Devo for 12/15/2024 service- Message by Pastor Zac Dinsmore

This past Sunday, Pastor Zac continued our Christmas series “His Story is Our Story.”  He spoke from Luke 2 about a man named Simeon who came to see baby Jesus. Simeon was described as “righteous and devout” and was led by the Holy Spirit to go to Jesus and bless him.

Interestingly, Mary and Joseph were in Jerusalem to dedicate Jesus to the Lord.  This was after Mary and Jesus finished their days of purification, which had to be done before they could go into any Holy ground, like the temple complex.  The interesting part is the purification ceremonies were done to remind us that we are all born into sin, as Psalm 51:5 tells us:

 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.

However, Jesus, being the Son of God, was sinless; he did not have to go through the ceremony.  Guzik, in his commentary, puts it this way:

Jesus could have been excused because He was not born in sin. Yet, we see Him even as a baby, identifying with sinners, as He also later did at His baptism and on the cross.

How awesome is it to know that Jesus not only bore our sins, but He loved us enough that he went through everything we have and will go through!

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15

The other thing that came out of the message was how Simeon’s heart was all about seeing the promise of God revealed!  As Pastor Zac mentioned, Simeon did not know he would have a few paragraphs about him in the Bible.  He was simply doing what the Holy Spirit asked, and Simeon could bask in knowing that God’s promise was fulfilled! 

John Trapp quoted a poem expressing Simeon’s heart:

“I fear no sin, I dread no death;

I have lived long enough, I have my life;

I have longed enough, I have my love;

I have seen long enough, I have my light;

I have served enough, I have my saint;

I have sorrowed enough, I have my joy;

Sweet babe, let this psalm serve as a lullaby to thee, and for a funeral for me.

Oh, sleep in my arms, and let me sleep in thy peace.”

I believe Simeon was just a follower of God, working hard to be in tune with what the Holy Spirit was calling him to do.  Much like we should be.  So  I encourage all to meditate on the poem and let Father show us how to live with a Heart Like Simeon!

Don’t forget to invite God into your day!

• Proverbs 4:23

• Luke 6:45

• John 14:1