Promised One – King From Bethlehem

Well, good morning again. It's it's a privilege to get to

preach this morning. I, I really wish you were here.

I want to say this. Don't don't get too comfortable

there at home. We want to see you again next

Sunday right here. But but I'm, I'm thankful to get

to proclaim the word today. And I'll start by just talking

about there. There's a small town in what's

called Upper Lusatia, I believe is how it would be pronounced in

eastern Germany. It's called Hernhut.

And this small town it was, it was the home of a small group of

Protestant refugees in the early 1700s.

They had a population of about 300 people and that that were

relocated there and in Hernhut and the town when they were

relocated there, even though it was only about 300 people, they

experienced some internal struggle, some fighting, some

different things happening. And so so the people of the town

of her and Hut decided that they would make a covenant together

and they they made a covenant together to be obedient and

committed to Jesus Christ and, and that was their best move.

Shortly after, in August of 1727, they were holding

communion service and the Holy Spirit was poured out on the

people of Hernhut and, and there was just a revival that happened

and that launched what's known as the Great Moravian Revival,

100 year prayer revival. Basically 24 men and 24 women

made a covenant together that they would pray every hour of

every day. And that prayer revival lasted

for a century, 100 years. Anyone feeling bad about missing

prayer for lunch or dinner yesterday?

Or or maybe you just haven't prayed enough lately. 100 years

straight of prayer launched out of this small town in Eastern

Germany, Hernhut. Over the next 25 years, that

small town would end up sending over 100 missionaries out to

different parts of the world that needed Jesus more than all

of of the church combined in the previous two centuries.

God was moving in some incredible ways in Hernhut and

through Hernhut. What an awesome thing.

God often does great things in small, unnoticed places.

That's true whether you look at Scripture, whether you look in

our world today. God often does his best work and

small, seemingly unimportant, unnoticed places.

Well, today we're going to continue our Promised One series

by looking at a prophecy, another prophecy of God.

And and this prophecy when we talk about the promised one,

this is that the promised one would come in a promised place.

And so we're going to be in Micah chapter 5 too.

Micah 5 · chapter mention

You know, I'd have you stand if you were here.

I'd love for you to stand with me if you're at home.

You don't have to, but I'm going to read Micah chapter 5, verse

Micah 5:2

2, and we're going to see the promised place that the promised

one would come. It's it's a short scripture.

It says, but you Bethlehem Afratha, though you are small

among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who

will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old from

ancient times. And so we see this prophecy.

We've been talking about the the prophecies that Jesus was coming

and now the the prophecy in Micah chapter 5, verse 2 is that

Micah 5:2

Jesus would come to a place called Bethlehem.

Now Bethlehem is a small village outside of Jerusalem.

The scripture here says, though you are small among the clans of

Judah. It it was not a significant

world player. It was not a significant place.

It wasn't a central place that people went through.

It was a small village outside Jerusalem.

What seemed small, insignificant, maybe

unimportant. However, God shows to, to, to

you. God chose Bethlehem to be a

significant part of his work in the world and we see it all

throughout Scripture. In fact, Bethlehem has mentioned

41 different times in 12 different books over 1200 years

in the Old Testament. Bethlehem.

Even though the world's thought it was insignificant, Bethlehem

would be a significant part of what God was doing.

Just a few highlights Bethlehem the place where where Rachel

Jacob's wife died and was buried in the book of Genesis.

Bethlehem was a place in the book of Ruth where where Ruth

worked in the fields and met Boaz.

Bethlehem was maybe at the most significant thing outside of

Jesus birth in Bethlehem was that Bethlehem is where King

David was chosen the the the most famous king of the people

of God. The people of Israel happened in

Bethlehem in First Samuel 16, we see the scripture that that that

this is the the choosing of the the first king.

It says fill your horn with oil and be on your way.

I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem.

I have chosen one of his sons to be king.

Fast forwarding down to verse 11.

It says that he went through each of his sons.

There were lots of sons and and over and over again they passed

over. This isn't the one, but in verse

11, there's still the youngest. Jesse answered He's tending the

sheep and Samuel said send for him and we will not sit down

until he arrives. So he sent for him and had him

brought in. He he was glowing with health

and had a fine appearance and handsome features.

What a nice thing for scripture to say about him.

So then the Lord said, rise and anoint him.

This is the one. So Samuel took the horn of oil

and anointed him in the presence of his brothers.

And from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon

David. And so David was chosen by God.

Probably the the least of the sons are probably thought to be

the least of the sons in the world's eyes.

But God chose him in Bethlehem, the small place to be Israel's

king. He would become their most

famous king. He would be called a man after

God's own heart. David was super important to the

story of God, and so much so that Bethlehem, the town where

Jesus would be born, took its identity from him and it became

known as the city of David. And so Israel's most famous king

was chosen in this small, seemingly insignificant place.

He was chosen to be king, but he was so much more than a king.

Similar to God's promise to Abraham long before God promised

that he would do great things through David.

We see this in Second Samuel Chapter 7, verse 8.

2 Samuel 7:8

It says, Now then tell my servant David, this is what the

Lord Almighty says. I took you from the pasture,

from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my

people, Israel. When your days are over and you

rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to

succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish His

Kingdom. He is the one who will build a

house for my name, and I will establish the throne of His

Kingdom forever. On down to verse 16.

Your will endure forever before me.

Your throne will be established forever.

And so we see that that David is chosen in this small place,

Bethlehem. He, he was seemingly the least

of the brothers. But God works in small places.

God does great things. And so one of these Israel's

most famous kings was chosen in the fields of Bethlehem and, and

Fast forward generations and we see that just as God had chosen

to find his king in Bethlehem, God's plan of the incarnation of

Jesus, God becoming flesh, Jesus the Messiah of the world would

once again a king would be born in Bethlehem.

Bethlehem was historically significant because God had

worked their time and time and time again.

And there was this perfect, that history that wove in and that

that God promised that that the Messiah, Jesus would come from

the line of David. And so in the City of David,

Jesus is born. Bethlehem was perfect for God's

purposes because it's where God chose to work.

It was historically set up. What we may think is

insignificant was the perfect place for Jesus to come.

The second thing I want to look at is the name it says you owe,

Bethlehem Afrasa. I want to talk about the name

because it wasn't just that Bethlehem was historically

perfect, it also was perfect in its name, in its character,

Bethlehem. I want to look at these two

words, Bethlehem Afrasa. The first word is Bethlehem.

Bethlehem means the House of bread.

Now if you recall in scripture bread is an important part of

Jesus ministry and who he was in John chapter 6 verse 32 to 35,

John 6:32–35

Jesus said to them, truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has

given you bread from heaven, but is my Father who gives you the

true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the

bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the

world. Sir, they said always give us

this bread and Jesus declared I, I am the bread of life.

Whoever comes to me will never go hungry.

Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

And so Bethlehem is the House of bread.

Jesus is the bread of life. Pretty incredible stuff.

The second word, Afratha, it means fruitful, man.

If you've been around anytime in this church, then you've heard

us talk about being fruitful. John chapter 15 Jesus says I am

John 15 · chapter mention

the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me and I and

you, you will bear much fruit. Apart from me, you can do

nothing. Jesus called us to be fruitful

and he said the only way that we can be fruitful is to be

connected to him, the vine. And so Bethlehem, the House of

bread. We we, we have the bread of life

that comes from it. Enough of wrath of the the The

word means fruitful because Jesus is the source of all

fruitfulness. Even the name of Bethlehem is

perfect for the coming of Jesus. A little bonus point here.

Bethlehem was the home of shepherds.

It was a place of shepherding. David and his family were

shepherds. The town of Bethlehem was known

for shepherding. And once again, Jesus is known

as the spotless Lamb of God and he's known as the Great

shepherd. Historically, Bethlehem was

perfect. The name was perfect.

The already begun his plan and his work of redemption and

restoration through the town of Bethlehem.

I mentioned earlier that the book of Ruth, which by the way,

we're going to be studying in, in February, the book of Ruth,

some of it happens there in Bethlehem, as Ruth goes into the

fields and Bethlehem and meets Boaz and Ruth and Naomi who are,

who are lost, who have lost their family and lost their

identity and need redemption, restoration.

They have no one to care for them.

Ruth meets Boaz in the fields of Bethlehem and he becomes her

kinsman Redeemer, which we'll study later.

You'll get to know it a little bit better.

But he becomes her kids kinsman Redeemer and redeems and

restores Ruth and Naomi. And so, So what we see is that

that's a foreshadowing of what Jesus would eventually do.

See, Bethlehem was not just historically perfect.

It wasn't just perfect in name and character, but God had

already kind of laid the plan. God had already been working his

plan of redemption and restoration through Bethlehem.

And so the story Bethlehem is perfect.

It's intertwined throughout, mentioned throughout Scripture.

And in fact that story of Ruth and Boaz, it continues into the

story of Jesus, Matthew chapter one.

In Matthew chapter 1, we see the genealogy of Jesus, his line.

Matthew 1 · chapter mention

He would come from the line of David.

Verse 5 says Salman, the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab

Boaz, the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth.

Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King

David. There was this line, there was

this plan, and it was perfect. Jesus would come and the line of

David. So even in the story of Ruth, we

see that Jesus is at work weaving his perfect plan.

I love this. Verse 17 says thus.

There were 14 generations in all from Abraham to David, 14 from

David to the exile of Babylon, and 14 from exile to the

Messiah. I don't know if you're getting

this picture or not, but God had a perfect plan and Bethlehem was

the promised place for the promised 1 and it was the

perfect place. Bethlehem probably would not

have been our pick. It probably wouldn't have been

the place that we chose. But it's a reminder that what

God chooses and what God does is perfect.

What does that mean for us today?

What does it mean that Bethlehem is perfect?

What does it mean? All of this stuff that I'm going

on and on about? What does it mean?

Well, well, three things. And then we'll sing a worship

song together. Number one, I think what it

means for us today is that this should inspire worship in US.

I don't know about you, but there's a lot in our world

that's wrong. But man, as I study Scripture

more and more, as I've studied this week, all of these things

that come together, I'm reminded how perfect our God is.

I'm reminded how perfect His plan is.

And today, the first thing we need to do is just worship Him

because He's good and His plan is perfect.

The second thing is I think it should inspire not just worship,

but it should inspire faith and confidence.

I don't know about you, but sometimes I'm tempted to doubt

God's plan and God's work. But man, if God worked so

perfectly, if God worked all of these things, this little town

of Bethlehem, all of these stories, Rachel, Ruth, David,

Jesus, all of it together, God worked it all perfectly.

And, and, and what seemed insignificant and unnoticed in

in the world around God was at work the whole time.

And so I want to encourage you today that this that Bethlehem,

that this story should inspire faith and confidence in you.

You may not notice God working. You may not see God working in

your life, but God's perfect plan is at work.

Maybe in the small, maybe in the seemingly insignificant, God is

doing great things today. You can walk in confidence

because just as he worked perfectly then, he's working

perfectly now. Man, I wish we were all here.

I wish, you know, I wish a lot of things, but more than

anything, I trust that God's plan is perfect.

We can live in confidence in a world of brokenness that God is

at work and he's working perfectly.

The third thing is that we see that God chooses to work not in

the big, not in the showy, not in the worldly significant.

God chooses to work in the faithful in the small.

Scripture tells us in in First Corinthians, Let me find it here

and in First Corinthians chapter one, verse 27, God chose the

foolish things of the world to shame the wise.

God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

God works in the small and the seemingly insignificant because

he is great. And when he works, there can be

no doubt that he is good, that he is God.

So. So what should inspire?

Should inspire worship, faith and confidence.

And it should inspire us to live faithful, not just in the big

things. The world tells you that you

need to, you know, make yourself known.

The world tells you that you need to position yourself.

You need to gain power and influence and authority.

You need to put yourself in the best position possible.

What Scripture tells us is that you need to be faithful and you

need to trust God's plan. And this Christmas season, my

prayer is that you will be faithful not just in the big,

but in the small and the small parts of your life and the

seemingly insignificant things that nobody else sees.

God might be doing his greatest things right there.

So we worship him today. We live confident and faithful

that He is perfectly working, and we want to be faithful to

Him in every part of our life. Let me pray for us, and then

we'll sing one more song. Father, speak to us.

I thank you for your word, thank you, Lord, that even though we

might not have chosen to do it the way you did, even though we

might not always see it, Lord, your plan is better.

It's perfect. So today we give you everything

in the season of Advent, in the season of Christmas.

We celebrate the coming of Jesus.

We celebrate the beauty of Bethlehem.

More than anything, we celebrate your faithfulness.

Help us to worship you with everything we have today.

Help us to be faithful and confident to live for You, just

as the the Moravians did in 1727 when they were going through

difficulty. Help us to double down and

commit ourselves to be faithful and committed to you, because

your plan is perfect. And help us to be faithful in

all the small things. Help us to trust that you're

working not just in the big, but in everything.

Be with us today. Keep us warm, keep us safe.

More than anything, keep us in the center of your will.

I thank you. I thank you so much for your

love and your grace. I thank you for each person

that's watching, each person that's worshipping.

Together we give you all the glory today in Jesus name, Amen.