Have you ever felt ANTICIPATION? You just can’t wait until you GET something or something happens?
As a kid we would have big Thanksgiving Dinners and my cousins would drive up from Glenpool. I would set on the front DIVAN, that’s what we called SOFA’S back in the day, but I would set looking out the front window of our house, way out across the fields, looking at the MAIN ROAD, watching for that old BROWN CHEVY STATION WAGON. Looking forward to seeing my COUSINS Bruce and Bryan.
A lot of KIDS and ADULTS are looking forward to Christmas morning, ANTICIPATING what GIFT they’re gonna get.
Here’s the deal. A LOT of them are going to be DISAPPOINTED. A lot of them are NOT gonna get what they WANTED. NOT what they EXPECTED. And NOT what they THINK they DESERVE.
And as I was reading this passage it crossed my mind. This man we’re going to look at this morning GOT EXACTLY what he had been waiting on for a LONG TIME. He got to see the Promised Messiah. You can almost FEEL his AWE and EXCITEMENT as he holds Jesus in his arms. So let’s go ahead and read Luke 2:22-35.
“And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;
23 (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;)
24 And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.
25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.
26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,
28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,
29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:
30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
33 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.
34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;
35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
Joseph and Mary, wanting to do everything according to the Law of Moses had CIRCUMCISED JESUS on the 8th day. And now they were bringing Him to the TEMPLE to PRESENT HIM to the Lord. A sacrifice was required of TWO TURTLEDOVES or TWO YOUNG PIGEONS. And these were given. But while there at the TEMPLE they met someone else. A man by the name of Simeon. And that man is WHO I want to talk about this morning. But before we do let’s go to the Lord in Prayer.
Brother ______, would you lead us?
I. The first thing we see about Simeon was that he was JUST and DEVOUT.
In the DAY and AGE that Simeon lived, the TEMPLE had become a CORRUPT PLACE.
The PRIESTS were in it for the money and it had gotten to the point where they would abuse the poorest to gain more riches. When Jesus got older he had his FILL OF IT and went in and CLEANSED the TEMPLE. Turning over TABLES and DRIVING some out with a WHIP.
ILLUS: I was reading an article about the AVERAGE PERSON in Israel at this time. And how they had SUCH LITTLE RESPECT for the PRIESTHOOD because of what they had SEEN and HEARD. The ABUSE had basically turned people away from serving God.
But in CONTRAST to the CORRUPTION that was going on in the TEMPLE, Simeon was JUST and DEVOUT. A MAN who wanted to PLEASE GOD in spite of what was going on in the TEMPLE.
And what drove Simeon to be JUST and DEVOUT? Two things in Verse 25.
#1 He was WAITING for the CONSOLATION of ISRAEL.
#2 And it also tells us the HOLY GHOST of GOD was upon him.
The DEFINITION of CONSOLATION is: a person or thing providing comfort to a person who has suffered.
He KNEW something better was coming. He was WAITING. ANTICIPATION. Oh how the NATION of ISRAEL had suffered but something better was coming. A CONSOLATION!!!
God had spoken to Simeon through the Holy Spirit that everything was going to be ALRIGHT. That he would see the Messiah in his lifetime. Oh my, what a COMFORT, what a CONSOLATION. The Promised Messiah is HERE!!!
Folks, we live in a TROUBLED WORLD. And a lot of times the MODERN DAY CHURCH doesn’t have the answers. There’s a lot of corruption in the CHURCH. It’s turned into a MONEY MAKING BUSINESS. People are TURNED OFF by all the SILLINESS and the HYPOCRISY.
So much of what people call the church is nothing but ENTERTAINMENT.
Do you know why church attendance is down?
Why folks have a TAKE IT or LEAVE IT MENTALITY when it comes to church? I’LL TELL YOU WHY
Because CHURCH has become nothing but a T.V. show. You watch a T.V. show and you don’t like it, you turn the station. You go to a church and somebody says something you don’t like, find another one.
If you’re totally BORED and there’s nothing else on, you’ll watch it. If NOTHING else is happening on any given Sunday, then you might go to church. Now whose fault is that? Well, both!!! The CHURCH for trying to put on the NEXT BIG SHOW and the person for WANTING the NEXT BIG SHOW.
But let me tell you something. That’s FINE and DANDY until some SUFFERING comes along. In my line of work I DEAL with SUFFERING a lot.
People are HURT. People are SICK. People are DESPERATE for ANSWERS. People have SUFFERED through LOSS.
I have been with folks when the doctor comes in and says, “I’m sorry, we did all we could do, we couldn’t save your son.”
I’ve been with folks when the doctor says, “You are eaten up with CANCER, you have about three months to live.”
I’ve talked to people setting in a JAIL CELL, DESPERATE for another chance.
I want to tell you something today. Those folks don’t want ANOTHER BIG SHOW. They want a CONSOLATION. They want COMFORT. They NEED the Holy Spirit of God to come up beside them and STRENGTHEN them.
THEY ARE LOOKING IN ANTICIPATION FOR HOPE BEYOND THE GRAVE!!! And JESUS, the MESSIAH came to GIVE US that HOPE. Yes He came as a BABE in a MANGER. But He didn’t stay there. He became the SINLESS SACRIFICE for all of MANKIND who will accept Him.
Jesus tells us in Luke 19:10,
“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
II. Then we see in Verse 27, that the Holy Spirit had led Simeon to go into the temple right at the RIGHT TIME. And as he is there in the temple, Joseph and Mary bring Jesus in. And he takes the child into his arms and makes three statements.
#1 He could now DIE in PEACE.
#2 His EYES had seen God’s SALVATION for MANKIND.
#3 This was NOT just for him. It was for ALL the people to see.
#4 And that included the GENTILES.
The thing he had been WAITING FOR, ANTICIPATING since that BLESSED TIME that the Holy Spirit of God had spoken to him had come to pass. He had now seen the MESSIAH. God INCARNATE. The SAVIOR of the WORLD. He could now DIE in PEACE knowing that a CONSOLATION a COMFORT was here.
You see, I believe he died shortly after this. He never saw Jesus perform miracles. He never heard Him TEACH from a boat on the Sea of Galilee. He never saw Jesus become the FINAL SACRIFICE for the sins of ALL MANKIND. But he KNEW that it was coming and that Jesus had come for ALL. Even the Gentiles.
Imagine this with me. Standing there in the TEMPLE. Holding this BABE. And DECLARING that this BABY would be the MESSIAH for the JEWS and the GENTILES. This would be PURE SACRILEGE to most of the PRIESTS of that day. But he still said it.
And folks, there are a lot of things we LOOK FORWARD TO in life.
We ANTICIPATE turning 16 and DRIVING a CAR.
We ANTICIPATE, look forward to graduating High School. Then COLLEGE. Then getting married, starting a family, becoming grandparents, RETIRING from work.
BUT WHAT ABOUT DYING? Not everybody drives a car, graduates High School, Goes to college, gets married, starts a family and becomes grandparents. Not everyone gets to RETIRE.
BUT EVERYBODY GETS TO DIE.
Some die slowly at a RIPE OLD AGE. Kind of like Old Simeon here.
Some die quickly at a VERY YOUNG AGE. Car wrecks, Battlefields, Crime Victims and the list goes on.
But here’s what I want you to get. Not EVERYONE gets to DIE in PEACE because NOT EVERYONE looks upon Jesus. Hebrews 12:1 and 2.
“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; “
O soul are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There's light for a look at the Savior
And life more abundant and free
Turn you eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace
I don’t care who you are. LOOK UNTO JESUS.
Young or Old, Black or White LOOK UNTO JESUS.
I don’t care WHAT you have done. LOOK UNTO JESUS.
The Apostle Paul said he was the CHIEFEST of SINNERS yet Christ called him on the ROAD to DAMASCUS.
This SALVATION that I’m speaking of is FREE TO ALL. It’s a WHOSOEVER SALVATION. Romans 10:13
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
As SIMEON looked down at this Little baby he was HOLDING in his arms, he was looking down into the FACE of the Son of God. And he could NOW DIE in PEACE.
III. Simeon gave a BLESSING to both Joseph and Mary and then he spoke these words to her.
“Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;
35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
The RISING and FALL of many. There would be those who would ACCEPT Jesus and there would be those who REJECT Him. This goes right along with what I said earlier. NOT ALL would die in PEACE.
Peter REPENTED and Judas DESPAIRED.
One thief hanging on the cross BLASPHEMED the other BELIEVED.
One person you witness to may RESPOND and another may LAUGH.
WE ALL HAVE A CHOICE TO MAKE.
And this happens everyday all over the world. The Holy Spirit deals with each of us and then we have a DECISION to make. ACCEPT or REJECT.
The term there that says “a sign which shall be spoken against”
That literally means a TARGET that will people will SHOOT AT. Jesus, the Son of God would be the TARGET of GREAT EVIL.
We read in Matthew 2, where Joseph, Mary and Jesus had to flee to Egypt because Herod was going to kill all of the babies 2 under living in Bethlehem.
We see where Jesus was the TARGET of EVIL by the High Priest in His day.
We see where the Pharisees SOUGHT TO KILL Jesus.
And throughout the AGES Jesus has been a TARGET of EVIL.
Evil people INSPIRED BY SATAN have tried to NO AVAIL to STAMP OUT the NAME of CHRIST.
People have TRIED to DESTROY the CHURCH.
Jesus told us Himself that we as followers of HIM would be HATED for His name sake.
Even this week, I saw a NEWS ARTICLE about a COMEDY being shown in Brazil that portrays Jesus as a Homosexual. I’m sure a lot of people will find humor in this. But I’m here to tell you today that it is BLASPHEMOUS. And there will come a day when people will have to answer for these kind of things. There will come a day when EVERY KNEE WILL BOW to the KING of KINGS, Jesus Christ.
IV. And about 30 years later Verse 35 was played out on a HILL called GOLGOTHA as Mary watched her Son die. I have NO DOUBT no other person felt the AGONY and ANGUISH that Mary felt that day. Not only was her Son DYING as an INNOCENT MAN, she KNEW WHO JESUS WAS.
And the REJECTION of Jesus was also the REJECTION of all she knew to be true.
She remembered GABRIEL coming to her and telling her of the MIRACULOUS CONCEPTION of Jesus.
She remembered the Shepherds in the MANGER.
She remembered the WISE MEN coming to her in Jerusalem bearing gifts.
But ALL OF THIS was God’s PLAN from the VERY BEGINNING. It was HIS PLAN to save the world. And Mary was to play a part in it.
Joseph was to play a part in it.
And Simeon played a part in the SALVATION of the WORLD by PROPHESYING to her what was coming.
ILLUS: Princess Alice of England was the daughter of Prince Albert and Queen Victoria. She died on December 14, 1878 at the young age of 35. Several of her children had come down with Diphtheria. Once when when her little girl was struggling to breathe, Princess Alice, forgetting herself entirely, took her up into her arms to keep her from choking to death. Rasping and struggling for her life, the child said, "Momma, kiss me!" Without thinking of herself the mother tenderly kissed her daughter. She CONTRACTED the disease and some days later died. Real love forgets self. Real love knows no danger. Real love doesn't count the cost.
As Simeon stood there in the TEMPLE he LOOKED upon Jesus. He held in his arms the SON of GOD. I believe he became LOST in the moment. His LOVE for God and the Savior of the world.
And I don’t know what is going on in your life today. I don’t know what BATTLES you face. You may be dealing with HEARTACHE, DEPRESSION and GRIEF.
Maybe you’re dealing with ANGER over what has happened or how things have turned out for you.
Maybe you feel lost and don’t know which way to go.
Let me tell you what you need to do this morning.
TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS.
Give Him full control of your life. And let HIS LOVE envelope your life.
Let’s Pray
