Micah prophesies about the Saviour to come. He will be born in Bethlehem.
Micah 5: The Ruler to Be Born in Bethlehem
1 Now muster your troops, O daughter of troops; siege is laid against us; with a rod they strike the judge of Israel on the cheek.
2 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, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labour has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel.
4 And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.
5 And he shall be their peace. When the Assyrian comes into our land and treads in our palaces, then we will raise against him seven shepherds and eight princes of men;
6 they shall shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod at its entrances; and he shall deliver us from the Assyrian when he comes into our land and treads within our border.
A Remnant Shall Be Delivered
7 Then the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples like dew from the LORD, like showers on the grass, which delay not for a man nor wait for the children of man.
8 And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among the flocks of sheep, which, when it goes through, treads down and tears in pieces, and there is none to deliver.
9 Your hand shall be lifted up over your adversaries, and all your enemies shall be cut off.
10 And in that day, declares the LORD, I will cut off your horses from among you and will destroy your chariots;
11 and I will cut off the cities of your land and throw down all your strongholds;
12 and I will cut off sorceries from your hand, and you shall have no more tellers of fortunes;
13 and I will cut off your carved images and your pillars from among you, and you shall bow down no more to the work of your hands;
14 and I will root out your Asherah images from among you and destroy your cities.
15 And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance on the nations that did not obey.
Things to think about…
1. Micah 5 is prophetic about the Messiah who would come and relates to some parts of His earthly ministry. Clearly in verse 1 we see part of Christ’s humiliation where He would be struck with a rod on the cheek prior to His crucifixion. In verse 2 it refers to His birthplace. This is how prophecy is in the OT. It gives snapshots of events which may or may not be in order. He is called the judge, vs 1 and ruler, vs 2, but also who is from old, from ancient days. This judge would be God Himself. He would come from Bethlehem (the southern one in Israel, Ephrathah). This time of year we celebrate the fact of Christ and His incarnation – coming as a human being to this earth. Even the Pharisees knew this and yet did not seek to find out whether Jesus did in fact come from Bethlehem. People don’t want to find out about Christ because He is too confronting. This is nothing new.
2. He shall be a shepherd, Mic 5:3 in the Lord’s majesty (God Himself), He shall be their peace, vs 5. He will stand against Assyria. This is prophetic of exactly what would happen when the Assyrian army surrounded Jerusalem in 701BC. Jerusalem was miraculously delivered by an angel. But this is also prophetic as to what will happen to Irag and Iran at the end of the age. They will rise up against Israel but will be destroyed by the Lord at His return.
3. A remnant is always spared, Mic 5:7&8. Many have returned to Israel, but the Jews are still spread among many nations of the world today. Their culture and influence has always been a blessing to the countries that have supported and protected them, “like dew from the LORD, like showers on the grass”, vs 7. Israel is such a small nation yet its influence will be great, when Christ rules and reigns literally from Jerusalem fulfilling all the OT prophesies about Him, including these in Micah 5.
4. Look at the nations are dealt with by the Lord because of their contempt for Israel, Mic 5:10-15. Horses were forbidden among Israel because they were a sign of earthly strength and pride. The world uses earthly strength with the use of modern warfare practises and technology. Israel will be delivered from the worship of idols and be restored by the return of Christ who puts the nations technology and rebellion with a word from His mouth. Judgement will come upon nations who do not obey the Messiah. Jesus the Jew will return in power and “execute vengeance on the nations that did not obey”, vs 15.
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Prayer points
1. Pray for the church in Australia that it focuses on Christ, His Word and holiness.
2. Pray for our leaders in Australia that they press in closer to Christ.
3. Pray for the people of Iran that they finally get their freedom from an oppressive regime
4. The Royal Commission that the Jewish people will feel safe in Australia.
5. One for Israel ministry.
6. Conflict zones – especially within Africa (Nigerian Christians murdered this week), Israel, Iran and Ukraine
7. Pray for new people to step into ministries at CBC – eg worship, café, sound/technical, giving, podcast.
8. Reform and Revival over our city and country.
9. Finances to cover our needs
10. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to increase.
Praise Points
1. Praise God for Doug’s message on Micah and the Lord’s blessing over our service on Sunday
2. Praise God for ministries – Life Groups, Prayer meetings, Kids@Church
3. Café team every week. Thankyou to all those who serve and bring food. Especially Fiona, Maddie and Suzy.
4. Worship, Admin and Technical teams – Nita, Brendon, AJ, Suzy, Maddie, Mathys, Doug.
5. Kids Church teachers – Jacqueline, Maddie, Elise, Anastacia and Fiona
6. The Lord’s faithfulness this year to CBC and all who have served in ministries
7. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Prayer meeting Wed 5:30pm at church
2. All Life Groups are back.
3. Kids@Church has started back
4. Members Meeting – After church on Sunday 22nd Feb
5. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
6. Tune in again this week on our YouTube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for February...
Q. 5. Did our Lord Jesus Christ ever sin? A. No; he was holy, blameless, and undefiled.
