Waiting For Christmas December 14, 2014 Sermon #661

December 14, 2014

Sermon #661

 Waiting For Christmas

 Introduction: Christmas has a lot to do with waiting. And waiting seems to be hard work for most of us. True, on rare occasions, you do find people who are happy to wait. I’m reminded of the condemned man who, while awaiting his execution in the dead of winter, was asked what he wanted for his last meal. He said, “All I want is a big juicy watermelon.” The warden complained, “Ah, come on...it’s December! How am I going to get you a watermelon?” “Don’t worry about it warden,” said the condemned man. “I’m willing to wait ‘til next year.” For most of us, however, waiting is an ordeal rather than a good deal. Just ask our children if they enjoy waiting for the opportunity to open their presents.

• The nation of Israel had to wait thousands of years for the Messiah to come and deliver them. 

• Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, for failing to believe the words of God, had to wait nine months to speak         again. 

• Joseph and Mary had to wait at least as long for the birth of their son after the announcement from the angel Gabriel. 

• And the magi waited 18-24 months before they were finally able to see Him. Yes, indeed, Christmas has a lot do with waiting! 

• Christian writer and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, imprisoned by Hitler during WWII, wrote to his fiancée on one lesson learned from life in prison: “A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes, does various unessential things and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside, is not a bad picture of Advent.”

Luke 2:25-35(NKJV) –  25And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27So he came by 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, 28he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: 29“Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; 30For my eyes have seen Your salvation 31Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, 32A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”

33And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. 34Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 35(yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

I. The Lord’s Christ

A. Christ –  Messiah (the anointed one)

1 Samuel 10:1-10(NKJV) –  1Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head, and kissed him and said: “Is it not because the Lord has anointed you commander over His inheritance? 2When you have departed from me today, you will find two men by Rachel’s tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say to you, ‘The donkeys which you went to look for have been found. And now your father has ceased caring about the donkeys and is worrying about you, saying, “What shall I do about my son?”‘ 3Then you shall go on forward from there and come to the terebinth tree of Tabor. There three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine. 4And they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall receive from their hands. 

5After that you shall come to the hill of God where the Philistine garrison is. And it will happen, when you have come there to the city, that you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with a stringed instrument, a tambourine, a flute, and a harp before them; and they will be prophesying. 6Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. (Pentecost)!

B. Title Jesus accepted. 

Matthew 16:13-16(NKJV) –  13When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” 14So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 

John 3:27-36(NKJV) –  27John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. 28You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’ 29He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. 30He must increase, but I must decrease. 31He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. 

33He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true. 34For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. 35The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. 36He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

II. Background of Text

Following the birth of Christ, Joseph and Mary went to the temple to observe two important ceremonies in obedience to the Word of God: the presentation of the child 

Numbers 18:15(NKJV) –  15”Everything that first opens the womb of all flesh, which they bring to the Lord, whether man or beast, shall be yours; nevertheless the firstborn of man you shall surely redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem.

Leviticus 12:1-4(NKJV) –  1Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2”Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If a woman has conceived, and borne a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days; as in the days of her customary impurity she shall be unclean. 3And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. 4She shall then continue in the blood of her purification thirty-three days. She shall not touch any hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary until the days of her purification are fulfilled. 

While they were there, they ran into Simeon. His name means “one who hears and obeys.” Simeon was called a “righteous and devout man.” The first word indicates that he behaved well towards people. The second means that he took his religious duties seriously. He had been waiting patiently for the opportunity to see the Lord’s Christ before he died because God the Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would be given this privilege. After years of waiting, at last the moment came and hope arrived in the form of a baby. Simeon, in his sheer exuberance offered up a prayer of thanksgiving to God and a prophecy concerning the child and his mother. In so doing, he directed our attention to three main ideas.

III. To See Christ is to See God’s Promises Fulfilled

A. To Simeon

B. To mankind 

Genesis 3:15(NKJV) –  15And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”

IV. To See Christ is to See God’s Salvation

Luke 2:30-32(NKJV) –  30For my eyes have seen Your salvation 31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, 32A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”

A. Simeon saw in the Babe what others have failed to see - Jesus came for everyone!

B. The Church can become a country club for a select few

Acts 10:34-48(NKJV) –  34Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. 35But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. 36The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all— 37that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: 38how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. 39And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree. 

40Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, 41not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. 42And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. 43To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.” 44While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. 45And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 

46For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, 47”Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.

ILL: God has poured out the Holy Spirit on people of every race and every denomination. (Yes even on Roman Catholics and Baptists)

V. To See Christ is to See God’s Offer Rejected

A. Offer of Salvation

Luke 2:33-35(NKJV) –  33And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. 34Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 35(yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”  

1 Corinthians 1:20-25(NKJV) –  20Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 24but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 

Romans 9:30-33(NKJV) –  30What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; 31but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. 32Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. 33As it is written: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 

1 Peter 2:1-8(NKJV) –  1Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, 3if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. 4Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, 5you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”  

7Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,”  8and “A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.”  They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. 

ILL: Christ is the Rock - you will either stand on it or it will fall upon you!

B. Offer of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit

Luke 11:9-13(NKJV) –  9”So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

Acts 8:14-17(NKJV) –  14Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, 15who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Conclusion: Don’t be like the Pharisees who thought they were so smart and theologically correct that they rejected both gifts. 

ILL: Randy Johnson, nephew of President Lyndon Johnson, was a mediocre quarterback for a mediocre team (Oklahoma State). With only minutes on the clock they trailed the University of Oklahoma by 6 points. They had 80 yards between them and the goal. The coach put in all of his seniors and told Randy to call any play he wanted. Randy said to the team, “play number 13” a play that had never worked. Surprisingly the play worked and Oklahoma State won by one point. “Randy,” the coach asked, “what in the world made you use play 13?” “Well,” Randy answered, “I saw Frank, number 8, crying and Joe, number 7 crying, so I added the two together and called for 13.” Randy,” the coach replied, 8+7 is not 13! “Right coach, and if I had been as smart as you we would have lost!”