Simeon’sSong – What Do You See in Jesus?

Luke2:22-32

Youwill always find what you are looking for. Your parents probablytold you when you were young, “if you go looking for trouble,it will be sure to find you.” The principle at work is aspiritual one, “your actions will be directed toward the thingyou desire most.”

Iknow a lady loves antiques. Rest assured, she always finds a hiddenantique store wherever she goes.

Asa youth pastor, I vividly remember this principle at work with teenswho were eager to find trouble. At every activity, within minuets oftheir arrival, the teens looking for trouble would find that oneother teen who was also looking for trouble. If there was one teenout of hundreds with liquor, drugs, or just a bad attitude, troublefinds trouble. It was as if they had radar and could filter througha crowd to find the one other person with a desire for trouble.

Whena couple is in conflict, you find what you are looking for. If youare looking to find fault with your wife, you will find it! If youare looking to find fault with another church member, you will findit. If you are convinced that someone or a some group of people aresnobish, or rude, or greedy, or whatever, you will find examples tosupport your prejudice.

Incounseling people, I like to call this the “Yellow VolkswagonSyndrome.” When I was twelve, my older sister bought a yellowVW beatle. I thought that car was pretty cool. As soon as she gotit, I began to notice all the yellow VW’s driving around town. In truth, there was only one more yellow VW than before – mysister’s. But I was tuned in to look for yellow VW’s,and not surprisingly, I found what I was looking for.

Yousee, you will find what you are looking for.

Nowmy question to you today is, what are you looking for in Jesus?

Areyou seeking the genuine Christ, or are you seeking a Christ of yourown making. Perhaps you are not seeking Christ at all. It that istrue, you may not know it, but you are seeking a god of your ownmaking.

Todaywe will learn about an OLD MAN who lived his whole life looking forChrist. That man is SIMEON and we will study his song in our series,“The Songs of Christmas.”

Hisstory is found in Luke2:22–32 (NIV84)

²²Whenthe time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had beencompleted, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him tothe Lord ²³(asit is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male isto be consecrated to the Lord”), ²⁴andto offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of theLord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”

²⁵Nowthere was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous anddevout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the HolySpirit was upon him. ²⁶Ithad been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not diebefore he had seen the Lord’s Christ. ²⁷Movedby the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parentsbrought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Lawrequired, ²⁸Simeontook him in his arms and praised God, saying:

29 “SovereignLord, as you have promised,

younow dismiss your servant in peace.

30 Formy eyes have seen your salvation,

31 whichyou have prepared in the sight of all people,

32 alight for revelation to the Gentiles

andfor glory to your people Israel.”

SIMEONfound what his heart was looking for

HEwas Looking for the MESSIAH of ISRAEL, and God allowed him thisprivilege

1. Background.

Thebackground of this final song in our Christmas series is one of theevents described by Luke that took place after the Savior’sbirth. Luke 2:22 says, “Whenthe time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had beencompleted, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him tothe Lord”

Twoevents took place during this visit to the Temple. The first wasMary’s PURIFICATION, a sacrifice that was required by the Lawbefore she could worship at the Temple. Leviticus 12:2-8 describesthe requirement for women to present an offering and a sacrifice forsin before she could worship again in the Temple. This was to takeplace 40 days after the birth of a boy, and 80 days after the birthof a girl. It is important to note that the couple present anoffering of a pair of doves or two young pigeons. Luke mentions thisfact to remind Theophilus (and us) that Mary and Joseph were poorenough to present the offering allowed for the poor. It also remindsus that Joseph and Mary were sinners. A sinless Mary would notpresent this offering since one of the sacrificial birds waspresented as a SIN OFFERING. This fact alone unravels the falsedoctrine that Mary never sinned.

Thesecond event was the PRESENTATION of Jesus as their firstborn, asdescribed in Exodus 13:2. At this time of ceremony in the Temple,Joseph and Mary meet TWO SPECIAL PEOPLE, Simeon and Anna.

Bothare OLD

Bothwere LOOKING for the MESSIAH

Bothrepresented the TRUE FAITH of OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS

Bothrepresent how EVERY ISRAELITE should have responded to Jesus!

WEwill focus on SIMEON and his SONG of PRAISE to GOD

2. Simeon Found What He Was Looking For!

TheKey phrase is found in “Luke 2:25, “hewas waiting for the consolation of Israel”

SimeonFound what he was LOOKING for because his HEART was RIGHT. All hislife, he awaited the Messiah, and now God would grant him his heart’sdesire.

Whatcaused Simeon to have this godly desire? Is it possible for us tolearn something from Simeon so that our hearts desire the rightthings? I believe that it is!

Onereason that Simeon’s heart desired Christ was because he was“Righteousand Devout.”(Luke2:25). Luke describes Zecharias and Elizabeth in the same way (Luke1:6) as well as Joseph of Aramathea (Luke 23:50-51).

RIGHTEOUSemphasizes that his actions toward others

DEVOUTemphasizes that his worship toward God

Thiswas a concise way of saying that Simeon was a godly man in every way. A Similar phrase is used of Job, Job 1:1 “Inthe land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man wasblamelessandupright;hefeared God and shunned evil.” Job was blameless (he feared God) and upright (he acted right towardothers). Paul also gives the same testimony in Acts 24:16 “SoI strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.”

Wemight ask, Which comes first, godly desires, or godly actions? Doesgood behavior create within our hearts the right desires, or doeshaving the right desire create godly behavior? They are INTERRELATED. Either one will result in the other. This is good news for us,because we can know that whenever we make a move toward God, he helpscomplete the process! We need not worry about deep technicaldetails. God simply wants to see that we put him first, in ouractions and in our attitude.

SO….SETYOUR HEART on what GOD DESIRES!

Yourprayers will be answered. 1 John 5:14 “Thisis the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anythingaccording to his will, he hears us.”

Godwill NEVER turn you away! Jeremiah 29:13 “Youwill seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Psalm119:2 “Blessedare they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.”

Luke11:9–10 “SoI say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you willfind; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asksreceives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will beopened.”

Theimportance of having the right desires is illustrated in theChristmas film, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Thisfilm contains a powerful theme of REDEMPTION. Hollywood could notcome up with a film like this today!

Ifyou remember the story, George’s life is falling apart becausehe DESIRES fame and fortune. An ENCOUNTER from GOD (in the form of aquirky angel named “Clarence”) reveals that his DESIRESneed to change. He finds TRUE JOY when his DESIRES CHANGE! When herecognizes that the most important thing in life is his integrity andthe generosity he shows to others, he finds true joy!

Asecond lesson we find from Simeon is that he Found what he WasLooking for Because he BELIEVED GOD’S WORD.

Thisis revealed in the key phrase, “Hewas waiting for the Consolation of Israel”

“Consolation”is the same word as “Comforter” παράκλησις

Thisphrase, “Comforter of Israel” was another term forMESSIAH. It was used extensively in Isaiah to remind Israel thattheir Messiah would come. Follow the usage in the following passagesin the Messianic section of Isaiah.

Isaiah40:1–2 “Comfort,comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, andproclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that hersin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’shand double for all her sins.

Isaiah42:1–4 ““Hereis my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I willput my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. Hewill not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. Abruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will notsnuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will notfalter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In hislaw the islands will put their hope.”

Isaiah49:13 “Shoutfor joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains!For the Lordcomforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.”

Isaiah52:9 “Burstinto songs of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem, for the Lordhas comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem.”

Simeondeveloped his godly desires because he knew and believed God’sWord. We can follow Simeon’s example today by studying,believing and acting on the promises of God. When we take Him at hisWord, we fill our hearts with the right thinking and this will leadus to the right actions.

Sowe have seen that Simeon was Looking for the True Messiah, waiting asa godly man who believed God’s word. And God granted him theprivilege of holding the baby Jesus in his arms!

3. Simeon was Satisfied when he found what he was looking for.

Whenwe live according to the flesh, God will allow us to receive what weare asking for. If we live for wealth, we will become consumed bymoney and its desires.

Ifwe live for pleasure, we will become consumed by the pursuit of moreand more pleasure. But know this, you will never be satisfied! Youwill only end up wanting more. Like an addict on drugs, you willlive for the next fix, and when it comes, you will only crave more! Satan NEVER leaves you satisfied because he is not seeking to blessyou, but to enslave you!

WhenSimeon received what he longed for, he was completely satisfied!

Luke2:29 “NowLord, as you have promised, Now dismiss your servant in peace”

Thiswas another way of saying, “Lord, now I can die in peace.”

HEwaited ALL his LIFE to see the Messiah.

Simeonreached the end of his life FULLY SATISFIED!

Whenwe are looking for things to fulfill our flesh, we are neversatisfied!

Weneed to be looking for JESUS! Paul describes this kind of life in 2Timothy 4:8 “Nowthere is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord,the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not onlyto me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

4. Encountering Jesus Always Produces a Response.

Althoughwe are not told that Simeon was a prophet, God uses him to utterimportant prophetic truths. Luke 2:34 “Thischild is destined to cause the falling and rising of many inIsrael…”

Simeonwas a godly man with the right desires, and God blessed him for thosedesires. But he warns about many others who were not looking for theMessiah, or who were looking for a Messiah of their own making. Simeon tells Mary and Joseph that their son would cause a dividing inIsrael. As Isaiah warned, the Messiah would bring salvation to some,and judgment to others. Isaiah8:14 “andhe will be a sanctuary; but for both houses of Israel he will be astone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. Andfor the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare.”

A.T.Robertson wrote about this passage, “Andmany will speak against him, and in speaking against him, the hiddenthoughts of the heart will be revealed….” Jesus is the magnetof the ages. He draws some, he repels others.” A.T.Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville, TN:Broadman Press, 1933), Lk 2:34.

Simeonwas drawn to Christ because he was looking for God’s Messiah. But those who seek their own gods will fight against Christ. Theywill contend and do all that they can to make life miserable forthose who love God’s Christ. That is, until they ultimatelyare confronted with the One whom they have opposed.

5. Lessons from an Old Man Who was Looking for Jesus

LESSON1. God will allow you to possess what you desire.

Itmight not come in the formthat you want

Ifit is ANYTHING OTHER THAN GOD, It will not satisfy once you have it.

LESSON2. The most significant Thing you do in life might still be ahead ofyou!

LESSON3. Jesus stirs a response, every time we encounter him!

LESSON4. Seek the LORD! Isaiah 55:6–7 “Seekthe Lordwhile he may be found; call on him while he is near. ” “Letthe wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let himturn to the Lord,and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freelypardon.”

Conclusion:In 1996 Oklahoma State University’s quarterback was PresidentLyndon Johnson’s nephew, Randy Johnson. He proved to be amediocre quarterback for a mediocre team. But mediocre or not, he andhis teammates could be lifted to legendary greatness if they managedto beat their arch rival, the University of Oklahoma, in theseason-ending game. In that final game of 1996 Oklahoma State trailedlate by six points. Little hope remained that they would score withalmost 80 yards between them and their goal line, with only minutesleft on the clock, and in a steady downpour of rain. But theirmud-covered suits didn’t look half as pitiful as the battered,despairing faces of the State players. As a gesture of goodwill, theOklahoma State coach put in all the seniors for the last play of thegame, and told Randy to call whatever play he wanted. The teamhuddled, and to the surprise of his teammates, Randy called play 13-a trick play they’d never used, for the good reason that it hadnever worked in practice. Well, the impossible happened! Play 13worked! Oklahoma State scored! Randy Johnson’s team won thegame by one point! The fans went wild! As they carried Randy, thehero of the game, off the field, his coach called out to him, “Whyin the world did you ever call play 13?” “Well, we werein the huddle,” Randy answered, “and I looked over andsaw old Harry with tears running down his cheeks. It was his lastcollege game and we were losing. And I saw that big 8 on his chest.Then I look over and saw Ralph. And tears were running down hischeeks, too. And I saw that big 7 on his jersey. So in honor of thosetwo heartbroken seniors, I added eight and seven together and calledplay 13!” “But Randy,” the coach shouted back.“Eight and seven don’t add up to 13!” Randyreflected for a moment and answered back, “You’re right,coach! And if I’d been as smart as you are, we would have lostthe game!”

FromFollowingJesus without Embarrassing God,Tony Campolo, Word Publishers, 1997.

LESSON5: You don’t have to be SMART to be a child of God, you justhave to BELIEVE!

Callon Jesus today. Set your heart on the Christ of God.