I've been thinking about the Christ and I continue to believe that this is a very important message for believers in the midst of many and varied Christmas traditions. Christmas is a federal holiday and it is one that a lot of people work very diligently to have established as a federal holiday. And how important it is that in the midst of what I would call the secular traditions of Christmas, how important it is also that we think about the miracle of the incarnation of Christ. So last week we talked about the shepherd's field in verses 8 through 14. And we talked about those things I do want you to know We're jumping over verse 19, but I really believe that Luke 2.19 is where Luke is cluing us in to how did Luke access this information? Mary was watching. Mary was there. Mary was the object of God's special love and grace. And so in the Protestant world, and I've said this many times, but I want to remind us, that in the Chalcedonian definition, we make reference to Mary, the mother of God. And because Jesus is God, he doesn't become God. He is God from the moment of the incarnation. It's fully appropriate for us as Protestants to refer to Mary as the mother of God, not because she's something special, because that which is born of her, the one who comes from her, is God in human flesh. And so Mary treasured up all these things. We have Mary, we probably also have Christ to thank for the way that some of these stories are preserved as these were made known to the early church. But today we want to focus on verses 22 through 35. And in particular, we're really going to zero in on verse 32. And so I want you to imagine, children, I want you to imagine a baby eight days old. Now, we don't have any babies this little in our church right now. But I want you to imagine somebody really, really, really mature, and really old-looking. Since he has several grandkids here, I'm just going to say, imagine Larry Copeland. Sorry, Larry. I just threw you under the bus. But imagine Larry Copeland holding a baby eight days old and then praying out loud for that baby. in a, maybe in a mall, or somewhere else where there's lots of people around and everybody kind of stops and looks and says, wait a minute, what is he doing? This is an elder in the church praying for a covenant child. Don't you see that dimension of this today? I'll also comment, I'll reference it again, but you may not know that this particular prayer has a special title down in church history. It's called the nunc. It's the first line there in the introduction. The nunc, the mitis. N-U-N-C in Latin means now. And the mitis is the Latin word for to dismiss. So if you look at verse 29, Lord, now let your servant depart. And the first two words in the Latin here are now depart. And so this is the traditional name known for this prayer. So I want you to see this prayer created in the temple. I want you to think about the concept I want you to also hear a particular message that Simeon has for Mary, the mother of Jesus. Alright, so let's read this passage. Use your imagination to put yourself in this place. Luke 2, verses 2. And when the time came for their purification, according to the law of Moses, 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 written 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, 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 sower will pierce through your own soil instantly, so that the flocks So it's verse 32 that we really want to zoom in on today. And I want you to imagine two places. One where light is completely necessary, and the other where light is an adornment. All right? And again, just for the sake of simplicity, think of this sanctuary right now. If someone went back to the back hall there and flipped off all the lights in the sanctuary, would it be dark in here? Well, it would be darker. But it wouldn't really be dark, because there are windows in the doors, because the door back there is open, but especially because of these windows here on the side of the sanctuary, it would be darker. But it wouldn't be black. I want you to imagine the people of Israel being like this sanctuary. All right? What had happened is the lights had dimmed. They had dimmed significantly. Then I want you to imagine another place. I want you to imagine a cave. I've been in a cave when all the lights were turned out. And I moved my hand right in front of my face. I actually had it so close I touched my nose wide. I couldn't. I was like, surely my hand is here. But I could not even see my hand. in front of my face. Have you been in a place like that? That's like the nations of the world. Well, they're walking around in physical light, but do they have the smallest clue about who they are or why they exist? The answer is no, because they are cut off from the light. There is no light. That sounds really weird in our language, but these are two Latin words meaning now dismissed because of the words of Simeon in this passage. This, we're studying today, is a special prayer offered by Simeon in the Temple, as he held our eight-day-old Lord in his arms. Does Jesus have a birthday? Well, in his divinity, no. Yes. He's 38 days old. According to the custom of this time, as Jesus is coming into the temple. This is the first time in the Gospel of Luke that Jesus is called a light. So this baby is called a light and it was in this very temple where this prayer was uttered that Jesus would later proclaim quote, while you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons and daughters of light. Consider today how Jesus is a special light to the Gentiles. So four points today, number one, our Lord Jesus is a special light. He's called a light. You know what a light is? It might be the light of a lantern, it might be the light of a street light, it might be the light of a night light. Remember as a child, laying in my room, made me afraid. Why was I afraid to get up out of my bed? And I would look over at that night light and I would be reminded, oh yeah, I know where I am. I helped mom plug that night light into the mall. I turned it on tonight before I went to bed. The light is orienting us. And I want you to think about it. I decided to use this word for several different reasons. Our Lord Jesus is a special light. The first reason that I chose this word special is because Jesus alone brings light to those who are stuck in darkness. I've been struck whether through their own choices, whether through their own conception of themselves, whether because of the lies they believe about reality, they are stuck in darkness. They do not have a path leading them on a good way to a definite end. Jesus is special because He's the one who comes to set the captives free. In fact, if you turn over just, we're not going to do it, but if you turn over just a couple of pages, when Jesus visits Nazareth, one of the things that he draws out of the Old Testament is that the purpose of the Messiah is to free those who are captive. Imagine if you had on a pair of handcuffs, and you had pulled and pulled, maybe your wrists were all bloody, but you were still stuck those angels. And they unlocked those handcuffs and now suddenly you're free. Jesus is a special light because he's turning us away from the darkness and holding us to salvation. That is to the plan and the purposes of God. Secondly, Jesus is a special light but Jesus alone is able to create sons of light. Luke 16, 8, it says that Jesus calls those who are his followers, quote, the sons of light. It's an amazing thing to think about, that part of the reason that Jesus is a special light is because he's able to bear children. Now Jesus isn't married, we're not talking about physical children, but what we're talking about is spiritual children who now learn that God is in fact their Father and that they are His sons and daughters. Sons of light no longer wish to walk in darkness, but rather they gather together, they puddle together around the light and they walk in waves of light. Perhaps you've been flying an airplane up in the sky and you look down and you see the runway of an airport. I remember being out in western Kansas one time where there's not very many lights, but we drove by an airport and those lights were flashing in the darkness because they had all the lights on because a plane was, we actually saw I want a picture of sons and daughters of light. Sons and daughters who are standing tall and strong in the midst of a world without hope. I'm saying there's a way of salvation. There's more than what you can see with your eyeballs. What's going on? Jesus is a light because He creates sons and daughters of light. Thirdly, Jesus is a special light because Jesus alone can give the light a life. Now, when the Bible uses the word life, we often think of this as just being alive, just having a pulse, just breathing air in and out of our lungs. It's the opposite of being dead. But when the Bible uses the word life, playing the role that God is designed to play as part of His creation. And so, to have the light of life is to understand God's purpose. It's to see the big picture of what God is doing, nothing less than restoring creation that has been affected and infected by sin. This is the mystery of iniquity that goes all the way back to Genesis Chapter 3. Children, I would ask you, why is it so hard to do what is right? And why is it so easy to do what is wrong? Have you ever thought about that? It's a huge question. Why is it so much easier to tell a lie that you know your parents will be happy with, as long as they don't know it's a lie. It's so much harder to tell the truth, and that truth is hard. It's because we need the light of life. Jesus says in John 8, 12, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. It's a very interesting thing to see how Jesus alone as the light, the special light, is able to have followers. We thought about angels can't have followers because we ordinarily can't see angels. We don't know where angels are. We don't really even know exactly what angels are. But we can see Jesus. The disciples saw Jesus, and they lived with Him, and they walked with Him. It's an amazing thing to think about. Jesus alone can give us the light of life. And finally, our Lord Jesus is a special light because He is the radiance of the glory of God. So here we have the thing. This is Hebrews 1, verse 3. Because Jesus alone is the radiance of the glory of God. Here, we have to think about how these lights in this room are working. Or particularly, because now that I think about it, I need to be careful here, let's talk about incandescent light bulbs. Because the light bulb has power in it. And it's that power that is creating the light. But you don't feel the heat of the light unless you're really close to it. Or think of a big roaring campfire. You can see that campfire maybe from a half mile away, but you don't feel the heat. But the light is heat, and it's traveling all that distance to you. So, in Hebrews 1-3 it says that Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature. Here's God's glory. I think of it like the sun, you know, generating, being glorious. But how does that actually reach you? How do you see that for what it is? It's through Jesus. Only Jesus is the exact imprint of the Eternal God. Now that's a huge claim. No one has ever seen God, but the only God, the Father, has revealed Him. Do you see why it's so important? And why the writers of the Gospels are again and again pointing us to Jesus? You have to see Him. I know you can't see Him with your eyeballs, but you have to understand that Jesus, the is the only one who is God in the world. It's an amazing thing. So that's some of what I mean by this idea of Jesus is a special light. But as we look back to Luke 2, verse 32, notice that now there's two big reasons that sinning gives for for blessing the Lord and for praising Him in this way. My eyes, go back to verse 30, my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples. And now, here's the two reasons. First, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and a light for glory to your people Israel." So point number two in my outline today is that Jesus is a light of revelation to the Gentiles. Notice the centrality of this. I'm actually surprised that these two things aren't reversed in order here. But everyone knew that Israel was not just a lesson to itself. Israel was there to reflect the light. Israel was there so that the light might be seen by the Gentiles. Everybody knew that. God had said clear back to Abraham, for through you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. They knew all of the things. I have four references there to Isaiah today. Isaiah 42.6 says, I have called you, speaking of the Christ, in righteousness. I will take you by the hand and keep you. I will give you as a covenant for the peoples, a light for the nations. Or just a little while ago, Kyle read for us Isaiah 49.6, I will make you a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth. Do you see how God, in fact, has a global plan? Israel is the jumping off point of that plan. But then it has always, from the beginning, been a plan for the whole world. And the Gentiles need the light. In fact, the farther they are from the light, the more they need the light. Some people stagger around in almost darkness. But some people, I'm thinking here of the Alka Indians. In South America, I just recently read a story about the ongoing saga, you may be aware, Elizabeth Elliot wrote a book called Through Gates of Splendor. And she tells the story of her husband and some other men first making contact with the Alka Indians in the deep inner jungles of South America. And they were actually killed by those Indians. And yet, it was through that that God began a story that is still working out to this day. And today there are evangelists from the Alka Indians that have gone out throughout South America, even some internationally, and are proclaiming the glory of Christ. Think about what God was doing with the nation of Israel, sometimes very hard things, as He was turning on the lights, and He was helping these people to understand, you don't worship any gods, polytheism is out, There is one true God, the Creator God, the God from whom all things have their being. The only way you can make sense out of this world is to think in terms of ultimate causation. There are secondary causes at work in the world, but all of those have been set in motion by me It is not part of the creation, it is distinct from the creation. These were things that were old hat in Israel. If you grew up singing the Psalms in the Temple, if you grew up reading the Prophets, you knew, of course there's a God. There's only one true God. And He's revealed Himself to us so that we might be a light for the nations. But then what happened? to the nation of Israel. The nation of Israel turned away. They began to walk in the ways of the nations. They were put into exile in Babylon. And in fact, as the people of Israel were coming back from Babylon, God was making Jesus. Because now the people knew, oh, we have failed in our role to be the light to the nations. We can't possibly be the light to the nations. Someone else, someone without sin, must be a light to the Gentiles. So God said of that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth. And so my question is for you today, Christians, do you understand God's plan is way bigger than just your own personal salvation? God's plan involves your worship week by week at the throne of grace His plan is for you to be in church on Sunday. His plan is for your family to glorify God and to be His servants for the multiplication of the human race. His plan is that the Gospel would be preached in every nation under heaven. we call the great missionary task that lies before the Church. This is not just, oh yeah, someday there's going to be some light that's going to shine around the world. The question is, are you going to be that light? Are you going to support the shining of that light? Some of you are called to pray, some of you are called to give, and some of you are called to go. Are you ready to serve the Lord with your entire life? They used to be a common thing in the church. But it seems more and more like that's kind of the realm of specialists. It's kind of the realm of the elites. No. Everyone needs to hear and understand and believe God's purpose that the light would go to all the nations, wherever they are. But now there's this second phrase, and for glory to your people, Israel. Now this is a very interesting phrase. Because, again, there's two things that the light is doing. One is it's revealing to the Gentiles. But secondly, it's glorifying your people, Israel. Now how does it do that? people of Israel. At first it seems as though Jesus is in fact doing exactly the opposite. When he goes to the Pharisees, you can read about this in the book of Matthew, Jesus pronounces woes against the Pharisees. But there's a reason for that. It's because they had gone down the road of what today is known as Rabbinic Judaism. That is, that Israel was fundamentally supposed to serve God by doing good works. We're supposed to keep the commandments. The law is the most important thing. You exist to obey. So just, God is your master, you are the slave, save yourself, show that you are worthy of saving by doing good works. What a sad life. And into that comes the light of this thing called glory. Notice that the light is for glory. It's not so that Israel will be glorious. It is a light for glory to the people of Israel. Israel had all these promises from God. And they had lived for a dozen generations saying, how long, O Lord, before You bring these promises to pass? That's exactly what He did. And there is now a light for glory. that the people who were maybe not in its blackness, but the lights had grown dim. The Roman Empire had come and ruled. It was the Sadducees who didn't even believe in God in some ways that were in charge of the temple. They had turned the temple into their own personal wealth-generating It's in the temple that Jesus comes and he says, you have turned the house of the Lord into a den of thieves. It is written, my house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations, back to point number two. But you have turned it into a flea market. amazing thing to see how now here is Jesus as a servant of the Lord by the way an example to us to do whatever we can to set our hearts and our minds by the way our checkbooks to serve the cause of the kingdom so point number three he is a light for to the Lord's people Israel. He is a light for glory to the Lord's people Israel. A couple of verses again from Isaiah. In the Lord all the offspring of Israel shall be justified and shall glory. The Lord is the glory of true believers. Those who unite unto Christ, they understand that in They're alive, they move, they can think about themselves, they can think about the glorious creation around them. Isaiah 46.13 says, I bring near my righteousness, it is not far off, and my salvation will not delay. I will put salvation in Zion for Israel, my Lord. So notice, on one hand, this verse is teaching it is necessary for Israel to be saved. You're not born into the Kingdom of God when you're born. Think about that. Some of you need to think about this. And by the way, teach this to your children. You are not born in right relationship with God. The Bible says that we're born dead in our trespasses and sins. That's why Jesus says you have to be born again. You have to be born on the inside. You have to come to faith, have to have faith in the Creator God. I will put salvation in Zion. Zion needs salvation for Israel by the Lord. God wants His Kingdom to be visible in the world. He did this in the Old Testament. through the nation of Israel. By the way, have you heard this joke? I've been thinking a lot about this issue of Israel, the wall of Israel, dispensationalism, the end times, all these things are very much in the forefront right now in the news. But have you heard the joke somebody comes to the Jewish to the Jewish movie maker out in Hollywood. And they ask, are you a Jew? And they say, Jewish. And it's kind of Jewish, but not really Jewish. I'm not living out what I say I believe. I'll go and I'll do the holidays with my family, but then the rest of the time I live like the world. What does it mean to be Jewish? Well, for one thing it means seeing the light as the glory that makes Israel glorious. Is Jewish, is it a matter of biology or is it a matter of your biological origins, or is it a matter of culture, Jewish, or is it a matter of faith? This is one of the oldest questions that people in the Jewish tradition have wrestled with and fought about. And basically, the answer they give is, well, it's all three. from a matter of culture to just a matter of how we live, of what we do. The Apostle Paul comes down in a very different place in Romans 2, verses 28 and 29. He says, for no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the spirit, not my letter. His praise is not for man, because people see you doing all your good works, but his praise is from God. I think it's a powerful thing to consider that one of the ways that you know the people of Israel, the Israel of God, or what Paul calls the true Israel, the remnant, is because there's a faith that is animating their lives. Paul says in Romans 9, 6, not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel. Jew-ish? How about, I don't know what the alternative is, Jew-folded? It's, you're all in. You believe the message that's proclaimed in the Bible. In fact, that's exactly for glory to your people Israel. Consider those 12 apostles who were trained by Christ, who dedicated their lives to the advancement of the kingdom of God in the world. What kingdom do you live in? Are you consciously thinking as you go throughout your day, I'm living for God, I'm living for His glory? I want to do what pleases Him. I want to not do what displeases Him. Does your faith work? Because remember, there is also the danger of saying you love God, but then walking in darkness. We need to love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and we then need to love the people that God loves. So those who name the name of the Lord live it out. Paul quotes more than once, actually. He says that the name of the Lord is blasphemed among the Gentiles through disobedient Jews. And New Covenant, that applies to all of us. Disobedient Christians do not glorify God. Disobedient Christians, in fact, are blaspheming the name of God in the eyes and minds of Gentiles. Do you see how, in these two phrases alike, the revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel, Simeon is praying something of all true and biblical religion. Jesus is the light. He is the one who brings meaning and purpose in Gentiles. He is the one that is the glory of the people in Scripture. Then look down just as we conclude here today, verse 34, So Simeon and Larry is holding the eight-day-old Jesus, and he's blessing God and praying for this little baby. And now he turns to the family. So now this is Larry's family. They're all over there on the side of the church building. And Simeon blesses them. Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is imposed. Jesus is not going to be well-received by many people, because He is a threat to them. And a sore will pierce through your own soul. Also think of Mary standing with the Apostle John at the cross. So that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed. We can't know one another's hearts. But our hearts have a way of being revealed. They're revealed in many ways. Your heart is revealed in the thoughts that you think. What is it that occupies it? Your heart is revealed in the words that you say. What kind of words come out of your mouth? and most vividly, the thoughts of your heart are revealed in the way that you act, the things that you do. What are your priorities? What's the focus of your life? What is it that you dedicate yourself to doing again and again and again and again throughout the years of your life? is the light. And finally, just to land this today, point number four. He is a light for me to brighten my own soul. This message is practical for us today. And the point here, finally, is yes, there are these great brain things that Simeon is praying for, but practically what it means is that Jesus Today, when you cry out, He will grant you His light in the midst of your darkness. I have three Psalms here. Psalm 18 says, For it is you who light my lamp, the Lord my God lightens my darkness. When's a time that you've had darkness, that you've been wandering about, that you've been uncertain that you've been depressed, afraid, proud. My God lightens my darkness. Psalm 112 says, Light dawns in the darkness for the upright. He, God, is gracious, merciful, and righteous. And then finally, my own life personally. Psalm 139, it says, if I ascend to heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I take the winds of the morning, dwell in the uttermost part of the sea, even there, your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I stay, surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me ignite. Keep it in the darkness, it is not dark to you. The night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you." And so the psalmist is trying to hide from God, is trying to avoid the issues that God brings into his life. It's a much longer conversation that we're not going to get into today, but I believe that Israel, the Israel of God, is being glorified, both among ethnic Gentiles and among ethnic Jews. God is having His way in this world. The question is, what role do you play in that world? holding the baby, baby whose birthday you will celebrate this week. Thank you, Lord, that you have stooped low, that you have come near, and that you have communicated to the world that you have created. for those who know me. I pray that, Lord, this will be a season of searching for those who don't know me yet. And I pray that, O Lord, a light of your glory will shine in the hearts of all human beings. That, Lord, we all together might know I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, because it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed by faith and for faith. For as it is written, the just shall live by faith. Lord, help us to see and to reflect on our own faith and commitments. I pray, Lord, you would help us to see ever more clearly in our mind's eye Jesus, the Messiah, who was born, who perfectly obeyed your law throughout his life, who died the death of a sinner in our place, and who rose again and ascended into heaven when he is presently reigning at the right hand of the Father. Lord, show us how to live in this beautiful world. This is our Father's world. Lord, we would ask that in this season of the year, Christ may be glorified in the heart of His Father. In Jesus' name, we pray.