DEPARTING IN PEACE

LUKE 2:2

A. "LORD, NOW LETTEST THOU THY SERVANT DEPART IN PEACE, ACCORDING TO THY WORD; FOR MINE EYES HAVE SEEN THY SALVATION:"
  1. Our text is a portion of the prayer of Simeon, a man of God - full of divine significance:
    1. God had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen Jesus Christ - the Messiah, the hope of Israel
    2. He held the child Jesus in his arms while he offered the prayer of our text
  2. Such an experience by a child of God:
    1. Takes the bitterness of death away
    2. It gives the peace of God in the face of the enclosing shadows of death B. DEPARTING IN PEACE
  3. What a divine benediction of life's brief pilgrimage:
    1. The peace of full assurance
    2. The peace of the forgiveness of sin
    3. The peace of the hope of the first resurrection
  4. This divine blessing:
    1. Is the gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord
    2. It is a rich reward of living a godly life
    3. It is a part of the harvest of sowing the seed of righteousness
    4. It is God's reassurance that all shall be well with us - Is. 3:10; Rev. 14:13
  5. Let us note some of the basic conditions to the peace of a dying saint:
    1. The death of the Son of God on the cross removed the enmity created by sin and so brought peace - Eph. 2:11-15
    2. Sincere confession of sin by us is basic to receiving the peace of God - I John 1:7-9
    3. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our heart assures us of the peace of God - Rom. 5:1-5
    4. Keeping God's commandments is still another Divine assurance of peace - Ps. 119:165; Is. 48:18
  6. But this experience is missing when the sinner or ungodly enters the portals of death:
    1. It shall be ill with him - Is. 3:11
    2. Ex. 13:10-11; Dan. 5:5-6; the wicked in the last days - Rev. 6:13-17 C. WHAT A COMFORT WHEN ONE FACES THE INEVITABLE
  7. The fear of death:
    1. Has haunted sinners and saints in all ages
    2. Even the Son of God agonized in the face of suffering and death - Luke 22:44
    3. He offered prayer to His Father with strong cries and tears - Heb. 5:7
    4. Paul called this fear "bondage" - Heb. 2:15
  8. Reasons for the fear of death may vary:
    1. For some it is a state of unpreparedness to face the judgment - Acts 24:25; Dan. 5:5-7
    2. For some it is an unwillingness to part with this present life and what it has to offer to them; Examples: Belshazzar - Dan. 5:5-7; Hezekiah - Is. 38:39; the foolish rich farmer - Luke 12:16-20
    3. For all it is a part of our human nature to dread to part this life - being separated from loved ones and cut off from life's privileges and activities - Eccl. 9:10
    4. Says the psalmist, "The terrors of death are fallen upon me" - Ps. 55:4-6
  9. The saving knowledge expressed in our opening text prepares the child of God for departure our of this present life:
    1. He who is with us in life will be with us also when the shadows gather around us
    2. "Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me" - Ps. 23:4
    3. "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints" - Ps. 116:15
    4. To them the grave becomes a chamber in which the saint is made secure until the wrath of God has passed - Is. 26:20
    5. To them death has become a restful sleep in Jesus Christ - I Thes. 4:13-17
    6. Also, the knowledge that there will be a resurrection gives fortitude in the hour of death - Rev. 20:5-6
  10. But note, dear ones:
    1. Only a servant of the Lord can pray such a prayer
    2. Only one who has seen and experienced the fellowship of the Messiah can close his life with such a prayer


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