Those Who Look, Will See!

“And when eight days had passed, before His circumcision, His name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord’), and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, ‘A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.’ 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." Luke 2:21-25

This week, we are looking at Christmas. There is no time of the year like Christmas...It is distinctively a time of giving gifts and enjoying family. “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” 2 Corinthians 9:15. It is with the idea that Christ is a gift, that we have looked at the fact of a gift worth giving and He is a gift worth waiting for - He is also a gift worth receiving. As you look over our text, note that in the teachings of Judaism, every male went through three important events. We see three here in our passage -

1. Circumcision (Luke 2:21)
Gen. 17:12; Lev. 12:3
On the eighth day of circumcision, the male would be officially named.
Luke 1:59

2. Redemption of the first born (Luke 2:23)
The first born male belonged to God.
Ex. 13:2, 12; Num. 3:13
Num. 8:17-18 - God said He would take the Levites instead.

3. The purification after childbirth for the mother
Lev. 12
The mother would stay at home for 40 days after the birth of a male. After the birth of a female, she would stay home for 80 days.
Two offerings were brought to her (Luke 2:24) - a pair.

Now this is where Simeon came into play. We can find at least five truths here in our text that Simeon teaches us -
I. Those who look for Jesus, will find Him. (Luke 2:25)
Looking = looking with intent, to find what you are looking for.
He was on a mission. He was determined.
How many times do we see...but not really see at all?
He saw Jesus because he was looking for Him.

God is not hiding. He is there for anyone who is looking.

“Because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” Romans 1:19-20

We can be so busy that we fail to see.