A King is Promised
Notes
Transcript
Preliminary:
Preliminary:
Invite to Micah 5:2.
I want to move to our next message in our Advent series this year -
Last week we talked about The Prophetic Hope - the waiting, expectancy, and anticipation of the coming ONE.
in Micah 5:2 we find the promise of a King
Lets read Micah 5:2
2 But thou, Beth-lehem 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.
Micah was a contemporary with Isaiah they possibly knew each other as Micah grew up and ministered to Judah where Isaiah also ministered.
We don’t have any record of them communicating with each other - but I just imagine at the annual conference of Prophets that at some point Micah and Isaiah didn’t have a lunch or two together.
Wouldn’t that have been an interesting conversation to have been involved in.
Isaiah also talks about A Promised King:
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: And the government shall be upon his shoulder: And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, Upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, To order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice From henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
I find it so fascinating that God’s answer to mans great problem of separation from Him is a baby.
He doesn’t just forget about us
but He doesn’t send a host of angels,
He doesn’t send a powerful political force
He doesn’t throw money at it
God Himself becomes personally involved - and instead of doing any of what I have just said -
The Eternal Son lays aside his heavenly royalty and glory wraps himself in flesh enters the womb of a virgin and is born in a manger in poverty,
as a defenseless, helpless, tiny baby boy.
If Satan was at all aware of God’s move in the eternal chess match he probably laughed and snorted - he could wrap this up in a hurry
a baby???? Ha I’ve killed many babies, I’ve corrupted many children, I’ve got this
It doesn’t seem to us like the most strategic winning move - but look at how these two prophets put it
Micah says out of the least, the smallest, the place of low expectations
Isaiah talks about the birth of a child - but that child becoming a ruler with an everlasting kingdom.
Isaiah actually gives us five characteristics about the liberator
He is a child - A Son
The Government will be on His shoulders - He will have the authority - He will reign
He has four descriptive names:
Wonderful
Counselor
The Mighty God
The Everlasting Father
The Prince of Peace
His Kingdom Will Have no End
Accomplished by the zeal of the Lord.
Now we could spend a long time trying to unpack all of this - I have in the past - but I want to deal with just one of these descriptive names today:
The Prince of Peace
A King is Promised who will be known as the Prince of Peace
What is “peace”?
It is from the Hebrew word “Shalom” which the Davolts may have gotten tired of saying over their trip -
But it has more meaning than just a simple greeting.
At its most basic and simplest meaning “peace” means the absence of war or conflict.
The Bible, however, shows us that peace can mean so much more.
“shalom” at its most basic and simple meaning is “complete” or “whole”.
Blessedness in the New Testament is the equivalent of shalom or peace in the Old Testament. It means total and complete fulfillment that comes from an intimate relationship with God.
Timothy Keller
The Bible Project illustrated this idea with a stone that is perfect, or whole shape that has no cracks. Or a stone wall without any gaps or missing bricks.
They go on to say that “Shalom refers to something that is complex with lots of pieces that is in a state of completeness. … Wholeness.”
“Shalom” can mean a person’s well-being - the idea being that “life is complex, full of moving parts and relationships and situations. When any of these is out of alignment or missing, your shalom breaks down. Life is no longer whole. It needs to be restored.”
When you use “shalom” as a verb - it literally means “to make complete” or “restore”
... Shalom is everything in its right place, doing what it was meant to do, in the way God intended it to be done.
Paul Tripp
Shalom, in other words, is the way things ought to be.
Chuck Swindoll; Roy B. Zuck
One Old Testament writer talked about being the person being kept in perfect peace who kept their mind on God
In Hebrew, the term perfect peace is actually shalom shalom.
David Guzik
Isaiah is looking toward a king a “Prince of Shalom” where God would make complete His People, that wrongs would be made right, that the broken would be healed.
Shalom isn’t just the absence of conflict or war - true peace “requires taking what is broken and restoring it to wholeness.”
Isaiah could only look forward to such a King
Micah could only foresee out of something little and unexpected comes something great and powerful
But Paul saw Him, Paul talked with Him,
by the eye of faith I have seen Him, I have communed with Him -
We had a little conversation this morning around 5:00
Paul’s meeting with Jesus had such an impact that he writes...
14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
“He is our peace who has broken down every wall”
He is our restorer, our wholeness, our completeness,
4 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:
5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
I am bringing Shalom - the Prince of Peace is here
Pick Up The Broken Pieces
Pick up the broken pieces
And bring them to the Lord
Pick up the broken pieces
Trust in His Holy Word
He will put them back together;
And make your life complete
Just place the broken pieces
At the Saviour's feet.
Have you failed in life's battle
To accomplish your plans,
Is your heart heavy laden
Do you fear the Lord's command?
Do you feel that no ones loves you
And there's no use to try
Take up your case to Jesus
Your soul He'll satisfy.
Do you feel that there is no hope
Broken hearts cannot mend,
Christ can take the broken pieces
And make you whole again
Storms of doubt blow from all directions
But don't you be afraid
God can make all correction
He made your body out of clay.