Our text teaches us several important lessons. First, we learn about MOST IMPORTANT THINGS through the Holy Bible. If you were to have read the Bethlehem Daily News on that day, you probably would have read articles about political news, financial news, weather news, even sports news. But you probably wouldn’t have read anything about a little baby who was born in a stable. It did not make the news because it wasn’t considered important enough. You have to read the Bible to learn about that. Today, 2000 years later, what was the most important event of that day? You guessed it...the birth of Jesus Christ!! Second, we learn that the MOST IMPORTANT DETAILS about ‘most important things’ can be learned by studying your Bible. When the question was asked, “Where is this child to be born?”. The answer was given by the most studios bible scholar among them. How do I know that? When is the last time you read the book of Micah? Not only had he read the book of Micah, he understood it and knew how to properly apply it! So, to learn about the most important events of life, we need to look to the Bible. To understand it in greater detail, we need to not just look to the Bible, but study it in earnest.
Let’s examine this prophecy. Micah 5:2 (KJV) says, “But thou, Bethlehem, 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.” We have already learned that much can be gained by reading the Bible, paying close attention to detail. IF we’re paying close attention to detail, we learn that ‘you don’t have to be BIG to do BIG things!’. There are numerous Christian congregations across America that think they are not big enough, not gifted enough, not rich enough to do great things for God. Not true! Anyone can do great things for God, with God’s help! Also, notice what Jesus is to come to do….to ‘rule’. This comes from the Hebrew word, ‘mashal’, which literally means, “to rule, to reign, to have dominion over”. This same Hebrew word is found in Genesis 4:7, where God was talking to Cain, “if you don’t do well, sin lieth at the door (life is full of temptations, enticing us to do the wrong thing)…and you shall RULE over him (temptation to sin)”. Here we find the Bible teaches us that we are all to ‘mashal’, rule, reign, have dominion over all temptation to do the wrong thing. That is no small task. For example, Tiger Woods has had nine different coaches to help him develop his golf skills. He is currently the number one ranked golfer in the world. But, for all of his developed golf skills, with the recent developments that have surfaced about his life, we all now know he greatly lacks when it comes to ‘life skills’. Jesus came into the world, not to be a dictator ‘barking out orders’, but a ruler helping the rest of us to develop the life skills that will enable us to ‘rule’ over the temptation of sin that has the potential to harm us and multitudes of others. The word ‘mashal’, which is translated ‘ruler’ in the King James Version, is translated ‘shepherd’ in the New International Version. Jesus wants to ‘shepherd’ (perhaps a more culturally relevant word would be ‘mentor’ us into the most prosperous, enriching life possible…the abundant life!
In the Christmas story, there are four examples of temptations that can destroy us if we fail to ‘rule, reign, have dominion over’ them. Jesus wishes to help us to gain the proper life skills to help us to win our battle with these temptations. I wish to consider them with you.
First, JESUS WANTS TO HELP US RULE OVER OUR EGOS. Matthew 2:3 says, “When Herod heard these things (the news of the expected ‘birth of a king’;), he was troubled”. Matthew 2:8 continues, “Herod said, search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word again, that I may worship him also”. Herod SAID he wanted to worship him also, but God, who knew his heart, warned the wise men not to tell Herod where Jesus was. Matthew 2:16 tells us why, “Herod…slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts”. Why? Herod had an ego problem. Herod was so puffed up about his position as a leader of the people that he feared any threat to his authority. His ego problem led him to kill multitudes of innocent children, inflicting untold pain and agony on multitudes of families. Jesus wants to help us not to make ego-motivated decisions that hurt innocent people. When John the Baptist was confronted by the religious leaders of his day and asked the question, “Do you know that the one you baptized (Jesus) is now baptizing others and that he has a greater following than you?”. John replied, (John 3:30) “He must increase, but I must decrease”. The only way we will ever gain the victory over our own ego is to have an attitude that invites Jesus to come into our heart and allow him to grow a new us, by following his wise council, while the old us fades into the night!
Second, JESUS WANTS TO HELP US RULE OVER OUR STEREOTYPES. John 19:14,15 says (Pilate speaking), “Behold your King! But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Notice, it wasn’t the mafia, the atheists, the secular humanists or the left-wing activists who were crying for Jesus to be crucified, it was the religious leaders of Judaism! They rejected Jesus as the Messiah because they had a stereotype of what the Messiah would do that didn’t fit what Jesus actually did. A ‘stereotype’ is defined as ‘a widely accepted formulated opinion’. There was a time when the stereotype that ‘the earth is flat’ permeated the earth. However, we now know that is not true. Well, when Jesus didn’t fit the stereotype of what the Jews expected the Messiah to do, rather than adjust their stereotype, they rejected Jesus as the Messiah. Be careful that your opinions are based on truth rather than false perceptions or public opinion. What you believe can hurt you and others if what you believe is a stereotype rather than divine truth.
Third, JESUS WANTS TO HELP US RULE OVER OUR HOPES AND DREAMS. Luke 2:25-30 tells the story of an elderly man who, in the last years of his life, longed to see the Messiah for himself before he died. Verses 25-28 of the second chapter says, “Then took he (Simeon) up (the baby Jesus) in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, not let me depart in peace (I’m now ready to leave this Earth) for mine eyes have seen thy salvation”. Our life activities consist of things we do to survive. We work for a living, we fix the things around the house that are broken, we maintain the car, we go grocery shopping to keep food in the cupboards, etc. Then there are things we do to ‘chase our hopes and dreams’. Our hopes and dreams are the things we long to experience for ourselves in this lifetime. They are what gives us the courage and resolve to keep pressing on in spite of multiple setbacks in life. What are your dreams? To be a millionaire? To see the Florida Gators win another National Championship? To see a woman elected President of the US? To see your grandkids graduate with honors from their college of choice? These are all noble dreams and aspirations, but I cannot help but believe that if we allowed Jesus to rule over our hopes and dreams we would be longing for some other things. I believe Jesus would have us to long for a spiritual awakening in America. I believe Jesus would have us long for such a powerful moving of the glory of God that ‘godly conviction’ more easily fell on our neighbors, our children, our political leaders. A godly conviction that moved people by the multitudes to seek a genuine Christian conversion. I believe Jesus would have us to pray for and work towards an America that could best be described as ‘a nation truly blessed by God because they made the Lord their God’. These are the noblest of dreams anyone could ever long for. Where are these hopes and dreams on your list of priorities?
Fourth, JESUS WANTS TO HELP US RULE OVER OUR LIVES. Matthew 2:6 says, “out of thee (Bethlehem) shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people”. There once was an Indian Chief who heard the gospel story of a loving God who gave his only son to pay the sin penalty that we all owed. This Chief was so touched by the story that he yielded himself to God and sought salvation with all of his heart. In the process of time, to show his gratitude to God for what he had done, the chief placed his prized eagles’ feather on the altar. God was not impressed. A few days later, the chief placed his prized saddle of his favorite horse on the altar. God was not impressed. A few days later, the chief placed his favorite horse on the altar. God was not impressed. A few days later, the chief place himself on the altar. He sensed a divine nod of approval from God. We must yield all of ourselves to Jesus if we expect Jesus to truly develop in us the character and stamina it will take to rule over sin in all areas of our life! What areas of your heart have you reserved and kept back from God? Don’t you think it is time to give all of you to all of Him? I wish you godspeed as you seek to ‘rule and reign over all temptations to evil’ in your life!
