[Grateful acknowledgement to Sermon Central contributor Scott Bayles. His sermon "Christmas Carols, part 4" provides much of the backbone for this sermon.]
Good morning! Please open your Bibles to Luke 2.
I am so thankful that you have joined us for this season of Advent! The word Advent means “coming” or “arrival,” and the season is traditionally a time of expectation, waiting, anticipation, and longing.
We can forget what it’s like to long for something. To wait in anticipation. Advent gives us the opportunity to share in the ancient longing for the coming of the Messiah, to celebrate His birth, and to be alert for His second coming.
Advent is a time to prepare our hearts and help us place our focus on a far greater story than our own—the story of God’s redeeming love for our world. It’s not a season of pretending to be happy or covering up the pain or hardships we have experienced during the past year or continue to experience—it is a season of digging deep into the reality of what it means that God sent His Son into the world to be Immanuel, God With Us. It is a season of expectation and preparation, an opportunity to align ourselves with God’s presence more than just the hectic season of presents.
Now, we’ve had a tough year. And there have been times when things looked really bleak. But as we begin this sermon series called “Rediscover Christmas,” I want us to begin by Rediscovering Hope.
As hard as this year has been, take a moment to think about what it was like for Jews living in Israel during the time of Jesus. Israel, like much of the world, was a defeated nation under the thumb of the Roman Empire. It had been thousands of years since the time of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and the calling out of God’s people. Since then, Israel had been invaded and conquered at least four times. First by the Assyrians, then the Babylonians, followed by the Greeks, and now Romans. Generation after generation remembered the promise God made to Abraham in Genesis 12:3, that “All peoples on earth would be blessed through Abraham. That one day there would be a Messiah who would come make things right, to bless humans and restore all that we humans had messed up since God’s perfect Creation.
But how long can hope survive? Especially under the oppression of the Roman Empire. Was anyone even looking anymore?
As it turns out, the answer is yes. Now, we are going to take things a little out of order this year. Here, on this first Sunday of Advent, we are actually going to jump ahead to when after Jesus was born. We are going to learn about someone who had never given up hope. His name was Simeon, and we read about him in Luke 2:22-36.
If you are physically able, please stand to honor the reading of God’s Word:
22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first 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.” 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 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. 27 And he came in 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[a] depart in peace,
according to your word;
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation
31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.”
33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Let’s pray together.
Now, just to set the stage, this is 40 days after Jesus was born. We know this because verse 22 says that the days for Mary’s purification are ended. According to the law of Moses, women could come to the temple for their sons’ circumcision at 8 days old, but then were unclean for another 33 days after that. (Lev. 12:1-4). So they have already been to the temple once for the circumcision (Luke 2:21). We can assume they are no longer spending their nights on the dirty floor of a stable. They’ve found a house, perhaps with relatives, in which to stay for the month.
Now they are back again, this time to offer the purification offering for Mary. We can tell from their offering that they aren’t very wealthy parents. Leviticus 12 prescribes a purification offering of a year-old lamb for purification. But if the parents are poor, they can substitute two turtledoves or two young pigeons for the lamb (Lev. 12:8). There was nothing outwardly to distinguish them, no marks or signs that indicated they were anything other than another poor young couple coming with their newborn son.
At this point Simeon enters the story. Aside from what we are told in Luke 2, we know nothing about him. We don’t know his background, his hometown, his education, or even his occupation. We just know, according to verse 25 that he was a good and godly man and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel.
The Holy Spirit revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah with his own eyes. Underline that word “revealed.” When you see the word “revealed” or “revelation” in Scripture, you are talking about knowledge that can only be obtained supernaturally. The word revealed or revelation shows up three times in the story of Simeon. First, God had revealed to Simeon through the Holy Spirit that he wouldn’t die before he saw the Lord’s Christ. Then, in verse 32, Simeon calls Jesus a “light for revelation to the Gentiles.” Finally, in verse 35, Simeon he prophesies to Mary that through Jesus the thoughts from many hearts would be revealed.
When the Bible uses the word “revealed,” it always means something that has to be shown to us supernaturally, through the Holy Spirit. Not something that we would be able to figure out on our own. So Simeon could not have recognized Jesus as the Lord’s Christ apart from the revelation of the Holy Spirit.
Here’s the first point to consider this morning: Christmas is a time to Rediscover Revelation.
Have you ever wondered if Simeon knew to look for a baby? Would he assume that the Messiah would be some strong, charismatic military leader or revolutionary? No one knows the answer to those questions. We assume that he was an old man at this point, even though (Scripture doesn’t say that explicitly). I imagine him being 75-80 years old. Perhaps he has a long gray beard, stooped shoulders, wrinkled face, bushy eyebrows, and trembling hands. If so, then he knows it can’t be long. The Lord’s Christ must be coming at any moment.
Now Here comes Mary holding the baby in her arms with Joseph by her side. He is a poor carpenter from Nazareth, she is a peasant girl carrying a little baby boy. Simeon notices they give the poor offering of a pair of pigeons. They obviously don’t have much money. If you were people-watching, you wouldn’t give them a second glance.
Yet, when Simeon sees them, he asks his question for the 10,000th time, “Is this the one?” And the Holy Spirit says, “Yes.”
Suddenly Simeon’s heart leaps within him. The long days of waiting are finally over. The Lord’s Christ is before him. Here is the One for whom the nation has been waiting. He walks over, introduces himself, and says, “Do you mind if I hold your child?” As Mary gives the infant Jesus to Simeon, the thought hits him, “I am holding the salvation of the world in my arms.”
And I would argue that we need the Holy Spirit to see Christ in Christmas. Our culture wants to make Christmas about everything but Jesus. And it is easy to let Christmas be about the gift giving, the gatherings, the traveling, the busy-ness. Or it’s easy to be distracted (especially this year) by anxiety, or fear, or depression. It’s easy to forget the wonder that the eternal Son of God came to earth as a tiny baby. That Hope has a name, and His name is Jesus.
For the next twenty six days, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus to you. Ask Him to give you supernatural eyes to see Jesus in the midst of all of the hustle and bustle and shopping.
And don’t forget that Simeon said that Jesus was a “light for revelation to the Gentiles.” Jesus came for all people, not just the Jews. This Christmas, I want you to think about this truth: Jesus came for people that don’t believe in him yet. People who are still walking in darkness. People for whom Christmas doesn’t mean anything more than the opportunity to get together with friends and family and exchange presents. Right now, think about someone you know that doesn’t know Jesus. Would you take a moment to pray that Jesus would REVEAL Himself to them this year?
This Christmas, rediscover revelation.
Second, through Simeon’s story we can rediscover redemption. In the Bible, when we talk about redemption, we are talking about paying a price in order to free someone from slavery or to save them from sin. And Simeon’s words remind us that this tiny little baby Jesus would one day save us from our sin.
After years and years of waiting for God to make good on His promise, Simeon held Jesus in his arms and prayed, in verse 30, “Sovereign Lord, you may now dismiss your servant in peace, for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
Cradling the tiny infant Jesus in his arms and looking full into his face, Simeon saw more than a baby. He saw a side to the Christmas story that isn't often told. Those soft little hands, fashioned by the Holy Spirit in Mary's womb, were made so that nails might be driven through them. Those baby feet, pink and unable to walk, would one day walk up a dusty hill to be nailed to a cross. That sweet infant's head with sparkling eyes and eager mouth was formed so that someday men might force a crown of thorns onto it. That tender body, warm and soft, wrapped in swaddling clothes, would one day be ripped open by a spear, then wrapped in burial clothes. When Simeon looked at Jesus, he saw a Savior who would someday pay the penalty for his sins and ours.
And when Simeon looked at Mary, he saw the pain she would feel when she saw the suffering of her son. That’s why He said to her “A sword will pierce through your own soul also.”
Jesus came to earth, of course, for many reasons. He came to reveal God to the nations. He came to teach truth. He came to fulfill the Law. He came to establish His kingdom. He came to show us how to live. He came to reveal God’s love. He came to bring peace. He came to heal the sick. He came to minister to the needy.
But ultimately, he came to redeem a lost humanity—to be our Savior. That’s why they named him Jesus. When the Lord appeared to Joseph, He said, “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21 NIV). The name Jesus is a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew name Joshua (Yeshua), which means “Yahweh saves!” or “Yahweh is salvation!” When Simeon lifted Jesus up in his arms and cried out “I have seen your salvation!” it was a play on words, because Yeshua is literally Yahweh’s salvation. Jesus is our salvation.
And the second half of this verse is equally important: “I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people” (Luke 2:30 NLT). Most Jews in Simeon’s day were expecting a Savior, but not a Savior for all people. They were expecting a Savior for Jewish people—a Savior who would rise to power, bring an end to their oppression, topple the Roman empire, and restore Israel to her former glory. But that’s not what God had in mind. Centuries earlier, through the prophet Isaiah, God said of Jesus: “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6 NLT). Jesus didn’t come to save a select group of people. He came to save all people. Aren’t you glad? He didn’t come to save some people or certain people. He didn’t come to save tall people or thin people, or rich people or famous people. He didn’t come to save saintly people or sober people or perfect people or pretty people. There is no asterisk on the word “all.” There are no exceptions or exemptions. It’s neither hyperbole nor exaggeration. All means all.
That means there is hope for you and me at Christmastime. If you are lonely this year, Jesus came for you. If your family has rejected you, Jesus came for you. If you feel forgotten, depressed, discouraged, and down on your luck, Jesus came for you! Whatever sins are holding you back this year, Christmas means that you can be forgiven, because Jesus came for you. Jesus came to bring salvation to all people—to ends of the earth!
As we celebrate the birth of Christ, don’t make the mistake of leaving Him as a baby in a manger. Keep in mind that His birth was just the first step in God’s glorious plan of redemption.
During this advent season, rediscover REVELATION: Ask God to reveal Jesus to you in a way He never has before.
Rediscover REDEMPTION: Ask God to remind you why He sent His Son to us.
Finally, as we look at Simeon’s story, I hope that you can rediscover REST.
Remember that the Lord told Simeon that he would not die until he saw the Savior with his own eyes. So as soon as Simeon sets eyes on baby Jesus, he sings out: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace” (Luke 2:29 NIV).
The word “dismiss” was a military word that meant “to be relieved of duty.” It was commonly used to describe a sentinel who stood watch during the long hours of the night. At last as the sun comes up over the eastern horizon, he knows his work is done. His commanding officer would dismiss him, and he could go back to his barracks to rest. That’s the way Simeon feels. The long wait is over, the years of anticipation have been fulfilled, his sentry duty is finished, for he has seen and personally held the Savior and now he’s ready to be dismissed. Simeon could finally be at peace. He could finally rest.
Friend, it’s possible that you came to church this morning just to hear this one truth: In Christ, you can find rest.
No other religion offers what Jesus promises. Judaism sees salvation as a Judgment Day decision based on morality. Buddhism grades your life according to the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. Muslims earn their way to Allah by performing the duties of the Five Pillars of Faith. Every other religion is spelled with two letters—DO. Do this. Do that. It’s all about the things people do to try and somehow earn God’s favor or forgiveness. But Christianity is spelled with four letters—DONE. It’s not about what I do, but what Jesus has done for us. He already lived the perfect life. He paid the penalty for our sins on the cross.
Simeon knew that once he embraced Jesus as Savior, he was ready for eternity. He couldn’t be any more ready. There was nothing else he had to do to prepare. Jesus didn’t come to get you to do more or work harder. He came to give you peace and rest.
Christmas brings revelation because Jesus is the light of the world.
Christmas brings redemption because Jesus is the Savior of all people.
Christmas brings rest because once you’ve embraced Jesus as your Savior, you don’t have worry or work your way into heaven. You don’t have to bear the weight of your own sins. You can rest. You’re ready for eternity.
Simeon’s first thought after embracing Jesus is that he is now ready to die. Let me ask you a very personal question: would you be ready? You are not ready to die until you've embraced Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior the way Simeon did. You may be ready to graduate, you may be ready to buy your first home, you may be ready to retire, you may be ready to do many things—but, friend, without Jesus you are not ready to die.
If you need the light of Christ in your life and you’re ready to follow in Simeon’s footsteps, embracing Jesus as your Savior, I’d like to encourage you to do that. Salvation is a gift you don’t have to wait until Christmas to open. You can have it right here and right now. If you need help unwrapping that present, you can pull me aside, call me at home, or come forward now while we stand and sing. Let’s stand and sing together.
