Sermon Central
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Christmas Is Coming
Contributed by Timothy Shumer on Dec 1, 2001 (message contributor)
Summary: Have you ever wondered why God placed perhaps the most important prophecy about His coming Messiah in Micah 5:2? This sermon explores that thought, and along the way sees both how contemporary Micah’s message was, and how wise and awesome in His planning
We are not very patient people
+ Esp. when we want something done = Out of our control
+ "It’s coming..." = "So is Christmas"
+ Anxious anticipation for the something we want = Can’t hardly wait for it
+ As with Christmas = Christmas is coming = Can’t hardly wait for it
+ Sights, sounds, smells, tastes = Foods, friends, fellowships = Gifts = Perhaps even the Gospel = Luke 2:14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Well, folks = It’s Dec 2 = AND CHRISTMAS IS COMING
+ In O.T. = God had an anxious anticipation for Christmas to come as well
+ For that first Christmas to come when the Saviour of the World = His Saviour = Christ the Lord would be born
+ And so throughout the OT He sprinkles prophecies of the coming Messiah
+ And with each prophecy it’s like God is saying,
"Christmas is coming, and I can’t hardly wait for it" = And for all that it will mean = Luke 2:14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Do we fail to appreciate this aspect of Christmas = Prophetic nature of it?
+ Certainly, we can look back to that first Christmas
+ And we can read the Christmas accounts in the Gospels
+ And we can certainly see how the baby Jesus was God’s Messiah
+ But we can never look forward to Christmas like they could in the OT
+ And we can never experience that first Christmas like Mary and Joseph and Herod and the Magi
+ And I think that’s in part because we don’t take time to appreciate the prophetic aspect of Christmas
Maybe because we don’t have modern connection with prophecy like they did
+ And they did = Matt. 2 = Wise men looking for the King = And they don’t mean Herod
+ Guess what? = The chief priests and scribes knew exactly where to look!
+ Maybe it’s because prophecy really gets a bad rap today
+ Who are our prophets? = Miss Cleo! = Jeanne Dixon (enquiring minds) = Johnathan Edwards (Crossing over)
+ Either those of their ilk play a good shell game = Or when they might get something right = demonic
+ Either way, scary = Leading people astray = Open to satanic influence
+ Satan surely has a stake at discrediting prophecy
Or maybe it’s because we’re just too familiar with them
+ Especially if you’ve been saved for any number of years
+ I mean, let’s face it = Christmas comes but once a year
+ But it comes EVERY year
+ And there are only so many Biblical texts which you can preach about the birth of God’s Messiah
+ "Familiarity breeds contempt" = Perhaps not here = But perhaps familiarity drains out some of the color and excitement
Let’s consider Micah 5:2 = Perhaps THE best prophecy in all of the Word of God to prove the claims of Jesus of Nazareth as Messiah
+ We know it = Perhaps we can quote it
+ But have you ever wondered why here, why now?
+ That is, Why THIS prophecy in THIS little book of Micah?
+ Why did God give this prophecy at this time in the history of Isreal?
+ If I was a betting man, I’d bet NO = Before I thought about this message, neither had I
So this morning let’s examine this prophecy, and let’s see, Why here? Why now?
Mic. 1:1 = "Micah" = "Who is like God?" = File that thought away = We’ll come back to it
+ Contemporary of Isaiah = With some important differences
+ Unlike Isaiah = Micah was only prophet sent to both N & S Kingdoms
+ The last prophet sent to N Kingdom before her fall
+ Where Isaiah was a court preacher = Micah just a simple country preacher
+ Our church can appreciate that, can’t we?
+ Doesn’t mean that he was ignorant
+ Does mean that he was plain spoken = Didn’t mince words
+ Doesn’t beat around bush = Doesn’t waste any time
In fact, first 3 chapters are basically 3 sermons = Consider his message
+ [1:1-5] = God’s judgment for the sins found in Samaria and Jerusalem = The nation’s capitals
+ [2:1-3] = God’s judgment for those who devise evil within the nation = Including those who would try to shut down / shut up / turn away the people from God’s true prophets [2:6]
+ [3:1-4] = God’s judgment against the leaders who should know better but DO worse (evil) = Especially against the false prophets ("men of God") = [3:5-7]
And what is God’s judgment? = [3:9-12]
