LOOKING FOR THE MESSIAH
Text: Luke 2:21 – 40
Show powerpoint of Tonya’s baby ultrasound.
Let me introduce you to the newest Campbell child. Although a name hasn’t been decided yet, Remy, Hadley, and Hannah are among the possibilities. We know that she is a girl, even though Caleb has been praying really hard that she’s a boy. I’ll tell you more about her in a few minutes.
There are several things worthy of a sermon in this scripture today. You could focus on the faithfulness of Mary and Joseph in keeping the Law to the tiniest detail, the very law that Jesus himself had come to fulfill. We could look at the commitment of Anna, an elderly widow that never left the temple, constantly worshipping, fasting, and praying. I could stress how that Jesus, as a human, grew in spirit and wisdom, and how that God’s grace was upon him.
But the Lord drew me to the story of Simeon as I prayed about this scripture. We know very little about Simeon. We don’t know what he did for a living. Maybe he was a priest at the Temple. He might have been a Levite, someone who assisted the priests with their duties. Maybe he was a farmer, or a fisherman.
We also don’t know how old Simeon was, but his statement in verse 29 leads me to believe that he was an older man.
Here’s what we do know about Simeon. The Bible describes him as a righteous and devout man who was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come. Again, we don’t know how long he had been waiting, but we do know that at some point the Holy Spirit had revealed unto him that he wouldn’t die until he had seen the Messiah with his own eyes.
I believe that this day was like every other day for Simeon. He woke up and immediately thought, “Is this the day Lord? Is this the day that I see the Messiah?” I believe that that thought was on his mind all day long as he did what he needed to do to survive and maybe provide for his family. Simeon had a goal…and a passion…to see the Messiah before he died, and as a result, he was constantly looking for him.
By “looking” I don’t mean that he was just standing around hoping that he would get a glance at the Messiah as he passed by. The Bible says that he was righteous and devout, and that the Holy Spirit was upon him. He was careful to obey God and to seek His will. He trusted that God would keep his promise. And I am sure that he excitedly told everyone that he came into contact with, “The Messiah is coming! Are you looking for him?”
Now Simeon had good reason to believe that the Messiah was on his way. First of all, the Holy Spirit had directly revealed it to him somehow. Although Simeon didn’t know the details, he was assured that he would see and recognize the Messiah before he died. But there were other reasons for him to believe. Surely, as a righteous and devout man, Simeon would have been familiar with the Scriptures, and there are many references in the Old Testament about a coming Messiah. The very first one appears in Genesis 3 as God pronounces judgment on the serpent for its role in causing mankind to sin. God told the serpent, “And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:15) Centuries later, Moses commented, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.” (Deuteronomy 18:15) That “prophet” was Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Several more centuries pass, and the prophet Isaiah prophesies that “…the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’). (Isaiah 7:14) Another prophet, Micah, prophesies about the place of the Messiah’s birth centuries before he appears. “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, one whose origins are from the distant past.” (Micah 5:2) Simeon had plenty of reasons to believe that the Messiah was on his way. He didn’t know how or when, but he was sure that it would happen.
Remember the Campbell baby? Tonya and Jamie have plenty of reasons to believe that they are expecting a baby in the near future. There was a pregnancy test, followed by a trip to the obstetrician, followed by several other tests. There were ultrasounds. Tonya’s body is changing, verifying that she is expecting. And of course, sometimes she can feel the baby move or kick.
The thing is that waiting for this baby is a lot like Simeon waiting for the Messiah. They know that a baby is on the way, but they aren’t exactly sure when she will arrive. So they wait expectantly, knowing that one day, their dreams will come true and that she will be a wonderful blessing from God. Simeon knew that the Messiah was on the way, but he wasn’t exactly sure when He would arrive. So he waited expectantly, knowing that one day, his dreams would come true, and that he would be given a wonderful blessing from God.
Which brings me to the point of this sermon. Just like Tonya and Jamie are looking for the arrival of a daughter, and Simeon looked for the arrival of the Messiah the first time he came, we should be looking for the Messiah to come a second time,
Again, we have plenty of evidence to suggest that he will. The apostle Paul told the church at Thessalonica, “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17)
The apostle John told his readers, “Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.” (1 John 3:2)
Staring up into the sky as Jesus ascended up to heaven on a cloud, angels told the disciples, “Men of Galilee…why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!” (Acts 1:11)
Perhaps the best evidence, however, comes from the mouth of Jesus himself. Before he was taken and crucified, Jesus told the disciples, When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.” (John 14:3) Curiously, Jesus himself did not know when that time would come. He says in Mark 13:32, 33, “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. And since you don’t know when that time will come, be on guard! Stay alert!”
Jesus is coming again. He tells us to be alert and watch for him. But what does “looking for the Lord” look like? Do we sell everything we have, go to church, and sit on a pew until the Messiah shows up? Or do we go about our business like it’s not going to happen? You might be surprised that the New Testament gives us plenty of information about how a person should be looking for the Lord to return.
First of all, God’s Word teaches us that, if we are really looking for Jesus to return, we’ll keep ourselves from sinful attitudes and actions. 1 John 3:2, 3 says, “Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.” It’s not enough to just keep from doing things that are wrong. Unsaved people can keep themselves from murder and adultery. But do you remember what Jesus said about sins like that? He said that if we harbor an attitude of unchecked anger in our hearts, we are guilty of murder. He also said if our heart is filled with lust, we are guilty of adultery. The action is only a result of the attitude. It may be easy to keep from doing the action, because of pressure from family and friends or society to do the “right” thing, but it is a different matter entirely to address those sinful attitudes in your heart. The only way to do that is to become a Christian and to allow the Holy Spirit to change you from the inside-out. This is a life-long process, but the Holy Spirit does not force you to change…you must allow him to make the changes. When you think about doing something that is sinful, the Holy Spirit will call you out if you will listen to him. Then, you have a decision to make. You can go ahead and do what YOU want to do, allowing a sinful attitude to possibly result in a sinful action. Or, you can agree with God that it is wrong, ask for forgiveness and strength to overcome it, and allow the Holy Spirit to make you just a little more like Jesus. It’s your decision.
The apostle Peter goes on to say that if we are truly looking for the Lord to return, we should be aware of the kind of example we are setting for others. In 2 Peter 3:10 – 14 he writes, “But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment. Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness. And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.”
If we are really looking for the Lord to return, we should be concerned about those that are not ready. And if we are concerned about those that are not ready, we need to be living committed and authentic lives as believers. If you are not faithful to your Lord and Savior, what makes you think that your unsaved friends and loved ones really believe that you are a Christian? All throughout the Gospels, Jesus reminded his disciples that he was looking for commitment, not lip service. Just calling yourself a Christian, showing up for church a couple of times a month, and putting a Jesus fish on the trunk of your car is not enough. You have to have a committed relationship with him. You need to allow him to control your life, and to mold you into the person that HE wants you to be. Are you doing that?
Finally, if you are truly looking for Jesus to return, you are going to be busy for the Lord. As I said earlier, the disciples were standing around looking up into the air as Jesus ascended up into heaven. The Bible doesn’t say how long they stood there, but I believed several minutes passed, until finally, God sent two angels to say to them, “Men of Galilee…why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!” (Acts 1:11) Who knows how long they would have stood there? The message was, “Don’t just stand there! You have work to do!” Jesus had just told them that he expected them to “go and make disciples of all the nations.” (Matthew 28:19) You and I are Christians today because those men went out and did what the Lord told them to do.
If you believe that the Lord is returning, you will be busy too. Busy working in His kingdom. Busy serving others in His name. Busy telling others about Jesus. In Titus 2:11 – 14, we read, “For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.” The “good deeds” that we are to be doing are not things that will bring recognition to us…they should be pointing others to Jesus. When we do readyfest, some people leave with their supplies saying things like, “Thank you for doing this.” Our response is, “Jesus has blessed us, and we want to bless you.” When a homeless person asks why you have given them some food, say, “Jesus loves you, and so do I.” Jesus told his disciples, “…let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” (Matthew 5:16)
Just like Tonya and Jamie are eagerly looking for their daughter to be born, just like Simeon was looking for the Messiah to come the first time, we should be looking for Jesus to return as well. There is evidence that a baby is on the way. There was evidence that the Messiah was coming. And we have evidence that Jesus will return. Tonya and Jamie don’t know exactly when their daughter will be born. Simeon didn’t know exactly what day he would meet the Messiah. And we don’t know exactly when Jesus will return. But he will, and you should be watching for him.
Some of you may be thinking, “I’ve been hearing people say that Jesus is going to return all my life, and he hasn’t come back yet.” You are right…he HASN’T returned yet. And there is a good reason for that. Jesus is waiting so that more people have time to get ready. Second Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” If you are not a Christian, Jesus is waiting on YOU. He is giving you the opportunity to repent, to ask him to be your Lord and Savior, and to commit your life to him. You should do that RIGHT NOW, before time runs out.
As for those of you who are already Christians, keep yourself from sinful attitudes and actions by allowing the Holy Spirit to change you from the inside-out. Be aware of the kind of example you are setting, and make sure that it is a good one. Live faithful and committed lives as Christians. And finally, be busy serving others and telling them about Jesus. Be honest, and ask yourself, “Am I really doing those things?” If you are not, then you really aren’t looking for Jesus to return.
I will leave you with one more scripture. Hebrews 9:27, 28 says, “And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.” What if Jesus comes today? Are you ready? Are you watching for him?
