What Simeon Saw

ReCAST Church of Mattawan

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You're listening to the podcast of Recast Church in Mattawan, Michigan. This week, Pastor Don Filsakie preaches from his series,

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Christmas Praise, poems of worship from the Gospel of Luke. Let's listen in. And I'm really thankful for all the teachers and all the helpers and the volunteers for Recast Kids.

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Week in and week out, we get to see them, you know, a couple of times throughout the year, but they are investing their lives every

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Sunday in the lives of our children. And I think that's really worthy of commendation. So very thankful for all of those volunteers.

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I think we have somewhere upwards of 80 volunteers in our kids program back there.

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So just very, very grateful for that, yes. Yeah, and some of you are sitting here, you volunteer every other week and you're able to be here this week.

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So thankful to all of you. And then a real huge thanks to Stephanie Fuller, who is our director for the whole thing.

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And really the goal of our kids program here is to support families. We recognize families are the primary spiritual influencers of their kids.

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And so we come alongside families, supporting them and helping them. So very grateful for that program.

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I'd encourage you to turn in your Bibles back over to Luke chapter two, verses 25 through 35.

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In the short time that we have left here, we're gonna spend a few minutes seeing what Simeon saw.

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Not what Simon says, but what Simeon saw. So a little play on that there. The context here is that Jesus is about a month old when we come to our passage here.

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Mary has fulfilled her days of purification according to the Old Testament law. You get into all that Levitical law and all kinds of things that were required there back in Exodus and Leviticus.

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So she and Joseph come to the temple to make the commanded sacrifice for her purification.

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That's the context that we're looking at here. And in verse 25, we're introduced to a man named

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Simeon. Now, some of you are familiar with the Christmas story and you're familiar with this guy, but maybe haven't really necessarily studied him or looked very deeply into his life.

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But just to introduce you to Simeon, the text wants you to know he's an all around good guy.

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He's just a good guy. How many of you would raise your hand and say, you just know somebody who's just a good guy, easy to work with, and it's like, I mean, it's the kind of person that you would want to have as your next door neighbor.

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It's not to say that he's righteous or that he's holy or that he's got everything together or that he's perfect, but he's a good guy.

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You wanna do business with him. You want him as a next door neighbor. The text says these two words about Simeon, that he was righteous and he was devout.

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Righteous, meaning he was upstanding in the way that he treated others. That's the generalized usage of that word, just in his dealings with others.

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And devout, meaning that he was religious, religiously sensitive to the things of God. He made sacrifices when he was supposed to.

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He went to the temple on the holy days. He did all of the things. And that's not to either say, yes, he was really good at it or no, he wasn't.

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He just was devout. He was God oriented in the way that he looked at life. But there's more to him than just these kind of good guy attributes.

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It's further identified as having the Holy Spirit guiding him, which has led him to a state of anticipation for the arrival of the

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Messiah. He's a man who's thinking about it. He's a man who's thinking about God is gonna do something.

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God is sending forth his son. As a matter of fact, the text says he's looking forward to this phrase, this is an interesting phrase, the consolation of Israel.

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That's what the English Standard Version translates, what he's looking for. In other words, he knows that there is somebody who is coming who's gonna bring with him peace and hope for his people.

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He knows there's consolation coming. There is comfort coming for the people of God. He's looking forward to a savior.

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He's looking forward to the one promised to Eve, the one who was promised to Abraham, to David, and to all of the prophets in the

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Old Testament that God was gonna send forth one who would be the consolation of his people.

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Well, his anticipation is high, and he's a man who is religious, and he's probably a man about the word, but his anticipation is even built up, accentuated, heightened by something else that happens to him.

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He receives by some form of special revelation from God through the Spirit, revelation to him personally.

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God says something to Simeon. God meets with him and says, you will not die before your eyes behold my

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Messiah. You won't die before you see my Messiah. Now, you talk about anticipation.

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I mean, this is like a promise made centuries and centuries before to Abraham, and it's given to Simeon the revelation that you're not gonna die.

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You're gonna actually see the Messiah yourself. You're going to, in your lifetime, this is gonna happen now.

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How many of you just love to have that promise right now? Like, you're gonna be alive when Jesus returns. I go, yeah, sign me up for that, right?

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So can you imagine what it was like to live in Simeon's shoes, put yourself in his shoes, from the moment that that revelation is given to him until the time it's fulfilled?

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Is it him? Can you imagine walking down the street, and it's like everywhere, like, is he the

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Messiah? Is he the Messiah? Who is it? I mean, everywhere that he goes, he's like, maybe this is the day.

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Maybe this is the time because I've been promised that I'm not gonna die before this happens. Is it that wealthy man?

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Is he the Messiah? Is it that powerful member of the Sanhedrin? Maybe it's Nicodemus. He's got high standing, and he's a really religious guy.

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Maybe he's the one who's gonna save us. Maybe it's Joseph of Arimathea, thinks Simeon. Surely he has the noble standing, and he's wealthy, and he's got influence.

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Maybe he's the one who's gonna bring the power back to Israel. Or is it Caiaphas, the high priest?

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I can imagine Simeon wondering. Is he the one who's going to bring salvation? It must be a powerful man.

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When I meet the Messiah, I would think Simeon would think, well, it's gonna be a powerful man on that day.

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But in verse 27, the Spirit leads him to the temple. And I don't want you to have in your mind, most commentators, just thinking about the actual original languages that are used here, don't think like in a trance.

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He just kind of, like his feet aren't under his control, and he finds himself in the temple, and wakes up, and he's in the temple.

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No, this is God using normal, everyday circumstances. He is going to the temple, and just at the right time, at the right place, he has this encounter that we're reading about.

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And God in his providence both promises to bring Simeon and the Messiah together, and now they are indeed together in the exact same room, the outer courts of the temple, where the sacrifice would be made for the purification for Mary.

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However, it was made clear to Simon, or Simon, I keep saying Simon, Simeon. However, it's made clear to Simeon, he scoops up the baby

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Jesus in his arms, and immediately moves to praise. He sees him, and he knows this is the one.

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Mary and Joseph are surprised, the text tells us, and they marvel at it. They're surprised by it. Put yourself in Mary and Joseph's shoes.

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They keep getting ambushed by God in these God moment kind of things, right? Angels reporting to them that they're going to have a son, and they're to name him

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Jesus. Leaping babies in wombs, shepherds, Joseph being told by an angel, no, you need to go ahead and marry her anyways.

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Shepherds declaring great things for their son, and reporting angels speaking and singing, and now an old man in the temple scooping up the child in his arms.

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They're just kind of, whoa, here, and I'm going to praise God over your son. Not to mention the visit of the magi that's going to come up later, and all of the circumstances around that, and the slaughter in Bethlehem, and quick, an angel says, go to Egypt for a season, and then back, and all of these

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God moments that are just multiplying in the lives of Mary and Joseph. But Simeon, for his part here, has a role to play, and he is glad, and he praises

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God, and he holds the baby Jesus in his arms, and he says, now, now

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I can depart in peace, for the Lord has brought forth his revelation. The anticipation of all that built -up time in him, however long that was, from knowing he would not die before the

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Messiah came, all that anticipation is now fulfilled. God has been faithful, he says, to keep his word, and he has orchestrated this meeting in the temple according to his divine providence.

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But Simeon sees two things, and he declares them openly in this praise to God, two things that I want all of us to behold this

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Christmas season along with him, two things that I think the text wants us to see. It's important that we see both.

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Look at verse 30, the first thing that Simeon sees. Simeon sees salvation.

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Simeon sees, with his own two eyes, salvation. Now, it doesn't say in the text, it's interesting, the word that's used there and the way that it's used, he doesn't see the pathway of salvation, he doesn't even technically say,

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I have beheld the Savior. He sees in this little infant God's divine rescue.

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God rescuing humanity here. Salvation, the rescue of God for sinful men.

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Now, consider this faith for just a moment. What's he expressing? I have beheld, I have now seen

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God's salvation. What did he actually see? The text tells you what he saw.

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What did he actually see? A baby. He saw an infant in the temple doing what infants do.

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The mom brings the one -month -old into the temple to make the purification sacrifices every day of the year that would have happened.

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What did you say? That's probably a pretty routine thing in those ancient times, right? Every time that a baby is born, survives a month, they take him in and make that sacrifice and away we go.

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What did Simeon see? He saw a little baby. Was the baby crying?

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Seems like chances are pretty good, right? Was he extra strong? Was this like buff baby

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Jesus? Like, was he like, wow, this is like, this is clearly the Savior, because this kid is ripped.

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I mean, that was creepy. That was not in my notes. They know that up in the soundboard.

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That wasn't in there. Did he, what did he see?

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I can tell you some things he didn't see, right? Did Simeon see the wise and hear the wise and glorious teaching of the

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Sermon on the Mount? Was he afforded that? No. Did he see this baby walk on water?

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No. How about the feeding of the 5 ,000 and his miraculous provision there?

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No. Did Simeon behold the crucifixion? The empty tomb?

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No. But Simeon declares that he has seen the salvation of God.

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Why? All he's seen is a baby in the temple. Hear me carefully, church.

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I believe that Simeon knows what Messiah is coming to accomplish.

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The Lord's Christ is coming to save, and he needs no details.

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The details are not that big of a deal. When you think about the advent of Christ, when you think about him returning, how many of you would love to have some details?

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But do you need them? Or is it enough for you to know that he's coming? And when he's coming, he's coming to save.

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Amen? That's all he knows. And that's enough for Simeon.

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Because faith says, I don't know how I'm gonna get through this next month. I don't know how this tough issue is gonna be resolved.

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That's faith. I don't know how I'm getting out of this life into the next, but I do know that God is saving me.

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God is rescuing me. And he has planted within me a faith that he knows that he will be with me all the way through past this life into the one that he is preparing for those who are his.

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Simeon saw salvation, and his heart was full of praise. He didn't need the details.

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He's been given enough to behold the Messiah. According to verses 31 through 32,

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God had been preparing the sending forth of his Messiah publicly. He wasn't hiding this. It was public what he was doing.

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And here in the temple of the Jews, Simeon acknowledged the global scope of the message.

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This baby is a light for revelation to the Gentiles, most of us, and glory for the

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Jews as well. He had seen the salvation of God in the flesh. He beheld it with his very eyes.

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And Simeon knew that it was a blessing for all peoples of all time. But that isn't all that Simeon saw.

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He saw one other thing that we wanna leave off of the Christmas story. It's something that's been on my heart a lot this

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Christmas for some reason, and it just seems like in all of my Advent readings and all of my reflections on, trying to prepare my own heart for Christmas and trying to get in the right frame of mind for it, keep coming back to this often overlooked reality.

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And it seems like it just is like glaring and blaring out in everything that I'm reading right now from Scripture, because Jesus did not only arrive to be salvation, but he also came to be a sword.

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Simeon saw salvation, his eyes beheld salvation, but he also saw in this baby a sword.

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Look at what Simeon says directly to Mary, the mother of Jesus in verses 33 through 35. He says, this child, this very child that I'm holding here in my arms is appointed for the rise and fall of many.

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And he is a sign that will be opposed. He's a sign that will be opposed.

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And the hearts of many will be laid bare, like sliced open and shown for what's really in there through this child.

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He will show what's truly in the hearts of man. And Mary, bad news for you in a parenthetical statement, a sword will pierce your heart as well.

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A prediction of the great turmoil she'll be in on the day he's crucified.

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Simeon saw salvation and Simeon saw a sword. He saw rescue and he saw rejection.

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He saw grace and he saw justice. He saw a stone that a kingdom will be built upon, a stone worthy of you putting your life on, but also a stone that will crush any who reject him, that will fall upon people in the end.

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What do you see, church? What do you see when you peer into the manger this

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Christmas? Who is that baby in the center of it all? Salvation or sword?

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Salvation or sword for you? I want you to think about it. Salvation or sword for you? Salvation or sword for your next door neighbor?

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Salvation or sword for your mother, your father, your aunt, your cousins, your coworkers? Our lives and thoughts and our hearts and even our eternities are laid bare by this one baby born to Mary, the one who

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Simeon is holding, the one who his eyes behold. For all of us, this baby spells great glory or great reasonable fear.

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Elation that the Savior has come or disdain and disgust that he will have the gumption to declare himself to be the righteous judge of all.

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Simeon saw salvation and sword. People will rise and fall based on him.

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Hearts will be opened and revealed and he will be opposed by many.

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But I wanna say to Simeon, I would love to have been there to say this to him, no problem, no problem,

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Simeon, don't get worried. I know that you see a sword in this as well, but the resurrection of Easter is only 33 years away, buddy.

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It's coming. We know that he will be opposed. We know that he was rejected and we know that he is even rejected by many down to our day and time where we live today.

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But he came to be salvation for any and all who will receive him. Isn't that a glorious truth?

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Any and all who receive him will experience him only as salvation. They will not experience him as sword.

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But if you've received him as your Savior, if you believe he died on the cross to cover your sins, if you've asked him to forgive you, then make it your goal to rejoice in him in this next week.

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As we're leading up to Christmas, it's hard to believe it's gonna be next Sunday. Anybody that just like time flies and snap, and here we are next

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Sunday is indeed Christmas. But as we take this week, and it ought to be the high point of our thinking about incarnation and the great glory, let it produce within you rejoicing if you belong to him.

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If he is to you salvation and when you gaze into that manger, you see your Savior there. Then rejoice.

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But then also I encourage you this morning to please come and take a cup of juice to remember his blood shed for us if you are indeed saved by him.

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And take the cracker to remember his body that was broken in our place. But if none of that describes where you're at in your own journey toward God, then

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I encourage you to skip communion this morning. It's about remembering what he did for us. If you don't believe that he did that yet, then

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I'd encourage you to skip it, but consider the passage that we talk about. Talked about this morning. He either represents to each and every one of us, he is either a salvation or a sword to us.

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Either he will be accepted by you or he will be opposed by you. And if you would like to move out from underneath his just judgment and come into the amazing and glorious grace of salvation that's provided through him, then

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I encourage you to come and talk with me to experiencing him as salvation, even today. Let's pray.

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Father, I do rejoice. I rejoice in what Simeon saw, that you sent forth your son at just the right point in history.

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You were preparing everything in advance to bring forth the Messiah at the fullness of time so that we could be rescued and that you could enact a salvation that was in your plan and in your will and in your work from eternity past, moving forward to promises to Eve, even in the garden, moving forward to promises to Abraham and to David and on into the prophets and on into the life of Mary and Simeon and us.

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So Father, I pray that if there's anyone here who does not know Jesus Christ and the salvation that he came to be for us,

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Father, I pray that today might be a day of salvation for them. But Father, for those of us who have been kicking it around Christmases for a long time and ha, ha, ha, we know how to do this,

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I pray that you would strike us anew with wonder, with awe and with rejoicing in this next week.

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Glad for what Simeon saw and what our eyes can behold as well. Nothing less than your salvation made flesh.