Pastor Lorin Bradbury will be preaching on “THE SWORD OF THE LORD” Sunday morning at 11:00AM on Facebook LIVE and airing on KJNR 91.9 FM.

TEXT: (Luke 2:33-35, NLT)

                  22 Then it was time for their purification offering, as required by the law of Moses after the birth of a child; so his parents took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.  23 The law of the Lord says, “If a woman’s first child is a boy, he must be dedicated to the Lord.”  24 So they offered the sacrifice required in the law of the Lord—“either a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

                  25 At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon.  He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel.  The Holy Spirit was upon him 26 and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.  27 That day the Spirit led him to the Temple.  So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, 28 Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying, 29 “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised.  30 I have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared for all people.  32 He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!”

            33 Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about him.  34 Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise.  He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him.  35 As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”

KEY VERSE: “And a sword will pierce your very soul” (Luke 2:35, NLT).

 Mary would discover that God  uses soul-piercing events to unleash more grace, salvation, and joy into the world than she could ever have imagined.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.