I’m Never Alone WK:3

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How many of you have ever seen a Lighthouse in person? So, everyone back in North Carolina would talk about going to see the light houses on the coast- up in the Outer banks and all down the coast. And they are massive right? They have to be in order to do their jobs. Imagine, for a minute, you’re out at sea during a terrible storm. The waves are crashing violently, the sky is pitch black, and you’re struggling to find your way. In the chaos, just as you’re about to give up, you spot a faint light in the distance—a lighthouse. It’s steady, unwavering, and it’s your only hope of making it to safety. That light house quickly becomes your only point of focus in the midst of the struggle. No matter how fierce the storm, that light guides you home. But you have to stay focused on it and follow it to shore. Life can feel a lot like that storm sometimes. In seasons of loneliness, we often feel lost and overwhelmed, struggling to see through the darkness. And we often find ourselves either just giving into the storm, defeated by the darkness, or trying to fight our own way through it and getting more and more lost in the storm as we do. But just like the lighthouse shines in the storm, Jesus came to be the light in our loneliness. He meets us in our brokenness and shifts our focus to what truly matters—Him.

Over the last couple of weeks we have talked about this idea. But this morning I want us to really lock in on how everything really changes when we fix our focus on Jesus. We are going to do that by looking at the stories of two people who encountered Jesus as a baby- Simeon and Anna.

Grab your Bible and a notebook and turn to Luke chapter 2 this morning.

What we must realize is that the darkness we are all in, whether it is loneliness, a mental health struggle, or anything else is all a brokenness from which we cannot save ourselves. We simply aren’t strong enough, wise enough, or tough enough to get ourselves out of it. But our God came to us and Jesus came to fix our gaze on what truly matters- HIM!

Let’s see how that plays out in this passage. Again, Luke 2, let’s start in verse 21. This is just after the shepherds had been to visit Jesus and his family shortly after his birth. Read with me:

Luke 2:21–24 CSB

When the eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus—the name given by the angel before he was conceived. 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 (just as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every firstborn male will be dedicated to the Lord) and to offer a sacrifice (according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons).

Let’s pause there for a moment.

We see Mary and Joseph keeping the Jewish laws for how they are supposed to raise their son and present him to God in the temple. They are obedient to God and take him to the temple to go through the proper ceremonies and they offer the sacrifices that the law required. However, we need to point something out here: It says they offered a pair of turtledoves or young pigeons.

You may be thinking, who cares? Why does this matter? It’s just old testament sacrifice laws. But this particular detail suggests something. The fact that they only offered two birds shows this was a low income family. They didn’t have much money. Leviticus 12:8 gives a rule for this type of sacrifice, it says: “But if she doesn’t have sufficient means for a sheep, she may take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. Then the priest will make atonement on her behalf, and she will be clean.””

Think about that…Jesus, the son of God, came to a family who didn’t even have enough money for a proper sacrifice. They couldn’t afford the lamb for a sacrifice. But thankfully that didn’t stop the lamb of God from coming to them to be the ultimate sacrifice.

But think about that a bit more. This sacrifice was necessary to be offered, it was related to the atonement for sins and yet they literally couldn’t afford it. This perfectly shows the broken state of humanity. Broken because of sin, separated from God and lost with no way of fixing it. We had nothing to offer, not even two pigeons! But the good news is

Jesus meets us in our brokenness!

He could’ve left us in it. We didn’t deserve to be rescued. We don’t deserve the forgiveness, and the life that Jesus offers and yet, he came to us anyway and meets us in the midst of our brokenness. Even in Mary and Joseph’s loneliness and desperation, God saw them, knew them, and met them where they were! And the same is true for you and me.

But let’s keep reading and see the two people that also get to encounter Jesus in this story. Remember they are at the temple now.

Luke 2:25–35 CSB

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. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he saw the Lord’s Messiah. 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, Simeon took him up in his arms, praised God, and said, Now, Master, you can dismiss your servant in peace, as you promised. For my eyes have seen your salvation. You have prepared it in the presence of all peoples— a light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory to your people Israel. His father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. 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—and a sword will pierce your own soul—that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

Let’s stop here again.

We meet a man named Simeon. Simeon is a unique guy. He is a bit of a mysterious man because we don’t know anything about him other than that he was righteous and devout, and that for some reason God chose to fill him with the Holy Spirit. Only a few other people up to this point in history were ever given that special blessing! But Simeon received the Holy Spirit and through the Holy Spirit God promised him that he would see the messiah- the promised savior- before he died.

Now, we don’t know how long Simeon had been waiting for Jesus but it seems like a long time because it says when Simeon saw Jesus he picked him up and started praising God and prophesying over him and his family! It’s as though Simeon has been waiting a long time, serving God faithfully along the way and just waiting for the day that God promised He would see the messiah!

See Jesus comes and meets us in our brokenness and then,

2. Jesus reveals God’s faithfulness.

The Word of God is full of the promises of God and Jesus shows us in a unique and powerful way that God is always faithful to keep his promises. Imagine the relief, the joy, and the satisfaction of Simeon when the years of waiting faithfully were all fulfilled at the sight of Jesus. Imagine the years of hopes, and doubts, anticipation and questions. Jesus shows us that there is always hope and purpose in our waiting.

Maybe you have been walking through something and you know God is with you, you know He will make it happen but you just don’t know how he is going to come through. Listen, lock your focus on Jesus and remember that God is always faithful. He never fails to keep his promises. He will not let you down!

Simeon remembered the faithfulness of God at the sight of Jesus and he praised God. He said he was ready to die now! Not because he was giving up on life, but because he knew his purpose was done and he was fully satisfied in what God had done!

There’s so much we could get into here. But let’s look at the final person in this story. We next meet Anna.

Go back to Luke 2 and pick up in verse 36 with me.

Luke 2:36–40 CSB

There was also a prophetess, Anna, a daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was well along in years, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and was a widow for eighty-four years. She did not leave the temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayers. At that very moment, she came up and began to thank God and to speak about him to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. When they had completed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The boy grew up and became strong, filled with wisdom, and God’s grace was on him.

As we wrap up I want you to think about Anna’s story. She had clearly been married very young because she had been married for 7 years and then her husband died. She had been alone for 84 years and spent the majority of that time in the temple fasting and praying. She is described as a prophetess this means she was a female prophet. A prophet was a person who proclaimed a message from God. It didn’t necessarily have to be about the future. Many of the prophecies in scripture weren’t all about the future. They were messages from God to His people at that time. But either way, Anna was a messenger, a prophetess at that time. And where she had been alone and waiting in the temple for 84 years, Jesus comes in and meets her in that brokenness. Surely he was a reminder of God’s faithfulness like Simeon’s story. But even more, we see what happens because of this encounter.

It says at that very moment she saw him she came up and began to thank God and speak about Jesus to everyone around her.

This old lady, very likely over 100 years old, who had probably grown quiet and slow over the years finds a new fire within her, a new boldness and voice after all of those years and begins proclaiming the news of salvation to the people in Jerusalem!

See When Jesus enters our brokenness and reveals God’s faithfulness we can’t simply stay as we are. No, we see when our focus shifts to Jesus-

3. Jesus calls us out of our brokenness.

And to be more specific, he calls us out of that brokenness and into our purpose.

Like a light illuminates the darkness, Jesus comes into her brokenness and calls her out and into her purpose of being his messenger to Jerusalem!

When our focus is on our brokenness, we will never live out our calling and purpose God has for our lives.

But, when our focus shifts to Jesus, we can’t do anything but follow His calling on our lives obediently and boldly!

Whatever brokenness you may feel stuck in this christmas, don’t let that define you. Give it over to Jesus, set your focus on Him and let him bring you out of your brokenness, out of your loneliness and into the calling He has for you to walk in His life and love in this world!

This Christmas let us remember that we are not alone. Jesus came to us in our brokenness, he reveals God’s faithfulness and he calls us out of our brokenness to walk in His purpose for our lives. Fix your eyes on what matters most, Jesus who is always with you and has so much more for you!

Let’s pray together this morning.