(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.)

And tonight we are here in Luke, chapter number 2, and the title of my sermon is Simeon, a Man of God. Simeon, a Man of God. Let's read quickly the portion of this chapter that's dealing with this man, Simeon, starting in verse number 25. The Bible reads, And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon. And the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel. And the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed on him by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, then took him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word. For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. And Joseph and his mother marveled at those things which were spoken of him. And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be spoken against. Yea, a sword shall pierce through thine own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. So the Bible does not say a whole lot about this man Simeon. He's only talked about in one of the four gospels in the book of Luke, and that is what we just read. That is what the Bible records of Simeon for us. But in these short couple of verses, there's a lot of great doctrine that we can learn from this man Simeon. There's a lot of things we can learn, both about him personally, and just doctrines that the Bible teaches from just these couple of verses. And so tonight, the title of the sermon is Simeon, a man of God, and let's just go through these couple of verses and learn what the Bible has for us in this chapter. Number one, the first thing that we can take away from this story of Simeon is that Simeon was saved. Simeon was saved. Look at Luke 2, 25 again, and it says, And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and the same man was just. Notice that word, just, and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Ghost was upon him. So the first thing that we can tell about Simeon is that he was saved. Why? Because the Bible says he was just. Oftentimes the Bible uses this word just to define something that's good, that's right, that's fair, but also oftentimes it's using it to describe someone who is saved. Like the Bible says, just lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked. So lot obviously was a saved man, and what the Bible is telling us when it says that Simeon was a just man, it's telling us that he is saved. So first I want to show you an example of how the Bible uses this word just to mean fair or right. Go to Romans chapter number three. Romans chapter number three. Romans three, and look at verse eight. So Paul speaking in verse eight, he says, and not rather, as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say. So Paul's saying, hey, I'm being slandered, we're being slandered, and they're saying that we're saying this, let us do evil that good may come. So Paul obviously was not saying this lie that we should do evil that good may come, but this is a slanderous accusation that was being thrown against him, but notice what he says. Those people, those people that are slandering me, it says, whose damnation is just. So obviously he's not saying that these people are saved, because he's saying that their damnation is just, what he's saying is their damnation is merited. Their damnation is good. Their damnation is fair. He's saying the fact that these people are going to hell is good. That's how he's using the word just, but the word just often is used to describe saved people as well. Keep your finger in Romans chapter three, and go to Acts chapter number 24. The Bible also uses this word just to describe people that are saved. In Acts 24, look at verse number 14. But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets, and have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and of the unjust. And here in this verse, Paul is separating two people, the saved and the unsaved. And what does he call them? The just and the unjust. We know that the saved are going to be resurrected at the rapture. The dead in Christ will rise first, and that is the resurrection of the just. But there's also a resurrection of the unjust, the resurrection of damnation, when the unsaved will be resurrected and will be judged at the great white throne judgment, and then be cast into the lake of fire. So obviously the Bible is defining these words in two different ways. Just meaning good, right, or fair, and also meaning saved. Here's another example of that. You can go to Romans 3 and I'll read for you Matthew 13, verse 49, the Bible says, so shall it be at the end of the world the angels shall come forth and sever the wicked from among the just. And so Jesus Christ is separating the unsaved, which he calls wicked, and the saved, which he calls just. Now why are the saved called just in the Bible? I think the reason why they're called just is because they're justified by God. It's not because they themselves are righteous or they've done anything themselves to make themselves just. The reason they're called just is because they were justified by God. And when you think about the way that we use this word in our modern vernacular, you know, we don't use the word justified too often, but have you ever heard of, you know, maybe a police officer or a private citizen will defend themselves and have to shoot and kill someone, and what do they call that? They call that a justified shooting, right? The judge will say, hey, the police officer was justified in his actions in shooting this person. And when he's justified, does he get any judgment enacted upon him? Does he get any penalty enacted upon him? No, because he was justified, because he was made right. Well, it's the same thing with salvation. Go to Romans, chapter number three, Romans three, let me get there myself real quick. And towards the latter part of the chapter in verse 24, the Bible says, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God had set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God. To declare, I say, at this time, his righteousness, that he might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. So why is it that the saved are called just because we've been justified by Jesus Christ? The Bible says that Jesus is both just and the justifier of them which believe in him. Now, he's the only one that's ever been just. No other man who's ever lived on this earth has ever been truly just by their own merits. But Jesus Christ never sinned. He became sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him, and when we put our faith in him, we're now justified. We now become just, not because we're good people, not because we follow the law, but because of the faith of Jesus Christ. And he goes on in verse 27 to say, Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? Nay, but by the law of faith. See, when you realize that salvation is by faith alone, you have nothing to boast in. Because it's not you that's just. It was Jesus Christ that's just. All you are is justified. So when the Bible calls the saved just, it's nothing to boast about. It's nothing that we did ourselves. We didn't follow the laws perfectly. We're sinners just like the rest of the world, but we're justified because Jesus Christ was just, and he's the justifier of them which believe in him. Verse 28, Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. And you know, you would think that this would be just such a fundamental, easy truth, and it is a fundamental truth. This is the backbone of our faith, salvation by faith alone in Jesus Christ, yet sadly most Christians do not believe this. People who call themselves Christians do not believe this doctrine. You show up at their door, you ask them, are you 100 percent sure if you die today you go to heaven? They tell you yes or no or whatever, when you ask them how that they know, they say because I'm a good person. Because I've done that which is right. Because I go to church. Because I do this, this, and that. But Paul says, where is boasting then? It is excluded. Why? Because it's by faith. Because you're not just, Jesus Christ is just, and he is the justifier of them which believe in him. Galatians chapter number 2, Galatians chapter number 2, and so that's what being saved is, is being just, and when you're just you're absolved from judgment. There's no penalty coming upon you when you are just. Galatians chapter number 2, look at verse 16, the Bible says, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ. Even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law. For by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. You see, if it were possible to keep the law perfectly, if it were possible to never sin, then you can say that you are just. You can say you're just because you've never sinned. But the Bible says that by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified. Why? Because it's impossible to be perfect. And that's why we need that savior to be just for us so that he can in turn justify us when we put our faith in him. And so the Bible's very, very repetitive about this topic. You know, Paul doesn't mince words about this. The Bible does not mince words about the doctrine of salvation. It's by faith alone in Jesus Christ without works, plus nothing, minus nothing. Go to Galatians chapter 5 verse 4. You know, for all these so-called Christians that we go out and talk to and that tell us that they want to be justified by their works, they want to get themselves to heaven by being a good person, by going to church, by praying, by reading the Bible, by tithing, by helping old ladies cross the street, whatever the list that they give you, this is a very sobering verse or at least should be for these people. Galatians 5, 4. The Bible says, Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law. Ye are fallen from grace. So we just saw in Galatians 2, 16 that the Bible says that no flesh will be justified by the law. But in Galatians 5, 4, it says that whoever is justified by the law is fallen from grace. So is there a contradiction here? No. Those that want to be justified by the law, those that are seeking, those that are trying to be justified by the law, they're fallen from grace and Christ is of no effect unto them. That's why it's important to explain to people out so many that it's not, you know, 99% putting your faith in Jesus Christ and 1% in yourself. Well, oh yeah, I'm going to believe in Jesus Christ, but I also think I have to be a good person. You know, the Bible says that Christ has become of no effect unto you at that point. No effect. That is not a place you want to be as an unsaved person. But yet, most people don't know that this is the dire state that they're in. And this is often a great verse to show people to say, look, if you're trusting even in 1% of your own works, the Bible says Christ is of none effect unto you. And notice this word justified again in Romans chapter 5. Go to Romans chapter 5. In Romans chapter 5, look at verse 1, it says, therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. So all throughout the New Testament, you see this word justified, meaning good, right, or fair, but also meaning saved. And so in Luke chapter 2, when we see that Simeon was a just man and devout, the first thing we can learn is that he's saved. Why is he saved? Because he's put his faith in Jesus Christ. Not because Simeon was some great person, not because Simeon followed the law perfectly. No, he was just because he was justified by Jesus Christ. So number 2 tonight about Simeon, go back to Luke chapter number 2. Luke chapter number 2, and keep your place there throughout the sermon. Luke chapter number 2, and let's look at verse 25 again. It says, and behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Ghost was upon him. So number 1 tonight, Simeon was saved. Number 2, Simeon was devout. Simeon was devout. Now the dictionary definition of devout is devoted to divine worship or service, pious or religious. So the dictionary tells us that a synonym of this word devout is religious. So Simeon was not only saved, but he was also devoted. He was also someone who was religious. Now this word religion sadly has become kind of a bad word among so-called Christians today, and I don't notice it so much down here in Texas as I did when I lived in the northwest, but all the time up in the northwest people tell you, oh I believe in Jesus, I love Jesus but I hate religion. Or you know, religion's man-made. Or they'll just say religion's horrible, religion is a man-made structure to brainwash people, but I love Jesus, and that's the type of things that they'll say. But let me just explain to you that Simeon was not just saved, but he was also devoted, which means that he was religious, and this is not a bad thing. Being religious is not a bad thing. We need to take this word back and remove this negative connotation on the word religion, because you know what's bad? False religion. That's what's bad. There's nothing wrong with real religion. There's nothing wrong with pure religion. Now there's this very famous YouTube video, this video went viral about ten years ago or so, and it's called Why I Hate Religion But Love Jesus. Has anyone ever seen this before? Okay, a few people. Has 34.9 million views. It's by this guy named Jeff Bethke, and he's basically doing like this spoken word poem type style, you guys know what I'm talking about, where he's talking about why he hates religion but loves Jesus. And you know, I think that this video has probably done a lot of damage to Christianity. I mean, he has 35 million views, and why is it that I hear all the time this stupid mantra being repeated to me that religion is bad? It's because of idiots like this. And so I want to read to you his stupid poem and explain to you why it is so wrong. So he starts off in the beginning of his poem, and this is the first line, he says, what if I told you Jesus came to abolish religion? I'd call you an idiot is what I would call you, because that's not at all what Jesus came to do. You telling me Jesus came to abolish being devoted? Is that what you're telling me? Because that's what religious means. It means being devoted. Simon was a devout man. Are you telling me that Jesus came to abolish people from being devout? Is that what you're telling me? Obviously, that's not what he means, but let me just, you know, interrupt your stupid little poem with the Word of God. In James chapter number one, go ahead and turn there to James chapter number one, the Bible will define for us what religion actually is. James chapter one, verse twenty-seven, the Bible says, pure religion, see, not false religion, I agree, I hate false religion, but love Jesus, but pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction and to keep himself unspotted from the world. Are you going to tell me that Jesus came to abolish visiting the fatherless and the widows in their affliction? Is that what you're going to tell me? Are you going to tell me that Jesus came to abolish being unspotted from the world? You see, that really is the end goal of these NIV, rock and roll, New Evangelical style churches is they have a problem with that last part. They have a problem with keeping themselves unspotted from the world. And so that's really what he's talking about when he says he hates religion. What he's saying is, I hate the law of God, is what he's saying. He's saying, I hate the dos and the don'ts, the thou shalt and the thou shalt not. That's what he's talking about. But pure religion is visiting the fatherless, visiting the widows, and keeping yourself unspotted from the world. By the way, that's what we do when we go soul winning, because every single person that is unsaved is fatherless, because God is not their father yet. They're not a child of God yet. And so we're visiting them, and we're visiting them in their affliction, and we're trying to get them saved. Are you going to tell me Jesus Christ came to abolish giving the gospel? What kind of wicked devil says something like that? And that's just the first line of his poem. Let's continue. What if I told you voting Republican wasn't really his mission? Okay, I agree with you there. What if I told you Republican doesn't automatically mean Christian? Amen. And just because you call some people blind doesn't automatically give you vision. Fair enough. I mean, if religion is so great, why has it started so many wars? Go ahead and turn to 1 Timothy chapter number 1. So he's attacking religion, and he's saying, if religion's so great, why has it started so many wars? Well, first of all, that's just a mantra that people repeat, and they don't even really know what they're talking about usually. Usually they can't even name a single war that they even claim has been started by religion. But you know, not all war is bad. There's actually wars that are good. And 1 Timothy 1 verse 18, the Bible says, This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went on before thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare. So it sounds to me like God wants us to war a good warfare. There's a warfare that's bad. Sure, I agree with that. But there's also a warfare that's good. And when you're out preaching the Word of God, when you're out preaching the Gospel to people and preaching the full counsel of God, that's fighting a warfare that is good. So hey, that's a war that I want to start. If it's started by religion, great. Sounds good to me. And you know, also in the Old Testament, there were several physical wars that God endorsed, that God commanded people to do. And so it's blasphemous to just say, if religion's so great, then why are there so many wars? Hey, there were some wars that were great. I think it's great when Joshua and his army invaded the Promised Land and wiped out a bunch of Canaanites, a bunch of Parisites, a bunch of whatever the ites they are. That's great because that's what God wanted him to do. You know? I love it when Asa just rooted up the houses of the Sodomites. I love that war. I love that physical war. And it's a spiritual war now. But you know, I'm not going to blaspheme God by saying that all war is bad or insinuating that all war is bad with your stupid poem. The thing is, is that these churches don't fight any warfare. That's why they're against war. They don't fight any spiritual warfare. We do, but they don't, and that's why they want to just blaspheme God. It says, why does it build huge churches but fails to feed the poor? Again, you know, we just have to ruin this cute little poem with the Bible because the Bible says in 2 Thessalonians 3, 10, for even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. The Bible does not teach that it's the church's job to go and feed all these homeless bums or as what Americans would consider poor. They're not even really poor. You know, one time, the Plant Brothers were here playing ping pong at like 1 a.m. or something like that, like they always do. No, it wasn't that late. And they called me and they said that some crazy homeless guy was here. And I showed up and I just started talking to him, asked him where he's from, does he have a job? No, he doesn't have a job. And I started preaching him the gospel and suddenly, after he realized that we weren't going to give him money, he was too busy to hear the gospel. Is he telling me that us as a church, we need to feed people like that? Just hanging out at churches at 1 a.m., just harassing people, won't even listen to the gospel? No, the Bible says if you don't work, you should starve to death. That's what the Bible says. Because if you don't eat, then you die. And Paul said, hey, if you don't eat, if you don't work, you don't eat. Let's continue with this poem. So why does it build huge churches but fails to feed the poor? Who tells single moms that God doesn't love them if they've ever had a divorce? Who has ever said that? Here's my question. What preacher of any denomination, any church, show me the clip where anyone has said that God doesn't love women because they've been divorced. I mean, just a complete railing accusation, just so that he can just make it look like he's right by using this extreme example. Like Paul said, as we be slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say, should we not hate women that have been divorced? It's like, what? What are you talking about? No one has ever said that. He says, but in the Old Testament, God actually called religious people whores. Yeah, if you talk about false religion, you know, whoring after other gods, he never called people that were devoted to him whores. He never called people that were religious in their service to the true and living God whores. It was the false religions that he would say are whores. He says, religion might preach grace, but another thing they practice, tend to ridicule God's people, they did it to John the Baptist. I guess it rhymes, use it, I guess. What a joke. They can't fix their problems and so they just mask it. So he's ridiculing church people, religious people, for not being able to fix their problems. But here's the thing, I got news for this guy, no one can fix all their problems. Yeah, oh, they mask it. Like Paul when he said, oh, wretched man that I am. You know, like Paul when he said, I'm carnal, sold under sin. Hey, Paul was messed up too. All of us are a work in progress. All of us are messed up. All of us are sinful people. And so is he and so is everyone in every sphere of life you ever will encounter, you'll find sinful people, including church. That should not be a reason to talk bad about church or talk bad about religion. It's one thing, you know, when you're being a hypocrite, when you're pretending like you're perfect and you're not. But hey, if you're just a sinner and you're just trying to get better and you acknowledge the fact that you're a sinner, that's not being a hypocrite. That's called being a human being and every single person is a sinner. He says not realizing religion is like spraying perfume on a casket. See the problem with religion is it never gets to the core. It's just behavior modification, like a long list of chores. So keep that in the back of your mind that he's kind of attacking this idea of modifying your behavior or changing your ways. He doesn't like that. He said, like, let's dress up the outside, make it look nice and neat. But it's funny, that's what they used to do to mummies while the corpse rots underneath. Now I ain't judging. I'm just saying quit putting on a fake look. Yes, you are. You are literally judging. You're sitting here telling us religion started all these wars. It hates women that have been divorced. It's just like, he's just like, just lambasting religion with all of these, you know, big flowery words. And he's like, I'm not judging. It's like, yeah, you are. And you're a liar for saying that you're not judging. You're just lying openly in the middle of your stupid poem. So ridiculous people buy into this. He says, because there's a problem if people only know you're a Christian by your Facebook. But it's like, wait a second, you just kind of preached against behavior modification. So like, you don't want us to change our ways. You don't want us to like clean up our life. But you say it's a problem if people only know you, that you're a Christian by your Facebook. And if you aren't living the Christian life, that's, you know, you're not modifying your behavior, then the only way you'd be able to tell if you're a Christian is by your Facebook at that point. So it's like, he's not even following his own logic. He says, I mean, in every other aspect of life, you know that that logic is unworthy. It's like saying you play for the Lakers just because you bought a jersey. You see, this was me too. But no one seemed to be on to me, acting like a church kid while addicted to pornography. See, on Sunday, I'd go to church, but Saturday getting faded, acting as if I was simply created to have you know what and get wasted. See, I spent my whole life building this facade of neatness. But now that I know Jesus, I boast in my weakness. What's his weakness? All the things that he was just bragging about that he did. He's saying, you know, I used to do all these things and put up a show that I was, you know, I was putting up this facade that I was really neat and nice. But now that I really know Jesus, now I boast in all that. Now I boast in all my weakness. You know, it reminds me of what Jude said, raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame. That's what this guy is doing. He's just foaming out his own shame, telling us all the things that he's into and bragging about it. Saying, oh, now that I know Jesus, I boast in that weakness. That's not something to boast about. Obviously we're all sinners. Obviously we all struggle with sin, but that doesn't mean that we should just boast about our sin. It doesn't mean we should be proud about our sin. He says, because if grace is water, then the church should be an ocean. It's not a museum for good people, it's a hospital for the broken. Which means I don't have to hide my failure, I don't have to hide my sin. Yeah, but can you please not brag about it? Because it doesn't depend on me, it depends on him. See, because when I was God's enemy, and certainly not a fan, he's saying that he was God's enemy, he looked down and said, I want that man. I'll read for you James 4-4, it says, ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Hey, you weren't the enemy of God in the past, you are the enemy of God right now. Because you're a friend of the world, is what you are. Just boasting in sin, acting like we should just get rid of religion. That Jesus came to abolish religion. You are an enemy of God, is what you are. It says, which is why Jesus hated religion, and for it he called them fools. So Jesus hated being devoted. So Jesus thought that Simeon was a fool, I guess, for being a man that was just and devout. I guess that's something that Simeon should have been ashamed of, that he was devoted to God, that he was devoted to the word of God, according to this fool. He says, now let me clarify, yeah, please clarify this horrible poem, he says, I love the church, I love the Bible, and yes, I believe in sin. You believe that for one second, that this guy loves church and loves the Bible? Jesus said, if you love me, keep my commandments. And you're just mocking God's commandments, you're mocking the do's and don'ts. You just said, you're just like talking against behavior modification. Well guess what? If you're going to follow Jesus' commandments, that's going to entail some behavior modification. Because my flesh doesn't automatically want to do what Jesus wants me to do. I have to modify that behavior to follow God's commandments. But if you follow God's commandments, that's how you love God. If you love me, keep my commandments. I don't believe this guy, that he loves church, that he loves the Bible, that he loves God. And he says, I believe in sin. What does that even mean? Like you believe sin exists? You believe that sin is bad? What do you mean you believe in sin? What a joke. But if Jesus came to your church, would they actually let him in? Yes, we would. Thanks for asking. See, remember he was called a glutton and a drunkard by religious men, by false religions. But the Son of God never supports self-righteousness, not now, not then. Now back to the point, one thing is vital to mention, how Jesus and religion are on opposite spectrums. See, one's the work of God, but one is a man-made invention. So I guess man-made visiting the fatherless and the widows in their affliction. Man-made keeping himself unspotted from the world. No, this is something that God taught us. See, one is the cure, but the other is the infection. Because religion says do, Jesus says done. Religion says slave, maybe if you have a false Bible, Jesus says son. Religion puts you in bondage while Jesus sets you free. Religion makes you blind, but Jesus makes you see. Just blaspheming religion. That's why religion and Jesus are on two different clans. Religion is man searching for God, Christianity is God searching for man. Now go to Hebrews chapter number 11. So he says religion is man searching for God. And remember, he just told us that he hates religion. He detests religion, he's against religion. So he says religion is man searching for God, so he's against that. He's against man searching for God. He says Christianity is God searching for man. Let's see what he's against, Hebrews 11, 6. So without faith, it is impossible to please him. For he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. So he says religion, this thing that I hate, is man seeking after God. But the Bible says that in order to be pleasing to God, you have to have the faith that you believe he's a rewarder of those that diligently seek him. Just complete opposite of what the Bible says. This guy thinks he is smart, but what he is saying is just completely against scripture. Every line of this virtually is horrible. He says which is why salvation is freely mine and forgiveness is my own. Now notice the subtlety of the devil here bringing in some truth into this poem, right? He says not based on my merits, but by Jesus' obedience alone. Now that is true. We just covered what justification is, right? He says but he took the crown of thorns and the blood dripped down his face. He took what we all deserved, I guess that's why you call it grace. And while being murdered, he yelled, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Because when he was dangling on that cross, he was thinking of you. And he absorbed all your sin and buried it in the tomb, which is why I'm kneeling at the cross saying, come on, there's room. So for religion, no, I hate it. In fact, I literally resent it. Because when Jesus said it is finished, I believe he meant it. So this guy is like, you know, Manly Perry and Pastor Major, just like saying that it is finished just means whatever you want it to mean. So for this guy, it is finished is just all religion, anything that's about devotion, anything about that's being committed. This guy hates it. This guy literally resents it. Because when Jesus said it is finished, he believes that he meant it. Wow. Unbelievable. You know, this is what is called turning the grace of God into lasciviousness. This, you know, people say that we use grace as a license to sin, yet you come to churches like ours and we preach the freest salvation and the hardest against sin. Whereas this guy is just making the grace of God into lasciviousness. You know, Romans 6, 1 says, what shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid is what the Bible says. We shouldn't be just lifting up and making light of sin and making light of religion. It's a wicked false doctrine today. You know, the devil, he mixes in this little grain of truth at the end of this guy's poem, talking about salvation. But here's the thing. The devil has plenty of ways to deceive people about salvation today. But this little poem, you know, if the devil can't send you to hell, he at least wants to make sure you're not going to be religious. He at least wants to make sure, okay, if this person's going to heaven, let's at least make sure he's not going to be devoted like Simeon. Because he wants to send as many people to hell, don't get me wrong. But just because you're saved doesn't mean the devil's done with you, doesn't mean he doesn't want to still derail you. If he can't send you to hell, he'd like to at least make sure that you're not a devoted Christian. That you're not going to be devoted to the service of God, to the things that God wants us to do. And that is the work of the devil in these new evangelical churches. Where a lot of times, yeah, there is a lot of saved people in these new evangelical churches. You knock on their door, and a lot of times, yeah, they do give the right answers for salvation. But the problem is, they believe like this guy when it comes to this stupid poem. And they mock us for soul winning. They mock the word of God. They stand with the Sodomites against us because they have not learned from the Bible these things. But here's the thing that I like to challenge people that tell me they're against religion. Because it's important to remind these people what religious means. It means devoted, right? Every single person on this planet is a religious person. Every single person on this planet is devoted to something. I mean, hey, go soul winning during football season on Sunday afternoon. And you know what you'll find? A bunch of religious people, they're devoted to the Dallas Cowboys. I mean, every single Sunday, they put their little shrine on their TV, they're wearing the uniform, they've got their church clothes on, they're hooping and hollering and screaming amen at the quarterback. They are religious. They are devoted. The question is, what are you devoted to? What are you religious about? But don't tell me that you're not religious. Even these fags are religious. They're out here every service. They're religiously devoted to protesting our church. Rain, shine, it doesn't matter. They're devoted. They are religious. Why? Because every single person is religious. You ever met a person that was obsessed with fishing? Fishing is their religion. They're a religious fisherman. Have you ever met people that are obsessed with working out? Runners or bicyclists, people that are obsessed with working out, that could be their religion. How about alcoholics? They're religious about their drinking. They're devoted to their drinking life, right? See, God wants us to be religious and devoted to the things of God. And when the Bible says that Simeon was just and devout, it wasn't saying he was devout to the Dallas Cowboys, okay? It's obviously implied he was devout to the Lord. He was a religious man to the Lord. Now, go to Matthew chapter number 22. Matthew chapter number 22, verse 35. Matthew 22, verse 35 says, Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. That sounds like being religious to me. That sounds like being devoted to give God all the love that is in our heart, our soul, and our mind. That is devotion. That is what God expects from us. He expects all of our love from us. That is being devoted and religious. Go to Titus chapter number 3. Titus chapter number 3. Titus chapter number 3, look at verse 11. When you get there, Titus 3, 11. For the grace of God, now this guy loved to talk about grace, right? For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us. So what is this grace that has appeared to us supposed to teach us? It says teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. So he says, oh, the church, religious people, they don't know anything about grace, but the Bible says that grace teaches us that we should deny ungodliness. We should deny worldly lusts. We should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. That's a lot of behavior modification, is it not? That's what grace teaches us. That's not what the law teaches us. That's not what, you know, his definition of religion teaches us. That's what grace teaches us, that we should live godly. And you know, the reason this makes me so upset is because churches like this guy, people that preach like this guy, is the reason why America is so screwed up today. Because America has stopped preaching hard against sin. America no longer wants to deny ungodliness or worldly lusts. America no longer wants to deny drunkenness or fornication or adultery or any of these wicked sins that God hates and that brings the wrath and ire of God on the nation. Even Christians today don't want to talk about it. Even Christians today don't want to preach against it when the Bible says that the grace of God teaches us that. The good side of God. The grace of God teaches us that. But people like Jeff Bethke want to turn the grace of God into lasciviousness. Look at verse 13, looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works, religious of good works, devoted to good works. These things speak and exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee. And you know, as Christians, we shouldn't let other Christians despise the word of God or despise us for believing the word of God. They should despise themselves for being so weak. They should despise themselves for blaspheming God's word, for speaking against God's word and standing with wicked people today. It's disgusting. Go to Ephesians chapter number 2. Ephesians chapter number 2. Ephesians 2.8, a very familiar verse is for us. Says for by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast, for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God had before ordained that we should walk in them. So you know, what must we do to be saved? Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and now shall be saved. But what should we do? Hey, we should walk in the good works that Jesus Christ has ordained us to do. That's what we should do. That's what would bring honor and glory to the Lord, not bragging about how sinful we are. Yeah, we know everyone's sinful. Why don't you stop bragging about it and try to start getting your butt to work for God, doing the work that he has called us to do. You know, this is a church that's going to heavily emphasize doing good works. Yeah, we heavily emphasize that salvation is free. It's of grace completely, but we also want to emphasize doing good works. Why? Because we want to be devoted people. We want to be religious people. Here's something that you want to be religious about. Go to Hebrews chapter number 10. Here's something you should be religious about. Going to church. Going to church is something that you should be devoted to. It's something that you should be very religious. Hey, no one should have to wonder where you're going to be on Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night. You should religiously be in the house of God every time the doors are open. Look at Hebrews 10 verse 24, it says, and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works. Here's some good works that we should provoke each other to. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the day approaching. It's a good thing. It's provoking each other to love when we provoke each other to do good works like coming to church. How about soul winning? I'll read for you Acts 5, 42, it says, and daily in the temple and in every house they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. That is being devoted. That's being religious. When every single day you're teaching and preaching Jesus Christ, every single day they were going out and preaching the gospel, they were religious in this area, and hey, we should provoke each other to be religious to our soul winning, to be devoted to reaching the world with the gospel. It's really sad to me how our protesters, these sodomites protesting us, they can be really devoted and religious in showing the world how much they hate God. They can show up when it's over 100 degrees, they can show up when it's raining, they did the same thing to Verity Baptist Church for six months, but some Christians are not devoted enough to go soul winning for one hour a week. And some Christians are not devoted enough to go soul winning ever in their whole life. You know, that should be a shameful thought when you're thinking that there are people that are working harder at spreading the message of hating God than a lot of Christians are at just getting the gospel out. And I understand every single person is on different spiritual levels, but you should strive to be a religious soul winner. You should strive to be someone that's devoted to preaching the gospel to where at least just one hour a week that you make it out and preach the gospel, and of course I'm not talking to the ladies that just gave birth today or a few weeks ago. I'm not talking to the ladies that are nine months pregnant. I'm talking if you're an able-bodied person, you need to be preaching the gospel, period. You can be a silent partner, but hey, get devoted to preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'll read for you Luke 18.1. Here's another area we should be devoted in. How about our prayer? Luke 18.1, Jesus said, or it says, and He spake a parable unto them to this end that men ought always to pray and not to faint. So Jesus goes on and He gives this parable, and the purpose of the parable, the Bible says, is so that men will always pray, so that men will be devoted religious to their prayer. Don't let anyone tell you that religion is a bad thing. Being religious is a good thing. Simeon was a devout man, and the Bible does not cast this on a negative light. Being devout, being religious is something that is good. So number one, go back to Luke chapter number two. Number one, Simeon was saved. Number two, Simeon was devout. Number three, another lesson we can learn from this man, from the verses that Simeon has mentioned, is that people in the Old Testament were saved by looking forward to the cross. People in the Old Testament were saved by looking forward to the cross. Look at Luke 2, 25. It says, and behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. So we already know that this man is saved. Why? Because the Bible says he's just. Also, he's waiting for the consolation of Israel, which is obviously talking about Jesus Christ. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death until he had seen the Lord's Christ. Now let me remind you, I'll read for you Hebrews 9, 16, it says, for where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. So during this time, before the death of Jesus Christ, we are still in the Old Testament. I know it's the New Testament physically in your Bible, but before Jesus Christ died, that is the Old Testament still. So Simeon was saved in the Old Testament. He is an Old Testament saint, okay? How was this man saved? Well, we already talked about justification and how the Bible proves that salvation is by believing in Jesus Christ. We see in verse 25 that he's waiting for the consolation of Israel, but then Simeon goes on to quote some pretty interesting verses. It says in verse number 30, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation. Now remember, he was waiting for something. How can you wait for something you've never heard of? Right? So he's waiting for something. Now he sees it and he says, mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people, and then he's quoting the Old Testament, alight to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of thy people Israel. So Simeon's saved. He's here with the baby Lord Jesus Christ. He said, mine eyes have seen thy salvation. And how does he know that? He knows that because of the Old Testament verses he was reading about the coming Messiah. And when I say that people in the Old Testament were saved by looking forward to the cross, let me just straight up say, that phrase, looking forward to the cross, is not found in your Bible. What I mean by that is they were saved by putting their faith in the promise of the Messiah to come. Just like how us in the New Testament, we have put our faith in the Messiah that came. They put their faith in the Messiah to come. Now let's go to some of those verses he was quoting in Isaiah chapter number 42. This is a doctrine that really annoys me, that hyperdispensationalists teach that different salvation, that there was different modes of salvation and different dispensations, that in the Old Testament people were saved by works or by a mix of faith and works. And when I went to a ruck in the night church for a few years, this is one of the doctrines that just made me so angry, because the Bible teaches against this doctrine. Look at Isaiah chapter number 42, verse number 1, and this is some of the things that Simeon likely read. Behold my servant whom I uphold, mine elect in whom my soul delighteth. I have put my spirit upon him. He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. Just a cool side note, this verse is a great verse about the Trinity, because you have God the Father speaking about his servant Jesus Christ, talking about putting the Spirit upon him. So you have all three persons of the Trinity in this verse. Verse number 2, it says, He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench. He shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail, nor be discouraged, till he hath set judgment in the earth, and the isles shall wait for his law. Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out. He that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it. He that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein. I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, and then notice this, for a light of the Gentiles, to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. This is what Simeon was quoting when he was holding the Lord Jesus Christ in his hands. Think that maybe this is being fulfilled right here in Simeon's life? So the Old Testament here in Isaiah was pointing to the coming of Jesus Christ, how he was going to deliver the blind and be a light unto the Gentiles, which is speaking of salvation, of course. Now let's go to another place in Isaiah, Isaiah chapter 49. Look at verse number 6, Isaiah 49, 6. It says, and he said, Is it a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel? I will also give thee for a light unto the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth. So salvation has always been by the coming Messiah, by the one that was coming to bring light unto the Gentiles. Go to Isaiah chapter 53, Isaiah chapter 53. Look at verse 10, famous chapter about the Lord Jesus Christ and his sufferings. Verse 10, it says, Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him. He hath put him to grief. When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied. By his knowledge, by the knowledge of Jesus Christ, shall my righteous servant justify many. So don't tell me that the Old Testament did not speak about salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Obviously, the name of Jesus Christ was not revealed in the Old Testament, but people were saved the same exact way by putting their faith in God, by the name that was revealed to them at that time. And so don't let ruckmanites like Andrew Sluder tell you that people were saved by works in the Old Testament. So Simeon was saved in the Old Testament, and you know how he was saved? By believing on the baby that he was holding in his arms. That's how he was saved. Let's go to Romans chapter number nine, Romans chapter number nine. And in Romans nine, the Apostle Paul, he even uses an Old Testament verse, an Old Testament prophecy to explain why the Jews didn't get saved in the New Testament. Keep that in mind. He's going to quote an Old Testament verse. So at the end of Romans nine, here in verse number 30, it says, What shall we say then, that the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness... So they weren't trying to attain unto righteousness, they weren't following after righteousness. It says that they have attained to righteousness even the righteousness which is of faith. So they believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, that's why they were justified. But Israel, speaking of the physical Jews, the ones that did not believe in him, which followed after the law of righteousness, they were trying to follow the law, it says they hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore... Why? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law, for they stumbled at that stumbling stone. Now Paul's going to quote an Old Testament verse to explain what it is that they rejected, what it is that they didn't believe in. It says, As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, and whosoever believeth in him should not be ashamed. That's Isaiah 28 16 that he's quoting, and he's explaining the reason these Jews didn't get saved is because that stumbling stone that Isaiah was talking about, they rejected it. So salvation was not just a New Testament doctrine, it's been talked about through the whole Bible, the whole Bible is about salvation through Jesus Christ. Let's look at some more ways to prove this, and I think that these are actually more hard hitting proofs than what we've already looked at. Go to Hebrews chapter number 10, Hebrews chapter number 10, and look at verse number 1. Hebrews chapter number 10, look at verse 1. It says, For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. So he's saying the Old Testament sacrifices could have never made anyone perfect. Verse 2, For then when they have not have ceased to be offered, he's saying we wouldn't have stopped the Old Testament system, we wouldn't have stopped the offering of the goats and the lambs if that was able to cleanse you, if that was able to save you. Verse 3, it says, But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year, verse 4, for it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. The Bible makes it very clear it's just not possible that you could have ever been saved by the Old Covenant, by doing the sacrifices, it absolutely would not be possible. Let's look at another proof of this, a few pages to the left in your Bible, 2 Timothy chapter 3, 2 Timothy chapter 3, and look at verse number 14. It says, But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned, and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them, and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. So Paul, when he's talking to Timothy here, he says, Timothy, you've known the holy scriptures, what is he referring to? He's referring to the Old Testament, because the New Testament is still being written at this time, especially when Timothy was a child, okay? So he's saying, the scriptures that you read as a child, the holy scriptures, the Old Testament, it says, those are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. How much more clearer can the Bible get? That's the scriptures, that's the Old Testament. And Paul's saying, that was able to make him wise unto salvation. Go to John chapter number 1, John chapter number 1, and let's look at some more proofs on how salvation has always been by faith in the Messiah. John chapter 1, verse 41, he first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, we have found, now keep those words in mind, we have found. If you found something, doesn't that mean you were looking for something? We have found. Okay, we've been looking for something, we're excited because we found it. We have found the Messiahs, which is being interpreted the Christ. He's saying, hey Simon, this Messiah that we've been looking for, we found him. Guess what, this is in the Old Testament that they were looking for him. How were they looking for him? In the scriptures. There's tons and tons of scriptures that talk about Jesus Christ, and he's saying, look, we have found the Messiahs, which is being interpreted the Christ. This is also why I believe that Jesus picked these men. I don't believe he was just picking random people. I believe these people were diligently looking for the Messiah. I believe that they were reading their Bibles, at least the portions that they had at that time, and when they found the Messiah, they were excited that they found him. They found the Messiah. Look at verse 42. And he brought him to Jesus, and when Jesus beheld him, he said, thou art Simon the son of Jonah, thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation a stone. The day following, Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, follow me. Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. So if you're wondering where they were searching for Jesus Christ before, he tells you, hey, we found him, the guy that we've been reading about, when we've been reading the writings of Moses and all the prophets. Jesus of Nazareth is who they were looking for. How did they find out? From the Old Testament. So don't tell me that salvation was, you know, no one knew about a Messiah in the Old Testament. No one knew about the promise of the coming of Jesus Christ. No, these disciples were looking for it, and they were excited when they found him, because of what they had been reading in Moses and all the prophets. You could just, you don't have to turn here, I'll read for you Acts 10, you could actually turn to Acts 13. I'll read for you Acts 10, 43. It says, to him give all the prophets witness, that through his name, whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. The Bible says that every single prophet in the Bible gave witness to Jesus Christ, and that through the name of Jesus Christ, whoever believes on him would receive remission of sins. Every single prophet prophesied of that. He said, oh yeah, but it wasn't the name of Jesus. Well, of course, the name of Jesus wasn't revealed, but the person Jesus Christ is who they were writing about. The Messiah is who they were writing about. They didn't have the name of Christ back then, but they were still writing about him. Every single book of the Bible is about Jesus Christ. Acts 13, verse 37, but he whom God raised again saw no corruption. Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, who's that talking about? Jesus Christ, and by him all that believe are justified from all things from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. Salvation was never by works, it was never by the law of Moses. The Bible says that you could never be justified by the law of Moses, but how are you justified? By faith in the Messiah that Moses wrote about, that all the prophets wrote about. And for sake of time, we're not going to go to Romans chapter 4, but if you're familiar with that chapter, it also talks about how Abraham was saved by faith, David was saved by faith, David believed in the eternal security of the believer. And so Simeon here, when he's looking for the consolation of Israel, when he's saved in the Old Testament, when he's holding the Lord Jesus Christ in his hands, we can learn, hey, that people in the Old Testament were saved by putting their trust in the Messiah to come. They were saved, or as we would say it, by looking forward to the cross. There's nothing wrong with that terminology, and don't let any ruck-a-manite dispensationalist try to make you feel stupid for believing that. That is absolutely what the Bible teaches. Go back to Luke chapter number 2, and the last lesson we'll talk about tonight, Luke chapter number 2. Luke chapter number 2, look at verse 25, says, and behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and the same man was just. So number 1, he's saved. And devout, so he's religious, waiting for the consolation of Israel, we learn how he was saved, and the Holy Ghost was upon him. Notice how it's talking about the Holy Ghost now, and it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him after the custom of the law. Number 4, I want to talk about the difference between the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. So we already, you know, understand that when we're reading this story about Simeon, we're actually in the Old Testament right now. This is not the New Testament. But of course, the Holy Spirit is mentioned. Now, just right up front, the Holy Ghost is God. The Bible teaches that there are three persons and one God. The Holy Ghost has eternally existed as God, as the Holy Ghost, but there is a difference between the operation of the Holy Ghost in the Old Testament and the New Testament. And so he is mentioned here in the Old Testament how the Holy Ghost was upon Simeon. And so I want to just talk about some of the differences of the Holy Ghost's role. So number 1, the permanent indwelling of the Holy Ghost is something that only happens for New Testament believers. The permanent indwelling of the Holy Ghost is a New Testament doctrine, and I'll prove that to you in John chapter number 7. Go to John chapter number 7. Holy Ghost has always existed. He's always been active in the work of God. But in the New Testament is where believers are permanently indwelled with the Holy Ghost. John chapter number 7, look at verse 38. Jesus is speaking and he said, He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. So he's referring to prophecy in the Old Testament, and this is actually a prophecy of the New Covenant. This is part of the New Covenant. He explains what this means in verse 39. It says, But this spakey of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive, for the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified. So Jesus is saying, hey, the Holy Ghost has not yet been given yet, because he was not yet crucified and glorified. Now was the Holy Ghost still existing? Of course. He was still on the scene. He was still doing the work of God. He was upon Simeon in the Old Testament, right? When Jesus said that the Holy Ghost was not yet given, that actually means something specific. Go to John chapter number 20. John chapter number 20. And this is the moment when the Holy Ghost was given. John 20, verse 21. It says, This is after the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you, as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost. And there I believe that the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit began. Because the Bible said in John chapter 7, the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. And Jesus was glorified. He breathed on his disciples. He said, Receive ye the Holy Ghost. It's pretty simple. Go to Ephesians chapter number 1. Ephesians chapter number 1. Ephesians 1, 13, it says, In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise. The Bible says that after you believe, after you trust the gospel, you're sealed with that Holy Spirit. It says, Which is the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. You know, we're sealed with the Holy Spirit to show that God is serious about redeeming us. Speaking of the rapture, I believe. And then look at Ephesians 4, verse 30. It says, And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed. So again, the Bible's telling us that we are sealed unto the day of redemption. And so there's a difference between the permanent indwelling of the Holy Ghost and the filling of the Holy Ghost. There's a difference between being permanently indwelled or the Holy Ghost coming upon you. And all throughout the Old Testament, you see the Holy Ghost coming upon Samson, coming upon King Saul, coming upon David. But the New Testament doctrine of being permanently indwelled with the Holy Ghost is different. It is a New Testament doctrine. Let's look at the filling of the Holy Ghost in John chapter number 3. John chapter number 3. Look at verse 34. So John is preaching, and he's preaching about Jesus Christ. He says, For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God. For God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. So John's saying that God did not give the Holy Ghost by measure unto Jesus Christ, which implies that he does give it by measure to other people, right? You can stay there. I'll read for you Hebrews 1.9. Speaking of Jesus, it says, Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity. Therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. The oil is often a picture of the Holy Spirit in the Bible. And when the Bible is saying that Jesus was anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows, he's saying that he was constantly filled with the Holy Ghost. Jesus Christ was constantly just filled to the brim with the Holy Ghost. No one has ever been more filled with the Spirit than Jesus Christ. And the thing is, for him, he was always filled with the Spirit. But for us, we are permanently indwelled with the Holy Spirit, but we're not always filled with the Spirit. The indwelling is permanent. The filling of the Holy Ghost is temporary. The Holy Ghost coming upon us is temporary. Go to Psalm chapter number 51. We're almost done, Psalm chapter number 51. That's why the Bible often exhorts us elsewhere that we should sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs making melody in our hearts to the Lord to get us filled with the Spirit because it doesn't happen automatically. We're not automatically just filled with the Spirit. Hey, we are sealed. We are permanently indwelled, but we're not permanently filled. We have to do something to get filled with the Spirit. We have to pray and ask God to fill us with the Spirit as cells elsewhere in Scripture. But in Psalm chapter 51, this is King David, and he's praying to God, and this is after he had committed the horrible sin of adultery with Bathsheba. And look what he says in verse 10. He says, create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. So he's trying to get right with God here after his sin. He says, cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Why is David asking God not to take the Holy Spirit from him? Well, here's the thing. You know, David knew that the Spirit of God came upon him when he was anointed king. But when he committed this wicked sin, he's afraid that that coming upon, that filling of the Holy Spirit in his life can be taken away from him because it can. Because if you live a life that's just full of sin, you're not going to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Now, you're still sealed. The Bible says, grieve not the Spirit of God. Because no matter how sinful you are, if you're saved, the Holy Ghost is in you. And if you're taking him to the bar, if you're taking him to the strip club, you're grieving him. Right? But he's saying, please don't take thy Holy Spirit from me. Now, here's what false prophets love to do. They love to say, see, David thought he could lose his salvation. Well, read Romans chapter 4, and David did not believe he could lose his salvation. But also, look at verse number 12. He doesn't say, here's what David did not say. Restore unto me thy salvation. That's not what verse 12 says. It says, restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with thy free spirit. You see, he's at a low point because of his sin. He doesn't want God to take away the power of the Holy Spirit from him, and he wants God to restore the joy of his salvation to him. Because hey, you can't lose your salvation, but you can lose the joy of your salvation. You can lose the peace of God in your life when you live a wicked life of sin. You could lose your rejoicing in the Lord, and this is what David is trying to get back in his life after he had committed this wicked sin. He's trying to get right with God. He's trying to get filled with the Spirit again, and he's trying to restore the joy of his salvation. Let's go back to Luke chapter number 2, and we'll finish out the sermon here. Let's just read what it was that Simeon had preached when the Holy Ghost had came upon him. I think it's pretty interesting what he preached. In Luke chapter 2, he says, so he was holding Jesus Christ, and look at verse 29. It says, Lord, now let us thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word. Hey, if I was holding the king of life, the prince of peace in my arms, I'd be ready to go too. It's like, I've seen it all. I'm holding Lord Jesus Christ. Let me go in peace. You know? That's great. He says, verse 31, which thou has prepared before the face of all people, a light to light in the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. And Joseph and his mother marveled at those things which were spoken of him. So Joseph and his mom are just shocked at what Simeon, the man of God, is preaching to them. Verse 34, and Simeon blessed them and said unto Mary, so now he's singling out Mary, his mother, he says, behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be spoken against, yea, a sword shall pierce through thine own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. And I believe what Simeon is preaching here, I believe that he's prophesying, he's alluding to the death of Jesus Christ. He singles out Mary and he says, hey, a sword is going to pierce through your soul also. Why? Because no mom wants to see their precious son brutally murdered in the most horrific way that anyone has ever been murdered. Especially when your son is perfect, especially when your son has never sinned. He's saying, look, a sword is going to pierce through your heart too, Mary. That's pretty deep. But I love what he says at the end, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. Now this reminds me, because obviously we know that Jesus Christ is the word of God, in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. So Jesus Christ is the word of God. And he's saying, a sword is going to pierce through your soul, Mary, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. Now, last place I'll have you turn tonight is Hebrews chapter number four. Hebrews chapter number four. Look at verse 12, it says, for the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Now, just in case you didn't know, the book of Hebrews was not written at the time when Simeon is giving this prophecy. And all this does is it really increased my faith in the word of God. To know that, hey, before Hebrews 4-12 was ever written, Simeon is prophesying, saying, a sword is going to pierce through her own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. It sounds very similar to Hebrews 4-12, doesn't it? Before Hebrews 4-12 was ever even written. And so, look, this book was not written by man. This is God's word. You know, 10 or 12 verses or so in the whole Bible dealing with Simeon, yet there's so much good doctrine we can learn just from these short 10 to 12 verses, why? Because this is the word of God. This is not man's word. So just to recap some of the things we learned tonight, number one, Simeon was saved. Why? Because he was just. And we learned what it means to be just. Number two, Simeon was devout. Simeon was religious. And religion is not a bad term. That's something that we need to take back and apply to our lives and try to become religious for the things of God, devout for the things of God. Number three, Old Testament saints were saved by looking forward to the cross. Number four, we learned about the difference between the Holy Spirit and the Old Testament in the New Testament. You know, these are doctrines as a fundamental Baptist church that we need to understand and be able to fight for out in the community and to be able to defend the faith. To be able to war a good warfare, amen? Like that guy's poem that he doesn't like warfare. I want this warfare of preaching the word of God. We need to be a church that's into that kind of warfare. And with that, let's have a word of prayer. Lord, thank you so much for this day. And thank you for your word. Thank you so much for all that we can learn from it. I just pray that every single person here would read your word and that you would fill them with the Holy Ghost and that you'd help us just to live godly lives for your honor and glory. And in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.