Greet Everyone in the Lord. Smile. Relax, Breath.
From my house to you and your house, in the matchless Name of Jesus I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and I pray this Word is a blessing to you.
Gifts in the Word of God
Micah 5:2 – 5a
2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
3 Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.
4 And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.
5 And this man shall be the peace
Please keep your fingers in place as we will refer to these Scriptures.
Please know that Heaven was silent for 400 years between the Old Testament periods and the New Testament. Meanwhile, the prophets and the scribes would read from the prophets of Israel, including this book Micah on a daily basis. This Scripture was often used to help a struggling Israel to keep their faith in God and not give up.
Micah was speaking to the futuristic truth to the tribes and the nations.
The Prophet Micah lived at the same time as the prophets Isaiah and Hosea, and he was a respected prophet to Israel and Judah for over 50 years. Though he mostly prophesied to the southern kingdom Judah, he ministered and strongly reminded the leaders, officials and others to avoid sin. The bureaucracies in Judah had grown greedy and the upper classes were promoting a national season of peace as an opportunity to indulge in sin. They were sinning while leading, the leaders encouraged others to join in their sin. Just like today.
The wealthy lived lavish lifestyles and dogged the poor. The rich seized the property of the poor, idolatry was pervasive and even religious leaders neglected doing what they should do.
While Sennacherib and the Assyrians had already attacked and practically destroyed Samaria and even Jerusalem, during this time, a primary fear was the Assyrians. The Israelites of that time seriously feared the Assyrians because of this.
2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Bethlehem means “House of Bread” while Ephratah means “Fruitfulness”. Please consider how the naming of the cities promote some attributes of God, Him feeding us, Him providing health and giving nourishment. But, as far as popularity, size and fame or recognition, Bethlehem was small and insignificant.
But, Bethlehem is key here because Jesus is going to be not only a king, but the KING of KINGS. He is going to be the Ruler of all Leaders, Principalities, Entities, Over Good and Evil during His Reign and Forever More. Why would Jesus be born in Bethlehem?
Consider this, In the same way, that he chose the shepherd David to slay the mighty Goliath, and in the same way, God chose the frightened Gideon to defeat the Philistine Army, and in the same way He chose the Savior to be born in a cattle manger and possibly a feeding trough of a cattle stall, God chose to use the least of the cities to bring the Savior into the world. Why does God use the lowly and weak things to defeat the wise and arrogant?
Point #1- God chose the weak things to shame the strong.
Corinthians 1:27 says But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
This way, no man can take credit for anything. Man could like to say He was born in my house because I serve God better than anyone else. He was born in our city because we have the biggest temple and the most people. God is no respecters of persons and He freely executed His divine and perfect plan of Salvation for us according to His Will and not our own. Therefore, we cannot brag, we can not boast in ourselves. The only things we can do is boast in the Lord, thank Him and enjoy the Grace of God. He uses the weak things of the world to slay the strong. He equips those that can’t. Look at these examples. Humility always supersedes self exaltation. Matthew 23:12 says, “He who is exalted, shall be humbled.” He who is humbled, shall be exalted. Bethlehem was very small and insignificant. It would be like a Rock Star coming from Charlotte, not Rock Hill, Not Lancaster, Not even Chester. But God doesn’t work that way. He has His people right here in Chester, SC who are growing in the faith, submissive & obedient to Him and He uses them whenever He desires. Man regularly chooses the popular, the attractive, the noticeable, the seemingly powerful, the first seat. While God chooses the lowly things, the weak things, the least likely, the last one and equips and uses even those of us who can’t. If there is something you want to or need to do, but can’t, submit it to the Lord by faith and trust and believe that He will move. This is true to stop drinking, to stop smoking, to stop cursing, to stop lying, to stop lusting, to stop gossiping, to stop galavanting. This is true for those who can’t stop overeating, who can’t keep a job, who can’t stay in a relationship successfully. There is power in submitting things to God. Proverbs 16:3 says, What you commit to the Lord shall succeed. Thank you Jesus.
God does everything freely and unconstrained. He will never be in our debt for anything. While faithful to His Word and Himself, He will never owe humanity anything. And while He is faithful to His Word, He chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise. He chose the weak things in the world to shame the strong. This way, since the Christ was born in a lowly place like Bethlehem, He could even be born in us.
Point #2 – Christ is the Yes and Amen to All of God’s Promises.
3 Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.
So, if we trust Christ, we will inherit God’s Promises. He confirmed His promises He made to David. In fact, Christmas is God’s chosen way to fulfill the promise that God made to David.
The Lord said to David in 2nd Samuel 7:16 uAnd your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me.3 uYour throne shall be established forever.’
As you all know, the word sure, means for certain, without doubt, definitely and without question. It means, Yes and Amen.
The baby Jesus was born in Bethlehem and was also related to David.
Similarities between David and Jesus
* David and Christ resided in Bethlehem
* David was a king of Israel, Christ will be The King of Israel.
* David was a shepherd Jesus was/is Our Good Shepherd
Most promises were made to Jews. Whether we acknowledge it or not, the Bible was written by Jews, to Jews and Gentiles. Jesus was obviously a Jew born without sin and lived under the law. But, according to Romans 11, we are a wild olive branch and have been engrafted in and we have access to everything in the tree. Therefore, We are all one in Christ and Galatians 3:28 says, There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Therefore, every promise in the Word of God, Every privilege, every blessing that is in the Word of God, is applicable to the Christian believer as well. You have complete access to full forgiveness if you are in Christ. You have complete access to the Victories that He Promised in Christ, You can do all things through Christ who Strengthens You and You have complete access to understanding, knowledge, grace and His favor if you are in Christ. We should celebrate Christmas every day. If fact, I believe His Believers tell Him thank you, pray, ponder His Word, Communicate with and hear from Him on a daily basis. Today is the day that the Lord has made, and we are rejoicing and are glad in it. That is Christmas my friends. Also, God has allowed us too to be His treasured possession, His chosen people, His Holy nation. While He certainly spoke those words to the Jews in the book of Exodus, He applied those promises to believers through Jesus Christ. So, He is the Lord who Heals us, He is the Lord who provides for us, He is the Lord who defends us, and so, so much more.
Point #3 – v4. Christ will protect us and give us peace.
4 And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.
Protection and peace are precious and not replaceable. He Comes in the NAME and Power of God. The Word abide is “Yawshab”, or to remain in, to be married to, to inhabit, to dwell eternally. This old testament scripture confirms He will never leave you nor forsake you. He knows when you are lonely, sad, sick, etc. but you are not alone, and He knows what we need before we ask, and He will stand, He won’t abandon. He will Stand, He won’t fail, He will Stand, He won’t fall down, He will stand. He protects us eternally and gives us the promise of eternal peace.
But, Consider how drugs, alcohol, sinful sexual relationships lie. All sin can make you feel the same. They make people feel stronger than they really are, they make people think they can do things that they do not understand. However, God by being our truth and guiding Light provides protection and allows His children to rest in perfect peace.
How does He provide Peace?
He will stand and won’t lay down. Romans 8:33 tells us 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.
He will faithfully defend you. He your Shepherd, will provide food and provide correction for us when we go astray.
Also, as far as Peace is concerned, psalm 84 says, “He withholds no good thing from those who walk uprightly. No lack. He has already provided, and will continue to provide for His children. We can fully trust in Him.
5 And this man shall be the peace
In the Strength of the Lord, He will serve the Will of the Father as He serves us. He rules in the strength of the Lord. We can trust Him to be faithful in answering our prayers. Sometimes it seems as that He is delayed, but He is not delayed. He comes in His time. His Promise is not slow but seemingly, not to us. Our Security will not be threatened. He Will Stand for our Peace.
What is Peace with God.
Reconciliation with God.
Having a clear conscience. Can God look at us and find favor? Can God look at us and be pleased?
Absolutely. The loving forgiveness of Jesus Christ covers our multitudes of sin. So, regularly take your self to the Lord and ask Him for forgiveness and continue to walk in faith trusting Him with your life and everything else. Our reasonable service is pleasing to Him. And He delights in Mercy.
But, He also knows that the wages of sin is death, and God considers sin to be our worst enemies, not flesh and blood. V18-20 describes How He hates sin. My greatest enemy is my own sin.
Therefore, The lord laid our inequities upon Him as the Greatest Present to us or anyone else is to Trust Jesus.
Conclusion
I gave you 3 things to consider.
1. God uses the lowly things of the world to confound the wise things. This advises to approach our daily life with sobriety and humility not leaning on our own understanding but in all of our ways, trusting in Him. He will surely direct our path.
Secondly, The Promises of God are Yes and Amen. Eternal Salvation and access to Every Promise mentioned in the Word of God, through Jesus Christ.
Thirdly, God already accomplished His desire to be at peace and fully reconciled with His Believers through the Death of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. While God’s peace is not based on my current situation, I can trust Him to give me peace no matter what happens. To have peace with God, I submit my life, ask Him for forgiveness of all my sins and invite Him to be the Lord of my life, not me.
Hallelujah.
Ask – Is there anyone here who does not know Jesus or does not have a personal relationship with God today? If so, would you like to pray?
Is there anyone that is struggling with sin in your life? Is there anyone who is struggling with not having peace during this time? Is there anyone that is sick or desires any other prayer at this time? If so, won’t you please come down to the altar.
Pray for forgiveness, salvation, God’s comfort, God’s love, His purpose and perfect will do be done in our lives. Pray for health and removal of sickness in Jesus Name. Pray for depression, loneliness and seasonal challenges during this time of Christmas.
Pray for the church, the pastor, the leadership, all of the saints to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and more than conquerors over their challenges. Help me Lord Jesus. Pray for families, finances, well being, In Jesus Name.