He Will

Micah 5:2–5 (CEB)

2 As for you, Bethlehem of Ephrathah, though you are the least significant of Judah’s forces, one who is to be a ruler in Israel on my behalf will come out from you. His origin is from remote times, from ancient days.

3 Therefore, he will give them up until the time when she who is in labor gives birth. The rest of his kin will return to the people of Israel.

4 He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. They will dwell secure, because he will surely become great throughout the earth;

5 he will become one of peace.

He Will

Did you ever catch yourself saying that you wished for a little peace and quiet when your kids were little? I think all parents say that at some time or another.

The last 7 years that I was in the Air Force I worked in the Washington DC area in an office complex. At one point about midway through my assignment there the powers that be decided to consolidate all the various offices that dealt with medical computer software development for the Department of Defense and move everyone into one office so that we’d all be together. So some of the higher ranking folks sat down with a designer and dreamed up what the office space would look like. All the higher ranking folks would get an office and the rest of us would live in cubicle land.

There were 4 of us lesser ranking folks on my project so we got this quad of cubicles that consisted of 2 partial walls and a desk so that you sat with your back to the other three folks. It wasn’t too bad because it worked well for collaboration but it was horrible if you needed to have a private conversation with someone or to talk with someone on the phone because the other folks were right there. It was nearly impossible to work on any tedious part of the project because someone would always be walking into our quad to talk which was very distracting.

Just about once I month I’d tell my boss that I was going to work from home on a day that Darlene and the kids would be gone so that I could get caught up. I’d tell my boss that I needed some peace and quiet so that I could get some work done. It was amazing that left undisturbed that I could get an amazing amount of work accomplished in a few short hours of peace and quiet.

In our world today we often hear talk about peace and the need for peace in our world. The news is talking about Russia gathered on the border with Ukraine. China has been intimidating Taiwan. China and Russia seem to be cozying up to each other.

Look at the mess the Middle East is in. The Taliban has taken over most of Afghanistan after our military left. Who knows how many are being killed for helping the United States in the past.

Look at the violence we see nearly every day here in the united states. A school shooting, a horrendous murder, stores being looted. All of this during the time of the year when their should be peace and thanksgiving.

I like history and learning about our past. There is a quote that says that “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Looking at the history of the Middle East there has always been conflict there with one nation trying to overthrow another. In our world today there is hope that someone will come up with an idea to solve the problems in the Middle East between the Jews and the Arabs. I hate to tell them, but there is no political solution to solve that on any type of permanent basis. They may be able to put a band aide on it for a while but deep down the conflict will continue to fester because I believe it to be a spiritual conflict.

That small sliver of land where there has been so much conflict was set aside by God. Throughout Scripture God has promised the Jews that it would be their home that He would gather them back.

Satan is fighting against that. As Christians we know that our battle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Every president in recent history has sought to do something about the violence that some of the cities and communities face. Our current president is thinking that throwing money at the problem is going to get it solved. He is wanting to have legislation passed to address gun violence.

God bless him for trying but you can’t legislate morality because there will always be immoral people. There will always be evil people in our world that will do very bad things.

Our Scripture from Micah this morning comes from one of those times in a long line of conflicts and it’s in the words from the prophet Micah that we find the ultimate solution to all the conflict in the world. That solution is peace and that peace will come and has come in the person of the Messiah, Jesus himself.

Micah is prophesying after the death of King Uzziah. We read about him in that great passage in Isaiah where he writes “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord high and lifted us.” What a tremendously challenging passage that is for us as it paints a picture of how awesome and holy God is compared to us and how unworthy we are to even come before Him.

The Assyrian Empire has come into its own at this time and had control of most of the Middle East including Judah and Israel. God through the prophet Micah comes on the scene and essentially tells the people of Judah that He hasn’t forgotten about them. Throughout his small book God is calling upon the people to repent and to return to God. God warns the people through Micah that they are going to be punished for doing their own thing. But God also holds out hope to them because in verse 2 of our scripture this morning God says:

Micah 5:2 CEB

2 As for you, Bethlehem of Ephrathah, though you are the least significant of Judah’s forces, one who is to be a ruler in Israel on my behalf will come out from you. His origin is from remote times, from ancient days.

Bethlehem, just a small town in Judah. It was the hometown of the great King David. Ephrathah is the district that Bethlehem was in and it means “Fruitful”. Bethlehem the town means “house of bread”. Do you remember the one “I am” statements of Jesus and what he called himself? He stated in the Gospel of John chapter 6:

John 6:35 CEB

35 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

As you read the Bible you see a lot of symbolism and I don’t think it’s any coincidence that Jesus who was born in Bethlehem, the “house of bread” referred to himself as the bread of life tying himself not only to his birthplace but also the true source of bread of life which is God Himself.

God says that from this small town will come a ruler over Israel. This is the Messiah who is going to come. When the Jews see the world ruler they read into that King who is going to solve all their problems. That is one of the main reasons they missed out on Jesus when He was here. They were looking for a great king like David to come, not a baby.

God also says through Micah that this Ruler’s “origins are from of old, from ancient times.” The Hebrew word that’s translated as ancient times or everlasting when used in connection with God can only mean from eternity, essentially forever. This Ruler, the Messiah will be none other than God himself coming.

Why do we celebrate Christmas? Why do we observe the season of Advent? It’s to remember the fact that the Messiah has come and is coming again!

God gets a little more specific in verse 3, Micah prophesies:

Micah 5:3 CEB

3 Therefore, he will give them up until the time when she who is in labor gives birth. The rest of his kin will return to the people of Israel.

We know from reading elsewhere in the Old Testament that all of Israel was conquered and hauled off to captivity. They were allowed to return to their homeland eventually but they were never the same nation after that point. But God says that “until the time when she who is in labor gives birth” they will be abandoned. That abandonment would end with the birth.

Who is Micah prophesying about? Mary of course and the birth of Jesus. Let’s tie this into the birth account of Jesus in Luke chapter 2. Remember the worlds of the angel to the shepherds?

Luke 2:10–14 CEB

10 The angel said, “Don’t be afraid! Look! I bring good news to you—wonderful, joyous news for all people. 11 Your savior is born today in David’s city. He is Christ the Lord. 12 This is a sign for you: you will find a newborn baby wrapped snugly and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great assembly of the heavenly forces was with the angel praising God. They said, 14 “Glory to God in heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors.”

The angel said it was good news of great joy for all the people. What was the news that the people at the time were waiting on? The coming of the Messiah. The Angle came from God to announce that news that the Messiah had been born, but I’m jumping ahead in the Gospel account.

Over in Luke chapter 1 we read about Mary being told the news that she was going to be pregnant even though she was a virgin. Not only was she going to get pregnant but that the baby would be the Son of God, that he would be the Messiah.

How scandalous for her. A young engaged woman who was still pure and she was going to be pregnant and the angel tells her that it will result from the power of the Holy Spirit because “nothing is impossible with God.”

Luke 1:37 CEB

37 Nothing is impossible for God.”

Are you facing an impossible situation today? Remember the words of the Angel to Mary “for nothing is impossible with God.” Have you brought that situation to Him? Have you given to him and allowed him to work his will and way in it? Let him take care of it, release it to him, say “not my will by thine be done.”

Listen to Mary’s response to the Angel, she said:

Luke 1:38 CEB

38 Then Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be with me just as you have said.” Then the angel left her.

What an amazing response by a young woman caught in a very scandalous situation. She didn’t come kicking and screaming into the situation rather she acknowledged the fact that she was the Lord’s servant and she was willing to be obedient to God’s will.

Oh that we would be more like Mary in our response to when God asks us to do something. We can come up with a million different excuses for why we can’t do something. I’m a poster child of excuses. I went to Bible College right out of high school. I knew that I was going to do something in ministry but I knew that I would not be a pastor.

In my sophomore year during the fall revival services on campus God the Holy Spirit really confirmed his calling on my life and that was to the full time pastoral ministry. I wish I could say that I was like Mary and said to the Holy Spirit “I am the Lord’s servant, may it be to me as you have said.” But, I didn’t respond that way. I abruptly said thanks but no thanks to God and dropped out of school and ran off and joined the Air Force. I’d like to say that joining the Air Force was a patriotic thing for me to do, but it wasn’t, I was running away from God as fast and as far as I could.

God calls us all, some to be Pastors, some to be teachers, some to be nursery workers or children’s church workers or teen workers or prayer warriors or financial givers or encouragers or ushers or counters and the list goes on and on. Each of us God wants to use. But the question is what do we say to God when he asks us?

Do we say no way? I can’t do that or I won’t do that?

Or, do we say like Mary:

Luke 1:38

Luke 1:38 (CEB)

38 Then Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be with me just as you have said.”

What will you do or how will you respond if the Holy Spirit puts His finger on you and says I want you to do something for Him?

After Mary hears the news of her pregnancy she heads off to Zechariah and Elizabeth’s home. Even though she was going to be obedient to God she was still going to have to face the societal repercussions of being an unwed mother to be. Elizabeth herself and older woman was pregnant with a son who was going to be John the Baptist. Remember what the Angel said to Mary? Nothing is impossible with God.

Luke records in His Gospel these words from Elizabeth when Mary enters her house:

Luke 1:42–45 CEB

42 With a loud voice she blurted out, “God has blessed you above all women, and he has blessed the child you carry. 43 Why do I have this honor, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. 45 Happy is she who believed that the Lord would fulfill the promises he made to her.”

Elizabeth recognized that Mary was pregnant and that the baby she was carrying was not just some ordinary baby. Elizabeth stated that Mary was the mother of her Lord. Elizabeth knew that Mary was pregnant with the Messiah. The Messiah that Micah prophesied about that was just beginning to grow in Mary’s womb. Elizabeth recognized what was happening.

How? By the Holy Spirit, how else would she have known? Look again at the blessing she gives to Mary, she said

Luke 1:45 CEB

45 Happy is she who believed that the Lord would fulfill the promises he made to her.”

Elizabeth recognized that Mary believed what the Lord said would be accomplished. Which leads me to ponder, when we pray, do we pray believing that God really can and does answer prayer or are we just saying words just for the sake of doing it?

When we pray for someone to be healed, do we really believe that they will be healed or are we just saying words?

When we pray for someone to be save, do we really believe that it is God’s will that they be saved?

We have to have that belief, otherwise, why pray? Why pray if we don’t believe that God can and does answer our prayers?

He will, He will answer our prayers

According to Luke, following Elizabeth’s greeting, Mary breaks out into song and the words are recorded there beginning in verse 46:

Luke 1:46–55 CEB

46 Mary said, “With all my heart I glorify the Lord! 47 In the depths of who I am I rejoice in God my savior. 48 He has looked with favor on the low status of his servant. Look! From now on, everyone will consider me highly favored 49 because the mighty one has done great things for me. Holy is his name. 50 He shows mercy to everyone, from one generation to the next, who honors him as God. 51 He has shown strength with his arm. He has scattered those with arrogant thoughts and proud inclinations. 52 He has pulled the powerful down from their thrones and lifted up the lowly. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty-handed. 54 He has come to the aid of his servant Israel, remembering his mercy, 55 just as he promised to our ancestors, to Abraham and to Abraham’s descendants forever.”

This song is a song of praise to God for all that He has done throughout the generations up until this point in her life. This song of Mary really to me ties back in to Micah’s prophesy concerning the Messiah. In verses 4 and 5 of his prophesy Micah writes:

Micah 5:4–5 (CEB)

4 He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. They will dwell secure, because he will surely become great throughout the earth;

5 he will become one of peace.

He will, Jesus, the Messiah will do this. Listen to that again.

Jesus, our shepherd, loving us and like David recorded in his Psalm, he leads and guides us.

There is strength in Christ, when life seems to be falling apart around us there is str

ength and safety found in Jesus.

There is majesty in the name of the Lord, when you don’t know how to pray, just cry out his Name.

There is security in Christ, though the battle may not be against flesh and blood but against those invisible forces, Jesus is stronger.

His greatness reaches to the ends of the earth. His greatness reaches to where you are today.

Do you long for peace today in your life? True and lasting peace will only come through a personal relationship with Jesus. Stop trying to do it yourself. Stop pretending that everything is ok when life is falling apart. Bundle up the pieces of your life and turn them over to the one who came to be the Prince of Peace.

He will!