Sermon Tone Analysis

“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 marvelled 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.’”

[1]

Chrismons are symbols of the Christian Faith.

In recent years, Chrismons have become a popular form of decoration for Christmas Trees.

This is especially true in Christian homes.

Chrismons have come down to us through history.

The word “chrismon” is a combination of the words “Christi monogramma,” meaning “monogram of Christ.”

Chrismons have come to be accepted as symbols of Christ or of some aspect of His ministry.

The source of inspiration comes from the Scriptures which are full of “Names of Christ” which are illustrations of His character and work and easily demonstrated in objects.

We think of such symbols as the fish, the dove, the shepherd’s crook, the chalice, the shell and the Celtic cross.

Like parables, chrismons are earthly symbols with heavenly meanings.

They were designed, carved, and drawn by the earliest Christians and have been found on jewellery and utensils, in the catacombs, on doors and buildings.

They were symbols used by early Christians to show their faith to the world.

They were always made in gold and white to symbolise majesty and purity.

Among the items which could qualify as a Chrismon, none is more symbolically accurate than that of a tomb.

The Son of God was born to die, and to rise again.

Perhaps the first person to see clearly that the Son of God was born to die was old Simeon.

We know little of the old man, except that he was righteous and conscientious concerning the Word of God.

He read the Scriptures and under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit, he realised that the time for the birth of the Anointed One was present.

He lived in anticipation of the birth of God’s Messiah.

Moved by the Holy Spirit, this godly man went into the Temple at the precise moment when the infant Jesus was being brought into the precincts by His parents.

The Word of God is careful to say that the Holy Spirit was upon Simeon; the Word specifically notes that he was moved by the Spirit to go into the Temple courts.

We are left with the clear assumption that he anticipated the revelation of the Messiah that day.

Simeon went to the Temple in expectation of seeing what God was about to do.

As Simeon waited in the Temple court, Mary and Joseph brought their firstborn son into the Temple.

They brought the child in order to name him and present Him before the Lord.

They would offer the sacrifice required for a firstborn son, acknowledging that He belonged to the Lord.

Before they were able to perform even one aspect of the required ritual, Simeon approached them, lifted the child from His parent’s arms and praised God.

The Greek and the Latin read as follows:

/nyn apolyeis ton doulon sou, despota,/

/kata to rhēma sou en eirēnē;/

/hoti eidon hoi ophthalmoi mou to sōtērion sou,/

/ho hētoimasas kata prosōpon pantōn tōn laōn,/

/phōs eis apokalypsin ethnōn/

/kai doxan laou sou Israēl/.

[2]

/Nunc dimittis servum tuum Domine, /

/secundum verbum tuum in pace: /

/quia viderunt oculi mei salutare tuum, /

/quod parasti ante faciem omnium populorum: /

/lumen ad revelationem gentium, /

/et gloriam plebis tuæ Israël/.

[3]

The song of praise which broke from Simeon’s heart to rise to the heavens is known as the /Nunc Dimitis/, from the first words in the Latin version of this canticle.

Focus with me on this song as together we learn something of God’s grace and learn something of God’s wisdom.

Join me in exploration of the final message in this series studying the convergence of God and man at Bethlehem more than two millennia past.

Review the account of Simeon as he witnessed God’s grace in the Temple when the child Jesus was brought in to be presented before the LORD.

*GOD PREPARES PEOPLE TO RECEIVE HIS PURPOSE* — God’s purposes are open—available for scrutiny.

God never works in darkness to accomplish His will.

This is not to say that God never works during those times we think He is silent; rather, it is to say that for the great, divine plan for all mankind, God has worked openly and without fear of exposure.

There is a reason for God to work openly in order to accomplish His will.

That reason is stated in the opening words of John’s Gospel.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He was in the beginning with God.

All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.

In him was life, and the life was the light of men” [JOHN 1:1-4].

Later, John will state of darkness, “This is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.

But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God” [JOHN 3:19-21].

Near the end of his life, the aged servant of God iterated this divine truth as he drafted his first missive.

The Apostle of Love stated the message he had faithfully delivered.

“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, in him is no darkness at all” [1 JOHN 1:5].

When Paul appeared before Agrippa and Festus, he articulated a wonderful truth.

He gave his testimony, explaining how God saved him and appointed him to divine service.

As he explained this divine work in his own life, he affirmed a marvellous truth.

“To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles” [ACTS 26:22, 23].

Porcius Festus, governor of Judea, had invited Herod Agrippa the Second, king of Palestine, to hear Paul’s defence of charges proffered by Jewish leaders hostile to the Christian Faith.

As Paul explained his call to service, the governor broke in, exclaiming, “Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind” [ACTS 26:24].

Note Paul’s response to Festus’ interjection.

“I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking true and rational words.

For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly.

For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner” [ACTS 26:25, 26].

Especially notice the Apostle’s final words: “this has not been done in a corner.”

The message of Christmas is that God ever works for the benefit of man—even before the creation of the world.

Peter writes of God’s glorious purpose as he begins his first letter.

“If you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God” [1 PETER 1:17-21].

Christ the Lord was chosen before the creation of the world to be the Lamb of God.

When John the Baptist saw Him coming at the initiation of His brief ministry, he cried out, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” [JOHN 1:29]!

Christ our Master was born that He might die, that He might give His life as a sacrifice.

The Apostles are united in testifying that God works openly to accomplish His purposes in salvation.

How did these men know of the divine purpose?

Simeon, moved by the Spirit to enter the courts at the precise moment that the baby Jesus was being brought into the Temple, praised God:

“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.”

I take note that Simeon was told that he “would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.”

God had a witness to what He was doing in bringing His Son into the world.

His witness was not confined to an angel choir, nor to Gabriel, nor yet to astronomical phenomena, but God kept a witness who could identify with the remainder of fallen mankind.

When our first parents sinned, God Himself gave them hope.