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HERE COMES GOD’S GENUINE PEACE 5:2-5a

Have you ever heard of the Christmas Truce of 1914? It happened in the early months of World War 1. German and British troops faced each other in long, miserable trenches along what was called the Western Front in France. Bitterly cold. Snow. Soldiers huddled together trying to get warm. Random cannon fire. Historians have had a hard time separating fact from fiction, but it’s pretty clear something truly remarkable and utterly spontaneous happened early on the morning of December 25, 1914. One British soldier wrote, “First the Germans would sing one of their carols and then we would sing one of ours, until when we started up ‘O Come, All Ye Faithful’ the Germans immediately joined in singing the same hymn to the Latin words “Adeste Fideles.” And I thought, well, this is really a most extraordinary thing – two nations both singing the same carol in the middle of a war.”

Between the trenches was an area known as “no man’s land”. At some point, German soldiers emerged from their trenches, calling out “Merry Christmas” in English. British soldiers came out warily to greet them. They came together there in no man’s land refusing to obey the orders of both British and German officers to return to their posts. It was a shocking departure from military discipline. Over the course of several hours, troops exchanged gifts of cigarettes, food, buttons, and hats. Apparently an impromptu soccer game broke out at some point. That’s what’s depicted in a memorial commemorating this bizarre event. The Christmas Truce also allowed both sides to finally bury their dead comrades, whose bodies had lain for weeks on “no man’s land,” the ground between opposing trenches. Over the roar of artillery bombardments elsewhere along the line, both sides promised they wouldn’t fire a shot through Boxing Day – the day after Christmas. On December 27, bayonets were re-fixed and the fighting resumed. Christmas Day 1914 was the last flicker of peace along that God-forsaken stretch of wasteland for several years to come .

I want you to think with me about peace today. Whenever we hear that word “peace”, we tend to think of it in terms of wars coming to an end between countries or groups of people. We’ve spectacularly failed to create or preserve that kind of peace in any way, shape, or form. In this Advent season, we’re looking at the theme of God's promise of better days for our lives. That’s the hope of Advent and Christmas, that God has done something in Jesus that changes everything. For this series of messages, we’ve been looking at Scriptures that point to God's promises of better days coming - promises which all eventually find their fulfillment in the coming of Jesus.

This week, we'll look at what Micah has to say about Jesus’ coming. He was a prophet living in Judah about the same time as a better known prophet named Isaiah. Micah was alive and active about 700 years before Jesus was born. His brief prophecy reveals he had a passion for justice as well as a heart of love for both God and God’s people. He knew God was absolutely holy and majestic. He knew God’s people couldn’t continue to practice idolatry, cheat the poor, and deprive vulnerable people of justice. When the neighboring kingdom of Israel was obliterated by the Assyrians during Micah’s lifetime, he knew God wouldn’t tolerate his country’s sin forever. Judah was headed for judgment, too. The voice of God, through prophets like Micah, called 2 out, "People of God, you were made for better days! You worship evil idols instead of Me. The strong oppress the weak. The rich take advantage of the poor. But I, the Lord, have made you for better days, and I will bring those better days to pass."

That brings us to our Scripture for today. Let’s read it just now. We just read a very significant, important prophecy about the Messiah – the person God was going to send to the people of Israel and to the world to ensure better days. It identifies the place of His birth. It alludes to His unique nature. It reveals His character and His mission. The Jews, before Jesus and during the time of Jesus, clearly knew and understood Micah was speaking about the Messiah. What’s the overall message?

ONLY A PERSON SENT BY GOD BRINGS GOD’S GENUINE PEACE.

Of course, Micah did not know that a person named Jesus would be the Messiah. But the Holy Spirit did communicate in some way to Micah some very interesting information about this One who would ensure better days for God’s people. First, Micah said the Messiah will come quietly and unexpectedly. To be specific, He would come from a small town called . “‘But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel.’” (Mic. 5:2 NIV) I hope you can appreciate the specificity of this part of Micah’s prophecy. Some 700 years before Jesus was born, the Holy Spirit revealed the exact location of Jesus’ birth. Apparently there were two villages in the land of Israel named Bethlehem, and so the Ephrathah designation was added to make sure everyone knew it was the little village located in Judah about five miles from .

We know this verse was acknowledged to be a prophecy of the Messiah’s birthplace even by those who never accepted Jesus as the Messiah. Over in the New Testament, at the time of Jesus’ birth, King Herod asked the religious leaders of his day, “‘Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?’ ‘In Bethlehem in ,’ they said, ‘for this is what the prophet wrote.’” (Mt. 2:4-5 NLT). And then they quoted Micah 5:2. When Jesus began His ministry, the people felt it was important to know where He was born. Why? They said, “‘The Scriptures clearly state that the Messiah will be born of the royal line of David, in Bethlehem, the village where King David was born.’” (Jo. 7:42 NLT)

There’s something else noteworthy about this reference to Bethlehem. It was a small, insignificant, inconspicuous, marginal place even when Jesus was born there 700 years later. It never became a major city like Jerusalem. It was easy to ignore Bethlehem. But Scripture reveals God often prefers to use or to reveal Himself through whatever is unnoticed, inconspicuous, unexpected, or marginal – be it people or places. Nobody would have picked Bethlehem as the Messiah’s birthplace which seems to be precisely why God picked it. When God brings His genuine peace to us, He may well do it quietly and unexpectedly. That’s the way God’s peace comes - not with a marching band, hoopla, fanfare, and press coverage, but unexpectedly, quietly, and to unlikely people.

Second, Micah hinted the Messiah will be a unique and special human being. Notice what’s said about this One who will come in the future. “‘But you, O Bethlehem 3

Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf.’” (Mic. 5:2 NLT) What an interesting phrase – “whose origins are in the distant past.” Another translation puts it like this, “… whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” (Mic. 5:2 NIV) It’s appropriate for us to see in that phrase a reference to the pre-existence of this coming Messiah – the fact that before Jesus was born in Bethlehem, He already existed as the Son of God – the second person in the Holy Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Then, there’s an interesting reference in Micah’s prophecy to a woman giving birth. “The people of Israel will be abandoned to their enemies until the woman in labor gives birth.” (Mic. 5:3) Many scholars believe the woman referenced there was meant to be a metaphor for the nation of Israel. That’s very possible. Micah said the coming days of Judah’s military defeat and exile were going to feel like being abandoned by God. He likened that future time to a woman's groaning during childbirth. Yet into that violent and seemingly hopeless situation, God was going to send His peace giver. prophecy is full of double meaning or, to put it differently, double fulfillment. In other words, it had significance for Micah and the people he was addressing in his day and time, but the same words could also provide additional information regarding God’s plans for the future. That phrase reminds us of another prophet’s words about the coming Messiah, “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).” (Is. 7:14 NLT)

It’s no longer considered novel for a sitting President to make a secret trip to visit our troops in war zones. President Trump made such a trip to Afghanistan a week or so ago. But when then President George W. Bush paid a surprise visit to Iraq on Thanksgiving Day back in 2003, it was pretty much without precedent. His purpose was to thank U.S. troops for defending the American people. While there, the President served up Thanksgiving dinner to 600 stunned soldiers in a mess hall at Baghdad's airport. The soldiers had gathered for what they thought would be a speech by chief U.S. administrator, Paul Bremer. Bremer told the troops he would read a Thanksgiving proclamation from the President, then paused and noted that it was customary for the most senior official present to read the President's proclamation. "Is there anybody back there who's more senior?" he asked. That’s when President Bush himself emerged from behind a curtain as cheering soldiers climbed on chairs and tables to yell their approval. Back in 2003, the unannounced visit stunned the nation and even surprised the President's parents, who’d been expecting him at the Thanksgiving table at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. Christmas is about God - who had formerly delivered His message through prophets like Micah - making a surprise personal visit to the world in the person of an infant named Jesus. When God wanted to show a sinful world that He cared, He came in person. Even now the Incarnation should take us by surprise.

Notice also that the coming Messiah will have the characteristics of a loving, caring shepherd. “He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD , in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.” (Mic. 5:4 NIV) The Messiah will be like a good shepherd, guiding and ordering His flock, watchful and ready to aid and defend 4

His sheep. Doesn’t that remind you of what Jesus said about Himself? “‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep…. I know my own sheep, and they know me.’” (Jo. 10:11,14 NLT) All who are a part of His flock will enjoy genuine peace and security. The Messiah will be a unique and special human being.

There’s a third piece of information about the coming Messiah mentioned by Micah in these verses. The Messiah will bring complete wholeness or shalom. “And he will be the source of peace.” (Mic. 5:5a NLT) Or, “And he will be our peace.” (Mic. 5:5a NIV) The ancient Jews had a word to describe God’s better days to come. They called it shalom - Hebrew for "peace." God's peace—shalom—meant much more than simply the absence of war. It indicated more than just a positive relationship between God and me. This longing for God's shalom included those things, to be sure, but this was a much bigger and broader peace. Shalom was and is all about comprehensive peace, not just stopping bullets from flying around. Shalom means not only inner peace or spiritual peace; it means wholeness and completeness throughout all creation. It means the end of injustice. It means the rich no longer devouring the poor. It means all brokenness set right and healed. It means people loving one another.

For the Jews, the hope of shalom was wrapped up in a person – the Messiah. Someone was coming, they believed, who would open the door to that kind of complete peace – God’s better days. Isaiah, Micah’s contemporary, put it like this, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6 NIV) The question was who. Who was it? Neither Isaiah nor Micah knew who it would be specifically. They just pointed to Him. But you and I know, don’t we?

ONLY JESUS BRINGS GOD’S GENUINE PEACE.

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem – just like Micah predicted He would be – the angels said to the shepherds, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” (Lk. 2:14 NLT) So, how does it affect your life and mine? Write it on your heart: Jesus alone gives me genuine peace with God. The Bible says everything Jesus did – His birth, His living, His dying on the cross, and His rising from the dead - was designed to reconcile us with God the Father. Our relationship with God was not one of peace. As a matter of fact, the Bible tells us that we start out being at war with God. We have to learn how to surrender to Him if we ever hope to find real peace. That's why the Bible declares, “ Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.” (Rom. 5:1 NLT) The man who wrote those words was Paul, who as a Jew knew very well the promise of shalom in prophets like Isaiah and Micah. Paul knew Jesus alone was the promised giver of genuine shalom.

What can we say about Jesus’s genuine peace with God? It’s a comprehensive peace. God has addressed the most basic conflict of all. The greatest conflicts on our planet aren’t the wars going on in Iraq or Afghanistan. The greatest war is the one between human beings and God. The greatest battlefield is the human heart. By nature, we all 5 want to do life our own way, not God’s way. Our broken, sinful actions and attitudes cause a hostile and strained relationship with our Creator. Until and unless I'm at peace with God, I'm not part of the solution; I'm still part of the problem. But in Jesus, I can find peace with God which then enables to become an instrument of God's peace. Where? In my family. In my neighborhood. In my office. In my school. In my world.

What else can we say about Jesus’s genuine peace with God? It’s a costly peace. There is usually a cost involved to get to comprehensive peace. The Bible is the story of how God paid the cost Himself in order to establish this comprehensive peace. The Incarnation – this event we sing and sermonize about every Christmas - was for one reason and one reason alone – so that Jesus could suffer, die and be raised again from the dead. Your sin and mine created a cost that had to be paid. And it was paid at the cross and the empty tomb by God Himself so that true shalom could break out. The Bible says, “[God] made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.” (Colossians 1:20 NLT) Because of the high cost Jesus paid, you and I can experience shalom with God – eternal and comprehensive peace.

What else can we say about Jesus’s genuine peace with God? It’s a contingent peace. In other words, peace with God isn’t automatically given or conferred on anyone. Well, how do you get it, then? You must reach out and take it personally and consciously. Peace with God is contingent on actually receiving or accepting this marvelous gift God alone gives. The Bible has a word for receiving or accepting God’s peace. That word is faith. Imagine an exquisitely wrapped Christmas gift with your name on it. It’s for you. You can open it any time you want. But that gift only benefits you if you take it, open it, and start enjoying it. God’s personal gift to you is peace with Him. But you have to receive that gift and make it your own by what the Bible calls faith.

Only Jesus brings God’s genuine peace. First, peace with God. But, second, Jesus alone gives me the peace of God. What can we say about this peace of God which Jesus alone provides? It’s a conditional peace. Conditional on what? It’s conditional on whether you’ve made peace with God first of all. The peace of God depends entirely on having peace with God. Peace with God always precedes the peace of God. The peace of God is an inner sense of well-being, wholeness and spiritual completeness that pervades your entire life. You know your sins are forgiven. You know God loves you. You know your life has purpose and meaning. You know Heaven is your eternal home. You can only have all of that if, first of all, you’ve made your peace with God.

The peace of God is conditional for a follower of Jesus, too. Whenever you sin, you lose the peace of God. Whenever you make a poor decision, cop an ungodly attitude, engage in a sinful act or fail to show love, God will withdraw that sense of His peace. That’s His way of getting your attention. When that happens, get alone with God. Ask Him if there’s something you need to confess. If there is, He’ll show you. Or, it may be that you’re about to make a decision or pursue some course of action that isn’t sinful in and of itself, but it just isn’t what God wants for your life. God often uses the presence or the absence of His peace to give you insight and leading into His will for your life. 6

Only Jesus brings God’s genuine peace. It’s a comforting peace. The Bible says, “Don’t worry about anything (by the way, that can be translated – ‘stop perpetually worrying about even one thing’-); instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” (Ph. 4:6-7 NLT) Someone explained it like this: “Satan tries to crush our spirit by getting us to bear tomorrow’s problems with only today’s grace.” Have you been there? I know I have! The Bible says, “And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts.” (Col. 3:15 NLT) In other words, let it control, dominate, overrule, force into submission – every fear, every anxiety, every worry out there.

Only Jesus brings God’s genuine peace. It’s a conquering peace. Sometimes I catch myself assuming that the peace of God means I will have no problems, no struggles, or no challenges. Not so! God’s peace is like a weapon – like armor. “His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7 NLT) God’s peace is the result of knowing God is still there even when life goes dark for whatever reason. The peace of God enables you to endure, to prevail, and to conquer.

Horatio Spafford was a happy, prosperous and successful attorney in Chicago. He had five children, was active in his church, and had a personal friendship with D.L. Moody – the Billy Graham of the 1800s. But then he began to experience tragedy on a Job-like scale. His only son died. Soon after that loss, the Chicago fire of 1871 wiped out his extensive real estate holdings. Only two years later, yet another unbearable tragedy came his way. In November of 1873, Spafford planned a European trip for his family. At the last minute, urgent business detained him from leaving with them. So he placed his wife and four young daughters – Tanetta, Maggie, Annie, and Bessie – on the S.S. Ville du Havre. He planned to join them as soon as his business was completed. A few days out of port the Ville du Havre was struck by another ship. In just twelve minutes, the Ville du Havre sank and 226 people drowned. Mrs. Spafford was among the few who were saved and who ultimately arrived in Cardiff, Wales. Once there, Mrs. Spafford cabled a two word message to her husband: “Saved. Alone.”

Horatio Spafford booked passage immediately to join his wife in Wales. For many hours he stood on the ship’s deck bent over with sorrow. He had asked the captain to alert him when they reached the approximate place where the Ville du Havre had gone down. At the appropriate time, the captain sent word they were now passing over the place where Spafford’s daughters had drowned. Never again would he hear their childish laughter. Never again would he hear their loving greeting, “Papa!” Never again would he feel the warmth of his daughters’ hugs. On that cold, windy sea in November of 1873, Horatio Spafford pulled from his coat pocket his wife’s cabled message: “Saved. Alone.” As the story goes, he turned the paper over and began to write these words, “When peace, like a river, attendeth my way; when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul.” 7

Oswald Sanders put it succinctly, “ Peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of God.” R egardless of what life brings your way and mine, we can know this: Jesus is our peace, because He was, He is, and He will be the Prince of Peace. He alone is the giver of God’s genuine peace – the One who guaranteed with His birth, His life, His death, and His resurrection that better days are coming. They’re on the way!