Turn with me, if you would, to Luke chapter 2. Luke chapter 2, this past Wednesday morning, Christmas morning, we considered the first portion of the chapter, specifically the message to the shepherds. And tonight we begin at verse 21, reading through, well, we'll read through verse 40. But the specific text for our consideration, verses 25 through 35, As we consider the episode dealing with Simeon in the temple. Beginning at verse 21 of Luke chapter 2 as we give our attention to the Word of God. On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived. When the time of their purification according to the law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, as it is written in the law of the Lord, every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the law of the Lord, a pair of doves or two young pigeons. Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon who was righteous and devout. He was 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 die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child, Jesus, to do for him what the custom of the law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, You now dismiss Your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to Your people Israel. The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother, This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed and a sword will pierce your own soul too. There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Ashur. She was very old. She had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage and then was a widow until she was 84. She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong. He was filled with wisdom and the grace of God. was upon Him. Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, once again, over the past few weeks, I have been reminded, and I'm sure many of you have as well, reminded by the songs on the radio and the various advertisements and select TV programs, as well as letters from those we only hear from once a year, I've been reminded that Christmas time is a time for family. We considered this as well a couple of weeks ago, But it's a time for gathering together, maybe even making peace for a short time so that we can enjoy family togetherness. Of course, I'm not saying that this is a bad thing to come together as families during this time of year. Except for the fact that for many, that's the only reason to celebrate what we call Christmas. But aside from that, actually, gathering together as a family is a wonderful reason to remember and celebrate the true meaning of this holiday, our Savior's birth. Because family is not only a miniature society, but it is also the church in miniature form. You see, about 2,000 years ago, a man called Simeon also had a family in view as he held the Christ child in his arms. And as he looked at this child, Simeon saw the head of a particular family, the family of God. And he was greatly comforted as he was blessed with the revelation of who this child was and what he would do. Consider with me tonight this Word of God, Simeon's response to his blessed privilege. As we notice, first of all, the fulfilled promise. Secondly, the revealed identity. And third, the astonishing announcement. Now, we don't know much about this man, Simeon. We're not told what he did for a living. We're not told if he held a high position in the community. We're not told anything about his family. We're not even told how old he was, although it is assumed and has always been assumed by many that he was an old man because of what we're told here that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. Now this was the most wonderful promise that God had made to Simeon and now the time had come for this promise to be fulfilled. We are told a couple of things about Simeon that are important. One is that he was a man of the Spirit. Notice what the text says. The Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. He was a man of the Spirit of God, pointing forward to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost and how the Spirit would work in the hearts and lives of God's people. But we're also told something else about Simeon that is extremely important. And that is, he was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel. What a beautiful description of Simeon's spiritual life. And we need to understand that at this time in Israel's history, things were not pleasant. In fact, things were bad, including in a spiritual sense. Israel did not enjoy political independence. As well, they had a cruel king ruling over them. We know his name, Herod. Their religion, on account of many of the people, was simply external. And with the legalistic scribes and Pharisees, as well as the worldly-minded Sadducees, Israel was governed by leaders who gave lip service to God, yet who trusted in themselves. Yet in the midst of this, beloved, there were those who waited patiently for, Who hopefully looked forward to and earnestly expected the consolation of Israel by the grace of God. This consolation or comfort is talking about the fulfillment of messianic hope. There were those looking for the comfort of God Himself that He would send in the Messiah. Paul speaks of this comfort of God in a beautiful way in 2 Corinthians 1. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. You see, even though God had been silent for 400 years, as always He had still preserved a remnant for Himself, a remnant of those who were faithful to Him, those who believed in His promises and those who kept looking for the fulfillment of those promises. They included Simeon. As well, this woman named Anna that we read about. And we know that Zacharias and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist, as well as Mary and Joseph, are described in Scripture as righteous people. Those, like Simeon, who were waiting for the consolation, they were not hoping in vain. They were not wasting their time. Their hope was justified. They believed the multitude of the Old Testament prophecies regarding the coming of the Messiah. No doubt, they thought often about what Isaiah had said. In chapter 9, For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace, there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over His kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. As well, chapter 40, Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins. A voice of one calling, In the desert, prepare the way for the Lord. Make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low. The rough ground shall become level. The rugged place is a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken. And then also these beautiful words from Isaiah chapter 60. Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth, and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you, and His glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. It's just a sample, you see, of all of the beautiful prophecies concerning the coming of the Messiah. But this is what Simeon believed. This is what he earnestly looked forward to. Now again, he is described as righteous and devout. He was righteous in all his ways, and that included how he dealt with men. He sought to walk uprightly. He was a man of integrity, no doubt. And being devout means to be conscientious in matters of religion. It means to take your faith seriously, to be cautious about one's God-given duties. Being devout means that Simeon was conscious that all things, all relationships, every thought, every word, every deed was to be done to the glory of God. Beloved, God's glory is the highest goal of a devout person. Let me say that again. God's glory is the highest goal of a devout person. Simeon lived with the Lord in the Lord's covenant. He communed with the Lord in prayer and showed himself to be a servant of the Lord. He knew that all that he had and all that he was he owed to the Lord and he confessed that God was his Master and the Lord of his life and he was God's servant. And this righteous and devout man had an intense longing for the coming of the Messiah. He couldn't wait. And God in His grace promised Simeon through the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. What a promise. And what faith it takes to believe a promise like that. And one day that very promise was fulfilled. Now I find this fascinating and really somewhat hard to imagine. But if you think about it, Simeon didn't have an appointment with Joseph and Mary at the temple that day. Joseph and Mary were there to do what the law required of them with regard to the ritual for the purification of the mother after childbirth and to redeem the firstborn. Jesus Christ was born under the law and He was indeed under the law from the very day of His birth. We don't know. There may have been other parents in the temple doing the very same thing that day. Joseph and Mary didn't know that Simeon was going to find them. Did Simeon know that the Lord's Christ was going to be a baby? Well, again, if he took Isaiah seriously, the thought of a child certainly would not be foreign to him. But again, we don't know for sure. But obviously, on that particular day, as the Spirit led Simeon into the temple, and as Joseph and Mary came in with the baby Jesus, the Holy Spirit let him know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was the One. And as Simeon took the child into his arms and laid his eyes upon him, he enjoyed the fulfilled promise of God. And as we consider what we are told about Simeon, it is clear that he is proof that no true worship of God can exist without the hope of salvation. That hope includes faith in the promises of God and particularly in the restoration promised through Jesus Christ. What comfort for Simeon and for you and me that God was faithful to this promise, confirming in Simeon's heart that God would be faithful to all of his promises. And then Simeon is led to respond with beautiful words of salvation as from his lips the identity of this child is revealed. Beloved, notice the effect of this fulfilled promise on Simeon. He had now seen with his own eyes and held in his arms the consolation, the comfort of Israel, the Prince of Peace. And therefore, for Simeon, death had already lost its sting even before Calvary. Notice verse 29. Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, You now dismiss Your servant in peace. Simeon could now close his eyes in death in the peace and confidence that the God who had been faithful to him would preserve him. He had the confidence that the Lord would take care of him in death. And he goes on to explain why he had such comfort. Verses 30-32. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation of the Gentiles and for the glory of your people Israel. He had confidence in being reconciled with God, never again to be separated. Simeon identifies the Christ child as the Lord's salvation. This very child that he held in his arms was the Messiah. The Christ anointed by God to save his people from their sins. This wasn't just any little baby Simeon had. This was salvation. The salvation. This child was the Redeemer foretold so long ago. And in this child, by the illumination of the Holy Spirit, Simeon saw the entire salvation, the complete redemption, and the perfect bliss that would come. In this child, he saw the end of the spiritual warfare. He beheld the King of kings and the Lord of lords. This was the child before whom every knee would bow and every tongue would confess that He is Lord to the glory of the Father. But Simeon also identifies this consolation of Israel as being for more than just Israel. God had sent His only begotten Son into the world in the sight of all people, and as the Lord's salvation He would be a light of revelation for the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel. You see, Jesus Christ is the glory of Israel in that of all of the privileges Israel enjoyed their greatest was that from her the Messiah would come forth. He is called the Son of David. Israel enjoyed the status of God's chosen people, a nation chosen from among all the nations of the earth by God's grace and good pleasure. They enjoyed the Shekinah that is the cloud of light, of glory, the manifestation of Jehovah's presence. And through Israel, God would reveal Himself to the nations of the world and He would spread His true religion. Yet not all Israel would consider Him to be their glory. Only those who enjoyed the revelation of His light which Simeon also says is for the Gentiles. The Gentiles were those, as Isaiah says in chapter 9, who walked in darkness. To them, the Messiah would be a great light. To those who knew only the darkness of unbelief before, they would enjoy the light of salvation, the true knowledge of God, holiness, love, and joy as they had never experienced before. Now we know that Simeon's identification of this child was amazing to hear because, as verse 33 says, the child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him. And the word translated marveled here means to wonder, to be amazed. And it's interesting that the same word that is used when talking about the wonders or the marvelous things of the Lord. The psalmist says in Psalm 96, verse 3, declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples. And in Psalm 98, verse 1, we read, O sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things. Simeon spoke of the wonders of God's salvation, and the only response Joseph and Mary could give was to marvel at the wonders of God, to be in awe of what He does. Beloved, if these things spoken by Simeon caused our Savior's earthly parents to be amazed, and if the very sight of Christ while he was still a child had such a powerful effect on Simeon so that he approached death with cheerfulness and composure, how much greater blessing of everlasting peace is given to us who believe as we behold our salvation completed in Christ. Now, we behold Him by faith sitting at the right hand of God the Father. We behold the One by faith who cried out, It is finished. We behold the One who has said, Come unto Me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. But not only does Simeon respond, to his blessed privilege with a song of praise to God. But he also utters the astonishing announcement of this child's effect on the hearts of mankind. Notice verses 34 and 35. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be spoken against so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed and a sword will pierce your own soul too. You see, Simeon's identification of the child was amazing to the ears of Joseph and Mary. His praise and glory to God was amazing to them. But the words he spoke directly to them, we can describe as astonishing. Simeon's announcement was in keeping with what Isaiah said in Isaiah chapter 8, verses 14 and 15. 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. And Peter also picks up on this when he says, Therefore to you who believe He is precious, but to those who are disobedient, the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. This astonishing announcement is that not all Israel would believe on Him. He would be both a blessing and a hope for some. They would rise in Him, but He would also be the downfall of others. From some He would bring forth love and longing and faith, but from others He would bring forth opposition, unbelief and hatred. Those who would believe on Him by grace through faith and embrace His saving sacrifice would rise on wings like eagles. But those who reject and oppose Christ will be crushed and broken to pieces. Notice again, Simeon speaks of Christ as appointed to be a sign that will be spoken against so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. This child, God incarnate, is to be a sign pointing to His sender, God the Father, And as the Son of God, He would reflect the image of His Father and He would perform the works of His Father, even as Jesus said that His food was to do the will of His Father. But you see, in claiming the close relationship of being one with the Father, Jesus would be spoken against or contradicted. He would be sorely opposed. We read so often in the Gospel accounts how the scribes and the Pharisees and the chief priests became angry with Jesus because of His claims. In Luke chapter 4 we read, So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath. And we continue to read there that they pushed him, they drove him out of the city to the edge of a cliff, ready to throw him off a cliff. And in John chapter 6, the Jews complained because he said he was the bread of life. And in John chapter 8, after claiming to be before Abraham, the Jews responded by taking up stones to throw at him. You see, here Simeon was preparing Mary for the life of this child that, humanly speaking, it will not be all prosperous and appreciated. He will not be received with universal applause. Instead, this child, because of who he is, would be rejected by many. And that's because by his very nature of being the light of the world, he would reveal the dark thoughts of the hearts of many. The truth is, beloved, that the consequence of the light of the Gospel reveals the truth of the darkness. It shows, it exposes the darkness and every evil bit of darkness. The truth of the Gospel exposes even the darkest recesses of the heart. Nothing can remain hidden against the light and the truth of Jesus Christ. He alone lays open the secrets of the heart. He is the light that uncovers every deception and strips away every single mask of hypocrisy. And of course, we know this to be true in Scripture, even as the religious leaders of that day were exposed for their own salvation by works theology, and therefore they rejected Him and they sent Him to the cross. Jesus Christ was rejected by His own countrymen and nation, which claimed to be, boasted to be, the church of God. Yet these turned out to be His worst enemies. But we also know this to be true today. As many who claim Jesus Christ by outward confession only desert their confession when they are exposed to the difficulties of the Christian life. Mary herself would not be unaffected by the world's rejection of her Son. And a sword will pierce your own soul too. And the word for sword here is talking about a large, broad sword, a symbol of intense pain and of frightful, piercing anguish which Mary experienced as she stood at the foot of His cross. But even at the foot of the cross of her son, Mary learned that her consolation, her comfort, must also come from Him. He provided for her earthly needs through His beloved disciple and He would provide for her eternal needs through His death and resurrection. It is not we who go to the Father through Mary. But Mary herself must go to the Father through Jesus Christ. Congregation, Simeon's astonishing announcement was that Jesus Christ would make a sharp division in Israel. But Scripture points out, makes it even more clear to us that this sharp division would also be among all men. Jesus said, Enter by the narrow gate, for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate, and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Simeon makes it clear that one's heart attitude to Jesus Christ is the determining factor in rising or falling. When Jesus Christ comes to a person with His grace and salvation, his contact with that person will either reveal thoughts of unbelief when that person loves darkness rather than light, as John 3.19 says, or by the grace of God. It will reveal the gift of faith when that person has been brought to love the truth and comes to the true light with his deeds, the deeds of Christ done in God, according to John 3.21. Dear people of God, Simeon died in peace with eternal comfort because he saw his Savior and he knew his Savior. And the same is true for us today. Our life and our death can and will only be in peace when we see the Savior by faith and know the comfort and the peace of his saving sacrifice. If you don't know Him as your Savior and your Lord, then that peace, that consolation isn't yours. And if you are not for Him, there's only one other way you are against Him. And against Him, there will be no peace because He has said, It is finished. He is victorious. Yet Jesus Christ calls you to repent of your sins and believe on Him. Believe that He paid for all the sins of all of His people. For His people, He is light, He is glory, He is indeed salvation. Yes, congregation, the birth of Christ was and is about family and the comfort of family in Him. But we need to be aware that any earthly family comfort apart from Him is just Satan's work of deception. True comfort and peace is being a part of the family whose Father is God Himself, whose elder brother and Savior is the Son of God, Jesus Christ, and who are knit together by the power of the one Holy Spirit. Dear people of God, true comfort, the consolation of Israel is yours only if you see and expect in the Christ child what Simeon saw and expected, the salvation of God. Do you see it? Do you believe it? He is love's pure light. He brings redeeming grace. There is no greater gift. Amen. Shall we pray? Father, we pray that as we have given consideration to Your Word again tonight, that You would apply that Word powerfully and effectively to our hearts and lives. That as Your people, our comfort and our consolation in Jesus Christ might increase day by day. That every day more and more we might have greater assurance of the salvation which is ours in Jesus Christ. That every day more and more we would look less to ourselves and more and more to Him alone who is our Savior. who alone saves His people from their sins. Father, indeed, may our confession be day in and day out that the joy of the Lord is our strength. And may we ever live to share that joy with those around us. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray these things. Amen.