The Fear of Death Destroyed by a Sight of Christ
J. Caughey. Luke 2:26 And it was revealed to him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. Our text is a joyful exclamation of a venerable old saint upon seeing the Lord's Christ. It seems that when his eyes once looked upon Jesus, he never wished them to gaze on aught more on earth. Hence he exclaimed, "Now, Lord, lettest Thou Thy servant depart inpeace." We remark — I. THAT GOD ALWAYS HONOURS PRE-EMINENTLY DEVOTED MEN. Them that honour Me," saith the Lord, "will I honour." Undevout minds are too worldly, too apathetic, too dull to hear the secret whispering of heaven. 'Tis the spiritual ear alone that can hear the still small voice that comes across the universe from the spirit-world; 'tis the spiritual eye alone that reads the secrets of eternity, that sees passing in review before it the realities of the hidden state. Some simple-hearted Christians were once returning from chapel; they had been to hear the holy Bramwell preach. One of them said to the other, "How is it that Mr. Bramwell has always something new to tell us?" "Ah!" said the other, "I can tell you how it is; he lives very much nearer the gates of heaven than many of us, and God tells him things He does not tell other people." And so it was with Simeon. He lived very much nearer the gates of heaven than many of his day; and God honoured him by telling him this great fact. It was revealed unto Simeon that he should not see death till he had seen the Lord's Christ. II. SIMEON WAS A MAN OF PRE-EMINENT DEVOTEDNESS TO GOD. "And, behold," say the Scriptures, "there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon." Observes an eminent divine, "No doubt there were many persons in Jerusalem named Simeon besides this man, but there was none of the name who merited the attention of God so much as he in the text." There are four things said about him in the text, every one of which is an evidence of his great devotedness. It is said of him that he was just, devout, that he waited for the Consolation of Israel, and that the Holy Ghost was upon him. You cannot dispense with one of these elements from eminent piety, reconciliation, devoutness, a waiting upon God, and the possession of the Holy Ghost. A virtuous man said, a philosopher is the noblest work of God; but we would rather say a Christian, a devout man, is the noblest work of God. Such a man is God's jewel, His friend; 'tis with him God delights to dwell; 'tis to him God will tell His secrets; on him confer His richest houours. Simeon was such a man; God honoured him by telling him the great fact, that before death should close his eyes, he should see the Lord's Christ. III. THAT THOUGH SIMEON WAS AN EMINENTLY DEVOTED MAN, HE HAD GREAT DISCOURAGEMENT IN OBTAINING A SIGHT OF THE OBJECT HE SO EXTREMELY DESIRED. What Simeon wanted was to see the Lord's Christ. Unbelief would suggest to him, "Simeon, you are an old man, your day is almost ended, the snow of age is upon your head,, your eyes are growing dim, your brow is wrinkled, your limbs totter, and death cannot be at a great distance; and where are the signs of His coming? You are resting, Simeon, on a phantom of the imagination — it is all a delusion." "No," replies Simeon, "I shall not see death till I have seen the Lord's Christ. Yes, I shall see Him before I die." But unbelief would again suggest, "But remember, Simeon, many holy men have desired to see the Lord's Christ, but have died without the sight." "Yes," says Simeon, "I shall see the Lord's Christ." I imagine I see Simeon walking out on a fine morning along one of the lovely vales of Palestine, meditating on the great subject that filled his mind. He is met by one of his friends — "Peace be with you: have you heard the strange news?" "What news?" replied Simeon. "Do you not know Zacharias, the priest?" "Yes, well." "According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense in the temple of the Lord, and the whole multitude of the people were praying without. It was the time of incense, and there appeared unto him aa angel standing on the right side of the altar of incense, and told him that he should have a son, whose name should be called John: one who should be great in the sight of the Lord, who should neither drink wine nor strong drink, and he should be filled with the Holy Ghost from his infancy, and that he should go before the Messiah in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord, and make ready a people prepared for the Lord. The angel was Gabriel, that stands in the presence of God, and because he believed not the angel, he was struck dumb." "Ah!" says Simeon, "that is an exact fulfilment of the prophecy of Malachi 4:5, 6. This is the messenger of the Lord, to prepare the way; this is the forerunner; this is the morning star; the day dawn is not far off; the great Messiah is on His way — is nigh at hand. I shall not see death till I have seen the Lord's Christ. Hallelujah! the Lord shall suddenly come to His Temple." Simeon ponders these things in his heart, and time rolls on. I imagine I see Simeon again on his morning meditative walk. He is again accosted by one of his neighbours: "Well, Simeon, have you heard the news?" "What news?" "Why, there's a wry singular story almost in everybody's mouth. A company of shepherds on the plains of Bethlehem were watching their flocks; it was the still hour of night, and the mantle of darkness covered the world; a bright light shone around the shepherds, a light above the brightness of the midday sun; they looked up, and just above them appeared an angel glowing in all the lovely hues of heaven; the shepherds became greatly terrified, and the angel said to them, 'Fear not, behold I bring you glad tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.'" "This is the Lord's Christ. I shall not see death till I have seen the Lord's Christ." Simeon said to himself, "They will bring Him to the Temple to circumcise Him." Away went Simeon, morning after morning, to see if he could get a glimpse of Jesus. Perhaps unbelief suggested to Simeon, "You had better stop at home this wet morning; you have been so many mornings and have not seen Him, you may venture to be absent this once." "No," says the Spirit, "you must go to the Temple." Away went Simeon to the Temple. He would no doubt select a good post of observation. Look at him there, leaning his back against one of the pillars of the Temple; how intently he watches the door! He sees one mother after another bringing her infant to the Temple to be circumcised; he surveys the face of every child. "No," says he, as his eye scans the countenance, "that is not He, and that is not"; but at length he sees the Virgin appear, and the Spirit told him that that was the long-expected Saviour. He grasped the Child in his arms, and pressed Him to his heart, and exclaimed, "Now, Lord, lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation." Between Simeon and an awakened sinner there is one point of agreement: they both desire to see one object — the Lord's Christ. "What must I do? I want help: to whom must I look? "Behold, a ray of light breaks in upon him — one single, but bright ray; it keeps him from utter despair, it gives him a faint hope, it enables him tremblingly to say, "Before I see death, I shall see the Lord's Christ." 1. Unbelief suggests, "How do you suppose that you will be permitted to see the Lord's Christ? Do you think the great Jehovah, whose majesty almost confounds the cherubim and seraphim — at least compels them to cover over their bright faces with their wings, and fall before His throne in deep adoration — whose temple is all space, whose arm is around all worlds, who inhabits eternity, at whose bidding the sun lights up his fire, whose empire is so vast that were an angel, with the lightning's swiftness, to fly in a direct line from the centre, he would not in millions of years sweep the outskirts of His creation, 'who sits upon the highest heavens, and sees worlds infinite dance beneath Him as atoms in the sunbeam, you an atom, a shade, a moth, a worm, a flower of the field to-day, and not to-morrow, in the morning, and not to-night, not master of a moment, not a match for a breeze, a dream, a vapour, a shadow,' a sinner born to die — how do you suppose He will show you the Lord's Christ?" Replies the awakened sinner, "One thing I know: I dare not die till I have seen the Lord's Christ. He cares for my body: will He be less concerned about my soul? Will He arrange all nature to minister to my bodily wants, and leave my soul to perish? No; that is unlike Him." 2. Unbelief again suggests: "Are not your sins too great in magnitude and multitude to be forgiven?" 3. But unbelief again suggests, "Do you suppose that the sins of an age can be pardoned in a moment of time — sins that have spread over years of your life?" When we have seen Christ, the sting of death is gone. Simeon pressed the Lord's Christ to his heart, and then he never wished his eyes to gaze on aught more of earth; and when the believing penitent has Christ in his heart, the hope of glory, then he is not afraid of death. A fact will bear out this statement. Some time since, a minister of the gospel was called upon to visit a dying woman. He ascended a flight of stairs that led into a miserable-looking garret; for, though clean and neat, there was scarcely an article of furniture to give an air of comfort to the chamber of death. In one corner of the room there was a bed — a bed of straw! On it lay a dying female, pale, and worn to a skeleton; she was near the verge, the trembling verge, of eternity. The minister drew nigh and said to her, "Well, my friend, how do you feel? What are your prospects for the eternity which is just about to open upon you?" She looked up in the minister's face with a countenance bright with heavenly radiance, and beaming with a brightness she had caught gazing on the visions of God, and said, "Oh I sir, "Tis Jesus, the first and the last, Whose Spirit shall guide me safe home. I'll praise Him for all that is past, And trust Him for what is to come." Christianity can make a bed of straw into a bed of down — can convert a gloomy sick chamber into the vestibule of heaven, a chamber where the soul unrobes and plumes herself for her flight. (J. Caughey.) Parallel Verses KJV: And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. WEB: It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.