The Promise Fulfilled

Introduction

Good Morning FBCO! Welcome to everyone who is here this morning and also joining us on our online stream. We are blessed to have you worship our God with us this morning.

I pray you all had an amazing Christmas. If you joined us on Christmas Eve, you know we had a wonderful time remembering and worshipping our God. I hope your time with family and friends was filled with joy. Ultimately though, I pray you had time to reflect on our greatest blessing, Jesus.

Brag

....

So, if you joined us Friday night we saw in God’s Word about THE promise of God. This morning I would like to continue as we look at the fulfillment of the promise and what our response to that should be.

Before getting into our main text this morning I want to take a look at a word.....Zealous.

If you know what that word means, you can check out for the next few minutes. But if you are sitting there this morning thinking to yourself, “I have heard this word in church but I’m not completely certain what it means.” Then stay tuned in.

So, zeal or zealous refers to someones enthusiasm, eagerness, devotion or incredible fervor for something. This action is referenced over 30 times in Scripture showing us that it holds a level of importance for us.

We see this played out in verse after verse. Allow me to share a few-

Romans 10:2 ESV

2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.

Revelation 3:19 CSB

19 As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be zealous and repent.

Romans 12:11 CSB

11 Do not lack diligence in zeal; be fervent in the Spirit; serve the Lord.

Titus 2:14 ESV

14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

There are other verses that don’t use the word zeal but point us towards the idea-

Philippians 1:27 ESV

27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,

This idea of being devoted, enthusiastic or excited for the cause of Christ is evident throughout Scripture and is much of the basis of our text this morning when it comes to what our response is to the promise of God.

If you would, open your Bibles to Luke 2:25-40 and stand as I read God’s Holy Word.

Luke 2:25–40 ESV

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.” 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.” 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. 39 And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.

That concludes the reading of God’s Word.

Pray

Simeon’s Account

Now, Simeon is basically unknown to us outside this account. Luke didn’t see it as a necessity to give us any backstory on him, but Simeon’s interaction was incredibly important.

One thing we can say we know of Simeon is that he is obviously a man of great integrity and character who was devoted to the Lord. Luke tells us that he was righteous and devout. He also had to have some level of patience about him because he seemingly was literally waiting around for the Savior to come, which is basically what is meant by “the consolation of Israel”. Luke even tells us that the Holy Spirit was upon him.

Understand this church, Simeon lived His life striving after God. We can be sure he wasn’t perfect but He was focused on the Lord. God does not flippantly use terms like this in Scripture to describe people. So, when we see it, we should take notice.

The Holy Spirit revealed to Simeon that he would not die until he saw the Savior.

So, we have Simeon in the temple and Mary and Joseph bring the baby Jesus in, which was customary and is a reference to verses 22-24. This was part the purification and redemption ceremonies that took place in accordance with Leviticus 12. I don’t want us to get too deep into the weeds this morning but invite you to look at that passage for more clarity.

....

Simeon saw Jesus and began blessing God as he recognized that God had fulfilled his promise and blessed the nations with a Savior.

Simeon describes Jesus as Salvation, a light to the gentiles and the glory of Isreal.

Before any earthly ministry had happened. Before any teachings came from the mouth of Jesus. Simeon knew what was to come. How is that?

Because he knew the promises of God.

He knew verses like Isaiah 9:6

Isaiah 9:6 ESV

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

And that they were real and true. Not only did he believe it, but he proclaimed it with zeal.

God will only make promises He can keep.

It’s amazing to me in this moment how even Simeon knew that Jesus was not just a savior for Israel but He was a savior for even the gentiles. A light for the gentiles.

And it should spur in us to be beacon’s of that light.

Jesus would go on to teach us...

Matthew 5:14–16 ESV

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

In the same manner that Jesus is a light to us, that light of Him is reflected through us to the world around us.

We cannot allow ourselves to get so caught up in the things of this world that we forsake the message of the cross. Trust me, I enjoy watching movies, and ball games and having fun with people. But at the end of the day my focus and only allegiance has to be to the one who was sent to be a light to this world.

Simeon knew this.... which is why he waited and anticipated his first arrival. We better be waiting and anticipating his second arrival....

We then have this interesting moment. Mary and Joseph were amazed at what Simeon knew. We could ask ourselves how? They had an angel come to them and reveal the nature of Jesus. Mary gave birth to the savior how could they be surprised by anything.

The reality is, for those of us who believe and continue to see the blessings and workings of God, don’t we also find ourselves continually amazed at what He does? It’s the same thing here.

Simeon goes on to prophesize about the ministry of Jesus and that there will be those that fall and those that rise and that Jesus would be rejected by Isreal itself. But within that his purpose is revealed in that he will reveal the heart of those he came to serve.

Simeon waited and was blessed by his zeal to the Lord as the Lord was faithful to His servant.

Anna’s Account

And all while Simeon was praising God over the Savior, another seasoned veteran of the faith was nearby. Anna shares a similar path as Simeon. She had lived a long life. Was a descendant of the tribe of Asher. And by this account, she was probably in her 80’s.

The thing though is her zeal for the Lord. She worshipped and fasted often...

Many of us can probably say we have never fasted.....spiritually at least.

As yet we have this woman, who has been devoted to the Lord for many years....showing her zeal through actions.

And in this moment, God blessed her with this meeting of the Messiah. Showing God’s faithfulness to His promise and his servant.

Anna recognized this and She immediately gave thanks to God because for those who had awaited for so long the coming of this child....He had arrived.

....

So, we have these accounts of zealous believers that lived a long time ago and got excited that a baby was born. What does that mean for us though?

Let’s talk for a few moments on some points we can take away this morning.

Points

The first point is this-

1. God is faithful.

God is faithful.

You may be thinking… duh, I know. But the point is, this is something we can’t remind ourselves enough. It’s easy to forget. Life get’s tough, things don’t go OUR way. But the reality is, God is faithful to His purposes and ways. Which are what is best for us.

2 Timothy 2:13 ESV

13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.

Thank the Lord for this. We are flippant in our faithfulness, even though we should be faithful too. But God, even in our lack of faithfulness, remains faithful. Amen!

2. Perseverance has to be at the core of our faith.

Perseverance has to be at the core of our faith.

Like Anna and Simeon, we must persevere through the trials of life and maintain our faith no matter what.

Anna lost her husband, most likely at a young age, but she didn’t allow this tragedy to dictate her life and sideline her. She pushed through with the strength from the Lord and stayed the course, focusing on God by worshipping Him.

James 1:12 ESV

12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

This is the proclamation of that truth. God is faithful and rewards our perseverance.

3. Scriptural Knowledge and Understanding is vital.

Scriptural Knowledge and Understanding is vital.

One distinction that both Simeon and Anna had that fueled their zeal was knowledge of God’s Word and understanding.

They were excited because they knew what was coming and then they knew it when they saw it.

It’s like deciding your going to watch a TV show that has been on for 7 seasons and you choose to start it in season 5. You aren’t going to recognize characters, storylines, what’s happening.....and you will probably end up giving up on it. It pains me to say that that is kinda what many people do with God. Instead of going back and understanding who He is and what He has done, they come in late and then give up.....

Knowing Scripture is important. That’s why the Psalmist declares it is a lamp to my feet and light to my path. We must read it, study and understand it.

Knowledge doesn’t immediately translate to zeal, but it does provide fuel to gain zeal.

4. Jesus is for all.

Jesus is for all.

Both accounts reminded us that the coming of Jesus was salvation for the nation of Israel. But Simeon pointed us towards this vital truth that Jesus is for ALL.

Something called universalism has crept into the church more and more. And universalism more or less believes that people can believe what they want and whats best for them but eventually we will all get to heaven. That’s a very basic idea of it.

BUT Church, that is an outright lie and false doctrine. Not all roads lead to heaven. Only one road does and that is through Jesus.

What does Jesus himself tell us?

John 14:6 ESV

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

You can’t believe Islam and go to heaven. You can’t follow the teachings of Joseph Smith and go to Heaven. The only way to get there is to call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, repent and receive salvation! That’s it!

And this is why we must have the mindset when we are going about our day, very much like Anna, to share the Gospel with others. That is to be focused on the mission.

The first pastor I served under would always say at the end of every sermon, “we are plan a, there is no plan b.” God has chosen us to declare. The world needs us to declare to it that Jesus is for all.

.....

Conclusion

And we must do all these things while worshipping the Lord with all we have. In zealous adoration, giving Him all we have.

Great Romance Story-

-I will sing your praise when you send the rain I will praise you still in these thirsty days I will worship you with all I am even if all I have are empty hands

Church, we have to ask ourselves some questions:

What sets us apart from the world?

Do my actions represent Jesus?

Do those actions show my zeal for Him?

Or am I just like someone without Jesus but I go to church?

My prayer for us is that the message of Jesus brings about zealousness in us that is contagious. These days that’s all we want to be spreading.

We need to be reading our Bible so we know it...We need to be an example to others when things get tough because of who we have...We must proclaim daily that God is faithful and that Jesus is for all.

I will worship you with all I am even if all I have are empty hands

This has to be our response to the promise of God. Complete devotion, Zeal for our Savior, Jesus

Pray