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Sermon #18 Micah Series
Title: “This Man shall be the Peace!”
Text: Micah 5:4-5 Subject: Christ our Peace Date: Tuesday Evening — February 14, 2012 Tape: Micah #18 Readings: Lindsay Campbell and Allen Kibby Introduction:
(Micah 5:1-5) “Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.”
But before our Lord Jesus Christ, the Judge of Israel, could be smitten by men, the Son of God must come into the world in human flesh, Immanuel, God in our flesh. So we read in verse 2…
Verse 2 “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, [though] thou be little among the thousands of Judah, [yet] out of thee shall he come forth unto me [that is] to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth [have been] from of old, from everlasting.”
The Lord Jesus came forth from his mother’s womb that he might ascend in human flesh to the throne of heaven as the Ruler in Israel, having accomplished the redemption of his people by the sacrifice of himself. — “For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.” (Romans 14:9)
Verses 3-4 “Therefore will he give them up, until the time [that] she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. 4 And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.”
Now look at verse 5…
5 “And this [man] shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.”
“This Man shall be the Peace!” — That is my subject. — “This Man shall be the Peace!” — Clearly this refers to the Man spoken of at the end of verse 4. — “Now shall He be great unto the ends of the earth.” The prophecy is about our dear Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who was to be born in Bethlehem to die at Calvary and to be the Ruler in Israel. · It is he who stands and feeds his people. · He is the great God, our Savior, great unto the ends of the earth! · And he is our Peace (Zechariah 9:10; Ephesians 2:14). One of the ancient Jewish rabbis wrote, “When you see a Persian horse bound in the land of Israel, look for the feet of the Messiah.”
(Zechariah 9:10) “And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.”
(Ephesians 2:14) “For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us.”
Christ is our Peace. He is the cause and author of peace between Jew and Gentile. In him Noah’s prophecy is fulfilled. — “God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant” (Genesis 9:27).
And it is Christ who made peace between God and men by the blood of his cross. He speaks peace and gives peace to men by his Holy Spirit, when he gives us the blessed gift of life and faith in the new birth and conversion. It is Christ who is the author of peace in his churches. His Kingdom is a kingdom of peace. And this Man, who is our Peace, the Lord Jesus Christ is the God of peace, our Savior and Sanctifier, by whom Satan shall be bruised under our feet shortly (Romans 16:20).
And he secures our peace even in the midst of our enemies. Micah says, “And this [Man] shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land.” — The Assyrian represents any powerful enemy of God’s Church and people. Particularly, the Assyrian represents Satan and his principalities and powers, indeed all the powers of darkness, of evil, and of hell. Christ our Peace Maker engaged our foes and conquered them when he made peace for us by his sufferings and death. — “Having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it” (Colossians 2:15).
Now watch this. — “And this [Man] shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces.”
Read on…
“And this [man] shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.” — We raise against the Assyrian, against Satan, against all the forces of antichrist, “seven shepherds and eight principal men.” These seven shepherds, I presume, are the angels of the churches, God’s faithful servants, gospel preachers, faithful pastors in every age. They are called “principal men” because they are Jehovah’s servants, God’s messengers to his elect, the ascension gifts of Christ to his people, by whom the Word of his grace comes to sinners. By these shepherds the Lord God fetches his sheep from the land of Nimrod, from the land of their captivity! — Seven is the number of completion and perfection. God always supplies his churches with the pastors needed for them (Jeremiah 3:15).
The eighth Man, the eighth Shepherd, I must presume, refers to this Man who is Peace, this great Man, the God-man by whom all the work of grace is accomplished, our Lord Jesus Christ, treading in our palaces!
(Matthew 16:18) “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Now, let me talk to you a little while about him of whom Micah speaks. — “This Man shall be the Peace.” What man is this but the Glory-man, the Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus? When all enemies oppose my soul, when all hell is set against me, still he is my Peace, and I have peace by the blood of his cross! Yes, O my soul, Christ Jesus the Lord is the wonderful Man, who alone could make Peace for me. “For as it was by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners; so by the obedience of One shall many be made righteous.” And none but one in our own nature could do it; for the right of redemption belonged only to the near kinsman (Leviticus 25:25). None but our ever-blessed Christ, the God-man, God in our flesh could atone, could bleed, could die, and rise again, that he might be the Judge, both of the dead and living.
Oh precious Lord Jesus, how well suited you are and were by the union of your two natures, as God and man, and God-man, both in one, to be our glorious Mediator and Savior, Jehovah-tzidkenu, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS! Yes, precious Lord, God has declared it, and my soul shall evermore rejoice in the blessed truth…
Proposition: This man, Christ Jesus, shall be my Peace, my Glory, my Salvation, my Refuge, and my Joy when the Assyrian shall come into our land! — Christ is our Peace.
The peace Christ gives is three-fold: There is peace with God, — peace within ourselves from God, —and peace with one another. In all three forms, Christ is our Peace. He has not only made peace, he is our Peace. He not only gives peace, he is our peace. Micah said, “This Man shall be the Peace!”
Peace with God
Christ is our peace with God. When God made man at first there was perfect love and friendship between them. God was at peace with man; and man was at peace with God. They had sweet fellowship and communion with one another, walking together in the garden. But when Adam sinned, immediately, the quarrel began. Eating the forbidden fruit broke the peace, and there has been a quarrel between God and man ever since.
· A mutual quarrel. God an enemy to man; man an enemy to God. — “Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul lothed them, and their soul also abhorred me.” (Zechariah 11:8)
· A universal quarrel. It is true of all the children of Adam, without exception, one as well as another. All are by nature “children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3). — The heart of man is enmity against God (Romans 8:7; Colossians 1:21).
(Colossians 1:20-22) “And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, [I say], whether [they be] things in earth, or things in heaven. 21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in [your] mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled 22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight.”
On God’s part the quarrel is righteous and just. He has every reason to be angry with fallen, sinful man. The holy Lord God has every reason to be offended with us.
God has every reason to be angry with man. What is sin, but the attempt of man to rape God, rob him of his glory, throw him off his throne, and murder him. When Pilate delivered Jesus to the will of the people, an angry, God-hating mob murdered the Son of God, and threw a hellish party, reveling in their hatred of the Almighty! John Bunyan once said, “Sin is the dare of God’s justice, the rape of his mercy, the jeer of his patience, the slight of his power [and] the contempt of his love!”
God has every reason to be angry with man. Sin is high treason against the throne of heaven, treason against the crown and dignity of God as God. It defies him, despises him, and denies him. — Pharaoh.
(Exodus 5:2) “And Pharaoh said, Who [is] the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.”
God has every reason to be angry with man; and he will show you his anger, if you do not bow to him, trusting his Son. He will show you his anger, if you refuse to be reconciled to him by Christ Jesus (Leviticus 26:19-30).
“19 And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass: 20 And your strength shall be spent in vain: for your land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruits. 21 And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins. 22 I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your [high] ways shall be desolate. 23 And if ye will not be reformed by me by these things, but will walk contrary unto me; 24 Then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins. 25 And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of [my] covenant: and when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy. 26 [And] when I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver [you] your bread again by weight: and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied. 27 And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me; 28 Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins. 29 And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat. 30 And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.” (Leviticus 26:19-30)
On your part, this quarrel with God is utterly unreasonable (Jeremiah 2:4-5; John 10:32). What is the cause of your enmity against God? Why do you so despise him? Why do you persist in your warfare against him?
(Jeremiah 2:4-5) “Hear ye the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel: 5 Thus saith the LORD, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?”
(John 10:32) “Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?”
If you persist in your rebellion, if you refuse to trust the Lord Jesus, if you will not have Christ to rule over you, he will forever punish you in hell; and the feud between you and God will be an endless state of misery and torment for your soul. In hell you will go on forever hating, and cursing, and blaspheming God; and God will go on forever hating, and plaguing, and punishing you to all eternity!
The only one who can end the quarrel is Christ. — “This Man shall be the Peace!” He interposed to take up the quarrel; and he has taken it up upon terms agreed upon in the everlasting covenant.
He made peace for his people with God by his obedience and death in the place of his people, by his precious blood, by the blood of his cross (Colossians 1:20; 2 Corinthians 5:17-19).
“17 Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 18 And all things [are] of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5:17-19)
And it is Christ who alone can bring you peace. He who dealt with God for his people, securing peace for our souls, must deal with you in almighty, irresistible, free, sovereign, saving grace, if ever you have peace with God. — If ever you have peace with God, you must be conquered by this Man, who is God our Savior.
(Psalms 110:3) “Thy people [shall be] willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.”
(Colossians 1:21) “And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in [your] mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled”
(Ephesians 2:1-22) “And you [hath he quickened], who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.”
“4 ¶ But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in [his] kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
“11 ¶ Wherefore remember, that ye [being] in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.”
“14 ¶ For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition [between us]; 15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, [even] the law of commandments [contained] in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, [so] making peace; 16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. 18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. 19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner [stone]; 21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:1-22)
If you would have peace with God, you must bow to Christ. And, be sure you hear this, he is willing to have peace. He is willing to receive you, his enemies in peace, so willing that he calls sinners to take hold of his grace and find peace in him (Isaiah 27:4-5; Matthew 11:28-30; 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2).
(Isaiah 27:4-5) “Fury [is] not in me: who would set the briers [and] thorns against me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together. 5 Or let him take hold of my strength, [that] he may make peace with me; [and] he shall make peace with me.”
(Matthew 11:28-30) “Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke [is] easy, and my burden is light.”
(2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2) “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech [you] by us: we pray [you] in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21 For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
“6:1 ¶ We then, [as] workers together [with him], beseech [you] also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. 2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now [is] the accepted time; behold, now [is] the day of salvation.)”
Peace with One Another
When Micah says, “This Man shall be the Peace,” he is telling us that Christ is our Peace with God; and he is telling us that Christ gives us peace with one another. He is our Peace when the Assyrian comes into our land. Christ causes redeemed sinners to dwell together in peace. He causes Japheth to dwell in the tents of Shem. In Christ “there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ [is] all and in all” (Colossians 3:11).
(Ephesians 2:13-14) “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 14 ¶ For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition [between us].”
We expect no peace with the wicked. The seed of the serpent, of the bond-woman, will hate and persecute the seed of the woman, the free woman as long as time shall stand. Fire and water will sooner be reconciled. But God’s people live together in peace. Our blessed Savior left his church a legacy of peace (John 14), pressed us to walk together in peace (John 15 and 16), and prayed that we might forever enjoy peace with one another in him (John 17).
(Ephesians 4:1-3) “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2 ¶ With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
(Ephesians 4:4-7) “[There is] one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who [is] above all, and through all, and in you all. 7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.”
(Ephesians 4:29-5:2) “29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. 30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”
“5:1 ¶ Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.”
(Philippians 2:1-7) “If [there be] therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, 2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, [being] of one accord, of one mind. 3 [Let] nothing [be done] through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.”
The only means of peace between fallen, sinful men and women in this world is Jesus Christ, his blood, his grace, and his Spirit. — “This Man shall be the Peace!”
Oh, may God the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus, give us more and more grace to knit and join us together in peace, in brotherly love, which is the bond of perfectness!
Peace in Ourselves
When Micah says, “This Man shall be the Peace,” he means that Christ alone gives us peace with God and that Christ is our Peace with one another in this world. And when the prophet wrote, “This Man shall be the Peace,” he was telling us that Christ alone is our Peace within ourselves. Christ alone is the Peace in our hearts. He is Peace in our consciences, giving believing sinners inward, sedate, composure and ease. Philip Henry wrote, “When all is clear between us and heaven, how can it be but there must be joy in the Holy Ghost, peace, quietness?”
(Philippians 4:4-9) “Rejoice in the Lord alway: [and] again I say, Rejoice. 5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord [is] at hand. 6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things. 9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”
(Micah 5:4-5) “And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth. 5 And this [man] shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.”
“This Man shall be the Peace!”
Dear saints, beloved of God, The objects of His choice, Proclaim your Savior’s grace abroad, And in His name rejoice.
Though once, with God you strove, Jesus has bought your peace, Receives you in the arms of love, And bids your terrors cease.
‘Tis Jesus reconciles Offending man to God, ‘Tis through Him God the Father smiles, And seals my peace with blood.
A peace that cheers my heart, Lifts me above the earth, Bids all my doubts and fears depart, And proves my heavenly birth.
Is found by faith alone; The prelude and the pledge of heaven, Where all His charms are known.
“This Man shall be the Peace!” Oh, may God give you faith in him, and peace, the peace of God that passeth understanding!
Amen.
Don Fortner
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