Message of the Week

The Little White Community Church

The First Sunday in Advent

Scripture: Micah 5: 1-5 Dec. 3, 2023

Message: “The Town of Bethlehem!” By Pastor George Gnade

Intro: 1. Today is the first Sunday in Advent, a time when we seek to prepare our hearts for Christmas Day, when we will celebrate the first coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

2. I have chosen this year to use Micah 5:1-5 to help guide us in our thinking.  It is a familiar passage because Micah the prophet predicted that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. 

a. In vs. 2, it says: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, yet out of you will come for me the One who will be the Ruler over Israel, whose going forth is from of old, even from everlasting.”

b. When the wise men came seeking Jesus, they went to Jerusalem and asked King Herod where the Christ child was. Since he did not know, he asked the Scribes and Pharisees who told him the promised king would be born in Bethlehem. 

3. I share that with you because it shows that this verse was well known even in Jesus’ day. It is not something dreamed up after Jesus was born. Not at all! Micah predicted it almost 700 years before it actually happened.

A. This morning I would like us to learn more about Bethlehem.  To begin with, notice it was called “Bethlehem Ephrathah.” 

1. The Israelites all came from Jacob who had 12 sons. Each son over time developed a tribe of people. One of his sons was named Judah. Over time Judah grew very large. 

a. Within the tribe were many family units called clans. Over time, some clans were very large and other clans, like the clan from Ephrathah, were much smaller.

b. Towns and cities were developed around different clans. Bethlehem originated from the clan of Ephrathah.  As it says in vs. 2, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little compared to the thousands from Judah, yet out of you will come forth one to be the Ruler over Israel…”  In plain words, this would be unexpected. 

2. In our country, there are many cities. The largest cities often have the most clout.  So it was back then. 

a. Jerusalem was one of those large cities. King David conquered it and made it the capitol of Judah. From that time on, the kings of Judah reigned from Jerusalem. 

b. It just happens to be that Bethlehem was located only about five miles from Jerusalem.  Obviously, Jerusalem got all the attention. That is why the wise men went looking for Jesus in Jerusalem. But the real action was in the next town over.

B. Secondly, while Bethlehem was very small, it is also where King David was born.

1. Saul was the first king over Israel, but he kept wandering off the path God chose for him. God wanted someone who would be devoted to Him.  When Samuel the prophet told the king God had rejected him, he became angry and jealous.

a. Doesn’t that remind you of King Herod? Just as King Herod was jealous of Jesus, so King Saul would be jealous of whoever was to take his place.

b. That made Samuel’s task very difficult because God wanted him to go and anoint the man God chose. Samuel didn’t know how to do that without getting killed himself.

2. God had a plan. Samuel often visited different towns where he would make sacrifices for the people. God told him to go to Bethlehem!  Nobody cared about Bethlehem!

So Saul would probably not even know he went until it was all over.

a. But that is where David was born. He was the last son of 8 children, looked down on even by his own brothers. So when Samuel came, they made David stay and care for the sheep while they went to enjoy the feast.

b. When God rejected all the other brothers, Samuel had to ask Jesse if he had any other children. Jesse had to admit David was missing. When he arrived, God chose David!

c. Soon after that, David volunteered to fight Goliath and killed him. Suddenly Saul wanted to know who he was! He knew David was from Bethlehem. How could anyone important come out of Bethlehem?  That is the same question Nathaniel asked about Jesus of Nazareth!

Why? Because Nazareth like Bethlehem was for nobodies. 

3.  But God predicted that the Messiah would be born from David’s lineage. In our passage, we learn Jesus would also be born where David had been born.

C. Thirdly, it is interesting to know that the word “Bethlehem” means “house of Bread.”

1. When Jesus came, He taught us that “man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4).  After He fed the 5,000, He also told them that “I am the Bread of life” (John 6:35).

2. So the One God would send to be born in Bethlehem, the house of bread, would Himself be the one who came to give us God’s Word and feed our souls with the bread of life.

a. In fact, in John 6:30-31, the Jews  reminded Jesus  how God used Moses to  send manna from heaven to feed them for 40 years while they traveled through the wilderness.

b. In response, in vs. 33, Jesus said: “The bread of God is He who has come down out of heaven and offers life to the world!”

c. Moses was used of God in some wonderful ways, but the one born in Bethlehem, the house of bread, was far greater than he was.

In Conclusion:

1. During the Christmas season, we will sing a lot of carols about Bethlehem where Jesus was born.

2. As we praise God for the Savior who came to feed our souls, remember the command He has given us to share that Good News with others who need to hear the Word of God so the Lord may feed their souls too.

3. In fact, after Peter denied Jesus three times before His crucifixion, Jesus found him after His resurrection and asked him three times if he loved Him.  Three times Peter sheepishly said yes. 

a. But the point I want to make is the answer Jesus gave him every time he said “yes.”

b. Every time Jesus responded: “ If you love me, then go feed my sheep and my lambs.”

4. That response was meant for all of us. He wants to use all of us to tell those whom God has planted in our lives about the “Bread of Life” that has come down from heaven to meet their every need and to offer them eternal life.

5. We all have different gifts but if God has called us to worship together, then we need to work together to prayerfully offer God’s Bread of Life to the world around us.  Amen.