"Two Births" 12-29-24
Overview
Two Births
Throughout Advent we have followed two miraculous pregnancies—Elizabeth's and Mary's—and celebrated two births: John the Baptist, the forerunner, and Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Yet as we close this season, the two births worth fixing our eyes upon are not John's and Jesus'. They are the birth of Christ and your own rebirth in the Spirit.
Forty days after the nativity, Mary and Joseph brought the infant Jesus to the temple to fulfill the law of Moses. There they met Simeon, a righteous and devout man to whom the Holy Spirit had promised a glimpse of the Lord's Messiah before death Luke 2:25-32. Taking the child in his arms, Simeon praised God for "a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel." Then he turned to Mary with sobering words: this child is set for the falling and rising of many, a sign opposed, and "a sword will pierce your own soul too" Luke 2:34-35. Every mother carries hopes for her newborn; Mary, who would later stand at the foot of the cross John 19:25-34, surely remembered Simeon's words as the spear pierced her Son's side.
We celebrate Christ's birth precisely because of where it leads. Unlike John—a man who, like us, needed a Savior—Jesus came fully God and fully man, born under the law, yet without the heart inclined to evil that has marked humanity since the days of Noah Genesis 6:5. He is the great light shining on those who walked in darkness Isaiah 9:2, born to live perfectly under the law's burden, to resist every temptation we cannot, and to carry the sin of the world to the cross.
This brings us to the second birth—yours. Simeon said that Christ would reveal the inner thoughts of many, and when we come face to face with our Savior, we come face to face with our sin and discover there is nothing left for us to do, because Christ has done it all. Through the waters of baptism the old self is put to death and a new creation rises: "If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation. Everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new" 2 Corinthians 5:17-18. Not because we deserve it, not because we have earned it, but because God has called us by His Word and Spirit. So we celebrate two births this season—the Christ-child given for the world, and the new life given to you in Him—free now to love God and to serve our neighbor as the children He has made us to be.
Transcript
If you would please open your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke the second chapter, if you're 2s
using a Pue edition of the Bible, this can be found on page 51 in the New Testament. 9s
Luke chapter 2. 15s
In this series that we've had throughout Advent and now into Christmas, it has been a series 19s
about two births, about two births that would be coming into the world. 27s
John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. 33s
And we had this time where we focused on Mary and Elizabeth and it was this prelude to 37s
Christmas. 44s
There are very similar stories with the pregnancies of John and Jesus. 45s
The angel Gabriel came and announced they're coming birds, the pregnancies too, their 51s
parents, these impossible miraculous pregnancies, Elizabeth who was old and barren and 57s
Mary, who was a virgin and young, John would be the four runner to the Messiah and Jesus. 65s
Jesus would be the Messiah himself. 75s
Today we are going to wrap up this sermon series about Mary and Elizabeth and we are going 79s
to celebrate two birds. 87s
We began celebrating the birth of John the Baptist last Sunday and then as we came 89s
and gathered for Christmas Eve's service, we celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ. 96s
These two births, but today, today the births that we are celebrating are not of John and 102s
Jesus. 113s
Look with me, please. 115s
Look with me, please, at our text for today, beginning in verse 25. 116s
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simian. 122s
This man was righteous and devout looking forward to the consolation of Israel and the Holy 125s
Spirit rested on him. 132s
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had 134s
seen the Lord's Messiah. 139s
Guided by the Spirit, Simian came into the temple and when the parents brought in the 141s
child Jesus to do for him what was customary under the law. 146s
Simian took him in his arms and praised God. 150s
Before we entered into this text, we need to back up a little bit. 156s
So on Tuesday, we celebrated the birth of Christ. 160s
Our text today takes place 40 days after Jesus would have been born. 165s
So 40 days later, under the law of Moses, the parents were called to bring the new child 171s
to the temple for purification. 177s
So that's exactly what Mary and Joseph as devout Jews are doing. 181s
They are bringing forth the infant Jesus to the temple for their offering for purification. 186s
They are following the law as it has been told. 193s
And as they get to the temple, they come across a man, Simian. 198s
Simian was a devout and righteous man. 203s
We know this because the Scripture tells us this. 205s
But he had been told by God that he would not taste death until he saw the Savior of Israel. 209s
And so he is overcome by the Holy Spirit. 221s
He is brought to the temple in Jerusalem by the power of the Holy Spirit and in the Holy 224s
Spirit. 231s
And through the Holy Spirit, he recognizes his Savior as Mary and Joseph enter into the 232s
temple with Jesus. 241s
And Simon goes over and he picks up the infant Jesus. 244s
And this is where we pick up in verse 28. 250s
Simian took him in his arms and praised God saying, master, now you are dismissing your 252s
servant in peace according to your word. 259s
For my eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared in the presence of all people, 263s
a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel. 269s
Simian praised God as he held the Christ's child in his arms. 277s
He recognized that this was indeed the Messiah, the one that had been told of and had 282s
been promised before in the prophets. 289s
And he knew that he could go in peace as he says he could be dismissed in peace because 293s
he had seen the promise of the Messiah come to fruition. 300s
He saw the Christ's child, he held the Christ's child and he knew that Israel's redemption 305s
and the redemption for the world had come indeed. 314s
Looking at verse 33 and the child's father and mother were amazed at what was being said 319s
about him. 325s
Then Simian blessed them and said to his mother Mary, this child is destined for the falling 327s
and the rising of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the 334s
inner thoughts of many will be revealed and a sword will pierce your own soul to. 340s
I don't want to spend too much time on Simian but what he says to Mary and to Joseph, 349s
it really hit. 360s
Doesn't it? 366s
He is holding the infant Jesus in his arms. 368s
He is praising God to his parents, saying that this is the Christ's child. 372s
This is Israel's redemption. 379s
This is the one who will bring light of revelation to the Gentiles, glory to Israel. 381s
And then he is zeroed in on Mary. 392s
He is zeroed in on Mary and tells her that he will be the cause of the fall and the rise 396s
of many that inner thoughts will be revealed and that he will be a sign that will be 406s
opposed and that her own heart, her own soul will be pierced. 416s
Every mother, every mother has a birth story. 429s
You talk to a group of new moms and you are going to hear a grouping of new birth stories. 436s
Every mom has a birth story. 443s
Every parent has that time of their child coming into the world or through adoption, 445s
joining their family. 454s
And with every new birth, with every new adoption, 457s
there is a story, there is an expectation, there is a hope, there is a promise. 461s
Do you think that Mary was unlike any other mother? 472s
Or do you think perhaps Mary too, in seeing this baby Jesus, 482s
had hopes, had expectations? 490s
Mary knew her infant unlike anyone else as a mother knows her child unlike anyone else. 498s
Mary responsible for feeding, caring for, bathing, protecting the infant Jesus. 506s
Do you think she was different than any other mother? 516s
As Simian looked at her and told her of the things about her son, 525s
what do you think ran through her head? 537s
We started this series looking at two births, looking at the birth of or the pregnancy of John the Baptist, 542s
looking at the pregnancy for Jesus or the pregnancy of Mary with Jesus. 550s
And we see these two miraculous births take place and we see similarities there. 558s
There are also similarities with John and Jesus as they grow older and there's similarity 568s
in the end of their time here on earth. 579s
In Matthew the 14th chapter, we hear how Herod had arrested John, 585s
bound him and put him in prison and he sent and had John beheaded in the prison and the head was 591s
brought on a platter. In the gospel of John we read how standing near the cross of Jesus was his mother 599s
and when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead they didn't break his legs. 612s
Instead one of the soldiers pierced his side with his spear and at once blood and water came out. 617s
What must have Mary thought? As she heard this man in the temple at Jerusalem 629s
tell her that a sword would pierce her own soul. As she looked at this helpless little 637s
infant in his arms. As she stood at the foot of his cross do you think those words ring out in her mind? 648s
Do you think? She remembered the time 33 years prior 658s
when she was told that her own soul would be pierced. 667s
The inner thoughts of many will be revealed and a sword will pierce your own soul too. 677s
We do celebrate. We celebrate the birth of Jesus. We celebrate the birth of Jesus because we know 692s
that the sword will pierce his side. We celebrate the birth of Jesus because we know that he is God 703s
himself entering into creation with a very specific purpose. We celebrate the birth of Jesus. 715s
Because the birth of Jesus was for you and for me and for all the world. 729s
In our Isaiah reading we hear how the people walked in darkness and they have seen a great 741s
light. Those who lived in a land of deep darkness on them light has shined. 747s
Jesus Christ entered into humanity born with flesh like you and me fully man, fully God, 755s
born fully under the law, but unlike you and I, he was not born with the same heart, 764s
the heart that is born in darkness. In the days of Noah Genesis tells us that every 779s
every heart of man was inclined toward evil continually. You and I were born. We were brought forth 787s
into creation by our mothers, praise the Lord, but we were born under the law with the heart 796s
that is inclined to sin, a heart that is inclined to evil continually. We are born under the 806s
any better than we are when we're born because who we are born in the image of man, 836s
our creations that are born in the image of sin. And so we celebrate the birth of Jesus because 848s
it is God, born in the flesh, born with the heart that is pure, born to grow up and live perfectly 858s
under the burden of the law, born to grow up and resist every temptation that you and I cannot. 869s
The miraculous birth of Jesus Christ was with the very specific purpose that he would grow 880s
and that he would take his perfect life to the cross, the cross at the foot where Mary stood, 889s
watching her beloved, her beloved son die, taking on your sin, taking on my sin, 900s
bringing all of the sin of the whole world onto himself and suffering the punishment. 914s
We celebrate the birth of Jesus because it is good that he was born. It is for your good that 929s
he was born. We do have another birth that we celebrate. We are glad that John was born. We are 941s
so happy for his miraculous birth being the forerunner to the Messiah, being the one to prepare the 952s
way for the Lord. But John was a man, just like you and I are, well, women, men, mankind. 959s
John was a man, he was not born perfect, he did not live perfectly. John needed a savior. 970s
And so we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ because it leads us to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 980s
And then we get to the second birth that we celebrate and it is your birth. 989s
It is your rebirth in the spirit. The rebirth that happens through the waters of baptism. 997s
When you are washed clean with the word and the water of salvation, where you are put to death, the old 1004s
atom, the old Eve is no longer. He or she is fallen. But rising out of the waters of baptism is the new creation, 1014s
is the new birth born of the spirit, out of the grace and mercy of Christ, out of the love of God, 1026s
for you. When Simeon tells Mary that this infant Jesus will reveal in her thoughts, 1037s
that is exactly what he does. Simeon recognizes his Savior in the temple. He recognizes exactly 1051s
who Jesus is. And by his grace, we recognize who Jesus is. We recognize and we come face to face 1065s
with our Lord and Savior and our inner thoughts are revealed. When we face our Savior, we face 1077s
our sin and we realize that there is nothing that we can do. There is nothing for us to do 1085s
because Christ has done it all. And Christ continues to do it all. In 2 Corinthians, 1102s
the fifth chapter, Paul writes, Paul writes of this new birth. He writes of the birth which we 1116s
celebrate. Where he says, if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation. Everything old has passed away, 1123s
see everything has become new. All this is from God who reconciled us to himself through 1133s
Christ. We celebrate the birth of Christ because it leads us to his death and resurrection. And we 1140s
are to our life and to the forgiveness of our sins. And we know that because Jesus Christ died and 1153s
was raised again that our sins have indeed been forgiven. And we know that we have been called by 1163s
his spirit to be new creations, to be born again, not because we deserve it, not because we can 1171s
do it because God has called us forth through the waters of baptism. God has called us forth through 1181s
his word. And in his grace, we are free to live. In his grace, we are free to live to serve him and to 1188s
love him by loving and serving our neighbor. We are free to live as the creations that he has made us 1203s
to be. No longer burdened by the darkness, no longer burdened by our human heart, but free to live 1214s
as his children empowered in his spirit. And we love him with all our hearts, our minds, and our 1229s
thoughts. Because we love him as the children that he has created us to be. 1245s