LBC Sermons & Messages

Luke 2:21-35

Last week we looked at Simeon’s anticipation of Christmas. He had the proper outlook for Christmas. This was because he was just and devoted. Just in obeying God and devoted in bringing honor to Him.

This week we will look at his hope and his Christmas. First, he had a hope for Christmas that was based in truth, 25, 26. This hope changed Simeon’s life. Again, hope is not just something we think will happen, it is something we know will happen based on truth. Simeon was told he would see the Christ and it transformed his life. What does God promise to you? He promises preservation Romans 5:8, presence Deut. 31:8, power Acts 1:8, and much more.

I believe if we really understood the promises of God, we would truly be transformed and we would begin to impact this world for Him. We have hopes and dreams that guide the courses of our lives and our drives. However, the hope we have in Christ far exceeds anything we can hope for on earth and yet here we are. So, what has God promised you? What is hope doing for you and how is it transforming your life?

What do Taco Bell, Snickers, Mick Jagger, and Solomon have in common? They all tried to satisfy but as Solomon said, all is vanity, Ecc. 2:17, and only Christ satisfies. Simeon had true satisfaction at the first Christmas. Bill Crowder said, “in a world where satisfaction is hard to find and harder to keep, we are driven to the Christ who said, ‘I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.’” Therefore, this Christmas we need to answer God’s knocking and sup with Him, Rev. 3:20, and totally trust Him, I John 5:1-5, to help us have true hope and satisfaction that Christ freely offers.

Luke 2:21-35

This week we will take a break from Romans and start a three-week series on two lesser characters of Christmas. I call them lesser not because of what they accomplished or for the role they played but simply because of the number of verses devoted to them. If you are a student of the scripture at all, you should know that God loves to put sticks of dynamite in small, easily missed verses. If you have read the Christmas story, you should have heard of Simeon and Anna in Luke 2.

Let me start of by asking you, “what have you anticipated for Christmas in the past and found it only to be a huge let down?” Why was it a let down? Was it not everything you had hoped for? When you look at the answers to those questions, you realize that our excitement at Christmas really does not come from what we get, but what we expect. Also, things only bring emptiness.

If you look at Luke 2:21-35, you see what true Christmas anticipation is all about. Simeon had the proper perspective because he had a strong grasp of two very important keys. First, we see in verse 25 that Simeon was a just man or righteous.

To be righteous, one must know truth. The Word of God is absolute truth that transcends time and culture. Simeon was a student of scripture and he knew the prophecies of the coming Messiah. The Holy Spirit in verse 26 also told him personally. Simeon knew the truth.

However, knowing the truth is not enough to be righteous. We must put that knowledge into action. This is precisely what the Bible calls wisdom, putting the knowledge into practice. Righteousness or justice has to do with obedience to God.

Secondly, Simeon was also devoted to God. How long can you wait for something? I am not good at waiting. Most of the time, I fall prey to the fast food syndrome. I want it now and my way. We are not told exactly how long Simeon had to wait, but it was most likely several years.

When we have to wait for something, we usually get angrier the longer we have to wait. No one likes to wait. The driving around here proves it. Simeon was able to put this anticipation and waiting into devotion.

Knowledge of God produces reverence of God. When we see God more clearly, we see ourselves and revere Him more because we begin to realize how God unconditionally loves us. Once we realize who God is we will begin to have a proper reverence for Him, which should compel us to a life of devotion to God. Devotion has to do with bringing honor to God.

In conclusion, Simeon was a righteous, just man. He knew the truth, which promoted obedience. Simeon also had a reverence for God, which compelled Him to a life of devotion and honor to God. So, what are you and I going to do this Christmas to have the proper anticipation? Will we get to know more about God through His Word or will we continue living for self and end up empty?

Romans 12:9

Today we will look at one verse. Contained in this verse is a challenge that sums up the Christian life. We will take it in two steps.

First, we will look at the first half of the verse. The word for love is agape which means the unconditional type of love. It is the highest form of love. Next, dissimilation means un-hypocritical, unfeigned, or unchanging. God is calling us to have unconditional, unchanging love continually.

So, who are we to love? According to Duet. 6 we are to love God with all our hearts, souls, and minds. All other love is built upon this form. In reading this verse we see that this commandment is nothing new for we cannot have agape love if we are not loving God with everything we are simply for who He is.

We are also to love the brotherhood or fellow Christians, I Peter 4:8. This verse in Romans comes on the heels of Paul discussing the fact that we are a body and need to be unified which is a life style, not just something we do on Sundays for service.

We are also to love like Christ, John 3:16. Christ’s love is so unconditional that He even loves those who reject Him for He died for the sins of the world not just those who like Him. “Forgive them for they do not know what they are doing,” is the ultimate example of this love.

Our natural response is to treat people the way we are treated or want to be treated. The golden rule bares this out, however, this is not the philosophy of Christ. Instead, Christ says love your enemies, bless them that curse you, etc. To be honest with you, this is hard for me. However, our love will be without dissimilation when our love for God is proper. So, how is your love to God today?

Now we will look at the second part of the verse. We are told to abhor that which is evil. Abhor means to hate or to make sick. There is a problem though; when we come to know Christ, we retain our humanity and it fights against us for man loves darkness rather than light. This command follows the command to love God all the time. When we love God and draw close to Him, we will see sin for what it really is, an infectious disease that kills and destroys.

I Timothy 6 tells us to flee things like: pride, envy, strife, evil surmising, etc. II Timothy 2:22 we are encouraged to flee youthful lust, or desires of the selfish and immature and strive for maturity. I Thess. 5:22 goes a step farther and tells us to avoid even the appearance of evil. It is almost like God knows us.

The opposite of hating evil is as Romans tells us to love the good. Cleave is the word used and it means to cling or grab unto. Both fleeing and cleaving require action on our part. God has given us the strength and all we need to accomplish it but the action is up to us.

Amos 5:4-15 puts it in a little different perspective and tells us that what hating evil and loving good is based in what we seek, what our hearts truly seek. We must force our hearts to seek after God and keep it focused on Him. When we are focused on Him and when we are in love with who He is, then we will love good or godliness and hate all that opposes God. So, oppose evil, love the good and love God with everything you are.