SIMEON: A SONG OF HOPE

Introduction

In his book entitled Hope Is Contagious, pastor and former pro football player Ken Hutcherson shared a story that reflects how we often lose hope in our trials. Henderson said,

“A disturbing report hit the news about a little boy in Chicago who was shot and permanently disabled in a drive-by shooting. That fact alone is awful enough, but the reporter went on to say that everyone in the neighborhood knew who the shooter was, but no one came forward to identify him. The boy's mother even acknowledged that she drove by the shooter's house every day on the way to work. But what caught my attention,” Hutcherson said, “were the words of an educator from Chicago who was interviewed by the reporter. The quote went something like this: ‘That's what happens when people lose hope. You don't think things will get better, so you just give up.’"

In response to that hopelessness, Hutcherson commented on the hope we have through Christ's presence:

“I don't want to see anyone give up hope, especially when hope is so readily within our grasp. Whether you're walking the streets of the inner city of Chicago or sitting at your kitchen table, no tragedy can dim the hope that comes from knowing that God will walk with you through the valley and that his presence will give you peace.”

-This right here is so vital to our experience of Christmas—God came to be present on earth so that despair wouldn’t need to take permanent hold on us, but that we find in Him there is hope

-I started a short series on what I call the Bible’s Christmas Songs. Two weeks ago, I looked at the Song of Mary which was a song of trust.

~Today we find a second song, the song of a man who might be little-known among all the Bible’s people—the man known simply as Simeon. The message in his song lets us know we need never give up, for in Christ we have the hope of a better eternity

-So today we may experience a troubled existence on this earth, but the Babe in the manger is a reminder to us that God intervened and both in this life and the next there is hope

Luke 2:22–35 ESV

22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” 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.”

-Let me give some context for our passage. Simeon was a godly man, and yet like so many of us today, the circumstances of the world caused him much anguish. Now I know each generation believes that they were living in the worst, most tragic generation that ever existed, [because let’s face it, we do ourselves], but for Simeon and the godly Jews of his day, there sure did not seem much to be encouraged about.

-Think about the situation Simeon lived under. The Jews had been under Gentile oppression for roughly 580 years by that point. First came the Babylonians. Then came the Medes and Persians. After them came the Greeks and Macedonians. And the latest Gentile oppressor was also one of the harshest, the Romans. The local ruler the Romans had set up over the land was the cruel tyrant King Herod.

~But the politics were not the only problem because the religion of God had been overrun by people just as bad. First there were the scribes and Pharisees who put legalistic rules of men that overburdened the people. Then there were the worldly-minded Sadducees who were the theological liberals of the day. And these were the ones in charge of religion and the temple. {Imagine if you will that the entire worldwide church was run by either legalists and liberals.

~But what made that even more bitter was that there had not been a true word from God…an utterance from a Spirit-filled prophet of God for over 400 years, so it seemed that God had forgotten His people. Here is what Simeon lived under: darkness, degradation and despair.

-So it says he was waiting for the CONSOLATION OF ISRAEL==he was anxiously waiting and looking to God to fulfill the promises of hope that Messiah would bring, just as God had promised thru the prophets of old—so he waited and waited, and finally the Holy Spirit spoke to Simeon and seemed to have said something like: Simeon, my child, you have been just and devout and have waited; the waiting is over; before you die you will see that consolation—that’s all Simeon needed

-What is it that kept Simeon from completely giving himself over to despair? What is it that kept Simeon going day in and day out, running here and there, going to the temple with anticipation?==it’s that one word: Hope

-Some of you are looking for the light in the darkness; you’re looking for that one thing that says everything is going to be OK—you have it right here at Christmas—Simeon found it—the Holy Spirit led him to the temple and told Simeon look at that couple with the baby, that’s him----HERE’S YOUR HOPE SIMEON, IT’S THAT CHILD—JESUS CHRIST IS HOPE

-He took that babe in his arms, cherished the child, and led by the Holy Spirit gave his song; a song of the hopes that this child brought—I pray in this season in the midst of your darkness you cling to these as well:

I) The Hope of Promises Fulfilled

-v. 29—this is so important—Simeon says that his hope is based on the fact that God gave His word and God kept His word----God gave promises, God fulfilled promises, and even in the midst of the despair Simeon could cling to these

-What we notice in the passage is that there were personal promises that God made to Simeon alone=Simeon, you will not die before you see the Consolation of Israel, the Messiah of comfort and hope----Simeon finally saw Him and says he’s ready to die in peace because God did for him exactly what He said He would do—God fulfilled His promise

-If you seek God thru His Word, God may give you a promise—the Holy Spirit might enlighten your spirit to something in the Bible and you know in your heart that God spoke that Word to you—and maybe this promise was given to you many years ago and it hasn’t been fulfilled yet, so you’re waiting and waiting just like Simeon

-This promise wasn’t given so you could doubt, it was given so you could look forward with hope, because His Word is a done deal

~So, for example, maybe you’ve been harassed by someone, an enemy so to speak, and just can’t seem to get any relief, and God leads you and speaks to you through Psalm 56:9—

Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call. This I know, that God is for me.

—or maybe while seeking His guidance He leads and speaks to you Psalm 32:8—

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.—look forward in hope, because God’s Word has been spoken and will be fulfilled, you may just need to wait like Simeon—it might not even be fulfilled in this lifetime but it will be fulfilled in the grand scheme of things

-But God not only gives personal promises, but promises that are for all His children—so many Christians today act and feel defeated in the Christian life, that it is something that is impossible to live, so they live disillusioned lives with doubt, yet God’s Word says 2 Corinthians 2:14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.

-What does God promise? Victory/triumph. But then we think: I don’t have victory right now. Well, does God promise victory? Yeah! Well, then, we have something to look forward to then don’t we. These promises of God are not here to cause anxiety because we aren’t measuring up, they are there to give us something to hope for, something to look forward to because the promise is there----we have the hope of promises fulfilled

II) The Hope of Salvation Offered

-vv. 30-32—Simeon saw in this child the only One Who could deliver anyone from the clutches and consequences of sin—He saw hope of salvation to a greater extent ever imagined

-What Simeon says may not impact us today as much as it did then, because we’re all Gentiles touched by the Messiah; but back in His day that was unheard of

-As far as the Jews were concerned, the Messiah was coming to establish an earthly reign with a revived Jewish nation, and all other nations would come and bow down to them—in essence, most Jews thought that thru Messiah they would become the dominant race, the world’s ultimate superpower

-Yet Jesus really came as a light of revelation to the Gentiles so that thru Him all nations of the world would come to the knowledge of the one true God, and that the deliverance from sin and death He offered by His sacrifice on the cross is available to everyone regardless of race, color or creed

-But Simeon also says that Jesus is the glory of Israel in that He is the reason Israel became a nation to begin with; Jesus is the reason for their existence--God chose Israel in history so that ultimately thru them the Savior of the world would come

-and only thru this child born on Christmas day is there hope of deliverance from the darkness of our sin—He is the only hope of mankind, He is the only light and life

-You may be overwhelmed by the evil of this world and so desire to be delivered from its curses—it cannot happen without Jesus

-If you are a Christian, then the hope of salvation you have now is in the glory you will share with Him for eternity—but there are some here today who think they are Christian because they are American or grew up in church but honestly have no hope to cling to because they are still in their sins—don’t let this hope pass you by, today if you hear His voice harden not your heart in your rebellion—confess and repent and believe because he alone is hope of salvation

III) The Hope of Justice Served

-Simeon says something interesting to Mary=vv. 34-35—the Savior will become Judge who will give out perfect justice based on what you do with Him

~everyone seeks justice, but that can be a double-edged sword because most people want justice according to their own standards—but Jesus brings justice according to God’s standards, and that is great for some and bad for others

-for those who are faking religion it means that their heart will be revealed and they will be found wanting; while those who humble themselves and trust only in Jesus’ sacrifice will be raised up unto newness of life

-Simeon says that Jesus became a sign to be spoken against=He was rejected by the religious elite who opposed Him bitterly because they didn’t meet their standards, and yet He was embraced by poor sinners because He represented God’s standards who reached out to them

~So, there are those who can pretend to be Christian, pretend to know God, and yet what is truly in their hearts will come out some day and justice will be served

-those who rejected Him back then have been served their justice, and it will be served forever----sin is an affront to God and His justice must be meted out because of it; I guess the real question is, who is going to receive the brunt of God’s justice

-For those who put their full trust in Jesus, all the justice for your sins was placed on Him at the cross—but for those who reject Jesus and still want to play religion, just know this, God’s justice for your sins still lays on your head and until you turn and repent it always will==100 years from now God’s justice will still be on you…1000…1 mil –but there is still a chance for you, but don’t wait until it is too late and the Savior becomes your judge

In Warren Wiersbe’s book entitled Meet Yourself in the Psalms, he tells the story about a frontier town where a horse bolted and ran away with a wagon carrying a little boy. Seeing the child in danger, a young man risked his life to catch the horse and stop the wagon. The child who was saved grew up to become a lawless man, and one day he stood before a judge to be sentenced for a serious crime. The prisoner recognized the judge as the man who, years before had saved his life; so he pled for mercy on the basis of that experience. But the words from the bench silenced his plea: The judge said: “Young man, back then I was your savior; today I am your judge, and I must sentence you to be hanged.” One day Jesus Christ will say to rebellious sinners, “During that long day of grace, I was the Savior, and I would have forgiven you. But today I am your Judge. Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire!”

-God is a perfect judge and all wrongs will be made right and all payment for sins will be made in full—we have the hope of justice—but I pray you find the hope of justice on Jesus and not on your own head

Conclusion

-So, this Christmas, look to the babe in the manger, He is the giver of hope for in Him all promises are fulfilled, in Him salvation is offered, and in Him justice is served

-There is a story of self-made millionaire Eugene Land, who had been asked to speak to a class of 59 sixth-graders at a school in East Harlem. What could he say to inspire these students, most of whom would drop out of school? He wondered how he could get these predominantly minority children even to look at him. Scrapping his notes, he decided to speak to them from his heart. He said to them, "Stay in school, and I'll help pay the college tuition for every one of you." At that moment the lives of these students changed. For the first time they had hope. Said one student, "I had something to look forward to, something waiting for me. It was a golden feeling." Nearly 90 percent of that class went on to graduate from high school, all because hope kept them going.

-Well, we have it—as theologian J. I. Packer so succinctly put it: The Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity—hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory—because at the Father's will Jesus Christ became poor and was born in a stable so that thirty years later he might hang on a cross.

-maybe, Christian, you have lost or forgotten your hope, and maybe you would like to come to the altar to find some

-Still others, your soul is in despair because you know that if you would die today there would be no hope—let me warn you, if you die today, the gates of hell may read (as it is said in Dante’s Inferno): ABANDON ALL HOPE ALL YE WHO ENTER HERE—but if you surrender your life to Jesus and repent of your sins hope is given, that is a promise of salvation God gives, because Jesus took God’s justice for you