Adoration of The Child Jesus | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

It's almost difficult to stop the worst. Incarnation of the son of God. So thankful for the worship team, for the children, for the choir that will be singing after the the message. We're so thankful for all the practice and the prayers that have gone into this to this meeting. And oftentimes, the Christmas time service is, focused and planned around being evangelistic.

You know, there are people that come to church that come to church only for this time of the year, and maybe Easter if they feel like it. This morning, or this afternoon, rather, this service would be a revival. Not just evangelistic, but it would be a revival in our hearts. And so I praise God that we're able to sing around the truth and the the revelation of God becoming a man. And what might even encourage you more this afternoon is that this idea, this tradition of the people of God coming together and focusing on this one aspect of what our God has done and who he is is not something that the church has developed over the years.

No. It's actually something that was expressed and experienced at the actual event. Meaning, there are people singing and rejoicing and blessing God right there and then when Christ was made known as a child. And so all we're doing today is what we see in the scriptures. All we're doing is we are continuing what was exemplified in the bible, that when there were those, a certain group, there were different individuals who had the privilege of understanding that this child is no ordinary Jewish child.

He is in fact God coming to this world. Oh, they adored him. They adored him. And the purpose of this meeting together is that we would look at one of the spirit led outbursts of adoration concerning a man who was exposed, who was given that wonderful opportunity to realize that this is, in fact, the Christ. And so I encourage you today with your bibles to turn with me to the gospel of Luke in chapter two.

And since this past Friday, we dedicated our meeting to to unpack the supernatural birth of Jesus Christ. This afternoon, we will look at and consider the adoration of the child Jesus at his dedication. So as you're there in the gospel of Luke, please meet me in verse twenty twenty two. And we read here in the gospel of Luke, in Luke's telling of the early days of Jesus. In verse 22, and when the time came for the purification according to the law of Moses, they, being Joseph and Mary, 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. In the first couple of verses of our text today, I have a feeling that a lot of people would be tempted to ignore such details and move on in order to get to the meat of the matter. But when we read what we see here in verse 22 to verse 24 about the the legal parents of Jesus coming into the temple with that child in their arms to perform a specific duty, we have to be a people that believe that every inclusion in the Scripture is meant for our instruction and for revelation. Every part of the Bible, God wastes no ink.

God wastes no pages. God wastes no sections. And as we come to this, we realize that Joseph and Mary want to come to the house of God and it wasn't a spontaneous decision. It wasn't something that they, they wanted to do like some Christian parents today do after they have a child. We want to dedicate our child to the Lord and they, they, they figure out a perfect time and they organize it and it's a beautiful celebration.

No, no, no, no, no. This isn't spontaneous. This is according to the law. This was demanded of them. This was an observance of an ordinance.

And this ordinance is found in an unfairly treated book in the Bible, and that's the book of Leviticus. And in that book, we read that God has given certain ceremonial instructions and certain laws for the civil life of the nation of Israel, which is why many believers, when they attempt to read through the Bible, find very little motivation to pull through Leviticus. But I wanna show you today why it's important that you and I cannot afford to to miss out on even one part of the Bible because I I want you to see just as an example how we forfeit revelation when we do that. We forfeit the harmony of the bible when we see things connect from one book to the other, and then we believe that scripture interprets scripture. Do we not?

And so we realize that there's a section in the book of Leviticus that is targeted towards parents, and there's a protocol that they were called to observe once they gave birth to either a boy or a girl. And if it was a boy, then those parents had to faithfully circumcise that boy on the eighth day. Many people speculate, why the eighth day? If you wanna go the science route, well, scientists believe that the eighth day is the best day concerning bleeding and infection being the least consequential thing that would occur. But if you want to go in the biblical understanding, the number eight means new beginning.

And we realize that there's new life, new beginning here. But why circumcisions? You know it, I hope. Circumcision because number one, that thing would be a symbol. It was a mark, the national identity of Israel.

In order for them to be able to rehearse and remember that they have made a covenant with the true and living God that was established with their father, Abraham. But secondly, circumcision because it was also an illustration. It was a demonstration. It was a foreshadowing of the circumcising of the heart that God would perform at salvation. And it was in a sense a cutting away of the flesh, a removal of the flesh, a work, a surgery to be done on the human nature because we've inherited Adam's sin.

And so as they would circumcise their sons, it was to foreshadow what God has said many times in the Old Testament, circumcise your hearts. Circumcise your let there be a surgery done on your soul. And so even that act had a spiritual meaning. And as Jesus was coming into the world, he was granted parents that obeyed God. God chose these parents knowing that they would obey God.

But after the circumcision, that mother would have to wait thirty three days. Aren't you glad you're in the new covenant? Thirty three days where she could not touch anything holy and she could not enter into the sanctuary of the Lord. And those days were known as the days of purification. She would have to be purified.

Why? Because not only was the child in that act of circumcision being told to the parents and to this nation that it has a sin nature, but also the mother herself needed to be reminded that she needs to be cleansed as well. And so she would be in that state of days of purification. And after those days were completed, turn your bibles to Leviticus chapter 12 and verse six. We read in Leviticus 12 verse six.

And when the days of her purifying are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb, a year old for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. So at the end of those days, she would have to ceremony that would symbolize her purification. It would symbolize a, a sin offering. There was an atonement for her sin. And she would bring this child to dedicate him to the Lord, but it's in verse eight where we see how this connects with what we just read in Luke.

Verse eight. And if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering, and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean. See what happens when you miss Leviticus? What do we read earlier in Luke chapter two? We read that Joseph and Mary came into the temple, and what did they bring?

Did they bring a lamb? No. No. No. They brought two pigeons.

Revealing to us that they were not a wealthy couple. They could only afford the very bare minimum of their offering to the Lord. And you would think that if, if this child that's coming to the ceremony to be dedicated to the Lord, if this child is really God himself, that there would be something prepared, the greatest offering that you can offer on behalf of this child and the parents that would supervise him in his humanity. But no. God chose to crown this young couple with the honor to be able to raise the son of God in his humanity because our king is not attracted to wealth.

And he is not attracted to fame, and he's not attracted to ability. What draws the heart of God is a heart of obedience, is a heart that really reveres him and loves him and fears him. And God saw this couple and and he recruited this couple in part, yes, because of his sovereign will, but because he saw a couple that were willing to obey even in the smallest of things. This is what draws God's heart. This is more valuable and precious to him than mountains of gold or palaces of pearls or prestige or pedigree.

Just a simple heart that loves his word. Just a humble heart that honors his commands. And God could entrust this couple with the great privilege because he saw in them a willful surrender to the word and that's all he required. Can you visualize it this afternoon? This precious, beautiful young virgin with the child Jesus pressed on her chest, protecting him with whatever strength she had while her husband was walking on her side, she had while her husband was walking on her side with two pigeons in his hands.

And all people on that day who might have walked by or seen them would have known, according to the law, well, here's a poor couple just trying to do their best to honor God. They couldn't afford a lamb, so they brought two birds. But they did have a lamb. They were the richest people there. Because God in his wisdom, in his design, made sure that they would come in with two pigeons because they were holding the lamb of God.

The lamb of God who would come and put an end to all the ceremonial laws that could never cleanse. The lamb of God who would come in to make one sacrifice. That body that was prepared, that would usher in a new covenant in which we don't have to rehearse these things, but look back and by faith connect to that blood and it be applied to us. Oh, they did have a lamb, but it was the lamb of God. And as they came into that place, on the surface of the site, most of those people in there could not understand what was occurring.

But we see through the scriptures that we have commentary on what was happening. Let me emphasize this again this afternoon. God in his perfect wisdom selected Mary and Joseph because they were surrendered vessels. That's all it was. And you see from his infancy, Jesus Christ wanted to and needed to fulfill the law by willing to go through all of this.

Jesus Christ didn't need to be circumcised and infant like the other Jewish kids had to. There was no cleansing needed. There was no sin nature to cover, but Jesus Christ, through the surveillance of these parents, underwent even that because even from his infancy he identified with sinners. Just like why Jesus Christ got baptized. People wonder, it was a baptism of repentance.

If Christ is perfect, why did he allow John to baptize him? Well, to identify with sinners, to fulfill the law. And the same way you get baptized in order to identify with Christ, Christ got baptized to identify with you. And here he is, willing to undergo circumcision, willing to go through the ceremonial purification. Why?

Not because he needed it, but because he identified with us. He was obeying God perfectly, even from those years. And God, in his wisdom, selected two parents to make it happen. And what's beautiful here is by this simple obedience, Mary and Joseph are about to meet a man, are about to face someone who is going to further glorify Christ. This simple thing of observance, the simple thing of circumcising and going through the ceremonial law, I'm sure they did not have it in mind that it would lead to this Christ being further praised and adorned with glory.

Because that's what's about to happen. And I believe that is for instruction. It is for our instruction today. Don't you dare minimize and don't you dare belittle small acts of sacrifice and small acts of obedience. You just may be walking into something that will further glorify Christ as this couple would.

And we read here, haven't we, in verse 25 that there is a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. And all we're told about him is that he was righteous and devout. What a description for a man. Righteous and devout. Why is God telling us this about this man?

Because he would qualify as an appropriate witness about this baby. He would qualify as someone who would be able to have authority to say this child is no ordinary child. He's a light to the Gentiles. He's the glory of Israel. And so this man of good repute would be given the opportunity to testify of this baby and prophesy over this child and his mother.

But more importantly, we're told not just that he was righteous and devout, but he was waiting for the consolation of Israel. Oh, I pray that this point would revive you. I pray that this point would shake you out of your lukewarmness. I pray that this point would awaken you from the familiarity of this celebration. Waiting for the consolation of Israel.

That waiting speaks of expectation and desire. This man, Simeon, God sought to to write about him. Out of all the things that he could have wrote about him, that there was something in him that consumed him. And it was the longing and the awaiting for the Messiah to enter in and to bring restoration to his people, the solace, the peace, the rest. And I'm sure Simeon, in light of the Roman oppression of his day, had a greater ache for the things that he's learned ever since he was a child and the things that he has studied in the scrolls of the scriptures to come about in his own lifetime.

I wanna see the Messiah come. This was the beat of his heart. This was his dream in the night. This was the theme of his conversation. The Bible tells us by the spirit, Simeon was a man who awaited for the consolation of Israel.

Why do you think God wrote that for us to know? Why do you think God included this? I believe one reason is because God looks at our desires. He looks at what we desire and he honors us based on what he discovers about them. Because you got many Christians today that are old covenant believers that are so focused on the outward that they don't think God can see beyond your bone and your skin and your words and your hands and your money.

Jesus came not to lighten up the law. He intensified it. You think that you're holy because you didn't commit adultery with your body? If you've done it in your mind, you've already done it in your heart. Oh, you're not a murderer.

That's why you don't deserve hell. Yeah. You are a murderer if you've hated your brother and you're angry at him for no reason. God saw this desire. He didn't just see the righteousness and his devotion.

He saw his desire. He saw his affections. And it impressed God. It moved God. The Holy Spirit included it here about this man.

And if you're not convinced today that God sees this and God honors us and God does things based on this, then go to the gospel of Mark. And I want you to see another man in the gospel of Mark chapter 15. Be convinced today of the consistent character of God. In Mark fifteen forty three, we read of another man. And this man was not at the infant stages of Jesus Christ, this man was at the death of Jesus Christ.

And we are told in Mark fifteen forty three, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Oh, here's another man. A man who was perhaps a different age, different class, different opportunities, different accomplishments, one thing in common with Simeon, they both longed for the kingdom of God. They both longed for see this man, are are you a member of some important council this afternoon? Are you someone special?

Do you have do you have letters after your name? Welcome. Do you have great, great digits in your bank account? Welcome. We're told in Matthew that this man was rich.

Welcome. But I want to ask you today, does your position distract you? Does your wealth fog your interpretation of life? This man had position, this man had wealth, this man had respect, but this man, the eyes of his heart were set on the kingdom. He longed for it.

He yearned for it. He desired it. And I see Simeon when Jesus was six weeks old and we read that he was able to hold the Messiah. And I see Joseph at the prime of this Messiah's life, slain, holding his body. And even given the privilege of fulfilling that prophecy in Isaiah where the grave of this messiah would be shared with a rich man's tomb.

I see it here. I see that God saw two men and he saw their affections, he saw their passions, and he honored them to come so close to his son, to hold such great reward and responsibility for this son. Maybe you're not convinced. Maybe you're not convinced. Maybe maybe we gotta do more to get out of the mechanical Christianity that plagues America this afternoon.

So let's do it. In the book of Hebrews chapter 11, we read something quite amazing about how God views desires. And in Hebrews eleven sixteen, in that hall of faith, after speaking about the patriarchs, we read in verse 16 of Hebrews 11. But as it is, they desire a better country. They desire a better country that is a heavenly one.

Therefore now pause, pause. Therefore, Whenever you see the word therefore, ask the question, what is therefore there for? What is therefore there for? And therefore is there as what we just heard, as a result of what we just heard. That because certain men had a desire for a heavenly country.

Desire. Does it not say desire? Desire. The same word used in first Timothy three:one where it says if anyone aspires to be an overseer, he desires a noble task. It's a desire so intense that you want to see it come to reality, that you want to see it manifest.

It's the same word. The same way a man who desires to be an elder, who desires to be a pastor, who desires to fulfill that, same word. These people had a net of faith. You believe in heaven? Wonderful.

You believe that you're going to heaven? Great. It's not talking about faith. It's talking about longing. Yearning.

Are you treading lightly in this world, brothers and sisters? Are you treading lightly? They desire a better country, therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. Based on desire, based on affection, based on passion. God who sees what our desires are set on, when he sees his children who desire his kingdom to come, his rule to be known, his dwelling to be with man, he says I'm not ashamed to be called their God.

Can you imagine a greater gift than that? That in the presence of angel host and heavenly creatures that if you were to see them, you would probably melt out of fear. He can say, I'm not ashamed to be called his god. I'm not embarrassed to be called her god. So desire alone magnetizes god in a certain way.

This shows that he's personal. This shows that he's real. This shows that he actually cares about what you feel and what you think and what you desire and what you dream about. Oh, that God would find in us a desire for a heavenly country. Oh, that God would be able to say of Maranatha Bible Church, I am not ashamed to be associated with this church because they desire.

Isn't that wonderful? It's nothing to do with performance. Nothing to do with how great of a minister you are, how powerful your preaching is. No. One simple thing that woos his heart, your desire.

This man, Simeon, had a desire. He waited for the consolation of Israel. And then we are told that the Holy Spirit had revealed to him. I mean, this is a unique privilege. The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he was not going to die until he would see the Messiah.

Now I can't imagine how this altered his life. We're not told when the Holy Spirit told him this, but even if it was a week before, I'm sure that week looked different from every other week. Can you imagine what it would be like? This is what you longed for your whole life. This is what you desired as early as you can even imagine.

And all for a sudden, somehow, someway the Holy Spirit reveals to Simeon, audibly, we don't know how. Simeon, you will not die until you see the Messiah. What do those mornings look like as he woke up in his bed? Is it today, Lord? Is it today?

Will I see him today? Will he enter in today? Will your word to me be fulfilled today? When will it come? Is it now?

And God left him in that spontaneous state but assured by one thing, this man was not gonna die even if all of hell came against him. Even if Rome came against him, he was not going to die until he saw the Messiah. And one day something happens, something marvelous. He wakes up, and there's a strange sense of the leading of God in an unusual way. And there was this sense in which he had to go to the temple.

And God's leading was so perfect that every step, every interruption on the way, whatever took place was perfectly orchestrated by the spirit of God for him to arrive at the moment where he would see Mary and Joseph with the Messiah in their arms. I read that this morning and I thought to myself, lord, won't you just lead me like that? All the experiences I would know, the time that I would save, the energy, all these things that could be reserved that you can just speak to me so clearly and tell me get up and go, stop, no, yes, mate, no. I need it. I want it.

Why just Simeon? I'm sure there's an innocency about that that God honors. But I'm also refreshed to know here that there was another person in the same temple who did not have the same experience as Simeon leading up to this moment, but she did have the same blessing of realizing the Messiah. Another woman, older woman, her name is Anna. We're often familiar with Hannah, but this is Anna, another prophetess.

She's found in the same chapter here. And all we're told about Anna is that she was a prophetess, she was a widow. She only had seven years with her husband before her husband died. Tragedy. Heartbreaking.

And we are told here in Luke two thirty seven about Anna. And then as a widow, until she was 84, she did not depart from the temple worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. I love that. Because I see a woman who experienced a tragedy. Early in her marriage, she lost the love of her life.

And I'm sure that shattered her dreams and her hopes of living long and old with her husband. And yet this woman did not have bitterness in her heart against God, did not walk away from the house of God, did not say this prayer thing doesn't work. When I prayed for my husband while he was sick, God didn't hear me. No. She devote herself more to God.

She came to the house of God daily and she prayed and she fasted and she was a worshiper. An elderly woman, not a princess, not a queen, not a beauty pageant winner, an elderly woman who lost her husband, who just devoted herself to the house of God even more after a tragedy. And she comes here and she worships God. And there's an interesting phrase in verse 38, and coming up at that very hour, She began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who are waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. Did you see the phrase?

And coming up at that very hour. The King James would say at that instance. What are you seeing there? Not wasted words, my brother and my sister. What you are seeing there is the providence of God.

Simeon was led by the spirit to go to the temple in a very supernatural, real, and raw way. Anna was led to the temple by Providence. Fast. But on this day, it would be an extraordinary day. She came up at that very moment where Simeon and that couple met, and where Simeon grabbed that child and praised God and prophesied over him.

And guess who was there to hear all about it? Anna. Maybe that doesn't move you, but be encouraged to know that this is how God often leads his people. Do you want God's providence to be in favor of your life in the new year? Can I encourage you to do something?

Be devout. Be serious about the things of God. Be consistent in your walk with Christ. You want providence in your favor? Love him no matter what he takes from you.

Serve him no matter who doesn't serve him. Don't let disappointment in life, don't let heartache, don't let betrayal, don't let things in life make you waver. I believe, and we can debate it over lunch, I believe that God honored Anna because Anna honored God. Call me legalistic all you want. This woman was devout and God saw this woman and he allowed by his providential leading to have an exposure that the priest in the same temple did not have.

That the high priest did not have. If you desire God's providence, give him your undivided devotion. And watch him lead your life in spectacular ways. And what's amazing about Simeon here is that by the Holy Spirit, he was led. And he comes here, and let's read it one more time in verse 27.

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. Can you imagine it? Simeon is blessing God while he's holding God. What a thought. Simeon is worshiping God while he's holding God.

Behold the humility of God. Behold the wonder of this moment. And we see here that he was able to bless God. That was his first response. His first reaction was to worship God, Was to worship I pray that you came this afternoon to worship God.

To worship God in light of the revelation that he became a little baby. And guess what? If you're here today because it's Christmas and you have to be here, and because it's tradition and that's what traditionalists do, but you're not here because you're moved by the revelation of what Christ has done, then I wanna encourage you today that what you need is what Simeon had and that was the Holy Spirit controlling his mind and his heart. That's what you need and that's what I need. Every time this heart is able to grow cold and dull with any truth concerning Christ, even his incarnation, I need the Holy Spirit to fall upon me afresh.

Because he was able to bless God. And this is one of the most incredible things because he declares one of the most complete prophecies of Christ before he even became a man. Think about this. Before Christ uttered one miracle, before he uttered one parable, before he'd done one miraculous supernatural thing, before before any sermon he heard, he understood the gospel and its completion. He understood the the work and the extent of what Christ would do.

He had a revelation and an insight to the work of Jesus Christ that no average Jew had, that no priest had, that no rabbi had. Because what what Simeon had in this moment is what you and I need every single day, and that's the leading work of the spirit. The holy spirit was his teacher. The Holy Spirit was the one who opened his mind and his eyes to Christ. It is no wonder that the Holy Spirit is known as the gift of God.

Wanna talk about gifts today? You want a gift? Ask for a greater feeling of the Holy Spirit. So I'm gonna tell you today, it doesn't matter what seminary you go to, it doesn't matter what preachers you sit under, it doesn't matter how many books you buy and how many highlighters you go through through those books, unless you have the Holy Spirit, you will be nothing but a traditionalist void of true praise and void of true revelation. Because what Simeon had in this moment in the temple is what many people fail to have in that very same temple.

He saw what other people could not see because he had what they did not have, the enabling work of the spirit of God. So the holy spirit reveals this to him, and now he begins to open his mouth after he blesses God. He took him up in his arms and he blessed God and said, 29, Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace according to your word. This man holding this child, I don't know if he looked up, I don't know if he looked into the eyes of that little baby. But he began as the first thing out of his mouth to boldly declare the faithfulness of God.

That's what he said. The first thing he was able to say is God keeps his word. No matter if it's declared to the whole human race or even if it was promises concerning one people group through the Psalms, through the prophets, through the law, or even if he promises one man about a thing concerning his own life, God keeps his word. You said it, Lord, and it came to pass. Here is your promise for Israel.

Here is the light for the Gentiles, and here is your goodness and your faithfulness to me. I can now die. I can now die. He is faithful. He's perfect.

He never never disappoints. He's wonderful. His character is immovable. He is trustworthy. He is your stability and mine.

And we see that Simeon declares that, but notice also that Simeon even expresses his readiness to depart in peace. I'm ready to go. Salvation. You can call me home now, God. Believe that this verse hints at the satisfaction that Jesus brings into a life.

Simeon here receives a glimpse of the Messiah. He's not going to see the restoration of

the nation of Israel. He's not going to see the restoration of the nation of Israel. He's not going to see the restoration of

the nation of Israel. He's not going to see the restoration of the nation of Israel. He's not going to see the restoration of the Messiah. He he's not gonna see the restoration of the nation of Israel. He's not gonna see the revival among the Gentiles that would come in and bow before this Messiah.

All he has seen is a glimpse of the salvation of God. And it so moved his heart, it so filled his soul that he is essentially saying life has nothing more to give to me. I'm ready to go. I wonder if that's what you feel about your relationship with Christ. Take Christ away.

There's no life to live. Give me Christ and I have all. This man is saying, I have seen Christ. I've seen the salvation. I'm ready to go into glory.

I'm so blessed. I'm so filled with hope and joy and peace that I'm ready to depart now. Because I want you to be reminded Christmas is not just about Jesus, life is about Jesus. The theme of our song is Jesus. The theme of our salvation is Jesus.

The theme of heaven is Jesus. The theme of your satisfaction is Jesus. Nothing else. And if it is any anything else, I pity you this afternoon, because all I see is a desperate man, a desperate woman drinking out of filthy water because you're going to a broken cistern that's promising you something that will never ever ever satisfy. This man was so satisfied at just the sight of the infancy of the Messiah that he said, take my life because I have now lived.

I have now lived. And the psalmist said, whom have I in heaven but you? And there's nothing on earth I desire besides you. He's the theme in heaven, he's in the theme of earth. You.

Heaven is about you. Earth is about you. The person. Just the person of Jesus Christ. Let me say it again.

He was not rejoicing here because he saw something happen. No. No. No. Just the person of Jesus alone satisfied.

Is that true for you, Christian? Where are your desires this afternoon? Are you bored right now? Is this not moving you? What are your plans for the new year?

Is Christ included there, or did you get your fire insurance and you're going to heaven? This man, Simeon, blessed God. Blessed God to the degree that he says, you can kill me now, and I can welcome death with a smile, parents, the The parents, the legal parents of Jesus are gonna react in a way, but just for the sake of seeing in verse 31, he goes on to say that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples a light for revelation to the gentiles and for glory to your people Israel. There's the gospel. Jesus's own disciples had to go through so much to understand the fact that Gentiles can be saved.

They had to have council meetings about it. And yet Simeon in this moment understood it. He saw it. He knew it because the Holy Spirit does that. He heals your thinking.

He he does such an incredible supernatural thing in us. We celebrate the fact that the Holy Spirit can make nothing into something. He can bring God and do some weaving work into a random womb and create flesh, though not interfering with the divine element of who God is. But the miracle doesn't stop there in the incarnation. God, the Holy Spirit can do a work in you.

He can do a work in me. He can create something in us. He can change us. He can heal us. He can renew us.

And I want you to see the reaction of of these parents in verse 33. And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. They marveled. They were in awe. They were stunned.

Maybe stunned by the fact that this random man is saying such things about their boy, because their reaction here interjects, and Simeon's about to go on to prophesy, which we're not going to touch this afternoon. I just want to park right here as we close with this application. They see, they hear, and they marvel. They see, they hear, and they marvel. Can I ask you something?

Is this the first time that they've heard something about this son? Is this the first time that they receive revelation? No. No, they've received angelic visitation. No, no, Joseph has received dreams.

Shepherds have come to announce something of this birth. This is not the first time that they heard about who this baby is and what this baby will accomplish. But you know what? They still marveled. Are you marveling today?

Or is this all familiar to you? You got used to it. Right? It's just common knowledge now. Right?

Another year, another Christmas service, another sermon. Maybe this time we'll cry, maybe he'll move us emotionally, maybe the worship will be better. I just have one question for you today. Do you still marvel? Are you still in awe?

This couple, who had already seen so much up to this point, could still lose their breath, could still lose their sleep, could still worship and and give God glory, even though this is not the first time they heard it. And that's why I'm saying this today because of what I said earlier in the announcements. My prayer for this morning service, or this afternoon rather, is that we would be revived into the new year. I don't wanna be able to hear a message about it, and I'm sure there is a responsibility upon the preacher to be filled with the holy spirit and to expound on the text as a man who is connected to God. I'm sure of that.

Because some people can talk about the gospel as though they're reading an obituary. But there's still yet something on our part. There there's still an indicator of the sensitivity of our hearts when we can still hear about this and many things about who God is and be moved and still marvel and leave here and not immediately think, what am I gonna eat? But at least be impressed, at least be touched, at least be stirred. They marveled because Simeon preached a sermon that lasted thirteen seconds.

And I wanna tell you today that if you've lost I'm not concerned if you can't go to your favorite restaurant anymore. I'm not concerned if you lost the privilege of going on four vacations a year instead of one. Did you lose your marvel? Did you lose your wonder? Did you lose your awe?

That's more concerning to me as a brother in Christ than what we are being stripped from in America. You think that happens after Sunday morning messages? Do we treasure what we heard in our heart? Do we meditate on it? Do we discuss it?

Or just like She treasured them in her heart. She relished. She digested. She contemplated the mother of the Lord Jesus Christ and his humanity. And so that's what I'm leaving you with today.

Ask God to cause you to marvel again Because only he can do it. This poor preacher can only go so far. My stammering lips can only suggest so much. But there is one who can impress you and move you and reveal things to you, and he's called the gift of God, the Holy Spirit. Can we ask him to help us today?

And can I ask the choir to join us? Before we sing, let's pray and ask God to help us. Well, we thank you for this afternoon where you've gathered us together. And we ask, Lord, that you would renew that sense of wonder. Lord, we admit that our hearts are capable of being hardened even in a setting like this.

That we can be unmoved, unchanged, but we ask that you would rescue us. That you would rescue us even though if it's something that we've heard over and over again, that it would never fail to revive us. Lord, we leave that to you. What we have what we have done in this moment, we have done prayerfully, but we trust in your sovereignty. Only you can touch and save souls in this place.

Only you can revive a heart that has been calloused. And so we now worship you, asking that even in this moment, even in this brief moment as we close, you would make an impression on our hearts. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.