Simeon's Song of Promise

INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION

GOOD MORNING

Welcome - release Kids

Continuing in our series called ‘Songs of Christmas’

Looking beyond just the popular Christmas Songs

Looking at 4 songs found in the first chapters in the gospel of Luke, surrounding the birth of Jesus

We looked at Mary’s Song

We’ve looked at Zechariah’s Song

This morning we will look at Simeon’s Song found in Luke chapter 2

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PRAY

SIMEON’S SONG | Deliverance, the strong arm of God from his humble servant

READ THE PASSAGE

Big Idea: Deliverance

Old: Strong hand of God

New: From His Humble Servant

Future: Returning King

We could easily miss this message because we don’t understand the culture.

My hope is that we leave here this morning with deeper understanding and experience of God’s past faithfulness and his future grace.

We could easily miss this message because we don’t understand the culture.

CULTURAL MISUNDERSTANDINGS

READ

MISUNDERSTANDING CULTURES

Have you ever visited or lived in a culture that is not your original or home culture?

Language, customs, way of life.

When I was 22 - Kirsten and I moved to Israel, after being married just 8 months. I had never been outside America at the time until this moment as found ourselves living on the Mount of Olives overlooking Jersualem

First night, the walk, the Mosque.

You realize you are no longer in your small town in West Virginia

Read the Passage

As we read the passage this morning - it struck me the while we may be familiar with the story, we are most definitely not familiar with the culture.

Purification - Law of Moses

Presentation - Law of the Lord

Turtledoves & Pigeons

Let’s step into the culture, as best we can -

Understanding that I myself am an outsider looking in and trying to understanding what I see - across cultures, and across time.

YET, the context of the setting and the words spoken go together to give full understanding

DELIVERANCE | From What?

CALLED JESUS (2:21)

Jesus, means deliverer

He is the Lord’s Christ (Messiah) - the promised one

SIN / DISOBEDIENCE

Adam and Eve disobeyed

Multiplied pain in child birth

, Promises

To the serpent he said,

a man will be born of a woman, and this man will crush your head, defeating you

and you will wound this man but he will live.

Women is unclean for 7 days after giving birth to a son

8th day - the son is circumcised

The she continues for 33 days

So after 40 days - she would need to offer an unblemished lamb one year old for burnt offering and a pigeon and dove for a sin offering.

If she can’t afford a Lamb then she can offer two turtle doves or two pigeons.

PROMISES

Genesis 3:16

This explains the initial purification but not the ceremony of presenting Jesus to the Lord - for this we go back to the book of Exodus.

PAST FAITHFULNESS

CAPTIVE IN EGYPT | PASSOVER

God raises up Moses, 9 plagues - let my people go… No!

10th Plague - death of the firstborn, all first born, children, animals - everything

Unless you sacrifice an unblemished male lamb, one year old. Then you were to take a hyssop branch and apply the blood on the side and top of your door post as a sign to you and your household - when the angel of death saw the blood - he would pass over the house.

For 7 days they would have unleavened bread to remember the bread the Israelites took with them so it wouldn’t go bad.

Passover

This was more than a one time event - every year

For 7 days they would have unleavened bread to remember the bread the Israelites took with them so it wouldn’t go bad.

At the end of the 7 days, the lamb would be killed and the blood applied

year after year, decade and decade - centuries passed and the feast remained.

“Remember the strong arm of God that brought you out of captivity”

Tell you kids, “It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.”

TWO CULTURAL PIECES

THIS WAS NOT THE ONLY THING THEY WOULD DO TO REMEMBER GOD’S FAITHFULNESS TO THEM...

1) Time for Purification - according to the Law of Moses

The above can be found in but when you continue into

2) Offer a Sacrifice - according to Law of the Lord

God commanded Israel, “Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both man and beast, is mine.”

The firstborn male animal was to be sacrificed to God

The firstborn child - you were to sacrifice a Lamb in his place.

Your son will one day ask why you do this - tell them of the strong arm of God that delivered you from captivity.

If you were poor and could not afford a Lamb then God allowed poor families to purchase 2 turtledoves or 2 pigeons.

FUTURE GRACE

MARY & JOSEPH

Purification 30 days, Presentation 40 days - this was soon after Jesus was 41 days old.

The were coming in obedience, to remember God’s past faithfulness - holding in their arms the Lamb of God.

God’s promise, the one spoken of in . The sin crusher, death defeater - the cooing child who once spoke light out darkness lay in their arms.

They were poor - humble - they had to purchase two doves or pigeons as they couldn’t afford a Lamb.

It is interesting, they held the King of Kings and Lord or Lords in their arms yet could not afford what today would be like $300.

Though wrapped in humility - some were able to see his divinity.

HUMBLE HUMANITY & DECLARED DIVINITY

Born to a virgin from Nazareth - His birth was announced by angels

He was laid in a manger - heavenly hosts of angels sang of his birth

He was baptized in the Jordan River - spirit of God descended like a dove and a voice from heaven spoke

Hands and feet were pierced with nails - the midday sun became dark and the earth shook

Now - just a few weeks old - a poor family makes a poor offering -> and then....

SIMEON

Old man

Righteous, devout - yet waiting...

Don’t miss this

What he says...

Now I can die in peace

God was faithful to his promise that I would see the Messiah

He is a light to the Gentiles (shows the way, revelation, something new)

The glory to you people Israel. (completion to what was promised and known)

DON’T FORGET THE REASON THEY ARE THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE...

Jesus is our Deliverer

The are remember God’s past deliverance as God is faithfully working out his future grace

REMEMBRANCE GIVES HOPE TO GENERATIONS

Feast of Unleavened Bread and Passover

To remember the strong hand of God that delivered them

Offering for you first born, dedicated to God

To remind you and future generations of the strong arm of God

The God who once delivered you will be faithful to completely deliver you

PAST: Deliverance from Egypt

FUTURE: The Promised Messiah - Free us from the Penalty of Sin once and for all

OUR PRESENT REALITY

PAST FAITHFULNESS

From where we stand on the timeline of history - we look back, remembering God’s faithfulness to send his son, Jesus, to pay the penalty for our sin.

PASSOVER

Jesus was called the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world

The Last Supper - was part of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, remembering God’s faithfulness to deliver the nation of Israel from Egypt

On the next day, Friday, while priests were once again sacrificing unblemished lambs in the Temple, Jesus was hanging on the cross.

DESCRIBE SLIDE

REMEMBRANCE

Think back with me to the Last Supper

Do this in remembrance of me…

FUTURE GRACE

He will return

Past Faithfulness - Removed the Penalty of Sin

Future Grace - Remove the Presence of Sin

CONCLUSION

MARY & JOSEPH

Went to the temple in remembrance and obedience to the law of God - celebrating God’s past and present faithfulness to them

In the midst of humble humanity, the received a glimpse of the divine through the words of Simeon and Anna.

JESUS

Jesus is at the heart of all of this

He is the one the promises and prophecies pointed to - he is the one we remember and celebrate this morning.

This Jesus - the perfect, unblemished Lamb of God - who took away the sins of the world.

TRNASITION TO COMMUNION

We remember - ourselves and to future generations

Unleavened bread - the sinless savior -

Deliverer - from captivity of our own sin

Purchased men for God from all nations through his own blood

Meditation

Jesus is our deliverer

How were you held captive by your own sin

How has Jesus set you free from the power of sin

Allow your heart to be renewed with hope that Jesus will return and also free us from the presence of sin

For those who have not yet placed their faith on Jesus

Consider that these are more than stories

This is history

As you watch these follower’s of Jesus - I encourage you - turn to anyone of them and ask them why they do this.

HAVE PEOPLE STAND - PRAY!