Let us turn once more to the
Word of God and turn to the second chapter in Luke, the Gospel according
to St. Luke, chapter 2. And I'll read at verse 25, following,
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. Alight, alighten the Gentiles,
and the glory of thy people Israel. I want to center your attention
more particularly this morning upon the words that we find at
the end of verse 25 where we read of those waiting for the
consolation of Israel and amongst them this man Simeon waiting
for the consolation of Israel, we're told, and the Holy Ghost
was upon him. When we come to the beginning
of the New Testament Scriptures, we have to remember that the
Holy Spirit had been silent for some centuries, probably about
400 years since the close of the Old Testament with the prophecy
of Malachi. There would be no more any revelation
from God, no more ministry of the prophets until we come to
the events that are recorded here at the beginning of Luke's
Gospel. And we see how there was much
spiritual activity at that particular time. We read just now in the
opening chapter, we read that section from verse 26 following. We read on the Thursday evening
at the prayer meeting the first 25 verses and we went on then
to read the remainder of that opening chapter. And down there
we have these various songs of those who were inspired by the
Spirit of God to utter their praises. We have the song of
Elizabeth there in chapter 1 at verse 42 following and then of
course after that immediately after that at verse 46 following
we have Mary's magnificence how she magnifies the name of the
Lord. And then at the end of that first
chapter at verse 67 through to the end we have the benedictus
of Zacharias as it is called. Now on Thursday we were considering
more particularly the prayer of Zacharias there in chapter
1 at verse 13. And the angel said unto him,
Fear not, Zacharias, for thy prayer is heard. And thy wife
Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name
John. Well then, at the end of the
chapter, as I say, we have that remarkable prophetic utterance
that Zacharias makes at verse 67 following. And then here,
at the beginning of chapter 2, We read of the actual birth of
the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and then we have this other great
song that we just read, the Nunc Dimittis, as it is called, the
words of Simeon, here in verse 29. The following verse is, Lord
now let us say, I serve and 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, and
the glory of thy people Israel." Oh, there was such a remarkable
outpouring of the Spirit of God at this particular time. and
these various people are all involved, and they are those
who in the words of our text are spoken of as such as were
waiting, waiting for the consolation of Israel. And so these are the
words that I want to draw your attention to with the Lord's
help this morning. First of all, to say something
with regards to the consolation and then secondly to consider
the people who are referred to here as Israel. First of all then the consolation
and it is an interesting word, it's a word that occurs several
times in the New Testament Scriptures and it's translated in a variety
of ways. It is in fact the word Paraclases. Now it is a word that has been
transliterated into English in the word Paraclete. We often sing that hymn of Joseph
Hart. He seems to delight to use the
word Paraclete. Thus Hart in reference to the
Holy Spirit in 29 descend from heaven celestial dove with flames
of pure seraphic love our ravished breasts inspire fountain of joy
bless paraclete there's the word fountains of joy bless paraclete
warm our cold hearts with heavenly heat and set our souls on fire
now the words it's one of those compound words it's two words
welded together And it literally means to call, but more particularly
to call one to come alongside, to call alongside. The paraclete is one then who
is called to be alongside another, to be a help to another. Now,
The word is used many times in John's Gospel when the Lord Jesus
there in chapters 14, 15 and 16 is speaking of the coming
of the Holy Spirit. We're familiar with the word
comforter. Well it's exactly the same words as we have here,
the consolation, the comforter of Israel. And remember how the
Lord speaks many times of Him coming. The Comforter, He says,
which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name. But repeatedly in those chapters
in John, it is a word that we find upon the lips of the Lord
Jesus Christ. But interestingly, the Lord also
deliberately speaks of him as another Comforter. I will pray
the Father, He says, and He will send you another Comforter. So there is a Comforter that
we're aware of before that blessed coming of the Holy Spirit. And
who is that other Comforter? It is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. And of course, he is the one
who is being spoken of here, where this particular word is
used. These, in Jerusalem, are waiting
for the consolation, the comforter of Israel. In particular, the
references to the Promised One, the Messiah, the Christ of God. and the word is quite deliberately
used in reference to the Lord Jesus in John's first general
epistle. There at the beginning of the
second chapter in 1 John we read, We have an advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the propitiation for
our sins. The word advocate, it's the same
word paraklesis. one who comes alongside another. And when we think of the law
court, we see how the advocate or the barrister stands alongside
the one whom he is representing and speaks on that person's behalf.
And the Lord Jesus Christ is there set before us as the advocate,
the consolation, the comforter of his people. Now, thinking
then of the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, as it is said before
us in the words of our text, with the use of this particular
word, waiting for the consolation of Israel. Three things concerning
this consolation. First of all, we see that it
involves the salvation of the people, the salvation of sinners. What do we read in the in the
non dimittis that follows? Simeon says at verse 30, mine
eyes have seen thy salvation which thou hast prepared before
the face of all people. Oh, he speaks these words, you
see, as he beholds the Lord Jesus Christ, why it had been revealed
unto him, in verse 26, that he should not die before he had
seen the Lord's cross. What is this consolation? It
is that great work of salvation that the Lord Jesus Christ has
come to accomplish by his living, and by his dying, and by his
rising again from the dead. And we see how all this salvation
is that that God Himself had prepared. Simeon in the course
of his song says there in verse 31, which thou hast prepared. All of this you see is that that
God Himself had prepared. It doesn't happen merely by chance. How the Lord Jesus Christ is
that One who comes to accomplish all the goodwill and pleasure
of His Father. Again, if we go back to the opening chapter, what do
we read there in verse 17 of chapter 1 concerning the ministry
of John the Baptist? as the forerunner of Christ.
Verse 17, He shall go before Him in the spirit and power of
Elias to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the
disobedient to the wisdom of the just to make ready a people
prepared for the Lord. All these people are a prepared
people. This is a salvation that the
Lord got Himself as prepared. All the names of those who are
to be saved we know are they written in the Book of Life of
the Lamb from the foundation of the world. It is that that
God has ordained and ordained from an eternity past that God
is now accomplishing in the appointed time. All blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, says the Apostle Paul,
who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly
places in Christ, according as he hath chosen us in him, before
the foundation of the world, and predestinated us, he says,
unto the adoption of children by himself. This is that, then,
that the Lord God as himself ordained from eternity, prepared
from before ever time existed, and is now executing in the fullness
of the time. And how this man has a sight
of that great salvation that has been laid up in the person
of the Lord Jesus Christ. And he doesn't just see this
child with his natural eye. Surely here we're to recognize
in Simeon there is more than a physical sight. We're told
at the end of verse 25 how the Holy Ghost was upon him. Or it is that that is revealed
to him now by the Holy Ghost. Why? Verse 26, it had been revealed
unto him by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death before
he had seen the Lord's Christ. And what is that sight that he
witnesses? He sees the glory of Him who
is a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. He can say at verse 30, then,
mine eyes have seen thy salvation. Oh, he sees salvation, and he
sees that salvation in the Lord Jesus. He has that sight of faith
looking on to Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith. He is one with those of the Old
Testament, He's one of those who will walk by faith. We walk
by faith and not of sight. Why we read concerning Moses
how he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. He has the
faith of those then who are the election of grace. In what this
man sees. He sees God's salvation. He sees God's anointed one. He sees God's Christ. Here we have it, you see, at
the end of verse 26, what the Holy Ghost had revealed, that
he should see the Lord's Christ. Yes, it's spoken of as thy salvation,
mine eyes have seen thy salvation, but it's more specific. This
salvation is in the person of this child that he is holding
in his arms. His salvation is in the person
of the Lord Jesus Christ. How important it is that we recognize
the significance of His person as well as His work. We make
much of His work as that one who has come into the law place
of His people and answered all the demands of God's law in their
room and in their stead, both in living and in dying. But how
important is the person? All their salvation is in the
very person it's in the gift of the Lord Jesus Christ that
we see the wonder of the love of God He so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth
in Him should not perish but have everlasting life He doesn't
withhold His Son even His only begotten Son or to be those who
would be giving thanks unto God for that gift, that remarkable
gift, that unspeakable gift as Paul calls it. How God has laid
help upon one who is mighty, how he has exalted one chosen
out of the people. Here in his love, not that we
love God, says John, but that he loved us and sent his son.
and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. All the person
here, it is the Son of God that this man Simeon sees with his own eyes and beholds it and glories in
him. It is the Son and of course Subsequently
we see how in the course of his ministry the Lord Jesus does
reveal to those Jews his person and how he did such an offence
to them. How they sought to kill him,
we're told, because he not only had broken the Sabbath, their
perversion of the Sabbath, but had said that God was his Father,
making himself equal with God. That was the charge that they
laid against him. before the Roman governor, that
he made himself equal with God, they said, because he called
himself the Son of God, and yet he is the Son of God. Oh, he
is the eternal Son of God. And yet that one who is the eternal
Son is also here seen to be God's servant, He comes to serve God. This is the point, the purpose
of His incarnation. He is that One who is made of
a woman and made under the law. And He is subject to the law.
God can say, Behold My servant whom I uphold, Mine elect, in
whom My soul delighteth, I have put My Spirit upon him. Oh, this is the Lord Christ.
He is that One who is God, manifest in the flesh, He is the God-Man,
and as such He comes not to do His own will, but the will of
Him who has sent Him. He comes to serve the purpose
of God, to do the works of God, to accomplish that great salvation. It is God's salvation. It is
God's Christ. But then again, with regards
to this consolation, Oh, it's spoken of here in terms also
of God's light. Again, turning to what Simeon says in verse 32, "...a light to lighten
the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel." Now, the
particular scripture that's being referred to here, of course,
is that that we find back in the Old Testament in Isaiah chapter
49 and verse 6. The purpose of God is to be seen
not only in the salvation of the Jew, but also the gospel
is to go to Gentile sinners. And it's that particular scripture
that Simeon has in mind. He said, It is a light thing
that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to restore the preserved of Israel. I will also give thee
for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation
unto the end of the earth. The whole chapter is speaking
prophetically of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so
here Simeon utters those words alight to lighten the Gentiles. Now that God's grace is to extend
now beyond the confines of his ancient people Israel, there's
that purpose to be fulfilled in the calling of many sinners.
Now the Lord Jesus declares himself to be that one who is indeed
the light of the world. The world in the sense of Gentiles
as well as Jews. I am the light of the world,
says Christ. He that followeth me shall walk in the light. and he declares himself there
to be the great I am. It's one of those I am passages
that we have throughout John's Gospel. And he is there declaring
the truth that God incarnate is that one, Jehovah is that
one who is the light that comes even to sinners of the Gentiles.
Remember the words that we have in 2 Corinthians 4 as Paul speaks
of what it means to be experiencing these things. So that light has
to come and shine into the darkness of the poor Gentile sinner's
heart. God who commanded the light to
shine out of darkness, says Paul, has shined in our hearts to give
the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face
of Jesus Christ. or when that light comes and
comes into our souls, does it not cause us to see what darkness
there is by nature there? Are we not made to feel what
our ignorance is? How awful our state of alienation
is with those who by nature are enemies of God. And all of this
is revealed when the light shines. Our poor minds so enveloped in
all the darkness and all the ignorance of our sins, our wills,
so enslaved to what we are by nature, how the carnal mind is
indeed enmity to God, it's not subject to the Lord of God, says
Paul, neither indeed can be. But when the Lord comes and reveals
these things to us, or he brings us into an end of ourselves and
we see that all our salvation is indeed found in this one of
whom Simeon is speaking this one who is a consolation this one that he takes up in
his arms and so delights to speak of in terms of all that great
work that God has prepared and now having prepared as accomplished
in the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here is
the consolation of Israel then. What is that consolation? It's
God's salvation and it's that salvation that is bound up in
God's Christ and it is the Lord Jesus Christ who comes to to
bring that light even to sinners of the Gentiles. But let us turn
now in the second place to this Israel. We read in the text of
one, here, Simeon, together with these others, waiting for the
consolation of Israel, and the Holy Ghost was upon him. What is this Israel? It's a remnant.
It is so evidently a remnant. We know, because we are told
in Scripture, they are not all Israel that are of Israel. It was not enough to be a natural
germ. Israel in the Old Testament,
it's a typical people, but they are not all the true people of
God. There was always there in ethnic
Israel that remnant who were the true Israel, the spiritual
Israel. And it is Paul who himself was a Jew who so brings out that
truth time and again. His ministry was very much to
the Gentiles. He was despised, persecuted by
the Jews, though himself, at one stage of course, he was very much the Jew. He was a Pharisee, he was a son
of a Pharisee, he was a persecutor of the Christians. But then when the lights shines
in his soul there at the very gate of Damascus and salvation
comes into the life of this man, how different. As I said, he
is that one who subsequently makes it so clear that Israel as a nation is not
to be identified with the people of God, the true Israel, the
spiritual Israel. is but a remnant in the midst
of that ethnic people. He is not a Jew which is one
outwardly. Neither is circumcision that which is outward in the
flesh, but he is a Jew which is one inwardly, and circumcision
is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter,
whose prize is of God." Paul could not be clearer, and we
see it here when we come to consider the opening chapters of this
Gospel of Luke. There is but a remnant. Later
we read in chapter 11 and verse 5, even so then at this present
time there is a remnant according to the election of Christ. What is that remnant? Well, there's
Mary, there's Joseph, there's Elizabeth, There's Zacharias. These are those who make up the
remnant. There were some others. There
were a few others. But these are those who are looking for
redemption. Look at what we're told later. In verse 38 we read of this woman
Anna, the prophetess. Verse 38, "...she coming in at
that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord and spake of Him
to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem." Oh, she speaks
to a specific people. It is to those who are looking
for redemption. Now, we said last Thursday how
that Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth were of that number. and Zacharias
was obviously a man of prayer and his prayer was not in vain
yes he was praying concerning the the barren condition of his
wife Elizabeth he sought the Lord and the Lord was pleased
to hear his prayer and the child was going to be born but this
child was so much more than the answer to his prayer that there
might yet be a son. Because this son was going to
be the greatest of all the prophets. Our God does exceeding abundantly
above all that Zacharias or Elizabeth could ever ask or think. When
the angel comes, remember those words we were considering in
verse 13 of chapter 1? Fear not Zacharias, For thy prayer
is hers, and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou
shalt call his name John. For we are told later there in
chapter 1 at verse 37, with God nothing shall be impossible. This little remnant, this handful
of the true Israel of God Are they praying? Are they pleading?
And their prayer is not in vain. All these are those, you see,
who are truly the Lord's people. And what do we learn concerning
them? We're told many things. If we consider again Zacharias and
Elizabeth, And now the first ones that we're introduced to
here in the Gospel, we have that preamble of Luke's Gospel where
he addresses himself to Theophilus in the first four verses, and
then really the Gospel begins at verse 5. And we are told,
there was in the days of Herod the king of Judea a certain priest
named Zacharias of the cause of Abiah, and his wife was of
the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they
were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments
and ordinances of the Lord, blameless. And we remarked last Thursday,
oh, their righteousness was the righteousness of justification.
They're not righteous in themselves. or they are God-fearers they
are those whose faith is in God but they are those who by faith
are justified as was the case also with with Simeon what are we told here concerning
Simeon? verse 25 the same man was just
and devout it says waiting for the consolation of Israel and
the Holy Ghost was upon him. He's just. Just as was the case
with Zacharias and Elizabeth. They were righteous, they were
just, they're all justified sinners. The same as we learn concerning
Job. Remember when we were introduced
to that remarkable character Job? At the beginning of the
book We are told that he was perfect and upright, one that
feared God, understood evil. In what sense was he perfect
and upright? Well, when we read through the
book, we see how God deals with him in the mystery of his dealings,
and what is Job brought to acknowledge? He says, behold I am vile. I
have heard of thee by the hearing of the ears, now mine eye seeth
thee, wherefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes. He's not perfect and upright
in himself. He knows that he's a sinner in
himself. He is perfect and upright in
that one whom he speaks of as his Redeemer. I know that my
Redeemer liveth, he says. And what was true of Job is true
of all these who are the remnant of Israel. All of them are justified
sinners. And they're waiting. Oh, they're waiting for the consolation
of Israel. You see, the just shall live
by his faith, it says. And they're living by their faith.
And here is the evidence of their faith. They're waiting, they're
looking, they're longing. for the appearance of the Lord
their God. Oh, friends, are we those who
would live in such a manner as that, living by faith, looking
for the Lord to appear, waiting for His appearance, calling upon
Him that He would make our way plain to us. This is the life
that these people are living. This is the remnant of Israel. Are we not told that when the
Lord Jesus Christ came, He came unto His own, and His own received
Him not? But as many as received Him,
to them gave He power or authority to be called the children of
God. When it comes to the Jew in the
mind, they are rejecting Him. It's only the Godly remnant,
it's only the true Israel of God who embraced him. There was then a remnant in Israel. But then also, we're not to lose
sight here of that that we've already intimated, that with
the appearance of this child, there is now going to be grace
for the Gentiles. There are those of the election
of grace amongst sinners of the Gentiles. All this one, as Simeon
says, is a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy
people Israel. Again, if we go back to that
song of Zacharias at the end of chapter 1, verse 79, to give
light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death to
guide our feet into the way of peace. Are we not reminded here
of the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ? When that ministry begins, where does Christ commence His
ministry? It is there in the regions round
about the Sea of Galilee. In Matthew's Gospel after the baptizing of the Lord Jesus,
the end of chapter 3, we read subsequently in the fourth chapter
how He is led of the Spirit into the wilderness and then He comes
from the wilderness in all the fullness of the Spirit of God,
goes into the synagogue in Nazareth and reads there in the book of
the prophet Isaiah concerning how the Spirit of the Lord is
upon him, is about to commence his ministry. And then we're told where that
ministry will be exercised or is exercised. In Matthew 4.12, when Jesus had
heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee.
And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which
is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Naphtalim,
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet,
saying, The land of Zabulon and the land of Naphtalim, by the
way of the sea, Beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the
people that sat in darkness saw great light, and to them which
sat in the region and shadow of death, light is sprung up. Now, it is of course significant
that this marks the commencement of the ministry of the Lord Jesus
Christ. And where is it? It's there in
the far regions. It's in the north. It's on the
borders of the Gentiles. This ministry of the Lord Jesus
Christ is going to come even to poor, darkened sinners of
the Gentiles. That's what's being indicated.
And of course the scripture that is being fulfilled, that spoken
by Isaiah the prophet, it's words that we find in Isaiah chapter
9. the opening verses of that great
9th chapter of Isaiah. And now that chapter speaks of
the ministry. We read on a little further in
Isaiah 9, and what are we told? Unto us a child is born. Unto
us a son is given. The government shall be upon
his shoulder. His name shall be called Wonderful
Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father. Why? It's
this child that Simeon is holding in his arms. And what do we read
again? You see, we're reminded of the
person, of this remarkable child that has been born. Unto us a
child is born. Unto us a son is given, as we've
said many, many a time. Yes, the child is born, but the
son is not born. Oh yes, this is Mary's son, but
more than that, this is the son of God. Isn't that what was told
to her at the time when the angel came? And spoke of that remarkable
conception that would take place in the Virgin's womb. The Holy
Ghost shall come upon thee, the power of the higher shall overshadow
thee, therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of
thee shall be called the Son of God. This is the Son of God given,
not born, this is that One who is the Eternal Son of the Eternal
Father, that One who is eternally begotten, or brought forth before
ever the mountains or the hills were settled. When there were
no depths was I brought forth, He says. Before ever God had
created He is the eternal Son of God. And it's that ministry
of the Lord Jesus Christ that He has spoken of. as we saw there in Matthew's
account when he commences that ministry he goes into the regions
of Galilee and the light must come and enlighten sinners of
the Gentiles in the fullness of God's time. And what do we
read here in our text concerning these who are the Israel of God? Are they awaiting Or this justified man, Simeon,
waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Ghost is
there upon him. He's not waiting in unbelief,
is he? No, this man is waiting in faith. And what is faith? As we said,
we have really very little in the way of definition. when he
comes to the scriptures not so much the defining of faith but
always in scripture the great emphasis is upon the object of
faith and of course the object is this child that Simeon now
sees and holds in his arms but there is one definition of faith
as you know There in Hebrews 11, faith is the substance of
things hoped for, it says, the evidence of things not seen.
Faith is a substance. Or the margin says faith is the
ground, the confidence of things hoped for. And this is what we
see in these people, this little remnant. Or there's something substantial
with regards to their faith. They're waiting, they're looking,
they're longing for the appearance of that One whom God had promised
in the Old Testament Scriptures. They may have been silenced by
the Holy Spirit for as long as 400 years, no fresh prophetic
ministry since the days of Malachi and yet here they are. or they
are not waiting in slowfulness but they are there waiting in
hope in expectation and isn't this how we are to come to God
isn't this how we are to come to the word of God when we come
to the services of God's house when we take up God's word in
our own homes when we read the scriptures or attend the ministry
of the word of God or to be those who come in this spirit that
we see so evident in this gracious man. And he doesn't wait in vain. There was a revelation granted
him. 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 can
wait, you see, in the light of all that God has been pleased
to reveal to him, to make known to him. It is all revelation,
ultimately, we know that. It was so for Paul. He says it
pleased God to reveal His Son in man. Oh, let us be those then
who would desire that we might know something of the spirit
of this gracious people, this remnant in Israel, the spirit
of those who are the election of Christ. This man Simeon, just, devout,
waiting for the consolation of Israel and the Holy Ghost was
upon him. God grant that we might know
something of Simeon's experience, something of Simeon's faith and
Simeon's God. The Lord bless his word to us. Closing we sing hymn 1054, and the tune is Melodious Sonnet
647. And our long-expected Jesus, born
to set thy people free, from our fears and sins released us,
let us find our rest in thee. Number 1054.