The Promise-Keeping God: Why Bethlehem Still Matters

[00:00:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Voices singing wondrous news they tell Great glad tidings bringing God doeth all things well Lord of all creation laid in a bed of hay Born for our salvation spread the news today

[00:00:40] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
I invite you to join me in standing, if you are able, as the God who keeps all of His promises calls us to worship this Lord's Day.
[00:00:55] And the angel said to them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
[00:01:04] For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
[00:01:11] Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.
[00:01:17] Indeed, let us praise and bring glory to our God as we join our voices together, singing Hymn 203, Hark the Herald Angels Sing.

[00:01:39] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Hark!
[00:01:48] the herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn King!
[00:01:59] Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners never consigned.
[00:02:01] Joyful all ye nations rise, Join the triumph of the skies, With evangelicals proclaim, Christ is born in Bethlehem.
[00:02:24] Hark!
[00:02:24] the herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn King!
[00:02:29] Christ the everlasting Lord Late in time behold Him come Offspring of the virgin's womb Hail in flesh the God of MC Hail incarnate DMC Praise as glad with men to dwell
[00:02:58] Jesus of Immanuel Hark the herald angels sing Glory to the newborn King Hail, all hail, the Prince of Peace Hail, the Son of Righteousness
[00:03:21] Christ the Lord is Risen!
[00:03:49] Christ the Lord is Risen!
[00:03:50] Christ the Lord is Risen!
[00:03:52] Let's pray together.

[00:03:59] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
Almighty God, indeed, glory be to you in the highest.
[00:04:07] For you alone are the one true living God who has made all things and who gives life to all things.
[00:04:15] And we praise you this morning that Jesus Christ, your Son and our Savior, is the Prince of Peace.
[00:04:22] The Son of Righteousness who brings with Him light and life to all who call upon His name.
[00:04:31] Who came so that no one who believes in Him may die.
[00:04:36] We praise You that He came to raise the sons of earth.
[00:04:41] We are overwhelmed by Your goodness and Your mercy unto us this morning as we join to worship You and to bring You praise.
[00:04:50] And we praise you indeed that you have seen fit to reconcile a wayward, sinful people to yourself.
[00:04:57] That indeed you have brought each of us out of darkness into light because of the great God that you are.
[00:05:03] And so we praise you this morning, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
[00:05:09] We celebrate the promises of your word this Advent season.
[00:05:13] We pray that you would be with us and guide us by the power of your Holy Spirit as we worship you in spirit and in truth this morning.
[00:05:20] We pray these things in Jesus' name.
[00:05:23] Amen.
[00:05:24] Please remain standing and turn with me in your hymnals to the back, page 846, for our corporate voice of faith this morning.
[00:05:34] We will be using the words of the Nicene Creed, and as we do so, I want us to remember that as we worship this God and Jesus, the Prince of Peace, that we do so worshiping Him as God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God.
[00:05:52] So Christian, who do you believe?
[00:05:55] We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible, and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God,
[00:06:21] Begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made, who for us and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate,
[00:06:47] He suffered and was buried, and the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God.
[00:07:00] And He shall come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, whose kingdoms shall have no end.
[00:07:11] and we believe in the Holy Spirit the Lord and giver of life who proceeds from the Father and the Son who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified who spoke by the prophets and we believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church
[00:07:33] We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins and we look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.
[00:07:45] Amen.
[00:07:46] Please be seated.
[00:07:54] And turn with me in your Bibles for our New Testament reading to the Gospel of Matthew chapter 2
[00:08:04] verses 1 through 6.
[00:08:08] Matthew chapter 2 verses 1 through 6.
[00:08:13] Let's hear now the Word of God.
[00:08:21] Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod, the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he who has been born King of the Jews?
[00:08:36] For we saw his star when it rose, and have come to worship him.
[00:08:42] When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
[00:08:48] And assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
[00:08:56] They told him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet, And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah.
[00:09:08] For from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.
[00:09:15] The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.
[00:09:20] Amen.
[00:09:23] Children, at this time we want to invite you forward for the lighting of our Advent candle.
[00:09:58] Well, good morning.
[00:10:00] How's everybody doing today?
[00:10:02] Good.
[00:10:03] Well, last week we lit the hope candle.
[00:10:08] Last week we lit the hope candle that reminds us of the hope that Jesus is to us.
[00:10:15] We celebrate all Advent long that Jesus came down from heaven to be born and to be our Savior.
[00:10:22] And our hope is in Him.
[00:10:25] And this week we are going to light the peace candle.
[00:10:30] The peace candle.
[00:10:31] So what I want you to think about when we think about the peace candle is have you ever been in an argument or a fight with maybe a brother or sister or a friend?
[00:10:41] Yeah?
[00:10:41] You've been in an argument or a fight?
[00:10:43] We don't need to look at the person you've been in an argument with.
[00:10:45] That's okay.
[00:10:47] Playing your hand a little too much.
[00:10:50] Is that a good place to be when we're in an argument or a fight with someone that we love?
[00:10:55] No, right?
[00:10:57] We feel that in our hearts and it makes us sad, right?
[00:11:01] And we want things to be right again.
[00:11:04] That's called reconciliation and it brings with it peace.
[00:11:10] And so when we think about who Jesus is to us, he comes down from heaven because we can't go to heaven on our own.
[00:11:19] And he comes to reconcile us to God.
[00:11:22] That's a big, big word, but what it means is he comes to make things right between us and God.
[00:11:29] And he does that by coming and being born on Christmas Day that we celebrate, but then he lives a perfect life and dies on the cross and is raised from the grave after three days.
[00:11:38] And what that does is that builds the bridge back between us and God.
[00:11:44] Okay, so when we talk about how Jesus is our peace, that's what it means.
[00:11:49] He makes things right again between us and God.
[00:11:53] How wonderful is that?
[00:11:55] In fact, we're going to hear about that in our sermon passage this morning, that promise about who Jesus would be.
[00:12:00] Micah 5, verse 5 says, And he shall be their peace.
[00:12:07] Jesus is our peace.
[00:12:10] Holden, you want to come help me light these candles and then we'll pray together?
[00:12:15] All right, so first we're going to light the hope candle.
[00:12:17] Do you remember which one it is?
[00:12:18] All right, let's do this one.
[00:12:37] All right, you can stand right there, right here, and we'll pray and thank God that he's our peace.
[00:12:40] Let's pray together.
[00:12:41] Dear God, we thank you.
[00:12:45] that Jesus came to be our peace.
[00:12:50] Help us believe that and live in its truth.
[00:12:56] In Jesus' name, amen.
[00:13:00] All right, y'all can go back to your seats.

[00:13:05] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
I invite you to turn with me in your hymnals, this time to number 225.
[00:13:09] We'll stand together and sing Once in Royal David's City.
[00:13:13] Let's stand as we do.

[00:13:17] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Once in royal David's city Stood a lowly cattle shed
[00:13:49] Father laid her baby in a manger for his bed Mary was the mother child Jesus was the little child

[00:14:11] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
He came down to earth from heaven Who is God and Lord of all And His shelter was a stable And His cradle was a stone

[00:14:35] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

[00:15:03] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Amen.

[00:15:04] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
All arms he lay, Rich and children all must be, By the peace it would at sea.
[00:15:28] And our eyes at last shall see him, Through his own redeeming love,
[00:15:31] Christ, so dear and gentle, gives our Lord in heaven a path, and he leads his children on to the place where he is gone.
[00:15:55] The Holy Stable with the obstinate standing by We shall see Him mount in heaven Stand at God's right hand on high When life's first His children crown On Him life shall wait around

[00:16:26] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Let's pray together.
[00:16:28] Lord, our God, we do thank You for redeeming love.
[00:16:32] We thank You for our Savior Jesus Christ, for His incarnation, for His life, His death, His resurrection, His ascension, and His priesthood even now at Your right hand.
[00:16:45] Father, through Jesus Christ, you have given us all things.
[00:16:50] All the spiritual blessings and riches that are His are now ours.
[00:16:54] And so we thank you and praise you for all of this.
[00:16:57] And we worship you now, even as we return a portion of those things back to you through the giving of your tithes and our offerings.
[00:17:05] Lord, we do this as an offering, as a sacrifice, as a token of our appreciation, and we ask that you will receive it in kind, that you will bless those who give generously with cheerfulness of heart, and that you would use these gifts for your kingdom purposes and ultimately for your glory.
[00:17:21] We ask it in Jesus' name.
[00:17:22] Amen.
[00:17:24] You may be seated.

[00:17:55] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
In Jesus' name, amen.
[00:18:43] Amen.

[00:19:27] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

[00:19:51] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Praise Him all creatures here below.
[00:19:51] Praise Him above ye heavenly host.
[00:19:52] Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

[00:20:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Please be seated.
[00:20:05] As we go to the Lord in a few moments of prayer together this morning, we do so rejoicing with Tim and Lizzie Burrell, who welcomed their little girl, Josephine Fay, into their arms early yesterday morning.
[00:20:18] Little Josie, as they're going to call her, is doing very well, as is Lizzie, and so we give God glory and praise for an answered prayer for seeing them through nine months of pregnancy and now delivering this little girl safely into their arms.
[00:20:31] And so be praying for the Burrells as they are now
[00:20:34] A family of, how many does that make it?
[00:20:37] Five kids, seven, goodness gracious.
[00:20:39] So be praying for them in that.
[00:20:42] But while we pray or give God praise for that, we also can be praying for the larger Burrell family at the same time that they were being admitted to deliver a baby.
[00:20:49] Pete Carriker was being admitted to the hospital with infection and fever, but even by last night he was doing much better and the hope is that he'll be able to go home maybe tomorrow.
[00:20:59] But be praying for that family, the Burrell Carriker family, as they praise God for new life and also for sustaining grace in the life of Pete.
[00:21:08] So let's look to the Lord now in a time of prayer together.
[00:21:14] O Lord our God, along with the angels, we can say this morning glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.
[00:21:24] Because you have been pleased to give to us a Savior who is Christ the Lord, by whom we have the knowledge of salvation, of the forgiveness of sins.
[00:21:34] By your tender mercies, O Lord, you have caused the sunrise to visit us from on high and to give light to those who have sat in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
[00:21:49] Lord, we do thank you that Jesus Christ is our peace, that through him we are reconciled to you, that there is no longer any enmity or strife, but all is well because Jesus Christ has stood in the gap.
[00:22:05] Taking on our sin and our curse so that we might have His righteousness.
[00:22:10] And because of that, You look upon us as dearly loved children, sons and daughters adopted by our heavenly Father and blessed to enter into Your kingdom and Your household.
[00:22:23] And so, Lord, as we gather this morning, we have much to be thankful for, much to rejoice over, because in Jesus Christ we have everything we need.
[00:22:33] Oh Lord we also rejoice in the blessing of life and of new life and we praise you this morning for the safe arrival of little Josie yesterday morning we thank you for superintending the pregnancy over the course of this year and for bringing joy and happiness to this family and extended family and even this covenant family here at Cottle Creek
[00:22:53] We pray that you would watch over the Burrell family as they adjust now to having a new little one within their home and within their arms.
[00:23:00] We pray for little Josie that you would help to grow her up in strength, not only physically but also spiritually as well.
[00:23:07] That even at a young age, this little girl would come to put her faith and trust in Jesus Christ.
[00:23:13] Father, we pray for this family and give you thanks and praise for this new life.
[00:23:18] We also thank you for sustaining Pete over the last couple of days as he has dealt with infection.
[00:23:23] We thank you that the medicines seem to be doing their job and we would pray that he would have a complete recovery and be able to return home in the next day or two and that you would watch over Nancy and Eric and the others as they have been concerned for him.
[00:23:38] Father, we thank you also that you are concerned for us, that there is not a moment in the course of our lives that you have blinked or you have gone to sleep or you have forgotten or been not mindful of us, but you are always with us.
[00:23:54] even in those difficult moments even in those hard paths and we know that for many within the life of this church this year has been marked by hardship and difficulty and so father we would pray too for all of those who have gone through hard roads lord we pray that you would help give them a sense of your nearness and that they would be able to look and see your faithfulness even during times of loss or illness or grief
[00:24:20] Father, we pray that you would also keep us close to you.
[00:24:23] Lord, that we would always be mindful of the fact that you are our God and that you have done great things for us.
[00:24:31] And if ever, Lord, we lose sight of that, just point us back to Jesus.
[00:24:34] Help us to remember what you have done for us through this blessed Savior.
[00:24:39] And we pray this today in Jesus' name.
[00:24:42] Amen.

[00:25:17] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
of the Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit of the Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit of the Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit of the Holy Spirit,
[00:25:43] Praise Him, all creatures here below Praise Him, above the heavenly host Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost

[00:26:20] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Turn with me in your Bibles to Micah chapter 5.
[00:26:34] This is one of the minor prophets.
[00:26:35] I've got some introductory remarks.
[00:26:36] You've got plenty of time to find it.
[00:26:38] Just a little note for you.
[00:26:39] If you see Jonah, it's one more page.
[00:26:41] If you see Nahum, back up just a little bit.
[00:26:44] Micah chapter 5, we're going to be looking at verses 2 through 5 as we continue our Advent sermon series in which we are looking at the promises of God that were made to us in the Old Testament and fulfilled and were kept
[00:26:59] Through the birth, the arrival, the incarnation of Jesus Christ as we find it in the New Testament.
[00:27:05] As we think about promises, as we think about promises that perhaps have been made to us in the course of our lives, there's a fine line, a big difference, I should say, between promises that people make and don't keep
[00:27:19] and promises that people make and do keep we've all experienced the hurt of broken promises and we experience it perhaps in all the different avenues of our life maybe you've experienced it at work with an employee or or a boss or maybe a vendor or a contractor who who says i'm going to have this task completed by this day you don't have to worry about it and then that day comes and goes and nothing has happened
[00:27:43] Or maybe we've seen it at home.
[00:27:45] Parents, you can probably relate to this.
[00:27:46] Maybe your children have said, I'm going to clean my room, or I'm going to do that chore, and then a day or two goes by and that thing still hasn't happened.
[00:27:55] Or perhaps we've experienced it even with some of our friends who maybe have said, yeah, I'll be there, I'll meet you for lunch, or I'll help you move that piece of furniture, and then they don't show, or something seems to have come up.
[00:28:07] We know the frustration that comes from promises being broken.
[00:28:12] And the result of that is if someone does that to us enough, we begin to consider that person, categorize that person as altogether untrustworthy.
[00:28:21] We can understand that perhaps if extenuating circumstances causes that promise not to be kept, but if someone is in a habit of breaking promises, we sort of cast them off in our mind.
[00:28:32] But when it comes to the promises of God, what are we to make?
[00:28:37] Is God trustworthy or untrustworthy?
[00:28:41] Well, you know the answer to that.
[00:28:43] All we have to do is look at the witness of Scripture.
[00:28:45] Because page in and page out, we see God making promises to His people that He always keeps.
[00:28:54] But it doesn't always mean He keeps it in the time frame that we might expect.
[00:28:57] When we looked at the book of Genesis a few years ago, we saw that God promised Abraham and Sarah, you are going to have a son of your own.
[00:29:05] But it took 25 years for that promise to come about.
[00:29:09] Or think about what we saw last week with the promise, the sign of Emmanuel and the virgin who would conceive and give birth.
[00:29:16] It was a wonderful promise, but do you remember how long it took to come to fruition?
[00:29:20] Almost 750 years.
[00:29:23] But it did.
[00:29:24] Because God keeps His promises.
[00:29:28] He always comes through.
[00:29:29] He is completely trustworthy.
[00:29:32] And this morning we have another example of that as we continue to consider some of these messianic promises that were made in the prophets and found their fulfillment in the birth of Jesus Christ.
[00:29:44] And we do so this morning by looking at the familiar words from Micah chapter 5.
[00:29:50] And we're going to read verses 2 through the beginning of verse 5.
[00:29:55] So hear now the word of the Lord.
[00:29:59] But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
[00:30:15] Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth, then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel.
[00:30:25] And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
[00:30:32] And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth and he shall be their peace.
[00:30:41] Let's pray together.
[00:30:45] Lord our God,
[00:30:47] We come once again to Your Word to contemplate the promises that You made regarding Your Messiah, our Savior, Jesus Christ.
[00:30:57] And we come to this text, we see really multiple promises that find their yes and their amen and their fulfillment in the circumstances surrounding the birth of Christ, but also in who He would be as our ruler, as our shepherd, and as our peace.
[00:31:16] So Lord, give us eyes to see, ears to hear, but most importantly, hearts to believe in Your Word this morning.
[00:31:23] We ask it in Jesus' name.
[00:31:25] Amen.
[00:31:27] So I think it'll be helpful, just as we did last week when we were looking at Isaiah's message to Ahaz, to consider some of the context that's going on that led to this promise being made through the prophet Micah about Bethlehem and about this ruler who was to come.
[00:31:47] The prophet Micah was actually a contemporary of the prophet Isaiah.
[00:31:52] That means they both served as prophets of God in and around the same timeframe in Israel and Judah's history.
[00:32:00] Last week we saw that Isaiah delivered his message, that message from Isaiah 7, particularly to King Ahaz of Judah.
[00:32:09] Well, if you were to flip back a page or two to the very beginning of the book of Micah, listen to what we're told in chapter 1, verse 1.
[00:32:18] It says, the word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
[00:32:33] And so there you have it.
[00:32:34] Micah served during the reigns of the same kings that Isaiah did as well.
[00:32:40] But whereas Isaiah's message last week was pointedly to King Ahaz, Micah's message in this book was aimed at the other leaders of Israel and Judah under the kings.
[00:32:53] And so this would include people like the priests and the judges and the governors who had been entrusted with the care and oversight of God's people
[00:33:03] But had betrayed that trust by abusing their power and abusing the people that they were put in charge of in order to sort of build up their own wealth and their own influence And so the book of Micah is really an indictment by God of the failed leadership of these two nations
[00:33:27] And we find a really good summary of this in Micah chapter 3.
[00:33:32] Look at the first three verses with me of Micah chapter 3.
[00:33:36] This is God's indictment of the leaders.
[00:33:42] It says,
[00:33:47] Is it not for you to know justice?
[00:33:49] You who hate the good and love the evil, who tear the skin from off my people and their flesh from off their bones, who eat the flesh of my people and flay their skin from off them and break their bones in pieces and chop them up like meat in a pot, like flesh in a cauldron.
[00:34:12] That is not the most flattering picture of Israel and Judah's leaders, is it?
[00:34:16] In fact, it's a horrifying picture that is painted for us in this indictment by God.
[00:34:21] These were supposed to be the shepherds of Israel, the shepherds of Judah, but instead they're characterized as ravenous wolves who are tearing the flesh off of the people that they were supposed to be caring for.
[00:34:35] And so as a result, God sent Micah to declare a message of judgment against them.
[00:34:40] If you're still in chapter 3, jump down to verse 9.
[00:34:44] Here's just one example of this judgment.
[00:34:47] It says, Hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel, who detest justice and make crooked all that is straight, who build Zion with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity.
[00:35:01] And then down to verse 12.
[00:35:03] Therefore, because of you, Zion shall be plowed as a field, Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins.
[00:35:10] and the mountain of the house a wooded height.
[00:35:17] So God had decreed judgment against Israel and against Judah and particularly against these leaders because they had forsaken the duty assigned to them to love mercy and justice and kindness.
[00:35:32] And so Micah delivers a hard message for these nations and for these leaders and these people.
[00:35:39] But that's not the only thing God sent him to say.
[00:35:42] Like so many of the other prophets that served during this time, Micah delivered not only a message of judgment, but he also brought with it a message of hope.
[00:35:52] A word of restoration and redemption that would be for the remnant.
[00:35:58] We talked about the remnant last week a little bit.
[00:36:00] How God always reserves for Himself people for Himself who He would preserve and uphold in righteousness and faithfulness.
[00:36:07] And so there's a word of hope for the remnant.
[00:36:10] And there's actually several words scattered throughout this short book.
[00:36:15] For instance, in chapter 4, verse 6, it says, In that day, declares the Lord, I will assemble the lame and gather those who have been driven away and those whom I have afflicted
[00:36:28] And so though there would be judgment and though there would be difficult days ahead, God was not going to cast off His people forever.
[00:36:52] God would remember His covenant.
[00:36:55] He would remember His love for this people.
[00:36:58] And what's more, we see that He would provide in time a true leader, a true shepherd who would care for His people aright.
[00:37:09] And that's what brings us then to this promise that we have in Micah chapter 5.
[00:37:13] These words that we probably hear every year during the Advent season.
[00:37:17] That's the context.
[00:37:20] A word of judgment.
[00:37:22] balanced by this word of hope where God says, But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
[00:37:39] And then in verse 4, And he will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord.
[00:37:47] There are two significant parts of this message, of this word, that I want us to consider briefly this morning.
[00:37:56] The first is the promise regarding Bethlehem that we find in verse 2.
[00:38:02] And the second is the promise of this coming ruler who would shepherd God's people in faithfulness as we see it in verse 4.
[00:38:10] But let's begin with Bethlehem.
[00:38:12] After all, that's the obvious connection that we find between our two scripture readings today, right?
[00:38:18] What we heard earlier from Matthew chapter 2 and what we find here in Micah chapter 5.
[00:38:23] God made a promise regarding Bethlehem and Micah and in Matthew chapter 2 we're told that that promise came to pass.
[00:38:29] This came to fulfill the words of the prophet.
[00:38:32] And we know that story from Matthew chapter 2 pretty well.
[00:38:37] We're told that when the wise men saw the star appear in the sky, they understood that this signaled the birth of someone of great significance.
[00:38:45] And they traveled to Judah, they came to Jerusalem, and they asked Herod, where is he who has been born King of the Jews?
[00:38:54] We know this story.
[00:38:55] We hear it every year at Christmas.
[00:38:58] And we'll also know that Herod then quickly assembled together the chief priests and the scribes and he put the question to them, where is this new ruler supposed to be born?
[00:39:10] And the chief priests and the scribes really had no trouble answering that question because they point him back to the words of Micah chapter 5 and they say, for so it was foretold by the prophet that he would be born in Bethlehem.
[00:39:24] And it always amazes me
[00:39:26] How the chief priests and the scribes got this right.
[00:39:29] They knew for certain, almost without blinking, that this is exactly where the Messiah was to be born, and yet these same chief priests and scribes would be the ones who would reject the Messiah that was born in Bethlehem.
[00:39:43] But that's a discussion for another day.
[00:39:47] Why Bethlehem?
[00:39:48] What's the significance of Bethlehem?
[00:39:53] After all, it makes it sound like what we hear in Micah and in Matthew 2 that it wasn't much of a town, and it's true.
[00:40:00] Bethlehem was small.
[00:40:03] It didn't have any major size or influence or power.
[00:40:06] There wasn't much to it.
[00:40:07] It was a small little village, which is why Micah says, you who are too little to be among the clans of Judah.
[00:40:14] Or other versions of the translations of the Bible say, though you be little among the thousands of Judah.
[00:40:21] In other words, Bethlehem was this small sort of backwater, insignificant place in comparison with some of the more prominent, powerful towns in the nation.
[00:40:34] But you know, God has never really cared much about size, about power, about a place or someone's ability or not.
[00:40:44] God has always been pleased to use things that are overlooked and underappreciated.
[00:40:50] I mean, that's what he told the Israelites in Deuteronomy 6 when he's telling them why he chose Israel to be his covenant people.
[00:40:56] He says, it's not because you were more in number.
[00:40:59] It's not because you were somehow stronger than the surrounding nations that I set my love upon you.
[00:41:06] God has often been pleased to use the small, the insignificant, the looked over things.
[00:41:14] That's why Zechariah actually cautions God's people, don't despise the day of small things.
[00:41:21] And haven't we seen that recently in our study of 1 Corinthians?
[00:41:24] As Paul reminds the Corinthians themselves, it was not because you were wise or smart or anything like that when I came to you and proclaimed the gospel.
[00:41:32] In fact, you were the people who were considered weak and foolish.
[00:41:37] But God uses the weak and the foolish to shame the wise and the strong.
[00:41:43] And so it was with Bethlehem.
[00:41:46] Small town, easily overlooked,
[00:41:50] and yet a town that would play a tremendously large role in the history of Israel and friends even in our history as well.
[00:41:59] Now here's a little pop quiz for you.
[00:42:01] Where in the Bible is the town of Bethlehem first prominently featured?
[00:42:07] Where in the pages of the Old Testament?
[00:42:10] The answer, the book of Ruth.
[00:42:12] If you're familiar with the book of Ruth, it's a short book.
[00:42:15] It's one of the most beloved books in the Old Testament because it has this sweet love story, this sweet story of redeeming love throughout it.
[00:42:23] You have Ruth and Naomi who both have lost husbands, who are destitute, who are without hope, without help.
[00:42:30] And into the picture comes this man named Boaz who was a kinsman redeemer and who rescues them from poverty and restores to them hope and joy and a future.
[00:42:42] And apart from the opening verses of that book that take place in Moab, the rest of the book takes place in Bethlehem because that's where Naomi's husband was from.
[00:42:53] He was of the tribe of Bethlehem.
[00:42:58] And if you know the end of that story, Ruth and Boaz are married and they are blessed to have a son whom they name Obed.
[00:43:07] Now that name may not mean a whole lot to us here and now, but at the very end of the book of Ruth, we're given a short genealogy.
[00:43:16] I want to read that for you, and I want you to listen towards the end of it for names that might be a little more familiar.
[00:43:22] We're told that these are the generations of Perez.
[00:43:26] Perez fathered Hezron, Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amenadab, Amenadab fathered Nashon, Nashon fathered Salmon, Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed, Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David.
[00:43:44] And there it is.
[00:43:45] David, who would eventually be King David, was from Bethlehem.
[00:43:52] In fact, that's confirmed to us in the very next book in the Old Testament, 1 Samuel.
[00:43:56] When God sends Samuel to go anoint someone else to be king because Saul has been a colossal failure, he sends him to the house of Jesse the Bethlehemite.
[00:44:07] And Samuel goes, and he meets with Jesse, he looks over his sons, and he's so impressed by Jesse's oldest sons.
[00:44:15] They're tall, they're handsome, they look exactly like a king should look, and yet, God tells him, nope, that's not who I want.
[00:44:22] And Samuel looks through all of Jesse's gathered sons there, and none of them are the right man for the job.
[00:44:28] And Samuel asks, isn't there anyone else?
[00:44:30] And Jesse says, well, yeah, they're still the youngest, but he's out with the sheep.
[00:44:34] He's of no account.
[00:44:37] And Samuel says, well, call him in.
[00:44:39] And as soon as David shows up, God says, there he is.
[00:44:43] And so once again, we see God choosing what others overlook.
[00:44:49] An overlooked son
[00:44:51] In an overlooked town would become the king of Israel.
[00:44:57] And so Bethlehem, though small and insignificant in and of itself, had the distinct honor of being the birthplace of Israel's greatest king.
[00:45:06] Little wonder then that God chooses Bethlehem to play that role again here in Micah's prophecy and in the coming birth of an even greater king.
[00:45:19] But what's really amazing about the fulfillment of this promise is the fact that Joseph and Mary didn't live in Bethlehem.
[00:45:30] They were from Nazareth.
[00:45:33] And I want you to think for a moment about some very familiar words that again we hear every time this time of year from Luke chapter 2.
[00:45:41] Where Luke tells us that in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
[00:45:48] and all went to be registered each to his own town.
[00:45:52] Joseph also went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea to the city of David which is called Bethlehem because he was of the house and lineage of David.
[00:46:06] Isn't it amazing to see how God really ordains and decrees all the details of life and history.
[00:46:16] Caesar makes this decree, I want to know how many people are in my empire at the exact same time that Mary was pregnant with the Messiah.
[00:46:26] And the decree was that you got to go back to your hometown to be counted, to be registered.
[00:46:32] And that's how Jesus ends up being born in Bethlehem, though his parents lived in Nazareth.
[00:46:39] And thus, God's promise was fulfilled.
[00:46:44] Just think about that for a moment.
[00:46:46] And tell me that God can't work out the details of your life, even though it may not look like he's doing much right now.
[00:46:56] God moved the heart and mind of the emperor
[00:47:01] As if he was a puppet on a string in order to bring to pass the word that he had spoken regarding the Messiah and Bethlehem.
[00:47:12] What can't God do in your life or mine?
[00:47:15] Though we may not always understand the moments that are happening right now, though it may not be convenient to us, I mean think about how inconvenient this was for Joseph and Mary.
[00:47:25] Mary is nine months pregnant.
[00:47:28] And she has to travel from Nazareth down to Bethlehem probably on a donkey or something like that.
[00:47:33] It would not have been a comfortable ride.
[00:47:36] She ends up giving birth in a cattle stall.
[00:47:39] Not a convenient thing and yet used by God to bring to pass all that He had promised and spoken.
[00:47:48] How has God used the circumstances of your life?
[00:47:52] The convenient and the inconvenient.
[00:47:54] The joyful and the painful.
[00:47:56] To confirm to you that He is good, that He is trustworthy, that He never leaves and He never forsakes.
[00:48:05] And so that confirms that first part of this promise that we find in Micah.
[00:48:10] But I mentioned there was a second part that I wanted us to consider this morning as well.
[00:48:13] And that's the language that we find in verse 4.
[00:48:18] Micah says that he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God and they shall dwell secure for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth and he shall be their peace now let's remember the immediate context is the failure of the shepherds of Israel and Judah to take care of God's flock
[00:48:44] And in contrast to the faithless and abusive leaders of Micah's day, God here promises one who will be a faithful shepherd.
[00:48:53] And isn't that the very image that we have of Jesus Christ over and over again in the pages of the New Testament?
[00:49:00] In fact, I couldn't help but think of what Matthew says in Matthew chapter 9.
[00:49:05] Beginning at verse 35 he says that Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages teaching in the synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction and when he saw the crowds he had compassion upon them because they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd.
[00:49:28] Here were these people harassed.
[00:49:30] They were helpless.
[00:49:31] And Jesus has compassion upon them because they are like sheep without a shepherd.
[00:49:37] And Jesus took that mantle upon himself.
[00:49:40] In fact, he clearly states that about himself in John chapter 10.
[00:49:44] One of the great I am sayings of Jesus that we have recorded in John's gospel.
[00:49:49] Jesus declares, I am the good shepherd.
[00:49:53] The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
[00:49:56] He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, he sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.
[00:50:06] He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep, much like the leaders in the days of Micah.
[00:50:14] But Jesus says, I am the good shepherd.
[00:50:16] I know my own, and my own know me.
[00:50:21] And this is where this promise of the coming Messiah, as we find it in Micah, has its greatest fulfillment.
[00:50:28] That this shepherd who was promised to come laid down his life for the sheep.
[00:50:35] Whereas the shepherds in Micah's day sought to take what they could from the sheep, Jesus, our Good Shepherd, gave what He could for the sheep.
[00:50:46] And He gave His life so that we might be reconciled to God.
[00:50:53] And that brings us to the very final word from Micah's prophecy in verse 5.
[00:50:57] And he shall be their peace.
[00:51:02] Luke did a wonderful job explaining that notion to our children just a few minutes ago as we lit the candle of peace.
[00:51:12] Jesus came.
[00:51:14] To make right that which was wrong between God and man.
[00:51:19] And this was part of the message that the angels proclaimed to the shepherds that night when they announced the birth of Jesus Christ.
[00:51:25] What we heard earlier from our call to worship glory to God in the highest and on earth.
[00:51:31] What?
[00:51:32] Peace among those with whom he is pleased.
[00:51:35] Jesus came to establish peace between God and man and he did it by becoming a curse.
[00:51:43] Taking our sin and enduring God's judgment so that we could be reconciled, so that our relationship with God might be made right.
[00:51:55] This is what the Apostle Paul celebrates in Ephesians chapter 2.
[00:51:59] Speaking of Jesus, he says, For he himself is our peace, and he has reconciled us to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.
[00:52:10] And he came and he preached peace to you who are far off and peace to those who are near.
[00:52:19] And this peace that Jesus gives, friends, this peace is not simply the absence of conflict or strife.
[00:52:25] This peace is the entirety of that Hebrew word, Shalom, that speaks to total wholeness, total wellness, happiness, and blessedness.
[00:52:36] And if you want to tie it back in with imagery that we have in the Old Testament, think no further than the 23rd Psalm, The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
[00:52:48] I will never lack for anything because of my Good Shepherd.
[00:52:53] Because He is the one who makes me lie down in green pastures.
[00:52:57] He is the one who leads me beside still waters.
[00:53:01] He is the one who restores my soul.
[00:53:07] Friends, there is no one else in the history of the world who has been able to offer that sort of peace to you.
[00:53:15] There's no human leader.
[00:53:17] There's no government.
[00:53:19] There's no superstar who can offer that kind of peace to you.
[00:53:23] Only Jesus Christ can do that.
[00:53:28] So put your hope, put your trust, put your faith in Jesus Christ today and every day.
[00:53:36] Let's pray together.
[00:53:42] O Lord our God, how we thank you that you are a promise-making and promise-keeping God.
[00:53:50] And we thank you that you are a merciful and gracious, loving and forgiving God.
[00:53:56] And that all of this informs your plan of redemption for your people.
[00:54:03] Plans that we see promised and hinted at in the pages of the Old Testament that are fulfilled in the pages of the New Testament with the arrival, the birth, the ministry, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
[00:54:17] What a joy and privilege it is to sit on this side of redemption and be able to look back and so clearly trace your promises.
[00:54:26] And what confidence that gives us then as we look ahead
[00:54:30] and await the fulfillment of promises that are yet unmet in the return of Christ and the establishment of the new heavens and the new earth.
[00:54:39] And in the meantime, Lord, we just thank you for Jesus.
[00:54:42] We thank you that he is our good shepherd.
[00:54:45] We thank you that he is our peace and that through him we are at peace, reconciled to you.
[00:54:53] Lord, this is the good news of the gospel.
[00:54:55] This is what we celebrate this time of year and every day of our lives.
[00:54:59] And so I would pray that as we leave here today, we would not keep this to ourselves, but that we would go and that we would share this good news of hope, of peace, and of joy that is for all man.
[00:55:12] We ask this in Jesus' name.
[00:55:15] Amen.
[00:55:18] Well, it seems fitting this morning, having considered the promise regarding Bethlehem, to sing our closing hymn, number 201, O Little Town of Bethlehem.
[00:55:26] Let's stand together as we do.

[00:55:52] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
of Christ Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Archangel Michael, Archangel Michael, Archangel Michael, Archangel Michael, Archangel Michael, Archangel Michael,
[00:56:21] Our Adam and Eve tonight For Christ is born of Mary And gathered all on earth While mortals sleep the angels keep Their watch of wandering love
[00:56:46] All morning stars together Proclaim the holy word And praises sing to God the King Earth leads to heaven on high
[00:57:07] And we have silently a wondrous gift is given So God imports to human hearts the blessings of His heaven No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin
[00:57:35] Where meek souls will re-seek and still the dear Christ enters in.
[00:57:58] O Holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray.
[00:57:59] Cast out our sin and enter
[00:58:03] We hear the Christmas angels on great black tiding stand O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel

[00:58:26] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Now receive God's blessing.
[00:58:27] May the grace and peace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father Almighty, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all both now and forevermore.
[00:58:38] Amen.

[00:58:44] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Rejoice!
[00:58:55] Rejoice!
[00:58:55] Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.