MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER
CENTRAL CHRISTIAN, BROWNSVILLE, TX
ILL. There was a family who had no interest in spiritual things, & therefore never went to S.S. or church. But one Christmas their little boy was invited by his best friend to attend the S.S. Christmas Program, & he went. This was a new experience for him, & when he got home he was all excited & eager to tell what he had learned about the very first Christmas. Here is a part of what he told them:
"Well, way back then they didn’t have any Santa Claus, so they had these three skinny guys riding around on camels passing out gifts. They didn’t have Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer to guide them through the darkness. So they had to use this bright, shiny light that kind of lit up all the world."
A. Well, I can understand why that little boy was confused about Christmas, but of course we don’t have that problem. We know all about Christmas, & we’re busy getting ready for it, stringing lights, purchasing gifts, addressing cards & getting them in the mail.
We look at the calendar & wonder how we’re going to get to all the places we need to go, & see all the people we’d like to see, & do all the things we’d like to do.
But sometimes I wonder, as we celebrate Christmas, if people will ever get beyond the decorations, & focus on the fact that Christmas means that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that whosoever believes in Him might not perish but have everlasting life?
Yes, that’s the reason for the season. That’s the reason for the baby in the manger, & the angels’ singing while shepherds watched their flocks by night, & the long journey of the wise men following the star from afar.
B. For most of us, the events surrounding the birth of Jesus are as familiar as any story we have ever heard. But there is one event that is not nearly as well known as all the rest. And that neglected part of the Christmas story is found in Luke 2:22-35. Please listen as I read it to you.
"When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph & Mary took Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as is written in the Law of the Lord, `Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord’), & to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: `a pair of doves or two young pigeons.’
"Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous & devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, & the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts.
"When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for Him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took Him in his arms & praised God, saying:
"`Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, You now dismiss Your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles & for glory to your people Israel.’
"The child’s father & mother marveled at what was said about Him. Then Simeon blessed them & said to Mary, His mother: `This child is destined to cause the falling & rising of many in Israel, & to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.’"
C. Now let’s recapitulate. As the story opens, we see Mary & Joseph obeying the Law. The Law said that when a mother gave birth to a male child, that on the 8th day, the child was to be circumcised. On the 40th day after his birth, the parents were to take the child to the Temple & present him to God.
In doing that, they were to offer a sacrifice of consecration. In Mary & Joseph’s case it was 2 turtle doves or young pigeons, indicating that they were poor. If they had been rich they would have offered a lamb or a bullock. But because they were poor they offered the meager offering of just two birds.
D. But Mary & Joseph didn’t know that when they arrived at the temple there would be an old man waiting for them. His name is Simeon. His hair is gray. His skin is wrinkled. His back is bent.
He has waited all his life for this moment. Simeon is a part of a group of Hebrew men who were called the "quiet of Israel." They devoted their lives to praying, to meditating, to reading God’s Word, & to waiting for the coming of the Messiah.
For months, for years, for decades, this man had been waiting for this moment. When Mary & Joseph walked through the arch into the temple courts, the Holy Spirit said, "This is the One." And Simeon went over & held Jesus in his arms.
PROP. There are 3 things that I would like you to notice about this event.
I. A REMARKABLE ANTICIPATION
A. First of all, there is a remarkable anticipation. Listen again to vs’s 25-26. "Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous & devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, & the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ."
Simeon is waiting. One of the reasons children are so important at Christmas is because children give us a vision of what Christmas ought to be. There is that sense of wonder & awe & excitement that children have that somehow we lose when we become adults.
SUM. But here is Simeon, an old man, & he has not lost his anticipation. Every moment of every day he was anticipating the coming of the Lord.
APPL. We ought to be doing the same thing. As Christians, we ought to have that same spirit of expectation every morning, longing for the moment when Christ will come again.
II. A WONDERFUL ADORATION
A. Secondly, there is a wonderful adoration. Vs. 28 talks about how Simeon took Him in his arms & in vs. 29 he says, "Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, now dismiss Your servant in peace."
This was the culmination of Simeon’s life because the one thing that he had longed for was the moment when he could hold the Christ in his arms. Now he could finally stand back & say, "God, I’ve done everything I want to do. I’ve seen everything I want to see. Now I’m ready to die & be with you for all eternity."
APPL. What is the one thing that would cause your life to be absolutely fulfilled? What would it take for you to say, "Lord, I have everything I want"?
But remember, you can have all the things of the world, but if you don’t have Jesus, you won’t have anything. Or you can have Jesus & none of the things of the world & yet, still have everything.
Christmas truly becomes a time of adoration & worship when we begin to realize that Jesus Christ is everything we need. God came into the world & paid the sacrifice & lifted the burden of my sins.
Now the Holy Spirit lives within me. He empowers me to face the tasks of life. He gives me people to love, & people who love me. Everything I really need has been provided by God, & I praise Him for that.
III. A MAGNIFICENT DESCRIPTION
A. Finally, there is a magnificent description. In vs. 30 Simeon begins to describe who Jesus really is. He begins by saying, "My eyes have seen your salvation."
The Bible says, "There is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved other than Jesus." Jesus himself says, "I am the way, the truth, & the life. No man comes to the Father except by me." So Mohammed can’t save us. Confucius can’t save us. Buddha can’t save us. Jesus Christ is the only way back to the Father.
So Simeon holds the baby Jesus & says, "Here’s who He is. He is our salvation."
B. Then he goes on to talk about how Jesus is to be a light of revelation in the darkness of evil & violence of our world. Into this darkened world comes the light of God.
Jesus came to be salvation for black people & white people & brown people & yellow people & rich people & old people - people who live here & people who live there. He came to be the Savior of the world.
ILL. A black preacher was endeavoring to describe Jesus, & I want to quote his description this morning. I know that I’ll never be able to convey the spirit of his words because you almost need to have a sense of rhythm to do it adequately. But if you’ll just use your imagination & listen to his description, then I hope in some way this will help you understand who Jesus really is.
"The Bible says my king is a 7-way king. He is the king of the Jews - that’s a racial king. He is the king of Israel - that’s a national king. He is the king of righteousness. He is the king of the ages. He is the king of heaven. He is the king of glory. He is the king of kings, & He is lord of lords. That’s my king.
"Well, I wonder. Do you know Him? David said, `The heavens declare the glory of God & the firmament shows His handiwork.’ My king is a sovereign king. No means of measure can define His limitless love. No far reaching telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of his shoreless supplies.
"No barrier can hinder His blessings. He is everlastingly strong. He is entirely sincere. He is eternally steadfast. He is empirically powerful. He is impartially merciful.
"Do you know him? I wonder if you know Him. He is the greatest phenomenon that has ever crossed the horizon of the world. He’s God’s Son. He’s the sinners savior. He’s the centerpiece of civilization. He stands in the solitude of Himself.
"He is august & unique. He is unparalleled & unprecedented. He is the loftiest ideal of literature. He is the highest personality of philosophy. He is the miracle of the ages. Yes He is, yes He is.
"I wonder if you know Him today? He sympathizes & He saves. He strategizes & sustains. He guards & guides. He heals the sick & cleanses the leper. He forgives the sinner.
"He delivers the captive. He defends the feeble. He blesses the young. He serves the unfortunate. He regards the aged, & He rewards the diligent.
"I wonder if you know Him today? Well, this is my King. He is the King. He is the king of knowledge. He is the well-spring of wisdom. He is the doorway to deliverance. He is the pathway to peace. He is the roadway to righteousness. He is the highway to holiness. He is the gateway to glory.
"Do you know Him? Well, I want you to know Him today. His office is manifold. His promise is sure. His life is matchless. His goodness is limitless. His mercy is everlasting. His love never changes. His Word is enough. His grace is sufficient. His reign is righteousness. His yoke is easy. His burden is light.
"I wish I could describe Him to you but He is indescribable. He is incomprehensible. He is invincible. He is irresistible. Well, you can’t get Him out of your mind, & you can’t get Him off of your hands, & you can’t outlive Him, & you can’t live without Him.
"The Pharisees couldn’t stand Him but they found out they couldn’t stop Him. Pilate couldn’t find fault in Him, & Herod couldn’t kill Him, & death couldn’t handle Him, & the grave couldn’t hold Him. That’s my King.
"And thine is the kingdom & the power & the glory forever & ever & ever & ever. And how long is that? Forever & ever & ever & ever & ever & after all the forevers, amen & amen & amen. That’s my King!
CONCL. I wonder if you know Him today. To the baker He is the bread of life. To the jeweler He is riches untold. To the florist He is the rose of Sharon. To the Christian He is Lord & Savior, & to the sinner He is the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world.
If you are lonely this morning He wants to be your friend. If you are lost today He wants to be your guide. If you hurt today He wants to be your physician. He wants to touch your life & change it for all eternity. Yes, that’s my King. I wonder if you know Him today?
Are you looking for Christmas this morning? Are you really anticipating it? Are you ready to allow Jesus to become a part of you, & to let Him make all the difference in the world in your life, in your home, in your family?
This morning if you are here & you don’t know Jesus as your Lord & Savior, then we invite you to come & make that decision.
