Pastor Mike's Weblog

SALVATION FOR ALL

Luke 2:25-38

Lesson Introduction: Our society seeks an instant response to everything. We want instant grits, instant tea, instant solutions to problems. We use instant messaging and get impatient if we have to wait. Question: Have you ever waited for something so long that you were just about ready to give up hope? How did you feel when you finally received what you wanted? (possible illustration: kids waiting for Christmas day & opening presents)

Background to Text: Jesus' birth has come and gone and now Mary & Joseph are saddled with the responsibility of raising the Messiah in their home. As part of that duty they bring baby Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem to be circumcised and to offer the law's required sacrifice for the firstborn (Exodus 13; Numbers 18:16). He would also receive his name at this time.

I.                    Recognize God's Salvation (2:25-32)

A. Simeon

1. Righteous - keeper of the law

2. Devout - pious

3. Looking for "Israel's Consolation" - poetical reference to the coming of the promised Messiah

4. Guided by the Holy Spirit

a. God had promised him that he would see the Messiah before his death

b. He had waited patiently, trusting God

B. Simeon's Proclamation

1. Worship - (vs. 28-29) praised God; Master-slave, Faith in God's Word

2. Salvation - (vs. 30) "And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. The one who has the Son has life. The one who doesn't have the Son of God does not have life." 1 John 5:11-12 (HCSB)

3. Missions - (vs. 31-32)

Application:

• How does the Holy Spirit's guidance figure into Simeon's role in the Christmas story?
• How does Simeon's three-fold proclamation illustrate a Spirit-led response to Jesus?

1. Worship - praise to God that His Word concerning deliverance from sin is true

2. Salvation - acknowledgement that Jesus is the doorway to deliverance from sin

3. Missions - participation in spreading the message of Jesus to the world

• How can you follow the Holy Spirit's leadership in these three responses?

II.                  Grasp the Impact of God's Salvation (2:33-35)

A. Rise & Fall of Many

1. "He will be asanctuary; but for the two houses ofIsrael, He will be a stone tostumbleover and a rock totripover, and a trap and a snare totheinhabitants ofJerusalem. Many will stumble overthese; they will fall andbebroken; they will be snared andcaptured." Isaiah 8:14-15 (HCSB)

2. "But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles." 1 Corinthians 1:23 (HCSB)

3. No one can be neutral in response to Jesus

B. A Sign that Will be Opposed - He would be rejected by Israel

C. Sword Pierces Mary's Soul - she would bear great sorrow; Jesus' crucifixion

Application:

• How does Jesus "reveal a person's heart"? (vs. 35)
• How do believers share Jesus' pain of being rejected?
• How should the fact that some will reject Jesus affect our witness?

III.                Show Gratitude for God's Salvation (2:36-38)

A. Anna - means "Grace"

1. Prophetess

2. Old widow

3. Totally dedicated to the worship and service of God

B. Anna's Actions

1. Gratitude to God for Jesus the Messiah

a. She may have overheard Simeon's proclamation

b. We are not told

2. Public witness to His coming

a. "the redemption of Jerusalem"

b. Poetic reference to the coming of the Messiah

Application:

• How can we show gratitude to God for deliverance from sin that is found only in Jesus?
• How can we be involved in publishing the good news of Jesus?
• How will you personally be involved in the coming New Year?

Bellevue Baptist Church and their pastor, Dr. Steve Gaines, continue to be in the media as problems continue. Some respected leaders and voices in the Mid-South and across the United States have called for Dr. Gaines' resignation ( see here and here; also see Dr. Michael Spradlin's clarification letter here) as pastor of Bellevue. Dr. Gaines has expressed a desire to stay. An investigation is ongoing into the allegations of a member of the ministerial staff there being involved in child molestation 17 years ago. There continues to be criticism of Dr. Gaines' leadership style and changes that he has brought to the church. (For more on these issues see www.savingbellevue.com). 

My reaction to all of this has been frustration, shame, anger, pity, and most of all sadness. The testimony of this great church is being literally shredded. More importantly, the testimony of our Savior is being smeared in the minds of hundreds of thousands of lost people who need to be saved.  Our sins and failures place more roadblocks into the paths of the lost. The entire affair is sad and tragic. 

Today I call upon those who read this to pray. Pray for Bellevue Baptist Church. Pray for Dr. Steve Gaines. Pray for the minister who is charged with this crime and is currently under investigation. Pray for the cause of Christ that is being done irreparable harm. Most of all, pray for one another and for yourself. Our sins and mistakes before the lost world are just as harmful. How many have been turned away from the Savior because of our bad witness or lack of a verbal witness?  

Former President of the United States Gerald Ford died Tuesday December 26, at the age of 93. President Ford, who was actually born Leslie King in Omaha, Nebraska in 1913, was called the accidental president. He was appointed to replace vice-president Spiro Agnew after Agnew left amid scandal, and was hand-picked by then-President Richard Nixon. Ford then became President when Nixon resigned. He was the only man to hold both political offices without being elected.

President Ford was hailed by every living president and by the family members of those deceased as a hard-working man who displayed character and integrity. Gerald Ford is the first president I remember as a child. I recall as a kid thinking that he looked somber and serious, as a president should.

Click here for more information about President Gerald Ford.

Click here for the Gerald Ford Library Museum

President Ford often sat in the Oval Office with his dog, Liberty.

Many have been keeping up with the deteriorating situation at Bellevue Baptist Church since Dr. Steve Gaines became the pastor. Read the following articles and statements now in the news and remember the church in prayer.

Dr. Michael Spradlin from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary calls for Gaines' resignation

New allegations of misconduct by Gaines in handling a minister's misconduct

Also, keep up with the news at www.savingbellevue.com

Bible Studies for Life Sunday School Commentary for December 24, 2006

Dear blog readers;

Due to the fact that I am now teaching the Sunday School lesson for teachers on Wednesday nights and for a class on sunday mornings, my Sunday School commentary from now on will be a posting of my teaching notes. It will still serve as a helpful commentary for readers, as well as possibly prompt your own study into other areas referenced in the teaching outline. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Bible Studies for Life Sunday School Commentary for December 17, 2006

Love That Lasts  1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Our society as a whole does not understand the highest kind of love possible. The word love is tossed around casually and with shallow meanings. To most, love is a heightened form of like. Too many people confuse love and lust. Television, movies, and music present a warped view of love. In people’s minds, love often is superficial and selfish. Many view it as an emotion that may be here today, gone tomorrow. Real love, however, is a gift from God and expresses His nature. Adults truly love others when they experience God’s love and learn from Him to set aside their desires and instincts so they can express love while expecting nothing in return.

Popular speaker Charles Lowery's column in SBC Life is the first thing I read when I receive the publication. He always has a good word that is usually worth passing on. His article in the December issue is such a case. Follow the link and read his take on Christmas entitled "Beyond Z". Also, visit his web site at www.charleslowery.com.

Many of us have read the letters of Lottie Moon, the missionary for whom our Christmas missions offering is named. many more have not. How would Lottie be sharing her thoughts today? On a weblog of course! Go to the link below and read the letters of Lottie Moon day by day as they are reproduced on a modern-day weblog - just as if Lottie were writing them herself.

 http://lottielives.blogspot.com

Bible Studies for Life Sunday School Commentary for December 10, 2006

Hope That Lives  1 Peter 1:3-13,18-21

What happens when hope dies? One result is that people give up; they surrender dreams, ambitions, relationships, careers, and even faith. They live passive, defeated lives whose recurring question is—What’s the use? Tragically, some take their lives. An acquaintance of mine was found dead just this week, an apparant victim of suicide. Suicide has been described as a person’s last hostile act designed to lash out at a tormentor or tormentors. Undoubtedly that is true in many cases. Yet I am convinced that in far more suicides, the people lost hope. To them, life became a dark night with no prospect of a brighter tomorrow. In their minds, they had nothing for which to live. So, what is hope? Can we dare to possess hope in this storm-tossed world in which we live?