“The Infant Savior, Born under the Law”

First Baptist Church Leominster

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Bible to Luke chapter 2 and again we want to give attention to verse 21 and following.

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Next week we'll return to our study of 1st Thessalonians and we're going to enter an interesting portion of that epistle where the

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Apostle deals with the second coming of Christ and there's so much in my mind confusion and error on the part of many regarding these matters that we're going to take some time and deal with this and attempt to answer questions and hopefully set forth what the

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Word of God says about these matters. Thankfully you can have differing views about the second coming of Christ and they're not to be regarded as test of fellowship that is severing brethren from one another because once again the

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Church of Thessalonica was messed up in their understanding of the last times of the second coming so I hope that we'll have a fruitful time in that study of 1st

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Thessalonians 4 and 5. But for today I thought we'd just take a take a step aside and address this episode that we read of the infant

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Lord Jesus in his presentation at the temple and basically what we have displayed before us in this portion of scripture that we read is that Jesus is shown to be under the authority of and subject to the law of God in every way ever since birth.

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So in the infancy stories contained in Luke's gospel in particular we're not talking about Matthew but Luke's gospel we have taught and reinforced to us that our

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Savior Jesus of Nazareth is born was born to be the Savior of the world and what

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Luke emphasizes is that God sent his son the Lord Jesus in order to redeem lowly people including shepherds and that's the emphasis of that episode the shepherds in the field but also humble

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Jewish men and women we have the father and mother of John the

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Baptist Zechariah of course and Elizabeth and then you have Joseph and Mary of course but also

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Gentiles and that's really set forth in this episode of Simeon and his

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Holy Spirit inspired pronouncement. Well these accounts should encourage us and those whom we seek to and turn in their souls that God receives us thankfully he receives sinners through the person work of the

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Lord Jesus Christ he is the Savior of the world. In Luke's gospel there are seven discernible episodes and really they are compact and I actually had a whole sermon in place where we were going to deal with some of the ways in which

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Luke told his story and I looked at it last night and I thought this is too much for these people on Christmas morning and so I chucked it and decided that we'll deal with this but there are seven episodes and they're told in a in a wonderful way in a

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Hebraic style just as an aside Luke chapter 1 verses 1 -4 is perhaps the most sophisticated and stylized paragraph in the entire

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New Testament it's a very high literary quality Greek introduction to the gospel that would have commended the entire gospel as having been written by a very informed literate man

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Luke as he was commending himself and his narrative to Theophilus to whom he dedicated the gospel but beginning with verse 5 of Luke chapter 1 the there was a major shift in the manner in which

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Luke was telling a story and he departed from that high literary Greek and immediately began writing in Greek but writing in a

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Hebraic style it's almost like you were reading Old Testament narrative and that's what we have in the infancy narratives of Luke 1 and 2 you have these these seven episodes the birth of John the

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Baptist foretold secondly the birth of Jesus foretold third the visitation of Mary to Elizabeth fourth the birth of John fifth the birth of Jesus six the presentation of Jesus in the temple and that's what we're zeroing in on and then lastly you have a small episode about the boy

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Jesus 12 years of age in the temple and so we're giving emphasis to this sixth episode which we have already read and so before us are the record of events that took place in the days after the birth of our

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Lord it was just a few days before this eight days that the angels had appeared to the shepherds in the fields and those shepherds announced the fact that the

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Savior had been born onto them and that would have been quite surprising to them as shepherds it was indicative of the fact that the

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Savior was born for all people even lowly people like shepherds and the occupation of a shepherd was viewed about the lowest class of a person you could have in Israel they were not even allowed to participate in temple worship even though these shepherds in Bethlehem were raising the sheep that would be sacrificed in the temple in Jerusalem not too many miles to the north and there was a sign that was given to the shepherds confirming the truth that the

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Savior was born for them they would find this newborn baby in a manger and wrapped in swaddling cloths and this is how poor people would give birth and clothe their babies swaddling cloths of humility the attire of a pauper baby and thus their faith was confirmed that the angels spoke the truth to them he was born onto them and they being poor and rejected within the society of Israel of the day nevertheless would be recipients of salvation wrought through the life of this child and so the manner in which the

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Lord Jesus is born into the world engenders hope and elicits peace and encourages the approach of all lowly and needy people everywhere humble people to come to him for salvation from God's wrath upon sins and so no one may believe himself to be excluded from the promise of the blessing of salvation this child brings because say he is of a lower economic category within society or lower social station in life anyone may come to him and know that he will receive him if he comes in humility and faith and so you and I are assured that in coming to him he has received us we who believe if indeed we've come to him on his terms we come to him as ones who are needy we are looking to receive freely what he has to offer the free forgiveness of sins fellowship with the

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Father life of righteousness peace and joy he is the Savior of the world the

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Savior of all people everywhere now the shepherds related the account to those present chapter 2 verse 17 resulting in a wonderment of Joseph and Mary at the news when they heard this testimony of the shepherds and we read of Mary in verse 20 she treasured up all these things pondering them in her heart and then the shepherds returned to their fields glorifying praising

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God for all they had heard just as had been told them and by the way we might say that this is the kind of activity that should characterize us whenever we hear news of our

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Lord whether it be through preaching and teaching may we have the same response as the shepherds we're to treasure the bit of news storing it away as a treasure deposited securely in our hearts that's how the shepherds received the word that we might work through the matter think and pray you can imagine the shepherds were talking with one another meditating about all of the implications of this we are then to do as he shepherds did they were glorified and praising

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God and we ought to do so that we're so blessed for having been allowed by God to have been given such news that we have in his word and so it's a truism that it is a great privilege to have in our hands the news that angels long to look into and prophets strained to understand as Peter expressed in first Peter 1 and it's a great sin to take the matter lightly or to regard it with disinterest or little value it's a great sin and so may the

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Lord put it on our hearts to love his word and seek to understand it as these shepherds did now in verses 21 and 22 which we read we have related the next episode in the life of Jesus and this is his circumcision and his presentation in the temple let's consider this first the circumcision and the naming of Jesus we read in verse 21 the circumcision and the naming of the child when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the child his name was called

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Jesus the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the tomb our

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Lord was a Jewish man or a Jewish baby born into a Jewish family a family which belonged to Israel the nation of Israel which it was in covenant relationship with God through the law of Moses and this was a privileged family therefore

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God said of Israel in a number of different places and various ways I will be the

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God of all the families of Israel and they should be my people God set them aside as his people their special covenant people and when

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God established his covenant through Moses with the nation of Israel Gentiles were excluded from that privileged place they were excluded from the blessings and promises to God God promised he'd be a

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God to Israel not to the Gentiles and that he would favor Israel and so the

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Gentiles were outside of the covenant nation of Israel Paul wrote in Ephesians 2 therefore remember that you he was talking to Gentile Christians remember that you once Gentiles in the flesh who are called uncircumcision by what is called circumcision the

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Jews looked down on Gentiles made in the flesh by hands and at that time you are without Christ being aliens from the

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Commonwealth of Israel see before you were Christians you were aliens from Israel you weren't a part of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the world and that's the way we were as Gentiles before coming to know

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Christ God had said Israel is a nation apart from the world the

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Jews of this nation along with a few proselyte Gentiles and proselytes were Gentiles who became

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Jews basically the Jews of this nation were greatly blessed but also greatly responsible to live before God they were privileged but responsible and they were to live according to the manner in which

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God had prescribed for them people entered this covenant through physical birth being born to Abraham originally and circumcision of the male infant was a sign that set them apart from the fallen world about them and so when

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God enacted the Mosaic Covenant with Israel there at Mount Sinai when he gave the Ten Commandments a great spiritual even ethnic barrier was erected excluding Gentiles from participation in the blessings of knowing

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God and that barrier existed as long as God had that commitment to Israel because of his promise but thankfully again

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Jesus Christ brought that barrier the Mosaic Covenant to an end it was removed through Jesus Christ that barrier that separated excluded

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Gentiles from the blessing of God upon Israel and so through faith in Jesus Christ Gentiles are now citizens of Israel and this is very important and very few evangelicals understand this they continue to teach and wrongly teach that the true people of God are physical

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Jews born physically physical descendants of Abraham but this is not what the scriptures teach the

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Israel of God the true covenant people of God are those that are circumcised of heart not of flesh they are the children of God they're the children of Israel whether Jewish or Gentile because that barrier was broken down to Jesus Christ and so we read in Ephesians 2

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Paul writing of this again writing to Gentile Christians but now in Christ Jesus we read earlier what it was before you were alienated without hope without God in the world you were alienated from the covenant promises of God but now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ see now you're part of Israel is what he's saying for he

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Christ himself is our peace who's made both one that would be Jewish people and Gentile people has broken down the middle wall of separation that was

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God's covenant with Israel that separated the Gentiles having abolished in his flesh the enmity that is the law of commandments contained in ordinances you see that when

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God gave the law to Israel at the Ten Commandments as a covenant he didn't give that covenant with the

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Gentile nations but with the Jewish people and so that stood against the Gentiles but Christ abolished that barrier between them so as to create in himself one new man from the two thus making peace that he might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross whereby putting to death the enmity that be the enmity between Jew and Gentile and he came and preached peace to you who are far off Paul's talking to Gentiles Christians there and to those who were near he's talking to Jewish Christians there for through him we both have access by one spirit to the father and then he draws a conclusion verse 19 here is now therefore you're no longer strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the

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Saints say your fellow citizens with the Old Testament Saints the Jewish Saints we are part of Israel the covenant people of God members of the household of God the family of God having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets

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Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone in whom the whole building being joined together grows into a holy temple in the

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Lord in whom you also are being knit together for a dwelling place of God in the

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Spirit and so that barrier was broken down because that covenant that God established with Israel at Mount Sinai based on those

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Ten Commandments that covenant had come to an end and it was replaced by a new covenant through Jesus Christ and I was betrayed drink this cup in this cup is a new covenant in my blood and so this old covenant mosaic covenant that forever held

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Gentiles off distinct and different and outside of the promises of God that was broken down and Gentiles now are fellow citizens with the

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Saints they are Israel the Israel of God are all those that are circumcised of heart not in flesh now circumcision of the male child under that old covenant was viewed as essential and necessary to enter into participation of Israel's stature and blessing and with circumcision came obligation that child upon circumcision was then thereafter bound to keep the law of Moses as a covenant as the basis of relationship with God Paul wrote of the binding obligation of the circumcised to the law of Moses and these words are expressed negatively to those who thought that after Jesus Christ came and died and rose from the dead that circumcision remained an essential duty in order to be saved from sin and Paul repudiated that he wrote

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I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised he is a debtor to keep the whole law and as a covenant and and so circumcision would have bound the one who was attempting to be saved by it not just to be circumcised but keep the entire law of Moses really is a covenant of works in order to be saved and so Paul said don't go there rather than physical circumcision it's a circumcision of the heart that's all important and so Paul declared in no uncertain terms that those days of privilege and blessing for ethnic

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Israel were past ethnic Israel after the coming of Jesus Christ anyone who attempts to relate to God based upon the law of God as a covenant and I would argue based upon physical descent thinking it will bring them privilege or salvation will find himself excluded from the salvation that God gives through Jesus Christ Paul wrote indeed

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I Paul say to you if you become circumcised Christ will profit you nothing now these people believed on Christ the

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Gentiles but they were being taught by false teachers you have to not only believe on Christ but be circumcised and keep the law as a covenant in order to be saved and Paul said no you can't if you attempt to be justified by the law you've fallen from grace for we through the spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith anticipating that righteousness on the day of judgment through which will be exonerated from God's wrath for in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything nothing

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Paul declares but faith working through love and so it's faith in Christ which is the means by which

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God brings people whether Jewish or Gentile into a covenant relationship with himself now when they circumcised the baby

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Jesus on the eighth day following his birth his parents his nation but ultimately his

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God bound Jesus to keep the law of Moses as a covenant in other words as a basis of having a relationship with God and so Jesus lived as a

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Jew under the law the law of Moses the law of the Jews his entire life he was obligated to do so during his earthly ministry

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Jesus ministered to the Jews exclusively oh yes from time to time he would have mercy upon Gentiles the

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Romans and Churian the Syrophoenician woman the Gentile but we read he principally came to the

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Jews because God had promised that he would bring salvation to the Jews and we read in Romans 15 a he he came to be a servant to the circumcision that is the

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Jewish people be on behalf of the truth of God for what purpose to confirm the promises given to the fathers

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God had promised he would bless those people the Jewish people and he did so and so this is why

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Jesus came and was born under the law so as a Jewish male Jesus was to be circumcised when he was eight days old and the sign of the covenant show that as a physical descendant of Abraham he was obligated to keep the law as a covenant between God and his people this covenant was a contractual agreement that God had made with the physical descendants of Abraham at Mount Sinai it was there at Mount Sinai when he gave the

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Ten Commandments God delivered his law after you delivered them from bondage in Egypt and God promised he would be their

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God and they would be his people providing they ordered their life in faith and in obedience to the laws that he gave and so we read of this in Deuteronomy 5 and this is 40 years after Sinai when they're about ready to enter the promised land and Moses is rehearsing the law a second time and that's what

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Deuteronomy means Deutero second namas law second giving of the law this is just before Moses died so it was when you heard the voice of the midst of the darkness while the mountain was burning with fire he's recounting 40 years in the past you came near to me all the heads of your tribes and your elders and you said surely the

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Lord our God has shown us his glory and his greatness and we've heard his voice from the midst of the fire we've seen this day that God speaks with man yet he'd still lives now therefore why should we die for this great fire will consume us if we hear the voice of the

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Lord our God anymore then we shall die for who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living

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God speaking from the midst of the fire as we have and lived you go near you're talking to Moses you go near and hear all that the

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Lord our God may say tell us all that the Lord our God says to you and we will hear and do it and the

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Lord heard the voice of your words when you spoke to me and the Lord said to me I've heard the voice of the word of this people which they have spoken to you they are right and all they have spoken and they should do his law but then he expressed this

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God expresses all that they had such a heart in them that they would fear me and always keep all my commandments that it might be well with them and with their children forever so they didn't have a heart in them that comes with the new covenant doesn't it no he did hit some did have a new heart

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God's always had his people his elect people but within this Mosaic Covenant the circumcision of the heart was not an aspect of that covenant stipulation and here at the onset of it

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God indicated that and so he told Moses go or Moses said go return to your tents but as for you stand here by me this is

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God speaking to Moses and I will speak to you all the commandments of statutes and judgments which you shall teach them that they may observe them in the land which

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I'm giving them to possess and therefore you should be careful to do is the Lord your God has commanded you you should not turn aside to the right hand or to the left you should walk in all the ways which the

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Lord your God has commanded you that you may live and that it may be well with you and that you may prolong your days and the way obligated to keep the law and this if they fail to do so God's wrath would come upon them again why the law why did

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God give them this law well the law was given to the Jews because it was a reflection of or a revelation of who

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God is and what he's like the law of God is holy and righteous and good according to the apostle

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Paul and it must be because it's given by God it's a reflection of his holy character again the law of God is a reflection of God himself what he's like and what he what you must be like if you're going to dwell with him you must be holy as he is holy the great problem of course is that people are sinners which essentially means that they are unwilling and unable to keep the law of God holy and faithfully

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Israel didn't you don't you can't Jesus only could couldn't he and therefore the law of God that promises life to all who keep it does not bring life but rather it brings condemnation upon all because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God that's reflected in his law and the law of God is a standard by which you and I will be judged on the last day the final day of judgment when we stand before the judge of all the earth who will be

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Jesus Christ himself and each one of us will give an account of ourselves every word we've ever spoken every attitude we've ever exhibited every action we've ever performed will be judged and the law will be the standard and if we're found to be guilty of one law we will be discovered to be unholy and not fit to stand in the presence in eternity in the presence of a holy

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God and so the weight and authority of the condemnation of God will come upon us so God will not judge us according to a sliding scale but according to his law that reflects his eternal holy nature for God is perfect and only perfection will pass on the day of judgment and by the way this is why each of us needs a savior is that not right?

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Not one of us will be able to stand on the day of judgment. How will you answer

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God on the day when you're assessed and every word that you've ever spoken is brought forward as a testimony as why you deserve damnation.

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Can you imagine the horror of it? We'll be left with no excuse our mouths will be stopped as it is because we will be fully cognizant of the fact that we're guilty.

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How would we respond? How would we be able to pay our debt to God's justice on that great day?

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And the answer is that no one will be able to do so and the consequence according to the

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Word of God is everlasting punishment because of your failure to do so and so we need a savior we need one to deliver us from the condemnation of God's law on judgment day.

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We need someone to enable us to pass God's scrutiny of us so that even after a thorough examination of all our thoughts attitudes and actions we may be found righteous.

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Well how is that possible? Well it's necessary therefore for someone to represent us on the day of judgment.

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We cannot stand before God and ourselves we need someone to represent us. The sinner will not stand in the judgment one must stand on behalf of the sinner and his advocate for the defense must be able to satisfy the demands of God's law that is upon us.

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The debt we owe to our sins, the multitude of transgressions against God's law must be seen to be duly paid, fully paid.

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God's justice with respect to us in the light of his law must be fully satisfied and this is why the

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Savior Jesus Christ must be one who was born under the law and this is what

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God has done on behalf of poor helpless condemned sinners. We read in Galatians 4, when the fullness of time came

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God sent forth his son born of a woman made under the law. There it is. Why?

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For what purpose? And here we have a purpose clause, to redeem them that were under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons.

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And so our Lord Jesus was put under the law of God his entire life and he served that law blamelessly and fully and he did so for two reasons.

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First he kept the law perfectly so that when he died on the cross he could be a perfect substitutionary sacrifice to fully pay for the sins of all his people and in this way the debt to God's justice owed by them could be fully paid by him.

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God's justice is satisfied with the death of the perfect son of God on their behalf and then secondly

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Jesus kept the law perfectly so that his righteousness, his life of obedience, his righteousness could be credited to us counted as if it were our righteousness and in this way

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God will declare believers not only not guilty on the day of judgment but God will declare them to be righteous.

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It's not just a cancellation of sin but it is the crediting of positive righteousness.

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We will stand there as righteous as Jesus Christ himself because we'll be standing in his righteousness that God freely gives to people who believe on Jesus.

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In other words his entire life of conformity to the law of God is credited if you're a believer in Jesus Christ as your righteousness.

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That's incredible when you consider it but it is the only way of salvation that God makes possible for sinners and so in this way

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God will not only pardon our transgressions on that day but he will glorify us in a way or manner so that we might share with him in his glory through eternity and so really forgiveness of sins is only half of salvation, conferred righteousness is the other half.

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Salvation is not merely a cancellation of sin it's the imputation of righteousness and Paul wrote in another place you and I can't even envision we can't even imagine the glory that it's going to be revealed in us one day and it's all a gift of God's grace through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone.

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So we see the circumcision of Jesus on the eighth day after his birth that he was obligated to keep the entire law of God.

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From his earliest days our Lord submitted to the law one of the circumcised, one of the covenant people of God, a child of Abraham and the sign of this covenant circumcision of the male child is set forth in Genesis 17.

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God said to Abraham you shall keep my covenant therefore you and your seed after you in their generations.

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This is my covenant which you shall keep between me and you and your seed after you. Every male child among you shall be circumcised and you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin and it shall be a token of the covenant between me and you.

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He that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you every male child in your generations. He that is born in the house or bought with money or any stranger which is not of your seed, he that is born in your house, he that is bought with your money must need to be circumcised and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant and the uncircumcised male child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people.

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He's broken my covenant. And so Jewish parents would exercise this right performed on their sons.

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The outward sign of circumcision signified their faith and the word of promise given to the patriarch Abraham and to his descendants after him.

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But it obligated them to live holy lives before God, lives according to God's law.

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And this is what circumcision of Jesus indicated and pressed upon him his entire life of obedience to the law of God.

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Well we see not only was he circumcised but he was named. On the occasion of his circumcision the baby was officially named.

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Verse 21 indicates he was named Jesus in accordance with the angel instruction way back in Luke 1 31.

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Jesus means Savior. Jesus is the New Testament Greek equivalent of Joshua in the

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Old Testament meaning salvation, God is salvation. And when the name of the child was announced in the temple when

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Simeon was there, when this child was circumcised, everyone who understood, everybody heard this name would have understood the meaning of the name being conferred upon the child.

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He was named on the occasion of his circumcision indicates his work as Savior would be tied to his law -keeping on behalf of his people.

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That's important. And then we have the presentation of Jesus in the temple.

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Verses 20 -24. Again we see in this episode that the infant Jesus and his family were firmly rooted in Judaism.

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The instructions for purification and childbirth are contained in Leviticus 12.

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We read there a woman was regarded as ceremonially unclean for 40 days after the birth of a son.

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In Luke 2 22 it states that the days of her purification had arrived. The law required that they come to the temple.

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Joseph and Mary would have brought Jesus to the temple really with two purposes in mind. First, since Jesus was the firstborn child they would present

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Jesus or offer their son to God. The firstborn child stood in a privileged and special relationship before the

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Lord. And then secondly they were to offer a sacrifice to the Lord. So this would have been 40 days after his birth.

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The presentation of Jesus to God is found in Exodus 13. The setting was in Egypt when

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Israel was in slavery under Pharaoh. God brought great judgment upon the land of Egypt so that the

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Egyptians would release the Israelites from slavery. Of course that final judgment of God on that single night, the death angel passed through Egypt slaying all the firstborn sons of every household.

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But to spare the firstborn sons of Israel the Lord told Moses to set them apart.

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And so on behalf of each household a Passover lamb was offered so that God would pass over that household sparing the oldest son.

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And thereafter the firstborn son of each family was to be dedicated, that is in a sense sacrificed or offered to the

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Lord dedicated to his service. And so we read in Exodus 13, 11 through 12, it shall be when the

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Lord shall bring you into the land of the Canaanite as he swore unto you and your father shall give to you, give it to you, that you shall set apart unto the

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Lord all that opens the womb and every firstling which you have that comes of a beast, the males shall be the

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Lord's. And so here we have the Lord Jesus coming into the temple as a baby dedicated to God the

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Father from his earliest infancy. And so again here we have an emphasis of the observance of the law to the law of the family.

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And then not only did they present Jesus to God but they offered sacrifices to God. And the law required two sacrifices to be offered.

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They would have to offer both a burnt offering and a sin offering. A burnt offering was a confession on the part of the worshiper that he was a sinner and that what was done to the sacrifice, they killed the sacrifice, was really what he himself deserved.

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And so that animal was viewed as a substitute. The lamb would be slain and set upon the brazen altar containing fire.

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It was an emblem of God's condemnation and punishment of the sinner. But the sacrifice on behalf of the worshiper also taught the worshiper and foreshadowed the fact that God would provide a substitute for the sinner.

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And so of course the sacrifice pointed to the Lord Jesus Christ. And here we read of the burnt offering of the family of Jesus himself the substitute of sinners.

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And then they were off to offer secondly a sin offering. Picture Christ laden with their sin when he died on the cross.

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Christ is a sin offering is what God provided for us. For God has made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

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The law called for a lamb as a burnt offering. But in the place of a lamb the poor could offer a turtle dove.

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And we see in the sacrifice offered by our Lord's earthly family, they were poor because they offered this substitute.

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And so once again the poverty of the couple is stressed. For they offered two turtle doves in accordance with the law as we see in chapter 2 verse 24 of Luke.

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Our Lord Jesus is always associated in the scriptures with the needy and the helpless, the lowly, those in poverty.

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And he stands as one with us and one for us. He sympathizes with us in our weakness and our afflictions.

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The details of verses 21 to 24, although certainly important, provide details of our

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Lord. These verses actually serve to lead up to the next episode which is really the main emphasis of the passage.

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And this is the encounter with Simeon and his prophetic utterance regarding the person and work of his child.

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And so let's consider the story of Simeon in the last minutes that we have today. Verse 25 we have a new character introduced.

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He's an older godly wise man who was inspired by God to provide us with further information regarding this child.

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His description serves to show the reliability of his witness. Look how he's described. He's described as righteous.

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He's depicted as devout. He is said to have been full of faith and hope because he was looking for the consolation of Israel.

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In other words, the comfort of Israel. The title speaks of the comfort that God had promised for his people to return from the

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Babylonian exile. Remember how we spent a lot of time a couple years ago in the book of Consolation, Isaiah 40 and following, and Simeon's looking for the consolation of Israel.

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There in Isaiah 40 verse 1, God announced comfort. Yes, comfort my people says your

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God. Speak comfort to Jerusalem. This was anticipation of the coming of the Messiah and Simeon was looking for the consolation of Israel.

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Comfort is another word for consolation. Again, Israel had fallen under the curse of God for having transgressed the

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Mosaic Covenant. So the curses of God had been upon the nation for centuries.

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It was evident when God brought his judgment upon both the northern and southern kingdoms of Israel and Judah in the 8th and 6th centuries

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BC. But God promised to bring reconciliation and restoration to a remnant, not to all of them, but to a remnant of his people.

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And here we have Simeon looking for the consolation of Israel. He was looking for the Messianic Age, the time of the

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Christ, the anointed one of God who would bring redemption to God's people. By the way, in the

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New King James Version you might notice consolation is capitalized. And this is because some view the word consolation here to be actual title of the

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Messiah. He was looking for the consolation of Israel, in other words, the Christ, the

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Messiah. Notice Simeon is described as having the Holy Spirit upon him.

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The Holy Spirit communicated with Simeon that he would see the Messiah before he died and so he came by the

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Spirit into the temple. What Luke is doing is showing that the witness of Simeon is absolutely reliable.

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The Holy Spirit is on him. The Holy Spirit has spoken with him. The Holy Spirit has brought him to the temple.

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I might just, as an aside, stress this point. If we desire to be an effective witness like Simeon was an effective witness, perhaps these qualities need to be recognized about us by others also.

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First, we're to be righteous and devout in the manner in which we live, consistently before others.

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You know, we're in a post -Christian society but even people out there who are not Christian know how you, as a

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Christian, ought to be living. Is that not right? They still retain that much.

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Secondly, we're to be full of faith and hope so that others are seeing that we are ordering our lives according to God's words and promises.

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And thirdly, we're to be walking and speaking, giving evidence that the Spirit is upon us. And when this is evident, people realize that there's truth in your words.

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Whether or not they respond to what you say, whether or not they like it is immaterial, but your witness will have weight.

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The main point of the episode is Simeon's speech that's recorded in verses 29 -35.

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And there are two parts to Simeon's speech. We have the Song of Thanksgiving voiced in verses 29 -32, and then secondly, we have a prophetic word given to Mary, verses 34 -35.

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Let's look at the Song of Thanksgiving. Lord, now you're letting your servant depart in peace according to your word.

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For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the

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Gentiles, and the glory of your people is real. And so that is a new bit of information that we have in the infancy narratives.

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Again, back with the shepherds, God revealed he came to be a Savior. Jesus came to be a

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Savior of lowly people, even shepherds. Here we see he came to be a Savior of Gentiles, not just Jews.

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And so he came as a Savior to the world. Through divine illumination,

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Simeon recognized the child he takes and lifts the child up before God, blesses God, and gives forth his prophetic utterance.

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Again, the emphasis on the passage is on the universal scope of salvation brought to the child.

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And so God determined this child would be the glory to Israel, whose illuminating life would even give knowledge of God to the

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Gentiles, however. And so it is that Christ Jesus dissipates the darkness of the knowledge of God among the peoples of the earth, imparting light, true knowledge of who

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God is. And when people come to know him and come to him, they are coming to God and coming to know

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God through Jesus Christ. And so if you see yourself in darkness regarding who

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God is and how you might know him, if you feel ignorant of his person and desire to come to understand him and you long to know

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God, he's put that desire in your heart, that longing. You desire to receive the life that he gives freely to his people.

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Then the answer, of course, is to come to Jesus. Simeon held him in his arms. Imagine that.

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And you'll have the darkness removed and understanding given to you. Though you may be currently separated from Christ, excluded from the people of God, stranger to all the promises of God, having no hope without God in the world, having lived in disregard of God, perhaps even in opposition to him and his ways, in Christ Jesus you can encounter peace, reconciliation, if you come humbly.

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Acknowledge your need, acknowledging his satisfaction before God if you're need.

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What a glorious end of a godly life Simeon experienced. He saw the realization of God's promise.

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You're not going to die until you see the Savior. One described him as a slave, having been instructed by his master to keep watch from a high place through a long dark night to wait for a special star and then announce its appearance.

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And after many worrisome hours of waiting, he at last sees the star rising in its brightness. He announces its appearance and is then discharged from keeping watch any longer.

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And so Simeon fulfills his watch. He does his duty, having stood his watch, and he declared that God indeed fulfilled his promise to bring salvation to all people,

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Jews and Gentiles. And then we have the conclusion of course with the prophetic word to Mary.

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Simeon turns to the amazed parents and blesses them and says to her, Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel.

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Jesus didn't come to save all of Israel. He came to cause some to rise and he came to cause some to fall.

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He brought judgment upon them. He came and separated the people depending on how they responded to him.

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And for a sign which will be spoken against, yes, a sword will pierce through your wounds, so also so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.

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And so those who are currently standing, that is, they think they are standing to their pride and self -righteousness, this child will spell their doom.

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For the gospel is good news to sinners who are in need of him, who are humble. He will cause them to rise.

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He will call all others to fall. But the standing of men and women before God, their rise or fall, is determined by their attitude and their responsiveness toward Jesus Christ, God's Son.

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There's no neutrality here. You're either rising or falling. You're either for him or against him.

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On him, as Father said, is approval. If one says to God, I would know you, then the

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Father says to you, look to my Son. Hear him, believe on him, serve him, honor him.

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For there's no other name given under heaven whereby he's given us to be saved. Amen?

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Let's pray. Thank you, our Father, for this episode that we have and the truth that is disclosed to us through it.

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And we pray, our God, that this Christmas Day we will be able to reflect and meditate upon these things and the glorious privilege that we have as believers in Jesus Christ that you've conferred upon us the status of adopted children of God.

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Bless us, our God. Help us to go forth from here with faith and renewed hope.