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Micah chapter 5, I'll pick up 
reading in verse 2. Verse 1, more than likely, or 
probably goes better with chapter 4, sets a contrast between the 
siege of Jerusalem at the time of King Zedekiah by Nebuchadnezzar 
with the coming of Christ. So we're going to look at 5.2 
to 5 this morning. I do want to read, however, the 
entire chapter. So here now, the word of the 
living God, Micah 5.2. But you Bethlehem Ephrathah, 
Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of 
you shall come forth to me the one to be ruler in Israel, whose 
goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. Therefore, 
he shall give them up until the time that she who is in labor 
has given birth. Then the remnant of his brethren 
shall return to the children of Israel, and he shall stand 
and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of 
the name of the Lord, his God. And they shall abide, for now 
he shall be great to the ends of the earth, and this one shall 
be peace. When the Assyrian comes into 
our land, and when he treads in our palaces, then we will 
rise against him, seven shepherds and eight princely men. They 
shall waste with the sword the land of Assyria and the land 
of Nimrod at its entrances. Thus, he shall deliver us from 
the Assyrian when he comes into our land and when he treads within 
our borders. Then the remnant of Jacob shall 
be in the midst of many peoples like dew from the Lord, like 
showers on the grass that tarry for no man nor wait for the sons 
of men. And the remnant of Jacob shall 
be among the Gentiles in the midst of many peoples. like a 
lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among 
flocks of sheep, who, if he passes through, both treads down and 
tears in pieces, and none can deliver. Your hand shall be lifted 
against your adversaries, and all your enemies shall be cut 
off. And it shall be in that day, says the Lord, that I will 
cut off your horses from your midst and destroy your chariots. I will cut off the cities of 
your land and throw down all your strongholds. I will cut 
off sorceries from your hand, and you shall have no soothsayers. 
Your carved images I will also cut off, and your sacred pillars 
from your midst. You shall no more worship the 
work of your hands. I will pluck your wooden images 
from your midst. Thus, I will destroy your cities, 
and I will execute vengeance and anger and fury on the nations 
that have not heard. Amen. Well, let us pray. Father, 
we thank you for the prophet Micah. We thank you for all of 
the prophets and the apostles. We thank you for the entirety 
of your word. And we pray that even now you would give us ears 
to hear, hearts to receive your truth. Again, Father, forgive 
us from sin's darkening influence in our hearts and minds. We pray 
for the power of the Spirit to illumine us. We pray for the 
power of the Spirit to teach us and to guide us. And may he 
cause us to see how wonderful our gracious Savior is. May we 
see Micah's Lord Jesus as he's prophesied here in all of his 
glory and in all of his majesty. And we pray in Christ's name. 
Amen. Well, I want to read a brief 
portion of a sermon by C.H. Spurgeon. He actually preached 
Micah chapter five, verse two, about 155 years ago. He preached this on December 
23rd, 1855. And he introduced the sermon 
on this text with the following words. He said, this is the season 
of the year when, whether we wish it or not, we are compelled 
to think of the birth of Christ. I hold it to be one of the greatest 
absurdities under heaven to think that there is any religion in 
keeping Christmas Day. There are no probabilities whatever 
that our Savior Jesus Christ was born on that day, and the 
observance of it is purely of popish origin. Doubtless those 
who are Catholics have a right to hallow it, but I do not see 
how consistent Protestants can account it in the least sacred. 
I wish there were ten or a dozen Christmas days in the year, for 
there is work enough in the world, and a little more rest would 
not hurt laboring people. Christmas Day is really a boon 
to us, particularly as it enables us to assemble round the family 
hearth and meet our friends once more. Still, although we do not 
fall exactly in the track of other people, I see no harm in 
thinking of the incarnation and birth of the Lord Jesus. Amen. Very good statement concerning 
this particular time of the year. I'm always reminded as we sing 
those hymns, we ought to be singing them all year long. Veiled in 
flesh, the Godhead see hail the incarnate deity. That is something 
that ought to cause the believer to kick up his heels and praise 
his savior for his majesty and his glory. Well, this morning 
we're going to look at this particular prophecy concerning the birth 
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Micah the prophet prophesied 
from probably around 737 to 690 BC, so several hundred years 
prior to the arrival of Jesus. Micah hailed from the southern 
kingdom of Judah, and he targets both Israel and Judah in his 
prophecy. It's interesting because he lived 
at a time when he would see the fall of the northern tribe. He 
would learn firsthand what God's judgment and chastisement was 
all about. It would lend something of urgency 
and immediacy to his prophesying to the southern tribes. Micah 
was a contemporary of Isaiah, who prophesied in the south, 
and Hosea, who prophesied in the north. Micah was a bit different 
than Amos, the prophet. Remember, Amos said that he was 
a sheep breeder. Amos was chosen by God out of 
a career that wasn't prophetic in nature. Micah was part of 
a class of professional prophets. In fact, Micah's prophecy helped 
spare Jeremiah's life about a hundred years later. You can see that 
in Jeremiah 26, 17 to 19. Well, here in the prophecy up 
to this point, in chapter 3, Micah has indicated that the 
contemporary leaders of Israel were guilty. They oppressed the 
people. They dishonored God. It was a 
time of national sin. And then in chapter 4 of the 
prophet, or in chapters 4 and 5 rather, he states that the 
coming Messiah will rule in righteousness and justice. And so having spoken 
something of the future exaltation of Zion in chapter 4, Micah now 
connects the realization of that vision with the first coming 
of Jesus Christ. He does that in Micah chapter 
5. at verse 2, which will be our primary text this morning. 
If you're looking or you're interested in the remainder of how the chapter 
breaks down, we have the future king of Zion indicated here in 
the first five verses. We see the future peace of Zion. We see the vindication of Zion 
and then the future purification of Zion closes down the chapter. So not only does Jesus come, 
but he comes not only to justify, but to sanctify and to purify 
his people and to make them unto his own image. So that being 
the outlying chapter, the context, we're going to focus primarily 
this morning on the future king of Zion. Two particulars. First, his birth, and secondly, 
his reign. That's what we're looking at. 
First of all, his birth. Notice in chapter five, verse 
two, it speaks of his birthplace. But you, Bethlehem, Africa. Remember that Bethlehem is the 
city of King David of Israel. One man, one commentator says 
that Jerusalem's past and future greatness originates from a cradle 
in Bethlehem. I love that. Jerusalem's past 
and future greatness originates from a cradle in Bethlehem. David 
was a great king. He was born in an insignificant 
city. Jesus is a greater king who was 
born in an insignificant city. God doesn't need the pomp and 
show of men. He doesn't need to have his Redeemer, 
his Lord Jesus, born in Jerusalem. Small, insignificant places are 
enough for Yahweh to fulfill His royal task. It is enough 
for the Lord God Most High to show and demonstrate His majesty 
and His excellence and His beauty and His glory. Of course, the 
birth narratives in Matthew 2 and in Luke 2 and later on in John 
7 refers to the fact that Jesus was indeed born. in Bethlehem, 
Ephrathah. It was the city of David, and 
therefore this is another link between David, king of Israel, 
and David's greater son. The New Testament makes this 
link often, picking up on the Davidic covenant of 2 Samuel 
7. God promised David that from his line, from his seed, there 
would be one who would reign over God's house forever and 
ever. And it's an interesting place 
in 2 Samuel chapter 7. Samuel, or David rather, is reflecting 
on the fact that he himself lives in a gorgeous house. He lives 
in a wonderful palace. And he has this desire to build 
a house for the Lord. Because after all, at this time, 
God is living in a tent. And so David says to the prophet, 
I want to build a house for my God. And that's when God says, 
David, I'm going to build a house, a dynasty of you. The whole idea 
being is that David is God's man for God's time, but it would 
be the one who came from his wife. that would reign and rule 
forever and ever. Matthew chapter one, verse one, 
introducing the very birth of our Lord Jesus links him to the 
two characters of redemptive history that would be most interesting 
to the Jews. The book of the genealogy of 
Jesus Christ, the son of David and the son of Abraham. Also, we find in Acts 2, verses 
30 and 31, the apostle Peter, when he's preaching on that day 
of Pentecost, makes that same link between David and his greater 
son, even Jesus. Acts 2, 29. Men and brethren, 
let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he 
is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 
Therefore, being a prophet and knowing that God has sworn with 
an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the 
flesh, he would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne. You see, this man, David, king 
of Israel, was the human source, if you will, of the coming Lord 
Jesus Christ. And the apostles celebrate that. The apostles make that link over 
and over again in the scriptures. In Romans chapter 1, Paul the 
apostle is greeting the saints in Rome. He says, Paul, a bondservant 
of Jesus Christ, Romans 1.1, called to be an apostle. separated 
to the gospel of God which he promised before through his prophets 
in the Holy Scriptures concerning his son Jesus Christ our Lord 
who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh and declared 
to be the son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness 
by the resurrection from the dead. So way back in the prophet 
Micah The 8th century B.C. He is telling us that Bethlehem 
Ephrathah would be the place from a cradle in which the redemption 
of Israel would come to pass. Notice as well in our passage 
in Micah 5.2 the Godward focus of the Savior. This is something 
we often miss. We can be a selfish people. Maybe 
you all can't be, but I know I certainly have it in myself. 
So I survey the mass of humanity. That seems to be a recurring 
theme in the hearts of the sons of men. We think that Jesus only 
came for us. That's not the focus in the text. 
Notice what it says in Micah 5, too. But you, Bethlehem, Aphrathah, 
though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of 
you shall come forth to me. Jesus is God's man. Jesus is the servant of Yahweh. God's glory, God's majesty, God's 
justice, God's righteousness, God's holiness comes first in 
redemption. And we ought to wish it to be 
no other way. We ought to want Jesus to be 
about doing his father's will. We ought to want Jesus to always 
desire to serve the Lord God most high. Walter Kaiser says 
to me, he was to come. In other words, the Messiah was 
to be, first of all, for the Lord's benefit and his plans 
and only secondarily in response to Israel and her distress. I think it takes on a whole different 
nuance when we understand the Godward focus of our redemption. Yes, we are made blessed participants, 
we are made beneficiaries, we benefit greatly. But what's going 
on at Calvary is first and foremost the transaction between the persons 
of the Godhead. It is the son carrying out the 
will of his father. It is the son executing the terms 
of the covenant of redemption. It is the father engaged in the 
work of saving his people. We want Jesus to serve first 
and foremost, the father. Notice as well what it says here. Yet out of you shall come forth 
to me the one to be ruler in Israel. That's his job. So it 
defines him. So Christ is about, yes, he's 
a prophet, yes, he's a priest, but he's also a king. And I suspect 
at times we forget that. In Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, 
John does not have any account whatsoever of the birth narrative. So you might wonder, does John 
ever talk about that? I mean, he has that statement 
in John 1.14, the word became flesh and tabernacled among us. But there is this reference to 
the birth of Christ in John chapter 18. John chapter 18. You remember the scene. Jesus 
is before Pontius Pilate. He's being asked to testify. 
He is on trial for his alleged crimes against the state, against 
Jewry. And here's what happens in chapter 
18, verse 37. Pilate therefore said to him, 
Are you a king then? Here's the issue. Here's the 
rub. Here's the big question for the day. Are you a king then? Notice what Jesus says. You say 
rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born. It's always amazed me. It's always made me a bit suspicious 
why people get religious at this time of the year. I wonder if 
it's that they like the baby in the manger. They like the 
fact that he's domestic. They like the fact that they 
could pick him up. They like the fact that they could control 
him. We need to focus more on the fact than the reality. He 
was born to reign. He was born to rule. This is 
what he testifies before Pontius Pilate. And for this cause, I 
have come into the world that I should bear witness to the 
truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice. C.H. Spurgeon said the moment 
that he came on earth, he was a king. Listen to this statement. He did not wait till his majority 
that he might take his empire. There's an interesting passage 
in Luke's gospel as well. Remember, when Mary goes to visit 
Elizabeth, what does Elizabeth say to Mary? She basically says, 
what's going on here? Why is it that the mother of 
my Lord should come and visit me? Elizabeth confesses the Lordship 
of Jesus Christ while he is in utero, while he is in the womb. Elizabeth understood something 
of the prophets. She understood that that babe 
in the womb was her Lord. Listen to Spurgeon. As soon as 
his eye greeted the sunshine, he was a king. From the moment 
his little hands grasped anything, they grasped a scepter. As soon 
as his pulse beat and blood began to flow, his heart beat royally 
and his pulse became an imperial measure and his blood flowed 
in a kingly current. He was born a king. He came to 
be ruler in Israel. That's what the prophet is telling. 
That's what the prophet is announcing. So, in a sense, he is comforting 
his brethren to the north and to the south. He is saying, we've 
got trials, we've got afflictions, we've got problems, we've got 
issues, but God the Lord has not forgot us. Yahweh is going 
to undertake. He will send one. He has picked 
Bethlehem, Africa, as insignificant as it may be. He is going to 
take one from that place and exalt him and make him King of 
Kings and Lord of Lords, just as he did with David in Israel. That's what our prophet wants 
us to see. So, with reference to his birth, 
we learn the place. We learn his Godward focus. But 
notice, thirdly, we learn something of his nature. Notice in verse 
2. He says, Though you are little 
among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth 
to me, the one to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are 
from of old, from everlasting. He differs from David in this 
respect. He is divine. He is deity. His goings forth are from of 
old, from everlasting. Who is from everlasting to everlasting 
according to the scripture but God alone? We are created in 
point and time. David, as majestic a king as 
he was, was created in point and time. Not so the Lord of 
glory. Not so our Redeemer. Not so this 
one. He would be from of old, even 
from everlasting. The Scriptures everywhere affirms 
this and confirms this. In the prophet Isaiah, which 
is very similar. Chapter 9, verses 6 and 7. Chapter 
9, verses 6 and 7. It tells us this concerning this 
redeemer for unto us a child is born unto us. A son is given 
and the government will be upon his shoulder and his name will 
be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, 
Prince of Peace. Did you get that? Everlasting 
Father, Mighty God. That's what Israel was taught 
to look for. You know, Jews today say, well, 
the Messiah wasn't supposed to be deity. Says who? Your apostate reading of your 
own scripture? I mean, this tells us that the 
coming Messiah would be eternal. This tells us that he would be 
mighty God. He would be everlasting father. John Owen, the Puritan, 
says that the same person should be mighty God. And a child born 
is neither conceivable or possible, nor can be true. But by the union 
of the divine and human natures in the same person, Christ is 
one person, two natures. Deity, humanity, the New Testament 
picks up this several times. John one in the beginning was 
the word and the word was with God and the word was God. We start to consider that. We 
start to focus on that veiled in flesh, the Godhead see hail 
the incarnate deity. Paul can say later in Colossians 
chapter two that in Jesus dwells all the fullness of the deity 
bodily. Remember, in the upper room discourse, 
the disciples say, show us the father. What's Christ's response? If you have seen me, you have 
seen the father. The book of Revelation highlights 
this reality as well. He is Alpha and Omega. He is 
First and Last. He is God Most High. Hebrews 13, 8, in a passage, 
interestingly enough, calculated simply to punctuate a series 
of exhortations, he says, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday 
and today and forever. Immutability is of God alone 
or it's a characteristic of God alone. He is unchangeable. That's 
true of Christ. The scriptures are clear, brethren, 
there is one true and living God in that God had exists father, 
son and Holy Spirit, three persons, one substance, but three persons. 
And Christ is that divine redeemer. So that's his birth, the place, 
the focus, the nature. Notice, secondly, something of 
his reign, something of his reign. Verse three, therefore, he shall 
give them up until the time that she who is in labor has given 
birth. The prophet is saying is that 
we're not out of the woods yet. There's still a period of distress. 
There's still a season of grief. I mean, he's writing here in 
700 B.C. There'd be still 700 years of 
this distress, this time without the Redeemer King. You think 
we've got it tough? Imagine the faithful living in 
700 B.C. Imagine the faithful having seen 
the northern tribes fall to Assyria. Imagine the faithful hearing 
the likes of Micah and Isaiah saying, you're going to fall 
to Babylon. What a test of faith that would 
be. Sometimes we are such lightweights. We are so puny. We have so little 
faith. We've got the entirety of the 
Scripture. We've got this great cloud of 
witnesses testifying that God is faithful and we still whine 
and we're still weak and we're still paralyzed and we're still 
anemic and we're still lethargic and we're still apathetic. Imagine 
these dear saints. He announces the fact that their 
divine king is coming. But you're going to have to wait. 
Sometimes that's the way the Christian life is. Sometimes 
you have to wait. You may want immediate deliverance. 
You may want immediate victory. You may want immediately to be 
zapped out of your issues and problems. You need to learn to 
wait. You need to learn something about 
patience from the people of God in the Old Testament. Look at 
what he says. Therefore, he shall give them 
up until the time that she who is in labor has given birth. 
This time when Jesus would come in the fullness of the times, 
according to Paul, God sent forth his son born of a woman born 
under the law in the fullness of God's time. God does not react. God has not taken a vote. God 
is not asking our input or our opinion. I am certain that if 
the prophet said, hey, can I get a show of hands? Who wants Jesus 
to come right now? Everybody in Judah would have 
been saying right here, right here, send him. God is not reactionary. God is sovereign. God is the 
one who acts. God is the one who operates according 
to his decree. And so he tells them that there 
would be this distress. There would be this trial. There 
would be this time, but it would come to an end. Then the remnants 
of his brethren shall return to the children of Israel. Notice 
how he describes his reign. He shall stand and feed his flock. In the strength of Yahweh, in 
the majesty of the name of the Lord is God, and they shall abide. For now he shall be great to 
the ends of the earth, and this one shall be peace. First of 
all, with reference to the nature of his reign, he alone is king. Doesn't say that in as many words, 
but that's the implication. There is one king. There is one 
Messiah. There is one solitary servant 
of the Lord. There is one who will function 
unto God for the good of his people. The Bible or the New 
Testament highlights the reality that it is Christ alone. All 
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus. Paul 
tells us in Ephesians, chapter one, that it's Jesus who's ascended 
to the right hand of the Father on high. He alone is king. He alone is Lord. He alone is 
sovereign. Notice, secondly, what he does 
in his reign. He feeds his flock. Isn't that 
a great image? This royal king feeds his flock. See, sometimes we miss that as 
well. What's a king supposed to do? Sit in his palace? Exercise orders? Eat turkey legs? Drink out of goblets? Call in 
the fiddlers? That's our concept of monarchy, 
isn't it? Throw great big $40 million weddings? That's our 
concept of kingship, isn't it? What's a king's primary focus? To serve. To benefit his people. to help them, to care for them. He is not to simply call them 
in to fiddle before him for his amusement and his entertainment. 
He's to engage in policy. He's to engage in defense. He's 
to engage in propagation. He's to engage in the affairs 
of the kingdom for the good of his subjects. It's just like 
politicians today, are they supposed to sit in their palaces and be 
fed with the tax dollars or the taxpayers money? Or are they 
supposed to be servants? This is what Jesus is about. It says that he shall stand and 
feed his flock. It's not this king that's just 
being entertained. He's a king who's feeding. He's 
a king who's providing. He's a king who's defending. 
He's a king who's protecting. He's a king who administrates 
the kingdom for the good of his subjects. This is the nature 
of Jesus reign. We continued reading in Isaiah 
nine, six describes the king, verse seven describes the kingdom 
or the nature of his reign. Very similar passage to what 
we're looking at says of the increase of his government and 
peace, there will be no end upon the throne of David and over 
his kingdom to order it and establish it with judgment and justice. 
That's what he does, what he's about. It's how he functions. He was born to reign, and he 
executes that task beautifully. From that time forward, talking 
about the first coming, even forever, the zeal of the Lord 
of Hosts will perform this. So the prophet Micah tells us 
that he feeds his flock. This picks up the biblical imagery 
of Jesus as the shepherd of his people. This picks up the biblical 
imagery of Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. Picks up the 
imagery that we find in the prophet Isaiah, where God tends to the 
good of his people. Picks up the imagery of Jeremiah, 
who in a day when there were false prophets, men who were 
not feeding the flock. The prophet says that one of 
the blessings of the New Covenant, one of the blessings of New Testament 
religion is that the flock gets fed. Jesus tends to them. Jesus takes care of them by his 
spirit, by his word in his churches. Jesus feeds his people. Jesus 
leads them. He cares for them. He watches 
over them. He is our prophet. He is our 
priest. And He is our King. We need Him to protect us. We 
need Him to defend us. If it wasn't for Jesus, we would 
be sucked in by the devil. If it wasn't for Jesus, we would 
be tripped up in our own sin and lust. If it wasn't for Jesus 
exercising His royal rule in our lives, we'd be damned. He 
feeds His flock, brethren. He cares for us. He tends to 
us. He's kind to us. The nature of 
His reign is such that He alone is King, but He is the one who 
feeds His flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of 
the name of the Lord, His God. They, the flock, shall abide. 
Notice that. They shall abide. Notice that it doesn't have the 
glamour that we might want. We like triumph, don't we? We 
will triumph. Sometimes abide. Abide is much better. Just look 
at your Christian life as abiding by the grace of God. That's a 
good thing. That's a good thing. Think in 
terms of Philippians 1.6. I am confident, Paul says, of 
this very thing. That God who began this good 
work in you will complete it unto the day of Christ. Through 
the triumphal times and the times of misery. Through the times 
of great victory and through the times of great defeat. What 
do I mean by defeat? Oh God, please forgive me for 
having committed that sin again. Oh God, please forgive me that 
I was not more watchful, more careful, more faithful. We have 
the promise of the apostle that he is keeping us. Paul, in fact, 
in Romans 8, signs off this way. I am convinced that nothing can 
separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus 
our Lord. He keeps you. You abide because of him. You 
don't abide because you're better than other Christians. You don't 
abide because you read 15 books this year. You don't abide because 
you go to Free Grace Baptist Church. You don't abide because 
you've memorized the Shorter Catechism or you've read Burkhaff's 
Systematic Theology. You abide because of this king 
who was born in Bethlehem, Ephrathah, this king who reigns alone and 
solitary unto his father, this one who feeds the flock, who 
cares for the flock, who tends to the flock. How does the flock 
respond? They abide. They don't complain. They don't say, 
isn't there another way, Lord? Can't we have more fun, Lord? 
Can't you razzle and dazzle us, Lord? No, the flock abides by 
eating the food that the shepherd provides for them. Notice as 
well, he alone is king. He feeds his flock. Thirdly, 
he will be great. Isn't that beautiful? For now, he shall be great. What's your view of Christ? Is 
it that He's great? It's the song of Solomon, say, 
in a description of Him. He is altogether lovely and chief 
among ten thousand. Is that your view of the Redeemer? 
Is He great? Doesn't this sound like what 
the angel speaks in Luke chapter 1, verses 31 to 33? And behold, 
you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a son and shall 
call his name Jesus. He will be great. Do we talk 
like that about the Lord? He's great. When the Canucks do something 
great, it was great. When you cook a good meal, it 
was great. When you do some wonderful thing, it was great. Are the 
Christians in the church today speaking of their Savior in such 
language? He will be great. He is great. He is altogether lovely. He is 
chief among 10,000. The angel goes on and says, and 
will be called the Son of the Highest. And the Lord God will 
give 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. Remember when the Magi came and 
gave gifts to the boy, or to Jesus. Probably to the parents, 
obviously. Which, in a real practical sense, 
would have been quite helpful for them. They had a journey 
to make to Egypt. They needed some bucks, didn't 
they? I don't mean to sound crass, but there was a real pragmatic 
reason for that whole situation. It wasn't to teach us that, yeah, 
I want a new bike on the 25th, so make sure I get one. There's a pragmatic reason, but 
there's a prophetic reason as well. And it's speech to the 
greatness of the king. The Magi come and present these 
gifts to Jesus in accordance with the prophets, in accordance 
with the Psalter. What happens in Psalm 72? The kings of Sheba and Sheba 
will come and bring their gifts to this king. Remember, the queen 
of Sheba came to visit Solomon and brought gifts to him. What 
was it for? Did Solomon need more stuff? He needed more stuff like most 
of us need more stuff. Where am I going to put it all? 
It was to acknowledge his greatness. The prophet Isaiah speaks to 
this on Isaiah, chapter 60, Isaiah, chapter 60, incidentally picked 
up on in Revelation 21. The nations of the earth bring 
their glory into the New Jerusalem. Why? To present it to the great 
king. The Magi are functioning prophetically 
here. Notice in Isaiah chapter 6, verse 
3, the Gentiles shall come to your light and kings to the brightness 
of your rising. It's not the Magi. They came 
from the east. They were not Israelites. They 
were Gentiles coming to the light, which was Christ and the kings 
to the brightness of your rising. Notice verse five. Then you shall 
see and become radiant and your heart shall swell with joy because 
the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you. The wealth 
of the Gentiles shall come to you. The multitude of camels 
shall cover your land. The dromedaries of Midian and 
Ephah. All those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and 
incense, and they shall proclaim the praises of the Lord. Notice in verse 8, Who are these 
who fly like a cloud and like doves to their roosts? Surely 
the coastlands shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish 
will come first to bring your sons from afar their silver and 
their gold with them. To the name of the Lord your 
God and to the Holy One of Israel, because He has glorified you. 
What was that declaration when those magi presented those gifts 
to that babe, but to say that he's great? He's great. He's awesome. He's worthy. The prophets foretold this. Though 
he was born in insignificant Bethlehem, Ephrathah, though 
he would have to go into exile into Egypt, this one is great. And the glory of God is upon 
him. One man said, if the Queen of 
Sheba brought spices and gold to Solomon, how much more fitting 
that the royalty of Sheba and Sheba and other nations bow before 
the incomparable successor to Solomon and present to him such 
gifts. The Magi are not themselves gifts, 
or kings rather, but kings do well to follow their example. That's the point. That's what's 
going on. It's an acknowledgment of the 
greatness and the glory and the majesty of our Redeemer King. Notice fourthly, with reference 
to the nature of his reign, he will exercise universal empire. Micah, chapter five, verse two 
or verse four, rather. They shall abide for now. He 
shall be great to the ends of the earth. A great statement 
to the ends of the earth from sea to sea. He will have dominion. Isaiah the prophet chapter 11 
says the knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters 
cover the sea. This is found in the prophet 
of Bacchus. It's found in Solomon's Psalm 72 that we saw. It's found 
in the prophet Zechariah. This is the backdrop, brethren, 
for the Great Commission. What about Psalm 2? God the Father 
says to God the Son, ask of me and I will give you the nations 
for your inheritance, the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession. 
Do you think it's any accident that in the Great Commission 
Jesus says, go therefore and make disciples of all the nations? 
Is that accidental? Is Jesus arrogating to himself 
something that doesn't belong to him? No, the Father said, 
ask of me and I will give you the nations. I will give you 
the uttermost parts of the earth. You shall rule them with a rod 
of iron. That's why Jesus says, go therefore and make disciples. 
The Father's already given it to me. It's already mine. It's 
my possession. Go out and cultivate. Go out 
and preach. Go out and teach. Go out with 
the gospel. The church ought to focus on 
this and think on this and reflect upon this, that Jesus was given 
universal empire. And we are to preach and to teach. We are to sing and mean it. No 
more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground. 
He comes to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found. Isn't that the movement in redemptive 
history? Genesis chapter three. Paradise 
is lost. Revelation chapter twenty one 
and twenty two. Paradise is restored. Why? Because of the victory of the 
Lamb of God who sits upon the throne. This is what Micah 5, 
2-4 is highlighting. It is indicating. It is declaring 
to us. Remember, when Simeon sees the 
babe Christ, he takes Him in his arms and he starts to praise 
God. He says, Lord, now You can let 
Your servant depart in peace. Why? For my eyes have seen Your 
salvation. He's looking at a little baby. 
Looking at the embodiment of salvation. He's looking at Micah's 
Lord, looking at the Redeemer King. And then he says that this 
one is a light unto the Gentiles and the glory of your people, 
Israel. You see, Christ did not come 
simply to liberate one small geographic region in the Middle 
East. Christ came to exercise universal 
empire. That's what the prophet is telling 
us. Now notice fifthly and finally 
with reference to his reign. He will be peace. It's not a 
beautiful way to end this description of the kingdom. And this one shall be peace. The very embodiment of peace 
is in Christ. Just like the embodiment of salvation 
is Christ. Just like when Simeon could look 
upon that babe and say, my eyes have seen your salvation. When 
you look upon Christ, there's peace. Peace is something we all want, 
isn't it? I have yet, in my 44 years, to meet someone who thrives 
in misery. I know there's some weird people 
out there that seem to like the particular circumstances, so 
they can complain about it, I guess. But nobody really likes chaos, 
frustration, and bad things. We don't hit ourselves in the 
thumb with a hammer and say, wow, that was great. We don't 
lose our houses to the mortgage company. We don't lose our jobs 
and say, yippee. No, those things are frustrating. 
We all want peace. Jesus knows this. What's He say 
to the disciples in the upper room? Peace I leave you. My peace I give you. Not as the 
world gives. Not through whatever venture 
is entertaining the world right now, that peace that may last 
for a moment and then disappears. Jesus says, my peace, I give 
you not as the world is. He is speaking as the prophet 
Micah foretold, this one shall be peace. The prophets throughout 
highlight this reality. The New Testament birth narratives 
highlight this reality. Luke chapter 2, verse 14. Glory 
to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill toward 
men. Isn't that beautiful? Peace through the Prince of Peace. You know how you have to pray 
for the Middle East? You know how you have to pray for these 
war-torn countries? You know how you ought to pray 
with reference to the lack and the absence of peace in various 
parts of the world? Yeah, foreign policy might be 
good, political intervention, military power. Pray for Jesus 
to be proclaimed. Pray for the gospel to go forth. 
Because as men come to know the one who is peace, it can't help 
but affect us outwardly. We saw that in Hebrews 12 the 
other night. What happens to those who, by 
God's grace, have come into saving relationship? He says, pursue 
peace with all men. Why? Because you can now, having 
been justified by faith, we have peace with God. So now we can 
pursue peace with one another. This one is peace. Paul picks 
this theme up and highlighting the fact that the Gentiles are 
now brought nigh through the blood of Christ in Ephesians 
chapter 2. And it's wonderful, the progression. 
He tells us that Jesus makes peace. Jesus preaches peace. And Jesus is peace. Ephesians chapter 2, beginning 
in verse 14. For he himself is our peace, 
who has made both one and has broken down the middle wall of 
separation. Let's just pick up in verse 11. 
Sorry about that. Therefore, remember that you, once Gentiles 
in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by what is called 
the circumcision made in the flesh by hands, that at that 
time you were without Christ. being aliens from the Commonwealth 
of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having 
no hope and without God in the world. What's the implication 
that now Gentiles are brought into the Commonwealth of Israel? 
Gentiles are brought into that place of redemptive unity with 
their Jewish brethren. There's no Jew-Gentile distinction. There's no separate plans. It 
is one in Christ. He takes two and makes one new 
man in him. beautiful scene, it's a beautiful 
image. Notice in verse 13, but now in 
Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near 
by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, 
who has made both one and has broken down the middle wall of 
separation, having abolished in his flesh the enmity that 
is the law of commandments contained in ordinances. So as to create 
in himself one new man from the two, thus he makes peace. We need to reflect on that more 
often. We need to be at peace with one another. We can have 
our disagreements. We might have our little skirmishes. 
We might have our matters of opinion on certain things. But 
in the final analysis, brother, we ought to be at peace. We have 
peace with God through our Lord Jesus. We ought to be peaceful 
with one another. Notice what he says, and that 
he might reconcile them both to God in one body through the 
cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And he came and preached 
peace to you who are far off and to those who are near. For 
through him we both have access by one spirit to the Father. 
How did Jesus preach peace in Ephesus? Through Paul. How does 
he feed the flock in Ephesus? Through Paul. Paul went to Ephesus. Do you remember the scene? There 
was a bunch of idolaters in the city. They were worshipping Diana. 
Great is Diana. There was an idol trade in place. 
Paul comes and he preaches. The people, in a display of repentance, 
take their books of magic arts and burn them. Christ preached 
peace through the apostolic ministry. Christ preaches peace today. When the Bible is handled accurately, 
you are being fed by this King from the right hand of the Father, 
by His Word, by His Spirit. He is a good King. He is our 
Peace. Brethren, there is a description 
of his birth, a description of his reign. And I hope that we 
learn at least a few things here. The first is the wonderful incarnation 
of Jesus Christ. John 1.1 and John 1.14 are absolutely 
amazing. In the beginning was the Word 
and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He goes on 
to tell us that he made everything. Jesus made everything. And then 
he says, and the word became flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld his glory, the 
glory as of the only begotten of the father, full of grace 
and truth. You see, in the incarnation, 
we have something that never took place before. We have something 
that is unique in the redemptive religion called Christianity. 
We have God coming into this world, taking on our likeness, 
being like us in all points, except without sin. The incarnation 
was a display of the glory and the majesty of our God and the 
great lengths that he would go to to save us from our sin. None of us were able to keep 
the law. None of us could die sacrificially. So God undertook. So at this time of the year, 
when you are brought to consider the incarnation of Christ, you 
ought to praise, worship, adore, hail the incarnate deity. Pleased as man with men to dwell, 
Jesus our Emmanuel. Isn't that beautiful? Isn't that 
how the gospel of Matthew is somewhat structured? The very 
beginning, after the birth narrative, what do we read? His name is 
Immanuel, God with us. How does Matthew end? With Immanuel 
promising, I'll be with you, even to the end. Isn't that a 
beautiful way to structure that account? Jesus, our Immanuel. Secondly, we ought to consider 
the gracious ministry of our shepherd, the gracious ministry 
of our shepherd. Jeremiah 23. I alluded to this 
earlier. Jeremiah 23, verse one. Woe to 
the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture, 
says the Lord. Therefore, thus says the Lord 
God of Israel against the shepherds who feed my people. You have 
scattered my flock, driven them away and not attended to them. 
Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your doing, says 
the Lord. But I will gather the remnants of my flock out of all 
countries where I have driven them and bring them back to their 
folds, and they shall be fruitful and increased. I will set up 
shepherds over them who will feed them, and they shall fear 
no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking, says the 
Lord. Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that I will raise 
to David a branch of righteousness. A king shall reign and prosper 
and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In his days, Judah 
will be saved and Israel will dwell safely. Now, this is his 
name by which he will be called the Lord, our righteousness. This is telling us about new 
covenant redemption. This is telling us about Jesus 
coming to fulfill all the obligations placed upon him by his father 
to save us from our sins. And then as we read in Ephesians 
four, he ascends on high. He leads captivity captive and 
then he gives gifts to men. What does he give? He gives some 
as apostles. He gives some as prophets. He gives some as evangelists. 
He gives some as pastors and teachers. Why? So that he can 
feed his flock. So that he can tend to them. 
So that he can care for them. The gracious ministry of our 
blessed shepherd is seen in the prophets. It is verified or confirmed 
throughout the New Testament scriptures. And then a third 
thing, a third implication, I think we learned from Micah, chapter 
five, is that we need to pray big. We need to pray big. He's got universal empire. Never 
stop and think that if God saved me, he certainly can save a whole 
bunch of others. I know we like to think, oh yeah, 
I'm this wretch and all that. But really stop and think about 
it. You were a God-hating rebel. You may have been five. You may 
have been 10. You may have been 15. You may have been into really 
bad things or not so bad things. But in your heart, you were at 
enmity with the Lord God Most High. Right? Not a one of us 
in here that can say, oh, not me, man. I always had it for 
Jesus. You had it all right. A raised 
fist, anger, rebellion, insubordination, incorrigibility, recalcitrance. Kids go home and look up all 
these words because they're great. Not great. They tell us something 
about our human condition. And what happened? Somewhere 
along the line, God snatched that stony heart out of your 
chest cavity and he threw it away. And then he took a fleshly 
heart and he planted that in there. He put his spirit in you. 
He put his law in you. He put desire in you. You may 
say, I don't have as much desire as I'd like to have. But you 
got a lot more than you once had, don't you? That's what Newton 
said. I'm not what I want to be. I'm not what I'm going to be, 
but I'm certainly not what I once was. I like that. So God saved you. There's hope. There's hope. There's hope for peoples in North 
Korea. There's hope for peoples in Canada. There's hope for peoples in the 
United States. There's hope for Haiti. There's 
hope for this world. So what I'm suggesting, brother, 
when you reflect on the greatness of the Redeemer, when you reflect 
on the fact that he has universal empire to the ends of the earth, 
pray big. Isn't that what Cary said? Expect 
great things from God. Now again, I would be the first 
to qualify. Not everybody is going to go 
be William Cary and go be a missionary in India. But you can pray that 
God will raise up a Cary. You can pray that God will raise 
up a Spurgeon. You can pray that God will raise 
up a Whitefield. Do not discount the place of 
prayer. Prayer is the very machine room 
of all that is good and holy in this world. The prayers are 
the ones keeping everything going. So prayers, pray big, because 
He is great and He has universal empire. And if you have come 
here this morning out of some idea of obligation, you have 
come here simply to do a religious service, you have come here simply 
to just do something because there was nothing else going 
on, I call you to consider this Lord Jesus. I call you to consider 
this one who Micah is describing. He alone is the Savior. He alone 
is the one who can forgive you of your sins. He alone is the 
one who can bring you into heaven. Do not reject him. Do not despise 
him. Do not say no to him. Do not 
continue in your rebellion. But believe the gospel. Believe 
the good news. Believe all that the Bible says 
concerning this Lord Jesus. And he will save you from your 
sins. Well, let us pray. Father, we thank you for this 
great one. We thank you that Bethlehem, Ephrathah was such 
an insignificant place on the map. From it came King David 
and from it came David's greater son and David's Lord, even Jesus 
Christ. We thank you, Father, for our 
Savior. We thank you for his divinity. 
We thank you, Father, that he is ruler, that he is king, that 
he is prophet and priest. We thank you, God, that he feeds 
us, that he shepherds us, that he tends to us and protects us 
and defends us. And we thank you that he is indeed 
the great one whose empire is to the ends of the earth. We 
just pray, most high God, that this gospel would be preached 
throughout the earth. that men would turn unto him 
and be saved. And how we thank you as well 
for that real practical benefit, that he is our peace, that we 
have peace with you, we have peace with one another, and God 
help us to continually pursue it with all men. And we pray 
that you would go with us now, watch over us in the remainder 
of this day, and we pray through Christ the Lord. Amen.