Waiting For Jesus

At the end of eight days when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus,

the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

And when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses,

they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.

As it's written in the law of the Lord,

every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord.

And to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord,

a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon,

and this man was righteous 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.

And he came in the Spirit into the temple,

and when the parents brought in 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.

You have prepared in the presence of all peoples a light for revelation to the Gentiles

and for glory to your people Israel.

And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him.

And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,

Behold, the child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel

for a sign that is opposed.

And a sword will pierce through your own soul also,

so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.

And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phineul, of the tribe of Asher.

She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin,

and then as a widow until she was 84.

She did not depart from the temple,

worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.

And coming up at that very hour,

she began to give thanks to God

and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

Amen.

Well, it's that time of year when many of us, maybe all of us,

set aside our regularly scheduled programming

in order that we might indulge in our favorite Christmas movies.

Perhaps you've been doing that for a little while already.

From Bob Wallace to Kevin McAllister to Buddy the Elf,

we will re-watch our favorite Christmas classics

that we have seen countless times before.

And one of our family's favorites,

and one of the ones that we typically bring out every Christmas at some point,

we've already done it once this Christmas season,

is a Christmas story,

which recounts the tale of little Ralphie

and his pursuit of a Red Rider carbine action 200 shot range model air rifle

that he continuously is told will shoot his eye out.

Right?

You know the story.

It's the opening narrative of the movie

that really just so helpfully summarizes the theme.

The whole reason of the story really boils down to one thing.

Here's what it says, the narrator, at the very beginning.

Christmas was on its way.

Lovely, glorious, beautiful Christmas

around which the entire kid year revolved.

That's basically the theme of the story, if you've seen it.

Little Ralphie has waited all year.

He's had his eye on that air rifle all year.

And now it has come time.

Christmas is almost there.

And he hopes to receive what he's been looking for and asking for for so long.

When you're a kid, the entire year does somewhat feel like a waiting period, doesn't it?

The closer that December gets, the greater the anticipation builds.

And it all culminates in the excitement of opening presents on Christmas morning.

But long before Ralphie got his gun and Kevin was left home alone

and being dreamt of a white Christmas,

Christians were observing a season of waiting and anticipation known as Advent.

Of course, Advent has fallen on hard times recently,

but it's making a bit of a comeback in evangelical circles.

And that's a good thing.

Advent, of course, it means coming or arrival.

In the Advent season, it puts us in the shoes of faithful Old Testament saints

who patiently anticipated and awaited the coming of God's promised Messiah.

The one who would bring eternal salvation,

who would bring an eternal kingdom.

To his people.

This Savior King, Jesus, was born nearly 2,000 years ago now

in the little town of Bethlehem in Judah.

And Christians, New Testament saints,

look back in celebration on that Advent,

that coming, that arrival of Messiah,

as we patiently anticipate a second Advent,

the second coming of that same Savior King.

So then we look back in faith,

as we look forward in faith,

and we wait.

We wait.

That's what Advent's about.

Waiting.

Anticipating.

And perhaps no other biblical characters in the narratives of the Christmas story

exemplify this spirit of Advent

more than the two really obscure people

that Luke refers to here in Luke chapter 2.

Luke 2 · chapter mention

Luke notes that both Simeon and Anna were waiting.

They were longing for, hopefully,

for the arrival of Messiah.

You see it for Simeon in verse 25,

if you just set your eye there.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon,

and this man was righteous and devout,

and he was waiting for the consolation of Israel.

Consolation there,

Luke is drawing on several passages in the prophet Isaiah,

Messianic passages that speak of the comforting,

the consolation,

the salvation of God's people

through this coming Savior King.

He's drawing on that there.

When we get to verse 38,

we find that this is alluded to as well for Anna.

After having waited and praying and fasting for many years,

in verse 38,

we're told that she came up at the very hour

that she met Jesus and began to give thanks to God

and to speak of him to all who were also waiting

for the redemption of Jerusalem.

So we get to these two characters.

We get to these two historic people,

and Luke notes them especially for their waiting,

their longing.

Simeon and Anna represent the last of the Old Testament saints

who really did trust in God's promises,

faithfully anticipating the coming of the Christ.

They represent Israel,

who long awaited the coming of the Son of David,

who would sit on David's throne,

not temporarily,

but for eternity.

They represent all of mankind in a sense,

cursed by sin,

that has longed for the restoration of God's people

since the seed of the woman was promised

to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

Simeon and Anna then have a significant role

in Luke's record of the gospel.

They give witness to Jesus as the Messiah,

and they provide a wonderful example to us

of how as New Testament saints,

we should follow their pattern as we wait,

as we wait for Messiah to return.

And this morning,

maybe somewhat devotionally,

I want us to take some time

and meditate on their part in the Christmas story.

Of course, the scene is set for us in verses 22 to 24.

It's the 40th day since Mary gave birth to Jesus in Bethlehem,

and Joseph has taken her the six-mile journey

from Bethlehem to Jerusalem,

and they're there for a specific purpose.

God stipulated in the law

that certain practices had to be observed

following the birth of a child.

Now, if you want to read about those,

the references for that is Luke chapter,

or excuse me, Leviticus chapter 12,

Leviticus 12 · chapter mention

the entire chapter,

or you can look at Exodus chapter 13,

Exodus 13 · chapter mention

and you'll find it there as well.

The first stipulation was circumcision

for a male child on the eighth day,

which was an important covenant sign

for the people of Israel.

The second requirement involved a period of purification

during which the mother was considered

ceremonially unclean.

And that period of uncleanness

lasted for 33 days

following the circumcision of the male child.

And at the end of those 40 combined days,

there was the culmination of going to the temple

and offering both a burnt offering

in worship to God

and a sin offering

as an atonement,

sign of atonement to God.

The third law necessitated

that the firstborn male

be presented or dedicated to the Lord

in reflection of Israel's exodus from Egypt.

Now, in your own study,

I'll trust you to do this,

you will be wonderfully helped

to go back and trace

why God gave these three stipulations

to his people.

It wasn't just to hang a burden on their necks.

There was important, significant,

salvific symbolism

in these three acts.

And you will find it most encouraging

to go back and research them.

But the encounters that take place

with Simeon and Anna

here in this chapter,

they occur as Joseph and Mary

go to the temple complex

in Jerusalem

to perform these acts of worship.

So before we actually get to Simeon and Anna,

it would be worth our time

to just take a moment

and examine and reflect

on Joseph and Mary's piety here.

For Jesus to truly be the Savior,

it was necessary

that he perfectly fulfill God's commands

as one, quote,

born under the law.

That's Galatians 4.

In the fullness of time,

God sent forth his Son,

born of woman,

born under the law,

in order that he might redeem

those who are under the law.

This is an important facet of the gospel.

It was necessary for Jesus

to be the Savior

that he truly fulfill

all of God's commands.

However, as a baby, an infant,

how could he?

His fulfillment of the law

as an infant was out of his control.

He couldn't circumcise himself.

He couldn't present himself.

Therefore, it was necessary

that Joseph and Mary

carefully fulfilled

the requirements of the law

related to the birth

of their firstborn son.

Had they not done so,

we would not have grounds

to say that Jesus truly is the Christ.

We would not have grounds

to affirm

that his atonement on the cross

was a sufficient atonement for us.

This is important.

It would be easy to pass over

in a cursory reading of the text,

but we ought not do that.

Here's the thing.

There is no indication

that this specific purpose

was in Joseph and Mary's minds

as they obeyed God in this.

Yes, the angel told them

who the child was

and what the child was to do.

He didn't give a manual

for how to raise the Son of God.

He didn't give instructions

beyond his birth.

He didn't lay out everything

that they were to do

as parents of the Messiah.

So you can imagine Mary

even looking at Joseph, perhaps,

in Bethlehem

after Jesus is born

and saying,

what do we do now?

What are we supposed to do?

And perhaps in that moment,

Joseph, who we know

was a just man,

according to Matthew,

a righteous man,

a faithful man,

actually knew exactly what to do.

They had all the instructions

that they needed

in the Word of God.

And it was to God's Word

that Joseph turned.

And he said,

we'll wait eight days

and we'll make sure

he's circumcised.

That's what God has said to do.

And then we'll go to Jerusalem

a little while after

and we'll do what God

has told us to do there.

Isn't that interesting?

Amazing.

Simple obedience.

Their faithfulness to God

was pivotal

to the testimony

of Jesus as Messiah.

We tend to overcomplicate things,

don't we?

We tend to overcomplicate

what it actually means

to be faithful.

When we can look at someone

like Joseph and Mary

and find that it's actually

quite simple,

at least theoretically it's simple.

God has told us

everything we need to know

for salvation

and for obedience to Him

in the Bible.

He's given us the instruction.

He has revealed to us

His desires.

And the faithfulness

that results in God's blessing

and usefulness

in God's purposes

as we see

in the life of Joseph

and Mary.

It really is as basic

as studying the Bible

and living according

to what God has said

therein.

Sometimes we're looking

for a custom-tailored plan

for what we are to do

with our lives

and the decisions

that we are to make

and you really ought not

look for that.

You just need to trust

the Lord

that He's in control

of your life.

You need to obey

what He's told you

because you know

what that is

and you have access to it.

And then exercise wisdom

as you walk in the Spirit.

Now this was so important

for Joseph and Mary.

It's so important

for you and I.

In addition to ensuring

that the baby Jesus

fulfilled the law's demands,

something that perhaps

they didn't even

weren't consciously aware of

and necessitating,

maybe they were,

maybe they were,

we don't know.

But in addition to all of that,

their obedience resulted

in these encounters

with so many different people,

in these encounters

with Simeon and Anna,

which probably likely became

such an affirming moment

for them in the plan of God.

In fact,

we're told in the middle

of the text

that they marveled

at what was said.

We love when people

compliment our kids,

don't we?

Ashlyn played

an orchestra concert,

Christmas concert yesterday

in Statesville

and some of our family

was there

and some of you

were there

and showed up

and we love that.

We love when people

come up to our kids

and they say,

oh, you did such a good job

in the violin yesterday.

That makes us feel good,

doesn't it?

Makes them feel good,

makes us as parents feel good.

Here's Joseph and Mary.

They've got their baby boy

in the temple

and here comes

two righteous,

devout people

and they say

such wonderful things

about the child.

And what is it

that Mary and Joseph do?

They marvel at it.

Wow.

Wow.

What an affirming moment

for them.

And what is it the fruit of?

It's the fruit of their obedience.

Just simple,

faithful obedience

to the Lord.

And we should expect

that upon sending

his son to us

that God would supply

witnesses

to testify

to Jesus' identity

and purpose.

Throughout the Christmas narratives,

whether you're looking

in Matthew's gospel

or in Luke's gospel,

you'll find it the same.

Throughout,

we find various witnesses

who have established

the true nature

of the Christ,

the true nature

of this child.

And we can think of them,

we think of Joseph and Mary,

of course,

but then what about

Zechariah and Elizabeth

and the baby John

leaping in the womb?

What are they doing?

What is that all about?

Why does Matthew bother

to tell us that

or Luke bother

to tell us about that?

Because they are witnesses

to the Christ.

Then we find the shepherds

near Bethlehem.

An amazing miracle

happens with them as well.

They see the angels.

They hear the proclamation.

What do they do?

They make haste.

They run to Bethlehem

and they find it

just as the angels

had told them.

And then they go

throughout the land

spreading the news.

Why?

Why does Luke bother

to tell us about that

in Luke chapter 2?

Luke 2 · chapter mention

Because they're witnesses

of the Messiah.

Then there's the Magi

from the east,

stargazers.

They see the star.

They make their way

toward Israel.

They find the child

ultimately

and they bring him gifts.

Why do we need

to know that?

That's Matthew chapter 2.

Matthew 2 · chapter mention

They were witnesses

to the Messiah

of the Christ.

Now here's the thing

that all of these people

have in common.

From a human perspective,

they are among

the unlikeliest

of candidates

to be such witnesses.

The Magi

from the east,

they're Gentiles.

We don't even know

that they're really believers.

But God uses them

in that moment

as a testimony

to the person

of Jesus Christ.

what Jew

is going to hear

their testimony

and believe it.

But it wasn't very different

for the shepherds either.

They had such a reputation

at the time

that all of this

was unfolding

in the first century.

They had such a reputation

that you couldn't even

accept a shepherd's testimony

in a legal proceeding

as admissible.

They wouldn't even

receive it

simply because

the reputation

of the shepherds

was so poor.

And yet that's

who God uses

as a witness

of his Messiah.

Zechariah and Elizabeth

are a bit different,

aren't they?

They're faithful.

They're holy people.

And yet there's a miracle

that God does with them

as one of their

unlikely candidates.

Well, Simeon and Anna,

they fit the bill

for unexpected witnesses

to the advent

of the Christ.

There's nothing

especially noteworthy

about them.

There's no miracle

associated

with their introduction

to Jesus

as there was

the other witnesses.

Simeon and Anna

were ordinary people.

But in terms

of their faith,

there was nothing

ordinary about them.

They were extraordinary.

Like Zechariah

and Elizabeth,

they were part

of that final generation

of old covenant saints

justified by faith

in the promise

of God's Messiah.

And their lives

reflected

that saving faith.

Simeon was known

for his righteousness

and devotion

to God.

Because he believed God,

he lived in holiness,

faithfully worshipped

the Lord.

That's an example

for us.

We just looked at it

in 1 Peter 2

a few moments ago.

What does it mean

to live in righteousness?

Well, it's a reflection

on who you are

in Christ.

It is a result

of a faith

in God

and God's promised Messiah

that leads

to that kind

of conduct

and behavior.

And that's the example

that Simeon gives us.

Anna was the same.

Righteous and devout

may not be words

used to describe her

in the text,

but what is said

about her shows

that righteous devotion

was indeed her reality.

Because she believed God,

she spent the majority

of her life,

her very long life,

in worship,

fasting,

and prayer.

Over what?

The Messiah

that she trusted

would come

and bring salvation.

And why did she

trust that?

How could she trust that?

God's been silent

for at least 400 years.

Oh, she trusted

what God said before.

And because she believed God,

she worshipped,

she fasted,

she prayed,

she waited.

But all of Simeon

and Anna's faithful devotion

is revealed

in their waiting.

They longed for God

to send the Christ

in their lifetime

and because of that,

God gave them

the blessing

of being key witnesses

of the birth

of his Messiah.

Not because there was

something significant

about them,

but just like Joseph

and Mary,

they were just ordinary people

with an extraordinary faith

and God blessed it.

And they became witnesses

of the Christ.

And the witness

of Simeon and Anna,

it isn't simply

the acknowledgement

that a child was born.

The text refers

to both of them

as prophets of God,

those chosen by God

to declare his word

and reveal his truth.

We don't know

if they were regarded

as prophets

before this moment.

The fact is

that's probably

very unlikely.

Their status

as prophets

probably applies

specifically to this

this encounter.

Think about that.

In other words,

God chose them

as his witnesses

for this moment

in redemptive history

and their righteous devotion

gave credibility

to their prophecy.

How wonderful

to be mightily used

by God

if even just once

in your lifetime,

if even just once

in your life

to be a prophet

in the sense

of proclaiming

the gospel of God

so that it affects others

and God uses

your witness

in that way.

That's what's happening

with Simeon and Anna.

How wonderful of a thing.

Nothing is quoted

from Anna

in the text.

We only know

that God revealed

to her

the child's identity

because she

subsequently rejoiced

and shared the news

with others.

The fact that

her declaration

was prophetic

is seen simply

in the fact

that Luke calls her

a prophetess.

Makes it pretty easy

to figure out.

Now much more

is recorded for us

about Simeon.

That's where we'll spend

the rest of our time.

He was empowered

by the Holy Spirit

for this moment

we're told.

The Spirit prepared him

ahead of time

telling him

what would take place.

Revealing that he would

see the Christ

before his death.

We don't know

how long he was

aware of that.

Perhaps he was only

aware of it

that day.

We don't know.

But at some point

he had operated

with this understanding

eagerly anticipating

meeting the Lord's Christ.

And when that moment

finally arrived

God used Simeon

to prophesy

about Jesus'

purpose

the purpose of the child

to bring salvation.

Let's just look

what he said.

Look with me again

at verses 28 to 33

first.

Simeon took him

up in his arms

took Jesus up

in his arms

and blessed God

and said

Lord

now you're letting

your servant

depart in peace

according to your word.

For my eyes

have seen

your salvation

that you have

prepared in the

presence of all peoples

a light for revelation

to the Gentiles

and for glory

to your people Israel.

And his father

and his mother

marveled at what

was said about you.

Isn't it interesting

here that upon

seeing the child

Simeon says

that he's now

ready to die.

Is that what he says?

Lord now you're

letting your servant

depart in peace.

He doesn't say

anything about death

there.

We make that connection

because what has

just been told to us

that the spirit

came and said

hey you're not

going to die

until you see the Christ

and now he sees the Christ

and he says okay

I'm ready to die.

That's interesting isn't it?

Why would he say that?

Wouldn't it make more sense

for Simeon to want

to live longer

so that he might see

what would become

of the child?

Simeon's response

however it reflects

the depth of his faith

doesn't it?

These are not words

of a man

who simply wished

that the child

would be the one

to bring salvation.

This is someone

who was entirely

convinced of it.

In fact

he's so convinced

so assured

that his eternal salvation

would come through

this baby

that it gave him

complete peace

to go on to death.

Is that not the picture

of saving faith?

That we're so trusting

in the person

and the work

of Jesus Christ

that we know

how to face death

with peace.

Being assured

of the fact

that our eternal soul

rests in the grace

and mercy

of the Lord Jesus.

Isn't that what

Simeon is indicating here?

He doesn't have

to see the cross.

He doesn't have

to see anything

else.

He's so convinced

in his faith

this is Messiah.

Lord now bring me home.

You have fulfilled

your word

to me.

Oh what an example

for us

to trust Jesus

so much

that upon coming

to Christ

we can say

I can die

in peace now.

And we can say that

because it's the truth.

It's the reality

of our position

of our position

in Christ.

It is one of peace

with God.

Now according

to Simeon's

prophetic blessing

the salvation

Jesus would bring

was expansive.

It included more

than just those

who belong to Israel.

He says that

this salvation

has been prepared

before the eyes

of all peoples.

Jesus is the light

of revelation

to the Gentiles

who had not

received God's

revelation

as had the Jews.

Think about that.

They didn't have

the word.

They didn't have

the promises.

They didn't have

the covenant.

They didn't have

the worship

that all pointed

toward this Messiah.

They didn't have

that.

But they could

look to Christ

and they saw

the revelation

of God in Christ.

Oh it's wonderful.

Looking to Jesus

even non-Jews

would see the nature

and salvation

of Almighty God.

Through Jesus

all who repent

and believe

whether Jew

or Gentile

would be saved.

Jesus is also

the glory of Israel.

At least for those

who believe.

There was so much

for the Jews

to glory in

wasn't there.

They could glory

in the law.

They could glory

in the Exodus.

They could glory

in the prophets.

They could glory

in the temple.

They had so much.

And yet Simeon

reminds us here

that for those

who believe

the true glory

of Israel

is the Christ.

Supersedes

all of those things.

Isn't that what

the writer of Hebrews

is intent to tell us?

That Jesus

is better

than all of it.

All of it

is a shadow

that's pointing

forward to him.

Simeon realizes that.

He says,

oh, this child,

this child

is the glory

of Israel

more than anything

else we would

pride ourselves in.

Simeon's blessing,

it declares

the identity

of the child

and that he is

the Christ.

But it's his

prophetic words

to Mary

that actually

reveal the child's

purpose.

Look at verse

34 and 35.

after Simeon's

song as it's

known,

Simeon blessed

them and he said

especially to Mary,

behold,

this child is

appointed for the

fall and rising

of many in Israel

and for a sign

that is opposed.

A sword will

pierce through

your own soul

also so that

faults from many

hearts may be

revealed.

Appointed

is the key word

here.

It tells us

that what

follows is

Jesus' purpose,

what God has

chosen him to

be and to

do.

First,

we find in

Simeon's prophecy

Jesus is the

Lord who will

judge us all.

With his

judgment,

Jesus will

cause those

who persist

in prideful

unbelief

to fall

and those

who persist

in humble

faith

to be exalted.

But then he

says Jesus

is also a

sign,

a sign that

will be

opposed by

many.

And what

is the

sign?

Jesus himself

tells us.

In Matthew

Matthew 12:39

chapter 12

verses 39

and 40,

the Jews

demanded of

Jesus a

sign and

here's how

he answered.

He answered

them,

an evil and

an adulterous

generation seeks

for a sign.

In other words,

an evil and

adulterous

generation looks

at the Messiah

and says,

prove it again.

But no sign

will be given

to it except

the sign of

the prophet

Jonah.

For just

as Jonah

was three

days and

three nights

in the belly

of the great

fish,

so will the

Son of Man

be three days

and three nights

in the heart

of the earth.

What's the

sign?

Death

is the

sign.

Not just

death.

The sign of

Jonah is not

just death.

It is a

temporary death,

isn't it?

Only three

days and

three nights

will he

remain in

the heart

of the

earth.

Oh,

it also

is a

sign of

resurrection,

neither of

which was

acceptable to

the Jews

who demanded

these signs.

Jesus says

it again in

John chapter

three,

uses a

different

illustration

here.

John

chapter

three in

verse

14,

as Moses

lifted up

the serpent

in the

wilderness,

so must

the Son of

Man be

lifted up,

that whoever

believes in

him may

have eternal

life.

That's a

reference to

an event in

Israel's history

as they

wandered in

the desert,

they disobeyed

God,

God sent

fiery serpents,

and then God

told Moses to

make a bronze

serpent,

to put it up

on a post,

and those who

were bitten by

the fiery

serpents,

if they just

looked up to

the provision

of God,

that's the

symbol,

look up to

the provision

of God,

what God

has given

them for

healing,

that they

would then

be healed.

Jesus reflects

on that in

his conversation

with Nicodemus,

and he says,

just like Moses

hung that

snake up on

the pole,

and people

looked to

that for

their healing

from God,

so must the

Son of Man

be lifted up,

so that those

who look to

him will find

true healing.

What's the

sign?

The sign

that is

opposed is

the cross

of Christ.

What Paul

said was a

stumbling block

to the Jews,

what he said

was foolishness

to the Gentiles,

and both Jews

and Gentiles

refused to

believe in a

Lord and

Savior who

would be

revealed in

such weakness,

dying a

criminal's

death.

But to

those who

have eyes

to see,

it is the

good news

of how God

has brought

salvation to

sinners through

Jesus Christ.

This child

in Simeon's

arms is the

sinless one.

He's the

sinless one who

died as a

criminal so

that trespassers

of the law

like you

and me

might be

forgiven

and counted

righteous before

God.

And how we

respond to

the sign of

the cross,

either in

faith or in

unbelief,

will be

exposed at the

final judgment

of the Lord

Jesus.

That's the end

of the prophecy,

isn't it?

This sign will

be opposed.

the process

of that sign

being carried

out would be

a sword

through the

soul of

Mary as

she watched

her own

son be

murdered.

But then in

the very end,

what does all

of this

accomplish?

That many

hearts will be

exposed,

many hearts

will be

revealed.

What does

that mean?

That it is on

the basis of

what we do

with the sign

that Christ,

the judge,

will judge

us.

Simeon and

Anna, by

God's grace,

had eyes to

see.

And they

rejoiced in

the advent of

God's salvation,

the baby Jesus.

They're witnesses

of the Messiah.

And each of us

will be held

accountable to

their testimony.

For Simeon and

Anna, the wait

was over.

As it regards

our salvation,

the wait can

be over for

you as well.

If you look

to the sign

and believe,

if you look

to the cross

and trust

in him

and what

he's done,

the wait

will be over

for you too.

Now I want

to finish

with one

other thing.

Just as

Simeon and

Anna faithfully

longed for the

advent of Christ,

so are we

as Christians

to faithfully

long for

his second

advent?

Jesus is

coming back.

The word

testifies to

that again

and again.

He will

return.

And we

await that

moment like

Ralphie

awaited Christmas

morning to get

his Red

Rider BB

gun.

with great

anticipation.

We long

that he would

come back.

Using a

parable,

Jesus said

that all

who faithfully

await his

return will be

blessed.

This is in

Luke chapter

Luke 12 · chapter mention

12.

Jesus said,

blessed are

those servants

whom the

master finds

awake when

he comes.

Truly I say

to you,

he will dress

himself for

service and

he will have

them recline

at table and

he will come

and serve them.

That's all

indication of

blessing and

eternity in the

kingdom.

And if he

comes in the

second watch or

in the third

watch or whatever

watch and he

finds them awake,

blessed are those

servants, Jesus

says.

What's he saying?

He's saying that

we must await him

as Simeon and

Anna awaited him.

they show us

what it looks

like to

faithfully

wait so

that we

too might

be blessed

by God

in the way

that they

were blessed

by God.

And so let

me close by

just highlighting

some features

of their example

that we can

apply to our

own Christian

waiting for

the return of

Christ.

Our waiting

should be marked

by five things.

First,

it should be

marked by

faith.

Indeed,

faith is the

root of their

longing.

Without faith

and trust in

God and his

word,

there would be

no longing.

There would be

no waiting for

Simeon and

Anna.

They fully

trusted God's

word.

So should we

trust based on

the first

advent that the

second advent

is coming.

Trust it

wholeheartedly.

And it is in

that faith that

the Lord will

create the

longing.

So our

waiting should

be marked by

faith.

Number two,

our waiting

should be

marked by

righteousness.

It should be

marked by

righteousness.

How are we

to live as

we wait for

the Lord?

Righteously.

That was

Peter's testimony

in 1 Peter 2.

That we

abstain from

the deeds of

the flesh.

That we

pursue Christ

and his glory

and the glory

of God in

the world.

That we

live honorably

according to

what God

has told us

to do.

Our faith

must be

reflected in

our obedience.

Isn't that

what was true

of Joseph

and Mary?

They trusted

the word of

God so they

obeyed the

word of God

in the way

that they

handled their

baby.

It's true of

Simeon and

Anna.

They trusted

God and they

were both

acknowledged for

their righteousness

and that

righteousness was

the overflow

of their faith

not the cause

of it.

It was the

fruit of it.

Thirdly,

our waiting

should be

marked by

devotion.

Devotion.

Simeon and

Anna gave

their lives

to worship

and we

must not

forsake that

worship.

Whether it

be the

worship in

our private

devotion to

the Lord

day by day

or it

be in

obedience to

the gathered

church in

worship Sunday

by Sunday.

We must

live as we

wait devoted

to worship

not being

distracted by

the things of

this world

but devoting

ourselves

wholeheartedly

giving ourselves

wholeheartedly

to the worship

of God.

Fourth,

our waiting

should be

marked by

focus.

By focus.

Isn't that

an implication

of Simeon

and Anna's

example?

people,

they weren't

distracted by

the world.

They weren't

distracted by

this life to

the extent

that they

always had an

eye on what

was to come.

For them,

as old covenant

believers,

what was to

come for them

was that first

advent.

It's different

for us.

We have so

much more

opportunity than

they do.

We have so

much more

revelation than

they do,

don't we?

In the new

covenant.

it's so easy

for us to be

distracted by

the cares of

this life.

Let me just

ask you,

when's the

last time

that you

thought,

today,

I'm going to

live in light

of the coming

of Christ?

Today,

I'm going to

look for

Christ.

Today,

I'm going to

make sure that

my life is

focused on that

heavenly citizenship

that is to

come.

Most of us

probably don't

think that way

very often,

but that was

true of Simeon

and Anna's

life.

Anna lived

at the

temple.

She worshipped.

She fasted.

She prayed.

She always had

an eye on

what was to

come.

Simeon always

had an eye on

what was to

come.

And it's time

for us to get

our eyes off

of this life

and really

intentionally as

Christ people,

to have an

eye on what

is to come,

to live in

light of the

glory that

is to come

when Christ

returns.

Fifthly,

our waiting

should be

marked by

evangelism.

Evangelism.

They shared

the good news

of Christ

coming with

others.

It's plain

in the text.

Simeon

excitedly,

it doesn't

tell us how

old he is.

We gather

because of

the whole

scenario

with his

death and

the language

of his

death.

We gather

that maybe

he was

advanced in

age like

Anna was.

We don't

really know,

but perhaps

he was at

that age

where you

can just

kind of

get by

with taking

people's

babies up

in your

hand.

I don't

know what

age it is

that you

cross into

that,

but there

is an

age where

you get

to where

it's just

like you

just talk

to all

the babies

in the

restaurant

and parents

just kind

of let

you do

it,

right?

Maybe

Simeon's

kind of

like that.

We don't

know if

it was the

intention of

Joseph and

Mary to

receive a

blessing from

Simeon.

We don't

know if he

was a

priest.

We don't

know anything

about him

from that

perspective.

We just

know that

he saw

this baby

that the

Lord revealed

to him who

this baby

was and he

takes him up

in his arms

and what

does he do?

He publicly

declares the

truth of who

this child

is.

And what

is it that

Santa does?

Santa.

Christmas on the

brain.

Anna.

What is it

that Anna does?

She sees the

Christ.

We don't

know exactly

the interaction

that she had

but clearly

she understood

what Simeon

understood.

Maybe she

was with

him when

he made

this prophecy.

And what

is it that

she does?

She immediately

goes to

everybody else

around her.

Others who

were longing

for the coming

of the Messiah

and she said

he has come.

He's come.

What are we

to do as we

wait?

We're to go

to other people

around us and

say listen he's

come and he's

coming back.

Repent and

believe the good

news.

It's what

Jesus commanded

us to do.

Now Jesus

says in Luke

12 blessed

are those whom

the master

finds awake

when he

returns.

That's what

it looks like

to be awake.

Are you

waiting well?

Are you

waiting well?