SERMON TITLE: The Protecting Shepherd
TEXT: Micah 5:2-5a (ESV)
SPEAKER: Josh Hanson
DATE: 12/19-20/20
You can find the sermon notes here.
As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And the one thing I always want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshipping with us in person or are worshipping with us online — the one thing I want you to know is that God loves you and that I love you too.
As I’ve mentioned previously in this series — Christmas this year is going to look a little different. There are lots of traditions that we’ve grown accustomed to that — this year — we’re having to figure out some unorthodox substitutions for — cause — it’s 2020.
But one of the changes that no one’s complained about — in this Christmas series — is that my sermons are shorter than normal. It seems that we’re all enjoying having time to sing a few more songs during our services as Christmas songs have a way of reminding us what this season and — really what all of life — is about.
And I’ve mentioned how we all have a choice before us. We can complain about these temporary changes — especially the ones we don’t like — or we can choose to have some fun and be joyful even in what will most likely be the strangest Christmas we’ve ever experienced. And I’m hoping that you will join me and choose to have some fun and to be joyful this Christmas because Christmas is a time — pandemic or not — when we celebrate the birth of Jesus. And our Savior’s birth is a reason for us to be filled with joy.
And this year — we’re looking at some Old Testament promises about Jesus that we might not usually think about when we think of Christmas. But I hope we’ll all have our understanding of who Jesus is — and what his birth means for us — expanded as we look at these promises. So let’s look at our promise for today.
If you have your Bible please turn with me to Micah chapter 5. We’ll be looking at verses 2-5.
We’re in Micah chapter 5. Beginning in verse 2. Verses that contain a promise about the Christmas story that I’m sure many of you are familiar with.
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 labor 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. (Micah 5:2-5a ESV)
If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that our ability to provide peace and security for ourselves can easily be upended. From the election to protests in our country, weather disasters — like the fires in California or hurricanes hitting many states — COVID’s impact on businesses, schools, and life in general — to the regular forms of instability that go on in our world — from dictators to global hunger issues, terrorism and so on. This year has shown us the foolishness of believing that we have the ability to provide and sustain peace and security.
John Lennon once said, “If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there’d be peace.” A nice thought, but if it was that simple — surely we’d all have opted in for peace over another TV by now.
But think of all of the ways — besides another TV — that we try to find peace and security.
Now, none of these things are wrong. But what’s not good is how we can depend upon them — instead of Christ — for our peace and security. What’s not good is how we so easily believe and act as if we can provide for ourselves what only Christ can give us.
And — this — our inability to provide security and peace and specifically how 2020 has awakened us to the false sense of security and peace we were living under — well this has led many people to despair. Various studies have shown how the pandemic is affecting our mental health (https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6932a1.htm?s_cid=mm6932a1_w) which has only exacerbated the feeling of hopelessness many experience as we see the security and peace — that we thought we had — disappear.
Even prior to the pandemic we were already a nation suffering from a lack of peace. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the US affecting somewhere around 40 million adults. Many anxiety disorders are treatable yet only around 37% of those who are suffering seek treatment. And — again — these are statistics from pre-pandemic and I’m sure that these numbers have only increased with all that 2020 has brought on us.
So — let me pause here — and share with you all some practical resources if you are struggling right now and are in need of help.
First, if you have physical needs, the best thing for you to do is contact the church office. You can find our office phone number on our website — gatewayepc.org. Most likely, you’ll be put in contact with one of our deacons who oversee our benevolence offering — money set aside specifically for helping meet the physical needs of those in our congregation.
If you have mental health needs. First, we did a podcast episode on mental health and the church a few months ago — it’s episode 49 — which may be a good place for you to begin. Also, Pastor Robert — our pastor of care and counseling — has a list of therapists and counselors he can get you in contact with. So if you don’t know where to begin, but know that you need help, please contact pastor Robert and he will get you connected with people who can help you.
Or maybe you have spiritual needs. If this is you, the place to begin is with your Life Group. It’s not uncommon for folks to have some sort of spiritual need — even something as simple as “I need prayer” — and their life group is unaware. Our Life Groups are our first line of defense when it comes to your spiritual care. So if you’re in a life group, let your fellow life group members know about your need. Life Group leaders, make sure you’re asking lots of questions of your group members to see how they’re doing. What are their plans for Christmas and New Year’s, how lonely or anxious are they feeling these days? Sometimes all someone needs is for a question to be asked. And — if you’re not in a life group — contact our Connect team and they will do their best to get you placed in a group.
Finally, if you’re a member of Gateway, you have a shepherding elder. All of our church elders have a group of members they’re responsible for. We’ve been reaching out to you all year long. If you’re not sure who your shepherding elder is, contact the church office and we’ll put you in contact with your elder. Your campus pastor is also available to help you find the spiritual care you need. And — as I mentioned earlier — Robert is our pastor of care and he’s a resource available to you.
But before we go any further in this sermon, I just want to make sure that you all are aware of the ways in which Gateway wants to care for you. I don't want anyone to feel uncared for because you didn’t know about a resource or who to contact. And with the year we’ve had, I know that many are in need of care — so please reach out to us for help.
Now back to this feeling of hopelessness that many of us — if not all of us — have as we’ve seen the security and peace — that we thought we had — disappear. And — though this isn’t good news — it can be an avenue by which we get to Good News. For the gospel reveals to us a God who became man. And the promise we find in our passage is how God would come to earth as a Protecting Shepherd — someone who would go to the ends of the earth to protect and find all of his lost sheep. And — as our Protecting Shepherd — he did so even when protecting his sheep cost him his life.
And as we think about peace and security — we must make sure that we’re allowing the Bible to define what peace and security is — rather than our culture. What does the Bible say about peace? Well in another Old Testament prophecy about Jesus, we discover that “His name shall be called...the Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6) In the New Testament, the apostle Paul tells us that the peace Jesus gives us is a “peace that surpasses all understanding.” (Philippians 4:7) So we’re promised peace — even in a year like 2020. We’re promised peace — even when we’re unsure of what 2021 will bring.
And this kind of peace is the supernatural peace that Christians around the world experience who find themselves in situations much worse than ours. Think of our brothers and sisters living in Africa — a continent plagued by peace and security robbing foes like extreme poverty, crime, civil conflict, genocide, abuse, war, and so on. (See https://africa.thegospelcoalition.org/article/prince-of-peace-still-reigns/) Do our brothers and sisters in Christ — living in these situations — have access to the peace that surpasses all understanding? Of course they do! But — for me — I don’t know about you — but for me — it’s often tempting to be jealous of them as their circumstances cause them to be completely dependent upon Christ’s supernatural peace — because there’s no self-deception in their circumstance — they know that they cannot provide peace in their own power.
But — we’re getting the cart a bit before the horse. So let’s return to our verses and see how all that we’ve been talking about — the peace and security that we long for — is found in our verses and how this all connects to the Christmas story. Let’s begin back in verse 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 labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel. (Micah 5:2-3 ESV)
So the connection to the Christmas story is pretty obvious, I think. Verse 2 is where we find the promise that the Messiah — Jesus — will be born in Bethlehem. Earlier — in chapter 4 of Micah — there’s a promise of a coming king — but in our verses — the promise is even more specific — he will come from the town of Bethlehem. Instead of coming from the capital city — the promised Savior will come from a lowly town.
Now — the people in Micah’s day — were in a place of insecurity and unrest — it was not a peaceful time. Listen to what one biblical scholar says about this period in history. “The time from this [Micah’s prophecy] to the birth of Christ was a time, for the most part of great trouble [for] the Jews. Not only was their country invaded and their city besieged by Sennacherib in Hezekiah’s time, but some years after that, they were wholly carried captive into Babylon, and when they returned it was troublesome times; they met with many enemies that disturbed them while they were rebuilding the city and temple; and after that they endured much tribulation in the times of Antiochus Epiphanes, or of the Maccabees, nor were they long in any quiet, nor in any settled state, until the coming of the Messiah.” (John Gill, John Gill’s Exposition on the Entire Bible—Book of Micah (Graceworks Multimedia, 2011), 323.)
So — what’s all that mean? It means we’re talking centuries here. Centuries of insecurity. Centuries of instability. Centuries of lacking peace. And notice — how verse 3 shows us — that it’s God who has put them in this insecure and lacking peace situation. And they will find themselves in this unsettling situation until — centuries later — a woman gives birth to a baby. So this was an incredible promise to their ears — that a day will come when Israel’s great King will be born. It’s a great promise because they’re currently in a time that was difficult and hard.
Now Matthew connects this promise to the birth of Christ. “Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” 3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. 4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?” 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote: (And I think you’ll recognize the quote.) 6 ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’” 7 Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. 8 Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!” 9 After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.” (Matthew 2:1-12 NLT)
The promise given is the promise fulfilled — the Messiah was born in Bethlehem.
And in our remaining verses, I want us to look at two things. First, how Jesus shepherds. And second, two promises given to us — his sheep. Let’s begin by looking at how Jesus shepherds. Verse 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. (Micah 5:4a ESV)
So there’s a shift in this verse — from the promised birth to the character of the Promised One. This is where we see how Jesus shepherds his people. And we find two characteristics of his shepherding in this verse. First, he shepherds in the strength of the Lord. And, second, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
Now “the strength of the Lord” implies that this Shepherd King will reign as “an expression, not a replacement, of Yahweh’s kingship.” (J.L. Mays, Micah: A Commentary (London: Old Testament Library, 1976), 117.) So this promised Shepherd will protect the people in the same way that Yahweh has protected them.
And “in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God” is a phrase that sums up the power and character of this coming Shepherd — his power will be divine.
And we know that Jesus came as the purest expression of who God is — for — he is God. And he came and lived by the power of the Spirit of God as a human. And this brings us to another amazing truth about our Protecting Shepherd. The baby born in Bethlehem was both fully human and fully God. Why — you might wonder — was Jesus both man and God? Why both human and divine?
Why must he be truly human? As one catechism tells us, so “that in human nature he might on our behalf perfectly obey the whole law and suffer the punishment for human sin.” (New City Catechism Question 22) We — humanity — had made a covenant with God and had failed to uphold our end of the covenant. Thus Jesus became human to uphold our covenantal agreement with God and to suffer the punishment we deserve for our sin.
And why must he be truly God? So “that because of his divine nature his obedience and suffering would be perfect and effective.” (New City Catechism Question 23) Because of the fall, no human has been able to keep the law of God perfectly. So Jesus — being God and therefore without sin — was able to keep the law of God perfectly.
And this is how he shepherds his people — in his humanity and in his divinity.
And — now — we turn to two promises given to us — his sheep. Let’s begin in verse 4 again.
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. (Micah 5:4-5a ESV)
Two promises for the people of God. First, they shall dwell secure. And, second, he — their Shepherd — will be their peace. To dwell means to live. So God’s people have been promised that they will live in security. And they’ve been promised that he — the Shepherd — will be their peace. So this means that the peace we’ve been given — that surpasses all understanding and all circumstances — isn’t some philosophical idea — this peace is a person. For Jesus is our peace that surpasses all understanding, all circumstances and situations, even the craziest of years — Jesus is our peace.
And Jesus — being peace for the people of God — came to tear down the walls of hostility and division and suspicion and distrust between us. He — being our peace — makes us into peacemakers. For his is a kingdom of peace and we’re to be witnesses to his peace in a world that lacks it. For — as Jesus said — “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9)
And to be peacemakers — we must know, believe, and trust in our Protecting Shepherd who has come to give us peace and security — who has come to be our peace and security.
And we come to know who he is, and to believe in him, and to trust him more and more through things like reading our Bible, and studying who Jesus is, and memorizing verses that contain promises of peace and security and — having memorized them — we meditate upon these promises throughout the day, and ask God’s Spirit to show us ways to be peacemakers instead of those who cause more division and insecurity in our world.
So — if I might ask: How much of your day is spent thinking about who Jesus is, what he’s done for you, what he’s promised to you, and what he wants of you? Be honest — because I know for me — I need to do this more. I don’t know about you, but I find it natural and easy to cause division instead of peace. For my wife. For my kids. For the church staff. For you all. It’s so easy — because it’s so natural — to be divisive, suspicious, and distrusting. And it’s so unnatural — thus I need supernatural power — to be a peacemaker. But when I think of Jesus — even right now — in thinking about him, and what he’s done for me and for you and for all people, and the promises he’s given to us — well it makes me desire to be who he wants me to be — a peacemaker.
And many people — maybe you — hunger and long for this as well — you long to be a peacemaker and you desire the kind of peace and security that only Jesus can provide. You’ve searched and searched and haven’t been able to find it — if this is you — here’s what I hope you will understand today. Know that through faith in Christ you have the opportunity to live in peace and security no matter what life brings your way. For Jesus is your peace.
Others of us may look at other people and believe that they’ve found peace and security without turning to Christ. And this may lure you into believing that it’s possible to find what you’re looking for outside of Christ. And — if this is you — know that these people you’re envious of are those who’ve learned how to put on a good face in public, but are deeply unsettled in their soul. For the lack the peace that surpasses all understanding because they have not put their faith and hope in Christ.
You see, with Jesus as your Shepherd, you will have security and peace in this unsettling world that’s full of conflict. And this means that you — and all of God’s people — have the opportunity to rest in what Jesus has provided instead of trying to achieve security and peace in our own effort and strength. And though the conflicts we see and experience may make it tempting to doubt that Jesus can provide us with security and peace, we choose to trust and believe in what our eyes cannot see — for that is what faith is — instead of being rattled by what our eyes do see. We choose to cast all of our anxieties on him, knowing that our Protecting Shepherd cares for us and has shown us his care and love in the giving of his life for us.
And one last encouragement. With Jesus as your Protecting Shepherd, it means that even when you stray — when we wander or find ourselves lost and afraid or discover that we’re causing division instead of peace — we can trust that our loving, Protecting Shepherd will always come and find us and bring us back into his fold once again. Why can we trust this? Because we know the length he’s alreadygone to rescue us. In love, he gave his life for us — showing us his unwavering commitment to protecting his sheep — he’s proven his commitment to giving us — and being our — peace. Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, another promise you’ve given to us that we don’t deserve but are grateful to receive. Your promise that Jesus has come to be our Protecting Shepherd — the One who brings peace into an unstable world. The One who is the peace — for his people — that surpasses all understanding and all circumstances.
Spirit of God, help us to rest in the peace of Christ. This is not natural to us. Thus we need your supernatural assistance so we receive and rest in the peace of Christ and also extend his peace to others as peacemakers. Spirit unify us. Help us to recognize ways that we’re causing division. Reveal to us ways in which we’re being sinfully suspicious or distrusting. Help us to see how we’re robbing ourselves of the peace of Christ by trusting what our eyes see more than your promises to us.
Finally, we thank you Jesus for being our Protecting Shepherd and our peace. For you are our peace that surpasses all understanding. What an undeserved — yet glorious gift to us. And we pray all of these things in your name. Amen.
May you go resting in the peace that Jesus provides — knowing that your Protecting Shepherd is your peace. Amen.
God loves you. I love you. You are sent.
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