Let Christmas Change Your World!
Part 5 - Christmas Dedication
Luke 2:21-35
Sermon by Rick Crandall - McClendon Baptist Church 123106am
*Jo Carr tells about a children’s Christmas program she once saw. Jo said: "All the songs had been sung, and the candles lit. The shepherds had come to peek at the baby, and the wise men had brought their gifts. The angels had given their message. Then all the cast in the story of the first Christmas began to leave... Only Mary and Joseph and the [baby doll Jesus] remained. Then Joseph turned to go, and Mary began to follow, but suddenly she turned back, snatched up the baby doll by the foot, clutched it in her arm, and left." (1)
*It was that last little unplanned part of the play that struck Jo Carr. Mary had almost forgotten Jesus. Christmas is over, but we must not forget Jesus.
*What will you do with the Christ of Christmas? Dedicate your life to Him. God’s Word will show us how.
1. First, give your best to God.
*This is what Joseph & Mary were doing in vs. 21-24...
21. And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.
22. Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord
23. (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord’’),
24. and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.’’
*In this passage we see Jesus’ family going through three ancient ceremonies that took place when a first-born son came into a Jewish family. The first ceremony in vs. 21 was circumcision. William Barclay tells us that every Jewish boy was circumcised on the eighth day after his birth. The ceremony was so sacred was that it could be carried out even on a Sabbath, and on that day a boy received his name. (2)
*Circumcision: We still do it today mostly as a matter of custom and personal hygiene, but it seems like such an odd thing to do. Where did it come from?
*It started in Genesis 17, when Abram was 99 years old and the Lord appeared to him and said: “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.”
*And when Abram fell on his face, God said: “My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.”
*Right then, God gave the commandment of circumcision as a sign of His everlasting covenant with Abraham. And here’s what I get out of it. Circumcision is saying to God: “Lord that part of me that most defines me physically as a man, I give that to you. Lord I give you my hopes for a family, for children, for grandchildren. Lord I give you my hope for the future. And Lord I am willing to be different from natural men. I want to be a spiritual man set apart for you.”
*Circumcision is a way to give your best to God. And then in vs. 22&23, Joseph and Mary presented Jesus to God. Listen to it again:
22. Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord
23. (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord’’),
*What is more precious to us than our children? Mary & Joseph were giving their best to God! The ceremony in vs. 22&23 was called the Redemption of the First-born. It was started by God in Exodus 13 to remind the Children of Israel of the time when God delivered them from Egypt.
Most of us will remember that the first-born sons of Israel were spared from death during the Passover, when the blood from a sacrificial lamb was spread on the doorposts of their home. From that time, all of their first-born sons belonged to God, and a price had to be paid to redeem them.
*Michael Brumpton gave this insight: “Whenever a woman gave birth to her first male child, this child belonged to God. And one of two things could happen. Either the child would be dedicated to God, to serve Him for life, or if the family wanted to keep that child in their own employ, they could redeem him –they could buy him back. And that was the most common thing. In Numbers 18:16, the price was set for that redemption: 5 shekels of silver. That represented about 20 days’ wages and so the cost of redemption was pretty high. It was something that a poor family couldn’t afford, and so Jesus, at just 6 weeks old, had his life dedicated to God.” (3)
*This seems so far away from us, but one of the things God wants us to recognize here is that all children are a gift from Him, and that in reality they belong to Him. And the focus on the first-born son helps point us to the truth that God would give His only begotten Son, Jesus for us.
*Here is what happened in these verses: God the Father gave His best to Joseph and Mary, and then they gave Him back again.
*The Redemption of the First-born reminds us to give our best to God. Then Mary completed her 40-day purification process in vs. 24, by offering “a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
*This was a sin offering and by the way, it reminds us that although Mary was a good and a Godly woman, she was not a perfect woman, for all have sinned & fall short of the glory of God. Everybody needs a Savior! Everybody needs Jesus! But as an Old Testament symbol of the Lord’s sacrifice on the Cross, this offering usually called for a lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon for a sin offering.
*But if the family could not afford to offer the lamb, they were allowed to offer a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. It was called “The Offering of the Poor.” And that’s what Joseph and Mary brought because they were poor.
*They didn’t have much, but they gave their best to God, and that’s what we should do! Give God your best. Make Jesus Christ the Lord of your calendar, the Lord of your checkbook, and the Lord of your life!
2. That’s how to live a dedicated life: Give your best to God, and patiently wait for God’s promises. This is what Simeon was doing in vs. 25. “Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.”
*Simeon was patiently waiting for “the Consolation of Israel.” This word “consolation” is almost exactly the same Greek word that Jesus used in John 14, when He called the Holy Spirit the “Comforter.” Simeon was waiting for the comfort of the presence of the Messiah. He was patiently waiting for the One who had been promised to Israel. Simeon was also waiting for the promise that God had given to him in vs. 26, Simeon, you will not see death, before you see Christ.
*I wonder how long Simeon waited. One source I looked at said that he was 113 years old when this happened. How many years had he wandered through the Temple courts wondering, “Could this be the day?”
*I can’t tell you how long Simeon waited, but I can tell you how long we should wait for God to keep His promises. Wait until God works out His Word in your life. Never give up on God, because He will always keep His Word.
*John Huffman told a story about Robert Wilson, who was a great professor at Princeton Seminary. One of Dr. Wilson’s students was invited back to preach in chapel twelve years after his graduation. Old Dr. Wilson came in and sat down near the front.
*At the close of the meeting the old professor came up to his former student, extended his hand, and said, “If you come back again, I will not come to hear you preach. I only come once.
*I am glad that you are a big-godder. When my boys come back, I come to see if they are big-godders or little-godders, and then I know what their ministry will be."
*His former student asked him to explain and Dr. Wilson replied, "Well, some men have a little god, and they are always in trouble with him. He can’t do any miracles. He can’t take care of the inspiration and transmission of the Scripture to us. He doesn’t intervene on behalf of his people. They have a little god and I call them little-godders.
*Then there are those who have a great God. He speaks and it is done. He commands and it stands fast. He knows how to show Himself strong on behalf of them that fear him. You have a great God; and He will bless your ministry." (4)
* Church, I want to tell you today that we have a great God! We have a great God, and He will always keep His Word. So you keep patiently waiting for His promises to come true
3. That’s how to live a dedicated life: Patiently wait for God’s promises, and follow the leadership of the Lord. This is what Simeon was doing in vs. 27. Just as Joseph and Mary were bringing Jesus to the Temple, the Holy Spirit led Simeon to go to the Temple, and he followed the leadership of the Lord. What if he would have said “no” to God. Think of the blessing he would have missed.
*Obedience was a lifestyle for Simeon. Vs. 25 tells us that he was righteous and devoted to the Lord, and I like what it says there, “The Holy Spirit was upon him.” One of the thing that means is this: Simeon stayed as close to the Lord as he possibly could. Simeon followed the Lord. That’s what we need to do and God will help us to follow Him.
*The last time I preached on this passage of Scripture was in December of 2004. That Thursday I had gone to visit Jack and Mot Richey at the Glenwood ICU. We happened to be there when a lady passed away. Her name was Barbara and her husband Curtis was there by himself. (I’m not sure why he was by himself. It may have been because his wife’s death was unexpected, but at any rate, Curtis was all alone.)
*He was just five feet away from me, and I wanted to speak to him, but I didn’t know him, and I didn’t know what to say. While I was still thinking about it, Curtis turned to me, as if I had already spoken to him. And he said: “What?”
*Now that may have been a small wonder, but it was a wonder to me, and I could see the Hand of God at work. So I told Curtis that I hadn’t said anything, but I was thinking about him, and I was sorry for his loss. Then we gathered in a circle and prayed for Curtis and his family.
*God was at work that day in a very clear way to help me do what He wanted me to do. I am not saying that it will always be easy to follow the Lord. Sometimes it will be extremely hard, but He will help you.
4. That’s how to live a dedicated life: Follow the leadership of the Lord, and be excited about your encounter with Christ. (Simeon was tremendously excited in vs. 27-32...)
27. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law,
28. he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:
29. "Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word;
30. for my eyes have seen Your salvation
31. which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
32. a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.’’
*Simeon was excited! Wouldn’t you be excited if you met the God of the whole universe? Well Christians, haven’t we?
*Don’t be distracted by anything in this world. Don’t be discouraged by anything going wrong in your life. Be delighted in the Lord! Let your life overflow with joy and excitement, because Jesus has come into the world to be our Savior and Lord.
*Just like Simeon in vs. 30&31, we have seen the Lord’s salvation! We have seen it in His Word. We have seen it in the lives of precious people who have trusted in Jesus. And most of all, we have seen it on the Cross.
*Remember that Joseph and Mary gave the sin offering for her purification back in vs. 24. David Brown tells us that she would have gone to the east gate of the court, where she, herself, would be sprinkled by the priest with the blood of her sacrifice. (5)
*Her sins were covered by the blood, but it wasn’t her blood. God was ever and always telling us that someone else must pay the price for our sins. And the only One who could really pay the price for Mary’s sins was the Baby she carried in her arms that day. Only Jesus could die on the Cross for our sins, and He did that for us.
*We should be excited like Simeon! “for my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.”
*Jesus Christ is the Light of the Gentiles. He’s the Light of the world! He is the Light of our lives today.
*Annie Chapman once told about some priceless gifts she received at Christmas. One of those gifts came from Annie’s daughter Heidi when she was about 4-years-old.
*Heidi had wrapped the present herself, so you can imagine what it looked like. It was this huge ball of wrapping paper and tape, but inside was a tiny, plastic, glow-in-the-dark nativity scene with Joseph, Mary & the Baby Jesus.
*Heidi kept jumping up and down with excitement as her mom opened the package her little girl had wrapped. And the whole time Heidi kept saying over and over, “Mommy, Jesus glows in the dark! Jesus glows in the dark!” (6)
*And He did. And He does. In our lost, hurt and dying world, Jesus Christ really does glow in the dark. And Christians, He wants to shine through you! So get excited about Jesus Christ.
5. That’s how to live a dedicated life: Be excited about your encounter with Christ, and take a stand for the Savior. In vs. 34, Simeon reminded us that we must take a stand for the Lord. Simeon said, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against.”
*Many will speak against the Lord. Many already have. But put me on the Lord’s side!
*As William Barclay said: “Towards Jesus Christ there can be no neutrality. We either surrender to him or are at war with him. And it is the tragedy of life that our pride often keeps us from making that surrender which leads to victory.” (7)
*If you reject Jesus, you will fall forever. But if you will fall down before Him in humble worship and adoration, He will raise you up. He will even raise you up to Heaven.
*And if you know Jesus, stand up for Him everyday, because people need to know the truth about Jesus. They are hopelessly lost without Him.
*One of my main mentors in life was Wray Ivey. He passed away about 8 years ago, but he was my pastor for five years at First Baptist Church in Macon. And he gave some great guidance to me when the Lord started calling me to preach.
*One Tuesday night Bro. Wray and I were out visiting, and I was discouraged about our lack of results. There are so many lost people out there, and we were reaching so few. It almost seemed like, “What’s the use?”
*But Wray said: “Suppose you were standing next to the ocean, and you saw thousands of people drowning, and you had a life ring in your hand. What would you do? Would you give up & say, ‘What’s the use?’ Or would you try to save as many of them as you possibly could?”
*Of course we would save as many as we could. And we ought to do all we can to reach all the people we can for Jesus Christ, because everybody needs Jesus.
Conclu:
*So what will you do with the Christ of Christmas?
-Don’t leave Jesus in the Christmas cradle.
--Dedicate your life to Him!
1. Jo Carr & Donna Cash, ADVENT, A CALENDAR OF DEVOTIONS, 1982, Abingdon. Found on KERUX ILLUSTRATION COLLECTION - ID Number: 3548 - SOURCE: Dynamic Preaching (www.sermons.com) Disk, Winter 1993 "A" - TITLE: A Cross In A Cradle - AUTHOR: - DATE: 9/1/93
2. Barclay’s Daily Study Bible (Luke 2:21-24)
3. Adapted from sermon by Michael Brumpton - Scripture: Luke 2:21-40 & Ex. 13:11-16 Date: 17/04/2005 - Location: St George a.m. Page: 2 of 4
4. Adapted from SermonCentral sermon “Learning to Change” by Jeff Strite - Acts 10:1-48
5. Jamieson, Faussett, Brown commentary on Luke 2:22 as found in THE BIBLE LIBRARY(tm) Copyright 1988, 2001. Ellis Enterprises Oklahoma City
6. Adapted from Decision Magazine, December 1993
7. Barclay’s Daily Study Bible (Luke 2:25-35)
