Sermon Tone Analysis

Last week we talked about The Arrival of the King, and heard HOW Jesus was born.

You’ll remember that the first people to hear of Jesus’ birth outside of His family were shepherds, but they heard of the good news in a most unusual way.

Luke 2:9-12 (NIV)

An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid.

I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Many of us LOVE the Christmas story, when Jesus came to Earth as a human baby.

But Jesus didn’t stay that way.

He grew as a human, lived a perfect life without sin, and demonstrated that He was Savior, Messiah, and Lord.

In fact…we wouldn’t celebrate CHRISTMAS if Jesus wasn’t Savior, Messiah, & Lord because he would just be another Jewish baby born in the 1st century.

In short, we wouldn’t celebrate Christmas if there was no CROSS.

In fact, only 2 of the 4 gospels (Matthew & Luke) say anything about the birth of Jesus, and those passages aren’t super long (only 40 verses).

But ALL 4 GOSPEL WRITERS spilled a good amount of ink writing about the moments leading to Jesus’ death on the cross.

WHY?

Because this was the Purpose of the King, to make a payment for our sin and adopt us into His forgiven family.

The apostle Paul put it this way.

Galatians 4:4–5 (NIV)

But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.

Christmas is the set time that God sent His Son, so that WE might become His sons…and daughters.

He was born of a woman to redeem us - to pay for OUR SIN and bring us into His family!

*Since Galatians was likely written before Matthew or Luke, some scholars these are the very first words written about the birth of Jesus.

But today we will look closer not at HOW Jesus came to Earth, but WHY Jesus came to Earth - the Purpose of the King.

Luke gives us some significant details about the days just after Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem.

Luke 2:21 (NIV)

On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.

Remember that the angel said the child was to be named Jesus (Yeshua = Yahweh saves) because He would save his people from their sins (Mt 1:21).

Jesus was circumcised on the 8th day according to the Law (Gen 17:11-12, Lev 12:3).

According to the law, the woman must wait 33 days until she is purified from her bleeding (Lev 12:4) & before she can go to the temple and participate in a cleansing ritual (burnt offering & sin offering) when she will be considered “clean from her flow of blood” (Lev 12:6-7).

We might consider all this ritual to be quite foreign and strange, but it demonstrated the seriousness the people of God were to prepare to approach God in worship.

QUESTION: Is there anything WE do to prepare to meet with God or do we just take our privilege to meet together, sing to the King, and open the Scriptures, or do we take all this for granted?

What if, before we show up to a church gathering, we took some time to get alone with God and THANK HIM for His people & His Presence?

Mary & Joseph had prepared themselves, and now - 40 days after Jesus’ birth - the whole family took a 5 mile trip from Bethlehem to the temple.

*Side note: That means Mary & Joseph had been in Bethlehem for well over a month at this point.

Luke 2:22-24 (NIV)

When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”

* Ex 13:12; Lev 12:6-8

As was mentioned last week, this was the sacrifice of a poor family, as allowed in the Law (Lev 12:8).

Luke 2:25-27a (NIV)

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout.

He was waiting for the consolation [NET = restoration] of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him.

It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.

Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts.

Simeon was a Godly man, a man who had been expectantly waiting on the consolation [NET = restoration] of Israel.

Most Jewish people in this time expected Israel to be restored to glory when the Messiah showed up.

(We see the apostles asking Jesus about this restoration just before He ascended to heaven - Acts 1:6).

And this Godly man was promised by the Holy Spirit that he would get to SEE the Messiah!

And Simeon, on the exact same day at the exact same time that Joseph & Mary are bringing Jesus to the temple, was moved by the Spirit to go into the temple courts.

Luke 2:27b-32 (NIV)

When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, You may now dismiss Your servant in peace.

For my eyes have seen Your Salvation, which You have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”

Think about the significance of what this man has said!

He is ready to DIE because his great hope has been seen!

This baby - Yeshua/Jesus - is God’s salvation!

And this salvation isn’t just for Jews…it’s for Gentiles like you and me!

This child will do more than restore Israel - He will restore people all over the world!

Just imagine this is YOUR child…and a Godly old man that you’ve never met approaches, asks to hold the baby, and says these words!

But these aren’t the words of a crazy old man, because everything he is saying is aligning with what an angel told you BEFORE your child was born, and what shepherds proclaimed AFTER he was born.

Would you be blown away?

YEP!

And so were Mary & Joseph!

Luke 2:33-35 (NIV)

The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him.

Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.

And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

Mary will see her grown son become a source of division among the people of Israel.

Some wanted to make Him KING, but others wanted to have Him KILLED.

But there is one event that Mary would experience that would feel like a sword piercing her soul.

What is THAT?

We will consider this in a few moments.

So while Mary & Joseph are considering these claims, another person appears who has something to say.

Luke 2:36-37 (NIV)

There was also a prophet[ess], Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher.

She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.

She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.

Anna was a worshipper with a CAPITAL W! She was consistently at the temple in Jerusalem all day long, fasting and praying.

But she did more than just pray quietly.

Anna opened her mouth to tell others what God said, since she is called a prophetess [Greek], meaning one who speaks on behalf of God (Other women referred to this way include Miriam - Ex 15:20), Deborah - Judg 4:4, Huldah - 2 Kgs 22:14, Isaiah’s wife - Is 8:3, or the daughters of Philip - Acts 21:9).

And she showed up the same day that Simeon did, and...

Luke 2:38 (NIV)

Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

2 people have spoken of this Child as bringing redemption and salvation to Gentiles and to Israel, including the people of Jerusalem.

And many years later an excruciating event would take place in this same city - the city of Jerusalem - an event that would bring this salvation - an event that would evidence why the Child had been named Jesus - “because He would save His people from their sins”.

Jesus would give Himself up to be crucified.

The Shepherd would give His life to save His sheep.

And Mary’s soul would be pierced as she stood at close enough to our crucified King to talk with him.

John 19:25–27 (NIV)

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.”

From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

Can you imagine hearing this conversation?

Even while dying the most painful death, Jesus is caring for His mother and His disciples.

And it wasn’t long after that conversation that Jesus completed the purpose He had come to Earth for.

John 19:28–30 (NIV)

Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”

A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips.

When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.”

With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

It is finished - what’s THAT mean?