Bethlehem Ephrathah
Notes
Transcript
ILLUST - Small town victories
1803 - Little Meadow Creek, NC - first US gold rush
1863 - Small town of Gettysburg - turning point in Civil War
1879 - Eureka Springs, AR, mysterious “miracle healing” water from a spring, still bottled today (no proof, though)
1952 - Alden-Hebron High School, town population 650, Green Giants won the IL state basketball championship
1980 - small NY town of Lake Placid, NY, US Hockey history
Amazing occurrences, history made in small towns
One small town - the origin of how we literally measure time on our calendars (BC and AD) - Bethlehem, Judea, birthplace of Jesus
All these other small towns - perhaps surprised by the events there
However, Bethlehem - Bethlehem, Ephrathah - was promised by God as the birthplace of the Messiah
Let’s take a look at some aspects of this tiny Judean town
1) The Place
1) The Place
King David was born there
Bethlehem - “House of Bread”
Ephrathah - distinct from a Bethlehem in the north
Ephrathah - “Fruitful”
Joseph and Mary - perfectly fine in Nazareth, travel some 80+ miles to this town
Shrouded in darkness looking back in history, at the hands of Herod
A trivial event in a nowhere town, not even referenced significantly in Roman history
Biblically seems unimportant:
Joshua 15 mentions list of towns and villages of Judah, 96, and never mentions Bethlehem
Nehemiah 11 lists 17 cities of Judah - no Bethlehem mentioned
“too little to be among the clans of Judah”
Yet, this Bethlehem is a place with which we are very familiar
2) The Promise
2) The Promise
God said He would do this
The Savior would be born in Bethlehem Ephrathah
“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.”
God told the angels to tell the shepherds to look for a baby in a manger (really, a manger?)
Before that, God said over and over He’d send the redeemer, Messiah
OT prophets, then JTB came preaching repentance, announcing the arrival of the Messiah
God promised over and over He was with His people
‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
God promised He would strengthen His people, in order fore them to have hope
Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.
God promised He would come to help
“For I am the Lord your God, who upholds your right hand, Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’
THE GREAT I AM said He’d be here to save us
And He came
He came, to Bethlehem first
God also promised and warned of judgment
“For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,” says the Lord of hosts, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.”
From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.
GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISES - ALL OF THEM
His ways are not our ways
His plans are not our plans
Joseph and Mary get this - sure, it took Gabriel to convince them
The shepherds believed what they were told by the angels
The magi, later coming from Persia to this lowly town
Believed a promise from hundreds of years before
Simeon, waiting in the temple, knowing He would see Messiah before Simeon died
3) The Plan
3) The Plan
From the humble come victory
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
Bethlehem, Manger, Poverty
Calvary, Cross, Death, Burial
Empty Tomb, Resurrection, Ascension, Returning to gather us together
God places a premium on the humble, this is His plan, according to His wisdom
Humble
When pride comes, then comes dishonor, But with the humble is wisdom.
The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord Are riches, honor and life.
He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?
You caused judgment to be heard from heaven; The earth feared and was still When God arose to judgment, To save all the humble of the earth. Selah.
But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
Think about our town, little ol’ Noble
Humble? Insignificant? Unimportant?
Does the Light shine from here?
Amazing truth came in human form in Bethlehem
We have that truth
God picked Bethlehem
God also picked Noble/Cornerstone
We are part of His tremendous, miraculous plan!
CAN GOD USE YOU, US? How can that be?
God does not wait until we are qualified or famous, having it all together, to use us
God invited us to His family when we were full of imperfections, and humble enough to accept our need for forgiveness
Today, Bethlehem is not powerful, prominent, no center of attention
But the Savior who was born there IS - I AM
Today, Cornerstone may not be the biggest church
Noble is certainly not a big and prominent city
But if we follow God’s plan, the Light will shine from here just as brightly as it did from Bethlehem that night
Here’s the plan
Romans 12:2, be transformed by the renewing of yourmind
This means, again, the call for you and me is to humble ourselves before the Mighty Creator
Acknowledge our weaknesses and imperfections
Be clothed in the righteousness that can only come from being connected to the Father through Jesus Christ
His plan is for you and me to take on the mindset of Jesus, who humbled Himself to the point of coming as a man, in human flesh, to Bethlehem, obedient to the Father to go to the cross for you and me.
THAT is the humble mindset that Bethlehem represents
The LORD is here, in our PLACE
We live in the light of His PROMISES
We understand His PLAN
Trust Jesus
Live for Him
Tell others the good news
Merry Christmas!