A King Will Be Born In Bethlehem
Notes
Transcript
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Welcome and report on Christmas Eve service.
Our final members meeting is today right after service.
We will also take communion next week.
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
This morning we are finishing up our Christmas series from the OT about the prophecies of the coming of Jesus.
This morning we will be in the book of Micah and look at “where the Messiah will be born”.
SCRIPTURE TELLS US NOT ONLY WHAT JESUS WILL BE, IT TELLS US WHO HE WILL BE, WHEN HE WILL COME, AND WHERE HE WILL BE BORN.
The purpose of this series: TO STRENGTHEN OUR FAITH IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND IN THE WORD OF GOD.
All the promises of God are true, past present and future. What God says will come to pass. Guaranteed.
Turn to the book of Micah and we will begin in chapter 5
“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.”
Explanation: This prophecy was written around the same time Isaiah had written His book.
And it was a very dark time in Israel. They had the constant threat of war around them, they were yoked to pagan nations such as Assyria. The people were overall wicked and God was speaking very clearly to them to turn to Him.
Within God’s call to repent was also a promise of restoration. That is what these Messianic promises were all about. A promise that despite the seemingly impossible circumstances, the Messiah was coming to make permanent changes.
Now this chapter of Micah is very specific about where to look for the coming Savior. And that should remind us that God does not leave us in the dark. I think one false assumption of God is that He tossed us here upon earth and said good luck figure it out. But God is not that way. HE GIVES US SPECIFIC DIRECTIONS AND GUIDANCE SO THAT WE ARE NOT LOST IN THE DARK!
And this Scripture today is no secret. It was well known in Israel because it is the very Scripture the scribes used when Herod inquired as to where Jesus was going to be born.
Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; For out of you shall come forth a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”
There was no mistake that Bethlehem was the place of the future King to be born! It was Bethlehem that the world was to be looking to. Bethlehem was where the hope of the world would arrive.
What I want to do this morning is point out 4 things from verses 2-5 that say this Messiah will be when He comes and make some points application. The first we have already seen, but we will expand upon it:
1) He would be born in Bethlehem
1) He would be born in Bethlehem
Verse 2: “but as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah…”
EXPLANATION: Now Bethlehem was small, in comparison to other cities in Judah. Notice it says, “too little to be among the clans of Judah”.
But “little” here is not talking about the size but about the significance. Bethlehem had a very small significance when compared to the other cities and towns in Judah.
Just to give us an idea how insignificant it was, when Joshua divided the land for the tribe of Judah, he mentioned 115 towns and villages in Joshua chapter 15; YET out of all 115, Bethlehem was not even significant enough to make the list.
Bethlehem was a nothing city. It was a town like Cerulean, or Fruit Hill, or St Elmo. Not even significant enough to make the list. And certainly not where we would think the great Savior of the world to originate from.
If we were choosing a city in Judah where God Himself would be born, where would we choose? I would choose Jerusalem. Where better than the holy city, where the temple of God was? But not God…He choose a place of extreme insignificance.
There is a principle here to learn about the nature of God:
God often chooses the most insignificant to do extraordinary things through
God often chooses the most insignificant to do extraordinary things through
And this is not just true in this verse for this tiny town of Bethlehem, but it is seen all throughout the Bible.
Just in Matthew’s Genealogy, you’ll find a murderer, an adulterer, a swindler, there are liars, there is a prostitute, there is the poor on Israelite welfare, and all of this in Jesus’ lineage!
But the same is true King David. He was so insignificant that his father Jesse did not even ask him to come to the house when Samuel came to anoint one of his sons king.
Mary and Joseph were nobody’s, the shepherd’s in the fields were nobody’s yet they are who the heavenly hosts came to….
God has a thing for the insignificant.
but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.
Application:
That is good news for us!
God isn’t looking for people who have it all figured out and are so wise that they need no help.
God is not looking for the strong who think they are so strong and can do everything on their own.
And God is not looking for the rich, or for the popular, or the one’s whom this world esteems as great! God says no, “I want the one that the world thinks is worthless!”
Don’t have a big fabulous house, or no house at all? You’re the kind of person God would choose to use.
Don’t have college degree? Not the smartest person on the block? Your the kind of person God would choose
Not popular and looked down upon by the world? Or no body even knows your name?! You’re just right for God.
There is nothing wrong with insignificance!
In fact, from my understanding of God’s choosing, it is a state of blessedness to live in within the Kingdom of God. Maybe not the kingdom of this world, but most certainly the kingdom of God.
I think we need to change our perspective. We look down on others or we look down on ourselves. But the opposite is true in God’s Kingdom: “He has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise”
2) He will be a Ruler who accomplishes God’s will
2) He will be a Ruler who accomplishes God’s will
Verse 2: “One will go forth for Me to be a ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity”
Explanation:
This prophecy was written at a time when there were many kings on the throne: some good and some bad. Some stayed as long as 40 years, some as short as 7 days. The nation had seen their share of kings and longed for the day when they would have a king like King David who ruled the people once again in righteousness. That is what would come to mind when this was written and read by the people. A king like King David who also would come from the town of Bethlehem just like David did, and would rule like David did, and would conquer the enemy like DAVID DID. BUT YET THIS KING WOULD EVEN BE GREATER THAN KING DAVID.
Notice the phrase “for Me” that is for God. “One will go forth FOR ME to be ruler in Israel.
When this King Messiah came, He would act in accordance with God’s Will and not man’s will. Jesus would do whatever it was that God wanted done, in order to bring Him glory and fulfill His perfect plan.
This phrase is one of the reasons why the Jews rejected Jesus. They were waiting on a ruler who would do their will instead of God’s will
But Jesus did not come submissive to the Jewish requests, the Jewish traditions, the Jewish laws, the Jewish ideals that they wanted. He came in perfect obedience to the will of God.
Application:
I think one of the most common stumbling blocks in keeping one from the Kingdom of God is allowing Jesus to rule their lives according to God’s will. The world is ok with supernatural help, and blessing, and for comfort. But its this whole submission to God’s rule that usually gets us.
Its a common thing to see people set limits on how much rule they will allow God to have in their lives. “I will follow Jesus this far, but I’m not willing to do all that. Or i’ll go to church and do this and that but thats far enough.
But this verse says, HE WILL BE RULER in Israel. Not “a” ruler as if he is going to co-rule with someone else’s will, but that He will “BE RULER” as in the only One to Rule His people.
And isn’t that exactly what Jesus demands: SOVEREIGN LORDSHIP OVER OUR LIVES.
Jesus is not asking for bits and pieces. He wants the whole thing or He’ll have none of it. Its not enough to give Him the money and kids, or one day a week, or everything but that one sin we love so much. He must rule it all or He will not rule any of it.
WE are also reminded here that Jesus is very QUALIFIED TO RULE. His rule did not begin in the manger, but His origins are from days of old, or reaching back before Bethlehem or King David was even a thing. The idea is that Jesus existed way before He showed up in Bethlehem.
And that reminds us of the infinite wisdom and qualification that Jesus has to govern our lives. He is absolutely able to guide us, and lead us, and rule us and give us the best possible life that we could have.
I won’t stand before you and say that it is always easy to do everything God wants us to do. It is not. It is not always easy to be submissive to God. It is not always easy to do what the Bible says. It is not always easy to stop, pray, and seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
But what I can say to us all (including me) is that no none else is qualified to rule your life even ourselves! No one will lead you better than God Himself, and no one can maker your life count more than Jesus!
3) He will shepherd His flock
3) He will shepherd His flock
Verse 4: “He will arise and shepherd His flock in the strength of the Lord”
The metaphor of a shepherd is wellknown throughout the Bible. Shepherds were a huge part of Israel. Shepherds kept the flock, watched over the flock, led the flock to water, made them lie down, made them get up and move to safer ground, protected them from wolves and other threats, and went after them when they wandered off into dangerous places.
Shepherding was the job that not many desired. Shepherds lived in the fields with the animals, in the rain and cold, wind and heat, and put their life on the line for the sheep.
One thing about the sheep’s relationship with the shepherd, the sheep were hopeless without him! If the shepherd quit, the sheep would certainly die. Sheep were very valuable but not very smart and they needed the protection and care that a shepherd would give to them. I mean if they could make it on their own, then no man would waste his life living in the fields with the flock!
Jesus said this: John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”
Jesus is not just Lord, but He is also our Shepherd. He cares for us, watches over us, feeds us spiritually and physically, guides us, makes us lie down, makes us rise up, gives us help and encouragement in difficulties, and brings us back when we’ve wandered off.
We are sheep. We have great value to God, but we cannot make it on our own. In fact, we are doomed without a Shepherd. We need him everyday, dwelling with us, guiding us, watching over us, protecting us from harm and danger. Caring for us like no other.
Jesus is the good Shepherd. He is not a shepherd, He is the good Shepherd! What He does for us, no one else can do!
Pastors are also given the role to shepherd the flock; but we are under shepherds. That does not mean it is not an important. We too are also called to nourish the flock with Spiritual food and encouragement, we are to lead the flock to God’s will, we are to protect the flock from danger and false teaching…BUT WE ARE NOT JESUS!
I cannot do for you what Jesus can do for you. I will help you all I can in ways that will help you, but I cannot help you like Jesus can help you. I will point you in the right direction as best I know how but I cannot possibly lead you like Jesus can lead you. I will feed you from the Word of God and try to nourish you spiritually, but I cannot do what Jesus can do for you.
Be sure you are always looking unto the Good Shepherd to give you what you desperately need. Look to Him in prayer, trust all that He says to you in Spirit and in His Word, and stay with Him! He is the good Shepherd because He is good! And He is good for you and me. Let Him be your shepherd.
4) He will be Our Peace
4) He will be Our Peace
“This One will be our peace”
The peace here that Micah is speaking of is in contrast to the turmoil that Israel was experiencing at that time. Israel had become a vassal nation to Assyria who was the superpower in those days. They had to give money and answer to Assyria whenever Assyria called. But Israel broke their treaty and Assyria and they were knocking on their door ready to destroy the nation.
I cannot imagine what it felt to be inside the walls of Jerusalem with a superpower outside the walls waiting for them to come inside and bring chaos. And that is what happened in 586 with Babylon.
But within this situation Micah says “This One will be our peace”.
We know that Jesus brings peace between us and God through His atonement on the cross but there is another kind of peace that Jesus brings. It is the peace that surpasses all understanding.
Moose longs for peace
Lay night we had some storms roll through our area. Now they weren’t bad and we were fortunate because we are prone to getting bad storms this time of year.
Moose is scared of the storms. Even if the wind begins to pick up, he gets nervous and wants to come inside. He had a bad experience when he was a pup and a storm came through and it kinda messed him up.
Last night I was in the kitchen before bed, and I noticed moose was inside. Ashley doesn’t let him inside all the time, just when she feels some sympathy for him. And when he comes in, he cannot go outside the laundry room. Is about a 8x10 spot with not much room to move. But she let him in because of the storms. And I saw him laying there, on that hard floor, kinda stretched out and just looked completely content. No pillow, no blanket, not even much freedom, but he was inside and that was better than all thy other stuff. He could be outside with a pillow in his doghouse and a piece of carpet. He could have all the freedom he wanted, but he would rather be in that house where he had that peace of mind about all the chaos outside.
That’s what it is like to be in Christ. The chaos is still there. There are still wars going on. There are still threats for a nuclear war. There are still diseases and sicknesses and tragedies. There are still murders, my goodness we had at the Pilot in Oak Grove just a couple days ago.
But to be in Christ, is to have this great unexplainable peace, that even if the whole world falls apart, we know we are going to be just fine. If the stock market tanks, we are going to be fine. If war breaks out, we know we are going to be fine. Even if we get sick and die, we know everything is going to be alright because our peace is found not in circumstances, but in the Lord Jesus Christ.
CONCLUSION:
CONCLUSION:
Jesus is not just the hope of Israel, He is the hope of the world. And sometimes we just need to be reminded of that. He rules His kingdom here on earth and one day we will see it in its fullness.
God gave all these prophecies so that when Jesus fulfilled them, people would know for sure He is the One who has come to save us.
And for us today, we can know without a shadow of a doubt, that Jesus is the One we all so desperately need.
HE IS TRUSTWORTHY TO BE LORD! HE IS THE GOOD SHEPHERD! HE IS THE ONE WHO GIVES PEACE!
AND HE WILL COME INTO YOUR LIFE TODAY AND CHANGE IT FOREVER IF YOU WILL RECEIVE HIM.
~PRAYER~
Business Meeting
Business Meeting
Opening Prayer
Reading of last months minutes
Any Questions?
Vote to approve last months minutes
Treasurers Report
Any Questions?
Vote to approve the treasurers report
Unfinished Business
?
New Business
Budget Proposal for 2025
Any other new business?
Meeting adjourned
Prayer for 2025
