The Promise Foretold: Hope in the Prophecies

Welcome

Kids

Online family

Well good morning again, it is so good to be here and to begin to think about Christmas and what all that exactly means. The building is beautiful, festive and ready to get all of us into the mindset to worship the incarnation of the one true King Jesus. It’s a great time to be thinking about what it really means that Jesus came down to this earth to live a life for you and me. So we are starting a brand new series called, Unexpected Arrival, the gift of Christmas. We just finished looking at Malachi’s message and then God was quite for 400 years leaving many people to stop looking for a Messiah and many others to not really know what to look for. However, there was still a good number of people that were daily looking at the Scriptures and they were looking at the prophecies trying to understand what they should expect when the Messiah shows up. See, they didn’t know the date the Messiah would show up, they just kew some of the more abstract details about the Messiah.

You know sometimes all you know are some kind of abstract truths of hope. I’m going to tell you guys about a time briefly. This is a time that I have told ya’ll about briefly from time to time, but I want to expand on what I have told ya’ll in the past. You see, I have been a pastor for a little close to 25 years to some degree. Some of that time I was a volunteer youth pastor or a volunteer first impressions pastor. Some of that I was a part time youth pastor, and some of that time I was a full time associate pastor prior to coming here back in 2019. Well…while serving the Lord in Lafayette, Beth and I served one church from 2010-2019. During those 9 years I went from volunteer to full-time, and Beth went from volunteer to part time, to unemployed. During that time I finished going back to school to complete a bachelor's degree and then felt the Lord leading me to continue to complete a Masters of Divinity degree program. While we served there, the church grew from approximately 50-60 people to over 300 people with the need to have 2 services with full kids programs at both services.

That’s all the cool stuff…However, that’s not the stuff that was really going on in the background. You see, in the background we had a lead pastor who was running from God. A man who every time the world saw a success happen at the church, he grew a bit in his own mind. A man who began to preach things that were not only a stretch from Scripture, but that were straight up unbiblical at times, even telling the church that whole sections could be removed simply because they never sat well with him. This is a man who after, I completed remodeling a new facility and managed to get us all moved and set up, he decided to fire Beth…and then tried to find cause after firing her. He did this while I was in a wheelchair recovering from surgery from an injury I sustained on the very last day of the set up…He did this after calling us his friends.

That happened back in 2017…I wanted to leave that church very much. However, I did not have peace from the Lord about walking away from that church. I cannot tell you how much I fought with the Lord about that. So we stayed at a church that was being led by a man that was struggling with the Lord. We led the youth ministry and a large group of adults in discipleship. We studied the Scriptures and we taught those teens and adults how to study the Bible for themselves. However, it was not easy. It was especially not easy for Beth. She really struggled. She struggled because there was this man who was preaching every Sunday, but he was a fraud from her perspective, and from mine honestly. How could she sit in service week in and week out. How could we serve in a church like this that was hopeless? How could I serve a pastor who was literally trying to get me to quit and making my life miserable every day at work until he finally fired me after I resigned, on my last day, just so he could say he fired me. How could I do that…becuase I didn’t serve that man…I served God, that man simply gave me various day to day tasks.

You see, we were able to serve there because we had hope. God had very clearly not led me to leave that church yet, but that didn’t mean that I would be staying at that church forever. I was in the process of finishing a Masters degree and we were located in Lafayette, In. I could leave, but it would make finishing that degree and learning what I needed to learn more difficult if I were to live in a different place. So God kept us there. However, while we stayed there, we knew there was hope…that we wouldn’t be there forever. We were exactly where we needed to be in order to disciple a large percentage of that church, for me to be able to finish my degree program, and for Bethany to be able to experience the freedom that comes from Biblical Counseling herself. Yeah…for those of you that don’t know this, Beth went through Biblical Counseling because she was struggling with how to deal with things from a Biblical perspective. She knew lots of things about the Scripture…but she wasn’t applying those Scriptures to her own life. Can I tell you all something…There’s a whole bunch of people here today that would do well to ask her about her experience going through Biblical Counseling.

Bottom line is Beth and I and Collin and Isabel went through some very dark times for a few years, but we held on to the hope of a future that the Lord had for us. We didn’t know that future would be with LRBC…but we knew that future would be with the Lord and that’s all that mattered.

You know, Israel also went through some pretty dark times in their history . There was a time they were removed from Jerusalem for 70 years and that was a rough period. Then they came back from that and they kind of forgot what had happened and God was quiet and they were waiting to hear back from God, but they hadn’t heard anything in so long. Prior to all of that though, they had been given these things called prophecies of a savior. Prophecies are predictions of the future from a supernatural source. Basically, a prophecy is a promise from God. These prophecies of a Savior were God’s way of giving hope to His people. However, in order to fully appreciate these prophecies, just like all other parts of Scripture, it can be important to understand the context…

But, let’s start off and take a look at a couple of prophecies this morning. First let’s take a look at

Isaiah 9:6–7 ESV

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Beautiful…Next let’s look at

Micah 5:2 ESV

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.

OK, these are good…these are interesting, but…what about the context of these prophesies…lets take a look at those….

The Context of the Prophecies: (Darkness and Waiting)

Each prophecy would have it’s own context, so let’s take a look at the context of the prophecy we are going to look at today. Today we are going to look at a small portion of Isaiah 9, so let’s briefly understand what is going on in Isaiah 9 first. In Isaiah 9 we see that there is a looming threat from the Assyrian Empire. There is also political instability within Israel along with moral corruption. Hey, where have we heard that before? The Northern Kingdom (Israel) was on the verge of collapse due to their King Pekah who led a rebellion against Assyria and threatened the Southern Kingdom (Judah). This is what eventually led to the Northern Kingdom falling to Assyria in 722 BC. So these were dark times for Israel that was largely caused by King Pekah’s idolatry and disobedience to God, although he wasn’t the only king that led in this manner.

However, Isaiah brought hope in the midst of these dark times that Israel faced. Isaiah proclaims A child will be born who will bring peace and rule with justice. This promise of a ruler with these divine attributes would have been striking…and deeply comforting to those who heard, or read these words.

This isn’t the only prophecy I want to look at this morning though. Let’s take a look at the context of Micah 5.

Micah prophesied at the same time as Isaiah. However, Micah was in the Southern Kingdom of Judah. While Micah primarily addressed the people of Judah, there were times when he speak to those in the Northern Kingdom, namely Israel. Now, there was never a time they officially reunited, however, after they return from the Babylonian exile, they are unofficially joined together. You see, while the returning people primarily came from Judah (hence the term "Jews"), there were likely members of the northern tribes among them. They functioned as one religious community centered in Jerusalem, though they never reestablished a unified monarchy or distinct tribal identities. They were different after returning from exile…they were refocused on what mattered and not on individuality, but on God instead…at least for a while, which is what Malachi was about last month.

So, what’s going on at this point…this is pre-exile, they were in a time of internal national decay, external threats, Assyria is a concern here as well. Assyria was invading, Jerusalems leaders were failing, and God’s judgement was evident in their circumstances. Micah 5 specifically is focused on the coming deliverer of Israel. As you read this chapter you will see the birth of this deliverer, his conquering of enemies, and his judgement of the world. These were dark times for Judah.

However, just like Isaiah brought a message of hope to Israel, Micah brought a message of hope to Judah. You see, from the small, unassuming town of Bethlehem, a ruler would come who would shepherd God’s people. Something important was brought with this prophecy. This prophecy reminded Israel that God’s deliverance often comes in unexpected ways. That’s something that you and I would do well to remember today.

So as Israel and Judah live in darkness, darkness of their own creation, we can imagine what that feels like, can’t we. We live in the darkness that is largely due to the sin that we have lived in, or maybe the sin of someone else lived in, and so we live with the consequences of that. Then we wait…we wait for God to bring us out of that…we cry out and we wait for God to do something. Sometimes we wait what feels like 5 minutes, and sometimes we feel like we have been waiting for decades. No matter how long you wait…while you wait, it is important to look at the promises of the Lord. In this case…

The Promised Messiah: (A Glimpse of Hope)

Let’s take a look at these prophecies and how they should produce hope in those that would hear or read them. Now there is alot going on in these prophecies, so I’m gonna ask you to hang in there with me, because it’s pretty neat to be honest with you. Le’t start out in Isaiah. In Isaiah we read about

The Promise of a Child:

The whole idea that this promise of God is for a child is amazing. Some might read this and think that is not great because they want a warrior…they want a Sampson to step in and protect them. However, the promise of a child is so much greater. A child emphasizes the personal nature of this promise. This promise is one of the covenant people…he is one of them, not some outsider that will come in and protect them, but this is a promise for someone that will rise up from within. This child represents God’s plan to intervene directly in human history.

That’s not all…this promise has been given many names…so what are they?

The Titles of the Messiah:

A name says something about a person. There was a time when parents would chose their child’s name based on the meaning and that meaning actually held true somewhat. Then, as time went on there was a time when parent chose names because they thought it sounded pretty naomatter the meaning. Now we are leaning back into a time when young parents are choosing their child’s name based on a deep meaning of the word. So it might be a strange name because it’s not a usual name, but it has a meaning that the parents are choosing for their child.

Well, in this time names had meanings and so when people heard what the messiah would be called it would cause them to feel excited and hopeful. Let’s take a quick look at what those names were together. First we have, Wonderful Counselor: A ruler with wisdom beyond human comprehension. Second we have, Mighty God: A clear indication of the Messiah’s divine nature. The third name given is, Everlasting Father: The Messiah’s care and protection are eternal, like a father to his children. Finally the last name given was, Prince of Peace: He brings lasting peace, the true shalom. These are very strong names given that will invoke strength in the people that hear these promises!

So that speaks to who the Messiah is…but what about his kingdom? Let’s look at

The Nature of His Kingdom:

There is something I love here. The Messiah will sit on David’s throne. They all know David’s throne. David’s throne was known for being a symbol of God’s covenant faithfulness, righteous rule, and enduring kingship over Israel. You see, David’s throne was set up by God through the Davidic Covenant back in 2 Samuel. This covenant was set by God as a promise that this throne would be established forever. So sitting on David’s throne is incredibly impactful. It means that the Messiah’s reign will be eternal and just, fulfilling God’s covenant with David. This is the hope that Israel truly needs in the midst of their unstable military and political context.

Then of course we have Micah and the promises that Micah shares with Judah. Micah’s promise was more focused on the location of the Messiah’s birth though. First is

The Unexpected Location:

You see, Bethlehem was a small and insignificant place. Yet, God chose this as the birthplace for the Messiah. That’s how God works though. He works through the small and insignificant things in order to make the greatest impact on the world. God works through the unexpected things to bring about his glory. Remember King David was from Bethlehem. So let’s look at

The Ruler from Bethlehem:

This Messiah is coming with a purpose and that purpose is bigger than just this nation, that purpose is bigger than just these people that are hearing this prophecy. The Messianic ruler is coming with a divine purpose. Christ has, and will accomplish his Fathers will as the fulfillment of the Davidic covenant. Of course if we are looking at this Messiah fulfilling this eternal purpose, we really should look at

The Messiah’s Eternal Nature:

The Messiah that is being told of, is coming with a humble beginning and an eternal kingdom. Through this passage we see that this Messiah is from ancient days. This ties the Messiah to eternity, showing the reader that the Messiah was here in the beginning, at creation, and will be here for eternity. The Messiah always has been and always will be. The hope and future that the people of Judah will have due to this Messiah that has now been promised is unfathomable.

All of this shows us that God’s promises will be fulfilled. Looking back to God’s covenant with Abraham and then with David, we see that God continues to fulfill his promises. We also see that God continues to sovereignly rule over history and is eternally commited to his people. So how do we apply all of this to us today? How do we take this ancient prophecies and allow them to change us today in 2024 as we enter into the Christmas season this year? That’s really the question I want to answer with the last couple of minutes. Here’s what I want to tell you.

There is Hope for us Today:

Hope in the waiting: Just like Israel waited during seasons of uncertainty, we face those same seasons don’t we? Maybe you are facing one right now.

Hope in God’s Promises: Throughout Scripture we see various promises that have been made. We read in

Matthew 11:28 (ESV)

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Then we read in

John 14:27 (ESV)

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

We have promises that have been given to sustain you in those dark times you face. Finally, we remember that we have

Hope in Jesus as the Fulfillment: The promises Messiah came on Christmas day. It wasn’t December 25th. It would have more likely been sometime in in the summer…but he came! Because he came and fulfilled those prophecies and those promises…we know we can trust him to come again and so now we wait…

This morning I want to ask everyone here to consider their own faith. Do you trust in the Messiah that came and walked the Earth in person some 2000 years ago? Do you have faith that he will come again? Do you trust the writings of Scripture, that these words will actually change you as a person? This morning I want you to consider communion as we come up in a moment. You see, just as the prophets told of a Messiah who would rule with justice and bring peace, the ultimate purpose of His coming is fulfilled on the cross. That is why this morning we are going to have communion as a family up at the cross.

But first, let’s pray: Ask God to renew their hope in His promises, especially during this Advent season.

So just as the prophets told of the Messiah, we read in Scripture about the true reason for Jesus’ birth being the cross and subsequent empty tomb. That is why this morning we will celebrate at the feet of the true Christmas tree. I want you to reflect on how Jesus fulfilled God’s promises and continues to offer hope. This cross symbolizes that true hope that God offers through Christ the Messiah, all we must do to receive that hope is surrender to him. The child promised in Isaiah came to bear the government on his shoulders, a burden he ultimately carried to the cross. In Micah we see how the humility of Bethlehem is a picture of the humility of the cross, where the the true king accomplishes his true mission.

This morning as we move to remember the Messiah and surrender to him…I want to encourage you individually to consider what you need to surrender to the Lord this morning. Now, this morning every person here has a commitment card on your chair. I want you all to pick up that card and take your pen or pencil and go ahead and write down what you are surrendering to the Lord. I want you to finish this sentence…Lord I surrender______________. After you have filled out that card, then I want you to come back to the back of the sanctuary and you will walk over and take your elements of communion. Then you will walk down to the cross and you will hang your family ornament and place your commitment card in the basket at the cross, there you will pray as a family. Then you will walk back to your seat and pray for others as they are walking up through the line.

Now, just as a reminder…this is not a snack time for kids, or a thing for people to take if you are unsure what it means, or if you have not made a commitment to Christ. In other words, if you are not a Christian, this is not for you. No one is checking, but the Lord knows. This is a meaningful moment for you as a believer to reflect on the reality of Christ sacrifice. Then you will move down and stop to place your ornament together at the cross. This is where you will pray together, and privately to surrender as the Holy Spirit convicts you. After that, you will head back up to your seat and you reflect as others continue through the line. Ask yourself, What does surrendering to the Lordship of Christ look like in my life this Christmas?

Mark 14:22–25 ESV

And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

Jesus instituted a new covenant here…not only did he institute a new covenant where we can place our hope, but he foretold of a time when he would return…giving us something to look forward to…

Let’s pray—pray for communion and for the Lord to both encourage and convict as each has need this morning.