Sermon preached on Sunday, December 18, 2011 at Garden Valley Chapel; Luke 2:25.

Take your Bible if you will and open it to the second chapter of Luke´s Gospel. Luke chronicles in this important portion of Scripture the arrival of the Son of the Most High, the Son of God, the Messiah, to whom was given the name Jesus, for "He will save His people from their sins" (Mat 1:21).

Now in the OT we find a collection of promises from God Himself.

God promised Abraham and Sarah that they would have a son despite their advanced age (Gen. 17:15-19; 18:10, 14), and she bore Isaac (Gen. 21:1-2).

He promised to give Israel the land of Canaan (Gen. 12:7; 13:14-17; 15:7, 18; 17:8; 26:3; 28:13; 35:12; 50:24; Ex. 12:25; 33:1; Num. 32:11; Deut. 1:8; 6:10; Josh. 23:5; cf. Heb. 11:9), and "not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass" (Josh. 21:45; cf. 1 Kings 8:56).
The Lord promised David, "Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever" (2 Sam. 7:16; cf. v. 28; 1 Kings 2:4; 8:24-25; 9:5).

Yet at the heart of all these promises which fill the OT is the most significant of all God´s trustworthy promises:

God would send His Son, the Savior, into the world, that He would come to redeem sinners from death and hell, and to establish His glorious Kingdom on earth.

Immediately after the fall, God promised to send a Redeemer (Gen. 3:15) and "when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law" (Gal. 4:4).

The Old Testament said that the Messiah would be a descendant of Abraham (Gen. 22:18) and David (2 Sam. 7:12-13; Ps. 89:3-4; Jer. 23:5), and Jesus was (Acts 3:25; Gal. 3:16; Acts 13:22-23; Rom. 1:3).

The Old Testament predicted that the Messiah would be born of a virgin (Isa. 7:14), and Jesus was (Matt. 1:22-23).

According to Micah 5:2, the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, and Jesus was (Matt. 2:1).

Isaiah (40:3) and Malachi (3:1) predicted that Messiah would be preceded by a forerunner, and John the Baptist fulfilled that role for Jesus Christ (Matt. 3:1-3; Luke 1:17).

Those are but a few of the numerous Old Testament prophecies the Lord Jesus fulfilled.

But despite the clear testimony to the Lord Jesus Christ in the Old Testament only a small, believing remnant in Israel were prepared to recognize Him when He arrived.

Among them was an old couple, a common priest named Zacharias and his barren wife, Elizabeth, who became the parents of Messiah´s forerunner (Luke 1:5ff.).

Also a part of that small believing remnant was a young couple just beginning their life together, Joseph and Mary, Jesus´ earthly father and the virgin in whom He was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:34-35).

All of them were humble people, far from the elite circles of Jewish thought, education, or religion. Yet they were chosen by God for monumental service in connection with the birth of the Messiah.

Here in Luke´s Gospel, specifically in vv. 25-35, Luke introduces to us one more member of the believing remnant. A man named Simeon.

It is while Joseph and Mary are in the temple, that they meet an Israelite whose life exemplified both godliness and faith.

Join us as we begin this two-part study on a man named Simeon.