25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss[a] your servant in peace. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” 33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” There is a confrontational aspect of Christmas we rarely hear about. We associate baby Jesus with peace and joy but Simeon's words as He holds baby Jesus was that the baby will be all about bringing peace through pain and conflict. There are two main truths coming out from Simeon's speech we are going to focus on: When Jesus Comes This Causes Conflict Between People. When Jesus Comes This Cause Conflict Within Us 1. When Jesus Comes This Cause Conflict Between People “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against…" Jesus' coming people. Why? There is unatractivness in many of His statements. Here are some examples: “You belong to me… I own you.” You see you can't be neutral about this claim. You either have to or . “I forgive you your sins.” You either have to or . "If you love me keep my " You either have to or . ”If your hand or eye keeps you away from me, cut it off/out” You either have to or . ”Abide in me. Abide in my love… if you don’t, you’ll be cut off.” You either have to or . “If you have me you will sit on the throne beside me. If you don’t you will be lost like a chaff in the wind.” You either have to or . You see the child Simeon was holding in His hands was causing division among the people. Some accepted Him and others rejected Him. Another reason why division among people happens is because of the beauty of Jesus' life It is one thing to make an outrageous statements but it's quite another to back them up through who Jesus was and what He did. Who did He say He was? “I am a good .” "I am the and you are the ." “I am the and the .” The beauty of who He was and what He did comes with the challenge of His claims on our lives. There is both, and . Because of the radical nature of His claims people reject the radical nature of His beauty. 2. When Jesus Comes This Causes Conflict Inside of Us Simeon said to Mary, “… a sword will pierce your own soul.” Jesus brings sword and He divides our heart. “… the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.” A new into our lives with the coming of Jesus. His peace does not come without a conflict. How does the peace come? It comes through . Gospel has amazingly appealing aspect to it but it also has a challenging aspect to it. 1. Appealing aspect of the gospel. Through Jesus anyone can find God. How? a) Jesus lived a perfect life for us. b) He applies this life to us. c) As a consequence God treats us as Jesus. What does this mean? a) You are accepted not on the basis of your life b) You are accepted on the basis of record. c) You are treated as if you accomplished all He accomplished. Many say, 'This is too .' This is good news and the appealing aspect of the gospel. You just it. How do you receive it? This part is challenging part. You receive it through . What is repentance? a) Admitting you have done many bad things in your life. b) Admitting you have a selfish, sinful heart. c) Admitting you cannot change your heart. Therefore, you need forgiveness of your sins and the power from above for change. So, you seek God's mercy on which your life depends. How does it feel to admit all of the above? Hard, painful, difficult. The only way for peace to come is to allow the 'sword' of a surgeon to pierce your heart. Sword cuts and hurts. But healing always follows it. There are two stings of pain we feel in following Jesus: Pain of . Pain of