Finish Well (Luke 2:21-35)
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction
Attention
We are in our Characters of Christmas series, and we’ll talk about an older man in the Christmas story, a man named Simeon. He is what we would call today a senior, someone towards the end of his life, and he is someone that finished well.
I saw an interview with a local pastor who is popular here in San Diego, Dr. David Jeremiah. Dr. David Jeremiah is 81 years old. In an interview, he spoke about the ministry that he has had since the age of 65, which is really an arbitrary number that people put out there. Since a time when people say you should retire, he preached to the largest crowd he ever preached, he’s had multiple outreach events around the country, and he wrote 14 more books! He continues to look forward to what God has for him in his life. I believe he is a living example of someone who is finishing well for Jesus.
Retirement is a cultural concept, but not a biblical one. God uses people during a time when people might think they are done. Abraham had Isaac when he was 100 years old. Moses was at least 80 years old when he confronted Pharoah and led the nation of Israel out of Egypt. Some of the characters in the Christmas story are older people. Zechariah and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist, are described as “well along in years.” That’s a nice way to describe that they were old. Paul encourages the older women to teach the younger women.
Seniors are a blessing. For those who are older, you may not like the term, but embrace it. Who better to talk about a life of faith than someone who has lived it? For our younger folks, embrace the older ones among us, and learn from them. You know, a lot of our ministry is driven by the seniors among us. Why is that? Because they have lived enough of life to know that there is value in the Gospel, that there is value in the local church, there is value in a community of believers, and that God uses the church to bring the valuable message of salvation to people. We are blessed by our seniors.
As we get older, we want to be people who finish well. I believe this next character in the Christmas story, Simeon, is an example of someone who finished well. We can learn from him on what it looks like to live a life a faith and finish well. Open up your Bibles to Luke 2, starting in verse 21.
Scripture Reading
21 When the eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus—the name given by the angel before he was conceived.
22 And when the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were finished, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord
23 (just as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every firstborn male will be dedicated to the Lord)
24 and to offer a sacrifice (according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons).
25 There was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, looking forward to Israel’s consolation, and the Holy Spirit was on him.
26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he saw the Lord’s Messiah.
27 Guided by the Spirit, he entered the temple. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform for him what was customary under the law,
28 Simeon took him up in his arms, praised God, and said,
29 Now, Master, you can dismiss your servant in peace, as you promised.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation.
31 You have prepared it in the presence of all peoples—
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory to your people Israel.
33 His father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him.
34 Then Simeon blessed them and told his mother Mary, “Indeed, this child is destined to cause the fall and rise of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be opposed—
35 and a sword will pierce your own soul—that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
Pray
Who was Simeon?
Mary and Joseph were taking baby Jesus to the Temple to perform what was required under the Law. He was to be circumcised, and they were dedicating him to the Lord, as was required under the Law. The sacrifice indicated that Joseph and Mary were likely poor.
In the Temple, they met a man named Simeon. There is a description of Simeon in verse 25 that we will use to describe him:
25 There was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, looking forward to Israel’s consolation, and the Holy Spirit was on him.
There were two things described about Simeon that stand out here: He was righteous and devout, and the second part of that serves as a description of his character as a righteous and devout man. He was looking forward to Israel’s consolation, or in other words, the God’s saving rescue to Israel.
The second element of his description is someone guided and led by the Holy Spirit. It says that the Holy Spirit was on him.
The main theme about Simeon is that he is someone who finished well. There are two main things that we can learn from Simeon, from someone who finished well.
The first is this,
To finish well, persevere through faith in God's promises.
To finish well, persevere through faith in God's promises.
Simeon was a man of faith who finished well
Simeon was a man of faith who finished well. He had a strong faith. It says this about Simeon in Luke 2:26:
26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he saw the Lord’s Messiah.
Now, Simeon is likely an old man. How do we know this? The text describes Simeon at a stage in his life where he is considering his own death. He realizes that he is coming to a final stage in life, and he would soon go on to be with the Lord.
Now picture this man. He believed God’s promise to him for a period of his life, perhaps a long period. We don’t know how long it had been since the Holy Spirit revealed to Simeon that he would not see death until he saw the Lord’s Messiah. But there is a certain resolve of a man of faith who had finally seen the promise that God made to him. Listen to how Simeon reacts to seeing Jesus in Luke 2:29-30:
29 Now, Master, you can dismiss your servant in peace, as you promised.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation.
Now, what is Simeon doing when he is saying this? Is Simeon at the cross, seeing Jesus take on the sins of the world? Is he at the empty tomb, knowing that Jesus rose again from the dead? No, he is an old man who was led by God to the temple to see a baby boy.
Simeon is holding a baby in his arms. Picture this: God led him to the Temple to see a baby, and expected Simeon to believe that this baby is the Savior of the world. How did he describe it? Luke 2:31-32:
31 You have prepared it in the presence of all peoples—
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory to your people Israel.
A baby. Simeon is holding a baby, and saying, “God, this is the fulfillment of your promise.” Now, what kind of eyes is Simeon seeing Jesus? That might sound like a weird question, but it is an important one. His natural eyes are seeing a baby, but his spiritual eyes are seeing the fulfillment of God’s promise.
Simeon was a man who was looking forward! What did the text say about him? He “was righteous and devout, looking forward to Israel’s consolation.” His spiritual eyes were looking forward to what God was bringing to Israel. Here, holding the baby named Jesus, he is still looking forward with spiritual eyes, knowing that God is powerful enough to do what he said.
Simeon is approaching death, and for many of us, as we get older, our natural eyes get weaker. I know for myself, my vision is getting worse. But for Simeon, and for many of us, while our bodies may get older and weaker, while our natural eyes might get weaker, our spiritual eyes can do the opposite. They can get stronger. Like Simeon, we can men and women of faith who finish well.
What is faith?
What is faith? Perhaps the best English word to describe faith is belief or trust. The word “believe” is a word that is repeated over and over in Scripture. The Greek word pisteuō, which is translated in English as believe, is used in the NT 241 times. The Gospel of John uses the word 98 times.
The term “belief” involves a submission of oneself to a message. Now, you can believe true things, and you can believe false things. That’s probably why its so hard for people to believe. How do I know that what you are asking me to believe is true?
The writer of Hebrews describes faith as the reality of what we hope for. He says in Heb. 11:1:
1 Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.
The reality is that we serve a big, powerful God. Often times, God asks people to believe big things about his ability to fulfill his promises. Simeon had to believe that God would show him the person who would bring salvation to Israel.
Abraham had to believe that God would fulfill his promise. God made a promise to Abraham that he would have an heir from his own body, and even though he would get old he would have to continue believing in God’s promise. More than that, there would be a great lineage coming from Abraham. What does the Bible say about Abram, who would become Abraham? Gen. 15:6:
6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
Notice two words there: Believed and righteousness. Abraham is a righteous man because he believed God, that God would fulfill what he said he would. This is the same term that is used for Simeon. Simeon is also described in Luke 2:25 as a righteous man.
In the Bible, to be righteous has to do with being in a right standing with God. Many people are not is a right standing with God. They are not people who are in a right relationship with God. But to meet his standards, one must be in a righteous standing with him.
Now there is something important here to see with both Abraham and Simeon that I don’t want you to miss. Abraham believed God, based on who God is, that he will do what he says he will do. Abraham is not righteous not based on any amount of good works that he did. He is righteous not because of a belief in his own righteousness, but because he believed that God will do what he says he will do.
Simeon believes in the same way. Look again at Luke 2:25:
25 There was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, looking forward to Israel’s consolation, and the Holy Spirit was on him.
Simeon was righteous, and why was he righteous? The answer is right there after the word devout. Simeon was righteous because he was looking forward to Israel’s consolation. In other words, Simeon had faith, Simeon believed that God will do what he says he will do.
Simeon believed in God’s promises
Simeon believed God’s promise, that God will bring to Israel a Savior. It is the same kind of promise that God brought to the shepherds in Luke 2:11:
11 Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord.
Simeon lived his life through eyes of faith that grew stronger in his old age. It was a faith that looked forward to God’s salvation.
The same kinds of eyes of faith that Simeon had can be true of us. While our bodies may get older, while parts aren’t functioning like they used to, our faith can grow stronger with age. We can see with eyes of faith, looking to who God is, looking to what God has done, and looking forward to what God will do in the future.
What kind of promises can we believe in?
What kind of promises can we believe in? While the list of God’s promises are too long for any sermon, here are just a few that you can hold on to.
God promises in Romans 5:1 that we have peace with God.
1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Here is a promise from God that through faith in Jesus Christ, I can live knowing that I have peace with God through him. I can look forward knowing that God has promised me peace in Christ.
God promises that I have a new beginning in Jesus. Look at 2 Cor. 5:17:
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!
Here again is a promise from God, that if I am in Christ, I don’t have to be chained to my past. Through Jesus, I am a new creation in him. The old is behind me, and it does not effect who I am in Christ. I am a new creation in Jesus.
God promises to forgive our sins. Look at 1 John 1:9:
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Here again is a promise from God. Repentance is an aspect of belief. When you believe in Christ, you submit yourself to him, and an aspect of submitting is repenting. It’s why Jesus would often go around saying, “Repent and believe the good news.”
The promise that as I express my faith in Jesus, repenting of my sins and turning to him, I can hold on to this promise from God, that he is faithful, that he is righteous. That based on who Jesus is, I am free from those sins that held me down. God is faithful to cleanse us from all unrighteousness in Jesus.
Do you want more? God promises to be with us always in Christ. Look at Matt. 28:20:
20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
As a follower of Jesus, he promises to be with you always, even to the end of the age. That’s why Isaiah prophecies that the child born of the virgin would be Immanuel, which means God with us. If you are a follower in Jesus, God is with you always, from now to forever. That is a promise that you can hold on to now, and look forward to as you go forward in your new life with him.
Simeon showed perseverance in faith. How can we persevere in faith?
Simeon is someone who persevered in faith. He finished well because grew in his faith. How can we persevere in faith?
What does perseverance in faith look like?: I read a story about William Carrey, who is known as the father of modern Protestant missions. Carrey called himself a plodder. He wrote, “I can plod. I can persevere to any definite pursuit.” If you don’t know what a plodder is, it is a person who walks slow, heavy steps. Its someone the perseveres in a slow way, in a way that seems uninspiring but is slowly moving forward.
Carrey believed God was calling him to missions, and around 1793 moved his family from England to India. He had a rough time in his early years there. Carey contracted maleria, his 5-year-old son died of dysentery, and his wife had mental health issues. He wrote this:
131 Christians Everyone Should Know Stranger in a Strange Land
“I am in a strange land,” he wrote, “no Christian friend, a large family, and nothing to supply their wants.” But he also retained hope: “Well, I have God, and his word is sure.”
It took William Carrey seven years before he baptized his first convert! Yet he continued to plod. He learned the language in India, and published the New Testament in Bengali. What was the result of all his plodding in India? After 41 years in India, he translated all or portions of the Bible into thirty-four of the languages and dialects of India.
How can we persevere in faith?
This type of faith that puts one foot in front of the other, trusting God with every step, that William Carrey showed, is the kind of faith that I believe we see in Simeon and the kind of faith that we can aspire to and live out. I believe its why Simeon is described as a righteous and devout man, who looked forward to the promise of God for Israel.
Faith is often not flashy. Instead, it is moving forward, sometimes slowly, but pushing through with eyes of faith. Simeon lived a life that believed in God’s promise. It takes a lifetime of having eyes of faith for someone to grow to a point in their life where they pick up an infant and know that he is the one God promised to Israel. When you move forward, every day with eyes of faith, trusting God, in the end, it adds up to a lifetime of faith.
To finish well, persevere through faith in God's promises.
Second,
To finish well, persevere in being led by the Holy Spirit.
To finish well, persevere in being led by the Holy Spirit.
Simeon was a man led and guided by the Holy Spirit
We know Simeon was a man of faith. What else does Scripture tell us about Simeon? Simeon was a man led by the Holy Spirit. It says in Luke 2:25:
25 There was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, looking forward to Israel’s consolation, and the Holy Spirit was on him.
The Holy Spirit was on Simeon. What does that mean? It means that God’s Spirit abided with Simeon in a special way, in a way that is different from God’s presence in the rest of the world. While God is everywhere, he chooses to make his home through his Spirit with certain individuals, what the Bible would describe as God’s people. Simeon was a child of God, someone born of flesh and of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit abided with Simeon.
That played out in Simeon in at least two ways.
The Holy Spirit revealed things to him
First, the Holy Spirit revealed things specifically in Simeon’s life. Simeon was sensitive to the Spirit of God, who revealed to him a promise. In Luke 2:26:
26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he saw the Lord’s Messiah.
God sovereignly chose to work in Simeon’s life, and reveal to him that he would see the Messiah. There are a couple of things to note here. The revelation that there would be a Messiah was nothing new. God had consistently revealed throughout Scripture that he would bring a Savior into the world. The timing was not new. In the seventy-weeks prophecy from Daniel, God revealed a timeline that brought the coming of the Messiah to first-century Israel. That’s why there was such an interest in the coming of the Messiah at this time, because of what God revealed in Scripture to his prophets.
The specific promise to Simeon is that, before he died, he would see the Messiah. God will never reveal anything to his people that goes against his Word. God’s Word is sure. The Word of God is a special revelation from him to guide his people in faith and life. Simeon was sensitive to hear from God, and to live a life that believed his Word.
The Holy Spirit guided him
Second, we see that the Holy Spirit guided Simeon. It says in Luke 2:27:
27 Guided by the Spirit, he entered the temple. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform for him what was customary under the law,
What does it mean that Simeon was guided by the Holy Spirit? Well, it certainly means hear that Simeon was sensitive to the prompting of the Spirit in his life. More than that, he was sensitive to obey the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and to go where the Spirit of God led him. In fact, the fulfillment and blessing of God came as a result of his obedience to follow the Spirit’s guidance.
The Guidance of the Holy Spirit in Scripture
The Bible is full of examples of people who were led by the Spirit of God. In Matt. 4:1, Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness. In Acts 13:2, the Holy Spirit leads the church to separate Barnabas and Paul for ministry work. In Acts 15:28, the apostles describe that the Holy Spirit led them in their writing of their letter to the Gentile believers, calling it “the Holy Spirit’s decision.”
Does the Holy Spirit still lead and guide today?
Does the Holy Spirit still lead and guide today, like he did back then? The Bible is clear that God does not change. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The fact that God does not change is why we can trust in his promises. Neither does God change with his work in the church. The book of Acts, which is a book on the Holy Spirit’s work in the church, is a book for us today. Yes, God leads and guides believers today.
How can you be someone led and guided by the Holy Spirit?
How can we be led by the Spirit? The Bible gives us some answers.
First, God will never contradict his word. Instead, God uses his Word to guide believers. The writer of Psalm 119 says it this way in Psalm 119:105:
105 Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.
How can I figure out and determine the boundaries of God’s direction in my life? Through the influencing power of God’s Spirit, the Lord uses his word to bring direction and guidance to our life. His Word is a light to our path. It is why we constantly preach from the Word, encourage the study of the Bible, and its why we will start the new year off with our first Growth Class, which is all about getting in God’s Word. God uses his word to guide believers.
Second, God guides believers when they are ready to fully submit their own understanding and all of their ways to God’s ultimate plan. The writer of Proverbs says it this way in Proverbs 3:5-6:
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight.
This is a total surrender to God of our mind and our heart to him. It is a point in our life when we quit arguing and fighting God’s plan, and instead are willing to submit our plans to him. This is done by surrendering our ways and our thinking to him. When you are ready to submit your plans and your ways to God, the Bible says that he will make your paths straight.
What does it look like to be led and guided by the Holy Spirit?: I heard this story of a business man who was heading out on a trip. He wanted to take his wife with him. She was excited to go with him on the trip, until she found out how he would be flying. Her husband was going on a small twin-engine Cessna plane.
She told him she decided not to go. When he asked why, she said it was because of the small plane. He told her that her faith was too small. She said, “No, the plane is too small.” The business man wanted her to come with him. So he canceled the flight on the small plane and booked a flight for both of them on a large commercial airline. His wife went with him because, as she put it, “her faith grew because the size of the plane grew.”
The object of her faith determined how much faith she decided to have.
Some of us have a picture of God that is too small. When that happens, we end up with small faith. When we realize how big God is, we realize how big our faith can be. When we are ready to see who God is, when we are ready to submit our plans to God, he has promised to direct our path.
How can I know the Holy Spirit is in my life?
You may wonder how you can know if the Holy Spirit is in your life. The Bible says in John 3 that, if we want to be people who are righteous before God, who will have eternal life with God, we need to be people who are born again. When you put your faith in Jesus, the Bible says that you can be born again.
If you are not a believer in Jesus, I pray that you would become one today. If you are a believer in Jesus, the Bible is clear that being born again is not the end. It is the beginning to a life of faith, a life that is surrendered to God’s will. You can be someone today who makes a decision that you are going to finish well. Like Simeon, you can be someone who sees the world through spiritual eyes, and be someone who holds on by faith to the promises of God. As you trust God, he will guide you and direct your path.
Conclusion
To finish well, persevere through faith in God's promises.
To finish well, persevere in being led by the Holy Spirit.
Conclude
Have you heard the message today and realized that you need Jesus? Are you ready to put your faith in Jesus? We want to pray with you, and celebrate your new life. Please see one of our pastors after the service.
Blanks:
Prayer
Last Song
Doxology
24 “May the Lord bless you and protect you;
25 may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
26 may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.” ’
24 Now to him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory, without blemish and with great joy,
25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever. Amen.
You are dismissed. Have a great week in the Lord!
