Your Only Comfort in the New Year

Our Scripture lesson this morning is taken from Luke 2:22-38:

Luke 2:22–38 ESV

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 first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, 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.” And his father and his 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 opposed (and a sword will pierce through 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 eighty-four. 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 speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

May God bless this the reading of His holy and infallible Word.

Today marks the beginning of not only a new week, but a new year. As with any New Year, your heart is probably filled with a mix of hope and apprehension. For who knows what this New Year will bring? Most would agree however, that this New Year is opening with more apprehension than normal. I am not going to list all the items of concern we face not only in this nation, but globally. You know what they are, and my goal this morning is to point you to the reasons we have for comfort, not for distress.

In our text we meet a man by the name of Simeon. He is described as “righteous” and “devout”; and most importantly, as “waiting for the consolation of Israel”. In other words, he was waiting for the promised “comfort” which Isaiah prophesied about in these familiar words, “Comfort, comfort says the Lord” (Is 40:1). In addition, we are told “the Holy Spirit was upon him”; in other words, Simeon was a prophet.

One of the prophecies he had received was a personal one. We are told the Holy Spirit “revealed to him…that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Anointed”. The promise that the Anointed One would come had sustained God’s people for generations, even in the darkest of times. Now, God had revealed to Simeon that he would not die until he saw with his on eyes the Messiah! As Simeon took up the baby Jesus into his arms he exclaimed, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace” (Luke 2:29). Simeon was saying that because his eyes beheld the Messiah, he now had God’s peace in both life and death:

Jesus Provides Comfort in Life and in Death

When we face apprehension, one is the best strategies for coping with it is to ask oneself, “What is the worst thing that can happen to me?” The answer to that question is that we would die; but death has no power over the person who trust in Jesus, the Messiah. In his prophetic word to Mary and Joseph, Simeon gives three reasons we need not fear anything death or life can throw at us:

First, because Jesus is the incarnation of God’s salvation. This is found in vs. 30:

Luke 2:30 ESV

for my eyes have seen your salvation

Jesus is God’s plan of salvation!

Jesus is the solution to the penalty of sin—that is, eternal death and separation from God.

Jesus is the solution to the guilt of sin—that is, we are forgiven of our sin.

Jesus is the solution to the corruption of sin—that is, we will be made holy and righteous someday.

Jesus is the solution to the consequences of sin—that is, heaven and earth will be remade perfect someday.

Every dark cloud that hangs over your life this morning, will someday be dispelled in Jesus Christ—He is the incarnation of God’s salvation!

God’s plan of salvation finds its terminus in Christ. Jesus accomplished everything that is necessary for our salvation. There is no “plan B”, nor is there any need for another “savior”.

Second, Jesus is “a light for revelation to the Gentiles”. Ever since the Tower of Babel, every nation, save one, was under the control and blinding deception of Satan. Only the nation of Israel, that sprang from the loins of Abraham received the light of God’s revelation. This world would be a dark place indeed if it were not for Christ. Now, however, Christ and His Church are like a lighthouse shining in a dark storm.

In the past, the light of the Gospel shown brightly in our nation. Today, however things have grown very dark. This is the reason many of you feel apprehension about this New Year—our nation is under God’s curse and judgement—but, the light still shines! Our calling is to shine the light of the Gospel in Greene County. As the storm rages, we do not know who or how many God will call to the light, but our job is to be faithful lighthouse attendants and shine the light in the darkness! There is no need for apprehension if we are doing our job.

Third, God’s salvation in Jesus is “for the glory of God’s people Israel”. The “mystery” of the Gospel—that which was previously not revealed under the Old Covenant, is that the Gentiles will be engrafted into the Commonwealth of Israel. All of God’s people, Jews and Gentiles, will share in Christ’s glory!

Do you understand what this means? If you are in Christ, your future is not just good, it is glorious! Concerning this future glory, the Apostle Paul writes:

Romans 8:18 ESV

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

All the things you might be apprehensive about this morning are dispelled in the light of our future glory in Christ!

Is it any wonder that after hearing these things about Jesus, we are told Joseph and Mary “marveled” (Lk 2:33).

As they “marveled”, Simeon turned to Mary and said:

Luke 2:34–35 ESV

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 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

In this sentence, Simeon is preparing Mary for the fact that the exclusive nature of God’s salvation in Christ will bring persecution and pain.

Jesus is the Only Comfort

Those five words are the most offensive thing a person can say. The world hates the truth that Jesus in the only comfort.

Several weeks ago, in our series from Deuteronomy, we learned about the Shema:

Deuteronomy 6:4 ESV

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.

The Hebrew word “one” in the passage has the sense of “one and only”. In other words, there is no other god that can give us comfort.

The Shema finds its New Testament equivalent in John 14:23:

John 14:6 ESV

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Jesus is the one and only way. Jesus is the one and only truth. Jesus is the one and only way to have life.

In the next chapter, John 15, Jesus explains that this is why the world hates Him. He then goes on to explain that this is why the world will hate all who are faithful to Christ.

Jesus is the Great Divide, He causes the “the fall and rising of many in Israel”. All who trust and obey Him will flow into God’s eternal ocean of love. All who do not will flow into the “lake of fire, prepared for the Devil” (Rev 20:10-15). When Simeon said, that Jesus was “a sign that is opposed”, he was speaking of the opposition to Christ, which ultimately culminated in His crucifixion.

It is important that we understand this, because the increased persecution the church is facing is causing great anxiety in the hearts of many Christians. The time has come for North American Christians to remember our comfort is not found in religious freedom, but freedom in Christ. To confess that Christ is our only comfort, it to confess that Christ’s comfort is greater than all our earthly tribulations.

This is why this message must be shared with others, even if most of the people we share it with oppose it. We see this in Anna’s prophecy:

The Comfort of Jesus Must be Shared

We are not given the content of her prophecy, rather we are told, “she began to give thanks to God and to speak of [Jesus] to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.”

How did she identify those who were “waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem”, it is not as if they had some visible mark identifying them.

The only way we can identify those who are “waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem” is by their response to the Gospel. Take for example the way the Apostle Paul evangelized a new city: He first went to the local synagogue, where most of the Jews rejected the message, often violently.

This did not dissuade or discourage Paul, for in every synagogue, God had some of His people, and these responded to Paul’s message. Then, Paul did the same for the Gentiles who lived in that city. Again, most rejected Paul’s message, but there were always a few who believed. From this tiny remnant of Jewish and Gentile believers, Christ grew His Church in that city.

A good example of this is found in Luke’s recounting of what happened in Corinth:

Acts 18:9–10 ESV

And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.”

Opposition is part of the process by which we identify those whom God has called to salvation; it is not failure. It is so important that we understand this. Salvation is the Lord’s work; we are merely harvesters. However, the harvesters are few according to Jesus (Mt 9:37). This year, let us change that at Greene Valley; let us all be active harvesters as Anna was!

In closing, I want to urge you to make Christ your only comfort in life and death this New Year. Having done this, I urge you to share this comfort with others, because there truly is no other comfort in life or in death!