God bless you. Thank you so much wherever you are the sacred. Whatever you might be doing, God bless you. God just be upon you. It's great to have you with us this evening. God is with you. Here's the great I AM. Here's the King of kings. And he is the Lord of lords, which has gathered around the scriptures are probably the oldest row in your life, it's runabout, Shepherd 30, here within the UK, can be turned into three places, three different places. So if you could, if you do, please open your Bible. Let's go to Romans. Romans, chapter five. Romans chapter five, that we're going to be we go through first one, Romans, chapter five, first one, which is going to say thank you so much, everybody just jumping online. God bless. God bless you. Thank you so much. Yes, yeah. Good evening. I can hear you. I can see you watching. Thank you for your comments. All those in the world of podcasting. We just say thank you for all the downloads, and everything that goes along with all that razzmatazz on them platforms that we're on. Thank you so much for Amazon, Music, Spotify, and all the other places. Good evening. God bless you. Romans chapter five, Romans, chapter five, verse one, verse one we'll go from and also, I wanted to come to get to Luke chapter two, Luke chapter two really interesting part of scripture in Luke chapter two, Psalm 27, we may touch in as well and possibly the Gospel of John, chapter one, but let's just let's just see where we go. I believe, the words that we'd be looking for, and what we're looking into is the word salvation. And I pray that God will just strengthen you and just just make you realize and make me realize, and every one of us that we can never be separated from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, but also more than that, when we think about it, no one can take that salvation that that Christ has given us through the power of God given his one and only son. So if we can just turn that will be absolutely fantastic if we can turn to Romans, chapter five, verse one, for those that have a Bible in front of your screen or on your device, however, you may want to follow this this evening, just spend a few moments in the scriptures, you know, 3035 minutes or something like that round about, however long we feel God is leading us this evening. So there's a lot to get from this. There is a lot of scripture here, there is a lot of a lot of text, there's a lot of reading. But what's really driving me at this moment is my eyes are locking on to verse five of Romans chapter five. And it says, And the hope that does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, I feel that we are living in very precarious times. Good times, if you are a believer, and you know who you are in Christ Jesus. Now that has nothing to do with living completely right for Christ, because I feel that every one of us may be having struggles in our lives that we never thought that we'd possibly have at this particular point. And I believe that through the power of salvation, and through the power of the Scripture, Christ is strengthening each and every one of us at this very moment in time. And as we flick through the Scripture, I just want to reiterate and just just hold on to that place a little bit longer. Before I read the entire scripture in its entirety for the completeness of the text, it's Romans, chapter five, verse five. And hope does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. So God's love, I just want to just hold this place a moment for those that just feel unloved those that just feel a bit weary tonight, those that just feel a bit battered just through life circumstances, through work through home Frou Frou relationships through friendship groups, through social groups through whatever group through church, however it may be I just want to just hold this thought a moment that God's law Have you been poured out and God's love has been poured into the Scripture is very clear, it says and that hope does not put us to shame. But God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. So and that Holy Spirit has been given to us that God's love has been poured out, into our hearts through and with the power of the Holy Spirit. I find that as a human being as and as a believer living in times in which we do, we can almost feel that there is we are living in a society that doesn't show us any love any any respect seems to be gone off the earth completely for compassion sensor had been disappeared. But if you are a believer, and if you are trusting God and believing God and walking with God, I just want to encourage you tonight that the love of God is so strong and so powerful. And you can never be separated from that love. When you look at the word love and you and we get to understand what it actually means. And if he was to turn into one Corinthians chapter 13. And was to read that all the way through from the first one through to verse 13, the complete part of the text and we know that we clearly understand that it's referring about if you're in the King James it talks about charity, which we understand, is mentioned in love. Love is powerful love keeps no records of wrongs, it does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. Love never fails. Always hopes, always gives you know love is so powerful, the love of God, the love of the Holy Spirit, the love of the Father. And I just want to encourage any one of you tonight there just feels a little bit down in your boots just feels a little bit down tonight a little bit weird. A little bit pressed over a little bit trodden over a little bit, pushed through that two areas. I pray that God will reveal to us tonight that the love of God can never be taken from us because the Romans tells us very clearly that, that no one or nothing can with a height, nor depth nor famine, nakedness or peril, whatever it may be. Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. And Christ Jesus is our salvation. And we understand through the book of Colossians. Very clearly, that Christ is the image of the invisible God, and God in Rome. Sorry, in Psalm 27. If you were to look in Psalm 27, it says that he is our light, God is our light, and he is our salvation. So God is light, God is our salvation, He is our rock. He is our Redeemer. And you know, sometimes in the workplace in life, and just the issues of just living as a as a believer, it can feel so difficult, feel so gritty with workplace issues with stuff going on just around us and situations that are happening. I just just want to let you know tonight, that you are loved unconditionally, loved unconditionally by the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit. And before I've read this text in its complete, full stretch, Romans, chapter five, verse five, I'm going to read that again. And hope does not put us to shame. Because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that it feels like that can be so difficult to grasp, sometimes karnit that the scripture is so powerful for the human mind, for the concept and the thinking, and the rationale and the understanding just the logic of life that, that this God, the God of Israel that created the heavens and the earth, this God, the great I am the God of all gods, the God of all creation, the great I Am has poured out His love in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, like a filter system, coming through the Holy Spirit being poured out with and through the Holy Ghost. So let's read from verse one. We go down, we'll drop it down to round about verse, verse 11, runabout, verse 11, and then we'll move a little bit further. And I pray and I know that the scriptures will speak to you tonight I know that the love of God will draw you tonight. I know that the love of God will heal us tonight and know the love of God will will be wrapped around it and and I just I just pray that you will just feel the presence, the presence of the living word, filling your heart afresh, filling your mind drawing you into a deeper and me also drawing us I should say into a deeper walk with Him. This is about salvation. This is about love. This is also about an interesting character in the book of Luke that we will turn to very very soon. And we will be going to the book of Luke chapter two. It's about Simeon. Simeon has the privilege the actual privilege of holding Christ as a young baby but what will get there in just a few moments. And the reason I want to get there and I believe God is leading us there, it's about salvation, about Christ being our Savior. So that's let's read this together and keep it simple. Keep it very light tonight, you know, just just reading the Scripture, just seeing what the Word of God has to say, to each and every one of us and it is revealed. God's word is revealed. God's word is, is restoring us. God's word is healing us. God's word is leading us. God's word is quickening us. God's word is drawing us God's Word does so much in our skin that we live in. It corrects us, it feeds us, it strengthens us. It's like living water. But let's read this, you know, this is just such an encouraging God's word. Obviously, God's word is completely encouraging. But you know, sometimes when you get led, and you're, you get drawn to a certain text, or you might sit in there for quite a while, and you just rest in that scripture and you just feel the presence of the Holy Spirit, just holding you in a place for a while. There we go, verse one, Romans chapter five. Therefore since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace, in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God, not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character, and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us, verse six of Romans chapter five. You see, just at the right time, when we were powerless when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly, very rare, will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die, verse eight of Romans, chapter five. But God, I love this when it says this, But God demonstrates His own love for us. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now being justified through his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him? For if, while we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his son, how much more having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life, not only is this so but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now been reckon we both been brought to reconciliation, reconciliation is a very interesting biblical terminology, when you look at reconciliate reconciliation, putting the teeth in there, you know, we have been reconciled, we have been brought back to we have been put to we have been drawn into, we have been brought full circle to, you know, while I was still a sinner, God demonstrates His love for us, how does he demonstrate this love for us by sending and saving us through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. So when we look at Christ, we, we look at the Messiah, we understand that he is a living word. So if we wish to turn, let's quickly turn to see what John says, If we turn to the Gospel of John Chapter One, for one moment, holding where we have been. So I clearly get tonight that, that nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, and God has demonstrated his own love for us and he has been poured out God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, very powerfully and very interestingly, that God has really moved in such a glorious way that he's His love has been pressed and poured out. You know, I love the way the writer writes. God's love has been poured out it has been poured out was almost like that we can't stop this flow, this powerful move of the Holy Spirit, we can't stop this powerful move of God's love. Nothing shall separate from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, but we're living in cultures and societies where we feel and when we possibly may feel quite unloved and, and pushed away and ostracized and set aside. But there is there is a love that is completely different to the to the world's love and that is God's love. God's love is so strong, it is so powerful. And and to be completely fair, I find it very difficult to articulate and to explain and to almost to demonstrate through the English language of how we can put this this this understanding of God's law Have into some form of vocabulary, expression of how can we how can we say how can we? How can we vocalize this power that is unseen, but has been seen through the cross of Calvary? We understand that God demonstrated His own love God's own love what was God's own love? His love was the love of for each and every one of us. And how much did God love his own son? But how much did he sacrifice his own son? When you talk about the cry of the Father and the Son, you talk about the father, Christ God, and the Son, Christ Jesus, when when you look at these two, when you look at the Godhead, and you look at the love and, and everything that goes between the Godhead and the deity in this area, when you I can't actually I can't grasp but he's too big for the for me as a human being, to actually articulate and to verbalize and try and to try and work out how and why, and what was and the purpose of this, but His ways are higher than our ways. And when you start talking about God's love, and you, you start to verbalize it and you start to meditate on it, and you start to try and work it out. It can almost bring your tongue to a stop, we can almost put this this love this, this love and this love that goes beyond human love, this love that goes beyond human understanding this love that goes beyond what we could ever imagine or ask or, or dream of, or think of this love that is so powerful that is that was poured out into our hearts, it was poured out into our hearts while I was still a sinner, while I wasn't thinking of, of God, while I was even thinking of Christ while I was even thinking of salvation, while I was just out in the world, doing whatever was to be done through the world. And however, I was living and being alienated from God, as the scripture says very clearly, while you were still a sinner while he was alienated from God, but not alienated in such a way that God couldn't get to you because God comes to me and God came to you while we were still a sinner. And he demonstrates His own love for us by pouring out his love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit through the counselor, which is absolutely mind blowing. While I was still living in the world. God's love was so powerful, and we know the Agape love. But when you start talking about the Agape love, it just brings just almost brain fog, and a stop to the human understanding of the power of God's love. Because we hear and we talk and we see about love in family and friends and relationships and all that sort of stuff. And everything that goes on with that. But but that is such a low level of love, compared and I'm not putting that down but but trying to find some area of a platform to stand to grasp how wide and how deep is the love of God for each and every one of us, then we think well, we understand in John 316, that, that For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whosoever shall believe in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. But but we can read the text I can read these texts so quickly, and get almost so blase about about John 316, for God, so demonstrate His love for us in the Book of Romans that we're looking at, and almost push this to one side. But when when I study and I think very deeply about God's love, and how powerful it is, and how God's love arched over and came down and stretched out into the darkness, and God's love, drew me and drew you and saved you and saved me. Let's quickly turn on our I've mentioned another scripture, John, you want to put your hand or your finger right just holding on your device, wherever you're looking at, in John chapter one a moment. First one but let's go. Let's go to Psalm let's go to the Psalms go to the Psalms a moment. If you're still with me go to Psalm 27. Psalm 27 of Martin it's up. So I've got a lot of places that are just wanted and I felt God was going to lead us to tonight. So I just pray that you will just feel the love of God, the power of the Holy Spirit, that God demonstrates His own love for us and His love is poured out into our hearts and that is just fascinating to me as a human being that that this love of God is poured out is poured, it is not trickled it is poured you know what, what pouring means the power of pouring something, it is unstoppable. You can't stop it is being poured into into the vessel that my heart is a vessel. And God's love has been poured out into my heart. God's love has been poured out into your heart through the Holy Spirit. So very powerful and very clearly. Now Psalm 27 verse one, let's see if we can bring this to a to some form of a position. The Lord is the light of my salvation whom shall I fear the Lord is the stronghold of my life whom shall I be afraid? So in verse one of Psalm 27 It says The Lord is the light of my salvation. And now when we go up into the New Testament, in just a few months we will see the word light, we will see the word Revelation, we will see the word Gentiles we will see the word love, we will hear the word Simeon. And also we will find the word salvation. So salvation and light. In the beginning, God said, Let there be light. And there was, Jesus says, I am the light of the world. So light is very instrumental in a Believers Walk and unbelievers journey, as a Christian Christ in me, and redemption, and reconciliation, but through reconciliation and through redemption, there has to be repentance, you know, it's no good. Having me sign all the lip service. And this is not about lifestyle, living as a Christian, but this is reckons, recom, reconciliation and being reconciled, and coming into redemption and repentance. There is something very powerful about repenting Father, I'm sorry, Lord, that I found you today, Lord, I've sinned today, but through the power of repentance, and through the power of reconciliation and salvation, that salvation is always on salvation was given the gift of salvation, not by work so that no one can boast. You know, but it is a gift, we understand that salvation is a gift. And then we have the mercy of God and the love of God and the favor of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. And then we know then we have the anointing, and we have the gifts of the Spirit, we have the fruit of the Spirit, and just know, this love of God is just so big and so powerful. We can spend a lifetime just looking over these texts and just God leading us and guiding us through revelation and revealing. But I just want to let you know tonight that the Lord is your light, light is very powerful, the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot understand or cannot comprehend how powerful the light is light. Darkness only exists a science science says, Because darkness only exists because it is the absence of one thing. And that is light. As soon as the light comes in, darkness seems to dissolve, darkness seems to disappear. So there is power in light. So when we understand the Scripture, when God said, Let there be light, and there was, there was a transformation. And when you understand that, when we tried to get some understanding of the power of of God's light, and the power of His light and the preeminence of his light, and the glory of His light, and He is the light of the world. And when we see through the certain parts of the text, especially in Revelation, when John said, I felt as if I was dead, and when I turned and I saw the shine in in the brilliance, the one like the Son of Man, that the brilliance and the light and the glory, and the power and the purity that is in light. So when I look at Psalm 27, The Lord is my light. And in Psalm 119, Your word is a lamp unto my feet, a light for my path. So light is very instrumental. And light is very important. For me as a believer to understand the power of light, I am the light of the world I, I am the light, I am your your salvation, I am the king of kings, I am the Lord of lords, you know, the seven items when we look at the seven items as well. And what Christ says, I am the door and the Good Shepherd, I Am. I Am that I Am, you know, when God speaks about that the seven items are very, very interesting things. Very interesting terminology, I should say not not things I should say very interesting terminology. So in Psalm 27, it says, The Lord is the light, and my salvation. So there is a distinction light, and the Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear? Perfect love, drives out all fear. So when we understand now, we might say, Well, why sometimes do I get fearful is that because I don't have God within me that's not because I don't have God and I don't have the deity living within me that, that I have fear in me and upon me is just purely a fact that everyone is has fear and fear is triggered to a certain degree. Because what we can't run from is that we are human beings. And fear is in part of the makeup or in the character or, or in the in the innermost being of many of us that fear just resonates with us. We see this through the disciples. But what I want to make sure is that I do not allow the fear to control me, it's okay, to a degree to have that fear. But what level does the fear run out? So perfect love drives out all fear. So the scripture that was in before we come to this part, we understand that God's love is poured out so God's love is poured out into our hearts. So God's love is being poured out the love of God had been poured out. And then we say to ourselves, Well, how do we define how do we speak about how do we bring this word? Some form of conclusion or, or a full stop, how do we describe all this? This power? And this, this? Or not this beauty that's in God's love? Yes, we have John 316 For God so loved the world but but when we look at that, but what does this mean that the demonstration of His love, but I believe that sometimes I asked we possibly may skirt and just skim over John 316 You know, we see it so many places, and it's banded across the world of Christianity, John 316. Yeah, For God so loved the world, but when I really understand what that love and, and what that really means of the sacrifice of the handing over of the Father and the Son, and everything that went along, goes along with that relationship, the power of that relationship, you know, the power that that relationship was, even before the world began the power of the relationship between the Son and the Father. So let's, let's just hold it a minute in Psalm 27. And let's just move on. So the Lord is is my light, so the Lord is my light, and my salvation, whom shall I fear, The Lord is my stronghold on my life, Whom shall I be afraid? Now, if we can, if we can just press into the New Testament, if we can come up to the Gospel of Luke, if we can come up to Luke Now there's a, there's a part of the text I just want to read. And it's about it's about Simeon, you know, not much is really mentioned about this character, but he has such a privilege and the fulfillment of the end, I will say, of His ministry, or of this, this man that was called that was chosen and, and how he holds Christ. When when you look at this text alone, and you really unpack it, and you start to stretch the writings of this that, that this man had had the privilege of holding Christ holding Christ. But when he held Christ, he realized that his life was coming to an end because he was, he was promised through the Holy Spirit, that he would not die until he see the coming of the King, the birth of the Messiah, Christ, the Savior of the world. So let's pick this up. So we're in Luke chapter two, Luke chapter two, verse 22. It says, When the time came for the purification, rites required by the laws of Moses, Joseph and Mary took Him to Jerusalem presented him to the Lord. But that's fascinating, isn't it? When you think that the the Old Testament rights and what he was saying and the purification, we have Christ, in the beginning was the Word and the Word was God, and the Word was with God, we see that in the Gospel of John. So here we have Mary and Joseph, his mom and his father, because the Scripture mentions that his mother and his father, and we find that where it talks about when the boy Jesus at the temple, so there is clear reference to Joseph being his father and a clear reference to Mary been his mother, we get that through the textbook. But what what I find is fascinating in this scripture, is that here we have the living word. And John writes in John chapter one, and the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. So we find that the Living Word and the Living Word is the image of the invisible God, because that's what Colossian tells us, that Christ is the image of the invisible God. So here we have this, this baby, this this infant, this is child, Christ, in the hands of his mom, in the hands of his father, however, they, they, they capture him and, and they carry him and they wrap him up and, and they're taking care of the Creator of heaven and earth, you know, whatever what you look at this in the deity form, and you look at this in in a theologians thinking mind and concept, as a believer, our ever you look at this, this baby, Christ, this this infant is the living word, is the creator of Heaven on Earth, because the Scripture says, In the beginning, was the word. And as we as we go to that in a moment, and in John says, And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and then you go to, to Genesis chapter one, and you, you hear and you see very clearly that God, and the power of creation and, and how Christ is at the beginning, in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. So we understand that and then Jesus Christ says, Sorry, God says, Let's make man in our image. So there is a conversation and a dialogue and, and we get through the Scripture that that Christ is and through the book of Colossians, that all things were created through Him and by him, and for him. Nothing in this world that has been made that can be made because everything was making made through Him and for Him, and He holds and sustains all things together by the power of His Word, and the Living Word is in the hands of his mom and his dad and his father at scripture says, Joseph and and Mary, and then suddenly they present him to this, this, this gentleman this, this godly, this, this man that was that was living in the temple and around the temple. And when let's pick it out, let's see what it says. Let me let me go a little bit further we got to verse 23. And it says, as it was written in the law of the Lord, every firstborn mount to be consecrated to the Lord, so the consecration of this child to the Lord, and He is the living Lord, and He is the Savior of the world. So here we have this, this such deep text of, of the Christ is being presented to, to himself, but in, in the formation of a child, when you really grasp what is happening in this temple. And then suddenly, we have this guy, Simeon. Let's go on a little bit further. And it says into offer a sacrifice, first 24 of Luke chapter two, and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what was said in the law of the Lord, the law of himself the law of the Lord, a pair of doves or two young pigeons, first 25 of Luke chapter two. Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was a righteous and a devout. And it says he was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit, that he would not die before he has seen the Lord's Messiah, the Lord's Messiah, the Lord. And then we've got all this, all this, this stuff, or this tradition going on, with Christ through Christ, and it's about Christ, and the world was created through Him and for Him and by him. But suddenly we have the Living Word in infant format in the hands of Simeon been presented by his father, and his earthly mother and his earthly father handed over to this righteous, godly, devout man that was carried anointed, that was filled with the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And the Holy Spirit said to him, You will not die until you see the Lord's Messiah, until you see the Savior of the world. And then there is confirmation. And as we follow this, this text through it gets a little bit bit further into the text first 27 move by the Holy Spirit so, so this is a real interesting safeguard that, that when we are born again, and filled with the Spirit, and we carry the gift of the Holy, Holy Ghost, and then the anointing and the word that you carry. There, we have to be sensitive, that the Holy Spirit moves us be moved in, in the gift in being sensitive to the Word of God and, and being obedient and being in the will of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. So being in the will of of God also means to be being moved by the Holy Spirit and being sensitive to the Spirit of God that he's leading and the prompting of the Holy Spirit, because this this happens to Simeon this happens to this devout man. He says it had been revealed to him verse 26, by the Holy Spirit that He would not die before he had seen the Lord's Messiah, moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts, when the parents brought in the child, Jesus, fascinating texts that we have Christ being brought into the temple, and being presented and handed over the Holy Spirit. And now we have the deity in in all this formation and the deity in full glory. So the Holy Spirit is prompting Simeon to go into the temple courts to go into this position, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, and here we have the living word, you know, coming and there's a coming together where, where Simeon is anointed, and Simeon is carrying word and, and has been given counsel by the Holy Spirit, and then suddenly he has been given counseling and he has heard, and the word is spoken to him through the Holy Spirit. So the SI has had the inward calling and the outward anointing, but then suddenly he is holding the word that has been speaking to him. This is so powerful, when to me, when when I think about what is happening in this courtyard in this arena, between the Holy Spirit, the living word, the earthly father, Joseph and Mary, his mum. He was also waiting for the council, the constellation sorry of Israel, the Holy Spirit was on him. So he's carrying the Holy Spirit that is on him. And then suddenly it says the Holy Spirit that He would not die has been and he would see the Lord moved by the Spirit. So not only as he heard the spirit, but also he has been moved by the Spirit and he was being moved what to he was being moved to this position of receiving the word. Absolutely amazing scripture that the Holy Spirit was leading this devout man that had been told through the counsel of the Holy Spirit, that you will not die until you see the Lord's Messiah, that what is the Lord's Messiah, the Lord's Messiah is the Savior of the world, the Messiah, the King, the great I AM. Suddenly we have this man that was the devout, righteous man that had lived these many, many years devout, and devoted to God and to everything that went along with what we are reading the Holy Spirit was on, and the Holy Spirit led, where was the lead in and what was it leading up to it was leading up to the word being presented to this devout man. So we have the word, and the Spirit coming together in the hands and in the presence of His earthly father or mother. Now, let's go on a little bit further, it says, move by the hope, move by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts, when his parents brought in the child Jesus. To do for him what was custom for the law that was required. So here we have the Living Word, and the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, we have the word we have the image, Christ is the image of the invisible God. And then we have everything happening here. So in the fullness of the Deity, in this one, one impression of the Scripture, we have the Holy Spirit, we have Christ. And in the physical formation of Christ, we have the very image of the invisible God. So here we have Simeon, not only holding when, please forgive me for the way that I present this to us tonight, we have Simeon, carrying anointing, being led by the Spirit holding the word and as he is holding the word, he is holding the image of the invisible God. So here we have a man that is carrying the deity in his hands, and the anointing is on him through the Holy Spirit. So not only as they've been given word and given direction and leadership through the Holy Spirit, He holds in his hand, the living word, the creation of heaven and earth, and the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have simian, this great devout man holding the word, holding Christ holding the Lord's Messiah. And not only is he holding the Lord's Messiah, but in this man's hands, he has what the scripture says very clearly, in Colossians, chapter one, Christ is the image of the invisible God. So not only has he got the anointing on him, and the the physical, living Messiah in his hands, but also he has the image of the invisible God. So this man is holding Christ, Christ is representing the image of the invisible God, and this man is holding and the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. So now I can understand when Simeon says what he says next, in the next part of the text, move by the Spirit, he went down into temple courts, where his parents brought him in the child, Jesus, to him as it was customary for the law and the requirements, Simeon took him in his arms and praise God, saying, so before I go to the next part of this first 29, he praises God, and God is in his hands and the anointing is on him. And the Holy Spirit has led him and he has the Messiah, the Savior of the world, in living formation, as the impression and as an in the earthly skin formation in flesh and blood Colossians chapter one in the fullness, and Christ is the image. So Simeon, at this point, is praising God. And God is in his hands through the image of the invisible God through the fruit of the formation of Christ, not only as he got Christ, He has got God, not only as he got God, but he's got the leading of the Holy Spirit and not only as he got the leading of the Holy Spirit, but he has had the spoken impression and the power of the Holy Spirit, saying to him, You will not die, so Simeon at At this point in his life he's holding how do we verbalize? How do we vocalize? How do we articulate? How do we bring this to, when I look at my hands if Simeon was holding in his arms and his hands, everything he had, he had everything at this point. And then suddenly he breathes. And he says, And he praises God. He is praising God, the God of Israel, but he has also the image of the invisible God in His hands. Such a powerful Scripture, and so much to open up. And the only way it can be opened up is through revelation for the revelation, and through the revealing of the power of the Holy Spirit, the power of God and the power of his living word can only be revealed. So here we have Simeon, this old gentleman, this devout, you know, righteous man holding the deity on him, and in him and within him with his grasp. And suddenly we have Joseph, his earthly father and Jesus's mum, Mary. And it says in verse 33, the child's father and mother Mary, at this, they what they sit what was said about him, so his father, his earthly father, Joseph is standing, watching his mother that gave birth to him, and the Word became flesh. And we know that Mary was the chosen, and was seen so beautifully in the eyes of God, and everything that happened through that, through through that power, and through that miracle, and through that, unbelief, unbelieving situation to the human mind, but believing through the power of faith, that through this, this gospel writing suddenly we find that we are presented and we are given through the birth and through the presentation of God's scripture that we have this living, living Word and the Word became flesh, and he lived amongst us. So let's pick this up in verse 29, of Luke chapter two. Sovereign Lord Simeon says, The Sovereign Lord, You have promised, you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. Simeon knew who and what and how and what was going to be his next destination, because in his hands was the living God, the living Messiah, the Lord's Messiah, the living word, the creator of Heaven on Earth, and he was promised that you will continue to walk this earth, you will continue to breathe and live until you hold in your hands and you see with your eyes, the Lord's Messiah, so Simeon, is having everything come to completion. So not only can you say to the end of his life here, he knows that his end has come, because he is holding the deity and walking with the deity in the data is with and in Him and through Him. But also, he has seen what he is looking at salvation. Let's get in the Scripture, verse 29, it says, Sovereign Lord, You have promised, you may now dismiss, he's referring to himself, your servant, in peace, he has got peace, He is going to be dismissed, God is going to take him his time has come for deportation of this earth, he was going to be leaving this earth because his time had come, the prophecies have been fulfilled. And this man is holding the deity, the Trinity, everything in his grasp in his arms before him, and he was told that you will hold the Lord's Messiah, and Simeon is reaching and has reached this powerful pinnacle of his life to see and to hold the creator of heaven and earth and have in his hand in the formation of an infant timing itself, salvation in itself, the light of the world, everything wrapped up in the skin of this infant, the living word, the creator of heaven and earth is, is held in suspension in the arms of a human. And that human that was chosen to carry him at this very important time in the presentation, to God to himself through himself but to himself, this is beyond articulation and beyond understanding. And in verse 30, he says, For my eyes have seen your salvation. So as he looks and as he focuses on the infant, the Lord the Messiah, he sees what he sees your His salvation, our salvation. He says, For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations, a light for revelation to the Gentiles. So here we have a the word light that I picked up when we picked up for the Holy Spirit, speaking through His Word, and the Spirit of God reveals His Word through as we read, we get revelation. Yeah, It may be held in our mind as information but then the Holy Spirit gives it to us for revelation or knowledge that information is retained in our concept and our thinking and our human understanding. And our ability in our skill sets to, to wrap and to hold the living word, but then also, when God's timing and the timing that we read about earlier, when God's timing is correct in our lives, God reveals His Word to us. So here we have is revelation or knowledge coming through the New Testament, using Simeon, this great man, this righteous man being been in this privileged position of, of not only having the Holy Spirit being his counsel, and the Holy Spirit being upon him, but the Holy Spirit, leading him out and into the court, the courtyards and the areas of this temple. But then also we have Joseph and Mary being obedient to the law. And the law, as we know it is the Old Testament, the Old Testament is about God and the laws and when, without going into the theological discussion of what the old tea is about, we get on we understand. So here we have the Old Testament, here in front, with Simeon in his hands, and everything in the law, and everything coming, coming up to the cross. So this, this is coming up, this is coming up, not to the finish of the Old Testament, but the fulfillment of the Old Testament, being fulfilled through redemption, and being fulfilled through the prophecies and being fulfilled through the life of Christ, Himself, the Messiah, and then we see the fulfillment, and we don't like to, and we won't use the word that completion, but the, the coming together of the old and the new, and Christ being the bridge from the old to the new, what we see is this, this come in this move in this this glory, so here we have Simeon holding the New Covenant, but also going through the Old Testament and going through the, the areas of rituals going through the areas of tradition, going through the areas of the purification, rites and the requirements of the laws of Moses. And here we have everything that the Old Testament was written about and was for is in the hands in the hands, I should say, of Simeon, holding everything in his hands. So when he says, For my eyes have seen, for wise, I've seen your salvation, He is looking at the Messiah, understanding that what he is holding is the completeness of the prophecies of the Old Testament being in the formation and the fulfillment of the Messiah, and he is holding the Messiah. So imagine how he must have felt to have the full power of space, time and matter and creation. He is holding everything in these old hands of his, the creation, the power of the glory, the Old Testament, and the new, the new, the know that came into being, when Jesus Christ said, It is finished, the explosion and the power and the glory, and the formation and, and the coming together of the old and the new is all in the hands of this this righteous, and this man that lived this life. Here we have. So I understand now what he is saying. And he says in verse 34, my eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared in the sight of all nations. So he's bringing so much into Completion, through this force of fruit, I would say falls through that vocalization. For the vocabulary for the speech through the power of exhaustion, exhaustion of the word speaking out here, he has the word, the living word, the older and the new, he has redemption, He has prophecy, he has everything in his hands, and he has been given the Living Word to be fulfilled through the New Testament, but also he has the New Testament in his hands. And he asked the altar, he has everything in his hands at this particular point, when we look at the completion and the formation of what is going on in this text this this almost is Luke Chapter two can be skimmed over by the church and by religion, but when you really study it, and God reveals reveals this for revelation, this man is carrying everything at this one point in his hands. He's carrying self Ancient, he's seen light and it has been revealed for revelation. And he's also talking about the Gentiles that this salvation I have seen, I have seen, how can he see salvation, salvation can only come through redemption. Redemption can only come through Christ Jesus, redemption and salvation can only be and only come into Completion. When Christ said it is finished, because we was bought with a price and the price wasn't fulfilled, until Jesus Christ of Nazareth said It is finished. So what he is looking and who he is looking at, he is looking at Christ as the image of the invisible God, understanding that all the complete entirety of the text of the old scriptures was in his hand, the prophecies, the history, everything creation, is in his arms. And he says, I praise God, and I thank God, but he has God. He has the word, he has the Old Testament, He has the New Testament, He has everything. In his hands, he has the anointing on him. He has the leading of the Holy Spirit, suddenly he has the word suddenly has the Messiah suddenly has redemption. He has salvation. He has the light of the world. When I think about this text, you might hear my voice Krakow a bit here. Because what I feel and what I see, this is beyond human conception can control beyond human mind beyond the power of any test tube that here we have this man Holding, holding the living word, holding the Creator, holding God holding the Lord's Messiah, holding Emmanuel, God with us the name above all names, and God gave him the name, the name, above all names and at the name of Jesus, and here we have this man Simeon, that could so easily be breezed over across history,
Unknown:holding, Holding, holding everything, holding everything.
Reverend Ben Cooper:For my eyes, I've seen your salvation which you have prepared in the sight of all nations, and they light for revelation. I like the word light. So we have light, Revelation, and we have Gentiles, very important that I understand why he drops Gentiles, pagans, Gentiles, pagans. Sorry, and understanding what he means by that. The unsaved those that are not saved yet the ones that live very pagan the way the world. So here we have the light of the world, we have salvation, we have redemption, we have the Old Testament, we have the New Testament, we have the creator of heaven and earth. So let's just let's just remind ourselves, before we go on a little bit further, let's go to the Gospel of John. So let's try and try and get some form of a bit of a picture of who and what we have and what Simeon is holding in his hands. And it says in John, chapter one, in the beginning was the Word, in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him, all things were made without him, nothing was made that has been made in Him was life, and that life was the light to all mankind. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. And then if we were to jump down a little bit further, in verse 14, of John chapter one, The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, we have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only Son who came from the Father full of grace and truth. That text about simian is, is too big to use, even to use the word enormous, it is beyond articulation is beyond vocabulary, it is beyond the human mind. That what we have read on what we see about Simeon and what simian and who Simeon and how Simeon, and who he was standing there, and how he was standing there, and this old gentleman was holding everything. That is the grace of God that is the power of God. When we see everything he says, I have seen the salvation I have Scene salvation, salvation and redemption. And light is in my hands. Everything is in my hands when I, when I grabbed this text, this text is mind blowing, is beyond human conception. So Simeon this this this guy that we're looking at, I pray that we come into a close, I pray that, that God will keep you in Luke, God will keep you in that text because let me go back a moment. So when Simeon says, I see salvation, not only is he carrying salvation, but through the Gospel of John Chapter One, we clearly get a clearer understanding that not only is he holding salvation, so if he is holding Christ, the Lord's Messiah, he is holding the God of Israel known he's holding the God of Israel, he is holding the living Christ. And not only is he holding the living Christ, but he is holding the great I Am when you bring this to some, try and put a full stop on the end of this study. It is impossible, because this old gentleman that was true, devout and righteous. So let's let's just have a moment, a couple of moments before we we say God bless and good night, Simeon was was told through the Holy Spirit, that you will not die until you hold and you see, and you have in front of you, the Lord's Messiah. So at this point, when he is holding the Lord's Messiah, which is the living word, and the living word, is God, and God is the Creator of heaven enough. So I I'm just mine, on my mind is blown tonight, my mind is just torn into a million pieces to understand, and trying to get a concept and a hold that this man Simeon was holding everything, beyond the word everything, he is holding the light of the world, he is holding the seven items, he is holding God, but also as he holds God, he praises God. So when you say he holds God, I understand that he holds God because the book of Colossians chapter one says, Christ is the image of the invisible God. So if Christ is the image of the invisible God, and if you read in the Gospel of John chapter one, it says, He is the beginning, he is from the beginning. And He is before all things, and in Him, all things hold and consist. So when I bring all this Scripture together, let's not leave it, leave it to memory, in the beginning was the Word and the Word was God, and the Word was with God. He was with God in the beginning. So he was at the beginning before God said, Let there be He was with God, because He is God. And also we have the Spirit of God said, Genesis clearly tells us about creation, and the formation and the power of space, time and matter. What science is looking for in the test tube of life of trying to create, so Simeon is holding in his hands, the Old Testament, the New Testament, He is holding salvation, He is holding the light of the world, he is holding God, because we understand that Christ is the image of the invisible God. So we understand that Christ has presented to this world as the image and that image, and that formation is the fleshly presentation of a human being. And the scripture says, The man, Christ Jesus, the scriptures are so big and powerful. I'm just going to, I'm just going to drop it here and leave it here. Because we will just keep going. I pray that wherever you are across this earth, and I thank God for your lives, and I know people in Australia, I know people on the other side of the world, God bless you this evening. for staying with us for all this, I'm just going to drop it there because it's just, it's just too big. It's just too big to go any further. We'll be here for eternity. So, the scriptures that we went to was Psalm 27, went to Luke chapter two, about Simeon. Talking about the light and the salvation, light and salvation is very important. Psalm 27 talks about light and talks about salvation. We went to the Gospel of John Chapter One. And also to verse 14 of John, chapter one, verse 14, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. And also went into the book of Romans, where God is telling us that he's pouring out his love into our hearts. I just want to let you know, before I just lay on the floor, just grab yourself a prayer for a moment. God is with you. God is with you in every area of your life, every situation in everything so when I look at my life, and I look at situation When I looked, and I studied these texts, I realized that my life is nothing compared to what I read and when I mean nothing, nothing to worry about. Because we serve a God of miracles. He calls the things that are not as though he's only our he calls the things in house. They are that we enter into the arena to the conversation and the dialogue of faith. Hebrews chapter 11, verse one, Now faith. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things I've seen. God bless, I'm out of here. God bless you. Have a wonderful evening, whatever your evening may look like. God is with you. I can assure you that Jesus name, we'll see you soon. We're back tonight at 12 o'clock. 12 o'clock. We're back tonight for the midnight hour. God bless. Take care. We'll see you later. Bye. Bye.
Close:Thank you for listening to Elim church swanleys latest podcast. You can find us on Buzzsprout Spotify Apple Music iHeartRadio Google Play Alexa Mixcloud, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.