Good morning. Let's all stand together and sing hymn number 452.

Presence of Jesus the Nazarene
And wonder how he could love me
A sinner can tell how marvelous, how wonderful

And my song shall marvel as how wonderful is my Savior's love for me.

It was in the garden He prayed not my will but Thine.
He had no tears for His own but drops of blood for mine.
How marvelous that song shall ever be!
How marvelous is my Savior's love for me!

In wonder angels beheld Him, and came from the world of night to comfort him in the sorrows my soul that night.
How wonderful can my song shall ever be!

How marvelous, how wonderful is my Savior's love!

He took my sin, my sorrows, He made them His very own.
He bore the burden to Calvary, And suffered and died alone.
How marvelous! How wonderful!
And my song shall ever be How marvelous, how wonderful
The Savior's love for me

When with the ransomed in glory His face I at last shall see
T'will be my joy through the ages To sing of His love for me
How marvelous, how wonderful And my song shall ever be How marvelous, how wonderful
? Is my Savior's love for me ?

Be seated, we'll sing hymn number 352.

352. Jesus, lover of my soul, let me to thy hosel fly.
? While the nearer waters roll ?
? While the tide still is high ?
? Guide me, O God, to Thee ?
? Savior I ?
? Till the storm I'm missed past ?
? Safe into the haven, God, I'll go ?
O receive my soul at last.

Father, refuge have I none.
Hangs my helpless soul on thee.
Levi, leave me not alone.
still support and comfort me.

All my troubles
All my help from thee I bring.
Cover my defenseless head.
with the shadow of thy wing.

Thou, O Christ, art all I want,
More than all in thee I find.
Raise the fallen, cheer the faint,
Heal the sick and lead the blind.

Just and holy is thy name.
I am all. unrighteousness.
False and full of sin I am,
Thou art full of truth and grace.
Plenteous grace with Thee is found,
Grace to cover all my sin.

Let the healing streams abound,
? Make and keep me pure within ?
? Thou of light, of fountain o'er ?
? Freely let me take a beat.

Spring thou up within my heart, rise to all eternity.

Let's look at Luke chapter 2. Luke chapter 2. It's in your study here in the book of Luke. I'll read from verse 21 down to verse 35.

And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcision of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was so received in the womb. And when the days of her purification, according to the law of Moses, were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. As it is written in the law, that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord. And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons, whose name was Simeon.

And the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel. And the Holy Ghost was upon him, that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him after the custom of the alarms, and blessed God and said, Lord, now let us thy servant depart in peace according to thy word.

Oh, bless the Lord. For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people. a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.



Things which were spoken of him, and Simeon blessed them and said unto Mary his mother, behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again, and for a sign which shall be spoken against. Yea, a sword shall pierce through thine own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.

We're like Simeon, Lord. We come to bless you. We come to bless you. We come to praise you. We come to glory you, bring glory to your name, give you the glory for everything. Lord, we have nothing of our own that we can claim anything from you. The only thing we have to claim is your blessed son, the Lord Jesus Christ, his blessed person. And Lord Jesus, you're so worthy to be praised, so worthy to be exalted, so worthy of our blessing and honor.

And Lord, we thank you for your allowing us to be here this morning. And we bless you that you've enabled us to come here to worship one more this side of eternity and preach the gospel of the grace of God to magnify his blessed name above all names. And Lord Jesus, we pray that you'd be pleased to meet with us here today. God, bless every heart, bless every mind. And Lord, open hearts, minds, and understandings. Lord, the gospel, though I preach it, it's up to you to make it effectual. And Lord God, we pray that you will make it effectual in hearts and minds and understandings.

And Lord, I pray for our families, Our children, oh, our children, our grandchildren. Lord, we had them here so many times in their young lives, and now they have no interest. But Lord, please create an interest in them. Please do something for them that only you can do. And our Lord Jesus, we ask you to forgive us of everything that's unlike you. Be with us today.

who ask these blessed things in Christ's name, amen.

Oh man, what'd I do with my, I ain't got my song with me, what'd I do with it? I know I put it in that, in there, okay. All right, I get back where I was, cause if I don't, I won't. All right. Let's stand together and sing the hymn of the day in the bulletin.

Our sovereign God maintains His universal throne. In heaven and earth and hell he reigns and makes his wonders known. His counsels and decrees firmer than mountains stand. He will perform whate'er he please, and none can stay his name. All things his will controls, and his all wise decree. Has fixed the destinies of all In matchless sovereignty Jacob by grace He saved And gives no reason why But each all's heart he left depraved, And who shall dare reply? What if the potter takes Part of the lump of clay? And for himself a vessel makes, And casts the rest away. Who shall resist his will, Or say, What doest thou? Jehovah is the sovereign still, and all to Him must bow. My soul bow and adore the Lord in all His ways. His sovereignty none can explore, but I will trust His grace. For of Him and through Him, and to Him all the things, to whom be glory evermore.

Amen, amen, amen.

Be seated. Boy, that's a, that's right. Everything in that song is exactly right. There's a young preacher that I got a hold of, found out the other day. He's a young Presbyterian preacher. And I was listening to him preaching through Romans, and he preached on the freedom and justice of God. Out of Romans 9, with children not yet being born, Jacob have a love, Nesau have a hated. Why shall we say then to these things? He preached God so high, God so free, and all of his attributes. And I liked it so much, I sent it to some preacher friends of mine, you know. And there are some men still preaching the gospel. And, you know, and he's a young fella, and he, you know, must have a young congregation, because you could hear babies crying and things in the auditorium. Maybe he'd be in his house, I don't know. I was greatly blessed by it.

And I tell you, God's got the freedom to do what he will, when he will, how he will, and for whom he will. And he does it based on his just character. Everything God does has to be based on his just character before anything else is done. Well, I just thought I'd say that, but now look with me back here in our I want to get my verb, get my subject right now out of verse thirty, look at verse thirty-nine with me, or excuse me, verse thirty, I'm sorry, verse thirty. This is what I want to deal with.

For mine eyes have seen thy salvation. Mine eyes have seen thy salvation. And this man from named Simeon. And let's look at his biography. We can start in verse 25. Let's look at his biography. It's a very, very short biography.

And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, a man, man like us, man born of sinful parents, a man born as a son of Adam, a man, flesh and blood, a man, just a man. And he happened to be in Jerusalem. He probably lived in Jerusalem. And it told us his name, Simeon. And it said the same man, look what else it says, but he was just. How in the world does a man get to be just? He wasn't just because of the way he lived. He lived the way he did because God made him just. God has ways of making his people just.

And justice, the only way a person can be just before God is for God to make him to understand who Christ is. And Lee was looking for Christ. He had his eyes set on Christ who was to come. He really believed that this life, that this man that was coming, this lamb that was coming would be his justification before God. He was just by what God did for him. Not by his character. By his character.

And then not only that, but he said he was devout. He was devout. He was a devout man. He was devoted to God. And he was just in his dealings with men. You know, when God makes a man just and he justifies a man, he makes that man honest. He'll deal with people honestly. And he was a man because of what God done for him, made him a new creature. And I'll tell you what, and whether he was a master, whether he was a servant, whether he was a businessman, a teacher of religion, the scripture says that he was just. God made him that way.

And then he was devout. He was devout towards God. And devout means devoted. You know, I hear people say, oh, I've heard several folks say to me, we have our devotions. We have our devotions. They want you to know they have devotions. that they get to a certain time that they set apart, and they do their devotions. Well, listen. Christ, our hearts is devoted to Christ all the time. That's my devotion. My devotion is to Christ. I don't have to set apart a certain time every day, say, well, I'm going to have my devotions. Christ has my heart, and he's got your heart if you belong to him. He's got yours.

And I'll tell you, he was devout towards God. His life was given over to the one true God. And that's something that's so rare to find today. People that in their hearts and soul, they are devoted to Christ. Their life is Christ. And they think of Him, they look to Him, they trust Him, they believe Him, and they're not looking for salvation anywhere else. They're not looking to be made just anyplace else. And oh my. And this is what, this is what true Christianity is. This is what true biblical Christianity is. Being made just and being devoted to God in our hearts, in our souls. And I tell you, some men, they're just in how they deal with people, but not that devout. And some are professed to be devout, but not just. May God enable us by His grace. to have a biography as wonderful as this man, a just man, and a devouted heart towards God.

And oh my, and then look what else it says about him. It said he was waiting for the consolation of Israel. Now next, when I get back from vacation, I'll be dealing with that. There's two or three more messages here. But the consolation of Israel, he was waiting. And oh, what's the consolation of Israel? Who is our consoler? What's a consolation mean? That means somebody that comes and consoles you when you're in trouble. Consoles you and comforts you when you're in trouble. And that's what he was the consolation they was looking for. This is the man that's going to come and console us in our troubles and in our sin and save us from our sin.

And oh my, he was waiting, what a blessed position, waiting. We're waiting for the Lord Jesus Christ to come from heaven. That's what the scriptures tell us, that we're waiting, waiting for him to come. And oh, what a blessed thing to be waiting for, the coming of Christ. We've waited for a man child. Abraham waited for the promise of God. Jacob waited for God's blessings. Moses waited before he went down into Egypt. David waited for him to get on his throne. And my Lord said unto my Lord set out my right hand till I make the enemies your footstool. And you know these all died in faith.

Look what else it says about him there in verse 25. And the Holy Ghost was upon him. Oh my, it's so rare that we've been talking about the Spirit, been talking about the Holy Ghost, and the Holy Ghost was upon him. What was he doing upon him? What does he do for anybody when he comes upon them? Well, look what it says here. It was revealed to him when the Holy Ghost was upon him. This is what makes Christ, this is what makes the Gospel of Revelation. It was revealed unto him, Holy Ghost. And there's nothing that, you know, if Christ has revealed to us and any truth has revealed to us, the Holy Ghost has got to be the one to do it. That's why we want so much more than anything else for the Holy Spirit of God to come among us and do for us what we can. In account of this all sorry old flesh that we can't even worship God without the Holy Ghost coming and blessing us very, very much.

Look what else he said, and it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. Now let me tell you something. Ain't nobody for whom Christ died will see death until they see Christ. And what I mean is God's gonna make sure that he's gonna get the gospel to you, that he's gonna make Christ known to you before you leave this world.

It may be, you know, that thief on the cross. He was there to die for crimes that he had done, for murder and insurrection and all those things. He was there to die. He was in his dying hours. Christ saved him. How did he save him? He said, Lord, how did he know? Same way I do. How did he know he was the kingdom? The same way you and I do. How did he look to our salvation? You and I do. How was he saved? The same way you and I are. By Christ on the cross. Christ on that cross looked at him. Today, today, gonna be with me in paradise.

I mean it, listen, that's what, that's what's so wonderful about preaching the gospel. That's what's so wonderful about preaching Christ. I know that whatever God wills and if he's pleased to bless the Word of God, whatever God's pleased to do, he is gonna get his death. Huh? And I mean bless his heart, he was 75 years old before God saved him. I know some old folks. You know, God's not limited. And I'll tell you something else. Let me tell you something, you young folks here. The scripture says, remember thy creator. You young folks here, listen, because I'm telling you, evil days going to come. But I tell you, when they come, you've got the Lord Jesus Christ, who's a consolation of Israel.

And oh my, look what he says. And all it was revealed unto him by the wise on him, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. The Lord's Christ. And oh my. You know, our Lord says, you know, the real is that he that seeth the Son, that God himself shall see, that they till they see Christ. And all that he given me, said I shall raise him up again at the last day. And look what it comes to say now. He came by the Spirit. He came by the Spirit into the temple. He came by the Spirit into the temple. And oh, my. And the Holy Ghost was on Him, and He comes into the temple. And when the parents had brought in the child, Jesus would do for Him after the custom of the law.

Now, they're in the temple still. They brought Christ out. Christ is. He's 40 days old. That's how old he is. He's 40 days old. A month and a day. He's 40 days old. This, our Lord Jesus Christ. They're in sacrifices for him. And as he walked in that temple, and he done him after the custom of the law. And let me tell you something. This old man, he had seen sacrifices offered, but here comes this man. And how many other over there doing this, doing that? Bringing the sacrifice for Christ, to offer Christ to the Lord. But old Simeon, with all everybody's in the temple, old Simeon saw something that nobody else did. And watch his eyes light up now. What Lord done told him, said, you're not gonna die until you've seen until I've saved you by the Son of God.

And then it says, up in his arms and bless God. Now he picked up. He picked up a child that was 40 days old. And look what he says. He took him up in his arms. He rushed and got that baby. Was Mary home? No. But he retched and got that 40-day-old baby and held him in his arms. And look what he said. First thing he did, Lord, I bless you. I praise you. I thank you. He put him in his arms and blessed God and said, Lord, you're God. You're the Lord. Now, I'm an old man. Let thy servant depart in peace. You done told me that I could when I seen your Christ. And according to my eyes have seen thy salvation.

What in the world is he talking about? He's looking at a 40-day-old baby. He's looking at an infant. Three. Four babies back there. And there's not salvation in any of them. As much as we love them, much we care for them, much as we love to hold them in our arms, but when sin He says, now, Lord, you told me that I could die now. I could go to be with you, go into eternity. I'm an old man. I'm old and gray-headed. I've been here a long, long time. Oh, my. This is not right. This is, you know, right now, I told Shirley the other day, I said, I think I'll get, sometimes I think I'll tell everybody to leave. They got on one side, they've got the nativity scene with baby, you know, Jesus there. And over here, they got all the wise men on this side. And I go in there and tell those folks that that's the most despicable thing that ever was, and they got nothing to do with Christ.

Since you started fighting, we can't win. But I'll tell you what, You know, the only time that they saw him, and he saw in Christ, not just religious rhetoric, not a baby in a manger, he belonged to God himself. He belonged to God before he came into this world. He was God before he come into this world. He come through the womb of a virgin. He is 40 days old. He said, I see your salvation. Whose salvation? God's salvation. Thy salvation is who he's talking to in verse 11, ain't it? For unto you is born this day in the Savior, which is Christ the Lord."

Oh, and I tell you what, the Savior, but he saw salvation itself. And you know what? I do too. I see salvation in him too. He said, he also hath became my salvation. Oh my. in my salvation. Isaiah said, Behold God! Oh, it's wonderful, wonderful to see salvation in the very essence of salvation is Him. He Himself. And He took Him up in His arms. And oh my, I'm sure He has seen thy salvation.

Now let me tell you something. began to teach before our Lord ever preached, before our Lord ever come to serve for sins. He was a 40-day-old infant, but he was God's salvation. He was God's salvation. There when the world was made, and here he is, an old, old man, an old, old man saw him and said, this is all my salvation. Everything about our Lord is saving. Everything about Him is saving. But it's salvation. He Himself.

Now, we love His teaching. We love His example. We love His tenderness. We love His sufferings. We love His glory. And all of those are great, great blessings to us, but it's His own which makes anything that he has done said in our hearts. Oh my. You know what makes him saving is his person, virtue. He's the only, even as an infant, he's the only one who had the worth and the virtue and the value that God would and purpose for him to be salvation just by a look. And ain't that wonderful? By a look. You know, everything about our salvation is a look. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Looking is Christ. And I tell you, that's all Simon saw. He had a look. He saw something with his eyes. Can you look? Anybody can look. Anybody can see.

And oh my, it's like that, it's like that serpent lifted up in the wilderness. Those people had been bitten with these awful serpents and they murmured and complained against God and God sent them serpents and bit them people. And God said, He commanded Moses, take a brass serpent, put him up on a pole. And said, everybody looks to that brass serpent and said, he'll be healed. And if you, I don't care how far away you was, if you just looked at it, look towards it. God said, I'll heal you from all your sin. And Christ, he said, if I be lifted up, I'll draw. I'm the one that does the drawing. I'll draw all men unto myself. And all my, and I'll tell you what, that just goes to show you. The salvation, the Holy Ghost showed him, said, I'm not, you're not going to die until you see what salvation is. And he was waiting for this. He was in the temple waiting for this. Oh my, it's Christ is that gives virtue to what he does. I've said this so many times. It wasn't how much blood he shed, it's whose blood that was shed. It's not how much suffering that he did, who that done the suffering. And that's what people need to understand. And I'm going to tell you this. People say, I trust in the finished work of Christ. I don't. I trust in Christ himself who finished the work. People can say, well, I trust the work of Christ. You got to trust Christ who did the work. That's the only reason it had any value to his work, because who did it?

Might what I do don't amount to nothing. You know, Paul was the greatest preacher other than Christ that ever lived. They said Charles Spurgeon's the greatest preacher that ever lived other than Christ. And they're both gone. One of these days, we're gonna be gone. That's why Simon said, oh Lord, I'm ready to go now. Just let me die. I'm old and gray-headed and got this old beard. And I've got tired of walking in this old world, this old wilderness world. I've got tired of this old flesh. I've got tired of this old world. I've got tired of sin, all the sacrifices that could never put away sin. Now, now I see salvation. Oh my.

And our Lord Jesus Christ, it's who he is that gives virtue to what he does. He didn't say, come to my work, but he said, come to me. Come to me. He didn't look at his work, he looked at a person. And oh my, he only is my rock in salvation. And let me tell you, he's the only salvation they are. Simeon never found another. He was waiting, he was waiting. He was just, he was devout. Anyone could have seen salvation by the law, surely he would have. But he didn't go in there and say, now, now I've seen Christ, now I'm gonna go back over here and I'm gonna start to add my works to it. No, no. Oh my.

He had, he had a blessed, blessed character that God, just and devout, but he didn't look to his look to him being just. He never looked to his being devout. No, no, for salvation. He looked to the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh my. And there's so many people, you know as well as I do, people look to their own character. Look to their own character. I'm saying, people go out and commit murder and say, I'm a good person. They'll lie, I'm a good person. They'll mistreat somebody and say, I'm a good person. I do bad. You know how many people claim that? I'm a good person.

As a dear lady, her mother, gone now, but years and years ago, her grandmother told her when she got under conviction. She got under conviction and she was telling her mother, her grandmother, how sinful she felt. Her grandmother said, honey, Listen, I've knowed you all your life, you're not that bad. But you know, the Lord, that's what I mean, she never looked to what her grandmother said. She looked to Christ for her salvation. She looked to Christ for her salvation. And I'm telling you, man, if a man looks to his own character, he's looking in, if he's looking to something he's accomplished, he's looking at the wrong thing. Oh my.

And I tell you, he didn't look character for salvation, He looked at the Lord Jesus Christ alone. And I'll tell you something, his life and his dealings with men, oh my, he didn't lie in his secret prayers. He didn't want to be doing anything but looking to Christ for salvation. And if he'd have found salvation any other way, don't you think he would have said something about it? No, no, he said, Lord, my life, mine eyes have seen thy salvation." Can you say that to yourself? Mine eyes have seen thy salvation. My eyes have. Job said this. He said this when he was an old man getting ready. He said, he said, I know that my Redeemer liveth. That's the oldest book in the Bible, Job is. Job said, I know that my Redeemer lives, and that He shall stand upon the earth in the latter days, and I shall see Him for myself. This is my salvation. This is my hope. Job said that. Oh, my. So he goes in there, and I tell you, Salome and Simeon says, it's not in me. But here, in this infant, do I find my salvation. And I found my salvation of the Lord." When he says, thy salvation, you know what that tells us? The salvation's of the Lord. We've been preaching that forever. Salvation's of the Lord. And oh, Simeon was familiar with the temple and the courts of the Lord's house. He was familiar with it. He'd been in and out of there all of his life. You know, they offered sacrifice. That's what she was doing here, Joseph and Mary. They had pigeons or turtledoves that they offered because they're so poor, that's all they could afford. And they were offering sacrifices, offering their blood, or killing those pigeons or turtledoves, whatever it was that they offered. And he saw sacrifices. He had been around that temple, and he saw sacrifices every day. They had a lamb in the morning, and they had a lamb in the evening, and they offered sacrifices. He saw the blood, and he saw the feast. He went to the Passover feast, and he remembered the high and the holy days. But in any of those things, he never saw salvation, never did see salvation. He never saw salvation in the Passover. He saw valvation in that infant. He never saw salvation in any sacrifice ever offered. Though we're just a satire, Christ is a substance. Never a lamb did he say, oh, this is mine eyes that see not salvation. At the Passover, he says, mine eyes that see not salvation. But what did he exclaim? What did he proclaim? Mine eyes have seen thy salvation. Look with me over in Isaiah chapter 12. Look with me in Isaiah chapter 12. Look over here. This is a very, very short chapter. Very, very short. But oh my goodness. Ah, look what it says. Oh, when he saw that infant, the Lord Jesus. God teach us all here this, that one thing. Isaiah chapter 12 and verse 2. Behold, God is my salvation. I will trust and not be afraid for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song. He is also become my salvation. Oh my. I wish I could say this like I want to. I wish I could preach it like I like to. Simon declared, Simeon declared, this is that the Lord Jesus Christ is God's salvation. He said, thy salvation, thy salvation, thy salvation. Look what he says in verse 31. For mine eyes have seen thy salvation. Did God give you eyes to see Christ? I got to ask that question. Does God give you eyes to see Christ? Him, all your salvation? All of it? All of it? Oh, my. And didn't look what he said, which you prepared. He said, this is not an afterthought. This is, you know, I heard a fellow say one time, you know, he said, in the Old Testament, people were justified by the law. In the New Testament, they're justified by works. And I heard him say that, and I tell you what, and I told him immediately. I said, there never was any salvation or any justification apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. Before the law, during the law, and after the law, in the Old Testament, New Testament, Christ has always been salvation. You know, the first five verses of Genesis tells us salvation's of the Lord. Earth was out forming void. That's the way we were. We were void of all life. God said, let there be light. We're sitting in darkness. God said, turn on the light. God said, now separate the light from the darkness. He turns on the light and the darkness is gone. I mean, everywhere you look, you cannot look in the Bible and not find the salvations of the Lord.

Oh, wouldn't it be something? Wouldn't it be something if preachers the world now. God would raise up preachers. If God would raise up men, God would raise up people that knew something, that salvation is in a person, not in anything we think, say, or do. Not in our feelings, not in our emotions, not in anything, but Christ, the Lord. Salvation's in a glorious person.

Oh, God, I wish that the world would raise, God raise up some preachers. Oh, my And I, Simon, I mean, oh my. And he said, thou hast prepared this. God prepared it. Man don't prepare it. That's what people want. They say, you know, back when I was, back when I was a, I wore long hair and wore it in a ponytail and I was out in the world and all that. People told me, said, boy, said, if you'd comb your hair and shave that beard, then you, you know, you know, you need to clean up before you go to church. You need to clean up before God will save you. You need to clean up before God will do anything for you.

If you clean yourself, why do you need Christ? But that's what they told me, and that's what people tell people all the time. Now, if you'll do this, if you'll do that, quit your sinning. Clean up your act. Turn over that leaf, and turn over this way, turn that way, turn this way, turn another way. Turn loose of this, turn loose of that, and grab hold of this, and grab hold of that. Quit your bad habits, taking up new habits. But if we could do one thing, we would not need Christ.

But Simeon was an old, old man, and he looked at a 40-day-old baby. You know where I see him now? On his throne, but all he saw was a 40-day-old baby. And he said, God, you prepared this. You did this. You prepared me to see this. You sent the Holy Ghost to me. You told me where he was going to be. You showed me who he was when I got there. And now, now I'm ready to go. He said, I wouldn't have known any of these things if you hadn't have told me, and you hadn't have guided me, and you hadn't gave me the Holy Ghost, and sent me into the temple.

And I tell you what, there's people moving all over the place. But he saw something nobody else did. And I tell you what, when God shows you that, you know, you never get over it. You just, once you ever see him, you never stop looking at him. You don't do that. Oh, God prepared this. God prepared this salvation. God prepared this. And look what it says, before the face of all people. Oh my, before the whole world, before the face of people. And oh, he's the salvation that God covenanted to give his people before the world ever began.

You prepared this. Christ was promised. Christ was predestinated. God, Christ was prepared. Salvation of God in Christ was prepared for us. We're predestinated to this. You know that? Oh, I love predestination. I do. I was predestinated as many as were ordained to eternal life. You know what that says? That means before ordained, until eternal life believed. Now, this man was prepared. before the world began to see Christ, to see Christ. And oh my, and I say things like that so you'll understand that there is, there's nothing you can say, do, or think other than look to Christ. Oh my. This is the salvation that the prophets spoke about. All the times, all the times, the ark, the Passover, All the things that was done, the serpent lifted up, all those things showed us the Lord Jesus Christ and the salvation that's provided in him.

And I'll tell you what, look what it says, you've prepared it before the face of all people. And I'll tell you, beloved, he saw the whole of his salvation in this child. He didn't see part of it, he saw all of it. He saw light and he saw glory. Look what he says, a light, the light and the Gentiles. He gonna come and save a bunch of Gentiles like us. And also for the glory of thy people Israel.

Oh my, let me tell you something. When he saw this infant, he saw the light and glory in Christ. And he saw what started in Bethlehem, which led to Gethsemane, which led to Calvary, which led to the cry on the cross, it is finished, which lends to a throne on the right hand of the majesty on high, started in that infant on that day he saw salvation in. I'll tell you what he saw in him all the way to when Christ was crucified on the cross, cried it's finished. and received up into glory and sat down at the right hand of God."

Huh? Oh, my. And I say this, beloved, the Lord Jesus Christ is the whole, whole of salvation. Simeon didn't say, my eyes have seen part of your salvation. Oh, no. And as he is salvation, he's the one who gives it to whom he will. gives it to whom He will. And you know the Scriptures tells us that this whole salvation's in Christ, that you are complete, complete in Him, in whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily. And that's what our Lord said, He that hath the Son hath life.

This, and I tell you, this is true, this is true, He that hath a son hath life, and he that has Christ has no sin. Why don't he have no sin? Because Christ put it all away. The Lord, you know, we're starting with, my eyes have seen salvation. Now listen to me. The Lord laid on him, of us all. That's why he saw salvation in that infant. Oh, my. Salvation from every conceivable thing that is sure in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Mine eyes have seen your salvation. Now, let me ask you something. Closing this thing down, let me ask you a couple of questions. Is the Lord Jesus Christ deficient in any way? Is He deficient in any way? Is His salvation deficient in any way? If it is, what would he be deficient in? Huh? Do I need to suffer some myself? Hasn't he already suffered enough that justice requires? Would you work? Would you work to make up the deficiency that might be in Christ? No, no, he finished the work the father gave him to do.

Well, what about washing? What about washing ourselves and keeping ourselves clean and keeping ourselves pure and doing all these religious things? Oh, my. There's a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins. Sinners plunge beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains. Do we need, oh my, do we need some special kind of clothing to set us apart? No, His spotless robe of righteousness is enough. Oh my, some kind of medicine that we can take? No, with His stripes we're healed.

If our Lord was not perfect as a Savior, what could we possibly make up the deficiency? Oh, my. What does he need that we could bring to him? What does he need? Oh, bless his name. There is nothing, nothing in Christ. Our whole salvation is in him. And if his robe of righteousness isn't finished, would our filthy rags of righteousness add anything to it? If that fountain is not full and effectual, what in the world could we pour into it to make it so? Shall a worm of this earth, or shall a worm, be needed to complete the work of him who made the world and upholds it by the word of his own power?

Oh my. The Lord Jesus is able, able, to save you from the first to the last. You know, one of these days, I'm going to preach my last message. One of these days, I'm going to breathe my last breath. One of these days, I'm going to close my eyes for the last time. And Christ is my salvation from first, and he'll be my salvation when you look at me in a casket. That's how sure I am.

They was going to, I forget who it was, but somebody, I read it this week, they was fixing to execute him, cut his head off. And I think it's during the reign of Mary Queen of Scots when they was doing that. And they had him up there and they go cut his head off and said, are you sure? Are you sure that if we cut your head off that you'll go immediately to enter into salvation, that you'll enter into heaven? He said, I'm as sure of that as I am of anything. He never wavered. Cut his head off. They took Dr. Baptist's head off. He's sitting up there in glory right now. And guess where his head at? It's with him.

And I'll tell you what, they can burn people at the stake. They're going to have a new body anyway. That's what I say. Mine eyes, I'm just like Simeon. Mine eyes have seen salvation. And I ain't looking for it no place else. Are you? Oh, what a glorious gospel we have. Oh, my. Salvation, he said, I've seen everything that I need. I need everything right now.

And let me tell you something. You're not prepared to leave this. You're not like Simeon. Simeon says, now, Lord, you showed me that when I saw your salvation, that you'd let me leave. You'd let me depart. And you'd let me depart with peace in my heart, in my conscience, in every way. He told me that. But until you've seen Christ, until you know Christ, until you've have seen Christ to be your salvation, all of it, you're not ready to die. You're not ready to die.

Lord Jesus, I thank you for your wonderful, wonderful gospel, for the salvation that's in you, the salvation that belongs to you, The salvation that you gladly, gladly, joyfully give to your people. Lord, I thank you for this glorious, glorious salvation. Salvation from sin. Salvation from bondage. Salvation from darkness. Salvation, Lord, from first to last. God bless this gospel. Lord, do for these people today what only you can do. And we'll bless your holy name for Christ's sake. Amen. Amen.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

Now, let me tell you something. Shirley's got about 40-something things of bread back there. She's got poppy seed. She's got pumpkin, she's got banana, and she's got cinnamon swirl. Now, you go back there and get you one of them. Get whichever one you want. And if you know somebody's not here that you want to take some to, but you know, she's got it. She does this every year. And she's special, boy, she can cook. I'm telling you what. That pumpkin is, I think that's my favorite now. Oh my goodness, that pumpkin.

And let me tell you something. You slice your piece that off and just heat it up just a little bit, puts a little bit of butter on it. So you go back there before you leave today and you get you whatever you want from back there, whatever you want. Whatever your favorite, you go back there and get it. And Lord willing, I'll see you Wednesday night.