The Spirit of True Satisfaction

December 28th, 2025 

Series: The Spirit of Christmas 

Sermon Title: The Spirit of True Satisfaction

Topic: True satisfaction comes only through a relationship with Jesus Christ. 

Key Passages: Luke 2:22-38

Topic: Christmas, Jesus, Satisfaction 

Sermon Blurb: In today’s message, we will see how true satisfaction in life doesn’t come through the things of this world, but only through a relationship with Jesus Christ. 

***1st week ODD months add communion & target message at 15 pages. 

***1st week EVEN months add space for dedication, baptism, or ministry highlight & target message at 15 pages. 

***Green in sermons means illustration, something we are looking for a response from, and/or a picture that goes on the screens. 

***Yellow means what is yellow will be on the screens and in the handout. 

Sermon:  

        Good morning and welcome to Family Church… whether you are here in person or watching online! We are so glad you are here!

Family Moment –

Start with something personal from your life recently to help people get to know you.

Celebrate salvations / rededications / disciple making / baptisms last week.

Well, everybody, welcome back to the FINAL WEEK of our Christmas series entitled “The Spirit of Christmas!”

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas… and I want to wish you a very Happy New Year!

Now, I know that we’re just a few days after Christmas, and many of us have been busy traveling, hosting, shopping, eating, watching Bowl Games, and so on…

And I imagine some of you may be feeling the “Post-Christmas Let Down.”

How many of you know what I mean?

Maybe you’re feeling disappointment today because things didn’t go the way you hoped they would this past week.

Maybe you didn’t get the Christmas bonus you hoped you’d for…

Or, young people, maybe your parents didn’t get you the Christmas gifts that you were hoping for…

Maybe your travel plans didn’t turn out like you expected…

Or maybe the time spent with family didn’t end up like you thought it would…

Or, maybe you had an amazing Christmas, and you’re struggling with the fact that it’s all coming to an end.

PAUSE

Regardless, the reality is, (if we’re honest) Christmas time can be disappointing…

And we can all feel let down…

And what we all need to know this morning is that true satisfaction comes through Jesus Christ alone!

That’s what a lot of us need to hear today, and that’s exactly what we are going to see from our time in God’s Word!

So, turn with me in your Bibles to

Luke 2:22

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Just download the app and click sermon notes on the main page.

PAUSE

Now, as you’re turning to Luke 2, let me set the stage for where we’re going to pick up in the story today…

If you were here last week, you might remember that we saw the birth of Jesus, the Messiah.

        We saw angels come from heaven to tell a group of Shepherds that the Savior of the World had been born and to go see Him lying in the manger.

        And after they did, they went and told everyone they could that Jesus, the Messiah, was finally here!

PAUSE

Now, here we pick up the story in verse 22, which says,

22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord

23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”),

24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”

So, we can tell from what we just read that Joseph and Mary were serious about their Jewish faith, right?

Here we read that they consecrated Jesus and offered a sacrifice of two birds, all according to the Law of Moses.

They did everything that God commanded them to do.

PAUSE

Now, an important distinction for us to make is that the sacrifice they offered here was called the “offering of the poor”.

See, the typical offering given when consecrating a firstborn son to the Lord was a lamb… but for those who couldn’t afford that, two birds could be offered.

And this helps us see that the home into which Jesus was born and raised was POOR.

Think of it, the home into which the Son of God was born… the home in which the Son of God was raised… was not materially wealthy.

Wouldn’t you assume that if God were to come into our world as a human being, He would be born into the wealthiest, most powerful, most prominent, most educated family on Earth?

I mean, that makes the most logical sense!

But, not so with our God! He is humble…

And He knows that there is a wealth to be captured and experienced that is far greater than material things.

PAUSE

So, listen, if you are here and you are not wealthy, be encouraged that you have something in common with Jesus.

But even more importantly, to all of us listening today…

Jesus’ earthly poverty reveals that True Satisfaction in this life doesn’t come from material things!!!

It comes through something divine…namely through Jesus Christ!

In fact, that’s the first point in our message today… So, go ahead and write that down in your notes,

True satisfaction doesn’t come from getting more, but from meeting Christ.

 (repeat)

And we will see this truth come to life in the following verses…

But first, we need to take a moment to process how contrary that thought is to our culture and way of thinking…

Think about it… We live in a world that chases satisfaction in the things of this world, right?

We believe that satisfaction comes through career success, relationships, possessions, entertainment, and food/drink… to name a few.

We give our time, our money, our energy… we give our lives to get more and more of those things!

Yet, the more we get, the more we want!

In other words, we are NEVER SATISFIED!

And that’s exactly what King Solomon said in the book of Ecclesiastes… he said it’s like “chasing after the wind!”

Because True Satisfaction doesn’t come from getting MORE, but from meeting Christ!

And that is exactly what we are going to see from a man named Simeon in V.25…

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout.

He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him.

26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.

27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required,

28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

Let’s pause right there…

Now, before we read what Simeon said about Jesus, I want to break down what just happened…

This man named Simeon was righteous.

He was a devout Jew.

He was waiting for the consolation of Israel.

So, what’s that, you ask?

Well, the “consolation of Israel” was a term used to describe the coming of the promised Messiah.

The Jews had been waiting for the One who was prophesied in the Old Testament to bring comfort, salvation, and redemption to the people of Israel.

And here Luke tells us that Simeon had been waiting his whole life for HIM to come!

PAUSE

Not only that, but Simeon was also filled with the Holy Spirit…

In fact, not only did the Holy Spirit tell him that he would not die until he SAW the Messiah…

But the Holy Spirit also moved him to intercept Jesus as his parents were walking in the Temple Courts!

And that reminds us of what we learned in our Holy Spirit series over the past year and a half.

The Holy Spirit desires to be active and involved in our lives.

Speaking to us.

Guiding us.

So let me pose a question to you….

Are you filled with the Holy Spirit today?

Because God desires for us to be… ask Him to fill you today…

PAUSE

Imagine being Simeon here…

You’ve waited your whole life to see the Messiah…

He is the One you’ve longed for…

He is the One you’ve lived for…

And now you are holding Him in your arms!

WOW!

And so Simeon, filled with a heart of praise, says this…look in your Bibles

29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace.

30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:

32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”

Here, as Simeon speaks, we get a glimpse into his heart.

He says, “Now that I’ve seen Jesus, the Messiah… I can die in peace!”

Simeon knew that his life satisfaction didn’t come from outward circumstances…

Not even through religious expression…

He shows us that true satisfaction in life comes from Jesus Christ!

And once Simeon saw Jesus… he was like, “Ok God, I’ve finally met the ultimate source of satisfaction in life, so I’m ready to go!”

PAUSE

But notice also…

Simeon didn’t believe that the Source of ultimate Satisfaction was meant to be just for him or the Jewish people.

In verses 31-32 he declared that Jesus, the Savior of the World, was meant to be a LIGHT for the NATIONS!

That God wants ALL PEOPLE… even those outside the family of faith to find True Satisfaction through faith in Jesus!

Do you see that, Family Church?

And that brings us to the second point in our study today...

You can write this down...

True satisfaction is not self-centered but Christ-centered.

(repeat)

And I love that because the BLESSINGS we receive when we meet Jesus are not just meant to be enjoyed by us…

We are meant to share Jesus with all people, everywhere!

        And we find our deepest joy when our lives are caught up in God’s saving work in the world!

As Charles Spurgeon once said, “There is no joy in the world like the joy of bringing one soul to Christ!”

And if you do not know that joy… then make it your goal this year to do so…

PAUSE

Now, let’s jump down to verse 36 where we are introduced to someone else in the story…

Her name is Anna…

And she too will speak into the satisfaction that can only be found in the things of God…

36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher.

She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage,

37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.

She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.

38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

Now, before we dig deeper, let’s talk about who this precious woman was…

First, the Bible tells us that Anna was a prophet.

Now, you might find it interesting that here we see mention of a female prophet.

However, this is not the only time the Bible mentions female prophets... or prophetesses, as they are sometimes referred to.

Here are a few other examples we find in Scripture…

- Miriam (Moses’ sister) is called a prophet in Exodus 15.

- Deborah is called a prophetess in Judges 4-5.

- Huldah is called a prophetess in 2 Kings 22.

- And Philip’s 4 daughters are called prophetesses in Acts 21.

And this highlights a point for you ladies out there: just like Anna, God can use you to speak His message to others.

PAUSE

We also see that, like Simeon, Anna was very old.

And similarly, she was a very Godly woman!

Think about what the Bible says in verses 36-37.

It tells us that Anna was married.

Then, just 7 years later, her husband died.

Imagine that…

Now, it was very common back then for women to get married at a young age.

So if we estimate that Anna was married at 20 years old.

And her husband died 7 years later.

Then from the ages of 27 – 84…

Verse 34 tells us that she NEVER LEFT THE TEMPLE!!!

        Could you imagine that?!?

        For 57 years of her life, Anna devoted herself to WORSHIP, FASTING, and PRAYER in the Temple of God!

Wow!

What a unique woman of God!

PAUSE

Look back at verse 38…

We see here that at the same time Simeon is there in the Temple, praising God for Jesus…

        Anna also comes up and sees Jesus…

And she, too, worships God and then goes to tell everyone about Jesus!

PAUSE

Anna…

Experienced the pain and loss of losing her husband at a young age…

        She could have allowed herself get bitter with God because of that.

She could have walked away from the faith because God allowed that to happen.

She could have felt justified in becoming bitter.

But instead, she gave her life entirely to loving and serving God!

        She devoted herself fully to God…

And in that life, she found true satisfaction!

        Then, when the day finally came for her to meet Jesus face to face…

        She became the next in a long line of witnesses who HAD TO TELL OTHERS about the ONE worth waiting for…

        The one worth living for!

And that brings us to our final point in the sermon today… and you can write this down…

True satisfaction grows when we give ourselves to worship and witness.

(repeat)

True satisfaction in life is not found in chasing after the things of this world…

True, lasting, complete satisfaction is found in drinking deeply from the well that never runs dry…

Jesus Christ!

        So, brothers and sisters, where are you seeking satisfaction today?

        Is it in possessions, success, people or entertainment?

        Listen, all of those things will disappoint! All of those things will let you down and leave you feeling empty!

There’s the famous story about John D. Rockefeller, one of the richest men in American history. At one point he controlled almost all the oil industry and had more money than he could ever spend.

A reporter once asked him, “Mr. Rockefeller, how much money is enough?”

Church, do you know what he said?

He replied: “Just a little bit more.” Just a little bit more…

See, even with unimaginable wealth, he wasn’t satisfied.

And that’s the problem with earthly things!

They always leave us wanting more.

        But listen, through a real relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, you and I can experience true satisfaction.

        True satisfaction…

Real life…

Lasting joy!

Unshakable peace…

In Jesus Christ, we already have ENOUGH.

PAUSE

So, as we wrap up our time together this morning, we will focus on a time of reflection and action… a time we call our “Life Application.”

This is a time when we encourage all of us to think about what the Holy Spirit has been saying to each one of us personally, and then we commit to stepping out in simple obedience.

So, write down what you sense God is calling you to do this week in obedience to His Word and then talk about that over lunch with your friends or family members… and watch and see how God will work in your lives!

Life Application: Have you been feeling dissatisfied lately? How can you learn to find true satisfaction through Jesus Christ? As a result of today’s message, I will… __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer: 

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Offering: 

Thank you all for being here today! 

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