O Little Town of Bethlehem (Mic 5:1-2)

WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.199 --> 00:00:11.470 Here we find the words that are echoed in Matthew Chapter Two, Matthew five 2 00:00:11.509 --> 00:00:17.190 versus one through six. Now Muster your troops, oh daughter of troops. 3 00:00:17.429 --> 00:00:22.820 Siege is laid against us with a Rod. They strike the judge of Israel 4 00:00:23.100 --> 00:00:31.579 on the cheek, but you will Bethlehem, Ephratha, you are who are 5 00:00:31.859 --> 00:00:37.929 too little to be among the clans of Judah. From you shall come forth 6 00:00:38.570 --> 00:00:44.530 for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, who's coming forth is 7 00:00:44.609 --> 00:00:50.240 from of old, from ancient days. Therefore, he shall give them up 8 00:00:50.280 --> 00:00:55.359 until the time when she who is in Labor has given birth. Then the 9 00:00:55.640 --> 00:01:00.039 rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel and he shall stand 10 00:01:00.079 --> 00:01:04.870 and shepherd his flock and the strength of the Lord, in The Majesty of 11 00:01:04.950 --> 00:01:08.950 the name of the Lord, his God, and they shall dwell secure. 12 00:01:10.870 --> 00:01:14.829 For now, he shall be great to the ends of the Earth and he 13 00:01:15.030 --> 00:01:19.900 shall be their peace. When Assyrian, when the Assyrian comes into our land 14 00:01:19.939 --> 00:01:26.819 and treads in our places, then we will raise against him seven shepherds and 15 00:01:26.060 --> 00:01:30.099 eight princes of men, and they shall shepherd the land of Assyria with the 16 00:01:30.260 --> 00:01:36.890 sword and the land of Nimrod at its entrances and he shall deliver us from 17 00:01:36.930 --> 00:01:44.010 the Assyrian when he comes into our land and treads within our border. Let 18 00:01:44.010 --> 00:01:49.840 us pray, our heavenly father, we thank you for your word that has 19 00:01:49.879 --> 00:01:53.719 been given to us. We thank you for the word incarnate and the word 20 00:01:53.760 --> 00:02:00.439 here in scripture. We thank you and praise you for the spirit whom you 21 00:02:00.599 --> 00:02:05.390 have given that we might have this word, that we might hear it with 22 00:02:05.549 --> 00:02:09.830 faith. Please help us to understand, please help us to believe. We 23 00:02:10.310 --> 00:02:15.069 we thank you for these things and we pray for your blessing and Jesus name. 24 00:02:15.629 --> 00:02:47.960 Amen. You may be seated after the sermon and like to sing with 25 00:02:49.039 --> 00:02:53.960 you him. Two hundred and one a little town of Bethlehem will sing it 26 00:02:54.120 --> 00:03:00.270 in response to of these texts that were considering this evening to see how the 27 00:03:00.669 --> 00:03:09.310 words of this Christmas carols him express these biblical truths and give words that we 28 00:03:09.469 --> 00:03:16.219 might pray to the Lord and praise his name, to remember his wondrous works, 29 00:03:16.379 --> 00:03:21.819 to consider his glorious deeds, to proclaim them in all the nations. 30 00:03:23.500 --> 00:03:28.729 We consider them in light of these texts. Here it was written in light 31 00:03:28.849 --> 00:03:36.969 of these texts and Micah Chapter Five and Matthew a chapter two. The history 32 00:03:37.009 --> 00:03:40.840 of Jesus is birth. In this chapter in Matthew Two versus one through twelve 33 00:03:40.919 --> 00:03:50.759 swirls around the city Bethlehem, and sometimes stories are situated around an object, 34 00:03:50.759 --> 00:03:55.909 around a person. There's various ways in which writers will bring something to our 35 00:03:55.949 --> 00:04:00.990 attention. I'm here. Of course the primary story is about Jesus, right. 36 00:04:01.110 --> 00:04:05.830 This is the Gospel about Jesus, but there's a lot of focus here 37 00:04:05.909 --> 00:04:12.180 on the place of his birth. Now, for some of you the place 38 00:04:12.300 --> 00:04:15.339 of your birth doesn't mean a whole lot. Maybe some of you don't even 39 00:04:15.339 --> 00:04:19.699 know the exact place of your birth. I'm for others of you it's very 40 00:04:19.980 --> 00:04:25.089 significant. It holds a lot of meaning to you where you came from. 41 00:04:26.769 --> 00:04:31.050 In scripture, when we're thinking about Jesus, we see that there is a 42 00:04:31.209 --> 00:04:40.480 lot of weight that is placed on this little city. Bethlehem, which means 43 00:04:40.680 --> 00:04:45.680 house of bread, was a small village in the territory of Judah, about 44 00:04:45.800 --> 00:04:51.240 five miles south southwest of Jerusalem, not a hugely important city, and we 45 00:04:51.360 --> 00:04:56.870 know that for several reasons. One, it's spoken of that way, as 46 00:04:57.149 --> 00:05:00.790 we've seen some of the passages we've read. Also, when we see a 47 00:05:00.990 --> 00:05:04.589 various lists of cities within the clans. It's often not even mentioned, sort 48 00:05:04.629 --> 00:05:09.100 of like if you were going to draw a map of Arizona, there might 49 00:05:09.139 --> 00:05:14.980 be places you just leave off. Seems to have happened here with Bethlehem, 50 00:05:15.899 --> 00:05:21.329 but it's an important city in scripture. I'm beginning not just with Jesus's birth 51 00:05:21.370 --> 00:05:29.129 and not even just with this prophecy in Mica Five. One of the most 52 00:05:29.170 --> 00:05:34.170 important places in the earliest places we see is with another couple, another couple 53 00:05:34.290 --> 00:05:40.560 in love, not Mary and Joseph, but ruth and Boaz, all the 54 00:05:40.600 --> 00:05:45.439 way back, all the way back in the time of the judges. You 55 00:05:45.560 --> 00:05:53.829 may remember that story. Ruth was a gentile. She came into Israel through 56 00:05:54.029 --> 00:06:00.870 her motherin law. I'm escaping judgment. Naomi and her husband left. They 57 00:06:00.910 --> 00:06:04.300 left the people of God. They they left out under his judgment and tried 58 00:06:04.339 --> 00:06:11.779 to find greener pastors and other places. And while they were gone their sons 59 00:06:12.060 --> 00:06:18.769 married married gentile women. One of them was ruth. But Naomi's husband died, 60 00:06:19.810 --> 00:06:24.889 her son's died and she was left with these two daughters in law and 61 00:06:25.009 --> 00:06:30.810 she said go back to your people, go back to your God's I don't 62 00:06:30.850 --> 00:06:33.879 have anything for you, even if I could bear another son in my old 63 00:06:33.959 --> 00:06:36.160 age. What are you going to do? Wait until he's an adult? 64 00:06:36.959 --> 00:06:42.759 Your time is over with me. We need to move on. But Ruth 65 00:06:43.920 --> 00:06:49.149 loved her mother in law and seems to have loved her God. But she 66 00:06:49.149 --> 00:06:55.990 because she says to Naomi, your people will be my people, your God 67 00:06:56.110 --> 00:07:02.060 will be my God. And Ruth moves to Bethlehem where actually she meets a 68 00:07:02.180 --> 00:07:09.939 man named Bo as and through a series of events they end up having a 69 00:07:10.100 --> 00:07:15.689 child and and being promised that one day, through them, God would bring 70 00:07:15.769 --> 00:07:24.569 about something good. We read a genie Ology there that eventually King David himself, 71 00:07:25.290 --> 00:07:30.240 this great King of Israel, I, came from this place, from 72 00:07:30.319 --> 00:07:39.480 Ruth and bow as. David also came from Bethlehem in another way. When 73 00:07:40.399 --> 00:07:46.629 Israel needed a king after Saul's a great failure, the Prophet Samuel was sent 74 00:07:46.790 --> 00:07:53.269 out to look for another king, the king that God would have, and 75 00:07:53.389 --> 00:07:57.230 he goes and he finds him in Bethlehem. He goes to Jesse, this 76 00:07:58.110 --> 00:08:01.899 great, great, great and so on, grandson of Ruth and bow as, 77 00:08:01.740 --> 00:08:07.379 and Jesse brings out a bunch of sons says here are my son's in 78 00:08:07.540 --> 00:08:13.170 this little town of Bethlehem, kind of nobody family in a way, but 79 00:08:13.290 --> 00:08:18.170 he brings out the best. He brings out his sons and Samuel goes to 80 00:08:18.250 --> 00:08:20.329 each of them and the Lord tells them, no, not this one, 81 00:08:20.529 --> 00:08:24.449 not this one, not this one, not this one, and so well, 82 00:08:24.449 --> 00:08:26.610 do you have anyone else? He's like well, yeah, there's David 83 00:08:26.600 --> 00:08:33.240 back forty working on the sheep. It's like, well, bring him. 84 00:08:33.320 --> 00:08:39.159 And the smallest, the youngest, this is the one whom God chooses. 85 00:08:43.269 --> 00:08:52.830 This this is the background before or Mica Five, of of Bethlehem from the 86 00:08:52.990 --> 00:08:58.899 early, early days that we of God's people in this city. We always 87 00:08:58.899 --> 00:09:03.940 have the sense that it's small, that it's unimportant, but that God seems 88 00:09:05.019 --> 00:09:11.330 to choose it for that particular reason. Because it's small, because it's unimportant, 89 00:09:13.210 --> 00:09:20.490 he chooses it to do great things. That brings us to Mike a 90 00:09:20.610 --> 00:09:28.960 five. When the wise men go to Herod and ask him here we are 91 00:09:30.039 --> 00:09:33.799 in Jerusalem, the place we would expect this Christ to be born. Where 92 00:09:35.000 --> 00:09:41.710 is he here? It doesn't know. He goes to his counselors as scribes, 93 00:09:41.629 --> 00:09:46.710 and he says, don't we know something about this? Isn't Christ supposed 94 00:09:46.710 --> 00:09:50.429 to be born somewhere. One of the things I love about this is they 95 00:09:50.470 --> 00:09:54.580 are able to answer his question, not by some miracle or some sort of 96 00:09:54.940 --> 00:10:00.460 active divination, but they're the exact same way. You could find this out 97 00:10:01.179 --> 00:10:05.980 Bible study. They just go to their bold testaments, they go to Mica 98 00:10:07.139 --> 00:10:09.889 and they say, yeah, it says right here, Bethlehem, that's where 99 00:10:09.929 --> 00:10:16.289 we're expecting him from. This is a very this is perhaps a side note, 100 00:10:16.409 --> 00:10:18.809 but I think it's important to mention this. There's something that's always really 101 00:10:18.809 --> 00:10:24.159 sad about this to me. Herod seems to have enough confidence in the scripture 102 00:10:24.360 --> 00:10:28.799 to ask questions about it, to trust it. He trusts it so much 103 00:10:28.919 --> 00:10:37.590 that he decides to eradicate all the children in that place that are, I 104 00:10:37.669 --> 00:10:39.950 believe it was said, five and under. Sorry if I'm wrong about that, 105 00:10:41.429 --> 00:10:48.149 these young children, all of these boys. He murders them. No 106 00:10:48.350 --> 00:10:52.419 doubt an unpopular decision, but he does it anyway on the basis of his 107 00:10:52.580 --> 00:10:56.860 confidence of the word of God. Right, he trusts that what it says 108 00:10:56.899 --> 00:11:01.100 is true, that these wise men are reacting to a thing that God is 109 00:11:01.220 --> 00:11:05.289 doing. And yet, despite trusting it in this way, for this kind 110 00:11:05.289 --> 00:11:11.370 of accuracy. He fails to trust it in the message that we have in 111 00:11:11.529 --> 00:11:18.330 Micafive, not just this point, this data point, about where this great 112 00:11:18.409 --> 00:11:22.240 one is to come from, but in the larger message that's here. Let's 113 00:11:22.399 --> 00:11:28.840 consider it mica five, versus one through six. It starts out with a 114 00:11:28.039 --> 00:11:35.789 problem. In Verse One, Assyria is gaining victory over God's people. Siege 115 00:11:35.990 --> 00:11:39.309 is laid against us. With a Rod, they strike the judge of Israel 116 00:11:39.470 --> 00:11:46.070 on the cheek. Bam, that power that is a Symboli is there as 117 00:11:46.190 --> 00:11:52.620 this one nation strikes the other and they receive this great blow at the end 118 00:11:52.659 --> 00:11:54.539 of verse six, or at the end of these verses. In verse six, 119 00:11:54.659 --> 00:12:00.220 we realize that this victory, however, ultimately will end in defeat. 120 00:12:00.259 --> 00:12:07.529 Let me read to you it to you actually begins in verse five, when 121 00:12:07.570 --> 00:12:11.809 the Assyrian comes into our land and treads in our places. Then we will 122 00:12:11.850 --> 00:12:16.840 raise against him seven shepherds and eight princes of men. They shall shepherd the 123 00:12:16.879 --> 00:12:24.399 land of Assyria with the sword. Is One of those ironic ways of speaking. 124 00:12:24.519 --> 00:12:28.159 Right. Well, shepherd, you imagine the shepherd there with his staff 125 00:12:30.029 --> 00:12:33.750 and then all of a sudden he's got a sword in his hand and the 126 00:12:33.750 --> 00:12:39.029 land of Nimroditts's entrances, and he shall deliver us from Assyrian, from the 127 00:12:39.110 --> 00:12:43.460 Assyrian when he comes into our lands and treads within our borders. The shepherd 128 00:12:43.539 --> 00:12:46.899 language that's used here in the prophets and as used throughout the Old Testament, 129 00:12:46.980 --> 00:12:52.220 often speaks not only of the shepherd in the fields, but the shepherd imagery 130 00:12:52.299 --> 00:12:56.419 is carried into the role of the king. The kings are called the shepherd 131 00:12:56.460 --> 00:13:01.490 of Israel. They are seen as protectors, as keepers, as guards. 132 00:13:03.769 --> 00:13:09.169 So something happens between verse one and verse six which changes of the situation for 133 00:13:09.330 --> 00:13:15.720 Israel. What is it? Will begins in verse two. But you, 134 00:13:16.000 --> 00:13:22.279 oh Bethlehem, Frith, who who are too little to be among the clans 135 00:13:22.840 --> 00:13:28.629 of Judah, or maybe you could translate it to insignificant from You, shall 136 00:13:28.750 --> 00:13:39.710 come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel. This one 137 00:13:39.830 --> 00:13:43.980 will come not only through Bethlehem, but we read in verse three that he 138 00:13:43.059 --> 00:13:48.700 will be born out of this this people, this nation, even a community, 139 00:13:48.899 --> 00:13:54.059 personified in a woman who gives Labor that, we read, is ultimately 140 00:13:54.500 --> 00:14:01.570 not just personified literarily, but actually is a woman as well, Mary, 141 00:14:03.210 --> 00:14:09.080 who gives birth in Labor to this great son and this one who comes brings 142 00:14:09.200 --> 00:14:13.559 his brothers, the people of Israel. In Bend Verse Three, and then 143 00:14:13.639 --> 00:14:16.840 in verse four he stands, he's strong, he is the shepherd of his 144 00:14:16.960 --> 00:14:24.039 flock and the strength of the Lord, and this describes Jesus exactly. When 145 00:14:24.080 --> 00:14:30.750 Jesus came, he came with humility and to rule over his people, but 146 00:14:30.870 --> 00:14:35.309 he came in the name of the God, his father, The majesty of 147 00:14:35.389 --> 00:14:39.139 the name of Yahwey, as God. When Jesus came, he came to 148 00:14:39.299 --> 00:14:46.940 shepherds people and he did so with strength. Often that strength was demonstrated in 149 00:14:46.100 --> 00:14:52.409 his miraculous healings and his casting out of demons, in bringing people from even 150 00:14:52.570 --> 00:14:58.409 from death, to life. The Majesty and strength of the Lord was already 151 00:14:58.529 --> 00:15:01.649 always there, and yet there was something that always was small about it. 152 00:15:03.049 --> 00:15:07.120 The crowds were there, but then they would depart. His disciples would follow 153 00:15:07.120 --> 00:15:11.679 him, but then they would not. He would be strong and and and 154 00:15:13.039 --> 00:15:18.519 influential and and then he would be hung on across he was often mocked for 155 00:15:18.799 --> 00:15:22.870 the places that he was from. Later on, growing up in Nazareth, 156 00:15:24.950 --> 00:15:30.269 what good comes from these places? Who is this guy we know his brothers, 157 00:15:30.309 --> 00:15:35.779 we know his mother. WHO. Why is he important? The smallness 158 00:15:35.860 --> 00:15:41.460 of Bethlehem and the significance that it has is mirrored in the very person of 159 00:15:41.539 --> 00:15:48.419 Jesus, this one who comes forth from Bethlehem, the one who is quiet 160 00:15:48.659 --> 00:15:52.769 and meek, the one who's struck on one cheek and then turns the other 161 00:15:54.009 --> 00:15:58.690 to receive yet another strike, the one who dies, the one who suffers, 162 00:15:58.929 --> 00:16:07.840 the one who is meek and yet significant, yet of such huge and 163 00:16:07.120 --> 00:16:12.639 awesome and worldly importance that Mike a five doesn't just talk about the end of 164 00:16:12.799 --> 00:16:18.230 the Assyrians, which eventually did happen, but it puts it in these kind 165 00:16:18.269 --> 00:16:26.950 of, I'm losing my words, but much grander terms, and they shall 166 00:16:26.389 --> 00:16:33.259 what dwell secure for now. He shall be great to the ends of the 167 00:16:33.379 --> 00:16:38.980 Earth. Forget about Assyria for a moment. He says to Israel these one 168 00:16:40.139 --> 00:16:45.299 who is coming will establish a kingdom that's far surpasses anything that you can imagine. 169 00:16:48.289 --> 00:16:52.570 Why didn't Herod Trust in that? I didn't Herod Listen To that? 170 00:16:55.289 --> 00:17:02.799 Why did Herod Style himself after these kings in Assyria who can rule with an 171 00:17:02.840 --> 00:17:07.680 iron fist and who are powerful to issue edicts and command people and trick and 172 00:17:07.920 --> 00:17:15.440 mock and all the rest. Why did it? Herod not bow before God, 173 00:17:15.349 --> 00:17:21.349 the God of Israel, the one that he was to serve? Even 174 00:17:21.630 --> 00:17:26.309 Jesus himself, as he rules of King over his people, is serving for 175 00:17:26.789 --> 00:17:33.220 God. We read in verse two, when he stands on the human side 176 00:17:33.220 --> 00:17:38.779 of the Covenant and stands as one and who is our ruler in in our 177 00:17:38.819 --> 00:17:45.329 king. He does so because of the will of the father. Jesus does 178 00:17:45.450 --> 00:17:51.490 that. And if Jesus does that, why not Herod and why not me? 179 00:17:53.329 --> 00:18:00.079 Why do I and why do you trust God and his word in some 180 00:18:00.279 --> 00:18:08.119 ways but not others? Why do we trust certain data points and certain aspects 181 00:18:08.200 --> 00:18:15.509 of his character but then refuse others? His sovereignty over our lives, his 182 00:18:15.750 --> 00:18:26.859 promise of salvation, the goodness of His grace, this message about God doing 183 00:18:27.059 --> 00:18:34.099 great things through small things, is the message here of Mica Five. It's 184 00:18:34.380 --> 00:18:41.369 the point in part of Matthew Chapter Two, and it's expressed in this hymn 185 00:18:41.529 --> 00:18:45.569 a little town of Bethlehem. I want to finish by pointing out a few 186 00:18:45.609 --> 00:18:53.690 things here. The first verse of this Hymn sets the picture. A little 187 00:18:53.730 --> 00:19:00.559 town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie above the deep and thy 188 00:19:00.680 --> 00:19:04.759 deep and dreamless sleep. The silent stars go by. You can picture, 189 00:19:04.839 --> 00:19:10.430 sure, a kind of quiet town, you know, off the interstate, 190 00:19:10.470 --> 00:19:15.589 where all the bright lights are. It's just dark, just dark, except 191 00:19:15.630 --> 00:19:22.109 for the stars up above. It's quiet. Yet in thy dark streets shineth. 192 00:19:22.269 --> 00:19:30.420 Something else is shining, the everlasting light. The hopes, in fears 193 00:19:30.339 --> 00:19:38.170 of all the years are met in thee tonight. The picture that this first 194 00:19:38.210 --> 00:19:44.730 verse paints is the very picture that we see in Micafive, this insignificant town. 195 00:19:44.890 --> 00:19:52.650 It's it's a sleepy town right, nothing's happening. This is likely historically 196 00:19:52.849 --> 00:19:57.119 what was going on when. But even if the town was very busy that 197 00:19:57.279 --> 00:20:04.799 night with activity, the theological picture that's painted here is exactly right. Little 198 00:20:04.839 --> 00:20:11.309 Bethlehem, little insignificant Bethlehem that doesn't even begin to compare to the other cities. 199 00:20:11.829 --> 00:20:19.029 Even in Judah, something amazing is happening. The everlasting light is shining 200 00:20:19.069 --> 00:20:27.460 in her the second verse explains what that Light Is. The Christ is born 201 00:20:27.500 --> 00:20:33.059 of Mary and gathered all above. While mortal sleep, the angels key up 202 00:20:33.140 --> 00:20:41.569 their watch of wondering love. Oh morning stars together proclaim THY holy birth and 203 00:20:41.890 --> 00:20:47.450 praises, Sing to God, the king, and peace on men to Earth. 204 00:20:48.369 --> 00:20:55.960 In the psalms you'll often get these these expressions in which those who are 205 00:20:56.000 --> 00:21:00.079 singing, the human singers, who are singing praises to God, will call 206 00:21:00.240 --> 00:21:07.390 out to various aspects of the creation, be they inanimate things like trees or 207 00:21:07.509 --> 00:21:15.630 stars, or or living things like angels, and will say Praise God, 208 00:21:15.910 --> 00:21:18.420 Oh you heavenly host, praise him, you stars in the heavens. That's 209 00:21:18.859 --> 00:21:25.859 what's going on here. It sort of sees the hymn recognizes that there's this 210 00:21:25.980 --> 00:21:30.339 perspective that, even as the world is not yet recognizing the significance of what's 211 00:21:30.380 --> 00:21:37.650 happening and sleepy little Bethlehem, others are starting to see it the very first 212 00:21:37.849 --> 00:21:42.609 stars that appear in the morning, the angels who have long awaited and inquired 213 00:21:42.730 --> 00:21:49.000 into this thing are now having their questions answered. And then, verse three, 214 00:21:49.160 --> 00:21:53.559 it returns to the stillness and quietness. How silently, how silently, 215 00:21:53.759 --> 00:22:02.150 the wondrous gift is given. And then the point so or there, for 216 00:22:03.109 --> 00:22:07.910 God imparts. In the same way God imparts to human hearts the blessings of 217 00:22:08.069 --> 00:22:11.950 his heaven. No ear may hear his coming, but in this world of 218 00:22:12.150 --> 00:22:17.500 sin, where meek souls will receive him. The dear Lord enters in. 219 00:22:18.380 --> 00:22:22.859 And then it makes it even more personal. In verse for O Holy Child 220 00:22:22.980 --> 00:22:30.650 of Bethlehem descend to a US. We pray, cast out our sin and 221 00:22:30.849 --> 00:22:37.490 enter in, be born in us. Today we hear the Christmas Angels, 222 00:22:37.650 --> 00:22:42.410 the Great Glad Tidings, tell oh, come to us, abide with us. 223 00:22:44.049 --> 00:22:51.319 Our Lord, Emanuel Manuel, you remember from this morning, means God 224 00:22:51.400 --> 00:22:56.160 with us. What we are saying in the human other words, is this 225 00:22:56.240 --> 00:23:03.589 this miraculous thing that God does, geographically on the map, in this sleepy 226 00:23:03.710 --> 00:23:07.349 little town of Bethlehem, this unimportant town of Bethlehem, and which he's bringing 227 00:23:07.470 --> 00:23:11.990 about the great salvation of the world and peace to the ends of the Earth. 228 00:23:11.589 --> 00:23:18.859 We're asking him make me a part of that. I want to belong 229 00:23:18.259 --> 00:23:26.730 to that story. Make Christ not just abide in general, but abide in 230 00:23:26.890 --> 00:23:32.210 me. And this is what the Lord does in us as well. We 231 00:23:33.930 --> 00:23:40.930 are not some great and marvelous thing. I and you cannot be compared to 232 00:23:41.009 --> 00:23:47.480 a glorious, marvelous city in which great things are happening. We look at 233 00:23:47.480 --> 00:23:52.039 our lives and we see mistakes and failures and regrets and all kinds of things 234 00:23:52.160 --> 00:23:56.869 like that. We find messes and problems, dreams that are hoped for that 235 00:23:56.950 --> 00:24:04.750 aren't accomplished, things were trying that don't come to pass. We look in 236 00:24:04.829 --> 00:24:11.579 the mirror and we see our bodies changing. We feel aches and breaks, 237 00:24:11.700 --> 00:24:18.259 we suffer and relationships and on and on and on. We are not glorious. 238 00:24:21.259 --> 00:24:30.289 And yet God promises to do this glorious work in inglorious people, in 239 00:24:30.410 --> 00:24:36.289 ungodly people and unholy people, in small, sleepy, quiet, unimportant people. 240 00:24:37.809 --> 00:24:41.279 God says that he will come to all those who will receive him and 241 00:24:42.480 --> 00:24:51.559 do something wonderful. In Him. We will become important, glorious, wonderful, 242 00:24:51.599 --> 00:24:56.269 powerful, full of peace and holiness. We will be those that are 243 00:24:56.390 --> 00:25:03.869 shepherded by this great king, and indeed we are. There was a time 244 00:25:04.109 --> 00:25:14.380 when little town of Bethlehem was extremely insignificant. Now millions, I don't know, 245 00:25:15.299 --> 00:25:18.259 hundreds of thousands, go look it up. I don't know. People 246 00:25:18.500 --> 00:25:25.569 travel to Bethlehem every year. Everyone knows Bethlehem's name right. Everyone knows Bethlehem's 247 00:25:25.609 --> 00:25:32.970 name when the Lord Jesus comes and he returns and he lifts up his saints 248 00:25:33.609 --> 00:25:38.000 into the heavenly places and his glory and His light and all of His Majesty 249 00:25:38.119 --> 00:25:41.119 is on display, even as it is in the stars, in the heavens, 250 00:25:41.400 --> 00:25:45.000 but now in the bodies and in the lives of the people that he 251 00:25:45.200 --> 00:25:52.750 is saved. Through his incarnation and his death and his resurrection, the Great 252 00:25:52.869 --> 00:26:00.670 Shepherd and the great king will be shown to have done a marvelous work. 253 00:26:02.349 --> 00:26:07.619 The Lord's glory is shown all the more brightly when he uses humble things to 254 00:26:07.779 --> 00:26:12.019 do his holy will. We can praise God for that, can't we? 255 00:26:12.140 --> 00:26:18.609 We can thank him for it, remember it and tell of these wondrous works, 256 00:26:18.650 --> 00:26:25.170 even that of our own salvation. Let us pray