"Chaos"

Major Posts from the Minor Prophets:

++Hosea: God is God of 2nd chances — It’s never too late.

++Joel: God is God of unstoppable Grace — It’s never too much

++Amos: God is God of Restoration — It’s never lost

++Obadiah: God is Your God — It’s never not for you

++Jonah: God is Your Salvation — It’s never not available

++Micah: God Knows you — It’s never hopeless

"Chaos"

God will not forsake you

Last week, Steve Herzig asked, “Do we live in a Rom. 1 time?”

Micah (the time of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah) continues the thought of Hosea (during the time of Uzziah) and Amos, but still some 100 years still before the fall of Judah.

Micah was prophet in Judah, during the time that the Northern Kingdom of Israel was conquered by and taken into captivity in Assyria, but the descendants of the very people Jonah was sent to give the message of repentance.

“Micah” = “Who is like the LORD?”

In Judah these were prosperous times. Landowners were defrauding the poor. Corrupt rulers were dishonest and oppressing the people. Wives and widows were being mistreated.

In comes this country bumpkin to tell the sophisticated, learn-ed, advanced, and progressive suburb and city society how their wealth, success, and comfort, through the sinful means by which they have gained it, is an affront to God.

In addition, the people seem to be aware of the evil means by which they are gaining. The false prophets are even condoning it by teaching that God’s patience with them has no limits Micah 2:7, by telling them through a rhetorical question, “Is the Spirit of the LORD impatient? Are these His doings?”

God’s words are a comfort to all who walk uprightly, but His justice will confront everyone who does not.

For those who were oppressed, abused, taken advantage of, scraping to get by, and seemingly just barely surviving the chaos that was choking them out and continually knocking them down, time and again, there is hope.

As Steve Herzig mentioned last week, there is terrible consequence coming for those who embrace sin and evil, but in the midst of that consequence and the oppression from it, there is hope.

The message of Micah can be summed up in two words, consequence and hope.

This message is going to focus on the first part, the consequence of doing things man’s way rather than God’s way.

Jonny Diaz number 11 on the top 100 chart of Christian songs: “Just Breathe”

Alarm clock screaming

Bare feet hit the floor

It’s off to the races

Everybody is out the door

I feel like I’m falling behind.

It’s a crazy life

Ninety miles an hour

Going fast as I can

Trying to push a little harder

Trying to get the upper hand

So much to do in so little time

It’s a crazy life

It’s ready, set, go

Its another wild day

When the stress is on the rise

In my heart I feel you say

“Just breathe, just breathe

Come and rest

At my feet

And be, just be

Chaos calls

But all you really need

Is to just breathe”

“Chaos” The warning in the first part of Micah is, whether you are oppressed or the oppressor, the chaos in which you live (either the tyranny of keeping up or the tyranny of surviving) is used by Satan’s system to distract you from that which is most important, God knows you.

He knows your plight, He knows your sin, He knows your hurt and fears, and He knows what motivates you.

There is no existence outside of God: no act that is unseen, no circumstance unnoticed, no motive misunderstood, no fear that is not felt, no thought entertained that is not heard by God. God knows you.

Don’t get swept away by the chaos of life, God knows you and in Him there is hope.

Don’t get swept away by the chaos of life, God knows you and in Him there is hope.

++There is no existence outside of God (Micah 1)

++There is no injustice unseen by God (Micah 2)

++There is no evil power unchecked by God (Micah 3)

Third cup of Joe Just to get me through the day

Want to make the most of time

But I feel it slip away

But I wonder if there is something more

To this crazy life

I’m busy busy busy

And it’s no surprise to me

That I only have time for me me me

There’s gotta be something more

To this crazy life

I’m hanging on tight

To another wild day

When it starts to fall apart

In my heart I feel you say

Just breathe, just breathe

Come and rest

At my feet

And be, just be

Chaos calls

But all you really need

Is to take in fill your lungs

It’s the peace of God

That overcomes

Just breathe

Let you weary spirit rest

Lay down what’s good

And find what’s best

Just breathe (just breathe, just breathe, just breathe)

Come and rest

At my feet And be just be

Chaos comes

But all you really need Is to just just breathe (just breathe)

What chaos do you need to lay down?

What is keeping you from resting at Jesus’ feet?

In the midst of the chaos of life, God waits for you to enter into His rest so you can just breathe.

The prophet Daniel related to the evil king Belshazzar,

Daniel 5:26-27 “26 “This is the interpretation of the message: ‘MENĒ’—God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it. 27 “ ‘TEKĒL’—you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient.”

There is hope in God, hope is only found in God alone, hope is realized both in this life and the life which is to come, but only in God alone.

Don’t get swept away by the chaos of life, God knows you and in Him there is hope.

This week, would you stop the chaos long enough to recognize its tyranny in your life?

Identify one thing in your life this week that makes you feel out of control.

Commit to praying to God everyday this week, to surrender to Him whatever that out of control chaos is and ask for His rest in the midst of it.

Start everyday this week when you first wake up and ask God to take that feeling of chaos and replace it with His rest. Then just let the chaos go and trust Him to give you His peace.

What an amazing feeling it will be to “Just breathe” and be able to count on God’s Wonderful words of life.