Luke chapter 2. Luke chapter 2 verse 25. Here is an accurate description
of the character of every saved sinner. I hear folks that say
character and conduct don't matter, we're saved by grace. I hear
some people assert, brazenly assert, that men and women who
are saved, saved by grace, no matter how they behave, you listen
carefully to this preacher. No, don't pay any attention at
all to this preacher, listen carefully to God's word. If any
man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things have passed
away, behold, all things have become new. Those who are born
of God are sinners still, yes. Our old nature has not changed,
but sin no longer has dominion over you who are in Christ. Those
who are under the law, under the law and are still under the
dominion of sin, but you've been saved by grace. Therefore, Paul
concludes, sin shall not have dominion over you. I know in
this day of religious apostasy and easy-believe-ism, men and
women are usually persuaded to make a profession of faith before
they get out of the kindergarten, and they are assured that they're
saved no matter what. I recall Years ago, I went through
the same thing many of you did. As a boy, I was persuaded, scared
to death of going to hell, persuaded to make a profession of faith.
Went on my way, didn't have any effect on me. It didn't change
a thing. I was a hellion when I went down
front and a hellion when I left the church building. And I lived
that way. And some years later I was getting a little concerned
about going to hell again. And a preacher and Sunday school
teachers and folks, they said, now you're saved, you just need
to rededicate yourself to the Lord. Let me tell you something.
If that which you have, I don't care whether it's called grace
or Arminianism, free will or free grace, it doesn't matter.
If what you have, if the salvation you have doesn't affect the way
you live and why you live, you don't know God. Your salvation's
a joke, it's a farce, it's a deceit. Satan's pulled the wool over
your eyes and he's carrying you to hell singing blessed assurance
when you have no right to any assurance at all. Now here is
the character of every saved man and woman. Verse 25. Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem
whose name was Simeon. The only place we ever read his
name. The same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation
of Israel and the Holy Ghost was upon him. Now Rex Bartley,
if you and Don Fortner know God, the same is said of us. We wouldn't
dare say so concerning ourselves, but this is the character of
every true believer. This man Simeon was a just man. That has reference to his life
before men and among men. It does not have reference to
making a show of godliness, making a show of religion. You see,
the religious world around us, they say, do this to be a testimony
to man. Anything you do, anything, Merle
Hart, by which you attempt to show your brother, your neighbor,
your family, anything you do by which you attempt to show
them that you're a Christian is nothing but self-righteousness
and works. Our Lord never tells his people
to show folks how you live. Never. The Pharisees show their
religion. Believers live before God. That's exactly right. We got
nothing to show to anybody. We got nothing to prove to anybody.
We simply live before men justly, with uprightness of behavior,
honest behavior, that kind of behavior that men call morality,
but we don't just live for morality's sake. We don't live so that men
will look at us and say, my, what fine people they are, or
what devoted people they are. The believer is a man who deals
with all men in the tenor of his life in honesty and uprightness,
just. You see, true conversion does
change a man. It does alter a person. Repentance,
someone described it this way. Repentance is a change of manners,
yes. It's a change of behavior. But
it's more than a change of manners, it's also a change of masters.
We now live for the glory of Christ, with Christ as our King. And it's a change of motives.
Now there's where the rubber hits the road. The believer does
what he does, as you prayed just a little bit ago, because we
love our God. We're motivated by love and gratitude. Believers are not motivated by
fear. They're not motivated by terror.
They're not motivated by the opinions of men. They're not
motivated by promise of reward. They're motivated by grace and
gratitude. The love of Christ constrains
us. That's Bible language. All right,
this man Simeon was devout. Somebody says there's a devout
Christian. All Christians are. All of them are. They're devoted
to Christ. This business of carnal Christians
is the invention of preachers who've gotten folks members of
church made a profession of faith and they told them they're Christian,
now they gotta explain why they act like hell. Carnal Christian
is not according to the scripture. Believers are men and women devoted
to God. Devoted to God's will. Devoted
to God's glory. Devoted to God's calls. Devoted
to God's family. Devoted to God's people. All
believers are. Look at this next line. Waiting
for the consolation of Israel. What a name for our Savior. The
consolation, the comfort of Israel. You see, God's Israel has much
need of consolation in this world. Every believer does. We live
in the awareness of our sin, our depravity, our corruption.
We live in the awareness of our constant lack of faith while
we believe. Our constant lack of faithfulness
while we walk before Him in faithfulness. Our constant lack of love to
Him while we walk before Him loving Him. And our consolation
is that our acceptance with God is not in what we do, not even
in our faith, our faithfulness, or our love. Our acceptance with
God is Christ alone. He's our consolation. We sin,
yes, in everything we do, but we have an advocate with the
Father. He's our consolation. Troubles come. Troubles come. I received a letter this afternoon
from a dear pastor friend. His kids just, oh, what heartache
they brought to him. What heartache. Somebody said
something about what we call that accident I had last week.
If that's the worst trouble I've got, I hadn't had much trouble. And that's about the worst I've
had lately. My soul, what trouble some folks endure. But he's our
consolation. He who is God, our Savior, still
rules the universe. He's still in control. And with
every step he takes in providence, he's on his way to fetch one
of his sheep back to himself. No matter whether that sheep
is a proud, self-righteous Pharisee like Nicodemus, or an adulterous
woman like that Samaritan we looked at this morning. Waiting
for the consolation of Israel. Believers are a people continually
waiting for Christ. What you doing? I'm waiting for
Him. I'm waiting for Him. Doesn't matter how He comes,
whether by death or whether by resurrection glory, I'm waiting
for Him. I'm waiting for Him right now.
Waiting for Him to make Himself known, waiting for Him to come
take me home. I'm waiting for Him. and the
Holy Ghost was upon him. You know, Paul makes a statement
that I read some years ago and I thought, wait a minute, what's
he saying? In Romans chapter seven, you remember he said,
they that are in the flesh cannot please God? And then he said,
but you're not in the flesh. Well, I always thought I was.
Here I stand in this body, but the believer no longer lives
in the flesh. Believers, Lindsay, walk in the
spirit. They walk in the Spirit. All believers do. Somebody says,
have you got the Holy Ghost? If I've got Christ, I do. Believers
walk in the Spirit. This new life we have in Christ
is life in the Spirit. That which is born of flesh is
flesh, but that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit. And
we walk in the Spirit. The Holy Ghost was upon Him. Now that's the character of every
believer. So a preacher, I don't know anything
about what you're talking about. You don't know anything about
the grace of God. Is that fair? That's just honest. But I made
a profession of faith, but I've been religious all my life. I
want more for you than a religious profession and something to soothe
your conscience and speak peace to your soul when you have no
right before peace before God. You see the We're not interested. We're not
interested in putting up statistics and telling folks how many people
we got to make a profession of faith and how many were baptized,
how many joined the church. We're not in competition with
other churches. We're not in competition with other believers
even. We're interested, Bobby, in the
souls of men. I want you to know God. To know
God. To know God. And I'm going to
do the best I can to keep you from hiding in a refuge of lies.
I'm going to do the best I can to make you uncomfortable with
anything short of the knowledge of the living God in Jesus Christ
the Lord. Now here's a revealed fact, look
at verse 26. And it was revealed to this man
Simeon, revealed to him by the Holy Ghost that he should not
see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. Now, without
question, that's talking about the fact that the Holy Spirit
had told this man Simeon, who was a believer, that he would
not taste death until he had, with his physical eyes, beheld
the Messiah, the Christ of God. But I am perfectly honest with
Scripture, having said that, to say this as well. This too
is a revealed fact. Not one of God's elect shall
taste death. until he's seen the Lord's Christ.
There is a people in this world who must and shall be saved. They must be. They must be. Our Savior said of the sheep
I have which are not of this fold them also I must bring. And bring them he will. We cast
our bread upon the waters and we wait it'll return. We sow
the precious seed and we wait. It will bring forth fruit. We
preach the word with confidence, knowing that the word of God
shall not return to him void, but it shall accomplish that
which he pleases, and shall prosper in the thing whereto he sends
it. We preach the gospel laboring, knowing that our labor is not
in vain in the Lord. There is a people chosen of God,
redeemed by Christ, who shall be called by his Spirit. Not
one of them will taste death till they've seen the Lord's
Christ. He'll keep them. He'll keep them. Though they
flirt with death, though they play with hell, though they live
in rebellion, though they run fast as they can from God, though
they set their hearts in obstinate rebellion to God, He will save
his own. We'll wait. We'll wait. Frequently, folks, contact a
preacher when children get in trouble or somebody Those in
the hospital are getting in trouble with the law and they want the
preacher to run and get them to make a profession of faith.
Ron, don't ever do it. Don't ever do it. Don't ever
do it. Oh, you got to strike while the
iron's hot. God makes the iron hot and God sticks it in the
heart. We just preach the gospel and wait. We don't try to massage
folks mentally and get them to make a profession of faith. We
simply declare God's truth and wait. Wait, God will save his
own. All right, now look at this third
thing. Here's a blessed guy. Oh, I looked at this all week
long and I kept saying, God, let it be so of us today. He
came by the spirit into the temple. Not just because it was the appointed
time to worship, Not just because the time had come to go to the
church house. 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. When we come to the
house of God, by the Spirit of God, we're sure to meet the Son
of God. He came by the Spirit. I was
glad when they said to me, let us go into the house of the Lord,
but oh, let us gather here by God's Spirit. Now then, here
is a glorious salvation. Then he came by the Spirit into
the temple of God at the hour when Christ was there, and then
took he him up in his arms. What a picture of faith. He picked
him up in his arms. Not Mary and Joseph picked him
up and handed him to him. Knowing better, we've tried that
all our lives, haven't we? We try our best to pick him up
and hand him to folks. Can't do it. I bid you, right where you sit,
right now, with the hands of faith, lay hold of the Son of
God for yourself. Trust Him for yourself. But what
am I to do? Trust Him. Just trust Him. That's what it is to take hold
of Him. Read on. And blessed, he praised God,
Soon as you get hold of Christ, Christ has got hold of you, you'll
lift your heart to praise to God. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ. And this is what is
said, Now lettest thou thy servant, that's what I am, that's what
every believer is, glad to be, we're his servants. Here just
to serve his purpose, here just to do his will, we have no other
function in life but to be his servants. Let us now thy servant
depart in peace according to thy word. What a confident hope. Lord, you've given me your word
now. You've revealed your son to me. Now let me depart in peace. For mine eyes have seen thy salvation. I have seen Christ for myself. I've seen him. I've seen him. Have you? Salvation comes by sight. Did
you know that? come by sight, not physical sight,
spiritual sight, with the eyes of my soul, in the eyes of my
heart, I've seen your salvation, I've seen it, I've seen it, which
thou hast prepared This one, remember he came into the world,
he said, a body hast thou prepared me? Prepared in covenant grace,
prepared in councils of peace, prepared in his everlasting decree,
and now prepared in his humanity, which thou hast prepared before
the face of all people. This ain't not done in a corner.
This is done in such a way nobody can possibly deny it, and be
honest, a light, that's what he is. A light to lighten the
Gendiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. You see, God's
elect, God's Israel, are not just Jews physically, but rather
they are His Israel, who are Jews inwardly, whether they be
Jew or Gendile. Those who are circumcised in
the heart. Those who are God's Jacobs, those
who are made princes with God. And Joseph and his mother, marveled. They listened to Simeon. They
watched this old man. He took the Lord Jesus in his
arms. He said, now Lord, let me depart in peace like you said
you would. My eyes have seen your salvation. He's the light
of the Gentiles. He's the glory of all who trust
him. He's the glory of all your people. And Joseph and Mary heard what
he said about the master and they marveled. They marveled. Here is a woman now. Here is
a woman who has given birth to a son, who has given birth to
a man child, who has given birth to a child in human flesh, a
real child, who is himself God Almighty. And her husband standing
right by her side. And he had heard the angel say,
you'll call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from
their sins. And when Simeon came in and picked him up, called
him God's salvation, the light of his people, the glory of his
people. They marveled, they marveled. They were never in the least
inclined to take the things of God as ordinary and commonplace. When it came to this one who
is the Christ of God, they were constantly filled with amazement.
All right now, look at verses 34 and 35. Here is a Savior and the gospel
despised by all men in every age except those to whom it's
revealed. Always. Gary talked to you last
Sunday a little bit about his experiences down in Pineville. I recall he called me up. God
began teaching a few things. And he was left to do the preaching
down there. He said, how do you preach this? I said, just stand
up on your hind legs and tell it, it's gonna get out. And nobody's
gonna like it. Nobody. Ain't gonna last long. Ain't gonna last long. They're
gonna throw you out on your ears if you tell it play. They're
gonna do it. Unless God saves them. Brother Larry Chris came
by to visit with us. Somebody had given him some tapes.
He called me up one Saturday. This had been 22 years ago. He was assistant pastor at Oak
Hill Free Will Baptist Church. Been raised over there all his
life. Good, good folks. They loved him to death. He came
by and chatted with me and we talked a little bit. God had
taught him something in the gospel of God's grace. He was scheduled
to preach next morning. He left my house about 2 o'clock in the
morning. I said, what are you going to preach in the morning?
He said, I'm going to preach what we've been talking about.
I said, well, we'll see tomorrow night at seven o'clock. He said, what
do you mean? I said, if you preach what we've
been talking about, you won't be welcome tomorrow night. He
said, oh, no, no, they wouldn't do that. About three o'clock
in the afternoon, he called me and said, what time are your
services? I'm telling you, the gospel of
God's grace, the son of God, The Savior revealed in this book
is hated and despised by the whole religious world. I don't
mean they're indifferent. I don't mean they don't. They
hate and despise this God and this Savior and the gospel of
his grace until Christ is revealed in them. Read on, verse 34. Simeon
blessed them. Simeon said to Joseph and Mary,
Oh, how blessed you are. He didn't say you're a lucky
couple, he said you're blessed. God's given you his son. He said
to Mary, his mother, behold, this child, this child, the God
man, this man who is God, is set on purpose, set, fixed on
octuplet, for the fall of some and the rising of others. That's what it says, isn't it?
For the fall and rising again of many in Israel. For the fall
and rising again of many. You see, this stone, this stone
which the builders rejected, this stone which has become the
head of the corner, this chief foundation stone laid in Zion
by God's own hand, is by God's design a stone of stumbling and
a rock of offense. And for a sign. Remember Isaiah
chapter 11 is it? 10 or 11 said he's given for
an ensign for the people. An ensign, that one who stands
as a banner, the army goes and captures the hill and they raise
the flag. There's the ensign, around which
all the people gather. This is the ensign. But what
kind of sign is it? A sign which shall be spoken
against. Everywhere. Everywhere. Yea, and a sword shall pierce
through thine own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts
may be revealed. Now these verses reveal to us
four simple but blessed gospel truths. Hear them well and I'll
wrap this up. Number one, God never leaves
himself without a witness. Never. We think of dark times
and we're living in dark, dark days. But man, these were dark
days in which Simeon lived. In the worst of places, in the
darkest of times, the Lord God still has his 7,000 who have
not and will not bow the knee to Baal. Most at every age wear
the mark of the beast. Almost all of them. Almost all
of them. Most everybody in your family and mine, too, wears the
mark of the beast. They worship at the altar of
man's free will. They don't worship God, they
worship themselves. About everybody in this town,
about everybody I know, about everybody in my family and yours,
too. Everybody wears the mark of the beast, except those whose
names are written in the Book of Life of the Lamb from the
foundation of the world. They won't ever wear it. God
never leaves himself without a witness. He always has a lot
in Sodom, an Obadiah in Ahab's household, a Daniel in Babylon,
and a Simeon in Jerusalem. He has his elect remnant in every
apostate age. Number two, those who see and
know and trust the Lord Jesus Christ have no reason to fear
death. He came by death, Lindsay, to
deliver us who all our lifetime were subject to bondage by reason
of fear, the fear of death. He came to deliver us from the
fear of death. Simeon said, Lord, now let me
depart in peace. I've seen your salvation. There are several things that
naturally cause men to fear death. All men, I don't care how brazen
they try to act. I don't care how tough they try
to be. All men fear death because all
are sinners. Because all men know that God
demands righteousness. Because all men know judgment's
coming. Everybody, everybody. The Lord God has delivered me
from all those fears. He put away all my sin by the
sacrifice of his son. He's given me perfect righteousness. He's done away with judgment
for me. Judgment's over. Justice is satisfied. There's therefore now no condemnation
to them which are in Christ Jesus. Number three, wherever true faith
is found, there is gospel knowledge and spiritual understanding.
Sometimes people talk about faith and say, well, Faith is sort
of just a leap in the dark. No, it's not. Faith is the result
of one being taught of God. Read John chapter 6. Faith is
the result of hearing the Word of God. Faith is confidence based
upon revealed truth. Now, folks who don't know truth
don't have faith. Somebody said, well, I think
you mentioned back there, somebody coming into the doctrines of
grace. Nah, doesn't help a bit. Doesn't help one iota. What folks
got to do is come into Christ. You come into Him, you come into
grace. Faith is based on knowledge. It's not the other way around.
We don't have faith and then get the knowledge. We have Christ
revealed in us to give us faith. This man Simeon knew that God
had an elect people scattered among Jews and Gentiles. He knew
they all sat in darkness. He knew that Christ alone is
the light of the world. And he knew that Christ is the
glory of God. The glory of his word and the
glory of his people. He that glorieth, let him glory
in the Lord. He knew that salvation wasn't
in a system or in a church. Salvation's not in Calvinism
or Arminianism. Salvation's not in the Baptist
Church or the Catholic Church. Salvation's not down here at
the front of the church, not on a boarder's bench or an altar.
Salvation is healing who sits on the throne of grace, Jesus
Christ, our God and Savior. And here's the last lesson. Certain
things Always, always, always, as sure as heaven itself, certain
things always follow the preaching of the gospel of Christ. Always. Some folks stumble and fall into
hell and this rock's going to fall on them and grind them to
powder. Others fall on this rock and falling on this rock toppling
down on this foundation. We are built up a spiritual house
in Jesus Christ the Lord and we will rise with him to glory.
Always happens, always happens. And those who follow him and
those who preach his gospel and worship according to his word
are always, as long as they live in this world, going to have
a sword sticking in their hearts. That's exactly right. I bid you
come to Christ and I warn you ahead of time, you come home
and you're headed for trouble. All blessed, blessed grace, but
trouble. Delightful forgiveness, but heartache. You're fixing to join a warfare,
a conflict, a stern conflict. And it will not be over until
you reach everlasting glory. Now, come to Christ. Believe
on the Son of God. Oh, may God give you rest in
Him. And give you no rest until you
rest in Him. Amen.