Back in the Gospel of Luke, chapter
2, we just read the story of Simeon. And in those verses that
we read, we have the whole history of this man. This is the only
place in any of the Gospels or Epistles that he's ever mentioned. We know nothing about him other
than what's recorded here. There's nothing told about his
life before this or after this. We're only told that he came
by the Spirit this day into the temple. Oh, but what a day it
was. I know now, according to God's
Word, that Simeon, this man, is now in heaven. The reason
I know that? We're told that he saw God's
salvation. What a sight. What a sight. He
saw the salvation of God And that babe, he took up in his
arms. So it doesn't much matter. It
doesn't much matter what happened to Simeon after this, does it?
It doesn't much matter. It doesn't much matter what his
life was before this. Simeon now, because of this knowledge
of Christ, seeing Christ, embracing Christ, and believing on him,
he was ready now to depart. He was ready to die. He was ready
to face God Almighty in peace. in peace, and that's what he
wanted. He speaks like one for whom the grave has lost all of
its fear, all of its terror, and this world has lost all of
its charms. He desires to be released from
this state, this pilgrim state of his existence, and to be allowed,
according to your word, God, according to your will, be allowed
to go home. He wants to go home. He wants
to go to be in the Father's house. He's willing, as Paul wrote,
to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
He knows that will be far, far better than anything if he were
to remain here. And notice how, when we read
those verses of Simeon's testimony, that he speaks as one who knows
where he's going when he departs this life. And he doesn't mind
how soon it might happen. He speaks so positively, doesn't
he? And you know why? because he
believes God. He believes God. He said, Lord,
let me depart according to your word. The change with him will
be a change for the better. And he desires that that change
might come soon, the sooner the better. He was like another believer
who said much the same thing as Simeon does here when he was
about to leave this world. Paul said in that cell, that
dungeon in Rome, and he said, and I'm ready to be offered,
and the time of my departure is at hand. Somebody said that
Paul faced death as calmly, as serenely as if he were getting
out of his chair to go answer a knock at the door and to welcome
him in. Been expecting you. That's no
small thing. That's no small blessing. What's
the reason that this man, Simeon, and Paul, and other believers
that are now in glory, what's the reason that this man faced
death as calmly as he did? As calmly as he did. I want us
to look at these verses that we read, pick out two or three
of them, and see if we can't answer that question. How can
a sinner, how can a sinner depart this life prepared to meet God,
but not just to meet God. All men are going to meet God,
but to meet God in peace. To meet God in peace, to hear
God Almighty say, enter into the joy prepared for you from
the foundation of the world. There are three things here I
want to consider, and the first is in verse 26. Here's the divine
revelation given to this man. Look at verse 26 again here in
Luke 2. And it was revealed to him. He
would have never known otherwise. It was revealed unto him by the
Holy Ghost that he should not see death before he had seen
the Lord's Christ. The Lord gave him such strong
assurance that he should not die until he had seen Christ
and he was led by the Spirit into the temple that very time
that Christ was brought in. And the Lord pointed Christ out
to him as the Messiah. Simeon, you see that baby in
the arms of that young Jewish mother, you see that infant of
40 days old, that's God's salvation. That's the Messiah. Now who would
have believed such a thing? Who would have believed such
a thing except God Almighty had revealed it to them? To see Christ
with the eye of faith and to embrace the Lord Jesus Christ
in the arms of faith is not the product of man's will. Man's
will just doesn't reach that far. It's the product of God's
will. Any time a sinner is made to
see Christ, God's salvation, and to bow before Him, to believe
on Him, and to embrace Him in the arms of faith, that's not
the result of his will. This is the Lord's doing. This
is the Lord's doing. do a lot of things, a lot of
religious things, but this he cannot do because salvation is
of the Lord. Paul tells us the reason why
man can't do it, left to his natural state. In 2 Corinthians
2, verse 14, but the natural man, the lost man, The best man,
the best moral man, the most educated man, the natural man,
they're all in the same boat, receiveth not the things of the
Spirit of God. They're foolishness to him. Neither
can he know them because they're spiritually discerned. A lost
man doesn't have the ability. This is what our Lord told Nicodemus,
didn't He? That Pharisee, that teacher,
that instructor of Pharisees, he said, Nicodemus, unless you're
born again, you can't see, you can't perceive, you can't understand
the things of God. You just don't have the ability.
In John chapter 1, verse 10, we read these words. He, that
is Jesus Christ, He was in the world, what a marvel. The world
was made by Him, what a marvelous work, what power. But that world
that He created, that world that He entered into, that world knew
Him not. Who is this? We know who he is,
the Messiah. Oh, my soul. Oh, no, no. He's
Joseph's son. We know his mother. We know his
father. We know his brothers and sisters.
He's nobody. He's nothing. He came unto his
own. And what did they do? His own
received him not. Hmm. But. Oh, but. Now here is grace. Here is grace. But as many as received him,
We just read, many didn't. They didn't receive, they didn't
believe, they didn't embrace it. But, not everybody. There were exceptions. The exceptions
that God's sovereign grace makes. But as many as received Him.
That's where salvation is. Simeon said, Lord, I'm ready
to depart in peace because I've seen your salvation. It was in the person of the Lord
Jesus Christ. But as many as received him,
Christ, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even
to them that believe on his name. And here's the reason they received
him, which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the
flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." Again, I repeat,
salvation is of the Lord. I'm sure this day there were
probably other mothers in the temple that day that had brought
their babies just like Mary had done, as the Lord commanded in
the Law of Moses. But the baby Mary's arms didn't
look any different than the rest. He was just an infant. A dark-skinned
Jewish baby. He didn't look no different than
any other because he was made like unto his brethren. There
were no angels around him. There was no halo over his head.
If you looked at him, he didn't look no different than any other
Jewish baby boy in the temple that day. Simeon knew who Christ
was the very same way a believer knows who Christ is today. It
wasn't by human education, but by divine revelation. Simeon,
Simeon, you see that babe? That's the Christ. That's the
Messiah. That's the one that all the Old
Testament prophesied about, that promised was coming. That's Him,
Simeon. That's God's salvation. That
was a divine revelation. In Luke chapter 2, our Lord spoke
these words, or we read this, rather, concerning our Lord.
Verse 21 in Luke 10. In that hour, Jesus rejoiced
in spirit and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and
earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and the
prudent, and has revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father,
for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered
to me of my Father, and no man, no man knoweth who the Son is
but the Father. and who the Father is but the
Son, and He to whom the Son will reveal Him, how blessed it is
to be thus taught of God." This revelation that Simeon was given,
that's what God reveals to every sinner that He brings to His
Son. How blessed is the individual to whom it can be said, said
not by the preacher, not by the priest, or by any other mere
man, but the Son of God Himself. These words were spoken by that
one who knows what is in man by nature and what God has put
in him by his mighty grace. If anyone can truthfully say
this, thou art to Christ, the son of the living God, ooh, you're
a blessed man. You're a blessed individual.
This is what Jesus Christ himself said to Peter, didn't he? Blessed
art thou, Simon Barth Jonah. Barth, just the son of Jonah.
Remember where you were, Peter, when I found you? Just a son
of Jonah, just another fisherman. But you're a blessed man. I've
done something for you that I pass by the Pharisees and do it. Blessed
are you, for flesh and blood has not revealed this unto you,
but my Father which is in heaven. That's the Lord's doing. That's
the Lord's doing. That's not the product of man's
will or man's wit or man's wisdom. That's the product of God's sovereign
grace. True believers are truly blessed.
And those are blessed indeed, whom God pronounces blessed.
His saying so makes it so. Simon, you're blessed. You're
blessed. This light sprang neither from
nature or from education, but from the Father who is in heaven. Simon, God's done something for
you. My Father's done something for
you that He's not done for everybody. He's done something for you that
he does only for those that he gave me before the foundation
of the world. He's shown you, he's revealed
to you who I am. I know whom I have believed. Peter could say, along with Paul,
the religion of Christ is a revealed religion, isn't it? It has its
rise in heaven. It's the religion from above,
given by the inspiration of God not the teaching of philosophers
or doctors of divinity. It must come from a higher source
than that. It must come from above. It's
a gift of God's grace. The revealing of Christ to us
and in us is a distinguishing token of God's will, a firm foundation
of true happiness, and blessed are they that are so highly favored. And at the same time, At the
same time, let us often ask ourselves the questions that Paul asked.
Who made you to differ from another? Who maketh you to differ from
another? And what do you have that you
didn't receive? And if you received it, why do
you glory as if you have not received it? We have to sing
that old hymn. In truth, over and over again,
reminding ourselves, not have I gotten, but what I received. Grace has bestowed it since I
have believed. Boasting excluded, pride I have
based. I'm only a sinner. I'm only a
sinner. Oh, but I'm a sinner saved by
grace. Scott Richardson, he said, your
merit and mine put together wouldn't fill up a thimble. It would be
nothing more than than rattle like a peanut in a boxcar. That's not much, is it? Oh, but,
but, this is true. But by the grace of God, I am
what I am. And God's grace makes us the
different. God's grace reveals Christ to
us. God's grace gives us faith. God's
grace allows us to see Christ as the Messiah, as the Redeemer,
as our salvation, as our all in all. And again we sing, yes,
I'm only a sinner saved by grace. Only a sinner saved by grace.
This is my story. To God be the glory. I'm only
a sinner saved by grace. Grace. Remember what our Lord
said to those people? Quite a few people, a multitude
of people that He had fed, they followed Him across the sea.
And when they found Him, these are people that came to Him with
their feet. They physically came to Christ.
And then He looked at them and said, you've not really come
to Me. You've not really come to Me.
Because no man can truly come to Me, except the Father which
has sent Me draw him. and I will raise him up at the
last day. It is written in the prophets,
and they shall all be taught of God. Every man, therefore,
that hath heard and hath learned of the Father, what does he do?
He comes to me. He comes to me. No man ever comes
to Christ by his own wisdom or power or will, but he alone who
is drawn by the Spirit of God, he comes to Christ. The bride
in the song of Solomon said, draw me, Draw me, and I'll run
after you. Christ said, all that the Father
giveth me, they'll come to me. They'll come to me. They'll be
made willing in the day of my power. All that the Father giveth
me shall come to me. They'll come to me in time. They'll
come to me, and they'll experience my salvation. They'll experience
my grace, and they'll come to me in eternity. All that the
Father gave to me, and him that cometh unto me, There's no way
and no wise that I'll cast out. Doubtless, as we said, there
were many others in the temple who saw Joseph and Mary and the
priest that day. But they thought there's nothing
there much to look at. There's nothing there uncommon.
A young peasant woman and her husband bringing in their poor
offering to redeem their firstborn child. Most in the temple that
day passed by and didn't give them a second look. Nothing unusual. No attraction
there. No beauty there. But not Simeon. Not Simeon. Why not? Why didn't Simeon just stroll
by like everybody else, take a look and just keep on going?
Why did Simeon do what he did? And this is the reason. Why does
any sinner ever believe on Jesus Christ? Why does any sinner ever
bow before the Son of God and embrace Him in the arms of faith
and say, I've seen your salvation? I can die now in peace. I can
depart this world and stand before a holy God without fear, having
the peace of Christ in my heart. What made the difference? This
is it. God. God, who commanded the light
to shine in the darkness, has shined into our hearts to give
the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face
of Jesus Christ. God revealed His Son in us and
to us. When it pleased God, Paul said,
who separated me from my mother's womb and called me by His grace,
that's why I'm no longer a self-righteous Pharisee. That's why now I preach
the gospel that I once labored to destroy, because God revealed
His Son to me. I love the hymn dear sister Judy
Estes used to sing and Bobby sang here, deeper than the stain
has gone. Oh unworthy we who've wondered
and our eyes are wet with tears when I think of love that sought
us through those weary wasted years. Yet we walk the holy highway. walking by God's grace alone,
knowing that Calvary's fountain reaches deeper than the stain
has gone. Yes, there was a revelation given. And here's the second thing,
a departure desired. Verse 29, look at it again. Lord,
send me in praise. Now let thou thy servant depart
in peace according to thy word. Time to leave this world. Time
to meet God. Time to enter eternity. Anything
more important than this? Anything more important than
this? And as God's servant, Simeon wants to go to that place
of eternal rest and to end his labor. He departs in peace. Oh my, so peace with God. Peace with God. Peace in his
own conscience. Peace in his heart. Facing death
with peace. Reconciled to it. Even welcoming
it. He departs according to God's
word. God says, Simeon, you've dwelt
here long enough. This is not your home. This is
not your permanent abode. Come up hither. Those only can
with courage face death and look it in the face without fear that
have had a sight of Jesus Christ. That's beheld God's salvation.
Oh, once God opens our blinded eyes to see the Lord Jesus Christ,
this world loses all its beauty, doesn't it? What a poor thing
this world is, the one that has Christ in his arms and salvation
in his The Lord Jesus Christ came here to deliver his own
from the fear of death. Hebrews chapter 2, this is what
we read. Hebrews 2 and 14. For as much
then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself,
that is Jesus Christ, 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 who through fear of death
were all their lifetime subject to bondage. Those who trust Christ
really have no reason to be afraid of dying. He's destroyed the
power of death by dying in our place and rising again. Since
all gods have left were partakers of flesh and blood under dominion
of death, Christ became a man to suffer and die in our stead.
It was not possible for our representative to satisfy the claims of divine
justice against us unless he had lived and died in our nature. By the substitutionary death
on the cursed tree and his triumphant resurrection, the Son of God
destroyed the power of Satan and the power of the grave over
us. We're now more than conquerors through him that loved us and
gave himself for us. Why should we fear death? The
Lord Jesus delivered us from the fear of death by removing
the sting of death. The sting of death is sin. But
he bore our sins away in his own body on the tree. In him
we're fully forgiven. By his blood our sins are all
washed away. If we are born of God, we're
in Christ. And in him is no sin. Be sure, be sure, having the
forgiveness of sins by faith in Christ, fear death no more. To die forgiven is to die accepted
and beloved. is not really to die at all.
Isn't that what he said to Martha? It's simply a departure out of
this world to the Father's house. I'm going home. Oh, I'm going
home. Bobby, like he said earlier,
the process is pretty tough. Oh, but when we arrive in that
city, whose builder and maker is God, all these things will
seem as nothing. They'll seem as nothing at all.
In the book of God's holy law, there's not a legal claim of
condemnation upon any believer. Christ set aside that claim on
our behalf. Why then should we fear? To those
that are in Christ, death is but a daybreak of eternal brightness. Not the punishment of sin, but
the period of sin. The end of sin. The end of sin's
very existence. Our Lord said this, Whosoever
liveth and believeth on me, shall never die. To the ungodly, death
is a penalty, but to the believer, it's just a change of locations,
going from the church below to the church above. Death to the
wicked is the execution of justice, but to the believer, it's deliverance
from sin. To the whirling, death is the
beginning of sorrows, but to the believer, it's an omission
to glory. and everlasting bliss. Death
comes to the ungodly man as a penalty and judgment, but to the righteous
it's a summons to come to the Father's house. To the sinner
it's an execution. To the saint it's an undressing
from his sins and infirmities. Death to the wicked is the king
of terrors. Death to the saint is the end
of terrors and the commencement of glory. This is what Richard
Baxter said. If a man that is desperately
sick today did believe that he should arise sound the next morning,
or a man today that is very, very poor, living in poverty,
had assurance that he should tomorrow arise a prince, would
they be afraid to go to bed? No, no. Here's the third thing. God's salvation. Verse 30. God's salvation sings. For my eyes have seen thy salvation."
Thy salvation. The salvation of God's appointing. The salvation which God had prepared. The salvation that God has provided. Salvation in its entirety is
of the Lord. It begins with Him. It begins
with Him. It continues with Him. And it
will be completed by Him. Being confident. of this very
thing, that he, that is God, which hath begun a good work
in you, will perform it, will carry it on, will complete it,
until the day of Jesus Christ. Simeon knew that the Lord Jesus
Christ is himself God's salvation. Salvation is not in a system
of theology or doctrine. It's not a religious creed or
a reformation of my life. It's not turning over a new leaf.
That won't get her done. Salvation is a person. That's
who Simeon was looking at. And that person is the Lord Jesus
Christ. When Simeon saw, when Simeon
saw, said he saw rather God's salvation, he wasn't looking
at the animal sacrifices in the temple, but that one who was
the fulfillment of all those sacrifices. Hebrews 10 verse
3, in those sacrifices there's a remembrance again made of sins
every year. For it is not possible that the
blood of bulls and goats should take away sin, but, Hebrews 10
and 12, but this man, the God-man, God's salvation, the Lord Jesus
Christ, the Lamb of God, this man, after he had offered one
sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God,
from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
For by one offering he had perfected forever them that are sanctified. The Lord Jesus Christ himself
is God's salvation. That's who Simeon saw. It is
our Lord's gracious person that makes all of his work effectual. Had he not become a man, he could
not have died as our substitute. Had he not been God, his dying
could not have availed to put away our sins. It is who Christ
is that gives virtue and merit to what he does. Let me share
something with you that I read the other day in a message by
Mr. Spurgeon. He spoke of that time
when he was seeking God's grace and mercy. He said, I had looked
here and looked there. This was my question. I have
offended God. How can he forgive me? It was
no use to tell me that God was merciful. I had an answer for
that. God is just. God is just. It availed me nothing
to tell me my sin was little, I knew better. It was heavy on
me, what must it be to a holy God? The question I wanted to
have answered was, how can God in justice pass by my iniquities? How can I be just with God? Then
did I learn in a moment this sweet story, which has been my
delight to tell in various forms a thousand times, that Jesus
Christ came and said, I will be the sinner shortly. I will
stand in his place of curse and ruin, and will bear for him the
penalty of pain. For him will I even bear death.
I learned that if I looked to Jesus, just looked, that was
all. That if I simply trusted in Christ,
I should be saved. And he said, I looked. And oh,
happy day. I looked. I looked. And my eyes saw God's salvation. That simple command, believe
and live, that was the glass through which my soul looked
and saw God's salvation. If you're ever saved, your salvation
must be God in the beginning, God in carrying it on, and God
in the conclusion. No salvation will ever serve
but which is of divine from top to bottom. If nature's fingers
spin a garment that should cover human nakedness, it won't avail. It won't be enough. All that
nature spends, God must unravel before a soul can be clothed
in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. It's not your doings,
it's Christ's doings that must save. It's not my tears, but
Christ's blood. It's not my feelings or anything
from me. Salvation is of the Lord from
the first to the last. When old Simeon said, my eyes
have seen thy salvation, He was saying that Jesus Christ is all
of salvation. He that gets Christ gets a full,
complete, perfect salvation. When God gives His Son, He gives
with His Son all grace. All grace. And will not withhold
any good thing from those to whom His Son is given. He that
has the Son has everything. He that gets the Son gets it
all. He that has God's Son has God's all salvation. We're bid
to come not to Christ's work, but to Christ himself. Come unto
me, Christ said. Come unto me. Preachers direct
sinners to come to everything and everyone else. But Christ
says, oh, no, no, no. Come to me. All ye that labor
and are heavy laden. To him we come in our hearts
and say, he only is my rock and my salvation. He's more than
a savior. He's salvation itself. Moses
sang, he also has become my salvation. David chimed in, the Lord is
my light and my salvation. And Isaiah also exclaimed, behold,
God is my salvation. Christ is the only salvation.
Simeon saw sacrifices. I wonder how many times Simeon
came to the temple. How many sacrifices, the morning
sacrifice, the evening sacrifice, how many bullocks, how many lamb
had he seen? How many times did he look upon
types and symbols, ordinances of the law? But as he looked
on them, he only saw the shadow and still watched for the substance.
Never over the morning lamb or the Passover sacrifice did Simeon
ever utter these words, my eyes have seen God's salvation. He
never said that. Never said that. No, that exclamation
was never uttered until he saw Jesus Christ himself. Then he
could say. When old Simeon was directed
by God's Spirit to come to the temple, and by that same Holy
Spirit to behold the Lamb of God in the arms of Mary, he said,
I now see God's salvation. Let me die. I've got no other
reason to live, let me die. I've seen God's salvation. It
is the Lord Jesus himself that is the salvation in none other. See Jesus Christ and you've seen
God's salvation. To be enabled by grace to sing
what Isaiah said in chapter 12. Behold, God is my salvation. Nothing can change that. I will
trust and not be afraid. Because the Lord Jehovah is my
strength and my song, he also has become my salvation. God himself accepts Christ in
our place and makes him our salvation, and we're accepted in him. God
himself rests in Christ, and so do we. We find rest in him. God smells a sweet savor in the
sacrifice of his Son that he offered to God on our behalf,
and we rejoice and taste that same graciousness of God's own
Son. Christ is complete salvation. He doesn't half say. He's complete
salvation. He that has the Son has life
and shall never come in to condemnation. Paul in 1 Corinthians 1 and 30,
but of him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God has made unto
us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption,
that according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory
in the Lord. What more is required? Cleansing? There's a fountain filled with
blood. Clothing? Here's a robe of spotless righteousness. Medicine? Truly with his stripes
we are healed. Think of anything that can be
required to make a man perfect and you'll find it in Jesus Christ,
for you are complete in him. I don't have a hope. of being
saved if Jesus Christ is not the whole of my salvation. I
trust him in everything and for everything. Every believer can
say with Simeon, Lord, now let your servant depart in peace.
Depart in peace. Peace with God shed abroad in
our hearts. According to thy word, for my
eyes have seen your salvation. Someone very well said, salvation
begins with the love It continues with the look, and it will end
with the look. When we're brought into his very
presence, and we shall see his face. Oh, then faith shall give
way to sight. Until that time, let this be
our prayer. Be thou my vision, O Lord of
my heart. Don't allow me to be attracted
to anything else in this world. Be thou my vision, O Lord of
my heart. Not be all else to me, save what thou art. Thou
my best thought, by day or by night, walking or sleeping, thy
presence my light. Be thou my vision, and thou my
true word. I ever with thee, and thou with
me, Lord. Thou my great Father, and I thy
true Son. Behold what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the
sons of God. Thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one. I, king
of heaven, my victory won. May I reach heaven's joy, O bright
heaven's sun. Heart of my own heart, whatever
befall, still be my vision, O ruler of all. Thine eyes shall see
the king and his beauty. They shall behold the land that
is very far off, because Jesus Christ is our salvation. God bless you. Thank you for
your attention.