I'm going to ask you to take
your Bibles and turn with me to the book of Luke, chapter
2. We've been going through John
and Proverbs, and there's times here recently that I've just
felt the Lord's leadership and direction to look at some other
passages, and this is one of those days, Luke chapter 2. I'd like to read verses 25-35 and I'd like in
this first message to take the verses 25-29 and then the second message to finish this passage
of scripture. But let's look at Luke chapter
2 verse 25. And behold, there was a man in
Jerusalem 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. And it was revealed unto him
by the Holy Ghost 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 brought in the child Jesus to
do for him after the custom of the law, then took he him up
in his arms and blessed God and said, Now let us thou thy servant
depart in peace according to thy word. For mine eyes have
seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face
of all people alike to lighten the Gentiles in the glory of
thy people Israel. Joseph and his mother marveled
at those 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 of many in Israel and for a sign
which shall be spoken against, yea, a sword shall pierce through
thine, thy own soul also that the thoughts of many hearts may
be revealed. Let's pray together. Our Father, how thankful we are
this morning. Oh, for this time, Lord, to look
at your word, not be concerned with current events, customs,
but to hear what you have to say. This morning, I pray your
blessing upon this, our time together. Forgive us of our sins
for Christ's sake. Amen. From the Holy Scriptures, we
have this morning a very private event that took place in the
temple there in Jerusalem. And the Spirit of God was pleased
to record it and put it in the Scriptures. all the things that
the Lord did or that were done during that time, all of them
were not recorded. In fact, Scripture says that
if all the things that the Lord had done or said had been put
into books, the world would not contain the books. That's a lot. Only those things that the Spirit
of God was pleased to put in the holy canon of Scripture.
That's what we have. That's it. And this event right
here took place, and as I say, it was a very private thing.
You'll see that as we look at it. But the Spirit of God was
pleased to teach us something. Scripture says, verse 25, And
behold, now let's just take note of what He's saying. Now look at this. Behold. There was a man in Jerusalem
whose name was Simeon. And that Simeon means God has
heard. No mention of this man being
a priest. It doesn't say that. Speculation
maybe. It doesn't say that he was a
priest or any other particular, you know, bearer of an office. Here was a man, a fallen creature
of Adam. There was a man in Jerusalem
whose name was Simeon. He was, as far as we know, this
man was just, he was a Jew. He was just a Jew. And the same man, the scripture
says, was just. Now the scripture reveals that
that man was a righteous man. He was a believer. He was a holy
man made so by the grace of God. Not by any works of his righteousness. There was nothing that this man
was said to have done. This man was a just man. He was a believer. He believed
God, he believed in the surety of God's promise to send the
Messiah, the Savior. He was one. Now there were all
kind, during this time, you know this, during this period of time,
there were all kinds of, you know, Pharisees that hated the
Lord and the people that wouldn't hear Him, but according to the
Scriptures, This man, this same man, was just. He was one that
was of the remnant according to the election of grace. One
that Paul referred to in Romans 11 as one in Israel that the
Lord had not cast away. One that the Lord had reserved
to Himself. Out of every nation, kindred,
tribe, and tongue, this man was a Jew. that God was pleased to
reveal himself to. This man was just. Just before
God. This man believed God. And he
was devout. That's what he says. This man,
Simeon, he was a just and he was a devout man. That means he was cautious. He
was careful. He was a careful man. for others. He realized something of the
presence of God. He walked before men with a good
reputation. That's what devout means. He
was a man that was well received, well spoken of. And this man
was said to be waiting for the consolation, the comfort. He was waiting for the Messiah. He was waiting on the Messiah. He was looking for the Messiah,
not like everybody else. Most everybody in that time was
looking for the Messiah. He was going to be a king, they
thought. He was going to set up an earthly kingdom and he
was going to restore Israel back to the former glory, like they
had back in Solomon's day. That's what they were looking
for. Not this man. This man believed that God Almighty,
he knew the Scriptures. Isaiah 51.3, this was all the
Scriptures that were there, the Old Testament. This is what this
man knew. He knew what God had promised.
In the Spirit of God, He had given him a heart to believe
God was going to send the Comforter. Isaiah 51.3, for the Lord shall
comfort Zion. He will comfort her waste places. He shall make her wilderness
like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness
shall be found therein, thanksgiving and the voice of melody. This
man believed God. He knew that God was going to
send the Messiah, the heavenly King. glorious king of his people. And he waited, he was waiting
for the first coming of the Messiah by faith. Just like we're waiting
right now. This is what we do. We know this.
We know that the Lord is coming back. He said he was. And this
is what we're doing right now this morning. This is why we're
here. We assemble ourselves together. This is the body. This is the
church. This is a local body. God raised up a place in Katy,
West Virginia. I've said before, Katy, West
Virginia. Have you ever looked at the green
signs from where Katy to Katy, where it starts and stops? I
mean, it's nowhere. It's not even incorporated. But this is where God has raised
up a candlestick. He left this place here almost
60 years. Raised up a faithful, faithful
pastor. He taught us. I'm so thankful
for that. And what we're doing this morning,
we're waiting. We're waiting on the Lord. Waiting on God. Studying His Scriptures. This
man had God's Word. And he waited. And he knew that
his waiting was not going to be in vain. And we know it too. I know this. In a moment, in
the twinkling of an eye, the scripture reveals that the Lord's
going to come back. And I'm telling you, when He
comes back, it's over. We never even thought about it.
You never even realized what was going on. And all of a sudden,
everybody's standing before God. Everybody. The scripture says in Isaiah
49.23, For they shall not be ashamed that wait for me. Those that patiently expect. That's what we do. Psalm 27.14,
Wait on the Lord. Be of good courage. He shall
strengthen thine heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord. And the Lord was pleased to bless
this man. He blessed this man in an exceptional
way. You know, every believer has
the Spirit of God within him. The very Spirit of Christ. It's Christ in you. The hope
of glory. That is the new man. Created in righteousness. There's life there. There's a
new man, vitally joined. It's the life of Christ. He said,
I'm the way, I'm the truth, I'm the life. You want to know what
is the life in you? It's the life of Christ. And
this man had that. He was a just man. But he was especially, especially
blessed by the Spirit of God. The Scripture says that last
part of verse 25, the Holy Ghost was upon him. And the Holy Ghost
being upon him was manifested in actually two ways. Now it
says, first of all, verse 26, it was revealed unto him by the
Holy Ghost. that he would not see death before
he had seen the Lord's Christ. That man was miraculously taught. The Spirit of God told this man,
Simeon, just a man, just a guy, a fallen creature in Adam that
God was pleased to reveal something to. to reveal Christ to him. And the Spirit of God told this
man, you're not going to die until
you have actually, physically, really, truly seen the Lord's
Christ. What a promise. What a promise. Can you imagine? God would tell
this man, you're not going to die. I don't know how old he
was. Doesn't say. But I'm telling
you, this man having received the Lord's word, that he was
actually going to see the Christ. You're going to see the Messiah
come. in human form. You're going to
see him. You're not going to die. And
this man waited. I can only imagine every day
this man would think, I wonder if it's going to be today. I
wonder if I'm going to see him today. I wonder if today's the
day that Almighty God is going to actually let me look upon
the Christ. You're going to see him. You
know, Job was promised he was going to see him. Job died though.
But Job had the promise and the assurance, I'm going to see him. I'm going to die. Remember Job, he was just so
sick. He emaciated. Will the worms destroy this body? Though I'm put in the ground
and I go back to dust. And that's all that there is.
He said these eyes right here. Not the eyes of another, these
eyes. These eyes. In this flesh, raised
from the dead, made new, changed. But this flesh, without sin,
I'm going to see God. I'm going to look upon God. I'm going to see Him. This man
was promised, he said, you're not going to die. Job died. Job
said, I know, I'm going to see Him though. And Job's going to
see Him. Job's going to see Him. Job's
in the ground right now. There was that body of Job. I
imagine you dig him up, there's nothing there but dust. Probably
nothing there. He's gone. But Job said, I'm
coming out of this ground and I'm going to see God. You know,
that's comforting. That's comforting. I know, I
know, in this body, I know we're going to die. But I'm telling
you, for every believer, a believer is assured, I'm going to see
him again. I'm going to see him in mercy.
I'm going to see him, really. And I'm going to see him forever.
I'm going to be with him. Because I know this, he prayed
in John 17, 24, Father I will, those that thou hast given me
be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory. And I'm
telling you a believer says, you know what, I'm going to see
him. I'm going to see him again. That man, first of all, he was
miraculously taught. You're not going to die until
you see. the Lord's Christ. And secondly,
he was miraculously directed. Look at verse 27. The scripture
says, and he came, now look at this, by the Spirit into the
temple. He came by the Spirit. You know,
so many times, we're all like this. We always think, well,
you know what, today's Sunday. Oh, you know what, today, I'm
going to go to church. I'm going to go ahead and grab
me a bite to eat, get all squared away, get dressed, and we're
just going to go to church. The scripture says that the steps
of a good man, one not good in himself, I know that, you know
that, but the steps of one that believes God, Steps of good man
are ordered by the Lord. And this last part, and he delighteth
in his way, I don't know if that means that the good man delights
in the Lord's way or the Lord delights in his way, but both
of them true. I'm so thankful that God would
direct our way. We didn't just show up today.
He worketh all things after the counsel of His own will. You
say, well, I just came to church today. No, you didn't. No, you
didn't. Almighty God directed this. There was a purpose for this.
You're here by divine appointment. This man right here was brought
by the Spirit of God into the temple. The Lord leading His
people is not coincidental. It's according to His purpose.
It's according to His will. Secretly, powerfully, marvelously,
He leads according to His purpose. Like Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus thought,
well, I'm short. He was short of stature. Well,
he said, I can't see. So I'm going to just climb up
in a sycamore tree. Why? because the Lord was going
to pass by that way, and Almighty God, from before the foundation
of the world, was going to be at that spot, and at that spot,
at that moment, the Lord was going to look up, and there was
going to be Zacchaeus right there. And He was going to say, Zacchaeus! Can you imagine Zacchaeus? He
knows my name. He knows my name. He said, I
know my sheep. I call them by name. They follow
me. Zacchaeus, come down. I've got
to be at your house today. Eternally, I've got to be at
your house today. I'm telling you, for every one
of us here, we had to be here. We had to be here. This man was
brought miraculously by the Spirit of God. And the scripture says,
In verse 27, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to
do for him after the custom of the law. Now, I'm going to show
you something, a couple of things that are taught here. The Lord,
number one, they did come in. Something had happened prior
to this, though. I'll show you this. Look in verse
21. Eight days, when eight days were
accomplished. Now, eight days after the birth
of the Lord. Eight days. When eight days were
accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called
Jesus, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived
in the womb. Remember when the angel came
and told Mary, he said, you're going to call his name Jesus.
For he shall save his people from their sins. That happened
8 days after he was born. Now, this right here is a little
bit later in time. I'll show you why. Because it
says in verse 22, and when the days of her purification according
to the law of Moses were accomplished, now that was 40 days after he
was born. Forty days, according to the
law, after he was born. And they brought him also during
that forty days had been accomplished. Now eight days after he was born,
he had to be circumcised according to the law. Not that he himself. had any sin, but he was made
in the likeness of sinful flesh. He had to order, all the order
that was to be accomplished of the law, he had to obey it. So
he had to be circumcised. Not that he himself was a sinner
like everybody else, but he was made like to his brother. Now,
40 days later, after when the days of her purification, 40
days, later, 40 days after his birth was taking place. Now she's coming. Now that's
where they are. It's been a month plus, a month,
10 days after. Well being led now by God's Spirit
into the temple, having been made to know that he's waiting
on the Lord's Christ, the scripture says now They brought him in,
verse 27, into the temple to do for him. He was going to have
to be presented. That was according to Exodus
13, 2. He had to be presented to the
Lord, given to the Lord, dedicated to the Lord, according to the
law. And here they are. She's coming in now, 40 days
after his birth. After the time of her purification
and everything, they're going to come present Him to the Lord.
And they walk in to the temple, and here was this man, Simeon,
a just man, devout man. And he walked up, and she came
up, Mary and Joseph, with the child Jesus in their arms. And the Scripture says, Simeon,
in verse 28, then took He Him up in His arms, And he blessed
God. He blessed God. The same spirit
that revealed to Simeon that he was not going to die until
he had seen the Lord's Christ. The same spirit that led him
to the temple. Not only led him to the temple,
led him to that spot. How big was the temple? I don't
know. All of us has come here today
and I've tried to say hello to as many of you as I could but
there may be a few here that I hadn't spoken to yet. I tried
to. But I mean that I would be exactly at one spot to say cross
your path at an exact moment. This man did. They walked in,
there he was and the scripture says he took him up in his arms
and he blessed God. The Spirit of God moved this
man to take him up into his arms obviously embraced Him with affection
and respect, and praised the Lord God of heaven, giving Him
all the glory and honor that this man could for His mercy
and goodness to send the Messiah. The Spirit of God told this man,
this is Him. This is the One. The very One
who held Simeon, in his own hand of power and protection and providence
and salvation. Here's Almighty God who has humbled
himself, made flesh a baby. God Almighty. And Simeon was
allowed by God himself to take that child in his arms And Simeon
assured by faith that he was in the very presence of God. And Simeon, he took him up in
his arms and he blessed God and he said, verse 29, Lord, Lord, as it's recorded in Acts 4.24, You who are God, which has made
heaven and earth, the seas and all that in them is. Lord, and
here's his heart rejoicing, knowing that without a doubt, God's Word
had been fulfilled to me. What this man had waited for,
the sight of the Messiah, was accomplished before his eyes.
Here was the one who before he had only seen by faith. I know
he's coming. God told me he's coming. God
told me that I'm not going to die. Before I see the Lord's
Christ, he saw him by faith and now with a settled heart and
a devout attitude, he requests leave of this life in peace according
to God's word. He says, Lord, now. Now lettest thou thy servant,
your bond slave, Lord your willing servant, now lettest thou thy
servant depart in peace according to thy word. Now I know this. We read that and I did the same
thing till I was looking over this. I'm going to tell you something
in closing on this first message that was a real blessing to me. That prayer that this man Simeon
prayed to the Lord, he took the child Jesus, the scriptures describes
him to be, and he just blessed God and he said, Lord, now, now,
let us permit, allow, allow thy servant to depart in peace according
to your word." What he asked was more than just, if I can say it this way, a common
departure. He wasn't just saying, Lord,
let me now leave peacefully, just quietly, which a believer
does. He does. I know that. That word
depart, it does mean this. It does mean to loose from, to
let go, and to dismiss. That's what it means. It means
that. But also, it means more than that. It means to forgive. And let me show you the same
word, that word depart. Listen to this. Luke, I'll just
read this to you. Luke 6.37. Judge not, and you
shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not
be condemned. Forgive, and you shall be forgiven. That word forgive and forgiven
right there is the same word depart. Same word. Depart. It's translated depart here,
but it means to dismiss, to take leave of, and to let go, but
it also means to forgive. And here's what Simeon prayed. He said, Lord, now, Let me die
in peace with you. Forgiven. Let me die forgiven. Let me leave this world resting
from the bondage of this life and absolved from the bondage
of sin, knowing that I've seen your salvation. This is what was spoken of in
Genesis 15, 15. And thou shalt go to thy fathers
in peace. We think about leaving in peace
and it's just quiet and serene. And I understand that. But that's not what he asked.
He said, I bless God that I can leave this world forgiven. I
bless the Lord that I can leave this world and be received into
your sight, accepted in the beloved, and my iniquity not be imputed
to me. I'm a blessed man because the
Lord has not charged me with my guilt. That I'm guilty is
without a doubt. I know that. But that He wouldn't
charge me with it. Lord, now lettest thou thy servant
depart in peace according to thy word. What word is that? I will have mercy on whom I'll
have mercy. I'm going to have compassion
on whom I'll have compassion. So then it's not of him that
willeth, not of him that runneth, but God that show with mercy. I'm telling you that right there,
those are words that a believer can truly, truly say. That's the way I want to die.
I want to die blessing God and praising God and saying, Lord,
Let me die forgiven by you. Let me die with my sin put away. Let me die with there being no
condemnation to me. Lord, let me die in peace. Peace
with you, peace in my conscience, knowing that the Lord Jesus Christ
has put away my guilt for Christ's sake.