WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM SIMEON
We are continuing our Christmas series.
We have been learning a lot of spiritual lessons from the wise men, Mary and Joseph and the shepherds.
From the wise men, we learned that it is always wise to seek the Lord.
From Mary, we learned that we need a Savior from our sins.
From Joseph, we learned that we can trust His plan for our lives even though we cannot at first understand it.
From the shepherds, we learned that when we listen to the message and act on it, it brings great joy in our lives.
The Christmas season is not only a time of celebration but of learning new spiritual truths.
There was a story of a store owner who was doing some last minute Christmas shopping with his young son.
Suddenly, he saw another store owner with whom he had been friends for some time.
The two of them exchanged greetings and spoke with each other.
They talk about what a financially profitable season it had been for their respective stores.
The small boy overheard his father say, "This has been the best Christmas ever.!"
As the store owners parted company, the father and son continued their shopping.
But the father noticed his son had become very quiet.
He inquired as to his son's silence.
His son replied, "Dad, you just told Mr. Johnson that this was the best Christmas ever."
His dad replied, "I did, son. The economy is great, and the people are really spending a lot."
"O.K.", the son replied, "It's just that I always thought that the first Christmas was the best one ever."
Indeed, the first Christmas is the best ever because Christ came to be one of us and to fulfill the purpose of the Father.
That is why we need to keep on learning new spiritual truths this Christmas.
So, what new things have you been learning this Christmas?
Today, we will learn from the life of Simeon.
Many of you probably are not familiar with this man.
He was present at the temple courts when Joseph and Mary brought the boy Jesus to present him to the Lord.
Simeon was a devout and righteous man.
In fact, he had been waiting patiently for the Messiah to come.
The Holy Spirit told him that he would not die until he saw for himself the Messiah.
And so, when he saw the little boy Jesus, he took him by his arms and blessed him.
He also declared words that made Mary and Joseph marveled at the things that God has planned for their son.
These words are part of the Christmas message for us to reflect upon.
WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THE LIFE OF SIMEON:
1. SIMEON WAS WAITING FOR THE CONSOLATION OF ISRAEL
Luke 2:25-26 (NIV) "25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.
The name "Simeon" means "God has heard."
That means, he was close to God's heart and his prayers had been heard by God.
His two character traits are being righteous and devout.
Being righteous refers to his moral conduct among the people while devout refers to his devotion and commitment to God.
We need to develop these two character traits in our lives as well if we want to grow in spiritual maturity.
We need to live a good moral conduct before the eyes of God and men and we need to be devoted to God as well.
And of course, we can only do that if we have Christ in our hearts and we obey the Holy Spirit in our lives.
It is said further in the text that Simeon was a man who has been waiting and watching for the consolation of Israel.
That means as he studied carefully the prophesies from the Scriptures particularly the Book of Daniel and Isaiah, he discovered that the Messiah is coming soon.
And so, he was expectant, full of anticipation and very hopeful that someday, the promised Messiah would come.
And in fact, he asked the Lord in prayer that if possible, he will be able to see personally for himself the Lord's Messiah before he dies.
And the Lord granted his request.
After all, his name was, "The Lord has heard."
According to verse 26, it has been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he sees the Lord's Messiah.
Hence, he waited patiently even though it took him many years of waiting before he sees the Messiah.
Daily, he would go to the temple to worship God, to watch and wait.
Until one day, the Lord has answered his prayers.
He saw the Messiah and he held Him in his hands.
My brothers and sisters, in the same manner, as we celebrate the Christmas season, we must be expectant, hopeful and full of anticipation as we also wait for the second coming of the Lord.
We must not be discouraged because He will come again.
In fact, the first coming of Christ came on that first Christmas day when he was born in the manger in order to give himself as the sacrifice to take away our sins.
But on His Second coming, He will take us to be with Him forever in the mansion He has prepared for us.
This is the full salvation and redemption of our lives.
This brings us to Lesson No. 1 BE EXPECTANT FOR THE COMING OF CHRIST
Hebrews 9:28(NIV) 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him."
The word "wait" in this verse means to remain expectant even though there might be a brief delay.
But the problem is that there are a lot of people who are impatient and who can't wait.
And in this Christmas season, we will always be tested whether we have patience or not.
Everywhere you go, imagine the long line of customers waiting to pay at the nearest cash register.
I was reading a news recently that says "Walmart will deploy Holiday helpers" to improve checkout this holiday season.
These holiday workers are actually workers clad in bright yellow with a Santa hat that will help you find the shortest line.
I wonder if these had been deployed already in all Walmart stores nationwide.
But the truth is, people don't want to wait.
Even Christians are impatient sometimes.
A great preacher once said, "Celebrating the Christmas season means learning how to wait."
That is true. Because a good Christian should know how to wait patiently.
And as he waits, he knows how to voice his deepest fears and frustration to God.
Waiting and watching therefore is a good virtue that we need to develop this Christmas season.
And Christ will help you develop these virtues.
You see, watching and praying are always correlated according to the Scriptures.
Matthew 26:41(NIV) 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Luke 21:36(NIV) 36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”
Do you know that during the Christmas season, many of us will lose our patience?
There was a survey of 1,003 adults done many years ago by the Associated Press with the following discoveries:
*On hold on the phone, most people lose their patience in nine minutes.
*Women lost their patience after waiting in line for about eighteen minutes. Most men lose it after fifteen minutes.
*People with lower income and less education are more patient than those with college education and a high income.
*People who live in the suburbs are more patient than people who live in the city.
Brothers and sisters, patience is the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
When we have the Holy Spirit, we learn patience.
When we learn patience, we know how to wait.
When we know how to wait, we will enjoy the Christmas season.
And when we enjoy the Christmas season, we have less stress and we have more time with the family.
And so, let me ask you some questions.
What are you waiting for this Christmas?
Some expensive Christmas gifts such as new gadgets or expensive clothes?
Simeon was not focused on material things while waiting but on the coming Consolation of Israel.
He was patiently waiting for the coming of Christ.
And as he was waiting, he was living a holy life and he was in constant prayer to God.
While we wait for the coming of Christ, we live a holy life and we keep in constant prayer to God.
While we wait for the coming of Christ, we share the gospel to others.
While we wait for the coming of Christ, we do not allow the world to pollute our minds with sinful thoughts.
Someday, Christ will come again and we must be ready for His coming.
Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel.
2. SIMEON WAS MOVED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT
Luke 2:27-32 (NIV) "27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss[d] your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.”
The second thing we could learn is that Simeon was moved by the Holy Spirit as he went into the temple courts.
When he entered the house of the Lord, He was filled by the Spirit of God.
He was in constant communion with the Holy Spirit during that time.
That is why when Mary and Joseph arrived with the child, he knew right away that this is the Messiah he has been waiting all along these years.
There was no doubt about it.
There was no question that this was the right child.
This truth was revealed to him by the Holy Spirit in his life.
And so, without any hesitation and introduction to the parents, he took the baby in his arms and declared the following words.
"I have seen the salvation of the Lord through this child."
"I have seen a great light for all the nation through this child."
This last sentence was actually taken from Isaiah 9:2 (NIV) " The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned."
Light has always been a symbol of the presence of God.
Whenever there is God, there is God's presence.
And we could find that light in Jesus our Lord and Savior.
Jesus said, I am the light of the world. He that follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.
Our Savior is the true light that can overcome darkness.
When we receive Christ in our hearts, the light of God shine in us and we will never be in darkness anymore.
That is why Simeon saw this great light and he knew that all the nations need that light because they are in darkness.
And then, he continued to declare these words regarding this child.
"I have seen the great revelation to the gentiles through this child."
"I have seen the glory for all the people of Israel through this child."
Simeon is full of joy and praises to God after seeing Christ and holding Him in his arms.
Imagine, what a great privilege it is to see the Lord Jesus Christ in person and touching the Savior.
If you have been in his shoes, you would have felt the same excitement.
With that, Simeon is now ready to die in peace because he has received the promise and he has seen the Lord.
He has accomplished his objective of seeing the expected Messiah that has been prophesied many years back.
To be filled by the Holy Spirit, we must be emptied of self.
When you are moved by the Holy Spirit, you are able to declare those wonderful things about Christ because the Holy Spirit testifies of Christ.
When you are moved by the Holy Spirit, you are not afraid of death because it only frees us from the burdens of this life and leads us into the blessings of the next life.
We need to be moved by the Holy Spirit to celebrate the joy of Christmas.
We need to be filled by the presence of the Holy Spirit to understand the meaning of Christmas.
That is what Simeon is declaring here about Christ.
And this is what we need to declare about Christ as well.
And so, the lesson we can learn this Christmas from the life of Simeon is.
Lesson No. 2 BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST.
Ephesians 5:18(NIV) 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,"
Instead of being drunk with wine, we are told to be filled with the Spirit of God.
To be filled with the Holy Spirit means to be filled with Christ because the Holy Spirit came to glorify Christ.
Therefore, if I am filled with the Spirit, I have seen the salvation of the Lord through Christ.
When I am filled with the Spirit of Christ, I have seen a great light that can bring salvation to all the nation through Christ.
When I am filled with the Spirit of Christ, I can also see the glory for all the people of Israel through Christ.
Christ will become the greatest gift this Christmas when we are filled with the Spirit of Christ.
There was a story of a television interviewer who was walking the streets of Tokyo at Christmas time.
Just like in America, Christmas shopping is a big commercial success in Japan.
The interviewer stopped a young woman on the sidewalk and asked, "What is the meaning of Christmas?"
Laughing, she responded, "I don't know. Is that the day that Jesus died?"
There might be some truth in her answer.
Because to many people whose hearts are filled with materialism, Christmas can be the day that Jesus died.
But to us who are being saved, Christmas is the day that Christ was born.
There was also the story of some atheists who would always complain at the nativity scene being set up every year at the capitol in South Dakota.
The Governor of that State, Bill Janklow decided to do something about it.
And so, he prepared a large area to let every religion put something on display in the capitol.
And of course, for the atheists, there was an "empty corner."
They have nothing to put in that corner.
Brothers and sisters, to those without Christ, there will be an empty life.
But for us who believe in Christ, there will be a baby born in the manger to bring salvation to the lost world.
No wonder, Simeon declared those marvelous truths about Christ.
And so, who is Christ to you?
An empty corner or a brilliant light in the midst of darkness?
John 12:46(NIV) 46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness."
First, we learned that Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel.
Second we learned that he was moved by the Holy Spirit.
3. SIMEON BLESSED THE FAMILY OF JOSEPH AND MARY
Luke 2:33-35 (NIV) "33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him.34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
Here we find what Simeon did next after his marvelous declaration concerning Christ, the Messiah.
Verse 34 says that Simeon began to speak blessing to the entire family particularly to Mary, the mother of Jesus.
He said that this child will cause the falling and rising of many in Israel.
That means, because of Christ, many in Israel will fall in conviction of sin and then rise in salvation of soul.
Even today, many of God's people in Israel stumble over the Cross and do not understand that Jesus is their chief cornerstone - the solid rock in whom we stand.
We must fall upon the Rock and be broken before we can be uplifted in Christ.
Self must be dethrone, pride must be buried if we would know the glory of the spiritual kingdom.
Christmas therefore tells us that Christ died for our sins so that when we believe in Him, we would rise intro glory.
Because of His resurrection, the greatest weapon that Satan has over us called death has been utterly defeated.
Glory to God.
Simeon's eyes has been opened to the truth about the Messiah.
He received a special revelation and blessing from God through Christ.
No wonder, he declared those blessings to the family of Joseph.
The Bible teaches us that when we receive God's blessings in Christ, we should begin to bless others as well.
The blessing be received should flow naturally and regularly to others that we come in contact with.
In fact, when we bless others, God takes care of our needs and we are richly provided ourselves.
Blessing others therefore is a way to help other people in need.
And when we begin help other people even though we ourselves are in need,
God assumes responsibility for our problems so that our load will be lighter to carry.
Our blessing to others therefore will come back to us, Praise the Lord.
This is the message of Christmas that we can learn from Simeon.
The more we bless other people, the more God blesses us in return.
Generosity will always beget generosity.
Blessings will always beget blessings.
Love will always beget more love.
We cannot out give God.
He always has more to give us in return.
And so, my brothers and sisters, let us learn these valuable lessons from the life of Simeon.
When he saw the child, he receive a great revelation from God, was blessed by the Spirit and began blessings the family and God in return blessed him with a fulfilled life.
That is why he was ready to die to peace.
Simeon said further that Christ is a sign that will be spoken against.
What do you mean by the word "sign"?
That means Christ is the living miracle or witness to the love of the Father.
He is the symbol of man's salvation.
He is the revelation of the divine truth given by God to men.
That is why we need to receive Christ as Lord and Savior.
However, there are others, instead of admiring Him, instead of accepting Him, they attacked him and spoke against Him.
His birth was a miracle yet they slandered it.
They said that His miracles were done in the power of Satan.
They said that His character was questionable.
They slandered His death.
They lied about His resurrection.
People even spoke against His Coming again.
Christ is the sign that will be spoken against.
No wonder, people do not understand the real meaning of Christmas.
The greatest sign and the greatest miracle is not the amusement of this world that is here today and is gone tomorrow.
The greatest sign that Simeon is prophesying is about the miracle of Christ's birth - God in the flesh.
When Simeon understood the meaning of the sign, he blessed the family of Jesus.
When you understand the meaning of Christmas, you will be so happy and will bless people around you.
This brings us to Lesson No. 3 BE A BLESSING TO OTHERS or SPEAK BLESSINGS TO ONE ANOTHER.
Numbers 6:23-27New International Version (NIV)
23 “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:
24 “‘“The Lord bless you and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”’
27 “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”
Receive Christ.
Recommit your life to God.
Obey the Holy Spirit in your life.
Live a life of holiness.
Be a blessing to others.
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