GODLY MEN

Luke 2:25-32; Acts 7:55,56,60; Philippians 1:21-23

I have read about three godly men: Simeon, Stephen and Paul. Simeon was an aged man, Stephen was a young man and Paul was middle-aged. What marked them was that Simeon was ready to go, Stephen was happy to go, and Paul was longing to go. I believe our brother knew it was better for him to go to be with Christ (see Phil.1:23). There was no doubt that he was ready to go, he was happy to go and I think he would have been longing to go. Now, is everyone in this room today ready to go? Dear friend, are you ready to go? Simeon was ready to go. It says he blessed God and said, “Lord, now thou lettest thy bondman go, according to thy word, in peace; for mine eyes have seen thy salvation”. Simeon saw the salvation of God. It says of Stephen that “he saw the glory of God, and Jesus”. Our brother who spoke has referred to faithfulness, which we have seen in our brother whom the Lord has taken. It is a wonderful testimony; these were wonderful features that marked Simeon and Stephen also. It says “behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was just and pious”. And it says of Stephen that he was “full of faith and the Holy Spirit”, Acts.6:5. What features are seen in these godly men.

It is a test, and we should each raise the question with ourselves today, ‘Are these features seen in me?’. Am I a godly person? Am I just and pious? Am I full of faith and the Holy Spirit? It must have been a wonderful privilege for Simeon to have the Lord’s Christ in his arms. He had the child Jesus in his arms and there he saw the salvation of the Lord. Has everyone here experienced the salvation of the Lord? Have you put your trust in the finished work of Christ? Are you able to say that Jesus went to Calvary for you, and that He shed His precious blood for you? Oh, the salvation of God! It says, “a light for the revelation of the Gentiles”. Think of the salvation of God going out to the Gentiles, to you and me, persons who had no right to it, no right to anything. We were “aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise” (Eph.2:12), but what marvellous grace that there should be a light for the revelation of the Gentiles, that we should be brought in to know the salvation of God.

In the book of the Acts we read of Stephen. In chapter 6 it says, “Look out therefore, brethren, from among yourselves seven men, well reported of” (v.3). Oh, the grace of God! I believe our brother was “well reported of”. We might ask ourselves, am I “well reported of”? Here we see Stephen happy to go. Why was he happy to go? Because he saw into heaven. “But being full of the Holy Spirit, having fixed his eyes on heaven, he saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God”. He was happy to go because he saw his Saviour and Lord. And then it says “kneeling down, he cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And having said this, he fell asleep”. Think of his peacefulness, the peacefulness of a believer not afraid of death because Jesus has been into death and has robbed it of its power that: “he might annul him who has the might of death” (Heb.2:14), and removed its sting: “Where, O death, is thy sting? Where, O death, thy victory?”, 1 Cor.15:55. Our brother has fallen asleep. He has fallen asleep through Jesus, the blessed Saviour.

In Philippians, Paul is writing as a real godly man, one who was distinctive because he was an apostle, he was an elect vessel (see Acts 9:15). He says, “But I am pressed by both, having the desire for departure and being with Christ, for it is very much better”. It is a comfort to our dear sister and the family at this time. Being with Christ is “very much better”, and our brother was ready to go, and happy to go, and longing to go. It is a test to me, it may be a test to you. Am I longing to go? Am I longing to go to be with Christ? Oh, the blessedness of being with Christ, it is “very much better”. It is better than being a bondman. Simeon calls himself a bondman, he says “now thou lettest thy bondman go”. A bondman is one who serves here, and is willing to serve. Being a bondman is “worth the while”, but Paul was longing to go and be with Christ, which is “very much better”. That is our brother’s portion.

May we be encouraged and comforted by these thoughts, and may we all be ready to go, happy to go, and longing to go.

Tony Mair