The Ultimate Hope

Nothing is Insignificant to God

What can bring a giant of a man to tears? What can soften even the hardest of men? Holding their newborn baby in their arms for the first time. Something so small, so soft and tender, someone who has nothing to offer the world yet now means the world to that father. Bethlehem was small but it was special to God.

…though you are little among the thousands!

Matthew 2:6 NKJV

6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”

the wise men quote this very verse! They knew where the Messiah was to be born and were looking for Him. Herod was perplexed that a King would be born in such a small town, somewhere so insignificant that it was left out in the naming of cities in Joshua and Nehemiah!

What man sees as small and insignificant, God uses for great things!

Bethlehem, the birthplace of King David, whose had now come to be just a small town outside Jerusalem, bypassed by many and overlooked would be made famous!

Out of the small comes something great, the greatest gift God ever gave to man was born in a small, forgotten quiet town.

God chooses the little things of the world to eclipse in glory its greatest things

Judges 6:15 NKJV

15 So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”

Judges 6:15

1 Corinthians 1:27–28 NKJV

27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are,

So what does that have to do with you? We have the tendency to believe that because we live in a small town or have a small church that we can’t do anything big for God! That mindset is wrong and even sinful!

If we believe in God and the truths that are in God’s word then anything we do can be used and made great through Him. This is where I believe can truly be used. It’s not the size of the church of the matters, it’s the size of the God who leads the church!

Each one of you are special and have a purpose designed to be used by God. Don’t let satan fool you into believing you can’t. God says you can and therefore you should! Commit to making a difference today. Here is how you start:

Micah 6:8 NKJV

8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?

Live right, give the same mercy to others that God has given you and humble yourself! When he says to walk humbly he means to let God lead you. You just need to get out of the way and let God take the reins for once then you can see just how big God is and just how much he can use you. You are not insignificant to God, You are special and he wants to use you for great things!

God Can and Will Reconcile All Things

We set aside this time of year to remember the birth of Christ. We should remember how important this is year round, but this time of year it is brought to the forefront of our minds more so.

This time of year, the

I’m reminded of the time my grandmother and her sister weren’t getting along. The whole year through they didn’t speak. I could tell that it was eating her up. Christmas brought reconciliation between them. Remembering that their differences weren’t that big in light of the birth of Christ allowed them to bury the hatchet and move forward with their life.

This section of Scripture could allude to the virgin Mary bringing Jesus into the world in the flesh but it could also mean the return of the Savior. Either way, there is to be forgiveness and reconciliation between men.

2 Corinthians 5:18 KJV 1900

18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

2 Cor

Pretty clear we are to be the ones who forgive, we are to be the ones who show mercy, we are the ones who demonstrate grace, we are to reconcile!

You can’t do that until you reconcile with God first! Is your heart where it needs to be? Is your life a demonstration of your relationship with God? If not there is hope! He will forgive you, He alone can make you whole again. At that point in time you need to be the one offering to others the same thing he offered you: forgiveness.

Transition: But I’m afraid…what if others reject me, what if others make fun of me, what if they don’t want my forgiveness, it’s just too scary! Then we have the hope that...

God Will Provide Protection

Illustration: Possum on the way to school story

Evil hides in the dark because it is afraid of the light. Jesus Christ is that Light.

Micah tells us that

1. He will stand- Nothing can bring him down, not even death!

2. He will stand in the strength of God! There’s nothing more powerful in this universe, than the one who created it

3. He will feed us, nourish us, sustain us, This is what a shepherd does. He takes care of his flock. Jesus is known as the great Shepherd. He promises to watch over us. We have nothing to fear because he says in Matt LO AND I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS!

From start to finish, beginning to end, through the valleys and on the mountaintops, in the darkness and shining in His glory, God is with you, God is watching over you, and God is protecting you from the everyday spiritual battle against Satan and his demons. And you having confessed Christ as your Lord and Savior, Scripture promises that you shall remain in Him. Your are protected!

God Will Bring Peace

It is sad to think that there are now more Americans who have never lived during a time of peace than there are those who have seen a world without war. Since 9/11 we have been at war against a religion that is bent on destroying us and our faith. They are filled with hate and a false truth about God. The threats reach deep as many of you have seen on Facebook this past week. If we believe that God will protect us, we must believe that one day, when Christ returns there will be peace on Earth.

Micah prophecies that not only will the birth of the Messiah bring peace, He will be the Peace.

The only way you will have peace in your life is to know Jesus personally. You must give your heart to Him. If you have and you still have trouble finding peace in your life, then you need to take a strong hard look at the decisions you are making in your life, do they match up with what the scriptures tell you to do, or are you just doing what makes you happy. Sin has consequences and some of those consequences result in a lack of peace.

Life won’t always be easy, there will be struggles, there will be days when you feel like the world is out to get you and there is no escape. The Christian life isn’t easy, but our hope isn’t fixed on this life, it is fixed on eternity with the one who will bring peace to the earth. Our hope is fixed on Jesus!