Well, if you have your copies of Scripture, let me invite you to turn to Luke chapter 2. This morning, we're going to look at Luke 2, verses 22 to 40. And I do know you're going to find it a help to have your Bibles open and to be reading along there with me. Luke chapter 2, beginning in verse 22, and we're going to read down to verse 40. And before we do, let's pray and ask the Lord's blessing on His Word this morning. Oh, our Father, find ourselves helpless, helpless to change our hearts, helpless to illuminate our minds and our hearts. We know that is only the work of the blessed Holy Spirit. We pray, blessed spirit, that you would come, that father, you would pour out the spirit of your son into our hearts, that you would grant us that inner illumination that is necessary for salvation. We pray that you would open our eyes to see Christ. In all of His glory and beauty, we pray, Father, that You would indeed help us and bless the preaching and the hearing of Your Word. Help us to be attentive in everything that is said and to search the Scriptures to see if these things are so. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Luke chapter 2, beginning in verse 22. And when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord as it is written in the law of the Lord. Every male who first 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. Now, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came in 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 servants apart in peace according to your word. For my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel. And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother, behold, this child is appointed for the falling and rising of many in Israel for a sign that is opposed and a sword will pierce through your own soul also so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed. And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin. And then as a widow, until she was 84, she did not depart from the temple, worshiping and fasting and praying night and day. And coming at that very hour, she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of God endures forever. Well, there are those moments, I know all of us have had them in our lives, those experiences that we'll never forget, those experiences that lie closer to our hearts than others. And one of those experiences for me was the birth of my first son. And I will never forget when I was able to take him out of the room, carrying him in my arms, taking him to a window in the hospital, overlooking the town in which we lived, overlooking everything in the world, his first glimpse outside the hospital walls. And as I held my son, I remember saying to him, do not love the world and the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that's in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world. The world passes away and the lust of it, but he who does the will of God endures forever. And I remember thinking, as I said that to my son, I wonder what he'll grow up to do. I wonder what he'll grow up to be. I still don't know. My son's three and a half. I don't know what he'll be. But that experience marked something very special for me. And it's interesting because the experience that Mary has at the birth of her firstborn son in the temple marked something very significant for Mary and different than my experience. She was told precisely what her son would be and precisely what her son would do. And she was told that her son would be the most important person the world had ever seen. And she was told that every man and woman in this world would be tested with regard to their relationship to him. Well, notice, as we come to this text this morning, we're going to see three things. First, we're going to see the presentation of Christ. Next, we're going to see the prophecies about Christ. And finally, we're going to see the people of Christ. Presentation of Christ, prophecies about Christ. and the people of Christ. Well, Mary, we saw last week, had Jesus circumcised eight days after he was born. That showed that he was born under the law. That showed that he needed the cleansing of sin, though he had no sin. The fact that he received a bloody sign showed that he needed sin's cleanse. That mark, that bloody mark pointed forward to his bloody death on the cross. He was given a sign of what he came to accomplish. But other things happened when Mary came according to the law of God. to present her child to the Lord. And you'll notice that Luke tells us in verse 22, when the time came for their purification, according to the law of the Lord, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. And then we're told that Mary herself had to sacrifice according to the law. And Jesus had to be set apart for the Lord. Now, if you went back to Leviticus, you would see that God had required Israel to bring every firstborn male and to set him apart to God. And what that was a picture of was that that child was sinful and deserved to die. And there was a provision in the law that when you brought that child to God and presented him before God, you would then redeem him back with redemption money. There's actually very precise details about redeeming your child back. after you present him. But none of that happens with Jesus. He is simply presented. The Lord has come to the temple. That's what's going on. The Lord has come to the temple. God has come down to that place where he dwelt in the most holy place, that place for thousands of years where he would come down when the sacrifice was made. He has come to the temple, but he has not come as the Lord of the temple. He has come to be presented to the Lord. Jesus has come to be presented, to be set apart, to be consecrated, to be set apart to God. Every child that was ever set apart saying they needed redemption was pointing forward to him, the one that needed no redemption. And Mary brings him to present him to the Lord. And notice that she presents him not in the most holy place, but in the outer court. She presents him where all the other Israelites would have been presented. Jesus is identifying with his people. He is identifying with his people. He is the true Israel. He has come to represent all of his people in the temple, and he has come under the law to fulfill the law. Now, let me just say, for those of you that may not be aware of this, God requires perfection. God requires perfection. People often say, well, I'm not perfect. That's right. We're sinners. God requires perfection. God's law must be kept. I asked a friend recently What he thought about the statement God requires perfection. He says I think he's compassionate I think he's more understanding than that. God is not more understanding than that God requires that the demands of his law be kept perfectly and that means we have a problem That means that we have a problem but God has provided a solution Jesus and is being presented as a baby at the temple to fulfill the law of God. Listen, when did Jesus's saving work begin? Most people, if you ask them that question, would say, well, I guess at the cross. Jesus's saving work began the second he was born, actually in eternity, but Jesus's saving work technically begins right here in the temple when Mary brings him into the temple and he begins fulfilling the law, passively fulfilling the law as a baby. God put Jesus in the home of righteous parents so that they would bring him, so they would do everything according to the law. And if he hadn't done that, we would not be saved. If he had not done that, If Mary had not brought him up to the temple and presented him and sacrificed for herself, according to Leviticus 12, 8, if that had not happened, we would not be saved. Jesus is keeping the law for us as a baby. His presentation is magnificent. Your salvation begins here in many respects. Your salvation begins with a baby being carried up obscurely into the temple precincts to be presented to God. to be set apart from his birth to be the Redeemer. William Still has a marvelous thought about this, that if anyone had seen Mary and Joseph and the beautiful new baby traveling up from Bethlehem to Jerusalem, going up that hill, anyone would have known who they were. No one would have known who he was. No one would have known this is the Lord of heaven and earth. traveling with his parents and a donkey until he comes into the temple. And it's when he's presented in the temple that the saving work of God, in a sense, the veil is being torn back and God is saying, this is who my son is. This is who my son is. Before this, some shepherds came to him in an obscure manger. Now he's coming to the very epicenter of God's dwelling on earth with man. He is coming to the most significant place in human history to be presented to the Lord. And God is saying, this is what my son has come for. Now, secondly, and most importantly, we see the prophecies about Christ. Notice, no sooner are we told that Mary came to present Jesus in verse 25, we're told there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. a righteous and just man waiting for the consolation of Israel. And the spirit had told him he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. No one would have recognized Jesus as he traveled from Bethlehem to Jerusalem. No one would have recognized who he was until he came to the temple. And when he came to the temple, it wasn't the priest. It wasn't the scribe. It wasn't the religious leaders. It wasn't the ones who sat around and expanded the Torah all the time. It was an old man named Simeon. There's an old man named Simeon. Minister named Matt Chandler says Simeon in some ways is like the crazy guy on the street in the city who yells, judgment's coming, judgment's coming. And nobody listens to him. He is in the temple. He's waiting. God's told him he's going to see the Christ. I'm sure he told people that and they're like, yeah, whatever. You're going to see the Christ. He's the crazy old man. And yet that's exactly what happens. He is there. He is close to death. He is ready to die. We know that because he says, after he sees Jesus, now I can die. He is not a young man. He is an old man and he is a godly man. He is an old covenant believer. So many people ask me all the time, well, how were Old Testament saints saved? They were saved by keeping the law and were saved by faith in Jesus. This is the hinge upon which the two testaments turn. This passage in front of us. If you want to know how Old Testament Believers were saved you look at Simeon and Anna Simeon and Anna were waiting for Christ. They had faith in Christ Simeon could die because of Christ Simeon could die in peace because of Christ. Simeon says that Jesus is God's salvation to the ends of the earth. Simeon says that this little child is a savior of Jew and Gentile. Simeon says there is no salvation outside of him. Simeon says this baby is the most important baby the world has ever seen. And yet, for all that, this baby is still wrapped in swaddling cloths with a poor peasant mother. Let me read to you Martin Luther Speaking about the faith of Simeon, seeing this baby, Simeon takes this child up in his arms and listen to this. Luther says, by reasoned judgment, by reasoned judgment, he would have to say this is no king, but a beggar child. We're reasonable people, right? We're all, most of us, maybe I'm not. You're reasonable people by reason judgment. If you saw Jesus in the temple, you would have to say, this is no king. This is a beggar child. Luther says, but he does not allow his reason to judge what his eyes behold, because he denominates this child as a king greater than all the kings of the world. He calls him a savior prepared by God for all nations, a light to lighten Gentiles. For Simeon, this was to open one's eyes wide and look beyond himself. Simeon held This baby in his hands, this poor peasant baby boy. And he saw a king and a greater king than the world had ever seen. And notice what Simeon says, this great prophecy. He is filled with the spirit. The spirit is at work in Simeon. Simeon is just like the Old Testament prophets. He is just like Isaiah and Jeremiah and Ezekiel and Daniel and Micah and Amos and Obadiah. He is just like them. And he is standing there holding the one that all of those prophets spoke about. And notice what he says. He took him up in his arms, verse 28, he blessed God, he said, Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace. Now, the song, this is the third song in Luke, it's called the Nut Demitis, is the now you are letting me depart song. That's what that means. Nut Demitis, now let me depart. Now, let me die. He is holding the baby in his arms and he is saying now, Let me depart in peace for my eyes have seen your salvation. Now, let's just look at this for a second. Simeon is a man ready to die, a man who knows where he's going, a man who knows that he is at peace with God, and he knows that because he has seen God's salvation. It's not old age that's prepared Simeon. It's not the sorrows of life, the difficulties of life. It's not having lost loved ones and wanting to be with them. It's not even maturity in Simeon. Simeon hasn't matured to a place where he can die in peace. Simeon can die in peace because he has seen the Lord's salvation. He has seen the one who is himself our peace, who makes peace through the blood of his cross. He has seen the one who in all of his glory, holding him in his arms, would go to the cross to provide salvation for Simeon and for anyone else that believes in him. Now, let me just say, all of you are going to die. All of you, all of us are going to die. And while I know a lot of unbelievers will say things like, I'm not afraid, that's natural. They are afraid. And I think it's safe to say that everybody in this room has been afraid of death at some point in time. And the reason we're afraid of death is because we know that after death comes judgment. We know that we have to settle up accounts. We know that we can't just do whatever we want to do and get away with it. We know that for all the wrong things we've done, there is going to be an answering for that. And yet we know, sitting here today, we know there is a sacrifice that makes peace for us with God. Simeon's main concern is to have peace with God. That's his main concern. Remember the angels had said, glory to God in the highest, peace on earth to men of goodwill. Simeon is realizing the peace that he has with God because of Jesus Christ. Let me ask you Do you have peace with God through Jesus Christ in your soul this morning only you can answer that Do you have a soul that is at peace with Jesus with God through Jesus Christ? Simeon Simeon is almost excited about dying, isn't he? Simeon's ready to die. He's ready to go home. J.C. Ryle says, Simeon speaks as one who knows where he's going when he departs this life, and he doesn't care how soon he goes. The change for him will be a change for the better. He desires that his change may come. Simeon wants to go to heaven. Simeon knows where he's going. He knows why he's going there, and he's ready to go. That is a powerful testimony of who Jesus is. And he's a baby. Think about how remarkable that is. There's nothing about this child that ought to lead him to say that any more than me holding my son saying something that seems so absurd. Except God had revealed that this was his salvation. The Lord's Christ was here. Notice what Simeon says in verse 31 and 32. You have prepared him in the presence of all people a light for revelation to the Gentiles And for glory to your people, Israel. It's interesting. He actually puts the Gentiles before Israel here. I don't know what we do with that, but the light to the Gentiles and for glory to Israel. And then notice that all of this is for confirmation for Joseph and Mary, his father and mother marveled. at what was being said about him. These prophecies of Christ were not just for you and me. They were for Mary and Joseph. These prophecies about Jesus were for Mary and Joseph. She needed the confirmation. She needed to know who her son was. She needed to hear these words. Joseph's probably going to die. Mary needed to hear these words. Mary needed to hear the words that Jesus was the salvation to the ends of the earth. God was confirming this to her. But notice the prophecy is not just good news about salvation. Notice that Simeon said something very almost troubling about this baby in verse 34. Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother, behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising in many in Israel and for a sign that is opposed. That doesn't sound like much of a blessing. If I came to you and I said, I have a blessing for you, your child is going to ruin everybody's life if they don't trust in him. That doesn't sound like a blessing. If I came to you and said, your child is going to be for the rising of some and for the destruction of others. That doesn't sound like much of a blessing, but the Bible bears witness everywhere that Jesus is a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, as well as a cheap cornerstone. And one of two things is going to happen. Either Jesus is going to fall on you and crush you on the day of judgment, or you are going to fall on him and be broken and find salvation and rest in him. Jesus is everyone's end. That's what Simeon's saying. He's saying this baby, you can't escape it, is the litmus test for whether you're spending eternity in heaven or hell. What happens with your response to him is the test whether you're spending eternity in heaven or hell. He will either fall on you and crush you or you will fall on him and be broken to pieces. Let me just say, there is nothing in the Bible more important for you to hear than that. Jesus Christ will either be for your rising or falling. This was the first sermon I ever preached, Simeon and Anna, eight years ago. And when I came to this point, I said it very sort of calmly. You need to repent of your sins or Jesus will be the end of you for judgment forever if you do not turn to him. And the pastor of the church I said it at told me I needed to be more winsome. Simeon is saying those very things. Simeon is saying those things. Please let that sit down in your heart. I cannot emphasize this enough. That baby in his arms will either be for your rise or falling. And he says this to Mary. And he says it'll be for a sign that is opposed. Everyone will oppose him. Everyone will reject him. The scribes and the Pharisees will argue with him. People will go on all kinds of news channels and try to oppose who Jesus is. Well, did he really live? Was he really historical? Is this just a theological book with nice stories that should influence a life of virtue? People make it their aim to oppose Jesus. I can't stand watching Christmas. shows on news channels, I'm sorry, even conservative ones, because they always bring liberal scholars who try to deny the historicity of everything. Men try to oppose Jesus. Jesus is as real as each and every one of you sitting here today. Everything that he did was meticulously recorded by the Holy Spirit through holy men that God ordained to write the scriptures. Jesus is bodily in heaven right now. And he is going to be for the rise and the falling of every single man, woman, boy and girl coming into this world. Now, notice, though, there's a special prophecy that Simeon now gives. to Mary in verse thirty five, he says, and a sword will pierce through your own soul also. Now, obviously, this is poetic language to explain what Mary would experience when she saw her son dying at the cross, when she stood at the foot of the cross and she watched the son that she raised bleeding to death before her eyes. The one who is said to be the salvation of the world nailed to a tree like a criminal. The one who is said to be a king nailed to a cross as if he were a traitor. She stands there and her heart breaks when she sees her son and Simeon prepares her. God prepares her through these prophecies for everything that she'll experience. Mary doesn't say, no, I hate that. I don't want to hear this about this baby. No, notice. Notice, just as Luke had told us before that Mary was treasuring all these things in her heart. These prophecies about Jesus were preparing Mary for everything that would happen, then notice the final part of the prophecy that the thought of many hearts may be revealed." Some of you probably don't like what I've said this morning. Maybe you don't like it because of my tone. I understand that. I probably need to be more winsome. Some of you may not like it because you don't think the scriptures actually are saying what I'm saying right here. But some of you may not like it because you are not at peace with Jesus. That the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. God knows your heart. And when Christ is proclaimed, the thoughts of men's heart are revealed. What's really in there? I've met many, many, many kind unbelievers in my life. But when you talk about Jesus, the hatred that you can see in people's eyes, they don't like that. Don't tell me these things. I don't want to hear this. The gnashing of their teeth. That's what Simeon's saying, that this baby, this little beautiful infant is going to reveal the thoughts of every man's heart. Well, finally, and I want to focus on this as we close, the people of Christ. If indeed, Simeon's right that Jesus is going to be for the rising of some and the falling of others, then you would expect to see, even in this setting, a differentiation, a differentiation between those who believe and those that don't believe. And so we see an elderly woman. I think it's beautiful. An elderly man, an elderly woman. You have the birth of Jesus and you have two aged saints about to go home. You have a contrast. the young and the old. You have this elderly woman, Anna. She's, some speculate, 108 years old. She is of the tribe of Asher. She had a husband. He died. She didn't remarry. She stayed in the temple, fasting, praying, serving God in the temple, waiting for his salvation. And she just so happens, she just so happens to be in the temple when Jesus comes. You know, God, William Still puts it this way. God is the great organizer. God is the great organizer. Thousands of years Thousands of years people had waited for Jesus and now at this one point in time This woman who had been waiting for him just so happens to be there when he comes into the temple Think about that all those thousands of years and now God is fulfilling us. God Doesn't do anything arbitrarily God does everything purposefully he planned this meeting this convergence of these people around this baby was planned from all eternity and God planned that. He is fulfilling it for her. And notice what Luke tells us in 38, coming at that very hour, she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to those who were waiting for redemption in Jerusalem. Luke uses very specific language here. He doesn't say she went and spoke of him to everybody in Jerusalem. He says she went and spoke of him to those who were looking for redemption in Jerusalem. always had a people within Israel. There was always a little remnant, a little group of people huddled together, praying and searching the scripture, speaking about what they were hoping God would do in fulfilling the promises. It wasn't many. There's only two here. There's an old man and an old woman. That's it. That's it. And yet she knew of others and she went and she spoke to him. Now, let me just say as an application as we close. A lot of people really emphasize evangelism. They should. We need to be telling others about Christ. We need to. But notice that Anna doesn't start by going to unbelievers in Israel. She starts by speaking about Jesus among fellow believers. She starts by going to those who are waiting for redemption to speak of him. Now, I think I'm going to close here because you are the people of Christ, just like Simeon and Anna. You are the people of Christ. I think if you want to be fruitful as a Christian, if you want to be more faithful and bearing witness, we must come together and speak about Christ with each other. We must be excited about speaking about Christ. We must be excited about showing each other what we find in scripture about him. That's how real godliness and real true heartfelt religion is projected into the world, is by us coming together and not, yeah, I know that, I got that, I understand that, but being excited about what the Bible says about Jesus Christ. Anna has been waiting 84 years. She's been waiting 84 years for this baby. I don't know about you, but I'm probably the most impulsive person I know. My parents are here. They'll attest to that. I am the most impulsive person I know. I am so often, in Pilgrim's Progress, there is patience and there is passion. The two little boys waiting for their treasure, and patience is sitting there waiting very contentedly, and passion can't wait. She says, give it to me now. That's me. I don't know about you. I have a hard time waiting a week for something, a month for something, definitely a year for something. Anna has been waiting 84 years to see God fulfill his promise. And she's been waiting in the midst of a nation that is not as its spiritual zenith. She's been waiting in the midst of a people that have basically apostatized, turned away from God, become just like the other nations, have stopped waiting for God's promise. Her faith and Simeon's faith are seen against the background of the unbelief of Israel. Their faith is seen against the background of the unbelief in Israel. Now, I want to close with this one thing. If you are a man or woman of faith, like Simeon and Anna, May God grant you grace to wait for Jesus Christ. We are waiting for him to come again. We are waiting just like they were waiting for him to come the first time. We are waiting for him to come again against the background of a world that is not waiting for Jesus, a nation that is not waiting for Jesus. churchgoers who are not waiting for Jesus, family members who are not waiting for Jesus. You, if you are a believer, can have that kind of faith, can have that kind of testimony of God's grace in your life. May it ever be so for us. Let him who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Let's pray. Father, I confess my own impatience and lack of exhibiting a longing for your coming, Lord Jesus. I lack that. And I pray for myself and for those here in this room that you would grant us that supernatural gift of faith, that you would give us a hunger for your word, that we would be searching the Scriptures, that we would be speaking to one another about Christ and waiting together for our full and final redemption. When you come again, Lord Jesus, may we shake off complacency. Pray that you would give us a glimpse of what our Savior has accomplished at the cross. Father, we pray that we would be able to be to fall on him and be broken. We pray that she would forgive us for wanting to be content in the world. Father, we pray that you would renew us and give us a great sense of your perfections in the salvation that you have provided in Jesus Christ. We pray these things in His name. Amen.