Discovering Jesus: Seeing and Believing

Luke 2:25–35 (NASB95)

25 And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking 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 carry out for Him the custom of the Law,

28 then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,

29 “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace,

According to Your word;

30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation,

31 Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

32 A Light of revelation to the Gentiles,

And the glory of Your people Israel.”

33 And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him.

34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed—

35 and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

INTRO: There are a few things in life that we have a countdown for. These are dates or events that hold some sort of special value- graduation, wedding date, the due date of a child, retirement date… and commonly, we count down til Christmas. In fact, this whole month of December, through our advent candles and readings, we’ve been building up and counting down to Christmas day- looking at how God fulfilled His great promise of a Redeemer.

There is no greater story than the Christmas story- and no, I’m not talking about the movie where Ralphy shoots his eye out with his Red Ryder BB gun. Obviously. What we celebrate on Christmas is nothing less than a miraculous display of God’s love! Jesus’ incarnation changes everything! It’s tremendous, really. He met us in our greatest need and delivered us through faith into eternal life.

But not everyone understands Christmas like this. People might mention a baby in a manger, but Jesus did not simply come so that we’d have a nice story to talk about as we exchanged gifts. The anticipation that surrounds the Christmas holiday is typically wrapped up some sort of tradition rather than in celebrating a Savior.

I want you to imagine for a minute what it must have been like before Jesus came. Go back a couple thousand years and put yourself in the shoes of the Jewish people. I wonder if you have anything in common with these folks.

The majority were religious- they had traditions and practices that they took part in. They went to the temple and to synagogues. They prayed and they gave to the poor. But many of these religious people completely missed Jesus.

Even during Jesus’ time of preaching and teaching, these same Jews who went to church and read their bibles failed to discover Jesus as Lord and Savior. This is likely because Jesus and his followers didn’t seem to fit in their religious boxes.

He sat and dined with sinners. (Not to condone their sin, mind you. When you meet Jesus, it’s you who changes, not Jesus!)

He taught about a kingdom where serving others was more honorable than the prestige they’d grown accustom to.

He spoke about forgiveness AND new life.

He modeled compassion and authenticity.

He entered the messy lives of ordinary people and dared suggest that a Samaritan could be more righteous than a priest.

When you think about it, it’s little wonder that when the King of Heaven walked among His own, they rejected Him. Could it be that there are those in Christian churches today who have embraced religion, but deny Jesus as Lord? Could that be you?

Of course, not every Jew was blind to Jesus. In our time together today, we are going to look at a man who got it right when it came to identifying Jesus. He not only discovered WHO Jesus is, but his life testified of the great impact of seeing and believing in Jesus as Savior and Lord.

The message is titled, “Discovering Jesus: Seeing & Believing.” As we walk through the brief narrative on Simeon, I hope to draw out three questions that we must ask ourselves as we look at Christmas. My prayer is that the true desire of your heart will be for Jesus.

If you picked up a bulletin, I invite you to follow along as we learn together.

The first question demonstrated in our story of Simeon is:

What Are You Looking For? (25)

As I alluded earlier, Christmas often brings a certain level of anticipation. As kids, I remember being so excited about the gifts. I would often shake the presents and try to guess what they might be. One year, I really wanted this toy monster truck called “The Animal” - It was cool- the tires had claws that came out as it dug its way through mud! When Christmas morning came, I was so focused on looking for this monster truck, that I didn’t really pay much attention to anything else.

When we look to Simeon, we see that he too was looking for something with a laser-like focus. (READ 25)

What was Simeon looking for? He was looking for the ‘consolation of Israel’ or the comforter of Israel. That is, he was looking for the promised Messiah. And this was not a casual search. No, look at the first part of the verse. The text describes him as righteous and devout. IOW, He had no doubt spent his entire life living according to the Law of Moses, awaiting the promise of the Deliverer, seeking God’s redemption…Simeon had something more than religion- he had a desire for God.

I believe that he knew the Scriptures well. He likely had heard or read the prophecies multiple times, perhaps even doing the math from the book of Daniel that would tell him that he was living in the era that God promised to send the Messiah into.

He probably recited in his head over and over from Isaiah promises about the one to be born of a virgin whose name would be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace, Everlasting Father. He was anticipating the One whose Kingdom would never end and who would rescue the people from their sins as the suffering servant. And in this anticipation and seeking, Simeon lived his life in surrender to God as a righteous and devout man.

We don’t know how often he came to the temple looking for this Messiah - maybe every day! But the thing is, Simeon knew what he was looking for. And he knew that what he was looking for was worth him spending his time and energy in this way.

Do you remember Jesus’ parables about the Kingdom. In particular, He told one about the treasure buried in the field. And in the parable, a man is in that field that he does not own, and he happens to find a buried treasure…

Now maybe I’m overthinking this, but how can you find a buried treasure unless you are looking for it? Was there a giant red x painted on the ground and the man just happened to see it? Did he just happen to have a shovel? How did this happen? It’s not like people just go digging random holes in other people’s back yards!

Simeon was looking specifically for the promised Messiah. He studied the Scriptures. He devoted his life to obedience to God’s Word. And he actively looked for Jesus, the treasure that is worth giving everything up to find.

God is never found accidentally. A. W. Tozer

“Seek me and you will find me if you seek me with all your heart.”

Some folks looked for the Messiah, but they were longing for a political leader who would overthrow the Roman occupants of Israel. Some carried on in their religion, content with their lives and unconcerned about their desperate need for a Savior. Still others long for a savior, but do not want a Lord.

Friends, I want to know “What are you looking for?”

Are you looking for a Jesus who won’t call you out of your sin?

Are you looking for a Jesus who basically agrees with everything you think?

Are you looking for a Jesus that you can conveniently put in the box of your preferred religious activity while keeping him out of other areas of life?

Or are you more like Simeon, looking for the Jesus of the Bible; The Holy Son of God who calls us to absolute surrender and devotion?

Do you hunger for the hope of the Christ?

What are you looking for? My prayer is that you are looking for Jesus, the Holy Son of God who has come to rescue you from your sin, and adopt you as his child.

The next question required of us as we look at Simeon’s story is:

What Gives You Hope? (26-32)

(READ 26-27)

Sometimes, when we talk about hope, we talk about it like it’s far off. For example, I might say, “I hope to wake up one day and be able to play the guitar.” I have no reason to hope for that, other than I would like to be able to do it. But that’s not the kind of hope that I am asking about.

I am asking about the hope that was demonstrated by Simeon. Simeon had hope that he would see the Messiah because the Holy Spirit revealed this to him. So, this was not simply a desire- though it was a desire - this was a guarantee.

God the Father, through the Holy Spirit, promised Simeon that he would not die until he saw the face of God the Son. He had the King’s order, the shipping receipt & tracking number, and he was waiting, looking for the fulfillment of that promise. That is hope. (BTW, hope in God is way more reliable than your last-minute Amazon order…)

And friends, the children of God have the Hope that we too will see the face of our Lord. He has given His Holy Spirit as a seal or guarantee that we are His!

And what does hope bring? Well, look at v. 28-33 (READ)

This section is sometimes called Simeon’s song. I don’t know that he actually sang this, but if I were Simeon, I would have almost certainly broken into spontaneous singing for the joy that God brought. Let’s look at what he’s praising God for:

Release. Many scholars assume that Simeon was an old man. But, whether old or not, NOW he knew that when he died, he could die peacefully, because he witnessed God’s fulfilled promise to deliver His people through the Messiah.

I have talked with many elderly saints who recognize that their time on earth is short. And let me tell you, when you have the HOPE that your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life- that this old world is not all there is and that God has something greater waiting for you, oh boy! -that makes all the difference in the world.

Salvation. Simeon understood that though he lived under the Law of Moses, every sacrifice, offering, festival, and act of righteousness was performed in faith. Just as we see recorded in Zechariah 4:6 “...‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.”

Simeon believed God … We too are saved by faith. We don’t just believe in God, we believe God! We trust that He has done what He said he did, that He will do what He promised, and so you and I too have the HOPE of victory over sin and death!

Joy. Simeon recognized that the salvation of the Lord was a worldwide endeavor. He saw the face of Jesus and glory of God who desires that all people be reconciled to Him! A light of revelation to Gentiles and glory for Israel- the HOPE of God’s Kingdom was not limited to a country or a people group.

What a joy we have knowing that the HOPE of Christ is sufficient for all. It doesn’t matter your ethnicity or your language. It doesn’t matter what kind of sordid past you have- Friend, There’s not a sinner too far gone. There’s not a person that Christ cannot save. The Hope that we have is why we can sing JOY TO THE WORLD, THE LORD HAS COME!

Imagine if Simeon was like the average Jew or even the average church attender… He would have HOPED that his works would save him or perhaps would have hoped that God wasn’t too serious about being holy or obedient.

What gave Simeon hope? It was the Holy Spirit of God that led him to know God’s promise and to see the Holy Son of God.

If you have placed your faith in Christ, you too have the HOPE of the Holy Spirit; a guarantee that we are right now a new creation, united with God through Jesus Christ! The hope of the believer is that God has promised, paid for, and set into motion for us a new, abundant life and friend, that Hope is secure.

So I ask again, what gives you hope? If it is anything less than the Hope assured by the Holy Spirit, then I pray that you will turn your eyes upon the Lord so that you can proclaim along with the psalmist, Psalm 62:5–6 “My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be shaken.”

We’ve asked 2 vital questions so far: What are you looking for? What gives you hope? The final question I ask this morning is:

Have You Discovered Jesus? (33-35)

(READ)

In the few words spoken by Simeon to Mary & Joseph, he reveals a simple truth: You must choose what to do with Jesus. What people decide about Jesus will determine their rise or fall.

What YOU decide about Jesus will determine your rise or fall. Yes it’s that important. Life and death hang in the balance. It’s critical! Pivotal! Crucial, essential, important, vital… (Someone get me a Thesaurus cause I don’t want you to miss this!)

To reject Jesus as Lord and Savior is to enter into an eternity of suffering. Hell is real. We are all sinners who cannot save ourselves. There is no amount of trying that will deliver you from the penalty of your sins. God is just.

At the same time, God is merciful- that’s why Jesus came. If you believe God and place your faith in Jesus, then you will be forgiven. Redeemed. You not only don’t face God’s wrath, but you will enjoy His blessing for all eternity.

ILL: Lots of folks miss this. Jesus’ disciples had to wrestle with the difficult things Jesus said and taught. But, finally, after Jesus resurrection, the reality of who Jesus is finally hit home for Jesus’ disciples. But I love what Thomas had to say when he came face to face with the risen Christ. Do you remember what he said? He fell to his knees and cried out, “My Lord and My God”

Ultimately, Simeon warns Joseph & Mary that they will encounter heartbreaking circumstances. The cross awaited this child, but the heartbreak they would feel is nothing compared to what those who reject Christ will face. Look at v. 35b (READ)

Did you catch that? We can look at the crucifixion and see that many who cried out “crucify him” got the chance to hear Peter’s sermon in Acts 2 and were pierced to the heart. When you discover Jesus, your heart will be revealed. You will have to reckon with the Gospel.

This morning, I want you to be clear about Jesus.

Jesus is God in flesh. He has always existed and He is the agent of creation.

In love for the world and obedience to the Father, He stepped into creation so that we could know Him and that through Him, we could be rescued from our sin.

He was born to a virgin, lived and served among His people in perfect obedience to God.

His mission was to save the world. He taught this to His disciples and showed them the heart of God.

Jesus then took our sins upon His body, being crucified on a Roman cross while also bearing the full weight of God’s wrath.

He died, was buried in a borrowed tomb, and rose from the dead on the 3rd day.

He ascended into heaven and has taken his seat at the right Hand of God the Father.

He has extended the offer of salvation; forgiveness of sins and adoption into the family of God to all who hear this good news.

And to those who respond in faith and obedience to God; forsaking all the world may offer and taking hold of His Kingdom promises - to these are given the gift of eternal life.

One day, Jesus will return to the earth to gather His saints and to judge the world.

This church, exists to glorify God and to make disciples of the whole world, from Penrose to Palestine.

It is my prayer that the teaching of God’s word will compel you to seek God, Hope in Christ, and Discover Jesus. If you have never trusted in Him, today is a great day to repent, confess your sins, and believe the Gospel.

[PRAY]

Discuss: How can you ‘look’ for Jesus daily?

Discuss: Explain the assurance that believers have in Jesus.

Discuss: What kind of joy did Simeon experience? How does that compare to your satisfaction in Christ?