Christmas in the Words of Simeon

The Christian's Dilemma with Christmas and the Sermon's Approach

0:02 Every earnest Christian seeking to conform every area of his life to the standard of the Word of God will sooner or later find himself confronted with the dilemma of Christmas. What shall he do? Confronted with the return each year of that date assigned in our calendars as December 25th and called Christmas, that frighteningly paganized, quasi-religious event that comes with relentless and with inescapable presence every year. Well, I'm sure most of you are quite aware that there is absolutely nothing in the Word of God that says there is to be any special religious remembrance of the birth of Christ. As it is remembered at Christmas.

1:09 In all probability, even the date December 25th is a good few months removed from the time of our Lord's birth. However, Christmas comes every year. And you don't blink your eyes and wish and say, Christmas go, and find that it obeys. It's there.

1:27 And for any of you who have really wrestled with this dilemma of Christmas, I would encourage you, if you were not present last year, to get the tape from Rod. You're on Christmas to celebrate or not to celebrate. That is the question. And I tried to wrestle with this issue from the standpoint of the Word of God.

1:45 I'm not going to preach again what was preached then. However, this season of the year is upon us again. And since God ministers to us where we are, there perhaps is nothing wrong with seizing this occasion to direct our minds to certain aspects of the Word of God which at least to one degree or another are, in some measure, more prominent in the thinking of God's people. However, I had an added dilemma as I thought of this Lord's Day, and that is this.

2:14 For weeks now, my mind has been filled with but one great overriding spiritual concern, namely the coming of the missionaries who were with us last week, and then the engagement of our minds and hearts in concerns relative to the advancement of the kingdom of Christ around the world. And I'm sure I speak for all of my fellow elders when I say that our minds and spirits are at the point where it's almost psychologically, let alone spiritually, impossible to think of anything other than the great concerns that were laid before us. So here was my added dilemma. There's that Christmas business before me, and in some way I guess I ought to throw a sop at Christmas every year when it rumbles by me, by at least turning to some passage, that is in some way or another connected with it, but how can I be true to my own frame of mind? You see, preaching involves more than just saying words about some passage in Scripture. It involves the whole mind and the whole spirit, the whole man being caught up with the truth that is to be preached. If it's not that, it's not preaching.

3:25 And so I cast about in my mind, is there a passage in the Word of God that will give me the opportunity to give vent to the great inward spirit, the spiritual and mental concerns of the past days, and at the same time at least give some token acknowledgement that Christmas is around the corner? And in casting around in my mind the passage of Scripture which was read in your hearing was brought to my remembrance and I believe the Spirit of God has given me some reason to believe that it is the Word of God to our hearts this morning. This whole incident recorded in Luke chapter 2, verses 22 to 39, this incident that surrounds Simeon, Mary and Joseph, and the infant Jesus. Perhaps one of the most neglected portions of what we commonly call the Christmas story, since it is a little post-Christmas, and yet is in that whole section of events concerning the birth and the early days of the Son of God here upon the earth. Now to think our way through the passage, first of all, I wish briefly to establish the facts of the narrative. What facts does Luke convey to us?

Establishing the Basic Facts of the Narrative

4:40 What is the significance of those facts? And then having done that in a few minutes, I wish in the second place to open up the words of Simeon, particularly his words in verses 30 to 32, and then in conclusion, I wish to make some very necessary applications both to the issue of Christmas as it is celebrated and known, and to the issues that have occupied our minds, in recent days, namely the concerns of God for the evangelization of the world. And I trust you will see that this text very naturally brings those two apparently diverse issues into the closest proximity to each other. First of all, then, establish the basic facts. What do we have in this narrative? Well, Jesus has been born in Bethlehem. The shepherds have paid their visit and gone back to the sphere of responsibility which they have under God there on the Galilean hillsides.

5:40 Jesus has been circumcised, according to verse 21, after the law of Moses. And now, beginning with verse 22, we have this event which is triggered by another requirement of the Old Testament Levitical law, namely the requirement for the purification of a mother after she has given birth to a child. Now, according to Leviticus chapter 12, and you can read this at your leisure, when a mother gave birth to a son, she was considered unclean for seven days or until the eighth day in which the boy was circumcised and for thirty-three days thereafter. And so, after a sum total of forty days from the time of the boy's birth, the mother of that child was to come to the temple for purification ceremonies and ceremonial purification in the way appointed. Now, involved in this is also another requirement found in Exodus chapter 13, verses 13 and 15, relative to a firstborn son. And in this passage, you have not only Mary going to the temple to fulfill the requirement for purification, which would be true of any child and in particular of any son, but you also have this incident that, finds its sphere of reference

7:06 concerning the peculiar requirements for the parents of a firstborn son. And this all goes back to the Exodus from Egypt and God's desire to bring continually before the minds of His people the nature of their redemption by blood and by power. Now, it's in that situation, Mary and Joseph, bringing this son who was made under the law, made of a woman, bringing this son up to the temple for that two-fold purpose, Mary's purification and the peculiar requirements of an offering on behalf of the firstborn son. And in the midst of this is this almost staggering statement, staggering in its simplicity and yet also in the profundity of the things that surround it, verse 25, and behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. What do we know about him? Well, the only thing we know for certain is that he was a man and that he was in Jerusalem.

The Character and Piety of Simeon

8:17 And Bible scholars have made their conjectures and their guesses and they have written of their surmisings. But after all is said and done, the Holy Ghost has left this simple record. There was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. In Jerusalem, the seat of all the decadence, the externalism and the barrenness of Israel as a nation, here was a man who shone for the genuineness of his piety for notice how he is described.

8:54 This man in Jerusalem concerning whom nothing was said previously, concerning whom nothing is said subsequently, this man was a righteous and devout man looking for the consolation of Israel and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And in that brief statement we are told some amazing things about this man. Living in the midst of Phariseeism with all of its disgusting externalism as exposed by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 23. Living in the midst of a nation that in a few short years will express its utterance of the God they profess to love in the crucifixion of his only begotten son this very infant brought to the temple at this time. Yet in the midst of that there is a man who is described as just, better translated righteous and it means nothing less than the fact he was a justified man. He was a man who like David had come to see that sin was not found in ceremonial defilement but sin was the pollution of his own heart. He had come to discover that his sin was against God and he had looked completely outside of himself for acceptance before this God.

10:16 He was a justified man. Furthermore he is described as a devout man. That is a man who took seriously the obligations incumbent upon those who are justified. He was no Old Testament antinomian who said save by the grace free from the law I'll live like a man.

10:35 He was not like an outlaw. No, he was a righteous man who in love to the God who justified him lived a devout and a godly life. But we are not only told that he was a justified man a godly man but he was an expectant man looking for the consolation of Israel. All of his hopes were focused upon the coming of the promised one.

11:03 He, like so many other godly Jews had had his expectations enlivened by the Old Testament prophecies concerning the coming of that one who would bruise the head of the serpent. And then we read in the fourth place that he was a spiritual man. The Holy Spirit was upon him. And everything in the subsequent narrative indicates the depth of his true spirituality.

11:32 The Spirit reveals to him that he will not die. Until he has seen the coming of the just one. And he comes into the temple under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Not only justified, godly, expectant but he was a truly spiritual man in every sense of the biblical meaning of that word.

11:55 And now verse 27. Somewhere in the outer court beyond which the women could not go that court into which I'm sorry to which the women could go there was a section where they could go Gentiles the outer court and the various sections of the temple somewhere in that part of the temple where Mary and Anna would be permitted as women we have this again amazingly simple narrative. He came in the spirit to the temple when the parents brought him the child Jesus that they might do concerning him after the custom of the law then he received him into his arms. How he knew that this was the promised one we are not told. Why Mary was disposed to yield up her infant to the arms of what was probably almost a total stranger to her we do not know. None of these questions that we raise is of any consequence and therefore God omits them in order that we might catch the emphasis of the concern of his own heart and try to picture now this situation. You as a mother who already has heard strange things as we might call the foster father of this child one who knows that his conception was not due to your function as the paternal element in childbearing

Simeon's Words About Himself: Release from Service

13:23 but that that child was conceived in the womb of your wife by the Holy Ghost you are coming to the temple already your mind is reeling with the thought of the strange events of the coming of the shepherds and the unusualness of the conception and as you enter into that court where the women could go suddenly there stands in your midst this person whom you probably have never met before and he indicates something that makes you feel a spirit of release in placing your infant in his arms and then there breaks from his lips these words and he blessed God and said and there follows then this amazing statement of Simeon. Well, those are the facts. Now with those facts in mind let us address ourselves in the second place to the words of Simeon and Simeon's words can be divided into two major categories. He says a few things about himself and then he says some blessed things about the Savior. What does he say about himself? Verse 29 Now lettest thou thy servant depart, Lord, according to thy word in the name of the Lord.

14:34 Now lettest thou thy servant depart, Lord, according to thy word in peace. A better rendering would be Now art thou releasing thy slave, supreme master, according to thy word in peace. For Simeon does not use the normal word for Lord but he uses the word from which we get our English word despot. And this is a picture of a slave being released from his legitimate master to a life of freedom.

15:05 Now, what happened after the declaration went forth that all the slaves in our country should be released and when a slave master would gather his slaves before him and formally release them from all legal obligation to his rule. This is the picture here. Simeon says as he holds the infant Jesus in his arms, O God, you are my despot, my supreme master. Now you are releasing me from this world.

15:35 This sphere of serving you and worshipping you to be called up to a higher sphere of worshipping and serving you. Now that text in itself is just bristles and oozes with all kinds of preachable material concerning the relationship of a justified godly spiritual man to his Lord. It speaks worlds concerning the Christian's attitude to death and I must just sweep over all of that because our concern is not just not the element of the text that focuses on Simeon's words about himself but we want to focus upon his words concerning the babe that he holds in his arms. Verses 30 through 32.

The Purpose of Christ's Coming: Salvation

16:20 And the key to an understanding of what Simeon says concerning the infant Jesus is to be found in these three words. Mine eyes have seen thy salvation which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples. There are three fundamental lines of thought in the declaration of Simeon and they are bound up in the words salvation prepared and all peoples. And if you understand the significance of those words you will have somewhat of an accurate understanding of why you are why Jesus Christ was sent to this earth. First of all we have a word concerning the purpose of his coming. Mine eyes he says to God have seen thy salvation literally translated it would be mine eyes have seen your saving thing.

17:30 And it's a unique construction used only two other times I believe in the New Testament. Mine eyes have seen your saving thing. Now is he calling Jesus a thing? No.

17:42 But what he's saying is this. In looking upon this infant I am beholding that mighty thing that you God are doing in order to save men namely in fleshing your own son. Sending the promised Messiah who would be the son given and the child born who would be born who would be the mighty God the everlasting Father. And he sees in this act of incarnation this enfleshment of God he sees the thing that God is doing which will issue in the salvation of his people.

18:25 And as he beholds the infant Jesus he sees the beginning of those mighty acts which will go on to the very agonies of Gethsemane. Gethsemane and Calvary for look at verse 35 he goes on to say and a sword shall pierce through thine own soul. In this saving thing that God has done it is not the enfleshment of God alone that will bring to pass that salvation it must lead from the innocency of the babe in the arms to the awful baptism and agonies of Gethsemane and Calvary and Simeon with prophetic vision sees that as he declares the purpose of his coming as being nothing more or nothing less than a purpose that terminates upon the significance of the word salvation. The purpose of the manifestation of the Son of God is to effect salvation that is deliverance from sin and its consequences by his own mighty work and of course you cannot help but think of the text in Matthew 1 in verse 21 the words of the angel announced at the very conception of the Lord Jesus thou shalt call his name Jesus for he shall save his people

19:55 from their sins. You see Simeon being a man truly spiritual was a man whose mind was filled with biblical concepts and the man whose mind is filled with biblical concepts is a man or woman in whose mind the greatest issues are the issues of God sin judgment wrath heaven hell forgiveness pardon justification holiness godliness these are the great commodities out of which the religion of the Bible is constructed and in which we find this great man Simeon constantly and in a very focused way thinking at this time to those for whom these are the real issues the true meaning of the coming of the son of God is very evident in the passage like this as he holds the babe mine eyes have seen thy salvation he cannot think for a moment of holding the incarnate God without thinking of the purpose for which he came to deliver men from their sins may I press the question upon your conscience this morning as you read the Christmas story as you hear it

21:24 read as you hear and as you sing the carols what word is more precious above all others as you as it were hold the babe in your arms what about you children the are you glad that Jesus came that first Christmas so that people somewhere along the line could decree that December 25th should be Christmas so you can get those things you've been wanting all year is that all you see and is that all you think of when you think of the coming of the son of God or does your mind instinctively not just at this season but throughout every day of every year that God gives you to live does it think of the son given in terms of the salvation wrought by the son if you like Simeon are a justified spiritual godly man or woman boy or girl the purpose of the coming of the son of God will constantly be present in your mind not in a surface way when triggered by this quasi semi religious and pagan festivity called Christmas the constant awareness of your obligations to God which again and again you do not meet by the awareness of the need of cleansing and pardon and deliverance from guilt and the power of sin if you carry those

22:54 things around in your bosom you will carry around in that same bosom of cherishing of the salvation of God in Jesus Christ and so the first thing that Simeon Simeon's words reveal are a revelation concerning the purpose or is a revelation concerning the purpose of his coming but then secondly Simeon shows some understanding concerning the origin of his coming notice the word mine eyes have seen thy salvation which thou hast prepared before the face of all people now this word prepare is a word the meaning of which is easy to understand turn to the gospel of Matthew for two instances where this same word is used Matthew chapter 22 and verse 14 this has special meaning at holiday seasons when there are special meals and special preparations for those meals Matthew 22 and verse 4 in the parable of the king who made a marriage feast for his son we read verse 2 the kingdom of heaven is likened unto a certain

The Origin of Christ's Coming: God's Eternal Plan

24:24 king who made a marriage feast for his son and he sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the marriage feast and they would not come and he sent forth other servants saying tell them that are bidden behold I have made ready my dinner my oxen and my fatlings are killed and all things are ready now suppose you came to such a feast where someone is declared everything has been made ready it's the same word everything is prepared what does it mean well it means that someone has thought out clearly all that would be needed to provide a feast for X number of guests they have gone to the trouble of cooking the meat and preparing the salads and setting the table so the moment you come through the door your instinct is to stay everything is prepared it speaks of forethought fore planning fore concern you simply don't come through and find a chicken running around and a cow running around and a stack of dishes in the corner and rolled up in another corner some napkins and thrown over in another corner some silverware and the fellas go to it it's all there there's no preparation everything was ready now that's the word that's used it is the salvation

25:53 Simeon says which God has prepared Matthew 26 and verse 17 a similar reference now on the first day of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus saying where wilt thou that we make ready for thee to eat the Passover where wilt thou that we prepare for thee and the same thought is inherent in the text so what does Simeon say concerning the origin of the coming of Jesus Christ he says that he looks upon it not as an afterthought in the mind of God but as he holds the enfleshment of God in his hands he says this thing given this thing done the gift of the sun is not an afterthought it is not the result of some last minute hurried arrangement of God because he's been caught in a pinch with sin and man's inability to deliver himself and something must be done no no he looks upon this as the manifestation of God's forethought God's fore concern God's fore planning to use the vigorous biblical terms God's fore ordination and God's pre destination my friend it is not some perverse theological

27:22 hobby horse that we ride when we emphasize that you dare not look upon Jesus of Nazareth and divorce him and his mission from God's purposes rooted in eternity for Simeon in the height of devotional expression gives us this statement concerning the origin of the coming of Jesus Christ that origin being nothing less than God's eternal plan and purpose now coming to light in time mine eyes have seen thy salvation which thou hast prepared for you see in God's salvation the initiative is always with God both in thought and in execution in thought he is the lamb slain from the foundation of the world in purpose he is the one in whom we were chosen before the foundation of the world in execution when the fullness of time was come God sent forth his son in the application when it pleased God to reveal his son in me it is God who said to our first parents I will put enmity between thee and between the woman between thy seed and her seed it was God

28:50 who declared that a deliverer would come there is no looking upon the coming of the son of God that makes any sense apart from the perspective of Simeon it is the salvation which God has prepared could you look upon that banquet room with all of the steaming meat and the well prepared sitting in the right place upon the table could you look upon all the plates and the cutlery and all of the rest and say this just happened to be the first thought you would have if you saw a well arranged meal in which every need of all of the guests was provided you say someone has given careful loving thought to prepare for this feast when you behold the perfection of the person and work of Jesus Christ you are forced to confess someone has given loving careful forethought that such a savior should be provided who so perfectly meets every need that I have as a sinner and so the second great declaration of Simeon is a declaration concerning the origin of the coming but then thirdly not only his purpose but also his purpose

The Intended Benefactors of Christ's Coming: All Peoples

30:19 not only the origin but the intended benefactors of his coming verses 30 and 31 thine eyes have seen thy salvation which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples that's the basic statement and then he expounds that and says before all peoples by that I mean a light for revelation to the Gentiles which in Simeon's mind using the word he used meant the heathen hordes who had never had the benefit of covenantal relationship to God as did the Jews and the glory of thy people Israel and here Simeon shows a clear understanding of the intended or who are to be the intended benefactors of the coming of the just one let me look at those phrases with you briefly when he says which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples he has a perspective that is broader than that enunciated in verse ten the message of the angels was this be not afraid for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people singular and it would have been proper for these shepherds to understand that message is saying Israel's savior has come

31:48 the one who shall deliver the twelve tribes of Israel he has come it was a message saying great joy to all the people but not so with Simeon he says it is a salvation prepared before the face of all the peoples so that there is in that statement this wonderful declaration that the benefactors of the coming of Jesus Christ will not be one of the tribes of Israel nor all of the tribes of national Israel but all of the peoples scattered across the face of the entire earth and that this is the proper understanding is enforced by verse thirty two a light for revelation to the Gentiles that is a light the revelation of which will perfectly suit the need of all the Gentiles the very word Jesus uses when he gives the commission in Matthew twenty eight and says make disciples of all the Gentiles all the nations precisely the same word no racial national cultural distinctions they are all broken down and as Simeon holds the babe in his arms he is given to see that this one is God's intended deliverer of a great multitude whom no man can number out of every kindred tribe

33:17 and tongue and nation and then of course he says the glory of thy people Israel and sad to say that Israel in unbelief regards as her greatest shame what God says is her greatest glory it is a shame to an Israelite after the flesh to be told that the Gentile Savior has come from Jewish loins but the glory of Israel according to the apostle in Romans nine is that to Israel was given the covenants to Israel the promises to Israel the oracles and her crowning blessing was what of whom as concerning the flesh Christ has come and so Simeon in this wonderful prophetic word declares that the intended benefactors of the coming of Jesus is to be the nations and Israel as a man of the spirit he was a man of the word and he could not escape this dimension for instance in the prophecy of Isaiah chapter 42 and verse 6 again in chapter 49 and verse 6 again in chapter 60 verses 1 to 3 there is this prophetic announcement that the Savior would be given not only as the restorer of Israel but as a light to the

34:46 Gentiles and shortly after this very announcement of Simeon when we fit the chronology of the various gospel records together something that is very difficult to do in some places but not here this is where we fit the record of Matthew chapter 2 there were wise men coming from the east that is from the farthest reaches of the then known world clustered around the infancy of Jesus is this coming of the Magi what are they they are not a feeble excuse for the exchange of presents on Christmas and God's not have mercy on everybody who tries to use the wise men presenting gifts as the rationale for our giving gifts they have about as much to do with one another as bananas with Boeing 707s if you give gifts do it as part of our cultural heritage the message of the wise men is not some kind of a backhanded rationale for the exchange of gifts it's the first salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ it's God's saying he shall be a light to the nations and I'll bring them from the farthest nations to bow at the feet of the infant Jesus and if God could bring them when there was no

36:15 New Testament there was no proclamation of evangelists and scholars write their tones trying to find out how in the world did those magi know of Christ what revelation had they my friends if God can bring them from afar with but the glimmering light that they had what shall he do now that the fullness of the light has dawned in the Son of God and we have the word of God in our hands the intended benefactors of the coming of the Son of God the nations the Gentiles and God brings those magi and there weren't three of them all the postcards notwithstanding there was more than one because it speaks in the plural could have been two could have been twenty but you said they presented gold frankincense and myrrh well two hundred could have presented those three kinds of gifts as well as two now you can take a minute and look in your Bible if you don't believe in it some of you just now it doesn't say three well it must why all well you just read it when you find it you have a standing offer to preach the next sermon to shoot me down as being inaccurate no there are no three magi we just know there were some

37:42 and what's the great significance the fulfillment of Simeon's prophecy and we see the Lord giving the earnest the pledge and after this one has passed through the baptism prophesied in this very subsequent part of the prophecy in the sword pierced through the soul of Mary as she beheld her son after the flesh in that awful baptism of rejection by men bearing the judgment of God upon Calvary that risen Lord now stands and says make disciples of all the nations take the message of my salvation to the ends of the earth this I would submit is at least a brief overview of the words of Simeon now what does this say to us at this Christmas season having given the basic facts of the narrative having attempted to open up the words of Simeon now we come in conclusion to some fundamental application to our own hearts let me suggest first of all that we must all by faith do as Simeon did both by faith and in the flesh and what was that he embraced in love and trust the Lord's Christ

Application: Embrace Christ and Share His Salvation

39:12 the Holy Spirit within him singled out the one who was the focus of all of his expectations we read in the narrative that he was waiting he was looking for the consolation of Israel and when he came in the temple that day under the leading of the Holy Spirit verse 27 he came in the spirit into the temple somehow he knew how we do not know but in the spirit he was led of the spirit to embrace the one who was incarnate by the power of the spirit and my friend until you hold him in the arms of faith until you embrace him as the one in whom alone every expectation of your heart can be found in its truest fulfillment you've missed the whole purpose for which he was set you must stand as did Simeon seeing in Jesus of Nazareth God's gift to needy sinners seeing in the one who was wounded who was pierced who was bruised the only savior suitable to the need of sinners and I plead then with every man woman child boy or girl in this place today if God can use this pagan celebration

40:41 to make your mind even slightly disposed to think of this question why was there a Bethlehem why a manger and oh my friend into that disposition of at least inquiry I would seek to pour in the light of God's truth he was given to be a savior thou shall call his name Jesus that which he demands of you in loving but regal authority is that you embrace him as your savior that you cast yourself at his feet and own him as your own now I say to you who by the grace of God have been brought to the place where Simeon was by the spirit you have seen yourself as a sinner and you have embraced the Lord Jesus as your only hope of mercy do you see the implications of Christmas for you if Jesus Christ was given to be salvation prepared before the face of all peoples a light for the revelation of Gentiles do you see the incongruity of any apparent rejoicing in the gift of God that is

42:10 not matched with the deepest concern for the sharing of that gift with the nations he was given not to be the gift squandered in some form of spiritual self-centeredness and spiritual gluttony he is the gift given to become the gift shared freely he hath received the scripture says freely give now do you see why I was bold to assert earlier today that this text brings together genuine missionary concern that is concern for the advancement of the kingdom of Christ around the world into the nations with the very incarnation of the son of God for you see wherever the spirit is present you will always find the two factors that dominate in Simeon's experience number one attachment to Jesus and the understanding that Jesus is savior of the nations you see that in the narrative let me just pick out some phrases that will underscore this back to Luke 2 and the Holy Spirit was upon him it had been revealed by the spirit when he came in the spirit

43:39 he received him into his arms the evidence of the working of the Holy Spirit is not chills up and down our spine it's not tongues it's not prophecies it's not extraordinary manifestations the indisputable evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit is this loving attachment to Jesus as revealed in scripture being a man under the influence of the spirit coming by the direction of the spirit into the proximity of the Lord Jesus he embraced him he received him in his arms my friend if the spirit of God is at work in you this will be the acid test what is your estimation of Jesus do you see him worthy of your trust worthy of your confidence worthy of your allegiance that's the great test but there is a second test the same spirit who led Simeon to embrace him as the Lord's Christ and therefore as his own Christ as his prophet priest and king caused him to see that he was given not just to a Simeon here and there and a Simeon there and yonder but the same spirit revealed to him he was God's salvation

45:08 prepared before the face of all the people a light for the revelation of the Gentile this speaks worlds to us as a congregation dear people we do and thank God we are warranted to do so we do rejoice in what God in mercy has revealed to us in past days and months and years of the glory of Christ where once we saw him in a light other than that which the scriptures truly present him we

46:13 Oh dear people the acid test that this is indeed a work of the spirit is that we will be led on to see that this perfect Jesus who is suitable to all our needs is given a light to the Gentiles he is given to be a revelation to the Gentiles salvation prepared for all the peoples and if the Holy Ghost is indeed working in us I am absolutely convinced that one of the acid test will be a new understanding of this dimension and a new commitment to its implications God is going to lay upon us new demands new privileges with reference to Jesus Christ and his design for the nations my friend listen don't be afraid of that one of the I think the most tragic things in evangelical circles at least my experience has been the idea that the minute you begin to talk about missionary responsibility and all the rest suddenly we've got to try to hide unless the Lord's going to get us well you'll feel that way if you don't behold his glory but if you see the glory of this one have we anything to fear from so gracious a sovereign his ways are good his will is perfect

47:41 and I trust that God will bring us as a congregation to a new dimension I don't know what else to call it it's not anything qualitatively new we're not looking for some third work of grace you get saved get to baptism and then you get your missionary vision no no I don't mean that at all so I don't know what else to call it but a new dimension of concern that the purpose for which Christ was given come to light through this assembly where God has been pleased to shower upon us gifts and graces and opportunities which are now a frightening stewardship to be dispensed under the lordship of Christ to the good of the nations well this I submit is some of the legitimate application of the words of Simeon I close by asking the simple question has the Holy Spirit brought you to see in the Lord Jesus one who is worthy to be held in the deepest bonds of faith and submission that's what it's all about being a Christian is simply coming into that living relationship with the son of God in faith in love and submission

49:05 can you answer yes to that question I do trust him I do embrace him I do receive him I do acknowledge like Simeon that I must go out of myself if I'm to find forgiveness and acceptance and pardon if I'm ever to be a righteous man if I'm ever to know any true measure of godliness or true devotion as the term is used in this passage like Simeon I must see my sinfulness and see that the only provision for that sinfulness is to be found in the salvation which God has prepared in his own beloved son oh that God would use this simple meditation this morning to bring you to embrace him or to change the figure to bring you like the magi to bow at his feet and own him as your king and your savior and my final question in this I bear down upon the conscience of every member of this assembly are you prepared to pray oh God having led me by the spirit to behold your son as worthy of my trust by the same spirit help me to know how I fit into your purpose to make him a light to the Gentiles if you're a Christian certainly you have no reservation in praying that prayer do you

50:35 well begin to pray it in earnest begin to plead with God in earnest that whatever his being a light to the nations means in your experience in our experience as a congregation that God will give us wisdom to know what that means and grace that to do his holy will and I'm convinced that that's true of us as a congregation by next year this time some of us aren't going to be here geographically and I don't say us editorially God has the right to take any one of us in a place of leadership and transport us to spread the light of the son of God oh but I'm just a secretary God God owns your secretarial gifts he may want to transport you to another place to exercise those gifts to be a light to the Gentiles well I'm just a con I work in a factory well there are factories in other lands where there is no gospel night but I'm just a little boy ah but you can pray you can begin to read your National Geographic magazine seriously and when you see those strange looking peoples instead of coming running and saying mommy look how funny they live you can say mommy Jesus was given for people like this if not a child a man a woman a boy or girl in this place who is exempt from the application of the

52:03 text may God give us grace to feel its weight and trustfully to wait upon him to lead us let us pray