The Time of Christmas

The Time of Christmas

December 8, 2002 (Message #2 of Advent 2002)

Pastor Joe Fuiten, Cedar Park Assembly of God

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Scripture Reading: Luke 2:25-32 Page 725

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 upon him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 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 now dismiss your servant in peace. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all people, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel." (NIV)

Last week I began this message on time thinking about the phrase from Paul in Galatians 4:4 “But when the time[1] had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman…” The fullness of time is an indication that everything was right for the coming of the Lord. The common language, culture, transportation system, and religious environment was right. I came to the conclusion that God knows what time it is and where we are in time.

Today I want to use this account of Simeon to show three things. First, God is willing for time to unfold. Second, even when time might not yet be fully unfolded, God is still active in the unfolding. Third, it is possible for us to know things about the unfolding of time and to cooperate with God in that. When we know this and cooperate with it, we are “in the will of God.” I want the text to illustrate these three things.

First, God is willing for time to unfold. Simeon looked at the baby Jesus and said, in verse 30, “my eyes have seen your salvation.” Was that really right? Had Simeon seen the Lord’s salvation? He had only seen a baby. Simeon was acting as though the whole episode of salvation had already happened. It was as though Jesus had already gone to the cross and died. He had already been raised from the dead and had already used his blood to cover the sin of the people.

Simeon understood that when God does something, even though it has not all happened at that moment, it is as good as done.

I doubt if Jesus had done anything of note. There was no halo-like glow around his head. When he gurgled at his 40^th day, it did not come out a blessing in either Hebrew or King James English. He uttered no great words, did not miraculously heal a tear in Simeon’s robe, and did not cause any sticks in the ark to sprout. You would think something quite dramatic would happen because at that very moment two prophecies were being fulfilled. On thousand years earlier, in Psalm 24:9-10 David prophesied about this very moment when he said, “Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 10 Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty-- he is the King of glory.” The very King of Glory was coming into his temple as Malachi (3:1) prophesied four hundred years earlier. "’Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,’ says the LORD Almighty.”

Even though the sudden coming of Jesus into the Temple as a baby had been prophesied for so long a time, at that very moment there was nothing. There were just two very young poor people with their baby boy. God did not feel the pressure of the moment. He was willing for the baby to be carried in a blanket. That was good enough. The baby was not nervously wringing his hands with little beads of sweat on his forehead worrying that maybe he had not done enough for God that day. Jesus was not frantic. Everything would happen in due time. For the moment, this was enough.

That is the advantage God has in being eternal. God who never had a beginning and who will never have an end is not uptight about time. If you are going to be God’s kind of person, you are going to have to accept that God is quite willing to let it unfold over time without being anxious about the outcome. When the time comes, we will deal with the cross.

Second, even when time might not yet be fully unfolded, God is still active in the unfolding. What was God doing as Jesus lay there in the arms of his mother? For one thing, he was working in the lives of Anna and Simeon as well as Mary and Joseph and maybe others. He was at work in Rome, Ephesus, Alexandria, and Jerusalem.

It is a good thing to believe in and to experience miracles. We are that kind of church. We pray for and receive miracles. There is a down side as well. When you believe in miracles you are probably more susceptible to doubt. It happens like this. We pray for God to heal this pain in my neck. When the prayer is over, the pain is still there so we decide that God is not going to heal my neck. We are immediately filled with doubt.

When Simeon saw Jesus and said ”My eyes have seen your salvation” he did not raise his hand questioningly and ask, “Well?” Say something! Do something! Show me something!

Third, it is possible for us to know things about the unfolding of time and to cooperate with God in that. When we know this and cooperate with it, we are “in the will of God.”

Several things about Simeon fit this point. One, he knew from a previous encounter with God that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Christ, or Messiah. Up to this point for this aged man, he had not seen the Messiah but he knew that he would. Two, apparently before he picked up Jesus he knew this was the Messiah. Three, he understood that in the future, Jesus would provide salvation. He would provide light to the Gentiles and glory to the Jews.

His answer “dismiss your servant in peace” is a lovely euphemism about dying. How could Simeon die in peace? Just as God had shown him that he would see the Messiah, he knew that in dying, he would have God’s peace upon him. I have never faced death other than to teach my children to drive. I can imagine it takes a special confidence in God to know that peace.

When you know that God works in time, you don’t have to take tomorrow’s troubles into your life today. You can agree with the Psalmist, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way.”[2] I will take today’s steps today, and tomorrow’s steps tomorrow, and I will get a good night’s sleep in between. When I step across the great divide, I don’t have to worry about what will happen on the other side. I have walked with the Lord all the days of my life. If I have discovered that God acts in time, I don’t need to worry about him outside time, in eternity. We can say, “Tomorrow I will have troubles, and by God’s grace tomorrow we will solve them.”

Even though God is eternal, and is himself outside of time, he acts within time. It is comforting to know that God already knows the outcome. That is why prophecy works. God already knows. This particular problem that I have, God already knows the path to walk. When the Scripture says that “God delights in his way,” it means that God enjoys the road that we travel. Friend, you are either encouraged or discouraged today in direct proportion to the degree to which you are actively believing what I am saying.

This week a man came in to talk to my father. He wanted to give $10,000 toward the Totem Lake property, $10,000 toward the High School building, and $20,000 more for something else. I thank God for every gift, large or small. There is something particularly encouraging when people respond to the particular needs that we have. We need funds for Totem Lake, for the High School, and for something else. When gifts like that come in, I hear God saying “Relax, I’ll take care of everything.” By the way, we just got our actual building permit this week for the High School. After over four years, we have it. These are the tools of our ministry to people. It shows that God will take care of his work. In such times, I have to repent for worrying. God enjoys the road we travel and he guides our steps.

“For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”[3] Are you going to be able to do those good works? Well, we don’t want to presume on the future. Maybe I will, maybe not. But if God has prepared them in advance for you to do, will you be able to do it? The question is not whether you will be able to do it. The only question is how will it happen? There is no question that Jesus will be Simeon and Israel’s salvation. Simeon just didn’t know how it would happen.

Some people say “think big.” I don’t think that is right. I say you should “think God.” If it is big, no problem. Big or small are the same with God. You just need to be sure that God is putting it before you to do.