Looking to Christ Alone

My subject, looking only to Christ. In my text, Luke chapter 2, verse
25 through 30. I'd like for you to read the
scripture with me if you'll take your Bible and open it to Luke
chapter 2, verse 25 through 30. 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 Spirit was
upon him, and it was revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that
he would 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 Simeon took him
up in his arms, and he blessed or praised God, and he said,
Lord, now let us thy servant depart in peace according to
thy word, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation. Lord, now let me die in peace
according to thy word, for my eyes have seen thy salvation. Now, the flesh, the natural man,
clings tenaciously to two things. The two things that Simeon, by
the grace of God, surrendered, gave up, are the two things that
we, by nature, cling to with all our might. Do you know what
they are? First of all, the flesh clings to this earth. The flesh
clings to this natural life. The flesh is That's what our
Lord said to Adam, dust thou art, and to dust thou shalt return.
The flesh is dust, and the flesh has an attraction for the earth.
Even old age, with all its infirmities, does not make men and women willing
to give up this earth, this natural life, and to depart out of this
world. How few, how very, very few can really say, or we can
all say it with our lips, but how few, how very few can really
say with their hearts, Lord, let me die. Let me die in peace. Simeon could say it. That's what
he said, Lord, I'm ready to die. I've seen your salvation. I've
seen all I want to see. I've seen all I need to see.
I'm ready to die. Paul could say it. Paul said,
I'm in a straight betwixt the two. I have a desire to depart
and be with Christ, which is far better. Only a revelation
of Christ will destroy the cords and fetters and chains that bind
us to this world. We in the flesh and by human
nature are bound to this earth. We cling to this earth. We hate
to be separated from this earth. And only a revelation of Christ
can break these chains and break these fetters. This is what Christ
was talking about when he said, if a man loves father, mother,
brother, sister, husband, wife, yea, his own life more than me,
he cannot be my disciple because that person has not gotten a
saving view of Christ. He has not had a full revelation
of Christ if he still clings to these things more than to
Christ. That's what our Lord meant when he said no man can
serve two masters. Either he'll cling to one And
turn from the other, or he'll cling to this one and turn from
that, and you can't serve two masters. Impossible. And Simeon
had seen the Lord. He said, now let me die. There's
nothing here for me anymore. There's nothing to cling to.
There's nothing to attract me. It's all vanity. I've seen the
Lord. I'm ready to go. But this is one of the things
that the natural man holds to. He calls heaven the unknown,
but when you know Christ, it can't be unknown. It may be unseen
by human eye, but it's not unknown. It's seen by faith, and it's
known by faith. Paul said, I know whom I have believed. He eternalized
to know God. Abraham wandered about on this
earth looking for a city whose builder and maker was God, which
hath foundation, real city. All right, the second thing that
the flesh clings to is its own self-righteousness, its own good
works, its own morality. Not only does the flesh cling
to this earth and all that this earth affords or promises, but
it clings to self-righteousness. Now listen to me and listen good.
Human goodness is mere fiction. It doesn't exist. It doesn't
even exist. Human righteousness, according
to the word of God, is filthy rags. It's an abomination to
God. It doesn't even exist in God's sight. Paul said, in the
flesh, in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. In the flesh no man
can please God. And yet human beings cling to
their own righteousness and goodness and morality till death do them
part. And even death doesn't part them,
for in the judgment they are hurt to cry to the Lord himself. Well, Lord, we preached in your
name, and in your name we did many wonderful works, and in
your name we cast out devils, even at the judgment. They're
still clinging to this fiction. They're still clinging to this
human tradition of good works and morality, which doesn't exist.
The scripture says there's none good, no, not one. We don't believe
that. We think we're good. There's none righteous, no, not
one. We think we're righteous. There's none that understand
it. We think we know everything. They're all together become unprofitable. The scripture says God looked
down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any
that did do good. And he found they're all together
gone out of the way. That every imagination of man's
heart is evil continually. And Isaiah said from the sole
of his feet to the top of his head there's no soundness in
him. Nothing of any value at all. Nothing of any concrete
soundness. It's all wounds and bruises and
putrefying sores that have not been even treated or bound up. Human righteousness is not a
help to salvation, it's a hindrance to salvation. Men do not come
to Christ until they have given up their self-righteousness,
until they've given up their goodness and their morality.
He came to save sinners. He died for the ungodly. That's
what the scripture says. He said the well don't need a
doctor. It's sick people that need doctors.
And I've come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance.
I came to seek and to save the lost. Human righteousness is
not a help to salvation. It's a hindrance. And human righteousness
will keep a man from Christ. It kept the Pharisees from Christ.
It kept Saul of Tarsus from Christ until God met him on the road
to Damascus and slew him and revealed to him his sins. He
said, I didn't even know sin until I came to knowledge of
the law, a true knowledge of the spirituality of God's law.
When you come to see Christ, you see God's salvation. You
don't see anything in yourself. This is what Simeon was waiting
on. This is what he saw. He said, I'm ready to die now.
I've seen God's salvation, not my salvation, not my righteousness,
not my good work. I've seen God's salvation, God's
deliverance, God's redemption. I've seen the provision that
God's made for sinful men. But those are the two things
that natural men told to, cling to, tenaciously, and won't give
them up, this earth and our righteousness. And it's just one thing that
will deliver you from both, and that's to see Christ in his redemptive
glory, in his saving power. If you ever see him, fall in
love with him, then this world will lose all its attractiveness. And if you ever see Christ, you'll
see yourself. Oh, how vain and empty and ignorant,
and how sinful and how depraved and how wretched. That's right. I want us to look at three things.
Simeon got a look at Christ. And Simeon had two miracles performed
for him that I wish God had performed for us. Number one, he lost The
world lost its attraction for Simeon. And number two, he forgot
his righteousness and his works and looked to God's salvation.
All right, the first thing, where it all began. This is where it
all started. Now, most people start a message
on Simeon from the time when he said, Lord, now let me die
of senior salvation. But it started before that. Look
at verse 25. It says in verse 25, Luke 2,
Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. And the
same was a just man and a devout man, and he waited, waited, waited. He looked, he longed for the
consolation of Israel, for the Redeemer, for the Christ. He
was waiting for someone. He was looking for someone. He
was expecting someone. He was looking for the Christ.
Simeon was longing and looking for the Redeemer. Now let me
tell you something. Listen good. Men do not usually
find Christ and salvation if they have no interest in salvation. That's right. Men do not usually
find salvation who have no interest in redemption, no interest in
salvation. Those who feel their guilt and
who feel their sin usually find mercy. Take the publican. He
went to the temple. And he smote upon his breast,
and he would not even lift his eyes to heaven, because he was
ashamed. He was guilty. He was sorry for his sins. And
he cried, O God, be merciful to me, a sinner. Here was a man
seeking mercy because he was guilty. He knew he was guilty.
He acknowledged his guilt. And he got mercy. He found mercy. Men don't usually find mercy
unless they're seeking it, unless they're looking for it, unless
they're longing for it, unless like Simeon, they're waiting
for it. Simeon found the Christ, but he was looking for him. He
was interested in him. I'll tell you another thing.
Those who know their inability seek help. There was a woman
who was diseased for 12 years. She had, the scripture says,
spent everything she had. She didn't have anything. She
had spent everything. She was broke. She'd tried many physicians
and none of them had helped her. But she was just a lot worse.
And she said, if I can get to Jesus Christ, I'll be made whole. Brother, let me tell you something.
When she got to him and reached out and touched his garment,
immediately, the scripture says immediately, she was made whole.
What was she doing there? Interest, desire, longing, looking. You see what I'm saying? Are
you interested in your soul's salvation? Are you interested
in deliverance from sin? Are you interested in knowing
who the Savior is? Well, not really, preacher. You
won't find him either. You won't find him. Sin he was
waiting on. The thief on the cross, he asked for mercy. Those who ask, Christ said, you
shall receive, seek, you shall find, knock, it shall be opened
to you. Those who seek the Lord, find him. That's what the scripture
says, let me read, you shall seek me and find me when you
search for me with all your heart. That's what the scripture says.
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness,
they shall be filled. Seek ye the Lord, while ye may
be found." Simeon was longing, waiting for the Redeemer. And secondly, now watch this,
something took place. Where it all began, he wanted
help, he wanted mercy, he wanted to know the Lord. Do you? Simeon
was led by the Holy Spirit to Christ. Now, no man ever came
to Christ by his own wisdom. Simeon would never have found
Christ if the Holy Spirit had not led him to the temple when
Christ was there. He didn't know when Christ was
coming. He didn't know when Christ would be there. He didn't know
who Christ was. He didn't know who would bring
him there. The Holy Spirit led him there. At the same time,
the Holy Spirit brought Mary and Joseph with that baby to
that temple to do unto him after the custom of the law. The Holy
Spirit brought his path to cross the path of the Lord Jesus Christ.
No man can come to me, Christ said, except my Father draw him. As many as received him, to them
gave he the privilege to become the sons of God, even to them
that believe on his name, which were born not of the will of
the flesh, not of the will of man, but of God." This thing
of salvation is a work of God, it's an operation of the Holy
Spirit. And if you find Christ, if you come to know Christ, I
guarantee you it'll be an operation of the Holy Spirit bringing your
path to cross the path of Christ. He'll bring the gospel to you
and he'll bring you to the gospel. The Holy Spirit brought him to
Christ. I have not seen, ear hath not heard, neither hath
it entered the heart of man the things God has prepared for them
that love him, but he hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit. By his Spirit. These things are
hid from the wise and prudent, but revealed unto babes. Our
gospel be hid, Paul said, it's hid to them that are lost, whose
minds and eyes have been blinded by the God of this world, but
they've been revealed to you. The Holy Spirit revealed them.
And watch this. Simeon walked in the light God
gave him, and God gave him more light. It was God's purpose to
save him. It was God's determination to
reveal Christ to him. That's what it says. It was said
to him by the Holy Spirit, you're not going to die until you find
Christ, until you see Christ, until Christ is revealed to you.
That was God's purpose. And I'm telling you this. Now
you listen to me. Where you have the purpose of God and the power
of the Spirit and a seeking center, you'll have an operation of grace.
That's right. The purpose of God, the power
of the Holy Spirit and a seeking center. a hungry sinner, a fallen
sinner, a needy sinner, a helpless sinner, a waiting sinner, a longing
sinner, a looking sinner. He'll be saved. That's where
it all began. It was grace before grace. It
was a preparation work, the preparatory work by the Holy Spirit. And
this man was brought by the Spirit. And when he saw Christ, he said,
that's the Savior. That's God's salvation out there.
I recognize And I'm telling you this, you'll recognize the gospel
when you hear it. If God's working in your heart,
you'll recognize. The Antichrist can deceive everybody
but God's elect. They can't deceive. He can't
deceive God's elect. All right, notice the second
thing. Mine eyes have seen thy salvation. A person was revealed. Our Lord said, I came down from
heaven not to do my will, but the will of him that sent me.
This is the will of him that sent me, that every one that
seeth the sun." Now, Simeon saw him not only with eyes of faith,
but with his natural eyes. He held him in his arms. Now,
you and I won't be able to hold Christ in our arms, and we won't
be able to see him with the natural eyes. But we can see him like
Abraham saw him, by faith. Abraham, he said, saw my day. He saw it and was glad. We can
see him like Moses saw it. Moses got a pre-incarnation glimpse
of Jesus Christ, and you and I can get a post-incarnation
glimpse of Christ by faith. By faith. We see Him with our
hearts. We see Him. We see Him, first
of all, as the promised Savior. In every one of the Old Testament
types, I see Christ, the brazen serpent lifted up, the seed of
woman, the great high priest, the atonement, the smitten rock,
the manna from heaven, the Passover lamb. I see Christ the tabernacle. I see him the promised Savior.
Don't you see him there? In every one of these Old Testament
types, can't you see Christ? I see Christ in the ark, as that
ark was lifted up on the water, and lifted above the flood. And
everybody outside of the ark perished under the wrath of God.
And these eight souls, saved so as by water in that ark, were
preserved. I see Christ. I see him protecting,
preserving you and I from the flood of God's judgment and wrath
in Christ. I see the promised Savior all
through the Old Testament. I see him in the ceremonies of
the tabernacle. I see that incense burning there,
just this side of the veil, always burning, 24 hours a day, 7 days
a week, 365 days a year, always the smoke of that incense ascending
to heaven. That's the prayers of Christ.
I see those seven candlesticks burning there in the holy place,
that's Christ, the light of the world. I see Christ over here,
the bread, the show bread, Christ, the bread of life. I see Christ
in all, there in the broken law, and that sheet of gold, the mercy
sheet on top of that broken law, and the blood running down on
each side. I see Christ in all of these ceremonies, in all of
these ordinances. I see Christ. I see him in the
work of the priest. I see him in the work of the
priest, in the feast days, in the holy days. I see him in all
the scriptures, the provided Savior. The provided Savior. I see him when Mary brings forth
that little lad into the world. This is the Son of God. She said,
Well, I don't even know a man. How can I have a child? And the
angel said, That holy thing which shall be born of you shall be
called the Son of God. The Son of God. I see this perfect
one, the perfect Savior. walking this earth. Even his
enemies couldn't find any fault in him. Even the heavenly Father
could find no fault in him. He said, this is my son in whom
I'm well pleased. Even Pilate could find no fault.
He said, I find no fault in this man. Even Pilate's wife wrote
a note and said, don't have anything to do with that man. I've dreamed
about him. He's a just man. Even the centurion
who helped to crucify him, watched him die, and then he said, surely
this man was the son of God. And he pointed to his enemies,
and he said, which of you can convince me of sin? Perfect,
the perfect Savior, the promised Savior, the provided Savior.
I see him, I see him as the punished Savior, bearing my sins and transgressions. I see him wounded for all my
transgressions, a chastisement of my peace upon him, by his
stripes I'm healed. Punished, punished, not for his
sins, he had none, for my sins. You say, well, how could one
man bear the sin of so many because of who he was? It's not how much
blood he shed, it's whose blood was shed. It's not how long he
hung on that cross, it's who was hanging on that cross. It's
not how greatly he suffered, but who suffered. That's what
makes it effectual. And then I see him the pleading
Savior at the right hand of the Father, pleading for me, praying
for me. I see him as the preeminent Savior.
Oh, I can say what Simeon said, Lord, I've seen your salvation.
I've seen the promised Savior, the provided Savior. I've seen
the perfect Savior. I've seen the punished Savior.
I've seen there the pleading Savior and praying Savior. I've
seen the preeminent Savior who has been given a name above every
name, that at the name of Jesus Christ every knee should bow
and every tongue should confess that he is Lord to the glory
of God the Father. And let me tell you something.
Simeon rang the bell loud and clear when he said, My eyes have
seen thy salvation. Christ is God's salvation. Now,
your church might have a way of salvation, but that's not
God's salvation. You may meet preachers that have
got different ways of salvation, and about for every religion
or cult or sect or denomination, we've got a different way of
salvation, and they all tell you how to be saved. But God
just has one salvation. One salvation. And none other
name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.
There is other foundation can no man lay than that which is
laid, Christ the Lord. He said, I am the way, the truth,
and the life. No man cometh to the Father but by me. Don't miss
this. Christ is salvation. Christ is not only a Savior,
he is salvation. For he himself, a person, is
made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
He is our wisdom. Without Christ, we're in utter
darkness and ignorance. He is our salvation. To know
him is to know the Father. He said, he that has seen me
has seen the Father. He is our wisdom. He is our righteousness. He is our sanctification. He
is our holiness. God doesn't look down here and
see you do a few good deeds and then accept you because you were
better than your neighbor. In the flesh dwelleth no good
thing. It's rotten to the core. God looks upon you in Christ
and accepts you in the beloved. on the basis, not of what you've
done, but of what he did and is doing. He is our sanctification. He is our holiness. He is our
redemption. It's not that Jesus made a way,
he is the way. It's not that Jesus Christ provided
a way, he is the way. He said, I am the door. By me,
if any man enter in, he shall be saved. We don't receive what
Christ did, we receive Christ. Now don't miss this. So I say,
well I'm saved because I'm trusting the finished work of Christ.
Now wait a minute. Are you trusting the work or
the one who did it? Are you trusting the throne or
the one who sits on it? Are you trusting the doctrine
or are you trusting the Christ who spoke the doctrine? There's
a lot of difference. Paul didn't say, I know what
I believe. He said, I know whom I believe. Lord didn't say, I
know when I believed. I hear people say, well, I know
I'm saved. I was there when it happened. That doesn't mean a
thing. He didn't say, I know when I was saved. He said, I
know whom I have believed. Christ is salvation. Simeon looked
at that child. Christ hadn't even died on the
cross then. How could Simeon trust the finished work? It wasn't
finished. Christ hadn't shed his blood.
Christ hadn't suffered for his sins yet. He had in the purpose
of God, in the mind of God, in eternity past, in the will of
God, but here is an infant. And this man, Simeon, trusted
a person. He believed a person. He saw
in a person salvation. And that's what you'd better
see and what I'd better see. And we'd better quit embracing
doctrines and creeds and holy days and feasts and men and professions
and decisions and flee to a person. Jesus, lover of my soul, let
me to thy bosom lie, while the nearer waters roll, while the
tempest still is high. Hide me, O my Savior, hide, till
the storm of life is past." Salvation is a person, and this is what
is not being preached in this day. Men are exhorted to make
a decision, to come to the front, to believe a doctrine, to change
their way of living. to do serve God, to join the
church, to be baptized, to do all these things, nobody's preaching
a person. Faith in a person, confidence
in a person, submission to a person, receiving a person. The Bible
does not say to as many as received his doctrine, but to as many
as received him, to them gave he the power to become the sons
of God. Not to as many as received his preacher or his commandments,
but him. Christ is king. Is he your king?
Lord? Savior? Redeemer? Your all-in-all? Whatever he did and whatever
he's doing, he's the Savior. That's the important point. It's
Christ. It's Christ or eternal condemnation.
And what's the last thing? A request. Lord, two miracles. He said, this world doesn't have
anything left for me. Every fetter is broken. I'm no
longer tied to this life. to family, to home, to fame,
to flesh, to idle comforts. Now I'm joined to a person, in
a living union with a person, and I'm ready to die. These things
are just not important anymore. This can't be yours until you
come to know a person. You can't give up a family, you
can't give up the things of this world for a cause, for a doctrine,
for a denomination. But brother, you can for a person.
That's when a man is joining marriage to a woman. Our Lord
tells him that he forsakes all others, home, mother, and he
pleads to her, and her alone as long as they live. That's
a marriage to Christ, a vital living union with Christ. I'm
ready to die. Christ is my treasure. Gold is
not. Christ is my life. The flesh
is not. Christ is my family. Others are
not. Christ is my King. Idols are
not. It's Christ. Two miracles. wean from the world and from
my own righteousness to embrace God's salvation. Now we have
two messages on this cassette tape. Last week I spoke on the
seven words from Calvary and today on Looking to Christ Alone.
These two messages on one tape cost three dollars. If you want
it write to me. The address follows the program. Until next week, God bless you
everyone.

Looking to Christ Alone

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Looking to Christ Alone

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