The victory of the unlikely hero, a theme that is often emphasized in movies around the holiday season. The tension in the storyline is often developed and resolved by underdog characters. whether Buddy the Elf, the outcast, that's not even a real elf, but turns out that he has more Christmas spirit than any elf in the North Pole and ends up saving Christmas. Or perhaps the undershirt-wearing, barefooted John McClane, who single-handedly takes on a team of terrorists and saves Christmas in the wonderful Christmas film, Die Hard. Or perhaps a more somber example that the character of Tiny Tim, who in a Christmas character is not only small in stature, but his role takes very few lines and very little space. And yet this unlikely character is one of the most important characters in turning the heart of Ebenezer Scrooge. But perhaps a film and character that gets at the heart of the Christmas story better than any other is a character by the name of Kevin McAllister in Home Alone. In this film, there is a small child compromised by the absence of his parents and family who goes to war with enemy invaders. At one point in the movie declaring, this is my house. I have to defend it. And though we might be tempted to be distracted by blowtorches and flying feathers and glass Christmas ornaments being crushed under bare feet, I do think this movie really gets at what Christmas is all about. Warfare. A battle. And I'm not just talking about the warfare that happens around our dinner tables at Christmas. But the reality is the Christmas story is a story about a battle that takes place in history. Enemy and armies are at the door and God himself must defend his house. But how he does it takes some very interesting twists as we consider the story. Well, as we have gone through many Many of the prophets over the last few weeks of Advent, we have seen exactly this, that God's people are in trouble. And all of their attempts to deliver themselves have proven inadequate. The time and time again, we see that God must act. This is my house. I have to defend it. Well, as we gather on this final Sunday of Advent this morning in preparation for the Christmas feast, let us take a few moments to once again consider what it is to be a people in waiting, a people waiting for God to rescue. And as we do so, I want to consider this from Micah 5 this morning. And the first thing I want to consider is opposing bookends. Now, we are moving back a bit in history from our previous readings from Jeremiah and Malachi and Zechariah. And the prophet Micah, we find him once from the Southern Kingdom, is warning both Northern and Southern Kingdom of this conquest that is to come. So we are prior to the Babylonian and Assyrian exiles at this point, but these exiles are quite literally from his wording, knocking at the door. And so, this is the threshold that we find God's people at this morning. The history of God's people, as we know, is a sordid one. And specifically, what's going on in history at this point, as politically, Israel's kings have made some alliances that look pretty good on the surface, but end up being dishonoring to God. These alliances with nations from the North have delayed the inevitable. But at this point in the text, the inevitable has come. And when I say the inevitable, I'm not just talking about their downfall because these nations around them are stronger, be that true, but because God himself has pronounced judgment against his people. From Micah, we find that it is God who is bringing justice and that these enemy nations are just doing God's bidding because God's people have once again been unfaithful. Micah talks about how the rich and the nation are feasting while the poor starve, a theme that we've seen week after week in the prophets as we look through them in the last few weeks. But even the prophets, Micah tells us, have spiraled into ungodliness. They've come up with a scheme where for enough money, they would give a positive outlook on how things might happen. For a little extra cash in the offering plate, these preachers would tell the people that God ultimately wants them to be healthy and wealthy. But in the midst of these fallacious proclamations, God's true prophets, like Micah, have come to pronounce judgment on God's people. The shepherds of Israel, the kings of Israel, are evil. And as these kings go, so the people go. The enemy of God's people, according to the prophet, Though it looks to be Babylon or Assyria, ultimately their true enemy is themselves. As one poet writes about Israel's perennial situation, our enemy, our captor, is no pharaoh on the Nile. Our toil is neither mud nor brick nor sand. Our ankles bear no calluses from chains, yet, Lord, we're bound. Imprisoned here, we dwell in our own land. Ultimately, time and time again, we find that Israel is imprisoned by their own wills that seem utterly bent against God's will. They have the law, they know God's requirement, and yet they love themselves more than they love God, and more than they love their neighbor. Then perhaps we too can relate with this situation as we have come just this morning and confessed that we have not loved God with our whole heart, that we have not loved our neighbor as ourselves. And so for God's people here in Micah, their time has come to an end. Siege is coming. God is bringing judgment at the hand of Assyria. If you look at verse one in Micah five, it says, now muster your troops, O daughter of troops. Siege is laid against us. Up until this point in Micah, God's people have been named daughters of Zion, that is, daughters of salvation and peace and redemption. But now he calls them daughter of troops, that is, daughters of warfare. And we find that they're not on the right side of the battle. Verse two says, with a rod, they strike the judge of Israel on the cheek. Now this rod, time and time again, has been a picture of God's presence among his people. But now Israel's leaders are going to be slapped in the face with it. That is that this defeat will be utterly humiliating for them because of their sin. Well, this is what we find at the very beginning of our passage. This is the enemy. This is the bookend in verse one or two, that the enemy is knocking at the door and they're about to deliver a humiliating defeat. But what's interesting is if we fast forward just a few verses to the end of our texts, We find that after Assyria comes into the land, that God's people will rise up. Micah says that warrior princes and good shepherds will once again lead God's people, and that these will lead them into victory on the battlefield. That the enemy will be utterly cut off. the territory that Assyria takes over will once again go to God's people. And as the passage continues, we find that this isn't just true of Assyria, but all the nations will be judged through God's people. And that this victory that this hero will deliver will be known to the ends of the earth. That is in just a few short verses. we find a complete reversal of Israel's fortunes. And it's important to see that in both cases, their promised demise, but also their promised redemption comes by way of warfare. In the opening verses, the sword is held by Assyria, but just a few verses later, it is God's people who will be victorious by the sword. Well if in these bookends we see a great reversal, in the middle of our text we find how it will be brought about, and that's what I want to see second this morning, a Davidic victory. Our passage, though it doesn't mention King David explicitly, certainly has his throne in mind. We have to remember that the thing that's holding God's people together is the promises of God. Certainly those promises that go back to Abraham and the patriarchs. But as it concerns the monarchy, it's oftentimes those promises with King David that are in view. we find that a new ruler will come, that is a king. And when any king, and particularly any successful king is promised, What would come up in the mind of an Israelite is these promises that were made to David. Promises that his throne would remain forever, that one would come from his own line that would deliver victory to God's people. But it gets even more specific than that. We find here in Micah that this King will shepherd God's flock, which when you think of a shepherd King, surely we think of David who is seen as a shepherd when we first find him in 1 Samuel. Certainly after him, all the kings of Israel are often named shepherds, but it's because this prototypical king of Israel, David, is in mind. Micah tells us that his origins will be of old. That is to say that this leader who rises up will come from ancient promises to God's people, namely this covenant with David. And we find that Micah appeals to this very covenant, that this one to come, this shepherd who will rise up, who will bring victory for God's people will have a great name, not only in Israel, but to the ends of the earth. And this was Israel's great hope that this one who comes from the line of David will finally give victory, will ultimately bring an end to Israel's warfare. But he'll do it by defeating their enemies, that this one to come will be a warrior king, like David was a warrior king. I mean, we say things when we're in difficult situations, like the battle belongs to the Lord. And we use these phrases quite flippantly, and certainly God is providentially over all things. But when we say the battle belongs to the Lord, we really mean it, that God in scripture is shown to us as a warrior God, and one who will ultimately win the battle. God will show his strong arm. That God himself is coming to bring an end to his enemies. And this really is what Advent is all about. That God's people in the past, and we even now, are waiting the arrival of a warrior king But it is also what Christmas is all about. Because Christmas is the point in history where this divine warrior arrives and commences battle. And I think we can often miss this reality of Christmas in the midst of shopping and planning the menu and lighting the Christmas tree, all wonderful things to do. But in that, we can often miss the reality that Christmas is about divine warfare, an ancient war that goes all the way back to the garden. where a seed of the woman is promised to come to crush the head of the seed of the serpent. John Lennon and Yoko Ono famously write, happy Christmas, the war is over. But in many ways, this great battle over heaven and earth is just beginning at the first Christmas. Israel would have understood that. that this son of David who comes to bring peace would come with weapons to put an end to all of the enemies of God. And perhaps we miss this reality as we celebrate Christmas, that Christmas is indeed about warfare. But what we also find is the weapons that God uses are always completely unexpected, which is what I want to consider finally this morning, an unexpected ruler. As much grandeur as this passage communicates, a complete reversal of the fortunes of God's people, by the hand and the sword of a mighty king. There is a detail that the author fronts in our passage that is a bit surprising. 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 the ruler of Israel. Now we know Bethlehem because we sing about it a lot. You know, we have heard the stories, but Bethlehem would not be a town that people know about. Similar to telling someone from across the country that you live in Temecula. What do you say? Well, you know where Los Angeles is? Well, it's, it's kind of, kind of close to there or San Diego. People don't know Temecula. People would not generally have known Bethlehem. Noteworthy rulers and warriors come from Jerusalem. That's the city that people would know about. In fact, the author has to mention this broader region and tribe just so that the readers would have a clue as to where Bethlehem is located. You know, Bethlehem, it's part of Ephrathah. Yeah, that little place. That's where this great ruler is going to come from. And the reader might think, what good could come from Bethlehem? Well, interestingly enough, King David himself comes from Bethlehem. Certainly, he has grown in our minds to be this great warrior king, but his beginnings are far more quaint, aren't they? You'll recall when Samuel comes to Jesse's house, the father of David, to find a king, the older brothers are paraded in front of him. And to each he says, no, is there another one available? And Jesse says, oh, the little one. No, no, no, no, no. He's out in the fields. There's not even a point in considering him. turns out too small to wear Saul's armor, and yet he was the unlikely king that would slay the dragon. Well, Micah here points to a better David, another one from Bethlehem, one who would come and be a warrior king who would slay the dragon of old. And in doing so, as Micah prophesies in verse 5, that he will be our peace. The New Testament confirms that this passage is speaking of Jesus. When Herod inquires of the wise men as to where the Messiah will be born, they immediately know the answer. And they quote this verse. He'll be born in Bethlehem, just like his father, David. And Micah tells us when a woman in Bethlehem gives birth, you can know that the battle tide is turning. This morning, we read this mother's song in the New Testament. And it's interesting, as you think about the lyrics. He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name, Mary sings. He has shown strength with his arm. He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the mighty from their thrones. I mean, Mary sings a battle song about a great warrior who has come to finally bring justice and righteousness to his people. The great irony is Mary is an obscure virgin in a no-name town, certainly fighting the judgmental stares as her belly grows and she has no ring on her finger. And yet she sings of this one who she is to give birth to, this one who had no place to lay his head and instead rested in a feeding trough. But through this one, God would bring victory and therefore peace to his people. Christmas really is about warfare. It's about God himself stepping into history to do battle on behalf of his people. This is my house and I will defend it. But the way that he brings about victory is always unexpected. In the words of the hymnist who paraphrases Isaiah, he'll bear no beauty or glory, rejected, despised. A man of such sorrow will cover our eyes. He'll take up our sickness and carry our tears, for his people he will be pierced. He'll be crushed for our evils, our punishment feel, but by his wounds we will be healed. Advent, these weeks leading up to Christmas, give us the yearly reminder that this world is not as it should be. The yearly reminder, as if we need the reminder, that we are not as we should be. It reminds us that Christmas does indeed dawn in darkness. That the God-man does not show up to make some precious moment's nativity cuter. But the arrival of the Christ-child is God himself stepping into history, stepping into war-torn darkness, stepping into a battle that we, his people, are losing. And God himself takes things into his own hands. But the sword that this divine warrior carries is shaped like a cross. And his victory looks like emptying himself of all that looks glorious and becoming a servant. A servant who comes to die for his people. that they might experience victory. And this divine warrior continues to do battle even today. And as you can imagine, he continues to use means that look utterly foolish. He uses the sword of the spirit, this book filled with strange stories. and wild claims. He uses preachers in small churches and small towns in Southern California that no one knows about. He uses water poured over the heads of little babies as we've seen several times the last few weeks. Bread and wine given, taken, and eaten. But through these strange and unexpected means, he is making his name great to the ends of the earth, just as Micah promised. And this is what Christmas is all about. A king who comes to defeat the enemies that are knocking at our door, namely sin, death, and the devil. And he is winning the battle. Even as his word of forgiveness goes out this morning and it's heard and believed, the power of sin is being dismantled. As his life giving body under the forms of bread and wine are consumed, death is being done away with. And this seed with a woman has come to put an end to the devil's work. And even as we look at the world around us and it's hard to believe, he is winning. And the evidence of that is that through the foolishness of this gospel preached, we in Southern California, miles and centuries away from the little town of Bethlehem, have come to renounce sin, death, and the devil, and gather under the kingship of Lord Jesus. All the way to the ends of the earth in Southern California. He is building His kingdom, and as we await His return this Advent season, we can be assured that because He who was strong became weak for us, we might be found in Him on that day when He returns strong. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, let's pray.