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It's interesting that we read
from the book of Revelation this morning, because I distinctly
remember during my college years in the fellowship group that
we had that the pastor, as he was beginning a study in the
book of Revelation, I think he could tell that there were a
bunch of college-age students kind of looking apprehensive
at the prospect of studying this book, and he understood that
it could be difficult to interpret and to understand. But he gave
us this as his introduction, that we should think and consider
the overarching theme of the book of Revelation all throughout
the study. And that overarching theme is
God wins. There are lots of images, there
are lots of different symbols, and there's often disagreement
among Christians about the timing of all of the events of that
book. But the anchor that we should
consider, if you are even studying the book of Revelation, perhaps
yourself, is that God wins. In Revelation, God's victory
is seen in His rendering judgment by casting into the lake of fire
His enemies, Satan, the other fallen angels, and those who
had not submitted to Him by turning from their sin and turning and
putting their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. And God's victory
is also seen in His bringing into heaven Those who were redeemed
by the blood of the Lamb, of the Lord Jesus Christ. People
from every tribe, every kindred, and every tongue. This morning
we continue in the book of Micah, which has been a part of our
Wednesday night study series and has been the text from which
I've preached when I've preached on a Sunday morning. And like
what is seen in Revelation and in other prophetic books throughout
the Bible, we see vivid images in the book of Micah. We see
various symbols, and there can be disagreements regarding the
timing of the fulfillment of Micah's prophecies. And with
poetic language used throughout the book, the Book of Micah contains
promises of judgment pronounced not only against the nations
that were the enemies of Israel, but promises of judgment against
Israel itself. We see at this point in time
when Micah was prophesying that this nation of Israel has now
been divided into two kingdoms. There's the northern kingdom,
which is called Israel, and the southern kingdom called Judah.
And judgment had already been rendered against the northern
kingdom, Israel. They had fallen to the Assyrians
in 722 and 721 BC. And judgment against the southern
kingdom, Judah, has been pronounced. So we read the first prediction
of the destruction of Jerusalem in Micah 3.12. This is the first
prediction of the destruction of Jerusalem in the Bible, in
fact. And that verse says, therefore, because of you, Zion shall be
plowed as a field, Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins,
and the mountain of the house a wooded height." And while God
used the Assyrians to bring judgment against the northern kingdom,
Micah prophesied that God's judgment against Judah would be rendered
through the Babylonians, who at this point in time were not
a global power. But as complete as the rendered
judgment of Israel was, and as complete as the promise and the
eventual judgment of Judah would be with the destruction of Jerusalem,
just as complete and comprehensive was God's promise of salvation. The complete and comprehensive
nature of this promised salvation is seen in that this salvation
had a near-term dimension. As we read in Micah 4, verse
10, after the pronouncement of exile in Babylon, it says, There,
or in Babylon, you shall be rescued. There the Lord will redeem you
from the hand of your enemies. And the complete and comprehensive
nature of God's promised salvation also had a broader long-term
dimension as well. Chapter 4 opens describing the
end times or the latter days, which would include the rebuilding
of Jerusalem, God's establishment of peace between the nations,
God's preservation of his people, the gathering of a remnant of
those who were afflicted and driven away by God. the transformation
of a weak group of people into a strong nation, and the restoration
of Jerusalem to its former dominance. After these great promises, Micah's
prophecy goes even further, as we saw in the beginning of chapter
5. And in that chapter, we saw the promise of a powerful ruler. In the opening verses of chapter
5, we're told that this powerful ruler would be born in Bethlehem,
Ephrathah, displaying his human lineage and his connection to
the house of David. And this ruler would also be
from of old, from ancient days, displaying his divinity. This
powerful ruler is the promised Messiah, the Chosen One, the
Lord Jesus Christ. And as verses 2 through 5a of
chapter 5 detail, this powerful ruler would rule on God's behalf. He would shepherd and protect
and be a peace to God's people. And note that all of this is
being declared during a time where there seemingly is no peace. If you're living in the southern
kingdom at that time, you in fact know that the northern kingdom
has been conquered. If you're living in the southern
kingdom at that time, you know that the Assyrians are making
their way through Jerusalem because they've invaded the southern
part of the kingdom and making their way slowly north to Jerusalem. And so to hear promises of peace,
to hear promises of protection when there seemingly was none,
and to hear of a powerful ruler when the rulers of your time
were unrighteous and were not carrying out justice, surely
and hopefully would bring great hope to you. Today's passage
continues and extends God's great promise of salvation. And just
as the book of Revelation declares God wins, today's passage also
declares that God wins, as we will see God's victory over enemies
without and enemies within. That is our introduction. Please
stand if you are able. And we will read Micah 5, and
I will begin at verse 1 to give us the context for our passage
this morning. 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. But you,
O Bethlehem of Ratha, 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. 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. 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. and he
shall be their peace. When the Assyrian comes into
our land and treads in our palaces, then we will raise against him
seven shepherds and eight princes of men. They shall shepherd the
land of Assyria with the sword and the land of Nimrod at its
entrances. And he shall deliver us from
the Assyrian when he comes into our land and treads within our
border. Then the remnant of Jacob shall
be in the midst of many peoples, like dew from the Lord, like
showers on the grass, which delay not for a man, nor wait for the
children of man. And the remnant of Jacob shall
be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a
lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among
the flocks of sheep, which, when it goes through, treads down
and tears in pieces, and there is none to deliver. Your hands
shall be lifted up over your adversaries, and all your enemies
shall be cut off. And in that day declares the
Lord, I will cut off your horses from among you, and will destroy
your chariots. And I will cut off the cities
of your land, and throw down all your strongholds. And I will
cut off sorceries from your hand, and you shall have no more tellers
of fortunes. And I will cut off your carved
images and your pillars from among you, and you shall bow
down no more to the work of your hands. And I will root out your
asherah images from among you and destroy your cities. And
in anger and wrath, I will execute vengeance on the nations that
did not obey. Please be seated. In today's passage, God's victory
over enemies without and enemies within will be seen in God's
rout of his enemies through his chosen one, God's reign over
his enemies through his chosen ones, and God's response to his
enemies in his chosen ones. First, let's look at God's route
of his enemies through his chosen one. Verses 2 and 3 of chapter
5 describe the coming of God's powerful ruler. And then verses
4 through 5a describe the characteristics of this powerful ruler and his
rule. And while the first half of verse
5 declared that this powerful ruler would be the peace of his
people, pointing to the blessing that will come in the end times
or the latter days, the second half of verse 5 brings us back
to the stark reality of the days in which Micah prophesied. We
read that in our second half of verse 5, where it says, when
the Assyrian comes into our land and treads at our palaces, The
Assyrians were the most impactful enemy of both the northern and
southern kingdom in Micah's day. And as indicated before, the
Assyrians had already conquered the northern kingdom and were
steadily invading and taking ground in the southern kingdom.
And referenced in this verse, verse 5, and then twice in verse
6, the Assyrians are declared as Israel's enemy specifically. But they represent Israel's enemies
more generally. For in verse 6, you will see
a reference to Nimrod. And Nimrod points to a man that
is seen in Genesis 10, verses 8-12, which says this, Cush fathered
Nimrod. He was the first on earth to
be a mighty man. He was a mighty hunter before
the Lord. Therefore it is said, like Nimrod,
a mighty hunter before the Lord. The beginning of his kingdom
was Babel, Erech, Achad, and Chalna. and in the land of Shinar. From that land he went into Assyria
and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-er, Kala, and Rezin. Between Nineveh
and Kala, that is the great city." So this description of Nimrod
indicates that his kingdom not only included Babylon, but also
included Assyria. And both nations, along with
the other nations that we see described in Micah 411, assembled
themselves against Israel and were quoted as saying, let her
be defiled and let our eyes gaze upon Zion. Israel's enemies wanted
to see Israel's downfall. And God used both Assyria and
Babylon to bring about that downfall in judgment upon Israel. But
Israel's downfall after the Assyrian and Babylonian conquests did
not last forever. And in the rest of verse 5 and
into verse 6, God's promise of salvation is once again pronounced. For what do we see in the response
to the Assyrians and other nations coming into the land and treading
in Israel's palaces? We continue in verse 5, Then
we will raise against him seven shepherds and eight princes of
men. seven shepherds and eight princes
will be raised against the enemies. In Hebrew literature, the number
seven denotes completeness, and the number eight denotes something
that is more than enough. And so what is being said here
is that the remnant of Israel will have a complete and abundant
response to the nations that will come against her. And this
will not simply be a defensive posture, but there will be an
offensive element as well, as we read in verse 6. They shall
shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land
of Nimrod at its entrances. Psalm 23 tells us that the rod
and the staff are the tools of the shepherd. They are used to
protect and to direct the sheep. But in our passage in verse 6,
we're told that these shepherds and princes would shepherd the
land of Assyria with a sword. As we heard yesterday, men, the
sword is an offensive weapon. It's a weapon that is used to
subdue, to conquer, and to rule over. And that weapon would be
used to rule over the land of Assyria and Israel's enemies.
Note also that Nimrod will be dealt with at the entrances.
The enemies of Israel will in essence be stopped at the door. And while it will be the seven
shepherds and eight princes that will be raised up against these
enemy nations, ultimately it's God's powerful ruler who will
bring about the deliverance from the enemy, as we read in the
rest of verse 6. And he shall deliver us from
the Assyrian when he comes into our land and treads within our
border. These are words of hope. being delivered to a nation facing
the prospect of defeat and exile. And while the promise of God's
judgment is sure, these words of promise that God will route
the enemy through this powerful ruler, through the Messiah, are
just as sure. And this routing of the enemy
has eschatological elements, and that word eschatological
means the end times. It's talking about the end of
all things. And that is when all of these
things will be actually fulfilled at the Messiah's second coming.
But as Christians, we see the fulfillment of the routing of
our enemies in Christ's first coming as well. Colossians 2
verses 13 through 15 says, And you who were dead in your trespasses
and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together
with Him. having forgiven us all our trespasses
by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its
legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it
to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities
and put them to open shame by triumphing over them in him. Through Christ's death and resurrection,
God made an open display of our enemies of sin, hell, and the
grave. And we, like the remnant who
were the first hearers of Micah's words, all are worthy only of
God's condemnation. But by God's grace, we are recipients
of the spoils of the victory that God has won through Christ.
We hear this in the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 verses
53 through 58. For this perishable body must
put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on
immortality. When the perishable puts on the
imperishable, and the mortal puts on the immortal, then shall
come to pass the saying that is written, death is swallowed
up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is hell. But
thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ. Are you thankful? for God's victory
over sin, hell, and the grave that He has given to you through
salvation in Christ. Do you look forward to that day
when His victory will be fully displayed? We will have added
to His having granted us freedom from the penalty and power of
sin, will have added to us complete freedom from the practice and
presence of sin as well. Do you look forward to that day? How the first hearers of Micah's
words likely look forward to this future day when their enemies
would be vanquished. But God's victory in our passage
is not limited to just routing his enemies, routing those nations
which sought to destroy the nation with which he had established
his covenant. We will see now God's victory
through his reign over his enemies, through his chosen ones. Who
are these chosen ones through whom God's reign will be shown
in the latter days? These chosen ones are the remnant
of Jacob. The dictionary definition of
remnant is a small quantity of something or something that has
been left over. The remnant is a group of people
who are part of the larger nation, and who are the same remnant
that has been previously spoken of in Micah. In chapter 2, verse
12, they are spoken of as part of the promise of salvation in
the first cycle, where God promises, I will surely assemble all of
you, O Jacob. I will gather the remnant of
Israel. I will set them together like
sheep in a fold. like a flock in its pasture,
a noisy multitude of men. God promises to gather, to care
for, and to protect this remnant. In chapter 4, verses 6 through
7a, it's part of the promise of salvation in the second cycle
of the book. We read this, "...and that day
declares the Lord, I will assemble the lame and gather those who
have been driven away and those who I have afflicted, and the
lame I will make the remnant, and those who are cast off a
strong nation." Here, God once again promises to gather the
remnant and says that that remnant will be made strong by His great
power. In Micah 5, our passage this
morning, we see two aspects of God's reign through His remnant,
through His chosen ones. The first aspect of God's reign
through these chosen ones is one of providing refreshment
to the surrounding nations. We see this in verse 7. It says,
Then the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples,
like dew from the Lord, like showers on the grass, which delay
not for man, nor wait for the children of man. This verse indicates
that this remnant among the nations will be the blessing that God
intended Israel to be when He promised Abram in Genesis 12
to, I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you
and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. Just as the dew and the showers
which come by God's common grace bring much-needed water for the
fields, the remnant of Jacob, God's chosen ones, will be a
refreshment to the nations as they will be a testimony, a clear
testimony of God's grace to his people. Indeed, God's grace is
clearly indicated in this verse, as we're told that the dew and
the showers that would come down are not dependent on man. They are wholly dependent and
given by God. As much as man in our age would
try to make one think that he can control the climate, This
verse is telling us that the dew and the showers are controlled
and commanded by the one true God. We see similar sentiments
about God's intentions for Israel in relation to the nation in
Psalm 72, which is a royal psalm where we read in verse 6, speaking
of Israel's king, may he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,
like showers that water the earth. And then in verses 16 through
19 of the same psalm we read, May there be abundance of grain
in the land, on the tops of the mountains may it wave, may its
fruit be like Lebanon, and may people blossom in the cities
like the grass of the field. May his name endure forever,
his fame continue as long as the sun. May people be blessed
in him, all nations call him blessed. And while this remnant
would be a refreshment and blessing to the nations, we see the other
aspect of God's reign through His chosen ones, in that God's
intention was that for this remnant to be feared. We read in verse
8, the remnant of Jacob, shall be among the nations, in the
midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the forest,
like a young lion among the flocks of sheep, which, when it goes
through, treads down and tears in pieces, and there is none
to deliver. Micah uses the metaphor of a
lion for this remnant, a lion who is in the forest, a lion
who is among sheep. And each of us knows that the
lion is a predator, The lion is an animal that is to be feared. And those hearing Micah's prophecy
were to understand that the fear that this lion should impart
is declared in what the lion is said to do as it is among
the beasts of the forest and among the sheep. We see in this
verse that the lion is to tread down or violently trample upon
anyone who would seek to stand against him. The lion is to tear
in pieces the same phrase that Jacob used to describe Joseph's
coat when it was delivered to him by Joseph's brothers. And
that the lion cannot be thwarted in his actions. And we read that
in the phrase, there is none to deliver. and displaying the
totality of God's reign over His enemies through His chosen
ones, we read verse 9's address to this remnant when we read,
Your hands shall be lifted up over your adversaries, and all
your enemies shall be cut off. also showing the finality of
the remnant's enemy's defeat. And just as God's complete routing
of his enemies will be clearly and fully seen in the end times,
when the Messiah comes again, the Christian sees these same
aspects of being both a refreshment and causing fear to those around
us. In Colossians 4, 6 we read, let
your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you
may know how you ought to answer each person. But at the same
time, we are also called to deliver the Word of God to people. The
Word of God, which Hebrews 4.12 tells us, is living and active,
sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul
and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the
thoughts and intentions of the heart. We're called to be peacemakers
in Matthew 5.9. but we're also called to declare
the sharp edges of the gospel as well. We're called to point
people to God's law and its requirements, and to their failing to perfectly
obey God's law, and their deserving of the full weight of God's wrath
because of their sin and rebellion, calling people to repentance
and faith in Christ. Christ declared in Luke 12, 53,
that He would indeed, because of His message, He would cause
the division of father and son, and son and father, that He would
cause division between mother and daughter, and daughter and
mother, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law and mother-in-law. And finally, in 2 Corinthians
2, 14-16, we read, But thanks be to God, who in Christ always
leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance
of the knowledge of Him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ
to God amongst those who are being saved, and among those
who are perishing. to one, a fragrance from death
to death, to the other, a fragrance from life to life. Are you not
only declaring the gospel with your words, but are others who
are around you seeing the gospel lived out in your life? Are you living out the gospel
And is God reigning in your life and causing you to be a aroma
of Christ? As we read in 2 Corinthians,
for some it will be from death to death, from some, for some
it will be life to life. So life you live, match the gospel
you believe and declare. And if it does, we know that
ultimately God is the one who determines whether to grant salvation
to those to whom you have declared the gospel, because he ultimately
rules and reigns over all. Up to this point, we've been
looking without at the enemies of God. We've looked at Assyria,
Babylon, the other nations that have sought to destroy Israel. And as we know, God always goes
beyond what can be seen outwardly. And especially when it comes
to his dealings with anything that would oppose him. And we
see this, as we now see in the last section of our passage,
God's response to his enemies in his chosen ones. Think of
how the book of Micah began, and in fact, don't think, let's
look at how Micah began. Turn to Micah chapter 1. Micah chapter 1, starting in verse 2, just after
the introduction of who Micah is and the time in which he prophesied. And we read this, here you peoples,
all of you. Pay attention, O earth, and all
that is in it, and let the Lord God be a witness against you,
the Lord from His holy temple. For behold, the Lord is coming
out of His place, and will come down and tread upon the high
places of the earth. And the mountains will melt under
Him, and the valleys will split open like wax before the fire,
like waters poured down a steep place. All this is for the transgression
of Jacob and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is
the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? And what is
the high place of Judah? Is it not Jerusalem? Therefore
I will make Samaria a heap in the open country, a place for
planting vineyards. And I will pour down her stones
into the valley and uncover her foundations. All her carved images
shall be beaten to pieces. All her wages shall be burned
with fire. And all her idols I will lay
waste. For from the fee of a prostitute
she gathered them, and to the fee of a prostitute they shall
return." In these verses we see God's anger against His people. And God's response to their sin
is judgment. judgment against the northern
kingdom, judgment against the southern kingdom as well. And
in turning back to Micah 5, verses 5b through 9 of our passage,
God has promised to rout the enemy to reign over the enemies
of Israel in the coming age. But also to come in the coming
age is the route and reign over enemies that God identifies in
and among His chosen ones. Look at the words that Micah
spoke to his generation beginning in verse 10. And in that day
declares the Lord, I will cut off your horses from among you,
and will destroy your chariots, and I will cut off the cities
of your land, and throw down all your strongholds, and I will
cut off sorceries from your hand, And you shall have no more tellers
of fortune. And I will cut off your carved
images and your pillars from among you. And you shall bow
down no more to the work of your hands. And I will root out your
Asherah images from among you and destroy your cities. And
in anger and wrath, I will execute vengeance on the nations that
did not obey." These words are God's words. that Micah is declaring. And it declares what God plans
to do. Verse 10 begins with, in that
day. In what day? In the latter days.
In the end times. And what is it that God declares
that He is going to do as we read through all of these verses? In one word, destroy. He is going to destroy. And no longer is God's focus
on the nation seeking to destroy Israel, but His focus is turned
to His chosen one, to His remnant. And God promises to destroy that
which is found in His chosen ones. Note what is first on the
list for destruction, verses 10 and 11. I will cut off your
horses from among you, and will destroy your chariots, and I
will cut off the cities of your land, and throw down all your
strongholds." Before God had established Israel on the promised
land, God spoke this to Israel through Moses in Deuteronomy
17, verses 14 through 16. It says, when you come to the
land that the Lord your God has given you, and you possess it
and dwell in it, and then say, I will set a king over me, like
all the nations that are around me, you may indeed set a king
over you whom the Lord your God will choose. One from among your
brothers you shall set as king over you. You may not put a foreigner
over you who is not your brother. only he must not acquire many
horses for himself, or cause the people to return to Egypt
in order to acquire many horses, since the Lord has said to you,
you shall never return that way again." Here we see that God
knew that Israel would one day reject him as their king. and
demand an earthly king like all of the other nations. This would
be fulfilled in 1 Samuel 8. But long before that occurred,
God had already instructed Israel on who their king was to be.
It was to come from the nation, not from outside. And he also
instructed them on how the king was to behave. He was not to
acquire horses for himself or have the people return to Egypt. Centuries later, After Israel
has been established in the Promised Land, as they have regional dominance,
and that dominance is at its height, we read in 1 Kings chapter
10, please turn there, 1 Kings chapter 10, starting at verse 23. Thus, King Solomon excelled all
the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. And the whole
earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which
God had put into his mind. Every one of them brought his
presents, articles of silver and gold, garments, myrrh, spices,
horses and mules, so much year by year. And Solomon gathered
together chariots and horsemen. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000
horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the
king in Jerusalem. And the king made silver as common
in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the
sycamore of the Shephelah. And Solomon's import of horses
was from Egypt and Q. And the king's traders received
them from Q at a price. A chariot could be imported from
Egypt for 600 shekels of silver and a horse for 150. And so through
the king's traders, they were exported to all the kings of
the Hittites and the kings of Syria. So we see the disobedience
of King Solomon, who gathered to himself horses and chariots. Went even further, he imported
horses from Egypt. And why was all this done? To
increase Israel's military strength. In verse 26 of 1 Kings 10, told
us that the horses were stationed in chariot cities. And one of
those cities that was used to store these horses and chariots
was Lackish. a city that was previously named
Enmica, as we read in Micah 1.13, during the pronouncement of judgment.
It says, listen, harness the steeds to the chariots, inhabitants
of Lachish. It was the beginning of sin to
the daughter of Zion, for in you were found the transgressions
of Israel. And what was the sin of Israel
that was exposed in Lachish, and the sin that God says He
will cut off and destroy in Micah 5.11? And that sin is Israel's
trust in her military power for protection and salvation from
the enemy, instead of trusting in the Lord for protection and
salvation. In verse 11, God promised to
cut off the cities and strongholds that Israel built against the
enemy, in which they also trusted in as a source of protection.
And listen to God's indictment of trusting only in military
power in Psalm 33, verses 16 and 17. No king is saved by the
size of his army. No warrior escapes by his strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance.
Despite all its great strength, it cannot save. Horses and chariots
cannot save. Cities and strongholds cannot
save. only God can save. But Israel
was saying otherwise as the people were putting their trust in their
military power instead of God. In Micah 5 verses 12 through
14 we see another area of focus for God's destruction. We read,
I will cut off your sorceries from your hand. You shall have
no more tellers of fortunes. I will cut off your carved images
and your pillars from among you. You shall bow down no more to
the work of your hands, and I will root out your Asherah images
from among you and destroy your cities. God promises to cut off
sorcery and fortune-telling from their hand. In their essence,
sorcery and fortune-telling is wanting to tap into the supernatural,
but doing so without God. Wanting to use that which is
demonic to know what is to come. The carved images, pillars, and
asherah poles with its ties to fertility were the tools used
for the worship of false gods. which was prevalent in the nations
surrounding Israel. And so when we survey the horses
and the chariots and the cities and the strongholds and all the
stuff used for false worship, we can see them as an outward
manifestation of what resided in the hearts of God's chosen
ones. And what was that? Unbelief in
God and discontentment with God. Noted Old Testament commentator
Dale Ralph Davis says this about these verses. They, God's people,
are not satisfied with his mere promise of security that we read
in 5, 10, and 11. They are not content with the
limits of Yahweh's revelation. They want secrets from the magical
arts. They want to be able to take
control of their circumstance. Mere commandments are not enough.
They want secrets for success. Verse 12, the simplicity of Yahweh's
worship grates on them. They want the added thrill of
visible likenesses. We see that in verse 13. Nor
are they content with Yahweh's provision. They want to do something. Wait, they want to contribute
to the drama of fertility, hence the pillars and poles. the Baal
and Asherah show, and participating in the sex sideshow at the shrine,
and doing their part to nudge fertility into a higher gear. And it would be easy for us to
view this scene and point to Israel's foolishness, but are
we not the same? In fact, we have more revelation
than those to whom Micah spoke. We live on the other side of
the cross. We have the full revelation of
God in the Bible. We have been brought into salvation
by the Spirit's effective work of the truth of the gospel in
our hearts. And yet, do we not have other trusts in
our hearts from time to time? Are you trusting in what your
hands have perhaps built for you? What your skills have gained
for you? Are you trusting in your bank
account or your retirement account that you've built up, which gives
you a sense of financial security, providing a defense against all
of the economic uncertainty that we face today? Have you begun
to trust in some form of righteousness? Perhaps you're experiencing a
season marked by a more vibrant prayer life, a greater desire
to hear and to read God's Word, all good things. But perhaps
you're coming to wrongly believe that your improved performance
is somehow giving you a better standing with God. and simply
trusting in the finished work of Christ and the perfect righteousness
that He gives to His own. Are you growing dissatisfied
with God and His full revelation of Himself in His Word? Are you
beginning to think of and possibly seek something more exciting
for your Christian walk? Being tempted to explore what's
offered in our church age that may seem more exciting than simply
seeking the Lord through reading His Word and through prayer.
So you consider these questions
and you become convicted by the Holy Spirit as He reveals your
unbelief and your discontentment to you. You may also feel that
it is virtually impossible for you to break free from these
things. Because we can become so enamored
by what is tangible that we forget how to walk by faith in God. And I'm not talking about walking
in faith as some mystical thing, but I'm simply talking about
believing God's Word when He says that He will never leave
us or forsake us. Believing God's Word that He
has given us every spiritual blessing in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Believing God's Word that He will be faithful to complete
the work that He has begun in each one of us. And the completion
of that work is seen in his response to his enemies that he identifies
in us. And not only responding to it,
but destroying them, as he promised in our passage this morning.
One of God's greatest blessings to his people is His destruction
of any and everything that would take our devotion, trust, and
adoration away from Him. One of God's greatest blessings
to His people is His destruction of any and everything that would
take our devotion, trust, and adoration away from Him. And this destruction is a blessing
because it brings an end to anything that would build in us a self-confidence. That would cause us to think
more highly of ourselves than we should. and instead causes
our dependency to be holy and completely on God. This destruction
brings us to a place where we fully know, as 2 Corinthians
12, 9 tells us, that God's grace is sufficient and that His power
is made perfect in our weakness. God is holy. And we as people
are called to be holy as He is. He is God alone and He will not
share His glory with another, nor will He share the rightful
throne that He has with another. And though we stand before God
guilty of allowing other things to sit upon His rightful throne
in our hearts, we have the promise that we read in 1 John 1, 9,
that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive
us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We thank God that mercy, grace,
and hope are always available for God's people who go astray,
but who return to Him in repentance and faith. But as we see in the
last verse of the passage, there is no hope for those who do not
obey God. For we read in verse 15, and
in anger and wrath, I will execute vengeance on the nations that
did not obey." Because of our sin and rebellion, all of us
are only deserving of God's anger and wrath. And this anger and
wrath is a righteous anger and wrath, because the person that
does not obey God is denying him the worship, the devotion,
and the obedience that he rightly deserves as the sovereign creator
and ruler of all. Because of our sin, we are spiritually
dead, and are enemies of God, and are in a dangerous place,
because as His enemies, we are under His wrath, and if we remain
there, we will rightly receive His just response to our sin,
which is an eternity in hell. That punishment is God executing
vengeance. That punishment is God avenging
His holy name, which we have clearly disregarded in our rebellion. But God, in His great mercy,
has provided a way of escape from His wrath. That way of escape is the Lord
Jesus Christ, who is fully God and who became fully man. He
came to this earth through a virgin birth and he lived a completely
obedient life, fulfilling the law in doing all that the law
commanded, not only in his outward deeds but also inwardly in his
heart, fulfilling all of the requirements of the law. And
though he was without sin, he voluntarily went to the cross,
where he actually fulfilled the other part of the law, because
the law was full of commandments, but it was also full of curses
that would come upon the one that did not perfectly obey them. And so as he hung on the cross,
he received the anger and the wrath that God would pour out,
and that is deserved for every person's sin that was loved before
the foundation of the world. All of their sin. Not one sin
was unaccounted for. He died, was buried, and on the
third day he was raised in victory. He was raised showing that the
Father accepted His sacrifice. And no more sacrifice is needed. His atonement for sin was full
and complete. He's in heaven now. He sits at
the right hand of God. And one day He will return. Not
in humility. not in weakness that came in
His first coming, but in great power, great glory, great majesty,
and He will come to judge the living and the dead. Every one
of us will stand before Him. Everyone who has lived and who
is living will stand before Him, and He will call those who have
been bought by His blood into heaven And He will condemn those
who have turned from Him, who have not obeyed Him. He will
send them into everlasting torment. The latter describes you this
morning. If you are one who is trusting
in your own works, that somehow you will be able to argue before
Christ that somehow your good works are outweighing your bad
works, or that you haven't killed or murdered anyone or robbed
from anyone, and you think that is the argument that your eternity
can hang on. I call you today to see that
God's requirement is far higher than you can ever imagine. That
God's requirement is one that you can never attain yourself.
That God has provided the Lord Jesus Christ. So I would pray
and ask that you would strongly consider your position this morning.
And if you can say and recognize that you are under the wrath
of God, that you need the forgiveness, the full forgiveness of your
sins, repent, turn from that sin, turn to the Lord Jesus Christ,
and trust in His finished work. For the Christian, how are we
to respond to this passage? We should rejoice in that God
has routed our enemies. making an open display of them
at the cross. Secondly, we should seek to have
God's reign in our hearts and lives be seen and heard through
the declaration of the gospel to others, through our lips,
but also through our lives, being the aroma of Christ wherever
we are, recognizing that some will not turn from their sin
and turn to Christ, But God in His great mercy may cause others
to be brought out of spiritual death and into life in Christ.
And finally, we should ask God to destroy any other trust that
is outside of Him. To destroy our unbelief in Him. To destroy any discontentment
that we have with Him. And recognize that He has been
nothing but good to us. that He has given us every reason
that we should trust Him fully. He provides for us. He cares
for us. And He has given us all that
we need. As we close this morning, I'd
like to close looking at Psalm 20. Please turn to Psalm 20 as
we close this morning. And this is a Psalm of David.
May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble. May the name
of the God of Jacob protect you. May He send you help from the
sanctuary and give you support from Zion. May He remember all
your offerings and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices.
May He grant you your heart's desire and fulfill all your plans.
May He shout for joy over your salvation and in the name of
our God set up our banners. May the Lord fulfill all your
petitions. Look at these verses and pay
particular attention to these. Now I know that the Lord saves
His anointed. He will answer him from his holy
heaven with the saving might of his right hand. Some trust
in chariots, and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the
Lord our God. They collapse and fall, but we
rise and stand upright. O Lord, save the king, may he
answer us when we call. Now we know that David was the
king and was praying this, but we also know that those same
promises that the Lord will save his anointed, that He will save
us with His mighty hand, and that we do not need to trust
in whatever horse or chariot we are trusting in. We can trust
simply in the name of the Lord our God, the name that is above
every name, the name that is the One who has redeemed us. Let us call upon the Lord now
to use this passage in our lives for His glory. Our God and Father,
we do thank You for Your Word. Lord, we thank you for your great
warnings to your people and your great warnings to all people.
We thank you for your promises of salvation to those upon whom
you purpose to save. So Lord, as we consider where
we might be putting our trust outside of you, where we might
be putting our confidence outside of you, where we might be showing
our discontentment with all that you have provided for us. Lord,
forgive us. or cause us to walk in a way
that would bring glory and honor to you. Starting in our hearts,
starting by changing our desires, starting by causing our spiritual
eyes to be lifted up to heaven, to see that you have given us
all that we need in Christ. And Lord, we do pray that in
the coming days you would cause us to be further conformed to
the image of our Lord and Savior, so that our lives would fully
align with the gospel that we believe and that we declare to
others. Father, help us to honor you
in all of our ways. And Lord, as we go forth from
here, cause us to desire to know you in a greater way. Not so
that we can think that we are any more accepted by you, but
because we love you. And we recognize that our love
only because you first loved us. Lord, bless this word to
our hearts and cause fruit to be born in our lives, fruit that
would remain and would be to Your glory. We pray these things
in Jesus' name. Amen.
God’s Victory Over Enemies Without and Enemies Within
| Sermon ID | 1011241820191292 |
| Duration | 57:03 |
| Date | |
| Category | Sunday Service |
| Bible Text | Micah 5:5-15 |
| Language | English |
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