DATE: 27TH DECEMBER, 2020
THEME: PRAISE THE LORD!
SCRIPTURE READINGS
Isaiah 61:10-11
Galatians 4:4-7
Luke 2:22-40
Psalter: Psalms 148:1-14
PREPARED BY: OSOFO YAW DODD
INTRODUCTION
Today is Christmas SUNDAY. The presents/gifts have been GIVEN and RECEIVED. The meals have been EATEN and the Festivities have, for the most part, come to an end for another year. The TREES and the decorations will come down and Christmas will be gone for another year. But the fact is, Christmas really has NOTHING to do with the things I mentioned, Christmas can go on 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. It can go on if we ALLOW Jesus to be the Central Figure Of Christmas.
CONTEXT
In our text, the Lamb of God has been born. God has STEPPED out of ETERNITY and ENTERED human history. The Lamb was PROMISED, He was PREPARED and He has been PROVIDED. Our text takes us to Jerusalem for an event that occurred 40 days after the very first Christmas. When Jesus was 8 days old, HE WAS CIRCUMCISED, as prescribed by the LAW, Lev. 12:3. After 40 days, Mary has reached the end of HER PURIFICATION PERIOD, Lev. 12:1-4. So they took Jesus to the Lord’s temple to be presented to the Lord and REDEEMED, also according to the Law, Deut. 18:4. What a thought: THE REDEEMER HAD TO BE REDEEMED!
While they were there, a Special Event Occurred. Two old saints of God, SIMON and ANNA, were in the Temple. They were there because the Holy Ghost had LED them there. They were part of a faithful Jewish remnant that was looking for the appearing of the Messiah. When they met Jesus that day, even though He was just a 40 day old infant, they are OVERJOYED and began to LIFT UP Praises To The Lord. What we see here can teach us some things about the matter of praise. I think these verses have some lessons to teach us today, and they are lessons that we very much need to hear.
BODY
I. THE MOTIVE FOR THE LAMB’S PRAISE
When Simeon enters the Temple and takes Jesus into his arms, the old man DECLARES for all to HEAR the reasons for his JOY. In his speech, Simeon gives us a three-fold motive for praising the Lord that is just as valid today as it was then.
▪ Praised Because Of WHO APPEARED
The name “Simeon” means “He who hears.” This man had been hearing the VOICE of the Holy Spirit. He had been told that he would NOT DIE until He had seen the Christ, the Jewish Messiah, and the Savior of the world for himself. Just who was this Baby? He is identified here as “the Lord’s Christ,” v. 26 and the Lord’s “SALVATION,” v. 30. SIMEON understood Who He was, but few others did!
On the NIGHT JESUS WAS BORN, some humble shepherds became aware of Who He was. Some Heavenly Angels knew Who He was. But, sadly, MANY OTHERS DID NOT KNOW WHO HE WAS. MOST PEOPLE ALIVE TODAY do not know who this Child was and is.
SIMEON is excited because the PROMISED ONE HAS APPEARED.
▪Praised Because Of WHY HE ARRIVED
As Simeon praises God the Father for the Baby Jesus, he tells us a little bit about why Jesus came into this world. We are told in verse 30 that JESUS IS SALVATION. Then, we are told that He has come to CHANGE the whole world.
Basically, SIMEON is reminding us that Jesus came into this world to SAVE all those who will come to Him by FAITH.
▪Praised Because Of WHAT HE WOULD ACCOMPLISH
Simeon continues his praise BY OFFERING A PROPHECY of what Jesus would accomplish in His life. In these verses, the old man speaks of a STONE, a SIGN and a SWORD. The phrase “fall and rising again of many in Israel” refers to Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophesy, Psa. 118:22; Isa. 8:14.
Let me just state for the record that JESUS CHRIST IS STILL THE STONE! He is the SALVATION STONE, Matt. 21:44. He is the JUDGMENT STONE, Matt. 21:44, Dan. 2:34, 45.
Everything in your spiritual life hinges around how you answer one question, “What think ye of Christ?”, Matthew 22:42. Is Jesus the “Chief Cornerstone” of your life? When you stop to think of Who Arrived, Why He Appeared and What He Accomplished, you can see that we have a motive for praising the Lord.
II. THE METHOD OF THE LAMB’S PRAISE
As we see SIMEON and ANNA magnify the name of the Lord, we can learn a lesson about how we should be praising Him in these days.
▪ The Praise Was VOCAL
Simeon didn’t just see Jesus and rejoice in his heart. He opened his mouth and LIFTED UP HIS VOICE IN PRAISE of the Lord Jesus Christ. He did not keep what he felt bottled up on the inside; he let it out to the glory of the Lord.
▪ The Praise Was VISIBLE
Simeon involved the entire person in the act of praise.
He reached out, LIFTED the Baby Jesus, Held Him high and Praised the Lord.
He was not embarrassed to vocally and visibly praise His Redeemer.
▪The Praise Was VERBAL
Then Anna enters the arena of praise. PROVIDED ANOTHER MELODY. She blends her voice with that of Simeon, but she adds an additional element. While Simeon lifted his hands, his heart and his voice to the lord; Anna praises the Lord, but she also tells others about what the Lord is doing. Her praise was vocal, visible and verbal!
III. THE MINISTRY OF THE LAMB’S PRAISE
As the name of the Lord was praised publicly, three precious things took place that day.
▪The Sovereign Was EXALTED
It brought GLORY TO GOD when He was praised in the Temple. Everything in the Temple was about ritual, but when Simeon and Anna broke the rituals and began to praise the Lord, the focus was taken off the ritual and PLACED ON THE LORD GOD OF HEAVEN. Even today, when the Lord is praised and exalted in His church and in the world, He is lifted up.
▪The Saints Were EDIFIED
MARY and JOSEPH hear these praises and they are given HOPE and ENCOURAGEMENT by the praises of these precious saints of God. By the way, it still helps the Lord’s people when they hear others praising His name!
▪The Sinners Were EVANGELIZED
The Bible tells us that ANNA WENT OUT and told others about this Baby she had seen. The Bible says that “she spake of Him!” Because she was verbal in her praise, lost sinners HEARD WHERE they could find Jesus too!
God can take the SACRIFICE OF PRAISE you offer in His name and use it to turn hearts toward Him! There is something attractive about a child of God who is saved and not ashamed of Jesus!
APPLICATION
As people saved by GRACE, we have a problem that affects every single one of us. Our problem is this: we are FORGETFUL! Oh, we can remember all kinds of things, especially what others have done to us or have said about us, but WE TEND TO FORGET THAT WHICH THE LORD HAS DONE IN OUR LIVES.
David also had this problem! In Psalm 103:1-5 David calls upon his soul to remember what the Lord has done. He wants to stir up THE INNER MAN and get him excited about what he has in God and what the Lord has promised to do for him and in him. David calls upon his soul to do two things.
▪First, he calls upon his soul to PRAISE THE LORD! The word “bless” means “to kneel with the idea of adoration and praise.” David knows that God is worthy of all the praise we can render to Him and David wants his soul to be involved in praising the Lord.
▪Secondly, he calls upon his soul to PONDER THE LORD! He challenges his soul not to forget what the Lord has done for it!
CONCLUSION
I wonder how we are doing in the praise department. If you are saved, then you have a reason to praise Him, Luke 10:20! If you have been holding back, why not come to Him, ask for forgiveness and get busy exalting His name, edifying His children and evangelizing the lost through your praise and testimony? If you are save, but you are not in a position to praise Him, please come to Him and make things right and let Him restore to you a heart of praise. Enjoy the service. Stay BLESSED.
PREPARED BY:
VERY REV DR. SAMUEL DUA DODD
CALVARY METHODIST CHURCH
ADABRAKA, ACCRA
