Simeon’s Vigil and Ours

Christmas Eve devotional on the faithful vigil of Simeon anticipating the coming of the Messiah and his encounter with baby Jesus in the temple.

- SERMON TRANSCRIPT  - 

If you have a copy of the scriptures, you can turn to Luke chapter two. I'm going to be kind of briefly walking through verses 21-35 or you can just listen along. As I was meditating on this passage, the word that captivated my mind was the word vigil. Vigil. Now vigil is a patient watchfulness, an eager watchfulness waiting for something to come. Tonight, of course, is Christmas Eve and so all over the world, Christians are in a form of vigil waiting for tomorrow's celebration of the birth of Christ. Now vigils are all about eagerness, about anticipation, waiting for something you expect, something perhaps delightful, something you're yearning for. Now, the children of the world who have some idea what is likely to happen tomorrow are alive with sparkling anticipation of Christmas and all its delights. As the song says, "They will find it hard to sleep tonight."

I remember the transition I made from childhood to adulthood is when all I wanted out of Christmas Eve was a good night's sleep, and I knew I was no longer a child. But when I was a child, I couldn't sleep for anticipation. The vigil would go on much of the night. Children expect their Christmas dreams to come true with gifts and sweets, and love that they're going to discover tomorrow. Now in our brief devotional tonight, we're going to focus our minds on a fascinating person, person who we meet only in this one text who doesn't come up again in scripture. A man who spent the last portion of his entire life in a faith-filled vigil eagerly watching and waiting for the Christ to be born. That man is Simeon, and we're going to learn from his faith-filled vigil in its marvelous fulfillment. But Simeon's experience is part of an overall work, the overall ministry of the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world.

"Simeon's experience is part of an overall work, the overall ministry of the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world."

It is the Spirit's unique work to reveal Jesus to the world. Without the Spirit's work of revelation, we will never see Christ by faith or receive his salvation. So from the moment of the fall into sin in the Garden of Eden, the Holy Spirit began doing that work, revealing the Messiah, the Savior, who would come in the future. Any believer who understood the words God spoke in the garden would begin their vigil for the seed of the woman who would come along one day and crush the serpent's head and bring salvation to Adam's doomed children. As history unfolded, the Spirit began to reveal Christ more and more to God's faithful people. His revelations fueled that eager watchfulness, that is the essence of the vigil I'm describing tonight. The Spirit promises Christ, some details or aspects of Christ, believers here, they understand the word and they watch and they wait, the vigil begins.

As Jewish history unfolded, the Spirit revealed more and more of the details of Christ's saving work. God called a pagan man named Abram out of Ur of the Chaldeans and led him on a lifelong pilgrimage of faith. And as he called him, he spoke an amazing promise to him, "Through your offspring, all peoples on earth will be blessed." Abraham eventually taught his family that promise and all who believed it began a vigil of the seed of Abraham who had come along at a certain moment. And through Abraham's seed, all tribes and languages and peoples and nations would be blessed on earth. Then, when God founded the Jewish nation, the descendants of Abraham, he established laws by which his people were to live at the center of those laws was the pattern of redemption, of the forgiveness of sins by the payment of a blood sacrifice.

But the sacrificial system, the animal sacrificial system, could never truly cleanse sinners. It could not cleanse the guilty conscience, it was just a symbol, created an expectation of a perfect and final atoning sacrifice. And so all believers that understood this waited in a vigil for the final sacrifice to come. Then in the course of time, God raised up a king, a godly man, a righteous man after his own heart, David. King David. And at one point David wanted to build a house for the Lord, a temple for the Lord, a house for the Lord. But God said, "I'm going to build a house for you, and I'm going to raise up a son from your own body, and he will rule forever and ever the son of David who would reign on David's throne from that time on and forevermore," as you heard in Isaiah 9. This was the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Christ.

And so all believers that heard that specific promise began a vigil for the Messiah, the Christ. Well, centuries passed and when the time had almost fully come, the Spirit chose a godly man, Simeon, who we meet in our text tonight, a devout and God-fearing man. And he worked in him by faith in the ordinary way, an eagerness for the consolation of Israel to come, waiting for the consolation of Israel. This is just code language for the Messiah. He was waiting for the Messiah, as all believing Jews were. But the Spirit also had a special revelation for this one man, Simeon. One day, we don't know when, we don't know how long before the account we're reading tonight, he revealed to Simeon that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

Now that's a very special revelation. That's a unique promise. Now that was true, of course, of everyone that was there that day when Joseph and Mary and Jesus showed up, but only Simeon had been promised ahead of time that specific promise that he would not die before seeing the Lord's Christ. To him alone. And so Simeon began, from that moment, whenever it was, a unique vigil, watching for that moment when he would see the Lord's Christ with more eagerness, more specificity than any of his fellow Jews, his heart glowing with the specific promise that the Lord had made to him.

Now, our text tonight reveals that special moment that the promise was fulfilled. I don't imagine, I don't know if Simeon knew exactly the moment that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, maybe, maybe not, we don't know. Simeon, however, did not make the pilgrimage down to the nearby town of Bethlehem. He was right there in Jerusalem. So it seems he did not know the exact moment that Mary gave birth to her firstborn and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. But Joseph and Mary were law abiding Jews. And there are two powerful ways that God leads his people in this world. One is by obedience to the Scripture, by the written word of God, and the other is by those secret inner promptings of the Spirit. The two never contradict each other, but they work together in the text tonight.

Joseph and Mary were there because they were obeying the laws of Moses. Simeon was there because he was obeying the inner prompting of the Holy Spirit of God, and the two came together. Look at verses 21-24, Luke 2, “On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived. When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord’), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: ‘a pair of doves or two young pigeons.’”

So this was the beginning of Jesus's life under the Law. You heard read just a few moments ago, Galatians 4:4-5, “When the time had fully come, God sent His son, born of a woman, born under the Law, to redeem those who are under the Law.” So Jesus was, at the beginning of his life, on the eighth day, circumcised into the covenant of Moses, and he would live his whole life under the Law, under the Laws of Moses. He was the only perfect law-abiding Jewish person in all of history. At that moment, the moment that Joseph and Mary came to finish those regulations that were stipulated by the Law of Moses, and it says four times in this account, it refers to the Law or the Law of Moses, very clear that's why they were there.

At that moment, Simeon made his appearance. Look at verses 25- 28. “Now, there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. And when the parents had brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God.” So as I said, obedience to the Word of God led Joseph and Mary to the temple. Obedience to the inner prompting of the Holy Spirit led Simeon to the temple. And what a day for Simeon.

First, it had been revealed to him that he would not die before the Lord's Christ. Now, it seems, it had been further revealed to him that he would not go to bed tonight before seeing the Lord's Christ. Now what a day that was. Moved by the Spirit, he went to have the promise fulfilled. And so they come together, these godly people, three godly people around this miracle baby Jesus, the Savior of the world. Simeon's vigil had now come to a delightful and fulfilling end. He reached out and he took this little baby in his arms.

Now, if you had been there at that moment, all you would've seen is an old man, a young couple, a baby, nothing spectacular. There wouldn't be streams of glory, I don't think, coming down from Heaven. God could do that, but it wasn't the norm. There was no beauty or majesty in Jesus' appearance, nothing in his appearance. You would've just seen a very ordinary scene. That's all it looked like physically. But Simeon saw this baby with eyes of faith. Only by faith can we look beyond the ordinary appearance of Jesus and see what is really there, the glorious salvation that God intends for the whole world. So it is for all of you tonight, you will only see, in Jesus the Savior of the world, indeed your own Savior, if the Holy Spirit reveals Jesus to the eyes of your heart. And what are the eyes of your heart, but your faith, only if he reveals Jesus to you by faith, will you see him properly. Then Simeon spoke amazing words of prophecy over Jesus. Look at verses 28-32, “Simeon took him in his arms and praised God saying, ‘Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have promised and prepared in the sight of all people: a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.’"

"Only by faith can we look beyond the ordinary appearance of Jesus and see what is really there, the glorious salvation that God intends for the whole world."

So first he celebrated God's specific faithfulness to him personally. Lord, as you have promised to me, I waited in vigil all of this latter portion of my life, and now you have been faithful and you have fulfilled your promise to me. And then he says, "Now, dismiss your servant in peace." It's like this, my life purpose has been fulfilled. I'm ready to go. I have nothing else I need to do. You can dismiss your servant in peace because I have held this baby in my arms. But more significantly, Simeon saw beyond this simple moment and spoke these words, "My eyes have seen your salvation, the work of the Holy God in freeing his people from the ravages of sin and death, salvation from, sin and from all that sin has done to us and to the world." This is the salvation which God had been preparing for the world from before the foundation of the world.

As God promised to Abraham, this salvation would be for the blessing of all peoples on earth. And as Simeon said, "Worked in the sight of the entire world." Simeon then alluded to Isaiah 49:6, and there God the Father, spoke to the pre-incarnate Christ giving him his mission, saying, "It is too small a thing for you to be my servant, to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel that I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth." That's the phrase that he uses, the light of revelation for the Gentiles. So this baby, it was said of him by God the Father through the prophet Isaiah, "It's too small a thing for you to only save the Jews. I will make you a light of salvation to the ends of the earth."

And he calls him a light of revelation for the Gentiles, a light of revelation. In other words, by the revealing of the same baby, this same Savior, to the Gentiles would salvation come. And they would be rescued out of darkness and brought into the beautiful light of Christ. Now, what is that darkness? Well, Isaiah 9:2 speaks of it, we heard it earlier, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawn.” Ephesians 4 makes it plain that there's a mental, spiritual heart darkness that comes over all of us through sin, through the wickedness of our sins, through the disobedience that we have all done, breaking God's laws, darkness comes over our minds and over our hearts.

That's what it means, the people walking in darkness. And Jesus is the light of the world. And so he is a light of revelation. And when the Holy Spirit reveals Christ to your heart, you see the darkness you've been living in and you cross over from death to life. You move over from darkness to light. That's what Simeon meant. Now, can you imagine being Joseph and Mary and hearing these words? Jesus has the power to astonish. He has the power to make you amazed. And the first people to be amazed at Jesus were his parents. So imagine what it would've been like to be Joseph and Mary and hear these words. Verse 33, “The child's father and mother marvel that what was said about him.” But then the Holy Spirit moved Simeon to say some more and to speak some very specific prophecies about the cost of our salvation, the cost specifically to Mary, but then beyond her to understand what it takes, what it will take for us to be saved from our sins. Look at verses 34-35, then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother, "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too."

"When the Holy Spirit reveals Christ to your heart, you see the darkness you've been living in and you cross over from death to life."

This is a clear prediction of the suffering that Mary would go through when she would see her perfect son first rejected by their own fellow citizens there in Nazareth, and then subsequently rejected by the Jewish Nation officially and then condemned to death by the Jewish leaders and condemned to death by the Gentiles and then crucified. She would stand there at the foot of the cross and watch her son die. She would hear him say, "Woman, behold your son." She would experience this piercing of her soul. And it says, "A sword will pierce your own soul too." In addition to what? In addition to the piercing that Christ would experience, because it says in Isaiah 53[:5], “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was upon him and by his wounds we are healed.”

And it says, this child is destined for all of this. This is the plan laid out, set by the great architect of our salvation before the foundation of the world. He's destined for this. And he's destined, it says, to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel. Falling, because he is the judge of all the earth. And the ultimate falling would be to hear from his lips the righteous sentence that sinners deserve, who have never found salvation through faith in Christ, [Matthew 25:41] "Depart from me, you who are cursed into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels."

He has the power, the authority, and the right to speak those words because he is judge of all the earth and he is destined to cause the falling of many, not just in Israel, but even to the ends of the earth. But it also says rising. This is the same Greek word used for resurrection. He's destined to call the rising of many, not just in Israel, but even to the ends of the earth. So this is a special moment for Simeon when he takes this baby into his arms.

Now, I'm at an age right now where I get to do that with my grandchildren. I get to pick them up. I don't think it's going to last much longer. I know it's not. I've had kids of my own. Someone once said, "This has got to be one of the most depressing things I've heard in the last five years." There is a time when you put your kids down and never pick them up again. Isn't that depressing? But it's true. If I tried to pick up my firstborn son right now, I would probably wrench out my back permanently. I don't think it would be possible. But imagine the concept of Simeon, at one point, picking Jesus up and taking him in his arms and speaking these words over him. But then conversely, Simeon, dead in his tomb, hearing the voice of the Son of God and having the Son of God raise him up out of his grave. That's the ultimate destiny of this little baby. That's what we're celebrating. We're celebrating a victory of Christ, this baby born, this special baby that was spoken, these prophecies spoken about him destined to call to cause the rising of any who believe in him.

So, dear friends, here at First Baptist Durham for your Christmas Eve service, if you're a believer in Christ, you now have your own vigil. You're looking ahead to the future. You're looking ahead to your own growth and grace and the knowledge of Christ. Putting sin to death by the Spirit, growing in godliness, serving God in your own generation. And then if the Lord doesn't return in your lifetime dying and then rising at the right time or if you're part of the final generation, seeing him in the clouds. And so we are waiting for the sun from heaven it says in 1 Thessalonians 1:10. And the Lord's Supper that we're about to celebrate here is part of that vigil. It says amazingly in the words of institution, 1 Corinthians 11:26, “Whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.” So as we partake in this Lord's Supper, we are looking ahead to the second coming of Christ. It's part of our vigil by faith. We're looking forward to a banquet in which we'll sit a table with the King.

Now, Christmas Eve at First Baptist Church, we do something different with the Lord's Supper. Those of you that are ordinarily here for the Lord's Supper, ordinarily we pass out the bread and the juice as you're sitting right there in your pews. But tonight we're going to invite people, all of you to come forward and we're going to ask only those that have trusted in Christ as their personal Lord and Savior and testified to that by water baptism to actually partake. But you can come and stand with your family if you'd like, and come and stand around the table and we'll go in groups, and groups of maybe seven to 10, whatever, until the table's a little bit full, and then you partake and then you sit back down and then the next group comes and we'll just keep going until everyone's had the chance to come forward.

So I'm going to close this time in the word in prayer, and then I'm going to lead us into the words of institution with the Lord's Supper. And then you're going to come as the Lord leads. Father, thank you for the time we've had tonight in Luke chapter two, to meditate very briefly on Simeon and the amazing revelation that you worked in him. We thank you now for the opportunity that we have to celebrate the Lord's Supper. We pray that you would be in the midst of this celebration, that it would be joyful, that it would be part of our vigil, looking forward to the second coming of Christ and to the heavenly feast that will be beyond that. So bless us now with the presence of the Lord through the Spirit in this time, in the Lord's Supper. In Jesus name, amen. Here now.