OPENING SLIDE
INTRODUCTION
• Imagine sitting in a doctor’s waiting room.
• You checked in 20 minutes ago.
• Then 40.
• Then an hour.
• Your name still hasn’t been called.
• You try to read the same paragraph in the magazine three times, but your mind keeps drifting to the clock on the wall.
• Every time the door opens, you look up, hoping it’s finally your turn—only to hear someone else’s name.
• Waiting rooms have a way of stretching minutes into miles, don’t they?
• Most people in that room aren’t doing anything “wrong”; they’re just…waiting.
• But inside, there’s a battle going on: “Did they forget me?
• Is anything happening back there?
• How much longer will this take?
• In Luke 2, Simeon is sitting in a very different kind of waiting room.
• He has spent not minutes or hours, but years holding onto a promise from God that he would see the Lord’s Christ before he died.
• And just when it might seem like heaven has gone quiet, the door, so to speak, finally opens—and they place the Child in his arms.
• Picture the scene: Mary and Joseph slip into the busy courts of the Jerusalem temple, carrying a poor couple’s offering of birds and a firstborn Son who looks like any other infant.
• No trumpets sound, no priests announce anything special, yet a devout, aging believer named Simeon moves toward them because the Spirit has whispered that this is the Child he has waited for.
• Simeon has lived between a promise and its fulfillment, holding onto God’s word that he would not see death until he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
• He has walked into the same temple every day, with the same aches in his body, but with a quiet confidence that God’s timing would be perfect.
• Luke 2 gives us one of the quietest songs in all of Scripture.
• No angels.
• No shepherds.
• No crowds.
• Simeon’s song rises out of the quiet of an ordinary day in the temple, but it sounds like the closing line of a lifelong prayer.
• An elderly man cradles a baby, and the promises of heaven suddenly seem within reach.
• In just a few verses, Luke shows a servant of God who is finally ready to die—not because life has grown bitter, but because his eyes have finally seen what his heart has longed for
• Simeon, an old man, stands in the temple, holding a baby, and whispering a song that has been forming in his heart for years.
• Imagine being Simeon, cradling the very child who brings peace, salvation, and hope to the world.
• In his song, we find not just a melody of gratitude but a powerful declaration for all of us today.
• Simeon had waited.
• Simeon had watched.
• And now, Simeon sings.
• Simeon’s song teaches us something powerful about what happens when a life truly encounters Jesus.
• Let’s turn to Luke 2, and we will begin with verse 29.
Luke 2:29 NET 2nd ed.
29 “Now, according to your word, Sovereign Lord, permit your servant to depart in peace.
MAIN POINT 1 SLIDE
SERMON
I. A Song of Peace
• I think we all seek peace; however, what kind of peace?
• Simeon’s song begins with peace, but not the kind we usually chase.
• When we hear the word "peace," we often think:
• No conflict
• No stress
• No uncertainty
• This isn’t peace because life is easy.
• This isn’t peace because everything worked out.
• But that’s not the peace Simeon is describing here.
• Simeon is an old man.
• His body is tired.
• His life is nearing its end.
• And yet, this is the moment he says, “Now… now I can rest.”
Not because life suddenly became easier—but because God kept His promise.
• To appreciate what Simeon was going through, let’s back up to verses 22-28
Luke 2:22–28 NET 2nd ed.
22 Now when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, Joseph and Mary brought Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord
23 (just as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male will be set apart to the Lord”),
24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is specified in the law of the Lord, a pair of doves or two young pigeons.
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon who was righteous and devout, looking for the restoration of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
27 So Simeon, directed by the Spirit, came into the temple courts, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what was customary according to the law,
28 Simeon took him in his arms and blessed God, saying,
• Luke tells us earlier that Simeon had been told by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before seeing the Lord’s Christ (Messiah).
• That means Simeon lived for years with a holy tension—faith mixed with waiting.
• That meant years of waiting.
• Years of wondering.
• Day after day, he came to the temple.
• Day after day, he watched families pass by.
• Day after day, he trusted that God’s word had not expired.
• Years of walking into the temple every day asking, “Is today the day?”
• And now, holding Jesus, Simeon says, “Lord, now… now I can rest.”
• This kind of peace doesn’t come from having everything figured out.
• It comes from knowing God is faithful.
• Could it be that we do not experience peace because we are looking for the wrong type of peace?
• There is a big difference between peace that comes from control and peace that comes from trust.
• So many of us are restless because we’re trying to manage outcomes.
• Simeon is at peace because he trusted the One who controls history.
• Notice that Simeon doesn’t say, “Now let me depart in happiness.”
• Happiness depends on circumstances.
Peace depends on confidence in God’s Word.
• That’s why Simeon says, “according to Your word.”
• His peace is rooted in Scripture.
• His rest is anchored in God’s promise.
• This peace stands in connection with the fulfillment of God's word, as Simeon acknowledges that his departure is "according to your word."
• What is stealing your peace today?
• Where are you waiting on God right now?
• What promise are you clinging to—but haven’t seen fulfilled yet?
• Simeon was clinging to the promise God made to him.
• Maybe you’re waiting for healing.
• For reconciliation.
• For direction.
• For a prodigal to come home.
• This is important!
Simeon reminds us that peace doesn’t come when the promise is fulfilled—it begins when the promise is trusted.
• When you know God is faithful, you can rest even while you wait.
• That kind of peace changes the way we live, the way we wait, and the way we worship.
• Let’s move to verse 30
Luke 2:30 NET 2nd ed.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation
MAIN POINT 2 SLIDE
II. A Song of Salvation
• Simeon shifts from the subject of peace to the reason we can have peace.
• The very thing Simeon had been waiting for has happened.
• That child he is holding in his arms is the salvation that God had promised since after the fall of humanity in Genesis.
• The statement Simeon makes in verse 30 is simple, yet revolutionary.
• Simeon does not say, “My eyes have seen better circumstances.”
• He does not say, “My eyes have seen Rome defeated.”
• He does not say, “My eyes have seen Israel restored to political power.”
• He says, “My eyes have seen Your salvation.”
• Salvation is not an event, it is not an institution, and it is not a program!
• Salvation has a name, and that name is JESUS!
• The Greek word used for SALVATION here is not the usual feminine noun that expresses the "abstract idea of salvation."
• Rather, this specific form refers to "that which brings or works out salvation."
• By using this term, Simeon affirms that he has seen "Him who was to secure salvation for his people."
• He saw in the infant child the specific "means of deliverance for the world."
• Simeon is holding a baby, but he understands something profound: this child is the fulfillment of God’s rescue plan for humanity.
• Generations had waited for this moment.
• Prophets had spoken of it.
• Psalms had sung about it.
• And now, salvation is no longer a promise in the future—it is a person in his arms.
• You can be surrounded by religion and still be waiting for salvation.
• Simeon had spent his life in the temple, but peace did not come from the building—it came from encountering Jesus.
• Where is your salvation found?
• Is it found in rule-keeping or surroundings, or in a relationship with Jesus?
• There is a difference between knowing about God and knowing God personally.
• Simeon’s faith moves from expectation to experience.
• Simeon says, “My eyes have seen.”
• Faith does not mean we never doubt.
• Faith means we trust what God reveals.
• How did Simeon know what he knew about this child?
Luke 2:27 NET 2nd ed.
27 So Simeon, directed by the Spirit, came into the temple courts, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what was customary according to the law,
• Simeon’s faith in God meant that he trusted in what the Spirit of God revealed to him.
• Simeon had ZERO doubt that God delivered on His promise to him on that day.
• Simeon sees with eyes shaped by hope, patience, and obedience.
• The world sees a child.
• Simeon sees salvation and a promise kept by God.
• What do your eyes see when you look at Jesus?
• Do you see a teacher?
• A moral example?
• A tradition, or do you see your Savior?
• Salvation is not something earned; it is received through surrender.
• And when we truly encounter Christ, it changes our identity, our direction, and our destiny.
• That’s why Simeon can speak with such confidence.
• He is not guessing.
• He has seen salvation.
• Let’s move to verses 31-32
Luke 2:31–32 NET 2nd ed.
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.”
MAIN POINT 3 SLIDE
III. A Song of Hope
• Simeon’s song does not end with personal peace or private salvation.
• It widens into a global vision of hope.
• The phrase "in the presence of all peoples" notes that Jewish scriptures had been scattered among all nations.
• Consequently, both Jews and Gentiles were acquainted with the Hebrew expectation of a Messiah, and Simeon saw in the child he held in his arms as the "initial step" toward fulfilling those prophecies.
• The word "all" expresses the universality of the offer of salvation.
• That means God never intended salvation to be hidden, guarded, or limited.
• Jesus did not come only for those who looked right, acted right, or belonged to the right group.
• He came as light.
• Light reveals truth.
• Light exposes darkness.
• Light shows the way forward.
• Simeon declares that Jesus will be a light to the Gentiles—those far from God
• He is the glory of Israel—those who thought they already knew Him.
• This is a powerful reminder that everyone needs Jesus.
Those who feel far away need revelation.
Those who feel close need renewal.
• Light is not meant to be contained—it is meant to shine.
• When Simeon speaks these words, he is echoing God’s heart from the very beginning: that through Israel, all nations would be blessed.
• The child in his arms is not just a comfort for the Jewish people; it is hope for the world.
• Jesus is the light, and we are called to reflect that light.
• That means we carry hope into broken places.
• We speak truth with love.
• We live in a way that points others to Christ.
• The gospel was never meant to stop with us; it was meant to move through us.
• This is where Simeon’s song becomes our mission.
• We are not just saved from something; we are saved for something.
• To be witnesses.
• To be light-bearers.
• To help others see what we have seen.
CLOSING SLIDE
CONCLUSION
• Simeon’s song reminds us that peace comes from trusting God’s promises, salvation comes from encountering Christ, and purpose comes from sharing His light.
• The song of Christmas is not just about a baby in a manger; it is about God fulfilling His promise to provide a way for salvation.
• The true gift of Christmas is Jesus!
• Will you make the effort to give that gift?
• When you encounter Jesus in your life, it will never be the same.
• Are you seeking true peace?
• You will not find that peace in religion, tradition, materialism, or anything other than a relationship with Jesus.
• Jesus, the greatest gift ever!
