This sermon delves into the spiritual war between truth and deception, emphasizing the power of the Bible as God's word and sword. It explores the significance of the name of God, the prophecy of Simeon regarding Jesus, and the role of Anna in proclaiming the arrival of the Savior. The sermon reflects on the growth and wisdom of Jesus as a child, highlighting the divine humility and grace displayed in His human form.

There is a war going on. A spiritual war. A war between truth and deception. Only one thing cuts through all the lies and opinions of man. It is the truth of an ancient book. The Bible. It is God's word. God's sword. A double-edged sword that comes out of his mouth. His eyes were a flame of fire. And out of his mouth came a two-edged sword that really should smite the nation. Please join us in Luke, chapter 2. God revealed himself by name to Moses. And the name that God gave was considered so holy by Moses and so holy by that first generation that received it. The nation of Israel. That they didn't say it out loud. And they didn't even write it all down. When they recorded it for us and they wrote it, they only wrote the consonants, not the vowels. Because you know how people are. People would blaspheme it if they had an accurate pronunciation. But they don't. You know what they do with the name Jesus. You know what this culture does with the name Jesus. And for no reason. It is illogical. It makes no sense for them to express negative things with the name. But they do. That one name. That one name. And that one name is not Buddha or Allah or Krishna. There's no other name that men use to express anger, rage, or fear. Shock or horror. The name Jesus. You know what they do with it. And they would do the same with the rest of the name of God if they had it. So exactly how it is pronounced is a bit mysterious. But the first syllable at least. That much we know. And that would be Yah. Presumably the name would be Yahweh. And all we have is the Hebrew equivalent of YHWH. No vowels. But Yah, we know that because we know the word Hallelujah. In fact, that was the one word that is exactly the same in every language on earth. Hallelujah. Hallel, praise to Yah. There are several places in the Psalms where the name of the Lord is contracted. Where the Psalmist would write praise to Yah. So Yah. That much we know. Put it together with the other word that means salvation and you come up with Yahoshua. Abbreviated is Yahshua. In the English version we say it Jesus. Yahweh is salvation. So they gave him the name that the angel told them to. And it was at his circumcision. For he was a Jewish baby. It was eight days. Eight days after his birth that he would be according to the law circumcised. It says here. 22nd verse. One of the days of a purification. According to the law of Moses were accomplished they brought him to Jerusalem. To present him to the Lord. As it is written in the law of the Lord. Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord. To offer a sacrifice. According to that which is said in the law of the Lord. A pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons. Behold there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. 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. And he came by the spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought the child Jesus to do for him after the custom of the law. Then took he 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. 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 of many in Israel. And for a sign that it shall be spoken against. Yes sword shall pierce through thine own soul also. That the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. Please consider this. This very very elderly man. You guys know what it's like if you've lived for most of your life in a small town. You know what it's like to see people that you're acquainted with. You might not know them personally. But you know their face. They're sort of a fixture downtown. People that you've seen your whole lifetime. Old men that seem like your whole life they've been old. Familiar faces. You might not know them. Simeon was a guy like that. For the nation of Israel everybody had to come three times a year to the temple. To Jerusalem. And when they came they saw him. Though they probably didn't know him personally. A lot of people knew who he was and what he was about. They knew all of the talk about him. There was talk surrounding him. And it was rumored. The rumor was true. That he was told by the Lord he was not going to die. Until he saw the salvation of the Lord. Until he saw this one that everybody had been waiting for. That all of Israel had been waiting for for centuries. The Messiah. I'm sure people talked about it. Returning home from the feast. From the celebrations that brought them to Jerusalem. I'm sure they talked about it. They go hey he's still there. The old guy is still there. Year after year. Decade after decade. Then this day finally come. And it says he came by the Spirit. It was revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he wouldn't die until he saw. Until he actually was able to lay his eyes on the one that everybody had been waiting for. The Lord told him that. I'm sure there were days. That his faith in that promise was tested. I'm sure there were seasons. There had to be. Because you know how the Lord is. And there had to be seasons where Simeon got sick and was failing. There had to be. If he received a promise that he would not die. Until he saw the salvation of the Lord. I only can imagine. That Simeon came near death a few times. Because it's just how things go. You can only imagine that there were times where he had nearly died. Or times where he was sick and it looked like the end. And maybe people were telling him. This is it. You know people talk about really old guys. And they go boy you think the old boy is going to make it. I don't know. He looks pretty thin. Pretty feeble. He's still hanging in. I'm sure there were many times where he was tempted to doubt the promise. But he received that promise from the Lord. And God keeps his promises. Simeon came one day by the Spirit. That one day finally came. And I'm sure there were days. Because that guy is getting older and older. And just more and more feeble. It really takes its toll on you. Living in this world too long. You guys have seen it. Right? And experienced it. The longer you live here. The more damage you collect. The more we just wear out. I'm sure there was a longing in his heart for heaven. A longing to depart. But a greater longing. To receive the promise from God. To see the Messiah. And that day finally came. The Spirit. The same Holy Spirit that revealed it to him. The same Spirit that gave him the promise. Moved him. Stirred him. Get up now, Simeon. This is the day. Get up now and go to the temple. I can only imagine. That old man. Probably feeble. Probably stiff. Maybe even hunched. But he moved as fast as he could that day. From wherever he lived. And it couldn't have been far from the temple. He was that devout to the temple. And he entering in. Comes in. And imagine that moment. Would you? For Mary and Joseph. Joseph is on this incredible adventure. What an adventure. First being spoken to by an angel that appeared to him in a dream. And getting out of town after marrying this girl. And taking Mary to be his wife. And this baby born. Think about all of the things that Joseph would experience. Taking his steps of faith. And that day, coming in to keep the requirement of the law. And the child is circumcised. And that old man that everybody had always known. I'm sure Joseph and Mary were acquainted with him. And his story approaches them. And he approaches different than anybody had ever seen him. He approached with an excitement. Maybe even youthful energy. He approached completely different. And he comes in going. Please, can I hold him? Feeble hands reached for this little tiny 8 day old infant. And the mother handed her baby to that old man. And can you just see him? That old man began to weep and just cry. Shake and cry. Looking at that little tiny package of humanity. And go, I can die now. I can rest now. For God kept the promise. My eyes have seen the salvation of the Lord. Do you understand what he's saying about that little tiny package of humanity? He's saying this is our hero. This is him. My hero, this is our deliverer. And he prophesies. He says to Mary, this is significant. He looks right at this child's mother and says, This child is set for the falling and rising again of many in Israel. This child is going to upset things. But he's going to raise some, some will fall, some will rise. He is the one, oh the truth of Simeon's words. He, Jesus Christ, is the one that everybody rises or falls on. He is the very rock. He would say to himself, fall on this rock and be broken. Or this rock will fall on you and crush you to powder. He spoke of himself. The one, he's the divider of all the whole human race. Simeon says, this child is set for the falling and rising of many in Israel. And for a sign that will be spoken against. Simeon says, you realize they're going to speak against him. He's going to be hated. And he looks at that young mother and he says to her, And a sword will pierce your own soul also. That prophetic utterance, that prophetic statement was, I believe, for Mary's good. It was to prepare her heart. It would be necessary for her to receive that news. That her heart would indeed be broken. A sword would pierce her heart. A sword. Listen. Being consistent with a theme, biblically. The sword that Simeon spoke of would have to be the sword that would come out of this child's mouth. It would be his very word. The sword. It is a thing of that sword that would pierce Mary's heart. But it would be a loving pierce. It wouldn't be as it will be at Armageddon. The sword Simeon spoke of. That sword is the one that is going to slay many. You've read those ancient prophecies your whole life. You've been acquainted with those prophecies that talk about the blood reaching all the way to the horse's bridle. The battle of Armageddon. When the armies of Antichrist come and dare to challenge the God of creation. The returning Son of God. You know it's Him. The Son of God who does the killing. Now there's a poetic irony to it as well. Because it was the same one who was bathed in his own blood hanging on the cross. Dying for the sins of whosoever will. Well on that day the battle of Armageddon be covered in blood again. Only not his own. It's the blood of whosoever won't. It is the Antichrist and his armies that bleed. And what is it that makes the bleeding? What does the cleaving? According to the scripture it is a sword. A two edged sword. A double edged sword that comes out of his mouth. And his eyes are a flame of fire. And out of his mouth came a two edged sword that with it he should smite the nation. Back to Simeon's prophecy. He says to Mary, to his mother. A sword will pierce your own soul also. You understand that that is a prophetic statement that the words of Christ would ultimately cause her pain. I maintain it was loving pain. Well we'll read it. We'll see it fulfilled. So remember that thought. Carry on with me. Oh by the way, Simeon's prophecy. Simeon's great proclamation. When he said in verse 34, A light to lighten the Gentiles. He was talking about you and me. The vast majority of us in this room. The Gentiles. Non-Jews. We were not physical descendants of Abraham. We're not part of the covenant. We were part of nations that were so on the outside of any covenant with God. Pagan nations. But a light came to lighten the Gentiles. That light. Jesus Christ is that light. The light of the world. And Simeon said, a light to the Gentiles. He quoted a prophecy when he did that. From Isaiah chapter 9, the second verse. Isaiah 9. People that sat in darkness saw a great light. Think about this one. How about Isaiah 52. Go back there with me. Hold your place in Luke 2. Go back to Isaiah 52. This is a prophecy about our Lord Jesus. You're familiar with this prophecy. You've probably heard it many times. Prophecy. Then at the end of it, chapter 52, it goes into chapter 53. The chapter and verse divisions are misleading. They're just put there to help us to find our way around the Bible. But as Isaiah prophesied, what he begins to prophesy here, what we call the 52nd chapter, it goes on into Isaiah 53. And all of you guys are familiar with it. Isaiah 53 is all about a suffering servant who'd be wounded for our transgressions and bruised in our place. But Isaiah 52. I'll read you the prophecy. Beginning at verse 7. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings. That publisheth peace and that bringeth good tidings of good. That publisheth salvation. That saith unto Zion, thy God reigneth. The watchman shall lift up the voice. With the voice together shall they sing. For they shall see eye to eye when the Lord shall bring again Zion. Break forth into joy. Sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem. For the Lord hath comforted his people and hath redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord hath made bare his holy arm. In the eyes of all the nations. And all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. Guys, listen. This prophecy from Isaiah. Try to imagine it. Try to understand. A little tiny nation like Israel. A tiny little land mass. A tiny little nation with little borders. A little, a small and insignificant people. Received a prophecy from God through one of their own. That the whole world would see salvation. Even as the other prophecies that he, the Messiah, the one they waited for. Would be a light to the Gentiles. Guys, understand that the plan of God involved the whole world. Every nation and all the ages. That the whole world would hear of this Messiah that Israel waited for. That God would reveal himself to the whole world. That's what's prophesied here. I'll read it again. Verse 10. The Lord hath made bare his holy arm. In the eyes of all the nations. And all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. Depart ye, depart ye. Go ye out from hence. Touch no unclean thing. Go ye out of the midst of her. Be ye clean. That bear the vessels of the Lord. Ye shall not go out with haste. Nor go by flight. For the Lord will go before you. And the God of Israel will be your reward. Behold my servant. Shall deal prudently. He shall be exalted and extolled. And be very high. As many were astonished at thee. His visage was so marred. More than any man in his form. More than the sons of men. So shall he sprinkle many nations. The kings shall shut their mouths at him. For that which had not been told them shall they see. And that which they had not heard shall they consider. That prophecy going into this whole prophecy about Messiah. And his suffering. His substitution for all of us guilty. That whole prophecy. Leads in with prophecy about all of the nations and about kings. About kings hearing what they had not been told. About. Do you guys understand? It's about the gospel going to all the nations. Even as it has. It's why we sit here together now. Descendants of all these gentile nations. Believing this gospel. What an amazing thing. Would you please consider it again. That the whole world. Has been confronted by the gospel of the Jewish Messiah. The whole world. Every single nation. All of. Human history. Is measured. By when he came and interrupted human history. To this very day. It is despite. All of those who want to change it. It is. 2008 the year of our Lord. Prophecy is true. I read again the 15th verse. So shall he sprinkle many nations. The king shall shut their mouths at him. For that which had not been told them. Shall they see and that which they had not heard. Shall they consider. Back to. Luke chapter 2. The adventure for Joseph and Mary is not over with Simeon. But there was another. Verse 36. Same day. Same event. Same occasion. Same place. They are at the temple for the. Ceremony of circumcision. For our Lord. This 36 years. There was one Anna. A prophetess. The daughter of. Fenuel of the tribe of Asher. She was of great age. And had lived with her husband. Seven years from her virginity. She was a widow. About four score and four. Years. This woman. You do the math. Four score and four. That's 84 years. She'd been a widow. She'd been married seven years. So that puts her at what? 91. My math, right? I never. I always doubt it. Mathematically. Challenged. So let's assume she married. Somewhere around 20. This lady is indeed. As the scripture says. She is. Of great age. She's well over 100. All of those years. How did she live? Says here. She was a widow. About four score and four years. Which departed not from the temple. But served God. With fastings. And prayers night and day. I personally. I consider myself quite carnal. Try to imagine being around. Somebody like that. Somebody who. Whose life is not about her. Life is not about themselves. Not looking for a replacement. Had known seven years as a wife. All indications are that. She may have been childless. She is completely dependent upon the Lord. In a culture like that one. They didn't have a welfare system. They certainly didn't have. The means whereby the widow. Could be cared for. She would gather. Sheaves in the field had been dropped. Second leanings of. Harvest. God had made provision. But a woman. A widow in that culture. Would be completely dependent upon the Lord. And she was one. Who rather than remarrying. Gave herself to the Lord. And just stayed there at the temple. And gave herself to fasting and prayer. Day and night. And when I think about. All of those decades of her life. Lived. In the presence of the Lord. That's a holy woman. Somebody also. That everybody was familiar with. A face that everybody. Was acquainted with. A story that people knew. In Israel. People that went to the temple. They saw her. They knew of her. She was a woman of great age. And she just like Simeon. Was waiting. Verse 38 says. And she. Coming in. In that instant. Gave thanks likewise. Unto the Lord. And spake of him. To all them that looked for redemption. In Jerusalem. She told everybody. Anna went around and told everybody. Everybody in Jerusalem. That was looking for a savior to come. Anna went around saying. I have laid my eyes on him. He's been born. He is here. He has entered the world. She went around telling everybody. Verse 39 says. And when they had performed. All things according to the law of the Lord. They returned into Galilee. To their own city Nazareth. And the child grew. And waxed strong in spirit. Filled with wisdom. And the grace of God was upon him. And that's all we have. About his childhood. Right there. That's it. All we have is a summary statement. Of the. The next. Twelve years. He grew. He waxed strong in spirit. He was filled with wisdom. And the grace of God was upon him. Now. There's a lot to that one verse. What an amazing thing. The child grew. I am blown away. By the fact that God. Could enter humanity. That God could make himself. So little that he could grow. That amazes me. I've said it to you guys many times. This. This God who spoke and just said. Light be. Light was. Who spoke the whole universe into existence. Becomes a little baby. That has to learn how to talk. God who is almighty. And all powerful. Lays aside. That. Attribute. To become weak. Little tiny. I'm blown away by it. The child grew. I could dwell on that one. Just all day long. The child. Grew. You have been watching. Godsword. The ministry of Calvary Chapel. Central Maine. If you're in the Central Maine area. Please drop by to see us. At 154 River Road. In Orrington. We meet Sundays at 830 and 1030 a.m. And again at 6 p.m. Or Wednesdays at 6 p.m. If you're in the Southern Maine area. We meet at the Greater Portland Christian School. 1338 Broadway in South Portland. Saturdays at 7 p.m. You can also check us out on the web. At www.ccbangor.org There you will find audio and video teachings. By Pastor Ken. Available for download. As well as many other ministry resources.