Salvation Has Come

The Gospel of Luke  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  42:35
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Salvation Has Come - Luke 2:21-38

Pray: God, you alone are worthy. We confess our sin and distraction, idolizing/worshipping other people and things as if they hold higher status in our lives than you do.
INTRO: Last week in Luke 2 we emphasized the significant interruptions that take place sometimes in our ordinary lives. God intervened in the lives of some humble shepherds keep night-watch over their sheep and announced through an angel (and then a host of angels) that, for God’s glory and man’s good, a Savior (who is Christ the Lord) had come in the form of a baby born in Bethlehem. They hurriedly obeyed the angels command and found the baby, telling Mary and Joseph and everyone else what the angel had announced concerning this child. And then they returned, headed back to their ordinary lives, but almost certainly with lives changed forever by this intervention from an extraordinary God.
And now Luke will provide two further key witnesses concerning the identity of this child. These are two people who have lived long, and in that long life they appear to have remained devoted to God. And these two in particular demonstrate a faith in a personal God, as they have prayed for and anticipated the fulfillment of what he promised. What we see today is that they do not have to wait any longer… salvation has come. (God’s promise has come, Hope has come)
So too we have a great opportunity to honor our silver saints today who continue to lead lives of devotion to God, teaching us that hope in God’s promise will never disappoint, because God is faithful! We can learn that even when things are far different than what we might plan or expect (life takes longer… and with twists and turns that lead to uncertainty), we can rest in the sovereign hands of a caring God and continue to depend on him for strength as we hope in the guaranteed completion of his promise!
Let’s listen today to the testimony of these two key witnesses for what God desires to teach us:
Luke 2:21–38 ESV
And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
Throughout the infancy narrative, there are literary parallels between John the Baptist and Jesus (and here we have another with the naming of the child and a description of his significance), but as I’ve mentioned to you before, Luke also makes it increasingly clear which one is primary/superior: John is forerunner, but Jesus is fulfillment—he is the promised Messiah, the Lord. - In this early material, Luke’s aim is to make plain who Jesus is and how he is unique, as well as to begin demonstrating what kind of people respond rightly to Him.
Let me give you an outline of the passage we just read and then tell you how we are going to tackle this text today…
Outline:
The Naming of Jesus (v. 21)
The Purification of Mary and Presentation of Jesus (22-24)
The Testimony of Simeon: Praise and Prophecy (25-35)
The Testimony of Anna: Her Devotion and Proclamation (36-38)

What is testified concerning Jesus?

Although Luke doesn’t belabor the point, it is significant that the name for this child is Jesus, the Gk form of the Hebrew name Joshua, meaning “Yahweh is salvation”… “the Lord saves.”
The presentation of Jesus at the temple becomes the backdrop for these proclamations concerning the identity of Jesus. “The nerve center of Jewish worship is the site of this praise to Jesus.” (Bock, 233)
Jesus is the promised Savior.
(Simeon) would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ (Messiah - deliverer). - consolation of Israel - redemption of Jerusalem (rescue and comfort) —> “This [consolation] refers to the time prophesied by Isaiah (40:1-2) when God would comfort His people and remove their sins by sending His Anointed One, the Messiah.” (Cole)
My eyes have seen your salvation - God’s salvation linked directly to seeing Jesus.
Fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham…
Jesus identified with the people he came to save.
(We see from Luke’s own testimony here, for Theophilus and others like him) That the Messiah indeed came thru Israel. - circumcised on the eighth day… (naming is emphasized more, but it has been clear that Jesus is the fulfillment of Davidic promise through the line of Joseph and Mary)
Secondly, we note his identification with sinners - (He was born without sin but identified with sinners.) His mom participates in the required purification of OT law (making the sacrifices), and he is presented at the temple according to the Law…, he will be baptized under the ministry of John to identify with his people (even though he himself has no need of repentance)… —> He will in fact fulfill the requirements of the law, himself as a perfect sacrifice for sin - “He did not go through any of these rituals because of His own sinfulness, but that He might be identified with the people He came to redeem from their sins.” (Cole)
His identification with the humble, the poor (in spirit) - Just like the lowly shepherds, his parents are of humble means (and all people involved here demonstrate humility in spirit)
Jesus offers salvation to all peoples.
Prepared in the presence of all peoples - Light —> revelation to the Gentiles; for Israel = (that and more) - glory (the blessing comes through them! God’s favor in choosing them to be a light, to bless all nations comes to fruition)
Shouldn’t this have an impact on how we view all people? (Is any ethnic group or person from any language more valuable, more precious to God than another?) And doesn’t this impact what we comprehend as the church’s mission and then the mission for our local church, both here and abroad?
Jesus would suffer to bring salvation.
This is the first real hint from Luke that not everything about this promise being fulfilled will come without pain and great cost. - Simeon’s prophetic words to Mary give something away as to the cost that Jesus will pay with his life and the pain that it will bring to his mother.
- Those who hope in Christ are likewise not free of suffering and conflict… but we are already on the winning side of resurrection life!
But it is still the case that Jesus’ ministry and mission will also be marked by division, opposition, and even pain/suffering… revealing hearts [That leads to the final point…]
How people respond to Jesus is the determining factor in their salvation or judgment.
A sign that is opposed means that not everyone will welcome him. He will cause the fall of those who do not accept that He is the promised Messiah, the manifestation of God among men. According to such rejection they will be judged. But He also causes the rising of those who humbly receive him as the fulfillment of their need.
Notice Simeon’s final statement: What people do with Jesus reveals their hearts.
How do you confront the inevitability of death? Does life hold for you one single, dominating purpose? (Deffinbaugh)
[repeat subtitle] There is only one way to be made right with God.

What do we learn from the (other) people involved?

Mary & Joseph
In verses 21 through 24, Luke intends for us to notice not only the significance of Jesus and to provide the setting for the two testimonies made about him, but he also makes evident the faithful obedience of Jesus’ earthly parents to the Law.
V. 21 is the transitional thought for Luke that carries the narrative forward from Jesus’ birth, the angelic announcement, and the witness of the shepherds and on toward these two key witnesses to the significance of this child. (But in that verse) Joseph and Mary are obeying both the commandment concerning male descendents of Abraham by circumcising their son on the eighth day, and they are obeying the command of God by the angel to name this child Jesus.
They are faithfully following the Law for Mary’s purification (Law of Moses) - v. 24, the sacrifice required corresponds to this: “A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons indicates that Joseph and Mary were poor, or of modest means (cf. Lev. 12:8), at least not among the more well-to-do who could afford to offer a lamb.” [Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1949.]
… And for presenting their firstborn son before the Lord in the temple (Law of the Lord)
(Deffinbaugh) From the context of the passage in Exodus we know that during the final plague which God brought upon Egypt, all the first-born of Egypt were slain, both man and beast, while the first-born of the Israelites (that is, those who applied the blood of the Passover Lamb to their door posts and lintel) lived. The redemption of the first-born was required because the first-born were spared by God and thus belonged to Him. When an Israelite family redeemed their first-born, they were acknowledging that this child belonged to God. - The redemption price for a first-born male Israelite a month or more old was set at five (sanctuary) shekels in Numbers 18:16. Apparently presentation of the first-born never occurred earlier than 31 days after birth. Thus, the presentation of the child and the purification of the mother […] could be done on the same visit to the temple.
Although the point could be defended to be true of Mary (and Joseph as well with help from Matthews’s account), what is more readily obvious in this passage in Luke is that Simeon and Anna are people of devotion because of their faith in a personal God (and hence their spiritual sensitivity).
Simeon
Simeon - righteous and devout:
(Steve Cole) Simeon is described as “righteous and devout” (2:25). “Righteous” means that his behavior in the sight of God and towards his fellow man was in accordance with God’s standards. He wasn’t a phony, practicing his good deeds to be seen by others. He quietly and consistently obeyed God, even when people weren’t looking. - “Devout” has the connotation of reverent. It sometimes means careful. It means that Simeon wasn’t careless about the spiritual life. While you can skim over these two words in a flash, they reflect a lifetime of cultivation. No one accidentally becomes righteous and devout. Simeon cultivated his walk with God.
Spirit of God (mentioned 3x) - What might you miss without being devoted and obedient to God in the simple things, being sensitive to the Spirit’s prompting? - “To walk by the Spirit means to depend on Him consciously for everything you do. You depend on Him to resist temptation. You ask Him for insight into His Word. You rely on Him for the right attitude in the midst of trials. You seek Him for wisdom in difficult decisions.” (Cole)
Lord (master), now you are letting your servant (slave) depart in peace - “Simeon had a high view of God and a humble view of himself.” (Cole)
“Simeon is like the watcher who can now leave his post because the anticipated event has come.” (Bock, 241)
“Now, Lord, let Your bond-servant depart in peace, according to Your word” (2:29). The picture is of a sentinel being relieved of his watch. Simeon has watched for Messiah all his life. Now he has seen Him and is ready to be relieved of his duty and go home. He was ready to die in peace because he had seen Jesus Christ.
You are not ready to die until you’ve seen Jesus. I do not mean, “see Him” literally or in a vision. What I mean is, you are not ready to die until you have seen Jesus Christ as God’s anointed Savior, and you have welcomed Him into your life as your own Lord and Savior. But once you know that the blood of Jesus has covered all your sin so that you can stand before the Holy God in the righteousness of His Son, then whether you live for another 60 years or 60 hours, you can know that the sting of death is removed because Jesus bore it for you. You’re ready to die in peace. (Cole)
Anna
“It is not clear whether she was eighty-four years old or whether she had been a widow for that length of time.” Leon Morris, Luke: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 3, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 106.
Nearly always at the temple - For the Jews, the most common fast lasted from sunrise to sunset…
Already being known as a prophetess gives her testimony greater impact.
Some of God’s saints are especially gifted for the ministry of prayer in that He enables them to devote large blocks of time to it. (Cole)
This is not to say that everyone should attempt to imitate Anna, for so far as we know Simeon was a married man, perhaps a family man, who likely held a secular job and was thus much more involved in the workaday world. Nevertheless, his highest priority was loving and serving God, and so at the Spirit’s leading, he was at the temple, where he was enabled to recognize and proclaim God’s Messiah. (Deffinbaugh)
We’re measuring our lives with the wrong yardstick, the wrong scale. - Devotion to God is what matters… a life of worship.

Conclusion: How is this significant for my life?

Who is this historical Jesus, and how does his existence impact my life?
We spend a great deal of our lives trying to gain security and to maintain control. Our lives often seem so calm and under control… but then something interrupts our routine and we are left dumbstruck (by our finite ability), if not downtrodden. In the midst of all of this, how do some people (maybe even just a few, a remnant) live with certainty and conviction and devotion... with whatever God gives them?
Are Simeon and Ana not presented as model disciples whose devotion we should seek to emulate (their goals and priorities, true spirituality)? What counts most in life? All we know of Simeon was his devotion (trust God, obey Him, and was indwelt by the Spirit)… and Anna (prayer and fasting, proclamation and praise)… anticipating and praying for His Kingdom come and that his will be done here on earth (Mt. 6:10, Lk 11:2) - Ready to face life and face death… Death has lost its victory, lost its sting. (1 Cor 15:55)
(Cole) Given [life’s] uncertainties, when we meet an elderly person who is filled with hope, we need to sit up and take notice. Here is someone who could be pessimistic, cynical, filled with fears and anxieties. But he is brimming over with firm hope. We had better listen. We might learn some things.
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