The Song of Simeon - A Call to Unceasing Expectation

NOTE:

This is a manuscript, and not a transcript of this message. The actual presentation of the message differed from the manuscript through the leading of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it is possible, and even likely that there is material in this manuscript that was not included in the live presentation and that there was additional material in the live presentation that is not included in this manuscript.

Engagement

Christmas is certainly a season of expectation isn’t it - especially if you’re a kid. You are eagerly waiting for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day so that you can open up your presents and see what you’re going to get.

For those of us who are a little more advanced in years, our expectations have changed a bit and they tend to focus more on anticipating the joy and excitement of our kids or grandkids.

But this morning we’re going to focus on a different kind of expectation - the kind that can be much more difficult than waiting for our Christmas presents. We live in a world where we constantly face difficulties and trials of all kinds. Some of you are going through physical trials right now - some of them just due to the natural impacts of getting older and others because of sickness or injury. Some of you are going through emotional trials right now. I certainly know for those of you who have experienced the death of a loved one recently or have memories of someone who passed away during the holiday season, this can be a really hard time of year for you. Some of you may be in the midst of some spiritual trials right now. Maybe you’re dealing with doubts or you’re struggling with some recurring sin, or maybe it’s just a matter of feeling spiritually dry.

Tension

And then on top of that, we live in a world that is increasingly hostile to Jesus and the things of God. So there is s natural tendency to just want God to remove us from all the pain and suffering and opposition. For those of us who are disciples of Jesus, we are definitely called to look forward to the return of Jesus. But my fear is that for many of us we do that not because we are genuinely looking forward to spending eternity in His presence, but rather because we view His return as an escape from the current difficulties of life.

But as we’re going to see today, there is a better way. Today we’re going to wrap up our current sermon series - The First Songs of Christmas. And the song we’ll look at this morning will help us to be better equipped to look forward to the return of Jesus with hope and anticipation and expectation of our glorious future with Jesus rather than just viewing that event as an escape from our current problems and difficulties.

Truth

As we’ve done throughout this series, we need to take some time to understand the background before we jump right into the song itself. So go ahead and follow along as I begin reading in Luke chapter 2, verse 21:

Luke 2:21–28 ESV

21 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. 22 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 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” 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. 26 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. 27 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, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

There are three important aspects of the Old Testament Law that are fulfilled here by Mary and Joseph:

According to Leviticus 12, all male babies were to be circumcised on the eighth day. That is what occurred in verse 21

Leviticus 12 also requires that a woman presents herself for purification in the temple 40 days after the birth of a male child. That is what occured in verse 22, 33 days after Jesus was circumcised.

Finally Exodus 13 required that the mother and father present their firstborn son before the Lord and redeem him with a sacrifice. That is what occurred in verses 23-24. That appears to take place at the same time as Mary’s purification.

It’s very possible that the circumcision could have taken place in Bethlehem, but the purification and presentation of the firstborn had to take place at the Temple in Jerusalem.

As Mary and Joseph go the Temple, they encounter a man named Simeon. We don’t know anything about him other than what is revealed in this passage. He is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible. His name, Simeon, was quite common in Israel. It means “God has heard”, which is certainly an appropriate name, given what we learn about him here.

Apparently he is an old man who has been waiting in the Temple day after day to get a glimpse of the promised Messiah. Imagine what that must have been like for Simeon. Every day he watched as couple after couple would bring their newborn sons into the Temple, wondering if today would be the day that God would reveal to him that one of those baby boys was the promised Messiah. And it appears that he had constantly been doing that for a long time, never losing his sense of expectation and anticipation. So there is a lot we can learn from his example.

Finally one day he entered the temple and saw a young couple who really didn’t look any different than any of the other families Simeon had seen there day after day. The law provided that the parents were to sacrifice a one year old lamb when they dedicated the firstborn son, but it also allowed for the sacrifice of two turtledoves if they couldn’t afford a lamb. So we know that Mary and Joseph certainly weren’t well off financially.

When Simeon saw Mary and Joseph dedicate their son, the Holy Spirit revealed that the child was the one he had been waiting for – the Messiah. And when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus into the temple, he took the baby into his arms and blessed him. I have to imagine that Joseph and Mary were a bit surprised when this old man approached them there in the temple, introduced himself and then took their baby into his arms. But after all they had been through in the last year, perhaps they were getting rather accustomed to these kinds of surprises. As Simeon took the baby Jesus into his arms he proclaimed the song that is the subject of the message this morning, Will you read that song out loud with me?

Luke 2:29–32 ESV

29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation 31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”

Here’s the main idea we’re going to develop from Simeon’s song this morning:

The song of Simeon is a call to unceasing expectation

For the Jews, the times in which Simeon lived were not all that much different from what Christians face in our culture today. The Jews were living under the oppressive yoke of the Roman government. They hadn’t heard from one of God’s prophets for over 400 years. To a large degree the priesthood and the religious leadership had been hijacked by those who were using for their own power and self interest. Sound familiar?

But in spite of that, we are called to follow Simeon’s example and live in a state of unceasing expectation as we await the return of Jesus. So let’s see what we can learn from Simeon.

Application

HOW TO LIVE IN UNCEASING EXPECTATION OF JESUS’ RETURN

Be grounded in God’s Word

We see this first when Luke records that Simeon was “...waiting for the consolation of Israel...” That phrase – the consolation of Israel – was another term for the Messiah, which came primarily from Isaiah’s prophecy of the Messiah:

Isaiah 40:1–2 ESV

1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.

The Hebrew word for “comfort” used by Isaiah is the equivalent of the Greek word translated “consolation” in Luke 2. The idea here is that God would comfort His people by sending a Messiah who would end their warfare with God by providing a way for their sin to be pardoned.

We also see that Simeon was grounded in God’s Word in the lyrics to his song. There we see that, unlike many of his fellow Jews, he had a correct understanding of the kind of salvation the Messiah was going to bring. Many of his fellow Jews, including most of the religious leaders had their own pre-conceived about the kind of Messiah that Jesus was going to be. But the Scriptures consistently revealed...

Two key aspects of salvation:

It is all God’s doing

Notice what Simeon declares in his song:

…my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared...”

He understands that salvation does not consist of man somehow earning his way to God but rather in God bringing His salvation down to earth completely apart from anything we can do. Not surprisingly, we’ve seen that same idea expressed in the other songs we’ve looked at over the last three weeks.

It is available to all people

We’ve frequently talked about how most of the Jewish people, and especially the religious leaders, assumed that God’s salvation was only available for them, in spite of the fact that God had promised to bless all the nations of the earth through them. Simeon obviously understands that because he proclaims that God’s salvation has been prepared in the presence of “all peoples” and that Jesus is going to be “a light for the Gentiles”.

Although there is much about the second coming of Jesus that it still a mystery, there are also some things about His return that are very clear in the Bible. Most importantly we know for sure that when He returns He is coming as a judge and that it will be too late for those who have not already put their faith in Him. That truth ought to be a great comfort to those of us who are disciples of Jesus because we know that no matter how messed up things are on this earth right now, Jesus is going to make things right when He returns. It is that truth that makes is possible for us to endure trials of all kinds and wait expectantly for Jesus to return to this earth.

But that is also a sober warning to those who have not yet put their faith in Jesus. It is a reminder that today is the day of salvation since no one knows when Jesus is going to return and it will be too late to become His disciple.

Be yielded to the Holy Spirit

There are three mentions of the work of the Holy Spirit in Simeon’s life in just these few short verses. Simeon could wait expectantly because he listened to and believed the Holy Spirit as He ministered in Simeon’s life.

As we’ve talked about before, the Holy Spirit operated differently before the day of Pentecost than He does today. In Simeon’s case the Holy Spirit came upon Him for a specific time for a specific purpose. And that is certainly one of the things that separated Simeon from most of His fellow Jews. The Holy Spirit helped him to understand the nature of the Messiah purely from the Scriptures without having His ideas about that Messiah being hindered by his own preconceived ideas.

Today every disciple of Jesus has the Holy Spirit dwelling permanently in our lives. But He won’t force us to listen to His voice or to obey what we hear. So we need to willingly yield our lives to His guidance. And, because He is the author of the Bible, we need to allow Him to illuminate those Scriptures so that we see Jesus as He really is and not make Him into the Savior we want Him to be. When we do that, then the Bible becomes a great source of encouragement for us as we eagerly await the return of Jesus.

Be humbled by God’s grace

Simeon is described as “righteous and devout.” Let’s deal first with what it means when he is described as righteous. Whenever the Bible describes someone as “righteous” they are only righteous because God has declared them to be so. And God only does that for those who trust in Him for their forgiveness, not for those who try to earn their righteousness based on their own works.

Simeon was righteous in God’s eyes because he was humble enough to recognize his own sin and to cast himself on the mercy of God as the only way his sin could be forgiven and his relationship with God could be restored. Even though the sacrifice of Jesus the Messiah on the cross had not yet occurred, because Simeon was willing to humble himself and accept God’s grace, God declared him righteous based on what Jesus would do in the future.

I think that a lack of that kind of humility is usually the biggest stumbling block that keeps people from committing their lives to Jesus. First of all most people don’t want to admit that they are sinners. And even if they can overcome that obstacle, they rarely are willing to admit that they are helpless to do anything about that sin on their own and to humble themselves and trust in God’s mercy and grace.

Having that kind of humility is certainly a key in being able to persevere through whatever trials may come in my life. When I remember and meditate on the grace that God has already extended to me, then whatever difficulties I may be going through now pale in comparison to that. And they certainly pale in comparison to the glorious future that awaits me as a result of God’s grace in my life.

Be growing in holiness

Here’s where the term “devout” comes into play. The Greek word used there literally means “cautious”. The idea here is that Simeon was concerned for the things of God. Because he recognized that he had been declared righteous by God as a result of his faith, he lived cautiously, not wanting to do anything that would take away from God’s glory. So he lived a life in which he was careful to obey and honor God in all that he did.

Simeon demonstrates what we learned in our study of James – that the genuineness of our faith is going to be demonstrated by the way we live our lives. If we really value the righteousness that has been provided for us through Jesus, then the conduct of our lives will reflect that – not because we think we can somehow earn favor with God, but out of gratitude for what He has done for us.

Peter reminds us of the importance of living holy lives as we wait expectantly for the return of Jesus:

2 Peter 3:11–13 ESV

11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

One day Jesus will return and we will dwell in a new earth in which righteousness reigns. And the best way for us to prepare for that is to be growing in holiness right now.

Action

We’ve seen this morning that...

The song of Simeon is a call to unceasing expectation

So what are you going to do to heed that call? Before you answer that question, I’d be remiss if I didn’t share a sober warning that we find in the actions and words of Simeon that follow his song. Please follow along as I read the rest of the account beginning in verse 33:

Luke 2:33–35 ESV

33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 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 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

I think these words must have come as quite a shock to Mary and Joseph. Simeon reveals the tremendous suffering that this little baby boy was going to experience later in His life and, particularly for Mary, the heartbreak she would experience as well as she watched Him suffer.

But these words are really instructive for us as well because they prepare us for the heartbreak that we are bound to face because of Christmas. In spite of the fact that the world views Christmas as a time of unity and togetherness, the truth revealed by Simeon’s words here is that Christmas is actually an event that leads to separation and division.

On the surface, a holiday which celebrates the birth of a cute little baby in a manger over 2,000 years ago and which promotes peace on earth and goodwill to men seems like it ought to bring people together. But when we get to the heart of what that event means for mankind, it becomes obvious why it separates rather than unites.

At its core, the incarnation of Jesus is God’s sign - His revelation - that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and that salvation is possible only for those who will humble themselves and accept the gift of salvation through faith in Him. It is impossible to take a neutral position with regard to that sign. Some, according to Simeon, will accept that sign and humble themselves and accept God’s grace and will “rise.”

But unfortunately many others will oppose that sign. Simeon points out that many in Israel are going to do exactly that and that as a result of their opposition to Jesus, Mary is going to personally experience great sorrow. This is obviously a reference to the crucifixion of Jesus that would be carried out largely in response to the opposition of the Jewish religious leaders. And for those who choose to oppose Jesus, their fate is that they will “fall”.

Although God already knows what is in each man’s heart, the response to the incarnation of Jesus will reveal to all the condition of each heart. Those who embrace the salvation that He offers will reveal hearts that are humble and which desire to serve God. And those who reject God’s grace will reveal hearts that are proud and which really don’t value God.

So let me ask the same question I asked a few minutes ago again: What are you going to do to heed the call of Simeon’s song?

First, and foremost, have you put your faith in Jesus Christ alone and accepted the gift of salvation that He offers? If not, will you take that step today?

I believe that most of you joining us to day have already done that, so for you the question is what practical steps are you going to take to apply today’s message so that you can have the same kind of unceasing expectation for the second coming of Jesus that Simeon had for His first coming? What are you going to do to make sure that you:

Are grounded in God’s Word

Yield you life to the Holy Spirit

Are humbled by God’s grace

Are growing in holiness.

Inspiration

For the last four weeks, we’ve looked at the very first songs of Christmas. Unlike much of the Christmas music we hear today, even much of what is played on so-called Christian radio stations, these songs reveal the true meaning of Christmas. They call us to:

Unselfish service

Unwavering hope

Undeserved peace

Unceasing expectation

My prayer for you is that in these songs you and your family will find and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas that is found in them.