O Little Town of Bethlehem

Introduction

Series Recap

Week 1 - O Come O Come Emmanuel

Looking at the God who came to dwell with us

Week 2 - Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

Looking at the prophecy in Isaiah 7; That God would give the sing that he would rescue his people

Week 3 - Hark the Herald Angels Sing

The Angels came proclaiming the messiah, the one they have waited for has come!

Today - O Little Town of Bethlehem

… yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light, the hopes and fears of all the years are met in the tonight

Written in the 1860’s by a Pastor in Philadelphia.

He wrote it for his Sunday School class after spending a year traveling through Europe and the Holy land.

spent one evening staring at the small quiet town of Bethlehem

I thought, maybe you would send me touring Europe and the Holy land for a year, but thought you might want me to write and sing a song that would then be sang for hundreds of years by millions of people

Micah 5:1–5 (CSB)

1 Now, daughter who is under attack, you slash yourself in grief; a siege is set against us! They are striking the judge of Israel on the cheek with a rod.

2 Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; one will come from you to be ruler over Israel for me. His origin is from antiquity, from ancient times.

3 Therefore, Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of the ruler’s brothers will return to the people of Israel.

4 He will stand and shepherd them in the strength of the Lord, in the majestic name of the Lord his God. They will live securely, for then his greatness will extend to the ends of the earth.

5 He will be their peace.

PRAY!

We mostly know where this passage is quoted, maybe not the quoted passage

Wise men come from the east and ask Herod where is the King of the Jews who was born

Herod asks the religious leaders and they quote Micah 5:2.

Matthew 2:1–6 (CSB)

1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem,

2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star at its rising and have come to worship him.”

3 When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.

4 So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born.

5 “In Bethlehem of Judea,” they told him, “because this is what was written by the prophet:

6 And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah: Because out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.”

We remember what happened from here…

Herod desiring to keep his throne kills all the male children in Bethlehem

You are not insignificant. The Lord himself came to rescue you from sin and guilt. Now, we can stand in the everlasting with him.

Standing in Guilt and Shame

Arrogant people - always seem like they do not have any feeling of guilt or shame

I wonder if they are always like that, or if they get that sense when they are alone

the rest is just an act

yet there are others who seem to dwell there everyday

Micah 5:1 (CSB)

1 Now, daughter who is under attack, you slash yourself in grief; a siege is set against us! They are striking the judge of Israel on the cheek with a rod.

Israel has left the God that brought them to the promised land

the Lord warned them to follow all his ways or they would be removed from the land he was giving them

they have not followed him or his ways

now they stand on the precipice of being exiled out of the land

surrounded by their enemies in the shame of their guilt and sin

striking them on the cheek = shame

Sin has brought shame from the beginning

Adam and Eve were naked and not ashamed

When man was created it was without sin

when they ate the fruit, they felt the shame of their guilt

before each other, trying to cover themselves

before a righteous God, trying to hide from his presence

Shame from sin is not from people, but from standing before the Lord

He is who we sin against

we may do things to people, hurt them

it is God’s law that we violate

sinners before a holy God recognize their sinfulness

We are no different and stand in guilt and shame because of our sin

there is no escape, we are all sinful

why we cannot condemn, all are sinful

James 2:10 (CSB)

10 For whoever keeps the entire law, and yet stumbles at one point, is guilty of breaking it all.

we all stand before God deserving his wrath

A Rescuer is Coming

Matthew Henry “This is the most important prophecy of the old testament; is respects the personal character of the messiah and discoveries of himself the world.”

The Israelites saw danger in front of them and wanted rescued from that

we see the troubles in our world and want rescued from that

the Israelites and ourselves need more rescuing than the current circumstances

Micah 5:2 (CSB)

2 Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; one will come from you to be ruler over Israel for me. His origin is from antiquity, from ancient times.

The Israelites knew they needed rescuing

but remember Isaiah’s prophecy - God would give them a sign

yet Ahaz went to the Assyrians, the very people that now surrounded them and were laying seige

why do people constantly look to the world to save us from the consequences of sin

This rescuer from most unlikely of places

Bethlehem Ephrathah

Ephrathah is considered the region and Bethlehem is the town

like the NT says that Jesus is from Nazareth in Galilee

but this place is too small to even count

OT counting soldiers by their hundreds and thousands, the town is so small they do not have those kind of numbers

so when Judah is counted, Bethlehem is not even listed

yet is here, that the savior of the world would come

This rescuer would be a ruler of God’s people, Israel

They have had many failed leaders

none followed God’s law perfectly, but this one would

none completely trusted in the power, or walked in the majestic name of the Lord, but this one would

unlike those failed leaders, this man’s kingdom is from long ago, from antiquity

Antiquity = has a double meaning

Neh used same word to refer to the times of David

this man would be from David’s line, the town and way that is was referenced brought that to our attention as well

Hab uses this word to refer to eternity

this man is not merely a man but is eternal

John 1 tells us that Jesus is eternal, was there in the beginning and created all things

Jesus fulfills both of these things

Jesus is fully man, born in Bethlehem to Mary, if not fully man, would not be able to be the sacrifice that man needed

Jesus is fully God, Born of a virgin, not like the rest of humanity

escaping the curse of Adam, the sin passed down from generation to generation

not being sinful in his mother’s womb like David proclaimed and went to the cross for us

The King will Return

One of the things I love about technology is being able to track people

I hate it myself when people track me, but I love being able to see when the kids will be here

Micah 5:3–5 (CSB)

3 Therefore, Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of the ruler’s brothers will return to the people of Israel.

4 He will stand and shepherd them in the strength of the Lord, in the majestic name of the Lord his God. They will live securely, for then his greatness will extend to the ends of the earth.

5 He will be their peace.

Jesus, the promised one, sets us free from the punishment of sin, not the consequences

v3 Israel will be abandoned until the time he is born

we do suffer the guilt and shame of our sin

we consequences of broken relationships, heartache are still there and are very real

in exile they will feel abandoned

why God through these prophets continue to tell them, you will be exiled from the land, but there is a day coming when I will make all things new

we fall into this

the Lord is coming back for his bride!

so many people worry about the signs, who is correct with what part of the end times prophecy

they do not rejoice at the thought of his coming!

But the messiah will stand in victory, he will stand where others have failed

he will shepherd his people

he will do this in the power of God and in the name of God

Philippians 2:6 (CSB)

6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited.

instead of saying here I am, worship me, he pointed people to the Father

it is in his power I do miracles

it is for his glory that he does these things through me

His people will live securely in His greatness

Micah is pointing to a future return of Christ - does he know this, most likely not

prophet mountain - explain what that is

in the same way they were looking for the baby to be born that would rescue them

we look to the return of Christ, the second advent

but he will not return as a servant, but a king

he will appear with the phrase king of kings and lord of lords written on his thigh

You are not insignificant

the promised one has come to rescue his people

this same promised one will return as their king!

Discussion Questions

What significant prophecy is highlighted in Micah 5:2 regarding Bethlehem?

How does the sermon describe the dual nature of Jesus as both fully man and fully God?

In what ways can we find peace in our guilt and shame?

How can we resist the temptation to seek worldly solutions for our problems?

How does understanding Jesus as our rescuer change the way we view our own struggles with sin?

What steps can we take to remember our worth in Christ when we feel insignificant?

What does Micah 5:3-5 convey about the role of the promised ruler over Israel?

How can the message of the promised king's return influence our daily lives and attitudes?