A Season of Salvation
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Well, good morning again, and Merry Christmas.
Well, this morning we are finishing out our Christmas series.
If you’re new to our church, it would be good for you to know that typically we practice a form of preaching called “Expository Preaching”. What that means is, we believe the Bible is best taught by taking books of the Bible, and then breaking them down from beginning to end, chapter by chapter, verse by verse, in order to understand what they mean in our lives today.
With that said, we are currently walking that through the NT book of Acts. However through the month of December we are taking a break from our Acts study in order to focus on the Christmas season. And we are doing that through a 4-week Christmas series called “The Reason for the Season”.
We’re calling it “The Reason for the Season” because unfortunately, in the excitement of Christmas shopping, Christmas parties, and holiday cheer, it’s easy to lose site of what Christmas is really all about. It’s easy to forget what the Reason for the Season is.
With that said, we are currently doing that through the NT book of Acts. However, through the month of December, we are taking a break from our Acts study in order to focus on Christmas through a series we have entitled, “The Reason for the Season”.
And while there are many aspects of Christmas we could focus on, we’ve boiled them down to four seasons.
Because unfortunately, in the excitement of Christmas shopping, Christmas parties, and holiday cheer, it’s easy to lose site of what Christmas is really all about. It’s easy to forget what the Reason for the Season is.
And so, for the last few weeks, to help us get back in tune, we’ve broken Christmas down into season, four to be exact. Seasons that represent the true purpose and meaning of Christmas.
And so, for the last few weeks, to help us get back in tune, we’ve broken Christmas down into season, four to be exact. Seasons that represent the true purpose and meaning of Christmas.
The first season was called “A Season of Promise”.
We called it a season of promise, because Christmas is founded on a promise. A promise that God made back in . A promise God made as result of Adam and Eve’s disobedience. An act of disobedience that opened the door for sin and death to enter the world and resulted in man’s separation from God.
But thankfully, despite Adam and Eve’s unfaithfulness, God remained faithful. And in that moment God made a promise. A promise that one day He would restore man’s relationship with God by providing a redeemer for mankind.
And God kept His promise. Because throughout the OT and leading up to the NT, we see God preparing for Christmas through a man named Abraham, a son named Judah, a king named David, and finally through the birth of a savior as Christmas comes in and and the promised redeemer is born. And this is where the second season comes in to play. A season we called “A Season of Trust”.
We called it “A Season of Trust”, because with a promise, comes a need to trust. To trust that God is the God of the crazy impossible. That through a virgin brith, God provided something we could never do on our own. That God provided a redeemer for mankind. That God provided His Son.
That God did something we could never do for ourselves, that through a virgin birth, God provided a redeemer for mankind.
In addition to that, we learned in order to trust God’s promise, we have to be willing to abandon our fear and embrace our faith. In other words, we have to stop worrying about what people might think or what people might say about our faith in Jesus. Like Mary and Joseph, we have to embrace what seems impossible knowing that with God, nothing is impossible.
This led us to a third season. A season we called, “A Season of Generosity”. Because not only did God make good on His promise, not only does do we need to put our trust in the promise, but we need to understand the type of gift God has given us.
You see, unlike man’s gifts, God’s gift is much different for two primary reasons:
First, God’s gift of His Son is founded on love. The Apostle John writes, “For God so loved the word, that he gave his only Son...” (ESV)
John says God’s generosity and the gift of His Son is based on his love for us. His concern for our situation. And His desire to save us and restore our relationship with Him.
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
You see, without love, it’s impossible to be generous. And that’s why we so often struggle to be generous. We struggle because we lack love. We lack concern. But God is a God of love. And because He so loved the world, He gave.
Second, unlike man’s gifts, God’s gift of His Son comes with no strings attached. In other words, its a gift that requires nothing from us. A gift that we could never purchase, afford, barter for, or deserve. A stringless gift that only God can give.
And as we learned, that’s a challenge for some of us as well. It’s challenge because with a stringless gift, we often feel the need to attach a string. In that moment we feel guilty for receiving something for nothing. We feel the need to reciprocate the gift or pay God back. And as we learned, that’s where religion comes in. That’s where we start trying to attach our works to the gospel as we try to earn our salvation.
But God’s gift is stringless, and God doesn’t want our strings attached. The Apostle Paul puts it like this:
6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
Paul says the only way we can receive God’s gift is through faith and faith alone. In other words, to believe that Jesus is all we need.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—
Paul says adding strings to God’s gift voids the gift.
The bottom line is this, if you want God’s gift, you can’t add your strings. It has to be received as a stringless gift.
You see, God’s generosity is nothing like our generosity. It’s always based out of love and comes with no strings attached. As at result, its something we should strive to model as we extend the same kind of generosity to others.
So, if you missed the first three seasons of Christmas, I would encourage you to go online to mcf.life, where you can listen to all the messages leading up to today.
With that said, today we are entering into the final season of Christmas. A season that is contingent on the three previous seasons, and a season that is often misunderstood not only by those outside the church, but those within as well. But as we’re going to see today, without a proper understanding of this next season, Christmas really isn’t Christmas.
INTRODUCTION:
So, in order to introduce this next season, I want to begin by asking you a few questions. Questions I think most of us have probably considered. Here’s the first question.
Question #1 - How many of you would say you believe in the after life? In other words, you believe that after you die, a person goes somewhere else? For example, to either a heaven or to a hell.
Question #1 - How many of you would say you believe in the after life? In other words, you believe that after you die, a person goes somewhere else? For example, to either a heaven or to a hell.
I think at some point, we’ve all considered that possibility. In fact, according to a recent CBS poll, 3 out of 4 Americans believe there is a heaven or hell AND 66% believe that both exist. In other words, 66% of Americans believe when a person dies, they either go to heaven or to hell.
In other words, when you look at your life, when you look at the challenges you’ve faced, the messes you’ve made, the messes you are currently in, the relationships you’ve tanked, the relationship you are currently tanking, the people you’ve have hurt, the people you are currently hurting, the bad decisions you’ve made, the lack of discretion you’ve had at times, and the list goes on. When you consider all of those things, do find yourself coming to the conclusion that maybe just maybe you are a flawed or faulted person that needs help?
Question #2 - If your one that believes in heaven and hell, where do you think you’re headed?
That’s a fun question to think about, right? Again, something we’ve probably all considered or pondered.
That’s a fun Christmas question, right?
According to the CBS poll, of the 66% who believe in heaven and hell, 82% of them believe they will end up in heaven, 2% believe they’ll be in hell, and 9% believe they will end up in neither.
So, based on that, “Where do you fall in those statistics? Are you in the 82% who believe they’ll go to heaven, the 2% who think they’ll go to hell, or the 9% who think it will be neither for you?”.
Where do you think you’ll end up?
Question 3 - If you believe you’re going to end up in heaven, what makes you think that? In other words, what do you believe qualifies you to go to heaven?
Now, you might be wondering, “Well pastor, what are my choices?”
Well, to be honest, American Christians typically hold to one of three viewpoints on how a person gets into heaven.
The first viewpoint is known as universalism. In other words, it’s the “All roads lead to heaven” viewpoint. It’s the idea that regardless of what you believe or how you lived, everybody will eventually end up in heaven.
I think if we are all honest with ourselves, we’d have to come to that conclusion. Nobody is perfect.
Nobody has it all figured out. All of us would have to say there have been moments and are moments in our life where we need to be saved from something.
In a survey conducted by Life-way Research, the question was asked of people who claimed faith, “Do you believe heaven is a place where all people will ultimately be reunited with their loved ones?”
Of those who responded, 60% said yes, 26% said no, and 14% were unsure.
And that facts is, the Bible would agree with that assessment. Listen to what the Apostle Paul says about our condition.
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
The second viewpoint could either be termed the “Religious or good deeds” viewpoint. It’s It’s the idea that as long as your a good person and do good things, your assured a place in heaven.
In the Life-way survey the question was asked, “Do you believe good deeds contribute to a person going to heaven?”
Paul says “all” have sinned. “All” have fallen short. “All” have made poor choices. “All” have hurt other people. “All” of us are guilty of something.
Question #2 - If you see yourself as somebody who needs to be saved,
10 as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
11 no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Of those who responded, 52% said yes, 35% said no, and 13% were unsure.
The third viewpoint could be termed the “Jesus Only” viewpoint. This is the viewpoint held by most evangelical Christians. It’s the idea that a person can only going to heaven by faith and faith alone in Jesus. In the Life-way survey the question was asked, “Do you believe those who trust in Jesus alone as their Savior receive God’s free gift of eternal salvation?”.
Of those who responded, 54% said yes and 46% said no.
Interesting results. And to some degree, conflicting results, as it seems many American Christians struggle in what they truly believe about who goes to heaven and why they go.
So, based on those three viewpoints, where do you you lean?
Would you say you believe all people eventually go to heaven regardless of their beliefs or lifestyle?
Would you say regardless of what a person believes, as long as they’re religious or a good person they’ll go to heaven.
Or would you say that only people who have put their faith in Jesus and trusted Him and Him alone go to heaven?
To be honest, if we did a survey in the room today, I think we’d all be surprised by what some of us might say.
Because the reality is, many of us were raised in different faith backgrounds.
For instance, some were raised Catholic, some Lutheran, some Methodist, some Presbyterian, some Baptist, some Pentecostal, and some of you might even have a Jehovah Witness or Mormon background, and some would maybe even say they have no church background at all.
The truth is, there’s a good chance many of us in the room today have differing views on how a person assures themselves a place in heaven.
And to be quite honest, that’s a problem. It’s a problem because the Bible only holds to one viewpoint.
A viewpoint that isn’t based on feeling or emotion.
A viewpoint that isn’t based on what tradition, denomination, or religious background your associated with.
A viewpoint that is strictly based on God’s Word. In other words, when it comes to salvation and heaven, there is only one viewpoint, God’s viewpoint.
Now, at this point, you might be thinking, “Pastor, where are you going with this? I came to church today to hear a Christmas message. I came to hear about Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. Why are you talking about heaven and hell?”
I bring it up, because whether you realize it or not, at the end of the day, that’s what Christmas is really all about.
Christmas is about salvation.
Christmas is about how a person gets right with God.
I don’t know about you, but I’d like to know the answer to that question.
Christmas ultimately determines who spends eternity with God and who doesn’t.
Whether you realized it or not, Christmas is about our assurance of salvation. Christmas is a season of salvation.
The question then is, “What does that assurance look like?” In other words, “What about Christmas makes it a season of salvation and assures us of a place in heaven?” I don’t know about you, but I’d like to know the answer to that question.
But guess what, in order to find that answer, we’re not going to look at the Christmas story, instead we are going to look at a story that took place after Christmas. It’s what you might call the after Christmas story, and the story is found in . A story that highlights what I would call the true reason for the season.
So, for the next few minutes, I have two goals in mind for us:
So, for the next few minutes, I have two goals in mind for us:
First, we’re going to read through this after Christmas story in and find out exactly why Christmas is a season of Salvation.
Second, we’re going to answer the question, “What do I need to do in order to receive the assurance of salvation and heaven?”
So, to get us started, let’s jump into our text in and find out why Christmas is a season of salvation. Beginning in , Luke writes:
22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” 25 Now 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. 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 do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word;
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation
31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.”
33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 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 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
39 And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.
At first glance, you might say, “Pastor, why are we spending time looking at this after Christmas story?” Because the truth is, this story doesn’t have any of what we consider the Christmas elements.
There’s no Angelic announcement.
But what if I told you that this passage is actually one of the most important parts of the Christmas story. That in this passage we will find the true “Reason for the Season”.
There’s no Christmas star in the sky.
There’s no manger scene or animals.
There’s no Shepards or wisemen.
This passage contains none of the typical elements of the Christmas story. It’s a story that comes after Christmas.
And because it comes after, most people miss one of the most important parts of the Christmas story, that Christmas is a season of salvation.
In fact, the story begins about 40 days after Christmas as Mary and Joseph make their way to the temple with their newborn baby Jesus.
So, a good place to start might be by asking, “Why are Mary and Joseph going to the temple, and how do we know it was 40 days after?”
Let’s’ begin with the 40 days. We know it’s been 40 days because according to OT law, after a Jewish woman gave birth, there was a process of purification she had to go through in order to cleanse her body from childbirth. And the process began immediately after the babies birth and ended 40 days later. We know this based on a passage out of . Listen to God’s instructions concerning this:
3 And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. 4 Then she shall continue for thirty-three days in the blood of her purifying. She shall not touch anything holy, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying are completed.
God says the process begins with the babies circumcision and continues another 33 days as the woman fully heals from the birth. Add that time frame up, and you arrive at 40 days.
That’s why Luke begins this story by telling us:
22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”
Luke 2:22-24
We know it took place 40 days after the birth of Jesus, because according to ,
So, Luke says, “The 40 days are up.”
In this passage, Luke makes reference to a passage of scripture found in . A passage of scripture that details the process of purification a woman must go through after giving birth to a child. In we read:
This now leads us to why they’ve come to the temple as Luke makes reference to another passage of scripture found in . A passage of scripture that details the the end of the woman’s purification process following the 40 day period. A process that was required in order to make her spiritually clean before the Lord. In we read about that process.
6 “And when the days of her purifying are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb a year old for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering, 7 and he shall offer it before the Lord and make atonement for her. Then she shall be clean from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, either male or female. 8 And if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. And the priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean.”
Based on this passage, Luke says the process involves a trip to the temple and a couple of blood sacrifices.
1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If a woman conceives and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days. As at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean.
3 And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. 4 Then she shall continue for thirty-three days in the blood of her purifying. She shall not touch anything holy, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying are completed.
So, based on that passage, we can determine that it would have been 40 days following the birth of Jesus.
The first sacrifice is a year old lamb that is meant to be a burnt offering.
The second sacrifice is a pigeon and a turtledove to be used for a sin offering.
According to God’s Word, a woman who had bore a child must go through a purification process in order to cleanse and purify herself from the flow of blood that came through childbirth. And according to , the ritual involved a sacrifice of a lamb as a burnt offering, and a pigeon or turtledove for a sin offering.
And according to , once she makes these sacrifices, the priest will declare her clean. Ladies, aren’t you glad you don’t have to go through that process.
So, at this point, a good question might be, “Why does Luke give us this information concerning Mary’s purification process?” I would submit to you there are at least two reasons Luke gives us this information:
First, it highlights the fact that Mary and Joseph are a religious couple committed to following the religious protocol of their day. They are what you might call, “Good people.” The truth is, Mary and Joseph are about as religious and good as you can get.
Second, it gives us insight into Mary and Josephs financial situation, and what it highlights is that they were very poor.
How do we know that?
We know because if you pay attention to the details, Luke says they didn’t offer the required lamb, but instead offered an alternative sacrifice. So, what about that would lead us to believe they were poor? The passage in Leviticus tells us. In we read:
8 And if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. And the priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean.”
L
What this tells us is, Mary and Joseph are about as poor as they come.
So, why highlight this? Why exploit their poverty?
Luke’s point is, Mary and Joseph are so poor they can’t even purchase and offer the required sacrifice.
So, instead, they bring the poor mans version. They bring the alternative. And the truth is, in the religious culture of that day, while their version met the minimum requirements, it missed the mark and represented their inability to offer the proper sacrifice.
So, why is this important for us to understand? We’ll come back to that in a minute, but first I want to show you the second reason they are at the temple.
Reason #3 - While Mary and Joseph are “good people”, the fact they need to go to the temple and offer a sacrifice also tells us something. It tells us at this point, while Christmas has come, their sinful situation has not changed yet. How do we know? We know because they are still making sacrifices. At this point, they are still operating under a system that doesn’t save them. They are still sinners in need of a savior.
So, that’s the first reason they are there.
Because not only are they there to offer a sin sacrifice, they are there to consecrate their new born son, Jesus. Notice again what Luke writes:
22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord
Luke says they’re not just there to offer a sacrifice for Mary, but According to , they are there to consecrate Jesus. Moses writes:
2 “Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine.”
And so, once again, Mary and Joseph are being obedient to God’s law. They are brining their son to the temple in order to be consecrated.
So, what does it mean that Jesus was consecrated? Basically they were dedicating Him to the Lord. As parents, they are obediently and symbolically recognizing that their son belongs to God and together they are making a commitment to raise Him to know the Lord.
It’s very similar to what we do here at MCF when we do baby or child dedications as mom and dad make a public declaration to raise their child to know the Lord.
In fact on Sunday morning, February 3rd we are going to do child dedications for parents who want to dedicate their children. So, if you have a child under the age of 5, and you’d like to dedicate them to the Lord, talk to Jackie Creek about signing up for dedication Sunday.
So, this is a Biblical practice that Mary and Joseph are following. But what happens next in Jesus’s case is quite unique. Because as we’re going to see, this is no ordinary dedication. Listen to what happens as Mary and Joseph arrive at the temple for the dedication.
25 Now 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. 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 do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word;
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation
31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.”
25 Now 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. 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.
Luke says as they arrive, there is a man named Simeon at the temple. So, who is this guy? Well, outside of this passage we don’t know anything about who this man was. But here’s what we do know:
First, we are told that he is a righteous and devout man, who is waiting for the consolation of Israel. In a nutshell, what that means is this is a man who is looking for the Promised Redeemer of . This is a man who has put his hope and trust in the promise of a future redeemer.
Second, we are told the Holy Spirit is upon him. In other words, this isn’t just a religious man, this is a spiritual man. A man who is led by the Spirit. A man who is in tune with God’s leading.
Third, we are told that the Holy Spirit has made a promise to him. And the promise is, that before he dies, he will see the promised redeemer. Which explains why he is waiting at the temple.
Think of it like this. Imagine if God told you that before you die, you’re going to witness the second coming of Jesus. That you will be alive when Jesus returns.
Might make you live a little differently, right? Would probably mean you’d be at church more, right. Would probably mean you’d live with an excitement and anticipation of what is to come.
That would be exciting, right? Might even make you live a little differently, right? Would probably mean you’d be at church more, right. Would probably mean you’d live with an excitement and anticipation as each day could be the day Jesus returns.
Same with Simeon. And that’s why he’s at the temple. He knows when the redeemer is born, mom and dad are going to bring him to the temple to be dedicated. So, there he waits, each day waiting, each day anticipating, thinking, “Today could be the day that I meet the savior.”
And finally, the day comes as Joseph and Mary walk through the sanctuary doors, and the Holy Spirit says to Simeon, “Today is the day”. Luke writes:
27 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, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word;
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation
31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.”
27 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, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
Apparently as Simeon is sitting there, he notices Mary and Joseph, and in that moment, the Holy Spirit points the couple and the baby out, and Simeon responds as he takes the child in his arms and he begins to praise God. What does he say? Luke tells us:
29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word;
29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word;
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation
31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.”
Simeon begins by thanking the Lord for allowing Him to depart in peace. In other words, as he looks at the little baby Jesus, he prays, “Thank you God, because now I can die in peace”.
Seems like an odd thing to thank God for. So, why wold Simeon say that? Simeon continues:
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation
31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.”
. What does he do? He begins to praise God. He begins to thank the Lord for allowing Him to see the promised redeemer.
Now, that’s quite a promise. That would be like God telling you, that before you die you’re going to see Jesus return. That would make you live a little bit diffe
Simeon says he can die in peace because his eyes have seen God’s salvation. In other words, as Simeon looks down at the baby Jesus, he sees salvation. He sees God’s answer to the sin problem. He sees the promised redeemer. In his arms Simeon now holds Christmas. And in that moment Simeon declares what that salvation will entail. He goes on to say:
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation
31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.”
31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.”
Simeon refers to him as “Salvation”. The one who will be a light of revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of the people of Israel. In other words, not only is he the promised redeemer who will bring salvation, but He is the salvation for the entire world.
Simeon says Jesus will be the one who will be a light of revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of the people of Israel. In other words, Jesus is the one who will bring salvation to all people. In this moment, Simeon basically declares:
Luke 3:
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah,
Can you imagine this moment for Simeon? This is the moment he has been waiting for his entire life. And now the moment is here as he holds Christmas in his arms.
So, how do Mary and Joseph respond to all of this? Well, apparently they were a little taken back. Because Luke writes:
33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him.
Luke says Mary and Joseph aren’t sure what to think. They weren’t expecting Jesus’s dedication to go like this. They didn’t see this coming, and it probably caught them a little bit off guard.
It reminds me of a situation Denise and I experienced after our son David was born. It was back in 2003 while we were on a ministry trip in Memphis, TN. David has just been born, and one night on our trip we decided to go to a movie. So, after the movie, Denise was sitting out in the Lobby with David, waiting for me to come out of the bathroom, when she noticed a man and his family across the room. And then all of a sudden, the man started walking over towards Denise. As you can imagine, it made Denise nervous as the man approached and began to engage her in conversation about our Son. He said, “Hi, my name is Ricky and I go to the Pentecostal church down the street.” Denise said, “Hi Ricky, nice to meet you.” He went on to say, “I’m not a nut. I never do this. But I was standing over there and God told me to come tell you something.” And Denise said, “Ok”. He said, “You have a special little boy there.” And Denise holding David tighter said, “Yes.” Ricky went on to say, “God wanted me to tell you that someday he’s going to be President of the United States.” And Denise said, “Ok Ricky. Thank you.” And Ricky walked away.
Now, I don’t know if David is going to be President or not, but I can tell you that was a strange experience for Denise. She didn’t go to the movie expecting for a strange man to make a declaration about our son.
Same for Mary and Joseph. This would have been a strange encounter for them.
And since we already know what becomes of Jesus, what it really points too, is Mary and Joseph’s lack of understanding of who Jesus is and what He’s come to do. How do we know? Listen to what Simeon now ways to mom and dad:
And really what it points to, is their lack of understanding of who Jesus is and what He’s come to do. How do we know? Listen to what Simeon now ways to mom and dad:
34 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 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
It’s obvious to Simeon that Mary and Joseph are a little clueless here. So he gives them greater insight. He declares to them Jesus’s true mission and purpose. And in doing so he reveals two major facts concerning Jesus’s mission and purpose:
Facts #1 - Jesus will bring about the rise and fall of many in Israel. In other words, some will accept Jesus as the one who brings salvation, and some will not. In other words, the message of Jesus will be a blessing to some and a source of contention for others. And this is exactly what both the Apostle Paul and Peter are referring to when they write concerning the reaction people will have concerning Jesus.
Paul writes:
33 as it is written,
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense;
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
And Peter writes:
6 For it stands in Scripture:
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,
“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”
8 and
“A stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offense.”
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
Both Paul and Peter remind their readers that some will accept Jesus and some will not. But before Paul and Peter ever say it, Simeon let’s Mary know this will be the case.
Fact #2 - The rejection of Jesus will bring sorrow to Mary.
Why would it bring sorrow? Because when Jesus is rejected, his enemies will seek to destroy him. You see, what Simeon is pointing to here is the crucifixion. A moment in Mary’s life that will bring great sorrow as she watches her son not only be rejected, but killed.
You see, Simeon is already pointing Mary towards Easter. He’s already proclaiming the cross.
Like I said, this wasn’t the kind of dedication Mary and Joseph were expecting. Because on one hand, Simeon brings amazing news concerning their son. He is the promised redeemer. But on the other hand, the news is troubling. He will be rejected. He will be killed. Simeon says, now that Christmas is here, Easter is on the way.
APPLICAITON:
Now, at this point, you might be thinking, “Ok pastor, this is all very interesting, but what does this have to do with me? How does this apply to us? And what does this have to do with who goes to heaven and who doesn’t?”
What I’d like to submit to youth is morning, is that this passage highlight two important truths concerning Christmas, salvation, and the after life. Truths that show us why Christmas is a season of salvation:
Truth #1 - Without Christmas, nobody is good enough to please God or get into heaven.
We see the truth of this in Mary and Joseph’s trip to the temple as Mary seeks purification.
We see it first in the fact that of all people who might be good enough, you would think it’s Mary. After all, she carried God’s son. But here we find her, heading to the temple. Still having to make sacrifices for her sin.
We see it also in the fact that while Mary and Joseph are trying to do the right thing, they still fall short. They can’t even offer the proper sacrifice. They can’t even meet God’s primary requirement.
You see, in this passage, Mary and Joseph symbolically represent the sinful state of man. A couple trying to do their best to please God. Trying to be “good people” and do the right thing. But unfortunately unable to meet the the true requirement.
And we are no different. Because like Mary and Joseph, spiritually speaking, as we came to church today, we came poor unable to offer God what he requires of us.
The truth is, when it comes to offering God the right sacrifice, we can’t afford the sacrifice that God requires. All we can bring Him is the poor man’s version. We can’t afford the lamb.
So, why is that important? It’s important because until we recognize our poor spiritual state, we can’t experience Christmas. Until we recongize that we aren’t good enough and we can’t be good enough, we can never experience true salvation. We have to be willing to recognize what the Apostle Paul reminds us of in . Concerning our spiritual state he writes:
10 as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
11 no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
Paul says there is nothing good about us. He goes on to say in :
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Paul says we’re not only not good, we’ve all sinned and fallen short of what God requires.
And that’s where true salvation begins. It begins with you and I recognizing how spiritually poor we are. Recognizing that all we have to offer God is the poor man’s version of what He truly requires.
Because the truth is, God doesn’t want your religion. He doesn’t want your good works. He doesn’t want your traditions. He doesn’t care what denomination you belong to. None of that matters to God because none of it makes you right with him. Mary was the mother of Jesus, and it still wasn’t good enough. She still had to make a sacrifice for her sin, and even then she couldn’t offer what God required.
And the same is true for you. Because without Christmas, you will never be good enough to be right with God or go to heaven. This leads us to the second truth.
Truth #2 - The only way to get right with God and go to heaven is to put your faith in Christmas.
When Mary and Joseph entered the temple to make their sacrifice, while they couldn’t afford the required lamb, the irony of the situation is they did have the lamb, they just didn’t know it. Because in Mary’s arms she carried the lamb. A promised lamb. A promised redeemer. You see, that’s what Simeon was declaring. That’s why he was so excited. Because the final sacrifice had arrived.
22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord
That’s why John the Baptist would introduce Jesus in this way years later:
According to , this was to be done with the first born male. Moses writes:
2 “Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine.”
And so, once again, Mary and Joseph are being obedient to God’s law. They are brining their son to the temple in order to be consecrated.
So, what does that mean? Basically they were dedicating Him to the Lord. As parents, they were symbolically recognizing that their son belonged to God and they are committed to raising him to know God.
It’s very similar to what we do here at MCF. In fact on Sunday morning, February 3rd we are going to do child dedications for parents who want to dedicate their children to the Lord. So, if you have a child under the age of 5, and you’d like to dedicate them to the Lord, talk to Jackie Creek about signing up for dedication Sunday.
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
You see, Jesus is the lamb. He’s the sacrifice we need but can’t afford. But the good news of the gospel is, when we couldn’t afford the lamb, God provided one for us. God provided us Christmas. God provided a way for us to be saved. And all we have to do to be saved is accept the gift. All we have to do is put our faith in the lamb that God has provided us. All we have to do is give up our attempts to be good, and accept what he offers. And if we’ll do that, then we can be assured of our salvation and our future. The apostle Paul writes:
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
And that’s the decision some of you need to make today.
Paul says, “If you’ll put your faith in Jesus, you will be saved.” And in that moment of faith, you are sealed by the promise of God’s redemption and assured a place in heaven with Him. Paul writes:
But what happens next in Jesus’s case is quite unique. Because as we’re going to see, this is no ordinary dedication. Listen to what happens as Mary and Joseph arrive at the temple for the dedication.
13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
I started the message by asking you if you believed in heaven. If you believed you would go there. And what you thought earned you the right to be there.
I started the message by asking you if you believed in heaven. If you believed you would go there. And what you thought earned you the right to be there.
My question for you now is, “Have your answers changed? Based on what the Bible actually says, have you put your faith in the right thing? Do you recognize your works, good deeds, and religion will never be good enough. Do you see that the only way you can be right with God is if you put your hope and faith in Christmas? In the gift God offers. The gift of His Son, the lamb of God.
25 Now 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. 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 do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word;
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation
31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.”
Could it be
Now, hold that thought, because there’s a second reason they are going there.
What I hope you can see now, is that there is nothing you can do to earn heaven. What I hope you can see now is you could never be good enough. What I hope you can see now is the only way you can be right with God is by putting your faith in Christmas. By putting your hope in the gift that he offers. The gift of His Son, the lamb of God.
You see, that’s why Christmas is a season of Salvation. Because it’s a season where God extends a hand of rescue. A moment when he offers you a life line. A moment when he seeks to save you from something you can’t save yourself from. When he freely offers a sacrifice we can’t afford. The question now is, “Will you accept the lamb? Will you put your faith and trust in Jesus?”
Luke 2:25-
Let’s Pray
Luke says there is a man named Simeon at the temple. So, who is this guy? Well, outside of this passage we don’t know anything about who this man. But here’s what we know:
22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” 25 Now 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. 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 do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word;
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation
31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.”
33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 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 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
39 And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.