Sermon Tone Analysis
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This New Year’s morning, we begin a series looking at Jesus’ life.
This series will take us through to Easter, looking at Jesus, his ministry and how the Old Testament is fulfilled in Him.
Indeed, the Bible is about God.
It tells us why we are here, why God created the universe—so that he could create human beings in his image, so that we could experience him in a way that no other created being can experience him, not even the angels!
Jesus communicated throughout his ministry that the Bible is about him.
So, my desire with this series is that we would deepen our knowledge, appreciation and love for Jesus.
In our passage this morning, kicking everything off, we see Mary & Joseph presenting Jesus at the temple in Jerusalem.
While there, they interact with Simeon.
These two people are remarkable because they demonstrate God’s faithfulness.
While the world was going to you know where in a hand basket, God had preserved a remnant.
These two represent the faithful minority.
Let’s learn from our text.
What we have this morning is a practical application of what we’ve been looking at these last 5 weeks.
Mary & Joseph
The phrase, “They brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.”
This is exactly what we’d expect Mary and Joseph to do.
Mary and Joseph were faithful followers of God.
Therefore they obeyed the law, which required them to do two things: they were to present him to the Lord (consecrate him to the Lord) and they were to offer a sacrifice, a burnt offering and sin offering.
The first thing they did was to present him to the Lord.
The Law of God required every firstborn male be offered to the Lord.
In we read, “Consecrate to me every firstborn male.
The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether man or animal.”
This is why Hannah presented Samuel to the Lord.
She had promised, if the Lord gave her a son, he would be presented to the Lord, and would serve the Lord in the temple as a priest.
Mary and Joseph presented Jesus to the Lord, according to the law, but they chose to redeem him, that is pay the price of redemption which was 5 shekels.
By paying this, they did not have to dedicate Jesus to temple work, as Hannah did with Samuel.
This meant that as Jesus grew up, he was able to remain at home and work with his dad, Joseph.
We
We know that Mary and Joseph were poor because she offered a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.
We also
As the Law required, they presented their firstborn son to the Lord.
Because they were not Levites, they were able to redeem him from the Lord’s service via a sacrifice.
This they did.
However, Christ came to be sacrifice that would redeem everyone.
His whole life was an offering to the Lord.
In this, Christ fulfilled the requirements of all the Levites, all Israel, all people, with his life.
His was the perfect offering.
But this moment in the temple reminds parents that they have the solemn duty, the blessed privilege to give their children over to the Lord.
They do this by teaching them, rebuking them, correcting them and training them in righteousness, the righteousness of Christ.
This is what God requires of every Christian parent.
Yes, we trust the Lord will care and call our children into the promise.
God gives us great responsibility also.
Simeon
Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel.
Having received from God a prophecy telling him he wouldn’t die until he’d seen the Christ child, he lived his life, going to the temple, waiting to see the newborn messiah.
God’s prophecy applies to us as well.
Are we living our lives in the seriousness of knowing that Christ is coming back like a thief in the night?
Are we mindful of Christ’s command to “Take up our cross and follow him”, and other passages like that?
Simeon, “guided by the Spirit... came into the temple.”
What would our worship be and look like if employed the same attitude?
If the preacher and the parishioners came guided by the Spirit, what kinds of blessings might be evident?
Do we prepare our hearts and our minds knowing that we’re worshipping God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit as the gathered, visible body of Christ?
Are we mindfully aware of the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives?
Are we resisting him, or allowing him to move freely within us?
Do we see what is actually going on?
The Father and the Son are in heaven above, receiving worship.
The Son pleads our cause before the Father saying, “accept their worship for my sake.
Accept my sacrifice of praise as an acceptable sacrifice.
See me, when you look upon them.”
The Holy Spirit sanctifies our actions, our words, our worship, He moves within us, stirring our hearts though prayer, song, scripture and preaching.
He opens our eyes, our ears, our minds and our hearts to the truth.
He breathes life into our dead bones, willing us to do God’s will.
Simeon refers to God as Sovereign Lord.
Do we think of God in this way?
Do we take comfort from knowing that our whole lives are in his hands?
Even vehicle breakdowns, illness, death, life, birth, changes, work, school, everything is within God’s sphere of power.
This should console us when we face difficulties.
The difficulties faced by Joseph and Mary, Job and many others were mediated by the knowledge that they belonged to God.
The words of
ring true, nothing can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ, and God turns everything to our benefit, our good.
Simeon says, “My eyes have seen your salvation.”
Holding a mere babe in his arms, an 8-day-old infant, the Holy Spirit enabled Simeon to see that in him is salvation.
He took the words of prophecy and trusted them.
He held the evidence of that trust in his arms.
He held salvation in his hands.
Faith means seeing!
Simeon looked at the baby Jesus and saw salvation.
Years later, that same Jesus would look at weak Simon Peter and see a rock, Jesus looked toward the cross and saw victory!
May God grant us the grace and the faith to see life with transforming potential!
“Salvation which you have prepared.”
Salvation is God’s gift.
It is not human achievement.
Salvation is Christ, through Christ, on account of Christ.
Don’t be confused.
Don’t be misled.
Don’t fall into the temptation of thinking that you can in any way earn or deserve salvation.
Don’t think you’re entitled to the saviour’s salvation.
There’s considerable error among some Christians on this today.
A popular phrase is, “you don’t need to preach the gospel; you need to be the gospel.”
The Gospel is good news.
The good news is that God sent his Son to save sinners.
The good news is Jesus’ birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension.
How can you be that?
You can’t be an historical event!
The good news has to be preached.
It has to be received.
It has to be understood.
It has to be applied.
You are saved from sin.
You are made forever right with God.
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