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Praising the Lamb of God and Why It Matters
Man, if there's ever been a time for the remnant church—those of us who really, really have surrendered our lives to Christ and we want him to increase and us to decrease—never in our history as Americans has it been time to praise the Lamb.
In less than a week, the presents will have been given and received. The meals will have been eaten, and the festivities will come to an end for another year. The good gift you receive will bring a smile to your face. And the bad gift you receive will go in the drawer next to the bad gift you got last year. The tree and the decorations will come down, and Christmas will be gone for another year.
Or will it?
The fact is Christmas really has nothing to do with the things I just mentioned. Christmas can go on 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It can go on if we allow Jesus to be the central figure of Christmas—because then, as that central figure, it'll permeate into the rest of our life.
My hope is that this will give you something to ride not just to and through Christmas, but as they say in the famous movie, to keep Christmas all of the year.
The Lamb Presented at the Temple
Luke 2:21-38
At the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. And when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord," and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons."
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, "Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel."
And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed."
And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
In our text today, the Lamb of God has been born. God has stepped out of eternity and entered human history. The Lamb was promised. The Lamb was prepared. And he has been provided.
Our text takes us to Jerusalem for an event that occurred 40 days after that very first Christmas. When Jesus was eight days old, he was circumcised as prescribed by the law in Leviticus 12. And after 40 days, Mary reached the end of her purification that was required by the law in Leviticus 12. In these verses, we are allowed to go to the Lord's house with Jesus and his family. They take him to present him to the Lord and to be redeemed according to the law of Deuteronomy 18.
Now, that is just an awesome thought. Have you ever thought of that? The Redeemer had to be redeemed. It's a picture of obedience.
While they were there, a special event occurred. Two old geyser saints of God—Simeon and Anna—were in the temple, and they're about to throw down. They were there because the Holy Spirit led them there. They were part of a faithful Jewish remnant that was looking for the appearing of the Messiah. And when they met Jesus that day, even though he was just a 40-day-old infant, they are overjoyed and they begin to lift up praises to the Lord.
The Motive to Praise the Lamb
When Simeon enters the temple and takes Jesus into his arms, the old dude declares for all to hear the reason for his joy. In his speech, Simeon gives us a threefold motive for praising the Lord that's just as valid today as it was then: the stone, the sign, and the sword.
But let's start with who appeared.
Who Appeared
The name Simeon means "he who hears." And apparently this man has been hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit. In verse 26, he had been told that he would not die until he had seen Christ—the Jewish Messiah, the Savior for the world. He's going to see it for himself.
When old Simeon sees Jesus, he is notified by the Spirit that this is the one. This is the one.
And what does Simeon do? He starts to praise the Lord because of who had entered the world.
So just who is this baby, right? He's identified here as the Lord's Christ in verse 26 and the Lord's salvation in verse 30. Simeon understood who he was, but few others did.
Forty days earlier on the night when Jesus was born, some humble shepherds—they knew who he was. Some heavenly angels knew who he was. But sadly, many others did not know who he was. Most likely, many other people in the temple that day did not even know who he was. Many folks in Bethlehem didn't know who he was. They didn't realize how special this baby was.
And sadly, many folks today don't really know who this child is, was, and is. Know about him, but they don't know him.
So, let me just take a minute, take a breath, and I'm going to tell you who this baby they named Jesus was and still is:
He is God in human flesh.
John 1:1, 14 | Philippians 2:5-8
He is the Lamb of God slain before the foundations of the world.
Revelation 13:8 | 1 Peter 1:18-20
He is the only Savior of sinners. He's the only one and he's the only way to God.
John 14:6 | Acts 4:12 | 1 John 5:12 | John 8:24
Simeon is jacked. He's excited because the promised one has appeared. He knew who Jesus was.
So the question you and I must answer: Do you know who Jesus is? And if you do, then we can praise him like Simeon did.
Why He Appeared
In verses 30 through 32, we see the why for all the praise. Now that we know the who, let's look at the why.
As Simeon praises God the Father for the baby Jesus, he tells us a little bit about why Jesus actually came into the world. We're told in verse 30 that Jesus is salvation. Then we are told that he has come to change the whole world. The ministry he will fulfill will impact the Jewish nation and it'll even reach into the Gentile world.
Basically, Simeon is reminding us that Jesus came into this world to save all of those who would come to him by faith. Whether a person is a Jew or a Gentile, doesn't matter. Jesus came to provide salvation for all who will receive him. That is the promise of the entire Word of God.
That's why I want it to come alive for you during this Christmas week.
The truth that Jesus came into the world to set me free from my sins is a true motivation for praise. If you understand your condition and you understand your sin and you've been there and you've looked at it and you've laid it down at the foot of the cross—praise is just the result. You can't help it.
That he would love me enough to die for me and save me. His grace is just beyond words to describe. I get to stand up here every week and try to describe it and I feel like I come up short every week. It's that awesome.
If we can't find any other reason to praise the Lord, surely we can praise him because he loved us so much that he endured the pain, the shame, and the horror of the cross that set us free from our sins.
I want to show you something. I want you to hear what Isaiah said about it.
Isaiah 53:4-6
Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace. And with his wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way. And the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
All means all. That's you. That's me. That's everybody. We've turned to our own way. And then the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of all of us.
How can you read that and not praise and bless the name of Jesus Christ? How can it not permeate everything that you do? Your coming, your going, your waking, your sleeping, your moving, your grooving. How can it not permeate everything?
What He Accomplished: The Stone, the Sign, and the Sword
In verses 34 and 35, Simeon continues his praise by offering a prophecy of what Jesus would accomplish in his life. In these verses, the old geyser speaks of a stumbling stone, a sign, and a sword.
And I call him an old geyser out of affection because there's a lot of us old geysers who have something to say. A lot of us old geysers have something to praise. Why? Because we've been there, done that, got the t-shirt. When you have older people in your midst, listen to them.
The Stone
The phrase "fall and rising among many in Israel" refers to Jesus as the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy that you find in Psalm 118 and Isaiah 8.
Many in Israel would stumble over the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus. They would stumble in rejection and conviction, but few would rise again for salvation. Narrow is the way and broad is the road.
See, Jesus is the stumbling stone. And let me just state for the record that Jesus Christ is still the stumbling stone—but he's also the salvation stone. He's the judgment stone. He's the touchstone.
What's that? That is, he reveals humans for what they really are. When you see yourself as you are as a sinner, that's because God is opening your eyes to that.
Well, aren't we all born good? We're generally good people who just make mistakes? No. No. The reason you lock your doors, the reason we have contracts and can't do handshakes, is because people generally have a default towards evil. When they are justified of their sins, they start the sanctification process. But there's a pull all the time. That's why daily, in keeping with repentance, we serve the Lord.
Jesus is that stone. Everything in your spiritual life hinges around how you answer one question. Do you stumble over this or do you leap over it?
And that question is this: What do you think of the Christ?
Matthew 22:41-42
Now, while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying, "What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?"
How you answer that question determines where your soul stands in relationship to God.
I am so tired of contrived manipulative junk when life and death is on the line. And according to the Word of God, life and death is on the line. And what you think about Jesus will determine your eternal life.
1 John 4:1-3
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.
My answer to this text is to continue to reject any peripheral nonsense and get down to what does the Bible actually say in context and how can I apply that to my life to be a better servant for the one who saved me.
What's your answer?
The Sign
Simeon also talks about a sign. You know what this word sign means? The word sign means miracle. Jesus Christ is God's miracle.
But instead of receiving him as the gift and revelation of God, his enemies attacked him and crucified him. His birth was a miracle and they attacked it. His miracles were ridiculed and attributed to the work of Satan. His character was called into question. And they mocked him as he died and then they lied about his resurrection.
Even today, people still doubt the miracle of my King Jesus Christ. And you know how they do that? They question his promise of returning to earth again. That's in 2 Peter 3 if you're interested.
The Sword
So then Simeon talks about a sword. Of course, this was Mary's pain. Oh, she suffered as she watched Jesus fulfill his Father's plan. The ultimate hurt came the day she watched him dying on that cross for sinners.
The bottom line is all of this surrounds the fact that Jesus Christ entered this world to provide a sacrificial, substitutionary death for lost sinners. That's what makes it the good news. That's what makes the little baby in the manger so awesome.
Thank God for that wonderful truth.
So I ask you: Do you know the King? Have you met him? Jesus is the chief cornerstone. Is he the chief cornerstone of your life?
When you stop and really ponder and think who arrived, why he appeared, and what he accomplished—you can see that we have quite a motive to praise the Lord, don't we?
The Rhythm of the Lamb's Praise
The rhythm of the Lamb's praise goes like this: It's verbal. It's visible. And it's intentional. And at times it's loud.
We see Simeon and Anna magnify the name of the Lord. We can learn a lesson about how we should be praising him in these days.
You know, we sometimes go to worship services and we stand there sitting on our hands and we sing that song—I don't know how we can sing it while we're sitting on our hands, but we do—"Lord, we lift up our hands." Is he looking at me? Is she looking at me? I don't know... okay, maybe I can do this. You know, Tim Hawkins calls this "carry the TV."
It's verbal. It's visible. And it's intentional. And sometimes it's loud.
And a lot of what is passed off as praise nowadays is nothing more than a show in the flesh. There's a biblical way to offer the sacrifice of praise. And these two old folks show us how to do it.
Vocal Praise
In verse 28, Simeon didn't just see Jesus and rejoice in his heart. He opened his mouth and lifted up his voice and praised the Lord. He did not keep what he was feeling bottled up. He let it out to the glory of the Lord.
Visible Praise
And make no mistake, that praise was visible. Simeon involved the entire person of his personhood in the act of praise. He reached out, lifted the baby Jesus, held him high, and praised the Lord. He was not embarrassed to vocally and visibly praise his Redeemer who had come in the flesh.
Verbal and Intentional Praise
Finally, I also want you to consider how the praise was verbal. When Anna saunters in, she is walking into an arena of praise. She blends her voice with that of Simeon, but she adds an additional element. When Simeon lifted his hands, his heart, and his voice to the Lord, Anna praised the Lord—but she also tells others about what the Lord is doing. Her praise was very intentional and very verbal.
Yeah, I get it. We live in an age where old-fashioned praising the Lord is out of vogue. People are too sophisticated, too refined, and quite frankly, too afraid of what others might think of them to be involved in vocal, visible, and verbal praise to the Lord.
Let me just state it for the record: There's nothing wrong with vocal, visible, and verbal praise to the Lord for what he has done and is doing in our lives. And if he has done anything for you at all, then you have a reason to praise the Lord.
What the Bible Says About Loud, Intentional Praise
Psalm 47:1
Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!
Kind of hard to misinterpret, isn't it?
Psalm 98:4
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
Psalm 135:1-3
Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord, give praise, O servants of the Lord, who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God! Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing to his name, for it is pleasant!
Hebrews 13:15
Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
I think it's safe to say that God thinks that loud and intentional praise is in order. You see it?
What the Bible Says About Visible Praise
Psalm 63:4
So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips.
Psalm 134:1-2
Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who stand by night in the house of the Lord! Lift up your hands to the holy place and bless the Lord!
Hm. I wonder what God's getting at here. If only there was a clue. He wants to see it. Visible praise.
What the Bible Says About Verbal Praise
Psalm 51:13
Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.
Psalm 107:2
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble.
I know many of your stories. Many of you were like me—you were redeemed from trouble. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.
Mark 5:19-20 tells a little story that shows us big things when it comes to our redemption. This is about when Jesus healed the man that was full of demons:
As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. And he did not permit him but said to him, "Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.
You read the Word of God and you can't help but get the feeling that the Lord likes it when his children brag on him to a lost world. He likes it when we come in the company of saints as the remnant church and sing praises and talk about how great Jesus is.
And you know what that does? That elevates the Lord's status in our coming and going.
The Praise of the Lamb Creates Status
As the name of the Lord was praised publicly, three precious things took place that day. By the way, the same three things still happen today when God's people take the time to praise him for who he is, what he has done, what he is doing, and what he has promised to do.
The Sovereign himself is lifted up. Saints get stronger. And people are evangelized.
We phrase that around here like this: We exist as a church to make his name great.
The Sovereign Is Lifted Up
First, notice how the Sovereign was lifted up. How it brought glory to God when he was praised in the temple! Everything in the temple is about ritual. But when Simeon and Anna broke the rituals and began to praise the Lord, the focus was taken off the ritual and placed on the Lord God of heaven—in the flesh, in their midst, as an infant baby.
Even today, when the Lord is genuinely lifted up and praised in his church, his name is made great.
When we forget about our rituals, when we take our focus off of ourselves and lift his name—he is exalted. Another way we say that around here is: He must increase and I must decrease.
Thank God for the ministry of praise and what that actually does.
The Saints Are Strengthened
And if you look at verse 33, you're going to see how the saints were actually strengthened. Mary and Joseph hear these praises and they are given hope and encouragement by the praises of these precious saints of God.
And by the way, it still helps when the Lord's people hear others praising his name.
Look, there are days when I cannot feel the spirit of praise in my heart. There are times when I'm not in a position spiritually to even praise his name. But when I see one of my brothers and sisters in Jesus praise his name, it connects with my heart and it performs a ministry in my life.
And I'm talking about authentic—not contrived. Trust me, there's tons of counterfeit out there, even in the praise arena.
Authentic praise of thankfulness of the redeemed—it lifts me up. It encourages me. And when I hear precious children of God stand and give a testimony, it touches my heart where I can say in my heart, "Amen," to the praise they are offering up.
So whenever you feel like praising him, don't hold back. When that testimony has to come out, don't try to stifle it—because that's what the enemy wants to do. He wants to stifle it in you.
Especially guys. Especially men. I don't want people to think I'm a Jesus freak. Are they looking at me? They looking at me? I'm going to praise God. Oh, he's looking at me... Yeah. You don't laugh because you know it's true. You do.
When I hear that precious child of God stand up and give that testimony and it comes out—after all, we have an abundant reason to praise him—it encourages us.
Now, I get it. Some of us are just going to be laid-back. That's our nature. There's nothing wrong with your nature. But some of you are holding back praises to God out of fear. And that's quite sad.
Sinners Are Evangelized
And then sinners are evangelized. The Bible tells us that Anna went out and told others about this baby she had seen. The Bible says she spoke of him. What a topic of discussion—because she was verbal in her praise. Lost sinners heard where they could find Jesus, too. It's kind of an example, right?
Look, you will never know what a little testimony, a little praise, a little witness for Jesus will accomplish. You don't know what other people are going through, but they can take the sacrifice of praise you offer in his name and use it to turn their hearts towards him.
And here's either the sad or the cool part, depending on your perspective: Many times you won't even know.
If you are living authentically for Jesus and you're just sharing the love of Christ with people in your unique way, God will take it and will use it beyond what you can understand. And you may not ever know what you've done till we get to the other side.
That's what being faithful in Christ produces. It produces results that many times we can't even see.
You want to know why you don't care? Because you're not doing it to get any credit. You're doing it out of good old-fashioned gratitude to Jesus.
So when you put your stuff out there and God takes it and uses it, you praise his name. If people spit it back in your face, you praise his name. If it turns somebody's heart, you praise his name. If it makes somebody mad, you praise his name. You don't care.
Once I Was Blind and Now I See
John 9—the greatest testimony in the history of the Scriptures.
The religious people are pounding on this dude. He's just a regular guy. He was blind from birth and now Jesus made him well, gave him sight. And he's standing in front of the Sanhedrin and they're just digging after him. Who sinned? You or your parents? Who did this? Who did that?
And finally, the dude just says, "Look." And he lays down the greatest testimony in the Bible:
I don't know any of what you're talking about. All I know is once I was blind and now I see.
And if you have that testimony, my born-again brother and sister, you have everything.
Once I was blind and lost in my sin, and now I see. I see the Lamb who deserves my praise because of my forgiveness.
Keep Christmas All Year Long
These two old folks—they met Jesus and they came away praising his name. Then Jesus is taken to the temple at 40 days of age, and all through his life, he was praised by those who love him.
And there's even occasions when the Father, his own Father, God of heaven, spoke praises out of heaven. And it's recorded in your Bible. He said:
"This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased."
How can you love Jesus and be redeemed and forgiven and know it in your heart and not say anything? Not sing about it? Not get excited?
I'm just saying—if you're saved, you have a reason to praise him.
If you're holding back for whatever reason, figure that out. Because I can tell you right now, there are people who I know that it is not their nature to lift their hands and holler praises to the Lord. And I say "holler" because I can't carry a tune—that's all I can do.
But sometimes it's in our nature, maybe even at home when we're alone, to just start talking to God in a praise kind of way. Just being grateful and thankful.
If you are saved, let his restoration of your life just fill your heart this Christmas season.
Now, if you're lost and you don't really know Jesus—you might know of him—you have a whole different set of needs today.
Notice in verse 30 here, Simeon talks about departing because he has seen the Lord's salvation. I'm ready to depart because I know the Lord's salvation.
Are you?
It's of vital importance that you see God's salvation before death takes you out of this world. And after death comes for you, it'll be too late.
If you don't know Jesus, someone would be happy to introduce him. But you need to reach out. You need to take the first step.
And for those of you who are saved—rejoice this Christmas season and let your praise be a testimony to others. Watch what God will do with it.
He will do some amazing things that you can't even imagine.