One morning while Stan and I were enjoying breakfast together, he mentioned he had been talking with a neighbor who suggested a connection between the great commission and a man named Simeon in Lukes’s gospel. “What kind of connection?” I asked.
“A little bit about this Simeon guy,” Stan responded. “Jesus had been born. In accordance with the law of Moses, His parents took Him to the temple and presented Him to the Lord. Simeon was in the temple. Earlier he had been told by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he had seen the Christ. He saw Jesus and held Him in his arms.”
“Wow!” I said. “He saw Jesus and held Him in his arms. How great that must have been. But where’s the connection to the great commission?”
“You’re right about how that must have been great for Simeon to hold Jesus in his arms,” Stan agreed. “The great commission part is what Simeon said while he was holding Jesus.”
“What’d he say?”
“That he could depart in peace because he had seen God’s salvation.”
“Depart in peace because he had seen God’s salvation,” I repeated. “I can see that’s the way it is for us today who have God’s salvation, but I still don’t see what the great commission has to do with it.”
“It seems like a lot of people don’t,” Stan replied, “but it seems pretty simple to me. Because we have the peace of salvation and there’s no need for us to fear death, aren’t we to help fulfill the great commission by going and telling others how they, too, can know they will depart in peace?”
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Bible verses to consider:
And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolidation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 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. Luke 2:25-26.
. . . then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, “Now Lord, Thou dost let Thy bond-servant depart in peace, according to Thy word; for my eyes have seen Thy salvation.”Luke 2:28-30..
. . . whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without the preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of good things!” Romans 10:13-15.
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, . . . . Matthew 28:19-20.
Prayer: Thank you, Father, for giving Jesus and His finished work on the cross as the way to life eternally with you, the life that begins here and will continue forever when I depart in peace. I confess that even though I know I will depart in peace and spend eternity in your presence, too often I don’t tell others about how they, too, can have salvation and depart in peace when the time comes for them. Please forgive that foolishness. Help me follow every step of your lead in telling others how they can depart in peace. Thank you that I can and do bring these prayers before you in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Think on this: Will you be able to depart in peace because you have accepted God’s free and gracious provision of life eternally with Him, the life that begins here and will continue forever? If no, why do you choose to remain separated from God both now and forever? If you are a Christian with the assurance of salvation and redemption, how are you doing with telling others how they can depart in peace, knowing they will spend eternity in God’s presence? If you sense the desire for change with any of this, how is that change going to happen? Is that what you truly want? Why or why not?
The need: Since God knows wheat we need before we ask Him (Matthew 6:8), what does He know you need, not only for you to depart in peace, but to tell others how they will know they will depart in peace? Spend time on this studying God’s Word, praying, reflecting, and journaling to see what God knows you need. He will show you!
Forward: Do you know others who would or could benefit from this devotional? If so, why not forward it and open them to being part of the conversation between Stan and S. Tory Teller?