Luke chapter 2, beginning at verse 21.
On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus,
the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived.
When the time of their purification according to the law of Moses had been completed,
Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.
As it is written in the law of the Lord, every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord
and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the law of the Lord,
a pair of doves or two young pigeons.
Now, there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon who was righteous and devout.
He was waiting for the consolation of Israel and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts.
When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the law required,
Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,
Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.
The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him.
Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother,
This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel
and to be a sign that will be spoken against,
so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed,
and a sword will pierce your own soul too.
There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher.
She was very old.
She had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage,
and then she was a widow until she was 84.
She never left the temple, but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying.
Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God
and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Israel.
When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth,
and the child grew and became strong.
He was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.
We'll leave our reading there.
Waiting and witnessing Christmas as we see it in the life of Simeon.
Now, boys and girls, let me begin here.
Let me begin with a story of my eight-year-old Christmas.
So I remember as an eight-year-old getting what I thought was a wonderful gift.
I got a tiny snooker table, probably about the same size as this thing here.
I was really excited.
I always liked sport as a kid.
But I remember the first thing that I did that Christmas morning when I got that present
is I went through to my grandpa's bedroom.
Grandpa was staying with us for a while.
I went through to wake him up so that he would come and see and share that joy.
I wonder if you recognize that.
You have great anticipation around Christmas for sure,
waiting to see maybe what's going to be in those presents.
And whenever you get a present, usually as kids and also as adults,
we like to show off that present to other people.
Look what I got.
We're really excited.
Maybe you'll be saying, this is what I always wanted.
That's a really wonderful thing to be able to say.
I wonder why we do that.
Why is it when we get a gift and we want to tell others about it?
Well, C.S. Lewis, who wrote the Chronicles of Narnia, he said it's because when we praise
something, it completes our joy in that.
And if we do that for small gifts, if we do that for things that we get at Christmas time,
how much more if we receive a gift that's truly life-changing?
How much more if we receive a great gift should we then tell others so that they can enjoy it too?
And that takes us to the story of Simeon.
We find Simeon as someone who is waiting.
He is waiting for God's great promise to come true.
And what happens when Jesus comes?
Instantly, we find him praising God, sharing that good news with others.
It's a great pattern for the life of faith.
And when God opens our eyes so that we see that Jesus is the Savior,
when we see him as good news for ourselves,
we then live so that we might share him with others.
But of course, first, we need to see in Jesus that he is God's promised King and Savior
so that we would have faith in him.
So let's notice together how Simeon waits with faith.
Now, this is the only time in our Bibles we meet Simeon,
but we learn lots of significant things about him.
Most of all, we learn that he is a man of faith.
So look at verse 25.
And you will discover there that Simeon is righteous and devout.
So here is a real believer in God.
And we're told he was waiting for the consolation,
for the comfort of Israel.
So he's waiting with faith that God will do what he has promised to do,
that he will bring salvation and deliverance for his people.
We're also told in verse 25,
the Holy Spirit was on him.
And indeed, we know that the Holy Spirit speaks to him in verse 26.
And in verse 27, he is moved by the Spirit to go to the temple as Jesus is brought in.
So the Holy Spirit is on him,
and he is someone who is listening to, who is directed by the Spirit.
So he is a man of faith.
Faith for Simeon looks like trusting God and his Word,
even when many other people who are claiming to be worshippers are straying from God and his Word.
So he is surrounded by people who are worshipping with hypocrisy,
saying one thing, doing another thing.
When people are selling a saviour self-religion,
what God wants is for you to work really hard to keep all these extra rules.
And if you can do that, if you can live like a Pharisee,
then God will be pleased with you.
In spite of those false messages, he is a man of true faith,
who continues to listen and to wait on God's promises.
Even despite the fact that for those 400 years between the end of the Old Testament
and the time that we're in here, there was some 400 years of silence,
still we find Simeon exercising faith and learning to wait on God's promises.
Specifically, we're told that he is waiting for the consolation of Israel.
He is waiting for the comfort of God sending his saviour into the world.
And he'd received in verse 27, in verse 26 rather, a remarkable promise.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die
before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
So this Christ that was promised throughout the Old Testament
some hundreds of years beforehand,
and all of God's people were waiting with great expectation,
well, Simeon is told he would have the privilege
of seeing the rescuer in the flesh.
And so Simeon will find the joy of salvation
from getting to meet for himself, Jesus, God's Christ.
And part of Simeon's faith is that he can look at this young baby,
maybe seven weeks old at this stage, an ordinary child.
We read verse 22 to 24.
We see that when Joseph and Mary came to the temple to offer a sacrifice,
they offered the sacrifice of those who were poor.
Jesus comes in poverty and humility.
But by faith, Simeon is able to look on this child
and see here is God's promise kept.
Here is God's great gift now arrived.
And again, Simeon presents us with a pattern of life as a Christian.
We're waiting in faith for God to do what he has promised.
We're waiting in faith for the return of Jesus
to make everything new so that we might be with him forever.
And we are a people who are called to hold on to God's word
and to hold on to God's promises.
Even when we're surrounded by unbelief and hypocrisy
and different messages about how a person can be saved
and be truly human and enjoy the good life,
we believe that we are saved by faith in Jesus
and we place our hope firmly in him.
And so he waits with faith.
I wonder, boys and girls, at your stage,
have you ever received a gift and you thought,
this is the one thing I always wanted?
Maybe you've not had that yet.
Maybe you have had that joy.
I remember one time that happened to me.
I was probably about 13.
I really liked music and I got an electric guitar.
I realized it was a lot more hard to play an electric guitar
than it looked when I was watching my favorite bands.
But I was so excited that Christmas to receive that wonderful gift.
But I can guarantee you this Christmas, any Christmas,
no matter the best gift that money can buy,
it is not going to come near to what Simeon has been given
when the Savior of the world, God's King, is in his arms
and he knows God has kept his promise.
And Simeon appreciates that.
Look at verse 28.
Simeon took Jesus in his arms and straight away, what's he doing?
He's praising God.
There's joy in his heart because of Jesus.
I wonder, do we understand why,
whether we're boys and girls, whether we're older,
do we understand why Jesus is the greatest gift of all?
We'll sing at the end of our service,
Hark the Herald Angels Sing.
Some wonderful lines.
Our Christmas carols are full of really great truth.
So in that carol we'll sing,
Christ by highest heaven adored,
Christ the everlasting Lord.
So the child in Simeon's arms is the eternal Son of God,
worshipped for all eternity by the angels.
We'll sing,
Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see hail the incarnate deity.
We're invited to worship a God who has taken on human flesh,
who's taken on a true nature, becoming one of us.
We'll sing,
Mild he lays his glory by,
Born that man no more may die.
Jesus had all the glory of heaven,
but willingly left it to become one of us
so that he might suffer in our place,
having fulfilled God's law,
so that he might die in order for us to be forgiven
and to receive eternal life.
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled.
It's the great hope of the gospel.
It's the good news of Christmas.
Jesus is the answer to peace with God,
to peace in our hearts.
The only way for us as sinful people to be reconciled to a holy God
is through Jesus coming to die for us,
to take our sins on himself,
to be punished for our sins,
to have his righteousness gifted to us
so that we might be accepted and be brought into God's family.
So Simeon waits with faith,
and when Jesus arrives,
he's filled with joy.
Today,
do we see the baby in Simeon's arms as God's great gift to his world?
Do we see Jesus as God's great gift to you and to me today?
Do we see it as good news that God the Son has left glory to become one of us
in order to die to save us?
Do we see in the story of Christmas,
stage one in this great salvation plan?
It was important for us to remember,
the baby Jesus couldn't die for our sins.
We need one who stands in our place,
one who is able to succeed in keeping the law where we have failed.
And so Jesus must live a life of perfect obedience.
He must suffer as one of us
and then die in the place of lawbreakers.
It's the whole story of Jesus that gives us joy
and that causes our hearts to sing.
Are we waiting in faith,
like Simeon,
for Jesus coming?
Not this time for his first coming,
now waiting for the return of the King,
for his final victory,
when he'll make everything new,
including us,
when our faith is in him.
Are we able to trust God's promise?
Trust in God's goodness,
even in perhaps the silence that we feel like we're living in,
in the darkness of our own experience.
Can we hold on with hope and with faith
to the word of God and his promise?
So Simeon waits with faith,
but we also see Simeon witnesses by faith.
Boys and girls,
again,
I wonder,
maybe at this time of year,
but sometimes,
have you ever been excited for something to arrive?
Yeah,
this time of year can be quite exciting
because there's lots of parcels that maybe come to your house.
So maybe waiting for the postman,
the delivery man can be good news when that bell rings.
Or perhaps it's you're waiting with expectation
for a family member or a friend
to come round to play
or to come for a holiday
and you're waiting at the window
or waiting at the front door
and you're excited,
a sense of anticipation
for that arrival.
Well,
Simeon,
Simeon was given a job by God.
He was a watcher.
He was like a watchman waiting
for God's promise,
waiting for God's gift.
And as we saw,
when it comes,
he's full of praise,
he's full of joy.
Let's look at his words
as he begins to praise God,
to see his faith in action
as he witnesses for God.
Sovereign Lord,
verse 29,
as you have promised,
you now dismiss your servant in peace.
Now here is faith.
Now that I have seen God's promise kept,
I am ready to be dismissed in peace.
He is ready to die.
He has seen God's salvation for him.
He understands by faith
that in the coming of Jesus,
there is the hope of forgiveness.
There is the hope of restoration,
reconciliation,
and eternal life.
There is peace in this child,
in his arms.
And he is ready to die
because he has met God's Christ.
And it's true to say
that anyone who has seen Jesus
with the eyes of faith
is ready to die.
We are ready to meet our maker
if we have faith in Jesus.
But the flip side is also true.
If you haven't seen Jesus
with the eyes of faith,
you're not ready to die.
You're not ready to meet your maker.
And so,
if that's you,
ask for the gift of faith.
Ask for faith to see Jesus
and to turn from sin
and to trust in him
as Simeon does.
There are two things
that Simeon is a witness to.
First of all,
he's a witness to the fact
that Jesus brings salvation.
Look at verse 30 to 32.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared
in the sight of all people,
a light for revelation
to the Gentiles
and for glory
to your people Israel.
Jesus brings salvation.
And Simeon announces
this wonderful promise
that it's not just for some,
it's not just even for Israel.
This is a global salvation.
This is a message to anyone
and to everyone
who will hear and believe.
As Simeon is witness
to the fact that here is Jesus,
he is God's light to the world.
He is the glory of God
in human form
and he reveals to us
the glory of God's plan
of salvation.
That if we are to look to him,
we will be saved.
And this is a great free gift
available for everyone
to open, receive,
and to enjoy.
Over our Christmas season
as a church,
we've been privileged
to be able to support
the work of Blytheswood.
So some folks have sent shoeboxes
out to Eastern Europe.
We were able over last weekend
to support the work
of local food banks
here in Edinburgh.
We'll be able to support
the work of crisis at Christmas.
There's a reminder to us
that for some people,
Christmas is a time of plenty.
Some people get lots,
but others get little
or nothing at Christmas.
It can be one of those points
of sharp distinction
and division
between the haves
and the have-nots,
but not when it comes
to the gospel,
not when it comes
to the good news of Jesus,
because we're being told
that Jesus comes for everyone.
And the Bible tells us
that he comes
as a gift of God's grace.
He comes to us freely
as a gift of God's love.
So whether we're rich or poor,
whether we're old or young,
whatever country we're from,
this is good news for you
and for me today
in this Jesus
and the salvation
that he brings.
And Simeon witnesses to that.
But also,
Simeon witnesses to the reality
that Jesus brings struggle.
Look at verse 34 and 35.
Then Simeon blessed them
and said to Mary, his mother,
this child is destined
to cause the falling
and rising of many in Israel
and to be a sign
that will be spoken against
so that the thoughts
of many hearts
will be revealed
and a sword
will pierce your own soul too.
So Jesus comes
as God's light to the world,
but people,
we're told in John's gospel,
love the darkness
more than the light.
People don't want the light
of God's perfection
to shine
in the darkness of our hearts.
We don't want to be exposed
and so some people
walk away from Jesus.
And Simeon is very honest
at the very beginning
of his life
to announce that Jesus
is the great divide in history.
Jesus is the great divide
in every human heart.
That what we do
with this Jesus,
the baby in the manger
who'll grow up
to be the Christ on the cross,
reveals our true character.
And so Jesus brings struggle.
His coming and his call,
his message brings conflict.
It divides people
into faith and unbelief
and we see that
all through his life.
You know,
for every wise man
who comes to worship Jesus,
gladly,
there is a religious leader
who stands on the sidelines
doing nothing
or criticizing.
There's a King Herod
who wants to get rid of Jesus.
While some cry,
Hallelujah,
and see salvation in Jesus,
others will cry,
Crucify Him.
There is faith
and there is unbelief,
there is struggle.
Jesus said that
in his own ministry.
He said,
Whoever is not for me,
whoever is not with me,
is against me.
I wonder if there's anyone here today
and you're in the middle
of that struggle,
beginning to see
the true identity of Jesus,
that he's not just another man,
he's not just a great teacher,
that he is,
in fact,
the Son of God,
that you're beginning
to see his mission,
his purpose for coming,
that he's died,
not just to set a good example,
but he's died
in the place of sinners
so that we might be reconciled to God.
Perhaps you're beginning
to count the cost,
realizing if Jesus is Lord,
then I'm going to need
to die to self,
I'm going to die
to making myself number one
in order to live for him.
Jesus brings struggle.
If that's you today,
then don't fight against
his Lordship,
but rather submit gladly
and be saved
and find your joy
in living for him.
Listen to Simeon,
Simeon who clearly says,
Jesus is more precious
than life itself.
When I know God
and God's salvation,
I'm ready to die.
Speak to other Christians,
you know,
why is Jesus worth following?
Why is it worth
the struggle
against sin,
against unbelief,
against pride,
struggle to submit?
Because we also know
that Christianity is a battle,
not just externally
dividing people,
but it's also a battle
for our hearts
and our minds.
Because the message
of Jesus uniquely
among all the religions
says that we're saved
by God's grace
and not by our merit
and effort.
Every other religion
will say you need
to work hard
and perform well
and to do certain rituals
and sacrifices
and perhaps your God
will be pleased with you.
And that suits human pride
because then we can
earn our salvation.
But that's not the way
Christianity works.
Christianity is very clear
that we are sinners
who cannot save ourselves.
We cannot be good enough.
We stand in need
of a rescue
that we cannot provide
in and of ourselves,
but Jesus comes
from outside of us,
from God Himself
to be one of us,
to save us.
So it challenges our pride.
But Jesus also brings
that struggle
against our independence.
It can be hard for us
in our lives
to submit to God's ways.
And we might find ourselves
wanting to sort of
make compartments.
Jesus can have Sunday.
He can have some family time.
But, you know,
when I'm at work,
you know,
there's difficult decisions
to be made
or there's conversations
that everybody else
in the office has.
It can be really hard
to submit to following God
all the time
as He asks.
It can be a struggle
against the sin
in our own hearts.
The Apostle Paul
could say,
I know right and wrong
and I know
that I want to follow God,
but I find that there's
the other rule
that's pulling me
a different direction.
So I do the things
that I don't want to do.
And so there is struggle
in our own hearts.
So why go through
that struggle?
Why not just live
for our own glory
rather than living
for the glory of God?
Why struggle
to go the way of Jesus
rather than just
living our own way?
The key to answering
that question
is in understanding
who Jesus is
and what He has done
for us
to see Jesus
with faith,
to recognize
that He has left
glory for you,
that He's entered
a suffering world
for you.
He has lived
in perfect obedience
for you.
He will go under
the sword
of God's judgment
for you
to see that He
will be pierced
in order to bring
us peace.
Simeon then
is presented
to us
as a man
of faith,
waiting,
hoping
in God's
promised Savior
and when that
Savior comes
he praises
joyfully.
I wonder this morning
do we see
in Jesus
God's promise
kept?
Do we see
in Jesus
God's great gift?
And by faith
are we
waiting
on Him?
Waiting
for His
promised
return
when salvation
will be
finally
completed?
And are we
sharing
the wonder
of God
sending Jesus
with others?
Are we
sharing
the good news
that we have?
Well may God
give us all
the ability
to see
as Simeon
saw,
to see
where Jesus
fits in the
great story
of God's
plan of salvation
and to see
Jesus
as hope
for the
world?
And to see
Jesus
as hope
for the world.