Simeon and Anna: Examples of Faith

Introduction

Mission and Vision- say them as you welcome people

Recap Luke 2:1-20

Main Point: Our Savior is worthy of our Praise and our Anticipation!

(Anticipation hinges on faith)

Body

As we continue looking at Luke 2 this morning, we get to see a passage that we can easily overlook. But Luke 2:21-40 is a POWERFUL example of FAITH IN GOD!

Look at Luke 2:21-24 with me!

Luke 2:21–24 CSB

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).

As a reminder, on the 8th day after a boy was born, the Israelites were to CIRCUMCISE HIM! This comes directly from God in Genesis 17:12, when circumcision is established as a sign of the covenant between God and Abraham.

Luke 2:21-24 is heavily steeped in the OT law. There’s a reason that it matters so much- we need to see that Mary and Joseph take God’s LAW SERIOUSLY!

We won’t touch on every part of what is spelled out, but these laws are mentioned specifically in Exodus 11, 12, 13, 34, Deuteronomy 15, and Leviticus 12!

They take their relationship with God seriously.

And I want to give us a quick application about that- PARENTS, IT MATTERS THAT YOU SHOW YOUR CHILDREN WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE TO FOLLOW GOD!

I assure you- you won’t be perfect. I’m sure that Mary and Joseph were not perfect. But, it matters that parents- and I’d even argue WE AS A CHURCH- show children and younger believers what it looks like to FOLLOW GOD!

So we see that in accordance with Leviticus 12 that Jesus was circumcised on the 8th day and was named JESUS in obedience to the ANGEL!

Then in verse 22 we see that Mary and Joseph go up to Jerusalem AFTER HER PURIFICATION.

For a Jewish woman, Leviticus 12 makes clear that a woman was considered “unclean” for 7 days after giving birth to a boy, then thye circumcised the boy and she purified herself for 33 days.

I’m not going to get deep in the woods on this or on why 40 total days- although I will point out that 40 is a number wiht LOTS of significance to Israel.

Instead, I bring that up because that’s how Luke establishes a setting.

Luke uses Mary’s purification to show us WHEN THESE EVENTS ARE HAPPENING.

The events of Luke 2:21-40 take place roughly 40 days after Jesus is born.

Mary and Joseph go to Jerusalem to the temple- why?

Because they need to dedicate Jesus.

See, in accordance with the law laid out in Leviticus 12, they need to go to the temple and offer sacrifices for Mary’s cleansing and also to dedicate JESUS TO THE LORD!

They were dedicating Jesus to the LORD as a sign of giving their FIRSTFRUITS TO GOD, much as we tithe 10%!

Now, in Leviticus 12 there are a number of options laid out. The primary sacrifice is Leviticus 12:6

Leviticus 12:6 CSB

6 “When her days of purification are complete, whether for a son or daughter, she is to bring to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting a year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering.

But notice what Luke says- he says that Mary and Joseph brought a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.

Let me read Leviticus 12:8

Leviticus 12:8 CSB

8 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.”

We learn from Luke 2:24 a little more about Joseph and Mary. They are FAR FROM WEALTHY!

Listen, our SAVIOR, the KING OF THE WORLD, was born in HUMBLE CIRCUMSTANCES!

Once again, your outward position, your wealth, or poverty, your popularity, or your unpopularity is not what makes you VALUABLE TO GOD!

GOD IS FOCUSED ON THE HEART OF MARY AND JOSEPH!

And hear me on this- GOD IS FOCUSED ON YOUR HEART TOO!

God wants YOUR HEART!

Luke 2:25-28

Luke 2:25–28 CSB

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,

Now in verse 25 we are introduced to another man.

This man is a man named Simeon.

Simeon is described as “righteous and devout.” To say this another way- Simeon is KNOWN FOR FOLLOWING GOD!

That’s how people know him! They know him as someone who LOVES GOD!

And we see Simeon’s heart as we look at verse 25- not only is he righteous and devout, he also is “looking forward to Israel’s consolation.”

Simeon is FOCUSED on Israel’s redemption!

He wants to see the MESSIAH! And also, God had put HIS HOLY SPIRIT ON HIM

To say this another way- Simeon was a man who loved the LORD during a time where few people idd. And God showed him something- God promised him that HE WOULD SEE THE MESSIAH BEFORE HE DIED!

Think about what an incredible promise this is! He is longing to see salvation and GOD LET’S HIM MEET HIS SAVIOR!

So one day, Simeon- guided by the Holy Spirit we read- goes into the temple and while he is there he sees Mary and Joseph.

And look at what happens!

Simeon takes Jesus and lifts HIM UP AND PRAISES GOD!

Just as John and Elizabeth and even Mary praise God in Luke 1, in Luke 2 we see the shepherds and Simeon and ANNA- who we’ll meet in a minute- praising God!

Simeon’s first reaction to seeing HIS SAVIOR IS TO PRAISE GOD!

Cornerstone, hear this- OUR SAVIOR IS WORTHY OF ALL OF OUR PRAISE!

Look with me at what he says-

Luke 2:29-32

Luke 2:29–32 CSB

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.

As Simeon praises God there are four things that stand out to me.

First- God has fulfilled HIS PROMISE!

God will ALWAYS FULFILL HIS PROMISES- we’ve seen that so much this fall- even with JESUS COMING IN THE LINE OF ZERUBBABEL AND DAVID, but this is ANOTHER REMINDER OF THAT!

God will ALWAYS BE FAITHFUL! Dear believer, are you hurting, are you struggling, is your heart heavy? HEAR THIS GOOD NEWS! GOD IS FAITHFUL! GOD IS NEAR TO YOU RIGHT NOW!

Second- Simeon has seen THE SAVIOR!

The savior is JESUS AND SIMEON HAS SEEN THE SAVIOR JUST AS HE WAS PROMISED!

Friends, that is a proclamation not only to Mary and Joseph but to the temple crowd!

The temple was a busy place!

Imagine going into the church lobby after church and yelling this!

That’s basically what is going on! EVERYONE CAN HEAR HIM!

Third- Jesus is a LIGHT FOR REVELATION TO THE GENTILES

Think about how amazing this is! Up until now in many ways access to God has been seen as a Jewish thing. That’s not really correct, but that’s how the Israelites had viewed it.

BUT NOW! NOW IT IS OPEN TO ANYONE, EVEN THE GENTILES!

And friends, that is how WE ARE SAVED! WE ARE GENTILES WHO NEED THAT PROMISE!

THIS IS A GREAT REASON FOR US TO PRAISE OUR SAVIOR!

Fourth- JESUS IS A GLORY FOR ISRAEL!

Jesus is the way that we are all saved, including the Israelites.

JESUS IS A GLORY TO GOD’S PEOPLE BECAUSE JESUS GAVE THEM A WAY TO BE RESTORED TO GOD!

And this restoration wasn’t like rebuilding the temple in Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, Zechariah, etc. This restoration is PERMANENT!

Luke 2:33-35

Look at Luke 2:33-35 with me!

Luke 2:33–35 CSB

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.”

Mary and Joseph are AMAZED! This is the word THAUMAZO again- that’s the word that Luke uses when he’s talking about people responding to miracles that JESUS PERFORMS!

It means amazement with a level of WONER AND AWE AND BEING UNSURE OF WHAT EXACTLY IS GOING ON!

Mary and Joseph have heard all the prophecies, they’ve heard the angels, they’ve heard the shepherds and this is FURTHER CONFIRMATION OF WHAT IS COMING!

Simeon blesses Mary and he then gives Mary a hard prophecy.

There are 4 parts to this prophecy.

First, this child will CAUSE THE RISE AND THE FALL OF MANY IN ISRAEL.

Jesus will cause the FALL of many who claim to follow God, but do not!

And at the same time, many who reject Jesus would still turn towards him!

(PAUL!)

Second, Jesus will be opposed.

We see this throughout the Gospels. We see as the Pharisees and the scribes try SO HARD TO STOP JESUS!

HE IS OPPOSED TO THE POINT OF BEING KILLED!

Which is what this third prophecy is about.

A SWORD WILL PIERCE MARY’S HEART. This is a direct comment about the CROSS!

Mary’s son WILL DIE!

And fourth, the thoughts of many will be revealed.

It will become clear who KNOWS GOD AND FOLLOWS GOD AND WHO DOES NOT!

And this is still the case- the GOSPEL- THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS- reveals sin, it uncovers sin, it brings light to a DARK WORLD! It’s CONVICTING!

Cornerstone- let’s be honest. This is a HARD PROPHECY TO HEAR!

This isn’t what a mother wants to hear, but it’s a reminder of the reality of JESUS AND WHO JESUS IS!

JESUS CAME WITH A MISSION AND A PURPOSE!

JESUS ISN’T JUST A BABY, JESUS IS SAVIOR!

JESUS IS THE MESSIAH AND HE CAME TO EARTH TO SAVE US WHIHC REQUIRED HIS DEATH!

This is the first direct time in Luke that we see the picture of the cross starting to become clear.

When I was in Seminary in the spring of 2020 there was a disruption to the world.

So, I went home to be with my family. And as I drove into Colorado from the East I began to see the mountains in the distance when I was still over an hour from Denver!

They started as a hazy shape on the horizon but as I got closer and closer it became more clear.

That’s what’s going on with this prophecy!

In Luke 1 we read that JESUS IS COMING AS KING AND MESSIAH!

In Matthew 1 we see that Jesus is coming to save us from our sins!

Now in Luke 2, we see that not everyone will agree with Him and that HE WILL DIE!

Throughout the Gospels- and in this case we’ll focus on Luke- throughout Luke, we see this picture of what must happen becoming clearer and clearer.

Simeon’s prophecy shows us WHAT HAS TO HAPPEN!

This is what HAS TO HAPPEN! OUR SAVIOR THAT WE PRAISE AND THAT HE WAITED FOR HAS TO DIE!

It’s a basic reality of the GOSPEL!

Luke 2:36-38

Now another thing happens in the temple.

Luke 2:36–38 CSB

36 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, 37 and was a widow for eighty-four years. She did not leave the temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayers. 38 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.

Anna, who is an older woman comes to Mary and Joseph.

Anna is said to have been married for 7 years and then a widow for 84 years!

She prays and fasts and serves God 24/7.

She’s a good reminder that you don’t need a title or a position to serve God! She wasn’t a priest but in many ways she served God MORE THAN THE ACTUAL PRIESTS!

She’s a reminder that we ar enot done serving God until we are in heaven. She is an example that we are to CARRY ON SERVING GOD IN GOOD AND IN HARD, WHEN WE ARE YOUNG AND WHEN WE ARE NOT!

And at this moment whne Mary and Joseph are hearing this troubling prophecy about their son, she comes over!

She begins to THANK GOD FOR THEIR CHILD AND SHE SPEAKS ABOUT JESUS TO EVERYONE AROUND THEM!

There is a faithful remnant of Israel and there are faithful people in the temple.

Anna speaks to THESE PEOPLE AND TELLS THEM ABOUT JESUS!

She’s telling them taht the Savior has come!

And look at her response- she THANKS GOD AND TELLS OTHERS!

That’s very similar to what Simeon does and it’s what WE SHOULD DO!

Our savior has come! We should THANK GOD FOR IT! WE SHOULD PRAISE GOD FOR IT! AND WE SHOUDL TELL THE WORLD ABOUT IT!

Anna has lost so much- for 84 years she has been a widow! But what’s her response to the SAVIOR?

IT’S TO PRAISE GOD!

And that should be our response to the SAVIOR!

NO MATTER WHAT WE ARE GOING THROUGH, we should PRAISE GOD FOR OUR SAVIOR!

Luke 2:39-40

There’s one more thing that happens in our passage today. In Luke 2:39-40 we read:

Luke 2:39–40 CSB

39 When they had completed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40 The boy grew up and became strong, filled with wisdom, and God’s grace was on him.

Mary and Joseph finish up in the temple after Simeon and Anna come and prophesy and worship God!

They return to Galilee, specifically Nazareth.

From there, we know that they flee to Egypt as Matthew 2 tells us. But as they live in Exile, they CONTINUE TO FOLLOW GOD!

And verse 40 tells us how JESUS GROWS UP!

There’s three things we see.

Jesus is STRONG!

Jesus is filled with WISDOM!

GOD’S GRACE IS ON JESUS!

Let me say it like this- Jesus grows to be physically strong, Jesus grows to be insightful with WISDOM FROM GOD’S WORD and JESUS IS SPIRITUALLY STRONG AND IS CLOSE WITH HIS HEAVENLY FATHER!

Let me tell you how that applies to us- Jesus prioritizes the RIGHT THINGS! He prioritizes his TIME WITH GOD EVEN AS A CHILD!

WE NEED TO DO THE SAME!

And that is our first application for today.

Application

Prioritize the Right things

(Grow in Strength, wisdom- be in God’s Word, God’s Favor- SPEND TIME WITH GOD!)

We don’t know much about Jesus’s childhood, but we know that there are three descriptors of Jesus.

He is strong, He is FILLED WITH WISDOM and God’s GRACE IS ON HIM!

Each of these three things matter.

First, we need to talk care of our physical bodies. Yes, it matters.

Consider 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 CSB

19 Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body.

It matters that we take care of our bodies! And to be clear- we are not only talking about what we might eat or drink, or exercise.

We also need to put ourselves into good spots- like situations where we are not surrounded by sin!

EXPAND

Second, we need to grow in wisdom.

And the best way to do that is to WALK WITH GOD!

Psalm 90:12 CSB

12 Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.

James 3:17–18 CSB

17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without pretense. 18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace.

WISDOM is not just intelligence! It REQUIRES THAT WE ARE IN GOD’S WORD!

WE NEED TO BE IN GOD’S WORD!

Thirdly, God’s GRACE IS ON JESUS!

This is YET ANOTHER reminder that we need to WALK CLOSELY WITH GOD!

We need to EMBRACE GOD’S GRACE!

James 4:7 is a famous verse. But let me put it in some context- James 4:6-8

James 4:6–8 CSB

6 But he gives greater grace. Therefore he says: God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. 7 Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

WE NEED TO EMBRACE GRACE! Which is a reason that we need to PRAISE GOD FOR OUR SAVIOR!

Praise God for our Savior!

GIVE THANKS! BE LIKE SIMEON AND ANNA! FOCUSED ON GIVING THANKS TO GOD!

PRAISE GOD FOR WHAT HE HAS DONE! It’s like what we talked about Tuesday night- REJOICE! GIVE THANKS TO GOD!

GOSPEL!

Proclaim our Savior to the World!

GO! Tell the world!

Friends, this is a weekly challenge to us!

WE NEED TO PROCLAIM JESUS TO THE WORLD THAT IS ALL AROUND US! THE WORLD NEEDS MORE JESUS!

And we have the UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO PROCLAIM IT TO THE PEOPLE AROUND US!

Let’s be faithful to do that!

Psalm 117 CSB

1 Praise the Lord, all nations! Glorify him, all peoples! 2 For his faithful love to us is great; the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever. Hallelujah!

(ALL NATIONS WILL PRAISE GOD, ALL PEOPLES WILL GLORIFY GOD! HOW? Because they will hear! We have a responsibility to TELL THE WORLD ABOUT JESUS! LAST WEEK OF LOTTIE MOON- reminder about 100 for 100- I don’t get anything out of this, no one is telling me I need to do this- this is ENTIRELY ABOUT THE KINGDOM OF GOD!)

Listen to this quote by Adoniram Judson- “I will not leave Burma until the cross is planted here forever.

Cornerstone- may that be our position. We will not stop telling people about Jesus until SAVOY AND CHAMPAIGN KNOW JESUS AS THEY SHOULD!

UNTIL EVERY KNEE BOWS AND EVERY TONGUE CONFESSES WE WILL NOT STOP TELLING PEOPLE ABOUT THE GREATEST NEWS EVER!

It may not be glorious but we will PURSUE MAKING JESUS KNOWN JUST AS SIMEON AND ANNA DID!

Whatever the situation, whatever the opportunity, let us ENDEAVOR TO TELL THE WORLD ABOUT OUR GREAT SAVIOR!

Let me pray for us.