"Salvation is Here"

Intro: Have you ever heard of FOMO. Its an acronymn. Fear Of Missing Out. Its a defining feature of many today. That’s why social media is such a empowering yet addictive thing for many of us. We got to make sure I’m not missing out on something. We got to make sure that others think I’m not missing out on life, so I got to make sure I get the best pictures and videos and post them.

There are two witnesses today though that knew without a shadow of a doubt that they were not missing out on anything. They knew that they would see God’s promises fulfilled, and that life dedicated to Him wasn’t missing out on anything. As a matter of fact, a life faithfully dedicated to him and his purposes was the best that life could offer.

Let’s look at the text today from Luke 2:22-38.

CTS: Faithfully declare that salvation has come in Jesus himself.

BACKGROUND: Continued Fulfillment of All Needed Aspects of Our Salvation (21-24)

Jumping back one verse in the text, we see that Jesus was circumcised like every other male child in the Jewish world. This was according to the law that God gave to His people, beginning with Abraham. Luke is making a very distinct argument by including what may seem like seemingly insignificant things to us. We as Christians today don’t deal with laws dealing with circumcision and purification laws, and that’s for a purpose. But what we also need to pay attention to is that Jesus by going through these things was fulfilling every aspect of the Law of the Lord, so that there could be no argument against him, that he was uncircumcised, that his parents were unclean, that he was not dedicated to the Lord as he was supposed to be. God sovereignly worked His plan so that His Son Jesus would fulfill every aspect of the Law with his life to be the perfect sacrifice. As I often say in my own preaching and prayers, Jesus lives the life that none of us could live perfectly.

Mary and Joseph come to purify themselves. This is done in accordance to after giving birth to a child. There is a time-frame necessary, but when the time has been fulfilled, Mary would come and bring an offering to be purified. Joseph would also have to come and do the same because he no doubt was helping his wife deliver Jesus. Not only that, they were coming to bring Jesus and dedicating him to be set-apart for the Lord. Notice what Luke says constantly throughout here. This is the Law of the Lord, not the law of man. Luke is careful to show that Jesus fulfills the Law that God has given, not the additional laws that the religious leaders and Pharisees added later on.

One thing to notice here is that the offering was one that indicated that Mary and Joseph were not well off. They were poor. Again, this reminds us that being poor does not mean that someone is disobedient or to be outcast. As a matter of fact, it reminds us that Jesus has come from humble beginnings, no doubt endearing him to those that were poor. As Christians today, we must look out for the poor and marginalized ourselves, declaring Gospel-hope in words and in action.

Transition: Speaking of declaring, we now are going to see two witnesses that declare that “salvation is here” in incredible fashion.

I. The Faithful Witness of Simeon (25-35)

A. A man in Jerusalem (25)

What first catches my eye in this text is the simplicity of this witness. First, we get no indication that Simeon was anyone special. He is just a man. It does not say his profession, whether he is a priest or anyone else. As a matter of fact, he is most likely not a priest or religious leader because Luke would have probably shared that information if he was. No, this man was a just a man. And that should remind us that it doesn’t require you to be a certain person in order to be faithful. You don’t have to look a certain way, be a certain profession, have the right family, or have enough money to be a faithful witness. You don’t have to have the biggest church in the county. You don’t have to have the best personality. No, you are just “a man or woman” in the place God has you.

Second thing that catches my eye is the description of this man. What made him different? He was righteous and devout. What does that mean? It means that he was seen as a man of integrity in his life. This does not mean that he was sinless and perfect. But it does mean that his faith defined his life. This righteousness did not save Simeon. It was a description of his character. Simeon would reveal the source of his salvation in his testimony. The other aspect of this man was that he was devout. That means that he was committed to worship. Some people today in our society use that word “devout” as a slur against someone, as though they are missing out on life is they are committed to living for God. But to worship God consistently and daily is not something to look down upon. It’s something that we as Christians in our society need to be concerned with. The testimony of Simeon and Anna should show us that Christianity is not a two-hour affair on Sundays. You cannot be a devout follower of Jesus and ignore him the rest of the week. Simeon was faithful to His Lord.

Third, Simeon was waiting for something important. He was waiting for the Messiah, coming salvation of Israel. We have been in that season of celebration, the Advent season of waiting. Yesterday was Christmas, and we celebrated that Jesus has come in the flesh. We continue to wait for his second advent though, and that he will bring the consolation of the nations in fullness. But his focus was this one thing. He was waiting for God to save him and his people.

Fourth, the Holy Spirit was upon him. And what was the defining feature and one that sticks out the most about Simeon was that God was upon him, empowering him to this task of faithfulness. He is a bit different than other characters throughout the Bible up to this point. OT characters would often receive the power of the Holy Spirit upon them, but once the task was complete or the person quenched the Spirit, He left them. Here, Simeon seems to have the Spirit upon him for his life. And that ultimately leads us to the powerful fact of God’s people today, the church. We are indwelt by the Spirit because of Jesus. We are Spirit-empowered people to carry out the task of faithful witness. Simeon had the Holy Spirit upon him. We have the Holy Spirit in us.

Application: The description of Simeon here in the text should remind spur us as Christians to faithfulness. And that should be the defining description of every Christian. One of my mentors, Dwayne Milioni encouraged us last year in a cohort of young pastors I was a part of that success is not defined by numbers, status, cool factor, or anything else like that in the Christian life or in ministry. Success defined by God is this wonderful truth that God says to his people when we stand before him. “Well done my good and faithful servant.” Simeon was defined by living righteously and devoutly for the Lord. He is defined as being faithful.

B. The Spirit in Simeon (26-27)

But what was it that Simeon was faithful to? The Spirit revealed to him that he would not see death until he saw the “Lord’s Christ.” In other words, the Messiah! What an incredible thing to be revealed. We don’t know how old Simeon is at this point. We can try to read between the lines that Simeon was older now. But maybe he is still middle-aged. We don’t know for sure. Regardless, the Spirit made it very clear that he would not die until he saw the Messiah come. What good news that Simeon received! And this is what drove his faithfulness. He trusted in the promises of God. And that should drive our faithfulness to as God’s people. We should see how God continues to fulfill his promises throughout the Scriptures and find rest in the fact that God is a promise-keeper, a covenant keeping God who is patient and steadfast to do it, despite the constant sin and rebellion mankind. What God promises to do, we can rest in that promise, just as Simeon did.

And when the time came, the Spirit led Simeon to the Temple in Jerusalem at just the right time and just the right place. It was most likely in the outer court of the temple, where women and others could come. It was there that he was led to the right couple and the right baby. And he didn’t even speak. He took up Jesus in his arms. Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m not so sure I’d be down with some random guy coming and taking my baby in his arms. But this isn’t an ordinary circumstance, and the Spirit is working through this encounter. And as he takes the baby in his arms, led by the Spirit, he declares testimony, praise, and prayer to the God who keeps his promises. A Spirit-led testimony of Gospel-proclamation. That is the Holy Spirit’s task in all things, to point people to the Son, Jesus Christ, that they might be saved through him.

C. The declaration in the Temple (28-35)

Salvation is here! (28-32)

Simeon declares that now, whenever the Lord is ready, that he come depart in peace in death. Why? Because he has seen God fulfill his promise to him. He has seen the Messiah. What he has waited for, the one for whom he dedicated his life in living rightly and devoutly for, has fulfilled his promise. He has seen Jesus, the Messiah. And in this declaration, he makes public this testimony. In front of Mary and Joseph, in front of the temple crowd, Simeon declares that this child is the Messiah. What does he declare? What the OT was promising from the very beginning.

Jesus is the Messiah, and he is our salvation. Jesus is the means of salvation.

Jesus is salvation for all peoples. This reminds us of the universal nature of salvation, that it is offered to all peoples in the world, regardless of race, class, or social standing. Regardless if they are Islamic, Chinese, North Korean, European, African, or anything else, salvation is given to all peoples.

Jesus is the light. And remember as we have talked about constantly during Advent, that he is the light of the world. Jesus came specifically to save not just Israel, but to save the nations. He is the light of the world.

Jesus is the glory. Through Jesus, Israel would be glorified, for Jesus is “true Israel.” Its in Jesus that God is glorified, that he fulfills what Israel was intended to do all along.

Salvation is costly (33-35)

But in the midst of this good news is the reality that will come because of him. Yes, salvation is here, but this salvation will come at a cost. Jesus comes not to overthrow governments, at least not at this point. He has come with a different purpose in mind. He has come to seek and save the lost. He has come to save his people from their sins. He has come to save the nations. That salvation would require his own sacrifice. His message would be heeded by some, rejecting by others. His own people would reject him as the Messiah. They would go and crucify him. This was part of the fore-ordained plan of God. It was necessary that he would suffer, as the prophet Isaiah made so clear.

There are those that will stumble, fall at the message of Jesus. They will reject him. We cannot force people to believe. We must trust the Spirit to work. But know that Jesus will divide people. He will either cause them to fall because they refuse to repent of their sin and trust in Him or they will believe on Him by faith and rise. The Gospel is Good News, but it also divides. There is no middle road. Yes, this seems too simplistic and too narrow-minded to some, but it is the truth. But we proclaim it anyway, in graciously, compassionately, but also boldly.

This rejection of Jesus, his crucifixion, would cut to the heart of Mary. This will be painful for her. She will watch her son get rejected to the point of death. Yet it will be necessary, for the Messiah Jesus will reveal the hearts of many, that we are sinful and in desperate need of a Savior.

Transition: Marveling at this witness, we now come to the second witness of the text, Anna. And in her, we will see another example of faithfulness...

II. The Faithful Witness of Anna (36-38)

This second witness does not get as much space as Simeon does, but her work is just as important. She is described as a prophetess. There a number of women prophets throughout the biblical history, though admittedly not as many as men. But they did exist and were instrumental in Israel’s history. We also find out later in the NT that there were prophetesses in the early church. These prophets, remember, were instrumental in the revelation of God’s Word, his promises. Anna is no different.

She is a widow, and she has been one for a long time. The text in the Greek can either be read as being a widow for 84 years, making her in the range of 100 years old, or she could be just 84 years old. Regardless, she is well-advanced in age.

And another descriptor of her is that she did not depart from the temple. There are two options here. She either had quarters at the temple, living there, or she was constantly at the temple worshiping. Either way, she was incredibly devout and faithful to her task in worshiping her Lord and faithfully proclaiming his revelation to others.

And in verse 38, we see that she also begins to give thanks to God when she sees Jesus! She also proclaims in prophetic word that Jesus is the salvation that we have been waiting for. A second witness has been given, which according to the Law, makes the witness legitimate. She faithfully proclaims to those in the temple, waiting for redemption.

Application: Along with Simeon, we have a witness here that is reminds us that faithfulness doesn’t end at a certain age. In a world where retirement is the goal, we see in Scripture that we are never retired from the work of the Lord. As a matter of fact, retirement should be defined by us today as being freed up to pursue ministry in a way that you could not give full energy to when employed. I would say to you today, and I’ll say this with all the love in my heart to you, that we need the older saints of God to serve. You never “serve your time” and then let the young people do the work. You can serve now. Faithfulness doesn’t ever end. As a matter of fact, it is often in the most eldest of our saints that God can be most glorified.

Anna was very old, but dedicated. It didn’t matter her age or even her physical energy or body. She was dedicated to serving the Lord. That should be the desire of every Christian.

Conclusion:

In light of these two witnesses, it stands to bear that we are called to be witnesses. Why? Because we have seen salvation. Notice very clearly how public this proclamation is. Christianity was never meant to be a private affair. Yes, it includes individual piety and commitment. It includes personal faith, but it doesn’t stay there. The witnesses of Simeon and Anna should remind us of this.

Simeon and Anna should also remind us that nothing other than knowing God is most important in life. Philippians 3:3-12 reminds us of this.

Philippians 3:3–12 ESV

3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.

Life dedicated to him is not FOMO, but rather, experiencing life as it was intended to be. This requires knowing the Lord outside of two hours on a Sunday. It requires a life of devout worship and righteous living in the power of the Holy Spirit. Life isn’t about money, the American dream. Life is about Jesus as carrying out His will and proclaiming his Gospel to the world that needs it. All of us, from young to old need to make a decision about whom we serve in this life.

Teenagers, seek the Lord’s will for your life, not your own. And yes, that may require you to have to make some sacrifices to your American dream. God may desire you to go be a missionary across the world. He may want you to pastor. Maybe not. But everything in your life, you should ask the question: How can I faithfully witness about Jesus, and how can I live my life fully dedicated to him in how he has created me?

Parents, should cause you to have to start making decisions that reflect a desire to serve Jesus in your family rather than building your own kingdom and retirement account. How do I make my household a place of righteousness and worship and point my family to Jesus and making Him known?

Our oldest saints, that should cause you to think, how can I leverage my retirement years to further the Gospel. How can I serve the Lord and His church?

And this should be noted as well. Simeon is an example that any man and any woman should be devout and righteous. Its not for the certain people of Christianity. This life is not just for pastors or missionaries. This is to be the life of every Christian.

Salvation is here. Now let’s go faithfully declare that truth in the power of the Holy Spirit in our workplaces, our homes, in our church, and throughout the world.