Sermon - Luke 2:21-35 - Simeon, a role model - Littleby Baptist Church - January 20, 2018

As we were heading into the Christmas season, I mentioned that we would spend the next several months talking about Jesus. We started with the Manger period or the time leading up to that very first Christmas. That was a period of faith for Mary and Joseph and a time to celebrate all that Jesus’ life on earth point to.

We took a couple of weeks off, but this morning we are entering the Life and Ministry portion of the series. The plan was to transition from the Life and Ministry segment to the Cross with Palm Sunday and Easter, and then spend a couple of weeks talking about His second coming. As I have been reading the gospels so far this year, if felt like we would be skipping so much and not be doing justice to Jesus’ Life and Ministry. At this point I think the series has been extended by a couple of months. We will see how the Holy Spirit guides.

During our Christmas service we ended in Luke chapter 2 with the shepherds returning to their fields and praising God for all they had seen. We are going to pick up right where we left off.

Luke 2:21

“When the eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus-the name given by the angel before he was conceived.”

Joseph and Mary followed the law stating that all boys were to be circumcised 8 days after being born. They also continued to walk in faith and named their baby Jesus as the angel had told them.

Luke 2:22-24

“²² And when the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were finished, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord ²³ (just as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every firstborn male will be dedicated to the Lord) ²⁴ and to offer a sacrifice (according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons).”

A humble sacrifice offered for the purification of Mary and the dedication of Jesus, a couple of birds and 5 shekels. The simplest of sacrifices allowed for the poorest of families. Which continues to emphasize that our Lord came to this earth as a simple child for all humankind. He did not only come for the wealthy, royal, or popular people. He came for each one of us regardless of who we are and what we have done.  

Luke 2:25-27

“²⁵ There was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, looking forward to Israel’s consolation, and the Holy Spirit was on him. ²⁶ It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he saw the Lord’s Messiah. ²⁷ Guided by the Spirit, he entered the temple. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform for him what was customary under the law,”

Simeon was a devout and righteous man who longed for the day that the Messiah would come and bring consolation to the nation of Israel. He believed that the Messiah was coming and would bring comfort and redemption to God’s people.

We can learn a lot from Simeon. Here was a man who let the Holy Spirit guide him. One who studied the scriptures and was obedient to God. Righteous, devout, and faithful to God. Simeon living his life being righteous, devout, and faithful is what led God to let him see the coming salvation found in the baby Jesus.

As followers of Jesus we need to look at Simeon as example for us. We need to let the Holy Spirit guide us every day of our lives. Think about it, he ended up at the temple at the day and time that Jesus was being dedicated. We to need to let the Holy Spirit guide us to the point that we are where He wants us to be.

The Spirit moved and Jesus went out into the wilderness to be tested. The Spirit told Philip to catch up to a chariot which lead to the eunuch following Jesus and being baptized. The Holy Spirit had Saul and Barnabas set aside and sent out to spread the good news.

Romans 8:26-27

“²⁶ In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with unspoken groanings. ²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”

The Holy Spirit helps us to pray. If the Holy Spirit can remind us to pray for someone, He can guide our steps, He can arrange for us to bump into someone we are uniquely gifted to help, and He can bring someone to us in our time of need.

Simeon studied the Word of God, we need to study God’s Word. Today we have so many options available to us. We can read the Bible out of a paper copy, on our computers, on a tablet or iPad, or even on our cell phone. We can go pretty much anywhere and have access to a copy of God’s Word at our finger tips. We also have access to a large number of translations. If you like reading KJV, go for it. If you want a copy that is a word for word translation, you can get them. If you prefer a thought for thought approach, there are options available.

2 Timothy 3:16

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness.”

We have God’s Word at our finger tips and we need to study it. We need to spend time in our Bible’s reading them, truly studying them, letting what we read teach us. Asking the Holy Spirit to use God’s Word to change us, rebuke the sin in our lives, correct our path when we are heading the wrong way, and to show us what it means to truly follow Jesus.

Simeon did these things and was found to be devout and righteous. Would you like for God to say that you are devout and righteous? Would you like for Him to tell you ‘well done’ my good and faithful servant?

I think we all do, and it starts with truly following God as Simeon did.

Luke 2:28-32

“²⁸ Simeon took him up in his arms, praised God, and said, ²⁹ Now, Master, you can dismiss your servant in peace, as you promised. ³⁰ For my eyes have seen your salvation. ³¹ You have prepared it in the presence of all peoples— ³² a light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory to your people Israel.”

Simeon picked up the child and praised God. Simeon saw God at work and he praised God. When we see God at work, we need to be praising Him. It is easy for us to remember this for the big things. When someone accepts Jesus as Savior we celebrate. When someone follows in Jesus’ footsteps and is baptized we praise God. How about each morning when we wake up and take a breath? How about watching that sunrise or sunset? How about seeing a flower bloom?

Too often we get so overloaded with the things going in our lives that we forget that God is working around us every day. Simeon was in Jerusalem at a time when the Nation of Israel was being ruled by the Romans. The Jewish people were in fear of their lives and their King only made matters worse. Simeon could have been focused on all the garbage going on around Him, but instead He choose to focus on God which allowed Him to see the blessing before Him and He praised God for it.

If we let the Holy Spirit guide us and keep our focus on God and the things He is doing around us, it is much easier to praise Him. Praise Him for our salvation, praise Him for what we see Him doing in those around us, praise Him for the little things. Life may be kicking us in the gut, but if we are following Jesus and letting the Spirit lead us, we are more likely to see the blessings that are in front of us and our response should be to always praise God.

Simeon is declaring that this little child who is only 40 days old is going to be the salvation for all people. Look at verses 30 to 32 again.

Luke 2:30-32

“³⁰ For my eyes have seen your salvation. ³¹ You have prepared it in the presence of all peoples— ³² a light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory to your people Israel.”

Verse 30 states that Jesus in the salvation. Nothing that surprises us today, but would have been a foreign concept to any Jews hearing Simeon. They were looking for a warrior king to come in and lead them to victory over and freedom from the Romans. A little child was not the king they expected.

Then in verses 31 and 32 we see that Jesus was for all people, Jew and Gentile alike. This is something we saw a lot as we worked through our series in Ephesians but was a foreign concept to most Jews.

Ephesians 2:13-16

“¹³ But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
¹⁴ For he is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In his flesh, ¹⁵ he made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that he might create in himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace. ¹⁶ He did this so that he might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross by which he put the hostility to death.’

Jews and gentiles were separate before Jesus came and died for us and Simeon declared it right there when Jesus was just a little baby.

Luke 2:33-35

“³³ His father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. ³⁴ Then Simeon blessed them and told his mother Mary: “Indeed, this child is destined to cause the fall and rise of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be opposed— ³⁵ and a sword will pierce your own soul—that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

So far Joseph, Mary, Elizabeth, probably Zechariah, and a handful of shepherds were aware of who this little baby truly was. Joseph and Mary were probably caught off guard when some old guy they had never met before starts telling them all this stuff about little Jesus.

Gabriel had told Mary that Jesus would be the Son of God and that He would sit on the throne of David. Simeon then comes along and says her child is going to bring about salvation to Jew and Gentile alike. I am sure it caught them off guard and he did not stop there. Simeon then goes on to tell Mary that her child was going to stir things up a bit, causing some to fall and some to rise. Those who believe in Jesus will rise, in other words be saved. Those who do not believe would fall or face an eternity without Jesus. 

Simeon not only demonstrates how we are to live our lives, but also was the first to boldly proclaim that Jesus came to bring salvation for everyone.

Simeon demonstrated for us what it means to follow Jesus. We need to let the Holy Spirit guide us. We need to study our Bibles. We need to focus on and follow Jesus every day, praising Him for all that He is doing in us and around us. Then we need to boldly proclaim that Jesus is the one and only Savior for everyone. Does not matter who we are, what we have, or what we have done. Jesus is our path to salvation.



God Bless,

Robert