to the gospel according to Luke. Luke chapter two, God willing, we'll return to our studies in John's gospel in a few weeks. We'll finish up the upper room discourse, the last several verses in John 16, and then take up Jesus' high priestly prayer. But this morning, our focus will be on this man called Simeon that takes up the babe Christ in his arms and makes a wonderful confession and a prophetic statement.

So I wanna read chapter two in Luke's gospel, verses 25 to 35. 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 him, 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, let us pray. Our Father in heaven, thank you for the Lord's day. Thank you for the house of God, where the people of God can gather together. And as we come to the Father through the Son and the power of the Holy Spirit, we pray that you would be enthroned upon the praises of your people here. would send the Spirit now to guide us and lead us into all truth, cause us to reflect upon this glorious scene, cause us to reflect upon the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the very salvation of God Most High.

Forgive us now for all sin and all unrighteousness and all those things that darken our minds and our hearts and our understanding. We pray that you would cause us with fresh appreciation to marvel at what our Lord Jesus Christ has accomplished on our behalf. We thank you for his life of perfect obedience to the Father's law, that death is a sacrifice and substitute on the cross, and that resurrection again the third day in the current session where he now lives to make intercession for his people. We look forward to his return again in glory to judge the living and the dead.

And we pray that all here, everyone under the sound of the gospel here and elsewhere would come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, that they would be cleansed in his blood and clothed in his righteousness and ready to meet him on that great day. And we ask this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen. Well,

Introduction

as we come to this particular passage of scripture, last week in John's gospel, we noted the two comings of our Lord Jesus Christ that he speaks of. In John chapter 16, he says, I came forth from the Father. And there he's speaking about the eternal generation of the Son. There never was a time when the Son was not.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the divine word. We see that in John 1, verse 1, in the beginning was the word, the word was with God and the word was God. And then Jesus goes on to speak in that passage in John 16 that he came into the world. We call that the incarnation.

So back to John 1, after saying what John does in verse 1, he says in John 1, 14, the word became flesh and dwelt among us. And it's a glorious and a wonderful truth of the Christian religion that God the Son came into this world, took on our humanity with all the essential properties and the common infirmities thereof, yet without sin, such that he could live for us and die for us and be raised again for us. I think that as we move through this passage, you'll understand why Simeon, this old man, is rejoicing and now he has laid his eyes upon the very salvation of God Almighty. So

The Confession of Simeon (vv. 25–32)

I want to look first at the confession of Simeon in verses 25 to 28. And then secondly, we'll look at the prophecy of Simeon in verses, hang on, that's 25 to 32, the confession, and then the prophecy in verses 33 to 35. So confession and then prophecy. And by confession, I don't mean, Father, forgive me for I have sinned, but a confession of his faith in our great God who had fulfilled the promise to send the Messiah to save his people from their sin.

So let's look first at the confession in verses 25 to 32.

Revelation Given to Simeon

There is first revelation given to Simeon. When we look at this brief section concerning Simeon himself, we notice in verses 25 to 28, it indicates something about who he is. Now notice the nature of his religion. Verse 25 says, and behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout.

And I think this captures what is well-spoken in Micah chapter six, verse eight. He has shown you, oh man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly before your God or with your God? This is something that we see all throughout the Old Testament.

It is an apt description of the remnant, of the believers, of those who took seriously the promises of God in the Old Testament and looked forward in faith to the coming Messiah. And so this old man, and I call him an old man because he speaks about departing in peace. He's probably not 20. He's probably not 25.

He had been waiting a long time to see the consolation of Israel. So he's an old man. And so this old man had a robust faith in all that God had spoken in the Old Testament scriptures. Some suggest that this Simeon was a pretty prestigious man. that perhaps he was the son of Hillel, who was a famous rabbi, and the father of Gamaliel, rather, that Paul refers to.

I like Poole. Matthew Poole says, the revelations of Christ were to none of the Pharisees, but to Joseph, a carpenter, to Mary, a despised virgin, though of the house of David, to an ordinary priest, Zacharias, to shepherds. And why should we fancy this Simeon a principal doctor? I cannot tell.

I think he's right. There's an obscurity about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The fact that he assumes our humanity. Later, the fact that he'll ride into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey.

We know, of course, all of this fulfills Scripture, but he didn't come with the fanfare that we expect at his second coming when he comes to judge the living and the dead. Now,

Simeon's Character and Confidence

note as well, with reference to his character, he's waiting for the consolation of Israel. And specifically what that means is that he has a confidence in the promises of God. He has a confidence in the promises of God. We know that God is not silent in the Old Testament Scriptures about the coming of Messiah.

In Greek, we call that Christ. God is not silent, and all throughout the Scriptures, He reveals that planned purpose and intention to send the Son of His love in order that He might save His people from their sins. And so that Simeon is waiting for the consolation of Israel indicates that confidence that he has in the promises of God. Say, for instance, Genesis 3.15, that first giving of gospel promise where the seed of the woman is going to crush the head of the serpent.

We see it in types in Genesis chapter 22, when Abraham is told to take Isaac up to Mount Moriah, the son, the only son, the son that he loves, and sacrifice him before the Lord. We know that from that passage, Abram understands well the significance. He says that the Lord will provide. That ram caught in a thicket is a type of our blessed savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

We have that Levitical priesthood and the sacrifices offered up. We see that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission for sin. We've got the announcement throughout the prophets and throughout the Psalter. In fact, our brother Mark read from 5-2 in the prophet Micah.

And one has well observed there, in the setting of Micah, that deliverance for Israel, both past, under David, and future, under David's greater son, the Lord Jesus Christ, originate from a cradle in Bethlehem. And so Simeon had this desire. Simeon understood. Simeon expresses the confidence of his God, or in his God rather, in terms of the promises of God, which are yea and amen.

Simeon is not unique in this. Turn to the book of Acts in Acts chapter 28. Acts chapter 28. There are several other passages that indicate this, but I love the way Paul puts it when he's basically on trial.

He's been arrested. He's in Rome. He's appearing before the unbelieving Jews. He's ultimately on house arrest, or rather arrest in a prison from AD 60 to 62.

That's where Acts ends with 28, 30, and 31. But prior to that, notice what he says with reference to these Jews that have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice in verse 17 of chapter 28, it came to pass after three days that Paul called the leaders of the Jews together. So when they had come together, he said to them, men and brethren, though I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans, who when they had examined me, wanted to let me go.

We've seen that in our studies in the Gospel of John. We saw that in our studies in the book of Acts. The first primary enemy of the Christian church wasn't the Roman empire, it was unbelieving Israel. They had rejected the son of God and therefore rejected the church that he had founded.

Notice in verse 19, but when the Jews spoke against it, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar, not that I had anything of which to accuse my nation. For this reason, therefore, I have called for you to see you and speak with you. Note, because for the hope of Israel, I am bound with this chain. And I think there in Acts 28, something that is emphasized throughout the entirety of the book of Acts by the author Luke under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is to show us that the true interpreters of the Old Testament scriptures are the apostles. not the unbelieving Jews who missed Jesus.

The Old Testament is all about Jesus. Remember on that road to Damascus, the Apostle Paul, at that time Saul of Tarsus, he knew the Old Testament, but he didn't have that interpretative key, namely the Lord of glory, even Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And so this hope of Israel or this consolation for Israel sustained Old Covenant believers. They were looking forward by faith in the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that was fed by the Old Testament scriptures.

So back to Simeon. We notice, as we continue to look at his character, he's filled with the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. This jives with what we've seen in the upper room. Jesus speaks about the sending of the Spirit.

They've tried to encourage us to think this way, that the Old Testament believers have the Spirit. The Old Testament prophets spake by the Spirit. What Jesus is promising in the Upper Room Discourse is the Pentecostal pouring out of the Spirit, the sending of the Spirit on Pentecost, which is a fulfillment of the Old Testament prophets. But now Simeon has the Spirit.

Simeon's a godly man. Simeon is also going to receive revelation from the Spirit and notice that particular content. It says in verse 26, it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. He's going with the eyes, the physical eyes to set them upon the consolation of Israel.

He's gonna set the physical eyes upon the very salvation of God most high. Now it's at this point that it's probably okay not to envy, but to be a bit jealous of Simeon in this instance. He's at a unique period in redemptive history. He is at a unique pinnacle in redemptive history.

The fullness of the time had come. God sent forth his son, born of a woman, born under the law to redeem those under the law. Simeon is an old covenant saint. He's characterized by a justness and a devoutness.

He knows the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit. And that presence and power of the Holy Spirit is revealed to him that his physical eyes are gonna set upon the Lord of glory, the promised Messiah. Now

Simeon's Conduct in the Temple

note that his conduct, verses 27 to 28, he enters into the temple by the prompting of the Spirit. And who, of course, does he meet there? But Joseph and Mary and the child Jesus. Why are Joseph and Mary there?

Because Jesus, in the fullness of the time, was sent forth by his Father, born of a woman and born under the law. Luke records the circumcision of Jesus, and Luke records the coming of Joseph and Mary to the temple to pay the redemption price for their firstborn son. And so all of this, right place, right time, The Spirit prevails upon Simeon, not prevails, that's probably not the best word, prompted is better, moves Simeon to that place and we see then the taking up of the child. Notice in verse 28, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, I've said this before, you've heard it.

Mary must have been prompted, or Mary was the most charitable woman on the face of the earth. If some rando dude comes up to grab your child out of your arms, lady, I suspect we'll see mama bear, bear her fangs and paws. This is of God. This is that blessed, blessed pinnacle in the history of the world.

This is the incarnation of the Son of God. This is the obedience of Mary and Joseph. This is the prompting of the Holy Spirit, such that Simeon goes in fulfillment of what had been revealed to him, that he would not die until he laid eyes upon the consolation of Israel. He takes the child out of her hands.

Again, there's no resistance there. Mary doesn't go mother bear and start to claw at him or to start to bat at him, but he does this. And it made me think about the use of language that we utilize with reference to the incarnation of our Lord. I think there have been many instances where we've tried to encourage you, don't use the language of addition.

It's not as if Christ added human nature. It kind of suggests that there's something added to the divine. He certainly didn't subtract. Some take that faulty reading in Philippians chapter two, and they suspect that Jesus divested himself of deity when he became man.

I think Wesley got it right there. Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see, hail the incarnate deity. Pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel, our God with us. The language that the scriptural writers employ is that he assumed or he took to himself.

He took to himself our humanity. You see this in Philippians chapter two, and you see it as well in Hebrews two. He doesn't take on angels, but he takes on man. Why does he take on man?

Well, all those essential properties and common infirmities thereof, and yet without sin, so that he could live for us, so that he could die for us, so that he could be raised again for us. So consider the one who took on our humanity is now picked up, took up by a godly man in the temple. It really is a glorious picture, not physically, not painting, but in terms of the significance of this particular event. The old man had been waiting, informed and nurtured by the promises of the faithful God all throughout the Old Testament.

The time has come, the Spirit has prompted him, he now holds the babe Christ in his arms.

Three Points of the Confession

And that brings us to the confession of Simeon. And there's three points here that we should observe. First, his departure in peace. Secondly, the salvation of God.

And third, the blessing upon the nations.

Departure in Peace

Note the departure, excuse me, the departure in peace. And this departure has reference to his death. Verse 29, Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace. This is language that we're familiar with.

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Paul says in Philippians 1.23, he says, I'm hard-pressed between the two. It's much better to be present with the Lord than to continue on or tarry on with you brethren in Philippi. So you see, this man who had been nurtured on the promises, this man who is now holding the promise, this man says, I can depart in peace.

It's kind of like Jacob when he sees Joseph. I can die now. Perhaps you've said that in your life. My children are converted.

My grandchildren are converted. I'm a happy man. I can depart in peace. That's the significance of the statement.

Again, brethren, what we have in the entirety of our Bibles is the entirety of our Bibles. And some of us have them bound in beautiful calfskin leather with great big margins for copious note-taking. Simeon didn't have that. What did he have?

He had the promises that were preached by the prophets, inscribed by the prophets, given in the Psalter. He had the Torah. He had the law. He had all these things.

But he didn't have necessarily all the things that we have. And so for him, it was okay now that he die. For him, it was okay that he depart because it's going to be in peace. Then

The Salvation of God

notice he speaks concerning the salvation of God in verses 30 and 31. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared before the face of all peoples. For my eyes have seen your salvation. It's kind of like in that reading in Micah chapter five.

Verse 5a tells us that Jesus is peace. Just like Paul does in the book of Ephesians in chapter two, he says Christ himself is our peace. Christ embodies it. Christ is about it.

Christ is the sum and substance of it, such that Paul can write in Romans 5, therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God. Well, in the same way that Christ is about peace, in the same way that Christ is about the embodiment, rather, of peace, so is He the salvation of God. Remember the naming of Jesus in Matthew chapter 1? You shall call his name Jesus, which is the New Covenant equivalent of the word Joshua, which means salvation is of Yahweh, or Yahweh saves.

It's his name. It was given to him for a particular reason and purpose, because that's his function as the mediator of the new covenant. So he says, for my eyes have seen your salvation. Matthew Pool again says, for my eyes have seen thy salvation, that is thy Christ.

According to the revelation I had from thee. Simeon had a special revelation of a corporeal side of God. That means physically. He had a special revelation of a physical sight of Christ.

He could not die happily till he had had that. Then he makes this observation. And if you're not a believer here this morning, I want you to hear what he has to say. He says, none of us can die in peace till we have seen the Lord's salvation with a spiritual eye and made application of the promises of the gospel in the more general revelation of his word.

So you've got this scene where Simeon takes the child. Simeon has the babe in his arms. Simeon blesses God. That means to speak well of God or magnify God for the reason that he is now able to divide in peace.

For my eyes have seen your salvation. So what had been revealed, what had been waited for, had come to pass. He's now ready to depart in peace and stand before God. It's a good question for all of us.

Are we ready to depart in peace and stand before God? Butler's not becoming the prophet this morning, prophesying your sudden or imminent doom. I don't have that prerogative, nor do I want that prerogative, to be quite candid with you. But I do know this. that we're not to boast about tomorrow, according to James.

We're kind of like that vapor that comes out of the teapot. It's here for a time, and then it's gone. It's kind of like Moses, that man of God who composed Psalm 90. By virtue of strength, our years are 70 or 80, and then what?

Where will we fly away to? Are you prepared to go before the living and the true God and give an account of deeds done in the body, whether good or ill? It's not the corporeal or physical sight that you need or that you can have, but it's rather that sight by faith that is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. It is to look to Him and live.

Going back to John's gospel, just as the Son of Man was lifted up in the wilderness, so also must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Could we die Simeon's death right now? Could we die Simeon's death tomorrow? Could we die Simeon's death in 15 years?

The only way that we can die with peace is by God's grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. That's what the brother is musing on. The promises are yea and amen in Jesus. The fulfillment is yea and amen in Jesus.

The very embodiment with reference to the physical Jesus he is holding is God's salvation. That's why this is so significant. Now,

Salvation Prepared for All Peoples

notice what he goes on to say in verse 31. So he says in verse 30, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared before the face of all peoples. That kind of connects with what we saw there in verse 25, waiting for the consolation of Israel. In other words, he says that the Father, God Almighty, prepared for this.

My brother Cam's gonna preach from Galatians 4 tonight, so I don't wanna steal any of his thunder, but in the fullness of the time, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, born under the law to redeem those under the law. There was a plan, there was a purpose, there's a power. This isn't a haphazard random series of events wherein God just happened to get lucky. And notice that Simeon muses on that reality that God had prepared for this, this very occasion when he's holding this child, when he's musing on the fact that this very child is the salvation of God.

So just a little bit more expansively, how did he know that? He knew that from Genesis 3.15. He knew that from the types that we have in scripture. I mentioned that ram caught in the thicket in Genesis chapter 22.

I mentioned the Levitical priesthood. There's no surprise in John 1.29 when announcing Jesus' purpose and mission, the Incarnate One, it's the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. People weren't puzzled by that. I mean, the unbelieving Jews rejected it and resisted it, but the Baptist confessed that because that's why he had come.

He's the Lamb of God that that Aaronic priesthood or that Levitical priesthood pointed forward to in terms of sacrifice and in terms of priestly activity. So Simeon fed himself on the truth as it is in Jesus. He fed himself on the Psalter. He fed himself on the prophets.

He fed himself on what we call the historical books, better to call them the former prophets. Fed himself on the truth of God's holy word, such that when he saw Jesus, he's able to say, mine eyes have seen your salvation. And as I was thinking through this, it types. For those of you in our church, you've heard that word before.

Hopefully, for those not in our church, you've heard that word before as well. Types are something we see in the Old Testament that prefigure certain aspects of new covenant blessing. For instance, the tabernacle and the temple. Those were not ends in and of themselves, and they're certainly not to be sought out again.

But the tabernacle and the temple preached God's dwelling with his people through his son, the Lord Jesus. That's why Jesus uses that language in John 2. Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Well, Lord, it took us 46 years to build the temple.

What are you talking about? John the theologian tells us he was talking about the temple of his body. You've got that ram in the thicket that points forward to or prefigures the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. You've got a David.

Certainly David is typological of our blessed Savior. There's one other type that I just felt the need to bring about, not suggesting that this was in Simeon's head, but I think that Judges 13 to 16 give us something typological about our Lord Jesus Christ in the life of Samson. You probably all know that Samson's one of my heroes. But think about the life of Samson.

In the brief compass of Judges 13 to 16, you find four times that the Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson.

There's this narrative out there that he was this big, bumbling oof. He had big muscles, but he had even bigger lusts. And I don't know why God used him. I think that narrative is false.

Judges 13 records a supernatural birth with a particular mission. Remember, Mrs. Manoah hadn't had children yet. I'm not suggesting virgin birth.

Manoah was altogether involved. But the scriptures in the Old Testament has this motif of the barren woman getting pregnant. The barren woman getting pregnant. You have it in that particular passage.

You've got Sarah brings forth Isaac. You've got Rebecca bringing forth Jacob. You've got Rachel bringing forth Joseph. You've got Hannah bringing forth Samuel.

And you've got Elizabeth bringing forth John the Baptist. There's a motif. There's layers. You're reading your Old Testament, you should think, Jesus.

You read Genesis chapter 3, and Jesus specifically is called the seed of the woman. Not a denigration of Joseph and his instrumentality, but an emphasis upon virgin birth. An emphasis upon the fact that the deliverer will be a man born of a woman, and that his delivery will be decisive. He will crush the head of the serpent.

So we've got this supernatural birth with reference to Samson, and then the mission is specified. In Judges 13, 5, it says, and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines. Sounds just like Matthew 1, 21, for he it is who will save his people from their sins. And then lo and behold, you turn to chapters 14 and 15, and what do you get with Samson?

Victory over his enemies. And even a lion. What does Peter caution us in 1 Peter 5? Behold, your adversary, the devil, goes about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

And then what about the defeat of Samson in terms of the Gazites? In chapter 16, it says he goes into the harlot at Gaza. I don't believe he had relations with her. I believe he was hiding the way the spies Joshua dispatched in Joshua chapter two were hiding when they went to Rahab the harlot's house.

But Samson does something significant in chapter 16, verse three. He takes up the city gates. And he takes him over to Mount Hebron to show that the Judahites ought to join him in battle to subjugate their enemies. It's language in Genesis 22, 17 and Genesis 24, 60 with reference to Abraham and Isaac.

You're going to possess the gates of your enemies. Huh, what does Jesus say to Simon Peter in Matthew 16? Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father was in heaven. And I say to you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and what?

The gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. Does Samson have something to teach us about the incarnation and the salvation of God? Yes. And then what's the sort of pinnacle moment with reference to the Samson narrative?

It's conquest by death. Again, I'm not saying Simeon mused on this and had this particular angle. But it was there, it was available, it was for him, and it is for us as well. Types do not become types when you and I figure them out.

Paul speaks of Adam being a type in Romans 5.14. That's not when Adam became a type. Adam became a type as soon as God made him and planted him in the garden. Judges 13 to 16, and me telling you so, doesn't mean that Samson is now a type.

He was always a type. And what about that promise in Genesis 3.15? He will crush the head of the serpent, which we know is the devil. Do you know how many head shots, kill shots there are in the Old Testament?

Is it insignificant that David takes the head off of Goliath? Is it insignificant that at the time of the Judges, the enemies of the Lord often fall because of fatal headshots? My point is simply this. We look at these people, Old Covenant believers, and we think, man, how'd they do it?

They did it the same way we do. They trusted in the promises of God Most High and lived in light of them. That's the encouragement for all of us. But we have it a bit better in terms of a New Testament.

And so if our faith is lacking and a Simeon's is abounding, then the obvious response is, get your face in the scriptures. Get yourself to church. Get under the teaching of God's holy word and learn it for your encouragement, for your admonition, for your correction, for your reproof, and for your character, so that you, like a Simeon, can be just and devout. just toward man, devout toward God, a Micah 6, 8 religion, a Deuteronomy 10, 12 religion. The kind of religion Jesus commends in Matthew 23 when he rebukes the Pharisees, you tie the mint and the anise and the cumin, but you neglect the weightier matters of the law, justice, mercy, and faith.

Sounds like a trend there. Sounds like these are the things that please our blessed God. You see them embodied in Simeon. The Spirit is upon him.

He's a believer in the things of the Lord. And it causes him to reflect upon the glory of the Lord and to take up this babe in his arms and to rejoice, to bless, to say, my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared before the face of all peoples. But then

Blessing Upon the Nations

notice he goes on to speak of the blessing of God upon the nations. And again, how does he know this? Well, the oracle of Noah about Japheth coming into the tents of Shem. He knows this based on the promises of God to Abraham.

Look north, look south, look east, look west, all this is going to be yours. He knows this by virtue of the promise to Abraham to look at the sand on the seashore and God says your descendants are going to be more numerous. He knows it by virtue of the fact that the old covenant prophet, specifically Isaiah, announces the coming of the servant of the Lord. And in that composition, there are four servant songs which show us the glory of Jesus in Isaiah 42, Isaiah 49, Isaiah 50, and Isaiah 53.

And in Isaiah 42 and 49, at verse six, we learn concerning the promised Messiah that he's not only gonna save those in Israel, but he is going to be a light unto the Gentiles. In fact, turn to Isaiah 49, just to get a bit of a feel of what the prophet is speaking and what Simeon has picked up on in terms of his blessing of God. Isaiah 49. We'll pick up at verse five.

And now the Lord says, who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring 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. Indeed, he says, it is too small a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob. Do you know what he means? That ain't enough.

If God's purpose with reference to this cosmos is to demonstrate His glory and His power and the salvation of sinners through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. One little place on the map ain't enough. 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.

The Lord Christ in John is demonstrated as the savior of the world. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. You've got that testimony of the Samaritans themselves. We're here not just because of testimony of Samaritan woman, because now we have seen, we have heard, we believe, and we know that you are the savior of the world.

That bit in John chapter 12, where the Pharisees are all concerned about the knowledge of Jesus going out to the world. And these Greeks come and they say to the disciples, sirs, we would see Jesus. the prophecy of Caiaphas in John chapter 11, that he would not only save the people of Israel, but he would save in other nations. The statement of the good shepherd in John chapter 10, I have other sheep. He's not a Mormon Jesus.

Their whole take on that is bizarre and odd at best. He's talking about Gentile inclusion in the covenant promises of God. And that's what Simeon is highlighting here. As he holds the babe Christ, as he testifies concerning the fact that he is the Lord's salvation, the fact that he is the one prepared by God for the coming into this world sinners to save.

And he highlights that he's a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of your people Israel. In fact, this text is what Paul and Silas of Barnabas invoke rather in Pisidian Antioch in Acts chapter 13. When they're rejected and resisted by unbelieving Jews, they say that very thing. They take that text, apply it to the Savior as the servant of Yahweh, and they see it as applicable to them as well. by virtue of their union with the servant through grace or by grace through faith, they're going to be a light to the Gentiles.

That's what kicked off the missionary enterprise. That's what made them go, was this understanding that Japheth, who's Gentile, according to Genesis 10, one to three, finds inclusion in Shem's tent. That we have these Psalms. Psalm 117 is all about the Gentile inclusion in the covenant promises of God.

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, same thing. Psalter, same thing. All the ends of the earth shall hear, and what? They'll fear.

Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth." Then you get to the book of Revelation. What do you see assembled before that throne of God and the Lamb who sits upon the throne?

Well, there's just a few of these people here that have trickled out of the land of Israel. No, it's every tribe. It's every tongue. It's every people.

It's every nation. This made Simeon happy. This encouraged Simeon. This was the impetus for which Simeon could say, I'm ready to go.

I've seen how you're going to do it. I've seen with my own eyes how you're going to orchestrate it. I know from my own reading and my own hearing of preaching how you prepared it. It's come to pass and now I'm ready to depart.

And in that was involved the recognition and expectation of a great multitude that no man can number through the victorious power of this babe that he's holding in his arms. It really is interesting, isn't it? That babe in his arms never was without divinity. That babe in his arms was the Word made flesh.

He doesn't get rid of the divinity. He doesn't put the divinity on the back burner. But while he's cradled in the arms of that man, this is indeed the God-man. And Simeon has hope.

Simeon has peace. Simeon knows that God has been faithful to his promises.

The Prophecy of Simeon (vv. 33–35)

Well, let's look then quickly at the prophecy. Look at his prophecy in verses 33 to 35. First, he blesses Joseph and Mary. Verse 33, Joseph and his mother.

Some say, well, it's not indicating his parents, but the rest of the context does. There's nothing wrong with calling Joseph the parent of Jesus, according to his humanity. In fact, as Luke will say in Luke 3, he was supposed to be the son of Joseph. Not that he's not, but Luke is saying, but we know the whole story.

Jesus doesn't start in the womb of the virgin. Jesus, the divine word, never starts. Contrary to Arius and his modern representatives and Jehovah's Witnesses, when they say there was a time when the son was not, no, there's never been a time when the son was not. He is from everlasting to everlasting.

So Luke assumes that we know of the incarnation of the divine word. But with reference to this statement, Joseph and his mother marveled at those things which were spoken of him. Not because they were shocked, It's not like you walking into Aunt Bessie's house one night and your kid can say what two plus two equals and Aunt Bessie says, physicist, physicist. I'd marvel, especially with my kids.

Kidding, just kidding, just a joke. They're not marveling because they're shocked. They're not marveling because they've never heard something like this. Remember, the angel has announced to them the uniqueness of this son.

The angel Gabriel announces in Luke chapter one that he will sit on the throne of the highest. He is taking David's throne, his kingdom will have no end. So Joseph and Mary have been instructed along the way with reference to the angel announcement. But Moses and Mary, or I'm sorry, Joseph and Mary had as well, I'm thinking of our brother in Eldoret, Moses and Mary.

Joseph and Mary, they had the Old Testament as well. They had Genesis 3.15. They had the ram caught in the thicket in Genesis 22. They had Yahweh said to my Lord, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool in Psalm 110.1.

They had the one who's going forth are from everlasting of Micah 5.2. They had all those promises. The marveling isn't shock. Oh, he's going to do this?

The marveling is confirmation. recognition of fulfillment, the realization of what's happening. It's just not our secret now, Joseph and Mary, but this man Simeon knows, Anna knows, soon Jerusalem's gonna know, and the faithful are gonna receive him. The unfaithful are gonna crucify him and unwittingly accomplish the very purpose and plan of God Almighty. So they understand that and they're marveling as a result of it.

And then Joseph, or rather Simeon, blesses that. This isn't a priestly benediction by any stretch. It's prophetic. Blessed are you for these things that are going to happen.

And it's a charitable blessing. May the Lord continue to bless you. We've already seen Mary blessed because she was favored among women. So note with reference to our text, verse 34, then Simeon blessed them and said to marry his mother.

So it goes from this blessing to now prophecy. It's going to tell them what's going to happen with reference to this sign. And there's first a corporate reference.

The Fall and Rising of Many

Notice in 34b, Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel and for a sign which will be spoken against. I think the language that he's employing is from the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah chapter 8. "'He will be as a sanctuary, but a stone of stumbling "'and a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, "'as a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. "'And many among them shall stumble.

"'They shall fall and be broken, be snared and taken.'" So note again what Simeon says. Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel. That simply speaks to the response to our Lord Jesus in the days of his earthly ministry. The fall is damnation.

The rising is salvation. In other words, when Jesus comes, he comes to bring division. He says this in Matthew's gospel in chapter 10. He comes to bring separation.

We see that in the preaching of the Baptist in Matthew's gospel in chapter 3. He's going to bring division. Not everybody's gonna receive him. John prepares us for that in John one.

He came to his own, his own received him not. It was his own nationally that cried away with him, away with him, crucify him. So what is Simeon prophesying? He's prophesying the real effects of the real gospel connected to the real salvation of God.

It's not going to be the case that everybody just says, wow, he's here, let's bow down and confess him. No, he's destined for the fall and rising of many. There will be those who reject. There will be those who resist.

There will be those who invite and invoke the wrath and fury and judgment of God Almighty. And there will be those who rise by grace, looking unto the Lord Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of faith, the one the bride describes as altogether lovely and chief among 10,000. So this is the nature of his prophecy. He's speaking in terms of the effects of the gospel.

Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel and for a sign which will be spoken against. Again, the earthly ministry of our Lord, life, death, resurrection. What does Paul tell us that unbelieving Israel thought about the death of Messiah? A crucified Messiah?

Are you crazy? Are you nuts? Paul says, the Jews seek signs, the Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ and Him crucified. He says to the Jews, a stumbling block, a scandal.

Remember in John 6, when Jesus multiplies the bread and the fish and feeds people, they try to take him by force and make him a king. Why is that? Because they wanted bread and fish. They didn't want justification by faith.

They didn't want the essence of eternal life, which is the knowledge of God most high and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. They wanted their tummies filled. They wanted political prestige. They wanted to be something again.

They wanted something of Solomon's glory when borders are extended and peace is given and defense is shored. That's not what they wanted. A crucified Messiah for unbelieving Israel? That's a scandal.

That's a stumbling block. That's what Simeon is telling us. That's what's gonna happen. Or Joseph, don't think that the arrival of the one promised by God in the Old Testament is only gonna ever be good.

There's going to be a lot of resistance. There's gonna be a lot of opposition. There's gonna be a lot of hatred and enmity. Again, not silent about that in the Old Testament, Psalm 2.

How do we start off? Why do the nations rage? Why do the peoples plot of vain things? Why do the rulers and the kings take counsel together against Yahweh and against His Christ?

Because man's sinful. Man's wretched. Man's wicked. And not just men out there.

Men in here. Women in here. Children in here. Okay, that's too much, Pastor.

This is why Jesus came. It's for sinners. This is why Paul can say in 1 Timothy 1, this is a faithful saying. It's worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into this world, sinners to save.

And then Paul says, of whom I am chief. If you've ever thought you're too sinful to go to the Savior, that's the devil's logic. It's because you're so sinful that you must go to the Savior. It's like being too hungry to eat, being too thirsty to drink.

It makes about as much, I'm too sinful to go to Jesus. Isn't that the point of Jesus? If we could fix ourselves, I think Paul summarizes this well in Galatians 2.21. He says, I don't set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes to the law, then Christ died in vain.

If we could fix ourselves, if we could mend ourselves, if we could throw a coat of paint on ourselves and be commendable before God, then whence the cross? Why that? Jesus came for this very purpose. And then notice,

The Sword Through Mary's Soul

he references the personal pain involved for Mary specifically in verse 35. Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also. Brethren, we're not papists. But sometimes Protestants don't always meditate upon the true humanity of our Lord.

Doesn't true humanity necessitate a true bond with one's mother? I mean, there's exceptions to be sure. You know, not every woman is mother of the year. They don't all deserve the cup.

But there is that special bond. And so Simeon here, preaching the glory of Christ as the light of the nations prepared by God for this glorious task. And the fact that within his own earthly ministry, there's gonna be resistance, there's gonna be oppression, there's gonna be this crying out, away with him, away with him, crucify him. Mary, you're gonna have some pain too.

Think about that. Simeon, moved by the Spirit, prompted by the Spirit, has a specific prophetic word for her. This ain't gonna be fun for you, Mary, necessarily, at least not every jot and tittle of it. I think Gil gives the sense, well, he says, as he, Jesus, was a man of sorrows, so was she, a woman of sorrows, from his cradle to the cross.

And his sorrows, like so many darts or javelins, rebounded from him to her and pierced her soul through. Can I mention that earlier? We love our spawn, don't we? We love our children.

We want to protect them. We want to hold them. We don't want anything to hurt them. Well, the man of sorrows is a title given to him in the prophet in one of those servant songs, Isaiah 53.

I think Gil's right on. He says, as when Herod sought his life, Matthew 2.13, when she had lost him for a whole day, Luke 2.48, and when he was frequently exposed to danger among the spiteful and malicious Jews, but never more than when she stood at his cross and saw him in his agonies extended on the tree, bleeding, gasping, and dying. He's right. Mary, this babe who is the salvation of God, prepared by God for this very reason, the reason I should bless God for, it's gonna cause a great deal of pain to you, Mary.

See something truly humanizing about this whole event as we see it in this passage. And then

The Thoughts of Hearts Revealed

he ends with the universal scope, verse 35b, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. If you skip the parenthetical statement, it would end thus, and for a sign which will be spoken against that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. This is it. Two types of people in the world, believers and unbelievers.

Those who are with Christ are those who are against him. Matthew 12, 30. He who is not with me is against me. There's only one legit response to Jesus' question in Matthew 16 to Simon Peter.

Who do men say that I, the son of man, am? Oh, they say this out there. And then Jesus looks at them and says, but who do you say that I am? The correct answer is given by Simon Peter.

You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. See, that's the revelation of men's hearts universally. Wherever there are men, they are either with Christ or they are against Christ. So the question is all important for each and every one of us now.

What do I think of Christ? Who do I say is Christ? Who do I confess is Christ? Am I gonna resist?

Am I gonna reject? Am I gonna be one of those, along with the multitudes in the first coming of our Lord Jesus, who fell, who were crushed, who suffered judgment and punishment, and even to this day? This is a very important question for each and every one of us. What does this time of the year signify?

And I lean with Spurgeon over and against some of the fathers We don't know what day Jesus was born. I'm not saying this Wednesday, you know, have a special candle party for Jesus. But it's a good time of the year when person's minds are on this subject to preach the incarnation. And to sing, veiled in flesh, the Godhead see, hail the incarnate deity.

Or as we did in O Come All Ye Faithful, basically rehearse the Nicene Creed. God of God, light of light, true God from true God, begotten not made, one in substance with the Father. This is the reason. I don't want to get really cheesy and say for the season.

I feel like I set myself up for that. Wasn't intentional. There's no notes. Set yourself up for this.

But what is it that you think of this time of the year? I know it's commonplace for people to think about food and presents and family. There's nothing wrong with food and presents and family at all. Those are good things.

But to not get a dose of this salvation of God, to not look at this one, who was with God and was God, who became flesh and dwelt among us, is to miss it by a million miles. I wanna leave you with this. Can you, with Simeon, look at Jesus in faith, and bless God for his salvation that he prepared and that he has brought to pass and that now is that that gospel is going forth as a light to the nations of the world. May the Lord bless each and every one of us and cause us not to miss what is an obvious time for us to reflect upon the person of our Lord Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, and the work of our Lord Jesus Christ, vis-a-vis his life of obedience to the Father, which we desperately need, his death on the cross, which we desperately need, and his resurrection again from the dead.

Paul summarizes it well in the book of Romans chapter four, verse 25. He says that Jesus was delivered up because of our offenses and he was raised for our justification. Don't miss this. Don't close your eyes and don't fall with the multitudes who have resisted and rejected both Yahweh and his Christ to their own everlasting shame.

Come to him and you will be saved. Let us pray.

Closing Prayer

Our Father in heaven, thank you for your word and thank you for this wonderful scene that we have in the temple with Simeon taking up the babe Christ in his arms. We thank you for that one who came into this world to save us from our sins. And we pray wherever the gospel is proclaimed today, you would send it forth powerfully, send it forth gloriously, conquering and to conquer. And we pray, that from every tribe and every tongue and every people and nation, many would be affectionately called to come to the Lord Jesus Christ.

And we pray that for our own place this morning, for any and all here that are dead in their trespasses and sins, we pray that you would awaken them and cause them to see and to behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And we pray this in Jesus name. Amen. Let us stand and sing number 572 in praise to our triune God. 572.

O Israel, hope in the Lord, for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is abundant redemption, and he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities. Amen. Well, please be seated for a brief time of meditation.

Scripture References

• Genesis 3:15; 10:1-3; 22; 22:17; 24:60
• Judges 13-16; 13:5; 16:3
• Psalms 2:1-2; 90:10; 110:1; 117
• Micah 5:2; 5:5; 6:8
• Isaiah 8:14-15; 42:6; 49:5-6; 50; 53:3
• Matthew 1:21; 2:13; 3:12; 10:34; 12:30; 16:13-18; 23:23
• Luke 1:32-33; 2:26; 2:27-28; 2:29; 2:30-31; 2:33; 2:34-35; 2:48; 3:23
• John 1:1; 1:11; 1:14; 1:29; 2:19; 6:15; 10:16; 11:51-52; 12:19-21; 16
• Acts 13:47; 28:17; 28:19
• Romans 4:25; 5:1; 5:14
• 1 Corinthians 1:23
• 2 Corinthians 5:8
• Galatians 2:21; 4:4
• Ephesians 2:14
• Philippians 1:23; 2:7
• Hebrews 2:16
• 1 Timothy 1:15
• Deuteronomy 10:12
• 1 Peter 5:8