A couple of Sundays ago, while illustrating a point from the
Book of Revelation, I briefly mentioned a saintly man from the
Scriptures known as Simeon, that elderly fellow who embraced the
child Jesus in the temple. And prayfully, as we are
celebrating the birth of Christ this week, we will devote this
entire message to that same Simeon.
We'll be looking more carefully at his account as he appears
very early in the book of Luke. I became more intrigued about
him when I realized how virtually every other Bible
translation introduces him except for the ESV.
When Mary and Joseph entered the temple precincts in order to
observe the Law of Moses in dedicating their child, the
Spirit of God presents Simeon in the following way.
And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon.
It's one of the first things or people that Luke tells us in his
book to behold, as if to say, don't rush past this individual.
Pay close attention to him. And that is what we will do
today by the grace of God, because he is an inspiration.
And I will tell you from the beginning the goal of this
message for you and I to leave here with a greater sense of a
love for Christ, to understand through this man what is
possible for us in our sanctification, in our
relationship with God. And there are three things, at
least three things that we can do.
And observing this man, three things that we can observe #1
his passion, His passion #2 his peace, and lastly, his prophecy.
And so we'll begin now in Luke chapter 2, beginning in verse
25, reading a couple of verses to meditate on Simeon's passion
as he encounters the child Jesus not too long after his own
birth. Luke 2, verse 25.
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this
man was righteous and devout, waiting 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. Oh, would you pray with me
briefly, Lord, our prayer is that you would help us see the
Christ, help us see Christ, make him more real to each of us.
And may it causing us to know renewed passion, fortified peace
and worship as we understand this prophecy through the lips
of this man that you used 2000 years ago.
We thank you for it. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
What a description for any man, any woman, righteous and devout.
Now, why is the Holy Spirit telling us this about Simeon?
Well #1 because he's going to testify about the destiny of
this child, the Spirit of God is going to use him to identify
this child as a long-awaited Messiah.
And so in order for there to be credibility to his own
testimony, we learn of his piety.
He was trustworthy. He was acknowledged as a holy
man. He was someone that you can
count on. And so in preparation for what
he is going to say, we know something about his character.
But there's something else. The Spirit of God wants us also
to learn a few things about true righteousness and what devotion
looks like. And interestingly, righteousness
and devotion in this context is connected to the inner heart,
the hidden heart. We're told here that Simeon was
waiting for the consolation of Israel.
Waiting means that there was expectation.
Waiting means that there is desire.
Simeon desired for the comfort, the consolation, the rest, the
deliverance of his own people. And this is connected to his
righteousness. This feeds his devotion.
So the eyes of this man's heart were ever watchful.
This man down deep inside, he longed for something.
He yearned from Messiah. He wanted to see the promises
fulfilled. He he wanted to be in the
presence of this King. And that is the thing that is
highlighted about him. Surely since he was a boy, and
throughout his years as he studied the Scriptures, this
longing grew more and more and more.
And surely as he and his people were living under the growing
brutality of the Roman oppression, that ache became
more intense. There are many things that God
could have said about Simeon, but in his wisdom he brings to
our attention his consuming passion.
Why do you think that is? To teach us who God is and what
God looks for. You see, God considers your
desires, God takes into account your aspirations, your wishes
and mine, and He honors US based on what he discovers about them.
And in the case of Simeon, God gave him the privilege of not
only seeing the Messiah, but as is common with our God, he he
gives him more, He lets him hold the Messiah.
And he says you will not see death until you behold the
Lord's Christ. Imagine this.
In a moment, we're going to see Simeon's prophecy.
And here you have a man who is going to bless God while holding
God. Fascinating, isn't it?
And I want to convince, I want you to be absolutely persuaded
today by how God actually looks at your heart and mine.
And what he finds there will determine reward in this life
and in the life to come. So here at the infancy of
Christ, we are introduced to an obscure fellow.
But now I want us to Fast forward to the death of Christ
as we are introduced to another uncommon character.
So we're in the gospel. Luke travel to the Gospel of
Mark and go to the end of it in chapter 15, Mark 15.
Look at verse 43 with me. Joseph of Arimathea, A respected
member of the council who was also himself looking for the
Kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the
body of Jesus. I'm sure there are a lot of
differences between Joseph of Arimathea and the Simeon, but
you know what I find in my Bible?
They shared one common desire, the manifestation of the Kingdom
of God, one near the birth of Christ, one after the death of
Christ. You know this Joseph impresses
me because he was an important man in society.
Matthew tells us he was wealthy, but his position and his
prosperity did not diminish his longing for God's Kingdom to
crash into the world and to take over everything, cooling his own
estates, his own authority. And I just wonder today if there
are people in this place who are members of great councils or
maybe you're a part of an exclusive club, or maybe you're
just wealthy. Can I ask you something?
What do you strive after? What do you ultimately seek?
Here's this Joseph, and all we're told about him is that he
looked for the Kingdom of God, and I see something else.
He's rewarded for it. And the same way Simeon had the
opportunity to hold in his hands Messiah, God gave that same
privilege to Joseph. He came into close proximity to
Christ, and he had the honor of taking that lifeless body and
honoring it in the best way he could and ultimately fulfilling
a part of Isaiah 53. God cares.
God examines what no one else sees.
Oh, sure, we can do things, but why do we do them?
Even good things, even spiritual things, but what do we really
long for? Let me show you another verse.
I listen. I really, really want to
communicate this because it will radically change your
relationship with Christ. When you understand that he
looks at the heart, He looks for the heart, You will know where
to put your focus and your energy as you seek Him and as
you come to His word. Go to Hebrews Chapter 11 with
me. Oh, the hall of faith, these
wonderful men and women that are praised for their trust in God.
And in there we have many, many golden Nuggets, and I want to
show you one of them in Hebrews 11, verse 16, Hebrews 11/16
reads. But as it is, they desire a
better country, that is, a heavenly one.
Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has
prepared for them a city. You see that word desire there?
It's only used a total of three times in the New Testament,
including this instance, and it's actually found in First
Timothy 31, and you don't have to turn there.
It's where Paul tells Timothy if one aspires the office of an
overseer, he desires a noble task.
The meaning actually in the original is to reach after, to
grab something. And So what Paul tells Timothy
is if there's anybody who has such an intense yearning to
apprehend the position of a pastor or an elder, that's a
good desire. And the Holy Spirit uses that
same word here in Hebrews 11/16 to speak of those who desire a
better country heaven. It's a it's a yearning for
something to become a reality. Here's what's so astounding
about this verse. Those who inwardly, inwardly
reach out for the manifestation of God's government, for his
return. Those who ache and pine for his
presence to be more real. What does he say?
God is not ashamed to be called their God.
Look at the Word there. Therefore, that connects the
following thought with the previous one.
Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God.
Well, what did He say before? He's talking about those who
desire a better country. I can't think of a greater
blessing than that, that God in heaven, with all the myriad of
angels and all these heavenly creatures, is willingly wanting
to testify of a child of His. He belongs to me.
Do you see what he loves? Do you see what she desires?
More than anything, she sees this world as a wilderness.
He's a Pilgrim. His heart beats.
For me to become more real, for my promises to be made known,
for my Kingdom to come. I'm not ashamed to be called
their God. Behold, one who truly loves me.
Simeon was such a man. You know, sometimes Christians
struggle to discern whether their love for the Lord is
strong enough or greater than their attachments to the things
of this life. And so they wrest soul.
And it becomes even more pressing when you encounter
commands and instructions like do not love the world or the
things of the world. How do I know if I love the
world? How do I know if I love Christ
more? How do I make sense of this?
How can I measure it? How can I examine myself
appropriately? Well, I have good news for you,
because as you look through the Scriptures, you will find
helpful clues that will determine, for you and me if
we're willing to receive it, the health of our desires and if
they are towards the right things.
Can I give you one helpful clue? Here's one.
Just listen to it. Psalm 119, verse 97.
Oh, how I love your law. It is my meditation all the day.
Where's the clue in that? Let me tell you, you meditate on
what you love. That's the clue.
Oh, how I love your law. You know, there are there are
people who know the Bible, there are people who are willing to
even adjust their lives to some of the principles of the Bible.
But it's a whole different thing when you love God's Word and the
psalmist tells us one way, you know you love it.
I meditate on it all the time. I take it with me wherever I go.
I'd love to talk about it with others who also meditate on the
law. So that's just, that's just one
nudge among many that shows us where our desires really are,
what we truly long for, what we're reaching out for.
This Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel.
It was a burning passion in his bosom.
And I am convinced that God saw that in this old man.
And out of the many, including the scribes and the scholars and
the theologians, he allowed Simeon to behold Christ at a
very early point. That's His passion.
May be our passion. May the Holy Spirit use this
message to breathe that into our hearts.
But let's consider His peace. Let's read now His peace, verse
27 to verse 32. And he came in the Spirit into
the temple, And when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do
for him, according to the custom of the law, he took him up in
his arms and blessed God and said, Lord, now you are letting
your servant depart in peace according to your word.
For my eyes have seen your salvation, that you have
prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation
to the Gentiles and for glory to your people.
Israel Simeon and verse 28 took him up in his arms and blessed
God. One of the ways that you know
you can bless God is exemplified by this man where you outwardly
express your gratitude and rehearse the testimonies of the
Lord. And in this case, Simeon wants
to declare God's faithfulness. You kept Your word to me, O
Lord, and that is something that you and I must continually give
praise to God for that Any promise that He has made to all
humanity, the promises that He made to the nation of Israel
through the prophets and the Psalms and the law, and any
promise that He makes to you as an individual concerning your
life, know this. He will never waver in His Word.
He is constant. He is reliable.
But even before Simeon celebrates God's fidelity, he
highlights and rejoices in this, the peace he received from God.
Notice it again here. It says here, Lord, now you are
letting your servant depart in peace.
What kind of peace is this? What kind of peace is this that
allows a man to speak so calmly about his own death?
I'm ready to die now, Lord. I'm ready to die right at this
moment. How, what, what kind of
confidence can a man tap into that allows him to be comforted
at the thought of his own earthly departure?
Simeon had it. There is this level of serenity
that is so rare, and yet he's declaring it.
He's sharing it out loud. And I think Simeon gives us a
clue of how we can have it and how we can know it for
ourselves. You unlock it by what he says in
verse 30. Look at it again.
For my eyes have seen your salvation.
Why am I ready to depart in peace?
Because my eyes have beheld your salvation.
And listen, Simeon is not just ready to die because the Lord
showed him the Lord's Christ. And so, OK, the promise is
fulfilled. I'm ready to go now.
It's because Simeon understood the salvation that this child
would bring to him and to the rest of the world.
It was a knowledge of the saving work of Christ that gave him
this kind of peace. And here's the question that
every single one of us has to ask.
Do I have a clear vision like this man concerning what Christ
has done? More specifically, do I have a
comprehension of what Christ did in a trusting way?
Because that will determine the level of peace you enjoy.
Notice some of the things that Simeon says.
Again, look at verse 31. What does he say?
That you have prepared in the presence of all peoples?
The salvation that he spoke of here.
He says it was prepared. So Simeon even in this moment,
understood that God had planned the salvation, that God from
eternity passed, orchestrated salvation to come to humanity
through this child. He understood this.
Look at verse 32. It says that he would be a light
for revelation to the Gentiles. So Christ was not just going to
come to save the Jewish people, but the rest of the world.
How many people understood that in Simeon's day?
Very few. Even when Christ in the prime of
his life was teaching it, people didn't get it.
Simeon did. You're going to break into the
darkness surrounding Israel. And lastly, look what he says
here in verse 33 and for glory to your people, Israel.
So there are many things that Israel can rejoice in concerning
their history. The Jewish people understand
that they have been granted the promises, the covenants, the
law, the prophets. But Simeon says here that the
greatest glory for them and from them is that the Savior
descended from the seat of David.
That would be their greatest glory.
Here's what's so amazing about this confession.
Did Simeon come to this understanding because Christ was
preaching A sermon? No, he could barely walk at this
time. Before the gospel was understood
through the lips of the Savior, before he performed any kind of
miracle, before any parable was expounded, Simeon had a robust
understanding of the gospel. More than the again, the
scholars and the theologians of his day, more than those who
would behold the incomparable power and wisdom of Christ
throughout his teaching ministry.
And no doubt his clear perception contributed to his
remarkable peace. You know, I found something
about Christians, many things. One of them is this, that those
who have a grasp of the gospel, those who understand the victory
that Christ purchased on my behalf, are the same ones who
tend to speak with the most confidence about death and are
also the ones who are willing to face it with an otherworldly
calm. I know Christians like that.
They talk about death like they talk about sleep.
You know, Christians like that. Oh, and that was very common
with the older Christians. And so personally, I'm just
catching up with some readings with the Puritans and I stumbled
upon this quote and I thought it would be worth sharing just to
give you a sample of how some of these minds that really, really
dug into the Scriptures to know the depths of Christ's work on
the cross and what he purchased for us, how they spoke and how
they viewed this thing called death.
According to the Bible, death is known as the King of terrors.
But you would think to that these Puritans especially, they
were like buddies with death. Listen to this from George
Swinnik quote. He's trying to comfort
Christians. So quote now is the quote.
Is it the tearing down of your earthly Tabernacle that troubles
you? Do you not know that death is
the worker sent by the Father to pull down this earthly House of
clay and mortality so that it may be set up anew, infinitely
more lasting, beautiful and glorious?
End Quote. Isn't that precious?
What is he saying? For the Christian, death is his
servant, and all death is, is once sent by God to disrobe you
and to remove you of this flesh that has been corrupted and
bruised and scarred, so that you would be prepared to be clothed
with something infinitely more glorious and beautiful.
Who thinks like that? Those who understand what Christ
has done and what He purchased for us.
But how did Simeon know all of this?
How? How did he come to this
knowledge? We have the answer.
Maybe you missed it, but did you notice just how much Simeon in
this brief biography has the Holy Spirit actively working in
and through him? Go back to verse 25.
Look at the end of verse 25. And the Holy Spirit was upon
him, look at verse 26. And it had been revealed to him
by the Holy Spirit. Look at verse 27.
And he came in the spirit into the temple.
And three verses, the Holy Spirit is mentioned, the
activity of the Holy Spirit is mentioned in connection to this
man, the Spirit, the Spirit, the Spirit.
I'll tell you how you knew all of this, the Holy Spirit, the
Holy Spirit. So you're, you're sitting today
and you say, oh, brother, if I can only have a week of peace
like this, I'm here to tell you can have more than just a week
of it. You can have a lifetime of peace
and you can have a peace so strong, so potent, that even
when death knocks on your door, you can say, oh, God's servant
is here to prepare me for my eternal abode.
Well, how do I get it? Well, Simeon gives us some
guidance. You need to know something about
what Christ has done for you, the gospel that Christ performed
for us. You need to know that.
Well, how do I know that you? You can't come close to it
unless you understand how the Holy Spirit works.
So you have to seek the Holy Spirit.
You have to be in his presence. You have to humble yourself and
say, Lord, I with these eyes and with this mind, I might be able
to collect some truths. But to know this thing about the
gospel in a way that unlocks this kind of calm and
confidence, I need your help. And as you seek him and as you
wait on him, he'll be faithful to give you more understanding.
And through that understanding, more faith, and through that
faith, more peace. You know, Simeon, we're not told
much about him here, but all that we have might even stir up
a holy jealousy in you and me, specifically in his relationship
with God. I mean, look how sensitive he is
to the Spirit of God. Look how much the Spirit of God
does for Simeon. I mean, on one day after he was
promised, and we're not told when he was promised that he
would see Christ. He was being guided unusually.
Was it an audible voice? Was it this force moving him?
We don't know. But all leading up to that
moment, Can you imagine the anticipation?
Oh, will it be today? You know, Simeon's there
preparing his breakfast. Will it be today?
Will I see the Messiah this afternoon?
Will it be tonight? How will I know him?
How is it going to be a light on him?
Are others going to recognize him?
You just imagine the daily excitement.
And on one morning it was known and Simeon makes his way there.
And what looked like an ordinary young family actually was
something extraordinary. In the arms of these parents was
the promised Messiah, and Simeon saw it.
I'm sure we would love the Holy Spirit to lead our lives like
that, right? All the time that we would save
the testimonies we would have. But I want to actually lead you
to this other point. Simeon in this chapter is not
the only one who gets to experience the revelation that
he had. Actually, we read of another
elderly person. Look, later on in Luke chapter
2, we read about a woman named Anna who's a prophetess advance
in years, and I want you to see how the scriptures describe her
experience of this moment because she didn't have the same
experience as Simeon, though she had the same revelation as him.
Luke 236 read this with me and there was a prophetess Anna, the
daughter of Fanuel of the tribe of Asher.
She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband
seven years from when she was a virgin and that as a widow until
she was 84. She did not depart from the
Temple, worshipping with fasting and prayer, night and day, and
coming up at that very hour. She began to give thanks to God
and to speak of Him, all who are waiting for the redemption of
Jerusalem. So, like Simeon, Anna's devotion
to God is emphasized. She was a spiritual woman.
You rarely found her outside of the temple courts.
She was fasting, she was praying, she was worshipping,
and remarkably, she was glued to the House of God even though she
had lost her husband. You know pain will either pull
you away from God or push you towards Him.
And this, this woman's devotion to the Lord did not wane, even
though perhaps her expectations of marriage we're not met.
But here's what's amazing, verse 38, Read your Bible slowly.
Notice what it says. And coming up at that very hour.
Translation right when Joseph and Mary entered and Simeon saw
the child and prophesied, Anna was there and she heard it.
And not only did she hear it, but she got so excited that what
did she do at the end of verse 38?
She began to speak of him to all who are waiting for the
redemption of Jerusalem. So there was others who are
waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
Don't you appreciate just how careful the Bible is with its
words? We're told about Simeon, that he
was waiting for what? The consolation of Israel,
consolation meaning comfort, peace.
But then when we come here, we read that Anna was testifying to
all those who are waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
I don't think that's accidental. I think there's a point to be
made from this that none of us can know true consolation unless
we first know redemption. Redemption is the entryway into
consolation, and Christ alone can provide that.
Simeon is waiting for Israel to be delivered, and it's in a
person, Christ. It's not just a government, it's
not just a set of laws. It's in a person, Christ, who
redeems, and he can bring consolation to your life.
He can bring consolation to this nation.
But we would have to humble ourselves and allow Him to
redeem us. But that's a different point.
The point that I want to bring to your attention is how Anna
was led by God. It was not like Simeon.
Simeon had a direct supernatural GPS.
Turn here, turn there. Go now.
Stop. No, not them.
Yes, over there. I don't know how it was done,
but then when you read about Anna, who is just as spiritual
as Simeon, she just happened to be at the right place at the
right time. She was guided by the invisible
hand of God. This is what we call it,
Providence. And I want to tell you
something. If you belong to the Lord,
Providence will always work in your favor.
If you love the Lord, you have nothing to fear in this life,
and you might want to have these encounters and perhaps visions
and all these things. But Anna gives us the more
common way we experience God's guidance in our lives, that as
you simply obey the Lord as you walk and as you love him and
serve him, he will take ordinary things and make him into an
extraordinary story. If you want to know greater
testimonies in 2026, be like this woman, be like this man and
give him undivided devotion. There's a passion, but there's a
peace, a peace that's granted through revelation, a peace
that's granted through a relationship with the Holy
Spirit. But all we have to end here with
his prophecy. We can't just end with this
knowledge of His peace. Look at verse 33 down to verse
35. And his father and his mother
marveled at what was said about him.
Pause there for a moment. How how did you marvel?
You had angelic encounters, the wise men, the shepherds, all
that they said, all these experiences and and you're still
marvelling rightfully so. I pray you and I would never
cease to marvel as we learn new things about Christ.
And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, Behold, this
child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel,
and for a sign that is opposed. And a sword will Pierce through
your own soul also, so that the thoughts from many hearts may be
revealed. So contrary to the limited
understanding of most of the Jews at this time concerning the
Messiah, and that many Jews still today have Simeon
recognized and explained that although He is the promised 1,
he will not be widely accepted by his own.
That He will be the cause for the fall and the rise of many.
The fall Speaking of those who would reject Him and be
condemned as a result, and the rise Speaking of the redemption
of those who would embrace Him and believe on His message.
And Simeon goes on to prophecy. And he turns his attention to
Mary to let her know that the opposition that this child will
face will be so fierce that it's going to be like a sword as you
see it and hear about it being pierced and driven into the
depths of who you are. And that sword will be driven
deeper still as this opposition climaxes at the cross of Christ.
And so you see a measure of God's kindness through this
prophecy and preparing Mary for the future of this child.
I find it interesting that he doesn't address Joseph.
And it could be because Joseph wouldn't live long enough to see
it. And so Mary is is hearing all of
this, and yes, she's marvelling, but she's also being warned so
that she wouldn't be caught by surprise.
But what Simeon says in the last part deserves our most attention
for this time. Notice how he ends it in verse
35 so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.
What does that mean? Well, in the immediate sense, it
means that the Incarnate Son of God would expose the true
motives and intentions of people.
And we see that in the gospel accounts, do we not?
Especially with those Pharisees. They could not withstand, they
they couldn't compress their true nature, their vile
character in the light of Christ.
He unmasked them. The truth that He spoke blasted
away all the veneers and all the falsehood, and their hearts were
really exposed. But in the broader sense, what
Simeon says here applies for all time.
The message of Jesus Christ reveals the very essence of who
we are as people. When you really understand who
He is and what He says, our sinful nature is exposed.
In fact, no one describes the human condition more accurately
than Jesus Christ of Nazareth. No psychologist, no philosopher,
no religious leader comes close to how Christ assesses and
diagnosis humanity's foundational problem and
greatest need. And I know of some people whose
journey with Christ started because they read or heard the
Beatitudes, for example. Just the Beatitudes was enough
for millions, I'm sure, throughout the ages to bend
their knee in humility and acknowledge that they are
sinners in need of a Savior. Think about it.
Christ saying things like you've heard it was said that you shall
not murder and that to murder and be a murderer is to be
liable for judgement. But I say to you, if anyone is
angry with his brother, he is liable to judgement.
You've heard it was said you shall not commit adultery.
But I say to you that if anyone looks at a woman with lustful
intent, has already committed adultery with her in his heart,
inescapable scrutiny. A standard so high no one dare
be able to stare at the face of this teacher and say, I pass.
He will reveal the hearts of many.
And he's still doing it today. And this is what it means for
us, especially for the person who might be sitting here and is
not a follower of Jesus Christ. You have to understand that when
you understand who Christ is, you will discover who you are
and what you will discover about yourself.
And the light of his moral beauty and majesty is humbling
if you're willing to accept it, that you were not as good as you
thought. You're not as righteous as you
believe, and you're actually so below the standard that God
presents to us and sets against all of us as a moral lawgiver of
the universe, that you're doomed, as am I.
But Christ is not just the revealer of hearts.
This is the best part. He's the only one who can
transform them. Christ doesn't reveal hearts to
shame people. You find that in the Gospels.
Christ doesn't expose men in order to embarrass them or to
condemn them. He removes all the veils that we
set up, all the fig leaves that we've sown to try to cover
ourselves, to show us just how wounded, just how rebellious,
just how sick we are. He's the great physician that
does not shy away from giving you the accurate diagnosis of
your condition. In order for you to say I need
to be healed, I need to be forgiven, I have a great debt
that needs to be paid. And Luke, who's telling us a
story about Simeon, his passion, his peace, his prophecy, like
most of the other Gospel accounts, spends more time
focusing on Jesus's ministry leading up to his redemption on
the cross. And when you continue from this
point on, you learn something. You learn many things about the
heart of Christ. Let me give you one example
before we close. The same Jesus who Simeon says
would reveal the thoughts of many hearts shows us just how
tender he is. Though he is blazing in purity
and holiness, it's gentle and lowly.
Even to this day. After years of reading the
Bible, there's one account of Jesus healing power that never
ceases to fail to move me to tears.
I don't care where I am, when I'm reading it, it it does
something to me. It's when Jesus is there and
this man, this leper runs to him out of nowhere and it says he
falls to the ground and he begs him, Lord, if you are willing,
you can make me clean. Like every time I read that it
just if you just knew what a leper had to go through, how he
was ostracized, he lost his family, he was rejected.
He was a walking red flag. Nobody would come near the years
of not knowing human judge being despised, rotting somewhere in
the outskirts of the city. And yet he hears about this
Christ and he finds him one day and he runs them in desperation
and he says, oh, if you can, you can make me clean.
And when you read about it in Luke chapter 5, before Jesus
even says anything, he says that he reaches out and he touches
him, and then he says, I will be clean.
I'm sure that when Christ initially extended his hand and
touched that man, there was a gasp for any onlookers.
You wouldn't dare touch a leper. You would be richly unclean.
You would be in danger of being contaminated.
Surely in Christ, without hesitation, he doesn't even
flinch. He doesn't step back.
He steps forward and he touches the man and he heals him.
So many things to learn from that.
Let me give you just one main thought.
What others would not dare embrace, what others would not
dare interact with, Christ does. There is no pollution, There is
no filth, there is no disease. More importantly, in the
spiritual sense, that Christ is not willing to touch and heal
because you might be sitting here and saying, OK, He's the
revealer of hearts. Brother, you don't know what my
heart produces, the idols that it creates, and the perversion
that it likes to nibble on from time to time.
In fact, I'm struggling while you're preaching with the things
in my heart. Let me tell you something.
This is the same Christ who touches lepers and He's willing
to touch and heal you. He's not intimidated by you.
He understands our sin, but he doesn't recoil.
He doesn't reconsider. In his great love, he enters
into our world, this Dark World, this evil world, so that he can
make the payment necessary to wash you.
And it was a great payment to cleanse you.
Me. Yes, you.
You, the one that others would not dare have anything to do
with, perhaps. This gives me so much hope, man.
You got to believe it for those in your family that are the
black sheep. You got to believe it for your
nephews, your nieces. You got to believe it for your
parents. You got to believe it for your
spouse. You got to believe that no
matter how dark and evil and corrupt they may be, that Christ
can heal them. This is the Christmas message.
The Christmas message is not us
huddling around the scene of a baby that doesn't talk.
And it's just cute that no, no, no, no.
This is the message of redemption.
That's what Christmas is about. And I'm here to offer it to you,
not because I have anything to give you, but because this book
promises us redemption and Simeon tells us about it in this
prophecy. I wonder today if your heart has
been more exposed than ever under the preaching of His Word.
I wonder if today you feel more convicted than you ever have.
Well, if you're sitting there in conviction, be comforted that
this Christ who pulls the sheets of our excuses and our lies and
our justifications, doesn't do it so that He can find you in a
place naked and afraid. He does it so that He can clothe
you with His own righteousness after He heals that heart of
yours. Would you let Him?
What's holding you back? What about this is bad news?
What about this makes you hesitate?
What about this makes you afraid?
What is your sin done for you except bring pain to your life?
What does being the the master of your own fate produce for you
other than disappointment? Surrender.
Give up? What does repentance really
mean? Really just means give up, stop,
fall at His feet, crown Him as Lord and He will transform your
life. If you doubt it then understand
what the Christmas message is. He didn't have to come, but he
did come with one goal in mind. Yes, to bring glory to Himself.
We know that, but also in His great love to draw you to
Himself for all of eternity and I pray that today you would put
your hand in his hand and no true life.
Let's pray low.
We know that no one would be able to do what Simeon had the
privilege of doing. That is holding in his arms the
child Jesus the Lord. Your word does tell us that we
can embrace you in another way, the embrace of faith.
And we pray that this afternoon that the gift of salvation would
be opened by some, maybe even 1 today, that they would realize
by the help of your Holy Spirit, the great salvation that you've
prepared for them that you offer to the entire world.
And that you are not just the revealer of hearts.
You are the healer of those broken, shattered hearts.
Today, Lord, for those who have been saved, we pray that you
would help us grow in our passion for what matters the
most, that we, like Simeon, would be reaching out inwardly
for the things above, for your promises, Your presence to be
more real in our lives. And Lord, we pray even for those
who may not have peace, who may be even entering into this
holiday season worried that they will not enjoy it because of
circumstances like Anna's, where family members will not be there
like they were in previous years, where loneliness will
become more of a reality. Lord, we pray for your peace to
be our portion for the rest of this year, and not just the rest
of this year but the rest of our lives.
Even as we approach our own death, we can say, Lord now your
servant can depart in peace for we have seen your salvation.
In Jesus name we pray these things, Amen.
Let's worship the living Christ who loves us so deeply.