AM I READY FOR THIS!
Luke 2:22-35
S: Simeon
C: Seeking Jesus
Th: Holy Responses to God
Pr: THOSE WHO SEEK JESUS WILL FIND HIM.
First person narrative
PA: How is the change to be observed?
• Have eyes of faith.
• Jesus will be found when you are looking for Him.
Version: ESV
RMBC 12 December 04 AM
OUR STUDY:
Here is my spot (on the bench).
This has been what I call my waiting spot.
And I have been waiting for a long time.
(Note: Throughout the monologue, it was important to return to this “waiting spot” on the bench. It was the mark of Simeon’s faithfulness. I came back to it over and over, more than what is mentioned in the text here).
But in Jerusalem, we are used to waiting.
In fact, one could say that it has been in the history of the Jews to wait.
Whether we want to or not, we wait.
For 400 years we waited in Egypt.
For 40 years we wandered in the wilderness waiting to enter the Promised Land.
For years we waited for a king.
For 70 years we waited in exile.
And now for 400 years, we have been waiting to here from God once again – there has been no prophet to warn or encourage us.
This is where I have been waiting.
I have seen Israel wait.
We have been under the oppression of the Babylonians…
…the Persians
…the Greeks
…and now the Romans.
We have been waiting for the One who has been promised…
…for the Anointed One
…the Holy One
…the Messiah
…the Christ to Come.
This is where I have been waiting.
But I am not waiting anymore!
For my dream has come true.
And it is more wonderful than I ever imagined!
Oh…
Perhaps I should tell you who I am.
My name is Simeon.
Simeon is a good name, for it means, “hear and obey.”
It is a name that I have attempted to live up to, especially when it comes to my relationship with the Lord.
I have always attempted to hear Him and obey Him in every way.
Did I tell you this is my waiting place?
I have been sitting here and waiting for a long time.
But not anymore!
You see…
1. I was given a promise.
God promised me that I would meet the One whom God would send as the Savior of Israel.
I was not going to die until I met Him.
You now, I have often wondered how He would come.
I have often wondered what kind of man He would be.
I knew, of course, He would be a descendent of David.
But I was curious…
Could it be that He would come from some family with political connections?
Could it be that He would come as a great and charismatic rabbi?
Or could it be that He would come as a man with tremendous savvy, able to influence others?
This is where I have been waiting…
You are never going to believe this, but yesterday, I met the Messiah.
All these days, months, and years that I have been waiting, I finally saw Him.
I knew as soon as I saw Him…
2. He was revealed to me.
God’s Spirit told me.
You can ask me how I knew, but I can’t really explain it.
I just knew.
I have to admit I was a bit surprised.
For when the Lord promised me that I would meet Him, He never told me how old He would be!
I was expecting some great man to come and make His mark on Jerusalem.
It never occurred to me that He would start out as a baby.
The Messiah has come…not as a man…but as a baby.
It happened this way…
This couple was coming to the temple for the ceremony of purification.
You see, the mother of a male child must come to the temple for the purification ceremony 40 days following the birth,
Until that time, she does not go out; she does not go to the temple, or do anything religious in nature.
Now, they looked like an ordinary couple.
But they were obviously poor, because the offering they were bringing was two pigeons.
They could not afford the lambs that were the usual requirement.
If you are poor, the pigeons are appropriate.
And as I saw them…I knew.
This was the Messiah.
So, I ran to the couple and asked if I could hold Him.
I have to admit that I didn’t really ask.
I asked as I took Him into my arms.
For God has kept His promise.
This little baby was the good news of great joy.
There has been no greater privilege.
I have held Him in my arms.
And now…
3. I am ready.
My life is completely fulfilled.
I have experienced everything I desire.
I’ve seen the Messiah.
I have held Him in my arms.
And I am content.
Yes, I am ready to die.
And it is not because life is so empty, but because it is so full.
My life is fulfilled.
And now I am free from the burdens of this life.
And I am ready for the blessings of the next.
I, of course, asked this young couple for the name of this baby boy…
…Y’shua.
A common name to be certain.
But it is a powerful name.
It means, “the LORD saves.”
And why shouldn’t the Messiah be named “Joshua” (I think you Greeks might use the name Jesus).
For…
4. Salvation has come.
You know, when I took the baby from Mary, she seemed both surprised, and then not…
In her face were the expressions of joy, innocence and confusion.
And Joseph, he looked strong, like a man of both emotional and spiritual integrity.
Then I discovered why they were not so taken aback by a nutty old man taking their baby from them.
I had them tell me their story…
…the road to Bethlehem
…no room at the inn
…the birth of the baby
…the shepherds
Much had gone on that caused us all to marvel.
I was amazed and wondered what more could be ahead.
And then God showed me.
I had a vision that brought tears to my eyes.
5. It will not be easy for the Messiah.
He will not receive the hero’s welcome I expected.
He will not rescue us from the Roman occupation.
And though paupers and cripples will welcome Him, the priests and Pharisees will not.
I saw the shadow of a cross on the outskirts of Jerusalem.
This vision was breaking my heart.
This baby boy will be a controversial and divisive Messiah.
He will raise up those who will trust in Him, and be a stumbling block to those who oppose Him.
This baby boy will force every living creature to decide.
I had to warn Mary…
Her heart will break.
She will suffer as would her Son.
This is salvation, but oh, what a price it will be…
APPLICATION:
This is where I have been waiting.
But I am waiting no more!
May I encourage you today to…
1. Have eyes of faith.
This Messiah is a gift worth waiting for.
It is a gift worth receiving.
May I ask you what you are looking for?
What are you looking for?
Are you looking for joy?
Are you looking for hope?
Are you looking for peace?
Because it is the Messiah that brings these things.
Please…do not be content to go through life without Y’shua the Messiah!
He is worth waiting for.
He is worth receiving.
He is worth seeking.
And…
2. Those who seek Jesus will find Him.
And, now, I am done waiting…
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are ]
RESOURCES:
SermonCentral:
Simeon’s Song, Marc Betrand
A Dream Come True, Dan Erickson
A Gift Worth Receiving, John Maxwell
The Waiting Game, John Hamby
A Gift Worth Receiving, A. Todd Coget
