Sunday Sermon Outline: Simeon's Song

Simeon's Song
Luke 2:21-35


Introduction:
     “He was in the world, and although the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. 11 He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him” (John 1:10-11).


I. The Stage is Set vs. 21-24
     Luke 2:21-24, “And when eight days had passed, before His circumcision, His name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. 22 And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.””


     Galatians 4:4, “When the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law.”


II. The Spirit is Sent vs. 25-27
     Luke 2:25-27, “And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 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. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, …”


III. The Song is Sung vs. 28-32
     Luke 2:28-32, “Then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, 29 “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word; 30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation, 31 Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 A Light of revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”


     “I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2).


IV. The Sword is Swung vs. 33-35
     Luke 2:33-35, “And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed— 35 and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.””


Conclusion:
     “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6).




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Sunday Sermon Outline: The Angels' Song

The Angels’ Song
Luke 2:14

Introduction:
     Luke 2:8-14, “In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

     “He came to His own, and His own received Him not” (John 1:11).
     “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me.”
     “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”  (Romans 11:3-5).

I. Glory to God

     “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23)
     “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:2).
     “with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God” (Romans 4:20).
     “For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, 19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things” (Philippians 3:18-19).
     “our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 21 who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself” (Philippians 3:20-21).
     “if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” (Colossians 3:1).
     “The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen” (2 Timothy 4:18).

II. Peace among men with whom He is pleased

     “From the least even to the greatest Everyone is greedy for gain; From the prophet even to the priest Everyone practices deceit. 11 “They heal the brokenness of the daughter of My people superficially, Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ But there is no peace” (Jeremiah 8:10-11).
     “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” (Matthew 17:5).
     “No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier” (2 Timothy 2:4)
     “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).
     “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful” (John 14:26-27).
     “With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, 8 knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free” (Ephesians 6:7-8).
     “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:10).

Conclusion:
     “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
     “Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division” (Luke 12:51).
     “the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).


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Five things that are killing the Restoration Movement: #3, Music

I can hardly think of a more beloved Scriptural topic than music. As early as Genesis 4:21 we learn of “Jubal … the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe.” From that starting point, music fills the Bible from beginning to end. It is amazing to me that there are even such a thing as “non-instrumental brethren,” considering the overall volume of God's word dedicated to those who sing and play music.

Unfortunately, Satan is a master at taking what is good and right … and making it bad and wrong. Currently, music is killing the Restoration Movement. Forget whether music should be instrumental or non-instrumental. Let's set aside whether we should be using contemporary or traditional songs. Can we simply take a moment to discuss why the Lord finds music so important?

The New Testament church has been given clear commands. Ephesians 5:18-19 says, “be filled with the Spirit, [19] speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord.” Colossians 3:16 likewise says, “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

Just a few verses of Scripture from the Lord is enough to learn! 1) Music is connected with the Spirit of God (“filled with the Spirit;” “spiritual songs”), 2) it is a means of our communicating with one another (“speaking to one another”), 3) it is a means of training and correction (“teaching and admonishing”), and 4) it is a means of communicating with the Lord (“to the Lord;” “to God”).

Our communication … our instruction … is via “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.” Regardless of what these words may mean or whether they imply the use or non-use of instruments, the key word has to be “spiritual.” These are songs that are byproducts of the Holy Spirit living within us. If we fail to understand that point, then our communication with one another and the Lord fails. We certainly cannot appropriately teach and correct Christians unless the Spirit is directing the process.

So let's take a look at what's happening in the churches today … and why it's killing the Restoration Movement.

Oh, we have music … and plenty of it! If you get out your stop watch and time each segment of your worship service, I'd bet that more time is given to music than to anything else. Most song services (or praise times, or whatever you want to call them) run longer by far than the time of communion, which is supposed to be central to our time of corporate worship. They also normally exceed the preaching of the word. But what do we achieve with the 30-45 minutes we dedicate to music?

Has someone thoughtfully selected “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” that reflect a common theme, or simply picked random songs that the musicians can actually play? Has more time been spent in finding a common key signature than in finding a common spiritual message? At the praise band practice, how much time is spent in determining whether or not a song will appropriately teach and correct as opposed to the time spent simply practicing the way the music is going to be played? Again, what do we plan to achieve with the HALF of our “worship service” that is dedicated to music?

Unfortunately, in most Restoration Movement congregations the music has become a sore spot … a bone of contention … a means of loss, rather than gain. Older people have been divided from the younger based on musical tastes. Leaderships have chosen to pursue musical services that they believe will best appeal to God to the masses. The pianos and organs have been sold and replaced with drums and guitars. Why? Is a drum and guitar better suited for playing “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,” or is it just more in tune with the popular culture?

I have been told often (really, really often) how we will never reach young people unless we play the music that they like. Is that our Biblical mandate … to reach young people? (Such thinking implies that we should care more about the youth that are NOT present than the older people who actually are.) And have we been instructed to imitate the world in order to reach people in general? A song may get the crowd clapping and tapping their toes … yet still fail to teach and admonish. So what if your rockin' praise band brings in throngs of young people? If they have not spiritually strengthened them, then what has been accomplished? And if the only thing you have accomplished in your praise time is to offend the ears of the aged, then someone has never learned Christ's first great Christian lesson … deny yourself (Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23)!

Almost every congregation I have visited over the last ten years has had a praise band … no matter how small the congregation. I have to shake my head in both sadness and disgust as I hear the latest popular contemporary song butchered in the hopes that maybe – just maybe – it will help build the attendance. Spoiler alert: It won't!

Let's get a few things straight: 1) Great music will never overcome poor leadership or poor preaching. 2) Music is a side issue, not the main issue. The early church (which we are supposed to be restoring) “were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42). Don't you find it a little odd that so much attention is given to music by the church today, and so little is said of it in the New Testament? And 3) what you win them with, is what you win them to. In other words, if it takes great music to get people in the door, then it's going to take great music to keep them. If the music quality falters, then they will attend elsewhere. I've heard “leaders” say they will “teach them once they get them!” Yeah. I've never seen it happen. Go ahead. Set up the walls of the house on a foundation of cotton candy. See how long those walls stand.

Oh, how I would love to see the heart of New Testament Christianity restored, with music taking its rightful place as a tool to assist in the instruction of sound doctrine. There's not one of us who don't know the words to songs like “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” or “Row, Row, Row Your Boat,” or “Happy Birthday to You.” We learned them as children … and have never forgotten them! Where are the "spiritual songs" we have memorized though? Where are the "psalms and hymns" of which we know every word … which are teaching us sound doctrine and helping us to maintain our relationship with the Lord? I don't see them.

All I see is that music has become divisive, and has opened the door to a casual attitude before the Lord and a dismissive attitude toward others who don't share the same musical tastes. At best, today's musical culture within the Restoration Movement is selfish and indulgent ... at worst, it's promoting false doctrines. Having said that, I ask this: Who will be the first to step up and make the necessary changes to restore New Testament principles?