Well today marks the first Sunday of Advent, the time when we celebrate the coming of Christ about 2,000 years ago and look forward to his coming again. And even the most secularized person in our nation still looks generally at Christmas time as a time for advocating peace on earth. And truly we are living in a world which is longing for peace. globally and individually, I think there is probably no more pressing need in our time. Are you weary tonight? Weary of violent crime, of racial hatred, of the abuse of power, of diseases which take lives, of human dishonesty, of social media, of pride and arrogance, of the suffering of the vulnerable, of political promises, of bipartisan politics, of temporary solutions for long-term problems. Are you afraid? Afraid of the pandemic, of economic collapse, global warming, the secularization of society, of radical and violent nations, of a recent diagnosis, of the opinions of others, of being isolated and alone, or even of just the stresses of day-to-day life. Are you frustrated? Frustrated by competing truth claims? That the experts can't agree on what the problems are, let alone the solutions? Frustrated by the radically opposed ideologies which exist in our nation? by the fact that you can't shop, travel, see your loved ones, or even come to church without layers of regulations, fear of falling ill, or being judged by someone else. When we consider these issues and the many I haven't mentioned, is it any wonder that we are witnessing in our time increased cases of suicide, domestic violence, social unrest, as well as the general feeling that our nation, if not the world, is coming apart at the seams. And you know, it's times like this when we often do look in our world to the prophets of our day. And indeed, we're a people which is fascinated by prophecy. I love watching professional golf on television. And frequently, the Sunday broadcasts, which have the last round of the tournament, the hosting news anchor asks the professional golfer who's the color commentator, so, what do you think is going to happen today? And then he offers his opinion about what's going to happen in the next four hours. Generally, very carefully, but normally, the newscaster presses him to give an answer. Who do you think's going to win? We really want to know these kinds of things. Or we check the weather and events coming up and it's going to be outside and we really want the event to come off and so we anxiously check the weather forecasts only to be disappointed when the day arrives when the forecaster is wrong yet again. We're people fascinated by prophecy. Whether it's as bizarre as reading the alignment of the stars, or some kind of numerology, or in complex computer modeling. We want to know what's going to happen. Because we have a sense if we can figure out what's going to happen, we will have some hope. And we need hope, don't we? We all know what happens, the unfortunate consequences of running out of hope. Well, I ran across a bit of prophecy recently in my neighborhood before the election happened that I'd like to share with you as a way into our passage of scripture tonight. It was a sign on someone's front lawn and it said simply this, vote, your life depends on it. Now if you took that bit of what I'm calling prophecy at face value, you might be able to conclude one of three things. First, I voted. Second, this was a false prophecy because I'm standing here living and breathing before you. Or third, the hammer's yet to fall on Mr. Howland. Vote, your life depends on it. But of course, if we look at this comment more closely, if we consider some things about it, we can have a better understanding of what this statement means. First of all, if we understand something of the context in which that sign speaks. If we understand that that sign was up in a nation that's under great political, financial, and social stresses. That context helps us appreciate what that statement is saying. Vote. Your life depends on it. Secondly, that statement is advocating a type of solution. Vote. And if we understand that our country is a government of the people, by the people, for the people, and is based on a system of government in which individuals have the right to vote for those and put into power those who will govern them, that tells us something about that statement. Similarly, there's an implied outcome, vote. Your life depends on it. When we recognize that government actually matters, good government affects our quality of life. In fact, we have confidence that good government will result in our prosperity as a nation and perhaps our individual prosperity. Good government represents opportunity for all. Good government represents equality. Good government provides safety for its people. Indeed, good government provides for peace. Good government is essential for peace. Well, when we come to the prophetic writings of the Bible, we sometimes have difficulty in thinking about them. We open up the pages of scripture and we read the prophets and we can be quickly depressed, I think, by some of the things we read there. And we can come to the prophets thinking, isn't this just a bunch of doom and gloom? Well, we need to recognize something about the prophets. And my example that I've given, I think, helps us understand a bit of what the prophets were commissioned to do by the Lord. And first, that is, that the prophets assume that there's a God of the universe and that God governs all human activity. Second, the prophets speak to a nation which has been brought into a covenant relationship with God as special people. a covenant that God made first with Abraham, I will make of you a great nation and I will bless you and multiply you and through you will all of the nations of the world be blessed. And as we read through our Old Testaments, we find that God gives a law to this nation through Moses and he says if you keep this law, there'll be blessing. If you turn from me, if you turn to the idols of the nations, then you will reap the reward of your futility. There is covenant cursing that goes along with the sanctions of the covenant. So God assesses the context in light of the governance that he brings. There's blessing and cursing, and his prophets are, as it were, divine prosecutors, prosecutors which were commissioned to go and speak in to the nation of Israel and speak to its leaders, speak to its foreign policy, to align them to the truths of God's Word, to give them an honest assessment of how they're doing in following the law, proclaiming judgment where that's needed, proclaiming repentance where that's needed, and also giving them hope where that's needed in the face of the tribulations and trials that they're going to face as the people of God, as the surrounding nations seek to attack them and to bring them down. The prophets were also commissioned by God to uncover, as it were, or reveal God's plans and solutions for the nations. and to point people to trust in God's promises. So as we come to our text tonight, I'd like us to address three things. First, that the prophet Micah helps us to see Christ as our peace in three ways. By conveying God's assessment of the situation. Secondly, by revealing God's methods. And thirdly, by proclaiming the greatness of Christ's reign. So first, let us look at Micah's assessment, or God's message of assessment through Micah. Now look with me at verse one of chapter five. It says, 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. A nation under siege. And to appreciate how we've gotten to this point, let me go back to the beginning of the book and explain the story thus far. Micah lived approximately 700 years before the coming of Christ and he ministered during the reigns of Jotham Ahaz and Hezekiah. During his ministry, he was commissioned to bring the word of God to the people, and his book is arranged in three sets of oracles, which move generally from a kind of condemnatory judgment towards announcing a great hope. And the book begins by pointing out the idolatry which is so rampant in Samaria and Judah. Indeed he predicts the downfall of Samaria and we read in the book of Kings and in Chronicles how in 722 the northern kingdom did indeed fall at the hand of the Assyrians. And in verse 9 of chapter 1, Micah proclaims, her wound, that is Samaria's wound, is incurable and it has come to Judah. It has reached to the gate of my people to Jerusalem. Samaria had been given over to their idolatry. The warnings that God had given to them against turning to the idolatry of the nations that had occupied the land before they had come in. Samaria had fully succumbed to that. And this conquering and this taking away by Assyria was God's judgment upon them. And this judgment, this widespread idolatry is creeping closer and closer to Jerusalem, indeed the power of Assyria, descends down into Judah and one by one they conquer and overwhelm the cities of Judah. But amidst this political tension, Micah also speaks into a nation which has been enjoying actually quite a bit of affluence as a result of the very successful kingship of Hezekiah. And we find throughout the first four chapters of Micah that there's actually widespread corruption, variety of kinds. And Micah brings God's divine and omniscient magnifying glass and places it over the people. and reveals to them as a prosecuting attorney would relentlessly come and accuse them of the various things and the various ways in which they're disobeying God. We see that there are people that is full of idolatry. They have not gotten rid of the high places. They continue to worship other gods. There are landowners who are wealthy and covetousness and they take away from the poor, wealthy, constantly taking advantage of the poor. The rulers are condemned in chapter 3 of loving evil and hating good and promoting injustice. In fact, in very vivid language in chapter three, their treatment of oppressed people is likened to cannibalism. They take them in their mouths and they chew them up and spit them out. Micah denounces the false prophets in chapter three who cry for peace when they have something to eat, but declare war against him who puts nothing in their mouths. They work for food, in other words. The priests and the prophets teach for money. And all the while they say, is not the Lord in the midst of us? No disaster shall come upon us. This all is frightfully like our day, is it not? The kinds of injustices that we have found in our society, the kinds of oppression, The poor always being disadvantaged because of the rich. And all the while, people crying out, God bless America. It's a sober reminder, isn't it? Of the kind of spiritual deprivation that we have in our own land, in our own day. And so Micah's message is dreadfully relevant to our own day. And we find in this a principle that sin and idolatry turns a nation's actions on its own head because of the sin and idolatry of a nation. A nation can self-destruct. We find the collapse of society taking place. And we see this even as we go back to the beginning of Scripture. Adam and Eve were given but one law and that was not to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because in the day they did that they would surely die. But yet they went ahead and ate. And what was the result of that? A divine quarantine. They were sent out of the Garden of Eden. And cherubim with flaming swords prevented them access to the tree of life. And then the first generation, Cain and Abel, murder is the result. And so that we see when God's good government is replaced by human autonomy, which says, I want to be God. We see the oppression of all others at the expense of one's own glory, of one's own wants and desires. Individuals are set up as God. I won't serve God because I want to be God. and everyone else must serve me even if it means their death. We were never meant to live independently of the creator of the universe. We were never meant to live autonomously. We were meant to trust him and depend on his provision. So we find ourselves, as Micah goes through this and he proclaims the sinfulness of the people, there are also messages of hope. And one of the more prominent is in the beginning of chapter 4 where he predicts the coming of a renewed Jerusalem. He says, it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains. And it shall be lifted up above the hills and people shall flow to it. And many nations shall come and say, come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. that he may teach us his ways and that we walk in his paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. A renewed Jerusalem in which the law will go forth and peace will reign. And this brings us now to chapter five. This horrible situation in which we see the people fleeing the countryside of Judah and coming into Jerusalem for safety. It's an Old Testament version of Helm's Deep, if you love the Lord of the Rings. The people fleeing the coming armies of Moria and they go and hide in the biggest fortress available. So they've gone to Jerusalem and they're hidden up As Assyria comes and surrounds them and has laid siege against them, and the pitifulness of their position is brought out in this phrase, muster your troops, oh daughter of troops. Just a few verses earlier in chapter four, Micah has said, now many nations are assembled against you, but all they have is a mere troop to offer against them. And they offer these incredible insults. We're told in the book of Kings that the king of Assyria sends his emissary to Jerusalem and he mocks, he mocks Jerusalem and mocks the God of Israel. And there's this phrase here in verse 1, with a rod they strike the judge of Israel. on the cheek, referring to the king of Israel and his helplessness before the enemy as he struck on the cheek. The greatest of indignities for a sovereign. So what are we encouraged to do when we see our difficulty? Why are the prophets so relentless in uncovering and exposing these difficulties because they intend us to see the trouble we're in so that we can turn to God. We need to understand the extent of our problem so we can fully understand the need for God's remedy. So the question is, how far down do you need to go before you will look to God? How far? Jonah made it to the bottom of the ocean before he turned to God. But Jonah also gives us a wonderful example that God's arm is never too short. It is never too short. You may think that you have done something which is beyond God's reach. And you would be right. We have transgressed his law. We transgress in our sin. We've offended a holy and righteous God and there's nothing we can do. There's nothing we can do. But we're not beyond his reach. And so Micah goes on then to explain what God is going to do about this problem. And secondly, he reveals God's methods to us. Look with me at verses two and three. But you, O Bethlehem Ephratah, you 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 origin is from of old, from ancient days. And the first thing I want us to see is that God chooses the small things, the weak things. Little Bethlehem, Bethlehem, who in the book of Joshua, when the country was being divided amongst the clans of Israel, the 12 tribes, when it talks about the distribution to Judah, at least 115 cities are mentioned, and Bethlehem is not one of them. God seems to delight in doing what we think is the impossible. God's ways are not our ways. Is anything too hard for God? And God works often in situations where there's an appearance of weakness or insignificance. And this passage is meant to point us back to the selection of David himself as the king, as the prototype for the best kind of king for Israel, man after God's own heart. You remember that God goes to the prophet Samuel and he says, you know, see I'm giving up on Saul. So go to the town of Bethlehem to Jesse and do as I tell you to do. And he goes through Jesse's son one by one, all seven of them, and none of them are the right one. And he says, are there any more? Well, there is this other one, this eighth one. He's out with the sheep. And that's the one. Is anything too hard for God? The appearance of weakness or insignificance? A baby born in a stable? A crucified Savior? God's ways are not our ways. Jesus came preaching that if we have the kingdom of God, it's like having faith as a mustard seed. The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed which is the very smallest of seeds yet grows into the largest of trees that the birds come and make their nests in it. We find in the New Testament that the gospel is a stumbling block. to the Jews or its folly to the Gentiles. And in our own day we can be led to think or ask questions like how can Christianity have any relevance in light of the weight of the evidence of science and all the progress that man has made. How insignificant Christianity is made to seem in our day. But yet, in this perception of weakness, there is great strength. Indeed, the Apostle Paul says, where I am weak, then God is strong. Do you have that kind of strength, believer? You don't need a great faith, but you need faith in a great God. Well, Micah also uncovers the Lord's plans. Notice how it says in the end of verse two, from you shall come forth for me, one who is to be ruler in Israel. It's like Samuel searching for David, a man after his own heart. The Lord's own reputation and power is behind it. One who will come forth for me, a true servant who would do his will. Remember the words of our Savior Jesus who said, my meat is to do the will of my Father in heaven. The book of Hebrews goes on to expound this. and puts these words from the Psalms into the mouth of Jesus. Then I said, behold, I have come to do your will, oh God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book. Jesus was the one who came to perfectly fulfill the law, to perfectly follow his father's wishes, to perfectly rule in his behalf. And then our text says, his origin is from of old. Now this phrase is very interesting. It refers to a couple different things. It refers to, it points back again to David coming a long time ago, generations of kings ago. This promised ruler But it also is one, I believe, who is a ruler after God's own heart. In Psalm 55, we read these words about God himself. God will give ear and humble them, he who is enthroned from of old. is if this one that God is putting forth is going to carry on God's own reign. Remember, God had said to Samuel, the people have rejected me as their king. And so we have Micah bringing the word of the Lord and saying the king after God's own heart, the one who will perfectly do his will, is the one that's coming. But notice also, Micah points out that we have to wait on the Lord's timing. Verse 3, therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who was in labor has given birth. Then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel. I mentioned in chapter 4 that Micah had promised that Jerusalem would be rebuilt, that there would be a new day to Jerusalem. But we learn in chapter 5 that that new day is not going to come until the king has come. until the king has come to establish a kingdom, a new Israel. So it refers back to chapter four where it says the mountain of the house of the Lord be established and nations shall come to it. And this new era cannot be established until the reign of this promised king comes to fruition. And then there's this wonderful phrase, the rest of his brothers shall return. And the word return in scripture is a very rich word. It implies repentance. So those even who have been scattered, the ones from the northern kingdom of Israel who have been scattered, the ones from Judah who are going to be scattered, who, as Micah says in chapter four, are going to be taken into Babylon in roughly 100 years from when this action is taking place. The rest of the brothers shall return. They shall repent. They shall come back to the true Israel. And we find this being fulfilled on the day of Pentecost. when the Holy Spirit comes down, and there's 120 disciples left in Jerusalem, and they begin to proclaim the word of the Lord, and the Holy Spirit comes down, and it says that the Jews were gathered from the diaspora in Jerusalem, and 3,000 people were added in that day. The rest of his brothers shall return. What a wonderful promise. So we've had an assessment of the situation. We've had a glimpse into God's methods. And lastly, Micah proclaims the greatness of Christ's reign. Let's look at verse four together. 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. Our Christ is great in power. He stands. He stands. This evokes the fact that his reign is established by God. This word stand, it means established by God as in a creation, something which stands forever. There's a permanence, there's a security that we see in this standing. A mighty fortress stands fast. He stands because he never slumbers or sleeps. He's ever watchful. over his church, and he's ever at the ready to oppose all who would harm us. But he's great in power because he also shepherds his flock in the strength of the Lord. He keeps us from all harm. His rod and staff comfort us. In the great chapter of John, chapter 10, where Jesus speaks of himself as being the good shepherd, He says, my sheep know my voice and no one can snatch them out of my hand. Paul teaches in Romans 8 that there's nothing in all this world that can separate us from the love of Christ. His sheep know his voice. He shepherds in the strength of the Lord. The source and power, it's God, it's an almighty power, it's a good power. Jesus reveals the strength of the Lord. Remember how his disciples, when he calms the storm, says, who is this that even the winds and the sea obey him? Who could withstand the power of the ministry of Jesus The demons fled before him. The lame stood up and leaped for joy. The blind were given sight. The rulers were flabbergasted by his wisdom and feared him. He was one who taught with authority and we see him ultimately triumphing over sin and death and the grave in the resurrection. Our Lord is great in power, but he's also great in glory. Notice how it says he's gonna stand and shepherd in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And this majesty refers to his preeminence and it evokes the idea of something towering above all other things. Have you ever been out to see the Grand Tetons or these majestic mountains that we have and we feel so small and insignificant compared to them? And Jesus is infinite in his power and in his glory. Remember the times in his ministry on earth where Peter looked at him when Jesus tells him to put the net out on the other side of the boat. And they take in this great catch of fish and Peter says to him, depart from me Lord, I'm a sinful man. or in the garden of Gethsemane, when those come to arrest him, Jesus speaks a word and John tells us that they fall back from him. or has he's revealed on the holy mount of transfiguration to Peter, James, and John as his face shines like the sun in front of him, in front of them. Jesus is great in power and glory, but Jesus is preeminent in his love. There's never been a love like Christ's, the one who reaches down to the most downcast, to the most destitute. Isn't it amazing how he seemed to be attracted to those who had the greatest problems, the greatest issues, the ones who were the outcasts of society? The lepers, the sinful woman who comes and anoints his feet, the thief on the cross who admits to deserving what he was getting. And Jesus turns to him and says, today you will be with me in paradise. There's no greater love than this love of Christ or the wisdom of Christ. It towers above anything that we can think of. His goodness and mercy and justice. But our Jesus, his reign is also great in its extent. Notice how it says, he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And of course, we hear these words repeated as the angel makes the announcement to Mary that she is going to be the mother of Jesus. He says, he shall be great and should be called the son of the highest. Now Spurgeon points out that this is, he's not speaking of the greatness of his essence as the second person of the Trinity, but he's speaking of the greatness of his manifestation as the son of God. We will dwell secure, Micah says. Christ will subdue all his and all his church's enemies. The gates of hell will not prevail against his church. As it says in the book of Revelation, the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, hallelujah. His greatness will extend to the ends of the earth. No part of the world will be untouched. Of course, we're looking forward now to the new heavens and the new earth where God's dwelling place will be with man. And here's the punchline, and he shall be their peace. Bruce Waltke says, because he has reconciled the brethren and his greatness extends to the ends of the earth, therefore he is peace. Now this word peace, shalom, in the Hebrew is a very comprehensive word. It means the wholeness and the fullness of enjoying the relationship that one has with the enjoying the full benefits of being in relationship to God. It actually represents salvation itself. I'm reminded of the words that Micah's contemporary Isaiah said that are so familiar to us this time of year. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace, there will be no end. Well, how can we apply these facts? I ask you, first Christian, are you making his name great? This passage says, his name will be great to the ends of the earth. Jesus said, all authority has been given unto me, therefore go and make disciples of all nations. Fellow believer in Christ, are you taking every opportunity to make Jesus' name great? Oh, our world desperately need it. Would you do that? Would you do that for him? You don't need to be great. You don't need to be eloquent. You don't need to have great gifts of elocution to speak for Christ. Point people to Christ. Christ is the one that people need to see. He is great. Let his Holy Spirit do the work, but proclaim his name. Take his name to the ends of the earth, to the corner of the world that you live in. You don't have to leave that corner to do it, but fill up that corner with the name of Christ. Don't leave this world without the knowledge that you have done everything you can to proclaim his name. I think this passage also teaches us a very important thing. We have these people holed up under siege, wondering whether their lives would continue. These sieges could last up to a couple years as a nation surrounded a city and a city was literally starved to death and forced to come out until the walls were broken down. It was a horrible, horrible way to go. Now these words of Micah, we might ask, aren't these words cruel in a sense? Couldn't they be taken that way? He holds up the promise of a ruler that would come in the future and save the nation. Well, what good does that do the people locked up in the city? Well, I think the end of Micah's book teaches us what this has to do with it. The last three verses of the book. Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us. He will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old. You see, God intends to deal with the entire problem. not just the temporary problems of our sin, not just the mess that sinners like you and I make of the world, the wars and the rumors of wars, all the problems that we face, all the things that science and government and education are really helpless to fix, God comes and promises that which will fix the fundamental problem. That alienation from God, that divine confinement, that divine casting out of Eden that's happened. He's come to reconcile that. Now you might be someone who's listening tonight and you might be wondering, how can I be reconciled to this God? Well Micah points these people to the solution. He points them to the Lord Jesus Christ. He points them to the one who's going to come and gain a wonderful victory. And he does so by being the one himself who is struck on the cheek. The one who opens his own person. to the ridicule and the injustice of the world. The one who opens himself and lays upon himself the iniquity of us all. The one who takes upon himself the guilt and punishment due our sin. This is the one that Micah points these people to. For the salvation of their sins. To be reconciled to God. Now you might be saying, do I have to take the first step? No, God has taken the first step. He has reached down in Christ. God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. This is our great God. This is our Jesus whom we worship. Let's pray to him. Father, we thank you for loving us so much that you sent your Son. We thank you and praise you for the Lord Christ, in whom we have our peace, Lord. We thank you that those who are justified by faith have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you that Christ is our peace, our way back to God. Lord, be with us tonight and bless us. And as our heads hit the pillow tonight, Father, we ask that you would give us grace to know the peace which passes all human understanding. Thank you that our Savior said, in the world you will have trouble, but take courage. I have overcome the world. We pray in Christ's name, amen.