Simeon: A Man Honored By God | Luke 2:25-35 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

A couple of Sundays ago, while illustrating a point from the

Book of Revelation, I briefly mentioned a saintly man from the

Scriptures known as Simeon, that elderly fellow who embraced the

child Jesus in the temple. And prayfully, as we are

celebrating the birth of Christ this week, we will devote this

entire message to that same Simeon.

We'll be looking more carefully at his account as he appears

very early in the book of Luke. I became more intrigued about

him when I realized how virtually every other Bible

translation introduces him except for the ESV.

When Mary and Joseph entered the temple precincts in order to

observe the Law of Moses in dedicating their child, the

Spirit of God presents Simeon in the following way.

And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon.

It's one of the first things or people that Luke tells us in his

book to behold, as if to say, don't rush past this individual.

Pay close attention to him. And that is what we will do

today by the grace of God, because he is an inspiration.

And I will tell you from the beginning the goal of this

message for you and I to leave here with a greater sense of a

love for Christ, to understand through this man what is

possible for us in our sanctification, in our

relationship with God. And there are three things, at

least three things that we can do.

And observing this man, three things that we can observe #1

his passion, His passion #2 his peace, and lastly, his prophecy.

And so we'll begin now in Luke chapter 2, beginning in verse

Luke 2 · chapter mention

25, reading a couple of verses to meditate on Simeon's passion

as he encounters the child Jesus not too long after his own

birth. Luke 2, verse 25.

Luke 2:25

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. Oh, would you pray with me

briefly, Lord, our prayer is that you would help us see the

Christ, help us see Christ, make him more real to each of us.

And may it causing us to know renewed passion, fortified peace

and worship as we understand this prophecy through the lips

of this man that you used 2000 years ago.

We thank you for it. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

What a description for any man, any woman, righteous and devout.

Now, why is the Holy Spirit telling us this about Simeon?

Well #1 because he's going to testify about the destiny of

this child, the Spirit of God is going to use him to identify

this child as a long-awaited Messiah.

And so in order for there to be credibility to his own

testimony, we learn of his piety.

He was trustworthy. He was acknowledged as a holy

man. He was someone that you can

count on. And so in preparation for what

he is going to say, we know something about his character.

But there's something else. The Spirit of God wants us also

to learn a few things about true righteousness and what devotion

looks like. And interestingly, righteousness

and devotion in this context is connected to the inner heart,

the hidden heart. We're told here that Simeon was

waiting for the consolation of Israel.

Waiting means that there was expectation.

Waiting means that there is desire.

Simeon desired for the comfort, the consolation, the rest, the

deliverance of his own people. And this is connected to his

righteousness. This feeds his devotion.

So the eyes of this man's heart were ever watchful.

This man down deep inside, he longed for something.

He yearned from Messiah. He wanted to see the promises

fulfilled. He he wanted to be in the

presence of this King. And that is the thing that is

highlighted about him. Surely since he was a boy, and

throughout his years as he studied the Scriptures, this

longing grew more and more and more.

And surely as he and his people were living under the growing

brutality of the Roman oppression, that ache became

more intense. There are many things that God

could have said about Simeon, but in his wisdom he brings to

our attention his consuming passion.

Why do you think that is? To teach us who God is and what

God looks for. You see, God considers your

desires, God takes into account your aspirations, your wishes

and mine, and He honors US based on what he discovers about them.

And in the case of Simeon, God gave him the privilege of not

only seeing the Messiah, but as is common with our God, he he

gives him more, He lets him hold the Messiah.

And he says you will not see death until you behold the

Lord's Christ. Imagine this.

In a moment, we're going to see Simeon's prophecy.

And here you have a man who is going to bless God while holding

God. Fascinating, isn't it?

And I want to convince, I want you to be absolutely persuaded

today by how God actually looks at your heart and mine.

And what he finds there will determine reward in this life

and in the life to come. So here at the infancy of

Christ, we are introduced to an obscure fellow.

But now I want us to Fast forward to the death of Christ

as we are introduced to another uncommon character.

So we're in the gospel. Luke travel to the Gospel of

Mark and go to the end of it in chapter 15, Mark 15.

Look at verse 43 with me. Joseph of Arimathea, A respected

member of the council who was also himself looking for the

Kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the

body of Jesus. I'm sure there are a lot of

differences between Joseph of Arimathea and the Simeon, but

you know what I find in my Bible?

They shared one common desire, the manifestation of the Kingdom

of God, one near the birth of Christ, one after the death of

Christ. You know this Joseph impresses

me because he was an important man in society.

Matthew tells us he was wealthy, but his position and his

prosperity did not diminish his longing for God's Kingdom to

crash into the world and to take over everything, cooling his own

estates, his own authority. And I just wonder today if there

are people in this place who are members of great councils or

maybe you're a part of an exclusive club, or maybe you're

just wealthy. Can I ask you something?

What do you strive after? What do you ultimately seek?

Here's this Joseph, and all we're told about him is that he

looked for the Kingdom of God, and I see something else.

He's rewarded for it. And the same way Simeon had the

opportunity to hold in his hands Messiah, God gave that same

privilege to Joseph. He came into close proximity to

Christ, and he had the honor of taking that lifeless body and

honoring it in the best way he could and ultimately fulfilling

a part of Isaiah 53. God cares.

God examines what no one else sees.

Oh, sure, we can do things, but why do we do them?

Even good things, even spiritual things, but what do we really

long for? Let me show you another verse.

I listen. I really, really want to

communicate this because it will radically change your

relationship with Christ. When you understand that he

looks at the heart, He looks for the heart, You will know where

to put your focus and your energy as you seek Him and as

you come to His word. Go to Hebrews Chapter 11 with

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

me. Oh, the hall of faith, these

wonderful men and women that are praised for their trust in God.

And in there we have many, many golden Nuggets, and I want to

show you one of them in Hebrews 11, verse 16, Hebrews 11/16

Hebrews 11:16

reads. But as it is, they desire a

better country, that is, a heavenly one.

Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has

prepared for them a city. You see that word desire there?

It's only used a total of three times in the New Testament,

including this instance, and it's actually found in First

Timothy 31, and you don't have to turn there.

It's where Paul tells Timothy if one aspires the office of an

overseer, he desires a noble task.

The meaning actually in the original is to reach after, to

grab something. And So what Paul tells Timothy

is if there's anybody who has such an intense yearning to

apprehend the position of a pastor or an elder, that's a

good desire. And the Holy Spirit uses that

same word here in Hebrews 11/16 to speak of those who desire a

better country heaven. It's a it's a yearning for

something to become a reality. Here's what's so astounding

about this verse. Those who inwardly, inwardly

reach out for the manifestation of God's government, for his

return. Those who ache and pine for his

presence to be more real. What does he say?

God is not ashamed to be called their God.

Look at the Word there. Therefore, that connects the

following thought with the previous one.

Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God.

Well, what did He say before? He's talking about those who

desire a better country. I can't think of a greater

blessing than that, that God in heaven, with all the myriad of

angels and all these heavenly creatures, is willingly wanting

to testify of a child of His. He belongs to me.

Do you see what he loves? Do you see what she desires?

More than anything, she sees this world as a wilderness.

He's a Pilgrim. His heart beats.

For me to become more real, for my promises to be made known,

for my Kingdom to come. I'm not ashamed to be called

their God. Behold, one who truly loves me.

Simeon was such a man. You know, sometimes Christians

struggle to discern whether their love for the Lord is

strong enough or greater than their attachments to the things

of this life. And so they wrest soul.

And it becomes even more pressing when you encounter

commands and instructions like do not love the world or the

things of the world. How do I know if I love the

world? How do I know if I love Christ

more? How do I make sense of this?

How can I measure it? How can I examine myself

appropriately? Well, I have good news for you,

because as you look through the Scriptures, you will find

helpful clues that will determine, for you and me if

we're willing to receive it, the health of our desires and if

they are towards the right things.

Can I give you one helpful clue? Here's one.

Just listen to it. Psalm 119, verse 97.

Psalms 119:97

Oh, how I love your law. It is my meditation all the day.

Where's the clue in that? Let me tell you, you meditate on

what you love. That's the clue.

Oh, how I love your law. You know, there are there are

people who know the Bible, there are people who are willing to

even adjust their lives to some of the principles of the Bible.

But it's a whole different thing when you love God's Word and the

psalmist tells us one way, you know you love it.

I meditate on it all the time. I take it with me wherever I go.

I'd love to talk about it with others who also meditate on the

law. So that's just, that's just one

nudge among many that shows us where our desires really are,

what we truly long for, what we're reaching out for.

This Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel.

It was a burning passion in his bosom.

And I am convinced that God saw that in this old man.

And out of the many, including the scribes and the scholars and

the theologians, he allowed Simeon to behold Christ at a

very early point. That's His passion.

May be our passion. May the Holy Spirit use this

message to breathe that into our hearts.

But let's consider His peace. Let's read now His peace, verse

27 to verse 32. 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, that you have

prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation

to the Gentiles and for glory to your people.

Israel Simeon and verse 28 took him up in his arms and blessed

God. One of the ways that you know

you can bless God is exemplified by this man where you outwardly

express your gratitude and rehearse the testimonies of the

Lord. And in this case, Simeon wants

to declare God's faithfulness. You kept Your word to me, O

Lord, and that is something that you and I must continually give

praise to God for that Any promise that He has made to all

humanity, the promises that He made to the nation of Israel

through the prophets and the Psalms and the law, and any

promise that He makes to you as an individual concerning your

life, know this. He will never waver in His Word.

He is constant. He is reliable.

But even before Simeon celebrates God's fidelity, he

highlights and rejoices in this, the peace he received from God.

Notice it again here. It says here, Lord, now you are

letting your servant depart in peace.

What kind of peace is this? What kind of peace is this that

allows a man to speak so calmly about his own death?

I'm ready to die now, Lord. I'm ready to die right at this

moment. How, what, what kind of

confidence can a man tap into that allows him to be comforted

at the thought of his own earthly departure?

Simeon had it. There is this level of serenity

that is so rare, and yet he's declaring it.

He's sharing it out loud. And I think Simeon gives us a

clue of how we can have it and how we can know it for

ourselves. You unlock it by what he says in

verse 30. Look at it again.

For my eyes have seen your salvation.

Why am I ready to depart in peace?

Because my eyes have beheld your salvation.

And listen, Simeon is not just ready to die because the Lord

showed him the Lord's Christ. And so, OK, the promise is

fulfilled. I'm ready to go now.

It's because Simeon understood the salvation that this child

would bring to him and to the rest of the world.

It was a knowledge of the saving work of Christ that gave him

this kind of peace. And here's the question that

every single one of us has to ask.

Do I have a clear vision like this man concerning what Christ

has done? More specifically, do I have a

comprehension of what Christ did in a trusting way?

Because that will determine the level of peace you enjoy.

Notice some of the things that Simeon says.

Again, look at verse 31. What does he say?

That you have prepared in the presence of all peoples?

The salvation that he spoke of here.

He says it was prepared. So Simeon even in this moment,

understood that God had planned the salvation, that God from

eternity passed, orchestrated salvation to come to humanity

through this child. He understood this.

Look at verse 32. It says that he would be a light

for revelation to the Gentiles. So Christ was not just going to

come to save the Jewish people, but the rest of the world.

How many people understood that in Simeon's day?

Very few. Even when Christ in the prime of

his life was teaching it, people didn't get it.

Simeon did. You're going to break into the

darkness surrounding Israel. And lastly, look what he says

here in verse 33 and for glory to your people, Israel.

So there are many things that Israel can rejoice in concerning

their history. The Jewish people understand

that they have been granted the promises, the covenants, the

law, the prophets. But Simeon says here that the

greatest glory for them and from them is that the Savior

descended from the seat of David.

That would be their greatest glory.

Here's what's so amazing about this confession.

Did Simeon come to this understanding because Christ was

preaching A sermon? No, he could barely walk at this

time. Before the gospel was understood

through the lips of the Savior, before he performed any kind of

miracle, before any parable was expounded, Simeon had a robust

understanding of the gospel. More than the again, the

scholars and the theologians of his day, more than those who

would behold the incomparable power and wisdom of Christ

throughout his teaching ministry.

And no doubt his clear perception contributed to his

remarkable peace. You know, I found something

about Christians, many things. One of them is this, that those

who have a grasp of the gospel, those who understand the victory

that Christ purchased on my behalf, are the same ones who

tend to speak with the most confidence about death and are

also the ones who are willing to face it with an otherworldly

calm. I know Christians like that.

They talk about death like they talk about sleep.

You know, Christians like that. Oh, and that was very common

with the older Christians. And so personally, I'm just

catching up with some readings with the Puritans and I stumbled

upon this quote and I thought it would be worth sharing just to

give you a sample of how some of these minds that really, really

dug into the Scriptures to know the depths of Christ's work on

the cross and what he purchased for us, how they spoke and how

they viewed this thing called death.

According to the Bible, death is known as the King of terrors.

But you would think to that these Puritans especially, they

were like buddies with death. Listen to this from George

Swinnik quote. He's trying to comfort

Christians. So quote now is the quote.

Is it the tearing down of your earthly Tabernacle that troubles

you? Do you not know that death is

the worker sent by the Father to pull down this earthly House of

clay and mortality so that it may be set up anew, infinitely

more lasting, beautiful and glorious?

End Quote. Isn't that precious?

What is he saying? For the Christian, death is his

servant, and all death is, is once sent by God to disrobe you

and to remove you of this flesh that has been corrupted and

bruised and scarred, so that you would be prepared to be clothed

with something infinitely more glorious and beautiful.

Who thinks like that? Those who understand what Christ

has done and what He purchased for us.

But how did Simeon know all of this?

How? How did he come to this

knowledge? We have the answer.

Maybe you missed it, but did you notice just how much Simeon in

this brief biography has the Holy Spirit actively working in

and through him? Go back to verse 25.

Look at the end of verse 25. And the Holy Spirit was upon

him, look at verse 26. And it had been revealed to him

by the Holy Spirit. Look at verse 27.

And he came in the spirit into the temple.

And three verses, the Holy Spirit is mentioned, the

activity of the Holy Spirit is mentioned in connection to this

man, the Spirit, the Spirit, the Spirit.

I'll tell you how you knew all of this, the Holy Spirit, the

Holy Spirit. So you're, you're sitting today

and you say, oh, brother, if I can only have a week of peace

like this, I'm here to tell you can have more than just a week

of it. You can have a lifetime of peace

and you can have a peace so strong, so potent, that even

when death knocks on your door, you can say, oh, God's servant

is here to prepare me for my eternal abode.

Well, how do I get it? Well, Simeon gives us some

guidance. You need to know something about

what Christ has done for you, the gospel that Christ performed

for us. You need to know that.

Well, how do I know that you? You can't come close to it

unless you understand how the Holy Spirit works.

So you have to seek the Holy Spirit.

You have to be in his presence. You have to humble yourself and

say, Lord, I with these eyes and with this mind, I might be able

to collect some truths. But to know this thing about the

gospel in a way that unlocks this kind of calm and

confidence, I need your help. And as you seek him and as you

wait on him, he'll be faithful to give you more understanding.

And through that understanding, more faith, and through that

faith, more peace. You know, Simeon, we're not told

much about him here, but all that we have might even stir up

a holy jealousy in you and me, specifically in his relationship

with God. I mean, look how sensitive he is

to the Spirit of God. Look how much the Spirit of God

does for Simeon. I mean, on one day after he was

promised, and we're not told when he was promised that he

would see Christ. He was being guided unusually.

Was it an audible voice? Was it this force moving him?

We don't know. But all leading up to that

moment, Can you imagine the anticipation?

Oh, will it be today? You know, Simeon's there

preparing his breakfast. Will it be today?

Will I see the Messiah this afternoon?

Will it be tonight? How will I know him?

How is it going to be a light on him?

Are others going to recognize him?

You just imagine the daily excitement.

And on one morning it was known and Simeon makes his way there.

And what looked like an ordinary young family actually was

something extraordinary. In the arms of these parents was

the promised Messiah, and Simeon saw it.

I'm sure we would love the Holy Spirit to lead our lives like

that, right? All the time that we would save

the testimonies we would have. But I want to actually lead you

to this other point. Simeon in this chapter is not

the only one who gets to experience the revelation that

he had. Actually, we read of another

elderly person. Look, later on in Luke chapter

Luke 2 · chapter mention

2, we read about a woman named Anna who's a prophetess advance

in years, and I want you to see how the scriptures describe her

experience of this moment because she didn't have the same

experience as Simeon, though she had the same revelation as him.

Luke 236 read this with me and there was a prophetess Anna, the

daughter of Fanuel of the tribe of Asher.

She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband

seven years from when she was a virgin and that as a widow until

she was 84. She did not depart from the

Temple, worshipping 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, all who are waiting for the redemption of

Jerusalem. So, like Simeon, Anna's devotion

to God is emphasized. She was a spiritual woman.

You rarely found her outside of the temple courts.

She was fasting, she was praying, she was worshipping,

and remarkably, she was glued to the House of God even though she

had lost her husband. You know pain will either pull

you away from God or push you towards Him.

And this, this woman's devotion to the Lord did not wane, even

though perhaps her expectations of marriage we're not met.

But here's what's amazing, verse 38, Read your Bible slowly.

Notice what it says. And coming up at that very hour.

Translation right when Joseph and Mary entered and Simeon saw

the child and prophesied, Anna was there and she heard it.

And not only did she hear it, but she got so excited that what

did she do at the end of verse 38?

She began to speak of him to all who are waiting for the

redemption of Jerusalem. So there was others who are

waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

Don't you appreciate just how careful the Bible is with its

words? We're told about Simeon, that he

was waiting for what? The consolation of Israel,

consolation meaning comfort, peace.

But then when we come here, we read that Anna was testifying to

all those who are waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

I don't think that's accidental. I think there's a point to be

made from this that none of us can know true consolation unless

we first know redemption. Redemption is the entryway into

consolation, and Christ alone can provide that.

Simeon is waiting for Israel to be delivered, and it's in a

person, Christ. It's not just a government, it's

not just a set of laws. It's in a person, Christ, who

redeems, and he can bring consolation to your life.

He can bring consolation to this nation.

But we would have to humble ourselves and allow Him to

redeem us. But that's a different point.

The point that I want to bring to your attention is how Anna

was led by God. It was not like Simeon.

Simeon had a direct supernatural GPS.

Turn here, turn there. Go now.

Stop. No, not them.

Yes, over there. I don't know how it was done,

but then when you read about Anna, who is just as spiritual

as Simeon, she just happened to be at the right place at the

right time. She was guided by the invisible

hand of God. This is what we call it,

Providence. And I want to tell you

something. If you belong to the Lord,

Providence will always work in your favor.

If you love the Lord, you have nothing to fear in this life,

and you might want to have these encounters and perhaps visions

and all these things. But Anna gives us the more

common way we experience God's guidance in our lives, that as

you simply obey the Lord as you walk and as you love him and

serve him, he will take ordinary things and make him into an

extraordinary story. If you want to know greater

testimonies in 2026, be like this woman, be like this man and

give him undivided devotion. There's a passion, but there's a

peace, a peace that's granted through revelation, a peace

that's granted through a relationship with the Holy

Spirit. But all we have to end here with

his prophecy. We can't just end with this

knowledge of His peace. Look at verse 33 down to verse

35. And his father and his mother

marveled at what was said about him.

Pause there for a moment. How how did you marvel?

You had angelic encounters, the wise men, the shepherds, all

that they said, all these experiences and and you're still

marvelling rightfully so. I pray you and I would never

cease to marvel as we learn new things about Christ.

And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, Behold, this

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

and for a sign that is opposed. And a sword will Pierce through

your own soul also, so that the thoughts from many hearts may be

revealed. So contrary to the limited

understanding of most of the Jews at this time concerning the

Messiah, and that many Jews still today have Simeon

recognized and explained that although He is the promised 1,

he will not be widely accepted by his own.

That He will be the cause for the fall and the rise of many.

The fall Speaking of those who would reject Him and be

condemned as a result, and the rise Speaking of the redemption

of those who would embrace Him and believe on His message.

And Simeon goes on to prophecy. And he turns his attention to

Mary to let her know that the opposition that this child will

face will be so fierce that it's going to be like a sword as you

see it and hear about it being pierced and driven into the

depths of who you are. And that sword will be driven

deeper still as this opposition climaxes at the cross of Christ.

And so you see a measure of God's kindness through this

prophecy and preparing Mary for the future of this child.

I find it interesting that he doesn't address Joseph.

And it could be because Joseph wouldn't live long enough to see

it. And so Mary is is hearing all of

this, and yes, she's marvelling, but she's also being warned so

that she wouldn't be caught by surprise.

But what Simeon says in the last part deserves our most attention

for this time. Notice how he ends it in verse

35 so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.

What does that mean? Well, in the immediate sense, it

means that the Incarnate Son of God would expose the true

motives and intentions of people.

And we see that in the gospel accounts, do we not?

Especially with those Pharisees. They could not withstand, they

they couldn't compress their true nature, their vile

character in the light of Christ.

He unmasked them. The truth that He spoke blasted

away all the veneers and all the falsehood, and their hearts were

really exposed. But in the broader sense, what

Simeon says here applies for all time.

The message of Jesus Christ reveals the very essence of who

we are as people. When you really understand who

He is and what He says, our sinful nature is exposed.

In fact, no one describes the human condition more accurately

than Jesus Christ of Nazareth. No psychologist, no philosopher,

no religious leader comes close to how Christ assesses and

diagnosis humanity's foundational problem and

greatest need. And I know of some people whose

journey with Christ started because they read or heard the

Beatitudes, for example. Just the Beatitudes was enough

for millions, I'm sure, throughout the ages to bend

their knee in humility and acknowledge that they are

sinners in need of a Savior. Think about it.

Christ saying things like you've heard it was said that you shall

not murder and that to murder and be a murderer is to be

liable for judgement. But I say to you, if anyone is

angry with his brother, he is liable to judgement.

You've heard it was said you shall not commit adultery.

But I say to you that if anyone looks at a woman with lustful

intent, has already committed adultery with her in his heart,

inescapable scrutiny. A standard so high no one dare

be able to stare at the face of this teacher and say, I pass.

He will reveal the hearts of many.

And he's still doing it today. And this is what it means for

us, especially for the person who might be sitting here and is

not a follower of Jesus Christ. You have to understand that when

you understand who Christ is, you will discover who you are

and what you will discover about yourself.

And the light of his moral beauty and majesty is humbling

if you're willing to accept it, that you were not as good as you

thought. You're not as righteous as you

believe, and you're actually so below the standard that God

presents to us and sets against all of us as a moral lawgiver of

the universe, that you're doomed, as am I.

But Christ is not just the revealer of hearts.

This is the best part. He's the only one who can

transform them. Christ doesn't reveal hearts to

shame people. You find that in the Gospels.

Christ doesn't expose men in order to embarrass them or to

condemn them. He removes all the veils that we

set up, all the fig leaves that we've sown to try to cover

ourselves, to show us just how wounded, just how rebellious,

just how sick we are. He's the great physician that

does not shy away from giving you the accurate diagnosis of

your condition. In order for you to say I need

to be healed, I need to be forgiven, I have a great debt

that needs to be paid. And Luke, who's telling us a

story about Simeon, his passion, his peace, his prophecy, like

most of the other Gospel accounts, spends more time

focusing on Jesus's ministry leading up to his redemption on

the cross. And when you continue from this

point on, you learn something. You learn many things about the

heart of Christ. Let me give you one example

before we close. The same Jesus who Simeon says

would reveal the thoughts of many hearts shows us just how

tender he is. Though he is blazing in purity

and holiness, it's gentle and lowly.

Even to this day. After years of reading the

Bible, there's one account of Jesus healing power that never

ceases to fail to move me to tears.

I don't care where I am, when I'm reading it, it it does

something to me. It's when Jesus is there and

this man, this leper runs to him out of nowhere and it says he

falls to the ground and he begs him, Lord, if you are willing,

you can make me clean. Like every time I read that it

just if you just knew what a leper had to go through, how he

was ostracized, he lost his family, he was rejected.

He was a walking red flag. Nobody would come near the years

of not knowing human judge being despised, rotting somewhere in

the outskirts of the city. And yet he hears about this

Christ and he finds him one day and he runs them in desperation

and he says, oh, if you can, you can make me clean.

And when you read about it in Luke chapter 5, before Jesus

Luke 5 · chapter mention

even says anything, he says that he reaches out and he touches

him, and then he says, I will be clean.

I'm sure that when Christ initially extended his hand and

touched that man, there was a gasp for any onlookers.

You wouldn't dare touch a leper. You would be richly unclean.

You would be in danger of being contaminated.

Surely in Christ, without hesitation, he doesn't even

flinch. He doesn't step back.

He steps forward and he touches the man and he heals him.

So many things to learn from that.

Let me give you just one main thought.

What others would not dare embrace, what others would not

dare interact with, Christ does. There is no pollution, There is

no filth, there is no disease. More importantly, in the

spiritual sense, that Christ is not willing to touch and heal

because you might be sitting here and saying, OK, He's the

revealer of hearts. Brother, you don't know what my

heart produces, the idols that it creates, and the perversion

that it likes to nibble on from time to time.

In fact, I'm struggling while you're preaching with the things

in my heart. Let me tell you something.

This is the same Christ who touches lepers and He's willing

to touch and heal you. He's not intimidated by you.

He understands our sin, but he doesn't recoil.

He doesn't reconsider. In his great love, he enters

into our world, this Dark World, this evil world, so that he can

make the payment necessary to wash you.

And it was a great payment to cleanse you.

Me. Yes, you.

You, the one that others would not dare have anything to do

with, perhaps. This gives me so much hope, man.

You got to believe it for those in your family that are the

black sheep. You got to believe it for your

nephews, your nieces. You got to believe it for your

parents. You got to believe it for your

spouse. You got to believe that no

matter how dark and evil and corrupt they may be, that Christ

can heal them. This is the Christmas message.

This is the Christmas message. The Christmas message is not us

huddling around the scene of a baby that doesn't talk.

And it's just cute that no, no, no, no.

This is the message of redemption.

That's what Christmas is about. And I'm here to offer it to you,

not because I have anything to give you, but because this book

promises us redemption and Simeon tells us about it in this

prophecy. I wonder today if your heart has

been more exposed than ever under the preaching of His Word.

I wonder if today you feel more convicted than you ever have.

Well, if you're sitting there in conviction, be comforted that

this Christ who pulls the sheets of our excuses and our lies and

our justifications, doesn't do it so that He can find you in a

place naked and afraid. He does it so that He can clothe

you with His own righteousness after He heals that heart of

yours. Would you let Him?

What's holding you back? What about this is bad news?

What about this makes you hesitate?

What about this makes you afraid?

What is your sin done for you except bring pain to your life?

What does being the the master of your own fate produce for you

other than disappointment? Surrender.

Give up? What does repentance really

mean? Really just means give up, stop,

fall at His feet, crown Him as Lord and He will transform your

life. If you doubt it then understand

what the Christmas message is. He didn't have to come, but he

did come with one goal in mind. Yes, to bring glory to Himself.

We know that, but also in His great love to draw you to

Himself for all of eternity and I pray that today you would put

your hand in his hand and no true life.

Let's pray low.

We know that no one would be able to do what Simeon had the

privilege of doing. That is holding in his arms the

child Jesus the Lord. Your word does tell us that we

can embrace you in another way, the embrace of faith.

And we pray that this afternoon that the gift of salvation would

be opened by some, maybe even 1 today, that they would realize

by the help of your Holy Spirit, the great salvation that you've

prepared for them that you offer to the entire world.

And that you are not just the revealer of hearts.

You are the healer of those broken, shattered hearts.

Today, Lord, for those who have been saved, we pray that you

would help us grow in our passion for what matters the

most, that we, like Simeon, would be reaching out inwardly

for the things above, for your promises, Your presence to be

more real in our lives. And Lord, we pray even for those

who may not have peace, who may be even entering into this

holiday season worried that they will not enjoy it because of

circumstances like Anna's, where family members will not be there

like they were in previous years, where loneliness will

become more of a reality. Lord, we pray for your peace to

be our portion for the rest of this year, and not just the rest

of this year but the rest of our lives.

Even as we approach our own death, we can say, Lord now your

servant can depart in peace for we have seen your salvation.

In Jesus name we pray these things, Amen.

Let's worship the living Christ who loves us so deeply.