READY TO GO? What would make you say, “Now I can die in peace”?
- I ask this question in the half-joking way that we usually use this phrase. Someone meets their sports hero and then says, “Now I can die in peace.” Some teen girls go see Shawn Mendes in concert and leave saying, “Now I can die in peace.”
- It’s connected to things that might be on someone’s bucket list. For me, a couple things I might jokingly say that about would be seeing a Packers game at Lambeau and seeing Springsteen in concert. Both of those are things I’d like to do before I die.
- Pretty much everyone has things they might half-jokingly say, “Now I can die in peace” about.
- That leads us out of the half-joking statements into the realm of serious pronouncements. Look with me at v. 29b. That phrase really struck me, so I want to center what we talk about this morning around it.
- Simeon has received a promise from God and when it comes to its fulfillment with seeing the child Jesus, Simeon responds with a lovely sentiment: God can now “dismiss your servant in peace.” It reminded me of the “Now I can die in peace” statement that we often make, only Simeon isn’t saying it as a joke. It arises from deep within him.
- This morning I want get back to that statement and its implications for Simeon and for us. First, though, I want to look at a couple other things in the passage that set up the full weight of what Simeon says.
SOME IMPORTANT TRUTHS:
1. SIMEON KNEW THAT GOD IS BOTH SOVEREIGN AND LORD.
- Luke 2:29.
- In v. 29, Simeon addresses God as “Sovereign Lord.” That’s a title that we don’t use much these days. I want to take a moment to unpack each of the two words.
a. Sovereign.
- The idea of the sovereignty of God is the idea that He is the highest ruler in the universe. It also brings forward the idea that God has things He wants to accomplish and that He works to bring those about.
- It’s essential that we understand that this does not mean that God is dictating everything or that everything that happens is God’s will. People do evil that God does not desire, but we have been given freedom to choose. Our freedom is essential because it’s the only way that our love for God is meaningful.
- Having noted those important conditions, it is also essential to know that God is sovereign and will accomplish His will.
- How do you bring those two truths together?
- One example. I preached an extensive sermon series last fall about what the Bible says about end times. There are things in the future that God has said are going to happen. He will orchestrate things so that those things come to pass, but do so in a way that doesn’t override individuals’ free will.
- This is a fascinating idea worthy of a sermon all its own, but one analogy I find helpful is the chess master. My chess skills are mediocre at best. If I were to play the #1 ranked chess player in the world, I would definitely lose. The chess master is so much more talented at that game that I am and can see so many more moves ahead. He could use his pieces to push me in certain directions. I would be making my responses by my own choice and yet because of his superior knowledge and skill I might end up doing exactly what plays into his plans. I think that’s a helpful analogy for how God in His sovereignty accomplishes His will.
- It’s also worth noting that the fact that God is sovereign doesn’t mean that God has specific wills when it comes to every little thing.
- Some people presume that every little detail of our lives is something that there is an absolute yes or no answer to when it comes to God’s will. I think that’s an overstatement. There may be a number of things – even fairly significant things – in our lives where God may not have a definite will one way or the other. This could include things as substantial as what college to go to or what job to take or what person to marry. Certainly it’s a good idea to pray through those things and seek His direction, but sometimes the lack of an answer on those matters is an indication that God does not have one direction He is absolutely in favor of.
- Having said all that to set the table, the big idea of God’s sovereignty within this passage is obviously bringing Jesus into the world. His birth had been prophesied in the Old Testament and is part of the grand plan of God. This is one of those things that had to happen and God in His sovereignty brought it about.
- This is a word of comfort and encouragement to those of us who believe in God. God is sovereign and has the power to bring about what He has ordained.
b. Lord.
- Simeon uses another important word here: Lord.
- To call God the Lord is to acknowledge that He is in charge. More than that, though, for Christians it is a statement of Him ruling over our lives.
- We receive Jesus as Savior and Lord. The Savior part points to the need to receive forgiveness and grace from Him through the cross. The Lord part points to our desire to follow Jesus, knowing that He is our leader.
- One way to think of these two ideas coming together is that there is the objective reality that God is sovereign over the universe and as we receive Jesus we invite God to be Lord of our lives. For some, such a truth would be seen as oppressive on both counts; for the Christian, these are embraced as a wonderful part of the world becoming what we hope for it to be, both collectively and individually.
2. SIMEON BELIEVED THAT GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISES.
- Luke 2:26-28.
- We see the promise in v. 26. The Holy Spirit has given a special word to Simeon about the fulfillment of a centuries-old promise. The Spirit later compels him to go to the Temple at the right time (v. 27).
- God had made a promise and He was good to His word.
- Today God is still good for His promises.
- There are times today when the Holy Spirit speaks to hearts and, today as then, when He makes a promise you can count on it.
- I should note that we need to be careful to make sure that what we hear is actually from the Holy Spirit and not something else. It could be our own emotions, it could be Satan, it could be our lack of spiritual discernment, and there are other options.
- More consistently reliable is the counsel of the Holy Spirit as we read it in the Bible. There we know we have a true word, as long as we interpret it rightly.
- But it is still up to us to live out our belief in the Word. Do we believe that God will come through for us as He has promised in the Word even when that hasn’t come about yet?
- Simeon, as I mentioned earlier, had both of these things in his life: he trusted God as Sovereign Lord and he believed God would fulfill His promises.
- Having unpacked those, let’s turn to the question of where that led Simeon.
THE END RESULT: Seeing God fulfill His promise to Simeon brought a deep contentment.
- Luke 2:29b.
- Now we come back to the phrase at the end of v. 29 that I mentioned earlier.
- Simeon was fully invested in what the Spirit had told him. He didn’t respond with, “Sure, whatever” or “I guess that would be alright.” He deeply wanted to see it come to fulfillment. After all, this was the great promise: the long-awaited arrival of the Messiah. Simeon was eager and watching and waiting.
- Let’s go back to the half-joking phrase that I began this sermon with: “Now I can die in peace.” Here, though, strikingly, it’s not a joke. Simeon, with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength, declares that He has seen the promise of God and now He can leave this world in peace. What a statement!
- I should note that we know the statement in v. 29b is about dying because the promise in v. 26 is that Simeon would not die until he saw the Christ. Now he has seen the Messiah and he tells God with great contentment, “Now I can die with my heart at peace and in contentment.”
- I want us to dwell here for a minute: Simeon seeing the fulfillment of God’s promise brought a deep contentment.
- There is something here for us to ponder.
- We talk some in our culture about a life worth living. Dying with a couple college degrees. Dying with a stack of money. Dying with your family near you. Dying with your career accomplishments completed.
- Those things are not intrinsically bad, but I’m not sure they’re enough. Not enough, at least, to have the deep contentment that Simeon had.
- What do we need to ask to get there? Let me make a suggestion.
A QUESTION FOR US: What do I really, really, really want?
- What do I mean by that?
- It would be easy here to go to the jokes: something about a million dollars or a hut on a Pacific island.
- But I want us, in the quiet of our hearts right now, to actually ponder on this question. I’ve put the triple redundancy because I want us to consider our deepest desires.
- Specifically, let’s take the statement that Simeon makes and consider it in our lives today. What would be the things that would allow us to say at our deaths, “I can die in peace.” Don’t answer quickly. Ponder it for a moment.
- “I want to see my kids serving the Lord.”
- “I want to know I’ve made a difference for Jesus.”
- “I want to find someone I can marry and share my life with.”
- “I want to . . . what?”
- What are the things that you want in your life that you can die in peace someday?
- Now I want to be careful in handling these statements. Simeon had a direct word from the Holy Spirit promising the fulfillment. I do not want to stand before you today and make an unsupported claim that whatever you desire is definitely going to be fulfilled by God. That would be irresponsible of me and Biblically unsound.
- Certainly there are desires that we have that might obviously line up with the heart of God. That should give us incredibly hope and optimism. To know that God is working for us is encouraging in the extreme. Even then, though, we have to be cautious – just because for instance we want to see someone saved and we know God wants to see them saved does not mean that they will definitely be saved. They have free will and may or may not choose to believe.
- Here is the point I want us to draw out of this. Simeon was focused on that which would allow him to die in peace. Verse 25 tells us, importantly, that he was looking for this. This was his vision and hope. Verse 26 tells us that he was living in the promises of God. And verse 27 tells us that he moved forward according to God’s command.
- My point off this compelling phrase in v. 29 is that to ask us this key question: are we focusing in our lives on the things that will allow us to die in peace? Are we living for and praying toward and hoping on those “really, really, really” things we thought about a moment ago?
- Life distracts. We’ve got to get in our forty and get the laundry done and get the kids to practice and watch our TV show and check social media and on and on and on. And in the midst of all that, sometimes the things that matter most get put last. We’re not living for the things that will allow us to die in peace.
- Let’s use two of the examples I mentioned a minute ago.
1. “I want to see my kids (or grandkids) serving the Lord.”
- It’s hard to think of a more important thing that this.
- Let’s think for a moment about what it looks like for us to be a part of seeing that happen.
a. We need to live a life of loving the Lord as an example to them.
b. We need to involve them in church in a way that’s engaging and builds their faith.
c. We need to pray with a burden for their souls and lives.
- Of course, you say, that’s obvious. It is, but how many parents and grandparents put spiritual things second or third to other priorities? How many have a nonexistent personal spiritual life? How many don’t do anything more than a couple Sunday mornings a month? How many pray harder for their kids educational success than their spiritual success?
- I guess I’m saying maybe we should take a moment to think about what would allow us to depart this world in peace and then ask if we are living in a way that is leading there.
2. “I want to know I’ve made a difference for Jesus.”
- Something similar here.
- Let’s think for a moment about what it looks like for us to see this happen in our lives.
a. We need to be passionately following Jesus each day.
b. We need to eagerly embrace opportunities to serve Him.
c. We have to know that steps of faith involve stepping out into uncomfortable places.
- Of course, you say, that’s obvious. It is, but how many of us have stale personal spiritual lives? How many will serve only if no one else does? How often do we hold back for fear of failure if we would try to serve in a new way?
- I guess I’m saying maybe we should take a moment to think about what would allow us to depart this world in peace and then ask if we are living in a way that is leading there.
3. On the marriage point, if you want a marriage that is fulfilling and honors God, are you living your life and conducting your dating life in a way that leads to that? Don’t say you want a marriage that honors God while you are conducting your dating life in a way that honors Satan.
- Again, when we are pursuing things that please God, we can know that God is delighted with that and will do all He can to support us and help us complete what we are pursuing.
- The question I want you to ask yourself this morning is simply this: when you think of the things you said you “really, really, really” want and then you think of the way you’re living your life, do the two line up?
THE END RESULT FOR US? Am I seeking the fulfillment of the promises that will allow me to die with a deep contentment?
- Luke 2:28, 29b.
- Am I living to see these things come about? If not, why not? If not, will you make a change this morning?
