Sermon Central
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Opportunities To Testify Series
Contributed by Paul Clemente on Aug 15, 2011 (message contributor)
Summary: God wants us to tell people about Jesus Christ and God gives us many opportunities to do so.
Let’s start with a little game. I’m going to give you a name and you tell me the work associated with them: George Lucas…… Frank Lloyd Wright…… Betsy Ross…… Alexander Graham Bell……. How about Juan Valdez? One more for us Filipinos; What work did Pedro Florez do??
Don’t you get excited when someone wants to know something and you know the real answer? Now, what’s the most important thing that a person needs to know??
Isn’t it awesome when someone comes to you and asks directly, “How can a person go to heaven?” If you’re a true Believer of Christ you know the answer to that question and you would be thrilled to share the Good News!
But here’s the truth: God wants us to tell people about Jesus Christ and God gives us many opportunities to do so. Sadly, many times we miss those opportunities; either because of ignorance or fears.
How can we do a better job in this area?
As we continue to learn from the Gospel of Luke, we will learn from 2 people called by God who were given opportunities to proclaim God’s good work! Open your Bibles to Luke 2. Before reading, let us pray with sincere hearts to God our commitment to the Bible…..
God calls on people to testify about His work!!
God gave Simeon and Anna opportunities to be witnesses for God.
Who was Simeon? v25:
righteous and devout – a godly man
It states that Simeon was waiting for the Consolation of Israel. What do you think that meant?? Simeon was waiting for the Savior of Israel
We also note that he was filled with God the Holy Spirit.
v26: God promised that Simeon would see Jesus Christ before he dies. Did God keep His promise? – Absolutely! In v28 we note that God not only kept His promise for Simeon to see Jesus, God blessed Simeon by letting him hold his Savior in his arms!
A quick application: Have you received the eternal promise of salvation through Jesus Christ? We may quickly say yes, but is Jesus real in your life, like holding Him in your arms everyday?
And we see Simeon responding to God’s blessings with prayer and praise in v29-32! What can we note from Simeon’s prayer??
The promise and vision about the Savior Jesus Christ is not only for Simeon but for every person in the world!
How about Anna in v36-38? Who was she?
v36: a prophetess = what is a prophetess? The original Greek word is prophetis which means a woman to whom future events or things hidden from others are at times revealed, either by inspiration or by dreams and visions or a woman who declares or interprets oracles; in other words, if you had a question regarding the supernatural, Anna the prophetess was the one to ask.
Anna had a connection with God!
Anna was from the Tribe of Asher; in other words, Anna had a good reputation! She was over 80 years old and worshiped God always (She wasn’t a zombie, she was a WAMB! She was Worshiper with her Attitude, Mind, and Body!)
What did God do for Anna?
God brought Joseph and Mary along with Baby Jesus to Anna. How did Anna respond to what God did? We read in v38, Anna gave thanks to God and spoke to others about Jesus the Messiah! The prophetess became an evangelist for Christ!
Let’s talk about the applications to life regarding this story.
Why did God do that with Simeon and Anna and why did God place it in Scriptures??
God did those things to bless Simeon and Anna!
And yes, what do you think the testimony of Simeon and Sarah do for Mary and Joseph? With all the hardships they had to go through, Mary and Joseph needed all the encouragement they could get! God did those things to encourage Joseph and Mary! This is made clear in v33-35….
Mary and Joseph marveled at what happened! But did you notice that God also reveals the truth; the reality of hardships in life. Think about that for a moment; Mary and Joseph had the Creator God Jesus Christ in their family and home; yet, there were hardships to face.
Be encouraged! No matter what hardship you are going through or will go through, God knows them; He has a purpose for them, and in the end and to eternity, all hardships and pain will be destroyed!
Now, who were Simeon and Anna looking for??
Simeon and Anna represented the people of Israel who were waiting for the promised Messiah, their Savior. And so, what is another reason for God to do what He did for Simeon and Anna? God did those things through Simeon and Anna for the people of Israel! Both Simeon and Anna testified to the people of Israel that Jesus Christ is the Messiah!
