Standing Out

Luke 2:22-40

Every person can connect with God like Simeon by adopting the characteristics he possessed.

Introduction:

When I was in college Wayne Goldsmith came to become the pastor of the Hillsdale United Brethren Church. He is an unassuming man. He actually is a little funny looking. After I got to know this man I knew there was a lot there that I could gain from him.

He began his time at the church by grabbing the college students and teaching a Sunday School Class from the book of Proverbs. We literally crawled through the book one verse at a time. What made this so amazing is that Wayne knew the book so well and he allowed the book to guide every decision he made. He was not just telling us about the book, but he was a living example of what it took to live the book.

That is just one aspect of his life. He led the church from one that was averaging about 100 to the fastest growing church in the denomination. He is also a humble man, because he will tell you that he built upon the foundation that had been laid by previous pastors. Wayne is the kind of pastor that I would love to be like. I think that Simeon whom we are studying today would be this kind of man also. We will look at the characteristics that cause him to stand out.

Characteristic I. He was righteous

A. There seems to be very little that we know about Simeon. There are only a few verses dedicated to him in the Bible. Two words that are used immediately that describe him are righteous and devout. We can assume from the word righteous that he was a man who held firmly to God’s commands. In everything Simeon did he wanted to please the Lord. So he made sure that he lived a life that was pleasing to God. This probably meant that he knew the commands and he kept the commands. If we would have known Simeon we might say we never saw him do anything wrong. We might think that he never had a bad thought that passed through his mind. As a result we might think that he is a little unusual, we could also think that he is deserving of being seated on a pedestal. He really was a man who was worthy of looking up to. He was a good example for people to follow.

B. The other word used here is devout. This is similar to righteous in that it was Simeon striving to be a righteous man. This also indicates that he was a man who was meticulous in adhering to the laws of God. He would have been very careful that he did not break any of the commands of God. He would have been careful.

C. You might be thinking already, I can’t do that. I will mess up. Just because a person is righteous and devout does not mean that they never make a mistake, but I think it means that they are big enough to admit to that mistake. That can be a very difficult thing to do with some people. However, it is something we need to be willing to do. Someone once said that difference between a novice and a professional is the ability to cover their mistakes. I would say that the difference between a righteous person and one who is not is the willingness to admit to their mistakes and to do what it takes to make that situation right.

D. I think that many have adopted the notion that they are going to be righteous and devout in some areas. In other areas they will seek God’s forgiveness or ignore that this is not an area where forgiveness is needed. Know God by knowing his word. If you run into an area where it is hard to maintain righteousness work on that. Don’t be afraid to struggle through some hard parts. Learn to let God rule in those difficult areas of your life.

Characteristic II. He waited

A. In the second part of v. 25 we are told that Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel. Jesus is described in this passage as the consolation of Israel or comforter. This is usually a name that we would tag onto the Holy Spirit, but here it is connected to Jesus Christ. When the Messiah, Jesus Christ came into the world he would come as a comforter. This is what the people of Israel had been looking for from the earliest passages of the Bible. They were anticipating the Messiah to come into the world and to bring comfort. To the country. This might be where the idea that the Messiah would bring peace from Roman oppression.

B. Simeon stands out as someone who was waiting for this to happen. In v. 26 we read that it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. I am sure that in every generation from the beginning of Israel there had been someone who had hoped they would be alive when Jesus, the Messiah, came into the world. Simeon was that one. He would live to see Jesus come into the world and he was waiting for that to happen. In v. 27 we are told that Simeon was waiting in the Temple Courts. He was not just hoping that it would happen. When the spirit told Simeon to move he got up and went to the Temple. His waiting was not a passive activity. His waiting was something he was actively involved in. When Jesus arrived at the temple he would be ready.

C. I think there are a few different kinds of waiting. There is passive waiting and there is active waiting. The other day while I was training to drive bus there were ten of us in the class and two instructors. The instructors wanted to spend individual time with each one of us. So several of us waited impatiently for our turn to arrive. We also had the opportunity to practice driving and studying our manuals before our time with the instructor arrived. This is more active waiting. Simeon was actively waiting for the coming of the Messiah. So he acted when the time arrived.

D. In our lives are we waiting for something to happen to us, or are we ready when something happens. Are you ready for Jesus to do something in your life? When it does happen will you know what to do? I am guessing that we want to serve God. That might mean that we need to anticipate what he is going to do and be ready for that to happen.

Characteristic III. He looked

A. When I was much younger my brother and I would be riding in the back seat of my parent’s car. As we would drive along, mom or dad would say hey look at that. My brother was the kind of person who always had his nose in a book. So he would usually miss what the rest of us were seeing. Then you would hear a familiar cry, “I missed it.” It seemed like he missed a lot of what the rest of us saw, because he was usually otherwise occupied when we were traveling.

B. Simeon was in the temple because the spirit had prompted him to go there. He was looking for the Messiah. He knew that salvation was connected with the Messiah. He saw because he was looking. This is unlike my brother who missed a lot of things because he was looking in the wrong place. Simeon was looking in the right place for the Messiah. He knew that God had told him he would see the Messiah. He knew that he would see the Messiah, so he knew to be looking for the Messiah. Because of the information that Simeon knew he was looking for the Messiah. He was waiting for his arrival. In v. 26 it says, “It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.”

C. One reason that Simeon experienced what he experienced is because he had been prepared for what was coming. No doubt Simeon’s righteousness and devotion had contributed to his being in the right place at the right time. I have heard many people say that amazing things of God don’t happen as much in our society as they do in third world countries. I think a big part of that is because our part of the world has come to a place where they can explain everything. If we can’t explain it we will make something up. We have caused God to become impotent because we explain everything away. Maybe more amazing things would happen if we would anticipate more from God.

D. We may never see Jesus like Simeon saw Jesus, but we are not going to see Jesus at all if we don’t have the faith of a little child. We need to know what Jesus is promising and we need to be ready for him to do something amazing.

Characteristic IV. He blessed

A. Last week I challenged you to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ with a great deal of enthusiasm. The angels had been waiting for years for the appearance of the Messiah to finally happen. So, when Jesus did arrive they celebrated. They lit up the sky near the shepherds. This week it is Simeon and Anna who are celebrating. We are told that Simeon blessed them in v. 34. This is a way of saying that Simeon celebrated. He was so excited about what had happened that he blessed. It was almost an automatic reaction to the appearance of the messiah.

B. Simeon really had some insight into who Jesus was. He blesses Mary and Joseph and the baby because he recognizes what an awesome moment this is. Look at some of the things he tells Mary prophetically. It is easy to become critical of the people of Jesus day for missing out on the Messiah because he did not fit the image they had of him. Look at the things Simeon said about him. In v. 34 he will cause the falling and the rising of many in Israel. Isn’t he supposed to be the one who rescues Israel? Yet Simeon is saying he is going to cause the falling of many. Also in that verse he will be spoken against. People should not be saying negative things against the Messiah, yet Simeon says this will happen. In v. 35 he says that a sword will pierce the soul. This is probably talking about the anguish she will experience at the crucifixion of her son.

C. Rather than a jolly joyous Messiah, Jesus is going to cause a lot of trouble in the world. This certainly caused a great deal of confusion for the people of Israel, but it also causes a dilemma for us today. We have an image of who we think Jesus ought to be. When Scripture contradicts what we believe Jesus ought to be, it causes a faith crisis. At that point we need to decide if we will believe the Bible or if we will believe our feelings. Many in our world are choosing their own feelings over the truth of Scripture. In spite of Jesus contradictory nature Simeon choose to bless him.

D. How will you respond when you are faced with a similar crisis? Are you willing to turn your back on what you believe to be true because it feels right and firmly grasp the truth of the Bible? Everything we know about Jesus is not pleasant. Everything that Jesus tells us we ought to be doing is not pleasant. We need to put the truth of the Bible before our feelings.

Conclusion:

Simeon is a man who was full of faith and ready when Jesus came into the world. The characteristics I have just described caused Simeon to be ready. Jesus is not done in the world yet. He might be waiting to do something else big, and we need to be ready. We need to make sure that we are full of faith, that we are righteous. We need to make sure that we are looking for that next big thing.

We need to have an active and vibrant faith. We also need to be constantly growing in our faith. If you are going to make resolutions I would challenge to make some spiritual ones as well.