SundayDecember 12, 2010 Phone: 570.829.5216
Pastor David Miklas e-mail
MessageChristmas - 2010 Text: Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1, 5-6; Luke 2:4, 15
“O Little Town of Bethlehem”
Introduction: Perhaps no spot in the entire world has so gripped the imagination of men as the "little town of Bethlehem." We sing:
O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by;
Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light;
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.
It was 700 years before the Birth of Christ, that the prophet wrote in Micah 5:2 the prophecy of the place of His birth, "But thou, Bethlehem Ephrathah, 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 going forth have been from old, from everlasting." What is so profound about this verse?
It tells us that one day Jesus would be born in time in a place called Bethlehem Ephrathah. But His activities have been from eternity. From that last phrase, "whose going forth have been from old, from everlasting," we see that the eternal pre-existence of the Messiah is strongly presented.
In fulfillment of this prophecy we again read from Luke 2:1-3, “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (2) (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) (3) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
Notice verse 4, "And Joseph also went ... unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem..."
Notice please verse 15, "The shepherds said...let us now go even unto Bethlehem..."
At this season, Bethlehem which means "house of bread" becomes the capital of the world. Bethlehem is an ancient town located in Judah about 6 miles southwest of Jerusalem. It was sometimes known as "Ephrathah" or "Bethlehem-Judah," or "Bethlehem-Ephrathah." The story of this sacred spot comes to us from the dim past. But great was the day when Bethlehem became the focal point of earth and heaven. Upon that day "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us."
As we contemplate the "Little Town of Bethlehem" this Christmas Eve, we can't help but wonder at all that transpired there. We could call attention to:
The Star of Bethlehem, or to
The Wise Men who came from afar, or to
The Angels who proclaimed the news to the Shepherds, or to
The Shepherds who paid the baby Jesus a visit that night, or to
The inn keeper who had no room for our Saviour.
I want to call your attention to the simplicity of this town. For again in Micah 5:2 we read, "But thou, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah…" Notice “though thou beLITTLEamong the thousands of Judah…" What’s so impressive about the Christmas story? It is not:
The glowing pageantry, nor
The bright colors and all the tinsel, nor
The trees, decorations and the gifts, nor
The splendor of it all. It isits simplicity.
Oh, to be sure, the birth of Christ is very profound. Yet, there is simplicity in the account.
One day, a friend noticed a painting of the great Michelangelo. He noticed that no progress had been made.
He asked Michelangelo:"Why haven't you been working on the painting?"
The great artist replied,"I have been working day and night on this painting."
"Well what have you been doing? I see no changes or addition whatsoever,"said the friend.
Michelangelo replied,"I worked on a finger of a person for a day. I worked on the lobe of an ear for a little bit. I worked on a wrinkle of a face some."
The friend asked, "Why do you spend so much time on trifles?"
To which the great painter answered,"Trifles make perfection, and perfection is no trifle." Don't forget that,"Trifles make perfection, and perfection is no trifle."
Again, I say it is interesting how God, in telling the greatest story the world has ever known, chose to use a series of:
Little incidents,
Little things,
Little tasks,
Little people, and
Little places to give us the story of Christ coming into the world.
You could not read the accounts in Matthew or in Luke without being impressed with the facts that there is NOTHING here that man calls BIG!.
GOD USES LITTLE PEOPLE:
God in His wisdom did not choose to send the angels to what the world would call the elite of the day; the political leaders, the businessmen, the wealthy people, the scholars of profound learning and the religious men who would pray and fast and carry out their religious exercise. God in His wisdom did not use the media of CBS, NBC, ABC or FOX NEWS to get the message to the local people or to the world. The greatest news that the world has ever heard was heard by SIMPLE SHEPHERDS.
The eyes of the great, noble, wealthy and religious people were not blinded by the angelic light from heaven, but rather the eyes of the shepherds.
The ears of the great men did not hear the singing or the announcement of the angels. God choose to appear to simple people.
It was not one of the fashionable, wealthy, or learned ladies of Nazareth or Palestine who was chosen to carry the Christ Child in her womb. This task was given to a simple Mary, who said, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to thy word."
None of these men were chosen to head the home in which the Son of God would be readied. That was left to a humble carpenter, Joseph.
It is always this way in the Bible. For in I Corinthians 1:26-29 we read, "For ye see your calling...how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nothing things that are, that NO FLESH SHOULD GLORY IN HIS PRESENCE." One of the most encouraging attitudesfound in the Bible concerns God usingordinary people to do big tasks. God does this so that people will not get the Glory, but so that God will get the glory.
The entire Christmas Story reminds us that God uses little people. God uses them to do great things. There was MARY, JOSEPH, SIMEON, ANNA, And THE SHEPHERDS. This was not a list of fashionable Hollywood people or political giants or even the attention grabbers. They were just common people. God uses little people.
Because of that fact here is your chance, my dear friend, to be used of God for the benefit of others.
But Pastor, "I'm the one my family says would be the least to succeed." So was David the King.
But Pastor, "I can't talk well." Neither could Moses.
But Pastor, "I am just a little Guy, nothing much about me, just a runt." Well, so was Gideon.
But Pastor, "I am not well." Neither was Timothy.
But Pastor, "I don't have an education nor the gifts for the ministry." Neither did Peter, who was just a fisherman.
All I am saying on this Christmas Eve of 2010 is that God does use little people.
He sometimes uses people without much training.
He sometimes uses people without much talent.
He sometimes uses people even with poor health.
But whomever God uses, He uses so that He can get the glory. So in the Christmas Story, I have become more and more impressed with the simple people God uses to give us the greatest story ever told. Yet also we see that,
GOD USES LITTLE PLACES. Again in Micah 5:2 we read, "But thou, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though thou beLITTLE among the thousands of Judah" To be sure there were larger and more significant cities at that time. There were also great and beautiful places and nice hotels and plush homes with elaborate decor.
Yet, when our Lord came into this world, He did not come to such surroundings. He came to a stinking animal shelter where his first bed was a feed trough. He was born in a little town, one of thousands. Bethlehem was just a small place. There was not much to it. Remember this:
The last Supper was held in a borrowed room.
The 5000 were feed on a hillside.
King David was found out in a field.
Gideon was found hiding behind a wine-press.
Jesus was buried in a borrowed sepulcher.
Some of the Apostle Paul's Epistles were written in dungeons.
Pilgrim’s Progress, perhaps the world's greatest allegory of Spiritual truth outside of the Bible, was written by John Buyum in a jail cell on small slips of paper.
My friend that means in your home, this evening, among your children or grandchildren could be a little fellow, who would be a great preacher of tomorrow, or a little girl that could be an Old Testament Deborah.
Angels did not sing to the Bethlehem elite, they sang to the Shepherds in a field of a child in a manger. God appeared to those in humble places:
To Stephen outside the gate;
To Jacob walking down a lonely road;
To the three Hebrew boys in the fiery furnace;
To the beloved Apostle John on the Isle of Patmos, and
To Peter on a roof top.
Our Lord uses little places. No place in the Bible do we find this taught more plainly than in the story of a Bethlehem manger. Oh, today, in your humble abode, you may be rearing a great servant of the Lord.
Parents, at times you feel like throwing up your hands in desperation and saying, "Is it worth it?" Yes it's worth it, because that is usually where God goes to get His Gideon’s, Elijah's and Moody's.
Oh. I know sometimes in your Sunday school room or in the C-clubs there may be a little boy or girl who is wiggling now and won't listen now. Yet tomorrow he or she may be someone called of God to do some great work. and will shake this old world for the cause of Christ before Jesus returns.
Who knows? God uses little people in little places.
GOD USES LITTLE THINGS: When Christ came into the world, He did not come to a hospital maternity ward or into palatial surroundings, He came in a manger, in swaddling clothes, in a stable. Again, isn't this the way God does things? God doesn’t need anything big. What God needs is little things yielded to Him.
What did He give to Moses with which to part the Red Sea? It was done with a simple pole.
What did he give to Samson with which to defeat the Philistine? It was with an ox goad.
What did Jesus use to restore sight to the bind man? He used simple mud.
When God wanted to impress the world, He used the poor widow woman who cast in her two mites into the church treasury.
What did God use when He needed to feed the 5,000 when there was no food? He used the little boy’s lunch of 5 small loaves and 2 fishes.
God is concerned with the little things, because even the little things yielded into the hands of God can be blessed and caused to increase to mighty BIG things.
When Christ Jesus came into the world and God became flesh, that was profound. There was nothing in the world as big as this. Here is the pre-existing God becoming flesh.
Though the message is profound, there is simplicity. In its greatness there is now a simple way to heaven because the Good news is that "Unto you is born...a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."
GOD USES LITTLE TASKS. Jesus could have preached a Sermon on the Mount each and every day, but he did not chose to do so. Jesus could have performed a miracle each day whether that of healing the sick, or calming a stormy sea or rising the dead, but he did not chose to do so. Rather, our Lord was taken up with the care of the little tasks, too numerous to mention in this message.
There was never anything too small for Christ. I say that the little task may be beneath you, but diligence is not beneath you. A task may be little, but diligence is not little. If anything is worth doing, it's worth doing well.
What is your job, taking care of the nursery? Then do it well.
What is your job, performing the job of an usher? Then do it well.
What is your job, working in our Sunday School or C-Clubs or Junior church or working with our youth? Then do it well.
What is your job? Being a mother, then do it well.
What is your job. Being a father, then do it well.
What is your job, that of being a grandparent? Then do that job well. Jesus took care of little tasks, and he did them properly.
What is your job, is it being a prayer partner or prayer worrier for the cause of Christ and this ministry? Then job your job well.
What is your job, is it sweeping out the building? Then do it well.
What is your job, is it singing in the choir? Then do it well.
So whatever you do, big or small, do it not too receive rewards nor for the praises of men, but do it for the glory of God.
The Christmas story is built around LITTLE PEOPLE, who were in LITTLE PLACES,
who did LITTLE TASKS, with LITTLE THINGS.
On this Christmas Eve, 2010 while we wish you a MERRY CHRISTMAS and while you gaze with rapture upon the scene of "The LITTLE Town of Bethlehem," listen again to the final stanza of the hymn.
O Holy Child of Bethlehem, Descend to us, we Pray
Cast out our sin and enter in, Be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels, the great glad tidings tell,
O come to us, Abide with us, Our Lord Emmanuel.
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If God has spoken to your heart after reading the sermon “O Little Town of Bethlehem” then right now talk to God about what He has spoken to you.
Do you have the assurance that one day you will go to heaven? If you have no assurance that you know Jesus Christ, then I trust you will decide to accept Him as your personal Savior. The Bible tells us in
Acts 16:31,“...Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved...”
Romans 10:13,“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
This prayer is here for those who need to ask Jesus to be their personal Savior: “I do want to go to Heaven. I know I am a sinner, and I do believe Jesus Christ died for me. I realize I cannot buy this great salvation, nor can I earn it. Knowing Jesus died on the cross and arose from the grave to pay my sin debt and to purchase my salvation, I do now trust Him as my Savior, and from this moment on I am completely depending on Him for my salvation.”
If you made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, would you let me know? Please send an e-mail to, and I will send you some literature that will help you in your Christian life.
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