Determiner of Destinies
The Glory of Christ  part 4
Luke 2:34-40    1-2-11 

Summary: Jesus is the dual-function rock that destroys those who do not believe but exalts those who do. Our verdict on him determines God’s verdict on us.
					
Introduction
The Dual-Function Rock
Review
Opposition
The hard blessing
Falling
Sign of judgment
Opposition
More judgment to come for Israel
Christ is Judged
Triumph
He will expose hearts
Man’s judgment of Christ renders a verdict on man, not Christ
Division
Hearts of unbelief fall
Hearts of faith rise (message targeted to them)
Conclusion
Appendix
The glory of the godly
Greater than the greatest Old Testament saints
 
Luke 2:25 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 upon him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 
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 blessed God, saying: 29 "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all people, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to 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 and a sword will pierce your own soul, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed." 36 There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until eighty-four years. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. 39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.

Introduction 
The Dual-Function Rock
“I found it! It’s in the woods – just a few hundred yards this way! Come on!”
Randy and Morris could barely keep up as their friend ran down the path to show them his amazing discovery.
“There it is. I told you I’d find it.”
“That? Is this a joke? That’s just a rock.”
“Ha – if you think it’s ‘just’ a rock, try touching it.”
“What do you mean? What happens if we touch it?”
“If you touch it, everything changes. You’ll never be the same. It’s like all the dirt inside you is washed clean. Guilt over everything you’ve ever done wrong vanishes. Suddenly you have a new strength – new hope, new insight, new love – it’s like a light turns on and drives all the dark out of your life. I can’t even explain it to you – you just have to see for yourself. Just touch it.”
Randy went first. He was a little intimidated as he approached. He had not realized at first how massive this rock was. As he came closer he trembled, but he summoned his courage, reached out, and touched it. Immediately you could see the difference just looking at his face. His whole countenance brightened, as a new kind of smile took over his whole being. And the first thing he did was look over at his other friend.
“Morris, you gotta do this!”
So Morris steps forward, reaches out, and…touches the stone.
His two friends gasped, and stepped back in horror. Morris screamed in pain. The moment he touched the stone his hand was crushed – as if that giant stone had fallen from the sky and landed right on his hand. Morris was as pale as a sheet. He almost seemed to be decomposing before their eyes. His eyes were filled with anger at first, but then they went blank. He looked hollow – like a man without a soul. They did not make it twenty yards down the path before Morris collapsed on the ground. His dead body lay limp – as though all his bones had been crushed just like his hand.
This caused no small debate in the village. Some looked at the two who had touched the rock, and felt it would be worth any risk to have what they now had. But others were convinced it was too dangerous, and cautioned everyone to stay away. Still others did not believe any of it – and they laughed the whole thing off and went about their lives.
But the path where the stone lay was the only path from the village to the water springs. And it soon became obvious that it was impossible to pass without touching it. Sooner or later every single person in the village would have to touch that rock.
There really is a rock like that, and everyone who is ever born into this world will have to pass by it and touch it at some point. That rock is a very important theme in Scripture – it is spoken of in Isaiah 8:14, 28:16, Psalms 118:22, Romans 9:32-33, and 1 Peter 2:8.

Isaiah 28:16 So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed.

Isaiah 8:14 [The LORD] will be a sanctuary; but for both houses of Israel he will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare.

It is not a literal rock. The rock is the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is like a dual-purpose stone. Just like the rock in the story He is either the greatest thing that ever happened to you or He will be the worst thing that will ever happen to you. The same stone is a precious, sure foundation for some and for others a snare that makes them fall.
Review
We have been studying the section in Luke 2 where Joseph and Mary bring the baby Jesus into the Temple, and they encounter Simeon and Anna. This is a Christmas sermon that pushed itself right into the New Year because there are so many wonderful attributes of Christ in this passage that I just could not bring myself to skim over it in a single week. So far we have focused on five attributes. Jesus Christ is…
•	Revealed and proved (we know for sure His claims are true)
•	The fulfillment of the law and all that God intended for humanity and for Israel
•	The Savior
•	The Consolation of Israel
•	The light of the world
There are several more in this passage, but I do not want to take too much time away from our study of the Sermon on the Mount, so this morning I would like to just give you the main point of the rest of the passage, and we will leave the rest for another time. I did write about two more attributes, and if you want that it is in the appendix in the sermon manuscript.

Opposition
The hard blessing 
So far we have drawn all these attributes from Simeon’s first blessing. You cannot see it in the NIV or CSB, but what Simeon says to God and what he says to Joseph and Mary are both called blessings.

Luke 2:28 Simeon took him in his arms and blessed God 

34 Then Simeon blessed them 

So there are two blessings – one directed toward God (which is a form of praise), and one directed to Joseph and Mary (which is a form of prophecy). Everything Simeon said in the first blessing is all very positive. It is all about how this child is the fulfillment of the amazing end-times promises of comfort in the second half of Isaiah (The Book of Comfort). But now as he turns and blesses Joseph and Mary, the tone suddenly becomes decidedly negative. Joel Osteen would not like this one bit. Everything in the first blessing came out of the Book of Comfort, but everything he says to Joseph and Mary uses language from the first half of Isaiah (The Book of Judgment).

Luke 2:34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel

Falling
“Falling” is the word Isaiah used to describe judgment.

Isaiah 3:8 Jerusalem staggers, Judah is falling

Isaiah 3:25 Your men will fall by the sword

And it is always God who causes this falling. 

Isaiah 8:14 for both houses of Israel he will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare. 15 Many of them will stumble; they will fall and be broken, they will be snared and captured."

Peter made a point about this dual purpose of the stone – he quotes both those Isaiah passages.

1 Peter 2:6 For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." 7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone, 8 and, "A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the message

Sign of judgment
So when Simeon says Jesus will cause the falling of many in Israel he is using some very negative terms from the Book of Judgment in Isaiah. And so does the next phrase and to be a sign that will be spoken against. The word “sign” in Isaiah occurs mostly in contexts of judgment. Especially the first time it occurs in Isaiah, where the birth of a child is said to be a sign – just like this child.

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. … 18 In that day the Lord will whistle for flies … and for bees … 19 They will all come … 20 In that day the Lord will use a razor … to shave your head … 23 In that day, in every place where there were a thousand vines … there will be only briers and thorns. 24 Men will go there with bow and arrow, for the land will be covered with briers and thorns. 

Isaiah spoke of a child who would be born of a virgin who would be a sign of judgment and punishment on Israel. Jesus is that child. He will bring judgment, and for that reason He will be spoken against.

Opposition

Luke 2:34 … and to be a sign that will be spoken against

Antilegeo – anti (against) legeo (to speak). You would think the Comforter would be welcomed with open arms by the Jews – but He won’t. He will be opposed and resisted and ridiculed and slandered, because He will bring with Him a message of judgment.

35 And a sword will pierce your own soul too

That word for sword is not mikaira – the little dagger; it is romphia – the big, huge broadsword. This is shaping up to be some blessing. Your Son will be resisted and rejected and a big ‘ol broadsword will be run right through your soul too.
If Simeon believed in the power of positive thinking, and if he were like so many preachers today who want to only be positive and encouraging and never say anything negative, or if he was into positive confession, he would have stopped after his first blessing. But Simeon’s blessing on Mary and Joseph and Jesus is pure negative confession. I was thinking about writing a bestseller titled “The Power of Negative Thinking,” but it might not end up being a bestseller. In fact it probably would not be a seller at all.
So if you were Joseph or Mary at this point you might be thinking, “Wow, Simeon – with blessings like this, who needs curses?” Why is this called a blessing? The word “blessing” means “to speak good.” It does not always mean “to speak positively.” All these things Simeon says to Mary, as painful as they are to hear, are all very good things. We will see that as we go through what he says. But for now it is important to understand that some blessings are hard.
This is the difference between God’s blessings and the kind of thing you get on the psychic network (or any other source of false prophecy). The modern day false prophets are always positive and encouraging. They always say things you love to hear. It may or may not be true, and it may or may not be what is ultimately in your best interests, but it is definitely what you want to hear. That is how to stay in business if you are a psychic. But God is not at risk of going out of business, and He is not running for re-election, so what He does in His blessings is just say what is actually true. It may or may not be what you were hoping to hear, but it is definitely true, and it is definitely what is in your best interests to hear.

More judgment to come for Israel
Last week we saw the Simeon was not a Preterist when it came to the second half of Isaiah – the book of Comfort. All those promises of comfort and restoration and renewal – they were not fulfilled when Israel came back from captivity in Old Testament times. There is a far greater fulfillment to come in the future that Simeon was watching for. And here we see that the same is true about the first half of Isaiah – the Book of Judgment. All the wrath and punishments God threatened in Isaiah – those were not fulfilled in 722 and 586 B.C. when Assyria and Babylon came and destroyed Israel. That was the immediate part of the fulfillment, but it was not the full measure of the judgment by any stretch. There is much more wrath to come on Israel before her consolation. And here is why:
Christ is Judged
Luke 2:34 This child is destined … to be a sign that will be spoken against

The Messiah will appear as a sign from God and men will evaluate Him and reject Him– like builders looking at a potential stone for their building and deciding, “Naw, this one’s no good” and tossing it in the scrap pile.
That is a shock. You would think that when the Consolation of Israel arrived – the one who would bring an end to God’s punishments and dry up all Jewish tears – you would think He would be welcomed with a ticker tape parade and the greatest celebration that has ever taken place. But Simeon says, “No, people will oppose Him.” So it is man vs. Messiah.
And this is all by God’s design. Do you see that word destined (or your Bible might say appointed)? It did not just happen to work out this way. It is God’s design that He would send His Messiah and men would oppose Him and reject Him. Why? Why did God set it up that way? Verse 35 tells us why.

Triumph 
He will expose hearts

Luke 2:34 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. 

The purpose is to expose the evil thoughts in people’s hearts. Simeon’s blessing is the story of opposition and triumph. The Messiah will be opposed and resisted – man vs. Messiah, and Messiah wins.

Psalm 2:2 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One. 3 "Let us break their chains," they say, …4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. 5 Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, 6 "I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill."

Triumph. It is man vs. Messiah; man resists, Messiah wins. It is not a situation where He wins some and loses some depending on whether people follow Him. He always wins. All of His enemies He will either win over or crush – but no opposition against Him will succeed.
And all this is by God’s design for the purpose of exposing men’s hearts. You see, you really do not know what kind of person you are dealing with until he or she touches that stone that God has placed in the path (that is, they hear the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ). The corruption and rebellion in some people’s hearts lies so deep that only coming in contact with the gospel of Christ will expose it. They seem so nice and so friendly and kind and upright and law-abiding and so religious and devoted that no one would ever guess that their heart is corrupt and rebellious against God. Only touching the stone brings that out.
On the other hand, there are other people who seem like the refuse of society. They have done terrible things and messed up their lives and seem worthless and disgusting from a worldly perspective, but inside their heart is a humble, submissive, willingness to trust what the Lord Jesus Christ says and to follow Him. So God strategically planted the stone in the middle of the path to reveal the hearts of both kinds of people.

Man’s judgment of Christ renders a verdict on man, not Christ
So God allows His Son to be judged by human beings because God’s way of judging human beings is based on how they judge His Son. I have told you the story before about the man who went into the museum and said to the curator, “I don’t think much of these paintings.” To which the curator said, “These paintings are not on trial; you are.” Those paintings have already been established as great works of art. So that guy’s opinion of them says nothing about them; but says a lot about him. If you hear a masterpiece symphony by one of the great composers, and you think little of it that means you are ignorant about great music, and if you think much of it that means you are able to appreciate great music. Your judgment says nothing about the music but a lot about you. When someone looks at the sun and concludes that it is dark – that says nothing about the sun. It only tells you that that man is blind. When you evaluate something that is truly great, that thing is not what is on trial – you are.
So mankind comes to the Lord Jesus Christ and passes all kinds of judgments. Some people hate Him. They think His teachings have caused all kinds of terrible things. Other people (most people) dismiss Him as irrelevant for their lives. Many people decide He is a mere man – a great prophet maybe, the son of God in some sense maybe, but not Almighty, eternal, creator God. Some people come up will all kinds of ingenious arguments about how they could never worship the God of the Bible because in the Old Testament Law homosexuals and disobedient children were to be stoned to death, or because people in history have done terrible things in the name of God, or because they went to a church and saw a hypocrite or someone mistreated them, or some terrible thing happened to them when they were little, or whatever. And they say, “I know for sure God would never do this or never do that,” and they pass judgment on Christ.
But what they do not realize is that the Lord Jesus Christ is not on trial – they are. Jesus has already been proved to be who He is. God the Father already made that crystal clear. God allows us to make assessments about Jesus not because those assessments say anything about Jesus, but because they reveal everything about us.
People come into the courtroom thinking they are sitting on the bench as the judge. But as soon as they drop the gavel and give their verdict they discover that they are sitting not on the judge’s bench, but in the defendant’s seat. And the Lord Jesus Christ is sitting not in the defendant’s seat where they thought He was, but on the judge’s bench. Those people who have wrong feelings about God, wrong attitudes, wrong thoughts – but hide it all behind religious actions - Jesus will expose all that. Those people who claim to honor God and love God and believe in God, but who really don’t – it will become evident to all because those people will reject the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. It does not matter how righteous or holy or religious a person appears to be – if He does not love and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ He does not love or trust in God.

Division
Beware of great uniters. The Antichrist will be a great uniter. The real Christ was (and is) a great divider.

1 Corinthians 11:19 there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval.

We never want to divide over non-essential issues, but we must divide between false gospels and the true gospel. We do not join in ecumenical gatherings where everyone is praying to a different god and somehow imagine it is a show of unity.
Hearts of unbelief fall
And so Jesus Christ is the crossroads for all humanity. Every person comes into the courtroom, thinking they are seated on the bench, and they render some verdict on Jesus Christ. And if the verdict is that they despise Him, or that for whatever reason they are justified in ignoring Him or holding Him at arm’s length – those people fall. They are the ones in the village who touch the rock and are destroyed by it. Jesus Christ is the determiner of all destinies, and you see that even at His birth. When the Messiah was born, the Scribes and Herod and the Magi all had the same information. The Scribes responded with absolute indifference. They knew the child was born in Bethlehem but they did not even bother going there. Herod responded with hostility and tried to kill Jesus. The Magi worshipped. And it is the Magi who are celebrated and honored to this day and are enjoying rewards beyond our imagination; and Herod and the godless Scribes are suffering torment that is also beyond our imagination. All because of how they responded to this baby that was born in Bethlehem. No one escapes this life without touching the rock. There is no neutral. 

Matthew 12:30 He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.
Hearts of faith rise (message targeted to them)
So Jesus’ message is always targeted at those who are willing to receive it, and one person who understood that was this amazing woman Anna. We do not have time to study about her in depth, but let me just introduce you to her.

Luke 2:36 There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. 

We often hear about the ten “lost” tribes of Israel. But here we see that those tribes were not as lost as they are cracked up to be, because there was enough information available for Luke to know that Anna was from the tribe of Asher. So Luke establishes her Jewish credentials, then he moves to her spiritual credentials.

36 …She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow to eighty-four years.

The Greek could be taken a couple different ways here. I think it is more likely that Luke is saying she was a widow for 84 years, which means she’s now over 100 years old. Instead of remarrying she devoted herself to ministry in the Temple.

36 …She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 

She has the same traits we see in 1 Timothy 5 of a godly widow. So again, God brings forth yet another witness to testify to who Christ is, and it is a witness with the highest credentials a human being can have.
I would love to preach a series of sermons on what she said, but I can’t because we do not know what she said. It is not recorded. Her prophecy was definitely from God, which means it was exceedingly wonderful, but God did not want it to be recorded. He did, however, want us to know who she spoke to.

38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. 

No doubt everyone in Jerusalem knew her and had seen this old, old prophetess in the Temple. And on this day she turns and gets the attention of the people there in the Court of the Women and begins preaching about this child. But she is not talking to everyone. There were two kinds of people in the Temple that day – those who were looking forward to the redemption of Israel and those who were not. There may have been a few in that second category who stopped to listen, but Anna is not talking to them. She is only interested in talking to those whose hearts are open to the message. That is exactly the same thing Jesus did. As soon as it became evident that the people were not interested in His message, but were following Him for other reasons – He said something that would be so offensive to them that they would all leave.
That is very different from the approach of much of the church growth movement today. For them the target is just the opposite. They want to go after the people who are not interested, and who would never consider setting foot in a church. So they figure, “Well, if they aren’t interested in God’s Word – we’ll give them what they are interested in. We’ll preach funny stories and show movie clips and have lots of entertaining music and give them premium coffee and steer clear of preaching anything that’s going to offend them. And sooner or later they will start liking us, and thinking that we are cool, and then they will accept the gospel.” That philosophy comes from a man-centered concept of how salvation works. They think getting people saved is simply a matter of talking them into making a decision. It is easy to manipulate people into making a decision, but no one comes to truth faith in the Lord Jesus Christ unless the Holy Spirit is drawing them. So our philosophy of ministry at Agape is to target only those people whose hearts are being awakened by the Holy Spirit. “How do you do that? How do you know for sure if someone’s heart is being awakened by the Spirit?” Easy – just preach the Word of God and those people will be attracted to it. I don’t think Anna conducted interviews to find out who was qualified to listen and who wasn’t. She just gave a message that was appealing to those who were looking toward redemption, and her message took care of sorting out the interested folks from the uninterested.  One reason we do not use gimmicks to attract uninterested people to come here is because the same sun that melts the wax also hardens the clay. If they are resisting God then hearing the truth every week and resisting it will only make their hearts harder. So our task here at Agape is to simply place that rock in the path and let everyone touch it. And the reason I spend so much time studying every week is to make sure I am interpreting the Bible accurately so what I put out there is the true rock and not some inaccurate message that might make someone stumble over something that is not really even the Word of Christ.
The fact that God speaks on to the interested is a very sobering principle. One of the most terrifying things that can happen in your Christian life is when you start to see your level of interest in God’s Word begin to diminish. You find yourself bored with His Word. When that happens in my life – I notice that I just do not have the sense of anticipation I used to have in approaching God’s Word, I am not as quick to listen to a sermon or read a book that will teach me about the glory of God, and I start to find myself more interested in temporal things – that is red alert time. Sirens start blaring and panic sets in and I fall on my face before God and beg Him to restore my hunger and appetite for His Word. Diminished appetite causes a downward spiral. The less interested I am the less I listen, and the less I listen the less I grow, and the more attractive the world becomes, and the less attractive the things of God become, so I listen even less, and it becomes less interesting – and if something does not break that cycle it will end in spiritual catastrophe. God’s Word is for the interested. It is for all those who are eagerly looking forward to His redemption.

Psalm 130:5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. 6 My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. 7 O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. 8 He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.

So Anna speaks only to those with ears to hear. Only those whose hearts were longing for the redemption of Israel. Redemption means to free from bondage. Israel was enslaved to sin and therefore imprisoned behind the bars of God’s judgment. So the redemption of Israel is basically the same thing as the consolation of Israel (see Isa.52:8-10). It is that time when God will free His people from sin and all the effects of sin and bring fullness of blessing.

Conclusion
Jesus Christ is the determiner of all destinies, and that includes every soul in this room. It includes our children. A lot of people think education is the main determiner of destiny. Your kids get good grades; go to college – that is the main thing that matters. You look at how much time and energy some parents put into their kid’s education compared to teaching them God’s Word and how to seek God and it is obvious what they think is the most important determiner of destiny is. What do we really believe will make the difference for our kids? What do we believe will make the difference for us? What do you think of as a key to good outcomes in your life – or more importantly – in the next life? What do you chase after the hardest?
I began this sermon with a story about a stone that determined the fates of everyone in the village. But in the story I did not say anything about why touching the rock had one effect on some and the opposite effect on others. It is because of the attitude with which they approach the rock. Those who are willing to believe the truth will be able to see the truth and love it and embrace it, and they are the ones who touch it and are gloriously made new. The rest look at the stone in a variety of ways. Some with anger or disgust, others with indifference. Some see it as a wonderful thing but not quite as wonderful as other things, so they see it as a treasure but not the supreme and only treasure. They are the ones who are crushed by the stone.
You see, you get to decide which effect the stone has on your heart. For most people there is an unwillingness to look at reality. They realize that if they acknowledge the truth about Christ it might mean making changes they do not want to make, or giving up something they do not want to give up. And they are right. If you accept Jesus Christ as the greatest treasure and you believe all that He says, then that will involve also believing Him when He tells you in His Word that something in your life that you really love or really feel a need for is not the right path, you will believe Him and give that path up. But if there is a willingness to believe and accept the truth then you will see this Stone as a treasure. You will see it as a solid foundation upon which you can stand and never be shaken. You will see it as a refuge behind which you can hide and be perfectly safe. You will regard it as something upon which you can entrust your very life. That is what the Lord Jesus Christ is, and if you are willing to see that, this morning, right at this very moment you will be one of the ones who touch it and are gloriously made new.
You are touching the stone right now. Today may be your last chance to touch it in faith. It is possible God may have mercy and give you yet another chance in the future – but that is not guaranteed. Today may be the day when touching the stone with the wrong heart will have its effect. Today may be the day when you touch in unbelief and your heart goes dark for good. But what effect it has is up to you. If you are here this morning and you know that Christ is not really your greatest treasure. He is part of your life but not the supreme Lord of your life, you need to know that today is the day you are touching the stone. And the Stone will triumph. He will triumph by winning your heart or by crushing you if you resist, and which it is is up to you. Rest all the weight of your life on this rock and you will never be ashamed. You will have eternal, unassailable joy. Ignore Him or resist Him and you will be crushed.

Ezekiel 18:30 I will judge you, each one according to his ways, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. 31 Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die…? 32 For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!

No matter what you might have to give up to come to Him – it is worth it because in reality you are giving up nothing but death. And what you gain in return is a Savior who has been revealed and proved, and who is the fulfillment of the law and all that God intended for humanity and for Israel in your place, and who is the Consolation of Israel who will bring redemption and the end of God’s wrath on your sin, and who is the light of the world who is willing to be your light who will enlighten your eyes to truth and insight. He is greater than the greatest Old Testament saints, He is the glory of the godly, He is the Redeemer, and He is the Determiner of all destinies. Trust Him, right now – throw the full weight of your life on Him – your guilt, your sin, your worries, your sorrows, your future, your past, your family, your work – just entrust all of it into His hands without any reservation or stipulations. If you do that you will never regret it, and you will never be put to shame, and you will enjoy ever-increasing joy with Him for all eternity.
And for those of us who have already made that decision, and have touched the stone in faith, the task now before us is to live in a way that reflects that faith. When you rise in the morning and are debating about whether to spend time seeking God or to just skip it today and get on with your day, ask yourself, “Do I really believe He is the determiner of destinies? Not only my eternal destiny, but also my destiny this afternoon? Where I end up tonight? Or in the next few years? When you are tempted to rationalize some sin, ask yourself, “Do I really want to behave right now like those who are crushed by the stone?” Let those of us who regard this stone as precious live in light of that preciousness every day.

Appendix
The glory of the godly

Luke 2:32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.

For the Gentiles, who were completely in the dark because they did not have the Scriptures, Jesus is a light for revelation. And to the Jews He is their glory. What is so special about the Jews? Is it their language or customs or their music? No, it is their Messiah. Jesus is what is so great about the Jews. They are a glorious people because of the special relationship they have with God through the covenants and promises, and because of the fact that through them came the Messiah. 

Romans 9:4 …the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. 5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.

Jesus is the glory of Israel.
And if Jesus is all what is glorious about Israel then I think it is fair to say He is what is glorious about the Church. There is certainly nothing about the Church that is worth writing home to mother about apart from Christ. The Church is the most wonderful and glorious entity in the world by far, but take away Christ and it is pure garbage. He is our glory. And if He is the glory of Israel and the glory of the Church then it is really safe to say that He is my glory.

Psalm 3:3 O Lord; you are my glory

We have no basis for pride or arrogance. Apart from Him we have no self-worth. Everything good about us comes from Him. He is what is glorious about us, and for that reason there is a great deal glorious about us, and while we have no place for pride we have every reason for rejoicing. It is a false humility that ignores everything Christ is doing in His work of sanctification and says, “I am mostly sinful.” Yes, there is a great deal of sin in our hearts that grieves us, but there is a great deal more righteousness that is the handiwork of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Luke 2:33 The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 

They already knew these things, but some things are so marvelous that you marvel again and again as you see more and more of it. There should be no end to our marveling and awe-struck wonder at the glories of Christ.
Greater than the greatest Old Testament saints
So the sixth attribute we see is the Jesus is the glory of Israel. The next one is not obvious right away unless you are familiar with the account of Hannah in 1 Samuel. Just as the name Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, Anna is the Greek form of Hannah. And that name is not the only thing in this passage that calls to our minds the account of Hannah and her child Samuel.

Jesus
Luke
2:22 	Presentation of the child to the Lord

2:36-38 Anna offers praises and thanksgiving 

2:34	Simeon blesses the parents

2:40 And the child grew and became strong

2:52 Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. 

2:41-51 In the Temple (without parents)

2:40 he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.

Samuel
1 Samuel 
1:22 	Presentation of the child to the Lord

2:1-10 Hannah sings praises of thanksgiving 

2:20	Eli blesses the parents

2:26 And the boy Samuel continued to grow
2:26b in stature and in favor with the Lord and with men. 

3:1-18 Ministry in the Temple (without parents)
3:19 The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground.

I don’t think there is any question that Luke is purposely following the pattern of 1 Samuel 1-3. Samuel is one of the most remarkable and most godly and most favored human beings to ever live. So Luke places Jesus alongside Samuel, and at every point Jesus comes out far greater. The circumstances of Samuel’s birth were amazing. Hannah had been barren, and the Lord opened her womb. But the circumstances of Jesus birth were far greater – Mary was a virgin when she conceived Jesus. Eli’s blessing was nice – “May you have more children,” but Simeon’s blessing was far, far greater – gathering in all of humanity and all of God’s purposes in redemptive history.
And you will see this again and again as you read through the New Testament - comparisons drawn between Jesus and everyone who is anyone in the Old Testament, showing Jesus to be greater. For example, Jesus will do a miracle in the same town where Elijah did that same miracle, but Jesus will do something far greater than what Elijah did. And that happens with all the greatest figures in the Old Testament. Jesus predated Abraham, He is greater than Moses, the ultimate Israel, the new Joshua, greater than Samuel, the son of David whom King David calls “Lord”, wiser than Solomon, more righteous than Job or Daniel, a greater miracle worker than Elijah and Elisha and Moses all put together, greater than all the prophets combined. He is the last Adam and the Elijah who was to come.
Jesus is not a mere prophet, He is not just a great leader or great teacher; He has no peers, He has no equals, the greatest of the greatest in human history are only the faintest shadow of His greatness. That is why we worship Him, because He is to be honored in proportion to His greatness.

Psalm 48:1 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised.