설교제목 : 내 눈이 주님의 구원을 보았다 (My Eyes Have Seen Your Salvation)

Sunday Worship Service Sermon (12-29-2024)

My Eyes Have Seen Your Salvation

(Luke 2:25-38, Isaiah 9:1-7)

1.   

Last Sunday, through the Word of God, we met Jesus who came to the world to save us from sins. How did you feel when you first heard the news that Jesus came to the world to save you from sins?

The news that God, who is love, came to the world as a baby through the body of a virgin to save all mankind from sin must have been shocking news unlike any other news we have ever heard. On the other hand, this news would have been a great gift of joy and hope from God to all mankind living in despair and fear. God said that He had 'accomplished this with His zeal' in order to give this gift to all mankind (Isaiah 9:7). My earnest wish is that all people in the world would joyfully receive and enjoy this wonderful gift that God has accomplished 'with His zeal' for a long time.

Let me ask you: What did you and I do when we first met Jesus who came to the world to save us from sin? What kind of life change is beginning for you and me through the birth of Jesus (=through “to us a child is born”) (Isaiah 9:6)?

Christmas is not just about having a religious ceremony on Christmas Day and then going back to our daily lives as before. Rather, we should be transformed into new people through Jesus who came to us to save us from sins, and begin a happy life with Jesus whom we have accepted as our Savior.

Last week, after sharing with you the sermon titled “Christmas - The Day I First Met the Lord”, I lived the week of Christmas with the thought that Jesus, who came to save sinners like me, is ‘with me now.’ And I looked into the Bible to find out what Simeon and Anna, who had been waiting for a long time to meet the Lord’s Christ, did when they finally met the born Jesus (=the day they saw the Lord's salvation), and what kind of changes happened in their lives after meeting the born Jesus. Also, while reading several times the words of Isaiah 9, which records the great news of Jesus' birth, I looked for ways in which those who have seen the Lord's salvation should live. That is what those who first met the Lord on Christmas must do. That is what God wants most for us who have seen the Lord's salvation on Christmas.

2.   

First, I will share what Simeon and Anna did on the day they finally met Jesus, whom they had been waiting for for a long time. Also, I will share how their lives changed after seeing the Lord’s salvation that day.

There was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon. This man lived righteously, devoutly, and with the Holy Spirit, and waited earnestly for Jesus. He knew that he was a sinner who needed to be saved, so he waited his whole life earnestly for the Messiah who would save him from sins. Then one day, Simeon, moved by the Holy Spirit, went into the temple courts and saw Jesus’ parents bring the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required. Simeon stood before Jesus, whom he had been waiting for so earnestly.

What did Simeon do when he first met the Lord whom he had so desperately waited for? Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: “For my eyes have seen your salvation.” He thanked God for freeing him from sins.

There was a woman in Jerusalem called Anna, a prophetess. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. Anna also knew that she was a sinner who needed to be saved, so she waited and waited her whole life for the Messiah who would save her from her sins. She waited so earnestly for Christ that she never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she also, like Simeon, met the child Jesus.

What did Anna do on the day she met the Lord she had been waiting for so long? Anna thanked God for allowing her to meet (accept) the Christ she had been waiting for so desperately, and told the people in Jerusalem that Jesus had come to the world for our salvation.

People who had lost their song in pain and sorrow began to sing to God through the birth of Jesus.

Second, how should those who have seen the salvation of the Lord live? God teaches us the answer through Isaiah 9:1-7.

This text is the word of God given through the prophet Isaiah 700 years before Jesus came to this earth as the Messiah. In summary, God showed us what would happen to us through a child born to us (=to us a son is given).

(Verse 1) He said that for those who were previously suffering and in distress because of sins (=despair, sins, death) there will be no more gloom, (why? Because the Messiah came to save us sinners) and those who were humbled because of sins will become glorious children of God.

(Verse 2) He also said that the people walking in darkness (=sin/despair) will see a great light (= will live in light, life, and hope), and on those living in the land of deep darkness because of sins, a light (=eternal life) will shine.

(Verses 3-5) And he said that the yoke (=sins) that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, and the rod of the oppressor (=these represent the suffering caused by sin) will be resolved by the Lord's atonement on the cross, and peace will be given (=reconciled with God), so they would rejoice before the Lord (=people would be able to approach God again and rejoice). Here, 'peace' also means that there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain (Revelation 21:4)).

(Verse 7) God promised that the zeal of the Lord Almighty would accomplish all of this.

(Verse 6) And God said that this child will be called the Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. He said that this child is not an ordinary child. He said that this child is the Messiah sent by God for the salvation of mankind. God sent us a child to give us this amazing grace.

Therefore, those who have received this amazing grace through the coming of this child to us (=those who have seen the born Jesus) should welcome Jesus, who came to us as the Messiah and as our Savior, in our hearts and live in gratitude and praise to God who saved us with His zeal. This is what God wants most from us humans on Christmas.

Jesus came from heaven to save us and is knocking on the door of our hearts, but we must not keep it locked (Revelation 3:20). We should confess, “I repent of my sins and I immediately now open the door. Dear Savior, enter and be my Savior,” and we should welcome Jesus, who came for our salvation, with all our hearts.

Even though we believe in Jesus, we try to find joy in other things instead of receiving our joy from Jesus. Such faith has no happiness. We must become saints who overflow with joy that springs only from knowing Jesus, and we must worship with joy because of Jesus. This joy that we have gained through Jesus must fill us up so that we can live lives worthy of saints and become a church worthy of being a church.

And Jesus was born to save His people from their sins. So those who have seen the Lord’s salvation must be born again and begin to live a changed life.

Third, how should those who have seen the Lord's salvation live?

Those who have met the born Jesus are no longer alone. Jesus, who came to this earth for our salvation, will be with us until the end of the world.

Dear friends, do not think that you are alone. Do not think that you are alone when you are having a hard time, when you are lonely, or when you are weak. God is always with you. God will help you and guide you.

In Matthew 1:23, God said that, 'Jesus came to the world to save his people from their sins, and God came to the world to be with us.'

With the coming of Jesus, who came to this earth for our salvation, we began to live with God. There is one very surprising fact. What kind of person is Jesus who is with us? Yes, God, who is now in us and who is always with us, is Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.

God, the Wonderful Counselor, will give us His word every day and teach us what to do every moment of every day. He will guide our path. He will hear our cries and help us. He will give us the strength to overcome difficult times. He will comfort and encourage us. He will give us the wisdom to live differently from the world. Almighty God will surely fulfill all His promises. He will fill us even more abundantly than what we pray for. He will change us into new people. He will accomplish His will through us. Everlasting Father will love us to the end, as a father cares for his children. He will protect us and provide for all our needs. He will treasure us above all else, feed us, clothe us, and care for us. And on the last day, He will bring us into His glorious presence. God, the Prince of Peace, will give us peace. He will make us rejoice in His presence. He will hush all our fears, calm all our storms, destroy all our enemies, remove all our obstacles, and give us peace. And He will make us live forever with the Lord in heaven where there will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain. (Revelation 21:4)

Dear friends, God loves us like this. God came to the world to give us this amazing grace (to give us the grace of God being with us).

Now you are not alone. God is in you. God values ​​you more than anything else. Do not worry about anything. God knows everything you need. God takes responsibility for you. Always rely on God and live. Enjoy this grace that God is with you and live joyfully and happily. And live in gratitude and obedience to God who is in you. In 2025, God, Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace will be with you. God wants your days to be filled with His love, joy, peace, and hope.

Fourth, how should those who have seen the Lord's salvation live?

700 years before Jesus came to the world as the Messiah, God said through the prophet Isaiah, “I will send a child to you," and "the zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this” (Isaiah 9:7). And 700 years later, God fulfilled this promise to us.

Therefore, those who have seen the salvation of Jesus must recover their zeal for God. We, too, must live zealously for God, thinking of God's zeal for our salvation.

3.   

All saints (=those who have seen the salvation of the Lord) are people who began living a happy life because of the grace that God has accomplished through His zeal. Saints are people who are happy because of Jesus.

I hope that you will become saints who live each day joyfully enjoying this amazing grace that God, who loves us, has accomplished through His zeal by coming to the world in human form and saving us from sin and being with us. God wants your days to be filled with God’s love, joy, peace, and hope. Amen!!