The 1^st Sunday After Christmas

SERMON

Text: Luke 2:25-34

And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: "Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your Word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel." And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. Then Simeon blessed them.

In Christ Jesus—true God, true Man, our Savior, dear fellow redeemed:

Babies were precious gifts from God, aren’t they! Today, after our worship service we will baptize a newborn—Hunter Micheal Anderson, and through baptism he will be given the gift of faith and enter the family of God! Several weeks ago at our Junior Youth Christmas Party, I was able to hold a little bigger baby—Kyle Benjamin Hansen. What a cutie! In a Christmas letter that my family received last week, two proud grandparents were commenting on a grandchild and stated that had they known how fun grandchildren would be, they would have just skipped children and gone to grandchildren! Seriously, though, children are such a blessing from God, even though they by nature are sinful as are we all. Imagine what a sinless child would be like! Imagine being in Simeon’s shoes and holding the Christ Child in your arms!

My dear friends, I would invite you this morning to reach out with the arms of your hearts and contemplate in your minds the wonder experienced by Simeon twenty centuries ago as he stood in Jerusalem’s temple and for a few brief moments held the Christ Child in his arms. In our text Jesus is given five names, each of which reveals Simeon’s understanding of God’s loving intentions for sinful mankind. Let us go back; let us reach out; let us embrace. Yes, COME, LET US TAKE UP JESUS IN OUR HEARTS AND JOIN SIMEON IN BLESSING OUR GOD!

I.

For Jesus is, first of all, the consolation of Israel! Luke informs us that Simeon was a “just and devout” waiting for “the consolation of Israel.” Before proceeding, permit me to explain how the names “Israel” and “Gentiles” are to be understood. For Simeon, who lived at the end of the Old Testament period and the beginning of the New Testament period, “Israel” meant primarily God’s Old Testament Jewish people. In addition, some Gentiles, or non-Jews, who had come to faith in the promised Savior would have been numbered within “Israel.” The term “Gentiles” referred to the unbelieving peoples of this world—those who had not heard or had come to believe in the LORD. For us today, the meaning of those terms is altered somewhat. As St. Paul points out in the book of Romans, all believers in Jesus as their Savior, whether Jewish or Gentile, are part of spiritual “Israel”, while all unbelievers, whether Jewish or Gentile, are today part of what may be referred to as the “Gentiles.” Membership in God’s kingdom, therefore, is not a matter of racial or ethnic background, but rather a matter of true faith in Jesus.

When Simeon then was waiting for “the consolation of Israel,” he was waiting as a believer for the coming Savior. The word “consolation” means literally "one who calls another to his side to comfort." Our Savior Jesus is just that! He calls out to us and encourages us to “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Mt. 11:28). Jesus cares about our concerns, our worries, our losses. During this past year, for instance, fourteen of our members have been taken out of this world through death. In just the last week three of our member families have suffered such a loss. Jesus calls us to His side and assures us through His promises that these believers are now with Him in heaven and that all things are indeed under His control and that He is working them out for our good and for our blessing (cf. Romans 8:28). Yes, as Simeon gazed at Jesus, he saw the “Consolation of Israel”—the caring and comforting Savior sent to help us in this world filled with sin.

II.

COME, LET US TAKE UP JESUS IN OUR HEARTS AND JOIN SIMEON IN BLESSING OUR GOD, for Jesus is, secondly, the Lord’s Christ! Luke tells us that the Holy Spirit informed Simeon in a special way that he would not die before seeing the promised Savior. Luke calls the promised Savior “the Lord’s Christ.” LORD is the personal name assumed by our heavenly Father. It means the God who is personally and intimately interested in and involved with you and with me. The LORD is not only concerned about our problem with sin, but He is committed to dealing with it on our behalf. “Christ” means literally "the anointed one"—the One specifically chosen by the LORD and sent officially to deal with the problem of sin in our lives and our world. “Christ” is Jesus’ official title. Believers of all ages had looked forward to the “Christ” coming in fulfillment of God’s prophecies. When He finally came, redemption was at hand!

Jesus was sent by God to deal with sin. Why was that necessary? It was necessary for Jesus to come, for sin is an affront to our holy God. While we may choose to ignore sin and forget about sin, our holy and omniscient God cannot and does not. The righteousness of our God demands that sin be atoned for—that the debt of sin be paid. But we cannot pay for our sins ourselves. It is simply impossible. The Psalmist writes, “None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him—for the redemption of their souls is costly” (Psalm 49:7-8a). Consequently, Jesus came to do for us, what we cannot do for ourselves. He as true God became the “Lord’s Christ” to accomplish God’s promised and long anticipated redemption!

III.

COME, LET US TAKE UP JESUS IN OUR HEARTS AND JOIN SIMEON IN BLESSING OUR GOD, for Jesus is, thirdly, our Salvation! The word “salvation” means deliverance or rescue. Simeon recognized that here in his arms was the One sent by God to do something very special, not just for him but for all people. He was to reconcile the whole world to God (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21). How would He do that? He had begun doing it already before Simeon took Him up in his arms, for at the time of His circumcision, Jesus had placed Himself under the obligations of God’s law (cf. Galatians 4:4-7). He was bound to keep the law perfectly, and this He did—not for Himself, but for us—for you and for me! He obeyed His parents, for each of the times that we do not. He spoke openly and honestly, for all of the times that we do not. He loved and opened His heart to all, for all of those times when we in pride or with hatred close our hearts and minds to others in spite of the needs that we observe. Yes, Jesus was our “salvation” actively by means of His perfect life.

This, however, was not the end of His work, for having placed Himself under the law, He also placed Himself under its curse for sins committed. But we might object—He committed no sins! How could He be under a curse. He placed Himself under the law’s curse, my dear friends, for us. Jesus was our substitute as He hung on Calvary’s cross. He endured the sufferings of hell, so that we might be free—free from sin’s punishment to be sure, but also free from sin’s control in our lives. We, the Scriptures say, who have by faith died to sin have been freed to walk in righteousness (cf. Romans 6:1-14). Let us not then allow ourselves to remain captives of that from which Christ has saved us! Simeon saw in that Child freedom from the control of Satan, for He was the “Lord’s salvation!”

IV.

COME, LET US TAKE UP JESUS IN OUR HEARTS AND JOIN SIMEON IN BLESSING OUR GOD, for Jesus is, fourthly, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles! Simeon saw with eyes enlightened by the Spirit to universal significance of the Christ Child. When our children are born, they have so much significance for us personally and for our friends and relatives, but Jesus was different. He truly is the “Light of the world” (John 8:12). He was sent by God, St. John says, “To give light to every man who comes into the world” (John 1:9). Jesus is the one and only true Light sent by God in heaven. He is intended by God to “bring revelation to the Gentiles.” The word revelation means literally "to uncover something that is hidden." That which is hidden is the reality of God and His grace and mercy. Man is lost in sin and doomed to death both temporal and eternal, but can find direction and life in Christ. St. Paul informs us that, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the hearts of men the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

In recent weeks perhaps you have read, as have I, the numerous letters to the editor regarding the distribution of the "Jesus" video. In our last Immanuel Home Messenger I commented on the video itself, but what many have expressed in their letters is a resentment with the thought that Christianity reveals absolute truth and that Jesus is the only way to salvation. My dear friends, the Bible does reveal absolute truth and it states that Jesus alone is the way to gain eternal salvation. The Christ Child was sent to bring our world the light of truth, hidden because of sin, but reveals through Jesus for the salvation of all mankind. The “Gentiles,” that is all unbelievers are the object of God’s love in Christ. Sadly, there are those who will reject this truth to their own damnation, but let us both recognize and proclaim the absolute truth of our Christian faith and the necessity of Jesus for salvation. To do anything less would be to practice deception and to prove unfaithful to our Savior!

V.

COME, LET US TAKE UP JESUS IN OUR HEARTS AND JOIN SIMEON IN BLESSING OUR GOD, for Jesus is, finally, the glory of God’s people Israel! Simeon’s song ends with this phrase, that Jesus is “the glory of God’s people Israel.” At the beginning of this sermon, I pointed out that St. Paul assures us that all who place their faith in Jesus are to be numbered among “Israel.” Consequently, Jesus is our “glory,” for in Him we find our Champion. He has slain our Goliaths. He had led us to the promised land. He provides us with living water. He restores our souls, gives us hope, and will finally lead us home!

The Christmas carols we have sung reveal Jesus as the glorious Son of God, our Savior. May we ever embrace Him by faith. May we confess Him boldly by word and deed in our lives. May we ultimately join the angelic hosts of heaven in praising Him for all of eternity! Amen.

—Pastor Paul D. Nolting