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May turn in your Bibles to Luke 
chapter 2. Luke chapter 2. I'll begin reading in verse one. 
We'll read to verse thirty-five. I know it's a lengthy portion, 
but it's a very instructive portion of Scripture. But our focus this 
evening is specifically on this older man called Sinion that 
we find in verses twenty-five to thirty-five. But I'll pick 
up reading in Luke two at verse one. And it came to pass in those 
days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the 
world should be registered. The census first took place while 
Quirinius was governing Syria, so all went to be registered, 
everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, 
out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, 
which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage 
of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who 
was with child. So it was that while they were 
there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And 
she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling 
cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for 
them in the inn. Now there were in the same country 
shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock 
by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, 
and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly 
afraid. Then the angel said to them, 
do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great 
joy, which will be to all people. But there is born to you this 
day in the city of David, a savior who is Christ the Lord. And this 
will be the sign to you. You will find a babe wrapped 
in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there 
was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising 
God and saying, Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, 
goodwill toward men. So it was when the angels had 
gone away from them into heaven that the shepherds said to one 
another, let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come 
to pass, which the Lord has made known to us. And they came with 
haste and found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger. 
Now, when they had seen him, they made widely known the saying 
which was told them concerning this child. And all those who 
heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 
But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 
Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for 
all the things that they had heard and seen as it was told 
them. And when eight days were completed 
for the circumcision of the child, his name was called Jesus, the 
name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. 
Now, when the days of her purification, according to the law of Moses, 
were completed, they brought him to Jerusalem to present him 
to the Lord. As it is written in the law of 
the Lord, every male who opens the womb shall be called holy 
to the Lord and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in 
the law of the Lord, a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons. And behold, there was a man in 
Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. And this man was just and devout, 
waiting for the consolation of Israel. And the Holy Spirit was 
upon him. 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. So he came by 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, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, 
Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace according 
to your word. For my eyes have seen your salvation, 
which you have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light 
to bring revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of your people, 
Israel. And Joseph and his mother marveled 
at those things which were spoken of him. Then Simeon blessed them 
and said to Mary, his mother, behold, this child is destined 
for the fall and rising of many in Israel and for a sign which 
will be spoken against. Yes, a sword will pierce through 
your own soul also that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. Amen. Well, as I said, we're 
going to focus primarily on verses 25 to 35. I believe this account 
with Simeon who saw God's salvation is very instructive and I hope 
very encouraging for us as we consider the Lord Jesus Christ 
with specific reference to his coming into this world. And I 
believe that there are three things that Luke sets forth for 
us concerning Simeon in this passage. The first is his character. Secondly, his conduct. And thirdly, 
his confession. I want to look at his character, 
his conduct and his confession. And then I want us to end by 
looking at our own character. our own conduct, and our own 
confession, and see whether we look like this man, Simeon, in 
the Scriptures. But notice, first of all, his 
character. I don't know if you like to read 
biography, but biography simply is the written life of a particular 
person. It doesn't have to be a Christian 
person. Sometimes people read biographies 
of military leaders or of political figures. Biography simply is 
a written life account. Some of them are very big. I've 
got two volumes on George Whitefield in my office by Arnold Dallimore. I mean, they're two thick, hardback 
books full of information concerning that man, George Whitefield. 
Well, the biography concerning Simeon is quite brief. But it 
is quite instructive. Notice in verse twenty five. Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem 
whose name was Simeon and this man was just and devout. He was just and devout, and I 
think this captures the essence of biblical religion. It captures 
the essence of what the prophet Micah instructed the people of 
God to whom he prophesied. He has shown you, O man, what 
is good. And what does the Lord require 
of you but to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with 
your God? So what we're dealing with in 
this man, Simeon, is a Christian. And we will see that as we move 
forward, we will see that he is saved by grace through faith 
in the Lord Jesus Christ and that faith in the Lord Jesus 
Christ then produces good works or produces obedience to the 
scripture when it refers to him as being just. I believe this 
describes his conduct toward men. Now, obviously, it would 
be just before God. But in that description given 
by Micah, and as we trace that language of Micah 6, it's also 
in Deuteronomy 12, it's in Proverbs 21, it's in Zechariah 7, and 
it's in Matthew 23, when Jesus upbraids the scribes and the 
Pharisees, he says, you tithe the mint and the anise and the 
cumin, but you neglect the weightier matters of the law, justice, 
mercy, and faith. Those things describe or characterize 
a man rightly related to God by our Lord Jesus Christ. So 
this just mess that is given here refers to his status before 
man. He doesn't rent men off. He doesn't 
cheat people. He is honest. He is faithful. He is kind. He deals righteously 
with those around him. That has to be true of God's 
people. We ought not to be awkward. We 
might be a little awkward because we all are to some degree, but 
we ought not to be weird. We ought not to be the person 
on the outcast that can't relate to people. Perhaps you've met 
Christians like that before. They don't relate, not only to 
Christians, but they don't relate to people in general. Well, that's 
not biblical Christianity. I'm not saying they're unsafe, 
but it ought to be our desire to rightly relate to people. 
When we work, we work hard. When we have a wife or a husband, 
we're faithful to that. We are just in our outlook toward 
man. And he's also devout. And I believe 
this has reference or it is his conduct toward God. He was given 
to the things of God. He was like that man in Psalm 
92. He was flourishing in his old age. This is an old man here 
waiting for the consolation of Israel. This is an old man who 
had aged well under the grace of God. He is devout. He doesn't 
have to be. you know, harassed and harangued 
and told to go to the temple because it's good for him. He 
doesn't have to be told time in and time out that he should 
read his Bible, that he should pray. No, he naturally gravitates 
towards that because grace is in his heart. And when grace 
is in your heart, you naturally gravitate toward devotion to 
God. John Gill said he was a holy, 
good man in his life and conversation. He was one that feared God and 
avoided evil. He was righteous before men and 
devout towards God and exercised a conscience void of offense 
toward both. And that last statement that 
Gilb says is from Paul's statement in Acts 24. Paul says, I strive, 
I labor, I am diligent, I make it my aim to live in a manner 
that is clear with men and with God, to live without offense 
before God and with men. And that ought to be the way 
we live. Again, we ought not to be the odd ducks that no one 
can ever approach because we're going to just lay our weirdness 
on people. I mean, I don't know how much 
you all get out, but there is some of that out there and we 
want to guard against it. If people come to our church 
to visit, let it not be they leave because we're all weird, 
not ducks. I mean, let it be because we preach the gospel. 
We preach Christ. The cross is an offense. We believe 
that the law of God abides all those biblical realities and 
verities and truths. Let it be for that reason, not 
because they can't talk to us because we're weird. This was 
not seen here. Grace affects a man. The Spirit 
affects a man. The Spirit affects you in every 
relationship, in every station, in every area of your life. We 
are seeing that working through Colossians. We are seeing how 
the gospel liberates a man and enables him to truly love his 
wife and not to be embittered against her. Now, the gospel 
liberates a woman so that no longer is she this contentious, 
dripping on a rainy day, but she welcomes her husband. She's 
submissive to him. She loves him. She provides a 
haven for him, and he wants to be in her midst. We have seen 
how the gospel liberates fatherhood, so that men don't reign like 
tyrants in their home, abusing or ruining their children, but 
rather lovingly bringing them up in the training and admonition 
of the Lord. We have seen how the gospel liberates 
a child. So that that that desire to be 
rebellious or dishonoring to his parents is quenched. It's gone. It's extinguished, 
though some may remain. The reigning power of that sin 
is gone. And that child wants to be submissive 
to his parents. That's what we see here in Symeon. 
That's what verse 25 gives us. He says, and behold, there was 
a man in Jerusalem whose name was Symeon. And this man was 
just and devout. We may never have two big books 
of biography written about us, but if people at the end of our 
days could say, you know, he was just toward men and he was 
devout toward God. I dare say that's a great way 
to leave this world. That is a great way for people 
to remember you. And the only way people will 
remember that of you is if you are living that way now. The 
way we conduct ourselves now affects how it is when we leave 
later. So in sum, with reference to 
his character, he was just, he was devout, ultimately he was 
obedient. This justness and devotedness 
was an expression of his obedience to the scriptures of the Old 
Testament. The Old Testament always envisioned 
true, genuine, biblical religion as being from the heart. It wasn't 
just engaging in those outward forms or ceremonies. That's the 
whole thrust. That's the whole context of Micah's 
statement in Micah 6 and verse 8. If you're not there, you may 
turn there just so you can see the sharp contrast that is between 
the people and God here. In Micah chapter 6, what we have 
is a covenant lawsuit. And by covenant lawsuit I mean 
the prophet comes in the name of God to sue Israel, or in this 
case Judah, and to call them to repentance and call them to 
faithfulness to their Lord. And then God, indicting them, 
the people answer. Micah six, verse six, with what 
shall I come before the Lord and bow myself before the high 
God? Shall I come before him with 
burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be 
pleased with thousands of rams, ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall 
I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the 
sin of my soul? Now, I hope, I suspect, that 
this passage is familiar to those who have been in this church 
for any amount of time. We did an exposition of the entirety 
of the prophet Micah, but it's a passage we refer to often because 
it shows the difference between an external approach and the 
internal disposition that God requires. You see, the people 
are saying, how can we get him off our backs, basically? How can we appease him? How can 
we make things right? How can we set things in order 
between us and God? With what shall I come before 
the Lord? Do not suppose, brethren, that 
these people are genuinely asking. It's been written for them. It's 
been told them by the prophets. They're not scratching their 
head in dismay and unbelief. Boy, I just don't know what it 
is to do. Be like your child. You've given 
him an instruction about a thousand times. And on that thousand and 
first time you begin to instruct him again. He's like, well, I 
didn't know that. Whoa, wait, what do you mean 
you didn't know that? I know I've told you a thousand 
times. These people are not speaking 
out of an innocent ignorance. They are speaking out of a high-handed 
rebellion. With what shall I come before 
the Lord and bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before 
him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord 
be pleased with thousands of rams? You see what they're trying 
to do? They're trying to buy God off. If we bring our thousands 
of rams, will he leave us alone? Will that get him off our back? Will that cause him to stop threatening 
us? Should we bring 10,000 rivers 
of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for 
my transgression? They're treating God as if he's 
Moloch. Moloch was the big statue pagan 
idol that would stand, or they would stand him in the fire. 
He had arms outstretched, and the people would come and throw 
their babies into the arms of this idol. Naturally, the idol 
couldn't catch, so the baby would drop out of the hands of the 
idol and into the fire. That's the reference. They're 
treating God as if he is Moloch. If I sacrifice my firstborn, 
will this make him happy? Will this please him? People 
are in a complete, arrogant rebellion. Shall I give my firstborn for 
my transgression the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? That's the context for Micah 
6a. He has shown you, O man. Your problem is not that you 
need information. Your problem is that you need 
obedience. And I dare say that's the case with many of us here. 
We don't need new information. We don't need more information, 
though I'm always big on that. You should always get more information 
of the Bible. Our problem isn't in the acquisition 
of information. Our problem is in the application 
of that information. You see, Simeon is a good example 
for us. He was just and he was devout. He has shown you, O man, what 
is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, 
to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? Deuteronomy 10, 
Proverbs 21, Hosea 12, Zechariah 7, and as I mentioned, Matthew 
23, 23 says the very same thing. So, his character is one of justness 
and devotedness. Now, notice, secondly, his conduct. 
He was waiting. Do you love that? He was waiting. This shows us that his justness 
and devotedness were not works conjured up by him in order to 
please God, but they were rather the result of his faith in the 
Lord Jesus Christ. You see, salvation has always 
been by grace through faith in Christ. Notice, he is waiting 
for the consolation of Israel and the Holy Spirit was upon 
him. He had received information concerning 
the consolation or the hope of Israel. Interestingly, Paul, 
in Acts 28, as he is in prison and some Jews come to speak to 
him, Paul uses a very similar construction. He says, Acts 28, 
20, For this reason, therefore, I have called for you to see 
you and speak with you, because for the hope of Israel, I am 
bound with this chain. What was the hope of Israel? 
It was given first in Genesis 315. Remember our covenants, 
our sermons on the covenants of grace, that first proto-gospel 
given in Genesis 315, and then developed and progressing along 
the way. All covenant saints look to the 
same Lord Jesus with the same gracious faith given to them 
by God. So His justness and devotedness 
flowed out of his rightly being related to God by grace alone, 
through faith alone. So you cannot take Simeon and 
say, well, if I'm just and I'm devout, then I'll be saved. No, 
he was saved and therefore he was just and devout, waiting 
for the consolation of Israel. He had the promises of God, he 
believed the promises of God, and he lived consistently with 
those promises of God. Isn't that how we operate? Isn't 
that how we function? Isn't that how we are to conduct 
ourselves? You know, when we talk about 
covenant theology versus what's called dispensational theology, 
sometimes it can be a bit confusing for people when we say that Abraham 
was saved by the same faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. People 
scratch their head and say, how could that be? Well, Simeon's 
a perfect, concrete example. Right. He is before the cross, 
and yet he is waiting for the hope of Israel. He lives by faith. This is a concrete example of 
how men were saved prior to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
Faith in the promised Messiah. We look back to Calvary. The Old Testament says look forward 
to Calvary. same Savior, same cross, same 
redemptive activity. We saw in our study on Wednesday 
night, Hebrews 9 15. The death of Christ is that which 
cleansed those who are under the old covenant, because the 
blood of bulls and goats can never take away sin. They all 
pointed forward to the coming of the Lamb of God. So this man's 
conduct, he was waiting, but as well, he was worshiping. Initially, 
we find him in Jerusalem. And then notice in verse twenty 
five, the Holy Spirit was upon him 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. So he came by the spirit into 
the temple. What's he going to do there? 
Of course, he's going to do what the text says. He's going to 
see Jesus and hold Jesus, which we're going to look at in just 
a moment. The spirit is upon him. Where does he go? He goes 
to the temple. That's where the spirit drives 
man. He drives them to the place of worship. He's a worshipper. Ryle makes the observation that 
in this deep or in this dark period in Israel's history, there 
was a light. You know, we often think we're 
it. I hope we don't think that, but 
sometimes Christians can get this idea that there's only so 
few of us. If I mentioned the one example 
in the scripture, Elijah, what happened to him? He was sitting 
under the broom tree and he was asking the Lord to take him. 
What was God's encouragement to Elijah? I have 7,000 that 
have not bowed the knee to Baal. Did Elijah know that? Did his 
eye see that? No, of course not. He felt like 
he was all alone. He had just done battle with 
the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. He saw God do glorious 
and wondrous things, but it didn't stop the persecution. It didn't 
stop Ahab. It didn't stop Jezebel. They 
were still chasing after him. And lo and behold, it overtook 
him. He got depressed. He sat down by a tree. Now people 
wonder, was he depressed and all that? He was definitely tired 
and hungry and God took care of him. And I love that. God 
says, rest and eat. We can often think that this 
is it. I'm sure in this particular instance, there was a lot of 
people convinced that biblical religion was extinguished. Listen 
to Riley says, We see in the case of Simeon, how God has a 
believing people in the worst of places and in the darkest 
times. Religion was at a very low ebb 
in Israel when Christ was born. The faith of Abraham was spoiled 
by the doctrines of the Pharisees and Sadducees. The fine gold 
had become deplorably dim. Yet even then, we find in the 
midst of Jerusalem a man just and devout, a man upon whom is 
the Holy Ghost. It's a great statement. God is 
never without his witness in this world. We need to keep that 
in mind and we need to be encouraged by that. And then we move thoroughly 
to consider his confession. Let's just see how he reacts 
here. This is one of the few places of scripture I actually 
picture. Let's try not to picture Jesus. Let's have a second commandment 
thing about pictures of Jesus and trying to visualize the son 
of God. But I try to let my imagination 
go on this one because I see this old man very happy. I see a Psalm 92 man in the temple. The spirit comes upon him. It 
is revealed to him that he will not depart until he sees the 
Lord's Christ. He sees Joseph and Mary. He sees 
the baby. What does he do? He gets excited. He's happy. Notice in verse twenty 
seven, he came by 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, he took him up in his arms and blessed 
God and said he didn't just go through the motions. He wasn't 
an externalist. Oh, I have to do this because 
God has ordained it. So he grabs this baby. And he's 
praising the Lord. I mean, did he make a deal with 
Mary? Did he give her a wink? I'm not a wacko. I'm not a fanatic. 
I've got to hold this baby. I mean, how many of you ladies 
with a little baby are going to let some old man grab him 
and just start sort of praising God with him? That's what he 
did. He was happy. Worship promotes 
joy. Sometimes I wonder if this is 
the case with us. When we come to church, reverence 
is fitting. Fear of God is righteous. But brethren, you can be happy. You can be joyful. You can smile. You can delight in God. You can 
weep. You can let go those holy and 
righteous responses to our gracious God. I'm sure some of you new 
people wonder, why do they always sing amen? Why do they always 
say amen? You go to some reformed Baptist 
churches in America, you're going to hear a lot of amening. That 
Don Strachan that visits our church, you hear him amening. What's that all about? Amen means 
so be it or let God be true. It is the response of God's people 
to say we're in this as well. We believe this. We are on board 
with this. It is good. It is righteous. 
It is a confession to participate and to underscore that this man 
isn't nuts. He's not all alone. He's not 
just rambling his cultic thoughts, but we're with him and we praise 
God and we say God is true. Brethren, there is a holy joy 
with reference to the worship of our triune God. And Simeon 
displays it. He took him up in his arms and 
he blessed God and he said, Lord, now you are letting your servant 
depart in peace according to your word. He says, for my eyes 
have seen your salvation, which you have prepared before the 
face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles 
and the glory of your people Israel. You imagine me sitting 
there in the temple that day. You see this young couple come 
in. Typical, normal. There was nothing out of the 
ordinary. He was born of a woman. He was born under the law. They 
wanted to have him circumcised in keeping with the law. They came to promote a gift sacrifice 
in keeping with the law. Nothing out of the ordinary until 
this old guy comes and takes the baby and he starts confessing 
faith in the Lord Jesus. You'd have gone home from the 
temple that day and the mother would have said, hey, what was 
different today? Oh, there was this old man and he took this 
baby and he was just happy and joyful and he was blessing God 
and it was really awesome. It was good what he did. It's 
worshiping, it's praising, he's delighting. He's a God most high. His confession is fourfold here. 
First is the word of God is true. It's another mark of a genuine 
saint. He doesn't play games with the 
Bible. He doesn't play games with the Bible, he submits himself 
to it. He doesn't take the Bible and 
put it under his microscope and look for what it is he'll do 
and what he won't do. You know, I realize that is pretty 
much the way the Bible is dealt with today, but that's not the 
way of a true saint. We submit to the Bible. What 
does God say in Isaiah 66? He says, Heaven is my throne 
and earth is my footstool. But he looks upon him who is 
contrite and of a lowly spirit, one who trembles at my word. Do you tremble at the word of 
God? He confesses the truth of it. Lord, now you are letting 
your servant depart in peace according to your word. Brethren, 
live according to God's word. It's the safest place for a Christian 
is to live according to God's word. Notice, secondly, he confesses 
that the salvation of God is glorious. He says, for my eyes 
have seen your salvation to love that Jesus is in his arms and 
he says this is the Lord's salvation. You know, Jesus says, I am the 
way, the truth and the light. He really is. He is the salvation 
of God. And Isaiah 52 at verse 10, which 
perhaps was in Simeon's mind. Isaiah 52, verse 10 says, The 
Lord has made bear his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations 
and all the nations of the earth shall see the salvation of our 
God. Don't make the mistake of missing 
the point. What's the idea? He's made bare 
his holy arm. Why does a man show his arm? 
To show his strength. He lifts up his shirt and he 
does one of these for his wife, for his girlfriend or for his 
kids. He throws down a little bit so 
they can see his power and strength. That's what it says. The Lord 
has made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations and 
all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. Simeon is looking upon the salvation 
of our God. No wonder he's praising. No wonder 
he's delighting. This morning I mentioned jiggy 
pudding. I don't think it's jiggy pudding. I think it's figgy pudding. I caught that on the way home, 
and what's a jiggy pudding? Probably figgy pudding is what 
I meant. Jig is more like a dance. I gotta suppose, not that he 
was doing the break or whatever, but Simeon was praising God. His eyes saw the salvation of 
the Lord. I mean, you don't remain unmoved 
when that happens. Remember when we read at the 
end of Leviticus 9 on Wednesday night, when God sends fire out 
of heaven to consume their sacrifice, what do they do? They fall on 
their face and they shout. You cannot come face to face 
with God and remain unmoved. He has shown, or he has made 
bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations. And all the 
ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. Simeon says, my eyes have seen 
your salvation, which you have prepared before the face of all 
peoples. The third portion of his confession 
says that the mission of Christ is comprehensive. We mentioned 
this briefly this morning. Jesus' role, or Jesus' rule rather, 
or His reign is comprehensive. He has all authority in heaven 
and on earth. Every piece of geography or property, 
person, everything has been given to the Lord Jesus Christ. But 
we must also see that His redemptive purposes are grand. They're big. In other words, 
when you get to the book of Revelation, you don't see five people standing 
before the throne. You see a multitude which no 
man can number from every tribe and every tongue and every people 
and every nation. The Simeon says he is a light 
to bring revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of your people 
Israel. Go back to Isaiah 42. Isaiah 
42 is a series in Isaiah of four servant songs, and they're all 
about Jesus Christ and his mission. Isaiah 42, verse six. I, the Lord, have called you 
in righteousness and will hold your hand. I will keep you and 
give you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles, 
to open blind eyes, to bring up prisoners from the prison, 
those who sit in darkness from the prison house. I am the Lord. That is my name and my glory. I will not give to another nor 
my praise to carved images. Behold, the former things have 
come to pass and new things I declare before they spring forth. I tell 
you of that. Verse six seems to be in the 
mind of Simeon when he makes this portion of his confession, 
but also Isaiah forty nine and verse six. Isaiah 49 is the second 
servant song, which is about our Lord Jesus Christ. But just 
picking up in verse five of Isaiah 49, I want you to see that Jesus 
not only has all authority in heaven and on earth, but he's 
going to save a great multitude. He is going to have dominion 
from sea to sea. There will be a time when the 
knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover 
the sea. So the Bible says, notice on 
Isaiah forty nine at verse five. And now Jehovah says, who formed 
me from the womb to be a servant, to bring back Jacob back to him 
so that Israel is gathered to him. For I shall be glorious 
in the eyes of the Lord and my God shall be my strength. This 
is Jesus speaking. And now he says, verse six, speaking 
of God, the Father, speaking to him. Indeed, he says, it is 
too small a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the 
tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel. 
I will also give you as a light to the Gentiles that you should 
be my salvation to the ends of the earth. That should make you 
very happy. It's too small a thing, Jesus, 
for you to go and simply save the tribes of Jacob. Your mission 
is far more comprehensive. The scope is far more universal. You're not just Judah's Redeemer, 
you're the world's Redeemer. You're not just Israel's God, 
you are the Gentiles' God as well. And the language used here 
is similar to what we find in Isaiah 52. The Lord has shown 
his holy arm. The same thing here. It's too 
small a thing that you should be my servant. Let's just say 
you were a math whiz. You did math like nobody's business. By the time you are in eighth 
grade, you are doing calculus and trigonometry and whatever 
comes beyond that. You go into university and you 
are just, I mean, you're the king of math geeks. Everybody's 
just impressed with you and you get an opportunity to show your 
skills. And somebody comes and says, 
what's 2 plus 2? That really doesn't display your 
skills, does it? I mean, you eat 2 plus 2 for 
breakfast. That's like nothing. You can 
dream 2 plus 2. You can think like a monkey and 
solve 2 plus 2. In order to really be impressive 
or to show your ability, some PhDs are going to come and give 
you a very detailed and difficult problem. So that when you work 
your way through that, and you are successful and you've accomplished 
it, everybody marvels. Everybody says, what a great 
math guy. That's the thrust of Isaiah 40, 
49. It's too small. Small potatoes. God loves Jacob. God's going to redeem Jacob. 
That's for sure. But there's men in every tribe 
and every tongue and every people and every nation. All the nations 
of our God shall be blessed in him. This is not universalism. 
I do not believe that every single man, boy, man, woman, boy and 
girl will be saved. But I am definitely convinced 
that there's more going to be saved than most of us ever even 
begin to imagine. The Bible envisions a glorious 
and comprehensive reign of our Lord Jesus Christ. He would save 
Jew and Gentile through his atoning work at Calvary. And incidentally, 
very interesting in the book of the Acts of the Apostles, 
there is an instance where Paul and Barnabas are preaching to 
a Jewish synagogue and they are rejected flat out outright. You know what they do? They reach 
back to Isaiah's prophecy. They take what's applied to Christ 
and apply it to themselves. We are a light to the Gentiles. 
What's the point? That as servants of Jesus, as 
missionaries for Jesus, Isaiah's prophecy is coming to fruition. Through gospel missions throughout 
the earth, the promise of Isaiah is being fulfilled. Brethren, 
that's what Simeon's all about. He had a very optimistic eschatology, 
we might say. And then the fourth and final 
aspect of his confession was more of a personal word to Mary. Verse 38, Joseph and mother and 
his mother marveled at those things which were spoken of him 
as they would. I mean, that text shouldn't surprise 
you, should it? They're still kind of, you know, 
fumbling their way through all of this. Yes, it was a miraculous 
thing, the virgin birth. Yes, the angel Gabriel and his 
instructions to Joseph. Yes, the fact that he would be 
called Jesus and he would save his people from their sins. These 
things have been happening. Now they're in the temple. And 
this old man grabs Jesus and he's praising and blessing God. 
And so Joseph and his mother marveled. Wow, it's amazing. This wasn't some odd little reading 
of the tea leaves. Yeah, your son, he's going to 
be a great, great guy. No, it's a very specific prophecies 
in accord with Isaiah that was going to be fulfilled through 
Jesus Christ. Then Simeon blessed them and 
said to marry his mother. Behold, this child is destined 
for the fall and rising of many in Israel and for a sign which 
will be spoken against. Yes, a sword will pierce through 
your own soul also that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. 
As Protestants, we don't put Mary on a pedestal. She's a sister 
in Christ with us. As the chosen vessel to bring 
forth Jesus, as the one who would rear him, as the one who would 
love him in a unique way, this was a very pertinent word for 
her. He said, yes, a sword will pierce 
through your own soul also. It certainly couldn't have been 
easy for her to see her son hanging on a cross as a rebel. It could not have been easy for 
her to be standing at the foot of the cross and seeing her son 
scorned, rejected, battered, bruised and broken. So, Simeon 
cautions, Simeon encourages, Simeon speaks a specific word 
to her. John Gill says, So the calumny 
and reproach of the tongues of men is compared to a sharp sword. 
And such the Virgin might meet with on account of her conception 
in an unmarried state, which might greatly wound her soul 
or else the sorrow she met with on account of her son, as he 
was a man of sorrows. So was she a woman of sorrows 
from his cradle to his cross. And his sorrows, like so many 
darts or javelins, rebounded from him to her and pierced her 
soul through, as when Herod sought his life, when she had lost him 
for a whole day, and when he was frequently exposed to danger 
among the spiteful and malicious Jews. But never more that when 
she stood at his cross and saw him in his agonies extended on 
the tree, bleeding, yasping and dying. So, Simeon not only rejoices 
in having seen the Lord's salvation, but he imparts a specific word 
to Mary concerning the trouble that she would endure as a result 
of having been chosen to be the mother of our Lord Jesus. Well, 
brethren, I think in this passage we have a good mirror. We can 
look at a man like Simeon, who looked forward to Christ. We 
look to Christ as well. Are we just and devout? Do these 
things flow out of our gracious relationship with God through 
faith? Do people who know you say, yeah, 
he's just, he doesn't rip me off, he doesn't speak ill, he's 
not dishonest. You know, Psalm 15 pictures the 
perfect man. I think it's only speaking of 
Jesus Christ. One of the things that mentions 
in Psalm 15 and something that the sheep of Christ manifest 
and in Revelation 14 is that they swear to their own hurt 
and they do not change. You know, sometimes you might 
make a promise and it might be difficult and we say, well, I'm 
not going to carry through with it. No, you need to be just toward 
men. You need to be just. You need 
to let your yes be yes. You need to let your no be no. 
If you are saved by grace, you need to follow the Lamb of God, 
who was just toward men. You need to be devout and devout. We get this idea. You got to 
wear a robe and a big hat and a long belt and sort of sit in 
a hut and chant. So what devotedness means or 
looks like devotedness means serving God where he has you 
being faithful. Whether it's a husband, whether 
it's a wife, whether you're a worker, whether you're a student, whether 
you're a child, whether you're an adult, whether you're single, 
whether you're married, wherever your station is, you are devoted 
to God in that capacity. That's what a new man in Christ 
looks like. He's devoted to God. He feeds 
that devotion with scripture, with good doctrine, with fellowship, 
with church, with brethren, with sermons, with prayer. All those 
things are means by which we can demonstrate a devotedness 
to God as well. Our conduct. He was waiting for 
the consolation of Israel. He was waiting for the coming 
of the Lord Jesus. Isn't that how we're supposed 
to live? Aren't we supposed to be like Simeon in that regard, 
waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus? Now, there's a sinful 
way to wait, quit our job and sit on our roof and just wait. 
That's what they were doing in Thessalonica. That's why Paul 
said, if a man won't work, neither let him eat. They thought the 
Lord was coming any time. So they sold their stuff, they 
quit their jobs and they sat and waited. That's not what I'm 
talking about. Whatever you do, don't tell your 
boss Jesus is coming. So I'm going to quit. He's going to laugh at you and 
then you're going to come here and we're going to laugh at you. 
Even if Jesus comes tomorrow, work hard. He came tomorrow afternoon. Work hard tomorrow morning. Luther 
said, If I knew Jesus was coming, I'd plant it. If I knew it's 
coming tomorrow, I'd plant a tree today. You do what God has called 
you to do, but you're waiting for the consolation. You're waiting 
for the coming of Christ. The Bible specifies that those 
who wait do it in a specific manner. John says that everyone 
who has this hope in him, the hope of his second coming, keeps 
himself pure. The second coming of Christ is 
a great encouragement to holiness and to righteousness and to watchfulness 
and to prayerfulness and hopefulness and to joy. Jesus is coming again. He's going to write all the wrongs. 
You might have a particular thing that really bothers you in this 
world. You might look at something and 
wonder how in the world could that ever go away? Christ is 
coming. He must reign till all of his 
enemies are made his footstool. You find comfort in the reality 
that he will vindicate his righteous ones and that he will punish 
all iniquity. And then finally, our confession. 
We need to be like Simeon here. We need to live according to 
the word. We need to have seen the salvation 
of God in the face of the Lord Jesus. We need to understand 
that Jesus is the savior of the world. Isn't this the lesson 
that the Samaritans learned? Isn't this what the woman at 
the well learned from Jesus? Jesus had saving dealings with 
this woman. She goes back to the people of 
Samaria. She tells them, come see a man 
that told me all things that I ever did. They come and they 
believe and they say it's not only upon this woman's testimony, 
but because we have seen that he is the savior of the world. We need to understand that and 
we need to glorify our God. And then riled again in his expository 
thoughts will end here is it kind of goes along with this 
text, but also Hebrews two hundred Hebrews two. It says he destroyed 
him who had the power of death. We commented about how a genuine 
Christian, though he may be afraid of the way he dies, he's not 
afraid to die. I mean, a genuine Christian doesn't 
have some sick fascination with getting hit by a bus or losing 
his, you know, his arm and farm machinery. He's not like that, 
but he doesn't have a fear of death. Ryle said that he speaks 
Simeon like one for whom the grave had lost its terrors and 
the world its charms. He desires to be released from 
the miseries of this pilgrim state of existence and to be 
allowed to go home. He is willing to be absent from 
the body and present with the Lord. He speaks as one who knows 
where he is going when he departs this life and cares not how soon 
he goes. The change with him will be change 
for the better, and he desires that his change may come. That's 
a Christian. He's not, you know, too thrilled 
about how he's going to die, but he's thrilled at the prospect 
of being with his savior, and the only way to be ready for 
that is to believe on the Lord Jesus now to look to Christ in 
faith now. Then you'll be ready to die. 
It's interesting, one of the philosophers, either Socrates 
or Plato, said that philosophy was the art of preparing for 
death. The art of preparing for death. I think he's right, but 
it's not philosophy, it's theology. It's the art of preparing for 
death. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ 
and you will be ready to depart in peace. So let us pray. Father, 
I thank you for this man, Simeon, and for what you have told us 
concerning him. We thank you even more for Simeon's 
Lord and for this Jesus Christ, who is the salvation of our God. 
We thank you, Lord, that you have included us Gentiles into 
your blessed plan of redemption. And we thank you that you have 
sent forth your gospel and that you are sending it forth and 
that Jesus is building his church and the gates of hell shall not 
prevail against it. God, I pray that you would encourage 
our hearts with these truths and help us to pray with more 
faith in your promises to save a great multitude from their 
sins. We ask now that you would go with us. We pray that you'd 
watch over us. Again, be with those who are 
traveling and those who are sick and just build your people up 
in their most holy faith. And we pray through Christ our 
Lord. Amen.