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Above All Earthly Powers

Sunday, December 1, 2024
Pastor Jojo Ma

 

1 It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and it shall be lifted up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it, 2 and many nations shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that He may teach us His ways and that we may walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 3 He shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide for strong nations far away; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore; 4 but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken. 5 For all the peoples walk each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever.

1 It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and it shall be lifted up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it.

I.          Christ alone is our salvation [v1]
II.        Christ alone is our peace [vv2-3]
III.       Christ alone is worthy [vv4-5]

I.         Christ alone is our salvation [v1]
1 It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and it shall be lifted up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it.

We are in these “latter days”, or as the New Testament authors put it, the “last days”. And we await the “last day”, the final day, when Jesus will come to raise the dead, judge the world, and make all things new.

Micah is not speaking literally here. He is pointing to a great spiritual reality and that great spiritual reality is the epicenter of all Scripture --- Jesus Christ, the promised One.

Dale Ralph Davis: “Motyer says, ‘The natural impossibility of a stream flowing upwards is intentional. A supernatural magnetism is at work.’ This looks like John 6:44 on a grand scale.”

Jn 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

Jn 14:6 I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John Calvin: “The real meaning of the Temple’s grandeur and glory lies in its connection to our Lord Jesus...That is how our Lord magnifies the mountain of Zion.”

II.        Christ alone is our peace [vv2-3]
2 and many nations shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that He may teach us His ways and that we may walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 3 He shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide for strong nations far away; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.

This shows us that the heart of the truly redeemed, one of the surest signs of the converted, is the desire to spread the good news of Jesus and help bring others to saving faith.

3 He shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide for strong nations far away; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.

John Oswalt: “Until nations come to God to learn His ways and walk in them, peace is an illusion.”

Jacob DeShazer and Mitsuo Fuchida

III.      Christ alone is worthy [vv4-5]
4 but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken. 5 For all the peoples walk each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever.

We must tell everyone – even this Christmas – we must tell everyone that Christ alone is our salvation, that Christ alone is our peace, and that Christ alone is worthy.