WEBVTT 00:00:00.900 --> 00:00:10.300 Good morning. My name is Matthew Capone, and I'm the pastor here at Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church, and it's my joy to bring God's word to you today. 00:00:10.919 --> 00:00:18.580 Special welcome if you are new or visiting with us. We're glad that you're here, and we're glad that you're here not because we are trying to fill seats, 00:00:18.820 --> 00:00:27.679 but because we are following after Jesus together, and as we follow Jesus together, we become convinced that there's no one so good that they don't need God's grace, 00:00:27.679 --> 00:00:36.179 and no one's so bad that they can't have it. That's why we come week after week to God's word, because we believe that he has something to say to everyone. 00:00:37.700 --> 00:00:45.679 We are entering this Sunday into what's known in the church calendar as the season of Advent, and Advent comes from a Latin word, 00:00:45.679 --> 00:00:52.719 which means to come or to arrive, and so we're very simply celebrating the fact that Jesus came or arrived on earth. 00:00:52.719 --> 00:00:58.579 That's what Advent's about. It's about Jesus coming. Now, we do two things when we think about Jesus coming. 00:00:58.679 --> 00:01:04.599 First of all, we celebrate what happened in the past. We celebrate the fact that he came, and so that's when we sing songs like, 00:01:05.079 --> 00:01:11.400 Joy to the World, the Lord Has Come, past tense. But we don't just celebrate what God's done in the past. 00:01:11.400 --> 00:01:15.759 We also look forward to what he will do in the future, and so we sing other songs like, 00:01:15.760 --> 00:01:21.840 O come, O come, Emmanuel, because we know that we're still waiting and longing for Jesus' second coming, 00:01:21.920 --> 00:01:27.600 for him to return to the earth. And that's really, Advent is essentially what's happening at all times in the Christian life. 00:01:27.660 --> 00:01:33.100 We are celebrating what God has done in the past, and we're looking forward to what he will do in the future 00:01:33.100 --> 00:01:37.240 so that we can live faithfully now in obedience and love in the present. 00:01:37.239 --> 00:01:44.459 We're going to be taking a special look at Advent this month, but this is not something that's different 00:01:44.459 --> 00:01:48.759 than other parts of the Christian life or other parts of the year. We're always celebrating Jesus' coming, 00:01:49.379 --> 00:01:51.319 even as we do it in a special way in December. 00:01:52.879 --> 00:01:57.359 Now, when I started my first job out of college, there was a tradition. 00:01:57.919 --> 00:02:00.239 We would have a white elephant party every year. 00:02:00.919 --> 00:02:04.259 If you're familiar with the white elephant party, you know it's where everyone brings a different gift, 00:02:04.260 --> 00:02:07.480 and then there's a gift exchange that happens and the gifts that are brought, 00:02:07.840 --> 00:02:11.819 and the goal is to get the gift that you want. So sometimes there can be steals that happen. 00:02:12.060 --> 00:02:16.680 Hopefully there's a limit on the number of steals. You can maybe only steal two or three times a certain gift, 00:02:16.740 --> 00:02:19.140 and there's always one gift that shows up that everyone wants. 00:02:19.819 --> 00:02:25.060 Well, I was a little late to the game. I mean, I showed up every year, but I didn't have a good strategy coming in. 00:02:25.780 --> 00:02:27.840 And you know there's different strategies if you show up at this. 00:02:27.840 --> 00:02:33.700 You could be the gag gift person. You know, you could bring a grow-your-own-boyfriend thing from the dollar store. 00:02:34.719 --> 00:02:40.060 That's one option. You could bring Christmas decor that was on sale on December 26th, the year before. 00:02:41.459 --> 00:02:45.299 And I kind of fumbled around trying to find the right strategy until I settled on it. 00:02:45.340 --> 00:02:48.219 My third year, I finally had a clear goal. 00:02:48.299 --> 00:02:52.359 And my goal, of course, if you're going to one of these things, you hope that your gift gets traded at least once. 00:02:53.159 --> 00:02:54.840 That's the sign that you brought something good. 00:02:54.840 --> 00:02:59.920 And I realized, okay, I don't have the gift of the gag gift. That's not my skill set. 00:03:00.539 --> 00:03:04.520 I'm not going to go out on December 26th and buy Christmas decor for the next year. 00:03:05.319 --> 00:03:10.120 But I do know something about everyone in this world, and everyone in this world loves food. 00:03:11.259 --> 00:03:13.800 And so I adopted the food sampler strategy. 00:03:13.800 --> 00:03:17.840 Well, no one's going to be sad about a food sampler, right? 00:03:17.860 --> 00:03:22.160 You could get six different types of honey from different parts of the world, three different types of coffee. 00:03:22.240 --> 00:03:24.140 And I'll just say it's always a winner. 00:03:24.540 --> 00:03:26.660 So if you're taking notes, this would be something to write down. 00:03:26.939 --> 00:03:30.680 Next time you're at a white Christmas party, take a food sampler. 00:03:31.780 --> 00:03:34.320 You don't have to be the creative person who brings the gag gift. 00:03:34.400 --> 00:03:37.000 You don't have to buy decor. You don't have to bring something random. 00:03:37.000 --> 00:03:38.919 That is a winning strategy every time. 00:03:40.400 --> 00:03:45.639 This month, in December, we are going to have a sampler pack from the book of Micah. 00:03:47.099 --> 00:03:53.599 Micah is a prophet who lived in the 8th century, and the book of Micah is a collection of his prophecies. 00:03:54.159 --> 00:03:56.639 It is seven chapters. We're only going to have four weeks. 00:03:56.719 --> 00:03:59.639 So we're going to take a sample of what Micah has to say to us. 00:04:00.800 --> 00:04:06.240 Now, Micah, living in this time in the 8th century, we're going to locate ourselves just for a second where we are in the history of the Bible. 00:04:06.240 --> 00:04:10.300 We are in the time that has come after the great kings of Israel. 00:04:11.159 --> 00:04:13.980 So Saul, David, Solomon, their past. 00:04:15.300 --> 00:04:17.300 We're before the time of the exile. 00:04:17.840 --> 00:04:21.100 So this is historically before where we were in the book of Nehemiah. 00:04:21.180 --> 00:04:24.560 Remember in the book of Nehemiah, which we covered the very beginning of this year, 00:04:25.000 --> 00:04:27.620 the exile had happened and people were now returning. 00:04:28.460 --> 00:04:30.759 We're before that. The exile has not happened. 00:04:30.939 --> 00:04:33.040 People are going to soon go into exile. 00:04:33.879 --> 00:04:35.879 So that's where we are in terms of the history of the story. 00:04:35.879 --> 00:04:37.519 It's after the kings, before the exile. 00:04:38.300 --> 00:04:40.000 And Micah does what many prophets do. 00:04:40.100 --> 00:04:41.500 He predicts what's about to happen. 00:04:41.620 --> 00:04:43.800 He predicts the fall of Israel and then Judah. 00:04:44.939 --> 00:04:46.719 And it's a book really about two things. 00:04:46.779 --> 00:04:49.860 It's a book about judgment and it's a book about salvation. 00:04:51.079 --> 00:04:52.240 It's a book about judgment. 00:04:52.459 --> 00:04:53.560 It's a book about salvation. 00:04:54.000 --> 00:04:56.279 And I'm just going to tell you off the bat, since this is a sampler pack, 00:04:56.800 --> 00:05:02.019 one man has estimated that 70% of Micah is judgment and 30% is salvation. 00:05:03.019 --> 00:05:04.719 Now, I know this will disappoint many of you, 00:05:04.799 --> 00:05:06.859 but we're not going to follow that ratio here in Advent 00:05:06.859 --> 00:05:10.699 because our focus is on the expectation of Jesus as the coming king. 00:05:10.779 --> 00:05:13.599 So we're actually going to be less on judgment and more on salvation. 00:05:14.240 --> 00:05:16.500 That's not to say that either one is more important than the other. 00:05:16.699 --> 00:05:18.419 And we're going to be looking at judgment today. 00:05:18.419 --> 00:05:21.139 But just to name the fact that we can't see everything that's in the book of Micah, 00:05:21.199 --> 00:05:23.019 we're not going to talk about, for example, 00:05:23.079 --> 00:05:25.819 the most famous verse in the book of Micah, Micah 6.8. 00:05:25.819 --> 00:05:29.579 So this will be a sample for you to whet your appetite 00:05:29.579 --> 00:05:31.819 to dig further and further into the book of Micah 00:05:31.819 --> 00:05:34.500 as we look at four different passages. 00:05:34.500 --> 00:05:36.779 And we start today with chapter one. 00:05:37.699 --> 00:05:40.740 By the way, I told you that Micah is a book about judgment and salvation. 00:05:41.300 --> 00:05:43.060 There's also something that's little known, 00:05:43.139 --> 00:05:46.779 which is that Micah's name, which is also the title of this book, is a question. 00:05:48.240 --> 00:05:51.300 Micah's name means, who is like God? 00:05:53.240 --> 00:05:54.459 Who is like God? 00:05:56.300 --> 00:05:59.959 That will also be a question that will be answered throughout the book of Micah. 00:06:00.159 --> 00:06:02.339 We will get to see that no one is like God. 00:06:03.379 --> 00:06:06.399 And that will be part of the hope that we'll see as we dig into this book. 00:06:06.480 --> 00:06:09.980 And so without further ado, I'm going to turn with you all to Micah chapter one. 00:06:10.120 --> 00:06:11.659 I invite you to turn with me in your Bible. 00:06:13.019 --> 00:06:16.039 You can also turn at the end of your worship guide or open it up on your phone. 00:06:16.639 --> 00:06:20.159 And I mentioned just a few seconds ago that Micah is primarily a book about judgment 00:06:20.159 --> 00:06:23.839 and chapters one through three are almost entirely judgment. 00:06:23.839 --> 00:06:27.019 We're going to look at chapter one today, this morning. 00:06:27.439 --> 00:06:28.599 And our question is simply this. 00:06:28.719 --> 00:06:31.519 What does judgment have to do with Christmas? 00:06:33.000 --> 00:06:34.939 What does judgment have to do with Christmas? 00:06:35.519 --> 00:06:36.879 You would think that if we're celebrating Christmas, 00:06:36.979 --> 00:06:40.159 we would only talk about things that are happy and fill us with joy, right? 00:06:40.199 --> 00:06:41.079 Things that we would celebrate. 00:06:41.179 --> 00:06:44.099 And judgment doesn't necessarily fit in that category. 00:06:44.100 --> 00:06:49.080 And yet in this book, we receive prophecies like the prophecy that's going to come in two weeks 00:06:49.080 --> 00:06:52.420 about the fact that Jesus is going to come to us from Bethlehem. 00:06:53.660 --> 00:06:58.680 And so it seems that Micah believes that judgment has a lot to do with our understanding of Jesus coming. 00:06:59.660 --> 00:07:02.540 It's with that that we'll turn to Micah chapter one, starting at verse one. 00:07:02.580 --> 00:07:04.379 And let me remind you that this is God's word. 00:07:04.379 --> 00:07:10.779 And God tells us that though the grass wither and the flowers fade, his word will stand forever. 00:07:11.920 --> 00:07:13.180 And so that's why we read it now. 00:07:13.180 --> 00:07:20.319 The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, 00:07:20.519 --> 00:07:23.259 which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. 00:07:24.220 --> 00:07:26.019 Hear, you peoples, all of you. 00:07:27.000 --> 00:07:29.620 Pay attention, O earth, and all that is in it. 00:07:30.079 --> 00:07:34.600 And let the Lord God be a witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple. 00:07:35.460 --> 00:07:41.100 For behold, the Lord is coming out of his place and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth. 00:07:41.100 --> 00:07:46.840 And the mountains will melt under him and the valleys will split open like wax before the fire, 00:07:47.140 --> 00:07:49.680 like waters poured down a steep place. 00:07:50.600 --> 00:07:51.280 Verse five. 00:07:52.080 --> 00:07:56.300 All this is for the transgression of Jacob and for the sins of the house of Israel. 00:07:57.180 --> 00:07:58.960 What is the transgression of Jacob? 00:07:59.680 --> 00:08:00.660 Is it not Samaria? 00:08:01.220 --> 00:08:03.320 And what is the high place of Judah? 00:08:03.820 --> 00:08:04.860 Is it not Jerusalem? 00:08:05.939 --> 00:08:09.160 Therefore, I will make Samaria a heap in the open country, 00:08:09.160 --> 00:08:11.520 a place for planting vineyards. 00:08:12.320 --> 00:08:16.380 And I will pour down her stones into the valley and uncover her foundations. 00:08:17.580 --> 00:08:18.000 Verse seven. 00:08:18.920 --> 00:08:21.320 All her carved images shall be beaten to pieces. 00:08:21.680 --> 00:08:23.940 All her wages shall be burned with fire. 00:08:24.520 --> 00:08:26.440 And all her idols I will lay waste. 00:08:27.020 --> 00:08:29.840 For from the fee of a prostitute she gathered them. 00:08:30.300 --> 00:08:32.960 And to the fee of a prostitute they shall return. 00:08:32.960 --> 00:08:35.720 For this I will lament and wail. 00:08:35.900 --> 00:08:37.340 I will go stripped and naked. 00:08:37.900 --> 00:08:41.759 I will make the lamentation like the jackals and mourning like the ostriches. 00:08:42.259 --> 00:08:45.740 For her wound is incurable and it has come to Judah. 00:08:46.160 --> 00:08:49.200 It has reached to the gate of my people, to Jerusalem. 00:08:50.600 --> 00:08:51.139 Verse 10. 00:08:51.900 --> 00:08:53.120 Tell it not in Gath. 00:08:53.639 --> 00:08:55.800 Weep not at all in Beth Laaphra. 00:08:56.320 --> 00:08:57.639 Roll yourselves in the dust. 00:08:58.340 --> 00:09:01.900 Pass on your way inhabitants of Shaphir in nakedness and shame. 00:09:01.899 --> 00:09:04.699 The inhabitants of Zanon do not come out. 00:09:05.419 --> 00:09:09.360 The lamentation of Beth Ezel shall take away from you its standing place. 00:09:10.279 --> 00:09:12.879 For the inhabitants of Meroth wait anxiously for good, 00:09:12.939 --> 00:09:16.659 because disaster has come down from the Lord to the gate of Jerusalem. 00:09:18.100 --> 00:09:20.959 Harness the steeds to the chariots, inhabitants of Lachish. 00:09:21.679 --> 00:09:24.000 It was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion, 00:09:24.120 --> 00:09:26.559 for in you were found the transgressions of Israel. 00:09:27.539 --> 00:09:30.699 Therefore you shall give parting gifts to Moresheth Gath, 00:09:30.700 --> 00:09:34.840 the houses of Axib shall be a deceitful thing to the kings of Israel. 00:09:35.540 --> 00:09:38.980 I will again bring a conqueror to you, inhabitants of Mereshah. 00:09:39.440 --> 00:09:41.740 The glory of Israel shall come to Adalim. 00:09:42.620 --> 00:09:46.280 Make yourselves bald and cut off your hair for the children of your delight. 00:09:47.280 --> 00:09:49.220 Make yourselves as bald as the eagle, 00:09:49.960 --> 00:09:52.840 for they shall go from you into exile. 00:09:52.840 --> 00:09:57.840 I invite you to pray with me as we come to this portion of God's word. 00:10:00.720 --> 00:10:05.340 Dear Father in heaven, we thank you for the chance to gather today, 00:10:05.440 --> 00:10:08.259 that you have called us to worship in this place. 00:10:08.259 --> 00:10:11.580 And we thank you for your word that you give to us, 00:10:11.679 --> 00:10:14.960 that you don't expect us to figure out life on our own. 00:10:16.039 --> 00:10:18.360 But instead, you have provided instructions, 00:10:18.779 --> 00:10:22.700 that we would know what your will is and what is for our good. 00:10:23.659 --> 00:10:27.740 We ask that you'd send your Holy Spirit now to help us as we study your word, 00:10:28.019 --> 00:10:30.399 that we would truly hear from you. 00:10:30.399 --> 00:10:34.740 We ask these things not because we deserve them or earned them, 00:10:35.240 --> 00:10:37.159 but we ask them because Jesus has. 00:10:37.399 --> 00:10:38.639 And so we ask them in his name. 00:10:39.399 --> 00:10:39.639 Amen. 00:10:42.679 --> 00:10:46.379 It will come to no surprise to you, if you're an American, 00:10:46.480 --> 00:10:50.220 if I tell you that we live in a society that's very litigious. 00:10:51.019 --> 00:10:54.679 People are quick to sue each other and bring lawsuits. 00:10:55.439 --> 00:10:57.919 I met someone in Colorado Springs not too long ago 00:10:57.919 --> 00:10:59.439 who had moved here from another country. 00:10:59.440 --> 00:11:01.840 And in that other country, she'd been a nurse, 00:11:01.860 --> 00:11:03.900 and her hope was to be able to become a nurse here. 00:11:04.300 --> 00:11:06.580 The only problem was she had to learn all over again 00:11:06.580 --> 00:11:08.140 because, as she explained to me, 00:11:08.620 --> 00:11:11.400 in America, there's so many more notes that need to be taken 00:11:11.400 --> 00:11:13.720 because unlike in the country she came from, 00:11:13.960 --> 00:11:17.220 it's much more likely for a hospital or a doctor to be sued. 00:11:18.140 --> 00:11:20.360 And so there was a whole different protocol 00:11:20.360 --> 00:11:22.560 for the ways to record these things. 00:11:22.560 --> 00:11:25.700 And ultimately, she did not transfer in, as far as I know, 00:11:25.820 --> 00:11:27.840 her ability to nurse into this country. 00:11:27.840 --> 00:11:29.680 And the last I knew, she had gone into real estate. 00:11:30.280 --> 00:11:33.420 But it just highlights that there's something unique about America. 00:11:34.180 --> 00:11:38.519 Not every country in the world is as eager to go to law courts as we are. 00:11:39.280 --> 00:11:41.060 I still remember when I was a teacher, 00:11:41.200 --> 00:11:44.800 at one point there was a dispute between two elementary students, 00:11:44.800 --> 00:11:46.139 and one of them said to the other, 00:11:46.139 --> 00:11:47.000 I'll sue you. 00:11:48.179 --> 00:11:49.460 And I thought, no, you won't. 00:11:49.580 --> 00:11:50.139 You're eight. 00:11:53.259 --> 00:11:56.519 As we begin, Micah chapter one, God has a lawsuit. 00:11:57.559 --> 00:11:59.039 And he is bringing it. 00:11:59.100 --> 00:12:03.679 We find out in verse two that the Lord God is going to be a witness. 00:12:03.879 --> 00:12:06.539 It says, let the Lord God be a witness against you, 00:12:06.919 --> 00:12:08.639 the Lord from his holy temple. 00:12:08.759 --> 00:12:12.460 And he is a witness here against the peoples, it says, and the earth. 00:12:12.460 --> 00:12:15.980 And so God has some judgment to bring. 00:12:16.139 --> 00:12:19.300 And he's not just the witness here. 00:12:19.340 --> 00:12:20.940 It turns out he's also the punisher. 00:12:21.540 --> 00:12:23.420 So he fulfills multiple roles. 00:12:23.820 --> 00:12:25.200 He's a witness in the lawsuit. 00:12:25.780 --> 00:12:30.519 He's also coming, verses three and four, out of his high place. 00:12:30.720 --> 00:12:32.259 Verse three, we get an image here, 00:12:32.379 --> 00:12:34.360 poetic image of what it's going to look like 00:12:34.360 --> 00:12:37.940 for God to bring judgment on the people he's bringing a case against. 00:12:38.060 --> 00:12:39.940 And it's dramatic and overwhelming. 00:12:39.940 --> 00:12:42.000 Verse four, mountains will melt under him 00:12:42.000 --> 00:12:45.000 and the valleys will split open like wax before the fire, 00:12:45.540 --> 00:12:47.200 like waters poured down a steep place. 00:12:47.240 --> 00:12:50.020 And so the image here is of a king coming down on a mountain. 00:12:50.100 --> 00:12:52.900 We could imagine someone stepping on Pike's Peak, 00:12:53.360 --> 00:12:55.720 being so powerful that they would actually crush it. 00:12:56.760 --> 00:12:59.480 That's the image that's given here of God in his judgment. 00:12:59.660 --> 00:13:02.640 That is the kind of power he has at his disposal. 00:13:03.480 --> 00:13:05.400 If he can crush the mountains, 00:13:07.400 --> 00:13:09.400 what do you think is going to happen to you? 00:13:09.940 --> 00:13:15.340 It's a dramatic display here of God's judgment, 00:13:15.500 --> 00:13:19.180 the wrath that he brings for those who have sinned against him. 00:13:20.080 --> 00:13:22.260 Now, this language here would have been used, 00:13:22.380 --> 00:13:24.280 typically the people in Israel hearing this 00:13:24.280 --> 00:13:26.740 would be used to this language used as God deals with their enemies. 00:13:27.880 --> 00:13:29.280 And so at this point, they might be thinking, 00:13:29.460 --> 00:13:30.520 yes, this is what we want. 00:13:30.600 --> 00:13:32.860 We want God to come down and shatter the mountains 00:13:32.860 --> 00:13:35.320 and bring justice against the peoples in the earth. 00:13:35.320 --> 00:13:38.100 I want you to imagine for a second with me 00:13:38.100 --> 00:13:41.000 that you're at your home at night 00:13:41.000 --> 00:13:44.320 and you hear someone messing around on your roof. 00:13:45.920 --> 00:13:48.740 And not only do you hear someone messing around on your roof, 00:13:48.820 --> 00:13:49.820 they're crawling around. 00:13:50.300 --> 00:13:51.540 It seems like they're up to no good. 00:13:51.720 --> 00:13:55.060 You then hear some of the latches on the outside of your door moving. 00:13:55.059 --> 00:13:59.119 And it becomes clear that there are multiple people 00:13:59.119 --> 00:14:00.839 who are trying to break into your house. 00:14:02.479 --> 00:14:04.659 At that point, maybe you call the police, 00:14:05.179 --> 00:14:06.559 maybe someone else has called the police, 00:14:06.659 --> 00:14:07.319 maybe your neighbors, 00:14:07.399 --> 00:14:09.659 and let's say that you have a police scanner 00:14:09.659 --> 00:14:12.219 and you listen and you find out they're on their way. 00:14:12.299 --> 00:14:13.139 The police are coming. 00:14:13.259 --> 00:14:15.459 There's been something bad happened that's reported. 00:14:16.199 --> 00:14:18.019 We'll say it's my house on Cool Crest Drive. 00:14:18.819 --> 00:14:20.500 And so as you're listening to this, you rejoice. 00:14:20.719 --> 00:14:22.279 You think the police are coming. 00:14:22.279 --> 00:14:24.240 This is only for a limited amount of time. 00:14:24.339 --> 00:14:25.919 And before long, the man on the roof 00:14:25.919 --> 00:14:28.259 and the men at the doors are going to get their full justice. 00:14:29.839 --> 00:14:30.779 Police show up. 00:14:31.720 --> 00:14:33.779 They ignore the people trying to get in. 00:14:34.199 --> 00:14:35.419 And they knock on your door. 00:14:37.179 --> 00:14:38.439 You come out and they say, 00:14:38.519 --> 00:14:39.959 we're here to arrest you. 00:14:42.079 --> 00:14:43.799 Not the scenario you had in mind, right? 00:14:43.819 --> 00:14:45.860 The police were supposed to be coming to rescue you, 00:14:45.939 --> 00:14:46.699 not arrest you. 00:14:46.919 --> 00:14:48.579 They were supposed to bring justice for you 00:14:48.579 --> 00:14:49.819 in this particular situation. 00:14:49.959 --> 00:14:51.839 And then after they take you away 00:14:51.840 --> 00:14:52.879 in their police car, 00:14:53.220 --> 00:14:55.340 they allow those people breaking into your house 00:14:55.340 --> 00:14:56.840 to then go on and pillage it. 00:14:58.780 --> 00:15:00.899 That's what's going on here in Micah chapter one. 00:15:01.000 --> 00:15:02.320 There's an announcement of judgment. 00:15:03.060 --> 00:15:04.560 God's people would naturally expect 00:15:04.560 --> 00:15:06.879 that this judgment would be coming for their enemies. 00:15:07.019 --> 00:15:08.300 In fact, this is written at a time 00:15:08.300 --> 00:15:10.820 when Assyria, the nation of Assyria, 00:15:10.879 --> 00:15:11.639 is a threat to them. 00:15:13.139 --> 00:15:15.820 And yet there's a quick switch in verse five. 00:15:15.920 --> 00:15:16.820 We've heard in verse two 00:15:16.820 --> 00:15:18.840 that it's the earth and the peoples. 00:15:18.840 --> 00:15:21.080 And God's coming in judgment. 00:15:21.200 --> 00:15:22.620 He's coming and gonna make things right. 00:15:22.720 --> 00:15:23.920 Who is he coming for? 00:15:26.160 --> 00:15:27.480 Not Israel's enemies, 00:15:28.000 --> 00:15:29.960 but Israel itself. 00:15:31.320 --> 00:15:31.920 Verse five. 00:15:32.560 --> 00:15:34.720 All this is for the transgression of Jacob 00:15:34.720 --> 00:15:37.519 and for the sins of the house of Israel. 00:15:38.800 --> 00:15:40.480 God is bringing his judgment, 00:15:40.899 --> 00:15:43.440 but there's a nasty twist for Israel. 00:15:43.440 --> 00:15:46.920 He's not bringing his judgment on their enemies. 00:15:47.400 --> 00:15:49.720 He's bringing his judgment on them. 00:15:52.340 --> 00:15:55.400 He's not bringing his judgment on their enemies. 00:15:55.680 --> 00:15:57.880 He's bringing his judgment on them. 00:15:59.020 --> 00:16:00.360 And so that raises another question. 00:16:00.480 --> 00:16:01.740 Why are we the ones 00:16:01.740 --> 00:16:03.180 whose God's judgment is coming for? 00:16:03.240 --> 00:16:04.540 And we find out very quickly. 00:16:05.600 --> 00:16:06.120 Verse six. 00:16:07.460 --> 00:16:08.460 God's going to, 00:16:09.360 --> 00:16:11.180 well, actually we find out the end of verse five. 00:16:11.179 --> 00:16:12.120 It tells us, 00:16:12.699 --> 00:16:13.979 what is the transgression of Jacob? 00:16:14.459 --> 00:16:16.359 Jacob was referring to Israel in the north. 00:16:16.479 --> 00:16:18.000 At this point, we have a divided kingdom. 00:16:18.159 --> 00:16:19.879 So Israel's no longer one nation, 00:16:19.959 --> 00:16:20.659 but two nations. 00:16:21.120 --> 00:16:22.479 If you're familiar with the history of Israel, 00:16:22.579 --> 00:16:23.319 you know this happened. 00:16:23.479 --> 00:16:25.959 God gave it as a punishment for the sins of Solomon. 00:16:26.099 --> 00:16:27.779 And then under his son, Rehoboam, 00:16:28.299 --> 00:16:29.120 the kingdom split. 00:16:29.679 --> 00:16:31.259 So Jacob's the kingdom in the north. 00:16:32.039 --> 00:16:33.279 What's the transgression of Jacob? 00:16:33.459 --> 00:16:34.139 Israel in the north. 00:16:34.359 --> 00:16:35.259 Is it not Samaria? 00:16:35.339 --> 00:16:37.000 That's the capital city of Israel. 00:16:37.459 --> 00:16:39.000 And what is the high place of Judah? 00:16:39.059 --> 00:16:39.779 Is it not Jerusalem? 00:16:39.779 --> 00:16:41.980 This is the capital city of Judah in the south. 00:16:43.500 --> 00:16:45.139 In other words, these capital cities, 00:16:45.259 --> 00:16:46.980 the place where the leaders are potentially 00:16:46.980 --> 00:16:49.819 is the center of sin, of God's judgment. 00:16:49.919 --> 00:16:50.720 Other people might say, 00:16:50.819 --> 00:16:52.899 oh, this high place here is a reference to idolatry. 00:16:53.319 --> 00:16:54.199 Whether it is or not, 00:16:54.259 --> 00:16:56.539 we find out quickly that idolatry is the problem. 00:16:56.679 --> 00:16:57.100 Verse seven. 00:16:57.740 --> 00:16:59.919 All her carved images shall be beaten to pieces. 00:17:00.620 --> 00:17:02.480 Those are idols that Israel was worshiping 00:17:02.480 --> 00:17:04.139 instead of worshiping the one true God. 00:17:04.859 --> 00:17:06.740 All her wages shall be burned with fire 00:17:06.740 --> 00:17:08.680 and all her idols I will lay waste. 00:17:08.680 --> 00:17:10.799 And then God compares the way that his people 00:17:10.799 --> 00:17:13.019 have been behaving to the way of a prostitute. 00:17:13.080 --> 00:17:15.320 In other words, instead of being faithful to God 00:17:15.320 --> 00:17:16.560 in their marriage with him, 00:17:17.400 --> 00:17:19.200 they have gone out to other gods 00:17:19.200 --> 00:17:21.640 who they saw as being better for them financially. 00:17:23.779 --> 00:17:25.640 And so not on the people outside, 00:17:25.779 --> 00:17:26.820 but on the people inside. 00:17:28.180 --> 00:17:29.660 Judgment is coming not on the nations, 00:17:29.759 --> 00:17:30.600 but on Israel. 00:17:31.160 --> 00:17:34.060 And judgment is coming because of their idolatry. 00:17:34.059 --> 00:17:37.179 The fact that they have chosen not to worship only God, 00:17:37.379 --> 00:17:39.559 but to add other gods instead. 00:17:41.599 --> 00:17:44.259 We might say that they had a spiritual affair. 00:17:45.299 --> 00:17:47.279 God meant for his relationship with his people 00:17:47.279 --> 00:17:48.639 to be like a marriage, 00:17:48.919 --> 00:17:51.139 that they would be loyal only to him, 00:17:51.740 --> 00:17:53.960 that they would worship only him. 00:17:55.119 --> 00:17:57.019 What God is saying is that his people 00:17:57.019 --> 00:17:58.799 have committed adultery against him. 00:17:59.659 --> 00:18:01.099 They haven't just worshiped him, 00:18:01.139 --> 00:18:03.099 they've gone and worshiped other gods as well. 00:18:04.960 --> 00:18:07.440 And so God's wrath and his judgment 00:18:07.440 --> 00:18:09.279 is coming down on them. 00:18:09.359 --> 00:18:11.240 They have put their hope and trust 00:18:11.240 --> 00:18:13.579 in someone besides Yahweh, 00:18:14.500 --> 00:18:16.159 the personal name of their God. 00:18:16.220 --> 00:18:18.259 They have gone to worship other gods. 00:18:18.359 --> 00:18:20.720 Now remember, we're just in a sampler pack of Micah, 00:18:20.799 --> 00:18:22.519 so we're not gonna look at chapters two and three, 00:18:22.599 --> 00:18:23.480 but I can tell you quickly 00:18:23.480 --> 00:18:25.980 some of what we find out in those chapters. 00:18:27.059 --> 00:18:28.599 Idolatry always has consequences. 00:18:29.720 --> 00:18:31.039 And so their worship of other gods 00:18:31.039 --> 00:18:33.539 has also led to sinful behavior. 00:18:34.360 --> 00:18:36.579 They are doing things that are legal, 00:18:37.099 --> 00:18:39.640 technically, but unethical to steal from the poor. 00:18:40.980 --> 00:18:42.039 That's one of the sins 00:18:42.039 --> 00:18:43.599 that their idolatry has led them to. 00:18:44.599 --> 00:18:47.980 They're growing rich at the expense of others. 00:18:49.019 --> 00:18:51.259 It's one of the things that God condemns his people for 00:18:51.259 --> 00:18:52.759 in the Old Testament over and over. 00:18:53.480 --> 00:18:56.440 There are also people claiming to speak for God. 00:18:57.980 --> 00:19:00.819 Prophets, priests, equivalents of pastors today, 00:19:01.400 --> 00:19:03.420 and these people that claim to speak for God 00:19:03.420 --> 00:19:06.039 will say whatever you want them to say 00:19:06.039 --> 00:19:07.400 as long as you pay the right price. 00:19:08.539 --> 00:19:10.440 So if you don't wanna hear about judgment, 00:19:11.099 --> 00:19:12.240 they won't preach about judgment 00:19:12.240 --> 00:19:15.180 as long as you pay enough money. 00:19:16.240 --> 00:19:18.120 If you want them to prophesy about peace, 00:19:18.120 --> 00:19:20.039 they will prophesy about peace 00:19:20.039 --> 00:19:22.440 as long as the price is right. 00:19:23.480 --> 00:19:25.220 And finally, there's leaders 00:19:25.220 --> 00:19:28.240 who are using their positions of power and influence 00:19:28.240 --> 00:19:31.000 to profit themselves rather than other people. 00:19:31.099 --> 00:19:33.039 They're using their power to push other people down 00:19:33.039 --> 00:19:35.200 rather than to lift them up. 00:19:37.299 --> 00:19:38.860 It's for all of those reasons 00:19:38.860 --> 00:19:40.900 that God's judgment is coming 00:19:40.900 --> 00:19:43.039 in a dramatic way upon his people. 00:19:43.039 --> 00:19:45.539 This is a prediction of the exile 00:19:45.539 --> 00:19:47.079 that's going to one day occur 00:19:47.079 --> 00:19:49.819 to both Israel in the north and Judah in the south. 00:19:52.759 --> 00:19:56.440 Now, the word idolatry gets thrown around. 00:19:56.819 --> 00:19:58.940 By the way, idolatry is what we're talking about here. 00:19:59.279 --> 00:20:01.359 They are literally worshiping literal idols. 00:20:02.159 --> 00:20:04.299 There are carved images that they are bowing down to. 00:20:05.059 --> 00:20:07.480 The word idolatry gets thrown around a lot 00:20:07.480 --> 00:20:09.659 in certain Christian circles today 00:20:09.660 --> 00:20:12.720 as sort of a way of explaining any and every sin. 00:20:12.779 --> 00:20:14.259 And we need to be careful about that 00:20:14.259 --> 00:20:16.519 because idolatry in the Old Testament 00:20:16.519 --> 00:20:17.900 had a very specific meaning. 00:20:18.820 --> 00:20:20.420 And idolatry in the Old Testament 00:20:20.420 --> 00:20:23.620 talked about sins that were especially bad. 00:20:24.019 --> 00:20:25.340 To put it in another way, 00:20:26.200 --> 00:20:28.360 not every Israelite was an idolater. 00:20:30.000 --> 00:20:32.120 Every Israelite sinned 00:20:32.120 --> 00:20:33.860 and needed God's grace and forgiveness. 00:20:33.859 --> 00:20:42.779 So I'll give you an example. 00:20:43.299 --> 00:20:47.379 King Josiah, one of the great kings of this period, 00:20:48.240 --> 00:20:49.799 was not an idolater. 00:20:51.679 --> 00:20:53.719 In fact, he was passionate about pure worship 00:20:53.719 --> 00:20:55.899 and he tore down idols as part of his kingship. 00:20:56.359 --> 00:20:58.519 However, Josiah, like every other person 00:20:58.519 --> 00:21:00.559 who's lived in the world, apart from Jesus, 00:21:00.679 --> 00:21:01.879 was a sinner in need of grace. 00:21:01.880 --> 00:21:04.000 And so we need to be careful 00:21:04.000 --> 00:21:06.680 about throwing around the word idolatry too lightly. 00:21:07.380 --> 00:21:08.420 And I'm not going to say 00:21:08.420 --> 00:21:10.720 that every Christian is an idolater, 00:21:10.980 --> 00:21:11.920 someone who worships idols. 00:21:12.100 --> 00:21:15.600 However, every Christian is someone 00:21:15.600 --> 00:21:16.900 who by their behavior 00:21:16.900 --> 00:21:19.880 deserves outside of Christ, God's judgment. 00:21:21.600 --> 00:21:25.820 And so we may not be stealing from the poor, 00:21:26.360 --> 00:21:29.700 but we may also be blind to the ways 00:21:29.700 --> 00:21:31.620 that consumerism has affected us. 00:21:33.259 --> 00:21:35.400 Even as we critique it in the culture around us, 00:21:35.460 --> 00:21:37.720 we may use our resources in such a way 00:21:37.720 --> 00:21:40.660 that it shows no concern for people in need. 00:21:42.720 --> 00:21:46.420 We may not be a leader of a society accepting bribes. 00:21:47.819 --> 00:21:49.860 That's one of the things that God charges 00:21:49.860 --> 00:21:51.900 the leaders with in chapter three. 00:21:51.900 --> 00:21:55.259 So we might not use our power in that way, 00:21:55.360 --> 00:21:57.180 but we might use age and experience 00:21:57.180 --> 00:21:59.820 to take advantage of our siblings 00:21:59.820 --> 00:22:01.680 that don't have quite as much age and experience. 00:22:03.259 --> 00:22:04.460 Or if you're a youngest, 00:22:04.600 --> 00:22:06.400 you might use your wiles and your cunning 00:22:06.400 --> 00:22:10.040 to blame older siblings for things they didn't do. 00:22:10.039 --> 00:22:15.799 You might be a husband or a wife, 00:22:16.539 --> 00:22:19.319 and you might use the power that God's given you 00:22:19.319 --> 00:22:21.879 in each of those situations to manipulate and control 00:22:21.879 --> 00:22:24.940 rather than to bless and build up. 00:22:26.500 --> 00:22:29.099 You might be a Matthew 7 kind of person, 00:22:29.920 --> 00:22:32.799 someone who's quick to see logs in other people's eyes 00:22:32.799 --> 00:22:34.259 or specks in other people's eyes, 00:22:34.359 --> 00:22:36.460 but slow to see logs in your own eyes. 00:22:36.460 --> 00:22:40.960 And you're probably not a priest or a prophet 00:22:40.960 --> 00:22:44.220 taking money to say things people want to hear. 00:22:46.559 --> 00:22:49.700 But you might be avoiding hard conversations 00:22:49.700 --> 00:22:52.579 and confrontations for the sake of your own comfort 00:22:52.579 --> 00:22:56.200 in a way that doesn't show love for others 00:22:56.200 --> 00:22:57.920 but shows protection for yourself. 00:22:59.860 --> 00:23:01.160 Chris mentioned last week 00:23:01.160 --> 00:23:03.880 that God doesn't just save us from the evil outside of us, 00:23:03.880 --> 00:23:07.200 but he also saves us from the evil inside of us. 00:23:09.700 --> 00:23:13.000 And so we begin this season of Advent 00:23:13.000 --> 00:23:14.420 by talking about God's judgment. 00:23:16.160 --> 00:23:18.760 Not his judgment on other people out there, 00:23:19.560 --> 00:23:20.980 but his judgment on us. 00:23:24.520 --> 00:23:26.880 God's people outside of Christ 00:23:26.880 --> 00:23:29.000 deserve God's judgment. 00:23:29.000 --> 00:23:32.079 God's people in Micah chapter 1 00:23:32.079 --> 00:23:33.819 deserved God's judgment. 00:23:35.000 --> 00:23:36.559 Now I listed some instances, 00:23:36.740 --> 00:23:37.680 but the broader question is, 00:23:37.779 --> 00:23:39.220 what is the evil inside of us, 00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:40.680 as Chris mentioned, 00:23:40.759 --> 00:23:41.960 that we need deliverance from? 00:23:48.039 --> 00:23:50.299 The point of all this is that sin brings 00:23:50.299 --> 00:23:51.819 God's wrath and his judgment. 00:23:51.920 --> 00:23:52.859 His wrath and his judgment, 00:23:52.960 --> 00:23:54.319 not just for other people's sins, 00:23:54.700 --> 00:23:55.940 but for our sins as well. 00:23:55.940 --> 00:23:58.960 Now I asked at the beginning, 00:23:59.080 --> 00:23:59.960 I said our big question is, 00:24:00.059 --> 00:24:01.580 what does judgment have to do with Christmas? 00:24:02.700 --> 00:24:03.960 I'm going to ask it a different way. 00:24:04.940 --> 00:24:05.960 What would Christmas be like 00:24:05.960 --> 00:24:07.039 if there were no judgment? 00:24:08.980 --> 00:24:09.820 There's one option. 00:24:09.920 --> 00:24:11.640 Christmas would be merely sentimental. 00:24:14.180 --> 00:24:15.279 If Jesus came, 00:24:15.340 --> 00:24:16.320 but there's no judgment 00:24:16.320 --> 00:24:18.160 that he came to save us from, 00:24:18.700 --> 00:24:19.940 then we are simply celebrating 00:24:20.519 --> 00:24:21.840 a nice story 00:24:21.840 --> 00:24:25.080 about a man who lived a good life. 00:24:25.940 --> 00:24:28.480 merely sentimental. 00:24:29.820 --> 00:24:30.279 Or, 00:24:30.960 --> 00:24:33.600 if judgment is not part of Christmas, 00:24:34.340 --> 00:24:35.440 if it's not sentimental, 00:24:35.640 --> 00:24:36.600 it's just another chance 00:24:36.600 --> 00:24:37.620 to be self-righteous. 00:24:38.940 --> 00:24:40.539 It's another chance for Christians 00:24:40.539 --> 00:24:42.740 to be smug about the world around them 00:24:42.740 --> 00:24:44.620 and complain 00:24:44.620 --> 00:24:47.220 about the things that are wrong 00:24:47.220 --> 00:24:48.080 outside of us, 00:24:48.140 --> 00:24:48.940 outside of the church. 00:24:49.600 --> 00:24:51.200 So if judgment is not part of Advent, 00:24:51.200 --> 00:24:54.259 we will either be sentimental, 00:24:55.059 --> 00:24:55.840 merely sentimental, 00:24:56.519 --> 00:24:57.860 or we'll be self-righteous. 00:24:59.480 --> 00:25:01.240 Isn't it great that Jesus came 00:25:01.240 --> 00:25:03.580 for people who are good like us? 00:25:05.720 --> 00:25:07.519 And those bad people out there, 00:25:08.019 --> 00:25:09.860 if only they were as smart as we were. 00:25:09.859 --> 00:25:13.599 So we need judgment at Christmas. 00:25:13.740 --> 00:25:15.259 There's a reason that Micah chapter 1, 00:25:15.599 --> 00:25:17.339 this book that is filled with hope, 00:25:17.459 --> 00:25:18.179 starts with judgment. 00:25:19.679 --> 00:25:22.139 Because hope is meaningless without it. 00:25:24.240 --> 00:25:24.639 Second, 00:25:25.399 --> 00:25:26.339 so that's what happens 00:25:26.339 --> 00:25:27.159 if there's no judgment. 00:25:28.279 --> 00:25:30.379 If there is judgment at Christmas, 00:25:30.439 --> 00:25:32.879 if we take the message of Micah together, 00:25:33.079 --> 00:25:34.619 both judgment and salvation, 00:25:34.979 --> 00:25:36.419 it's judgment that actually makes us 00:25:36.419 --> 00:25:37.500 long for salvation. 00:25:37.500 --> 00:25:43.019 If we know how much we need God's rescue, 00:25:43.759 --> 00:25:46.480 then it will not be challenging for us 00:25:46.480 --> 00:25:48.380 to be filled with joy at Advent. 00:25:50.299 --> 00:25:53.799 If we know how much we need God's rescue, 00:25:54.359 --> 00:25:57.019 and we know how much we need God's rescue 00:25:57.019 --> 00:25:58.960 based on our knowledge of God's judgment, 00:25:59.680 --> 00:26:01.099 then it will not be challenging 00:26:01.099 --> 00:26:03.819 to be filled with joy at Advent, 00:26:04.500 --> 00:26:06.519 knowing that this is Jesus coming 00:26:06.519 --> 00:26:09.680 as the one to rescue us from judgment. 00:26:12.059 --> 00:26:14.700 We're told in verse 16 of this chapter, 00:26:16.700 --> 00:26:17.619 excuse me, not verse 16, 00:26:17.700 --> 00:26:18.379 in verse 9, 00:26:19.879 --> 00:26:20.639 we're told, 00:26:20.900 --> 00:26:22.460 for her wound is incurable, 00:26:23.779 --> 00:26:25.460 that the problems of God's people 00:26:25.460 --> 00:26:27.660 that are in need of judgment, 00:26:28.079 --> 00:26:29.039 that are bringing judgment, 00:26:29.500 --> 00:26:30.859 have no cure. 00:26:30.859 --> 00:26:34.240 And we're told earlier, 00:26:34.539 --> 00:26:35.619 in poetic language, 00:26:35.759 --> 00:26:37.619 that God is visiting the earth. 00:26:38.959 --> 00:26:40.000 Verses 3 and 4, 00:26:40.079 --> 00:26:42.019 the Lord is coming out of his holy place, 00:26:42.459 --> 00:26:43.879 and he's coming down to the earth. 00:26:45.119 --> 00:26:47.000 We're told in poetic language. 00:26:49.079 --> 00:26:49.899 We read, 00:26:50.039 --> 00:26:51.619 John read for us earlier in our service, 00:26:51.719 --> 00:26:52.719 not poetic language, 00:26:53.119 --> 00:26:54.419 but literal language, 00:26:54.759 --> 00:26:57.079 of God coming down to earth. 00:26:57.079 --> 00:27:00.559 In other words, 00:27:00.679 --> 00:27:02.720 this passage speaks in poetic language 00:27:02.720 --> 00:27:04.159 about God visiting with judgment. 00:27:05.359 --> 00:27:08.159 God visited in an even more powerful 00:27:08.159 --> 00:27:09.679 and dramatic way 00:27:09.679 --> 00:27:10.720 that was not poetic, 00:27:10.839 --> 00:27:11.619 but literal, 00:27:12.019 --> 00:27:13.139 to bring salvation. 00:27:16.119 --> 00:27:18.139 And so Advent is good news 00:27:18.139 --> 00:27:18.960 because of judgment, 00:27:19.119 --> 00:27:22.079 because God's visitation here 00:27:22.079 --> 00:27:25.259 to bring destruction and justice 00:27:25.259 --> 00:27:28.079 reminds us that we have hope 00:27:28.079 --> 00:27:29.819 because it's not God's only visit. 00:27:32.599 --> 00:27:33.919 We also have, 00:27:34.159 --> 00:27:36.339 not a image of a visit, 00:27:36.839 --> 00:27:37.519 but an actual, 00:27:37.720 --> 00:27:37.980 real, 00:27:38.159 --> 00:27:38.679 literal visit 00:27:38.679 --> 00:27:39.939 in time and space 00:27:39.939 --> 00:27:41.619 where Jesus comes 00:27:41.619 --> 00:27:43.619 not to trample down, 00:27:43.839 --> 00:27:44.879 but to be trampled on. 00:27:46.619 --> 00:27:47.879 And so that's the passages 00:27:47.879 --> 00:27:49.019 that we had from John. 00:27:49.699 --> 00:27:51.000 That's what we read earlier 00:27:51.000 --> 00:27:52.480 in our confession of faith 00:27:52.480 --> 00:27:53.980 about Jesus as our Redeemer. 00:27:55.240 --> 00:27:56.019 That he came 00:27:56.019 --> 00:27:56.819 and he visited, 00:27:57.000 --> 00:27:57.720 not with judgment, 00:27:58.259 --> 00:27:58.960 but salvation. 00:28:04.599 --> 00:28:05.079 Finally, 00:28:05.460 --> 00:28:07.660 we need judgment at Christmas, 00:28:08.059 --> 00:28:09.519 as I mentioned before, 00:28:09.599 --> 00:28:10.299 because judgment 00:28:10.299 --> 00:28:12.380 is what brings us true joy. 00:28:14.220 --> 00:28:15.740 It's the knowledge of judgment 00:28:15.740 --> 00:28:17.000 that allows us to rejoice 00:28:17.000 --> 00:28:17.940 in God's salvation. 00:28:17.940 --> 00:28:18.580 Now, 00:28:18.580 --> 00:28:21.700 if you find that counterintuitive, 00:28:22.180 --> 00:28:23.400 I would suggest 00:28:23.400 --> 00:28:24.320 that you have never 00:28:24.320 --> 00:28:25.380 been exposed 00:28:25.380 --> 00:28:26.240 to A Christmas Carol 00:28:26.240 --> 00:28:27.960 by Charles Dickens. 00:28:29.080 --> 00:28:29.740 A Christmas Carol 00:28:29.740 --> 00:28:30.660 is a story 00:28:30.660 --> 00:28:32.180 about judgment 00:28:32.180 --> 00:28:34.660 and salvation. 00:28:35.160 --> 00:28:35.380 Well, 00:28:35.400 --> 00:28:35.600 I don't know 00:28:35.600 --> 00:28:36.200 if I go so strong 00:28:36.200 --> 00:28:36.860 and say salvation. 00:28:37.000 --> 00:28:37.740 It's a story 00:28:37.740 --> 00:28:38.240 about judgment 00:28:38.240 --> 00:28:38.920 and restoration. 00:28:39.440 --> 00:28:39.960 I'll talk about that 00:28:39.960 --> 00:28:40.259 in a minute. 00:28:41.360 --> 00:28:41.860 Scrooge 00:28:41.860 --> 00:28:42.940 has to go 00:28:42.940 --> 00:28:43.980 through judgment. 00:28:45.180 --> 00:28:45.519 Remember, 00:28:45.620 --> 00:28:46.360 he's this miser. 00:28:46.359 --> 00:28:46.899 He's a man 00:28:46.899 --> 00:28:48.019 who represents 00:28:48.019 --> 00:28:48.939 some of the sins 00:28:48.939 --> 00:28:49.939 that I listed earlier 00:28:49.939 --> 00:28:50.500 in Israel. 00:28:51.219 --> 00:28:51.740 He's a man 00:28:51.740 --> 00:28:53.019 who uses his wealth 00:28:53.019 --> 00:28:53.639 and his power 00:28:53.639 --> 00:28:54.559 to profit himself 00:28:54.559 --> 00:28:55.159 and he tramples 00:28:55.159 --> 00:28:55.679 on the poor. 00:28:58.479 --> 00:28:59.159 He's someone 00:28:59.159 --> 00:29:00.399 who's interested 00:29:00.399 --> 00:29:01.740 only in his own comfort 00:29:01.740 --> 00:29:02.399 and not the comfort 00:29:02.399 --> 00:29:02.819 of others. 00:29:03.039 --> 00:29:04.079 And what rescues him 00:29:04.079 --> 00:29:04.519 from that? 00:29:07.240 --> 00:29:07.699 Scrooge 00:29:07.699 --> 00:29:08.479 is rescued 00:29:08.479 --> 00:29:09.259 by judgment. 00:29:10.500 --> 00:29:11.639 He has the visitation 00:29:11.639 --> 00:29:13.539 of three visitors. 00:29:13.539 --> 00:29:15.480 He has the angel 00:29:15.480 --> 00:29:16.539 of Christmas past, 00:29:17.579 --> 00:29:18.639 one of Christmas present, 00:29:19.099 --> 00:29:20.279 and one of Christmas future. 00:29:21.139 --> 00:29:22.399 And they show him 00:29:22.399 --> 00:29:23.399 images of judgment. 00:29:23.960 --> 00:29:24.599 They show him 00:29:24.599 --> 00:29:25.480 what will happen, 00:29:25.559 --> 00:29:26.240 the destruction 00:29:26.240 --> 00:29:27.079 that will come 00:29:27.079 --> 00:29:28.240 if he continues 00:29:28.240 --> 00:29:29.059 on the path 00:29:29.059 --> 00:29:29.700 that he's on. 00:29:31.180 --> 00:29:32.339 And what does that judgment 00:29:32.339 --> 00:29:33.000 do for him? 00:29:34.460 --> 00:29:35.559 It leads him, 00:29:35.960 --> 00:29:36.200 of course, 00:29:36.279 --> 00:29:37.079 to deep conviction, 00:29:37.259 --> 00:29:37.440 right? 00:29:38.119 --> 00:29:38.940 He is struck 00:29:38.940 --> 00:29:39.480 to the heart. 00:29:40.359 --> 00:29:41.180 But it's also 00:29:41.180 --> 00:29:41.799 what allows him 00:29:41.799 --> 00:29:42.899 to finally have joy. 00:29:42.900 --> 00:29:45.280 It's that judgment 00:29:45.280 --> 00:29:46.240 that reminds him 00:29:46.240 --> 00:29:47.040 and shows him 00:29:47.040 --> 00:29:48.140 a different way 00:29:48.140 --> 00:29:48.580 of life. 00:29:49.259 --> 00:29:50.200 That there is 00:29:50.200 --> 00:29:51.320 still hope for him. 00:29:52.019 --> 00:29:52.980 That he still 00:29:52.980 --> 00:29:53.740 has time 00:29:53.740 --> 00:29:54.759 to turn around. 00:29:56.140 --> 00:29:56.620 Now, 00:29:56.700 --> 00:29:57.220 his turnaround 00:29:57.220 --> 00:29:58.820 happens relatively 00:29:58.820 --> 00:29:59.220 quickly. 00:29:59.340 --> 00:30:00.040 It happens overnight. 00:30:01.840 --> 00:30:02.700 The story 00:30:02.700 --> 00:30:03.820 does not discuss 00:30:03.820 --> 00:30:05.040 his need 00:30:05.040 --> 00:30:05.860 for forgiveness 00:30:05.860 --> 00:30:06.660 for his sins 00:30:06.660 --> 00:30:07.280 against God. 00:30:09.080 --> 00:30:09.960 There's no 00:30:09.960 --> 00:30:10.600 redemption. 00:30:10.980 --> 00:30:11.480 No one pays 00:30:11.480 --> 00:30:11.940 the price. 00:30:11.940 --> 00:30:12.519 He tries to 00:30:12.519 --> 00:30:13.100 pay his own 00:30:13.100 --> 00:30:13.460 price, 00:30:13.559 --> 00:30:13.700 right? 00:30:13.720 --> 00:30:14.200 He goes out 00:30:14.200 --> 00:30:14.580 and uses 00:30:14.580 --> 00:30:15.140 his money 00:30:15.140 --> 00:30:16.840 to redeem 00:30:16.840 --> 00:30:17.380 himself. 00:30:18.900 --> 00:30:19.400 And so there's 00:30:19.400 --> 00:30:20.220 a hole in the story, 00:30:20.299 --> 00:30:20.460 right? 00:30:20.460 --> 00:30:21.120 We can't redeem 00:30:21.120 --> 00:30:21.580 ourselves. 00:30:21.580 --> 00:30:22.539 No matter how much 00:30:22.539 --> 00:30:23.160 money Scrooge 00:30:23.160 --> 00:30:23.740 gives away, 00:30:24.279 --> 00:30:24.840 he's not going 00:30:24.840 --> 00:30:25.100 to be able 00:30:25.100 --> 00:30:25.779 to pay the price 00:30:25.779 --> 00:30:26.380 for his sins. 00:30:27.960 --> 00:30:28.840 But he is 00:30:28.840 --> 00:30:29.640 a small picture 00:30:29.640 --> 00:30:30.180 for us 00:30:30.180 --> 00:30:30.980 of the way 00:30:30.980 --> 00:30:31.500 that joy 00:30:31.500 --> 00:30:32.140 can come 00:30:32.140 --> 00:30:32.880 from judgment. 00:30:34.039 --> 00:30:34.900 And so that 00:30:34.900 --> 00:30:35.600 is why 00:30:35.600 --> 00:30:36.340 we need 00:30:36.340 --> 00:30:36.920 judgment 00:30:36.920 --> 00:30:37.440 at Christmas. 00:30:37.440 --> 00:30:40.500 we need, 00:30:41.019 --> 00:30:41.519 first of all, 00:30:41.559 --> 00:30:42.000 to know, 00:30:42.340 --> 00:30:42.820 verse 9, 00:30:42.900 --> 00:30:43.299 that our wound 00:30:43.299 --> 00:30:43.880 is incurable. 00:30:45.680 --> 00:30:46.700 But second of all, 00:30:46.759 --> 00:30:47.140 that Jesus 00:30:47.140 --> 00:30:48.220 has come 00:30:48.220 --> 00:30:49.000 and is coming. 00:30:50.600 --> 00:30:51.480 And he has 00:30:51.480 --> 00:30:52.240 come and is 00:30:52.240 --> 00:30:53.200 coming to cure 00:30:53.200 --> 00:30:54.279 our wounds. 00:30:55.740 --> 00:30:56.700 He's doing it 00:30:56.700 --> 00:30:57.779 to remove from us 00:30:57.779 --> 00:30:58.400 the penalty 00:30:58.400 --> 00:30:59.320 of judgment. 00:31:00.900 --> 00:31:01.799 And he allows 00:31:01.799 --> 00:31:02.920 us to rejoice 00:31:02.920 --> 00:31:04.799 because we know 00:31:04.799 --> 00:31:05.220 that judgment 00:31:05.220 --> 00:31:06.200 is not his only 00:31:06.200 --> 00:31:06.920 visitation, 00:31:07.480 --> 00:31:08.240 but that his 00:31:08.240 --> 00:31:09.080 most important 00:31:09.080 --> 00:31:09.740 and powerful 00:31:09.740 --> 00:31:10.580 visitation was 00:31:10.580 --> 00:31:11.180 when Jesus 00:31:11.180 --> 00:31:12.180 came as a man 00:31:12.180 --> 00:31:13.100 and took judgment 00:31:13.100 --> 00:31:14.420 on himself. 00:31:17.400 --> 00:31:18.279 And so that is 00:31:18.279 --> 00:31:19.120 why we need 00:31:19.120 --> 00:31:20.019 judgment 00:31:20.019 --> 00:31:21.100 at Christmas. 00:31:23.019 --> 00:31:23.620 I'll end 00:31:23.620 --> 00:31:24.039 with this. 00:31:24.100 --> 00:31:24.539 In his book, 00:31:24.640 --> 00:31:25.259 Hidden Christmas, 00:31:27.019 --> 00:31:27.680 Tim Keller 00:31:27.680 --> 00:31:28.380 says this, 00:31:29.160 --> 00:31:29.940 there has never 00:31:29.940 --> 00:31:30.759 been a gift 00:31:30.759 --> 00:31:31.279 offered 00:31:31.279 --> 00:31:32.620 that makes you 00:31:32.620 --> 00:31:33.680 swallow your pride 00:31:33.680 --> 00:31:34.539 to the depths 00:31:34.539 --> 00:31:35.559 that the gift 00:31:35.559 --> 00:31:36.500 of Jesus Christ 00:31:36.500 --> 00:31:37.319 requires us 00:31:37.319 --> 00:31:37.740 to do. 00:31:38.740 --> 00:31:39.639 Christmas means 00:31:39.639 --> 00:31:40.099 that we are 00:31:40.099 --> 00:31:41.000 so lost, 00:31:41.720 --> 00:31:42.720 so unable 00:31:42.720 --> 00:31:43.339 to save 00:31:43.339 --> 00:31:43.859 ourselves, 00:31:44.480 --> 00:31:45.139 that nothing 00:31:45.139 --> 00:31:45.879 less than 00:31:45.879 --> 00:31:46.419 the death 00:31:46.419 --> 00:31:46.960 of the Son 00:31:46.960 --> 00:31:47.399 of God 00:31:47.399 --> 00:31:48.000 himself 00:31:48.000 --> 00:31:48.839 could save 00:31:48.839 --> 00:31:49.099 us. 00:31:49.960 --> 00:31:50.859 That means 00:31:50.859 --> 00:31:51.539 you are not 00:31:51.539 --> 00:31:52.220 somebody who 00:31:52.220 --> 00:31:52.619 can pull 00:31:52.619 --> 00:31:53.399 yourself together 00:31:53.399 --> 00:31:54.039 and live 00:31:54.039 --> 00:31:54.639 a moral 00:31:54.639 --> 00:31:55.500 and good 00:31:55.500 --> 00:31:55.940 life. 00:31:56.799 --> 00:31:57.839 To accept 00:31:57.839 --> 00:31:58.460 the true 00:31:58.460 --> 00:31:59.500 Christmas gift, 00:31:59.879 --> 00:32:00.579 you have to 00:32:00.579 --> 00:32:01.579 admit you're 00:32:01.579 --> 00:32:01.919 a sinner. 00:32:01.920 --> 00:32:03.480 you need 00:32:03.480 --> 00:32:04.200 to be saved 00:32:04.200 --> 00:32:04.980 by grace. 00:32:05.720 --> 00:32:06.400 You need 00:32:06.400 --> 00:32:07.080 to give up 00:32:07.080 --> 00:32:07.860 control of 00:32:07.860 --> 00:32:08.380 your life. 00:32:09.380 --> 00:32:10.160 That is 00:32:10.160 --> 00:32:10.640 descending 00:32:10.640 --> 00:32:11.680 lower than 00:32:11.680 --> 00:32:12.400 any of us 00:32:12.400 --> 00:32:13.580 really wants 00:32:13.580 --> 00:32:14.000 to go. 00:32:16.340 --> 00:32:17.019 And so 00:32:17.019 --> 00:32:17.279 what does 00:32:17.279 --> 00:32:17.840 judgment have 00:32:17.840 --> 00:32:18.220 to do with 00:32:18.220 --> 00:32:18.580 Christmas? 00:32:20.100 --> 00:32:20.840 God is 00:32:20.840 --> 00:32:21.539 coming in 00:32:21.539 --> 00:32:21.860 judgment 00:32:21.860 --> 00:32:22.960 for sin, 00:32:23.500 --> 00:32:25.140 but he also 00:32:25.140 --> 00:32:25.600 came. 00:32:25.599 --> 00:32:27.799 he came 00:32:27.799 --> 00:32:28.500 as a baby 00:32:28.500 --> 00:32:29.919 in real 00:32:29.919 --> 00:32:30.740 human flesh 00:32:30.740 --> 00:32:31.819 so that he 00:32:31.819 --> 00:32:32.819 could receive 00:32:32.819 --> 00:32:33.639 the judgment 00:32:33.639 --> 00:32:34.859 for our sins. 00:32:36.079 --> 00:32:36.639 And so 00:32:36.639 --> 00:32:37.099 it's because 00:32:37.099 --> 00:32:37.740 of judgment, 00:32:37.839 --> 00:32:38.139 it's only 00:32:38.139 --> 00:32:38.480 when we 00:32:38.480 --> 00:32:39.000 understand 00:32:39.000 --> 00:32:39.500 both 00:32:39.500 --> 00:32:40.839 that we 00:32:40.839 --> 00:32:41.379 can have 00:32:41.379 --> 00:32:41.819 the true 00:32:41.819 --> 00:32:42.219 joy 00:32:42.219 --> 00:32:43.179 of Advent. 00:32:44.459 --> 00:32:45.179 It's only 00:32:45.179 --> 00:32:45.519 when we 00:32:45.519 --> 00:32:46.219 have both 00:32:46.219 --> 00:32:46.639 that we 00:32:46.639 --> 00:32:47.179 can truly 00:32:47.179 --> 00:32:47.679 sing 00:32:47.679 --> 00:32:48.599 joy to 00:32:48.599 --> 00:32:49.019 the world, 00:32:49.639 --> 00:32:49.980 the Lord 00:32:49.980 --> 00:32:50.439 has come. 00:32:51.879 --> 00:32:52.519 And so 00:32:52.519 --> 00:32:52.959 I invite you 00:32:52.959 --> 00:32:53.179 to pray 00:32:53.179 --> 00:32:53.459 with me 00:32:53.459 --> 00:32:53.740 now. 00:32:53.740 --> 00:32:57.039 Father in 00:32:57.039 --> 00:32:57.220 heaven, 00:32:57.359 --> 00:32:58.299 we thank 00:32:58.299 --> 00:32:58.620 you that 00:32:58.620 --> 00:32:59.319 you don't 00:32:59.319 --> 00:33:00.799 hide hard 00:33:00.799 --> 00:33:01.380 truths from 00:33:01.380 --> 00:33:01.660 us, 00:33:02.220 --> 00:33:03.819 but that 00:33:03.819 --> 00:33:04.339 you tell 00:33:04.339 --> 00:33:05.259 us what 00:33:05.259 --> 00:33:05.759 is right 00:33:05.759 --> 00:33:06.380 even when 00:33:06.380 --> 00:33:06.779 it hurts. 00:33:08.160 --> 00:33:08.819 And we 00:33:08.819 --> 00:33:09.180 thank you 00:33:09.180 --> 00:33:09.759 that judgment 00:33:09.759 --> 00:33:10.339 is not 00:33:10.339 --> 00:33:10.880 the last 00:33:10.880 --> 00:33:11.859 word if 00:33:11.859 --> 00:33:12.220 we are 00:33:12.220 --> 00:33:12.640 Christians. 00:33:13.039 --> 00:33:13.400 We have 00:33:13.400 --> 00:33:13.980 true faith 00:33:13.980 --> 00:33:14.519 in Jesus 00:33:14.519 --> 00:33:14.980 Christ, 00:33:15.859 --> 00:33:16.720 but that 00:33:16.720 --> 00:33:17.200 the last 00:33:17.200 --> 00:33:17.680 word is 00:33:17.680 --> 00:33:18.059 that Jesus 00:33:18.059 --> 00:33:18.660 came to 00:33:18.660 --> 00:33:19.120 receive 00:33:19.120 --> 00:33:19.500 judgment 00:33:19.500 --> 00:33:20.279 for us. 00:33:21.660 --> 00:33:22.400 We ask 00:33:22.400 --> 00:33:22.640 that you 00:33:22.640 --> 00:33:23.220 would use 00:33:23.220 --> 00:33:23.640 this 00:33:23.640 --> 00:33:25.440 knowledge 00:33:25.440 --> 00:33:25.960 in this 00:33:25.960 --> 00:33:26.240 season 00:33:26.240 --> 00:33:26.780 to build 00:33:26.780 --> 00:33:27.160 up and 00:33:27.160 --> 00:33:27.780 grow our 00:33:27.780 --> 00:33:29.160 joy as 00:33:29.160 --> 00:33:29.759 we celebrate 00:33:29.759 --> 00:33:30.340 what you 00:33:30.340 --> 00:33:31.160 have done 00:33:31.160 --> 00:33:31.840 to rescue 00:33:31.840 --> 00:33:32.300 us from 00:33:32.300 --> 00:33:32.660 judgment. 00:33:33.740 --> 00:33:34.240 And we 00:33:34.240 --> 00:33:34.740 ask these 00:33:34.740 --> 00:33:35.340 things not 00:33:35.340 --> 00:33:35.880 because we 00:33:35.880 --> 00:33:36.620 have earned 00:33:36.620 --> 00:33:36.900 them or 00:33:36.900 --> 00:33:37.380 deserved them, 00:33:37.440 --> 00:33:37.740 but in the 00:33:37.740 --> 00:33:38.240 name of our 00:33:38.240 --> 00:33:39.020 Redeemer and 00:33:39.020 --> 00:33:39.660 our Rescuer, 00:33:40.120 --> 00:33:40.520 your Son, 00:33:40.600 --> 00:33:40.840 Jesus. 00:33:41.440 --> 00:33:41.920 It's in his 00:33:41.920 --> 00:33:42.360 name that we 00:33:42.360 --> 00:33:42.759 pray these 00:33:42.759 --> 00:33:43.080 things. 00:33:43.580 --> 00:33:43.800 Amen. 00:33:43.800 --> 00:33:43.920 Amen.