December 19 2021
Advent 4 December 19th 2021
Old Testament: Micah 5:2-5a
Psalm: Psalm 80:1-7
Epistle: Hebrews 10:5-10
Gospel: Luke 1:39-45
Sermon Text: Micah 5:2-5a
Sermon Title: “He is our Peace”
Grace to you and peace, from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Many of the events in the life of Christ are prophesied about in the Old Testament Scriptures; probably most famously by the prophet Isaiah (in the Old Testament reading for Christmas Eve) who spoke about the birth of the Christ, “the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel”. (Isaiah 7:14)
Isaiah also prophesied about His death on the cross, “He was wounded for out transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities … with His stripes, we are healed”. (Isaiah 53:5) We have also heard from Zechariah and Malachi and other prophets during this Advent season, speaking of the promise of the coming Christ.
Today, we heard a brief, but very famous prophesy from the prophet Micah, about the place of our Savior’s birth. Micah was a prophet about the same time as the prophet Isaiah, some 700-800 years before the time of Christ. He was from the small town of Moresheth, but he was not intimidated by the powers that be. In his ministry, Micah railed fearlessly against the rulers of Judah and Israel, both political and religious (kings and prophets both) saying; “Pay attention, O earth … let the Lord God be a witness against you … for all the sins of the transgressions of Jacob and for the sins of the house of Israel”. (Micah 1:2-5a)
Micah calls them people “who hate the good and love the evil” (Micah 3:2) and declared “the Lord has an indictment against His people”. (Micah 6:2b) For “their hands are set on what is evil, to do it well”. (Micah 7:3) There would be consequences for the residents of Judah and Israel for their rebellion, sins and transgressions against the Lord their God; including exile where they were ruled by their enemies for centuries.
In time, all the prophesies that Micah spoke of Judah’s punishments, would come to pass. There would be a remnant of true believers, but they would be left to suffer along with the wicked and disobedient, until this long-promised ruler would arrive. But Micah also prophesied that in the future, in midst of a seemingly hopeless situation, the Lord would come to/for His people; “there the Lord will redeem you from the hands of your enemies”. (Micah 4:10b)
Our text for today is one of those prophesies, “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”. (Micah 5:2a) It was on the basis of this passage of Scripture (and also Ezekiel 34:23) that the Magi/Wise Men were directed by King Herod from Jerusalem to the small town of Bethlehem, for this is what the chief priests and the scribes told him.
Even though Bethlehem was a small town, many famous people came from there; beginning with Benjamin, a son of Jacob, was born near there and his mother Rachel who died in childbirth, was buried there; (Genesis 35:16-20) Ruth gleaned from the fields of Boaz there, (Ruth 1:22-2:7) and of course, King David was born there. Added to that rich history, is this prophecy that the Messiah would be born there too.
This ruler’s coming “is from of old, from ancient days”; (Micah 5:2b) meaning, that He is not just an ordinary king. As the Psalmist declared “from everlasting to everlasting, you are God”. (Psalm 90:2b) He is the eternal Son of God; as Jesus said of Himself, “Before Abraham was, I Am”. (John 8:58b) The Apostle John also bears witness to this saying “In the beginning … the Word was with God and the Word was God”. (John 1:1) “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together”. (Colossians 1:17) This Messiah/Christ would rule over spiritual Israel (all of God’s people) as her spiritual King, not just over a small piece of land in the Middle East; but over all peoples and nations.
“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”. (Micah 5:3) Again, until His coming, the people of Israel would endure several centuries of exile, being subject to a variety of foreign rulers. “She … who has given birth”, here is of course speaking of the Virgin Mary, “the mother of my Lord” (Luke 1:43b), whom the Lord chose to bear the Christ child, who would save His people.
Christ would indeed “bring the rest of his brothers” (Micah 5:3b) into His sheepfold; meaning He would die on the cross for the forgiveness of the sins of the whole world, so that all who would believe in Him for their salvation; would be saved from the consequences of their sins, an eternity in hell. Jesus said, “when I am lifted up (on the cross) I will draw all men to Myself”. (John12:32) As the writer of Hebrews declared in the Epistle reading, “We have been sanctified thru the offering of the body of Jesus, once for all”. (Hebrews 10:10)
“And He will stand and shepherd His flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord His God”. (Micah 5:4a) His strength will be that of the Lord, because He Himself is the Lord as Isaiah also declared, “His name shall be called, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”. (Isaiah 9:6b) And our Lord Jesus Christ will shepherd/lead His people; for He is “the Good Shepherd … who lays down His life for the sheep … gathering the other sheep that are not yet of His fold … and they also will listen to My voice. So, there will be one flock and one shepherd”. (John 10:15b-16) The entire church, and so we also find our strength in “listening to His voice”; to the Word of God.
“And they shall dwell secure, for now, He shall be great to the ends of the earth”. (Micah 5:4b) The Christ has “dominion from sea to sea … all kings fall down before Him, all nations serve Him”. (Psalm 72:8, 11) As the angel Gabriel told Mary at the Annunciation, “He will be great. He will be called the Son of the Most- High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end”. (Luke 1:32)
So, all who trust in Christ are “secure” from the assaults of the enemies of God/Christ, who “works all things together for good to those who are called according to His purpose”; (Romans 8:28b) even in times of tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, danger and sword; for the Scriptures declare, “the Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom”. (2nd Timothy 4:18a) For, “He shall be their peace”. (Micah 5:5a)
Our Savior Jesus Christ is our peace! The Apostle Paul declared “Christ Himself is our peace”. (Ephesians 2:14a) And, as we heard earlier, Isaiah called Him the “Prince of Peace”. (Isaiah 9:6b) Zechariah also proclaimed, “He shall speak peace to the nations”. (Zechariah 9:10b) The peace that He gives us is not the absence of warfare/conflict, but rather peace with God. But how does the Christ give us His peace?
Our peace came through a very “unpeaceful” means; through an act of extreme violence; through an instrument of death; through the cross. In becoming a man, Christ voluntarily humbled Himself “in order to redeem me, a lost and condemned person”. (Small Catechism) Jesus endured hatred and persecution, “he was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and well acquainted with grief … He was despised and we esteemed Him not”. (Isaiah 53:3)
Again, Paul declares, “Christ reconciled all things to Himself, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross” (Colossians 1:20) By His atoning sacrifice for the forgiveness of the sins of the whole world; Christ has reconciled us to God. That is what brings us peace with God. “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God”. (Romans 5:1) Luther wrote that even though this work of salvation was won for us sinners on the cross, “yet it cannot come to us any other way than through the Word”. (Luther, L. C.)
That is still true today. We will not find the peace of God anywhere in this world; other than His precious Word/Gospel; where we hear again this season of a Savior that God sent to this earth, to be born of a Virgin, in a little town of Bethlehem, to live a perfect life and then to redeem us by His Holy precious blood and innocent suffering and death, despite the fact that we in no way deserve His grace and mercy.
Peace comes to us always as a gift of God, received through faith in Christ Jesus, our Lord, through the hearing of the Word. That is why we continue to gather here; where He has promised to meet us with His peace, which Paul said “surpasses all understanding”. (Philippians 4:7a) Amen.
The peace of God …