Apostles Church

Simeon. Luke 2:22-35. The text does not tell us Simeon's age, but it would seem that he is older. He has been waiting his entire adult life, hoping to see the consolation of Israel. This is a phrase that speaks of the fulfillment of God's promise to send a Savior King who would bring forgiveness to God's people, renew God's presence among them, and reign among them freeing them from the oppressive power of their enemies. The land is occupied by a powerful oppressive nation - Rome. While others in the nation have just accepted the way things are, Simeon has believed a promise from God that the Messiah is coming to bring salvation. God is going to step in and bring hope and renewal to the world. God is going to save the day. Simeon is waiting with hope for God's salvation. What about you? Have you just accepted things the way they are?  There is always a remnant that hopes and believes God's promises and waits on him to move, to step in and bring his salvation, and save the day. Where do you need to experience God's salvation? For some, it is at the deepest level. You need to experience God's love and forgiveness in Christ. You need to know that Christ is a Savior King who has defeated your greatest enemies: sin, guilt, shame and death, by dying for your sins and rising from the dead so you could be forgiven and have eternal life. He has died to bring you to God and know him as Father and friend. For others of us who know salvation at the deepest level, we need to experience God's salvation in specific areas of our lives. You need a breakthrough where God steps in and begins a work of renewal. Are you waiting with hope? Or have you just resigned yourself to the way things are? Character - you want to be changed. You want to be free from certain patterns in your character, you have a holy discontent with who you are and want God to free you from your anger, jealousy, greed, fear, despair, and selfishness, and to awaken patience, kindness, courage, faith, generosity, self-control and genuine love in you. Will you hope for that? Will you keep looking to God for it? Marriage - have you just given in to the condition of your marriage? Or can you envision God bringing his saving power to bear upon your marriage, freeing you and your spouse from sinful self-focused patterns that prevent the flourishing of your marriage? Do you believe that God can awaken love and desire in you both and lift your marriage to a new level you did not think possible? Will you look to him and pray with hope? Relationships, finances, influence - have you resigned yourself to the way things are? Or, are you looking to God and waiting on him to break in and bring renewal to these things? God has made so many promises to you. Psalm 50:15, "Call on me in the day of trouble and I will answer you and you will glorify me."  Sometimes the waiting is long period. Anna waited her entire life, praying and fasting and calling upon God and finally...Simeon waited into his final days, but he would not resign himself to the way things were. God has given him a promise and he believed God for it.

Simeon is given this promise, and the Spirit leads him to the temple on this day when Jesus is being presented by his mother and Joseph. The Spirit reveals to him that this baby is the one he has been waiting for. This is the Messiah, the Savior, God's promised one. Simeon had seen hundreds of babies come through the Temple, but the Spirit revealed to him that this is the Christ. Incidentally, you can't see Jesus for who He is without the Spirit revealing him to you. He will just be an important and influential historical figure who serves as a good example for humanity, but he will not be Lord and Savior and hope of all nations to you unless the Spirit reveals him to you. Jesus said the Spirit would "bear witness about me." He is like a floodlight that shines on Jesus. The Spirit reveals to us all that Christ is for us and moves our hearts to respond to him in faith.

Simeon approaches the parents, takes the child into his arms and blesses God in song. What does this song tell us: Jesus is God's provision of Salvation for all Peoples. Salvation - the forgiveness of sins, restoration to fellowship with God, and inclusion in his plan to bring about the renewal of all things. For All Peoples: Jew or Gentile, for all peoples. Jesus is the hope of the nations. Mary and Joseph marvel at this - Jesus will not be a local or national king, but a Savior for the World.

Now if this scene had a soundtrack to it, the music so far would be in a major key and it would be climatic and it would feel joyful and moving and hopeful, but then the music changes. It hits a minor key and turns grave and ominous and Simeon's facial expression changes from joyful to serious and intense; the smile disappears, the eyes widen. And he says things that have yet to be spoken about this child. He will be rejected. He will be opposed by many. Not all will receive this King, in fact they will reject him. This rejection will mean painful suffering for him and Mary will feel the pain of it as well -  a broad two edged sword will pierce her soul. This is fulfilled at Jesus' crucifixion where Mary looks on weeping in anguish at the death of her Son. Jesus is physically pierced through the hands and feet and side, and Mary, is emotionally pierced through the heart, through her soul. Jesus is going to suffer. He is going to be rejected. He will be a King, but He will be a suffering King.

This means that he will be divisive. There will be those who believe in him and receive him and others who oppose and reject him. He will divide Israel and all humanity. He is appointed for the falling and rising of many. Those who reject him will fall (they will in turn be rejected by God - excluded from his mercy and kingdom), and those who receive him will rise (they will be lifted up and received by God - receive God's mercy and belong to his Kingdom). In other words, how you respond to him will determine your direction and your destiny.
Jesus has always divided people. Advent is a line in the sand that divides history, and it divides humanity. Notice that the text says, "so that many hearts may be revealed." How one responds to Jesus reveals one's posture toward God. You cannot be positive toward God and negative toward Jesus. To receive Jesus is to receive the One who sent him. To reject Jesus is reject the One who sent Him. How one responds to Jesus exposes the hearts condition. John 3:19-20. Jesus is the light but people reject the light because they love the dark. They close their eyes to the light because the darkness is more pleasing to them.

The Song of Simeon teaches us that Jesus is God's provision for our salvation. He is the One we need. Forgiveness and restoration to God is found in him. Life abundant and eternal are found in receiving him and knowing him. And though he came to bring peace between people and God, he divides people. Some will receive him others will reject him. The Spirit will reveal Christ to some and they will see him as Savior and Lord, the greatest treasure and our only hope. Others will not see him, but will close their eyes to him and prefer the darkness over him. For those who see him and receive him and experience God's salvation, they continually trust in Him, looking to him to bring about his good purposes in their life. They know he has decisively dealt with the greatest trial of their lives (sin and guilt) and they can trust him to deal graciously with the lesser trials of their lives. They wait on him to see his saving help come to their personal lives and relationships. They continually hope in Him. They do not resign themselves to the way things are but look to the one who has saved them and trust in Him to save them even now.