Holding On: To Promise
Promises mean something. They are built on hope, trust, and a touch of optimism. Unfortunately, in life, not all promises pan out.
As followers of Jesus, this becomes even more challenging to engage with because we serve a God with a history of making promises. But, at times, promises are idealistic expressions of good intentions that may or may not happen.
Luke 2
22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord
23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”),
24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.” 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 on him.
26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.
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 may now dismiss your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”
33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him.
34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against,
35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
There are two sections of the Bible – the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament speaks to the many promises of God that He will send someone to save the people, a Messiah, who will come to them and redeem them. And then, for 400 years, there’s silence.
During this time, God spoke no prophetic words or encouragement to His people. Generations had come and gone, and the promise still seemed unfulfilled. The promise of the Messiah became somewhat of an urban legend that people believed long ago. It was during this time that Simeon was born.
Simeon was older, waiting, and filled with the Holy Spirit. He was righteous and devout. He wasn’t just a good person with no fear of God or a religious person without evidence of the world around Him. He was righteous and devout.
How we present ourselves to God matters, but that must be paired with the way we live our lives. It’s not enough that we have a Sunday Spirituality and a Weekly Way of Conduct. Those two can’t be separate, they need to align.
It says that He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, but what does that mean? It’s the promise of the Messiah. The one who would redeem the people – occupied, oppressed, under Roman rule.
And it says three times that the Holy Spirit is on this man. This man's life is surrendered to God, and he eagerly anticipates His arrival based on God's words. So, what did God say to Simeon?
Luke 2
26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.
This is big. God’s Spirit tells Simeon that he will see the Lord’s Messiah in his lifetime. He’s not simply believing an urban legend, but He’s told something by the Spirit of God, and he’s holding onto that daily.
Our faith isn’t about sporadic moments of inspiration, it’s about showing up daily and trusting that God is at work even when we don’t see it.
Simeon holds on to God’s promise. He’s waiting for the Messiah to be revealed because of the promise God made to him. And the thing about a promise is that it doesn’t just impact your mind. It affects everything.
As followers of Jesus, we need to align our minds and lives around the promises of God. There are things that God has spoken to and promised us, and if we believe them to be true, we should live and conduct ourselves differently.
God makes promises to us. The invitation is to live so that our lives, minds, and behavior mirror the belief in the promises.
Why do we struggle with promises? Because of the waiting that goes with them. There’s progression when it comes to promises. We hear the promise, we trust the promise, but then we have to wait for the promise.
The waiting is hard because it’s unclear how long it will last. And if we have to wait a long time for something, we instinctively start to question whether or not it will actually come true. And if we start questioning if something is true, we get closer to believing that it’s not going to happen.
Waiting for something can build a sense of expectancy and joy in how you live, but it can also make you cynical and cause a feeling of despair or disbelief in God and those around you. That’s why we sometimes struggle with God’s promises because our life experience tells us that sometimes promises don’t materialize. We wait for so long without any delivery. We then take that experience to God and declare that He doesn’t keep His promises either.
So, how do you navigate the difference? What are you anchored to in the waiting?
We will all have to go through periods of waiting, we don’t get out of waiting. But it’s important to remember that delay isn’t denial. Just because we’re waiting doesn’t mean it’s not coming. The waiting produces something in us.
We don’t get to decide on the waiting, but what we do get to decide is what we are anchoring ourselves to during the waiting.
What Simeon promised is pretty vague, but his anchoring is on God’s promise, and the anchoring on that promise impacts how he conducts himself.
When we anchor ourselves on God’s promises, it produces faithfulness.
When you anchor yourself to God and His promises (not circumstances), you decide to be faithful, and God sees you.
Sometimes we rarely follow through on plans, commitments are conditional, and promises aren’t kept. And that’s not for the world around us, but more importantly, it’s not acceptable for followers of Jesus. It’s time for followers of Jesus to rise up, like Simeon, and become faithful to each other, our word, and God.
So, why is faithfulness and holding onto God’s promises so important? Because your faithfulness always impacts other people.
Luke 2
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,
Jewish parents bring their children to the temple to “do what the Law requires.” Three different aspects of the Old Testament Law are intertwined in these verses.
Luke 2
28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”
33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him.
34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against,
35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
Here, Simeon is talking to Mary about Jesus’s death and crucifixion. He’s telling her that just because it’s God’s promise doesn’t mean it will be easy.
In faithfulness, Simeon is holding onto God’s promise and encourages Mary and Joseph. With Mary and Joseph faithfully obeying God, it fulfills God’s promise to Simeon.
Our faithfulness always impacts other people.
Our faithfulness isn’t just about us. It impacts our families, church, and community. When we live like God’s promises are true, others are encouraged to trust and believe in Him and hold onto His promises too.
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As followers of Jesus, this becomes even more challenging to engage with because we serve a God with a history of making promises. But, at times, promises are idealistic expressions of good intentions that may or may not happen.
Luke 2
22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord
23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”),
24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.” 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 on him.
26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.
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 may now dismiss your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”
33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him.
34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against,
35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
There are two sections of the Bible – the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament speaks to the many promises of God that He will send someone to save the people, a Messiah, who will come to them and redeem them. And then, for 400 years, there’s silence.
During this time, God spoke no prophetic words or encouragement to His people. Generations had come and gone, and the promise still seemed unfulfilled. The promise of the Messiah became somewhat of an urban legend that people believed long ago. It was during this time that Simeon was born.
Simeon was older, waiting, and filled with the Holy Spirit. He was righteous and devout. He wasn’t just a good person with no fear of God or a religious person without evidence of the world around Him. He was righteous and devout.
How we present ourselves to God matters, but that must be paired with the way we live our lives. It’s not enough that we have a Sunday Spirituality and a Weekly Way of Conduct. Those two can’t be separate, they need to align.
It says that He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, but what does that mean? It’s the promise of the Messiah. The one who would redeem the people – occupied, oppressed, under Roman rule.
And it says three times that the Holy Spirit is on this man. This man's life is surrendered to God, and he eagerly anticipates His arrival based on God's words. So, what did God say to Simeon?
Luke 2
26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.
This is big. God’s Spirit tells Simeon that he will see the Lord’s Messiah in his lifetime. He’s not simply believing an urban legend, but He’s told something by the Spirit of God, and he’s holding onto that daily.
Our faith isn’t about sporadic moments of inspiration, it’s about showing up daily and trusting that God is at work even when we don’t see it.
Simeon holds on to God’s promise. He’s waiting for the Messiah to be revealed because of the promise God made to him. And the thing about a promise is that it doesn’t just impact your mind. It affects everything.
As followers of Jesus, we need to align our minds and lives around the promises of God. There are things that God has spoken to and promised us, and if we believe them to be true, we should live and conduct ourselves differently.
- Deuteronomy 31: 6 – The promise is that he’ll never leave us = conduct myself with strength and courage.
- John 14:18 – The promise that Jesus will return = conduct ourselves with hope.
- John 16:33 – The promise is that he is over everything = conduct myself with peace.
God makes promises to us. The invitation is to live so that our lives, minds, and behavior mirror the belief in the promises.
Why do we struggle with promises? Because of the waiting that goes with them. There’s progression when it comes to promises. We hear the promise, we trust the promise, but then we have to wait for the promise.
The waiting is hard because it’s unclear how long it will last. And if we have to wait a long time for something, we instinctively start to question whether or not it will actually come true. And if we start questioning if something is true, we get closer to believing that it’s not going to happen.
Waiting for something can build a sense of expectancy and joy in how you live, but it can also make you cynical and cause a feeling of despair or disbelief in God and those around you. That’s why we sometimes struggle with God’s promises because our life experience tells us that sometimes promises don’t materialize. We wait for so long without any delivery. We then take that experience to God and declare that He doesn’t keep His promises either.
So, how do you navigate the difference? What are you anchored to in the waiting?
We will all have to go through periods of waiting, we don’t get out of waiting. But it’s important to remember that delay isn’t denial. Just because we’re waiting doesn’t mean it’s not coming. The waiting produces something in us.
We don’t get to decide on the waiting, but what we do get to decide is what we are anchoring ourselves to during the waiting.
- Circumstances, abilities, control – leads to a breakdown in our belief. We will become apathetic because we’re not seeing results the way we envision them.
- God, His promises – leads to a purpose and anticipation on God’s revelation, not on an outcome.
What Simeon promised is pretty vague, but his anchoring is on God’s promise, and the anchoring on that promise impacts how he conducts himself.
When we anchor ourselves on God’s promises, it produces faithfulness.
When you anchor yourself to God and His promises (not circumstances), you decide to be faithful, and God sees you.
Sometimes we rarely follow through on plans, commitments are conditional, and promises aren’t kept. And that’s not for the world around us, but more importantly, it’s not acceptable for followers of Jesus. It’s time for followers of Jesus to rise up, like Simeon, and become faithful to each other, our word, and God.
So, why is faithfulness and holding onto God’s promises so important? Because your faithfulness always impacts other people.
Luke 2
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,
Jewish parents bring their children to the temple to “do what the Law requires.” Three different aspects of the Old Testament Law are intertwined in these verses.
- All male children be circumcised on the 8th day after birth.
- Women wait 40 days after the birth of a son before presenting themselves in the temple for purification.
- Mother and father present firstborn son before the Lord to be “redeemed” be the offering of a sacrifice.
Luke 2
28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”
33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him.
34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against,
35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
Here, Simeon is talking to Mary about Jesus’s death and crucifixion. He’s telling her that just because it’s God’s promise doesn’t mean it will be easy.
In faithfulness, Simeon is holding onto God’s promise and encourages Mary and Joseph. With Mary and Joseph faithfully obeying God, it fulfills God’s promise to Simeon.
Our faithfulness always impacts other people.
Our faithfulness isn’t just about us. It impacts our families, church, and community. When we live like God’s promises are true, others are encouraged to trust and believe in Him and hold onto His promises too.
For more LHC content, subscribe to our newsletter below or follow us on Instagram.
Want to play catch-up, or are you looking for a specific topic? Check out our collection of sermons here.
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