Sunday Service 8-9-20 - Luke 2:21-38 - Jesus Surpasses Our Hopes Part 2

Luke 2 Sermon C (21-38) - Simeon and Anna Intro: Continental Divide FCF: Small hope. Big Idea: Jesus surpasses man's hope. Jesus (substitutionary atonement, defying expectation, old-devout-faithful Simeon and Anna the remnant awaiting with hope God's redemption, all peoples including Gentiles, the turning point - hinge of history - revealer of hearts, the hopes of the faithful sufferer, redemption, witness) 21 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. 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." Background: Mary and Joseph act according to the Law, and according to their special instructions in naming him Jesus (YHWH saves or YHWH is salvation). Wisdom of Mosaic Legislation - all of these washings before they knew why. Exodus 15:1-15, Lev 12:1-8 - all first borns are dedicated to God - the whole tribe of Levites instead - (again what we have in view here is substitution - Pagan idea of child-sacrifice - (the Egyptians, the lamb, the Levites, and now Jesus). There is a problem - circumcision - set apart to the Lord, but also the circumcision of the heart, that which is impure in humanity and unclean that we pass down to all generations since Adam. Males 7 days unclean - circumcision - 33 days of purification - 40 days total - then presented in temple. (So, Jesus would've been 40 days or a month and 10 days old at this point.) Females 14 days days unclean - then 66 days of purification - 80 days total - then presented in temple. Mary and Joseph were poor - or at least they were not rich, the lower end of the spectrum. Joseph as head of family made sure sacrifice/purification and presentation were carried out. Jesus fulfills all righteousness: Circumcision (of the heart), Purification - 40 days - Jesus had no need for circumcision or purification but fulfilled all righteousness vicariously. This leads also to what Simeon is going to say about the Gentiles - those same Gentiles who were not a part of that old covenant of circumcision, who were actually made an example of in the Egyptians, they are now going to be shown this way of salvation full-scale (by Paul later in Acts) - the Jews were not saved by works or merit, but solely by God's sovereign grace through substitutionary atonement. Those Egyptians who were the enemies in the first Exodus will now be INCLUDED in the second Exodus! That's how much great this substitute is, how much greater this atonement is. 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." Simeon - (hearkening, He has heard, he who hears God's word, Shama'on) - righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel. Any contact with Zechariah and Elizabeth? Was he a priest, probably not, probably a layman because of the text "a man". 3X linked with the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit revealed he would not see death before seeing the Lord's Anointed. What did he expect ... what did he get? A 3-month old baby, barely able to sit up or grasp anything with his hand. Yet, how is Simeon able to recognize what is significant - by the Spirit, the Spirit was upon Him, and he came into the temple, in the Spirit - in fellowship with the Spirit, prayed up, believing, expecting, trusting. Simeon seems to be an old man, having waited and waited for what had been revealed to him. Wanting to be able to depart in peace. ("Now you dismiss") Jesus is (God's) salvation. Simeon's first major contribution - encompassing the world: in the presence of all peoples! A light ... For REVELATION to Gentiles For GLORY to Israel Don't we look at Israel and say - Wow, what a people! The people of God, whom God chose to be his covenant people when man had gone completely astray and there was no hope, God called Abraham out. Don't we say, "Thank you for everything. Thank you for preserving the Word. Thank you for the messiah coming from you. Your King is our king! We want this Jewish Messiah/King. We want to be a part of you. We want to join in the Israel of God through Christ, the true Israel." Christ is the glory of Israel. Don't we say, "we want you of all people to be saved, to experience the joy of this salvation. Don't you see that Christ is the fulfillment of your prophecies, your hopes, your law and covenant. Don't you see He is the prophet greater than Moses, the seed of David who is greater than He. He is who all of your stories are about. Please be saved!" 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." Simeon's second contribution: One of the contributions of Simeon is that this story and this Messiah encompasses the world. The other contribution is the negative part. Simeon blessed them and under the inspiration to the holy Spirit said that Jesus would be a sign of opposition - in other words THE polarizing sign for the fall and rise of many in Israel The child would be a "sign." This means that he would point away from himself to his Sender, whose image he would reflect and whose works he would perform. A sign of opposition/contradiction/spoken against. By means of their attitude to Jesus men would be constantly revealing the thoughts or deliberations of their hearts. They would show whether they were "for" or "against" him. Neutrality would be forever impossible (Luke 11:23; cf. Matt. 12:30). Fall and rise. Jesus is the stone that either becomes the cornerstone or the stumbling stone. Separations and distinctions are made order from chaos light and dark dry land from water Waters above and waters below. Wisdom and folly. Life and death. Israel or gentile. Now Christian or non-Christian. I hope that when you look at the world you do not see Republican Democrat, black white, male female, American foreigner, bulldog yellow jacket, not that those distinctions are insignificant but that compared to the only primary distinction those distinctions are practically nil. And a sword will go through your own soul and life as well. He gave them news that they would not want to hear but had to and needed to hear so that they wouldn't think that the plan had gone bad or wrong when the pain came. 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. When she saw him (Jesus) and the couple and Simeon ... she is the second witness (two or three witnesses). You have witness after witness in the beginning of Luke, at the outset of Jesus' life ... And, she is an example of Simeon's prophecy of the fall and rise of many (in fact she is one who did fall and rise, like Job). Anna means "Grace". Phanuel = Peniel = the face of God = Gen 32:30 "I have seen God face to face - yet my life is preserved." Asher = happy. Prophetess = declare the word of God, declare to others what is revealed to them by God. Anna: "up to 84 years" - 15 + 7 + 84 = 106. Or 84 years old. Anna's responses to two polar opposite circumstances: To pain and suffering: How did she respond, how did she see it? She saw it as a providential means to the end for which she was created - the glory of God ... but not as just a fatalistic stoicism, or some impersonal fate to succumb to and just accept ... no, she saw the world as a pre-Christ-Christian... She understood the reality of sin and the fall and the suffering and temporary "injustices"/"enigmas" that will occur in the world under the sun. But, she also did not see an impersonal force or a god that is distant ... ie, she believed in transcendence and immanence ... She believed in the God of Israel, of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of the Covenant and the Promise of an eternal kingdom, the promise of Messiah who would right all the wrongs, who would restore God's faithful remnant. In other words, she believed in REDEMPTION. Her response was worship with fasting and prayer - night and day. (By and By, Farther Along) Her life leads up to a moment, all her faithfulness, her worship, her fasting, her prayer, her relationship with her Maker, her God ... All of her previous faithful moments lead up to this moment: To Redemption: When she saw Him, her first response is thankfulness - Is that your response? Can you see Redemption through the pain and frustration and confusion? Do you have eyes to see and ears to hear the Messiah who brings Redemption? Her second response is witness ... her vertical thankfulness leads to horizontal sharing. It is an outpouring, that is what witnessing is. I want you to notice though who Luke emphasizes, who the Holy Spirit emphasizes, who Anna seeks out ... She bears witness to all who are waiting for that redemption, all who hold their hope out there, rather than closing in on themselves, rather than putting their hope in the world and compromising and making their bed with those who would imagine themselves to rival God, to declare their independence from God. No, she shares the good news of God's redemption to those who are waiting for it, to those who hope in God. Fascinating who God chooses to reveal himself to, to use as instruments of glory. Jesus surpasses all our hopes!! Faith is our response ... Faith working through relationship, gratitude, worship, witness.