“Little Things” – FBC Morning Light (12/15/2023)

Well, a good

Friday morning to you. So here we are coming to the close of yet another week, and we're in the middle of December, ten days away from Christmas.

Sunday will be the third Sunday of Advent, and we are right in the thick of things in terms of celebrating the birth of our

Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. I hope you're looking forward to gathering with God's people this coming

Lord's Day, and we'll be having our regular Sunday school hours at 9 .30

in the morning, morning service at 10 .30, and evening service at 6 o 'clock this Sunday, in the book of Galatians on Sunday morning, and on the next to the last message,

Sunday night, in the book of Proverbs. So I hope you can join us on the

Lord's Day if you're in the area. Well, today in our Bible reading plan, we're finishing up the book of Micah, reading chapters five, six, and seven, and then also reading in the

New Testament in Revelation chapter 12. I want to focus on a couple of verses in Micah chapter five.

Have you noticed in your Bible reading how many times the

Lord uses someone or something that is really insignificant, small, insignificant?

You can think all the way back into the Old Testament, and you think about who was

Abram? He was a man that couldn't even have kids, or someone who would make you a great nation.

You can trace a lot of things down through Israel's history in that particular way.

Think about how Samson used the jawbone of a donkey to slay a bunch of Philistines.

You think about David using a sling and a stone to fell the great

Goliath. Even in the New Testament, you come to the New Testament, and in the book of Corinthians, Paul makes the observation that there aren't many noble, there aren't many wise in this way this world looks at nobility and wisdom that are called, but God uses the foolish things and the weak things and things that are nothing to bring to nothing, the things that are.

He uses little things, God does, and he has shown his power and authority and grace in using little things.

Here's another example I just thought of. Many years ago, I remember hearing a message that someone preached on Jonah. We just read the book of Jonah earlier this week.

You think about that gourd vine that God used to give

Jonah some shelter. He wanted to give an object lesson to Jonah. What did God use to drive home the hypocritical, inconsistent thinking of Jonah?

He used a little worm that ate that gourd vine and caused it to wilt.

God uses little things to bring about great things. This is brought out very clearly in one of the prophecies regarding Jesus' birth.

In Micah chapter 5, verse 2 and following, verse 2 says, But you,

O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, such a small little village, from you shall come forth for me, one who is to be the ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.

Here, the Lord gives this prophecy that the Messiah, Jesus, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days, is going to be born in a tiny little village, an obscure village that is on the outskirts of Jerusalem that nobody would think much of at all.

So well understood was it that this little village would be the birthplace of the

King of the Jews, that when the Magi, you remember, came to Jerusalem and they're asking around, where's the

King of the Jews? We've come to worship him. Nobody knows the answer to that. As they're milling among the common people, they finally end up in the king's palace and they ask the king, where's the baby king?

We've come to worship the baby king. The King of the Jews. Well, I don't know.

He calls the religious leaders, where is the King of the Jews to be born, he asks.

And the chief priests and the scribes, they can answer. They know the answer to that question. Oh, well, according to the prophecy of Micah, he's to be born in Bethlehem, because the prophecy says, oh,

Bethlehem, Ephrathah, you who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be the ruler in Israel.

So I take great heart in this. I don't know about you, but I take great comfort in this.

God does not need to have mighty, powerful, forceful, big people to do things and accomplish things for him.

He can use the seemingly insignificant, the small, those who are weak and tiny, just as he used the tiny little village of Bethlehem to be the birthplace for the king.

Let's take encouragement in that today, shall we? Our Father and our God, we are grateful today that you, in your grace and your sovereign working in the affairs of this world, that you use that which seems to be insignificant and tiny and of no account to accomplish great things for your glory.

Oh, Lord, I pray that we who are just like that would be instruments in your hands.

Use us as you see fit, we pray in Jesus' name and for his sake. All right, well, listen, have a wonderful Friday.

May the Lord bless you, and I hope you have a great weekend too, and gather with God's people on the Lord's Day. Have a good day.