WEBVTT 00:00:00.200 --> 00:00:02.740 Turn to Luke 2. 00:00:02.740 --> 00:00:09.780 Luke has been a great book and we read it when we had our candlelight service, but 00:00:09.780 --> 00:00:16.940 it's been a great book to help us understand more than any other gospel what went on in Jesus's life when 00:00:16.940 --> 00:00:17.860 he was born. 00:00:18.240 --> 00:00:24.180 All the things that went on, there was so much that Luke has told us that the other gospels didn't help us with. 00:00:24.600 --> 00:00:31.900 And so it's been a great study in Luke Chapter one, he talked about Zachariah and Elizabeth and the coming of John the Baptist 00:00:31.900 --> 00:00:33.700 being more than the birth of John the Baptist. 00:00:33.940 --> 00:00:38.380 And then Gabriel announced to Mary, he foretold Christ birth. 00:00:38.400 --> 00:00:45.960 And then later on in the chapter, Mary goes and visits Zachariah and Elizabeth, and she sings that amazing Magnificat that she 00:00:45.960 --> 00:00:46.640 sings. 00:00:46.680 --> 00:00:53.700 And then at the end of chapter one, John the Baptist is born and Zachariah now give some prophecy 00:00:53.700 --> 00:00:55.820 about what his ministry is going to be about. 00:00:56.620 --> 00:01:03.700 And then to begin chapter two, we get the census being ordered and Mary and Joseph going to Bethlehem and obviously 00:01:03.700 --> 00:01:04.640 no room for them. 00:01:04.660 --> 00:01:11.810 In the end, Jesus is born in the manger and then the angels and the angel of the Lord announced to all the shepherds, 00:01:12.000 --> 00:01:13.200 "Guess what? 00:01:13.200 --> 00:01:14.360 Savior's coming. 00:01:14.360 --> 00:01:21.820 Savior has been born, he's Christ the Lord." And so, it's a wonderful summary 00:01:21.820 --> 00:01:26.300 of a lot of the things that went on leading up to and Christ birth. 00:01:26.700 --> 00:01:29.180 We get a little bit out of Matthew about Christ birth. 00:01:29.320 --> 00:01:36.200 Matthew talks a little bit about Mary's betrothed to Joseph, and it talks about her being with child by the Holy spirit. 00:01:36.520 --> 00:01:40.040 And then we get something interesting in Matthew that Luke doesn't tell us about. 00:01:40.100 --> 00:01:45.360 It tells us about when the angel comes to Joseph and helps Joseph understand what's going on. 00:01:45.660 --> 00:01:51.580 So we get a little bit of Matthew, but a whole bunch in the Book of Luke, more so than any place else. 00:01:52.080 --> 00:01:59.140 Well, as we keep going in Luke Chapter Two, now we get to pick up some things about Jesus's early 00:01:59.140 --> 00:01:59.640 life. 00:02:00.090 --> 00:02:04.320 And we're just going to focus on the first few weeks that Jesus was alive. 00:02:04.760 --> 00:02:07.600 But we don't get this any place else except in Luke. 00:02:07.620 --> 00:02:11.740 And so it makes it unique and it makes it a fun study to be able to study this. 00:02:12.080 --> 00:02:19.420 But Luke Chapter Two, we're going to look at three events that went on in the first few weeks of Jesus's life and see how they might be 00:02:19.420 --> 00:02:24.500 helpful to us and how they might help us understand some things about us in our lives today as believers. 00:02:25.180 --> 00:02:30.100 So I want to start with Luke 2, I'll read verses 21 to 24. 00:02:31.380 --> 00:02:38.420 It says, "And when eight days had passed before his circumcision, his name was then called Jesus, a name given by the angel 00:02:38.420 --> 00:02:40.340 before he was conceived in the womb. 00:02:41.200 --> 00:02:48.340 And when the days of their purification, according to the law of Moses were accomplished or were completed, they brought him up to 00:02:48.340 --> 00:02:55.480 Jerusalem and presented him to the Lord as it is written in the law of the Lord, every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called 00:02:55.480 --> 00:02:56.660 Holy, unto the Lord. 00:02:57.220 --> 00:03:04.420 And to offer the sacrifice, according to what was said in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtle doves, and two young pigeons." 00:03:05.660 --> 00:03:11.380 Now, interesting thing here, we learned some things about the faithfulness of Joseph and Mary. 00:03:12.220 --> 00:03:17.300 The faithfulness of Joseph and Mary to keep the law, to obey the law, to maintain the law. 00:03:17.480 --> 00:03:22.140 The first thing they do is when Jesus is eight, they have him circumcised, just like the law said. 00:03:22.900 --> 00:03:30.080 They have him circumcised to fulfill the covenant that God gave to Abraham, to fulfill the law that God gave later in Leviticus. 00:03:30.500 --> 00:03:36.080 And then also to get him named, to give him the name that God said, that the angel said, this is what his name is going to be, Jesus. 00:03:37.580 --> 00:03:44.600 We see in Genesis 17, the first part of chapter 12, verse 12, chapter 17, the first part of verse 12, it says, 00:03:44.640 --> 00:03:51.800 "And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generation." That was a covenant that God 00:03:51.800 --> 00:03:52.720 made with Abraham. 00:03:53.500 --> 00:04:00.750 And then he continued that covenant in the law where he said in Leviticus Chapter 12 and verse three, he says, "And on the eighth day, the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised." 00:04:02.460 --> 00:04:09.940 And then when the angel came to Joseph in Matthew Chapter One, in Verse 21, he told Joseph this, "Talking 00:04:09.940 --> 00:04:13.540 about Mary, she will bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus. 00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:21.180 And he shall save his people from their sins." And so everything that went on this eighth day, it was to accomplish all of that. 00:04:21.740 --> 00:04:29.080 Was to fulfill the covenants that God had given, the covenant with Abraham, the law that he had given for circumcision, and 00:04:29.080 --> 00:04:33.480 then name him Jesus, the name that the angel of the Lord had told them. 00:04:34.780 --> 00:04:41.920 And then again, to fulfill the law and to show their faithfulness to the law, Mary and Joseph presented Jesus at the temple after 40 00:04:41.920 --> 00:04:42.420 days. 00:04:42.960 --> 00:04:50.140 Now, this was important because after 40 days Mary was to complete her purification after having a child and 00:04:50.140 --> 00:04:52.820 to redeem Jesus as the first born of Mary. 00:04:52.900 --> 00:04:55.620 That's what this important step was. 00:04:55.960 --> 00:05:03.080 And so in Leviticus 12 Verse six, it says this, and it says, "When the days of her purification are complete for a son or for 00:05:03.080 --> 00:05:10.100 a daughter, she shall bring the priest or to the priest at the door of the tent of meeting a one-year-old lamb for a burnt 00:05:10.100 --> 00:05:17.200 offering and a young pigeon or a turtle dove for a sin offering." Now, verse eight gives them 00:05:17.200 --> 00:05:24.220 a different option if they can't afford the lamb, it says, "But if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or 00:05:24.220 --> 00:05:32.080 two young pigeons, one for the burnt offering and the other for the sin offering and the priest shall make atonement for her and she will be clean." So 00:05:32.080 --> 00:05:39.480 we can see the law required a lamb for the burnt offering, a one year old unblemished lamb for the burnt offering and 00:05:39.880 --> 00:05:42.760 either a turtledove or a pigeon for the sin offering. 00:05:43.320 --> 00:05:50.620 And if you couldn't do that, then two turtledoves, two pigeons for the burnt offering and the sin offering, whatever you could afford. 00:05:51.200 --> 00:05:58.300 And it's interesting that the way Luke mentions it, Luke mentions it like this, he says that they did this to fulfill the 00:05:58.300 --> 00:06:03.200 law and brought a pair of turtledoves, and two young pigeons. 00:06:04.240 --> 00:06:08.180 And what we learn from that is that Mary and Joseph were not rich. 00:06:10.080 --> 00:06:11.580 Mary and Joseph were poor. 00:06:12.000 --> 00:06:15.460 And so they had to go with the option of that they couldn't afford a lamb. 00:06:16.060 --> 00:06:23.300 But I think it's even more critical to think about this is they couldn't afford a lamb, but then you think about it and they had the lamb 00:06:23.300 --> 00:06:23.860 in their arms. 00:06:24.760 --> 00:06:30.700 They had the lamb of God in their arms, the lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world was right there in their arms. 00:06:30.720 --> 00:06:35.520 So it made no sense for them to offer a lamb for the lamb, does it? 00:06:36.480 --> 00:06:38.440 I think God worked it out just right. 00:06:39.500 --> 00:06:43.280 So that they weren't offering a lamb because we know Jesus is the lamb. 00:06:44.260 --> 00:06:49.560 But Mary and Joseph were faithful to the law and when Jesus was a baby and that's important to us. 00:06:50.020 --> 00:06:57.760 That helps us because when we talk about Jesus being the fulfillment of the law, we're not just talking about him dying 00:06:57.760 --> 00:07:01.020 and raising again so that there is no more need for the law. 00:07:01.480 --> 00:07:03.860 That's true, but that's not just what we're talking about. 00:07:04.320 --> 00:07:09.660 When we talk about Jesus fulfilling the law, we're talking about him keeping every aspect of the law. 00:07:10.600 --> 00:07:13.940 Every part of the law, Jesus is the only one that could keep all of the law. 00:07:14.440 --> 00:07:16.320 That ever would be able to keep all the law. 00:07:16.320 --> 00:07:17.700 And he kept God's law perfectly. 00:07:18.640 --> 00:07:25.880 And Mary and Joseph had a part in that in bringing him on the eighth day and having him circumcised and bringing him to the temple 00:07:25.880 --> 00:07:31.840 for the remainder, for the purification rights, the completion of the purification rights. 00:07:32.540 --> 00:07:36.500 In Matthew Chapter five, Verse 17, it says, Jesus is saying this himself. 00:07:36.500 --> 00:07:43.540 He says, "Do not think that I come to abolish the law or the prophets, I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill." Jesus is 00:07:43.540 --> 00:07:44.120 very clear. 00:07:44.160 --> 00:07:48.800 I came to fulfill the law, fulfilling the laws is keeping it completely. 00:07:49.240 --> 00:07:50.120 He's the only one that could. 00:07:51.780 --> 00:07:57.920 Romans eight and Verse three says, "For what the law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did. 00:07:58.780 --> 00:08:05.460 Sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin." The law couldn't do it. 00:08:05.980 --> 00:08:06.200 God did. 00:08:07.500 --> 00:08:07.720 Sending Jesus. 00:08:08.880 --> 00:08:15.960 In Romans Chapter 10, Verse four, this one's interesting, "It says because for Christ is the end..." That word end means 00:08:15.960 --> 00:08:16.700 the goal. 00:08:17.240 --> 00:08:24.380 "For Christ is the goal of the law for righteousness, for everyone who believes." The goal of the law all long 00:08:24.380 --> 00:08:25.070 was righteousness. 00:08:25.400 --> 00:08:30.100 But now Christ is the goal of the law and the end of the law for everyone who believes. 00:08:30.600 --> 00:08:33.100 What that means is that you and I that believe have his righteousness. 00:08:34.860 --> 00:08:39.020 We have it because he is the fulfillment of the law. 00:08:39.100 --> 00:08:46.440 Galatians four Verses four and five say this, "But when the fullness of time came, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, born 00:08:46.440 --> 00:08:54.010 under the law so that he might redeem those who were under the law that we might receive the adoption as sons." 00:08:55.320 --> 00:08:56.620 That's pretty amazing to me. 00:08:56.720 --> 00:08:58.000 Jesus was born under the law. 00:08:58.200 --> 00:08:59.620 His parents kept the law. 00:08:59.620 --> 00:09:01.160 They were faithful to keeping the law. 00:09:01.500 --> 00:09:04.820 He lived under the law and lived perfectly under the law. 00:09:05.240 --> 00:09:12.320 And because he did, we're no longer under the law and by faith in him, we are now adopted as 00:09:12.320 --> 00:09:14.050 sons and daughters into his family. 00:09:15.540 --> 00:09:18.160 That's incredible to me that God has made it that way. 00:09:18.160 --> 00:09:22.800 And by faith in him, we have his righteousness because he is the goal of the law. 00:09:24.700 --> 00:09:31.760 Now, secondly, in Luke Chapter Two, I want to look at verses 25 through 35, little bit of a long section, but 00:09:31.760 --> 00:09:33.880 such a unique section of God's word. 00:09:34.880 --> 00:09:37.870 It says, "And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. 00:09:38.700 --> 00:09:42.840 And he was a righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel. 00:09:43.260 --> 00:09:44.900 And the Holy Spirit was upon him. 00:09:45.660 --> 00:09:51.930 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. 00:09:52.880 --> 00:09:56.180 And he came in the spirit into the temple. 00:09:56.880 --> 00:10:03.940 And when his parents brought the child Jesus to carry out for him, the custom of the law, then he took him into his arms and he 00:10:03.940 --> 00:10:11.060 blessed God and said, 'Now, Lord, you are releasing your bond servant to depart in peace, according 00:10:11.060 --> 00:10:18.520 to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light of 00:10:18.520 --> 00:10:23.120 revelation for the Gentiles and the glory of your people, Israel.'. 00:10:23.220 --> 00:10:30.240 And his father and his mother were amazed at the things which were being said about him and Simeon blessed them and then said to Mary, 00:10:30.240 --> 00:10:37.740 his mother, 'Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel and for a sign to be opposed. 00:10:38.200 --> 00:10:40.790 And the sword will pierce her own soul. 00:10:41.300 --> 00:10:48.580 And to the end, that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.'" So it's interesting that 00:10:49.060 --> 00:10:56.340 Mary and Joseph, they come to the temple and in order to fulfill the law, and while they're at the temple, 00:10:56.400 --> 00:10:57.300 they run into Simeon. 00:10:58.280 --> 00:11:01.060 God says about Simeon, that he was righteous and devout. 00:11:01.820 --> 00:11:03.500 He walked with God. 00:11:03.800 --> 00:11:07.060 He took God's word and God's promises seriously. 00:11:08.160 --> 00:11:10.540 That's the kind of person that Simeon was. 00:11:11.000 --> 00:11:13.700 And he looked for the consolation of Israel. 00:11:14.080 --> 00:11:17.920 All that means is that he was eagerly waiting and looking for the Messiah. 00:11:18.600 --> 00:11:25.720 The Messiah is a consolation of Israel and Simeon was anxious for this Messiah to come and constantly looking for him. 00:11:25.740 --> 00:11:33.260 And then he said, "He had the Holy Spirit on him." God had placed his Holy Spirit on Simeon because he had a specific plan, 00:11:33.260 --> 00:11:36.740 a very particular function that he had planned for Simeon. 00:11:38.680 --> 00:11:45.980 Now, remember under the old covenant, the Holy Spirit didn't indwell people like the Holy spirit does now. 00:11:46.980 --> 00:11:50.640 When you place your faith and belief in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit comes and indwells you. 00:11:51.100 --> 00:11:58.600 Well under the old covenant, God just gave his spirit to people when they needed it, or when he had a specific plan or a specific 00:11:58.600 --> 00:12:00.020 function for them to do. 00:12:00.980 --> 00:12:08.180 And so we see in this situation, the new covenant didn't start until Jesus Christ died and was buried 00:12:08.180 --> 00:12:09.200 and rose again. 00:12:09.340 --> 00:12:10.970 That's what instituted the new covenant. 00:12:11.480 --> 00:12:15.280 So what's going on here in the gospel is still under the old covenant. 00:12:17.680 --> 00:12:21.760 Simeon is still operating under the old covenant, that we just read. 00:12:21.760 --> 00:12:24.500 Jesus was born under the law, born under the old covenant. 00:12:24.860 --> 00:12:26.420 And he lived under the old covenant. 00:12:27.060 --> 00:12:33.980 And so the Holy spirit was upon Simeon because this is the way that God worked through his servants at this time. 00:12:35.580 --> 00:12:42.700 And so the Bible says that the Holy Spirit was upon Simeon and God had a very specific plan for Simeon, an important plan for Simeon because 00:12:42.700 --> 00:12:46.080 he was going to reveal to the world his Messiah. 00:12:47.020 --> 00:12:49.400 That by the way was just a few weeks old. 00:12:50.960 --> 00:12:53.320 He's going to reveal to the world who the Messiah is. 00:12:54.000 --> 00:13:01.360 And so Simeon is led by the spirit again, into the temple at the exact time Joseph and Mary were coming into the temple and 00:13:01.360 --> 00:13:06.060 immediately he knows who Jesus is and he knows what Jesus is going to do. 00:13:08.120 --> 00:13:10.460 And he takes Jesus in his arm and he blesses God. 00:13:11.900 --> 00:13:18.560 And he says, "Now Lord, you are releasing your bond servant to depart in peace." Simeon had... 00:13:18.560 --> 00:13:26.520 God had already told Simeon, "You're not going to die until you see the Messiah, until you see the Lord's Christ, you're not going to die." 00:13:26.600 --> 00:13:29.180 And so Simeon says now to God, he says, "Now I can die. 00:13:29.860 --> 00:13:34.010 Lord I'm okay dying now because I have seen your Messiah. 00:13:34.220 --> 00:13:35.940 I've seen your salvation," he says. 00:13:36.920 --> 00:13:44.140 He says, "According to your word, just like you said, I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples 00:13:44.140 --> 00:13:51.160 a light of revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of your people Israel." Now not only had 00:13:51.160 --> 00:13:58.160 Simeon said, "I can die in peace now." But then he really revealed some amazing stuff about 00:13:58.160 --> 00:14:00.420 this child that he's holding in his arms. 00:14:02.060 --> 00:14:03.940 He says, "God's prepared him for all people. 00:14:03.960 --> 00:14:11.260 He's going to be a light of revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of Israel." Now you understand this, that at this time 00:14:11.260 --> 00:14:14.040 in history, there were really only two people groups. 00:14:14.600 --> 00:14:19.200 You were either of the chosen people of God, a Jew, or you were a Gentile. 00:14:19.220 --> 00:14:20.210 That was the only two options. 00:14:21.340 --> 00:14:25.320 And so in Israel, they looked for their Messiah. 00:14:26.400 --> 00:14:33.420 They were anxiously waiting this Messiah, their Redeemer, because they wanted this Messiah to save them 00:14:33.420 --> 00:14:35.300 from the oppression of their enemies. 00:14:37.500 --> 00:14:44.540 But the Messiah that God sent though, he was the glory of Israel, he came for all people, Jews and Gentiles alike, 00:14:45.500 --> 00:14:45.900 Luke says. 00:14:46.780 --> 00:14:49.730 And he came for a completely different salvation. 00:14:51.880 --> 00:14:55.840 So Luke says that Mary and Joseph, when they heard Simeon sell these things, they were amazed. 00:14:57.140 --> 00:15:00.720 And if you put yourself in their shoes for just a minute, you can kind of see why. 00:15:01.520 --> 00:15:08.580 Jesus is only a few weeks old, only a few people knew who Jesus was and knew what his significance was in the 00:15:08.580 --> 00:15:08.900 world. 00:15:09.260 --> 00:15:10.100 Very few people. 00:15:10.460 --> 00:15:13.420 And now they come into the temple and they run into this guy they've never met. 00:15:13.820 --> 00:15:17.480 And he's all of a sudden telling them who Jesus is and all that he's going to do. 00:15:18.740 --> 00:15:19.690 They had to be amazed. 00:15:20.060 --> 00:15:23.400 They had to be in wonder of all that was going on. 00:15:24.740 --> 00:15:32.020 And even though they were amazed, they had to kind of change in two a, like a concern at 00:15:32.020 --> 00:15:35.200 the things Simeon then says to Mary in his prophecy. 00:15:36.080 --> 00:15:40.840 He says, "This child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel. 00:15:41.440 --> 00:15:48.640 And for a sign to be opposed and a sword will pierce your own soul and to the end, that thoughts 00:15:48.640 --> 00:15:53.920 from many hearts will be revealed." The word fall here means downfall. 00:15:54.240 --> 00:15:59.490 So he's saying this child is going to be the downfall and the rising up of many in Israel. 00:16:00.980 --> 00:16:03.070 And he's a sign to be opposed. 00:16:03.560 --> 00:16:08.020 And the sign refers to miracles, like it does in many parts of the New Testament. 00:16:08.700 --> 00:16:16.840 But not so much miracles that demonstrate divine power, but miracles that reveal divine truth. 00:16:16.880 --> 00:16:21.820 And in revealing that divine truth, it also reveals the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 00:16:22.720 --> 00:16:29.880 And so what Simeon is really saying about him is that Jesus is God's miracle because he's revealing the truth about who 00:16:29.880 --> 00:16:30.340 God is. 00:16:31.580 --> 00:16:37.500 And that truth as you and I will know, it has been, and it always will be opposed and spoken against. 00:16:38.700 --> 00:16:41.160 And it's going to reveal what's truly in people's heart. 00:16:41.520 --> 00:16:44.340 It's that truth that reveals what's in our hearts. 00:16:46.660 --> 00:16:53.800 And then Simeon says, finally to Mary, he says, "That a sword is going to pierce your own soul." You 00:16:53.800 --> 00:17:01.120 notice that the prophecy that Simeon gave is just to Mary, indicating that Joseph probably isn't going to be around later 00:17:01.120 --> 00:17:03.090 when Mary sees this prophecy fulfilled. 00:17:03.820 --> 00:17:10.900 And we know that she did, we know that her soul was pierced by the experiences that she saw and the awful way that Jesus 00:17:10.900 --> 00:17:14.140 was treated and then the way he suffered for the world. 00:17:15.260 --> 00:17:17.319 And so Mary experienced that. 00:17:17.420 --> 00:17:17.940 There's no question. 00:17:19.440 --> 00:17:22.300 So we see in Simeon a man of hope. 00:17:22.940 --> 00:17:26.000 He had great trust and he had great hope in the promises of God. 00:17:26.640 --> 00:17:29.580 And he looked for the fulfillment of those promises. 00:17:29.860 --> 00:17:31.090 And to me, this is interesting. 00:17:31.180 --> 00:17:32.880 He wasn't surprised when God did it. 00:17:34.600 --> 00:17:39.020 Sometimes we find ourselves a little bit surprised when God does stuff. 00:17:39.220 --> 00:17:46.260 I wonder if Jesus is really our hope and if he is, and when we are we going 00:17:46.260 --> 00:17:51.620 to be surprised when he shows up or even the future are we going to be surprised when Jesus shows up? 00:17:53.400 --> 00:18:00.660 Colossians 1:27 says, "To whom God will to make known what are the riches of his glory, of 00:18:00.720 --> 00:18:07.320 his mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." Jesus Christ is our hope. 00:18:08.540 --> 00:18:11.840 Jesus Christ is our hope daily, Christ in you. 00:18:11.840 --> 00:18:13.430 And he's our hope, the hope of glory. 00:18:13.480 --> 00:18:14.380 He's our ultimate hope. 00:18:14.720 --> 00:18:21.800 Titus 2:13 says it this way, "Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and savior Jesus 00:18:21.800 --> 00:18:25.220 Christ." We're looking for that blessed hope. 00:18:25.760 --> 00:18:32.420 Are we looking for Christ who is in us, the hope of glory even now and in the future? 00:18:33.540 --> 00:18:35.360 I hope we're not surprised by his appearing. 00:18:35.880 --> 00:18:42.900 Simeon wasn't surprised at all, when God's promise was fulfilled and the Messiah appeared, he had 00:18:42.920 --> 00:18:43.720 been looking for it. 00:18:43.720 --> 00:18:44.670 He was waiting before. 00:18:46.080 --> 00:18:54.400 Finally, let's look at the next few verses in Luke Chapter two, and we're introduced to a very interesting woman starting 00:18:54.400 --> 00:19:02.180 in Verse 36, the Bible says, "And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter Phanuel and 00:19:02.180 --> 00:19:03.840 of the tribe of Asher. 00:19:04.660 --> 00:19:09.480 And she was advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage. 00:19:09.940 --> 00:19:12.440 And then as a widow to the age of 84. 00:19:13.800 --> 00:19:21.100 And she never left the temple serving night and day with fastings and prayers at the very moment that she came upon, 00:19:21.460 --> 00:19:28.800 said she came up and began to get at that very moment, talking about the moment that Simeon had declared Jesus as the Messiah, at 00:19:28.800 --> 00:19:36.000 that very moment, she came up and she began to give thanks to God and continued to speak of him to all those who were looking for the redemption 00:19:36.140 --> 00:19:43.220 of Israel or the redemption of Jerusalem." Anna was a prophetess, she'd been married seven years but 00:19:43.220 --> 00:19:48.140 now she had been widowed and she was now 84 years old. 00:19:50.020 --> 00:19:57.500 And what's amazing to me is that means that Anna had served in the temple night and day as the Bible says, for something 00:19:57.500 --> 00:19:58.740 like 60 years. 00:20:00.620 --> 00:20:07.780 Night and day, she served in the temple, fasting and praying and waiting for the promised appearing 00:20:07.780 --> 00:20:08.720 of God's Messiah. 00:20:10.100 --> 00:20:11.680 She was looking for it too. 00:20:12.000 --> 00:20:18.920 And she didn't just fast and pray, but she was continually talking about this coming Messiah to those that were looking for him as well. 00:20:20.700 --> 00:20:23.880 She looked for Jesus to come. 00:20:23.980 --> 00:20:28.220 She looked for the Messiah to come and she continually talked about the Messiah coming. 00:20:28.220 --> 00:20:31.280 And when he came, she kept talking about the Messiah. 00:20:31.560 --> 00:20:34.040 She kept telling people about the Messiah she had now seen. 00:20:35.760 --> 00:20:36.460 That's Anna. 00:20:38.500 --> 00:20:40.320 Anna it was a person to me of great love. 00:20:40.980 --> 00:20:41.820 She loved God. 00:20:41.820 --> 00:20:44.580 She served him night and day in the temple for many, many years. 00:20:44.920 --> 00:20:48.560 She trusted him, fasting and praying to him, looking for answers. 00:20:48.620 --> 00:20:50.760 And she was looking for his Messiah. 00:20:52.120 --> 00:20:54.660 But she didn't just love God, she loved others also. 00:20:55.640 --> 00:21:00.420 She had to have spent time fasting and praying for those others that she talked to Jesus about. 00:21:00.980 --> 00:21:03.510 And she told them about the coming Messiah. 00:21:03.880 --> 00:21:08.380 And she didn't stop telling about the coming Messiah after she understood he had came, she kept telling them. 00:21:08.780 --> 00:21:11.360 She kept talking about this Messiah that had appeared. 00:21:11.880 --> 00:21:16.160 She loved people enough to keep talking to them and keep telling him about him. 00:21:17.260 --> 00:21:19.970 And she's a wonderful example to us, of putting love into practice. 00:21:20.200 --> 00:21:22.920 I believe because she focused on God. 00:21:23.360 --> 00:21:24.480 She focused on loving God. 00:21:24.560 --> 00:21:25.700 She focused on loving others. 00:21:26.320 --> 00:21:27.580 And she told others about Jesus. 00:21:28.700 --> 00:21:30.940 I mean, and that's really the purpose of the church. 00:21:31.240 --> 00:21:36.940 I mean, that's our mission statement, Love God, Love Others and Make Disciples, tell people about Jesus. 00:21:39.560 --> 00:21:40.280 That's really... 00:21:40.280 --> 00:21:45.760 Anna was the church in person at the temple, for many, many years. 00:21:46.380 --> 00:21:50.480 We have some verses that help us understand what our responsibility is as a church. 00:21:50.580 --> 00:21:53.180 Matthew 22, starting in verse 37. 00:21:53.600 --> 00:22:00.110 And he said to them, when he was asked, what's the greatest law, he says, "You shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind. 00:22:00.780 --> 00:22:05.040 This is the greatest and the foremost commandment." And the second isƒ you shall love your neighbor as yourself. 00:22:05.840 --> 00:22:07.140 Love God and love others. 00:22:07.140 --> 00:22:09.380 He says on these two commandments depend the law and the prophets. 00:22:10.940 --> 00:22:18.240 In Matthew 28 later on in verse 19, he says, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing 00:22:18.240 --> 00:22:25.980 them in the name of the father and the son and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you and lo I'm with you to the 00:22:26.220 --> 00:22:27.390 end of the age," he says. 00:22:28.120 --> 00:22:28.720 I'm with you always. 00:22:30.580 --> 00:22:35.020 That word go is kind of interesting in that verse because it's not just one time go. 00:22:35.020 --> 00:22:40.500 It means as you are going, as you go, as you live this Christian life, do that. 00:22:41.540 --> 00:22:42.000 Make disciples. 00:22:43.120 --> 00:22:50.200 The next chapter eight, we know this and in Acts Chapter one, Verse eight, it says, "But you receive power after the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be 00:22:50.200 --> 00:22:53.520 my witnesses in both Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria. 00:22:53.540 --> 00:22:58.580 And even to the remotest part of the earth." That's just being the church. 00:22:59.400 --> 00:23:01.120 Those are the things that we do being the church. 00:23:01.480 --> 00:23:06.620 Love God, love others, help people learn about Jesus and help people follow Jesus better. 00:23:07.540 --> 00:23:07.820 That's it. 00:23:08.940 --> 00:23:09.940 That's part of being the church. 00:23:11.320 --> 00:23:18.560 I think Paul summarizes these three items that we've focused on this morning beautifully in 1st 00:23:18.560 --> 00:23:25.720 Corinthians 13 in verse 13, he says, "But faith, hope and love abide these three. 00:23:26.240 --> 00:23:33.060 But the greatest of these is love." The word abide in these verses means remain. 00:23:34.420 --> 00:23:36.040 Faith, hope and love, remain. 00:23:37.300 --> 00:23:43.040 Faith, hope and love remain in us because we are already in Christ, if you're a believer in the Lord Jesus. 00:23:44.280 --> 00:23:47.160 So faith, hope and love already remain in you. 00:23:47.160 --> 00:23:50.480 And the greatest truth that remains in us is love. 00:23:52.320 --> 00:23:53.880 So that we love God and love others. 00:23:54.240 --> 00:23:55.700 And so that we help others learn about Jesus. 00:23:59.560 --> 00:24:05.020 I think some of us are facing challenging circumstances this past year. 00:24:05.780 --> 00:24:12.820 And with the new year upon us, we know that we have no idea what we could face in the new 00:24:12.820 --> 00:24:13.080 year. 00:24:14.600 --> 00:24:21.780 But listen with Christ as our foundation, with Christ as our solid rock, we can recognize what already 00:24:21.780 --> 00:24:23.000 remains in us. 00:24:23.020 --> 00:24:23.280 What we have. 00:24:24.500 --> 00:24:27.520 Faith, hope and love remains in us. 00:24:27.940 --> 00:24:28.560 We have that. 00:24:28.860 --> 00:24:33.700 We have faith in knowing all that we are and all that we have because Jesus fulfilled the law perfectly. 00:24:35.040 --> 00:24:38.900 We have so much because we are in him and he fulfilled the law perfectly. 00:24:40.980 --> 00:24:48.240 We have hope in the promises of God like Simeon, looking for that blessed hope, looking for Christ, both 00:24:48.240 --> 00:24:50.080 in our daily lives and the future. 00:24:51.740 --> 00:24:57.160 I know we get in a place to where we want to look for that blessed hope out in the future all the time. 00:24:57.900 --> 00:25:00.740 But we have that blessed hope right now with us. 00:25:03.220 --> 00:25:09.550 And finally love to our Lord, love to fellow believers, love to our community. 00:25:10.660 --> 00:25:15.280 As we continue to tell others about our savior, about Jesus Christ. 00:25:16.260 --> 00:25:17.880 Faith, hope, and love abide in us. 00:25:18.100 --> 00:25:18.600 We have them. 00:25:20.920 --> 00:25:27.020 That's my prayer that we depend on that faith, hope and love that remains in us throughout this coming year. 00:25:28.400 --> 00:25:33.960 And then whatever goes on, the things that happen to us, this just might be a little easier to take. 00:25:34.060 --> 00:25:36.100 It just might be a little easier to deal with.