> 00:15:03.289 death, his eternal destiny is secure. Simeon 00:15:03.289 --> 00:15:06.870 had suddenly found the fulfillment of the promise 00:15:06.870 --> 00:15:11.669 he had received. He held in his arms the babe, 00:15:11.850 --> 00:15:15.610 the Christ. And he says, Lord, I'm ready to go. 00:15:17.129 --> 00:15:21.990 I like that. And then he calls the Lord Jesus 00:15:21.990 --> 00:15:27.889 Christ three names, each of which is important. 00:15:29.490 --> 00:15:33.929 He says in verse 30, My eyes have seen thy salvation. 00:15:34.529 --> 00:15:39.009 I believe S can be capitalized because here the 00:15:39.009 --> 00:15:42.009 Lord Jesus Christ is described as the salvation. 00:15:42.960 --> 00:15:47.860 Of course, his very name, Jesus, means Jehovah 00:15:47.860 --> 00:15:52.980 is salvation. He is the anointed one, the salvation 00:15:52.980 --> 00:15:57.039 of God, the one appointed from eternity past 00:15:57.039 --> 00:16:00.960 to bring redemption for the people of God. This 00:16:00.960 --> 00:16:05.080 is he. And Simeon addresses God, holding him 00:16:05.080 --> 00:16:09.899 in his arms. And then he calls him secondly in 00:16:09.899 --> 00:16:14.379 verse 32. The light of revelation to the Gentiles. 00:16:14.799 --> 00:16:19.580 And again, light should be capitalized. The reference 00:16:19.580 --> 00:16:22.860 here goes back to Isaiah chapter 42, verse 6. 00:16:22.919 --> 00:16:27.120 Chapter 49, verse 6. Where the light of the Gentiles 00:16:27.120 --> 00:16:30.679 is promised by God. The one who would come and 00:16:30.679 --> 00:16:35.200 lift the darkness off of the pagan Gentiles of 00:16:35.200 --> 00:16:39.059 the world. My friend, it's because the Lord Jesus 00:16:39.059 --> 00:16:41.919 Christ bears this title. that most of us are 00:16:41.919 --> 00:16:45.440 saved tonight. For he was born of the Jews, but 00:16:45.440 --> 00:16:48.460 he is not just the Savior of the Jews. He is 00:16:48.460 --> 00:16:51.519 the Savior of Jew and Gentile alike, thank God. 00:16:52.320 --> 00:16:55.179 We who are Gentiles and who were at one time 00:16:55.179 --> 00:17:00.820 cut off from the promises of God now have been 00:17:00.820 --> 00:17:04.640 brought into those promises through the grace, 00:17:04.799 --> 00:17:09.859 the grace of God. We've talked about that already 00:17:09.859 --> 00:17:14.279 in Romans chapters 9 through 11. You know, it's 00:17:14.279 --> 00:17:17.220 interesting, just as a sidelight, that in Acts 00:17:17.220 --> 00:17:23.980 chapter 13, verses 44 to 47, the Apostle Paul 00:17:23.980 --> 00:17:29.160 quotes that same prophecy from Isaiah, and he 00:17:29.160 --> 00:17:33.460 says in that case that he and Barnabas are the 00:17:33.460 --> 00:17:36.700 light to the Gentiles. That's an interesting 00:17:36.700 --> 00:17:40.589 thought, isn't it? They had been sent to preach 00:17:40.589 --> 00:17:42.630 among the Jews, but if the Jews were going to 00:17:42.630 --> 00:17:45.089 reject the message, he says, we will take it 00:17:45.089 --> 00:17:47.930 to the Gentiles as Isaiah prophesied that we 00:17:47.930 --> 00:17:52.710 would be the light to the Gentiles. I think there's 00:17:52.710 --> 00:17:55.809 an application there for us. For while this is 00:17:55.809 --> 00:17:58.150 the name and the title of the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:17:58.250 --> 00:18:02.150 dear people, we are called upon by God also to 00:18:02.150 --> 00:18:05.869 be the light of the world. We are to reflect 00:18:05.869 --> 00:18:10.150 him who is the light. of the world. But he has 00:18:10.150 --> 00:18:15.730 set us to be his illuminers, illuminaries, to 00:18:15.730 --> 00:18:18.990 reflect his light to the pagans around us in 00:18:18.990 --> 00:18:22.589 their darkness. And then he calls the Lord Jesus 00:18:22.589 --> 00:18:26.650 Christ by a third title, the glory, again I think 00:18:26.650 --> 00:18:30.809 capital G belongs there, the glory of thy people 00:18:30.809 --> 00:18:34.589 Israel. When you said the glory to the Jews, 00:18:34.710 --> 00:18:40.559 what did they think of? A good Jew would immediately 00:18:40.559 --> 00:18:46.480 think of the Shekinah, that visible manifestation 00:18:46.480 --> 00:18:49.539 of the presence of God, which they call the glory. 00:18:50.779 --> 00:18:54.759 I believe this word is so rich, which Simeon 00:18:54.759 --> 00:18:59.119 says, because the Lord Jesus Christ is the Shekinah 00:18:59.119 --> 00:19:03.900 of God, the glory of God come in the flesh. Isn't 00:19:03.900 --> 00:19:06.500 that what John says when he corroborates in John 00:19:06.500 --> 00:19:10.180 1, 14? And the word became flesh and dwelled 00:19:10.180 --> 00:19:14.339 amongst us, and we beheld his what? His glory, 00:19:14.559 --> 00:19:18.579 the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, 00:19:18.640 --> 00:19:22.440 full of grace and truth. The Shekinah of God 00:19:22.440 --> 00:19:26.400 come in the flesh. It's a curious order, isn't 00:19:26.400 --> 00:19:30.539 it, these names? He calls them first the salvation 00:19:30.539 --> 00:19:34.920 of God. then the light of the Gentiles, and then 00:19:34.920 --> 00:19:39.539 lastly the glory of Israel. It is not accidental 00:19:39.539 --> 00:19:42.640 that they come in that order, because that is 00:19:42.640 --> 00:19:46.160 the order of his manifestation. He was manifested 00:19:46.160 --> 00:19:50.400 as the salvation of God by his work, his saving 00:19:50.400 --> 00:19:55.279 work at the cross and at the resurrection. But 00:19:55.279 --> 00:19:57.480 then that message being rejected by national 00:19:57.480 --> 00:20:01.329 Israel went to the Gentiles first. and has been 00:20:01.329 --> 00:20:04.390 a light to the Gentiles primarily during this 00:20:04.390 --> 00:20:07.529 age in which we live. But my friend, there is 00:20:07.529 --> 00:20:10.630 a day coming when the Jewish people will be converted 00:20:10.630 --> 00:20:15.109 as a nation, and then the Lord Jesus Christ will 00:20:15.109 --> 00:20:22.049 be their glory. The glory of Israel will be realized. 00:20:26.789 --> 00:20:31.970 Simeon amazed. Mary and Joseph by his words. 00:20:35.529 --> 00:20:39.509 Simeon then blessed them, but it says that he 00:20:39.509 --> 00:20:44.470 spoke to Mary these words. And notice that there 00:20:44.470 --> 00:20:47.690 are three specific prophecies given regarding 00:20:47.690 --> 00:20:52.369 this child. The first one I want to point out 00:20:52.369 --> 00:20:57.900 is in verse 35. You'll notice... that in the 00:20:57.900 --> 00:21:03.380 middle of his prophecy, Simeon interrupts himself 00:21:03.380 --> 00:21:10.640 and addressing Mary says, and a sword will pierce 00:21:10.640 --> 00:21:16.539 even your own soul. What does Simeon mean by 00:21:16.539 --> 00:21:30.259 this? Simeon... is delivering the first word 00:21:30.259 --> 00:21:36.079 given after the birth of the Lord Jesus regarding 00:21:36.079 --> 00:21:41.759 his coming suffering. He is telling Mary that 00:21:41.759 --> 00:21:47.059 there will come a day when because of this child 00:21:47.059 --> 00:21:53.819 she has born, it will be as though a sword pierced 00:21:53.819 --> 00:22:02.130 her soul. And when was that? Undoubtedly it was 00:22:02.130 --> 00:22:10.190 as she stood at the cross and saw this child 00:22:10.190 --> 00:22:17.150 that she brought into the world crucified. Who 00:22:17.150 --> 00:22:26.670 can know the pain of that mother? Who can tell 00:22:29.099 --> 00:22:37.400 the piercing agony in her soul as she saw her 00:22:37.400 --> 00:22:44.940 firstborn cruelly mistreated and nailed to a 00:22:44.940 --> 00:22:54.160 cross maybe those of us who are parents perhaps 00:22:54.160 --> 00:22:58.490 more specifically maybe those of you who Our 00:22:58.490 --> 00:23:03.750 mothers can begin to appreciate how this prophecy 00:23:03.750 --> 00:23:09.130 must have struck her years later as she reflected 00:23:09.130 --> 00:23:11.410 upon it. You say, oh, how did she remember that? 00:23:11.529 --> 00:23:14.250 The Spirit of God brought it to her mind. It 00:23:14.250 --> 00:23:17.069 says in the context here that she hid these things 00:23:17.069 --> 00:23:21.970 away in her heart. Not fully understanding them, 00:23:21.990 --> 00:23:27.839 she nonetheless remembered them. And we believe 00:23:27.839 --> 00:23:32.200 that it was because Luke spoke to Mary as he 00:23:32.200 --> 00:23:34.980 was writing this in preparation for the writing 00:23:34.980 --> 00:23:38.579 of this gospel that he was aware of this whole 00:23:38.579 --> 00:23:41.660 incident. Only Luke tells about it among the 00:23:41.660 --> 00:23:45.839 gospel writers. Mary, the mother of our Lord, 00:23:45.859 --> 00:23:49.160 was one of his sources for getting information 00:23:49.160 --> 00:23:55.640 about all of this. And it was Mary. who recounted 00:23:55.640 --> 00:24:00.980 for Luke the prophecy of Simeon in the temple 00:24:00.980 --> 00:24:07.140 that day. And a sword will pierce your own soul. 00:24:09.940 --> 00:24:13.259 But there's another word of prophecy here that 00:24:13.259 --> 00:24:15.579 is given. He says, this child is appointed for 00:24:15.579 --> 00:24:20.839 the fall and the rise of many in Israel. Not 00:24:20.839 --> 00:24:23.299 only do we see the prophecy about his suffering, 00:24:23.359 --> 00:24:26.920 but we see the prophecy about his being set as 00:24:26.920 --> 00:24:33.160 a stone, actually a stumbling stone for the nation 00:24:33.160 --> 00:24:37.400 of Israel because of their unbelief and their 00:24:37.400 --> 00:24:40.319 pride in their self -righteousness. And may I 00:24:40.319 --> 00:24:42.960 say that the Lord Jesus Christ is still today 00:24:42.960 --> 00:24:47.119 a stumbling stone to those who in their self 00:24:47.119 --> 00:24:50.339 -righteousness and unbelief reject and refuse 00:24:50.339 --> 00:24:56.559 him. For a person rejects him to his own damnation. 00:24:57.660 --> 00:25:00.640 If one turns away from the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:25:00.759 --> 00:25:04.940 there is no hope for his soul for all of eternity. 00:25:07.579 --> 00:25:10.759 For there is salvation in Jesus Christ alone. 00:25:12.859 --> 00:25:15.619 But for some in Israel, he would not be a stone 00:25:15.619 --> 00:25:19.140 for falling, but for rising. sort of a stepping 00:25:19.140 --> 00:25:22.200 stone, or to put it in the language of the New 00:25:22.200 --> 00:25:26.039 Testament, a cornerstone. For those who will 00:25:26.039 --> 00:25:31.140 trust this child who grew up and went to the 00:25:31.140 --> 00:25:34.599 cross and rose again and is now ascended to heaven. 00:25:34.980 --> 00:25:38.019 For those, I say, who trust him, he is not a 00:25:38.019 --> 00:25:41.500 stumbling stone, but he becomes the chief cornerstone, 00:25:41.579 --> 00:25:45.299 not only in the church, but in their lives. He 00:25:45.299 --> 00:25:49.170 becomes the foundation for the life. so that 00:25:49.170 --> 00:25:52.809 the life has stability and purpose and eternal 00:25:52.809 --> 00:26:00.930 destiny. What is your relationship to this one? 00:26:02.990 --> 00:26:05.970 Is he to you a stumbling stone because to this 00:26:05.970 --> 00:26:08.289 point at least you've turned from him, you've 00:26:08.289 --> 00:26:14.089 rejected him? Is he the cornerstone of your life? 00:26:14.369 --> 00:26:17.869 Is your life being built on him? It's one way 00:26:17.869 --> 00:26:22.849 or the other. He also calls him in verse 35, 00:26:23.170 --> 00:26:27.250 or the last part of verse 34 rather, a sign to 00:26:27.250 --> 00:26:30.910 be opposed to the end that the thoughts from 00:26:30.910 --> 00:26:36.990 many hearts may be revealed. He's a sign. The 00:26:36.990 --> 00:26:39.289 Apostle Paul tells us that the Jews continually 00:26:39.289 --> 00:26:44.779 sought for a what? A sign. They were always looking 00:26:44.779 --> 00:26:47.200 for a sign. How do we know? Let's find a sign. 00:26:47.319 --> 00:26:51.000 What's a sign? And yet they had the greatest 00:26:51.000 --> 00:26:55.079 of signs, which Jesus himself called the sign 00:26:55.079 --> 00:27:00.180 of the prophet who? Jonah. And that sign was 00:27:00.180 --> 00:27:03.880 that he, as the Son of Man, the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:27:04.000 --> 00:27:06.599 would go into the earth for three days and three 00:27:06.599 --> 00:27:10.039 nights and come out again. Just as Jonah went 00:27:10.039 --> 00:27:12.279 into the belly of the fish and came out after 00:27:12.279 --> 00:27:15.180 three days and three nights. He says to this 00:27:15.180 --> 00:27:18.759 generation will be given that sign and yet the 00:27:18.759 --> 00:27:23.680 nation as a whole rejected that sign. He says 00:27:23.680 --> 00:27:27.019 he will reveal the thoughts from many hearts. 00:27:27.779 --> 00:27:30.660 And that's exactly what Jesus does. He reveals 00:27:30.660 --> 00:27:32.920 the thoughts of the heart, the attitude of the 00:27:32.920 --> 00:27:38.309 heart toward God. One cannot be neutral. regarding 00:27:38.309 --> 00:27:43.150 the Lord Jesus Christ. One may think he is neutral, 00:27:43.250 --> 00:27:46.970 but he cannot be neutral successfully. One either 00:27:46.970 --> 00:27:49.849 accepts him, who he is and what he has done, 00:27:50.089 --> 00:27:55.630 or one actually rejects him. Neutral we cannot 00:27:55.630 --> 00:28:01.769 be. What will you do with Jesus? What will you 00:28:01.769 --> 00:28:06.619 do with this one whom Simeon welcomed? and held 00:28:06.619 --> 00:28:12.559 in his arms this Christ. Have you received him? 00:28:13.019 --> 00:28:15.200 Do you know him as your Savior? You say, look, 00:28:15.259 --> 00:28:20.799 preacher, I've been raised in church. I was baptized 00:28:20.799 --> 00:28:24.140 as a baby. And I've been through classes. I've 00:28:24.140 --> 00:28:26.700 been confirmed. I've been faithful in attending 00:28:26.700 --> 00:28:29.019 church. And you're asking me if I trust Jesus? 00:28:29.140 --> 00:28:35.059 Yes. Yes, I do ask you that. Because you see, 00:28:35.099 --> 00:28:37.240 there is all the difference between heaven and 00:28:37.240 --> 00:28:42.619 hell from knowing about Jesus and knowing him 00:28:42.619 --> 00:28:46.539 personally through faith. You see, in Simeon's 00:28:46.539 --> 00:28:50.579 day, there were many people in the temple, but 00:28:50.579 --> 00:28:54.059 most of them missed Jesus because their religion 00:28:54.059 --> 00:28:57.480 was very superficial and outward. But here was 00:28:57.480 --> 00:29:01.299 a man who truly trusted God, and he was able 00:29:01.299 --> 00:29:04.539 to hold the Christ in his arms. Now it's possible 00:29:04.539 --> 00:29:06.720 today for a person to be in church, to be very 00:29:06.720 --> 00:29:08.519 religious, to go through all kinds of ritual, 00:29:08.660 --> 00:29:12.059 routine, and classes, etc., etc., and still to 00:29:12.059 --> 00:29:18.440 go to hell. But one must receive Jesus Christ 00:29:18.440 --> 00:29:22.619 personally into the heart to be saved. Have you 00:29:22.619 --> 00:29:27.319 done that? If not, will you do it tonight? Will 00:29:27.319 --> 00:29:31.099 you let him be the light of your inner darkness? 00:29:38.410 --> 00:29:40.809 Heavenly Father, we thank you for the study of 00:29:40.809 --> 00:29:45.670 Simeon and how he instructs us as believers and 00:29:45.670 --> 00:29:48.069 sets an example before us, though he lived in 00:29:48.069 --> 00:29:53.029 a different age than we. We would pray in so 00:29:53.029 --> 00:29:57.410 many ways to emulate him as a man of God, a faithful 00:29:57.410 --> 00:30:04.279 man, a devout man, a spiritual man. who knew 00:30:04.279 --> 00:30:06.440 what it was to be taught of the Spirit and directed 00:30:06.440 --> 00:30:12.980 by the Spirit and was obedient. Father, I especially 00:30:12.980 --> 00:30:15.759 pray for any here who do not know the Lord Jesus. 00:30:17.079 --> 00:30:19.519 Help them right now to understand the difference 00:30:19.519 --> 00:30:27.359 between religion and being saved. With our heads 00:30:27.359 --> 00:30:32.099 bowed, our eyes closed, as we wait upon the Lord, 00:30:32.180 --> 00:30:34.720 just before... closing the service, I wonder 00:30:34.720 --> 00:30:40.380 if there's someone here who would be honest enough 00:30:40.380 --> 00:30:45.279 to say, Pastor Cole, I have been trusting in 00:30:45.279 --> 00:30:52.900 my religion. My faith has been resting upon my 00:30:52.900 --> 00:31:00.700 baptism, my confirmation, my past, my works. 00:31:04.079 --> 00:31:08.220 But I see that that's not enough. And I've never 00:31:08.220 --> 00:31:14.259 trusted Jesus Christ truly in the heart. But 00:31:14.259 --> 00:31:19.000 tonight I would want to do that. Tonight I would 00:31:19.000 --> 00:31:23.240 pray and receive him. Would you lift your hand 00:31:23.240 --> 00:31:25.099 up and put it down so that I can pray for you? 00:31:25.640 --> 00:31:29.079 I'm not going to come back and get you. I'm not 00:31:29.079 --> 00:31:31.900 going to embarrass you. But if tonight you would 00:31:31.900 --> 00:31:34.460 say, yes, I want to trust the Lord Jesus Christ 00:31:34.460 --> 00:31:36.680 this evening, would you lift your hand up and 00:31:36.680 --> 00:31:42.460 put it down right now? I don't want to miss you. 00:31:42.500 --> 00:31:51.079 Lift it high. Father in heaven, how we love you 00:31:51.079 --> 00:31:57.779 and how we thank you for your son. We thank you 00:31:57.779 --> 00:32:01.519 that he's not just the babe in the manger. But 00:32:01.519 --> 00:32:03.440 having come into the world that way, he then 00:32:03.440 --> 00:32:06.480 went to the cross and became our sin bearer and 00:32:06.480 --> 00:32:12.200 is now our risen Lord, ascended to heaven and 00:32:12.200 --> 00:32:16.480 soon to return. May we tonight rejoice in him 00:32:16.480 --> 00:32:23.980 as did Simeon. And we pray this in his name. 00:32:24.019 --> 00:32:24.539 Amen.