Messiah!

For Thursday, January 22, 2026:

Luke 2:28-29 NLT: “Simeon took baby Jesus in his arms and praised God, saying, ‘Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised.’”

It had been prophesied to Simeon that he would not die until the Lord’s Messiah had been revealed to him. And now he’s personally lifting baby Jesus in his arms! Voilà! The Messiah had arrived!

God always makes good on his promises! He promised to send a Savior, a Rescuer, a Messiah for his people. As it turns out, God’s gift was much more important than what the people were expecting. They were frustrated with Roman occupation of their land. They would have been happy just to be free of the Roman Army. God’s almighty gift was forgiveness of sins. Forgiveness opens the door to eternal life and residence in God’s forever heavenly Kingdom! BTW, there is no Roman army in God’s Kingdom! Mission accomplished and then some!

Don’t expect to understand supernatural events. Just accept the results. The Holy Spirit brought Jesus and Simeon together that day in the Temple, and Simeon identified Jesus to the world. This was only eight days into Jesus’ life. So everyone would have known right from the beginning that Jesus was heaven-sent.

His promise to forgive the sins of all who repent and return is as good today as it was 2k years ago. And God’s desire is that ALL would repent and return. His desire is that none would be lost. You can sign up for that program for free. Just acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life and repent of past sins. Draw a line in the sand, before Jesus and after Jesus. The after Jesus side of the line will be clean and fresh. Garbage will be left on the other side of the line. It’s easy to make the right decision. The sun will be shining on Jesus’ side of the line. See you there!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Messiah = Rescuer!

January 12, 2026, Monday Message:

Luke 2:25-26 NLT: “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, and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.”

On the eighth day, Jesus was presented in the Temple. There, the Holy Family encountered Simeon, who was filled with the Holy Spirit. He believed that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah. At that point, most of Israel had been watching and waiting for a Messiah. Angels verified Jesus’ identity to the shepherds. Gabriel confirmed Jesus’ mission for his earthly parents. And now the Holy Spirit helps Simeon identify the Son of God. There should be no doubt concerning Jesus’ true identity and his mission in coming to Earth.

At that time, Rome had captured Israel. The police keeping order were Roman soldiers. The Hebrew people were not happy about this, and the popular thinking was that God’s Messiah would rescue them from Roman oppression. They were only half right. Jesus would rescue them all right, but from their sin penalty, not from the Roman government.

Let’s keep this simple. Before Jesus, Israel was in disarray. After Jesus, everything got better. If he had fixed Israel, it would have benefitted mankind only for their lifetimes, perhaps 50-100 years. Instead, he fixed mankind’s eternal sin problem, ensuring us a safe life in God’s forever Heavenly kingdom.

Jesus gave mankind not what they asked for, but rather the gift with the greatest long-term benefit. Stick with Jesus, and in the end, everything will be OK! Jesus and his Father are always looking out for us!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Merry Christmas!

For Wednesday, December 25, 2024 – Merry Christmas!

Luke 2:32 NLT, Simeon praising baby Jesus at the Temple: “He (Jesus) is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!”

Who is this stable-born baby? Let’s have a look.

An angel had appeared to both Mary and Joseph explaining the pregnancy even though Mary had never been with a man. Maybe IVF, I dunno... Then an angel and later a chorus of angels spoke to shepherds, telling them to go into town, Bethlehem, and find a baby in a manger. A bright star later led Magi to visit this newborn. Then Jesus was brought to the Temple, circumcised, and as a first-born male, was dedicated to the Lord.

If there was ever any doubt, Simeon pins down the answer. He was a devout believer who had been told that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah, the one to rescue Israel. Sure enough, this all came together at the Temple. Simeon took the baby in his arms, saying he could now die in peace as he had seen the heaven-sent Messiah, the Savior of mankind. The Bible says that the Messiah would come through the Israelites, but that he was the Savior for the whole world, including you and me. We should all rejoice that God, in his wisdom, provided forgiveness for our sins and made a way for believers to return to him in the eternal kingdom.

In spite of their previous spirit-filled encounters, Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about him!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Messiah!

For Wednesday, December 27, 2023:

Luke 2:26 NLT: “It had been revealed to Simeon by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.”

Obedient, Mary and Joseph brought their first-born male child to the Temple, dedicating him to the Lord. But their heads must have been spinning as they lived through all the supernatural events surrounding Jesus’ arrival.

Mary conceived but hadn’t ever been with her husband. An angel appeared to the couple explaining what was to come, saying, “Fear not!” As Jesus was born, a heavenly chorus appeared directing shepherds to visit and worship the newborn. Then the shepherds left to tell everyone that the Messiah had arrived! Caesar regarded this baby, “the King of the Jews,” as a threat to his power. He wanted to murder the child, forcing the family to flee to Egypt. And now, back at the Temple, both Simeon and Anna called Jesus “Messiah, Redeemer of Israel.”

Mary and Joseph were both consistent and persistent. Their faith in God the Creator never wavered, and in spite of all the anomalies, they persisted in doing the right thing. But Mary was keeping track of all that happened. The Bible says that Mary treasured up all these things, and pondered them in her heart, wondering what lay in the future.

We are blessed that Luke had the tenacity of an investigative reporter. His goal was to author truth, to leave an account for the world of everything that occurred in the life of God’s Son. Therefore we don’t need to take years to discover the truth. By reading Luke’s account, we can quickly gain wisdom! Perhaps we all should re-read some of it today! Blessings!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Light of the World!

For Wednesday, December 29, 2021

Luke 2:29-32 NLT: “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!”

Simeon was in the last years of his life, but the Holy Spirit told him that he would not pass until he had seen the Messiah. That’s when Mary and Joseph presented Jesus in the Temple, and Simeon knew he had seen the Lamb of God! Simeon, this stranger they had just met, took the baby in his arms and praised God. He had been shown that he was holding the hope of the world!

Simeon blessed the Holy Family and prophesied to Mary that some things would go well; others would not. Jesus would cause some to fall, but others to rise! He would face stiff opposition at times, but Jesus was a true sign from above!

Since we now know Jesus rose from the dead, he still IS heaven’s hope for the world!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406