This evening we thank our Lord for another time. I'm going to
ask you to take your Bibles and turn with me to the book of Luke
chapter two. Luke chapter two. I'd like to read a passage of
Scripture starting in verse 25 that wonderfully gives instruction
and comfort to the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Scripture says in 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, Lord, now lettest 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, a light to lighten the Gentiles, and
the glory of Thy people Israel." Let's pray together. Our Father, we thank You that we can be here tonight And
Lord, I thank You that You've brought by Your Spirit all of
us that are here, that You've directed us to be here together
and assembled us in the precious and glorious name of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Lord, it is so good. Be able
to lift our hearts before you and pray and ask and seek and
knock. And to know that you're here. That you've taught us. Lord, would you teach us again
tonight? Help us to worship. Help us to see. Help us to rejoice. For Christ's sake, Amen. This is an amazing passage of
Scripture. It is all Scripture is. It opens unto us the absolute
glory of God and teaches us something about what Almighty God has done
His doing shall do for His people. There was a man in Jerusalem
whose name was Simeon. This is the only thing that we
know about this man. It didn't say he was a priest. I read some things. He said some
speculated this, some speculated he was that. Scripture doesn't
say anything about that. He was a man in Jerusalem. His
name was Simeon. Just an ordinary man, but not
to God. This man, the Scripture says,
was just. and devout. He was righteous
and reverent. Oh, I thought, what a blessing.
Here was a man that Almighty God had done something for. This man, the Scripture says,
was waiting for the consolation of Israel. The comfort. That's what that word means,
the comfort. This man had been taught from the Scriptures. He knew that this was about the
time. He didn't know exactly when.
But he knew from the Scriptures, from the prophets, he knew that
the time was near for the arrival of the Messiah. He had an anticipation. This man with great expectancy. Not a vain expectation where
people say, well, you know, one of these days, you know, the
Lord is going to come back one of these days This man wasn't like the vast
majority of the Jews that was waiting for a Messiah. That's
what they were waiting for, a Messiah that was going to come and set
up a temporal kingdom, you know, to kind of deliver them from
the bondage of the Roman Empire and stuff. This man had been
taught by God that the Messiah, God's Christ was going to come. And he waited for Him, watched
for Him, got up every day thinking about Him. This could be the
day. And I read that and I thought
about that, waiting, watching, anticipating. This is what this
man had on his mind. The Scripture sets forth that
the reason that this man that the Holy Ghost, the Scripture
was upon, the Scripture says it, blessed by God's Spirit, it was revealed unto him by the
Holy Ghost that he should not see death before he had seen
the Lord's Christ. I don't know how God spoke to
him. I don't know how he revealed that to him. But I do know this. Whatever way God was pleased
to speak to this man, the Scripture says it was revealed to this
man by God's Spirit that he would not see physical death until
he had actually seen the Lord's Christ. You know what a comfort it is
to know that the Lord holds in His hand life and death. That this is not just at the
whelm of, you know, luck or chance. Well, if I'd have just, you know.
Man, you know, if they would have two seconds maybe. No? Almighty God determines the
time place and the way that His people are going to live. It
is appointed unto man once to die. And this man, Simeon, just
one of the fellows as far as the world was concerned, one
of the guys going to church. But here this man was. The Scripture
says, verse 27, came by the Spirit of God, 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,
I'll read the rest of it in just a minute. Here was a man that
was directed by God's Spirit. You know, we're here tonight. And we realize it's Wednesday
night. And we have services on Wednesday
night. And I'm to be here, and by the
grace of God, be prepared to preach. And we'll think about
this. We'll say, well, it's Wednesday
night, 7 o'clock. We need to be at service, as you know. Do you know why those that Almighty God has called
out of darkness, do you know why they're here? Because the Spirit of God has
directed them to be here. You want to be here. This fellow,
Simeon, He came to the temple. I was trying to figure out what
day it was. I couldn't really tell. The Spirit
of God brought him to the temple. They were there. I don't doubt
that it was maybe a Sabbath day. I don't know. But here he was
directed by God's Spirit to go to the temple. On that day, God
had given this man a promise. You're not going to die until
you see the Lord's Christ. And the Spirit of God directed
Joseph and Mary. And they came, the Scripture
says, brought the child to do for him after the custom of the
law. Go there for the purification.
Dedicate this child to the Lord. And the Scripture says that he
came, Mary and Joseph came, and he took him up. Then took he him up. in His arms
and blessed God and said, Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant
depart in peace according to Thy Word." Old Simeon, just a fellow there in Jerusalem
that Almighty God had everlastingly loved. As far as everybody else was
concerned, who are you? And here Almighty God looked
upon that man in mercy and grace and promised him something. You are
going to see. You are going to see the Christ. And he held the child in his
arms. But you realize that holding
the child in his arms without grace in his heart wouldn't have
done him anything. I heard one time somebody wrote that Judas
kissed the door to heaven and died and perished. That's right. Think how intimate many people
were with the Lord Jesus Christ. while he was on this earth. He
was in the press one time and a woman with an issue of blood
touched him. And he said, who touched me?
And the disciple said, what do you mean who touched you? Everybody's
touching you. They're all over the place. Now
he says, no, somebody touched me. Virtue has gone out of me. Somebody touched him, leaving
him by faith. Here's this old fellow. And everybody
else, they don't know really what's going on. And here the
Spirit of God takes that one man and reveals to him especially,
keenly, decisively. And the Spirit of God told that
old man who he was holding. And he looked upon that child Appreciation and thankfulness. He blessed God. Lord, now lettest thou thy slave. That's what that word means.
Let your servant. Let your slave. Let your slave
depart. Be freed. Be released. Be relieved from the bondage
of this misery. Let me leave in peace. According
to Thy Word, you know only a believer can by the Spirit of God with
peace in his heart see and consider and know and be aware of leaving
this world and meeting God. He had seen the Lord's promise Now let thy servant depart."
According to your word, this man could now die in peace, die
with some comfort, die with some joy, ready, assured of what was
on the other side. That's by the grace of God. I love this, for mine eyes have
seen thy salvation. He looked upon the Christ. Salvation
is a person. You know, we always speak of
salvation as an event. And I understand that. I do.
I really do. I mean, we talk about salvation
being as a state of being. Here the Scripture reveals salvation
is a person. Or how respectful that is. How
respectful. Lord, mine eyes have looked upon
by faith. But mine eyes have looked upon
in person. John said that. He said our eyes
have seen, our hands have touched life Himself. Peace and joy. And now this fellow, he was ready
to go. The Lord had promised him, you're
not going to die until you see the Lord's Christ. And there
he was. 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. He
knew this. The Lord that had taught him
who this was also told him that God had a people, an elect people. Mine eyes have seen thy salvation
which thou hast prepared, which you have made ready. You have
prepared the mind. You have made ready the mind
before the face of all people. Out of every nation and kindred
and tribe and tongue, you've got a people and this is your
salvation right here. A light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of thy people Israel. The Gentiles who were ignorant,
darkness, Christ is set here to be a light, a revelation. to the Gentiles and the glory
of Thy people Israel." What had happened was the Lord was pleased
to bring the Lord Jesus Christ into this world through a people.
He raised up a people, the Jews, and blessed the Jews in the bringing
forth into this world. He picked a nation. God chose
a nation. And here was the glory of Thy
people Israel." They were a blessed nation. And God watched over
them and protected them and guided them. They were in bondage in
Egypt. He brought them out and protected
them. Forty years He kept them and
would not let them. Just looking at history, how
many times the Jews have been attempted to be annihilated And
God kept them and wouldn't let them. There was old Balak trying to
get Balaam to curse these people. He said, no. How am I going to curse those
that God has not cursed? Now, I know this. Not all of Israel was the true
Israel. I know that. I understand that.
But I'm going to tell you something. God kept that nation and protected
that nation. And through that nation was ushered
in the Messiah, the glory of Almighty God, the glory of Thy
people Israel. He brought them in through the
Jews. And even after, I mean, out of the Jews themselves, there
were some, out of them, not all, just like not all the Gentiles,
but some, even after the natural Israel, Out of that group, there
were some elect. And old Simeon was one of them.
There were some that were in that nation that despised him,
hated him. Didn't want to have anything
to do with him. You make yourself to be God. And He crucified him,
accomplishing perfectly the glorious will of Almighty God. But even
out of those that hated him, There were some. There was Peter,
John, Bartholomew. Some that Almighty God had everlastingly
loved. Here was an old man that God
had blessed to see the Christ. And even tonight, there are some
that by faith behold God's salvation. And with peace in their heart,
when it comes time for them to leave this world, they'll die
in peace. They will. That's an amazing
thing to see the glory of Almighty God in the keeping of His people
as they behold God's salvation. May the Lord teach us this evening
as we eat and drink in remembrance of Him who gave His life in the
redemption of His people. May we behold God's salvation
afresh as we eat and drink together for Christ's sake. Amen. I'll
ask the men if they'll come.