Do You See What I See?

Luke 2:29-32

Main Idea: Comfort comes to those who see Jesus as their salvation, light, and glory before they see death.

I. The Life and Context of Simeon

Luke 2:25: 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.

A. He was righteous

B. He was devout

“That he was just and devout, just towards men and devout towards God; these two must always go together, and each will befriend the other, but neither will atone for the defect of the other.”
~Matthew Henry

C. He was waiting for the Consolation of Israel

II. The Song of Simeon

A. Jesus is Salvation

Luke 2:30-31: ... for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples…

Sin is a multi-faceted problem and needs a multi-faceted salvation

B. Jesus is Light

Luke 2:32: … a light for revelation to the Gentiles

Isaiah 42:6-7: A light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness…

We need a revelation for 2 reasons:

1. We need a revelation of ourselves

Luke 2:34-35: Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed… so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.

John 3:19-20: And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.

2. We need a revelation of God

“The Divine Light is the dawning of grace in a dark heart.”
~ Richard Sibbes

2 Corinthians‬ ‭4‬:‭6: For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

C. Jesus is the Glory of His People

Luke 2:32: ... and for glory to your people Israel…

“O what a fair Pearl, what a Ruby of beauty, what a weight of glory is Jesus!...I would not exchange one smile of His lovely face with kingdoms.”
~ Samuel Rutherford

Jesus, Jesus, all-sufficient,
beyond telling is your worth,
in your name lie greater treasures
than the richest found on earth.
Such abundance
is my portion with my God.
In your gracious face there’s beauty
far surpassing every thing
found in all the earth’s great wonders
mortal eye has ever seen.
Rose of Sharon,
you yourself are heaven’s delight.
~ William Williams

“If you want to know what heaven is, you can spell it in five letters, and when you put the five letters together they sound like this, Jesus. That is heaven. It is all the heaven the angels round the throne desire to know. They need nothing better than this, to see His face, to behold His glory, and to dwell in it world without end.”
~ Charles Spurgeon

“Simeon speaks like one for whom the grave has lost its terrors and the world its charms.”
~ J.C. Ryle