Sermon Tone Analysis

Text – Luke 2:28-32 “Simeon’s Christmas Carol”

Subject – Blessing

Compliment – Simeon

Textual Idea – Simeon’s Blessing

Textual Idea Sentence – Simeon blessed God with a wonderful Christmas carol when Jesus was dedicated in the temple by Mary & Joseph.

Sermon Idea Sentence – Simeon’s blessing of Jesus is a challenge for us at Christmas.

Interrogative – What can we learn from Simeon’s Christmas carol?

Transition w/ key word – Our text presents 3 features in Simeon’s Christmas carol that challenge us.

I.

A carol of worship – vs. 28

II.

A carol of salvation – vs. 29-30

III.

A missionary carol – vs. 32

Introduction – I don’t know about you but I love to sing Christmas carols just like we’ve sung today and really throughout this Christmas season.

Who doesn’t love “I’ll be home for Christmas?”

Thank church for providing for benevolence funds.

Tell about meeting Juan Vera, 25 years in prison, bought him a bus ticket to Michigan - show pictures.

Read his card.

Oh come all ye faithful, Joy to the world, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Silent Night Holy Night and Away in a Manger are some of my favorites.

They are still powerful and exciting, still fresh to me and I never get tired of singing them at Christmas.

A carol is simply defined as a religious song associated with Christmas.

It can also mean to sing or say something happily.

I think we love Christmas carols so much because they tell us the story of Christmas.

Over the last several weeks, we’ve been in a series called “The Carols of Christmas” looking at the carols surrounding the birth of Christ recorded in Scripture.

We looked at Mary’s carol, Zacharias, the Angels & Shepherds on Christmas Eve.

Today there is one more for us to examine from Luke 2:25-25 on the occasion of Jesus’ being dedicated in the temple.

Read Text Luke 2:25-35

Background – Luke 2:21-24 tells us Jesus went through all the circumcision requirements of the Law.

The Lord Jesus Christ was taken to the temple 8 days after his birth by his Mother Mary and his “Step-father” Joseph.

It was customary for the Jews to dedicate their children 8 days after their birth along with some other requirements of the law.

Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to the temple and there they met a man named Simeon.

All we know of this man Simeon is given to us in Luke 2:25-35.

Notice God’s inspired descriptions of Simeon from our text:

Simeon - His name means “Heard”, God heard Simeon’s prayers as he was waiting for the consolation of Israel, the Messiah.

Interestingly the word consolation is the GK word parkalesis - one called alongside.

And right here in our text in vs. 25 it says the Holy Spirit, the paraklete was upon him!

This was a divine moment.

Just - vs. 25 - “Dikaisos” - means righteous, literally “right-wise”.

Devout - vs. 25 - Literally means taking hold well.

The idea behind this word, is Simeon was cautious, careful when it comes to the things of God.

Reverent, you might say God fearing.

Waiting - “Prosdechomai” - To look forward too & to receive or accept.

Patiently waiting for God’s promised Messiah!

The Holy Spirit was upon him - Every believer has the HS living in them today and oh how we desperately need His empowering!

Notice 3 specific things the Holy Spirit had done for Simeon. 1) Revealed Simeon would not see death b/f he saw the Lord’s Christ, the Messiah.

Vs. 26 2) HS led him to the temple that particular day!

Vs. 27 God doesn’t do random.

3) Holy Spirit gave him a prophesy to proclaim!

Literally the Word of the Lord!

We assume based on the context that he was an old man, but we don’t know that for sure.

Simeon was drawn to church that day as well and he took Jesus up in his arms and gave us his Christmas carol.

3 features of Simeon’s Christmas carol…

I.

A carol of worship – vs. 28

Explanation – The text says that Simeon “blessed God.”

The word blessed there is “eulogeo” where we get our term eulogy from.

LS is sometimes called a Eucharist, b/c Jesus gave thanks.It means that Simeon was giving thanks to God.

What was he giving thanks for?

His blessing was rooted in vs. 25-26 – He was a devout Jew who was waiting for the “Consolation of Israel” – in other words, he was waiting for the Messiah to come.

God had promised Simeon he would not die until he’s seen the Lord’s Christ – the promised Messiah foretold in the Old Testament who would deliver Israel from sin.

As a devout Jew, Simeon longed for the day the Messiah would come.

He was in communion with God through the Holy Spirit who had shown Simeon some things about the Messiah so Simeon’s carol was one of worship – a carol of thankful praise to Almighty God for keeping His promises.

Simeon had an “attitude of gratitude” and actually took time to thank God for his many blessings, but primarily, as he says in vs. 30 for God’s salvation.

That was the primary focus of the Messiah’s purpose, to save the people from their sins.

What we celebrate and worship in the birth of Jesus Christ is that God became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14).

Like Simeon, Christmas blessings have flowed to us from God ever since Jesus Christ, the Messiah that God promised would save His people from their sins was born as little baby – the greatest gift of all.

As we celebrate this same Jesus today, the last Sunday of 2021, will you bless God, not just with your lips, but with your life this next year?

How do we do that?

Obedience to God’s Word - have to study it!

New SOAP reading plan will be out & available next Sunday.

II.

A carol of salvation – vs. 29-30

Explanation – Notice the startling thing Simeon says in vs. 29-30.

Basically he says – “Lord, you promised I wouldn’t see death until I had seen the Messiah, the Christ.

I’ve now seen Him, so I’m ready to die in peace.”

I don’t know about you but when I see a little baby, I think of life, not death; yet Simeon says, “that’s it, I’m now ready to die in peace!”

That word “depart” in the original language is “apoluo” which has several meanings associated with it and gives us great insight into the death of a Christian.

1) It can mean “to release a prisoner” 2) It can also mean to untie a ship and set sail on a voyage, and 3) It can also mean to take down a tent.

True Christians are not afraid of death, like Simeon, we can be ready to die in peace when our earthly tent, our body, is ready to be taken down, death releases our spirits to embark on an eternal journey and we’re finally set free from the scourge and bondage of sin that imprisons us in this world.

Simeon was ready to die and he was at peace about it because he saw the salvation provision of God in the person of Jesus Christ.

Simeon spent his whole life looking forward by faith to seeing the Messiah – while he saw Jesus in the flesh, he still had to accept by faith as he held the baby Jesus in his arms, this baby was God’s provision for his sin.

Simeon knew this little child he held would be God’s sacrifice for the sin of mankind.

You have to embrace Jesus by faith also.

Becoming a Christian is as simple as ABC.

If you make that decision by faith, then your death can be all of what I described above and it will be precious in the sight of God according Ps.116:15.

Are you at peace with the prospects of death like Simeon?

If not, why not?

The whole world with this “Plandemic” is deathly afraid of dying, sadly including Christians! Listen to Paul’s encouragement from 2nd Cor.

5:1-8!

III.

A missionary carol – vs. 31-35

Explanation – Simeon understood that this Messiah of the Jewish people, would not be a blessing just to the Jewish people.

The whole point of the nation of Israel as God promised to their patriarch Abraham that in him all the nations of the earth would be blessed (Gen.12:3).

This is what Simeon says in vs.31-32.

God’s plan all along was that Israel would point all the peoples of the world to the Messiah as the provision for salvation.

His language in vs. 32 is very picturesque – “a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles” – the word “revelation” is “apokalypsis” – the same term for the book of Revelation – most commonly means “unveiling” or “appearing” – but also refers to the removal of ignorance, turning on the light of true wisdom and knowledge of God’s plan of salvation for mankind.

Simeon also blessed Joseph & Mary also but had a specific word for Mary that her Son would be destined for the rising and fall of many in Israel!

The common people rose in faith in Jesus & the religious leaders who should have been first to recognize Jesus as Messiah “fell” and their hearts were revealed.

Think about this too, Mary stood silent and allowed her Son to be crucified!

Simeon’s carol is a missionary carol in that this wonderful news of the Messiah’s coming is to be proclaimed to all the peoples of the world.