In the Waiting
Holy Spirit of Christmas Past • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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The Holy Spirit of Christmas Past: In the Waiting
The Holy Spirit of Christmas Past: In the Waiting
Intro:
Who likes Waiting?
we look for the best parking spot at the store
we look for the shortest line
Selah Swim Lessons
Waiting in line at the Amusement Park
Car Trips growing up
Sometimes life is a series of waiting on the next big thing.
waiting to grow up
waiting to graduate
waiting to get married
waiting to have kids
waiting to buy a house
waiting for your kids to grow up
and the cycle continues
We’ve got to learn to appreciate the present, or we will miss what the Holy Spirit has for us.
Looking forward gives us motivation to move forward with energy.
Quick timeline of the Christmas Story so far:
Zachariah in the Temple
Angel Visits Mary
Mary Visits Elizabeth (Mary and Zachariah’s Song)
Angel Visits Joseph
Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem
Birth of Jesus
Angels appear before the Shepherds
Jesus presented at the temple (Anna (84) and Simeon)
The Wise Man
Angel appears to Joseph and Wise Men in a dream to flee
Herod kills all the toddlers
This story is filled with periods of waiting that we often skip over, but that basic outline I just gave you covers 2 to 3 years, which is a long time.
Shepherds (representing the average Jewish person waiting for the Messiah)
The excitement of the Angels and the wait
But the angel said to them, “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.
“This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
The Wise Men - Waited for this sign, and traveled from far
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
“Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”
When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.
They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:
‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah;
For out of you shall come forth a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”
Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared.
And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.”
And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.
Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi.
Mary had to wait 9 months
Traveling to Bethlehem for the Census likely took a week or two of traveling.
While it is only 70 miles between the two cities, they would have likely traveled around Samaria like most Jews did in that day.
Joseph had to wait to actually consummate his marriage
But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
“She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”
And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife,
but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.
Main idea: The passing of time between promise and fulfillment is where we need the Holy Spirit most.
Read: Luke 2:25-35 Notice How often the Holy Spirit is mentioned
And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation 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 Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant 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.”
And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him.
And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed—
and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
Main idea: The passing of time between promise and fulfillment is where we need the Holy Spirit most.
Be committed
Be connected
Be compelled
Be committed
Be committed
Song- Take Courage
Take courage my heart
Stay steadfast my soul
He's in the waiting
He's in the waiting
Hold onto your hope
As your triumph unfolds
He's never failing
He's never failing
And You who hold the stars
Who call them each by name
Will surely keep Your promise to me
That I will rise in Your victory
a. Stand the test of time
i. Initial excitement
How many Christians lose faith or stop coming to church because they lost that first excitement and never learn discipline.
no one took the time to teach them discipleship
The way they began is not the way they are living now
ii. Lasting faithfulness (like Simeon and Anna)
b. Rise above shattered expectation
i. Timing issue (return of the Lord parallel)
God’s timing doesn’t always match our expectations
Simeon waited a long time
ii. Prophecy of gentile salvation
Blew the expectation of the messiah
Messiah was supposed to just save the Jewish people
We can fast forward to the fulfillment of that in Acts
Peter preaching at the house of Cornelius
Paul becoming the apostle to the Gentiles
How often do we have expectations that just get shattered
we expect something to go a specific way or for someone to react in a special way, and when it doesn’t go our way, we get all worked up and upset
and we miss out on enjoying what is
c. Endure the path of pain
i. "A sword will pierce your own soul"
And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed—
and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
piercing you soul often hurts more than any physical pain to your own body
Upper room Discourse
we love the promises of God, but we often overlook the more difficult promises of God
There will be persecution
In This world you will have trouble
how many of you have that one on a sticky note on your fridge.
ii. John 16:31-33
Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe?
“Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.
“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
In this world you will have trouble
you can go to another church if you want a different message, but I’m telling you
You will face pain in your life
but I’m also telling you that Jesus will help you through it
because he’s been through it
I’m not going to stand here and tell you that life’s going to be pain free
but I am going to challenge you to be committed through the pain, through the frustration, through the disappointment, through those things that stab your soul
Will you find yourself Righteous and Devout even through your circumstances
Be committed
Be connected
Be connected
And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers.
There was an ongoing relationship with the Holy Spirit in Anna and Simeon’s life…in the waiting
It was a distinguishing mark on his life that Simeon had a relationship with the Holy Spirit
Even though it’s been a while, it’s been difficult, when’s it going to happen?
Remember, he opened his prayer with finally, I can die God
In the waiting, the Holy Spirit was upon him.
a. The Holy Spirit was on him
i. Abiding presence - Ephesians 5:18
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,
Paul is directly comparing being an alcoholic with being filled with the Spirit
How many of you know that an alcoholic doesn’t just drink once?
That’s where we live in dependence on the Holy Spirit; by being continually filled with HIM
ii. Do you see the Contrast of disappointment and frustration with the Holy Spirit of love, joy, and peace
b. Vine and branches (more parallels with the upper room discourse)
pay attention to which word gets repeated over and over again
Abide, Remain
i. John 15:1-10
John 15:1–10ii (NASB95)
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.
“You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
“If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.
“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
“My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.
“Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.
We’ve got to be Connected to the source of Life
Jesus isn’t just the source of our life
He is the source of all life
Abide, remain,
Speaks to commitment and connection
a branch cut off can’t do anything
but a branch connected...
Looking at the idea of being connected and committed. We have to wait to see fruit. You can’t go plant a baby fruit tree and expect to see fruit any time soon. It takes time.
ii. Remain is the command,
reason is you can’t do anything without God,
results of being connected is that there is peace and strength, and brings fruit
c. Promise of the Spirit (The Holy Spirit is the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise)
who knows the last verse in Matthew?
Matthew 28:18–20 (NASB95)
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
i. He will never leave - John 14:16-20
In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.
John 14:16–20ii (NASB95)
“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;
that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
“After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also.
The Holy Spirit is with you
ii. Forever - in you ("on that day")
Be Committed
Be Connected
Be compelled
Be compelled
- Luke 2:27
Luke 2:27 (NASB95)
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,
Moved by the Holy Spirit
compelled, pushed, guided
a. Not controlled but guided/led
i. Partnership - a chess piece in the hand of God
ii. Holy Spirit will position us at the right place at the right time
IF you let Him
b. Spirit empowerment
i. God in us becoming God through us
there is a surrender
ii. Simeon prophecies/inspired speech
c. The convinced are compelled (and maybe seen as crazy)
i. 2 Corinthians 5:13-15
2 Corinthians 5:13–15ii (NASB95)
For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.
For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;
Controls - compelled by Christ
“If we are out of our mind”
we often get labeled crazy because of our faith
ii. "No longer live for themselves"
And Christ did die for all of us. He died so we would no longer live for ourselves, but for the one who died and was raised to life for us.
Conclusion: Luke 2:34-35 what does your heart think about Jesus? Sing
And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed—
and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
Lord, I give You my heart
I give You my soul
I live for you alone
And every breath that I take
Every moment I'm awake
Lord, have Your way in me
When we first encounter Jesus, there is something in us that is moved
Does your heart know Jesus
Do you trust him with all that you are
Are you Committed, Connected, and Compelled?
Sinner’s prayer
Lord Jesus, I come to you a sinner.
Forgive me of the sins I have committed.
I believe that you are the Son of God, the Saviour of the world.
I believe that You died on the cross for my sins
I believe that You rose from the dead the third day
Come into my heart, and make me new.
I receive You as my Lord and Saviour.
Now, help me to live for you the rest of this life.
Amen!