2011-06-10
Good Morning Dear Ones,
The lady I mentioned last week who was ill enough to pass away at the age of 47, leaving her husband and children behind, knew what God’s will is for all His human creation. She recited PS 17: 15 to her husband before she died. “And when I awake in heaven, I will be fully satisfied, for I will see You face to face.” In the context she was speaking, she wasn’t referring to her husband, but instead, of the Lord. She knew God’s desire well, that as many people as possible should undergo physical death, but not spiritual death. This didn’t mean that she didn’t love her husband or have sympathy for his impending loss of her. But previous to uttering her faith in God, she had already beseeched her husband to keep His faith strong no matter what, because she knew it was the only way he could one day be reunited with her. This was a lady of great courage, courage given to her by our Lord, that she could say these things before her husband’s tear-stained face. Together, this faithful couple praised the Lord, saying PS 148: 4-5, “Praise Him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for He commanded and they were created. He set them in place forever and ever; He gave a decree that will never pass away.” This wonderful lady knew and understood her covenant relationship with the Lord; she understood its eternal nature. While dying physically, she was trying to help her husband know the same thing. That God, our Creator, is most desirous of seeing us come back to Him for a blissful fellowship with Him eternally [JN 6: 39-40; EPH 1: 4 -5].
Now, let’s take a closer view of the Father’s Messenger of the Covenant, as He was born to a traditionally Jewish family and was raised in that belief system from the beginning of His earthly incarnation. At the time of purification, as Moses had instructed, the Child Jesus was taken to be presented at the temple. LK 2: 21, “On the eighth day when it was time to circumcise Him [LV 12: 3], He was named Jesus [LK 1: 31], the name the angel had given Him before He had been conceived.” This name was chosen, because this Child would save His people from their sins [MT 1: 20] and Immanuel, which means “God is With Us” [MT 1: 21]. We didn’t waste our time last week learning about what a godly man Simeon was and how God promised him he would see the Messiah before he went home to the Father [LK 2: 25-26]. It was God’s choice that Mary and Joseph should take their Infant to Simeon for his blessing and circumcision in the temple. We should not ignore or underestimate the importance of the fact that we are told in LK 2: 25b, “…and the Holy Spirit was upon him.” This had everything to do with carrying out God’s will and what was said by Simeon in Jesus’ blessing. LK 2: 28-32, “Simeon took Him in his arms and praised God saying: ‘Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, You now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen Your Salvation, which You have prepared in the sight of all people, a Light for Revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to Your people Israel.’” The Holy Spirit made it clear to Simeon that he was gazing down at the Savior of all people from spiritual death, the Redeemer, the Messiah for Whom his people had long awaited. He also knew that he could physically die in peace and gain eternal life with His Lord, hence his reference to “dismissal of His servant.” The task of abolishing death and bringing eternal life to the people would fall on this Infant’s shoulders one day [HE 2: 14-15].
It’s intriguing that Simeon should refer to the Lord Jesus in the blessing as “a Light for Revelation to the Gentiles.” That is because we shouldn’t forget IS 49: 6. “He [the Lord] says: ‘It is too small to think for you to be My servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.’” In the context of IS 49: 6, the servant here was God’s chosen people, Israel, which is meant by Him to be a “light for the nations.” Out of Israel, arose the “Shoot from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit-” [IS 11: 1] which is a clear reference to the Lord Jesus Christ. This precious Child which Simeon held in his arms was the same Child referred to in IS 9: 6, “For unto us a Child is born, a Son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called ‘Wonderful,’ ‘Counselor,’ Mighty God,’ ‘Everlasting Father,’ ‘Prince of Peace.’” There are just too many connections between this OT prophecy and NT event for us to ignore them! Do you find a directive beyond the obvious here, as I do? It’s that once Gentiles were “grafted in to the cultured olive tree” [RO 11: 16-24], they took on, as a part of their newly established covenant relationships with God, the same responsibility to be a “light to the nations” as we Messianic Jews have. It is our obligation to go out and spread the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all who will listen. The specifics of how a new believer is to do this depends on His circumstances and set of talents. We are told in 1 PET 3: 15-17 to “be ready to answer everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”
PRAYER: O Lord, we stand in awe of You, to think that You would sacrifice Your own Son on the cross, as the only perfect and acceptable Sacrifice for our sins. He is the propitiation for our sins [RO 3: 24-25], so perfectly obedient that He was willing to endure humiliation, scourging, the stripping of His dignity and die a horrible death on the cross which took enduring the greatest pain that could be inflicted on a person [HE 12: 1-2]. He did this all for us, so that we who are willing to hear the truth of Who He is and believe in the significance of what only He, out of all mankind over our history, could do [JN 3: 16]. All we had to do was to repent of our sins and come to faith in Him, and You granted us salvation [LK 2: 30], eternal forgiveness[HE 8: 12], justification, and the gift of Your Spirit [RO 8: 14-16]. You are a faithful God, as we learn in this important passage. PS 31: 3-5, “You are my Refuge and Defense; guide me and lead me as You have promised. Keep me safe from the snare that has been set for me; shelter me from danger. I place myself in Your care. You will save me, Lord; You are a faithful God.” When we realize so much that You do for us, asking for so little in return, we can’t help but be awed by Your love, generosity, and kindness-such as we can never find in another human being or false god. Today and always, we must pray for the unsaved, for those mired in lies mixed with some truth, and for those who outright reject the Lord Jesus at first but whose mind can be changed by the Holy Spirit. In RO 1: 18-23, You tell us that because mankind is born with a God-consciousness and the ability to perceive what God has created, we have no excuse for unbelief. In grave disappointment, You must turn from some who have no faith, but with great purpose You choose not to tell us who those people are. Instead, we are urged to accept Your calling to witness to those who will listen, because You know some who presently don’t believe can, by means of the Holy Spirit, be brought to saving faith. We love You for having the heart You do. We thank and praise You for all You are and all You do. In Christ’s holy/mighty name we pray. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: We will examine Christ’s last Passover as we begin to see the institution of the new covenant and the possibility of covenant relationships with God. This is something that has been on my heart to write about for a long time. The significance of taking Communion should not be lost on a single one of us. Can’t help but see this as special privilege meant for all who understand what it is. What a demonstration of God’s compassion, patience, and love for us this is! The Lord Jesus is the epitome of faithful obedience to the Father. He is the Paradigm for our lives and how they should be lived. HE 3: 6, “But Christ is faithful, as the Son in charge of God’s house. We are His house if we keep up our courage and our confidence in our fondest hopes.” And our God tells us, in 2 CH 7: 15, “Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.” Think about it; God and His Son are telling us they want to be our Covenant Partner [singular since One is the second personality of the Other]. That means our Deity wants to live in our homes as a permanent Resident, to assume leadership of our lives, and to be a part of everything we think, say, and do. Should we allow this? You bet we should! What better way to take part in Christ’s victory over spiritual death [1 COR 15: 54] than to spend our lives in a faithfully obedient participation in a covenant relationship with the God who loves us so much? Praise, honor, glory, and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15