What Is Good?

MIT: God’s anger against Israel is aroused because they oppress the poor and think they can satiate Him through sacrifice, neglecting the manner in which God has called them to live.

MIS: God’s people must treasure obedience and seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.

Excite:

Open with “As you wish.” Wesley’s complete devotion and obedience to Buttercup.

Explore:

Context:

Chiasm of chapter 3 sums it up well:

God’s people (the poor) are being devoured (v.2-3).

The “prophets” had become greedy (v.5).

Therefore God will cease to speak (v.6).

Micah, however, is filled w/ God’s power to speak (v.8).

Again, the leaders are judged for greed (v.11).

God will be the Devourer (v.12).

Sin context is set, chapter 4 deals with God gathering people to Himself.

Chapter 5 contains the Messianic prophecy.

Chapter 6 reveals God’s indictment against His people: After questioning how He (God) has wearied the people (was it through bringing them out of Egypt (v.4), Freeing them from slavery (v.4), or giving them Moses, Aaron, and Miriam (v.4)), God reveals His second complaint: THEY SOUGHT TO APPEASE GOD THROUGH SACRIFICE.

Seek Justice.

Interpretation:

In contrast to the abuse of the people they were committing.

Make brief mention of social justice, hit on cards that were filled out.

Re-hash a bit of Amos.

“The covenant in Deuteronomy bound the people to more than just the worship of God. 

A proper relationship with God requires a proper relationship with people. 

The Lord was concerned with social justice for all people, and he was especially concerned with how weaker individuals in society were treated. (Remember how God’s people were commanded to leave the outside edges of the field for the poor!)

The prophets would often cite the treatment of orphans and widows as the social failure of the people. The prophets would also state how these violations of the covenant would invalidate the sacrifices offered.” - Danny Akin

So, what is justice and how does it function within the context of the local church? Here are a few Highlights from an older article from the ERLC arm of the SBC:

The argument that evangelism and concern for justice cannot coexist misunderstands the mission of the church, which is simply the mission of Jesus himself. That mission did not begin with the Great Commission or Pentecost; those moments authorized and empowered what Jesus was already doing. His mission is not limited to individual conversion but centers on making disciples, grounded in Old Testament expectations and revealed in the Gospels as redemptive love for the whole person—body and soul. From Mary’s song to Jesus’ inaugural sermon, Scripture presents a kingdom that brings reconciliation both vertically with God and horizontally with others, calling for holistic love of neighbor that addresses real physical, social, economic, and spiritual needs.

Because the curse of sin is holistic—affecting personal, social, and spiritual life—the gospel’s restoration is holistic as well. The prophets consistently addressed both personal sin and social injustice, refusing to divide righteousness into neat categories. The church, then, does not “balance” evangelism and justice as competing priorities any more than it balances the gospel with personal morality. Both legalism and neglect distort the gospel. Faithful churches act for the vulnerable and proclaim Christ within the same gospel framework. The answer is not reactionary extremes but Christlikeness: following Jesus, who cares for whole people and calls his followers to do likewise, proclaiming and demonstrating the good news of the kingdom.

Illustration: the religious leaders of Jesus’ day knew very well that half of the law hung on the idea of loving your neighbor. But, they wanted an out: “who is my neighbor?”

Application: Jesus found us in a hopeless condition, that’s what the book of Ephesians calls it, and brought us back to God. The gospel’s rescue of the hopeless outcast should mold our hearts to respond to others in the same way. A big part of the way we are called to live our lives is by caring for the orphan and the widow. Three quick ways to do that:

Treasure.

Talent.

Time.

Love Mercy.

Interpretation:

Compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm. Actually, when you look at the characteristics that should mark members of God’s kingdom, this is the 5th one Jesus lists.

To see where mercy was being neglected, we find the criticism in Micah 3:5 “Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who lead my people astray, who cry “Peace” when they have something to eat, but declare war against him who puts nothing into their mouths.” The leaders would show mercy as long as someone was putting something in their mouth, but they would love punishment when the bribe was withheld.

I believe our mercy hinges on the gospel.

First, God is merciful towards us in Christ. We deserve to be punished, and it is completely within God’s power (AND RIGHT!) to punish us. But, it is withheld from us on account of what Christ has accomplished. SEGUE TO GOSPEL.

It now becomes our responsibility to extend that same mercy to others.

Illustration: The parable of the unforgiving servant (Matt.18:21-35).

Application:

Three Everyday Ways Mercy Is Practiced

When you are right—but gentle. You have the facts. You have authority. You could win the argument, issue the write-up, or shame the person publicly. Mercy chooses correction without cruelty, truth without triumphalism. It doesn’t deny justice; it tempers it.

When you are wronged—but you release the debt. This is where Matthew 18 hits home. Like the unforgiving servant, we are often quick to remember what others owe us while forgetting what God has forgiven us. Mercy says, “Because Christ canceled my unpayable debt, I will not choke someone over pocket change.”

When you gain nothing in return. Micah’s leaders showed mercy only when they were fed. Gospel mercy shows kindness when there is no applause, no leverage, and no advantage — toward the difficult coworker, the ungrateful family member, the person who cannot repay you.

Walk Humbly with your God.

This is the call of God in your life. It goes by many catch phrases, some biblical, some we as the church have coined:

Walk in His ways…

Abide in Christ…

Talk the talk AND walk the walk…

Becoming like Christ...

Sanctification…

Obedience…

Disciplining yourself for the purpose of godliness…

But the question is, “How?” What takes us from knowing we need to do something to actually, you know, doing something? It’s the difference between training and trying, as John Ortburg puts it. I like that — training.

Illustration: Ortberg, pg. 41 - Suppose the Olympic Committee showed up to your house and recruited you to run the marathon in the upcoming olympics! You hear a knock at the door and wiggle your way off the couch induced coma, likely spurred on from eating that second helping of Christmas ham, to find the USOC standing at the door. They’ve done the math, and they’ve got the records: presidential fitness tests and high school statistics and bone density — you’re going to be the one to bring home the gold…by running 26.2 miles. “Easy dubs,” as the street yutes say.

Only, one problem: the farthest you’ve run in the past 6 months is from the couch to the refrigerator. Still, the reality of an opportunity of a lifetime sets in. You’re being called to do this? You can bring home the gold? Excitement, but wait, mingled with fear. Have you seen what marathon runners wear in the race? And you don’t even like to take your shirt off at the beach. UGH! But still, this is my chance!

Then it dawns on you, right? Can you run to the end of the driveway? What about the street? One hundred yards? A mile? A 5k? It’s okay. Don’t stress out. You’ve got a little over 900 days until the next summer olympics, but you better get started now. And, that journey of 26.2 miles in the olympics? It starts with a single step of discipline right now.

Application: The christian life is no different. If we’re to run with perseverance the race marked before us, there are some necessary christian disciplines!

Bible study and prayer - 1a/1b.

Use Bible study methods:

HEAR method — Highlight, Explain, Apply, Respond

OODA method — Observe, Orient, Decide, Act

Use Prayer methods:

PRAY — Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield

ACTS — Adore, Confess, Thank, Supplication

Fellowship - living life together.

Fellowship is our common life together, and it centers on our unity in Christ.

Fellowship involves giving of ourselves, hurting when others hurt, rejoicing when they rejoice and loving through thick and thin.

Fellowship is more than fried chicken, and it cannot be accomplished if our lives are not genuinely invested in one another, which means it probably isn't going to happen in a couple of hours a week, most of which are spent listening to someone else and not each other.

Life group and Sunday School plug

Worship - Living a larger-than-ourselves life.

James MacDonald says, "Worship is the most powerful, joy producing, hope sustaining, life altering thing we do."

Why?

Powerful because we engage the all powerful Creator of the universe.

Joy-producing because we engage the Source of all joy in the universe.

Hope-sustaining because we engage the Future of the universe.

Life altering because we come in contact with the only Holy God and you do not walk away from that the same. He's a spiritual Mack truck, we're pedestrians on the street. In that collision, you don't walk away the same.

Serving. 

Scripture consistently links service with spiritual formation. Jesus models a life of intentional, self-giving service (Mark 10:45; John 13:1–17) and explicitly commands His followers to do likewise. 

The early church devoted itself not only to teaching and prayer, but to tangible acts of service that expressed their shared life in Christ (Acts 2:42–47). 

Paul frames service as the proper response to the gospel: believers present themselves as “living sacrifices” and use their gifts “for the common good” within the body (Rom. 12:1–8; 1 Cor. 12:7). In this sense, serving the church is an ordinary means by which God cultivates humility, love, and obedience.

A message from a prophet needs a prophetic call, so here it is: the body of Christ needs you. I think…I know we are a loving church. I know that we value fellowship.

Here are some immediate needs:

Tech booth:

Putting information in slide templates for Sunday Morning Worship.

Running screens.

Sound board.

Refuge and Kid’s Min help. Seriously, between the two, there are nearly 100 young people upstairs on Wednesday nights. They will not turn you away, even if you’re simply a presence for them, willing to do something as simple as grab a trash bag when they ask.

Greeters who are willing to meet and direct new people.

Listen, I’m not going to get them all, but grab a deacon, they are lead servers and they’ll help you find a place.

But going beyond just the right here, this year we’ve got wonderful service opportunities for the body, and we are committed to seeking God’s will that we might walk in good works He’s provided for us.

Next month we’re registering for Florida Baptist Disaster Relief training…

We have a workday around the church scheduled for late February…

We have a senior adult car spa planned for this spring…

We’ll be brainstorming some “Summer of Love” projects to actively engage the community and share the love of Jesus…

We’re working to roll out a new ministry to love and support families dealing with navigating the difficulties of issues like child loss, infertility, miscarriages…

And, we’ve not talked about this one yet, but it’s on my list, but I’d like to see us get involved with an advocacy group like the Tim Tebow Foundation or Exodus Cry or International Justice Mission.

We want to take serious this call to justice, not just as a call in our personal and individual lives, but through opportunities to serve and grow together as a church as well.

Experience:

Do YOU know what’s good?

Are you living it?

Questions of commitment:

Is your heart aligned with Jesus when it comes to mercy? Would you rather show mercy or see a person get what's coming to them? If it's the latter, we may have a heart condition, and the gospel is the answer, for it says, "though you deserve my wrath, you will find my mercy through Christ." If ever mercy becomes difficult for you, start there.

Are you disciplining yourself for the purpose of godliness? This is an active relationship we have with Jesus. It requires, as all relationships do, an investment from both sides. Can I say to you, Christ is completely invested in you? He spared not one single ounce of Himself for us. The question, then, is "are you invested in Christ?"

Will you be an agent of God’s social justice, advocating for change in this world in your own personal life and in through the church as well? Will you and I be people who care about loving the ones that many label as unloving, either because of their lot in life or by the fact that the world forgets about them, either intentionally (turning a blind eye) or ignorantly (unwilling to look)?