Recognizing The Redeemer

Brothers and sisters, it's wonderful to be with you today worshiping our God.

I was reminded in our responsive reading, and it was good for me to hear, I pray it was also good for you to repeat and to hear Paul's words to Timothy as He says, I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, and knowing that his presence is among us right now. He said, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing in his kingdom, preach the word, be ready in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, and exhort with complete patience and teaching.

We are continuing to look at the gospel of Luke as we have been systematically going through the gospel. We are in chapter two. So if you would turn there and copy of God's word. We are looking at the last verses of the early life or the infancy life of Jesus. We've looked at his birth and now we are coming to verse 36, I think for the context to help us recall where we are, and we're looking at the firstborn being presented at the temple, let's pick up in verse 22. In fact, we'll pray before we read. Fathers, we come to the gospel of Luke.

I pray that your spirit would work amongst us that you would help us to be receptive to your word, that, Father, you would rebuke us where needed, that you would instruct us, that you would exhort us with much patience and longsuffering. Lord, help us, I pray. Teach us, I pray. Reveal yourself to us. Lord, may we see our Redeemer. It's in His name that we pray. Amen. Well, I'll pick up in verse 22. We've been in this passage for a while, but let's see it as a whole. Verse 22, we'll read to verse 40. Hear the word of the Lord.

And when the days of their purification, according to the law of Moses, were completed, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. As it is written in the law of the Lord, every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord, Yahweh, and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.

And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. And this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel. And the Holy Spirit was upon him. 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. And he came in the spirit into the temple.

And when the parents brought the child Jesus to carry out for him the custom of the law, then he took him into his arms and blessed God and said, now Lord, you are releasing your bondservant to depart in peace according to your word. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light of revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of your people Israel. And his father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother, behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel and for a sign to be opposed. And a sword will pierce even your own soul to the end that the thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.

Verse 36, and there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher, She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage. And then as a widow to the age of 84, she never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. At that very moment, she came up and began giving thanks to God and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. when they had performed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth. The child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. Amen. Thus ends the reading of the word of God. I pray that the Holy Spirit would impart it to each of our hearts this morning. The title of our message this morning, it is Recognizing the Redeemer. Recognizing the Redeemer.

And as I looked at this text, when we're coming to verse 36 and 40, and I was considering, well, how will these two sections tie into each other? And what I want us to see is two aspects of our Redeemer. I want us to see the humanity of the Redeemer, as well as the divinity or the deity. And within the humanity, I want us to see the personal growth of Jesus. Within the deity, I want us to see the prophetic recognition of Jesus, the recognizing of this child and who he was. So we're going to take it in reverse order. We're going to look at the humanity first, the humanity of Jesus.