From Insignificance to Significance: The Christmas Butterfly Effect

God sovereignly orchestrated it so that something earth-shattering and world-changing would come out of something seemingly insignificant. Because only God could make insignificant things significant. My friends, this morning, if you are feeling insignificant, lost, aimless, and without purpose and hope, then let me share with you some biblical truths and principles from a seemingly obscure passage in the Bible that I pray will serve to encourage you. [00:02:10] (33 seconds)


But you, Bethlehem, Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to me the one to be the ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from old, from everlasting. In this verse, we're told that a great future ruler and leader of Israel from the perspective of Micah, who we also know to be the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ, will come from an insignificant town of Bethlehem, Ephrathah, also called Ephrath, simply known to us as Bethlehem, located in the tribal lands allocated to the tribe of Judah. [00:04:01] (41 seconds)


And yet, from this most insignificant of places would come the most significant person in all of human history, the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. Now, you can just imagine how encouraging this messianic prophecy would be to the audience Micah was writing to, to a people who felt that God and their own national leaders have overlooked and abandoned them with no hope for their own poor and broken lives. [00:05:27] (31 seconds)


The Savior would be one of them from the young folk, and the Savior would be accessible and available for all, rich and poor, young and old, to come and see and interact with. You see, the Savior was born in a palace like in Jerusalem. Only the nobles and those in the royal courts would have access to Jesus. But because the Savior was born in little Bethlehem, all would have access. [00:07:03] (28 seconds)


Therefore, there is no question the unique God-man in the person of Jesus Christ, born in insignificant Bethlehem, would be the most significant person to walk on earth in the history of the world. You see, God makes insignificant things significant, and that's our first biblical encouragement, number one. God makes insignificant things significant. [00:08:36] (28 seconds)


God redeems and restores those in need God redeems and restores those in need God's heart is to provide salvation to redeem those who feel that they can't be saved or that their lives can't be restored now I don't know what you have gone through I don't know what you've done I don't know where you are in life this morning but I want you to know that the heart of God is one of love care mercy and grace and he desires nothing more than to redeem and to restore each one of us that's why he sent his son Jesus to come to earth to be born as a babe of Bethlehem not to live but to die on our behalf and to be the savior of the world and because he takes upon himself the sins of the world your sin and my sin when we place our trust in him then we can be restored regardless of what we have done and that should be a great encouragement to each and every one of us you see we can see the heart of God when we remember that Jesus God the son didn't have to die for us because he is holy and lived a sinless life while on earth he didn't deserve death and yet he willingly died for each one of us in order to redeem us and that's the type of loving savior that he is so regardless of what you're going through in life and the challenges you may be facing the love of God for each and every one of us cannot and should not be questioned as I've said many a times you experiencing blessings in life [00:15:04] (112 seconds)


The Bible is the story of God's redemption of the entire world. Unfortunately, it's all too easy to teach the Bible to children as though it was a curriculum on how to be a good person. Every Bible story, whether it's the story of Noah and the ark or David and Goliath, becomes a lesson on good behavior. [00:20:27] (22 seconds)


The Bible's theme is the redemption of mankind because mankind cannot save themselves through good works. There is no amount of good works you and I can do that will overcome the bad works we do. So it is a futile attempt. And that's why the redemptive plan of God is displayed throughout Scripture. [00:21:21] (22 seconds)


And so we read and hear in verses 4 and 5 that the ruler who shall come out of insignificant Bethlehem will be like a great shepherd who protects and stands guard and watch over those whom he has been entrusted with. He will feed his flock. And that message must have been so comforting to people who felt so vulnerable. [00:22:37] (24 seconds)


God loves to use small things to magnify His glory, power, and greatness. Think that throughout the Scriptures, how God does that. Through a little boy's lunch that fed thousands, through a couple of coins from a widow, through a mustard seed, a little town called Bethlehem, a young virgin woman called Mary, believing that God can do the impossible, or a baby in a manger that saved the world. [00:30:46] (33 seconds)


Because God gives power, protection, and peace to the weak. And with this promise, with this promise, you and I, a group full of nobodies, can surely impact the world. That's what these verses tell us. That He shall stand and feed His flocks in the strength of the Lord. You see, my friends, what we can and will achieve is not because of our strength, but because the Good Shepherd provides that power and protection with His strength. [00:32:03] (39 seconds)