THE MAIN IDEA
The world needs Jesus, and the world needs Jesus now. 

JESUS CHRIST IS OUR REDEMPTION
Joseph and Mary were simply obeying the  commands prescribed in the Old Testament law. The Israelites were commanded to give every  firstborn son to the Levites to serve the Lord. But each family could also buy their firstborn son  back with a ransom fee, which, of course, practically every family did. The reason for the  command was to remind the Israelites of the price that was paid for their freedom from captivity  in Egypt—that is, their redemption (Exodus 13:15). In the same way, Christ is our redemption. On the cross, He not only died, but suffered the full wrath of God in our place, so that we may  not have to (Mark 10:45). God’s redemption means that we have been rescued from the curse  and the bondage of sin and death through faith, which we are powerless to do ourselves. And our  redemption comes with the absolute forgiveness of all of our sins—past, present, and future (Ephesians 1:7). That kind of grace is not of this world. Through faith, our lives have been  redeemed from hell through the sacrifice that Jesus made in our place. 

JESUS CHRIST IS OUR CONSOLATION
The word consolation basically means comfort  from grief or distress or trouble. The consolation of Israel refers to the hope of deliverance for  Israel from its enemies through the coming of God’s promised Messiah and the commencement  of God’s kingdom on earth. The Old Testament is the story of Israel hoping for and waiting for  and searching for that coming Messiah. And that story comes to a climax in the Gospels, but  somehow Israel completely missed it. But by the Holy Spirit, Simeon was enabled to recognize  that coming Messiah in baby Jesus. And so Simeon breaks out in a song of praise that starts out  by asking God to dismiss him in peace (verse 29). Jesus is our consolation, as well. He said, “In  this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33b). Not  only will Jesus make all things right when He returns, but He is right here in our hearts through  faith. And so even in our present troubles, we can take heart, because Jesus has overcome the  world. 

JESUS CHRIST IS OUR SALVATION
The Holy Spirit was on Simeon and revealed to him  that he would see the Lord’s Messiah and moved him to be at the right place at the right time to  actually see Jesus so that Simeon would prophesy and testify in the temple courts that the  salvation of the world had come and that the salvation of the world is Jesus. And Simeon was not  simply asking God to be released from his service. In the original language, the first word is  actually NOW. In other words, the time of the Lord’s salvation has come in Jesus Christ, and that  time is NOW. And so Simeon was singing, “Now is the time to bear witness to the Lord’s  salvation. Because Jesus Christ is our salvation!” Therefore, NOW is the time to tell the world  that Jesus Christ is our Salvation! Now is the time to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with a  broken world that desperately needs Jesus and desperately needs Jesus NOW! And we need to  share the gospel of Jesus Christ locally, wherever we live, and we need to share the gospel of  Jesus Christ globally, wherever we go. Sharing the gospel is just a skill that all believers should  learn, because, God may open an opportunity to share the gospel with someone. Sharing the  gospel with someone may not be as hard as we make it out to be. 

DISCUSSION QUESTION
Is there someone in your life that you would want to hear the gospel (first time =or again)? What steps can you take so that they have that opportunity?