The Coming of Christ

Though we recently celebrated the Advent of the first coming of Christ, we mustn’t forget to long and anticipate His second coming.

In this episode, we listen to a recent sermon by Nathan which examines the story of Simeon blessing baby Jesus and how Simeon’s expectancy for the Messiah should be the same as our today waiting for His return.

Listen to or download the episode

---

Sermon Notes

Luke 2:25–32 – And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the comfort of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, then he took Him into his arms and blessed God, and said, “Now Master, You are releasing Your slave in peace, According to Your word. For my eyes have seen Your salvation, Which You prepared in the presence of all peoples, A LIGHT FOR REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, And for the glory of Your people Israel.”

• Simeon – names means: to hear, be heard, and reputation
  • Luke focuses more on Simeon’s character than his credentials (unlike Anna in 2:26-28)
  • Luke records 3 times that he was led by the Spirit 
  • despite being righteous and devout to the Law … it wasn’t his religious rigor or piety that allowed him to see the comfort of Israel but in that he was led by the Spirit to see and confess Christ

1. The sight of Salvation (Jesus … Yahweh saves)

• Luke 2:30 – For my eyes have seen Your salvation …
• The Name of Jesus: YHWH + Salvation
  • Matthew 1:21 – “And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
  • Luke 2:10–11 – But the angel said to [the shepherds], “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people. For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

2. A light for revelation to the gentiles (Genesis 12)

• Luke 2:29–32 – “Now Master, You are releasing Your slave in peace, According to Your word. For my eyes have seen Your salvation, Which You prepared in the presence of all peoples, A LIGHT FOR REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, And for the glory of Your people Israel.”
• Isaiah 9:2 – The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in the land of the shadow of death, the light will shine on them.
• Isaiah 49:6b – [God talking about the Messiah] … I will also give You as a light of the nations so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.
• John 1:1–5 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.
• Genesis 12:1–3 – And Yahweh said to Abram, “Go forth from your land, and from your kin and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
• Ephesians 3:4–9 – … my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it was now revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit: that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, … To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to proclaim to the Gentiles the good news of the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for all what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things …

3. Expectancy

• Luke 2:25 – And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the comfort of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
  • “Comfort [consolation] of Israel” – Messiah
  • Simeon is not described as HOPING for the comfort of Israel [as was common in his day] but AWAITING
  • Christ is Coming – are we expectant and awaiting His return?
• 2 Timothy 4:8 – In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.
• 2 Timothy 4:8 (NLT) – … who eagerly look forward to his appearing.
• Titus 2:11–14 – For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us that, denying ungodliness and worldly desires, we should live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all lawlessness, and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good works.

• Be Ready and Watching
  • Matthew 24:44 – For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.
• Obey God’s Word
  • Revelation 22:7 – [Jesus:] And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.
• Pray for His kingdom to come
  • Matthew 6:9–10 – Pray, then, in this way: “Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. …”
• Proclaim the Gospel
  • Romans 11:25 – For I do not want you, brothers, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in …
• Be Focused
  • Hebrews 12:2 – … fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
• Be Faithful
  • Revelation 2:10 – [Jesus to church at Smyrna] Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
• Be Fruitful
  • Luke 19:11–13 – Now while they were listening to these things, Jesus went on to tell a parable, because He was near Jerusalem, and they thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately. So He said, “A nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself, and then return. “And he called ten of his slaves, and gave them ten minas and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come back.’”
• Be holy, godly, and expectant
  • 2 Peter 3:11–12 – Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God …

Maranatha

• O Lord come! // Come Lord Jesus!
• Luke 2:25 – And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the comfort of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
• Revelation 22:17 – And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.”
• Titus 2:13 – … looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ …

Join the Conversation

Question: What is one practical way you are awaiting for the return of Christ?

Leave a response or ask a question and we will try to address it in a future episode.

The difficulty with podcasts is that they are one-sided—so each week I ask one question for you to participate in the conversation. Head over to the deeperChristian Facebook page to leave a comment and join in the conversation.

---

Subscribe to the Podcast

If you have enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe on your favorite app by searching for “Deeper Christian Podcast” or clicking the button below.

---

Help Others Out …
Leave a Rating & Review on Apple Podcasts

If you enjoyed the show, please take 30 seconds and rate it on Apple Podcasts and write a brief review. This would be a tremendous blessing to help us get the word out to others who might also enjoy it—as Apple uses the rating and reviews in their searches to help other people find the show.

About NRJohnson

NRJohnson (Nathan Johnson) is a Christian who has an overwhelming passion for Jesus, the Gospel, and Studying God’s Word. He is a writer, teacher, and communicator who helps other believers understand and apply the Bible as they grow and mature in their faith—desiring that they gain greater intimacy with Christ, experience the victorious Christian life, and transform the world through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Read more about him here.

About the Deeper Christian Podcast

Many Christians feel frustrated because they don’t grow spiritually. The Deeper Christian Podcast helps equip Christians to understand the Word of God and cultivate a passionate love for Jesus that turns the world upside down.

Whether you want to learn how to study God’s Word, grow in your faith, cultivate a powerful and effective prayer life, share the Gospel boldly, deepen your intimacy with Jesus, live victoriously, or transform the world through the indwelling life of the Holy Spirit, the Deeper Christian Podcast with NRJohnson (Nathan Johnson) will encourage and equip you to grow spiritually and live a Christ-centered life.