What God Requires
by Greg Hanson
Sunrise Wesleyan Church
September 11, 2005
Main Passage: Micah
6:6-8 (NLT)
Chris read for us
earlier in the service from the book of Micah in the Old Testament.
Micah was a prophet who lived around the same time as Isaiah, Hosea,
and Amos. Now a prophet was basically a person that was used as a
spokesman for God to speak to the issues of the day. A prophet would be
able to see with clarity the state of society and could warn people
about what was in store for them unless they changed.
Take Jonah, for example. Jonah was a prophet, sent by God to the people
of Nineveh to point out their wickedness and to warn them that unless
they did something about it they would be destroyed. Sad but true. But
as a direct result of Jonah’s message, the people of Nineveh changed
their ways and God relented, deciding not to destroy them.
So here we have Micah, a prophet in his own right. His mission? To
deliver a message to both Samaria and Jerusalem. Now, just for a little
bit of history, after the death of King Solomon in 931 B.C., who was
King David’s son, Israel split into two Kingdoms due to forced labour
disputes and high taxation. Here’s a map… [PowerPoint] There was the
Kingdom of Israel in the north (which had Samaria as its capital) and
the Kingdom of Judah in the South (which had Jerusalem as its capital).
And these two Kingdoms were still divided when Micah arrived on the
scene around 740 B.C.
Over this period of time both cultures had gone downhill, incorporating
false religions, political corruption, oppression of the poor, and all
sorts of immorality. And this is the setting into which Micah spoke,
warning of imminent destruction.
The society of the day had plenty of problems, but not being religious
enough wasn’t one of them. The people were plenty religious. They
attended services in their Temple, they observed special holy days, and
they participated in numerous ceremonies and sacred rites. They were
very religious. They were not, however, Godly. They thought that going
through all the religious motions was enough and that it didn’t matter
what their life was like outside of the Temple…. A viewpoint which is
very popular today.
So how did Micah confront this situation? Well, he asked them a
question. He asked them…
Micah 6:8 (NIV)
And what does the LORD require of you?
“What does the Lord require of you?” A fair question, don’t you think?
I mean, don’t you like to know what’s required of you? In school,
didn’t you like to know what assignments you needed to complete in
order to get a good grade? Don’t you like to know what you need to have
done by when in order to keep your job? When you buy computer software,
don’t you like to know what the system requirements are so you can know
whether you computer can run the program or not? Not a bad question…
“What does God require of you?”
Well, pretending that you weren’t familiar with the passage that Chris
read for us, how do you think they would answer? I expect the people
would have had plenty of answers… make sure you keep all the ritual
sacrifices…. sheep, goats, calves, sacrifice your first-fruit. Attend
all the temple services. Observe all the holy days. Pray before every
meal. There are all kinds of things they may have said. Perhaps you
have your own ideas of what God requires of you. The rabbis themselves
identified 613 specific commands that they expanded into an
encyclopedia-sized set of books known as the Talmud.
Of course the problem with that for someone like me is that I wouldn’t
want to read all that. I just couldn’t do it. First of all, I don’t
speak Hebrew. Secondly, it would take me forever to get through it and
there’s no way I’d remember it all. I’d probably have to get the
Reader’s Digest version or get a hold of the Coles Notes version or
something.
I like things to be short and to the point. I don’t even read e-mails
that are too long and complex. Anything more than a few sentences and I
just scan it. If you want me to read an e-mail, keep it short. If you
need more than one paragraph, keep the paragraphs short. Otherwise, I
may just scan it and delete it.
Well, thankfully Micah didn’t write an encyclopedia to answer the
question, “What does God require?” He was able to identify three things
that summed up everything that’s required. In fact, pastors love this
verse because Micah asks a question and then gives a three point
answer. Great sermon outline. And the interesting thing is that he
didn’t give a checklist of duties and obligations… he gave us three
principles that can guide our lives. Basically, he told us…
A. See that justice is done.
B. Let mercy be your first concern.
C. Humbly obey your God.
So what I want to do for the rest of our time here this morning is talk
about these three things. You can use the notes provided in your
Sunrise Update to follow along.
Three Things God Requires
1. See That
Justice Is Done.
That’s the phrase used
in the CEV.
Micah 6:8 (CEV)
The LORD God has told us what is right and
what he demands: “See that justice is done…”
The NIV says to “act justly.” The NLT says to “do what is right.” What
was Micah talking about? What does it mean to see that justice is done?
Well, it means that we don’t harm or injure or rip-off anybody in any
way. It means that we don’t go overboard trying to get our own way. It
means we don’t get carried away seeking revenge or trying to get ahead.
I was reading something written by a man named Armor Peisker, and this
is what he says…
“We are to be truthful, honest, and sincere toward ourselves, toward
God, toward our civil and business obligations, and in all other
relationships with our fellowman.”
~ Armor D. Peisker
Beacon Bible Commentary Vol. 5
As far as it is up to us, we need to act justly. We need to act justly
in our relationships, we need to act justly with those that we might
have some level of power over, we need to act justly in our business
dealing. And I’m aware that it’s not always that simple… that there can
be all kinds of shades of grey when it comes to acting justly,
especially in business. And I don’t have all the answers to every
situation. I know that must come as a shock to some of you, but I
don’t. All I can really say is, be sure that you act in good
conscience… that your motive isn’t to swindle somebody but is to act
fairly. To do what is right. To act justly.
This also means that we need to stop injustices. We need to stick up
for those who are being mistreated. What did this mean in Micah’s day?
Well, let’s look at just a few of the other things he wrote. He scolded
some by saying…
Micah 2:1-2 (NLT)
You rise at dawn and hurry to carry out any
of the wicked schemes you have power to accomplish. When you want a
certain piece of land, you find a way to seize it. When you want
someone’s house, you take it by fraud and violence. No one’s family or
inheritance is safe with you around!
Micah 2:8-9 (NLT)
You steal the shirts right off the backs of
those who trusted you, making them as ragged as men who have just come
home from battle. You have evicted women from their homes and stripped
their children of all their God-given rights.
Micah 3:1-2 (CEV)
Listen to me, you rulers of Israel! You know
right from wrong, but you prefer to do evil instead of what is right.
You skin my people alive…
These were the injustices being done, and Micah spoke out against them.
And he tells us to stand up for the victims of injustice. Easy to see
why Micah became known as the “Defender Of The Poor”. And his words are
echoes throughout the Bible.
Isaiah 1:17 (NLT)
Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the
oppressed. Defend the orphan. Fight for the rights of widows.
Deuteronomy 10:18 (CEV)
The Lord defends the rights of orphans and
widows. He cares for foreigners and gives them food and clothing.
James 1:27 (NLT)
Pure and lasting religion in the sight of
God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their
troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us.
Acting justly means that we stand up for those who can’t stand up for
themselves. We defend the defenceless. We care for those who have
experienced loss, particularly widows and orphans. And churches are
doing this even now. If you’ve been watching the news this week in the
aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, you know that much of the media
attention has been focused on those huge centers where the refugees
were taken, such as the Houston Astrodome. Well, the Astrodome only
housed 18,000 people. I say “only 18,000” because 150,000 were being
cared for by churches in Houston. That’s the untold story. Every church
doing what they could, showing compassion and caring for these refugees.
An American Red Cross spokesperson claimed that nationally they had
18,000 volunteers working on the relief effort. Well, the Southern
Baptists alone had 30,000. And that’s just one denomination. Throw in
the Wesleyans and Methodists, and Pentecostals, and Catholics, and
Nazarenes and whatever, and you’re well into the hundreds of thousands.
According to the Red Cross themselves, over 90% of the meals they are
providing are being cooked by Christians.
[Statistics from PurposeDriven.com]
Robert F. Kennedy said this:
“Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of
others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple
of hope.”
~ Robert F. Kennedy
(1925-1968, American Attorney General, Senator)
And that’s what Christians are doing even now. They are sending forth
tiny ripples of hope. We need to do that. We need to see that justice
is done. God requires it.
2. Let Mercy Be
Your First Concern.
Micah 6:8 (CEV)
The LORD God has told us what is right and
what he demands: “See that justice is done, let mercy be your first
concern…”
Maya Angelou had this to say about mercy:
“Nature has no mercy at all. Nature says, ‘I’m going to snow. If you
have on a bikini and no snowshoes, that’s tough. I am going to snow
anyway.’”
~ Maya Angelou
Just a thought for you as we head toward winter. Please, please,
please… put away your bikinis.
We’ve already talked about justice. It’s important to act justly, but
justice must always be tempered with mercy.
James 2:12-13 (NLT)
For there will be no mercy for you if you
have not been merciful to others. But if you have been merciful, then
God’s mercy toward you will win out over his judgment against you.
Matthew 6:14-15 (CEV)
“If you forgive others for the wrongs they
do to you, your Father in Heaven will forgive you. But if you don’t
forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
The message is clear… we cannot expect to experience God’s mercy unless
we have also shown mercy. Forgive what others have done to you, don’t
hold grudges, give people a second chance, let them make up for their
mistakes, and look for opportunities where you can help people and work
to their benefit.
A few years ago, a Gallup Poll was conducted to find out who were the
most admired people of the past century. Let me just give you the top
10 names from that poll.
10. Winston Churchill
9. Eleanor Roosevelt
8. Pope John Paul II
7. Billy Graham
6. Franklin D. Roosevelt
5. Helen Keller
4. Albert Einstein
3. John F. Kennedy
2.Martin Luther King, Jr.
And who do you think came in as the number one most admired person?
1. Mother Teresa
Isn’t it interesting that someone known for showing mercy topped the
list?
1 Peter 3:9 (CEV)
Don’t be hateful and insult people just
because they are hateful and insult you. Instead, treat everyone with
kindness. You are God’s chosen ones, and he will bless you.
Now contrast that with what George Eliot said:
“We hand folks over to God’s mercy, and show none ourselves.”
~ George Eliot
Don’t let that be descriptive of you. Let your first concern be mercy.
The third requirement is…
3. Humbly Obey
Your God.
Micah 6:8 (CEV)
The LORD God has told us what is right and
what he demands: “See that justice is done, let mercy be your first
concern, and humbly obey your God.”
The Hebrew here is literally translated, “Bow low to walk with God.” It
talks about a heart attitude of submission, obedience, and reverence
for God. And it is out of this heart attitude that the first two
requirements actually spring.
“Great beauty, great strength, and great riches are really and truly of
no great use; a right heart exceeds all.”
~ Benjamin Franklin
(1706-1790, American Scientist, Publisher, Diplomat)
A right heart is one that is humble and obedient toward God.
James 1:21 (CEV)
You must stop doing anything immoral or
evil. Instead be humble and accept the message that is planted in you
to save you.
James 4:6 (NLT)
God sets himself against the proud, but he
shows favour to…
WHO?
…to the humble.
According to J. David Hoke, this whole idea of humbly obeying God can
be broken into three components.
-
Understand
that God is in control.
We tend to play God ourselves and like to think we are in control, but
that is not the case. God is in control. And we shouldn’t exalt
ourselves over Him. Don’t accept the notion that you know better. Don’t
accept the notion that you can control your own destiny. Understand
that God is ultimately in control. Understand and accept that.
-
Understand
that we are sinful.
We make wrong choices… we all do. The Bible tells us in Romans 3:23;
Romans 3:23 (NLT)
For all have sinned; all fall short of
God’s glorious standard.
We all need to be humble enough to admit that we make mistakes and to
ask for God’s forgiveness whenever we do things that hurt Him.
-
Respect
the dignity of all human life.
Walking humbly with God means that we are going to treat others right
because they were created by God in the image of God. As C.S. Lewis
said:
“There are no ordinary people… it is immortals who we joke with, work
with, marry, snub and exploit.”
~ C.S. Lewis
We must remember that we are dealing with people that were created by
God, regardless of how they have chosen to live.
So there you have it.
What does God require of you? Read it with me…
Micah 6:8 (CEV)
“See that justice is done, let mercy be your
first concern, and humbly obey your God.”
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