Special Series #3: Simon & Anna - Biblical Characters and How They Finish

Simeon and Anna, two biblical figures who exemplify living well in old age. Simeon, described as righteous and devout, was anticipating the Messiah and was assured by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he saw the Lord's Christ. Upon meeting Jesus, he blessed God and was ready to die in peace. Anna, a widow for 84 years, dedicated her life to fasting, praying, and serving in the temple, and recognized Jesus as the Messiah. Both Simeon and Anna lived their lives in anticipation of Jesus' mission and message, offering lessons in faithfulness and devotion to the end.

Transcript

Dr Hal Habecker: 0:26

Greetings, everyone. Thanks for joining us in our series of how did characters in the Bible finish in the end of their life? This is a journey we're taking on 15 different characters, men and women, Old Testament, New Testament, about how they finished in life and what we can learn from them in the end of their days. You'll notice, I have a little statement there by Crawford laritz On every home slide, Don't let me drown in shallow water. I love that phrase. In other words, keep me living well, eagerly and strong to the very end, just like the apostle Paul said, I have fought the good fight. I have completed the course, and I have kept the faith. So these characters are lessons for us in helping us now, the other thing I like to show at the beginning of every session that we're having is the great poem by Robert Browning, grow old along with me, the best is yet to be. Do you believe it? The last of life for which the first was made? Our times are in his hand, who saith a whole I planned youth shows but half trust God, see all nor be afraid. I want you to meet Simeon and Anna. You know, they come out of the Advent stories in the birth of Christ, and I love them. I love to teach about Simeon and Anna during Christmas that they're just two great saints, but there are also great pictures of how to live life well in your aging years. So journey with me. We meet Simeon and Anna in the Advent section of the Gospel of Luke. Luke chapter two as characters of the Advent story. They seem to be the oldest people we'll meet. I don't know of anybody older. Perhaps as the oldest people in the Advent story, we would be wise to pay attention to them, to show how they were living in their aging years. And maybe we should live the same way. I think we should, while we do not know exactly the details of their life, at the end of their life, we can be assured of how they were living at the end of their lives, and we can assume they finished well in the same way. I think that's fair, don't you? Our story begins in Luke chapter two, verses 21 to 24 when Mary and Joseph took Jesus into the temple to be dedicated on his eighth day of life, and they unexpectedly meet Simeon there, and how is he living at that time, Luke gives us a good insight to how he was living. Watch this. Here's a picture of Rembrandt, a sketch by Rembrandt of Simeon. They're holding the baby Jesus in his arms. If you look real closely, he looks old. Mary looks very young, right next to him. But Simeon was in the table. Many people think he may have been a centenarian, as we'll see his counterpart, Anna. She was 84 and Simeon had spent his whole life there. But let's look at how he was living. Luke gives us some insight. And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. And this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel. Let me, let me stop there just for a quick second. What do you look for in life? What are you anticipating? Now, Simeon was looking for the consolation of Israel. I think he was actually looking for the Messiah who would come, and the Holy Spirit was upon him, and it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that He would not see death until He had seen the Lord's anointed Christ. So he came into the spirit in the temple. And when the parents brought in the child Jesus to carry out for him the custom of all then that is, Simeon took him into his arms, and he blessed God and said, Watch this well before I look at what he says, take these note, these facts into your consideration. This is how Simeon was living that that time he was devout and righteous. Am I devout? Righteous? He was looking for the consolation of Israel, the Messiah. Cha Am I constantly looking for Jesus? Do I anticipate his return every day? Just as Simeon did, the Holy Spirit was upon him. You know, Romans 814, says, Those who are led by the Spirit are the sons of God. Is there any day, any hour in any day where we don't want to be led by the Spirit. Simeon was living that way. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that He would not see death until He had seen the Lord's Christ. I believe in the Holy Spirit leading us. The Spirit told Simeon he would not die until he personally saw the Messiah. So we know that he was an aging man, that the spirit came to him and said, Simeon, you're not going to die before you see the Lord's Messiah. So I'm just assuming he was an older man. He came into the spirit. He took Jesus into his arms, and he blessed God. I want to say, what a way to be living our aging years fully alive in the Spirit of God, fully following the Spirit's leadership in our lives. Isn't that the way every one of us as we age, should live? I think so. I say here I believe we could drive a stake into the ground that we each would say that ought to be the way we live, the way Simeon did before he died. Do those descriptions describe us in our aging years? Take stock of that and ask yourself those questions, like we are here. Are we living by the Spirit? Are we pursuing what God is going to do next in our lives. Do you live each day anticipating how God will lead? I have a person who prays for a god appointment once every day he he anticipates God bringing somebody into his life. Well, that's the way we ought to think. That's the way we ought to live. Reminds me of that quote I use by John Masel, all that God has done in and through you up until this point is merely preparation for all he intends to do in you and through you going forward. That's one size that fits all. That's the way we ought to live. Simeon was, why shouldn't we be living the same way? And then he says, after he takes Jesus into his arms, now, Lord, you are releasing your bondservant to depart in peace according to your word. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light of revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of your people. Israel. Focus on those words. Simeon is now ready to die. His trust is in the Word of God, and he has the assurance of heaven for life after death. You know, I think that's what Paul has in mind. When I have fought the good fight right up until the end, I have completed the course right up until the end, and I have kept the faith right up until the end. Simeon is now ready to die. Simeon deeply understood that the purposes of Christ coming into the world. He understood that the gospel was to be for all peoples, a light of revelation to the Gentiles, the glory of your people, Israel. We talked about that in a previous session where Christ commanded His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world, end of the age, well, to the end of your life. God wants us to be making disciples right up to the very end of our life, officiated a memorial service just yesterday, and what was said of the person who went to be with the Lord, even though she was in well into stage, advanced stages of dementia, people who came into her room knew the gospel because she continued to encourage people right up to the end of their lives. We also know that Simeon understood fully that the life of Jesus would be a dividing line for truth. Listen this, that people would either rise or fall in response to his life, and that because of him, a sword would pierce even your own soul, Mary, he addressed those words to her. His father and mother were amazed at the things that were being said about him, and Simeon blessed them. And he said to Mary, his mother, Behold, this child is appointed for the rise and fall of many in Israel and for a sign to be opposed. A sword will pierce even your own soul to the end that many thoughts may be revealed, Simeon understood clearly what we know today, what a person thinks about and how they respond to Jesus, is the most critical thing about life. Simeon is saying to Mary, people will reject your son and a sword will pierce your spirit, your own soul, even as he dies on the cross and Mary watched him die, Mary will have that her own heart pierced. I want to say life only has meaning through Jesus. Reminds me of that statement by CS Lewis, relying on God has to begin all over again every day, as if nothing else yet has been done. I love that phrase. We need to continue to make Jesus known throughout our lives, even the very end. Then we meet Anna. We met Simeon. We learned about him in his age. In years, there was a prophet, prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Faneuil of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then as a widow to age 84 she never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. What a godly woman. At that very moment, she came up and began giving thanks to God and continued to speak of him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Israel of Jerusalem, we first acknowledge her age, having been married and then widowed, perhaps in her early 20s. She is now 84 years of age, and has lived as a widow and worked in the temple for at least six decades, living for God every day of our life. I mean, when you reach 84 some of you are 84 some of you are 64 I mean, that's the way God calls us to live every day of our life. She worked in the temple and lived day by day, serving God with fastings and prayers. What a woman of God. And just as Simeon recognized Jesus as the Messiah, I believe Anna understood him to be the Messiah as well, at that very moment, she came up and began giving thanks to God and can did continue to speak of him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. Now, just let me pause and ask you a question. Wouldn't wouldn't you like that story or that same thing to be said of us that the longer we live, we keep speaking about the things of Jesus and telling people about him. Up until the very end, she had lived every day of her life with the expectation of his reality and his coming into her life, and having met him that day as an eight day old infant, her life was now about Jesus, and her mission was about spreading that word to everyone she knew and would meet. That was the way she lived until she died. And isn't that the way we should live every day of our lives, anticipating the ongoing work of Jesus. You know, Paul says this in Titus. Listen to these words. We'll go from the birth of Jesus to the apostle Paul, well into the end of his life. He said, For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny on godliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in this present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ, Jesus, who gave Himself for us, to redeem us from every lawless deeds and to purify for Himself, a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. I want to say, God wants all of us to live like Simeon. He wants all of us to live like Anna, he wants all of us who are Christians, regardless of our age, to be occupied with sharing the good news of Jesus and to anticipate his coming. Those are great lessons from Simeon and Anna. I close with the verse with with which we'll close every session. It's from Psalm 90, verse 12, the oldest Psalm writer who ever lived, Moses, he says in verse 12. So Teach us to number our days that we might present. Sent to you a heart of wisdom God. That's our prayers we live every day. I think that's what the way Simeon lived, that's the way Anna lived, that's the way Paul encouraged Titus and His Church sphere to live, looking for the return of Jesus and being occupied with his mission and His life in us every day think about that. May God bless us every day he gives us for that purpose. You