Revision as of 23:51, 4 December 2023

Theological Proposition/Focus: Jesus was born to die and that changes everything.

Homiletical Proposition/Application: We should strive to know Jesus, but not just the fun parts. Rather we strive to completely know Jesus.

Introduction:

Image: The phrase "We die well."

One of my favorite scenes from a TV show has an old warrior together with his former apprentice preparing to give their lives in battle. The old warrior Bra'tac states "We die well." His former apprentice Teal'c responds "More than that old friend, we die free." Then, out of nowhere a solutions arises and they are saved to fight another day. So, why all this talk about "we die well" I am convinced it is because each of us has engrained within us a desire for our life to have mattered and our death to not be in vain. See, one thing is constant in life, we all die! Nevertheless, we were made to die! Death is the unnatural consequence of sin. Did you catch that I said unnatural. Death was not part of the original creation, death is the result of sin. Even though each of us faces death, we were not born to die. In fact, there is only one who was born to die, the one who did not deserve to die. Now that is true irony. Today, as we look forward to Christmas, I want us to focus in just a little on the fact that Christ was born to die.

Need: We need to understand that the cross was always in front of Jesus and remember the cross as we celebrate Christmas.

Preview: In order to do this I want us to consider three realities knowing Jesus changes everything, but truly knowing Jesus demands both joy and sorrow, so strive to know Jesus in both joy and sorrow.

Text: Turn in your Bibles to Luke 2:22-40

Setting the Stage:

When we tell the story of Christmas we often stop at Luke 2:20. But what happens right after 2:20 is also important.

In verse 21 we see that Mary and Joseph took Jesus to be circumcised exactly as the law had commanded.

When we talk about Jesus one of the hardest aspects we need to keep in mind is the balance between Christ's humanity and his deity. What better time to think about this balance than Christmas? Here in the remaining verses of Luke 2 we catch a glimpse of Christ's humanity. This begins with verse 21 but extends through verse 40 and beyond. We learn that Jesus was fully human and born into a Jewish family before Christ, hence the law mattered and there was a prescribed format that needed to be followed.

There is one reality that we as humans all face, not taxes, but death. Jesus was born fully human without a sin nature and so he was exempt from the requirement of death. However, what we learn in verses 22-40 is that Jesus was in fact, born to die. Let's read Luke 2:22-40.

22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), 24 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.”

25 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 on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” 33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 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, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.

Body

Before I get into the points I have outlined for this passage I want to call your attention to verses 21-24. According to Leviticus 12:3, every male was required to be circumcised on the 8th day. Moreover, the firstborn was specially consecrated as per Exodus 12:2. Finally, after the birth of a child a mother and father were required to bring an offering to God as described in Leviticus 12:1-8. The recommended sacrifice was a lamb and a pigeon or turtledove. However, in the case of a poor family, two birds could substitute. Here we see that Mary and Joseph offered the birds, a reminder that Jesus was fully human. Not only did the parents of Jesus offer a human sacrifice, they offered the poor version of the sacrifice. We need to realize how humble Christ's humanity was. The God of the universe condescended not only to be human, but to be a poor human.

We must acknowledge that

Knowing Jesus changes everything (25-32).

Let me start by stating something obvious,

Jesus is the most significant figure in all of history (25-28).

The language Luke uses is important. We read that Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel. The Greek word παράκλησιν is connected with the idea of encouragement but even more the idea of inexhaustible comfort. Several passages in Isaiah taught that God would comfort his people, (Isa 40:1; 49:13; 51:3; 61:2; 66:13). At this time in history the people might as well have been slaves in the Roman Empire. The people needed comfort and were waiting for comfort. Devout Jews knew that God's vehicle for comforting his people was the Messiah. The anointed one who would bring divine comfort upon the people. When we read that Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel we need to understand that Simeon is waiting for God to reveal none other than Messiah. And more than just waiting, Simeon had promise, he would see the Lord's anointed one. The most significant figure in history.

Making this claim in a Bible-believing church is a safe statement but I want us to go deeper. To do so let me talk for a little about the Messiah. The term Messiah is a Hebrew term that means "anointed one." The Jews were waiting for the coming of one who would serve as a great king and priest for the people. This great king was expected to be a divinely appointed eschatological deliverer who would free Israel from the Roman Empire. The Greek word that was used to translate the Hebrew Messiah is the word Christos from which we get Christ. So, what is so significant about the Messiah?

During the intertestimental period, that is the period of time between the completion of Malachi and the birth of Christ there were at least six different strands of thoughts surrounding the Messiah. Some held that the Messianic hope of Israel had been forfeited, others such as those in Qumran anticipated both a priestly and kingly Messiahs. The "majority" position of mainstream Judaism was that the Messiah would be a warrior king who would free the people from Roman dominance. Some writing suggest that a few were looking for the Messiah to be a David King. The Samaritans were anticipating a restorer Messiah who would be the one greater than Moses prophesied in Deuteronomy 18:18. There is even some literature that suggests some were awaiting a the Messiah as a great teacher or sage.

What we can see through these six strands is that many, but not all, were waiting for something more. If I were to summarize or grasp for a common thread among these six views the threat would be that there was dissatisfaction with the status quo and the people were waiting for a hero.

History seems to happen in cycles and often music tells a lot about culture. I want you to understand that while Jesus is the most significant figure in all of history, our current culture needs Jesus and unfortunately, many are still looking for the Messiah, they just don't realize it. Let me read you a few lines from Chad Krueger's song Hero that he recorded for the Spider Man movie back in 2002.

Someone told me Love would all save us But, how can that be Look what love gave us A world full of killing And blood spilling That world never came And they say That a hero could save us I'm not gonna stand here and wait I'll hold onto the wings of the eagles Watch as we all fly away Now that the world isn't ending It's love that I'm sending to you It isn't the love of a hero And that's why I fear it won't do And they say That a hero could save us I'm not gonna stand here and wait I'll hold onto the wings of the eagles Watch as we all fly away

We need Messiah! We live in a world where people are searching for a complete life. I have enjoyed talking a lot about music with our college students on Saturday nights and a few weeks ago one of them used the term post-grunge to describe music in the 2000s. This intrigued me and I did some research. Let me describe the music post-grunge music (that was so popular in the 90s and 2000s) wrote about nihilism (the view that life is pointless), the problems of personal excesses and celebrity culture.

The culture of 2000 was looking for a hero to save us. I think in many ways the culture of 2020 has given up on the hero. Actually, bear with me just a moment. I was thinking through some of the lyrics and artists who are topping the charts right now. Much of their music has to do with personal empowerment. You might summarize it as "he hero you promised (whether a boyfriend, or other hero) just tried to use me for their own gain. I'm done with this hero thing. I am my own hero because I have the power."

There is truth in the 2000 post-grunge movement and in the current pop movement. Post grunge taught us we needed a hero. Modern music teaches us that the hero's people gave us were only in it for themselves. Unfortunately, neither movement really understood the truth. That Jesus is the hero we need. We need people to know that

Therefore, knowing Jesus is enough for a complete life (29-31).

Simeon upon taking Jesus into his arms boldly declares that his life is complete.

I do not want to get too far on a soap box but I do want to make sure to address matters here. So many people have either given up on joy or think that they will be their own source of joy. These are both broken false perspectives. Knowing Jesus is enough!

A theme verse for the last several months has been 2 Corinthians 12:9, "But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me."

Part of the key to being a hero is being the hero for all. Part of what makes superman superman is that he does more than just save Lois Lane. We must also note that

And it is possible for anybody to come to know Jesus (32).

As if what Simeon has to say is not significant enough, he goes on to proclaim that Jesus is not just a hero to the Jews. Jesus is the hero for all. This is huge!

MTR: Ask yourself, "Have I met Jesus?"

But truly knowing Jesus will demand both joy and sorrow (33-35).

The fact that the most significant figure in all of history is knowable by every individual is marvelous (33-34).

I have already told you that Jesus is the most significant figure in all of history and that this same Jesus is knowable by anybody not just Jews. What I want you to see here is that this is itself marvelous. Look at how Mary and Joseph respond to this news. In Luke 2:33 "The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him."

If there was anybody who should have not been surprised it should have been Mary and Joseph. After all, while others might have had doubts I imagine that Mary had no doubt. Mary knew that she had done none of the prerequisite steps for having a baby. Mary knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus was someone special. However, I suspect that up to this point, the significance of Jesus as Messiah had not hit Mary and Joseph. Here at the temple, the full significance of Messiah comes to the front of the conversation and Mary and Joseph can do nothing short of Marvel.

We need to take a second and marvel at Messiah. Perhaps you have been going through the motions of Christmas this year and have not taken a second to marvel at Jesus. Don't feel bad if this is you. Instead, take some time right here and now to simply marvel at the Messiah.

However, we must understand that Jesus is more than just a significant figure (35a).

Now that you have taken the time to marvel at the Messiah I also want you to take some time to consider the first half of verse 35. Jesus was a significant historical figure. Simeon stated in verse 34 "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against," Jesus changed history but there have been plenty of people who changed history. But here is the thing, unlike anyone else in history, you are not allowed to simply encounter Jesus. No, Jesus finds you and in finding you he reveals your heart!

Simeon in the first half of verse 35 states "so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed." When Jesus walked the earth there were all sorts of "religious leaders" whose hearts were revealed to be corrupt. There were "sinners" whose hearts were revealed to be open to the message of God. Jesus is more than a significant figure, Jesus us a figure that gets to the heart. We need to open our heart to Jesus and ask that he change us.

Jesus is the one who brings us face-to-face with the consequences of sin (35b).

Finally, at the end of Simeon's prophecy we see what might be the most significant aspect of Jesus. Simon tells Mary "And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” within this entire phrase is whole bunch of theology. You see, Jesus was not born to have a "pleasant" life. Jesus was born to suffer and eventually die as a payment for sin. Luke 9:22 describes the life for which Jesus was born.

And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” ^[1]

As we celebrate the birth of Jesus let us take some time to come face-to-face with a reality. Jesus was born to die because I was born to live but my own personal sin earned me the wages of death. This Christmas let's celebrate but not just as a party, let's celebrate by honoring the purpose of Christ's birth, the reality of my sin.

Image: The hard parts of a test

How do you take a test? When I take a test I first look through the test and figure out which questions will be hard and which ones I can just quickly answer. The problem is that at some point or another I cannot ignore the hard parts I have to deal with those problems. We cannot ignore the fact that Jesus was born to die so instead of ignoring it, let's embrace it by acknowledging the role we each play.

MTR: Ask yourself, "Have I properly dealt with the hard parts of Jesus?"

We should go about life seeking to know Jesus more and more (36-40).

Image: At Southview we never stop growing.

When I interact with other pastors or even other Christians who don't know Southview they often ask me a question like: what makes Southview special? My answer, there is so much that makes Southview special but something that really stands out to me is that we are truly a multi-generational church. We have kids, young adults, young families, middle-aged adults, pre-retirement, and retired people all serving, loving, and growing. About a month ago, one of our retired adults mentioned that they think they have grown more in the last year than at any other time in their life. I was jumping up and down inside with excitement at hearing that. I have been in churches where everyone above a certain age thinks they have arrived, this is not Southview and I am so very thankful to be part of a church where people go through life seeking to know Jesus more and more!

As I read verses 36 and 37 I couldn't help but think about multigenerational spiritual growth. What I see is that

Anna reminds us that Jesus is the answer no matter your stage of life (36-38).

The text states that "she was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying (NIV)." Apparently, this woman married (probably early in life as this was the norm). Her husband lived for seven years and then passed. Anna outlived her husband for decades and wisely invested the time she was given in serving her God. God rewarded that dedication and service by allowing Anna to see and recognize the Messiah.

I am afraid that we sometimes forget that Jesus is significant no matter your stage of life. What do I mean by that? We have our Kidmin Sunday school classes and in those classes, we teach about Jesus. We often joke that the answer to every question asked in kids Sunday school class is always "Jesus." But then, when you get older you graduate from such basic things and get to start talking about deeper theology. Here is the truth, you never graduate from talking about Jesus. You should never bore of the answer being Jesus. Yes, we can have deep theology conversations. The college group knows this as often they come over and talk until 11:00 at night on Mondays about deep theology, but never should we be too mature for the simple truth that Jesus is the Messiah. Anna, was at least 84 (there is some debate about how to interpret the Greek when it gives her age) and she was not too old to be excited about Jesus. Let's make sure that we are excited about Jesus!

In verse 39 we learn a very important, significant truth. Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, after completing their legal obligations in the temple, return home.

Mary and Joseph remind us that even though Jesus changes everything, life still has a natural rhythm (39).

Why not stay in the temple? Because life needs to continue. Mary and Joseph model an important reality. First, we do need to be obedient to God. Mary and Joseph sacrificially traveled to Jerusalem in obedience to the law. Second, there is a natural rhythm in life and that rhythm is a good thing. Mary and Joseph took Jesus home and began the task of raising the Messiah. In my lack of wisdom, I would think the best place to raise the Messiah would be in the temple but that was not the case. God had appointed Mary and Joseph to raise Jesus and they did just that. Yes, in the passage the follows we see that Mary and Joseph regularly brought Jesus to the temple, but primarily, Mary and Joseph raised Jesus!

Parents, you have been entrusted with your children. I am thrilled to be able to be part of their life. I love teaching Sunday School but you are their primary teacher. Through the natural rhythms of life you should be raising your children to be Christ followers. For everyone else. Unless God specifically calls you to spend the rest of your life living in the church, you need to continue the natural rhythms of life and make sure that you are living as a Christ follower in those natural rhythms!

Finally, look at verse 40, "And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him (NIV)."

Jesus himself reminds us that the natural course of life is one of growth (40).

Jesus, the Messiah himself, grew. God designed life in a way where the natural course of life is one of growth. Jesus grew physically, but as evidenced by Luke 2:52 he also grew in wisdom. Jesus was fully God and fully man. We cannot fully comprehend how Jesus exactly "emptied himself" as described in Philippians 2:7. But what is clear is that Jesus limited himself by his humanity and as such he needed to follow the natural course of life which is growth. As we follow Jesus we need to grow. This Christmas let us determine to know Jesus more and more.

MTR" Ask yourself, "What is the next step that I am supposed to take?"

1. ↑ Luke 2:35