God's Salvation Leads To Our Obedience

08/03/2020 God's Salvation Leads To Our Obedience

Series: Minor Prophets - True Faith  

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What Does The Bible Say?

Micah

Does God expect anything from us since we are saved by grace?

Notice a theme throughout the Bible; God loves on us, then He expects us to show our thankfulness by being obedient.

15 “If you love me, obey my commandments. (John 14:15 NLT)

God rescues us, then we respond.

Then God blessed Noah and his sons and told them, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth. 2 All the animals of the earth, all the birds of the sky, all the small animals that scurry along the ground, and all the fish in the sea will look on you with fear and terror. I have placed them in your power. 3 I have given them to you for food, just as I have given you grain and vegetables. 4 But you must never eat any meat that still has the lifeblood in it. 5 “And I will require the blood of anyone who takes another person’s life. If a wild animal kills a person, it must die. And anyone who murders a fellow human must die. 6 If anyone takes a human life, that person’s life will also be taken by human hands. For God made human beings in his own image. 7 Now be fruitful and multiply, and repopulate the earth.” (Genesis 9:1–7 NLT)

3 At this, Abram fell face down on the ground. Then God said to him, 4 “This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations! 5 What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations. 6 I will make you extremely fruitful. Your descendants will become many nations, and kings will be among them! 7 “I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation. This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8 And I will give the entire land of Canaan, where you now live as a foreigner, to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God.” 9 Then God said to Abraham, “Your responsibility is to obey the terms of the covenant. You and all your descendants have this continual responsibility. 10 This is the covenant that you and your descendants must keep: Each male among you must be circumcised. 11 You must cut off the flesh of your foreskin as a sign of the covenant between me and you.” (Genesis 17:3–14 NLT)

2 “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. 3 “You must not have any other god but me. (Exodus 20:2–3 NLT)

3 “O my people, what have I done to you? What have I done to make you tired of me? Answer me! 4 For I brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from slavery. I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to help you. 5 Don’t you remember, my people, how King Balak of Moab tried to have you cursed and how Balaam son of Beor blessed you instead? And remember your journey from Acacia Grove to Gilgal, when I, the Lord, did everything I could to teach you about my faithfulness.” Should we bring him burnt offerings? Should we bow before God Most High with offerings of yearling calves? 7 Should we offer him thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for our sins? 8 No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:3–8 NLT)

Follow the Old Testament Covenant, show mercy, and understand who God is.  

But we live under the New Testament, and we have grace, so it’s not as hard to live for God as it was in the Old Testament, right?

20 After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you. (Luke 22:20 NLT)

18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18–20 NLT)

Even though we live under a new Covenant, we still have to obey God as a response to what He has done for us.

6 They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. 7 They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” 8 Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. 9 When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. 10 Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” 11 “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” (John 8:6–11 NLT)

God saves us, however, He expects us to respond by living obediently to Him.

21 “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ 22 But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell. (Matthew 5:21–22 NLT) 

27 “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:27–28 NLT)

Under the old Covenant, we were treated like children. Under the new Covenant, we are treated like adults.

Under the old Covenant, we were disciplined for our actions. Under the new Covenant, we are disciplined for our attitudes.

How Can You Obey?

9 Fear the Lord if you are wise! His voice calls to everyone in Jerusalem: (Micah 6:9 NLT)

Additional Notes:

Explore:

Old Testament writers often used legal images as word pictures to communicate truth. Two of the most common portray trial settings and lawsuits. Both are ways God speaks to His people about judgment. These scenes contain some or all of the following: witnesses, a summons, the defendant, a prosecutor (God or the prophet), accusations against the defendant, a 

verdict, and a sentence. The “lawsuit” itself is God’s case against the defendant (see Isaiah 1; Jeremiah 2; Hosea 2, 4, 12; Amos 3, 4; Job 9, 13). 

Explore:

The Exodus deliverance from Egypt (Exodus 12-14) offers the clearest pic- ture of redemption in the Old Testament. “Redemption” simply means the setting free of a captive through a payment. Two of every three Old Testa- ment books refer to this great event. Micah alluded to it in 6:4 and 7:15. In the Exodus deliverance, God rescued His people from foreign bondage and from idolatry, showed the nations that He has all power, gave grace to His people, revealed Himself by His covenant name (Yahweh), and instituted the Passover observance—liberation through the shedding of blood. 

Explore:

Though some distort the Old Testament law (the Law of Moses) as a harsh, legalistic code of rules, it is actually a wonderful gift of grace to His people Israel. The Mosaic Law is found primarily in Exodus 20-23, 25-31; Leviticus; and Deuteronomy. The grace of the Law is evident in that it reveals God’s holiness in specific details so that Israel would know what would harm their relationship with Him. Think of a posted speed limit and how it provides drivers with a definitive standard of what constitutes safe, enjoyable driving. Those biblical laws also gave His people a way to reflect God’s holiness in their lifestyles. 

Explore:

The Hebrew word translated lovingkindness, mercy, love, and other ways in the Old Testament is hesed. This rich word has the dual senses of love and loyalty, and so may be understood as loyal, committed love seen often in the context of a covenant or promise (see Exodus 15:13; Deuteronomy 5:10; 2 Samuel 2:6; Psalm 90:14; Psalm 136; and Lamentations 3:22). 

Explore:

The consequences Judah would experience demonstrate that sin brings death and destruction into the world.

Explore:

Micah

Judgment and Hope

“He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)

Major Theme

The focus is on God’s hatred of sin, but also his promise to rescue those who would change their hearts and actions. The Bethlehem-born Messiah will be humankind’s deliverer.

Background and Purpose

The book of Micah is a collection of speeches. Micah forecasts about God’s impending judgment on Judah’s sins (chapters 1–3), and graphically describes both their sins and punishment. Micah goes on to prophesy a bright future after this judgment (chapters 4–5). The concluding two chapters are in the form of the Lord’s controversy with his people and the mercy he finally has on them.

Author

Micah was a prophet to the southern kingdom of Judah. He is mentioned in Jeremiah 26:18, “Micah of Moresheth [in southern Judah] prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah.” Apart from that and what we learn about him from the book of Micah we know nothing about him.

Date

We ascertain from the opening verse of Micah that the prophet prophesied during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. This makes Micah a contemporary of the prophet Isaiah. Micah must have prophesied between 750 bc and 686 bc.

Brief Outline

1. Judgment against Israel and Judah 1:1–3:12

2. Hope for Israel and Judah 4:1–5:15

3. God’s case against Israel 6:1–16

4. Micah’s sad poem and a hopeful future 7:1–20

Christ in Micah

• Micah contains one of the clearest and most important prophecies about Jesus:

“ ‘But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among

the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.’ ” (Micah 5:2)

Water, M. (2001). The Books of the Bible made easy (p. 33). Alresford, Hampshire: John Hunt Publishing.

Question 1 of 5

In what ways has God blessed you and what should you do to please Him in return?     

Question 2 of 5

What does it look like for people to simply go through the outward motions of worship?      

Question 3 of 5

Why does a sinful lifestyle leave us empty and dissatisfied? 

Question 4 of 5

According to Micah 6:6-8, what does the Lord really want from His people? 

Question 5 of 5

What are some examples of loving kindness and mercy?