Open your Bibles this morning
please to Luke chapter 2. It's been a couple of weeks since
we've been in Luke. We've been examining this sequence
of events here. in Luke regarding the birth of
the Savior. So now we're up to the part where
Jesus has been born. We'll begin in verse 21 after
the birth of the Lord. 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.
And when the days of our 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 of
the Lord, every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy
unto 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. 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, when the parents brought in the child Jesus to
do for him after the custom of the law. Then took he up in his
arms and blessed God, and said, Lord, now let us 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. So they took him to the temple. The law required that he go to
the temple. They were supposed to bring sacrifices. And if you were kind of on the
poor side, you were allowed to bring these two birds. One could
be sacrificed for a burnt offering, the other for a sin offering,
and thus satisfy the Lord. If your child was not going to
be dedicated to the service of the temple, then you would pay
a five shekel fee. I read that it was interesting
that five shekels was the equivalent of the twenty pieces of silver
that Joseph's brothers got for him when they peddled him off
to the Ishmaelites. So I thought that was interesting.
And we have a couple of more crossover pieces to our message
on Joseph and the coat of many colors. This person here that
we're concerned with today, Simeon, that was waiting in the temple. There are a couple of things
we wanted to bring out there. In verse 25, Behold, there was
a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. The same man was
just and devout waiting for the consolation of Israel. That was very important there,
that he was waiting. We find he prays God for this what was revealed to him. And
as it was brought out Wednesday night in the Bible study, most
people were aware that this was the time they expected the Messiah
because of what was recorded in Daniel and the appearance
of John the Baptist and other things, the messenger that would
prepare the way. They kind of thought, well, this
is This is kind of the time that we're expecting it. In Daniel 9.25, from the going
forth of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem unto Messiah
the Prince shall be seven weeks, three scored, two weeks. And
then after that, after three scored, two weeks, shall Messiah
be cut off, but not for himself. So they are aware of these scriptures
And God was not working in secret. He gave plenty of scriptures
that said the Messiah is coming. And in our Bible sermon last
week on Joseph and the coat of many colors, how he was a type
of Christ, and he foreshadowed a lot of things that foretold
the coming of the Savior and the promise of a Savior was given
from before the foundation of the world. The Lamb slain, the
promise was given to Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob, to Moses,
to David, to all the prophets. Isaiah said that the Lord will
give you a sign, therefore a virgin shall conceive and bear a son
and she'll call his name Emmanuel, God with us. And here Simeon
said, he's here. The Lord said, I won't die before
I see the Lord's Christ. And I remember before our pastor
departed for Panama, Left us all alone. He said, you know, that's something
that every Christian, every born again believer can say. They'll
not die before they see the Lord's Christ. He'll reveal them to
them. And certainly was true for Simeon,
and it's true for every believer. Most especially, it was known
to God's people as he revealed himself through the Son that
there was a need for a Savior. That's what they were waiting
for. Christ the Savior. And a daysman who could lay a
hand on us both. The day spring from on high,
he's called in these scriptures that we've been looking at. A
horn of salvation. the bread of life. Isaiah 53 verse 5 said, He was
wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities.
The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes
we're healed, and all we, like sheep, have gone astray. We've
turned everyone to His own way, and the Lord hath laid on Him
the iniquity of us all. Isaiah had a very clear picture
of why we need a Savior. The Savior, the Messiah who is
Christ the Lord is what it says in verse 11 of this chapter as
we look back in chapter 2. For unto you this is born this
day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And he was declared to be perfectly
qualified. All the law was performed regarding
him from the time of his birth. And we just read those scriptures
where they waited the time that the law dictated that there was
a time after the birth year to be circumcised. The mother had
to go through a period of purification. And now they bring him to the
temple as required by the law. And so all the law regarding
him was fulfilled perfectly. And he was presented. And here we're introduced to
a man named Simeon and a woman named Anna. We'll probably not
get to her today, but he's declared to be, Simeon is declared by
the Holy Spirit to be a just man and devout. waiting in Jerusalem
for the consolation of Israel, the Lord Jesus Christ. And I
thought it was interesting that if we look back to the book of
Genesis, remember our last week we were talking about Joseph
and the coat of many colors and the grace that it displayed and
all the things regarding him. And we learn in Genesis 35-23
that there was a son of Israel of Jacob named Simeon, the same
name. And we find in Genesis 45-26
that when Jacob said, when he learned that his son was alive,
He said to his sons, including Simeon, I'll go and see him before I
die. And then he said in 4610, I've seen my son. I can die. And Simeon now kind of quotes
a little bit of that in his song of praise to God when he blessed
God. for the consolation of Israel, and we'll dwell on that a little
bit here in a minute. He's quoting all these things
that he says. He's quoting the Old Testament,
four or five scriptures from Isaiah and Genesis. I just couldn't help get over
that. I said, well, that's just not
coincidence. We have two Simeons. They're both talking about the
same thing. The Lord promised that I wouldn't die before I
saw the Lord's Christ. And as Joseph was a type of Christ,
his father said, I've seen my son is yet alive, now I can die. And we can say that too, that
Christ is yet alive. He's risen for our justification. And so this same Christ that
had been revealed to Simeon by the Holy Spirit, it was revealed to him by the
Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he'd seen the
Lord's Christ. And he says, now let us thy servant
depart in peace according to thy word. And so now, as noted earlier that what our
pastor said about it's true of every believer can say that not
one of the Lord's sheep will he lose. Not one shall see death
before they're born again believers and Christ is revealed to them
as all their salvation. So important to have that revelation
brought to us. And I was thinking of a little
bit later as we get into the book of Luke, we find this woman
described as having an issue of blood. 12 years she suffered
with this malady. And she spent all her living
on physicians and remedies and nothing worked. In Luke chapter
8 verse 43. She spent all her living upon
physicians. Neither could be healed of any. She came up when Jesus was walking
by. She came up behind and touched
the border of his garment. The garment that we talked about
in our first message on the fabric of grace. just touched the hem
of his garment, and her issue of blood stanched. And Jesus
said, who touched me? And when all denied Peter and
they that were with him said, Master, the multitude thronged
thee and pressed thee. And sayest thou, who touched
me? You're just like in a mob here,
you know. But he knew. something that one of his sheep
had come to him. And the woman, when she saw she
was not hid, she came trembling and falling down before him,
and she declared unto him before all the people for what cause
she had touched him. And she was healed immediately.
And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort. Thy faith
hath made thee whole. Go in peace. And we were kind
of talking about this before services this morning about this
issue of faith. It wasn't her faith that caused
her to do what she did. It was her faith in God being
able to do something about the problem that she had. The total
reliance on Christ for salvation is what we define faith as. And Hebrews 11, 6 says, without
faith it's impossible to please Him, for he that cometh to God
must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them
that diligently seek Him. Now, and we were talking about
this a little bit earlier, that in the free willism scheme of
salvation, it would seem that this woman kind of did works
to that resulted in the Lord reacting to what she did. But
if we really look at it, a closer examination reveals that she
tried everything she could on her own to resolve this issue,
and it had no effect. It didn't work. It just led her
to disappointment after disappointment after disappointment. And then something happens that
causes her to come to Christ. To turn to Him and to abandon
her own methods and schemes to try and get well. And it's just
a classic example of what Christ said, all that the Father giveth
me shall come to me. And this woman, she did. come
to him. And he says, and him that cometh
to me I will in no wise cast out. To her, Christ was the consolation
of Israel. Now this word consolation here
in verse 25 that we're talking about, we have kind of a modern
day connotation that we attach to that word consolation. Consolation in our vernacular
nowadays is something you get if you don't win the big prize. And it doesn't really have that
meaning in this Greek. And it's a very interesting word. It's a word that means comfort,
that means deliver. It's comfort in the specific
sense of rescue, help, or deliverance is one definition of it. And sometimes it's translated
as exhortation. It's really talking about the
gospel. We have an example in Luke chapter
3, if we get around to that one of these days. In Luke chapter
3, verse 16, John the Baptist is speaking. He says, I indeed
baptize you with water, but one mightier than I cometh, the lachet
of whose shoes I'm not even worthy to unloose. He shall baptize
you with the Holy Ghost and with fire, whose fan is in his hand. He will thoroughly purge his
floor and will gather the wheat into his garner, but the chaff
he will burn with fire and quenchable. And many other things in his
exhortation preached he unto the people. He was just giving
them the gospel. And so we find this word consolation
translated in this case in Lucas as exhortation. But in the Greek,
the word is the noun parakletos. And it's closely akin to the
noun parakletos, which we have defined for us or translated
for us as the comforter. They're kind of the same word
just used in whether it's something that is applied or someone that's
applying it. It's the only real difference
between the two words. And Charles Spurgeon, he put
it so well. He said, the Holy Ghost is the
comforter, but Christ is the comforter. He just summed it all up so well.
He said, the Holy Spirit is the physician, but Christ is the
medicine that is applied. And that word in another form
is called paracleo. It's the root word to both of
these words that we just were looking at, comfort and consolation
and comforter. And the root word of it is to
call near. And we have plenty of evidence
of that, of the Holy Spirit calling the sheep and bringing them to
Christ through the gospel. John 14, 26 says that the comforter the Paracletos, which is the
Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name. He shall teach
you all things and shall bring all things to your remembrance
whatsoever I have said unto you." In another scripture in John,
he says, the Comforter is going to testify of me. not of himself. He's going to tell about me.
I am the comfort. I am the consolation of Israel. I am the comfort. And he came, gave up his glory above,
came, took on himself the form of flesh, He came to live with man and
then to die for and in the place of the elect, or the church,
or the sheep, or whatever term we want to use. He's being dedicated
in the temple as we read this. And this song of Simeon brought
forth to the glory of God. He blessed God and said, Mine eyes have seen thy salvation. Now let us thy servant departed
peace, which thou has prepared before all the face of all people,
a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of thy people,
Israel and Joseph and his mother. Marvel at those things which
were spoken of him and Simeon bless him. And said unto Mary
his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising
again of many in Israel 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. So he's projecting
ahead of time all of the things that are going to be a result
of this baby that he has in his arms, a prophesying that he came for the purpose
of dying. Hebrews chapter 2 verse 9 says,
We see Jesus, who is made a little lower than the angels for the
suffering of death, crowned with glory, and honored that he by
the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became
him for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, and
bringing many sons into glory to make the captain of their
salvation perfect through sufferings, for both he that sanctifyeth
and they who are sanctified are all of one, for which cause he
is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I'll declare my name
unto my brethren in the midst of the church. I'll sing praise
unto thee, and I'll put my trust in him. And again, behold I and
the children which God hath given me. For as much then as the children
are partakers of flesh and blood, He also himself likewise took
part of the same, that through death he might destroy him that
had the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver them.
Here's that word we find again. The comfort of Israel is the
deliverer. And deliver them who through
fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
The deliverer. For verily he took not on him
the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham.
Wherefore, in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his
brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things
pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people."
And so we see the consolation, the deliverer of Israel, which
is another name for the church. The Lord Jesus Christ sent specifically
to comfort God's people by the sacrifice of his own self on
their behalf as was foretold countless times in scripture. Hearken to me, ye that follow
after righteousness, Isaiah 51 verse 1. Ye that seek the Lord,
look unto the rock whence you're hewn, and to the hole of the
pit where you're digged. Look into Abraham your father
and Sarah that bear you, for I called him alone and blessed
him and increased him. Notice all these things that
God does for his people. For the Lord shall comfort Zion. He will comfort all her waste
places. He will make her a wilderness
like Eden and her desert like the garden of the Lord. Joy and
gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving and the voice of
melody. Comfort ye, comfort ye, in Isaiah
chapter 40, verse one. Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people,
saith your God. Speak comfortably unto Jerusalem
and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity
is pardoned. That's a comfort. That is a consolation,
not a second prize. She hath received of the Lord's
hand double for all her sins. The voice of him that crieth
in the wilderness, prepare you the way of the Lord. Make straight
in the desert a highway for our God. Each valley shall be exalted,
every mountain and hill made low, and the crooked shall be
made straight, and the rough places plain. And the glory of
the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it." To those whom the
arm of the Lord has been revealed, you know Isaiah, he said, man,
who has believed our report? We keep telling them about this
comfort, about relief for the things that they're afflicted
by. But to those whom the arm of
the Lord has been revealed, they're comforted by this, where they
couldn't really find any relief in anything else, just like that
woman. She tried all the other stuff, and she just was kind
of like religion. She just went from one doctor
to the next doctor, to the next doctor, to the next doctor, and
they relieved her of her cash and gave her some magic beans
to swallow. And then it didn't work. She was called, she was drawn. No man can come unto me except
the Father which sent me draw him. So she was drawn to this
Savior that was drawn by a multitude and she worked her way through
them and she said, if I could just touch the hem of his garment,
if I could just have a crumb, it would be enough. Brought to that realization,
faith, that total reliance in Him to take care of her problem. Nothing added, nothing removed
from this message of good news. And the result is we praise God,
not our own selves, for our own good works which yield nothing
but disappointment and failure. not of works lest any man should
boast, it says, or not by works of righteousness which we have
done, but according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of
regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost. Simeon, he
waited for the consolation of Israel. In the Scriptures, he was as
good as there. He said, Now I have him in my
hands. He sang this song which was composed
really from verses from the Old Testament. He took him up in
his arms and blessed God. Now let thy servant depart in
peace according to thy word. And we learned earlier that that
came from Genesis chapter 46 verse 30 as Israel, the new name
that Jacob was given for the name of the church. They're not
all Israel, which are of Israel. 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.'
And Joseph and his mother marveled at those things which were spoken
of him. And Simeon blessed them and said unto Mary's 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." How prophetic was that? Genesis 46, 30, And Israel said
unto Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, because
thou art yet alive. the death, burial, and resurrection.
Isaiah 52.9 says, Break forth into joy. Sing together, ye waste
places of Jerusalem. For the Lord hath comforted his
people. He hath redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord hath made bare his holy
arm in the eyes of all nations. And all the ends of the earth
shall see the salvation of our God. Isaiah 42.6, I the Lord have
called thee in righteousness and will hold thine hand and
will keep thee and give thee for a covenant of the people
for a light of the Gentiles. To open blind eyes, to bring
out the prisoners from the prison, to deliver them from the bondage
that they've always been in. And then that sit in darkness
out of the prison house Isaiah 46, 13, I bring near my
righteousness, it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall
not tarry, and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory. The comfort of Israel, the comfort
of the church, the Lord Jesus Christ will be testified of in
the hearts of his church by the comforter, the Holy Ghost, who
testify that Jesus has accomplished all this for us. When he comes,
he's gonna speak of, he's gonna testify of me, John 15, 26. When the Comforter comes, whom
I will send you from the Father, even the spirit of truth which
proceeded from the Father, he shall testify of me. He shall
not testify of stuff you need to do. He's going to testify of Christ. And I just kind of keep coming
back to Isaiah 61, because the comforter, he dispenses a lot
of stuff. He dispenses a knowledge of sin
in people. And then he dispenses the medicine
that takes care of them. In Isaiah 61, 1, the Spirit of
the Lord God is upon me. And we learned that Jesus read
this scripture. And I think in Luke chapter 7,
he reads this in the temple and synagogue, wherever he was, he
read that. They gave him a book and he opened it to that page
and he read this scripture. The Spirit of the Lord God is
upon me because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings
to the meek. You sent me to bind up the broken
hearted. Well you know the Spirit, He's
the one that makes us broken hearted over our sin when He
gives us the new heart and we're born again and when we see our
own ways that were not good. We're kind of broken hearted
about it. But He gives us the comfort. He binds that up. to proclaim liberty to the captives. All our lives we come to the
realization that all our lives we were captives to this sin
nature. Now we're at liberty. Now we're free. And the opening of the prison
to them that are bound to proclaim the acceptable year
of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God to comfort all that
mourn. Blessed are they that mourn. To appoint unto them that mourn
in Zion, to put something in its place. To give them beauty
for ashes. That application of that comfort
by the Holy Spirit. Where they had ashes that now
they have the beauty of Christ, the oil of joy for mourning,
the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they
might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord for
the purpose that He might be glorified. So we're out of time
for today and we'll stop there, but next time we'll probably
take a little more closer look at a light, verse 32, a light to
lighten the Gentiles and the glory of thy people Israel. Thank
you for your attention. And as always, if the sun make
you free, you'll be free indeed.