The Bible is replete with God’s promises, and many of these promises come within the ambit of His grace. Furthermore, some of the most powerful of these promises are found even in the lesser-known parts of the Bible. On 11th September 2022, Pr Sara Leong shared a hopeful message from Chapters 4 and 5 of the Book of Micah as part of the Dream Centre’s study on the book.
The Book of Micah presents three prominent facets of God. It opens with a holy and righteous but fearsome aspect of God, couched in warning against the sins committed by the Israelites, the people of His covenant. The early chapters speak of God’s judgment, set in the context of the Israelite’s relationship with God.
The Israelites would later be taken into exile by the Babylonians. Yet God is also merciful, and the middle portions of the book of Micah speak about the restoration of the kingdom of Israel after the exile. Despite the rebellion of the Israelites, God kept His covenant. In this whole process, God’s faithfulness to Himself and His covenant is on full display.
Today, this hope also extends to us in Jesus Christ. The Israelites’ return from exile foreshadows a similar hope that can be found in the person of Christ. In her message, Pr Sara shared three main hopes we can derive from Christ in the same way the Israelites gained hope from their return from exile.
The first of these is the Hope of a New Jerusalem (Micah 4: 1-8). To the Israelites, they were returning to their old capital of Jerusalem to rebuild the old, ruined city. For Christians, this is analogous to our hope of the new and future Kingdom under Christ. In the New Jerusalem, there will be 4 types of freedom: freedom from ignorance (Micah 4:2), war (Micah 4:3), deprivation (Micah 4:4a), and fear (Micah 4:4b). All children of God will enjoy these freedoms as their birthright.
The New Jerusalem will be a place where there is a direct, personal, and real relationship with God. Weapons will be converted into beneficial applications, and there will be no fighting between people groups. There will be peace and prosperity under the reign of the Messiah and contentment and shelter for God’s people.
Pr Sara shared, ‘The Lord will start to gather His people again. God will restore not only the strong but also the weak. He will come to restore and make all things new. He will reign forevermore, and His dominion will last forever. God will reign for all eternity, and when that time comes, the people of God will experience all types of freedom. This is what God has promised His people.’
The New Jerusalem speaks about all our hopes. ‘We want to see the place where peace ultimately prevails. We all look forward to the day when there is no more suffering, no more fear, and no more longing for a better life or a better world. This new city of Jerusalem gives us hope that it quenches that longing within us.’
The prophet Micah spoke about the birth pains of the new nation as the people adjust to their restored life. In the initial stage, the Israelites would have been without leaders due to their long time in exile. For Christians, we are still waiting in hope for the coming of the King of kings.
The return of the Israelites from their exile signified hope for a new life. They were a redeemed and restored people, and God does not do things by half-measure. He restored the kingdom of Israel to a position where they could again be victorious and overcome their enemies. A new life was given so that the people could live again. As Christ’s people, the New Jerusalem we look forward to is not just a place free from war, need, or pain. The life we live there will be perfect.
‘Although our longings may differ from each other’s, we all have longings. We all long to have a better place. The good news is that this longing will be satisfied and met when our Messiah returns to reign and rule in the new Jerusalem,’ Pr Sara expressed. ‘There is a better place that awaits His covenant people. We may not be able to connect to the new Jerusalem now, but we all do understand what hope is. All of us have something that we are hoping or longing for. There is hope in Jesus Christ.’
Primarily, the main reason we can look forward to the New Jerusalem is because of the person of Christ. The New Jerusalem under Christ is not a temporal thing like it was during the time of Micah. It is about permanent redemption and restoration through the person of Christ. Even now, we get a glimpse of the new, victorious life in Christ, though not in full. The third hope Pr Sara shared is centered on Christ Jesus as the hope of the Promised Messiah King.
Jesus was already there when the foundations of the Earth were made. He is omnipresent and all-powerful. In Him, all things hold together. Yet He set aside His throne and came to earth to redeem and restore us. Because of His great sacrifice, we know we can have faith in His great love and that He is actively involved in our lives. As we near the time of the promised Millennium rule, we can have the assurance that Jesus, the Messiah King will stand with His people. He will work in the hearts of the people who place their faith and trust in Him. He will not leave His people to fend for themselves, but He will protect, feed, guide, and lead His flock as a good shepherd does.
Pr Sara conveyed, ‘For the audience of Micah, the hope of a new King was something that they could look forward to, after the hardship that they have gone through. For us now, the good news that we have is that this new King has already arrived and that we can accept His reign over us. The new life and new home that He promised will be made possible in Him. This new life that we get to enjoy presently is about following King Jesus. When we profess that we follow this King, we will inherit all the promises of God.’
Note: This article was written through the lend of impartation the writer received from Pr Sara’s message. You may access the full sermon at DUMC’s Youtube page at https://dumc.my/sermons/the-god-who-makes-things-new/
|Share The Good News|
Leave a Reply