A pastor, an avid golfer, was once taking part in a local tournament. As he was preparing to tee off, the organizer of the tournament approached him and pointed to the dark, threatening storm clouds which were gathering.
"Preacher," the organizer said, "I trust you’ll see to it that the weather won’t turn bad on us."
The pastor shook his head. "Sorry," he replied. "I’m sales, not management!"
Luke 2:22-35-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
(as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”),
and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
And 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.
And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
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,
he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:
“Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word;
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.”
And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him.
Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against
(yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
The First Thing We Need To See Is…He was a just ( 1. fair and impartial: acting with fairness and impartiality 2. morally correct: done, pursued, or given in accordance with what is morally right
3. reasonable: valid or reasonable
The Second Thing We Need To See Is…He was a devout man (1. very religious: deeply religious 2. devoted to something: devoted to a particular personal interest or cause 3. very sincere: deeply and sincerely felt or meant)
Is there any evidence of this in your life?
Could this be said of you?
The Third Thing We Need To See Is…He was a patient man
Waiting…1-Do nothing expecting something to happen: to stay in one place or do nothing for a period of time until something happens or in the expectation or hope that something will happen
I'll wait for you here until noon.
2-Stop so somebody can catch up: to stop or slow down in order to allow somebody else to catch up
Wait for me! DO WE EVER GET AHEAD OF GOD?
(Two kinds of waiting, active and non-active, we need God to show us which one we need to be in each circumstance)
3-Be hoping for something: to be hoping for something or on the lookout for something
He is waiting for a job opportunity. HAVE WE GIVEN UP HOPE ON PEOPLE, ON CIRCUMSTANCES?
4-Be delayed or ignored for now: to be postponed or put off until later
College would just have to wait. REALIZING THAT GOD HAS A PLAN AND JUST BECAUSE IT DIDN’T HAPPEN TODAY DOESN’T MEANT IT WON’T TOMORROW!
5-Be ready or available: to be ready or available for somebody to take or use
Your mail is waiting for you. ARE YOU READY AND AVAILABLE FOR GOD TO USE YOU?
6-Delay something: to delay something, especially a meal, because somebody is expected to arrive soon
We waited on dinner for you. SOMETIMES GOD HAS TO WAIT ON PEOPLE, FOR THEM TO BE READY TO RECEIVE WHAT HE HAS TO OFFER!
Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word;
For my eyes have seen Your salvation
Simeon was not just sitting on the premises, he was standing on the promises.
As you gather with you family this Christmas, I want you to see something!
Not how much you spent or didn‘t spend, not who got the most presents, not who showed up or didn’t show up at your house.
But I want you to see what God has blessed you with!
Just like Mary’s life, there were going to be joyful times and sorrowful times ( yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also) so it is with our life, but look around you this Christmas and see what God’s done in your life, in you families life, in your church and take time to praise Him!
