HE HAS A WAY! - PS Matt McCloghry. Sunday Dec 19. 2021.

Micah 5:1–4 ESV

1 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. 2 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. 3 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. 4 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.

MSG TITLE: “HE HAS A WAY”

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PRAY

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The Miracle of the Incarnation. QUICK RECAP OF LAST WEEK!

EVERY BELIEVER AT CHRISTMAS TIME NEEDS TO STOP: AND CONSIDER THE INCNATE DEITY JESUS CHRIST. THE SON OF GOD> BORN IN HUMAN FORM AND LIKENESS. GOD IN THE FLESH. THE INCARNATION.

John 1:14 “14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Q: WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME THAT YOU JUST WERE WOW’D BY OUR INCARNATE DEITY JESUS CHRIST!????

Remember last week’s VERSE:IS THE PROPHET PREACHED TO GODS PEOPLE.....”HE’s ON THE WAY".... IS 40.

IS 40 “1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. 3 A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

SO THIS WEEK ANOTHER OT Messianic Verse that We can SEE where God declares to HIS people - The longing is OVER - I hav e decided - the mouth of the LORD has SPOKEN - When God WILLS it, IT HAPPENS.

I AM ON THE WAY. THE ANSWER IS COMING.

HES COMING FOR THE WORLD, HES COMING FOR ME!

Micah 5:2 “2 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.”

SO THEN .....WHY BETHLELEM?

Why was it to be bethlehem. When the wiseman came looking, seeking to worship the king.

Matt 2:1-2 “1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

Now this got back to Herod, Herod assembles the chief priests and scribes

And He inquired of them… and they told him that it GOD HAD SPOKEN egarding this and it was Bethelehem in Judea.

So why Bethlehem?

WHAT WAS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF BETHLEHEM?

1.GOD CAN USE ANYTHING.

WHAT THE WORLD SAYS IS NOTHING, GOD SAYS ITS SOMETHING!

Write this down: WHAT THE WORLD CONSIDERS SMALL, GOD CONSIDERS GREAT.

GODS TAKES THE SMALL & MAKES IT GREAT.

God makes use of what the World says is useless!

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF BETHLEHEM : It had no significance.

The SIGNIFICANCE IS THAT IT HAS NO SIGNIFCANCE!

The IMPORTANT PART NOT TO MISS IS THAT IT WASNT IMPORTANT!

Bethlehem was totally INSIGNIFICANT. On the one hand you can say that it is the region where Davids extended family was from, and yes that important, because Jesus was from that House of DAVID. God sais he would make him RULER over the house of David.

But whats even more amazing is that God chose a place that didnt even get a mention in the big shot names of the tribes of ISRAEL:

Micah 5:2 “2 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.”

WHY COULDN’T IT HAVE BEEN A MAJOR CITY. OF AN ESTABLISHED CENTER FOR GREAT LEADERS AND THINKERS?

BECAUSE THEN WE WOULD TRY TO TAKE THE CREDIT.

BETHLEM HAD NO CREDIT, SO GOD WILL GET ALL THE CREDIT!

1 Corinthians 1:27-31 “27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.””

What does that tell us today.... Gods on the way - and God will USE ANYTHING to bring about his purposes: this is the WAY GOD WORKS.

TRUTH TO WRITE DOWN: GOD HAS A WAY HE LIKES TO DO THINGS.

His ways are not our ways, BUT HE HAS WAYS.

Psalm 25:4-5 “4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. 5 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.”

Psalm 25:8 “8 Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.”

Gods ways: Ways of Faithfulness, Ways of Steadfast love, Ways of Sowing and Reaping, Ways of Restoring, Ways of Lifting up the LOWLY, Ways that ARE NOT OUR WAYS!

GOD CAN USE ANYTHING! HE HAS A WAY!

You might be in here today feeling like “God cant use me, im a nobody!” GET EXCITED TODAY… BECAUSE WE SERVE A GOD WHO TAKES NOBODY’s AND GIVES THEM A PURPOSE… AND SETS THEM ALIGHT IN THE WORLD FOR THE GLORY OF HIS NAME.

It doesn’t matter where you are. God can find you

It doesn’t matter where you are from. God will USE where your from.

He can use your BACKGROUND. He can Use your CITY!

2.GOD CAN USE ANYONE.

God uses the last picked, to be the ONE who LEADS in His name.

GOD HAS A WAY OF FINDING THE MOST OBSCURE AND RAISING THEM UP!

God CAN USE ANYONE… and He CAN USE YOU!

Of all the people, God usually has a way of turning someone the world things is INSIGNIFCANT INTO SIGNIFICANT for the Kingdom of God.

Micah 5:2 “2 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.”

The people that we think God CANT use, are OFTEN the ones HE USES.

God has a WAY.

HE’S ON THE WAY

But lets never forget he HAS A WAY.

GOD HAS A WAY OF USING PEOPLE!

Think of the PEOPLE He’s chosen to do his very work!

Mary was TO THE WORLD SIMPLY a NOBODY....... BUT GOD DIDNT THINK SO!

luke 1:30-40 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; …”

but because God loved her and decided he would use her he raised her and Joseph up to be the very people God would use!

A way of building.

a way of raising up

a way of bringing through

He’s on the WAY. but lets understand HE HAS A WAY!

Just think of the people GODS USED:

Moses.... chosen by God to lead the hebrew people from Egypt to Canaan. He speaks FACE TO FACE, as one speaks to a friend! He receives the Law, he acts as a mediator between God and his people decided the law among the people! but fop the first 80 years of his life he lived in Pharoahs house!! and herding sheep!

Rahab.... a Jericho harlot - Chosen by God to be a conduit for the one of the great miracles of God where the walls of Jericho FELL as the people of God worshipped!

David...... the Literal RUNT of the litter, out in the field.... perhaps Forgotten or looked over by HIS EARTHLY father… but Not GOD. Psalm 78:71 “71 from following the nursing ewes he brought him to shepherd Jacob his people, Israel his inheritance.”

Mary...... “a Virgin who found favor with God”.

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GOD CAN USE ANYTHING

GOD CAN USE ANYONE.

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