Hope
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These are the slides for the third sermon in the "Regifted" Sermon series. This sermon is based upon Luke 2:22-38 and features Simeon and Anna, two people who waited upon God and received the first messages from Heaven in 400 years.
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Recycled Gifts You Wouldn’t
Trade for Anything](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/hope-141221160947-conversion-gate02/85/Hope-1-320.jpg)
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Hope
- 1. [re]gifted Recycled Gifts You Wouldn’t Trade for Anything
- 2. Recycled Gifts You Wouldn’t Trade for Anything Series Outline December 7: Glory: Luke 2:13-17 December 14: Wonder: Luke 2:18-21 December 21: Hope: Luke 2:22-38 December 24: Joy: Luke 2:1-12
- 3. Recycled Gifts You Wouldn’t Trade for Anything First Point Hope delivered… later than expected
- 4. Recycled Gifts You Wouldn’t Trade for Anything Alexandre Dumas “All human wisdom is summed up in two words; wait and hope.”
- 5. Luke 2 22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord
- 6. Luke 2 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”)
- 7. Luke 2 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”
- 9. Alexandre Dumas “All human wisdom is summed up in two words; wait and hope.”
- 10. Recycled Gifts You Wouldn’t Trade for Anything Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
- 11. Luke 2 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous anddevout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
- 12. Luke 2 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
- 13. Luke 2 27 And he came in 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, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
- 14. Luke 2 29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation 31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”
- 15. “Lord, now let your servant depart in peace, according to your word; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation…
- 16. Malachi 3:3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD.
- 17. Luke 2 36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin,
- 18. Luke 2 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty- four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
- 19. 36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher…
- 20. Deuteronomy 19:15b (NIV) A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.
- 21. Recycled Gifts You Wouldn’t Trade for Anything Second Point Hope delivered… differently than expected.
- 22. Luke 2 33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed
- 23. Luke 2 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
- 25. Matthew 10:34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.”
- 26. … and a sword will pierce through your own soul also
- 27. Tevye’s Prayer “I know, I know. We are Your chosen people. But, once in a while, can't You choose someone else?”
- 29. Recycled Gifts You Wouldn’t Trade for Anything Third Point Hope delivered… better than expected.
- 30. Luke 2 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
- 31. Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
- 32. 1 Peter 1 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
- 33. 1 Peter 1 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
- 35. [re]gifted Recycled Gifts You Wouldn’t Trade for Anything
Editor's Notes
- This week we continue our series entitled “Regifted” in which we look at the way in which Jesus is a “Re-gifter” who gives us the very gifts that he has received from His Heavenly Father. I have referred to these as the recycled gifts that you wouldn’t trade for anything. Two weeks ago we looked at the gift of glory and we saw that the redemptive work of God includes a gift of glory for all genuine followers of Christ. We will never be divine beings… not even in heaven. However, we will be glorified, receiving a gift from God of indescribable value. We can’t truly put it into words; it is a mystery yet to be revealed… a gift worth waiting for.
- Last week we looked at the gift of wonder and saw how we lose our child-like wonder as time passes, but we also explored how we can retain the wonder that yet remains and even recapture some of the lost wonder in our lives. If you missed either of these messages, you can listen to them on our website and you can see the message slides from our facebook page. This week we look at the gift of hope. The first thought that I want to explore is this:
- First Point What is wonder?
- Alexandre Dumas, the French author of classics like “The Three Muscateers” and “The Man in the Iron Mask” once said, “All human wisdom is summed up in two words; wait and hope.” Hope always presumes loss or challenge. We may hope that a good event may repeat itself, or we may hope that a season of difficulty may come to an end. Any way you slice it, hope is always preceded by challenge, loss or the fear of loss. It is not a first cause… hope is a reaction; it is a response. And before we can consider the delivering of hope, we must explore the need behind the hope.
- Our text in Luke 2 begins with a statement that points towards the loss that precedes mankind’s greatest hope. 22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord
- 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”)
- 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”
- The key word here is “purification.” Purification implies a condition of defilement. The pristine needs no purifying. Only that which is dirtied needs the cleaning of purification. The dedication of Jesus at the Temple was a rite commanded in the Law of Moses. In Leviticus chapter 12 there are two stated commands concerning the birth of a boy … a circumcision at 8 days of age, and a purification of the mother after 33 days. Both of these were images of sin and its remedy. Circumcision was a sign of belonging to the chosen community, all of Abraham’s male descendants were to be circumcised. However, this is also a symbol of remedying the unresponsiveness of man’s heart. The uncircumcised heart is referred to as a heart of stone – an unresponsive heart. When the Apostle Paul speaks of the circumcision of the heart he is referring to one who has relied upon God, the great heart surgeon, to remove that which has become hard and restore that heart, the seat of the emotions and the will, to a condition of pliability and obedience to God. The purification was actually a rite focused on the mother. It was a rite intended to cleanse her of her ritual uncleanness and restore her to a right standing in God’s place of worship and sacrifice – the Temple. So these two ceremonies described in Leviticus 12 remind us of our original sin and the ongoing consequences of that sin. This leads to a challenging question. Why was Jesus circumcised and why was Mary purified? If Jesus was without original sin and Mary conceived as a virgin and bore one who did not bear the stain of sin, why did Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to the Temple? It is a hard question, until we ponder Jesus purpose. He came to do two things: identify with sinners and redeem them from their sins. There are several key times where Jesus identifies with sinners: He does so on the steps of the Temple, as we have just seen. He identifies with sinners in His baptism. Remember how John the Baptist was confused by Jesus’ choice to be baptized. Part of it is that John felt unworthy to baptize His Lord. But I also think that John wasn’t quite sure that Jesus needed baptizing. He did not need to repent. And then, we see how Jesus identifies with sinners on the cross. He does more than “identify” with sinners. He becomes sin for sinners. He takes on our sin and makes it His own, and then he defeats that sin.
- But remember that Dumas quote. “All human wisdom is summed up in two words; wait and hope.” Wait and hope seem to go together, but it is not an easy or a happy union. Waiting is often the arch enemy of hope. No one says it better than King Solomon.
- In Proverbs 13:12 he said” Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. Solomon is not always the most optimistic soul. However, he rightly identifies the majority response to a lengthy wait… over time we turn from hope to despair, if the need is great enough and the wait is long enough. It is important that we all understand the strong pull of unanswered prayer and deferred hope – it is a rip current that pulls us towards a sea of despair. So how do we escape its pull? Let’s look at two Israelites of Jesus day who persisted in hope over a lengthy period of time. The first is Simeon:
- 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.
- 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
- 27 And he came in 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, 28 he 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; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation 31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”
- If you want to stump your Bible reading friends, ask them who who receives the first message from heaven, breaking the 400 year period of prophetic silence after Malachi. The most common answers are Mary and Joseph. Those more well-read in the Bible will remember that an angel spoke to Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist before Gabriel speaks to Mary and Joseph. But look closely at verse 26. We learn that before Jesus’ birth the Holy Spirit revealed to Simeon that he would live to see the birth of God’s deliverer. The feeling of the text is that Simeon has been waiting for a long time. This may well be the first breaking of heaven’s silence. I have always loved Simeon. He is one of my favorite characters in the Bible. What is it about Simeon that God loved so much that he chose him to receive the first message from God in centuries? We see three characteristics: He was righteous – he did the right things. He was devout – he was focused on pleasing God. He was waiting faithfully. Notice that the Bible doesn’t tell us how old Simeon is. However, I do believe that there is an indication in the text that he was an old man. After he holds Jesus in his arms, he says. “Lord, now let your servant depart in peace, according to your word; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation… This is not the manner of speech of a young man. If Simeon were 30-60 years of age, I believe he would have longed to stay and see the baby become a man and see first hand the work of the deliverer. These are the words of a man near the end of life’s race. He has waited, likely for many decades, for the fulfillment of a precious promise which he calls the “consolation of Israel.” God is about to remedy man’s sin problem.
- One of the last prophetic words spoken in the Old Testament was this prophecy in Malachi 3:3: He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD. And here is this amazing moment. Simeon is holding a baby in his arms. The baby’s name is Yeshua. His name means “salvation.” Simeon rejoices that his eyes have seen “God’s salvation.” And he is standing with Mary, on the occasion of her purification, holding the purifier of the sons of Levi. The beauty and prophetic significance of this moment are almost beyond description. But before we move on, let’s look at one more person. I am going to skip Simeon’s message to Mary for a few minutes. I want to jump ahead and meet Anna:
- 36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin,
- 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
- There is a fascinating little detail in this text. Anna is identified as being of the tribe of Asher. The Bible never refers to the ten northern tribes of Israel as the “lost tribes.” It is true that due to aggressive resettlement by the Assyrians, the identity of these ten tribes was diluted due to intermarriage with other resettled people. That being said, it seems that there was a small remnant from some of these tribes. Occasionally, those of wealth or distinction could have had the means to avoid the overall faith of their nation. Anna may have come from such a family and was able to trace her lineage to the tribe of Asher. Alfred Edersheim notes a Jewish tradition that the women of the tribe of Asher were known for their beauty and refinement, and that they were deemed a good marital match for the High Priest and priests in the Temple. The only priest to have a residence in the Temple was the High Priest. Some have suggested that Anna was the widow of a High Priest, which would explain her presence night and day in the Temple. These are interesting thoughts, but the stated facts tell all we need to know. Anna had a prophetic gift – like Simeon, God spoke to her. She was married for only seven years and after losing her husband she dedicated herself to prayer and fasting for many decades. It is likely that she meets Jesus as Mary is approaching the Court of the Women, the place in the Temple where women went through the rite of purification. Imagine the drama of this moment. So many years watching women go through the rite of purification and praying for the day when redemption’s work would be complete, and now, she is standing before the redeemer and his mother. There is one other interesting detail in the story of Jesus’ presentation
- . Deuteronomy 19:15 states that “a matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” Luke wants us to see that as early as Jesus’ presentation in the Temple that God was building the case for Christ. Simeon and Anna are the two witnesses. They understand who Jesus is at a level beyond Mary and Joseph’s understanding at this point. Both Simeon and Anna seem to have spent decades waiting upon God, and somehow their hearts did not grow sick. Their faith and trust in God overruled their impatience and shielded them from bitterness. It is possible to wait upon God, but it is never easy. That is why this scene of an old man and old woman looking into the eyes of this most remarkable newborn is so inspiring. They are looking Hope in the eyes.
- Second Point: Hope delivered… differently than expected. A few minutes ago we skipped over part of Simeon’s encounter with Mary and Joseph. Let’s go back and listen to Simeon’s Holy Spirit given message to Mary:
- 33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed
- 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
- Near the end of Jacob’s life, he “blesses” his sons. Some of the sons, like Judah, receive what we would call a blessing. However, a few of these blessings are odd: Issachar is called a strong donkey and Jacob prophesies that Issachar will be a servant… a beast of burden. Dan’s is called a snake in the road. His blessing is that he will cause others to fall back, like a horse bitten by a snake. Reuben, Simeon and Levi receive “blessings” that are really very stern rebukes. Simeon’s blessing seems reminiscent of Jacob’s blessings of his sons. At first, Simeon’s words seem encouraging. Jesus is appointed for the fall and rising of many. This is what one would expect from a deliverer – one who tears down evil powers and replaces them with righteous leaders. In order for Israel to Rise, Rome must fall. The next words don’t attract too much attention. Jesus will receive opposition. No deliverer is universally accepted and welcomed. Some opposition is to be expected.
- Jesus embraced this truth with these words recorded in Matthew 10:34: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” Jesus knew that he would divide families into believers and non-believers. Jesus knew that he would be opposed, hated, denied, betrayed, abused and killed.
- We don’t know whether Jesus prepared Mary, his mother, for the challenges that lay ahead. However, Simeon prepared Mary and told her that she would be touched by the opposition leveled at her son. He told her that a sword would pierce her own soul. Like so many prophetic warnings, the words are vague. Clearly Simeon is speaking of something beyond physical suffering… it is a piercing of the soul. We fill in the blanks so quickly and easily. Immediately we see Mary at the foot of the cross watching her son suffer and die. We picture her at the foot of the cross, holding Jesus’ lifeless body. We know how her soul will be pierced. But Mary must have been overwhelmed and frightened. This blessed event has a dark cloud. Do you ever feel that way? Do you ever feel like God’s blessings have a bit of curse to them?
- One of my favorite plays is Fiddler on the Roof. Many years ago I saw Fiddler on Broadway. In fact, in High School I sang a solo as the lead character, Tevye. My Broadway Playbill is signed, “From One Tevye to Another, Harry Lipton” The play is set in a small town in 19th century Russia. This town of Anatevka was beginning to suffer anti-Semitic persecutions called pogroms. Tevye is a milkman raising three daughters. After a particularly vicious attack on his community, Tevye prays to God: “I know, I know. We are Your chosen people. But, once in a while, can’t You choose someone else?” Sometimes we all feel like Tevye. God blesses us with trials in order to deepen our character and compassion. God blesses us with wait time in order to teach us patience. God blesses us with more month than money in order to teach us dependence. God surrounds us with challenging people in order to help us develop a forbearing spirit.
- Sometimes hope is delivered differently than expected. All Israel expected the Messiah to come as King of kings and Lord of lords. Mary and Joseph were no exception. They expected Jesus to vanquish Rome and deliver Israel from subjugation. But God knew that Israel’s need, and the need of all mankind, was deeper. Israel wanted deliverance from the domination of Rome. God wanted to deliver His people and all people from the domination of sin and the damnation of Hell. So he sent His perfect Son to suffer and die. And Mary had a place nearby the cross – close enough to hear Jesus pass his responsibility for her to John and close enough to hear His anguished cry of derilection, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” This was not the hope she expected… it was delivered in a different package. Not a package like these beautiful ones Pam wrapped for us. Not a shiny package with a ginormous ribbon on top! It’s the package wrapped badly containing a gift you would never regift. It’s the gift you want to put back in the package and return. It takes real commitment and faith to open all the packages God has for you. But if we will receive some of these ugly packages we will live to experience the greatest blessing of all, which is my third point:
- Third Point: Hope delivered better than expected.
- I skipped commenting on part of verse 35 quite intentionally 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” Luke tells us that Jesus would be a revealer of many hearts. The hated Zacchaeus’ heart would be revealed. He would have an Ebenezer Scrooge kind of transformation and people would see that there was generosity in this once miserly man’s heart. Zacchaeus hoped that someone would treat him like a human being. He hoped that someone would look beyond his wealth and see that underneath his costly garments was a hurting lonely man. But Zacchaeus received hope better than expected. His first real friend was the Israel’s Messiah and God’s true Son. What a privilege for Israel’s traitor to now host Israel’s greatest King. Blind Bartimaeus hoped he would see his parents face. He hoped he might see Jericho and even Jerusalem. It was a desperate hope, a fools hope for a man born blind. God delivered hope to Bartimaeus. We exclusively focus on the fact that Jesus healed him. His eyes saw all those things. But God delivered hope better than expected. When his seeing eyes closed in death, he opened them and saw the glories of heaven. A paralytic hoped he would walk. Jesus delivered him from more than his cot… he delivered him from his true affliction… his sins. But what about Mary? She hoped that Jesus would not die. God delivered on her hope, better than expected… Jesus died and Jesus rose from the dead, and conquered death in the process. The Bible does not explicitly record an encounter between Mary and her risen Son. Yet, we know that an irrefutable witness made its way to two of Mary’s sons. James and Jude become followers of their brother Jesus. They were likely eye witnesses of His resurrection. And it could well be that Paul’s description of an appearance of the risen Jesus to over 500 included the woman whose soul was pierced as her son’s hands and feet were pierced. Imagine how hope must have been reborn in her heart that day. God has a special talent for delivering hope, better than expected. If you’re feeling like Tevye right now, wishing God would bless someone else and leave you and yours alone, take that leap beyond your circumstances and trust that God has something very special for you. Let me close with two key passages in God’s word. The first are these cherished words spoken by Israel’s weeping prophet, Jeremiah:
- For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11) Here is the point that Tevye missed. God does not find a perverse pleasure in bringing heartache into our lives. God has revealed His heart to us … His plans for us are not evil, but good. He has always intended for us to have a future hope of blessing.
- Let me close with one other passage from 1 Peter 3: 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
- 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
- “Born again to a living hope.” As you put these two passages together we see the true nature of God’s hope. It is a future hope and it is a living hope. Only Jesus can give us such a gift. Only he can guarantee our future, for he is eternal and indestructible. And only he can give us a living hope because He is our living Lord eternal in Heaven. So as we prepare our hearts for our joyful celebration of Jesus’ birth, let us celebrate God’s regift to us… the gift of Jesus’ hope living in us.