The Advent of Peace

Ephesians 2: 11-17

Upward Peace

No longer enemies Romans 5:10

No longer without mercy I Peter 2:10  

No longer lost sheep I Peter 2:25

No longer alone II Thessalonians 3:16

Inward Peace Philippians 4:7

Walk in the peace that comes

from knowing:

 He knew what He was buying on the cross.

 I am who He says I am.

Outward Peace

 Peace between the near (those who have

grown up in the church and the far (those

who have made a mess of ruling their own

lives.)

 Through the cross

The Thrill of Hope

Luke 2

3 Basic needs

Someone to trust     Faith             Peace 

I have a future     Hope             Hope

I am loved       Love     Love

Will produce Joy

2 People that you need to meet

Simeon   25-32

Anna 36-38

3 Truths about Hope

     It is for the godly.

    It is based on a guarantee.

    It brings gladness.

1 more thing that didn't really fit into the

outline but could not be ignored in the text

Jesus is the Great Divider    33-35

Who is like our God?

Micah 7:18-20

Love and Justice meet in God.

        Anger - God's personal, holy response

to evil

            Response Scripture tells us that

God is love, never that

God is anger.

        Holy

                 never overcome by evil

                  just and measured

      Personal

              He cares about you, so the

way you live matters to Him

Past sins will be hurled.

              The sins from which you have been

saved, will pursue you.

               God will break the power of

canceled sin.

Future temptations are trodden under foot.

            They will come.

              God walks with you.

Past sins will not master you, and future

temptations will not overcome.

What Does God Want?

Micah 6,7

Solution

Live justly

Love mercy

Walk humbly with God.

Symptoms

No godly living

Self interest

Destruction of families

Substitutes

Sacrifice

Offering

Religion

Strategy

Watch and wait.

Put your hope in the gospel.

The Shepherd King

Micah 5

What they heard

A great enemy will come against you.

God will give another David.

You will overcome.

The Great Shepherd

      

Saves and keeps

There is a lion in that lamb.

Today

There is a great enemy against me.

There is a lion inside me.

He is setting a table.

There's a place for me.

No room for you – fear

Do you think that you deserve this? – failure

Are you sure there’s a banquet? – doubt

How could you fit in? – guilt

You’ll never be free of me – Old Wounds

Proverbs 9

What a Day!

Micah 4

What is coming?

Peace

Security

How is it coming?

God will judge

God will gather

God will rule

God will redeem

When is it coming?

In the past

70 years after captivity

In the future

Millennium

New earth

In the present

Evidence of God's presence

Gathering of God's people

Snapshot of God’s kingdom

Why am I reading this?

Micah 2,3

So that I learn:

To trust revelation and not speculation.

Speculation always leads to idolatry.

Revelation always demands obedience.

To trust those with courage to speak the truth.

False prophets comfort those in sin.

False prophets seek popularity and money.

To recognize the responsibility of leadership.

To value repentance in my walk with God.

To become a difference maker.

Speak truth

Live right

Pray

Persevere    Jeremiah 28:18,19

Dealing with Disaster

Micah 1

Affirm Sovereignty

Prefer unanswered questions to having a wimpy god.

Satan's best efforts to destroy God's work, always end up contributing to its growth’ - Martin Luther

Reserve Judgment

Deuteronomy 29:29

Have humility in the secret things and confidence in the revealed.

If we pretend to know the secret things, we lose credibility concerning the revealed.

Near to God

Shave your head or shake your fist.

Let Him speak through every disaster.

John 5:11,12

  And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.    Whoever has the Son has

life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.