Sermon Note – 12/28
This Sunday, we’ll be examining the Prophecy of Micah concerning where the Christ child was to be born: Bethlehem. So, why the dusty prophecy? Does it matter for me in the waning days of 2008?
Well, yes, it does. First of all, it helps to show the validity and truthfulness of God’s word. Further, as we examine what the original hearers of Micah’s prophecy heard or read, we’ll discover that the prophecy of the coming Messiah was not one of milk and honey. Along with the promise of Christ’s birth came the silence of over 400 years that elapsed between the Babylonian Exile (c 586BC) and the birth of Christ. It begs a few questions:
1. How are you exercising the gift of faith given to you in Christ?
2. How is your prayer life? Does it, along with scripture reading reflect a living faith in Christ?
3. Does the thought of God being utterly and totally silent disturb you?
We all will answer these questions in slightly different ways. But I hope we take them seriously.
For Sunday’s sermon, take a few moments and read the following passages. Genesis 35 relates the change of Jacob’s name to Israel and the death of Rachel, followed by her burial in Ephrathah. It’s the first time we encounter the region in which lies the city of Bethlehem. Later, in 1 Samuel 17, the account of David and Goliath, there’s the small verse mentioning the city of David’s birth, 1 Sam 17:12.
One minor theme running through Micah’s prophecy is the relation between David and Christ. Both were born in Bethlehem, both were Shepherds. David, literally and figuratively as king (1 Sam 16:11 and 2 Sam 5:2). And John 10 is the passage where Jesus identifies himself as the Good Shepherd, an office described in Micah 5.
My prayer is that through examining the word of God, we’ll be continually transformed more in to the image of Jesus Christ His son by the work of God the Holy Spirit.
Solo Deo Gloria,
Jason
Sermon Text: Micah 5:2-5a
So Little, But So Great
Prologue
Great Uncertainty
Threats all around
Not unlike us…
The Place & Time
From Bethlehem Ephrathah
Ruler
Ancient
Character & Quality
Shepherd
Majestic
Security
Peace
[...] | Back on tap this morning, preaching at FBF on Micah 5:2-5a. You can catch more here, including the download link for the MP3. All in all, it seemed as if God was glorifyed, based on [...]
Preaching « Coffee Blog - December 28th, 2008 at 5:39 pmI just had a comment relevant to the worship time on Sunday. I have just returned from El Paso, Texas where I attended church with my Mom and Dad. We went to St. Marks Methodist church where we were greeted by a full brass orchestra and some excellent Jewish/Christian musicians. The church needless to say has a very large music budget and the music there is always excellent. However, I was struck by how God used the worship time in my life at FBF. Even though we are considerably smaller in number and our music is homegrown (as it were) I was moved to tears by the playing of several songs by HillSong and Casting Crowns. Conclusion: the race is not always to the swift. Gloria Deo, Ed DeRegibus
Ed DeRegibus - January 5th, 2009 at 10:00 amThanks Ed. That reminds me of some worship services at our old church in St Louis. We would occasionally have a roughly 35 piece orchestra with a choir of 50+, a pianist and organist. Some beautiful and inspiring worship.
Jason - January 5th, 2009 at 10:40 am