Isn’t It Great When the Plan of God Works!
Sunday, December 2, 2012
By Rev. James May
God always has a plan that will not fail to bring about his will in the end. Though there are many times when we, as the people of God, cannot see what He is doing, God is always working in the background. Our job is to trust Him through it all; and then just keep on doing the work that He has called us to do until His plan finally comes together.
There was one of the minor prophet that isn’t really talked about much compared to some of the greater prophets like Moses, Elijah, Elisha and others. He wasn’t minor because he didn’t have the same anointing and Spirit that the big guys had. He wasn’t minor because he was smaller in stature than the rest. He was minor simply because he didn’t have much to say that is recorded in the letter he wrote. But what he did have to say had some very profound prophecies concerning the coming of the Messiah of Israel.
Isn’t it great to be used by God to speak forth words under the anointing of the Holy Ghost? Isn’t it wonderful to know that, even in some small way, what you do as a Child of God, will really make a difference? I think it’s an honor and a privilege to be used by God even in the simplest of tasks; to somehow be a part, even a very small part, in the fulfilling of the magnificent plan of God in the earth! What a privilege just to be a part of God’s wonderful people! There’s no greater joy; no greater satisfaction; and I can think of nothing that will bring a greater meaning to life than to just be a part of what God is doing.
That’s the way this minor prophet of God in the Old Testament must have felt. It is obvious, through the name that he was given, that his parents truly loved God for they gave their child a name that means, “Who is like Yah”. Yah is a shortened version of Yahweh, so this child’s name means, Who is like the God of Heaven?
Slide 2
The prophet’s name was Micah and he lived and prophesied approximately 700 years before the birth of Jesus, at the same time that Isaiah, Amos and Hosea were also prophesying in Israel. He lived an prophesied before three of the kings of Judah; Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. He foretold the coming destruction of Jerusalem and Samaria. He prophesied of the restoration of Judea. And like all prophets of old, he also carried a word from the Lord that was a stinging rebuke to the people of God in Judah for all of their hypocrisy, dishonesty and idolatry.
But there was one word of prophecy that he gave that I want to look at a little closer this morning.
Micah 5:2 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.
After this prophetic word was given along with the prophecies of the other prophets of his day, and a few prophets that would later give warnings of a coming time of calamity and destruction upon Israel, the Jews entered into a time of silence for 400 years when it seemed that God lifted his hand; shut up the Heavens, and no more is recorded of God’s dealings with Israel. The time of warnings had been given. God’s pleading was ignored, and now the course was set and there was no turning back.
Then, after many generations of Jews lived and died during that period of 400 years, there came a sound of a new prophet in the land. He came from the backside of the desert, wearing animal skins for clothes, eating locusts and wild honey; and he preached with a fire and an anointing that was greater than any other prophet before him. That great, long period of silence was shattered when John the Baptist stepped out preaching repentance and the coming of Jesus the Christ.
Had God been ignoring Israel through all those long years of silence? The answer to that question is NO! God had kept this hand upon Israel even in their rebellion. He had kept them together as a people. He continued to work in their midst, bringing about generation after generation of people, and among them, He was ever watching over the growth of two families in particular. Those families were the family of Mary, who would become the mother of God’s only Son; and the family of Joseph, who would be the earthly father and would play such an important role in the life of Jesus as he was growing up. God would leave nothing to chance. Everyday events, things that seemed so disconnected, so meaningless; would somehow all work together to bring about the perfect plan of God for the birth and life of Jesus Christ.
I’m glad to know that God is the one who is in control of my life; and of the life of every one of his children. God watches over you and I, and all who are called by His name, with such great care and concern, working out every little detail of your life and mine, to bring us to that place where His perfect plan for our lives will be completely fulfilled. God leaves nothing to chance but every circumstance, no matter how big or how small, will somehow work together for the good of those whom He has called for his purposes. That’s a wonderful fact that we can all lean on. We know we can trust God to make all things work together for our good, no matter what happens. Sometimes the things that happen seem so terrible on the surface, yet underneath the surface, God is still there, working it out for our good. And when circumstances are great, God is still there too.
How will God get us to where He wants us to go? How will each of us become what God wants us to be? What is God doing right now to bring us to the point of being all that we can become in Him?
When we think of the prophetic words that we read in the Bible that speak so much of the things that are going to be coming to pass in these last days, the big question on our minds is, “How is God going to do it? How can God possibly use so much of the things that are going on in the evil hearts of men, to bring about the fulfillment of His Word?”
Let’s look at Micah’s prophecy again. His prophetic word said that Bethlehem, a very small, almost insignificant little village in the hills of Judea, would be the place where the great Messiah of Israel would be born. That means that whatever else was happening in the life of Mary and Joseph, and whatever was happening in the land of Israel, it all had to work out perfectly to fulfill Micah’s prophetic word!
How powerful are the words of a true prophecy! How amazing to think that 700 years before it all came together; God spoke through a man to tell the whole world exactly what would happen, and then He puts a plan into action to make every little detail come to pass.
I don’t see anything in the Bible that suggests that Mary and Joseph knew anything about Micah’s prophecy concerning the birth of Jesus. In fact, they were fully consumed with the fact that Joseph was trying to hide Mary’s pregnancy from the public view to protect her from being stoned to death. They were more concerned about survival, maintaining their security from the powers that could come down hard on them at any time, and somehow keeping on until a better day when life would be easier. They were concerned that somehow the baby that Mary was carrying would actually be born and their marriage consummated.
The angel Gabriel had prophesied to Mary that Jesus would be born, but oh the troubles and great concerns and fears that must have existed in her life while they waited for the moment of Jesus’ birth.
Joseph was a carpenter, working every day in the town of Nazareth. Mary stayed out of sight as much as possible, only going out when it was absolutely necessary, and probably mostly after dark when she would stand the least chance of being seen. The circumstances of her pregnancy were questionable under the Law of Moses, and even though she and Joseph truly loved one another, they fully understood the consequences of what would happen if Mary’s condition was to be spread all over town. They kept to themselves; quietly living from day to day.
But wait; they were living in Nazareth, in Galilee. That was 80 miles as the crow flies, from where Micah had prophesied Jesus would be born. It was 80 miles in a straight line; but it would take at least four days, or up to a week to make that journey, and Mary was in no condition to be taking a donkey ride for a week over rough roads, hills and valleys.
The prophecy had to be fulfilled, so what was God doing all this time? Well, it seems that there were a lot of coincidences along the way that were coming together to make it all happen just as Micah had predicted.
Let me tell you that I don’t believe in coincidences. Somehow, everything that happens, all happens for a purpose and a reason, and even those things that seem to have no connection at all, are still a part of God’s plan in action.
Looking at what was going on in Israel at the time, we find that during that 400 years of silence, a new world order had come into existence and the Roman Empire had risen to its peak. The Roman Army had marched in and conquered Israel, and now Judah was under Roman law, governed by foreign powers. There was no more freedom in Israel. Everything now had to be done according to the Emperor of Rome, Caesar Augustus, whom the Romans considered to be God on earth. When Caesar spoke, all of the power of Rome stood behind him, and his words were imposed and enforced upon every subject of the empire, including those who were conquered and controlled by his legions in Israel.
Rome was nearly bankrupt. Supporting an army to conquer the world, and supporting the lavish lifestyle of the rich, powerful and famous of Rome was expensive. The building of Coliseums, paved Roman roads all over the empire to allow for the free flow of goods and services, and the transporting of Roman legions cost a lot of money. So Caesar decided it was time to for a new tax. He decided to force every subject of the Roman Empire to pay a higher tax to support what he wanted to do and to keep the Empire afloat.
So how would problems within the government of Rome have an effect upon the prophecies of Micah? What possible connection would an unwanted and hated tax from Caesar have upon the birth of Jesus? Caesar had no knowledge of Mary and Joseph and could have cared less what was going on in the lives of the ordinary citizen in a place so far away, so very different from the palaces of Rome and the designed plan of the Roman Empire that a leader of the government had to contend with. All Caesar cared about was his own agenda; maintaining his power and position, and molding the Empire to image what he saw in his own mind. Nothing else mattered but what Caesar wanted; and he would get what he wanted at all costs.
That sounds very close to what’s happening in our own time. We have a government that is bound to do whatever they want, no matter what the cost to the common taxpayer. All it seems that most of our leaders care about is maintaining their own power and control; furthering their own vision of where our nation and the world should go; and fulfilling their own agenda to build a legacy that would show their skill to mold the world into the image of what they have for mankind.
It all seems so disconnected somehow. We know that the Bible teaches of the coming of Christ, and we believe that it will be very soon; and yet all the leaders care about is that they have an agenda of their own and they will do whatever it takes to arrive at whatever they had set in their minds to do.
We are having taxes imposed upon us that seem so unfair and absolutely unwanted; even unconstitutional; and yet we are going to be forced to pay them or face even greater penalties for disobedience to the law of the land. We all know that Obamacare has been proven to be one of the greatest taxes ever imposed upon the citizens of America; and yet it was imposed without our approval and given legal authority to happen by the Supreme Court, and is therefore the law.
We all know that Medicare, Social Security and a lot of other government programs are nothing more than another means of taxing, and even though we may reap some benefits from the programs, it will cost, and has cost us far more than what we will get back; if we get anything at all.
All of it has been taken to maintain the lifestyles of the rich and famous. Much of it has been spent in ways, and for things, for which it was never designated to do. It was spent to fulfill the agenda of those who cared nothing at all for the taxpayer but only for the furtherance of their own agendas. That sounds a lot like the same pattern that Caesar was following over 2000 years ago at the time of the birth of Jesus.
And yet, somehow I know that even what is going on in our nation today is all part of God’s plan to let his Word be fulfilled concerning the prophecies of the coming of Christ. Just as God was using the power of Rome to fulfill the plan for the birth of Jesus; so is God using the powers of the governments of both America and the world today to bring about the Second coming of Jesus Christ.
Every decision of man, whether he knows it or not, is working together, with every decision of the people of God, to finally bring together the complete fulfillment of the Word of God; a Word that cannot fail to come to pass.
So keep that in mind every time you get upset about what’s going on in our world today. When you consider that somehow God is using every little detail of the events of life to bring about His will in the end; it’s such a comforting thought.
It may seem so uncomfortable; so unjust; so disturbing for the moment; but in the end, it’s all going to reach the place of fulfilling God’s perfect plan. And then consider, that in the perfect plan of God, you, His child, will be the winner! WOW! That’s something wonderful to think off. God is working all things to my good; and at the same time, He’s working all things to fulfill His Word! WHAT A WONDERFUL GOD WE SERVE! What have I to fear? Why worry about it all? Why allow it to take my peace and joy? It’s all in God’s very capable hands! All I need to do is trust God to meet my needs, continue to fulfill the call of God and the work of God in my life; and then let God do the rest. That’s just such a great source of peace for God’s people who have learned to trust Him!
Luke 2:1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
Luke 2:2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria)
The decree from Rome was that a brand new tax had to be collected and that every citizen of the empire had to pay. No one was exempt; everyone had to pay their share. Caesar had spoken it, and as the Egyptians used to say, “So let it be written; so let it be done”. There was no fighting it.
It’s like that line from a story by Alfred Lord Tennyson: The Charge of the Light Brigade."
Forward the Light Brigade!'
Was there a man dismay'd?
Not tho' the soldier knew
Some one had blunder'd:
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do & die,
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
The 600 cavalrymen of the Light Brigade knew that someone in command had made a terrible blunder. They knew that their charge on the cannons would end in disaster. They knew that they had no chance of survival, but they knew also that they had no choice but to do their duty and charge the cannons, no matter what the cost.
So when it comes to paying taxes, or fulfilling your duty as a citizen to obey the law of the land, decreed by those in command, you have little choice. Like those soldiers; Your only duty is to make no reply; yours is not to reason why; but yours is to do and die. So into the valley of death we ride. But the difference is, that into that valley with us rides the God of Heaven who is in control and on our side! What have we to fear when God rides with us?
And so, even though Mary was nearing the time of her delivery; and even though it was a long, hard ride; Mary and Joseph had no choice but to do and die, so off they went, from Nazareth to Bethlehem. The words of Micah were going to be fulfilled after all. It was hard. It was dangerous. It was a really bad trip I’m sure. But Mary and Joseph were on their way to a meeting with destiny and they were moving in the perfect plan of God the whole time without even knowing it.
Luke 2:3-5 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
We see the Prophetic Word fulfilled in the next two verses. God’s plan had led them through some very hard times; and led them in ways and down paths that they not only didn’t understand; but that were often dangerous. But it was God leading them all the way; and there was no way that they would fail. Jesus would be born in Bethlehem; and not along the side of the road.
Luke 2:6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
Luke 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
God didn’t even provide a place for the very Son of God to be born in a place where even the most common families would bring forth a child. They didn’t have a bedroom, a bed, or a home. All they had was a stable and a manger. Jesus was born among the animals.
Such is the world’s view of God and His Son that Jesus was counted as low as the beasts.
There was no room in the inn. The inn was where normal travelers stayed. It was a place where the rich and the famous would be found as they too had to be taxed, and had come to Bethlehem to be counted. They had been welcomed in, being the first to arrive with their entourage. The inn was glad to receive them. They were a part of the “Inn Crowd”.
But Jesus was not part of the “Inn Crown” then; and He still isn’t accepted among the “In Crowd” today. He’s still rejected of men; still counted as little more than a beast; but never as the Son of God; very God; among men.
The world’s view of Christianity is no greater than their view of the Christ we worship. We will never be accepted among the “In Crowd”. We are destined to be rejected and counted as worthless just as Jesus was. We cannot expect to be accepted by the world. We can expect to be rejected and turned aside; used and abused; just as Jesus was; and still is.
The important thing to remember is that everything that happened at the birth of Jesus was all according to the perfect plan of God. Nothing was coincidental. Nothing happened by accident. It was all according to God’s perfect plan.
The same goes for us in these last days. Everything around us is happening by design. God is in control and He has your best interest in mind. He is fulfilling His Word; but He also is guiding your life and mine to the place where His perfect will must be fulfilled in us. Just learn to trust Him in all things. Even when times are bad; or when times are good; you’re still in God’s hands and He is bringing you to that final destination of great victory in Jesus Christ. We are on our way to Heaven; just hang on and enjoy the ride. Let God be God in you no matter what!
It’s a great thing when the plan of God works! That’s when we all win if we are on the Lord’s side!
