Let me invite you to take your copy of God's Word this morning and open to the Gospel of Luke. This morning we will be considering the Gospel of Luke chapter 2, beginning in verse 22 through verse 38, giving particular attention to verse 29. If you do not have a copy of God's Word, you can find this text on the Pew Bible in the seat rack in front of you on page 857, continuing on to page 858. The Gospel of Luke, chapter two. Hear now God's Word. And when the time came for their purification, according to the law of Moses, they brought him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. As it is written in the law of the Lord, every male child 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 turtle doves, 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 84. 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 speaking of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. The grass withers and the flower falls, but the word of our God endures forever. To the praise of his glorious grace. Let us pray. Father, we wish to see Jesus. Holy Spirit, Would you help us this morning, this Christmas day, to see Jesus? Amen. On September 1st, 1939, World War II began as German tanks crossed the border into Poland. Two days later, on September 3rd, 1939, Great Britain and France responded by declaring war on Germany, therefore making this conflict truly a world war. For several months, the war between these great European powers existed mostly in words, not military engagement. as Germany focused most of their attention and direction on conquering smaller nations, such as Denmark and Norway. But on May 10th, 1940, the Germans began a military campaign that truly shocked the world. With their lightning warfare, their Blitzkrieg, German tanks blitzed through the Western Front, invading Belgium and the Netherlands, Almost a month later, Germans entered Paris. And by June 25th, 1940, Germany had conquered all of Western Europe, save England, with France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg under their control. And having completed their initial objective, the Germans then implemented a strategy known as Fortress Europe. The German Navy locked down the entire western coast of Europe, from Denmark all the way down to France, knowing now that on their western front, their only threat came by an invasion from sea. And to British, Canadian, and American forces, attacking Germany on the Western front and liberating Europe by all accounts seemed impossible without a safe place to land and to launch a counter offensive. And so in December of 1943, plans began to form to break Germany's hold upon Western Europe. in a military campaign known as Operation Overlord, otherwise known as D-Day. To this day, D-Day remains the largest sea-to-land invasion in the history of warfare. Over the course of five days, 150,000 troops landed across five German-held beaches in northern France, beaches with the codenames Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and sword. And as history tells, D-Day proved decisive for the course of World War II. Because after D-Day, everyone knew that Germany did not have the strength to fight a war on two fronts with the Western Front reopened. Then less than a year later, World War II officially came to an end on May 8th, 1945. otherwise known as VE Day, or Victory in Europe Day. But for a moment, I want us to think about and ponder the impact of D-Day upon the morale of people across the world. Think about the impact of D-Day on the morale of French and Dutch families under German occupation. Or think about the impact of D-Day upon the morale of British and American citizens watching the war from afar. Before D-Day, how many of these families were consumed with worry, anxiety, in the face of uncertainty about the direction of this war? How many were plagued with fear about the fates of their loved ones, their families, their people, and their nation? But after D-Day, even though the war was far from over, everyone knew that the fate of the war had officially been decided. Because it would only be a matter of time before Western Europe was liberated once again. So for example, only months later, in September of 1944, American troops officially began a military operation to liberate the Netherlands from German control. Soon after D-Day, Dutch, French, British, Canadian, and American families could put their heads finally on their pillows at night. And for the first time in a long time, no peace. Today is December 25th, 2024. Not 2022, as I said on Sunday, for those of you who are here. This is a day of joy. It is a day of great remembrance. It is a day of hope. Friends, if you want to understand why Christmas is so important for Christians and why we as Christians look to this day with such joy and hope and peace, you need to understand that Christmas is our D-Day. According to the Bible, ever since Genesis 3, when our first parents Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, this entire world has been under foreign and enemy occupation. Not from a physical enemy, but from a spiritual enemy. According to Colossians 1.13, friends, this present world is under the dominion of darkness. as the evil one has this world and its citizens under his firm control in the chains of sin and misery and captive to do his will. And so over 2000 years ago at Christmas, God sent an invasion force to liberate this world and his people from the spiritual fortress that was encompassing and keeping this world trapped. And in God's wisdom, friends, his invasion force did not consist of 150,000 of his most faithful followers. It did not consist of a giant army of an angelic host, but rather this invasion force consisted of one baby, Jesus Christ, the God-man. And friends, because God's spiritual D-Day was successful, because the Christ has been born, because we can look at the arrival of Jesus, we can know that the fate of this war has been decided. Friends, Christ will win. Friends, this Christmas, because we know this is true, you and I can experience true and lasting peace. In the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke, we encounter a man, Simeon, who illustrates for us this principle this morning. Our text begins only a few mere weeks after the birth of Jesus and a visit of some smelly shepherds to Mary, Joseph, and their new child. And if you look down at verse 22, we see that several weeks after the birth of Jesus, Joseph and Mary make a required trip from Bethlehem to Jerusalem with the infant Jesus. And after entering Jerusalem, Mary and Joseph would take Jesus into the temple in order to fulfill two requirements of the ceremonial law. First, as Luke records for us in verse 22, Mary and Joseph make their way up to Jerusalem when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses. According to Leviticus 12, one through eight, after the birth of every child and the corresponding blood that would come out, the mother would be required to go before the Lord and offer sacrifices because she would be ceremonially unclean. 33 days for a male child, 66 days for a female child. And second, as verse 23 reveals, Mary and Joseph must go to the temple because Jesus is Mary's first child. And in going to the temple, Mary and Joseph are fulfilling the requirement of offering their firstborn son to the Lord, as is written in Exodus 13, one. But it's important for us to know that every action by Mary and Joseph in this text would have been seen as quite ordinary and not headline news in their day. To most people, Mary and Joseph would have been indistinguishable from any young couple, any other young Jewish couple presenting their first child to the Lord on that day. No, this trip to Jerusalem would have been part of the long list of things you did when you had a baby in the first century in Judea. If you're a parent, you most likely remember the experience of having your first child and having those precious moments as a young family interrupted by a social worker who comes in and drops a giant stack of papers of all the things that you need to do before you can leave the hospital with your baby. All the things such as filing for insurance, registering for a birth certificate, finding a pediatrician, and et cetera. So for a Jewish couple, a reminder to visit the temple for ceremonial cleaning would most likely have been included in that stack of papers. And so it's important to see that according to Luke, the trip of Mary and Joseph to Jerusalem and the temple is quite unexceptional. But even as Mary and Joseph would have easily been able to blend into the crowds at the temple on that day, Luke records for us that this young family attracted the attention of one man, Simeon. By all accounts, Simeon is a very interesting character in the Bible. For he is interesting because even though he plays quite a significant role in the gospel of Luke, there is much that we actually do not know about him. For example, Luke does not share with us any information about his background, his heritage, his family, or his day job and employment. If you think about it, Luke is compiling his gospel from interviews with key eyewitnesses to the life of Jesus. And so this story, you could probably guess because of the impact of this story upon Mary, it is probably Mary herself, the mother of Jesus, who is recounting this story for Luke. And so we can probably propose that Luke does not include much information about Simeon, because Mary herself did not know much about this man, except for this fateful encounter with him many years earlier. in Jesus's life. And yet in our text, Luke reveals to us three key details about Simeon that give us a small window into his life. First in our text, if you look down at verse 25, Luke shows us that Simeon is a true follower of the Lord. In verse 25, we see Simeon described as righteous and devout. Simeon is listed among the few individuals in the Gospels who are described as righteous. Those who seek to follow the Lord and obey his commandments to the best of their abilities. People such as Joseph, described as righteous, the father of Jesus. Or people such as Zacharias and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist, and Joseph of Arimathea, Friends, Simeon was among this company. But we also see that Luke comments that Simeon is devout. He is a regular practicer of his religion and regularly attended the religious worship of Israel. And in part, that's explaining what Simeon is doing at the temple on this day. The other day as I was leaving Arrow's restaurant, I noticed that they had a sign on the front of the cash register, and they're having a Christmas special on gift cards. I don't fully remember the exact number, but I believe that it was $25 a gift card. If you buy one, you can get $5 free. In talking with the cashier, she shared that some customers will come at Christmas and purchase thousands of dollars of gift cards to pay for their daily coffee and breakfast for the following years. The devotion of these customers to Eros was probably matched by Simeon's devotion to the Lord, who was daily making his trips for worship in the temple in prayer. If you yourselves are a regular customer at Eros, you can draw whatever applications you would like. So it's most likely that Simeon was very devoted. He followed his religion. And it's Simeon's devotion that informs the second detail that Luke shares in our text. Because Luke also reveals that Simeon had a divine calling. Because of Simeon's devotion to the Lord. According to verse 26. The Lord reveals to Simeon that he would not die until he had seen the Lord's Christ. Verse 26. 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. If you consider verse 26, you will see that the end of this verse is packed with religious significance and meaning. At the end of verse 26, we see the word Christ. which is the Greek word for Messiah or anointed one. If you go back into the Old Testament, it was only the really important people who were anointed with oil. And usually it was involved in setting people apart for the divine offices, for serving as role as either prophets or priests or king. And as God's people in the Old Testament prayed for salvation and for deliverance, they would often look out for this anointed one, this Christ, who would one day be risen up to fulfill all of God's promises. And so Simeon had a divine calling. God had appointed Simeon to stand and serve as a watchman, a sentinel. searching and waiting for the Lord's Christ. We do not know how long Simeon served faithfully at this post, but just think for a moment what this calling must have been like. The only timeframe that Simeon knows is that he will see the Lord's Christ before he dies. And so maybe every day Simeon will wake up and say today, Maybe today I will finally see the Lord's Savior. And then what would he do? He would leave his house and walk through the streets, searching. He would enter the courts of the temple, searching. He would scan his eyes among the crowds, searching. And then he would go to bed He'd go home, put out his lamp. Before falling asleep, he may tell himself, well, if not today, maybe tomorrow, maybe tomorrow. Friend, if you're anything like me, how often can you find yourself checking the front door or checking your app for when your Amazon package is going to arrive? How much more important and how much more mind-consuming must have been waiting for the Lord's Christ? And how long did Simeon serve as a watchman? We don't know, but it's safe to guess that this faithful soldier served for more than several days, probably more than several weeks, several months, Several years, several decades. Third in our text, Luke also shows us that Simeon was a burdened and a concerned man. He is burdened and concerned. According to verse 25, we see that Simeon is waiting for the consolation of Israel. Consolation is just a fancy way of saying that Simeon is waiting for God to comfort his people. Luke's words here are most likely echoing the words of the prophet Isaiah, who Isaiah writes in Isaiah 40 verse one, comfort, comfort my people, says your God. And yet we must ask the question, why does Israel need comfort in Isaiah 40? And then Luke 2.25. If you follow the story of the Old Testament, you will know that God's people had turned their backs on God and then received in due time the penalty for their sin, exile. And although God's people were back in the land, and although they had returned from captivity in Babylon, friend Simeon would every day walk out and see things. That still felt like a bad dream. Asimian walked around Jerusalem day after day, faithful and devout, waiting for the Messiah. Friends, what would he see? Asimian left his home. It probably would not be long before he would see several Roman soldiers in the streets, a symbol of Rome's domination and Israel's lack of freedom. and also a reminder of the threat and the potential of violence. A powerful means of keeping your captives under control. As Simeon would make his way into the temple, or towards the temple, he probably would turn and see Pharisees teaching on the street corners. And he'd see that the respect and the reverence that the Pharisees would receive from the Jewish people. These were the people. everyone thought, who truly knew God and walked with God. But as someone who truly knew God and walked in righteousness, Simeon would know that the religion of the Pharisees was a performance, a show. They were whitewashed tombs, clean on the outside, dead on the inside. And then as Simeon continued to climb towards the temple, perhaps he looked at his left and saw Herod's palace, or would regularly pass Herod's entourage inside of himself. An illegitimate king sitting on David's throne. And then even as he made his way towards the temple, he would be in conflict. Friends, it was the temple. This is the place where God dwells with his people. This is the closest that a person could get to God. And yes, it was a sight to behold. It was a marvel. But friends, it was Herod's temple, not Solomon's. Yes, Herod had doubled the size of the temple mount, and Herod's temple was much taller and much more impressive than Solomon's original one. But Herod's temple was also a constant reminder that Solomon's temple had been destroyed, torn apart brick by brick, while the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem. And then as Simeon would enter the temple, the same scene that would provoke Jesus many years later would be set before him. Because the temple was not a place of worship, but it was a place of business. Hey, if you think about it, perpetual religious practices are perpetually profitable. Especially if you find a way to monetize the worship of God. And so as people from around the Roman Empire would come to Jerusalem and try to get as close to God as they could get, it was much easier for them to buy sacrifices there than to bring animals with them hundreds of miles. And so hey, if you can make a few extra bucks while these poor and destitute religious people exchange their foreign currency and then purchase sacrifices to feel close to God, hey, business is business. And every day, Simeon, the faithful watchman, would pass by these sites. consistent reminder that things in Israel were not the way they were supposed to be. And as Simeon daily resumed his post, watching and waiting for the Lord's anointed, and then returning home, how often would he pray things such as, or like, how long, oh Lord, until you comfort your people? It's pretty easy to sympathize with Simeon, isn't it? When you look out of your house and you look out into this world, what do you see? Now we do not live in Roman occupied Judea, but friends, this country is no utopia either. When you look out into your life, how often does your life look like something out of a bad dream? Where in your life do you see things that are not the way it's supposed to be? What are the things for which you pray? How long, oh Lord? Where in your life are you looking for consolation, for comfort, and for hope? Friends, one day, Simeon woke up And he did not know it, but it was a new day, a different day. On this day, Simeon got himself ready and entered the busyness of Jerusalem. And as he was going about his usual business, the Holy Spirit pricked his conscience and began to lead him into the temple. And arriving in the temple, he most likely stood out and stared at the entire mass of people there. And then his eyes eventually settled upon a young man holding a cage with two pigeons. And a young mother holding a bundle of cloth in her arms with a baby. And friends, at that moment, the Holy Spirit confirms upon his heart, there he is. And as he approaches this young family and takes the child up into his arms, Simeon blesses the Lord and proclaims these words, 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 people a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for the glory to your people Israel. Friends, you have to understand that what Simeon says here is absolutely incredible. For in these few verses, Simeon summarizes the magnitude of Christmas for us in two very important ways. Friends, Simeon, in our passage, joins his voices with the angels, with the shepherds, with the wise men, in announcing that the Savior is finally here. Friends, the time of anticipation and waiting for God's salvation are over. Friends, a new age has dawned. A new era of redemptive history is here. And the Christ, friends, the anointed one, has finally come. And he has been revealed to God's people. In Friends 2, Simeon shows us that as he takes Mary's son into his arms, friends, Simeon proclaims that he sees God's salvation. Friends, as our text reminds us, it was not God's plan that the deliverance of God's people and the salvation of the entire world would be accomplished by a great army of angels or this great invasion force. Friends, rather, Simeon picks up the baby Jesus and declares that everything necessary to accomplish God's plan of salvation is right here in this baby. This baby is going to restore the glory of God's people. Friends, this baby is going to bring comfort. This baby will be the light of the world. Friends, this baby would one day accomplish everything necessary for you and me to be saved. Friends, you wonder how much Simeon knew. about the great works that Jesus would accomplish here on earth. But he was exactly right. Friends, people can spend all of their time trying to brainstorm and think about how to solve all of the problems in the world. Sin, suffering, disease, war, disaster. But friends, Simeon shows us that for a brief moment, he held in his arms the solution to all of these problems. Friends, Jesus would come and be the remedy that would undo the effects of the fall everywhere in the world and upon the human race. Friends, Jesus would one day grow up and be a man who never sinned. Friends, He would be the only human being that has ever lived a perfect life and fully pleased the Father. Friends, Jesus would show us how to love God and keep His commandments. Friends, Jesus would submit Himself to the will of His Father as God's Son and go to Golgotha. Friends, Jesus would be crucified. And then at the cross, he would proclaim the three most important words ever spoken in the entire history of the world. It is finished. Jesus would die. He would be buried. He would lay in the tomb for three days. But death could not hold him. And he would rise again from the dead. And friends, in these works, One man, the God-man, accomplished everything necessary for the salvation of the entire world. And so, as this God-fearing man took this small baby into his arms, and he looked into the precious face of Jesus, he saw his salvation. everything right here. And then Simeon was freed from his post. The weight of his burdens and his concerns for God's people had fallen off of his back. He disappears from the pages of scripture, never to be heard from again. He did not need to know how the story ended. He did not need to see the great accomplishments that Jesus would do in his life. He did not need any more evidence that God was fully committed to delivering his people. He had looked into the eyes of his Savior. And that was enough. And so Simeon went home in peace. On May 19th, 2023, Pastor and theologian Timothy Keller went on to his eternal reward. In the year 2020, he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and he fought this illness for the rest of his life. On March 31st, 2021, several days before Easter, Keller was on a podcast discussing a new book on the resurrection. And in this conversation, Keller gives listeners a window into what God was teaching him and his wife as he battled cancer. And here's what he said. Let me just say something that Kathy and I have been talking to each other about in the last year. If Jesus Christ was actually raised from the dead, if he really got up, walked out, was seen by hundreds of people, He talked to them. And if he was raised from the dead, then you know what? Everything is gonna be all right. Whatever you're worried about right now, whatever you are afraid of, everything is actually gonna be okay. Because you gotta remember that we're not just talking about resurrected people. We're talking about a resurrected world. Christianity says that it's not just your body that's being resurrected. But the world is going to be a material world that is cleansed from all evil and suffering and sin. And if Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, then this whole world is gonna be resurrected. And everything is going to be okay. Everything. I don't know how, but it will be. If Simeon had heard Keller's reflections, I think that he would absolutely agree with Keller's perspective on life, shaped and molded by persevering through suffering. But I think that Simeon may challenge Keller on one of his key details. Because Simeon would argue that we do not need to wait to the resurrection to know this peace. Friends, rather, you and I can know this peace at Christmas. Friends, in our text, Simeon provides you and me with an incredible comfort. Friends, whatever you are going through, whatever you are struggling with, Whatever concerns you have right now, friends, this Christmas, God offers you a gift that is available for everyone who repents of their sins and trusts in Jesus for salvation. And friends, this is the gift, the knowledge that everything is going to be okay. Friends, at Christmas, our spiritual D-Day, Christ has breached the spiritual fortress of this world. Friends, the Savior is here. Yes, there's more ground to be taken. Yes, there are more battles to be fought. Friends, yes, there are more tears to be shed. There are more hard nights and difficult days. My friends, hear me. If you're a Christian, you have no reason to doubt that our VE day, our victory day, friends, not over just Europe, over the entire world is coming. And because you know that this day is coming, you and I can have peace. Friend, if you're here and you're not a Christian, This morning, you need to know that this peace and this hope is available to you. If you will turn and put your faith in this gospel that I just proclaimed. Friends, Christ is here. The Savior has been born. He has done everything necessary for you to be saved. This morning, if you're not a Christian, will you talk with one of us? And we can explain how you can have this hope and this peace this Christmas. But for us Christians, let me ask you as we close, what would it look like for us to leave with this piece today? Friends, can I challenge you in a specific way? What would it look like for you to celebrate this Christmas as a Christian? That may sound a bit strange, but let me explain what I mean. I know that many of us are about to turn our attentions to our long awaited holiday festivities. Friends, today there remain many presents to be open. There is much food to be eaten and much jolly to be had. But if we're honest with ourselves, isn't it easy for our Christmas gatherings to be overcrowded by the concerns and the worries of this life? Friends, what would it look like if you celebrated this Christmas like Simeon? What if you and I celebrated today, embracing the full reality that everything is gonna be okay? Friends, this Christmas, may this be our protest against our spiritual oppressors. The Christ is born. The light of the world, the glory of God's people, The Savior of the entire world has come. Friends, Christ has died. He has risen. Christ will come again. The days of our spiritual enemies are numbered. And we will celebrate Christmas. And we will go in peace. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for this gift. In this little baby, everything that we need has come to us. He has come to save his people. He has come to redeem us. He's come to bear our sins and our sorrows. He has come to be our everything, our all in all, that we may worship him forever. Father, this Christmas, I know that there are many people here, or those who are hearing my voice, who are having difficulty, who are facing challenges. Father, would you help us to know in our bones that Christ truly is our remedy. He is our answer. And because of him and what he's done, we can be like Simeon and leave here and go home and know that everything will be okay. Father, may you help us to celebrate this Christmas. The glories of Christ. Amen.