Thank you, men.
Well, as Matthew takes a little bit of time off,
word on the street is he's coming up to a big responsibility soon.
So he's taking a little bit of time off and seeing family.
And because we are Presbyterian,
we believe that we're all ordained men who can bring the word of God.
So it fell to me this morning.
So I have a question for you this morning.
What did you get for Christmas?
Was it something good?
Was it something that you're really planning on enjoying?
Or is it something that you just can't wait to re-gift?
And as I was thinking about this,
this will kind of give you a little bit of an insight into my brain
and how I work, and y'all can pray for my wife.
As I was thinking about gifts and good gifts,
I started thinking about exercise equipment.
And one of the reasons that I started thinking about exercise equipment
is I've never been to a Goodwill or to a used sports store
that didn't have a plethora of used treadmills, elliptical machines.
And I just happened to be watching TV,
and I saw this commercial for this exercise bike.
And this woman goes into the storeroom
and sees the exercise bike that her husband has bought for her.
And she starts sneaking around behind his back
to go use it before Christmas morning.
And at one point, wakes up at 2 o'clock in the morning,
puts on her exercise clothes,
runs out, exercises on it,
and then comes and gets back in bed.
And on Christmas morning is just so surprised
that she has gotten this exercise bike.
So I don't understand if that's the case for these exercise bikes,
why do so many of them end up at Goodwill,
used sports stores, in basements holding hanging clothes.
Don't raise your hands.
What is it about a good gift
that we love on Christmas morning,
but by February is holding boxes in dirty clothes?
Our passage this morning,
and it is from the New Testament,
not the Old Testament,
is Luke chapter 2,
verses 22 through 38.
So turn in or turn on your Bible
and follow along with me
or follow in your worship guide.
This is Luke chapter 2,
verses 22 through 38.
And when the time came for their purification,
according to the law of Moses,
they brought him up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
as it is written in the law of the Lord,
every male who opens the womb
shall be called holy to the Lord.
And to offer a sacrifice,
according to what it is said
in the law of the Lord,
a pair of turtle doves,
or two young pigeons.
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.
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.
Verse 33.
And his father and mother marveled
at what was said about him.
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 to be opposed.
And a sword will pierce your own soul also,
so that thoughts from many hearts
may be revealed.
And there was a prophetess, Anna,
the daughter of Phanuel,
of the tribe of Asher.
She was advanced in years,
having lived with her husband
seven years from when she was a virgin
and then as a widow until she was 84.
She did not depart from the temple,
worshiping with fasting and prayer
night and day.
And coming up at that very hour,
she began to give thanks to God
and to all.
Father, we thank you for the gift of your word
as we study it corporately this morning.
I pray that you would remove me
from the equation
so that as we read and study,
the only thing that we see
is your son, Jesus Christ,
revealed to us through the Holy Spirit.
Father, open our hearts
and renew our minds this morning
as we read and study your word.
Amen.
So we see three different responses
to Jesus' appearance at the temple.
We see Mary and Joseph's devotion to the law.
We see Simeon's reaction
as he is waiting for the consolation of Israel.
And we're presented with Anna's overflowing praise.
So if you're keeping score,
we're going to look at
Jesus and Mary's piety,
Simeon's prophecy,
and Anna's praise.
So first let's look at
Mary and Joseph's piety.
Mary and Joseph were indeed richly blessed.
And it is vital that we understand
their devotion to the law of God.
And how it fits.
Because if you get this wrong,
you end up on a treadmill headed for hell.
And some of you may think that's hyperbole,
but it's not.
We have to understand this rightly.
When you look at verse 22,
Mary and Joseph brought up to Jerusalem
according to the law of Moses.
Verse 24,
they were obedient to the law of the Lord.
Verse 39,
which is outside of our reading.
They did not depart
until they had completed everything
according to the law.
Their obedience
looks a lot like the Pharisees.
But it's different.
And the difference is,
Mary and Joseph's obedience
is rooted in humility
and in gratitude.
We know this because
if you flip back to the previous chapter
in what's called The Magnificent,
when Mary prays,
she says,
verse 46 through 49,
My soul magnifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
For he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold,
from now on all generations will call me blessed.
For he who is mighty has done great things for me
and holy is his name.
These are not the words of someone
who is trying to be obedient
to earn something from God.
You see,
the Pharisees had taken the Ten Commandments
and they had set them up
to ensure that no one ever broke them.
And then they went a step further
and they said,
we need rules around the Ten Commandments
to make sure that we don't break the Ten Commandments.
So, for example,
you shall not work on the Sabbath.
That became,
you cannot wear shoes that have nails in them
because if you are walking with shoes
with nails in them,
you're carrying nails
and that's doing work.
If you spit on the ground on the Sabbath,
normally common courtesy is you cover it up,
but you can't do that on the Sabbath
because you would be moving dirt
and that would be tantamount to plowing
on the Sabbath.
But wait,
there's 613 do's and do not's
in the Old Testament.
That's more rules.
Let's set up some rules around them.
So now you have so many rules,
you have to have one thing more
because nobody can track all these rules.
You need referees
that you can go ask.
If you're about to break one of these rules,
whether or not it's okay.
And we're going to call these referees lawyers.
And that way you can go and ask a lawyer.
And what they did was they created
a system where people just went around
and looked for loopholes.
How do I get around this?
So the majority of the questions to the lawyers were,
how do I get around this?
How do I get past this?
It reminds me of W.C. Fields
was an actor in the old-timey Hollywood
in black and white films
and he led a life of great excess.
And at the end of his life,
one of his friends saw him in the garden
reading his Bible.
And the friend said to him,
what are you doing?
And his response was,
I'm looking for loopholes.
A modern example of this
is a man by the name of Smokey Yunk.
Now, many of us have never heard of this man,
but during the 60s,
he was the leading crew chief in NASCAR.
And the NASCAR officials hated Smokey
because his cars would go so much further
than anybody else's cars.
And they would test his cars
and they would fill them up with fuel
and they would hold exactly the right amount of fuel.
Well, the reason is because Smokey would
inflate basketballs in the gas tank.
And that way they would hold the exact amount of gas
and then he would deflate the basketballs
and pour more gas into them.
So they wrote a rule called the Smokey Rule
that you could not have anything else in the gas tank.
But his cars were still going so much further
than everybody else's cars.
So they wanted to inspect the car.
They brought it in.
They removed the gas tank.
And in my favorite Smokey story,
Smokey gets in and starts up the car
and drives off even though it has no gas tank.
Because Smokey had discovered
if you put enough fuel line from the gas tank to the engine,
you could hold an extra five gallons of fuel.
He was so prolific
at working around and finding loopholes
if you drove to church this morning,
there is a good chance you used one of his loopholes.
He had 12 patents when he finally retired from NASCAR.
I tell you this because
this is how the Pharisees thought
about the law of God,
not the rules of NASCAR.
How do we get around?
Mary and Joseph were humble.
The Pharisees prayed to be admired.
This is the difference.
You see, if you are trying to manipulate God through obedience
to get better kids,
a better marriage,
a better job.
What do you do when the wheels come off?
And the wheels will come off
because we live in a fallen world.
Some false prophets will say,
well, you just need to do more.
You just need to give more.
You just need to sacrifice more.
That is a lie from the pit of hell.
You can't sacrifice enough
to earn God's favor.
What are you going to give God
that He doesn't already have?
What are you going to do for God
that He can't do for Himself?
Joseph and Mary were pious.
And they were devoted to the law.
But it was not to earn God's favor.
It was because what God had already done for them.
C.S. Lewis says it this way,
and he has a way of saying things
very clearly and succinctly.
God does not love you because you are good.
God makes you good because He loves you.
You understand the distinctive there?
They followed God's law
because God's word said to.
And He is a loving Father
who wants what's best for them.
God's love for you.
So that's Mary and Joseph's piety.
Simeon's prophecy
is the next thing I'd like to look at.
We're told that He was a man of Jerusalem,
that He was righteous,
that He was devout.
We're also told that He was waiting
on the consolation of Israel.
Or another way of saying this,
He was looking for the salvation of Israel.
I think sometimes when we picture this scene
of Simeon waiting for Mary and Joseph,
we tend to think these are the only two people
in the temple.
And that's not accurate.
I think a better way to think of it
is a busy market,
or even better, a mall at Christmas.
And there's no crowd control devices.
People are just a sea of humanity
going back and forth and back and forth.
And Simeon, over years of waiting,
has a good vantage point.
And he's watching.
And the Holy Spirit,
the third member of the Trinity,
has said,
Simeon, today's the day.
Something good is going to happen.
You're going to see the second member of the Trinity.
The salvation of Israel.
So Simeon, at a good vantage point,
head on a swivel,
looking back and forth across the crowd
and looking around
and waiting
as he's waited for so long.
And finally,
he sees Mary and Joseph.
Joseph more than likely
has now secured the two birds
and he's clutching them.
Because if they get away,
he's got to go buy more
and he doesn't have enough money
for more birds.
Mary is clutching Jesus.
And Simeon is making his way
through the crowd.
The sea of humanity.
And he approaches Mary
and probably just holds out his hands.
And Mary,
Joseph, unable to let the birds go,
really can't step in front and say no.
Mary now seeing,
she's seen the shepherds appear.
She's had Gabriel come in.
She's just,
just miraculous things are happening.
And she just hands Simeon her baby.
And Simeon,
what does Simeon do?
He says,
now I can die.
Now I can go.
Old Testament prophets have been,
this is not the first Old Testament prophet
to ask to die.
Elijah asked to die
because he wanted to escape his pursuers.
Moses wanted to die
because he wanted to escape his responsibilities.
Simeon is the first one that says,
I have seen the salvation of Israel.
I can go now.
I am complete.
I am full.
And then,
he sings.
As Matthew told us last week,
singing is the thing that,
the one thing that connects your heart
and your head
and your soul.
And Simeon sings
and praises the Lord with these words,
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 the revelation
to the Gentiles
and for glory
to your people Israel.
Now this is a radical song.
I mean,
if this had been playing over the loudspeakers
at the temple,
it would have been banned.
And that's the reason why we know
it's from the Holy Spirit.
This is not something that he picked up
at the temple.
Salvation was for the Jews,
not the Gentiles.
He then turns and prophesies to Mary.
We're told in verse 33
that Mary marveled
at these words.
Mary has been witnessing miraculous event
after miraculous event.
And when she recounts these words
to the beloved Dr. Luke,
who is writing this down for us,
she recalls these words,
Behold,
this child is appointed
for the fall and rising
of many in Israel
and for a sign that is opposed.
A sword will pierce through
your own soul also,
so that thoughts from many hearts
may be revealed.
Simeon tells her
that not only is your son
going to be opposed,
but some of this opposition
is going to spill over
onto you.
Simeon's prophecy
is as true today
as it was
when Simeon uttered it.
As I drive around
Colorado Springs,
I see lots of the little fishes
on the back of cars.
I also see
the little fish
with the feet
coming out of it
with Darwin written
in the middle of it.
I've seen the little fish
taken away on UFOs.
I saw one fish
in the mouth
of a Tyrannosaurus Rex
with Evolution
written on the side of it.
I don't see
the Muslim
or the Islamic scales
treated that way.
It's because
Simeon's prophecy is
Christ will be opposed,
not Muhammad.
And if you don't think
that Christ is oppressed
even today,
please see me
after the sermon
so I can inform you
of what's going on
in China.
Christ is opposed
even today.
And as Mary
is thinking
as she's telling Luke
and Luke is writing
this down
and she's remembering
these words
that Simeon
has told her
about how Christ
is going to be opposed
and it's even
going to pierce
her soul.
At the time
it would have been
like taking
your infant child
to the doctor
and the doctor
saying,
yes,
there's something wrong.
We'll just have
to wait and see.
And the anxiety
that that carries
with it.
But don't you think
as she is relating
this to Luke
after the resurrection,
the twinkle in her eye
as she has been comforted
by her resurrected son,
the Savior of the world,
don't you think
that she had
a little bit
of a grin
as she is recounting
this to Luke?
So,
we've looked at
Mary and Joseph's
obedience.
We've looked at
Simeon's prophecy
and his psalm.
Anna.
So,
now we turn
our attention
to the fifth
character of this
story,
Anna.
In these three
verses,
we're told about
Anna's lineage.
We're told that
she was the daughter
of Phanuel,
of the tribe
of Asher.
We're told that
she was old.
Not that it matters,
but I tend to side
with I.H.
Marshall on this
that the 84 years
means that she
was a widow
for 84.
It's not important
other than
she's between
84 and 103
years old.
She's old.
And at this time,
that's not unheard
of,
but not common.
So,
if you and I
were walking
down the streets
of Jerusalem
and I said
the old woman
at the temple,
more than likely,
we both knew
who we were
talking about.
And you have
to ask yourself,
why are all
these details
in here?
And the reason
that,
because they don't
move the narrative
forward,
they don't move
the story forward,
why are these
details here?
And the answer
is,
Luke doesn't
want to entertain
us,
he wants to
be accurate
with the
information.
When you see
details like this
in here,
it's proof that
the Bible is
true.
So,
Anna,
confronted with
the Christ
child,
the Savior,
the Messiah,
her response
is different.
Her response
is,
the same
response that
we all have
when we
encounter
something that
moves us.
We want to
tell people
about it.
If you eat
a meal at a
good restaurant
downtown,
some of us
take a picture
of it and
post it on
Facebook.
If you hear
a song that
just moves you,
you download it
and email it
to people.
When you
take a picture
that just
excites you,
you put it
on Instagram,
Anna is
not any
different.
The only
thing different
is the
technology.
She immediately
rushes out to
those people
that are waiting
on the redemption
of Jerusalem
and says,
guess what?
He's here.
her.
She's excited.
So here we
are, five
days after
Christmas.
Presents have
been unwrapped.
You're hopefully
enjoying them.
But did
Christmas this
year live up
to the hype?
Was it
everything that
you thought it
would be?
You see,
when we get
angry or we
get frustrated
or we're sad,
it's because of
unrealized
expectations.
We set up in
our minds
how the
event or the
activity or
the holiday is
going to go.
And if things
don't go exactly
the way that we
have them laid
out in our
mind, we tend
to go,
yeah, it was
great.
It just didn't
go the way I
thought it
would.
Anna and
Simeon were
waiting with
expectation for
the Messiah.
They were
waiting on the
Savior and they
were open to
God's provision.
Anna and
Simeon placed
their hope in
God.
Those that had
gathered at the
temple looking
for the
Redeemer of
Jerusalem were
putting their
hope into a
warrior, not a
five-week-old
infant.
The people
gathered there
at the temple
were paying
attention.
They were
waiting expectantly,
just like Anna and
Simeon.
But they put
their hope in
the wrong
thing.
They missed
it because
Jesus wasn't
what they were
expecting.
Anna and
Simeon point
to the one
thing that you
can put your
hope in that
will not
disappoint.
There is
someone who
will not let
you down.
He is the
gift of the
world.
Christmas is the
holiday that
marks when he
came in the
flesh.
As we sing at
Christmas,
incarnate.
He came to
this earth as
a real person
because it
takes a real
person to
save real
people.
He lived the
perfect sinless
life that we
cannot.
He died on a
cross to pay
for all of our
sins.
Let that sink
in.
He paid for
every sin
that you
ever committed
and every
sin that you
are ever
going to
commit.
Everything that
you're going
to do wrong
or that you
should have
done right
died with
Christ on
that cross.
If you are
in Christ
Jesus,
your account
is now
marked
paid in
full.
And the
reason we
know that
the check
cleared is
because on
the third
day he set
aside the
grave clothes,
moved the
rock, and
stepped out
of the tomb.
This is the
Messiah Simeon
and Anna were
waiting on.
This is the
Messiah they
had placed their
hope in.
gift.
This is why
when they
encountered
Christ they
sang and
they rejoiced.
This is the
gift that they
could not wait
to share with
others.
Christmas is
over and we
have received
the greatest
gift ever.
And I
implore you,
I beg you,
enjoy him.
Let's pray.
Father, we
thank you,
especially during
this season,
for the gift of
your son,
Jesus Christ.
Your son,
the servant who
appeared not in
power or as a
warrior or as a
conqueror.
He came in the
form of a
helpless babe,
born in
humility to
proclaim peace.
The servant who
set aside the
honor due him
in his name,
came to
redeem us.
Not because of
anything we had
done, no,
while we were
still sinners and
even worse,
enemies of God.
Christ suffered
and went to the
cross for us.
Such was the
Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit's love
for us.
This is the true
story of Christmas
that we love to
hear season after
season.
That the Father
loved us so much,
he sent his
son in human
form to do
what Adam could
not, to live a
perfect life, to
die on our
behalf, and to
say on the cross,
it is finished.
Amen.