At the close of Micah chapter
2, God's prophet gives us by divine inspiration what appears
to me to be a rather unusual prophecy of the coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ. Micah declares here that the
Son of God would come into the world to seek and save his people,
to gather his elect from the four corners of the earth, to
gather his chosen remnant, to save his elect sheep, but he
describes our great Savior in the performance of this great
work of grace as the Breaker. The Breaker. The Breaker. That's my subject tonight. Christ
the Breaker. Micah chapter 2, verse 12. I will surely assemble O Jacob,
now watch this, all of thee. I will surely assemble, O Jacob,
all of thee. I will surely gather the remnant
of Israel. I will put them together as the
sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold. They
shall make a great noise. by reason of the multitude of
men. That is, there'll be so many
when I have put together all of thee, when I've gathered together
all the remnant of the house of Israel, when I've gathered
together all the sons of Jacob, there'll be so many that they
shall make a great noise. Verse 13, the breaker is come
up before them. They have broken up. They have
passed through the gate, and are gone out by it. And their
king shall pass before them, and the Lord on the head of them. Now there's no question that
this portion of scripture historically has reference to the historic
events in the setting before us. The children of Israel were
about to be carried away into Babylonian captivity where they
would suffer judgment and bondage for 70 years. The Lord God, because
of their continued sin and idolatry, because of their continued rebellion
against him, because of their refusal to hear the prophets
he sent and their delight in hearing prophets he had not sent. declares to them that he will
send them away in great judgment, dispersing his chosen among the
Gentiles. Now clearly the Word of God speaks
about those things. Clearly this passage has reference
to those things. But if you read the text as we
just read it, it is obvious it refers to something else. It's
obvious that it refers to something more than just the deliverance
of Israel out of Babylon. More than just bringing the children
of Israel back to Jerusalem. How come? Because God speaks
here of delivering all the seed of Jacob. All of them. All of them. And they didn't
all come out of Babylon. A lot of them died in Babylon.
A lot of them decided they liked it in Babylon and chose to stay
there after Darius sent the folks back to Jerusalem to rebuild
the temple and to reestablish the worship of God. So obviously
the text is not speaking specifically or limitedly about the physical
seed of Abraham and the physical nation of Israel. But rather
he is talking about the salvation of God's true Israel. the deliverance
of God's elect from a bondage worse than that of Babylon. He's
talking about the salvation of all the Israel of God. The passage
speaks here of judgment. And yet in wrath, God, our God,
remembers mercy. He promised to some, He promised
to some, an elect remnant among the disobedient, that he would
give deliverance, undeserved, merciful deliverance, miraculous
deliverance, deliverance that had the unmistakable stamp of
divinity upon it. The entire story is a clear picture
of God's free grace, God's complete salvation, God's spiritual deliverance
of his elect out of bondage, the bondage of sin and death
into the glorious liberty of the sons of God in and by Christ
Jesus the Lord. Now, there's no question you
and I, like the Jews of old, turned aside from God. We turned
aside from his word, his way, and his worship deliberately. We have all, from our youth up,
gone a-whoring after other gods according to our own lust. The
Lord our God, in his word, threatens judgment, just judgment. upon all who turn from him and
refuse to hear his word and refuse to bow to him. He threatens just
judgment. Now, hear me, hear me. If my
grandson were sitting right there, I'd look him right in the eye
and I'd say, we'll listen to you, Pop. Will you hear me? Doesn't matter who you're related
to. Doesn't matter where you have lived or where you were
brought up or how you were brought up. Doesn't matter who your kin
people are. You rebel against God and God's
going to send you to hell and you fully deserve it. Did
you hear me? If you go to hell, you'll go
to hell and nobody will feel sorry for you. We weep today
with broken hearts over those who perish without Christ. But
soon, Merle Hart, we're going to see everything as God sees
it, and there'll be no weeping for anybody in hell. None. If you go to hell, you go to
hell because you deserve it. God threatens just damnation
upon every unbelieving sinner. And yet, in wrath, God remembers
mercy. He promised to save sinners.
He promised to be merciful, to be gracious, to save a people
for His own namesake, for His glory, for His majesty. If some, why not me? If some, why not you? This I
know, He gives life eternal. to every sinner who trusts his
son. He promises everlasting salvation
to every sinner who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ. That
one who is our savior, who is our deliverer, God's dear son,
our all-glorious Christ is here called the breaker. And those
who are saved by his grace, those who call upon His name in true
repentance and faith. Those who worship Him and follow
Him are described as the broken up. He's the breaker. We're the broken up. If indeed
you ever come to know Him, you will be broken by Him. And until
you're broken by Him, you will never know Him. All right, let's
look at our text line by line. First, in verse 12, the Lord
God makes a promise. He assures us of the accomplishment
of this promise. He promises to save all his elect. Look at it. I will surely assemble,
O Jacob, all of thee. I will surely gather the remnant
of Israel. He doesn't just say, I will assemble,
O Jacob, all of thee. He says, I will surely assemble,
O Jacob, all of thee. He doesn't just say, I will gather
the remnant of Israel. He says, I will surely gather
the remnant of Israel. Why? The promise. Oh, what a blessed promise this
is. In the teeth of darkness and bitterness and corruption
in the teeth of adversity, in the teeth of judgment, in the
teeth of deserved judgment upon a people who had long since forsaken
God. The Lord God would give comfort
to his people and would have us to enjoy the comfortable assurance
of this fact. God's purpose stands. I hear so much. I was talking to a friend in
England just recently, and he has a almost relentless habit
of talking about these dark, corrupt days, terrible days,
terrible days, terrible days. And they are. And they are. These are days of darkness like
the world's never seen. These are days of idolatry like
the world's never known. These are days of moral perversity
and corruption unparalleled in human history. You read about the things that
transpired among the Gentile nations during the most corrupt
times of the Roman Empire. It was like a Sunday school picnic
compared to what's going on around us today. These are days of darkness,
perversity, degradation, such as you can't describe. It's embarrassing
to even talk about what's going on around us to anyone with any
sense of moral decency. And the Lord God says, I will
surely gather all of thee, O Jacob. I will gather the remnant of
Israel. God's purpose stands. Nothing
comes to pass except according to God's purpose of grace toward
his own. From heaven's vantage point,
the only thing that matters is the throne of God and the people
of God. And Rex, there's a sense in which
that ought to really be the only thing that matters to us. God's
throne and God's people. God's throne, his glory, his
will, his purpose, and his people. The everlasting salvation of
his people. He promises he'll save them all. Romans chapter 11. I want you
to look at it one more time. Romans chapter 11. In the next chapter of Micah, the
Lord speaks of dispersing his people among the nations. And
he says, from there, from there, from thence will I gather thee.
He dispersed them among the nations through the sin and fall of our
father Adam and through our own transgressions. He dispersed
us among the nations that he might gather us out of the nations
by the blood of Christ and by the power of his grace. He sent
judgment to Israel, sent blindness to Israel, cast off that nation
in darkness so that they, to this day, a veil is over their
face and they read the law of Moses and don't have a clue what
they're reading because God's put blindness upon them. Why? Because God's saving his people.
Look at Romans chapter 11, verse 26. And so, by this means, all
Israel shall be saved. Now that's not talking about
Abraham's physical descendants. There's not one word in this
book that promises grace to anybody because they're Jews. Not one
word. No more than there's a word in
this book that promises grace to you because your name is Duff
or your name's Fortner. There's not one word in this
book that promises grace, salvation, and mercy to anybody on the basis
of anything in the flesh. No, no. The Israel he's talking
about is God's elect, James. The whole host of God's church.
Those chosen of him in eternity. Abraham's spiritual seed. All
Israel shall be saved. As it is written, there shall
come out of Zion the Deliverer. And shall turn away ungodliness
from Jacob. Jacob, his name is ungodliness. That's his name. He was turning
away ungodliness from Jacob. For this is my covenant unto
them when I shall take away their sin. This sweet promise, I will
surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee. I will surely gather
the remnant of Israel was made for the comfort of God's people
in the teeth of terrible days certain to befall them. God teach
us now to trust you, to take the comfort of your word, to
rest in your purpose, to rest in your will, to rest in your
grace. It is the Lord. Let him do what
seemeth him good. It is the Lord. Let him do what
seemeth him good. This is the day of which he spoke. This great gospel day when God
gathers his own. Read on. I will put them together
as the sheep of Basra. Basra was a place well known
for its rich, lush pasture. It was well known for its rich,
lush pastures where the sheep could graze comfortably. Well, what's the purpose of this?
What's what's the Lord talking about? He's saying, I'm going
to bring all of Jacob, all the remnant of Israel, all my elect
sheep into this place of luxurious pasture where they shall be well
cared for, well provided for, well protected by the good shepherd
who makes them to lie down in green pastures. There they shall
have good fold and good pasture provided for them. Look at this,
as the flock in the midst of their fold, there shall be one
fold and one shepherd. This was God's promise throughout
the Old Testament prophets. This was God's covenant promise.
You remember our Lord Jesus said, Other sheep I have, them also
I must bring, and there shall be one foal and one shepherd.
Turn back to the book of Ezekiel for a minute, chapter 34. Ezekiel
34. Yeah, chapter 34, verse 13. Look at this. I'm going to bring my sheep into
this rich, lush pasture land. And I'm going to bring them into
this blessed fold where they shall lie down safely and rest
quietly. Look at verse 13, Ezekiel 34.
I will bring them out from the people and gather them from the
countries and will bring them to their own land and feed them
upon the mountains of Israel, by the rivers and in all the
inhabited places of the country. I will feed them in good pasture. And upon the high mountains of
Israel shall their fold be. There shall they lie down in
a good fold. And in a fat pasture shall they
feed upon the mountains of Israel. And they shall make great noise. Great noise by the reason of
the multitude of the men. Turn over to Revelation chapter
17. Chapter 14, there were great voices in heaven
saying, the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms
of our God and of his Christ and he shall reign forever and
ever. Look at this first verse in chapter
14. I looked and lo, a lamb stood
on Mount Zion And with him a hundred and forty and four thousand. That is all the host of God's
elect. All the multitude of God's Israel. A hundred and forty and four
thousand having his father's name written in their foreheads.
And I heard a voice from heaven as the voice of many waters and
as the voice of a great thunder. And I heard the voice of harpers
harping with their harps. And they sung, as it were, a
new song before the throne and before the four beasts and the
elders. And no man could learn that song
but the 140 and 4,000 which were redeemed from the earth. Oh, in that last day. When the Lord God has gathered
together all of thee, O Jacob, and all the remnant of Israel
into that blessed pasture and blessed fold where Christ Jesus
feeds His own continually with joy and peace. There shall break
forth a song by the reason of the multitude of men, a loud
song, a song of nothing but praise to the Savior. Praise to Him
for everything He's done. for all the way by which he has
brought us home. I like to tell stories of what
I can see, of God's providence. I like to tell folks what I can
tell it without appearing to be received wrong, of the things
that I can look at in my own life, And there are a few things
I can put my finger on right there. God did that just for
me. Just for me. It's as obvious
as the nose on your face, if you can see. God did that just
for me. And one of the great blessed
glories of heaven will be, I'm certain, looking back over the
way The Lord has brought us to himself. All the rule of history, all the raising up of kings and
toppling of kings, all the wars and famine and pestilence and
disease by which thousands upon thousands have been destroyed
and by which some have been preserved because in them God preserves
his elect. Oh, the wonder of redeeming grace. All right, back to our text.
First, God gives this promise. He's going to surely save all
his people. With that, you can face every day. With that, you
can face every darkness. With that, you can face every
trouble. God Almighty is saving his people. That's what he's doing. Here's
the second thing. We're told in verse 13, the breaker
is come. This almighty breaker, I've already
told you, is our Lord Jesus Christ. And no question concerning that
it is he who came up as the breaker from everlasting. We saw it Sunday
morning, Sunday evening. There was a book, a book written
on the front side in the back, written from cover to cover,
sealed with seven seals. And there was great weeping and
lamentation because no man was found worthy to open the book.
But then arose a mighty lamb, the lion of the tribe of Judah,
who's found worthy to take the book and to break the seals. Worthy to open and reveal and
fulfill all the will and purpose of God. He read in that book
and in the book of Scriptures, it is written to me, lo, I come
to do thy will, O my God. And so he arose. In the fullness
of time, God broke into humanity. God stepped into this world. God broke into our flesh. God came here to redeem and save
a people. He came here to fulfill all righteousness,
to satisfy divine justice, to save the people God had given
him to save from everlasting. and saved them, he did. Our Lord
Jesus came here in the fullness of time and opened for us a new
and living way by which we can draw near to God, sinners though
we are, with full assurance of faith on the basis of blood atonement
and absolute pardon. Larry Brand, you can walk into
God's presence. with confidence because Christ
died for you. You mean God will accept that?
Me too. Me too. How come? Because Christ
died for me. Because Christ put away my sin.
Because Christ made me righteous. Because Christ has made me his
own. I'm one with him. The Lord Jesus,
this mighty breaker, is that one who comes in the power of
his grace, by the power of his spirit, in omnipotent mercy to
chosen sinners at the appointed time of love, and breaks into
the hearts of his own. He breaks down the wall of separation. by which we lived all our lives
in enmity against God, breaks down that enmity and that hatred,
conquering our flesh, conquering our passions, causing us by His
Spirit, causing us by His grace to be His willing servants, willingly
worshiping Him, willingly following Him, willingly trusting Him,
willingly seeking His glory. The breaker comes. He comes and
gives life to his own at the appointed time of love. Thy people
shall be willing. It is written in the day of thy
power. The Lord Jesus is that one who's
called the breaker. But then third, according to
our text, the Lord Jesus, he who is the breaker. Break somebody. Those who are saved by his grace
are called the broken up. Oh, may God be pleased to break
up you. They are broken up and passed
through the gate and are gone out by it. And their king shall
pass before them, the Lord on the head of them. Broken up,
broken up. The gospel seed is so. And we just cast it out, broadcast
it, just broadcast it. And it falls on the ground, some
good ground, some stony ground, some thorny ground. And it falls by the sideway,
by the bypath, but it falls wherever it's cast. But there is some
good ground where the seed lands. You know what good ground is? That ground has been broken up.
It's been thoroughly prepared. You can't expect to raise much
corn if you take it out here and just throw it out here in
the field. You've got to plow the ground, break it deep, and
then you put the drag on there and you break it more. And if the ground could scream,
it would scream at the edge of the plow, cutting deep. The ground
would cry out, stop, as you broke it up with the harrow. And so
it is with man's hearts. If you receive the good seed
of the gospel, you've got to be broken up. Broken up by almighty
grace. And until God breaks you, He
won't give you anything. Nothing. And you'll scream and
cry and resist and scream and cry and resist until God Almighty
has planted the seed in you and it springs up into life everlasting. They're called the broken up.
What breaks them? What breaks them? What is it
that breaks men and women? causes them to willingly bow
and worship Christ. The law condemns, but it won't
break you. Judgment terrifies, but it won't
break you. It won't break you. Preachers
and religious folks, they do everything they can to scare
people into a profession of faith. Scare them. Get them scared to
death. And you can get folks to make
a profession of faith and join the church because they're scared
they might go to hell. And your sons and daughters get
to be concerned about eternity and they're scared of going to
hell. That's kind of natural. If you've got any sense, you
ought to be scared of going to hell. But judgment only hardens. It'll never break you. It'll
never break you. Religion might tame you. but it won't break you. Men in
the practice of religion, you listen to fellas, and they preach.
And they all preach the same thing. Fellas who are Calvinist,
and fellas who are Arminian, fellas who are Reformed, and
fellas who are Unreformed. Fellas who are Baptist, and fellas
who are Methodist, and fellas who are Papist, and fellas who
are Buddhist. They all teach the same thing. They teach you
how to behave good. How to be a good Christian. I'd
be a good disciple. Isn't that wonderful? I'd be
a good husband. I'd be a good wife. And then
you feel good about yourself. And now, oh, God's got to accept
me. Look how good I am. Religion
may tame you, but it won't break you. What breaks a man? What breaks
a man? The king shall pass before the That's all. That's all. Reaches out and touches you with
the scepter of His grace, and you bow. They shall look on Me whom they
have pierced, and mourn for Him as one mourneth for his only
Son. The King shall pass before them,
and the Lord on the head of them. Well, I made my decision for
Jesus a long time ago, but it's time for me to decide to let
him be Lord. How much longer you want to have
somebody deceive you? You never trust Christ until the king passes
before you. And he passes before you as the
Lord, your head, the head of all principality and power, who
can do with you whatever he will. And when he comes, you're broken. You're broken. And when you're
broken, you break out. You break out of darkness, and
you break out of prison. You break out of bondage. You
break out from under the curse. You break out into the light.
He break out in the glorious liberty of the sons of God, and
follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. Amen.