God’s Promise of Peace
Notes
Transcript
Intro; This morning we looked at some prophecies surrounding the Birth of Jesus;
The Virgin Birth
Time of Birth
Place of Birth
Purpose of His Birth
Tonight I want us to look at a Light that shines in one of the darkest times of Israel’s history. I want us to look at “God’s Promise of Peace” when Israel was going into captivity.
Text; Micah 5:2
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,
Yet out of you shall come forth to Me
The One to be Ruler in Israel,
Whose goings forth are from of old,
From everlasting.”
Micah foretells of the soon fall of Jerusalem into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. A terrible time of hunger and death which proceeds it’s downfall. But this prophecy gives Israel hope that God’s Ruler [Messiah] would restore Israel in the future.
1. Promise of the Messiah;
1. Promise of the Messiah;
Since the fall of man, God has promised a Savior who the Jews call “Messiah”.
Messiah- Anointed One, chosen of God, the promised savior and deliverer. He is sent to redeem and save humanity from sin and bring about God's kingdom on earth.
Micah prophesies that He will be “Ruler” in Israel
At the time of this prophesy, Israels rulers had continued to spiral into sin and brought the morality of the nation to an all time low [much like where we are today in America].
The rich were oppressing the poor and various nations threatened to invade and destroy Judea, and people didn’t respect God anymore!
Messiah would be different than the present rulers in Israel, or any ruler in the world, because He is from God [from old, everlasting], He is God!
History exposes a long line of unjust, incompetent, greedy, arrogant, abusive, and vindictive rulers: kings, princes, czars, presidents, governors, … and so on. Almost no generation or century in time has been spared.
But one day all this will end. The pattern of corruption, immorality and war will cease.
1 There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
2 The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
3 His delight is in the fear of the Lord, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;
4 But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulness the belt of His waist.
America is in desperate need of a righteous ruler today just like Israel was then. And that ruler won’t come from a ballot box, but from God! His name is Jesus!!
2. Promise of His Arrival;
2. Promise of His Arrival;
Israel and all the world would know when the Messiah had come! He would be born in Bethlehem!
Bethlehem [house of bread] was a small village south of Jerusalem. So insignificant was this place that it was not mentioned in the list of towns Joshua 15/Neh. 11, where the clans of Judah lived. But yet a Scepter [King] will come from this area!
10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.
Ephrathah- [fruitful] designates this Bethlehem from the others, Bethlehem of Zebulon, Bethlehem in Ephraim.
It was at Bethlehem Ephrathah that Jacob buried his wife Rachel [Gen. 35:19]
It was in Bethlehem Ephrathah that Ruth met and married Boaz [Ruth 2:4]
It was in Bethlehem Ephrathah that Ruth’s grandson, David, was born and grew up and tended sheep [1 Sam. 17:12] and would be anointed king over Israel.
It was in Bethlehem Ephrathah that a Child would come forth to God and be the Savior of the world!
1 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,
2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:
6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”
Not only did God make known to the shepherds of the arrival of Jesus, but also Herod, chief priests, scribes and men from foreign countries were made aware and came and worshiped Him. Man has no excuse to deny the birth of Jesus!
3. Promise of Peace; 4-5a
3. Promise of Peace; 4-5a
Remember that this prophesy was given before Israel goes into captivity through a terrible time of seige, starvation and even cannibalism. But God promises that when Messiah comes there will be Peace!
[3] From the Babylonian captivity until the birth of Jesus. But we know that Jesus came to His own and they received Him not!
11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
[4-5a] But that did not thwart “God’s Promise of Peace”
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
Peace is more than the absence of conflict, its contentment in the midst of it! When Christ becomes Ruler of your life then you have God’s Promise of Peace
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
John 14:27 (NKJV)
27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Stand and feed His flock is God’s nurturing and caring for His own.
11 He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young.
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.
3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
John 10:11 (NKJV)
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
Close;
In 1867, Phillip Brooks wrote a very special and biblical song we sing at Christmas time, “O, Little Town of Bethlehem”.
Pg. 196 The Worship Hymnal
These verses declare the heart of Christmas because it reveals God’s Promise of Peace!