Looking for Jesus - Wheatland

Are you ready for Jesus?

Finally, we got a glimpse into the eternal kingdom and we join with the Israelites of Micah’s day in waiting for. It will be forever, where Jesus will reign in power and glory, where security will transcend over the kingdom, from one end of the earth to another. In Jesus’ kingdom, there will be peace. Micah’s foretelling of Jesus are glimpses into the long-awaited Messiah, and the return of our King. But, we’re not there yet. So the question becomes, are we getting ready for Him?

The passage I’ve chosen for today is Micah 5:1-5a. I’ve been studying the Old Testament lately, and God laid it upon my heart to preach it for this time.

I’d like to start by reading the passage together. If you’ll turn with me to Micah 5:1-5a, I’ll be reading from the ESV.

Micah 5:1–6 (ESV)

Now muster your troops, O daughter of troops;

siege is laid against us;

with a rod they strike the judge of Israel

on the cheek.

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.

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.

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.

And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great

to the ends of the earth.

And he shall be their peace.

This passage shows us that:

No matter what, we have hope in Jesus.

Starting with verse 1, Micah begins by describing the dwindling “troop” of Israel, and the humiliation that had befallen their king. It’s important to realize that their land was slowly being taken away from them, to the point that even what they owned was not really theirs. They were expected to pay costly tribute to the Assyrians. Hezekiah - their king - had been humiliated by the Assyrians, and he was appearing weak to the people. It’s a desperate situation that God’s prophet has to walk into.

However, starting with verse 2 Micah begins point the people past this moment in time to focus on the eternal perspective of God’s grand plan. Micah describes the coming Messiah - the One who will free them; the restorer of Israel! Micah describes the Messiah as One who will come from the line of David, a conquerer who will set everything right. His rule will be a good one - under His rein the people will know peace. Although the Messiah is not the people’s present reality, He will come, and they can be assured of it.

Micah presents three assurances of who the Messiah will be.

As I read this passage I noticed three assurances that describe the coming Messiah. These are assurance that both the people then, and us now can trust in. They tell us that Jesus will rein; He is the King who will return and bring the Kingdom of God in its fullness. So here’s the first assurance I found is that Micah presents the coming Messiah (Jesus) as the

The Davidic Heir

a. Micah tells of a Messiah who would be from David’s hometown, and even his own bloodline. Micah drops gigantic clues so that the Israelites would not miss the coming Messiah. He would be from the house of David (fast forward to Matthew and Luke, and we see that Jesus was from David’s live) and be born as a common man. He would not have a special royal status. Jesus would be from a humble family, yet He is the Son of God - God incarnate, who would come to set the captives free and loose the people from the chains of sin Isaiah 58:6).

b. This Davidic Messiah that was to come is Jesus Christ, who fulfilled the prophecies concerning his origins and birth. This is the first assurance: Jesus is the “real deal.” He is the One whom the prophets spoke of – He is from David’s hometown and from David’s line. Like His father David, he would not be born into wealth and prestige. He was a humble man, to whom was given the mission to save the world. Only the Son of God – the Messiah – could do this.

Transition: So, we’ve seen that the Messiah (Jesus) will be the Davidic heir. This is our first assurance that Jesus is Messiah - He is from the house and line of David. Micah continues on to give us the second of our three assurances:

Christ's Comings are in God’s Timing

a. In v. 3, Micah prophecies that Israel would be “given up” until the time at which the Messiah is born. To a people besieged by their enemies I’m sure this was not exactly a morale boost, yet it clearly shows that God’s grand plan was orchestrated just the way He wanted it. God was still on the throne, and at the proper time the seed of the woman (Genesis 3) would come and be the Messiah. This is our second assurance. We can be assured the Christ is the Messiah – and our hope – because as Romans 5 says “at just the right time,… Christ died for the ungodly.” In God’s timing Christ came and died on the cross for our sins, paving the way for us to have a right relationship with the Father. If we know that Jesus came once when the Father ordained it, we can likewise be assured that Jesus will coming again, at the time the Father has set out.

b. Therefore, we can have assurance because God’s plan will prevail, and Christ will bring it about. Even as the Israelites struggled and feared and hoped, so we struggle and fear and hope in so many ways. Yet our ultimate hope should be in Christ – even as Micah admonishes the Israelites to do. Our second assurance is that Christ will come again, even as he did once, but it will be in God’s timing.

Transition: We’ve seen our first assurance that Jesus is the Messiah: He is the Davidic heir. He comes from the line of David and will be the restorer. We’ve also seen that God sends Jesus is His timing, which is always perfect. We know that it is perfect, so we can be assured that Jesus will come when the time is right. Finally, our third assurance of Jesus’ Messiahship is that

Jesus will Usher in the Kingdom of God.

a. Vv. 4-5a tell the story of a Messiah who will bring a wonderful kingdom to the whole earth. The Messiah will guide His kingdom in the strength of the Lord, and with the majesty of God! Here God’s people will be secure. Micah plays off the state of Israel’s current king, who was humiliated and brought low. By contrast, the Messiah will be great and rule over the entire earth! Lastly, Micah shows that the Messiah will “be their peace.”

b. It’s a lovely picture, isn’t it? Jesus will reign in the greatness and majesty of God. Psalm 8 says that God is so majestic there is none like Him. He is so great that all the heaven and earth testify to Him. Jesus will reign in that, so His is the Messiah, and God the Son. He will bring about a secure kingdom, from one end of the earth to the other. And He will be our Peace. We can have assurance in Jesus because He is the Messiah, the conquering King. He will fulfill our hope and bring the Kingdom of God, which we as His children are apart.

Revelation 21:4–5 ESV

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

Transition: So, we have seen how we can have assurance in Jesus: He is the Davidic king, the One who will come in God’s good timing, and He is the Conquering King. This leaves us with one final thought in conclusion:

Conclusion

No matter what, we have hope in Jesus.

If we are really followers of Jesus, are we putting our hope in Him with faith? We have seen three assurances that Jesus was foretold as the Messiah – the promised deliverer for Israel, and us. We see Him from King David’s line, yet no outward appearance would give away that He was the highest of royalty. We also examined how He came in God’s timing and will come again in God’s timing. God’s got the plan figured out. but we don’t get a heads-up postcard six days before to make sure the guest bed is made, and the room is ready. God will send Jesus back – even as He was sent once – when the Father’s time has come. We cannot rush it, nor can we know it (Matt. 24:36). Finally, we got a glimpse into the eternal kingdom and we join with the Israelites of Micah’s day in waiting for. It will be forever, where Jesus will reign in power and glory, where security will transcend over the kingdom, from one end of the earth to another. In Jesus’ kingdom, there will be peace. Micah’s foretellings of Jesus are glimpses into the long-awaited Messiah, and the return of our King. But, we’re not there yet. So the question becomes, are we getting ready for Him?

I think this is extremely important today. We have so much unrest around us. We may not be in Ukraine, but we see and hear about it multiple times a day. Couple that with COVID - which is a tentative situation all on its own. Most of us are probably starting to feel the effects of rising costs, and many other things that have changed drastically in the last two years.

So often (especially as students without money) we get centred on the things of life – having enough for groceries and gas, worrying about what our world will look like in the coming year, still trying to figure out if Covid is really gone or not. These concerns are valid, but they are blips in the grand scheme of God plan! And one day, even as He did 2000 years ago, God will send his Son again. Will He find us ready? Will we have put our trust in Him; have we been setting our eyes towards God’s plan? It’s not an easy thing, yet Micah admonishes us as much as he admonishes the Israelites to set their eyes on the eternal perspective. When we do this, our focus will be on Christ, and we will be able to withstand even the most tempestuous of life-storms and trials. I encourage you that when you begin to get caught up in what’s happening in this life, be reminded of Israel’s predicament in Micah, and take on the eternal perspective they share with us, looking forward to the soon return of Jesus Christ, the Davidic Messiah fulfilling all of God’s plans.