Week Commencing January 24th 2021

Devotional Materials. Week Commencing Sunday 24^th January 2021

Call to worship

‘The Lord will reign for ever and ever’ Exodus 15:18

‘The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever.’ 2 Timothy 4:18

When Jesus was presented as a baby in the temple the Lord guided Simeon to be there so that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s anointed. So too the Lord has ‘prepared’ salvation in the sight of all people. There is a clear sense of God’s sovereign control and leading in our passage from Luke’s Gospel this morning.

Reading. Luke 2:21-35

2²¹ On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived. ²² When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord ²³ (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”, ²⁴ and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”).

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. 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 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.”

³³ The child’s father and mother marvelled 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.”

Our opening hymn encourages our faith in a Sovereign God who is willing to guide and lead us:

Hymn

1 All the way my Saviour leads me–
What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His tender mercy,
Who through life has been my guide?
Heav’nly peace, divinest comfort,
Here by faith in Him to dwell!
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well;
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well.

2 All the way my Saviour leads me–
Cheers each winding path I tread,
Gives me grace for ev'ry trial,
Feeds me with the living bread.
Though my weary steps may falter
And my soul athirst may be,
Gushing from the rock before me,
Lo! a spring of joy I see;
Gushing from the rock before me,
Lo! A spring of joy I see.

3 All the way my Saviour leads me–
Oh, the fullness of His love!
Perfect rest to me is promised
In my Father’s house above.
When my spirit, clothed immortal,
Wings its flight to realms of day,
This my song through endless ages:
Jesus led me all the way;
This my song through endless ages:
Jesus led me all the way.

Fanny Crosby

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEOtFEs0Jos

Opening prayer

Father, we thank you that we can put our whole trust in you. You are all powerful and wise; we are weak, you are strong. We know in part, but your thoughts are higher than ours. We confess a proud independence at times and acknowledge we are restless, until we find our rest in you. We do not always understand what is happening in some of the difficulties we face: but we still entrust ourselves to you; trusting in your goodness and purpose for our lives.

Son of God thank you for your understanding. You have lived this life and you now intercede for us. Lord Jesus cleanse our hearts and fill us with your Holy Spirit. We thank you for every blessing. We acknowledge you fashion our lives to make us more like yourself. Open our eyes so we might worship and praise you as you deserve. Please lead us this morning. Amen.

Hymn

Open our eyes, Lord

We want to see Jesus-

To reach out and touch him

And say that we love him

Open our ears, Lord,

And help us to listen:

O open our eyes, Lord

We want to see Jesus

(Repeat)

Robert Cull

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1k4GMdykUM

Sermon. ‘Simeon. The end of all my searching.’

In obedience to the Jewish law, Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the temple to present him to God. The ceremony is described in Exodus and Numbers (Ex. 13:2, 11-16; Numbers 18:15-16). The first born son was presented to God one month after birth. The ceremony included buying back- redeeming the child- through an offering. Through this, the parents would acknowledge the child belonged to God, who alone had the power to give life.

Luke introduces us to Simeon (verse 25). He was “righteous and devout”. T.S. Eliot wrote a poem entitled “Song for Simeon”, and there he alludes to Simeon’s righteous character: speaking as though he were Simeon, Eliot writes: “I have walked many years in this city, kept faith and fast, provided for the poor, have given and taken honour and ease. There went never any rejected from my door.” But Simeon was a righteous man among many who lived unrighteous lives. This feeling of being surrounded by unrighteousness was made worse by the paganism and oppressiveness of Rome. As Eliot puts it in his poem: “Fleeing from the foreign faces and the foreign swords” and “the time of cords and scourges and lamentations”.

Because Simeon was righteous and devout he was in tune with God. Rather than bewailing the present situation he is presented as a man who was

Waiting in hope

Reality for Simeon, as it is for all men and women of faith, is not the present circumstance alone, however difficult or frustrating. If it were then he would have sunk into bitterness or become a freedom fighter like some of his other countrymen. For righteous Simeon reality was first and foremost directed by God and what God has said. This is where Simeon’s hope came from. Simeon’s mind was steeped in the Scriptures and he knew that God had promised a coming Messiah- a deliverer who would usher in an Age characterised by peace and righteousness.

Simeon was waiting in hope for what devout Jews called “the consolation of Israel” (verse 25). Devout Jews dreamed of the day when the Messiah would bring them comfort and consolation. They drew this expectation from several passages, but most notably Isaiah 40. Verses 1 and 2: “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” In Verses 3 and 4 someone herald’s the coming Messiah insisting, Verse 5, “the glory of the Lord will be revealed and all mankind together will see it. Simeon was waiting in hope for the consolation of Israel, but he was also waiting in hope for the fulfilment of God’s promise. (Verse 26)

Simeon had the scriptural promise of this consolation from the Old Testament prophets, but Simeon had his own personal promise from God that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ (verse 26). This promise came from the Holy Spirit. We are told the Holy Spirit was upon Simeon. The Holy Spirit not only infused Simeon’s life with holiness and a righteous disposition, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of prophesy. The Spirit spoke to Simeon and gave him this individual promise. Not only that, the Holy Spirit led him to be at the temple that very day in order that this private promise be fulfilled; In order that Simeon could see the Christ before he died.

Are you still waiting in hope?

It’s hard to keep hope alive unless it comes from God Himself. When you are young there seems so much to feed your hope. The prospect of learning skills, achieving grades and status, moving on to a career. Then there’s the hope of meeting someone you will fall in love with and marry and possibly have a family with. The hope of making a good network of friends. There’s the hope of obtaining a nice house to live in, perhaps in a desirable area. You may look ahead to developing sports, hobbies, musical gifts and so enjoy times of recreation. You hope for a life time of good health. All these are good, but in practise it’s likely you will end up meeting some form of disappointed in a few of these expectations or even most of them as your life progresses. Even if you were to gain all these things, familiarity sets in and you wonder if there is still something more. Perhaps a change of politician will bring what you are looking for? Some authority figure or pundit will be able to enlighten you and give you a Cause to fight for. You may achieve some real good for a while. All these are “temporal hopes” and at the back of your mind you know every material blessing is passing, and one day all will be taken away. It’s hard to maintain hope when it comes to putting one’s faith in temporal things alone.

Not only this, there is a tendency you also discover within yourself that threatens to wreck the hopes of this life. You enjoy material things, but then you become obsessive or addicted. You value a marriage and family life but then you live selfishly and become neglectful. You find satisfaction in a career but you have to fight off selfish ambition. You start off loving people and using money, and it’s not long before you’re loving money and using people. Fear, anger, envy, lust, pride, legalism, self-righteousness- a whole catalogue of sins threaten to destroy all the good you hope for. Like Paul you might ask “Who will rescue me from this body of death?” Alarmingly you also discover this same tendency in others and- worst still- it’s sometimes directed against you!! Your mind is full of resentment and bitterness and you can’t seem to turn off the accusations you have against those who have sinned against you, you want to get even.

Perhaps you have heard that Jesus can bring you real hope. He can give you ultimate hope beyond your temporal dreams. He can give you Eternal Life that overcomes death and gives meaning to your life so you see all you have here are blessings from God. You have heard He can give you power by the Holy Spirit to overcome the destructive power of the sinful nature. Now God gives you your own promise. His Spirit is prompting you now, as he did Simeon, that if you meet with the Lord Jesus today He will come into your life and bring the deliverance and therefore the true hope you need.

Simeon was waiting in hope.

Simeon was also “Finding in Jesus”.

When Simeon saw the baby Jesus he knew he had found what he had been waiting for. He took him in his arms and praised God. Simeon knew that in his arms lay the Christ, the consolation of Israel. First we can say Simeon found in Jesus salvation for sinners.

Verses 30-32. “For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel”

Notice this salvation is not a system; it’s not a philosophy, a political manifesto or social science experiment. Salvation is a person. Jesus is salvation. Of course we know that Jesus brought about salvation for us through the cross. But it’s Jesus who lives the perfect life, who dies in our place, it’s Jesus who is raised from the dead and ascends to heaven alive for evermore, it’s Jesus who enters the soul of the repentant sinner, it’s Jesus who is with that person ever after- changing, refining, guiding. It’s Jesus who prepares the soul for eternity and who finally bring us to our heavenly home.

Neither is salvation a human construct or solution. It is a divine initiative. It’s his salvation, God has prepared this salvation. And Simeon says this salvation is a light for revelation. In other words this salvation is straight from God! It is directly revealed to us from Him. It’s not a plan or even a big idea from God. It is a person directly from God who shines out with God’s thoughts and God’s life.

Jesus is that light!! Jesus came directly from God. He is the Son of God who was with the Father from the beginning. At Christmas we remembered Jesus came into this world as God Incarnate. Jesus “I am” sayings speak of his divine identity. Among these he says “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12). On a physical level the world needs light. It cannot exist or survive without it. Darkness and barrenness would prevail without light. So too the world without Christ is a world of darkness. As you read the gospels you see Jesus dispels spiritual darkness. As Son of God he shows us the Father; page after page, incident after incident He reveals God’s own purity and holiness wonderfully united with God’s own deep compassion. As the light of the World Jesus knew exactly who He was, where He came from and where he was going- in stark contrast to the Pharisees who walked in darkness, muddled in their thinking even about their own laws. He spoke out fearlessly on every occasion, utterly heedless of the consequences to himself, and only concerned for the truth and delivery of his Father’s message. The Authority of the Father shone out in Jesus wisdom- his matchless words- and marked his powerful miracles. No wonder Paul- who had himself been blinded for a time and humbled by the light of Christ- could write “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word” (Hebrews 1:3)

Further, this salvation is offered to all people. From the very beginning God’s plan was to offer Christ to all people, gentiles as well as Jews. Simeon and the early church had to take those words by faith, but we have the advantage centuries later of seeing Christ’s salvation convert people from every tribe and nation. Christianity is the only worldwide faith. Christ has saved people of diverse backgrounds and ages. And worldwide that advance continues. Simeon finds in Jesus a salvation for sinners.

But he also finds in him “a sign that will be spoken against”. (Verses 34, 35). Simeon prophesies that Jesus will bring light and salvation to Israel and indeed all nations, but his coming would also bring division. Jesus will have a paradoxical effect on the world. There would not be overwhelming acceptance of the promised Messiah- many would not recognise him, and indeed would reject him altogether. Simeon is saying that a person’s response to Christ reveals their inner attitude. He says “the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed” Those who seek the truth will come into the light; they have laid down their pride before God- admitted their need of his salvation and so put their faith in Christ. But those who speak against Christ are in reality saying nothing about Him but everything about themselves. Remember Christ is the Light, He is the straight rule by which everyone else is measured. Those who speak against Him reveal their pride, a holding on to sin and other secret corruptions. Jesus spoke about this contrasting response to Him “Everyone who does evil hates the light and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God” (John 3: 20, 21. Cf. 1 Peter 2:6-8 where Jesus is described as a stone that causes some men to fall, but that same stone is trusted by others and on that stone they build their lives)

Simeon was right. Christ will be a sign spoken against. The Pharisees will reject Christ because of envy, Pilate will reject Christ because of his cowardice, many of the people will reject him because of their fickleness. Simeon infers that Christ’s rejection will cause great pain to Mary.

As the gospel goes forth, then yes, many will be converted and accept God’s Messiah, they will accept Christ’s salvation and rise to new life- finally realised in heaven. But the opposite is also true. Those who reject him will fall and if they persist in unbelief will be condemned on the day of judgment- and they will have nothing to say because they will know and God knows that what kept them from Christ all along was their own sin.

Simeon finds in Jesus salvation for sinners but also a sign that will be spoken against.

Are you still searching?

Here is Jesus Christ. God’s own salvation. God himself revealed so that all people can see Him. The Light of the world. Perhaps you’ve tried everything else and listened to everybody else- but you know you are still in the dark.  You can find salvation in Christ. George Scheitzer, in his personal testimony in “Ten scientists look at life” says “Man has changed his world in a remarkable way, but has not been able to alter himself. Since this problem is basically a spiritual one, and since man is naturally bent towards evil (as history attests), the sole way that man can be changed is by God. Only if a man commits himself to Jesus Christ and submits himself to the Holy Spirit for guidance can he be changed. Only in this miraculous transformation rests hope for the atom-awed, radio-activity-ruffled world of our day and its inhabitants”. Christ offers to enter your life and transform it- he will cleanse you and live within you and love you and make your life all God your Creator intended it should be. He will even take what you have wasted and spoilt, he will redeem even your worst failings and bring good. Come into the light and find salvation in Him.

Don’t be put off by the irrational opposition to Christ that is so prevalent. But ask yourself where is Salvation really found? :

In the nineteenth century Charles Bradlaugh, a prominent atheist, challenged a Christian man to debate the validity of the claims of Christianity. The Christian, Hugh Price Hughes, was an active evangelist who worked among the poor in the slums of London. Hughes told Bradlaugh he would agree to the debate on one condition.

Hughes said, “I propose to you that we each bring some concrete evidences of the validity of our beliefs in the form of men and women who have been redeemed from the lives of sin and shame by the influence of our teaching. I will bring 100 such men and women, and I challenge you to do the same”

Hughes then said that if Bradlaugh couldn’t bring 100, then he could bring 50; if he could not bring 50, then he could bring 20. He finally whittled the number down to one. All Bradlaugh had to do was to find one person whose life was improved by atheism and Hughes- who would bring 100 people improved by Christ- would agree to debate him. Bradlaugh withdrew!

Finally Simeon was departing in peace

Simeon had waited in hope, he had found what he was looking for in Jesus, he is now ready to depart in peace. God had given Simeon his mission. It culminates in this brief but important episode. But now his mission is fulfilled and it is time for this elderly man to be taken to enjoy eternity with the Father.

And Simeon was prepared to leave.  He has been God’s servant (verse 25) Doing God’s will has been more important to Simeon than anything else. His knowledge of God had influenced his attitude towards life. He loved God, and out of his devotion to God he lived in such a way as to please him and be guided by him. God had given Simeon the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 1:14 tells us the Holy Spirit is a deposit guaranteeing our (heavenly) inheritance. But more than this Simeon knows that it is because of Christ- this baby in his arms- He will be accepted in eternity. Here is God’s salvation. The Old Testament offerings were God’s means by which his sins might be forgiven but they were only a fore shadowing of the reality found in Christ’s sacrifice. His faith in the coming Messiah is what saved Simeon. Ultimately it is God’s salvation that saved Simeon and prepared him for eternity.

And the allusion to the resurrection of the dead is found in verse 34- the “rising” of those who will embrace God’s salvation. The New Testament affirms that Christ’s death- his atoning sacrifice- means we are accepted by the Father, but it is Christ’s resurrection from the dead that assures believers we will also be raised as he was raised.

1 Corinthians 15 affirms that Christ has been raised from the dead and so there will indeed be a resurrection of the dead “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive” That is all those who belong to Christ will share eternal glory with Him. Then we will exchange these old warn out bodies for new glorious resurrection bodies. Paul affirms that what is sown does not come to life unless it first dies and he adds “So it will be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body” (verse 42, 43). Here is something to look forward to. Simeon was waiting in hope. Are you ready to depart?

Our dear brother Cecil Davis was ready to depart. His funeral will take place this coming Wednesday. Sadly because of the days we live in and numerical limitation, only members of his family will be able to attend. But Cecil was ready to depart. He had written out in some detail what he wanted for his funeral. Hymns and readings, poems and thoughts. Later in the year we will have a thanksgiving service for Cecil here at ABC and include some of the material then that we will not have time for on Wednesday, and when more people can attend. But Cecil knew where he was going. He describes his conversion to Christ, including remorse for his sin, and how his ‘emptiness of life’ was replaced with ‘abundant joy.’ And such was Cecil’s conviction that he wanted his funeral service to be a truly ‘Gospel service’ challenging all to search themselves to see if they too are ready to depart when their time comes. He writes ‘Everyone will die, and go either to Heaven or Hell. Jesus Christ is our only hope. Receive him now…’ Cecil cites our Lord’s own teaching from John 5:24 ‘I tell you the truth, whoever hears my Word, and believes him who sent me, has Eternal Life, and will not be condemned. He has crossed over from Death to Life.’

Are you ready to depart this life? When the days ordained for you here come to their close, will you go in peace?  You will be ready if you know Christ. Don’t wait any longer, put your trust in Him, and so find in Him salvation and everlasting hope. The only hope worth its name is the hope that overcomes death. And it is this assured hope we have in Christ. “Where O death, is your victory? Where, O death is your sting? But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!!” (1 Corinthians. 15 Verses 55, 57)

Hymn (guitar)

There's a place where the streets shine
With the glory of the Lamb.
There's a way, we can go there,
We can live there beyond time.
Because of You, because of You,
Because of Your love,
Because of Your blood.

No more pain, no more sadness,
No more suffering, no more tears.
No more sin, no more sickness,
No injustice, no more death.

Because of You, because of You,
Because of Your love,
Because of Your blood.
All our sins are washed away,
And we can live forever,
Now we have this hope,
Because of You.
Oh, we'll see You face to face,
And we will dance together
In the city of our God,
Because of You.
 

There is joy everlasting,
There is gladness, there is peace.
There is wine ever flowing,
There's a wedding, there's a feast.

Because of you…