WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.200 Well, good morning. I want to say to all of you mothers, happy Mother's Day. We are thankful 00:00:07.200 --> 00:00:12.720 for all of you, for the mothers that we all have, and for those of you who are called to that role. 00:00:12.820 --> 00:00:18.580 We honor you today. Our sermon is not a Mother's Day sermon. I just want to give you a heads up 00:00:18.580 --> 00:00:25.400 so you're not expecting something different. We are instead going to continue, as is our 00:00:25.399 --> 00:00:31.820 practice here at Trinity of preaching through the Scriptures, and we are in the book of Micah. 00:00:32.140 --> 00:00:37.799 So, just so you know where we're going this morning, that's where it is. 00:00:41.379 --> 00:00:47.140 In every great story, there is a moment of despair and crisis. 00:00:47.140 --> 00:00:58.799 In Snow White, when the Queen transforms herself into a terrifying dragon, and we fear for the hero. 00:01:00.020 --> 00:01:08.879 When Henry V and his bedraggled army show up to the fields of Agincourt, outnumbered 10 to 1. 00:01:08.879 --> 00:01:18.219 When, spoiler alert, at the end of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Dumbledore dies. 00:01:19.439 --> 00:01:21.399 Sorry, there it is. 00:01:22.679 --> 00:01:25.479 And I couldn't do this without a Lord of the Rings reference. 00:01:26.140 --> 00:01:35.000 And so, if you've read, Frodo and Sam are on the stairs of Cirith Ungol, 00:01:35.000 --> 00:01:41.400 climbing up over the mountains that are the boundary into the land of Mordor, 00:01:41.780 --> 00:01:46.739 the land that is shrouded in darkness at a time when it seems that the forces of evil 00:01:46.739 --> 00:01:48.620 are overwhelmingly powerful. 00:01:49.200 --> 00:01:53.680 And these two little hobbits, on a seemingly hopeless task, 00:01:54.299 --> 00:01:58.840 to get into the stronghold of the enemy, to destroy the ring of power. 00:01:59.780 --> 00:02:02.500 In a conversation they have, Frodo says, 00:02:02.500 --> 00:02:07.200 you and I, Sam, are stuck in the worst place of the story. 00:02:08.080 --> 00:02:11.840 And it's all too likely that some will say at this point, 00:02:12.120 --> 00:02:13.479 shut the book now, Dad. 00:02:14.379 --> 00:02:15.919 We don't want to read anymore. 00:02:19.680 --> 00:02:22.939 I don't know where you're at in the story of your life this morning. 00:02:24.340 --> 00:02:26.979 Maybe you feel like you're at that lowest point. 00:02:26.979 --> 00:02:31.879 Maybe you can think back and remember what that was like. 00:02:32.019 --> 00:02:33.139 Some of you are young enough. 00:02:33.739 --> 00:02:34.979 You may not have gotten there yet. 00:02:35.819 --> 00:02:36.639 But you will. 00:02:37.500 --> 00:02:38.979 I wish I could say otherwise. 00:02:39.259 --> 00:02:39.759 But you will. 00:02:41.719 --> 00:02:45.199 It's at these times when we just want to shut the book 00:02:45.199 --> 00:02:50.659 that we find out what we really believe about God. 00:02:50.659 --> 00:02:55.159 And this is what Micah is saying to us this morning. 00:02:55.520 --> 00:02:59.240 So if you want to turn with me, we're in Micah chapter 4, 00:02:59.620 --> 00:03:01.400 starting in verse 9. 00:03:02.079 --> 00:03:05.180 We're at page 730 in your pew Bible. 00:03:05.180 --> 00:03:13.560 And we're going to go ahead and read this together 00:03:13.560 --> 00:03:17.580 and then see what God's Word has to say to us this morning. 00:03:19.659 --> 00:03:25.020 So Micah chapter 4, starting in verse 9. 00:03:28.860 --> 00:03:30.379 Let's read God's Word together. 00:03:30.620 --> 00:03:32.219 Now why do you cry aloud? 00:03:33.080 --> 00:03:34.439 Is there no king in you? 00:03:34.439 --> 00:03:38.859 Has your counselor perished that pain seized you like a woman in labor? 00:03:39.680 --> 00:03:43.719 Writhe and groan, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in labor. 00:03:44.400 --> 00:03:50.219 For now you shall go out from this city and dwell in the open country. 00:03:50.719 --> 00:03:52.379 You shall go to Babylon. 00:03:54.139 --> 00:03:56.159 There you shall be rescued. 00:03:56.800 --> 00:03:59.639 There the Lord will redeem you from the hand of your enemies. 00:04:00.919 --> 00:04:04.340 Now many nations are assembled against you. 00:04:04.439 --> 00:04:06.240 Saying, let her be defiled. 00:04:06.379 --> 00:04:08.819 Let her eyes gaze upon Zion. 00:04:10.259 --> 00:04:12.280 But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord. 00:04:12.780 --> 00:04:14.520 They do not understand His plan. 00:04:14.780 --> 00:04:18.279 That He has gathered them as sheaves to the threshing floor. 00:04:19.480 --> 00:04:21.579 Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion. 00:04:21.939 --> 00:04:26.060 For I will make your horn iron and I will make your hoofs bronze. 00:04:26.060 --> 00:04:35.160 You shall beat in pieces many people and shall devote their gain to the Lord. 00:04:35.939 --> 00:04:39.939 Their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth. 00:04:39.939 --> 00:04:45.920 Now muster your troops, O daughter of troops. 00:04:46.639 --> 00:04:48.300 Siege is laid against us. 00:04:48.480 --> 00:04:51.279 With a rod they strike the judge of Israel on the cheek. 00:04:51.279 --> 00:05:05.139 But you, O Bethlehem, Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel. 00:05:05.219 --> 00:05:08.399 Whose origin is from old, from ancient of days. 00:05:08.859 --> 00:05:13.419 Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth. 00:05:13.420 --> 00:05:18.920 Then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel. 00:05:19.520 --> 00:05:23.300 And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord. 00:05:23.520 --> 00:05:27.180 In the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. 00:05:27.420 --> 00:05:29.340 And they shall dwell secure. 00:05:29.520 --> 00:05:33.360 For now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. 00:05:33.520 --> 00:05:36.439 And he shall be their peace. 00:05:38.040 --> 00:05:40.340 This is the word of God according to Micah. 00:05:40.879 --> 00:05:41.939 Thanks be to God. 00:05:41.939 --> 00:05:43.259 Let's pray together. 00:05:43.420 --> 00:05:47.860 God, we pray this morning that you would help us. 00:05:48.640 --> 00:05:52.180 Lord, as we hear these words from so many centuries ago. 00:05:53.100 --> 00:05:57.300 Lord, we pray that you would open our hearts to receive your word. 00:05:57.300 --> 00:05:59.280 And our minds to understand it. 00:06:01.060 --> 00:06:04.660 Lord, I pray that we would hear the word of encouragement. 00:06:05.600 --> 00:06:09.900 In the midst of a word of warning in this passage. 00:06:09.899 --> 00:06:15.120 God, I pray for your help that you would help me to speak clearly as I ought. 00:06:15.120 --> 00:06:18.980 And I pray for all of us that we would sit under your word. 00:06:18.980 --> 00:06:22.379 For your glory we pray. 00:06:22.860 --> 00:06:24.080 In Jesus' name. 00:06:24.759 --> 00:06:25.240 Amen. 00:06:29.240 --> 00:06:32.700 In the middle of the darkness, God speaks a word of hope. 00:06:33.160 --> 00:06:37.620 This is the overall message of this section of Micah. 00:06:37.620 --> 00:06:39.680 And we're going to look at it in those two sections. 00:06:39.680 --> 00:06:43.639 So the first one is going to be about the dark moment in Israel. 00:06:43.840 --> 00:06:49.340 I want to spend a little bit of time giving some historical context so that you can hear 00:06:49.340 --> 00:06:56.100 and feel with the people of Israel their situation to which we believe Micah is speaking 00:06:56.100 --> 00:06:57.740 at the end of the 8th century. 00:06:57.740 --> 00:07:04.480 The end of the 8th century, if you remember, Assyria had come down from the north and had 00:07:04.480 --> 00:07:07.840 invaded the northern kingdom of Israel. 00:07:07.960 --> 00:07:14.000 The ten tribes of the northern kingdom that had broken off from Jerusalem and Judah and 00:07:14.000 --> 00:07:17.759 the southern kingdom way back in the grandchildren of King David. 00:07:18.800 --> 00:07:24.199 The northern kingdom had been conquered by Assyria in 722 B.C. 00:07:24.199 --> 00:07:28.579 And in that conquering, they had deported people. 00:07:28.740 --> 00:07:31.680 They had razed the places of worship. 00:07:32.279 --> 00:07:33.839 And there was nothing left. 00:07:33.959 --> 00:07:35.279 And Assyria was not done. 00:07:35.360 --> 00:07:36.839 It was the superpower of the day. 00:07:37.000 --> 00:07:40.560 And it was continuing to threaten to expand its territory. 00:07:41.680 --> 00:07:45.599 20 years after that invasion, Assyria came back. 00:07:45.620 --> 00:07:46.919 And they came down the coast. 00:07:46.919 --> 00:07:51.159 And then they turned inland towards Jerusalem. 00:07:54.199 --> 00:08:02.039 The southern kingdom of Judah, Jerusalem, the capital, found themselves threatened. 00:08:03.399 --> 00:08:11.279 The Assyrian army was successful in overcoming some of the great strongholds of Israel. 00:08:11.819 --> 00:08:13.259 The city of Lachshish. 00:08:13.259 --> 00:08:22.019 If you go back and read the story in 2 Kings verses 18 and 19, you'll see that as he was defeating 00:08:22.019 --> 00:08:27.639 this stronghold, and it was really the last city before they could then move towards Jerusalem, 00:08:29.259 --> 00:08:37.000 Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, sends a cohort of his army with an emissary. 00:08:37.519 --> 00:08:43.460 And I want you to hear the words that this emissary speaks to the people of Jerusalem 00:08:43.460 --> 00:08:47.660 to know the kind of darkness that they were facing. 00:08:49.040 --> 00:08:56.360 So in 2 Kings 18, 28 through 35, this is the speech that the Assyrians gave. 00:08:57.800 --> 00:09:01.620 Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria. 00:09:02.100 --> 00:09:07.440 Thus says the king, do not let Hezekiah, Hezekiah was the present king of Judah, 00:09:07.440 --> 00:09:13.520 Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you out of my hand. 00:09:13.960 --> 00:09:19.420 Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord by saying, the Lord will surely deliver us, 00:09:19.580 --> 00:09:23.780 and this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. 00:09:24.140 --> 00:09:28.440 Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria, 00:09:29.400 --> 00:09:31.660 make your peace with me, come out to me. 00:09:31.659 --> 00:09:37.279 Then each one of you will eat of his own vine, and each one of his own fig tree, 00:09:37.419 --> 00:09:41.379 and each one of you will drink the water of his own cistern. 00:09:42.100 --> 00:09:46.439 Do you remember last week when we saw the promise of that, that God gave? 00:09:46.779 --> 00:09:50.459 The king of Assyria is taking that and saying, I will do that for you. 00:09:50.719 --> 00:09:51.719 Sorry, that's a side note. 00:09:52.000 --> 00:09:53.360 Going on, verse 32. 00:09:54.079 --> 00:09:58.419 Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, 00:09:58.419 --> 00:10:01.500 a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyard, 00:10:01.839 --> 00:10:05.219 a land of olive trees and honey, that you may live and not die. 00:10:06.179 --> 00:10:10.240 And do not listen to Hezekiah when he misleads you by saying, 00:10:10.319 --> 00:10:11.559 the Lord will deliver us. 00:10:11.959 --> 00:10:18.139 Has any of the gods of the nations ever delivered his land out of the hands of the king of Assyria? 00:10:18.779 --> 00:10:21.479 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? 00:10:21.480 --> 00:10:28.680 Where are the gods of Sephar, sorry, I should have pronounced this, practiced this one, 00:10:29.100 --> 00:10:34.620 Sepharvaim, Hannah and Evai? 00:10:36.100 --> 00:10:38.720 Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? 00:10:38.960 --> 00:10:43.920 Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their lands out of my hand, 00:10:44.019 --> 00:10:48.860 that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand? 00:10:48.860 --> 00:10:54.379 Do you see what the Assyrian king is basically saying? 00:10:55.039 --> 00:10:58.080 You think God's going to save you, but he is not. 00:10:58.320 --> 00:11:01.539 You think your king is going to protect you, but he is not. 00:11:01.779 --> 00:11:06.720 You think the promises that you have heard from your God will be fulfilled, 00:11:06.879 --> 00:11:07.740 but they won't. 00:11:07.820 --> 00:11:08.639 But I will. 00:11:09.320 --> 00:11:13.759 If you will simply surrender to me, give up your faith in your God, 00:11:13.759 --> 00:11:20.840 and surrender to me, I will bring you peace, prosperity, flourishing. 00:11:21.039 --> 00:11:23.340 I will bring all of these things. 00:11:25.659 --> 00:11:31.759 And of course, the people in Judah had already seen the northern kingdom fall 00:11:32.399 --> 00:11:36.700 because God has used Assyria to judge his people. 00:11:36.700 --> 00:11:41.860 And in the southern kingdom, Micah, if you've been here for a couple of weeks, 00:11:42.180 --> 00:11:44.720 has already told the southern kingdom, 00:11:44.980 --> 00:11:49.879 you too will face God's judgment for your sin 00:11:49.879 --> 00:11:53.180 because you have already turned away from the Lord. 00:11:53.379 --> 00:11:56.140 You have already fallen into idolatry. 00:11:56.420 --> 00:11:59.540 You have already trusted in political alliances 00:11:59.539 --> 00:12:02.699 rather than the Lord your God to provide for you 00:12:02.699 --> 00:12:06.719 and to protect you and to establish his kingdom among you. 00:12:07.980 --> 00:12:10.480 Micah has already said, you deserve judgment. 00:12:13.819 --> 00:12:17.199 And here Micah comes back again in this passage, 00:12:17.360 --> 00:12:19.319 starting in verse 9 of chapter 4. 00:12:20.719 --> 00:12:24.379 And he expounds a little more on what they will experience 00:12:24.379 --> 00:12:27.000 and how they are at the darkest place. 00:12:27.000 --> 00:12:28.759 Verses 4, 9, and 10. 00:12:29.279 --> 00:12:29.980 Picture this. 00:12:30.059 --> 00:12:31.120 Why do you cry aloud? 00:12:31.500 --> 00:12:33.940 It's like the prophet is mocking the people saying, 00:12:34.419 --> 00:12:36.000 where are you going to for help? 00:12:36.559 --> 00:12:37.860 Your kings have failed you. 00:12:37.919 --> 00:12:39.159 Your leaders have failed you. 00:12:39.240 --> 00:12:40.740 We saw that in chapter 3. 00:12:41.639 --> 00:12:43.539 But you're not turning to the Lord. 00:12:44.340 --> 00:12:45.360 So you're helpless. 00:12:46.240 --> 00:12:48.179 And your suffering is so great. 00:12:48.299 --> 00:12:50.000 It's like a woman in labor, 00:12:50.580 --> 00:12:51.940 writhing in pain, 00:12:52.399 --> 00:12:56.720 groaning through this hardship. 00:12:57.000 --> 00:13:01.759 Sorry, this is the only connection to Mother's Day I can make, 00:13:01.820 --> 00:13:02.940 and it's not a happy one. 00:13:04.340 --> 00:13:05.980 Because twice, 00:13:06.580 --> 00:13:10.639 twice Micah in these verses 00:13:10.639 --> 00:13:13.279 refers to the pain of childbirth 00:13:13.279 --> 00:13:15.820 as this overwhelming suffering 00:13:15.820 --> 00:13:19.580 that blots out any other thing. 00:13:19.820 --> 00:13:22.139 It's so present and so overwhelming 00:13:22.139 --> 00:13:23.919 that all you can see is the pain. 00:13:23.919 --> 00:13:25.939 I talked to one mother this week, 00:13:26.279 --> 00:13:28.620 and she remembers in the midst of it thinking 00:13:28.620 --> 00:13:30.379 and even saying out loud, 00:13:30.539 --> 00:13:32.719 are you sure this is how it works? 00:13:33.099 --> 00:13:36.319 Because it was so overwhelmingly consuming. 00:13:39.120 --> 00:13:40.099 Micah says, 00:13:40.419 --> 00:13:41.319 this is the darkness. 00:13:42.039 --> 00:13:44.000 This is the overwhelming place 00:13:44.000 --> 00:13:47.139 that the people of Israel found themselves in, 00:13:47.620 --> 00:13:49.319 facing a superior army, 00:13:49.320 --> 00:13:52.520 having forsaken their God in their hearts already 00:13:52.520 --> 00:13:54.379 and being under judgment 00:13:54.379 --> 00:13:55.000 and wondering, 00:13:55.600 --> 00:13:57.100 where do we go from here? 00:13:57.640 --> 00:13:59.400 And how easy it is for them 00:13:59.400 --> 00:14:01.220 to become overwhelmed 00:14:01.220 --> 00:14:04.640 with the pain they've already experienced 00:14:04.640 --> 00:14:06.860 and the pain they anticipate experiencing. 00:14:07.520 --> 00:14:09.300 Because we saw in verse 9, 00:14:09.560 --> 00:14:10.740 I'm sorry, in verse 10, 00:14:11.300 --> 00:14:13.120 that it's going to happen. 00:14:13.320 --> 00:14:14.980 That they're going to have to leave Jerusalem. 00:14:15.180 --> 00:14:16.800 That they're going to go out into the wilderness. 00:14:16.799 --> 00:14:18.500 That they're going to end up in Babylon. 00:14:21.500 --> 00:14:23.179 Wondering, where are they looking? 00:14:28.579 --> 00:14:30.179 It's easy for us, 00:14:30.359 --> 00:14:31.839 in these darkest moments, 00:14:32.199 --> 00:14:33.939 to feel overwhelmed 00:14:33.939 --> 00:14:36.399 and to lose our spiritual focus. 00:14:36.939 --> 00:14:38.819 We lose sight of God. 00:14:38.820 --> 00:14:42.860 And we think we're on our own. 00:14:44.340 --> 00:14:46.900 Sometimes our own sin is so great, 00:14:46.980 --> 00:14:48.660 the accuser of our souls comes. 00:14:49.220 --> 00:14:51.900 And in his pride and mockery and shame, 00:14:52.120 --> 00:14:53.620 he comes to us and says, 00:14:54.000 --> 00:14:55.980 God can't ever forgive you for that. 00:14:56.200 --> 00:14:57.500 He's done with you. 00:14:57.940 --> 00:15:00.800 How could God ever love you after that? 00:15:01.560 --> 00:15:03.080 You'll never escape it. 00:15:03.740 --> 00:15:06.100 Just give up and embrace this sin. 00:15:06.100 --> 00:15:08.379 Because you'll never be free of it. 00:15:09.440 --> 00:15:11.060 And he comes and he attacks 00:15:11.060 --> 00:15:13.759 and he speaks words like the king of Assyria. 00:15:15.019 --> 00:15:17.220 To seek to overwhelm us. 00:15:18.320 --> 00:15:19.820 And to doubt God. 00:15:20.980 --> 00:15:24.680 Sometimes we think God has abandoned us as his people. 00:15:25.300 --> 00:15:26.920 We live in a fallen church 00:15:26.920 --> 00:15:31.180 and sometimes the pain of what church leaders have done 00:15:31.179 --> 00:15:32.620 and the things that churches have done 00:15:32.620 --> 00:15:34.120 is so overwhelming 00:15:34.120 --> 00:15:37.379 that we think we want to give up. 00:15:38.679 --> 00:15:40.759 If this is what it looks like, 00:15:40.959 --> 00:15:42.859 how can we ever go on? 00:15:43.479 --> 00:15:45.699 It feels like the darkness is winning. 00:15:47.779 --> 00:15:50.479 Maybe we turn to other places 00:15:50.479 --> 00:15:51.879 for comfort and for hope. 00:15:51.879 --> 00:15:57.519 Sometimes the darkest points of our story 00:15:57.519 --> 00:16:01.539 are simply because we live in a fallen world 00:16:01.539 --> 00:16:03.120 where suffering happens. 00:16:03.559 --> 00:16:05.740 We face great loss and tragedy. 00:16:07.000 --> 00:16:10.039 We face times when setbacks pile on one another 00:16:10.039 --> 00:16:12.519 and we feel battered and bruised. 00:16:13.799 --> 00:16:16.659 Every time we stand up, the wave hits again. 00:16:16.659 --> 00:16:21.980 Sometimes people who we loved and trusted 00:16:21.980 --> 00:16:24.659 turn away and hurt us deeply. 00:16:26.259 --> 00:16:28.860 Sometimes the most cherished dreams that we have 00:16:28.860 --> 00:16:31.740 for this life go up in smoke and ashes. 00:16:32.659 --> 00:16:34.879 And it's easy in these times of darkness 00:16:34.879 --> 00:16:37.819 for our hearts and our minds to be clouded 00:16:37.819 --> 00:16:39.399 and we lose sight of God 00:16:39.399 --> 00:16:41.139 and all we see is darkness. 00:16:42.299 --> 00:16:44.339 And we tend to either despair 00:16:44.339 --> 00:16:46.039 and believe that we are alone 00:16:46.039 --> 00:16:48.099 or we turn to ourselves, 00:16:48.480 --> 00:16:50.439 maybe and we turn to ourselves, 00:16:51.459 --> 00:16:53.539 somehow thinking that by our own strength, 00:16:53.659 --> 00:16:56.559 our own power, our own cleverness, 00:16:56.659 --> 00:16:57.519 we will overcome. 00:17:02.159 --> 00:17:04.619 At this point, it's easy to give up on God. 00:17:05.299 --> 00:17:08.339 But Micah does not merely give us these warnings. 00:17:08.859 --> 00:17:10.619 He does not merely say to us, 00:17:11.420 --> 00:17:13.920 this is what the darkness may look like to you. 00:17:13.920 --> 00:17:17.140 Because laced through this passage, 00:17:17.240 --> 00:17:20.519 he gives us a reminder of his faithfulness, 00:17:21.100 --> 00:17:24.200 a reminder of his purposes and his plans. 00:17:24.600 --> 00:17:26.700 The very things that we lose sight of 00:17:26.700 --> 00:17:28.759 in the middle of those hardest moments 00:17:28.759 --> 00:17:32.180 are the very things that Micah reminds us again 00:17:32.180 --> 00:17:35.120 so that we could see and so that we could have hope. 00:17:35.119 --> 00:17:37.559 So we see, 00:17:38.159 --> 00:17:40.699 as we turn from the point of darkness 00:17:40.699 --> 00:17:44.219 to the message of hope that Micah has, 00:17:45.419 --> 00:17:46.859 we see in verse 10 00:17:46.859 --> 00:17:49.799 that though they will go to Babylon, 00:17:50.159 --> 00:17:51.579 there you shall be rescued. 00:17:51.799 --> 00:17:54.239 From the very place that seems so far 00:17:54.239 --> 00:17:56.039 from where God could actually help, 00:17:56.399 --> 00:17:57.399 he steps in and says, 00:17:57.639 --> 00:17:59.219 I will bring you back from there. 00:17:59.220 --> 00:18:01.299 I have not abandoned you 00:18:01.299 --> 00:18:04.860 even though you are enslaved in another country again. 00:18:05.380 --> 00:18:07.039 I will bring you back. 00:18:08.700 --> 00:18:11.740 Verses 12 and 13 are this beautiful picture 00:18:11.740 --> 00:18:13.880 because it pictures the nations 00:18:13.880 --> 00:18:15.860 gathering around Jerusalem 00:18:15.860 --> 00:18:17.960 like a bunch of vultures 00:18:17.960 --> 00:18:22.880 looking to take up the spoil of Jerusalem. 00:18:22.880 --> 00:18:27.360 And yet what God says in verse 13 is, 00:18:28.100 --> 00:18:30.700 no, they are not gathered for their spoil, 00:18:31.060 --> 00:18:34.120 but they are gathered by me for my judgment. 00:18:35.120 --> 00:18:36.940 They are like grain sheaves 00:18:36.940 --> 00:18:38.820 that have been gathered from the fields 00:18:38.820 --> 00:18:41.140 and have put on a threshing floor. 00:18:41.400 --> 00:18:42.800 And you know what a threshing floor is? 00:18:42.840 --> 00:18:45.020 It's a place where you beat the stalks of grain 00:18:45.020 --> 00:18:48.100 to separate the kernels from everything else. 00:18:48.400 --> 00:18:48.820 And he says, 00:18:48.820 --> 00:18:51.480 this is what God will do to these nations. 00:18:51.480 --> 00:18:55.019 And I will empower you, my people, 00:18:56.299 --> 00:19:00.279 like a rhinoceros in Wakanda, 00:19:00.799 --> 00:19:04.539 armored and trampling all over, right? 00:19:04.660 --> 00:19:06.420 With a horn that has armor 00:19:06.420 --> 00:19:09.839 and hooves that are shod with sharp things. 00:19:10.920 --> 00:19:11.460 He says, 00:19:11.799 --> 00:19:14.420 I'm gonna trample the very ones 00:19:14.420 --> 00:19:17.400 who seem to be so overwhelming 00:19:17.400 --> 00:19:19.180 in your life right now. 00:19:21.480 --> 00:19:24.000 And then in chapter five, 00:19:24.059 --> 00:19:25.299 verses two through five, 00:19:25.440 --> 00:19:27.819 we see the fullness of his promise. 00:19:29.599 --> 00:19:33.079 Not only is it his intent and heart to redeem, 00:19:33.220 --> 00:19:35.059 not only will he overcome his enemies, 00:19:35.620 --> 00:19:36.839 but most of all, 00:19:36.900 --> 00:19:38.779 he will raise up a leader, 00:19:39.360 --> 00:19:40.720 a shepherd ruler, 00:19:41.299 --> 00:19:43.259 to redeem his people. 00:19:43.259 --> 00:19:49.519 Though Assyria threatens God's people 00:19:49.519 --> 00:19:51.940 and God's plan, 00:19:52.160 --> 00:19:54.400 though it looks like those things have failed, 00:19:54.480 --> 00:19:55.720 it is not so. 00:19:56.059 --> 00:19:57.680 For though God may judge, 00:19:57.740 --> 00:19:58.920 he will not forsake. 00:19:59.180 --> 00:20:00.559 And he has a plan, 00:20:00.819 --> 00:20:02.240 and he will make it sure. 00:20:03.099 --> 00:20:04.619 And verses two through five, 00:20:05.579 --> 00:20:06.039 he says, 00:20:06.140 --> 00:20:08.000 I will raise up a shepherd king. 00:20:08.000 --> 00:20:10.859 Let's look at what kind of shepherd king this is. 00:20:11.160 --> 00:20:13.480 Let's look at what kind of ruler this is. 00:20:13.799 --> 00:20:14.359 First of all, 00:20:14.500 --> 00:20:16.940 he is one who comes from Bethlehem. 00:20:17.359 --> 00:20:19.339 Bethlehem is the hometown of who? 00:20:19.859 --> 00:20:20.460 David. 00:20:21.039 --> 00:20:22.259 David the king. 00:20:23.380 --> 00:20:27.519 Who is the one that God promised in 2 Samuel 7 00:20:27.519 --> 00:20:29.160 that through his line, 00:20:29.259 --> 00:20:31.200 he would establish an eternal kingdom 00:20:31.200 --> 00:20:33.039 that will stand forever. 00:20:33.039 --> 00:20:37.220 So this one will come from Bethlehem, 00:20:37.379 --> 00:20:39.659 and he will gather God's people again 00:20:39.659 --> 00:20:40.579 from the nations 00:20:40.579 --> 00:20:42.579 out of the pain of exile, 00:20:42.960 --> 00:20:46.000 out of the 600 years 00:20:46.000 --> 00:20:49.740 between the prophecy of Micah 00:20:49.740 --> 00:20:51.920 and the fulfillment of this 00:20:51.920 --> 00:20:53.079 in the first century. 00:20:54.200 --> 00:20:55.980 He will gather his people back, 00:20:56.039 --> 00:20:58.079 and he will begin to do this work. 00:20:59.659 --> 00:21:00.700 And through this one, 00:21:00.779 --> 00:21:02.500 he will birth a new person, 00:21:02.500 --> 00:21:03.680 a new people, 00:21:03.779 --> 00:21:04.160 I'm sorry, 00:21:04.220 --> 00:21:05.000 a new people 00:21:05.000 --> 00:21:06.319 that he will gather 00:21:06.319 --> 00:21:07.579 from every tribe 00:21:07.579 --> 00:21:08.559 and tongue 00:21:08.559 --> 00:21:09.660 and nation. 00:21:10.299 --> 00:21:11.819 And do you see how he redeems 00:21:11.819 --> 00:21:13.299 that picture of childbirth? 00:21:13.559 --> 00:21:16.640 Just like in the judgment of God, 00:21:16.720 --> 00:21:18.519 you will suffer great pain, 00:21:18.819 --> 00:21:20.359 yet there will be a glory 00:21:20.359 --> 00:21:21.539 on the other side of it, 00:21:21.740 --> 00:21:23.640 for it will birth something new. 00:21:25.539 --> 00:21:27.940 It will birth a new people of God 00:21:27.940 --> 00:21:30.059 with this shepherd king, 00:21:30.460 --> 00:21:31.420 this shepherd ruler 00:21:31.420 --> 00:21:32.500 who watches over it. 00:21:32.740 --> 00:21:34.039 And we see in verse 3, 00:21:35.240 --> 00:21:38.620 sorry, I lost my place here. 00:21:39.000 --> 00:21:43.440 And we see in verse 4 00:21:43.440 --> 00:21:45.460 where he says this most clearly, 00:21:45.539 --> 00:21:48.300 he shall stand and shepherd his flock 00:21:48.300 --> 00:21:49.580 in the strength of the Lord, 00:21:50.080 --> 00:21:51.880 in the majesty of the name 00:21:51.880 --> 00:21:53.080 of the Lord his God, 00:21:53.140 --> 00:21:54.500 and they shall dwell secure, 00:21:55.080 --> 00:21:56.360 for now he shall be great. 00:21:56.359 --> 00:21:58.359 This one that God will raise up 00:21:58.359 --> 00:21:59.459 will be like a shepherd. 00:21:59.959 --> 00:22:03.139 He will fight off the attacks 00:22:03.139 --> 00:22:04.479 of the wolves and the bears 00:22:04.479 --> 00:22:05.359 and the lions. 00:22:05.679 --> 00:22:07.119 He will lead the sheep 00:22:07.119 --> 00:22:08.659 into green fields 00:22:08.659 --> 00:22:10.119 where they can feed 00:22:10.119 --> 00:22:11.699 and by still waters 00:22:11.699 --> 00:22:13.899 where they can refresh themselves. 00:22:14.099 --> 00:22:15.240 He will watch over them 00:22:15.240 --> 00:22:17.079 and he will chase down the strays 00:22:17.079 --> 00:22:19.199 when they wander away from him. 00:22:19.479 --> 00:22:20.639 He will know them 00:22:20.639 --> 00:22:22.039 and they will know him. 00:22:22.379 --> 00:22:23.799 They will know his voice 00:22:23.799 --> 00:22:26.119 and he will faithfully shepherd them 00:22:26.119 --> 00:22:28.220 and will not abandon them in trouble. 00:22:28.859 --> 00:22:31.339 He will stand for them 00:22:31.339 --> 00:22:32.200 in the majesty 00:22:32.200 --> 00:22:34.559 of the name of the Lord their God. 00:22:34.919 --> 00:22:36.379 The majesty of the king 00:22:36.379 --> 00:22:38.460 who is knocking on the door 00:22:38.460 --> 00:22:39.279 of Jerusalem 00:22:39.279 --> 00:22:41.099 has nothing to compare 00:22:41.099 --> 00:22:42.099 to the majesty 00:22:42.099 --> 00:22:43.519 of this shepherd king. 00:22:43.519 --> 00:22:47.500 He will come in the name 00:22:47.500 --> 00:22:48.720 of the one 00:22:48.720 --> 00:22:49.440 who is promised 00:22:49.440 --> 00:22:50.160 to Abraham, 00:22:50.799 --> 00:22:52.059 to Isaac, 00:22:52.440 --> 00:22:53.059 to Jacob, 00:22:54.000 --> 00:22:55.400 to Moses, 00:22:56.000 --> 00:22:56.980 to David. 00:22:57.920 --> 00:22:58.920 The promise is that 00:22:58.920 --> 00:22:59.740 he will gather 00:22:59.740 --> 00:23:00.980 a people to himself 00:23:00.980 --> 00:23:03.180 so that he might display 00:23:03.180 --> 00:23:03.879 his glory. 00:23:04.639 --> 00:23:06.740 He will fulfill his promise 00:23:06.740 --> 00:23:09.799 and he will make his people 00:23:09.799 --> 00:23:10.539 secure, 00:23:10.539 --> 00:23:14.099 dwell securely again. 00:23:15.799 --> 00:23:17.899 Though the king of Assyria says, 00:23:18.279 --> 00:23:19.700 no God can protect you. 00:23:20.440 --> 00:23:21.159 God says, 00:23:21.399 --> 00:23:21.680 no, 00:23:22.039 --> 00:23:22.799 there is one 00:23:22.799 --> 00:23:23.779 who can protect you 00:23:23.779 --> 00:23:25.839 and he will be their peace. 00:23:26.440 --> 00:23:27.299 He will triumph 00:23:27.299 --> 00:23:28.859 over all of his enemies 00:23:28.859 --> 00:23:30.799 and restore his people 00:23:30.799 --> 00:23:32.440 to a place of peace. 00:23:32.440 --> 00:23:33.359 Not only peace 00:23:33.359 --> 00:23:34.099 with their enemies 00:23:34.099 --> 00:23:35.359 but peace with God. 00:23:35.720 --> 00:23:36.740 He will restore them 00:23:36.740 --> 00:23:37.859 to a new place 00:23:37.859 --> 00:23:39.259 where they will live 00:23:39.259 --> 00:23:40.480 with him, 00:23:40.799 --> 00:23:41.660 with God 00:23:41.660 --> 00:23:42.460 in their midst 00:23:42.460 --> 00:23:44.259 in all of the glory. 00:23:46.119 --> 00:23:47.220 And Micah intends 00:23:47.220 --> 00:23:48.319 this promise 00:23:48.319 --> 00:23:49.900 to be like a light 00:23:49.900 --> 00:23:51.740 piercing the shadow 00:23:51.740 --> 00:23:53.019 of Mordor, 00:23:53.640 --> 00:23:54.579 bringing hope, 00:23:56.180 --> 00:23:58.019 meant to be a truth 00:23:58.019 --> 00:23:59.339 that brings perspective 00:23:59.339 --> 00:24:00.259 and the strength 00:24:00.259 --> 00:24:00.960 to endure 00:24:00.960 --> 00:24:02.279 in the darkest moments. 00:24:03.480 --> 00:24:05.240 A reminder of a God 00:24:05.240 --> 00:24:07.400 who will fulfill his promise. 00:24:07.400 --> 00:24:10.600 this is the God 00:24:10.600 --> 00:24:11.740 that he points them to. 00:24:12.140 --> 00:24:13.300 This is the reminder 00:24:13.300 --> 00:24:14.480 he wants them to know 00:24:14.480 --> 00:24:16.660 of in their darkest points. 00:24:17.820 --> 00:24:18.420 And friends, 00:24:18.620 --> 00:24:20.080 we have the glory 00:24:20.080 --> 00:24:21.580 of seeing this promise 00:24:21.580 --> 00:24:22.120 fulfilled, 00:24:22.200 --> 00:24:22.620 don't we? 00:24:24.820 --> 00:24:26.040 It's what Jinhee read 00:24:26.040 --> 00:24:26.660 earlier. 00:24:27.759 --> 00:24:28.940 Well-known story 00:24:28.940 --> 00:24:30.000 that we usually only read 00:24:30.000 --> 00:24:30.759 in Christmastime. 00:24:31.120 --> 00:24:32.340 But here we are in May 00:24:32.340 --> 00:24:33.340 reading it. 00:24:33.380 --> 00:24:33.660 Why? 00:24:33.660 --> 00:24:35.240 Because it reminds us 00:24:35.240 --> 00:24:36.580 that the God of the Bible 00:24:36.580 --> 00:24:37.420 is faithful 00:24:37.420 --> 00:24:39.340 to fulfill his promises. 00:24:39.860 --> 00:24:40.880 He is trustworthy 00:24:40.880 --> 00:24:44.019 even in the darkest moments. 00:24:45.620 --> 00:24:47.000 And we are able 00:24:47.000 --> 00:24:48.800 to look back 00:24:48.800 --> 00:24:50.380 on what the people of Israel 00:24:50.380 --> 00:24:50.900 were called 00:24:50.900 --> 00:24:51.960 to look ahead to. 00:24:52.340 --> 00:24:53.519 They looked ahead 00:24:53.519 --> 00:24:54.259 to this coming. 00:24:54.620 --> 00:24:55.580 We look back 00:24:55.580 --> 00:24:57.140 because the Gospel of Matthew 00:24:57.140 --> 00:24:57.519 says, 00:24:57.700 --> 00:24:59.279 in the coming of Jesus Christ, 00:24:59.600 --> 00:25:00.920 the glory of David, 00:25:01.259 --> 00:25:02.720 the humility of Bethlehem, 00:25:02.720 --> 00:25:04.480 Jesus came to be 00:25:04.480 --> 00:25:05.779 this shepherd king 00:25:05.779 --> 00:25:08.279 in our darkest times. 00:25:08.980 --> 00:25:10.559 He came as the fulfillment 00:25:10.559 --> 00:25:12.259 of all of the hopes 00:25:12.259 --> 00:25:12.920 and promises 00:25:12.920 --> 00:25:14.000 of the Old Testament. 00:25:14.480 --> 00:25:16.420 He faces the greatest enemies, 00:25:16.720 --> 00:25:17.740 not of Assyria 00:25:17.740 --> 00:25:18.500 or Babylon 00:25:18.500 --> 00:25:19.220 or Egypt, 00:25:19.720 --> 00:25:20.660 but of sin 00:25:20.660 --> 00:25:22.120 and death themselves. 00:25:25.220 --> 00:25:27.480 And going through 00:25:27.480 --> 00:25:29.039 the suffering of the cross 00:25:29.039 --> 00:25:30.500 so that he might 00:25:30.500 --> 00:25:31.539 identify with us, 00:25:31.539 --> 00:25:33.480 he rises victorious 00:25:33.480 --> 00:25:35.299 over all of these enemies 00:25:35.299 --> 00:25:37.000 so that we might know 00:25:37.000 --> 00:25:37.740 that in him 00:25:37.740 --> 00:25:38.859 we dwell secure 00:25:38.859 --> 00:25:40.059 forever. 00:25:42.059 --> 00:25:43.379 He has made us 00:25:43.379 --> 00:25:44.200 a new kingdom, 00:25:44.759 --> 00:25:45.599 a new people, 00:25:45.980 --> 00:25:46.960 a new promise. 00:25:48.159 --> 00:25:49.519 And we can look 00:25:49.519 --> 00:25:50.960 to the cross 00:25:50.960 --> 00:25:52.220 and to the empty tomb 00:25:52.220 --> 00:25:52.700 and know 00:25:52.700 --> 00:25:54.440 God is faithful 00:25:54.440 --> 00:25:56.220 and we can entrust 00:25:56.220 --> 00:25:57.059 ourselves to him. 00:25:57.059 --> 00:25:59.559 and this is what 00:25:59.559 --> 00:26:00.720 he wants to remind us 00:26:00.720 --> 00:26:01.619 of in the most 00:26:01.619 --> 00:26:02.799 dark moments. 00:26:05.679 --> 00:26:06.500 Eli and Katie, 00:26:06.700 --> 00:26:07.480 sorry I'm going to put you 00:26:07.480 --> 00:26:07.980 on the spot, 00:26:08.940 --> 00:26:10.220 but the rest of you 00:26:10.220 --> 00:26:11.220 can listen in for a minute. 00:26:11.619 --> 00:26:12.359 You guys are going to get 00:26:12.359 --> 00:26:13.339 baptized in a minute, 00:26:14.000 --> 00:26:15.339 expressing faith in Jesus. 00:26:16.079 --> 00:26:17.659 And I hope that this word 00:26:17.659 --> 00:26:18.599 will stay to you, 00:26:19.359 --> 00:26:20.200 stay with you, 00:26:20.539 --> 00:26:21.980 that in the darkest moments, 00:26:21.980 --> 00:26:24.640 Jesus will be with you 00:26:24.640 --> 00:26:26.620 and Jesus will keep you. 00:26:27.700 --> 00:26:28.400 When you sin 00:26:28.400 --> 00:26:29.039 and blow it, 00:26:29.099 --> 00:26:29.839 his salvation 00:26:29.839 --> 00:26:31.079 has secured 00:26:31.079 --> 00:26:31.779 your forgiveness. 00:26:32.440 --> 00:26:33.440 When it feels like 00:26:33.440 --> 00:26:34.599 God has abandoned you, 00:26:34.740 --> 00:26:35.920 Jesus reminds us 00:26:35.920 --> 00:26:36.740 that he is always 00:26:36.740 --> 00:26:37.259 with you 00:26:37.259 --> 00:26:38.519 to the end of the age. 00:26:39.039 --> 00:26:40.039 When you face 00:26:40.039 --> 00:26:40.759 the sufferings 00:26:40.759 --> 00:26:41.220 and loss 00:26:41.220 --> 00:26:42.240 of a broken world, 00:26:42.980 --> 00:26:44.720 know that he 00:26:44.720 --> 00:26:46.200 will make all things new. 00:26:46.900 --> 00:26:47.839 His love for you 00:26:47.839 --> 00:26:48.620 is immovable 00:26:48.620 --> 00:26:49.440 and unchanging. 00:26:49.440 --> 00:26:52.140 He will hold you fast. 00:26:54.160 --> 00:26:55.500 And for all of us, 00:26:55.600 --> 00:26:57.059 this is the same word. 00:26:57.519 --> 00:26:58.700 This is the same truth. 00:26:59.640 --> 00:27:00.240 Though Jesus 00:27:00.240 --> 00:27:00.880 has secured 00:27:00.880 --> 00:27:01.600 our salvation, 00:27:01.779 --> 00:27:02.299 we know that 00:27:02.299 --> 00:27:03.180 we're still awaiting. 00:27:03.980 --> 00:27:04.779 Though this king 00:27:04.779 --> 00:27:05.259 has come, 00:27:05.320 --> 00:27:06.360 he has not established 00:27:06.360 --> 00:27:06.820 the fullness 00:27:06.820 --> 00:27:07.500 of his kingdom 00:27:07.500 --> 00:27:08.700 and so we still, 00:27:09.140 --> 00:27:09.759 like Israel, 00:27:09.880 --> 00:27:10.680 look forward 00:27:10.680 --> 00:27:11.820 to the fullness 00:27:11.820 --> 00:27:12.740 of this promise 00:27:12.740 --> 00:27:13.799 coming to us. 00:27:15.900 --> 00:27:16.799 And what Micah 00:27:16.799 --> 00:27:18.019 wants us to know 00:27:18.019 --> 00:27:18.660 this morning 00:27:18.660 --> 00:27:20.300 is that in the moments 00:27:20.300 --> 00:27:21.360 of greatest darkness, 00:27:21.759 --> 00:27:22.620 let the promise 00:27:22.620 --> 00:27:23.820 of God 00:27:23.820 --> 00:27:25.320 in this passage 00:27:25.320 --> 00:27:27.240 be ours. 00:27:27.800 --> 00:27:29.120 Don't let the trials 00:27:29.120 --> 00:27:30.560 blot out the vision 00:27:30.560 --> 00:27:32.540 of seeing God's faithfulness. 00:27:32.640 --> 00:27:33.720 Don't let the darkness 00:27:33.720 --> 00:27:35.980 overwhelm your faith. 00:27:38.300 --> 00:27:39.540 But turn to him, 00:27:39.759 --> 00:27:40.480 run to him, 00:27:41.259 --> 00:27:42.120 cling to him, 00:27:42.119 --> 00:27:45.619 for he is there 00:27:45.619 --> 00:27:47.979 and he will hold 00:27:47.979 --> 00:27:49.259 to you. 00:27:50.759 --> 00:27:51.439 One day, 00:27:51.779 --> 00:27:52.879 the darkness will pass. 00:27:53.899 --> 00:27:54.619 One day, 00:27:54.799 --> 00:27:56.099 there will be no more end. 00:27:56.739 --> 00:27:57.799 There will be no more 00:27:57.799 --> 00:27:58.599 of these moments. 00:27:59.239 --> 00:27:59.779 One day, 00:27:59.899 --> 00:28:01.159 the dawn will rise 00:28:01.159 --> 00:28:02.439 and the sun will shine 00:28:02.439 --> 00:28:02.919 forever. 00:28:06.119 --> 00:28:06.919 Till then, 00:28:07.919 --> 00:28:09.299 let us walk in faith. 00:28:09.299 --> 00:28:11.899 let's pray together. 00:28:19.839 --> 00:28:20.619 Lord Jesus, 00:28:20.799 --> 00:28:21.379 we thank you 00:28:21.379 --> 00:28:22.220 for this word 00:28:22.220 --> 00:28:24.259 and we pray this morning 00:28:24.259 --> 00:28:25.339 that you would push it 00:28:25.339 --> 00:28:26.220 into our hearts. 00:28:27.319 --> 00:28:27.619 Lord, 00:28:27.720 --> 00:28:28.299 help us. 00:28:29.980 --> 00:28:31.339 Help us to see you 00:28:31.339 --> 00:28:32.399 in our darkest moments. 00:28:33.839 --> 00:28:35.200 Help us to trust you 00:28:35.200 --> 00:28:38.960 when all of our circumstances 00:28:38.960 --> 00:28:40.080 tell us otherwise. 00:28:42.279 --> 00:28:43.380 Help us to know 00:28:43.380 --> 00:28:44.259 who you are 00:28:44.259 --> 00:28:45.860 and to see that, 00:28:46.059 --> 00:28:46.100 Lord, 00:28:46.160 --> 00:28:47.100 the greatest things 00:28:47.100 --> 00:28:48.319 that threaten us here, 00:28:49.500 --> 00:28:50.799 Lord, 00:28:50.920 --> 00:28:52.140 pale in the comparison 00:28:52.140 --> 00:28:53.740 to how great you are, 00:28:54.740 --> 00:28:56.460 that you are a good shepherd, 00:28:57.460 --> 00:28:59.519 that you are a sovereign king, 00:29:00.220 --> 00:29:01.740 that you are a loving father, 00:29:02.840 --> 00:29:04.059 that you are a great God. 00:29:06.160 --> 00:29:07.200 We pray these things 00:29:07.200 --> 00:29:07.960 in Jesus' name. 00:29:08.680 --> 00:29:08.920 Amen.