The Prophecies of Simeon and Anna
Luke 2:25-35
The Prophecy of Simeon
25 At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him 26 and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, 28 Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying,
29 “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace,
as you have promised.
30 I have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared for all people.
32 He is a light to reveal God to the nations,
and he is the glory of your people Israel!”
33 Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. 35 As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”
- Simeon was a praying man, and a man that had an expectancy that what God revealed or spoke to him would come to pass.
- Simeon was waiting eagerly for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel.
- The Holy Spirit came upon him and had revealed to him he would not die until he had seen the Messiah.
- There are some promises that God has promised you that hasn’t come to pass yet (but turn to your neighbor and tell them to be expecting!) (you are not dead yet and there is still time for God to make it happen) and to happen in God’s time, the right time!
- The Holy Spirit led Simeon to the Temple. At the same time Mary and Joseph were taking Jesus to the Temple.
- Simeon then saw Jesus and he took Jesus in his Arms and praised God for Him
- We need to embrace Jesus in our arms and thank God for Him!
- The promise was fulfilled and one day the promise will be fulfilled again when the Messiah comes back to get his church.
- Simeon had seen “salvation he had seen Jesus! He experienced the sovereignty of our God! He held Jesus with a Praise!!!
Luke 2:36-40
The Prophecy of Anna
36 Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. Her husband died when they had been married only seven years. 37 Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four.[c] She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer. 38 She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.
39 When Jesus’ parents had fulfilled all the requirements of the law of the Lord, they returned home to Nazareth in Galilee. 40 There the child grew up healthy and strong. He was filled with wisdom, and God’s favor was on him.
- Anna was married for seven years and widowed for eighty-four. She still came to the temple though the unfortunate cards dealt to her of being a widow. Anna not leaving led her to seeing the Messiah! (Don’t walk away from the Messiah) (Don’t Walk away from the Church because you might just miss the Messiah)
- Anna never left the temple she stayed day and night worshiping God with fasting and prayer.
- She walked by when Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God.
- Make sure you have that type of a crowd surrounding you (a crowd that will celebrate Jesus with you)
- Jesus was about the Father’s business at age 12. Mary and Joseph headed back home to Nazareth after being at the temple. Jesus didn’t go back home with them. Mary and Joseph couldn’t find Jesus and searched for him due to him not coming home that evening. They went to family and friends still trying to search for him and could not find him. They went to the temple and Jesus was there.
- Mary was frantic (just like any mother would be not able to find their 12-year-old child. (I was lost in the mall, and my mom was frantic) Think how Mary felt not able to find Jesus.
- Think about it, if you couldn’t find Jesus today or this very moment, wouldn’t you be frantic?
- Jesus’ response to Mary “I ask you why do you need to search?
- Although Jesus was about his Father’s business don’t you think Jesus had a season also? Because the bible states Jesus returned to Nazareth with his parents being obedient to them.
(Luke 2:40) There the child grew up healthy and strong. He was filled with wisdom, and God’s favor was on him.
This tells me Jesus had a season and a season of growing.
You have a season and a season of growing
But if we could get real with ourselves as a church body across the US. We have stopped expecting, we have stopped coming to the temple, we have stopped praising God for Jesus, and we have stopped praying and fasting.
I know the struggles of life is hard! For some it’s just a struggle of weight and health and other it’s pain and pain of a broken heart.
My friend, I tell you the depths of all the struggle all you have to do is embrace Jesus in your arms and let him embrace you back. Praise God for Jesus in your struggle.
Jesus can fix it all (In his time he will do it and know God’s time is the right time).
When God speaks a word into existence it will not return void.
When he spoke this world or spoke you into existence, it happened.
And your word he spoke over you before you were in your mother’s womb it’s coming! It will happen. God spoke it and it will be so!!!
God can take care of it all with one word or one command!!!
The things you struggle with privately! He can fix it all!! But we have to get real with him!!
We must let the spirit of God move in our situation and receive the word from God!!
- It is our job to allow the Spirit of God to speak to us and not reject him. Obey God and hear his voice.
- Just the other night leaving my aunt’s house the Holy Ghost put a song in my spirit, and I started singing it “He will do it again.” He will church! He will do it again!! He will rescue you! He knows what we need! I then went to the post office and there was a $50 dollar check waiting for me. Church, he will do it again!!!
Your spoken word from God is coming!!!
I have been in that place, questioning God if he would pull through for me again. I have even shut down a time or two or three. I shut down and pushed everyone out and sometimes even pushed Jesus out. I sleep because we don’t know the real struggles of life when we are asleep.
Church we can’t do that if we want to embrace Jesus and embrace all of his goodness, he has for us we have to put Jesus in our situation and know that the Messiah is coming!!! Come to the Temple expecting the Messiah!!! Don’t let your praise or thankfulness for the Messiah run on Low.
Life is real, but we have a real God, and he can fix it all!!
Just like Simeon that was waiting on the Messiah and having a spirit of expectancy regarding the Messiah coming to his rescue (coming to rescue Israel). Simeon embraced the prophecy that he wouldn’t die till he had seen the Messiah.
We need that same excitement and praise instilled in us regarding the Messiah coming to rescue us from our real struggles.
Same expectancy of the prophesies of God over our life that we won’t die till we see our promises fulfilled. (Promises of our children or family being saved, promises of the world being saved, promises of him pouring out his spirit upon us)