Opening Illustration: “We’re done” with Collins’ soccer season. If there is a word that I’ve used a lot over the past few years, it’s the word “peace”. I remember many years ago, one of my children was in a rec sport league. And this is when they were a little kid. Like, they weren’t really playing the sport – they are all just running around after a ball. Well, this child did not want to play. Every Saturday was a battle to just get to the field. Finally, I told Rachel, “We’re done”. I don’t quit things, but I was tired of the chaos. I wanted peace. We all make conscious decisions about what we allow to externally take our peace. For me, I made the decision years ago to stop social media because I was allowing it to take away my peace. This week, I read a quote that reinforced my decision for 2025. Here’s that quote: “Our words and [our] gestures fade in memory. Old photographs are lost. But online every dumb picture, every unfinished conversation and every idle feud is preserved.” Living as we are in the “land of no forgetting,” “online, we are not so much people, [but] vast, unwieldy filing cabinets waiting to be browsed by our friends or raided by our enemies.”[1]  There’s endless supply of information on the internet that will rob you of your peace. More to come on that next year.

The point I’m making is that there is source of peace and there is a source of chaos. You have to decide which fountain to drink from. I mentioned last week that my hope is our time together each week as a church family over the course of Christmas season will deepen our understanding of the birth of Jesus. We’re looking at Old Testament passages that should deepen our understanding of why Jesus was born some 2,000 years ago. So, far we’ve Jesus as King. And last week, we saw the Kingdom Jesus brought. Today, we see a picture of Jesus as this loving, caring Shepherd. This Good Shepherd brings us the very fountain of peace to drink from. Jesus is the source of our peace. As we look at the book of Micah, here’s what I hope you’ll do: Take the peace that the Good Shepherd gives you.

Open your Bibles to the book of Micah. It’s toward the end of the Old Testament – toward the middle of your Bible. Let’s read God’s with expectancy. Why? Because God’s Word is alive and powerful. Read Micah 5:1-6. Pray. We’ve been in the book of Isaiah the past 2 weeks, and we’ll be in Isaiah next week. But we are jumping over to the book of Micah today. Like Isaiah, Micah was a prophet. He was a contemporary of Isaiah. BTW, the prophet Amos was also a contemporary of Isaiah and Micah. God was speaking through all of them during the same time period in history. Much like we saw last week in Isaiah, God is speaking through Micah about the pending rebellion and consequences of God’s people. God’s people had rebelled and it had corrupted them – and now the consequences were in front of them. In the midst of the announcement of upcoming judgment, Micah, like Isaiah, interjects this beautiful picture of hope who is the Good Shepherd. In our passage today, God is going to use Micah to reveal three things about our Good Shepherd. Here’s the first one: There’s nothing insignificant with Jesus. 

[1] https://www.truthforlife.org/resources/sermon/he-shall-be-their-peace/#back-[3]

1) There’s nothing insignificant with Jesus. (vs. 1-2) Before I get into these first two verses, let me give you a little but more about the prophets we see in the Old Testament. God used these men to communicate to His people. The prophets delivered special messages from God. A lot the time, these prophets didn’t even fully understand the message they were delivering. It didn’t fully make sense to them. Think of this way – imagine you are looking at a mountain range from many miles away. You can see the different peaks, but you can’t really get a feel of how tall the mountains are or how far apart the peaks are. But if you were to go stand on a peak, then you’d get the full picture of what’s going on. These prophets were describing the mountain range. The timing and the specifics were often left out. Here’s what is cool for us: we get the full picture. We are privileged to be on this side of history so that we can see both the mountain range and the individual peaks. Let me show you this from verses 1 and 2: ¹Mobilize! Marshal your troops! The enemy is laying siege to Jerusalem. They will strike Israel’s leader in the face with a rod. ² But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf. 

When Micah prophesied those words, he didn’t know who this ruler would be and when this ruler would arrive. But we do. Take a look at Matthew 2:1-6: ¹Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, ² “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” ³ King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. ⁴ He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?” ⁵ “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote: ⁶ ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’”  What do you notice about verse 6? It’s the same verse in Micah 5. Matthew, in writing his gospel, reveals that the prophesy of Micah was fulfilled in Jesus. Jesus is the ruler that the people of Israel longed for and waited for.

On top of that, Micah prophesied something very specific about Jesus. Look at verse 2 again: ² But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf. Besides a hard name to pronounce, what’s happening in this verse? Bethlehem was a tiny clan among the tribe of Judah. It was an obscure place that people didn’t talk about it much. Think Spring Hill, 30 or 40 years ago. We weren’t on anyone’s radar. Bethlehem was a seemingly small, unimportant place. This is why we sing, “O little town of Bethlehem…” But what does verse 2 tell us? Out of this small place, the ruler of Israel will come! Out of this small place, the Savior and Good Shepherd will come! Why did God choose Bethlehem? God takes the insignificant and makes them significant for His glory. Think of the entire Christmas story: Mary, the stable, the manger. All throughout the Bible, God takes the seemingly insignificant and makes them significant.

Here’s what this means for you: You are a big deal to God. God wouldn’t make this whole plan to save you, if He didn’t love you. When He sees you, He has the biggest smile on your face. This Good Shepherd brings you peace because He cares about you. Illustration: Talking with Ms. Peggy on the phone. When I was little, I had a lady in my life who was like a second grandma to me. We called her Ms. Peggy. Several months ago, I called Ms. Peggy. I hadn’t spoken to her in years. From the moment we said hello to the moment we hung, I felt important to her. It didn’t matter how long it had been, I felt loved and seen. When you look at the manger scene this Christmas, see a God that sees you as anything but insignificant. The whole reason Jesus came to this earth is because you matter. And when you know that and believe that, His peace begins to rest in you. But it doesn’t end there, that’s just the starting point. This peace that God provides, doesn’t leave. Here’s why: Every promise Jesus makes, Jesus keeps. 

2) Every promise Jesus makes, Jesus keeps.  (vs. 3-4) As verse 2, 3, and 4 were being told to the Israelites, they would have made another connection to other parts of the Old Testament. The Good Shepherd, the Messiah, was promised from Bethlehem. The Jews at this time would have immediately made another connection to a promise God gave in 2 Samuel 7. God told David that one of his descendants would come and establish God’s kingdom. Why would the Jews make this connection? David was from Bethlehem. Bethlehem was often called “The City of David.” David was also a shepherd turned ruler. Micah was reminding the people that God will keep His promises. When we celebrate Christmas, we are celebrating the promise kept in 2 Samuel and the prophecy fulfilled in Micah. All these things in the Old Testament are coming together at Christmas. We can see verse two is a promise given and kept.

Verses 3 and 4 are about two promises that will be kept. Verse 2 is about the first coming of Jesus. Verses 3 and 4 are about the second coming of Jesus – which hasn’t happened yet. Look at what’s still to come: ³ The people of Israel will be abandoned to their enemies until the woman in labor gives birth. Then at last his fellow countrymen will return from exile to their own land. ⁴ And he will stand to lead his flock with the Lord’s strength, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. Then his people will live there undisturbed, for he will be highly honored around the world. God’s people will live how? “undisturbed” Peace! When Jesus comes back, He is bringing His peace that can never be disturbed by the world. So, if Jesus’ first coming was prophesied and fulfilled and promised and kept, what does that tells us about Jesus’ second coming? It has been prophesied that Jesus will come back a second time. Jesus has promised He will come back a second time. What does mean? Jesus is coming back again. That means your future is secure. We should look at the birth of Jesus and know our future is secure. We look backwards knowing our future is secure. You can trust God. 700 years before the birth of Jesus, God was calling His people to trust Him. The Israelites were being overwhelmed by the Assyrians. The future looked bleak. What they were wanting was a hero, but what they needed was a Savior. 

If you want the peace that comes from Jesus, you have to trust Jesus. Illustration: Jack hangs on a branch[2] There’s an old story that been around with pastors. It’s a story about a man named Jack who fell off a steep cliff, but grabbed a branch to stop his fall. Jack began yelling for help, hoping that someone passing by would hear him and lower a rope or something.

HELP! HELP! Is anyone up there? "HELP!"
He yelled for a long time, but no one heard him. He was about to give up when he heard a voice.
Jack, Jack. Can you hear me?"
"Yes, yes! I can hear you. I'm down here!"
"I can see you, Jack. Are you all right?"
"Yes, but who are you, and where are you?”
“I am the Lord, Jack. I'm everywhere."
"The Lord? You mean, GOD?"
"That's Me."
"God, please help me! I promise if, you'll get me down from here, I'll stop sinning. I'll be a really good person. I'll serve You for the rest of my life."
"Easy on the promises, Jack. Let's get you off from there; then we can talk."
"Now, here's what I want you to do. Listen carefully."
"I'll do anything, Lord. Just tell me what to do."
"Okay. Let go of the branch."
"What?"
"I said, let go of the branch. Just trust Me. Let go."
There was a long silence.
Finally Jack yelled, "HELP! HELP! IS ANYONE ELSE UP THERE?

What part of your life are you not trusting to God? There’s a good chance that whatever area of your life that is – is where you feel the most chaos. Where you lack peace is probably the area where you aren’t trusting God. You can trust the Good Shepherd. Jesus has made good on His word and He’ll make good on His word. Trust Him and find peace. GOSPEL PRESENTATION. You are big deal to God. You can trust God. And finally, God will take care of you. Here’s our truth we see about our Good Shepherd: Jesus cares for His own. 

[2] https://tomsanders.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/empty-faith.pdf

3) Jesus cares for His own. (vs. 4-6) Look at verses 4, 5, and 6 with me: ⁴ And he will stand to lead his flock with the Lord’s strength, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. Then his people will live there undisturbed, for he will be highly honored around the world. ⁵ And he will be the source of peace. When the Assyrians invade our land and break through our defenses, we will appoint seven rulers to watch over us, eight princes to lead us. ⁶ They will rule Assyria with drawn swords and enter the gates of the land of Nimrod. He will rescue us from the Assyrians when they pour over the borders to invade our land. For me, when the Creator of the universe makes a promise, keeps it, and makes another promise, that’s enough for me. Like, I’m all in. But then, that same Creator does the unthinkable and becomes like me to do what I could never do – all that I might have life. Then, I’m all in even more! But, it doesn’t stop there.

Jesus is our Good Shepherd! Look at what He does for us.

• “He will stand…”
  • When it comes to taking care of His people, our God will not be waiting around for us to serve Him. Rather, He’s ready to step in a take care of us.
• “…lead His flock…”
  • God isn’t going to let wander on your own.
  • God will take care of every need when He returns
• “…with the Lord’s strength…”
  • All what Jesus does and will do isn’t just some wishful thinking. He’s going to do it.
  • His strength will make it happen!
  • Isn’t it great that we get to walk behind the Good Shepherd that will guide us in His strength?
• “…Then his people will live there undisturbed, for he will be highly honored around the world..”
  • When Jesus comes back a second time, where will His greatness extend? To the ends of the earth?
  • What else does that tell us? There is no place where His greatness won’t be!
  • There won’t be any enemies of Christ – because the final victory will be His.
  • His glory will fill the earth!
  • Which leads the final aspect of the Good Shepherd in this text
• “He will be the source of peace.”
  • The rest of verse 5 and 6 is about how God will deal, ultimately and finally, with the evil of the world
  • Will we see a final, ultimate peace come over this world when Jesus comes again.
  • The prophet Micah wrote about it in chapter 4
    • The Lord will mediate between peoples and will settle disputes between strong nations far away. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore.
  • We will have peace – can you imagine what it will look like when peace – everlasting peace will take over this world?
  • This is what we sing about in the song, “Joy to the World:”
    • He rules the world with truth and grace
      And makes the nations prove
      The glories of his righteousness
      And wonders of his love
  • Jesus will shepherd us into everlasting peace.

Let me go back to where we started and hopefully you’ll see the bigger picture of Christmas. There’s a source of peace. And there’s a source of chaos. What fountain are you drinking from? Illustration: In elementary school, I remember drinking from the water fountain. After running around at recess, you couldn’t wait for your turn at the fountain. I remember drinking deeply from that fountain. I also remember the day I stopped drinking from that water fountain. It was the day that one of my classmates put his entire mouth on the spout as he drank from the fountain. When you realize what you have been drinking from isn’t healthy for you, you stop drinking from it. Christmas is about the source of peace entering the world and creating a way for to live in peace eternally. It’s about the King, the kingdom, and the Good Shepherd. The birth of Jesus is about God’s pursuit of you so that you might know His peace.

I’ll close with this quote: “And the wonder of the story of Christmas is that God, who understands that about us, pursues us just the same, doesn’t cast us off. He’s a seeking God. He’s a loving God. He’s a pursuing God. He’s the God who gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him would not perish but have everlasting life. The fears of loneliness, the fears of rejection, are met in Jesus. The fears of being discovered, of being uncovered, of people finding out what I’m like, all of that stuff—God knows all of that. Jesus is the best of friends. The bestof friends. The best of friends know the worst about us and love us just the same. He doesn’t love us just the way we are; he loves us despite the way we are, because he has provided an answer to our predicament.” – Alistair Begg

This Christmas, drink deeply from source of eternal peace. Let’s pray.

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