"What Does the Lord Require?" (Micah 6:8)

· Our Scripture today is coming out of the Book of Micah, Chapter 6, verses 6 through 8. I will be reading from the New International Version.

· And the Lord’s Word reads as follows:

“With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly[a] with your God.” – Micah 6:6-8 (NIV)

· May the Lord bless the reading and the HEARING of His Word.

· I wanna speak from the subject, “What Does The Lord Require?” [REPEAT]

· Let us pray:

Father God, we come….

….acknowledging what a privilege it is to bow before your throne of grace and mercy in total adoration to You. Lord, your Word says that “the eyes of the Lord range throughout the Earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9) Father these your people, your flock here at YOUR global church body of Benevolent Faith Ministries, have expressed the commitment of their hearts to You, Lord. So we rely upon your covenant promises and ask that You STRENGTHEN them even now, Lord…even as we endeavor to learn about Your Word and how we can live our lives in a way that ANSWERS the question “What Does The Lord Require?” May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, spirit of the living God speak to me and through me, falling fresh AND new THIS day….in Jesus’s name, AMEN.

[Repeat sermon title] - “What Does The Lord Require?”

INTRODUCTION

· Micah was a prophet who lived during the 8th Century BC (that’s the 700s).

· We know this because the text stats that he made his prophecies during the reigns of kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (1:1).

o And 2 Kings mentions how these three kings were all Judean kings, and each ruled over Judah at some point in the eighth century B.C.

· Micah’s target audience was both Judah AND Israel, both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms, and in the introduction he addresses his messages to both Samaria (which was the capital of Israel, the Northern Kingdom) and Jerusalem (which was the capital of Judah, the Southern Kingdom).

· So at this point you’re like, ”Okay…..so why do I care? How does what this guy who lived roughly 2800 years ago relate to MY experience?”

· Well….what we really need to understand is the HISTORICAL and social and cultural context within which the prophet Micah wrote this book.

· You see….similar to the prophets Joel and Amos, the Book of Micah was written during a time when the whole of Israel, both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms, was being bullied and harassed by the Syrians.

· And then along comes this group called the ASSYRIANS, who roll up on the Syrians and destroy their whole operation in the city of Damascus around 802 BC.

· And so now, with the bully gone, both Judah and Israel enjoyed a period of great peace and prosperity under their Kings [Jeroboam (N) and Uzziah (S)], where people great very wealthy and socially and politically powerful in standing.

· But as it often does, the depraved, sinful nature of humanity took over, and instead of the rich spreading love with their newfound prosperity, they instead used it to further oppress the poor and do greater evil towards all mankind in general.

· And so, like both Joel and Amos, the Book of Micah was written during a time of great social injustice and immorality throughout Israel

· In both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms, the rich and powerful - the mover and shakers, the “old money”, the Money Team, the boss ballas..…you know, the REALLY wealthy and elite of Israelite society – these people purposefully engaged in evil behavior and oppressed the poor, widows and orphans.

· This was a time filled with class oppression, corrupt religious practices and conceited, self-satisfaction before God…..and the text also makes this clear.

· For instance, look at Micah 6:10-12, where the prophet rails specifically against unscrupulous merchants who cheat their customers (and so that you get a clearer understanding of this, I’m going to read it from the New Living Translation):

o What shall I say about the homes of the wicked filled with treasures gained by cheating? What about the disgusting practice of measuring out grain with dishonest measures? How can I tolerate your merchants who use dishonest scales and weights? The rich among you have become wealthy through extortion and violence. Your citizens are so used to lying that their tongues can no longer tell the truth.” – Micah 6:10-12 (NLT)

· See back then, there was no Bureau of Weights and Measures to set standards and enforce use of those standards, so the buyer was essentially at the mercy of the merchant’s greed.

o So if you went in there to, say, sell some gold or other commodity, and the price you were paid for your items was based on their WEIGHT, then the vendor could do whatever they wanted with those scales and you’d be forced to pay it.

o There was NO system of checks and balances….the rich and greedy folks were the ONLY ones truly getting over.

· And in this way, isn’t it amazing how much times HAVEN’T really changed?

o But we’ll get to that in a second….

· And so Micah, like Amos, prophesied strongly against the wealthy and powerful, and their behaviors and actions.

· And it is within this context that we examine our text today.

· Within Micah 6:8 we find the prophet providing a clear mandate for the people of God, or rather, the people who profess allegiance to God:

o "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 (NIV)

· These are qualities of faith and obedience that God takes DELIGHT in when His people truthfully and fully engage in them.

· THESE are the qualities that make up “WHAT THE LORD REQUIRES”.

· And far too often, we find ourselves on the OPPOSITE end of what the Lord requires, and instead being engaged in what MAN requires or, rather, what man THINKS is required.

· And when that happens, when men start to be led by their own thoughts and actions instead of those of God, those men subsequently gets COMPLACENT with the things of God…..even if they CLAIM that they love Him.

· But see, the prophet Micah understood that God desires moral qualities on the part of his worshipers instead of sacrifices and burnt offerings that are ultimately meaningless.

· And Micah point this out to the people in the other subject verses today. Look at 6:6-7:

o “With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7 Will the Lord be pleased with[a] thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” – Micah 6:6-7

· In other words, God was saying that it didn’t’ matter HOW beautiful their temples were, how majestic their processions were, how many animals they sacrificed, how much gold their altars were made out of, how many feasts they recognized and celebrated….NONE of that meant anything to Him if the people’s actual WORSHIP was empty and meaningless.

· The people were going through the motions of worshipping God, but their hearts were far from Him.

o They were coming to the temple, with the outward appearance of being all spiritual, adorned in their best religious gear

o They would delight in giving their extravagant offerings

§ To show off, in terms of impressing the religious leaders

o They would also make SURE that others saw the offering they gave, to make known the depths of their generosity.

· But that was ALL insulting to God, because all that pomp and circumstance betrayed the fact that they had desperately wicked hearts.

· This is what their arrogance had done – they were so blinded with greed that they had learned to reason from their own depraved frames of reference, not from the goodness and character of God.

· And God required MORE from them for that. In fact, God DESERVED more from them.

· NOW….fast forward to the modern times. DO WE NOT see these same behaviors transpiring today?

o We STILL see the rich oppressing the poor.

o We STILL see merchants trying to defraud and deceive their customers.

o We STILL see religious establishments permitting their immorality, injustices, and corrupt practices to go unchecked.

· Even in the contemporary church today, we see these same behaviors:

o We STILL see people who think that just because they give they’re somehow satisfying God

o We STILL see people who MAKE SURE they let others SEE that they give

o We STILL see people who give and yet still continue to live wicked, depraved lives when it’s NOT Sunday morning!

· Saints of God, similar to the nations of Judah and Israel around 2,800 years ago, the nation we live in today – the WORLD we live in today – is STILL subject to the sovereignty and authority of GOD, not the rich and powerful.

· And just like God required more of the ancient Israelites, GOD REQUIRES MORE OF US.

o We gotta DO BETTER, we gotta BE better!

· And so EVERYONE – us too, but ESPECIALLY those with money, those with the MEANS to help others, with the CAPITAL or the RESOURCES or the CONNECTIONS to help others – has a responsibility to DO WHAT THE LORD REQUIRES in connection with how we deal with each other, as mandated by this text.

· And so we’re gonna walk through these three commands – JUST THREE – and then we’ll be done this evening.

· So first…..let’s examine how God requires that: “we do justly” before Him, our brethren, and our fellow-man…and again, I’m right out of the text of verse 8.

· In other words, regardless of ANYBODY’S religious, racial, or economic standing in life, we should be doing right by EVERYBODY.

· This is a VERY hard concept for many people to grasp. People are so selfish and so driven towards the idea of individual gain over group perseverance that they can NEVER see past fulfilling their own wants and desires.

· In other words, they don’t CARE what’s best for EVERYONE….only what’s best for THEM, even if that means everyone else suffers in some way BECAUSE OF their selfishness.

o Rarely if ever do they give consideration to others.

· It’s ironic….instead of doing justly towards his fellow man, these people were instead dealing treacherously, dishonestly and without integrity among each other and towards their fellow-man.

· But again, the text instructs us to be fair in all our judgments.

· See, here’s something people don’t often consider: God has not given to us the privilege of judging others.

o Remember, Jesus said in Matthew 7:1, "Judge not, that you be not judged."

· We don’t have the privilege of judging other because, quite frankly, WE DON’T HAVE ALL THE FACTS related to others.

· NOBODY can speak with 100% authority and say that they know the motives of the heart of others.

· Noooooo….more often than not, we judge on the basis of hearsay.

o "Well, Brenda had told Rhonda and ‘nem….."

o Or worse yet, they’ll be like, “Oh, I saw it on the web” (UGH! THIS IS ONE OF THE WORST ARGUMENTS THAT SOMEONE COULD EVER GIVE FOR SAYING THEY HEARD SOMETHING! STOP GIVING THE INTERNET SO MUCH CREDIT FOR BEING A BASTION OF KNOWLEDGE, PEOPLE!)

· Saints of God, “acting justly” involves NONE of these triflin’ behaviors!

· We have a duty as mandated in the Word of God – and, under the new covenant, as mandated by us being followers of Christ – to extend the SAME type of grace and mercy to others that God has extended to us, particularly when it comes to MAKING JUDGMENTS upon them.

· So first we see that we must act justly…..secondly, we see that we must “love mercy”.

· In other words, God wants us to show compassion and goodwill towards everyone we encounter.

· Even if the person is guilty or has done you wrong, the directive is that you STILL be kind and forgiving.

o The text never QUALIFIES when you are to be kind, or HOW kind you are to be, based on what the person did or whatever.

o Instead, we’re supposed to show mercy WHOLEHEARTEDLY in the same manner that God has shown mercy to US.

o If God is merciful to US and WE don’t deserve it, who are WE to say that ANOTHER doesn’t deserve mercy?

· God’s Word makes that clear in OTHER places, as well. Look at what the Apostle Paul says to the Church at Ephesus in Ephesians 4:32:

o “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” – Ephesians 4:32 (ESV)

· Jesus put it this way:

o "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy." – Matthew 5:7

· So the mandate here is not that you JUST be merciful, but that you love mercy…that you LOVE having compassion on your fellow man.

· And it’s AMAZING, the TIMING of the applicability of this verse to our current times.

· What do I mean by that?

· This current pandemic has us experiencing a time of death and sickness in America that many of us have NEVER seen, but which some have not seen since the flu pandemic of the early 1900s.

· And when it gets reported that wearing masks, covering your mouth, washing your hands and socially distancing can help SAVE lives – AND YET, YOU SEE PEOPLE STILL OBSTINATELY NOT DOING THESE THINGS FOR WHATEVER REASON (THOUGH THE REASON DOESN’T REALLY MATTER BECAUSE IT’S BASICALLY SELFISH NO MATTER HOW THEY TRY TO JUSTIFY IT)

· When you see people being hard-hearted towards these things, it becomes clear that what’s missing during this pandemic are love, mercy, and compassion for those that are sick and dying.

· Instead of working together for the common good, we have people looking out only for themselves, guided by national leadership which is impeding the health and welfare of this Nation.

· Right now, mercy and compassion are PARAMOUNT for the world to overcome this pandemic. Yes, we need medical advancements and proper regulation, but we’re never going to get there if we don’t first put a premium on CARING ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS TO EACH OTHER.

o Remember, we JUST TALKED EARLIER about people who would rather look out for themselves instead of thinking about the greater good

o That is a CLEAR sensibility that we have seen emerge during this pandemic.

· And again, it goes against the mandates of Scripture to “love mercy”, or be merciful TOWARDS each other.

· Our entire nation - all the American people, all our so-called religious leaders, all our so-called governmental leaders – EVERYONE should be speaking out against the lack of compassion towards others

· Because again, looking to Scripture, if our nation "Should seek the Lord while he may be found, they may perhaps reach out for him and find Him, though he is not far from any one of us.” (as stated in Isaiah 55:6 and Acts 17:27).

· Lastly and I’m done, y’all….let’s examine how God requires, that “we walk humbly before Him.”

· Saints of God, I’mma make this short and to the point: if there is one sin that magnifies all others – in both the nation of Israel in our text AND in our nation today – it’s the sin of PRIDE.

· THINK ABOUT IT….just like back then, today we see situations where ONE group of people thinks of itself as being more superior to another, or OTHERS (plural).

o In fact, this is the BASIS for much of the socio-political and racial strife we see going on in the country today!

· And WHENEVER we lift or elevate ourselves over others, THAT IS NOT walking humbly before God.

· And sadly, that’s where we FIND our nation today….people no longer walking humbly.

· Yunno, once upon a time people TRUSTED and revered God. In fact it was the foundation of our nation, AND the foundation of the church, quite honestly.

· But now, people walk in arrogance, pride, and divisiveness, before God and the world.

· It is a pride and a haughty spirit that brings all nations to ruins (“haughty” means “arrogantly superior”)

o “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” – Proverbs 16:18

· And this behavior has NOT gone unnoticed by the rest of the world.

· We are no longer envied by others; but, "a people to be pitied" by all nations and people.

· Like Judah, we have become “an abomination before God”.

o ”Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished.” - Proverbs 16:5

o “It is an abomination to kings to do evil, for the throne is established by righteousness.” - Proverbs 16:12 – this is a clear warning for all governmental officials!

· Saints of God, much like those in Samaria and Jerusalem, we as a nation MUST repent and turn back unto God.

· If we don’t, we’re gonna find ourselves living out the same fate that they did, the same fate Micah’s prophesy warned them about – that of suffering and ruin.

· Amen?

· But you can’t profess to repent and turn to God unless you have a willingness to FIRST know and accept His sovereignty and authority over your life.

· And you can’t accept His sovereignty and authority over your life if you don’t FIRST know Him.

· And you can’t get to know Him unless you FIRST know His Son Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

· And so we INVITE you to come get to know Jesus today.

· Normally this part of the service where we ask people to come down and give lives to Christ.

· Our intercessors are standing by RIGHT NOW, ready to pray with you or help you further along your walk with Christ.

· Whether you want to join our church, or simply stand in need of prayer, we invite you to the altar right now.

· Come to JESUS….allow Him to give you rest, AMEN?

· Won’t you come?

· Confess His Lordship in your life RIGHT NOW.

· Amen!

· And with that…IT’S TIME FOR GIVING!!!!

· As you know, Benevolent Faith Ministries DOES NOT collect tithes and offerings from its memberships.

· Instead, we encourage you to engage with our Giving Partners and contribute directly to THEM. Simply go to our website and click on the “Giving” link….and choose a Giving Partner to contribute to!

· We pray blessings over your tithes and offerings to our giving model.

· Prepare your hearts to receive the benediction:

May the Lord bless you

may the Lord keep you;

may the Lord make his face to shine upon you and give you peace

may the grace of God

which is manifest through the BLOOD SHED by His Son Jesus

guide you in all truth

that you may be committed to grasping the promises of God

through Christ to you

such that you may be able to know “What Does The Lord Require?” of you

so that you may MEET those requirements

even as you gain further understanding of God’s calling upon each of your lives

such that you are fully equipped and prepared

to represent HIS Kingdom properly all over the globe!

· In HIS Son’s mighty and miraculous name we pray, let every heart say AMEN!

· Until we meet again, beloved saints of God, be blessed!