Carols of Christmas: The Nunc Dimittis

Would you take your Bibles this morning and turn to Luke chapter 2. Luke chapter 2 and I'll begin reading in verse 21. Luke 2 verse 21. And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. And when the time came for their purification, according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.

As it is written in the law of the Lord, every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord. and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, a pair of 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're 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 the thoughts from many hearts may be revealed. Let's pray. Father, open your book now to us, that we might understand your intentions, your message.

We pray, Lord, that we would think carefully about what is said here. Lord keep us from thinking of this merely as history merely as biography Help us to remember that you are communicating something through this communicating something for us so that we see the glory of Christ Help us to see His glory today. We ask this, Lord, in His name. Amen. Right now, in the Christmas store, we kind of run out of gas.

How many know the part of the Christmas store about the old man? Right? We know the part about Joseph and his message from the angel, Mary and her visit from an angel, the shepherds and their angels, the stable and the inn in Bethlehem, the star and the magi and Herod. All are familiar characters in the story. But how many know the story about the old man who meets Mary and Joseph in the temple?

You see, that's part of the Christmas story too. But by about this time, we're kind of in Christmas story fatigue because we've heard all the stories. We've heard them a million times and now it's after Christmas, the excitement's over, let's move on. And we don't hear this part of the Christmas story. So today, let's try to cure that fatigue and hear the story of Simeon.

Simeon sings the fourth song in the second chapter of Luke. Of Luke's opening chapter, I should say. You remember that in the first two chapters of Luke, there are four songs, and that's what we're looking at this season. This is the song called the Nunc Dimittis, which is the Latin translations of Simeon's words in verse 29, Lord, now you are letting, or Lord, now you are dismissing, or dismiss.

Now, after the birth of Jesus in the stable, Joseph and Mary and their son probably found some lodgings because they are in Jerusalem at the temple a little over a month later. On the eighth day, according to the law, the baby boy was circumcised, making him a part of the covenant people of God, taking upon himself the sign that he was part of God's covenant people. and in obedience to God they named the baby Jesus. Next we see them 33 days later returning with their son Jesus Now the woman according to the law in Leviticus chapter 12 was still considered unclean After the birth of a baby boy she had to wait for 33 days before going to the temple to be purified.

Now don't think in terms of medicine or anything like that. This is ceremonial. This is God making the point. You don't just come to me anytime you want. There are certain things you have to do. It's trying to show his holiness.

And so a woman who gave birth to a son was considered ceremonially unclean for 33 days. And then when those days were over, she had to go to the temple with a year old lamb and a pigeon or a dove for a sacrifice that would purify her. If she was poor and she couldn't afford a lamb, then she could offer two pigeons or two doves. Obviously then, Jesus came from a poor family because they offer the poor man's sacrifice.

They're from the lower strata of society. The law also required that the parents present the firstborn son to God. That is to say, if you were the firstborn son of a couple, in obedience to the law, you were given to God, and then you had to be redeemed. That is, you had to be bought back from God. That is to say, God laid his rightful claim to every firstborn son in Israel in remembrance of the firstborn that died before they left in the Exodus.

And so every male firstborn of human or animal that belonged to you was considered belonging exclusively to God. It's quoted here, Holy to the Lord. The firstborn male shall be called holy to the Lord. And so he's consecrated to God. But the parents were still allowed to raise him, but they had to acknowledge his sovereignty and so had to offer something, had to make a payment to redeem their son so that they could raise him.

When the parents presented these children to God, they were setting him apart for his service. Here you find Jesus fulfilling the requirements of God for our salvation. He's already starting to fulfill those requirements. In his circumcision, Jesus received the lawful sign of the covenant. This was required In his presentation Jesus was consecrated to God as the law required And then through the rest of his life he lived in perfect obedience to God as the law required.

And he did this for our salvation. You see, we are saved by his death on the cross, but we're also saved by his life on earth in which he fulfilled all the righteous demands of God. Jesus already belonged to God the Father as son to the Father in the Trinity. But when he came to earth, he also belonged to God in obedience. So as a human then, he had to live in obedience to God.

And so he begins that very task of obeying God in doing all the things that are said here. It is in this setting then that God reveals to you that this child is Messiah. This baby is Messiah. And by the way, when it says the Lord's Christ in verse 26, remember Christ is not Jesus' last name. It's a title. Christ is the Greek word Christos, which means anointed, which is a translation of the Hebrew word Mashiach, which we pronounce as Messiah.

Messiah, Christ are the same things. And so here he is. He is the Lord's anointed one, the Lord's Christ, the Lord's Messiah. Now here comes another witness to the authenticity of Messiah Jesus. It's Simeon. And Luke has built his book this way.

In these first two chapters, Luke produces witness after witness to testify to the fact that this boy is indeed the promised Christ. All the things he records. Remember, he's writing to a man named Theophilus. If you read the very first verses, I'm writing to you, Theophilus, so that you know that what you believed is true. And he begins before Jesus was born to testify to the fact that Jesus is the Messiah.

There's Gabriel, the angel's testimony in chapter 1, verses 31 to 33. There's Elizabeth's testimony in chapter 1. There's Zacharias' witness that he's Messiah in chapter 1. There's the testimony of the angels to the shepherds, chapter 2. There's the shepherds' testimony themselves. They went around telling everybody, chapter 2.

There's Anna's testimony, which immediately follows after Simeon, where this woman named Anna also proclaims him Christ. Jesus himself is a witness. In verses 46 to 47, by his actions in the temple, and then by his answer to his parents, I'm going about doing my father's work. So Jesus is not some kind of pseudo-messiah, suddenly appearing and making fantastic claims.

But even before his birth, he is confirmed as the coming king, even before he's born. Luke stacks up all these witnesses so you get the point. Jesus is the one you've been waiting for. He's the one that's the Messiah, the Christ. And Simeon is that one more witness to an impressive list of witnesses up to this point. Listen, Simeon is a credible witness to the authenticity of Jesus.

Notice how Luke describes him. First, he is righteous and devout. Right? He's righteous and devout. That's the kind of witness you'd want. He's one who has no axe to grind, right?

He's not saying these things because he gains an advantage from it. This is the kind of juror you want to weigh the evidence, right? This is the kind of man that you want. He's looking for the consolation of Israel, our text says in verse 25. He's waiting for the consolation of Israel. What's so important about that?

Look back at the Old Testament in Isaiah 57. Let's turn back to Isaiah 57 quickly here. And we read this prophecy in verse 14. Let's start there. And it shall be said, build up, build up, prepare the way, remove every obstruction from my people's way. For thus says the one who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is holy.

I dwell in the high and holy place and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. For I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry, for the spirit will grow faint before me and the breath of life that I made. Because of the iniquity of his unjust gain, I was angry.

I struck him. I hid my face and was angry. But he went on backsliding in the way of his own heart. I seen his ways but I will heal him I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners creating the fruit of the lips Peace peace to the far and to the near says the Lord and I will heal him Notice that he says, I'm going to restore and comfort him.

This is what it means to console. This is the consolation of Israel, the comfort of Israel. What's the point? Many of that day were looking for a Messiah who was going to do political things for them, who's going to make it give them prosperity once more, who's going to throw off the Romans, who's going to restore them to national greatness. But Simeon saw truly who this Messiah is.

He's the comfort of Israel. And in that prophecy, what is he saying? He must come to bring righteousness and comfort to those who are broken over their wickedness. Those who are contrite and lowly of heart. those are the one that he's going to come and comfort he is the one who's going to bring that to pass that is the consolation of israel he was not looking for some great political gain a wonderful prosperity national prominence what he was looking for was someone who would deal with the sin of his people that's what that's what simeon was looking for and he noticed and he He sees by the Spirit that this is the one who's not going to accomplish these great political ends, but is going to deal with the lowly and contrite in spirit to bring comfort and revive their spirits.

He has a true view of Messiah. He was a believer. What does it mean to be a believer? It means waiting in faith for God to do what he's promised. He was waiting in faith. you ever wonder how often simeon this old man must have walked the streets of the city waiting for the salvation that god had promised him can you imagine him watching parents bringing their children into the temple and wondering if that was the one you see god had promised that he would not die until he saw the consolation of israel maybe he would peer into their tiny faces wondering which child would be the Christ he believed what God had said he knew he was coming he was also a prophet verse 25 the Holy Spirit was on him just like it says oftentimes in the Old Testament about the prophets of God and the Spirit of God on them so here is a witness who loves and obeys God who is specially equipped by God Spirit for recognizing Messiah who sees the true spiritual foundation for his kingdom Here is the one who will readily and accurately recognize the King.

And on this particular day, he's moved by the Spirit. Now, what does that mean? We don't know. Luke doesn't tell us. It just says he was moved by the Spirit. He knew this was the day.

He knew that this was the one. And so he goes into the outer courts. And there among the people he spies a young couple with a baby boy. God had promised that he would not see death until he saw Messiah. And now the time to see him had come. Can you imagine being him right now?

Can you imagine being him? This is it. It's happened. Centuries and centuries and centuries of promises. Right? If we go all the way back to Abraham, more than 1,400 years of promise.

And he's going to be the one who sees the culmination of that promise that day. So he approaches the couple. He speaks a bit with them. He takes the baby into his arms, and he breaks out into this song. Verses 29 through 33. And here God reveals the identity of this child.

He is the fulfillment of God's promise. Lord, now you're 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, here's the fulfillment of God's promise. Literally, this should read, Now dismiss your servant, Lord, according to your word in peace.

He sees it now. I'm sure he didn't look forward to death. By the way, it's not wrong not to look forward to death. Death is still the enemy. Death is still the enemy. I'm sure he didn't look forward to dying, but he knew he was going to die soon.

And he knows now that he can die with peace. all of his expectations had been met. No more anxiety, no more suspense. He has seen the promise of God fulfilled. You can know what that like Your children look eagerly for Christmas right Two days before Christmas they literally dancing around the tree They can't wait to get to the presents, right? And then instead of sleeping in their beds the night before, they all camp out on the floor around the tree so that when 3 o'clock comes, they can run upstairs and get you out of bed and open up their presents.

It's not the same the next day, is it? There's no more waiting. There's no more expectancies. There's no more anxiety. It's done. It's fulfilled.

It's come. That's what's happening here. It's done. It's fulfilled. And this Christ is God's salvation. For my eyes have seen your salvation.

He's looking at a baby, and he says, my eyes have seen your salvation. Notice, Simeon does not say he's seen the Messiah, But as he looks at that baby boy, he asserts that he has seen God's salvation. The child's coming was not simply part of God's salvation. He is salvation itself. Don't miss this. Jesus is all that anyone needs to be saved.

There's nothing more than Jesus. He is salvation. Now how do most people see salvation? How do most people see salvation? How do most people see that they're going to be delivered from the anxiety of living life in this broken world? How do they see they're going to be right with God?

How do they look at it? Many people look at it and say, if I do well enough, then God will accept me. And Simeon is saying, no, here. Here's where God accepts you. Right here. In this baby boy.

There's your salvation. It's not in how well you do. That's not going to cut it. Nor will you be relieved from the anxieties and the horrors of this life by following some philosophical system or ordering your life along the lines of a great man's teaching, and that way you find salvation. No. Here's the hard part, and yet it's so easy.

God's salvation is a person, not a philosophy or a program. it's not philosophy it's not a program it's a person you've got to you've got to entrust yourself to a living person he will save you in Christ our he is He hid all the parts of salvation and the joyful life that is what salvation is about. He is the one who rescues. He is the one who will defeat the enemies of righteousness.

It is a person. Do you see that? He looks at him and he says, right? For my eyes have seen your salvation. It is a person. Now, you've heard me say this before.

You've heard me say this. Sunday mornings, you know what a pastor does? He rolls over in bed and he says, I can't do it. You'd think after 33 years you'd get over it, wouldn't you? You don't. You can't do it.

There's only one prayer. Lord, look at him, not me. I'm weak. I fail. Look at him, not me. There's your salvation.

There's your reason for living confidently before God. I don't know of anybody who can be confident before God on the way they've lived in the past week. Look at Him. There is your salvation. And that salvation has come for all men. And you can't lose that either.

In the presence of all peoples, all nations is the word there. He's not just come for us Jews, which is a radical thing to say. They're looking for a Jewish king who's going to come and help the Jewish people. And now this man is saying, you've prepared this in the presence of all peoples. He's come for all men. And this Messiah is light.

This light will illumine the minds of those outside of the covenant community. It will illumine the minds of the pagans. The Apostle Paul describes it in Ephesians 2 this way those who are excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of promise without hope and without God in the world They weren't part of the covenants that God had made with the nation of Israel.

They weren't part of any of that. They were without God and without hope. But here comes Messiah and he's a light for the Gentiles, fulfilling God's Old Testament promise. Turn back to Isaiah 49. Sadly, I did not put it in the bulletin correctly. Actually, Keaton should have read through verse 12 instead of 2.

That was my fault. I wrote it that way. Because right in the middle of it all, you see in verse 6 this. He says, It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob. See, he's talking to somebody. God's talking to somebody.

He's called the servant of the Lord. He's this mysterious person in the prophet Isaiah called the servant of the Lord. He's shrouded in mystery because you can't quite figure it out until Jesus comes. Then it all makes sense. But there's this figure called the servant of the Lord, and God is speaking to him at this point. And he says, it is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel.

He's saying, it's too little of a thing. It's too little of a thing for you just to come to my people. What does he go on to say then in verse 6? I will make you as a light for the nations that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth. There it is in the Old Testament. This mysterious servant of God is not just going to come for Israel's sake.

He's going to come to be a light to all the nations of the world to take the salvation to the ends of the earth. God's intention has always been to expand His covenant people from the nation of Israel to expand it to all peoples who by Christ, their salvation, become part of the covenant people of God. So Christ comes to those who are strangers to God and brings to light God.

He brings to light sin. He brings to light death and judgment. He brings to light the way of escape. Christ has been your light. If you are sitting here if you are sitting here saying I have entrusted myself to Jesus it because He come as a light He exposed your wicked heart to the point where you realize there no hope for me But in Jesus, he's my salvation.

That's the light that he brings. And the light is the glory of Israel. He's a Jew. Of course, it's the glory of Israel. The glory of Israel is that it provided us a savior. Look back at what Zacharias says in Luke 1, verses 76 and 77.

And you, child, speaking about his son John the Baptist, and you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins. He will bring to Israel what it needs to hear. You can experience restored relationship with your God through this one. here is the king he is fulfillment, he is salvation he is light what a remarkable prophecy what a remarkable promise to say to a young couple who are so poor they barely have enough to scrape together for a couple of birds and to tell them this son of yours is the glory of Israel and the promised light that's going to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.

Who in the world would believe that? The Savior of the world. But then, Simeon draws the blade that pierces the very heart of Mary. He utters one further prophecy, and in it the shadow of the cross falls on the mother and the child. He goes on to say this in verse 33, 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.

A sword will pierce through your own soul also so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed Simeon this old prophet looks right into Mary eyes and tells her of her son destiny God reveals to you the destiny of this child He bring many in Israel to unavoidable decision. Okay? Unavoidable decision. The fall and the rising of many in Israel and for a sign that will be opposed.

Because of him, some will fall into judgment. Because of him, some will be raised to salvation. Jesus himself understood that. Later in this book, if you want to look at it, Luke chapter 20. Do you see what Jesus says there? Luke chapter 20.

Turn ahead a few pages. Luke chapter 20, verse 17. But he looked directly at them and said, What then is this that is written? The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him. You see that?

From Psalm 118, The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. Anyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him. Jesus understood it's going to cause the ruin of many, and it's going to be the corner of salvation for others. He's going to do both. Jesus will be a sign that attracts hostility as well.

He's the object of opposition. Although Jesus performed many signs, right? Performed many signs that attested to his relationship with God. He himself is the ultimate sign. He is the ultimate sign of God's intentions. Confronted with God's will in the form of a person, right?

Many will react with hostility. Please understand, someone can say something to you, and if that becomes the item of discussion, you can debate it. You can say, no, you don't understand that rightly. But when it's a person who's standing there right in your face, and He's the expression of God's will? There's no way around that. You can't debate Him.

He's it. And they will despise Him. They will reject Him. They will respond to Him with hostility. stand against him and they will nail him to a cross. He'll be a sign that causes incredible opposition. Jesus is the great revealer of men's hearts so that the thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.

When Jesus shows up, so does your heart. When Jesus shows up, your heart will be revealed. The affections of your heart can be concealed. The affections of your heart can be easily hidden in the deepest recesses of your heart so that nobody knows it. But when Christ is revealed, your reaction to Him rips away the mask of your heart and your true affections are brought out into the open.

He inevitably brings to light our true thoughts and affections. He inevitably does that. When you put Jesus in front of someone, their hearts will be revealed. Do you ever notice, and again, I know I've said this so many times, but sometimes I think we just don't get it. Do you ever notice you can talk to anybody about God? Right?

You can get in a conversation about God. Yeah, no, he's this way. No, he's that way. You talk about Jesus and that's when the temperature will rise. I don't know if you've ever noticed that before. When you start talking Jesus, man, then things really start getting dicey.

Because he's the one that actually reveals everyone's heart. You see? He inevitably brings to light. Why? Because Jesus is salvation. So what happens?

You put him in front of somebody, and you're either truly humbled by your sin, you see your need for grace, you run to Jesus and say, I'm unworthy, please save me. I'm a horrible person. I need to be rescued. Or, what? I don't need to be rescued. I'm not so bad.

I'm not as bad as that guy over there. Right? Either you're lowly and contrite, or are you proud? Jesus rips the mask off. People think they live good lives. They don need a Savior They blind to the reality of their sin They blind to the reality of sin in their lives and the world around them They scoff at the idea that someone needs a Savior that someone needs to die for them.

For such as these, Jesus gets in the way and they stumble. He gets in the way and they stumble. And then, Simeon says to Mary, that this inevitable clash is going to bring great heartache to her. Great personal heartache. She's going to lose her son. And listen, even if by near the end of her life, Mary realizes that Jesus must die, it hurts, doesn't it?

All of us here, just about all of us, to face the death of someone we love. We may know that they're prepared. We may know that they're ready to go. We may hope that their suffering ends and they go to be with Christ. But when they die, it hurts. And Simeon says to her, it's going to be a sword to your heart when all this happens.

The point is, Simeon makes it absolutely clear to all men, you can never consider Jesus a neutral commodity. He is the stone that crushes or saves. He is the sign that attracts hostility or love. He is the revealer that by his very nature exposes the affections of the hidden man. That's who Jesus is. He's never neutral.

Never neutral. as Messiah, the very representative of God, he can't be neutral. He either saves or he crushes. You either embrace him or you're hostile. There is no neutrality with Jesus So let me ask you what flows from your heart today We celebrated the birth of Jesus People all over the world have celebrated the birth of Jesus. The birth of a helpless baby in a dirty stable moves everybody's heart to sympathy, as well it should.

But that's not the birth of a baby in horrible circumstances. It's not the birth, as some would like to say, of a homeless couple in horrible circumstances giving birth to someone who draws out our sympathy. Oh, we feel so bad for those folks. No, this is the birth of someone who's promised salvation and light. How do you respond to that Jesus? How do you respond to that Jesus?

Do you respond with hostility? Me? Salvation? Me? I don't need that. Me?

A condemned sinner? What stupidity. Everybody's a sinner. Come on. Come on. All that stuff about a Savior is so make-believe.

Yeah, you wimpy people want to believe in that. Fine, but I don't need it. Right? How do you respond to the Jesus who has promised salvation and light? Maybe you respond with apathy, right? That was a nice sermon today.

Where are we meeting the family today for dinner? Right? You're tripping. You're going to get crushed. Jesus is the revealer of hearts. If you respond in such ways, you'll someday find that Jesus, the cornerstone, will crush and destroy you.

There's no way around that. respond today with repentance and belief because Jesus is salvation. Do you respond to him with love and worship? If you do then he has found you and you are his But if you respond with hostility or apathy you lost and you need him How do you respond to Jesus? Father, you've made it clear that Jesus is much more than just a poor baby born in horrible circumstances.

You've made it clear that He's more than an object of our sympathy, but He is to be an object of our faith. He is to be an object of our trust. And that, Father, if we respond to Him with nothing more than apathy and at worst opposition, then He will someday crush us. but father he stands and offers himself now to everyone who would believe he invites them to believe lord if there are some here today who have never entrusted themselves to jesus i pray father you would move them to think of him either as a cornerstone or a crushing stone father help them to see they cannot remain neutral to this one called jesus and Lord if that's the case that he is salvation then help us who do believe in him to deepen our trust in him to know that his grace extends to us and that we can rest in him knowing that he is salvation and not our works not our obedience not our sanctification no Lord it's him and him alone help us to rely on him even more and more and to rejoice in the grace that we find in this one who is salvation.

Grant all of this, we pray, for the glory of your name and the exaltation of Jesus. Do this, we pray, in all the hearts that are here today. Amen.