WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.520 Well, the waiting is over. For some of you kids, Christmas has arrived. How many people 00:00:05.520 --> 00:00:14.580 open presents yet? Oh, such self-control. Way to go. It is a joyful day as we celebrate the birth 00:00:14.580 --> 00:00:20.600 of Jesus and the gift that he is. And for some of you, this is a wonderful day. It is a day of 00:00:20.600 --> 00:00:26.560 hopes fulfilled, of desires met as you've gathered with family, as you've opened presents, as you've 00:00:26.559 --> 00:00:33.799 hopefully gotten a weekend to rest, and you're here this morning worshiping, worshiping God. What a 00:00:33.799 --> 00:00:40.379 great morning it is. But I also recognize that for some of you, today is less of a hopeful day. 00:00:41.299 --> 00:00:47.500 Today you come this morning still with longings unmet, things you've been longing for, you're 00:00:47.500 --> 00:00:54.140 still waiting for, things that have been lost and hopes that have been deferred and desires that 00:00:54.140 --> 00:01:01.679 have been unmet. And today you come with a heart sickness of that longing and of that waiting. 00:01:03.120 --> 00:01:08.359 Think of the line from the hymn, A Little Town of Bethlehem, the hopes and fears of all the years 00:01:08.359 --> 00:01:16.719 are met in thee tonight. How can we say that? Well, our Christmas text this morning is about a man who'd 00:01:16.719 --> 00:01:23.219 been waiting. And when he met the newborn Jesus, he knew that his waiting had ended. And the joy that 00:01:23.219 --> 00:01:30.039 he had at meeting Jesus can be ours as well this Christmas morning. So our text is from Luke 2, 00:01:30.239 --> 00:01:38.519 starting in verse 22. It is the story of Simeon and Jesus being presented at the temple. It's on page 00:01:38.519 --> 00:01:45.439 805 in your pew Bibles, if you want to turn there, or if you have a Bible you want to turn to Luke 2. 00:01:45.439 --> 00:01:50.420 We're going to read this passage, we're going to pray, and then we'll just reflect on it for a few 00:01:50.420 --> 00:01:55.359 minutes this morning. So Luke 2, starting in verse 22. 00:01:56.459 --> 00:02:01.500 And when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him 00:02:01.500 --> 00:02:06.539 up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. As it is written in the law of the Lord, 00:02:06.540 --> 00:02:14.280 every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord, and to offer a sacrifice 00:02:14.280 --> 00:02:20.159 according to what is said in the law of the Lord, quote, a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons. 00:02:21.099 --> 00:02:28.040 Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, 00:02:28.560 --> 00:02:35.300 waiting for the consolation of Israel. And the Holy Spirit was upon him, and it had been revealed to him 00:02:35.300 --> 00:02:42.820 by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came 00:02:42.820 --> 00:02:51.040 in the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him according 00:02:51.040 --> 00:03:00.360 to the customs of the law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, Lord, now you are 00:03:00.360 --> 00:03:06.620 letting your servant depart in peace according to your word. For my eyes have seen your salvation, 00:03:07.400 --> 00:03:13.780 that you have prepared in the presence of all the peoples a light for revelation to the Gentiles 00:03:13.780 --> 00:03:21.560 and for glory to your people Israel. And his father and mother marveled at what was said about him, 00:03:22.000 --> 00:03:28.120 and Simon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising 00:03:28.120 --> 00:03:35.080 of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed. And a sword will pierce through your heart, your own 00:03:35.080 --> 00:03:43.020 soul also, so that the thoughts from many hearts may be revealed. Friends, this is God's word. 00:03:44.159 --> 00:03:51.140 Let's pray together. Lord, we ask, we ask this morning that as we meditate for just a minute on this 00:03:51.139 --> 00:03:57.359 text, that you would be with us, that your spirit would illuminate our minds, and even more so that 00:03:57.359 --> 00:04:05.239 your spirit would, Lord, fill our hearts with joy at the awe and wonder of the gift of the baby Jesus, 00:04:05.739 --> 00:04:11.919 of the person of Jesus to this world. Lord, be with me. Help me to speak as I ought this morning, 00:04:11.919 --> 00:04:27.680 we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. In this passage, we see the heart of a man longing, the heart that waits 00:04:27.680 --> 00:04:35.699 for Jesus, and then a joyful heart of the one who meets Jesus. So a heart that's waiting for Jesus and 00:04:35.699 --> 00:04:41.899 a heart that's full of joy at meeting Jesus. Let's look at this briefly this morning. So first of all, 00:04:41.899 --> 00:04:47.019 the heart waiting for Jesus. Simeon, seemingly he was an old man. It doesn't say actually that he's 00:04:47.019 --> 00:04:52.719 old, but it seems like he's been waiting for a while at the temple because God had told him. 00:04:53.239 --> 00:04:58.139 God had said, you will not die before you see the one who's coming to fulfill the promises. 00:04:58.759 --> 00:05:04.699 Why did he need a consolation? Because it says he was waiting for the consolation of Israel. 00:05:05.139 --> 00:05:09.120 Now, consolation, we want to make sure we understand this. It's not like a consolation prize, like, 00:05:09.120 --> 00:05:14.040 oh, you lose, but you get the, you know, the peanut butter and jelly sandwich on the side. 00:05:14.459 --> 00:05:20.120 It's not a consolation like that, nor is it the kind of consolation that sometimes we give to one 00:05:20.120 --> 00:05:27.079 another, which is a pat on the shoulder and a quick, I'm so sorry for you. The consolation here 00:05:27.079 --> 00:05:36.560 is actually something substantive. It is real help. It is the satisfaction of a desire and a longing 00:05:36.560 --> 00:05:43.740 that's connected to the fulfillment of God's promises. And that's the consolation that God, 00:05:43.939 --> 00:05:51.560 that Simeon was waiting for. He wasn't hoping for just empathy. He was hoping for real solution, 00:05:51.780 --> 00:05:59.439 a real solving, a real meeting of his needs. And look, as he was a first century Jew, 00:05:59.439 --> 00:06:07.300 living under Roman oppression, think about some of the longings that he might have, right? The people 00:06:07.300 --> 00:06:14.180 of God were living under another power, subject to Roman taxation, Roman law, Roman language. 00:06:15.699 --> 00:06:22.680 He was also, as a first century Jew, mourning and longing for a glory that his nation and people 00:06:22.680 --> 00:06:29.339 once had that they had no longer. Once they had been a large kingdom, now they were a subject province. 00:06:29.339 --> 00:06:36.299 Once they had had a glory in their temple and that glory had departed and was no longer. Even their 00:06:36.299 --> 00:06:43.179 temple had been destroyed and the one that replaced it was small compared to the one that they had before. 00:06:44.679 --> 00:06:54.959 The smaller sign lacked the presence of God. And so this is the ultimate longing that Simeon had. 00:06:54.959 --> 00:07:00.979 He had a longing to see God show up and to fulfill his promises. 00:07:01.979 --> 00:07:06.319 Because God had promised a coming restoration, a coming deliverer, 00:07:06.859 --> 00:07:13.379 a new covenant era when external religion would be transformed into spirit-filled, heart-changing, 00:07:13.819 --> 00:07:16.179 life-transforming, relating to God. 00:07:16.180 --> 00:07:26.340 And his people had been waiting and longing for centuries. Longer than anyone's lifespan. 00:07:27.540 --> 00:07:31.280 Battling against despair, wondering how long they would have to wait. 00:07:34.519 --> 00:07:37.939 This was Simeon waiting for the consolation of Israel. 00:07:37.939 --> 00:07:43.120 And I wonder what kind of consolation you need this morning. 00:07:44.899 --> 00:07:50.360 What are you looking forward to seeing God do in your life today? 00:07:51.540 --> 00:07:55.399 Maybe you're living with a sense of faded glory in your own life. 00:07:55.879 --> 00:07:58.180 It's not turned out the way you wanted it to be. 00:07:58.319 --> 00:08:00.540 Your career is not what you hoped it would be. 00:08:00.899 --> 00:08:03.360 Your family is not what you longed it would be. 00:08:03.360 --> 00:08:08.379 Maybe the dreams of your youth feel like they're slipping through your fingers 00:08:08.379 --> 00:08:12.259 in the harsh reality of a fallen world. 00:08:13.460 --> 00:08:17.379 Maybe you're just living with the malaise that the world that we live in 00:08:17.379 --> 00:08:19.120 is not the way it ought to be. 00:08:19.639 --> 00:08:21.439 And you long for a new season. 00:08:21.819 --> 00:08:24.560 A new change to see God at work in your life. 00:08:25.639 --> 00:08:28.540 Maybe specifically it's in your spiritual life. 00:08:29.920 --> 00:08:33.220 Do you wonder, where is God at work in my life today? 00:08:34.340 --> 00:08:38.000 Do you long for a new season of joy in relationship to him? 00:08:38.759 --> 00:08:42.500 Are you struggling with disappointment and bitterness, despair? 00:08:44.759 --> 00:08:48.899 Maybe you're here this morning and you've let him slip to the margins of your life 00:08:48.899 --> 00:08:50.279 and wondered how you've gotten there. 00:08:51.399 --> 00:08:56.220 Maybe you're here and you're wondering if God is nudging into your life for the first time 00:08:56.220 --> 00:08:58.000 and you're not sure what to do with that. 00:08:58.000 --> 00:09:04.419 Friends, there may be lots of reasons why you may be here this morning 00:09:04.419 --> 00:09:07.580 needing consolation, needing real help. 00:09:07.580 --> 00:09:16.879 Simeon was waiting to see the Lord's Christ, the one who would come to bring fulfillment to all of God's promises. 00:09:17.420 --> 00:09:19.020 And he was doing so in faith. 00:09:19.139 --> 00:09:22.820 He showed up at the temple every day, waiting, looking. 00:09:22.820 --> 00:09:29.740 And then this day came when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple and he saw him. 00:09:31.460 --> 00:09:33.320 And he looked at him and he said, 00:09:33.540 --> 00:09:35.780 Now, now I've seen it. 00:09:36.260 --> 00:09:38.920 Now I've seen the thing that I've been longing for. 00:09:38.919 --> 00:09:42.319 The hymn writers say, 00:09:42.459 --> 00:09:45.500 The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight. 00:09:46.299 --> 00:09:47.979 That's what Simeon was singing. 00:09:48.419 --> 00:09:49.399 Now I can die. 00:09:49.819 --> 00:09:51.459 For I have seen the fulfillment. 00:09:51.839 --> 00:09:54.120 Because I've seen this baby. 00:09:54.519 --> 00:09:56.099 I've seen Jesus. 00:09:59.099 --> 00:10:01.319 Friends, if we see who Jesus is, 00:10:02.099 --> 00:10:03.240 as Simeon saw him, 00:10:03.439 --> 00:10:05.819 maybe we too can have that same kind of joy. 00:10:05.820 --> 00:10:10.379 The joy of a heart that's fulfilled in meeting Jesus. 00:10:11.540 --> 00:10:14.340 Because Simeon's response is really remarkable, isn't it? 00:10:14.500 --> 00:10:14.680 Right? 00:10:15.060 --> 00:10:16.460 This is the one thing I need. 00:10:16.800 --> 00:10:18.580 As long as I have this one thing, 00:10:18.700 --> 00:10:20.500 then everything else doesn't matter. 00:10:21.220 --> 00:10:23.520 If I have this one thing, then I can die. 00:10:24.440 --> 00:10:28.300 And Simeon sees Jesus as that one thing. 00:10:29.400 --> 00:10:33.220 And as he reflects on it in verses 29 through 35, 00:10:33.220 --> 00:10:36.740 you see some of the things that he sees in Jesus 00:10:36.740 --> 00:10:38.920 that I hope we can see in Jesus this morning. 00:10:39.759 --> 00:10:40.540 Four things. 00:10:41.000 --> 00:10:42.980 First, in 25 through 29, 00:10:43.519 --> 00:10:48.000 Jesus is the consolation and the comfort of Israel. 00:10:49.259 --> 00:10:54.040 You see, Jesus came as God incarnate in the flesh 00:10:54.040 --> 00:10:56.519 to identify with us in our weakness. 00:10:56.519 --> 00:11:01.079 He is real help because he is not a God who is far off 00:11:01.079 --> 00:11:05.000 and cannot understand what it means to struggle in human flesh. 00:11:05.360 --> 00:11:07.679 But one who entered in with us, 00:11:07.899 --> 00:11:10.279 who suffered just as we are, 00:11:10.740 --> 00:11:12.759 who was tempted just as we are, 00:11:12.819 --> 00:11:14.299 and yet was without sin. 00:11:15.259 --> 00:11:17.019 It means that we have a God 00:11:17.019 --> 00:11:20.500 who came to walk with us. 00:11:20.500 --> 00:11:24.240 That God has not abandoned us. 00:11:25.399 --> 00:11:28.980 But that he has come to us in a most remarkable way 00:11:28.980 --> 00:11:33.980 so that he can be real comfort along the way. 00:11:35.399 --> 00:11:39.399 One of the things that's amazing about this part of the scriptures 00:11:39.399 --> 00:11:42.980 is that Simeon was clearly steeped in the Old Testament, 00:11:43.460 --> 00:11:44.820 and particularly the book of Isaiah. 00:11:45.000 --> 00:11:48.500 So as we look at different parts of what Simeon sees in Jesus, 00:11:48.500 --> 00:11:51.940 I'm going to quote different lines from the book of Isaiah 00:11:51.940 --> 00:11:54.820 to help you see the richness of where he saw it. 00:11:54.919 --> 00:11:57.259 And so in Isaiah 40, verse 1, 00:11:57.399 --> 00:11:59.139 the prophet says, 00:11:59.440 --> 00:12:00.779 Comfort my people. 00:12:01.539 --> 00:12:03.620 Say unto the cities of Judah, 00:12:03.799 --> 00:12:06.379 Behold your God. 00:12:07.720 --> 00:12:10.799 And when Simeon saw Jesus walk into the temple, 00:12:11.080 --> 00:12:11.559 he said, 00:12:12.019 --> 00:12:12.700 This is it. 00:12:13.080 --> 00:12:14.580 The comfort has arrived. 00:12:15.039 --> 00:12:18.080 I have seen my God come to his people. 00:12:18.500 --> 00:12:19.740 To be their deliverer. 00:12:20.419 --> 00:12:22.200 And this is the second thing that you see. 00:12:22.559 --> 00:12:24.559 Jesus is not only the consolation of Israel, 00:12:24.679 --> 00:12:25.460 but in verse 30, 00:12:25.559 --> 00:12:28.399 Jesus is the very salvation of God. 00:12:28.919 --> 00:12:29.799 Simeon says, 00:12:29.899 --> 00:12:32.759 For my eyes have seen your salvation. 00:12:33.440 --> 00:12:36.259 And remember that all in the first century of Rome, 00:12:36.320 --> 00:12:38.240 they were longing for political oppression. 00:12:38.240 --> 00:12:42.299 They were longing for political freedom and salvation. 00:12:42.299 --> 00:12:48.859 They were longing for social freedom from the imposition of Roman culture and Roman life on them. 00:12:49.259 --> 00:12:54.799 Someone who would come and deliver the nation of Israel so that they could be free again, 00:12:55.179 --> 00:12:57.000 not only from political and social, 00:12:57.179 --> 00:12:58.919 but even from spiritual bondage, 00:12:58.979 --> 00:13:02.859 so that they would again arise as God's people. 00:13:02.860 --> 00:13:11.360 And yet Jesus comes with a salvation greater than just a societal or a national salvation. 00:13:11.560 --> 00:13:14.139 He comes to save us from our sin. 00:13:15.259 --> 00:13:20.940 He comes to be the one who sets the captives free from sin and death. 00:13:22.200 --> 00:13:23.960 It's why he's named Jesus, 00:13:24.340 --> 00:13:25.879 God who saves. 00:13:25.879 --> 00:13:30.460 And so Isaiah reminds us, 00:13:30.460 --> 00:13:33.720 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, 00:13:34.179 --> 00:13:37.939 yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. 00:13:38.240 --> 00:13:40.659 He was pierced for our transgressions. 00:13:40.840 --> 00:13:42.600 He was crushed for our iniquities. 00:13:43.200 --> 00:13:46.320 Upon him was a chastisement that brought us peace. 00:13:46.919 --> 00:13:49.860 And with his wounds, we are healed. 00:13:51.360 --> 00:13:53.860 Friends, when Simeon saw this baby, 00:13:53.860 --> 00:13:56.419 he saw the fulfillment of that prophecy, 00:13:56.600 --> 00:14:01.980 that this one would come and live and die and rise again for our salvation, 00:14:01.980 --> 00:14:05.379 so that we might not live under the judgment of God, 00:14:05.480 --> 00:14:07.980 but we might be raised to new life, 00:14:08.820 --> 00:14:09.840 eternal life, 00:14:10.460 --> 00:14:12.060 because of faith in him. 00:14:13.000 --> 00:14:14.379 And that's what Simeon saw. 00:14:15.100 --> 00:14:17.080 Jesus is not only the consolation of Israel, 00:14:17.180 --> 00:14:19.100 he's not only the very salvation of God, 00:14:19.379 --> 00:14:20.860 but third in verse 32, 00:14:20.860 --> 00:14:23.460 he is a light unto the Gentiles. 00:14:23.860 --> 00:14:31.919 This may be so old news for us in this, the 21st century, 00:14:32.340 --> 00:14:34.800 but in the first century, this was groundbreaking. 00:14:35.519 --> 00:14:39.240 God's work was not just for the Jewish people. 00:14:39.720 --> 00:14:40.779 And though there were hints, 00:14:41.240 --> 00:14:43.560 and even more than hints throughout the Old Testament, 00:14:43.980 --> 00:14:46.279 that this was ultimately going to be God's plan, 00:14:46.279 --> 00:14:47.860 as Jesus came, 00:14:48.899 --> 00:14:51.699 he solidified and clarified 00:14:51.699 --> 00:14:54.860 that the God who had come in the person of Jesus 00:14:54.860 --> 00:14:56.279 had come for all people, 00:14:56.459 --> 00:14:59.220 from every tribe and tongue and nation, 00:14:59.360 --> 00:15:01.120 from every corner of the earth. 00:15:01.279 --> 00:15:03.819 He had come not just to be a local God, 00:15:04.000 --> 00:15:05.899 but the God of the whole world, 00:15:06.220 --> 00:15:08.679 not a God just for certain kinds of people, 00:15:08.839 --> 00:15:11.100 from certain places or certain cultures, 00:15:11.100 --> 00:15:12.860 but for all of us. 00:15:13.820 --> 00:15:15.519 And how amazing it is 00:15:15.519 --> 00:15:18.259 that Jesus came for you, 00:15:18.639 --> 00:15:19.320 and for you, 00:15:19.480 --> 00:15:20.040 and for you, 00:15:20.120 --> 00:15:20.759 and for you, 00:15:21.040 --> 00:15:22.759 for your neighbors, 00:15:22.960 --> 00:15:23.840 and for your friends, 00:15:24.220 --> 00:15:26.420 and for people we haven't met who live 00:15:26.420 --> 00:15:28.240 on the other side of the world. 00:15:29.440 --> 00:15:31.340 There is no one excluded 00:15:31.340 --> 00:15:34.940 from the light being shown 00:15:34.940 --> 00:15:36.920 by Jesus, 00:15:37.940 --> 00:15:38.460 revealed 00:15:38.460 --> 00:15:40.600 to the whole nation, 00:15:41.200 --> 00:15:42.399 to the whole world. 00:15:43.340 --> 00:15:44.899 What a great God this is. 00:15:45.580 --> 00:15:46.460 And so Isaiah 00:15:46.460 --> 00:15:49.120 reminds us in 49.6, 00:15:49.259 --> 00:15:50.580 it is too light of a thing 00:15:50.580 --> 00:15:51.160 that you 00:15:51.160 --> 00:15:52.420 should be my servant 00:15:52.420 --> 00:15:54.519 to raise up the tribes of Jacob 00:15:54.519 --> 00:15:57.000 and to bring back the preserved of Israel. 00:15:57.660 --> 00:15:58.420 I will make you 00:15:58.420 --> 00:16:00.120 as a light for the nations 00:16:00.120 --> 00:16:02.240 that my salvation may reach 00:16:02.240 --> 00:16:03.060 to the ends 00:16:03.060 --> 00:16:04.440 of the earth. 00:16:07.399 --> 00:16:07.960 Finally, 00:16:08.639 --> 00:16:10.360 verse 32, 00:16:11.019 --> 00:16:11.879 Jesus comes 00:16:11.879 --> 00:16:13.740 as the glory 00:16:13.740 --> 00:16:15.639 for his people Israel. 00:16:17.279 --> 00:16:19.240 Isaiah 60 says, 00:16:19.899 --> 00:16:20.779 Arise, shine, 00:16:20.899 --> 00:16:21.960 for your light has come, 00:16:22.019 --> 00:16:23.100 and the glory of the Lord 00:16:23.100 --> 00:16:24.220 has risen upon you. 00:16:24.299 --> 00:16:24.940 For behold, 00:16:25.480 --> 00:16:26.960 darkness shall cover the earth, 00:16:27.039 --> 00:16:28.580 and thick darkness the peoples, 00:16:28.580 --> 00:16:30.100 but the Lord 00:16:30.100 --> 00:16:31.720 will arise upon you, 00:16:32.020 --> 00:16:33.000 and his glory 00:16:33.000 --> 00:16:34.720 will be seen upon you, 00:16:35.160 --> 00:16:36.500 and nations shall come 00:16:36.500 --> 00:16:37.440 to your light, 00:16:37.580 --> 00:16:38.160 and kings 00:16:38.160 --> 00:16:39.420 to the brightness 00:16:39.420 --> 00:16:41.200 of your rising. 00:16:43.860 --> 00:16:44.780 Isaiah looks ahead 00:16:44.780 --> 00:16:45.240 to someone 00:16:45.240 --> 00:16:45.860 who would come 00:16:45.860 --> 00:16:46.460 and show 00:16:46.460 --> 00:16:47.580 and display 00:16:47.580 --> 00:16:48.460 this light, 00:16:48.639 --> 00:16:49.700 this awe, 00:16:49.840 --> 00:16:50.379 this wonder, 00:16:50.520 --> 00:16:51.480 this glory, 00:16:51.940 --> 00:16:52.800 this expression 00:16:52.800 --> 00:16:53.720 of the character 00:16:53.720 --> 00:16:54.360 and nature 00:16:54.360 --> 00:16:55.780 of who God is 00:16:55.780 --> 00:16:57.120 in all of its fullness. 00:16:57.120 --> 00:17:00.259 and remember 00:17:00.259 --> 00:17:00.960 what John 00:17:00.960 --> 00:17:04.519 in the first chapter 00:17:04.519 --> 00:17:05.380 of his gospel 00:17:05.380 --> 00:17:06.099 says, right? 00:17:06.579 --> 00:17:07.140 That Jesus 00:17:07.140 --> 00:17:08.000 is the word 00:17:08.000 --> 00:17:09.339 who became flesh 00:17:09.339 --> 00:17:10.319 and dwelt among us, 00:17:10.380 --> 00:17:11.539 and we have beheld 00:17:11.539 --> 00:17:13.380 his glory. 00:17:14.000 --> 00:17:15.279 This is the light 00:17:15.279 --> 00:17:16.779 that Simeon saw. 00:17:17.220 --> 00:17:18.859 This is the beauty 00:17:18.859 --> 00:17:20.500 that Simeon saw 00:17:20.500 --> 00:17:22.099 that Jesus had come 00:17:22.099 --> 00:17:23.220 to display 00:17:23.220 --> 00:17:24.599 all of God, 00:17:25.079 --> 00:17:25.859 his holiness, 00:17:25.859 --> 00:17:26.959 his majesty, 00:17:27.319 --> 00:17:28.079 his righteousness, 00:17:28.319 --> 00:17:28.939 his power, 00:17:29.259 --> 00:17:30.419 his transcendence, 00:17:30.819 --> 00:17:32.179 his grace, 00:17:32.639 --> 00:17:33.439 and his mercy, 00:17:33.859 --> 00:17:34.859 and his love, 00:17:35.299 --> 00:17:36.179 and his kindness, 00:17:36.679 --> 00:17:37.740 and his patience, 00:17:38.279 --> 00:17:40.679 and ultimately, 00:17:40.899 --> 00:17:41.539 his desire 00:17:41.539 --> 00:17:42.439 to make a people 00:17:42.439 --> 00:17:43.259 for himself, 00:17:43.659 --> 00:17:44.779 to make a people 00:17:44.779 --> 00:17:46.199 who would humble themselves 00:17:46.199 --> 00:17:47.619 and bow their knee 00:17:47.619 --> 00:17:48.919 before this one, 00:17:48.920 --> 00:17:50.980 and let him 00:17:50.980 --> 00:17:52.740 retake the throne 00:17:52.740 --> 00:17:54.980 of their lives 00:17:54.980 --> 00:17:56.480 and be the world 00:17:56.480 --> 00:18:00.300 and take the throne 00:18:00.300 --> 00:18:01.500 of their lives 00:18:01.500 --> 00:18:02.360 so that he might 00:18:02.360 --> 00:18:03.200 be their king. 00:18:04.940 --> 00:18:05.800 Jesus comes 00:18:05.800 --> 00:18:06.820 to call us 00:18:06.820 --> 00:18:08.460 to know him 00:18:08.460 --> 00:18:09.640 and to worship him. 00:18:09.640 --> 00:18:13.500 There's one final thing 00:18:13.500 --> 00:18:14.320 that we need to see 00:18:14.320 --> 00:18:15.000 in this passage 00:18:15.000 --> 00:18:16.780 in verses 34 and 35. 00:18:17.240 --> 00:18:18.540 These are not simple words 00:18:18.540 --> 00:18:20.280 that he says to Mary. 00:18:20.740 --> 00:18:21.740 It's kind of shocking 00:18:21.740 --> 00:18:22.420 because he talks 00:18:22.420 --> 00:18:23.100 about a sword. 00:18:23.100 --> 00:18:23.780 Behold, 00:18:24.140 --> 00:18:25.420 this child shall be appointed 00:18:25.420 --> 00:18:26.140 for the fall 00:18:26.140 --> 00:18:27.140 and rising of many 00:18:27.140 --> 00:18:27.620 in Israel 00:18:27.620 --> 00:18:28.360 and for a sign 00:18:28.360 --> 00:18:29.120 that is opposed, 00:18:29.440 --> 00:18:30.520 and a sword will pierce 00:18:30.520 --> 00:18:31.460 through your own soul 00:18:31.460 --> 00:18:31.980 also, 00:18:32.340 --> 00:18:33.440 so that the thoughts 00:18:33.440 --> 00:18:34.840 from many hearts 00:18:34.840 --> 00:18:35.780 may be revealed. 00:18:35.779 --> 00:18:36.259 Friends, 00:18:38.519 --> 00:18:39.460 we don't need 00:18:39.460 --> 00:18:40.200 to get caught up. 00:18:40.399 --> 00:18:41.799 I believe that Simeon 00:18:41.799 --> 00:18:43.359 is capturing imagery 00:18:43.359 --> 00:18:44.700 that God uses 00:18:44.700 --> 00:18:45.899 throughout the Old Testament 00:18:45.899 --> 00:18:47.379 to say that what 00:18:47.379 --> 00:18:48.500 Jesus does 00:18:48.500 --> 00:18:49.240 when he comes 00:18:49.240 --> 00:18:50.319 is he calls us 00:18:50.319 --> 00:18:51.119 to respond 00:18:51.119 --> 00:18:52.599 and he searches 00:18:52.599 --> 00:18:53.519 out our hearts 00:18:53.519 --> 00:18:55.639 and as he comes 00:18:55.639 --> 00:18:57.240 he creates a divide 00:18:57.240 --> 00:18:58.960 because there are some 00:18:58.960 --> 00:18:59.920 as we saw 00:18:59.920 --> 00:19:00.799 in his life 00:19:00.799 --> 00:19:02.000 and especially 00:19:02.000 --> 00:19:02.619 in his death, 00:19:02.700 --> 00:19:03.099 there are some 00:19:03.099 --> 00:19:04.000 who would reject him. 00:19:04.379 --> 00:19:04.859 There were some 00:19:04.859 --> 00:19:06.000 who will refuse him. 00:19:06.339 --> 00:19:06.740 There were some 00:19:06.740 --> 00:19:07.500 who will deny 00:19:07.500 --> 00:19:08.500 that he is 00:19:08.500 --> 00:19:09.779 who Simeon saw him 00:19:09.779 --> 00:19:10.279 to be. 00:19:12.379 --> 00:19:13.139 And there will be 00:19:13.139 --> 00:19:14.359 some who will respond. 00:19:15.099 --> 00:19:15.519 There will be 00:19:15.519 --> 00:19:17.199 some who will see him 00:19:17.199 --> 00:19:18.779 in all of his goodness 00:19:18.779 --> 00:19:19.299 and greatness 00:19:19.299 --> 00:19:19.879 and glory 00:19:19.879 --> 00:19:21.199 and they will respond 00:19:21.199 --> 00:19:21.659 to him. 00:19:21.979 --> 00:19:22.819 And Jesus comes 00:19:22.819 --> 00:19:23.799 like a signpost 00:19:23.799 --> 00:19:24.399 pointing us 00:19:24.399 --> 00:19:25.119 in a direction 00:19:25.119 --> 00:19:26.559 that we can follow 00:19:26.559 --> 00:19:26.919 or ignore. 00:19:27.139 --> 00:19:28.299 He comes like a sword 00:19:28.299 --> 00:19:29.019 that divides 00:19:29.019 --> 00:19:29.919 and separates 00:19:29.919 --> 00:19:31.459 because of his presence. 00:19:32.079 --> 00:19:33.399 He comes revealing 00:19:33.399 --> 00:19:34.099 the depths 00:19:34.099 --> 00:19:35.179 of our hearts 00:19:35.179 --> 00:19:37.419 with a call 00:19:37.419 --> 00:19:38.859 and an invitation. 00:19:41.819 --> 00:19:42.759 Simeon saw 00:19:42.759 --> 00:19:43.500 that this is 00:19:43.500 --> 00:19:44.879 what Jesus 00:19:44.879 --> 00:19:45.959 had come to do. 00:19:46.379 --> 00:19:47.539 To call people, 00:19:47.659 --> 00:19:48.519 to invite people 00:19:48.519 --> 00:19:49.379 out of darkness 00:19:49.379 --> 00:19:50.159 into light, 00:19:50.379 --> 00:19:51.659 out of selfishness 00:19:51.659 --> 00:19:53.099 into subjection 00:19:54.159 --> 00:19:55.519 to him. 00:19:57.959 --> 00:19:59.159 Serving him 00:19:59.160 --> 00:20:01.540 out of alienation 00:20:01.540 --> 00:20:02.720 and into love 00:20:02.720 --> 00:20:04.140 and his loving embrace. 00:20:05.519 --> 00:20:07.060 This is what Simeon saw. 00:20:07.500 --> 00:20:08.040 And this is why 00:20:08.040 --> 00:20:08.720 he was filled 00:20:08.720 --> 00:20:09.900 with such great joy. 00:20:10.240 --> 00:20:10.980 This is why he could say, 00:20:11.360 --> 00:20:12.040 now, God, 00:20:12.120 --> 00:20:12.860 I can die. 00:20:13.340 --> 00:20:14.900 Now, let me go in peace 00:20:14.900 --> 00:20:16.080 because I've seen 00:20:16.080 --> 00:20:17.940 the glory of this baby 00:20:17.940 --> 00:20:18.740 and what he would come 00:20:18.740 --> 00:20:19.259 to do. 00:20:21.940 --> 00:20:22.740 How about you 00:20:22.740 --> 00:20:23.300 this morning? 00:20:24.000 --> 00:20:25.100 How will you respond? 00:20:25.099 --> 00:20:27.000 Jesus invites you 00:20:27.000 --> 00:20:29.039 and he invites me 00:20:29.039 --> 00:20:29.619 to come. 00:20:30.099 --> 00:20:30.740 Come to him 00:20:30.740 --> 00:20:31.480 and believe. 00:20:32.199 --> 00:20:33.259 Whether this morning 00:20:33.259 --> 00:20:33.899 is a morning 00:20:33.899 --> 00:20:35.459 where you feel like 00:20:35.459 --> 00:20:36.500 everything is great 00:20:36.500 --> 00:20:37.019 in the world 00:20:37.019 --> 00:20:38.259 and the joy 00:20:38.259 --> 00:20:39.019 is yours 00:20:39.019 --> 00:20:40.959 because of the good things, 00:20:41.039 --> 00:20:42.319 let those be a signpost 00:20:42.319 --> 00:20:43.619 to this greater joy. 00:20:44.099 --> 00:20:45.379 This greater joy 00:20:45.379 --> 00:20:46.500 that God has given us 00:20:46.500 --> 00:20:47.119 in Christ. 00:20:48.319 --> 00:20:48.939 And if you're here 00:20:48.939 --> 00:20:49.539 this morning 00:20:49.539 --> 00:20:50.480 and your longings 00:20:50.480 --> 00:20:51.319 are unfulfilled 00:20:51.319 --> 00:20:51.980 and your heart 00:20:51.980 --> 00:20:53.319 is burdened, 00:20:53.319 --> 00:20:54.039 Jesus says, 00:20:54.139 --> 00:20:54.439 come. 00:20:55.639 --> 00:20:57.139 Come and see me 00:20:57.139 --> 00:20:58.939 as the greatest consolation, 00:20:59.579 --> 00:21:00.939 the greatest hope, 00:21:01.939 --> 00:21:02.939 the one that you've 00:21:02.939 --> 00:21:03.879 been waiting for. 00:21:05.839 --> 00:21:06.619 Come and know 00:21:06.619 --> 00:21:07.839 the joy of Simeon 00:21:07.839 --> 00:21:09.000 and the saints 00:21:09.000 --> 00:21:09.700 of all of us 00:21:09.700 --> 00:21:10.240 who have followed 00:21:10.240 --> 00:21:11.059 in his footsteps. 00:21:11.859 --> 00:21:12.960 Let's pray together. 00:21:16.259 --> 00:21:17.079 Lord Jesus, 00:21:17.240 --> 00:21:18.019 we do thank you 00:21:18.019 --> 00:21:18.599 this morning. 00:21:19.539 --> 00:21:20.519 We thank you 00:21:20.519 --> 00:21:20.960 for, 00:21:21.799 --> 00:21:22.379 Lord, 00:21:22.380 --> 00:21:22.980 the reason 00:21:22.980 --> 00:21:23.940 why we gather 00:21:23.940 --> 00:21:25.680 on Christmas morning 00:21:25.680 --> 00:21:27.160 for it's when 00:21:27.160 --> 00:21:27.620 the church 00:21:27.620 --> 00:21:28.980 historically remembers 00:21:28.980 --> 00:21:30.960 and commemorates 00:21:30.960 --> 00:21:32.140 the birth of Jesus, 00:21:32.320 --> 00:21:32.960 the sending 00:21:32.960 --> 00:21:34.760 of your Son 00:21:34.760 --> 00:21:35.480 to earth 00:21:35.480 --> 00:21:38.160 for our salvation. 00:21:39.200 --> 00:21:39.760 Oh, Lord, 00:21:39.820 --> 00:21:40.720 I pray this morning 00:21:40.720 --> 00:21:42.740 that you would 00:21:42.740 --> 00:21:43.820 fill us with joy. 00:21:44.600 --> 00:21:44.720 Lord, 00:21:44.760 --> 00:21:45.800 I pray for those 00:21:45.800 --> 00:21:46.600 who are hurting, 00:21:47.840 --> 00:21:47.960 Lord, 00:21:48.000 --> 00:21:48.680 who are carrying 00:21:48.680 --> 00:21:49.360 burdens, 00:21:49.820 --> 00:21:49.980 Lord, 00:21:49.980 --> 00:21:52.019 that you would 00:21:52.019 --> 00:21:53.279 come alongside 00:21:53.279 --> 00:21:53.900 of them 00:21:53.900 --> 00:21:54.579 and that you 00:21:54.579 --> 00:21:55.059 would be their 00:21:55.059 --> 00:21:55.880 consolation. 00:21:56.680 --> 00:21:56.920 Lord, 00:21:56.960 --> 00:21:57.819 I pray for all 00:21:57.819 --> 00:21:58.240 of us 00:21:58.240 --> 00:21:58.900 that we might 00:21:58.900 --> 00:22:00.460 know the joy 00:22:00.460 --> 00:22:02.059 that we can 00:22:02.059 --> 00:22:02.539 have 00:22:02.539 --> 00:22:04.460 in believing 00:22:04.460 --> 00:22:05.000 in Jesus 00:22:05.000 --> 00:22:06.140 and having him 00:22:06.140 --> 00:22:07.940 because he has 00:22:07.940 --> 00:22:08.819 made us his own. 00:22:09.620 --> 00:22:09.940 Oh, 00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:10.220 Lord, 00:22:10.299 --> 00:22:11.059 be with us. 00:22:12.440 --> 00:22:13.360 We pray these 00:22:13.360 --> 00:22:14.059 things in Jesus' 00:22:14.259 --> 00:22:14.460 name. 00:22:15.039 --> 00:22:15.299 Amen. 00:22:15.299 --> 00:22:15.440 Amen. 00:22:15.440 --> 00:22:15.500 Amen. 00:22:15.500 --> 00:22:15.519 Amen. 00:22:15.519 --> 00:22:15.539 Amen. 00:22:15.539 --> 00:22:15.559 Amen. 00:22:15.559 --> 00:22:15.599 Amen. 00:22:15.599 --> 00:22:17.500 Amen. 00:22:17.500 --> 00:22:18.500 Amen.