Title: Simeon's Praise of Jesus
Contents
Simeon's praise of Jesus
The text explains who Simeon was and how he praised the baby Jesus whom he met in the temple in Jerusalem.
When a Jew gives birth to a son, he must go through two events.
The first is to perform circumcision in eight days.
Circumcision is a sign of a separate people.
The second is tribute. When the first son was born, he was taken to the temple and offered a ceremony to the Lord.
On the 8th day, Jesus' parents took him to the temple in Jerusalem to attend the baby offering. There he met Simeon.
1 Let's look at who Simeon was.
1) He was a righteous and godly man.
To be righteous and godly is the exemplary character of a Christian. To be righteous means to have no sin or to have sins forgiven, and to be godly means to have a right heart and attitude to serve God.
Genesis 6:9 says, “Noah was a righteous man, perfect in his time, and he walked with God.
It is by the grace of God that we receive forgiveness of sins and become righteous. But godly faith is something I must strive for and strive for.
2) The person waiting.
In verse 25, it says, “He who waits for the consolation of Israel.” In verse 26, he says, “Until he sees the Lord’s Christ, he will not die.” He was instructed by the Holy Spirit. It is not recorded how long he waited, but he must have waited for the coming Messiah all his life. It explains how patient he is and possesses the long-awaited faith in the Messiah.
Those who wait patiently today will receive the Lord.
3) A person filled with the Holy Spirit.
At the end of verse 25, it says, "The Holy Spirit was on him." At the end of verse 26, it says, "I was instructed by the Holy Spirit." He was a person with the Holy Spirit, a person who was directed by the Holy Spirit, and a person who acted under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Truly an enviable person. If we live and act according to the inspiration and direction of the Holy Spirit, our lives will be filled with joy and blessings.
2 Let's listen to Simeon's praise of Jesus.
How was Simeon's emotion when he met the baby Jesus, whom his parents held in their arms after 8 days? A person who could not die before meeting Jesus, I met Jesus for a long, long time.
We should note here the place where Simeon met Jesus. there was If he had been in his bedroom or in the street or alley, he would not have met the Jesus he had been waiting for so long.
In Luke 2:36 and below, there was a prophetess called He, too, was waiting for Jesus to come, but he did not leave the temple, fasting and praying, and met Jesus at the temple.
The temple is the best place to meet the Lord. The fewer times you come to the temple, the less often you meet the Lord.
Those who strive to come to the temple are those who yearn for the Lord and yearn to meet Him. We strive to come to the temple and to gather together. Simeon praised Jesus by saying:
1) He is letting his servant go in peace (verse 29).
Sin and the devil bind us and take away our freedom. But the Lord gives us peace and freedom.
The meaning of Simeon's words, "You release your servant in peace," means that now you can close your eyes in peace even if you die. The reason is that I met the Lord I had been waiting for so much.
But his praise is not just a personal confession. This is our confession and praise. The Lord has given us peace and freedom. There is a saying that people who first believed in Jesus said with one voice. That is, after believing in Jesus, "I have peace of mind." The reason is that you are free.
The more the devil serves, the more he torments and demands.
For example, you can do a 500,000 won good at first, but the amount increases as the number of times increases. The same goes for talismans.
At first, it starts with 50,000 won or 100,000 won, but as the case grows, the value of the amulet that is said to be successful increases exponentially.
The devil tightens and tortures them, and then leads them to hell.
But the more we believe in Jesus and the more we meet, the more we will experience peace and comfort that we have never experienced in the world.
Jesus sets us free. You can't even move at any time until you believe in Jesus. You have to set the day and set the poem. The wedding date cannot be set at any time. You have to make a choice. Sewing a blanket, making soy sauce, and making kimchi also requires a sharp edge. The cemetery is nowhere to be found. When building a house, ask the ghost, and if you are going to the right, you have to decide to the right. Neither of them can act or decide at will. In a word, there is no freedom.
But after believing in Jesus, everything is free. Things that were problematic before believing are not a problem. The reason is that the Lord is in charge of everything. The Lord said, "The truth will set you free," and Paul said in Galatians 5:1, "Christ gave us freedom to set us free; therefore stand firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery." Simeon praised Jesus for setting him free.
2) A light that illuminates the Gentiles (verse 32).
We find the torch of world mission in the lyrics of this song. The traditional Jewish belief in the Messiah was that the Messiah would come for the Jews.
Because of their faith, the Canaanites were treated like dogs and the Samaritans were heresy. They believed that Christ, the Messiah, had nothing to do with Gentiles.
But when Simeon saw the 8-day-old baby Jesus, he sang, "He is a light that illuminates the Gentiles."
The size of the earth and the size of a person's heart are proportional. If you are born and raised in a narrow land, your heart will be narrow. But if you expand your mind, the whole world will come into your mind.
Dr. Kim Young-gil, president of the Society for Creation Science, is a famous scientist and Christian. He grew up in the Gyeongsang Province countryside when he was young. I grew up in a town where I could only see the moon and stars in the night sky at night and the blue sky during the day because I was in the mountains.
He would look up at the sky every day and dream of building an airplane. The sky he looked at made him dream of a flying airplane.
Later, he worked as a scientist at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. His dream had come true. But more importantly, the boy who grew up looking at the sky has now become a testimonial evangelist who believes and delivers the eternal world and eternal heaven.
When Simeon met the baby Jesus, he discovered the Messiah, the light of missions to the Gentiles.
We are believers in Christ who came to save the Gentiles. Then, for any reason, the march of missions cannot be stopped.
I have several prayer topics that I pray these days. I have a dream besides prayers, give me a large temple site, give me a large temple, make it double.
It is to provide ideal kindergartens and childcare facilities, and to ask for a national school. In Korea's educational system and cultural structure, it has become difficult for secondary schools and universities to provide Christian education. However, in infant schools, kindergartens, and national schools, religious education can be conducted freely for at least 10 years. There is no resistance there. You can freely make a Jesuit for 10 years. You are dreaming because you believe that the most ideal education is that.
I ask you to share this dream with us. The light illuminating the Gentiles that Simeon sang turned to the west and reached Korea, and now the light is reaching out to the world again.
After leaving Europe, Jesus stayed in America and made it a bridgehead for world missions. After leaving the United States, Jesus came to Korea and cultivated the Korean church for over 100 years and used it as an outpost for world missions. Unfortunately, however, the Korean church began to fall on its knees to the challenges of economic growth and cultural development, neglecting missions and falling into inertia, neglecting their religious life. After staying in Korea for over 100 years, Jesus is slowly preparing to leave for China and Russia.
Although it has not been fully opened, in Russia and China, thousands of people flock to listen to sermons and worship regardless of day or night.
We must not overlook an important fact here. It is a fact that when Jesus departs, the national power also declines.
As other churches in England and Europe fell into a swamp of stagnation, their national power also declined. As the American church lost its passion for faith and became liberal, America's national power began to lose its momentum.
The United States, the only superpower remaining on this planet, is now plagued by drugs, violence, shootings, juvenile crime, a surge in unemployment, avoidance of work, racial conflict, dishonesty and unethical behavior. Because the church is dying.
Let's not extinguish the fire of missions to the Gentiles. There is no place for the Lord to sit in a home or church that does not do missionary work. So the Lord is leaving.
3 The glory of Israel (verse 32).
Holding the 8-day-old carpenter's son Jesus in his arms, Simeon sang, "The glory of Israel."
In Luke 2:14, the angels sang about the birth of the baby Jesus as "Glory to God and peace among men."
Although Israel was the one who crucified Jesus and killed them, they are maintaining their national power by selling Jesus thoroughly.
Israel's national income is divided into three main categories. It is agricultural products grown on collective farms, diamond processing and tourism. In the case of tourism, the country is a country with no spectacles. On a bare hill, there are no mountains or famous mountains.
However, people from all over the world visit Israel. Because this is the country where Jesus lived. If Jesus had not been born in Israel, they would have already become beggars or starved to death. We live because of Jesus. But the "glory of Israel" that Simeon sang had a spiritual meaning.
Psalm 147:20 says, “He has not done this to any other nation.”
British people are proud of Shakespeare. The Russians have been proud of Lenin in the meantime. President Park Chung-hee exalted and boasted of this purity. So, I even made a visit to Hyeonchungsa Temple. The Danes are proud of Grundwig.
But who can compare to Jesus of Israel?
Jesus is not just the glory of Israel. It is the lamp, salvation, and glory of mankind all over the world. We are having a Sunday service today to celebrate the Christmas of the Lord who came to this earth for us.
The Lord has given us freedom and peace. The Lord has come as a light to enlighten the Gentiles. The Lord is the glory of Israel and of all mankind. The important thing is that that Lord is my Lord and Savior. You came because of me, you gave me freedom and you gave me peace. You have illuminated my dark soul and gave me glory. I am living in glory because of the Lord. Let's tell the truth. Jesus has given me peace and freedom. Jesus has brightened my dark soul.
to those closest to you,
To the people you meet today,
Let's tell the story of Jesus.