i'm glad you're here this week<\/p>\n
i wish i could say it's good to see you<\/p>\n
but because of the way it's set up<\/p>\n
i can't see any of you i'm just looking<\/p>\n
into a camera<\/p>\n
so you all can see me but i can't see<\/p>\n
any of you guys<\/p>\n
but in any case i'm glad that you're<\/p>\n
here today<\/p>\n
if any of us feel worn down stressed<\/p>\n
overwhelmed<\/p>\n
or worried by the things that have<\/p>\n
happened this week<\/p>\n
whether that's covid or other things<\/p>\n
to know that you're not alone<\/p>\n
[Music]<\/p>\n
i think we all are longing for the day<\/p>\n
when the pandemic passes<\/p>\n
and we can gather it together again<\/p>\n
foreign<\/p>\n
and if any of us are feeling<\/p>\n
particularly down today i pray that god<\/p>\n
would meet us<\/p>\n
as we turn to god's word today let's<\/p>\n
bring with us this sense of longing<\/p>\n
so we'll be going through micah 5 and<\/p>\n
boss will be reading it<\/p>\n
this week we'll be reading it in thai so<\/p>\n
feel free to follow along on the screen<\/p>\n
i right so<\/p>\n
vicky will be reading it in thailand<\/p>\n
thank you boss<\/p>\n
so a lot of the legends of the world<\/p>\n
are filled with stories that speak of a<\/p>\n
great king<\/p>\n
who used to rule and will one day come<\/p>\n
back<\/p>\n
when the good king is here everything is<\/p>\n
okay but then the king is gone and<\/p>\n
everything falls apart<\/p>\n
and when will the king return<\/p>\n
we see this theme is in books and<\/p>\n
legends<\/p>\n
and movies today<\/p>\n
lord of the rings for example the third<\/p>\n
installment being called<\/p>\n
the return of the king.<\/p>\n
another example is in c.s lewis's the<\/p>\n
chronicles of narnia<\/p>\n
as land the lion is the true king but<\/p>\n
then he's gone<\/p>\n
and narnia is plunged into winter<\/p>\n
he means<\/p>\n
the people are suffering they're dying<\/p>\n
and in some cases even their world is<\/p>\n
ending<\/p>\n
and then the king steps in and rescues<\/p>\n
the people<\/p>\n
rescues the land and everything is made<\/p>\n
okay again<\/p>\n
and as we've been going through micah<\/p>\n
these past few weeks we know that<\/p>\n
is there is israel is not okay things<\/p>\n
are not okay<\/p>\n
in israel<\/p>\n
we've talked about how the leaders are<\/p>\n
failing the people<\/p>\n
taking advantage of them we've talked<\/p>\n
about the injustice and the exploitation<\/p>\n
that the israelites faced<\/p>\n
a country israel is in winter people are<\/p>\n
suffering from corruption on the inside<\/p>\n
because of this god is going to bring<\/p>\n
judgment from the outside<\/p>\n
so verse 1 gives us a picture of<\/p>\n
humiliation<\/p>\n
israel is going to be attacked and their<\/p>\n
king will not be able to lift a finger<\/p>\n
to defend himself<\/p>\n
imagine the highest authority being<\/p>\n
struck on the face<\/p>\n
unable to defend himself<\/p>\n
it's absolute humiliation<\/p>\n
and history i can only imagine they'd be<\/p>\n
thinking where is god<\/p>\n
who promised them that they would be a<\/p>\n
blessing to the whole world<\/p>\n
it looks like now the whole thing is<\/p>\n
about to be destroyed<\/p>\n
and as we've seen they're in this<\/p>\n
position because of their own rebellion<\/p>\n
so they have gotten themselves into this<\/p>\n
mess and there seems to be<\/p>\n
no way out<\/p>\n
but out of you will come for me one who<\/p>\n
will be ruler over<\/p>\n
israel whose origins are from<\/p>\n
in the midst of darkness god brings<\/p>\n
forth hope<\/p>\n
which leads us to ask who is this king<\/p>\n
what is he going to do<\/p>\n
is he going to be like the previous<\/p>\n
kings that have failed his people<\/p>\n
so the text tells us that this king is<\/p>\n
going to come from an unlikely place<\/p>\n
one of the smallest clans in judah<\/p>\n
bethlehem ephrathah was going to be the<\/p>\n
clan out of which this king would come<\/p>\n
on<\/p>\n
now if you're expecting a king i would<\/p>\n
imagine he would come from a place of<\/p>\n
power and authority<\/p>\n
now<\/p>\n
it also tells us that this king is going<\/p>\n
to come for god<\/p>\n
out of you will come for me one who will<\/p>\n
be ruler over israel before god<\/p>\n
is in other words god's going to raise<\/p>\n
for himself<\/p>\n
a king one who is god's representative<\/p>\n
this is in contrast to the current kings<\/p>\n
in israel who as we've seen are taking<\/p>\n
advantage of their own people<\/p>\n
and what's interesting is in verse 4<\/p>\n
we see that this king is also a shepherd<\/p>\n
is<\/p>\n
so what does a shepherd do<\/p>\n
shepherd takes care of their sheep<\/p>\n
but not only that a shepherd is in<\/p>\n
charge<\/p>\n
it's not a democracy in the ship pen<\/p>\n
there's only one shepherd<\/p>\n
a shepherd knows the needs of their<\/p>\n
sheep and a large part of a shepherd's<\/p>\n
job is<\/p>\n
rescue work<\/p>\n
this is because sheep have a tendency to<\/p>\n
get lost<\/p>\n
in fact the sheep will keep his nose to<\/p>\n
the ground following the strip of<\/p>\n
greenness grass little by little<\/p>\n
separating them from the rest of the<\/p>\n
flock until finally they're completely<\/p>\n
out of sight<\/p>\n
and the sheep<\/p>\n
once the sheep is aware of this what do<\/p>\n
they do they run seeking their way but<\/p>\n
they don't know how to get home<\/p>\n
a lost sheep by itself does not get home<\/p>\n
the bible frequently refers to humans as<\/p>\n
sheep as well<\/p>\n
isaiah 53 for example says we all like<\/p>\n
sheep have gone astray<\/p>\n
and sheep do not go astray on purpose<\/p>\n
they don't intend to wander away<\/p>\n
i mean why would you leave your shepherd<\/p>\n
but they're so caught up with something<\/p>\n
that it leads them away from their true<\/p>\n
shepherd<\/p>\n
and tim keller points out that deep<\/p>\n
within our hearts we all long for a<\/p>\n
shepherd to come and care for our needs<\/p>\n
and when we have problems we want to<\/p>\n
know is there anyone out there who is<\/p>\n
able to take care of us<\/p>\n
is there someone who is going to make<\/p>\n
everything right<\/p>\n
is there someone who is going to bring<\/p>\n
control in all my chaos<\/p>\n
we're all looking for a shepherd but<\/p>\n
where do we find one<\/p>\n
huh now<\/p>\n
some of us are looking for that in our<\/p>\n
spouses whether we're married or single<\/p>\n
some of us think that our parents and<\/p>\n
families and kids are going to be the<\/p>\n
one to take care of our needs<\/p>\n
others look to our leaders<\/p>\n
upon we all want somebody to be our<\/p>\n
somebody or something that will<\/p>\n
completely complete us and will make us<\/p>\n
feel okay<\/p>\n
and when we discover that none of these<\/p>\n
people our spouse our families our<\/p>\n
leaders<\/p>\n
can truly meet our expectations we get<\/p>\n
surprised<\/p>\n
disappointed or even angry<\/p>\n
with<\/p>\n
some of us may have already been<\/p>\n
disappointed<\/p>\n
so we know that no one can be our<\/p>\n
shepherds that everyone is going to let<\/p>\n
us down<\/p>\n
again so what do we do we look to<\/p>\n
ourselves to be our own shepherd<\/p>\n
there's a pretty famous poem by a<\/p>\n
british poet named william ernest henley<\/p>\n
and i'm sure you'll recognize the ending<\/p>\n
it goes like this i am the master of my<\/p>\n
fate and i am the captain of my soul<\/p>\n
young<\/p>\n
one of the problems with being your own<\/p>\n
shepherd and there's many<\/p>\n
but one of them is how do you know<\/p>\n
you're qualified how do you know<\/p>\n
that you are the best person for that<\/p>\n
job<\/p>\n
to do look at the israelites they wanted<\/p>\n
to be their own shepherd<\/p>\n
and that's the reason they're in this<\/p>\n
mess to begin with<\/p>\n
foreign when you look at children<\/p>\n
and they ask for something let me have<\/p>\n
all the chocolates<\/p>\n
are you always going to give them what<\/p>\n
they want<\/p>\n
no of course not if a child was able to<\/p>\n
get everything they wanted they'd be<\/p>\n
dead in three hours<\/p>\n
the difference between an adult and a<\/p>\n
child<\/p>\n
is nowhere near as wide as the<\/p>\n
difference between us<\/p>\n
if god created the world and if god<\/p>\n
created us that means we were made for<\/p>\n
something<\/p>\n
the world isn't created if it's all<\/p>\n
natural selection then there's no such<\/p>\n
thing as meaning<\/p>\n
then we're all a product of survival of<\/p>\n
the fittest<\/p>\n
but if god created us then we were made<\/p>\n
for a purpose<\/p>\n
we are created not to be our own lords<\/p>\n
and saviors not to be our own masters<\/p>\n
but to be completely obedient<\/p>\n
to this king<\/p>\n
and this king micah tells us will<\/p>\n
shepherd his flock back to god and they<\/p>\n
will live securely and at peace<\/p>\n
see the pattern of the story things are<\/p>\n
not okay in fact things are very bad<\/p>\n
but a king will come and bring rescue.<\/p>\n
so let's look at what the text says<\/p>\n
about this ruler's kingdom<\/p>\n
so this text is about the problems of<\/p>\n
israel they're going to be attacked by<\/p>\n
assyria<\/p>\n
babylon and micah says it's all right<\/p>\n
it's going to happen israel will be<\/p>\n
abandoned<\/p>\n
but a king will rise up<\/p>\n
alone<\/p>\n
and you might think okay this king is<\/p>\n
going to deliver the israelites and make<\/p>\n
them great against<\/p>\n
but look at verse 4 they will live<\/p>\n
securely for his greatness will reach<\/p>\n
the ends of the earth<\/p>\n
until his brothers will return to join<\/p>\n
the israelites<\/p>\n
with you young man<\/p>\n
ethnic kingdom that goes to the ends of<\/p>\n
the earth<\/p>\n
the king is not only going to address<\/p>\n
israel's problems but the needs of the<\/p>\n
whole world<\/p>\n
this king is going to get rid of all<\/p>\n
evil and death all<\/p>\n
injustice and poverty<\/p>\n
the israelites were given a hope that<\/p>\n
god would raise up a king in the future<\/p>\n
but they did not know<\/p>\n
next slide please<\/p>\n
uh next slide please<\/p>\n
sorry the clicker is not working for<\/p>\n
some reason anyways they didn't know who<\/p>\n
this king was going<\/p>\n
because matthew in chapter 2 quotes<\/p>\n
micah 5.<\/p>\n
and says this king is jesus christ<\/p>\n
there is a reason why we're moved by all<\/p>\n
the myths and legends about a king who<\/p>\n
is going to return<\/p>\n
and that's because we know it's true<\/p>\n
we know we are in need of being rescued<\/p>\n
we know we are in need of a shepherd<\/p>\n
what if i told you jesus christ is the<\/p>\n
reality to which all these myths and<\/p>\n
legends points<\/p>\n
in the midst of darkness god sends his<\/p>\n
son born in the most<\/p>\n
unlikely place in a manger<\/p>\n
um<\/p>\n
he takes on the evil powers socially<\/p>\n
culturally<\/p>\n
spiritually<\/p>\n
and finally on the cross it looks like<\/p>\n
evil has defeated him but<\/p>\n
now he's bringing together a band of<\/p>\n
people renewing their lives and one day<\/p>\n
he will renew the whole world<\/p>\n
this is the king we are all after us<\/p>\n
jesus christ is that beautiful prince<\/p>\n
that your heart longs for when you read<\/p>\n
those stories<\/p>\n
he is the shepherd we've all been<\/p>\n
searching for<\/p>\n
and he jesus christ<\/p>\n
is the king that god raised up not only<\/p>\n
for the israelites but for the whole<\/p>\n
world<\/p>\n
and so what does that mean it means<\/p>\n
three things<\/p>\n
it means many things but we'll talk<\/p>\n
about three<\/p>\n
if jesus is your king it means we need<\/p>\n
to see his sacrificial love<\/p>\n
we don't submit to jesus's lordship by<\/p>\n
just saying okay jesus you're more<\/p>\n
powerful than me so i guess i have to<\/p>\n
obey<\/p>\n
surrender does not start by viewing<\/p>\n
jesus's power first<\/p>\n
it starts by viewing his sacrificial<\/p>\n
love<\/p>\n
from tells us that this king will<\/p>\n
shepherd his people and in john 10 11<\/p>\n
jesus says i am the good shepherd i lay<\/p>\n
my life down for the sheep<\/p>\n
me<\/p>\n
because when you see jesus on that cross<\/p>\n
for you you can say why would i not<\/p>\n
trust someone who would go through all<\/p>\n
that for me<\/p>\n
why wouldn't i trust someone who would<\/p>\n
go through all of that for me<\/p>\n
how am i not he's a messiah and until<\/p>\n
you are moved by his death and<\/p>\n
sacrificial love you have not<\/p>\n
begun to truly surrender to his lordship<\/p>\n
jesus<\/p>\n
jesus may be a lot of things to you but<\/p>\n
he's not your king until you've made<\/p>\n
this commitment<\/p>\n
whatever he has said in his word you are<\/p>\n
going to do<\/p>\n
whether you understand it or whether you<\/p>\n
like it<\/p>\n
if you've made that commitment he is<\/p>\n
king and you are not<\/p>\n
if you haven't you are king and he is<\/p>\n
not<\/p>\n
but there's going to be times in our<\/p>\n
life for some of us even now<\/p>\n
where we don't like or are challenged by<\/p>\n
what the bible says<\/p>\n
and in those times we might feel tempted<\/p>\n
to go back to being our own shepherds<\/p>\n
but if jesus is truly your king then we<\/p>\n
need to obey his word<\/p>\n
whether we like it or not knowing<\/p>\n
ultimately that it's good for us<\/p>\n
to know<\/p>\n
and micah may look disturbing god is<\/p>\n
tearing down horses and chariots<\/p>\n
cities idols and sacred stones this<\/p>\n
looks disturbing<\/p>\n
timeline<\/p>\n
what god is doing is he is cleansing<\/p>\n
israel<\/p>\n
israel looked to these things to be<\/p>\n
their shepherd this is what they trusted<\/p>\n
god is bringing those down so that they<\/p>\n
can trust in him<\/p>\n
and of course it hurts it can feel like<\/p>\n
a knife<\/p>\n
but we know that this is not a dagger<\/p>\n
it's a surgeon's knife making precise<\/p>\n
cuts in order to heal<\/p>\n
i would put him like that<\/p>\n
god is performing radical surgery to rid<\/p>\n
his people of the things that caused<\/p>\n
them to stumble<\/p>\n
and god on this with us too<\/p>\n
but living with hope means that when<\/p>\n
things don't go our way or as we had<\/p>\n
wished we continue to trust god<\/p>\n
when we worry we're basically saying i<\/p>\n
know how the universe should run<\/p>\n
i know how my life has to go i know what<\/p>\n
needs to happen and i don't know that<\/p>\n
god is going to do it right<\/p>\n
but if jesus is our king and if he is<\/p>\n
our shepherd then he knows what we need<\/p>\n
and we can look to jesus and say you are<\/p>\n
god you are the king.<\/p>\n
knowing that god knows and god cares<\/p>\n
are there things in your life you've<\/p>\n
given up on are there people or<\/p>\n
communities that you have given up on<\/p>\n
missing<\/p>\n
lord god we thank you for your word<\/p>\n
today<\/p>\n
we thank you for the relevance of your<\/p>\n
word<\/p>\n
lord we pray that through your holy<\/p>\n
spirit you would help us to see<\/p>\n
your sacrificial love for us on the<\/p>\n
cross and would that move us to<\/p>\n
obedience<\/p>\n
and to love lord we can't do this on our<\/p>\n
own we can't do this by our own strength<\/p>\n
and so we plead<\/p>\n
for mercy lord that you have already<\/p>\n
given to us<\/p>\n
lord would you allow us to experience<\/p>\n
the gospel not only in our heads but in<\/p>\n
our hearts as well<\/p>\n
and give us what we need lord god for<\/p>\n
today and for this week<\/p>\n
jesus name amen<\/p>","english_search_text":"","":"","teacher":null,"original_publish_date":"20210712","video_url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=pu_vaGM1Y-o","video_id":"pu_vaGM1Y-o","video_duration":"34:54","channel_name":"Grace City Bangkok"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=976"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/976\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":977,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/976\/revisions\/977"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/975"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}