relationships (Luke 2:28-52) Spiritual Rebirth

(Luke 2:28-52)

28 then he took Him in his arms, and blessed God, and said,

29 “Now, Lord, You are letting Your bond-servant 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 the peoples:
32 A light for revelation for the Gentiles,
     And the glory of Your people Israel.”

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

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY:

The world witnessed the Lord Jesus coming to earth in flesh, fully man while still fully God, to be our light- our hope- our salvation- to bring spiritual peace to anyone who puts their faith in Him.  But in order for this to be possible, as prophesied, Jesus had to suffer and die for all sins, for all people, of all time.  This is why, Simeon let Mary know that at some point, she would experience great pain as a mother as she witnessed Jesus being crucified.  But she also witnessed Jesus' resurrection!

The Lord Jesus is our righteous Judge, who knows all hearts, and will judge everyone according to their sins, UNLESS one has asked for His forgiveness (and received His salvation), then He will judge us according to our good deeds done in His righteousness and love, all to His glory.  Those who are too proud to repent of their sins will fall, and those who humble their hearts and repent will rise.  For those who reject Jesus and don't want Him in their life, they will go to a place void of God.  For those who love Jesus and embrace having a personal relationship with Him, we will spend all eternity, worshipping, praising and serving the Lord, our Savior.

Representing new life, the birth of a baby is a joyous event for parents, friends and family, although this precious time is brief.  Also representing a level of innocence, let's not be deceived, we are all born into sin.  Therefore, as a parent, even though we pour love into our babies, and do our best to teach them what is right, it's obvious how quickly they figure out how to manipulate and try to get what they want in their own way.  

Therefore, the birth of Jesus was necessary!  Therefore, His death and resurrection was necessary!  It was only because of this, that we can be spiritually reborn, to become a child of God.  Just like Jesus was "reborn" to take on flesh in order to die for us... in salvation, we are reborn to take on His Spirit in order to have eternal life.  It is in our rebirth that we receive the Lord's indwelling Holy Spirit who changes us from the inside out, and then remains with us to guide and help us to become more and more like Him.  And because of God's grace, we cannot lose our salvation.  Once a child of God, always a child of God!  This is the good news, and it is a very joyous thing!