Let's turn over to the Old Testament minor prophet, Micah. So if you're joining us as a visitor, we're here in an Advent series. We look at Genesis chapter 3 verse 15 first. Advent as a season of promise. And then Isaiah 7 verse 14, Advent as a season of wonder. Isaiah 9 verse 6, Advent and a season of hope. And now with Micah 5 verse 2, Advent as a season of anticipation. So we'll read just for a little bit of context in chapter 4 verse 11 down through the very beginning of chapter 5 verse 5. But we'll focus on verse 2. So here it says in God's word, Now many nations are assembled against you, saying, Let her be defiled, and let our eyes gaze upon Zion. But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord. They do not understand His plan. He has gathered them as sheaves to the threshing floor. Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion. For I will make your horn iron, and I will make your hoofs bronze. You shall beat in pieces many peoples, and shall devote their gain to the Lord, their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth. 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 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 goings forth is of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth, and 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." There's the reading and that focus again on verse 2, especially reading an Old Testament passage with those New Testament eyes. Let's ask for God's blessing, shall we? Father in heaven, we do thank You for Your Word. And once more, as we give special consideration from the Old Testament to the coming of Christ, thank you that these things are spoken so clearly and that we can read those Old Testament passages with the wisdom of the Spirit and New Testament eyes, even seeing on its pages the very fulfillment of these things spoken hundreds of years beforehand. So encourage each of us here in that promise of the gospel and assure us not only that Christ has come to save, but that we are among those whom he has so graciously redeemed. So bring it to pass, O God, and minister to us in our needs as we look to you and pray these things, asking that above all else you would be glorified and exalted in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, what comes to mind when you hear the word anticipation? Maybe the old Heinz ketchup commercials from the 1970s come to mind. Remember those? They would use that Carly Simon song, Anticipation, and in one of them, a very young Corey Feldman is pouring his bottle of ketchup with this childlike, impish grin on his face, just eagerly anticipating when the moment happens, the ketchup to flow onto the hamburger. And that's how anticipation works, isn't it? Anticipation carries the connotation of themes like joy, eagerness, and expectancy. Anticipation guarantees that there's a reward that's ready to be received once what is finally anticipated arrives. And those old Anticipation Heinz ketchup commercials, they captured all of that, didn't they? Maybe we'll define anticipation this way. This is just a proposed definition. a feeling of excitement about something that's going to happen in the near future. A feeling of excitement about something that's going to happen in the near future. So far in this Advent series, as I mentioned, we've seen Advent as a season of promise, a season of wonder, a season of hope, and now this afternoon as a season of anticipation. Just like we sang several weeks ago when the Advent season started, O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel. Micah, boys and girls, was God's prophet among the covenant community as a contemporary of Isaiah and as a contemporary of Hosea and perhaps even Amos as well. So we're in the 700s BC here as Micah ministered as God's mouthpiece among the people. And in his day, if you read his book on the whole, we've had a sermon series on Micah in years back. But some of the themes that Micah weaves throughout the course of his prophecy are themes of biblical social justice and also of the importance of purity in worship. One pastor put Micah's context this way. Micah expressed trust that the Lord will accomplish his purposes in this world even if society is filled with corruption and violence. That sounds a little bit like our own day and age, doesn't it? The verse we'll look at this afternoon, Micah chapter 5 verse 2, it was given in that kind of a context. Corruption and injustice and violence. And not just with Assyria coming against Israel, as was the case here, but it points to an even greater hostility that needs to be overcome, even sin and death itself. And Jesus then is 700 years prior to his birth, the one in view ultimately with what Micah prophesied about this shepherd-savior who will come to rule over God's people beginning, as it were, in his earthly ministry with his birth in Bethlehem. So let's keep some of that in mind as we come to look at our passage this afternoon. If you have the insert, you can see the theme and points there. God tells the covenant community that a savior-shepherd is coming. And in doing so, he says that this deliverer first will rise from a certain place, He says, this deliverer will have a specific orientation, and he says, this deliverer will be sent from long ago. So as things open up, and we see that this deliverer will rise from a certain place, verse 2 is very clear about that. But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel. So from the very beginning, It was God's plan to raise up a savior for the world from among the Israelites. That was part of God's promise to Abraham that in his seed all families or nations of the earth would be blessed. So the message at this time of the year with Jesus' birth and his arrival is indeed good news which shall be of great joy for all the people. So Christianity It's not a white man's religion, and Christianity isn't exclusively a Western culture faith, but the sending of Jesus into this world to be savior for all who believe in and belong to him, wherever they might be from, is what God the Father will use to gather in his chosen children from all across the world, all throughout human history, and all the breadth of the Earth's geography. So the deliverer that Micah announces here will be one who brings in from all four corners of the earth boys and girls, men and women, as those redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. And as for himself, this deliverer, specifically this promised one, will be from the tribe of Judah. And that goes all the way back, not just here, in Micah chapter 5, but in Genesis chapter 49, the scepter coming out of Judah already has in view that one family from Israel's descendants among whom the promised one will come, the line of the tribe of Judah. So this stock or the lineage that Messiah would descend from was revealed very early on, not just from Adam as a son of humanity, not just from Noah through his son Shem, not just from Abraham, not just from Jacob, not just through Judah, but ultimately through Jesse's son, David, and his ancestry, leading all the way down to Joseph and the Virgin Mary, Jesus having those parental ties and direct ties from his adopted father and his birth mother. So everything that the Old Testament has to say about the Messiah, if we want to think of it like this, think of all of these messianic prophecies as forming a target And as the target becomes more and more focused for us, the one we see in the very middle, even something like tracing his ancestry, points us to Jesus Christ, born in Bethlehem. And the fact that this verse was always seen as messianic is clear from the way Matthew chapter 2 shows us the true interpretation of that verse. Remember that? When Herod wants to find out where the Christ child has been born, this could be up to two years after his birth, he calls in the scribes and asks them what the Old Testament says about this. Well, the scribes that Herod asks about there in Matthew chapter 2 point him to this verse as the place where the Old Testament scripture said Messiah would be born. So even though centuries have rolled on from the time of Micah here all the way down to Matthew's day, what God had made known here had been remembered. it had been looked for, it was anticipated. And the reason why that anticipation had developed was because the people knew that what God had promised would indeed one day be fulfilled. So let me pause for a minute and say this, and please want us to hear this. I'm going to provide an illustration here. It's not my illustration, but it is a fabulous illustration. Let me say this first of all. of Old Testament prophecy in the life of Jesus, not just His birth, but His life and ministry, the fulfillment of those promises in His life is a strong proof to see the complete reliability and trustworthiness of the Bible as God's Word. Let me say that again. The fulfillment of prophecy in the life of Christ is a strong proof to see the Bible as being trustworthy and reliable as God's own Word. Congregation, believe that. Be assured of it. Stand on that firm foundation Refute the skeptic who wants to take issue with God's Word. Answer the inquisitive who has questions about what the Scriptures say. Evangelize the lost. Encourage your fellow brother and sister in Christ. And use God's Word as the means to do all of that. Here's the illustration. And bear with me on this. Depending on how you count the messianic prophecies in the Old Testament, some say there are not quite 400 of them. Alfred Edersheim, maybe you know that name, he says there's 456, I think, is the number he gives. Either way, there's hundreds of messianic prophecies in the Old Testament. Somebody took the time to put together a mathematical formula to ask about the odds of one person fulfilling just eight of the prophecies from the Old Testament. You know what the chance was? One in 10 to the 17th. So that's a one followed by 17 zeros. If my computation is correct, that's one in 100 quadrillion. One chance in 100 quadrillion that one person will fulfill just eight of the Messianic prophecies, and Jesus fulfilled hundreds of them. So that's a number too big really to conceptualize. So here's the illustration. And I've used this before, maybe you remember it. If you covered the entire state of Texas to a depth of two feet with silver dollars and you painted one of them red, And then you mixed up those silver dollars so that the state of Texas was still covered to a depth of two feet. And one of them was hidden somewhere. And then you blindfolded someone and told them to walk wherever they wanted to walk in the state of Texas. And when they wanted to stop, to bend down and pick up one silver dollar, the odds of them picking that one silver dollar that had been painted red is one in 10 to the 17th. So in other words, it is statistically impossible for Jesus not to be the Messiah promised in the Old Testament. Think through that illustration. To hear that and to remain in unbelief is not only irrational, but it's unreasonable. The only sane response, by God's grace, to the announcement that the promised Deliverer has come, born in Bethlehem, is to humble yourself before God. To see Jesus as the one that really and truly has been provided to be your Savior and to commit your life into His hands. To trust Him as your Redeemer and to give thanks to God the Father that He is a God-given Savior. And then go. Go to live for Him who was sent to rescue you. As a season of anticipation, congregation, Advent is a season of salvation. That's the message of Christmas, and that's what we're called by God's grace to believe. As we continue, we'll see this deliverer will have a specific orientation. And if you look at verse 2 for a minute, the phrases here are, from you and for me. And those phrases highlight the calling forth and the coming out of the one in view here. And even though Bethlehem is just sort of a little backwater city somewhere in Israel, a town of no real significance other than its connection to David, no real population center, it's from this people. that one will be called forth to serve as God's appointed deliverer. And the directives of the Messiah being from you for me, says God, is that his mission isn't from mere mortals and his mission isn't going to be of his own agenda. But since he's called forth and called to the Lord, he has a divinely given mission. A son who is a savior serving the agenda of his father for the sake of all of God's elect. But what's also in view here is the true humanity that this savior shepherd will have. After all the words from you, Bethlehem, that refers to a particular person who will come from that community. And so while the Messiah definitely, we've seen this in our sermon series in the Gospel of Mark, he has a divine orientation in terms of the ministry that he was called to carry out. But Jesus, this deliverer, is also truly human, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, one person with two natures, fully God and fully man, united in him. He's like us in all things, touching His manhood, yet without sin, and infinitely exalted above us, touching His Godhood, being Himself the eternal, natural Son of God. A true and righteous man who is fully divine. is the one promised to rescue and redeem sinners. That's why, maybe you know that phrase, kinsmen redeemer. He's our kin, having come in the likeness of sinful flesh, himself being, as I mentioned, without sin, but he's also our redeemer, being none other than the very Lord of glory himself. And the nature of the rule that this savior shepherd is going to have is a rule that's He's going to govern, He's going to exercise dominion, He's going to be Lord and King, not just overthrowing the Assyrians, but overthrowing Satan, sin, and disobedience itself. His earthly life, think of it, will begin in relative obscurity, and yet He will rise to worldwide prominence. His earthly ministry is going to be marked by conflict. We've seen that in our sermon series in the Gospel of Mark. But He will press on. He Himself, being our peace, will overcome and establish that peace from sea to shining sea. And by way of His death, His burial, and His resurrection, as well as His ascension on high at the right hand of God, He will be given a throne of universal glory and dominion. So hear this, beloved. This orientation of his ministry not only means that he serves God the Father with his whole heart, but being raised as Lord of heaven and earth. He is the one who receives all authority, and His rule will be perfect. His rule has begun already. His rule will be consummated. It will come to its high point at the end of this age when He returns to judge the living and the dead, and His rule will go on in perfection through the endless ages of eternity as He rules and reigns forever. And what a stark contrast that is to the rulers of this world. Think of it like this. The rulers of this world openly promote ideologies that are patently unbiblical and that are subversive of good order. But this ruler isn't like that. The rulers of this world employ power plays as power grabs, and they use policy and language and government overreach to gain the upper hand. But this ruler isn't like that. The rulers of this world are willing to sell out the present in order to establish power for themselves going into the future. But this ruler isn't like that. The rulers of this world often will neglect their duty, break their promises and oaths, and show themselves to be untrustworthy and unfaithful. But this ruler is not like that. The rulers of this world are often self-serving, self-promoting, and self-absorbed. But this ruler is not like that. This ruler, he will be the polar opposite of all of those worldly ways of exercising dominion. And while it's his rule over God's people that's highlighted here, his rule ultimately will be over and above all the nations of the earth as the ruler of the kings on earth, and over the new heavens and the new earth when it comes in all of its fullness. And here's the kicker. Here's what's wonderful. His rule is a joy to live under, isn't it? You know that as a believer. You experience that as a believer. You testify to that as a believer. I live in liberty and in freedom under the rule of King Jesus because it is perfect and he provides peace that surpasses all understanding. His rule is gracious. His rule is tender. His rule is faithful. His rule is compassionate. And every believer, you, me, and all others know that, experience that, and can testify to that as well. But let me say this. Beware of denying this ruler, this savior shepherd, because his rule is also just and his rule is righteous. And as such, he will oppose any and all enemies. He will overthrow all rebels. He will cleanse the world of wickedness and he will establish good order forever. when He returns in power and in great glory. But as a season of anticipation, Advent is not a season of judgment. Advent is a season of salvation. So look to this Savior Shepherd with true faith to save you while there is yet time. Bow before Him in real repentance and in true faith, and He will care for you according to His promise to do just that. It's Psalm 125, verse 1. Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. It's 1 Peter 5, verse 7. Cast all of your cares upon Him and know that He cares for you. After all, God resists the proud, but His promise is to give grace to those who are humble. As things come to a close, we see that this deliverer will be sent forth from long ago. And look at verse 2. Not just Bethlehem, not just from you, for me. But look at the last phrase, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. That's interesting language, isn't it? It may hint in some fashion at the eternal distinction between the Father and the Son as one only begun. And making that observation is really only possible from a New Testament perspective as we have those things more fully revealed to us at the incarnation and at the outpouring of Pentecost and all of what the apostles had their minds enlightened to write down for us. But what this does here at the end of verse two most clearly, it distinguishes this ruler that God has promised as one who himself is eternal and timeless. What Micah does here, by the very instigation of the Holy Spirit, is he uses these creaturely categories of origins to tell us about one who is without origin, to tell us about one who has always been. It's like Psalm 90 verse 2, from everlasting who everlasting, you are God. That's what something is being said here, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. The phrase is short, it's colorful and descriptive, and it's got lots of texture and nuance. If we were to paraphrase it, maybe we could put it like this. It's as though Micah says about this savior shepherd, even when eternity was an old man, He himself was yet young. It's something like that. And we've seen that already in this series. Isaiah chapter 7, verse 14. Emmanuel, God with us, so there's the eternity of the Savior and of the coming Redeemer on display. And even last time with Isaiah 9 verse 6, not just that he's mighty God, but that he is everlasting Father, not the person of the Father, but characteristic of one who is timeless and himself eternal. So the message of Christmas isn't just the message of a newborn baby boy as if it's simply a season of sentimentality. But the message of Christmas is the message of the incarnation, that God himself stepped out of eternity and into human history and was born like us, yet without sin, in order to identify us so that he might save us. Congregation, that's the wonder of the Advent season. That's what makes it one of promise, one of hope, and one of anticipation. Because the message of Christmas is the message that God himself in the person of the Son came to rescue and redeem sinners like you and me. Let me close things out and say it this way. That's the exact message that we need to hear, isn't it? Because only God can save. Only God can rescue. Only God can redeem. A mere man can't do what is needed. No creature, however uber-exalted it might be, can do what's needed. Not even the highest-ranking angel can do what's needed, but only a Savior-Shepherd who is Himself divine. And guess what? That's who Jesus is. Remember, as a season of anticipation, Advent is a season of salvation. So see Jesus as that for you, the one that saves. Believe in Him, and He will be that for you, the one who saves. And then go. Go to live according to His promise, as I hope you enjoy and experience the comfort of belonging to your faithful Savior, even Jesus Christ. Amen. Let's pray, shall we? Our Father in heaven, we thank you for your word. We pray, oh God, that you would make it strike and stick, and that as we keep it with us, whether this series or the others we've heard in this Advent season, that you would give us opportunity to evangelize and to encourage and to bring that word of promise, that word of wonder, that word of hope and that word of anticipation into this world. So cheer our hearts, O God, and give us opportunity to be used by you to do the same for others, as we ask all of this in Jesus' name. Amen.