NJ - "Justice, Mercy & Humility” Micah

"Justice, Mercy & Humility”

To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Contributed by Robert Leroe on Jul 10, 2002

Contributed by Robert Leroe on Jul 10, 2002

Scripture:

Micah 6:6–8 NKJV

6 With what shall I come before the Lord, And bow myself before the High God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, With calves a year old? 7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, Ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?

Summary: The world needs to see us acting justly, loving mercy and walking humbly before God.

“What is Good?”

Whether it’s Christmas or someone’s birthday, or any other gift-giving occasion, there are some people simply impossible to find gifts for—what do you get for someone who doesn’t want or need anything?

Whether it’s Christmas or someone’s birthday, or any other gift-giving occasion, there are some people simply impossible to find gifts for—what do you get for someone who doesn’t want or need anything?

We like to give something meaningful, but it’s hard. Perhaps this is how the prophet Micah was feeling. “What can I do for God?”

Have you ever asked yourself what could God want from me? Is there anything we might hope to offer good enough? How can we hope to please Him?

You’d like to give something meaningful, but it’s hard. Perhaps this is how the prophet Micah was feeling. “What can I do for God?” It’s a question we’ve all asked (I hope). What could God want from us? Is anything we might hope to offer good enough? Micah’s name means, “Who is like Yahweh?” Because God is unique, how can we hope to please Him?

Is anything we might hope to offer good enough? Micah’s name means, “Who is like Yahweh?” Because God is unique, how can we hope to please Him?

Lets Pray

Micah personifies and speaks for the nation of Israel, both felt guilty before God; both were filled with an overwhelming sense of inadequacy. God’s people had sinned; They were like someone who was in trouble and couldn’t figure what to do about it.

they were like a schoolchild sent to the Principal’s office. They knew they were in trouble and couldn’t figure what to do about it.

Micah personifies and speaks for the nation of Israel—both felt guilty before God; both were filled with an overwhelming sense of inadequacy. God’s people had sinned; they were like a schoolchild sent to the Principal’s office. They knew they were in trouble and couldn’t figure what to do about it.

Personal story:

Was trying to be someone that I wasn’t do fit in and be cool, problem was I did something that was silly and got into trouble for it, I felt like I was stuck in a rut and couldnt figure out what I could do about it.

Micah prophesied during the eighth century BC, when Israel and Judah had risen to heights of economic affluence (they were becoming someone) but were spiritually bankrupt. There’s nothing wrong with financial prosperity, so long as it does not replace our devotion/relationship to God.

The prophet appears (appropriately) before the Lord empty-handed. He sees the insufficiency of sacrifices and offerings. External rituals aren’t enough to please God. In fact, the nation of Isreal had been inactive, out of practice; they’ve forgotten how to pray, they’ve lost touch with the Scriptures. They’ve forgotten the Law of God and have become ignorant on how to approach the Lord.

2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJV

14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

With efforts to remove God from public life in general, our nation could eventually become like the Israel of Micah’s day. In fact I think we are closer to this then we think.

Someone once wrote:

“If we separate ourselves enough from God, when we find we need Him, will He listen?” How do we repair the bond of fellowship with God?

Micah calls God “exalted” the word means high, lifted up. For some, God seems far away, remote, inaccessible. Yet God is as close as prayer.

What can we offer God? Verses 6-7 offer some suggestions, but these external things are not what God requires.

The quality of our worship is important, but not nearly as important as the quality of our lives.

All forms of worship are acceptable only as they are accompanied by clean hands.

Micah is saying, don’t assume that religious ritual alone will please God.

Matthew

Matthew 22:37 NKJV

37 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’

Matthew 22:37–38 NKJV

37 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment.

Love the Lord with all your heart, mind and Strength

God is looking for our hearts, our soul, our minds, it is relationship that He requires from us not:

“Burnt offerings, with calves a year old”. Yearling calves were regarded as the choicest sacrifices.

The quantaty of our gifts, “Thousands of rams”, suggests the large quantity of animals to try and gain God’s favour.

“Ten thousand rivers of oil” –Oil was used in Temple worship, but all the oil in the world will not bring us into fellowship with God.

Neither will even our “firstborn”, the most precious thing one could give to God.

Fellowship/Relationship

Sins were forgiven the sacrifices, and for all time through the sacrifice of Christ. These verses aren’t saying that sacrifices are meaningless, but they can be empty and ineffective if our attitude is wrong.

There are many more ways to appear “devout”. People through the ages have sought to gain God’s favour with acts of piety.

For example, in our church we pray the Lord’s Prayer, a wonderful prayer which unites us to all believers. But some people figured the more they said it, the closer to God they’d become. They would recite the Lord’s Prayer dozens of times a day, even though Jesus condemned “vain repetition” in prayer. In order to atone for sins, people have been known to commit acts of self-flagellation. Literally they would flog themselves, beating themselves bloody, hoping God would accept their sorrow over sin. We certainly don’t need to abuse ourselves to gain favour with God.

How would you like an appointment with God? For some this would be pretty intimidating. Appearing before God might seem somewhat like a job interview, you want to make a good impression.

When we approach God, He’s not concerned about what’s on our resume or whether we’re “dressed for success”;

He’s concerned about what’s in our hearts.

He accepts us even though we may think we’re not very wise or important.

When we pray, we have God’s attention and full acceptance.

Verse 8 tells us what God does require of us. However, let’s clear up a possible misperception. We cannot earn salvation—-we can only receive it. Verse 8 is not the plan or path of salvation. God is stating what He wants from those who are already His people. Acting justly, loving mercy and walking humbly are the outgrowth of genuine faith.

Charles Spurgeon once stated, “If faith does not make a person honest, it is not an honest faith.”

These things show us what God’s people do, not how we become His people. A living faith is seen by godly behavior. Our actions reveal whether our faith is true or not. Micah lists three characteristics of a life that is pleasing to God.

Authentic faith produces personal holiness because it comes from God, along with the power and desire to live for Him. These things can’t be done without God.

Point 1 To Act Justly

Psalm 33:5 NKJV

5 He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

“"The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love" Psalm 33:5”

What are we doing to promote justice in our community? Do we keep informed? Do we offer to be advocates for people in need? Do we speak out against injustice?

What are we doing to promote justice in our community? Do we keep informed? Do we offer to be advocates for people in need? Do we speak out against injustice?

President Lincoln said, “To sin by silence when one should speak makes cowards of men.”

There is no place for injustice or unfairness in our lives. Our faith must lead us to Godly behavior.

Point 2 To Love Mercy

“His Mercies are New Every Morning

Lamentations 3:22–23 NKJV

22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

”

Lamentations 3:22-23

A businessman needed to have a professional photo taken. When the photographer was done, the man looked at his photo and complained, “This doesn’t do me justice.” The photographer responded, “With a face like yours you don’t need justice—you need mercy.”

We all need mercy, and we need to offer it.

We are compelled by Christ to offer unconditional acceptance of others, in spite of their faults, idiosyncrasies, sins and shortcomings.

We need to approach people without pre-conceived notions; we should give others the benefit of the doubt,

and loving mercy means we grant forgiveness. We should ask ourselves: How can I show mercy to others?

Point 3 To Walk Humbly

1 Peter 5:6–7 NKJV

6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

“To walk humbly”

Humility means being precisely the person we actually are before God. A humble person can be authentic, no masks, no facade. If we’re humble we can be ourselves

We don’t have to mimic someone else’s experiences or spirituality. We should ask ourselves: Who am I trying to be like instead of myself?

How can I be more genuine? Be yourself.

Micah offers hope—the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem (5:2), and in the Last Days the nations will “beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore” (4:3).

Conclusion

My prayer is that our neighbours, friends, co-workers can see Christ working in us.

They see us acting justly, loving mercy and walking humbly before God.

People we know may not read the Bible, but they will read us.

It’s been said,

“A Christian is a mind through which Christ thinks;

a heart through which Christ loves;

a voice through which Christ speaks;

a hand through which Christ helps.”

A Prayer:

Lord, nothing in our hands we bring; simply to Your cross we cling. Show us how to promote justice in an unjust world; show us how to present Your truth to this dark, lost world; enable us to humbly accept and be ourselves. Most of all, enable us to live our faith.

By Your mercy and for Your glory we pray—in the Name of Jesus, Amen.