God's Requirements

[0:00] I make a confession. It's the first time I really read parts of the book of Micah.! And as usual, God is always full of surprises.

[0:10] ! Because in reading this account, I really became familiar! with an Old Testament prophet who really truly had a heart for God's people.

[0:26] And one of the things that I found very interesting is reading a commentary, one that I really truly relied on by Richard D. Phillips, is that it was like reading a newspaper script in today's world.

[0:44] It was truly amazing. So I'd like you to turn to the book of Micah, Micah chapter 6, and we'll be focusing on verses 6 through 8.

[0:58] Micah 6, 6 through 8. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, once again we, your people, gather in the name of Jesus, our King, to hear your words, to get instructions.

[1:17] Lord, to live lives that honor and please you. Lord, I ask for help this morning to deliver your word, to be faithful.

[1:28] And Lord, just as your servant Micah, Lord, to give hope, health, and give, Lord, words, Lord, that can shape and change their lives for the better.

[1:41] All in order that you may be glorified. We give you thanks once again, in Jesus' name. Now what I'm going to start with is some background information.

[1:53] Because one of the things I also found out is that a lot of people, they don't really know this prophet called Micah. And the name Micah means, who is like the Lord.

[2:08] So if you're naming a child, good name. Who is like the Lord. That is what Micah means. And Micah lived and prophesied in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.

[2:23] And these were kings of Judah. And there were kings in Judah during the time of 740 and 687 B.C.

[2:35] Now Micah, he followed the prophetic ministries of Hosea, Amos, and he also served in Jerusalem alongside a much better known prophet called Isaiah.

[2:48] Now, he was from a small town, a town called Moresheth, which was west of Jerusalem. A small little agricultural town.

[3:02] And what was on Micah's heart were two things. Two things that really concerned him. And there were two things that dominated Israel's history at the time.

[3:13] One was internal and the other was external. Now the external concern was the Assyrian Empire.

[3:25] And the Assyrian Empire was spreading. And the Assyrian Empire were conquerors. They were fierce people.

[3:36] They were warrior-like people. And if necessary, they didn't take prisoners. They take your life. Now this was the scene in Israel at the time.

[3:49] Now this same Assyrian Empire, those of you who are Bible scholars, I'd say, remember a prophet called Jonah.

[4:01] A generation ago, Jonah preached to these same Assyrian people. And they repented. But now, a generation later, a new leader arises.

[4:15] And he's back to the old ways of conquering, expanding his territory. And one of the things that the Assyrians did was, they recruited a large mercenary army.

[4:30] A very large, invincible army. And what they did was, they made sure you knew that if you came up against them, you would have no hope of winning.

[4:45] But what was interesting was, they made all their neighbors, the surrounding kingdoms, they made them pay high taxes and tribute to finance this army.

[4:56] So, again, a very challenging, a very troubling time for Israel. And this is the backdrop of this man called Micah.

[5:10] But, you see, Micah was not so much concerned with the political and the military problems, simply because they were merely symptoms. What he was more concerned about was the moral and the spiritual condition of the people of Israel.

[5:31] And, the same way how you have concerns today about how, when you look in our society, you see the moral fabric crumbling, you see the Christian values being trampled upon, you see that people, their attitudes and their hearts are not towards God.

[5:56] Many people abandon the things they learnt about Christianity and say, well, that's that old stuff.

[6:07] That's for back in the day. I could live my life any way I please. Now, this was the same thing that was happening in Israel at the time.

[6:20] And, despite the outward appearance, because one of the things, we know how to do good. And, I always tell people, I'm qualified, I'm a Bahamian.

[6:33] We know how to do church. But, all is not well. This is the same situation that Micah faced with his people. Religious ceremonies, religious rites, sacrifices, sacrifices, but he knew deep down inside the people's heart were not for God.

[6:54] Because in his society, there was rampant corruption and social decay. Now, what made Micah unique was that he had a heart for civil goodness.

[7:11] And, he knew the background. And, as I said earlier, just like reading a newspaper script today, the rich got richer, the poor got poorer.

[7:25] And, most of the time, it was by violent and ungodly means. People's lands were seized. And, you can look at this in Micah 2 and 2.

[7:39] There was deceitful business practices going on. Micah 6, 10 through 12. Community and family life had broken down. And, one of the things that Micah did was he confronted corrupt leaders of his day.

[7:59] And, that would have been the political leaders as well as the false religious leaders. Because, one of the things that was happening in Micah's day was religious leaders were getting rich too.

[8:14] They compromised their standards. their values. They compromised their relationship with God all in a means to gain wealth.

[8:28] So, in both of these respects, our attitude towards outside threats and the reality of our inward hearts is an area that Micah focuses on.

[8:44] Now, the kings of the time, they responded to this threat by the Assyrians.

[8:56] And, as I said, you know, they have to give them money, pay to keep peace, sacrifice their people in order for these Assyrians to keep them at bay.

[9:10] And so, I'm just trying to give you an idea of the tension, the kind of society, the kind of atmosphere that this prophet ministered under.

[9:22] And, just like in our world today, as was heard when Pastor prayed, we too live in a world with a lot of threat of enemies, of empires, threatening you every single day.

[9:41] And Micah, what he does in his ministry, he encourages God's people to have an abiding and faithful trust in their God.

[9:54] And, the same way how they were tested is the same way how we today are tested. You see, it's easy to say you're living for God.

[10:05] but the test comes when you're confronted with the challenges of the day, whether you're going to compromise and live like the rest of the people, or you're going to stand and make a difference for God.

[10:23] When things are well, we could all praise God, but when we're challenged, it's a different story. So, against this backdrop is the scene, the conditions of that particular time quite similar to ours.

[10:47] Now, requirements. Because this message is entitled God's Requirements. Requirements.

[10:58] Requirements are absolutely necessary. Requirements are compulsory. Requirements are things we have to do in order to get something else done. And you just cannot get around requirements.

[11:13] The truth is, you might as well get used to them because requirements are part of everyday life. For example, requirements for a passport.

[11:26] Some of you I know are familiar with it because I could tell you a couple of months ago we went through the process. It took me three months to get a passport. Mind you, they give you a particular time, they tell you when to come, and when you go there, it's not ready.

[11:44] To add insult to injury, they tell you to go to a school far out south to pick up your passport. And when you get there, they say, it's not here.

[11:56] And you know, you're just trying to make sense of the whole scenario. But anyway, eventually we got, my wife and I, we got our passports. You need to fulfill the requirements to get a marriage license.

[12:13] Those of you who are married, you know the requirements. And I have a little story to tell. There is nobody in this room who's paid more for a marriage license than me.

[12:29] When I applied for my marriage license, you know, it's a straight fee. And when I paid, the lady said, sir, you owe some more money.

[12:40] I say, for what? She says, we have to do a search on you to find out whether or not you've been married before. The reason why I'm saying this is the older you are as a male, they're going to check to see whether or not you're a bigamous.

[12:56] And that's an experience I never forget. Business license requirements. Those of you who are in business, now, they're numerous depending on the type of business you're involved in.

[13:10] But you've got to meet the requirements. If you don't, you're not going to get the license. Those of you who have attended or intend to attend college or university, you've got to fulfill the requirements.

[13:25] Right, Justin? If you don't, you're not going to be accepted. So, life is full of requirements. And, this particular passage that we're going to address, God has requirements.

[13:43] God has requirements for us that we need to fulfill. We need to complete. Requirements based on his standards, not the world's standards.

[13:55] And that is going to be our focus this morning. You see, God does not want our elaborate religious rituals, but wants us to meet his requirements by living lives that demonstrate justice, kindness, and humility.

[14:22] Micah 6, verses 6-8. with what shall I come before the Lord and bow myself before God on high?

[14:33] Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil?

[14:46] Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has told you, O man, what is good.

[14:58] And what does the Lord require of you? But to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.

[15:09] To do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God. So again, as I stated, God doesn't want, he's not interested in elaborate religious rituals.

[15:27] But God wants us to meet his requirements by living lives that demonstrate justice, kindness, and humility. Now, most of you would notice in your Bible the title of this passage is, What Does the Lord Require?

[15:44] And what we're going to look at is two requirements that are outlined in the passages that I read. The first one is one that God does not want.

[16:00] The other is the requirements that God wants. Requirements that God does not want, and requirements that God wants.

[16:16] Now, verses 6 through 7 read, with which 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?

[16:28] Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of realms, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body, for the sin of my soul?

[16:41] Now, in the previous verses of this chapter, God files a complaint. God makes an indictment against his people, Israel. And it's all about their relationship with him.

[16:55] Now, it's not because God has grown distant towards his people, but rather that his people have taken him for granted and distanced their hearts from him.

[17:10] This is for the men. If in your relationship with your wife, things get busy, you don't show affection, you don't show kindness, you don't show gratitude over a period of time, your relationships could grow cold, your relationships could be damaged as a result of you not showing kindness and affection and love to your spouse.

[17:43] God and that's the background, that's the kind of language that Micah is using here. You see, the people, what they're saying is God has gotten distance from them, but the reality is they have grown distance from God.

[18:01] And they've grown that way because their hearts were not aligned with God. And what God does, God summons this prophet Micah to plead his case.

[18:13] And he pleads his case in this covenant courtroom. You see, God has a grievance against his people and God asks them, what have I done to you? Why is it that you're treating me this way?

[18:27] And God calls them to respond. But what God does, God reminds them of his faithfulness towards them. And one of the things that the people of Israel or Jewish people never forget is that freedom from Egyptian slavery.

[18:52] And this is what, the verses before this, God talks about how he freed them from Egyptian slavery, from, you know, working in the mud pits in Egypt.

[19:04] And this is the same God that they spurned. This is the same God whose heart saved them, who rescued them from their helpless, hopeless situation, all under the whip of Pharaoh.

[19:23] And I want you to think for a moment. Those of you who are believers, those of you who follow the Christ, think about your redemption. Think about your freedom.

[19:34] Your freedom from the bondage of sin. Every single one of us who claimed Christ as king were shackled to sin. We were in bondage to sin.

[19:48] And we were condemned by the guilt of sin. But God, in his mercy, sent his son to receive sin's punishment for us.

[19:59] He stood in our place on Calvary and took the punishment that we deserve. And this is something that we as people of God have to always remember.

[20:14] Because as long as you're on this journey, you're going to get tired, you're going to get bored, you're going to have them days. I don't know if it's worth following Christ.

[20:28] But all the craziness that's going on in the world, I don't know if it makes any sense. But we got to always remember, God has never let us down.

[20:40] The truth is, he's the one that continually lifts us up. God lifts us up from our sin. And see, that is something you got to always remember and put in your heart.

[20:56] And you see in verses 6 and 7, the people respond, and see they respond in ways that does not meet God's requirement. You see, some guilt are set in.

[21:12] Micah has pricked their consciences. You see, because it's more than just being freed from Egyptian slavery. He talks about the freedom they got, God providing for them in the wilderness, God giving them new homes, a new place to live, the whole account of how God delivered these people, delivered his people from Egypt.

[21:44] God and those of you who are familiar with the stories know it's always been an up and down thing with God's people. God does right by rescuing us, saving us, and then we get amnesia all of a sudden.

[22:05] We forget. We get proud, we get arrogant, and we forget this God who's rescued us and saved us.

[22:16] So what's going on here? Micah gives the people an account of what God has done for them. So they respond. And how they respond is what we've read in verses 6 and 7.

[22:33] Now what's happening here is instead of confessing their sins and repenting of their disobedience, their focus is on external religious rituals.

[22:45] And what they think they can do is appease God's wrath by offering all these sacrifices. They deceive themselves into believing that God could be bought or that God could be bribed.

[23:03] And what they do is these sacrifices when you read them they're elaborate. They're grand. They're costly. And even one point they even say shall I give my firstborn for my transgression even to say I'll offer my children God to appease you.

[23:25] So we could see that deception is set in and false religion they're deluded and what they overlooked was something that they should have known they should have read.

[23:45] The sacrifices of God are broken on a contrite heart. And throughout scripture one of the things we always see God always inspects the heart of the giver before he looks at the gift always.

[24:07] And the last time I check that requirement is valid even today. God is going to check your heart before you offer any gift to him.

[24:22] A lot of times and this happens with us as people we focus on the exterior the religious rituals as opposed to the interior which will be our hearts.

[24:41] We're more into performance because we think we're going to get in God's good graces by things that we do. Now I'm not saying the things we do are bad in and of themselves but for argument sake you've made a mistake you've slipped up you've sinned you know it in your heart so what you do is you substitute it you substitute repentance godly repentance by doing things you get very active at church we haven't seen you for a while and all of a sudden you're back consistently some people even believe if I give God more money I can get right with God and these are the things the crazy things that we do because we're under this false assumption that

[25:44] God wants our money God wants our time even in some cases our abilities but what God really wants is our hearts I always remember all the gentlemen who I got counseled from he said David always remember this this was a money situation if God could get your heart he could get your money because this was a situation based on money giving that were low in a particular setting and that is something I always remember see if God is able to get your heart he can get your money so that's why you see some people they're stingy they're stingy because God doesn't have their heart they do things grudgingly so one of the things we always got to be mindful of is that we can't do things just because other people are doing things we've got to examine our hearts first we've got to get it right with

[26:50] God then these offerings the things we do can be acceptable by God you see God's eyes run to and fro this earth God is looking for people whose hearts are loyal to him so that he could give them support he could give them help so always remember the issue always comes down to what's going on inside as opposed to what's going on outside and point I'd like to make here you see Micah was saying to God's disobedient covenant people that see truly none of us can do what God requires until we first come to God as broken sinners who need to be saved you see because there's another situation you got a lot of unsaved people who do good things just things kind things merciful things but they're not walking with

[28:00] God and in their minds they think oh yeah I've got it down right with God God is on my side but they're only fooling themselves because no matter how moral their lives look or appear the things they do God is concerned with their hearts not by works of righteousness which we have done but God according to his mercy has saved us Titus 3 and 5 so you got to be careful of performance we have to be careful that we're not doing things just out of route in order to attempt to please or appease God the first thing has to happen is hearts of repentance that's where it begins and only through godly repentance

[29:04] God is able to work in your life otherwise you're just going through motions now I'd like to look at the second part of the outline requirements that God wants in this passage Micah informs the people the requirements that God wants he has told you oh man what is good and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly!

[29:55] with your God now the truth of the matter is these people were already told what they were supposed to do but in Bahamian vernacular it's plain crazy it says they were already told the things they need to do and you see the things they needed to do is located in Deuteronomy again scripture that they would have been familiar with Deuteronomy!

[30:34] Deuteronomy 12 reads Deuteronomy 10-12 reads and now Israel what does the Lord your God require of you but to fear the Lord your God to walk in all his ways to love him to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord which I am commanding you today for your good quoted by Moses something that they would have been readily familiar with but apparently they forgot and the truth is there are only simply three things to sum it up that God required of his people to do justice to love mercy and walk humbly with their God our first duty is to our fellow man to do justice and to love kindness and this idea of justice is that we are to treat people fairly we are to give them what is due to them a person who does justice is a person who treats another person righteously they offer respect they offer integrity they offer fairness those of you who are in business know this is a challenge with customers with getting payments on time with doing upright business practices so the same thing that was happening in Micah's day is something that we know is happening in our world today how many of you have been unjustly treated by employers don't raise your hand how many of you have been given the short end of the stick you're being robbed and as if nobody will plead your case you can't get any good results you may even have to go to court and that could be time consuming and frustrating so

[33:18] Micah is calling the people to do justice with their fellow man and this is the attitude this is the spirit that we as people of God when we transact business we have to treat people fairly we have to pay people on time we have to ensure that we do all on our part to get it right with our fellow man you see because what's at stake is not so much our reputation but God's reputation because if you say you're following Christ if you say you're a disciple a child of God your behavior and attitude as it relates to business has to be a cut above the rest and the people in the world now

[34:18] I had a situation about a month or two ago I went to the bank and got a withdrawal and it was a hundred dollars more than what I asked for now this is now I went I said this woman must have made a mistake and then I said to myself maybe she didn't make a mistake I made a mistake maybe I said that amount and she gave me the amount and you know I checked and I realized that no she had given me a hundred dollars more than what she should have given me and this is what I said to myself this bank could afford!

[35:06] that this bank could afford that I don't need to turn this back in they are not going to miss this besides they charging me all these fees unnecessary fees anyhow this is my way of getting even but you know the spirit of God told me understand something this is not required living for you you have to do the right thing and turn that money back in now the thing about it is I didn't spend it you know I just kept it so I went back several days later right and amazingly the same lady I went to her again and I said to her I said were you short she says yeah

[36:06] I say but a hundred dollars she said yes sir I said you had to pay it back she said no not yet so I said you gave me a hundred dollars more than what you were supposed to and here it is and she was like shocked she was like in amazement and I said this is the way how I live and that's the end of that account but we've got to be upright and fair in our business dealings and again just a little story I was in a conversation with an older gentleman who had a situation with a place that he had leased and the part

[37:06] I tell you this story I mean it really got to me he leased a place to a particular individual because one day he saw the woman in the rain locked out of the place but what the woman didn't know was he had bought the place and he asked her he said what you doing outside and she said I got locked out he said locked out we were going to work this out and he got out to go into the place to have possession of the place because he was the rightful owner just as a matter of paperwork and everything went fine for a while and then one day he noticed that the woman wasn't there anymore and he saw this notice in the newspaper that she had moved to another location she didn't tell him anything and he confirmed and he said well you know why she was like well you know and influence from other people and

[38:19] I guess she probably saw a better deal and I'm just saying that giving you that account because this gentleman did all in his power to do what was right in fact she even took him to court for wrongful dismissal listen this woman was operating her business in his premises and she takes him to court for wrongful dismissal he never hired her so all of that stuff and he said you see the challenge and the issue with the human I say brother I understand well and we have to do always what is right we've got to always be on the right side be on God's side when we do business transactions now we got to continue to love our neighbors which means to love kindness this

[39:27] Hebrew word for kindness is hesed and it's difficult to translate just with like in one word because it could be translated as mercy faithfulness and loving kindness and it's a description of God's character you see God is faithful God is kind God is merciful God loves us all because of his covenant with us as his people and this is something that the human mind can really rap we just can't get this despite the disobedience despite the immoral behavior despite the vain attempts to try to appease God with these elaborate and grand sacrifices despite the people's heart being away from

[40:34] God despite them committing spiritual adultery God continues to love his people and that is with Micah that was his assignment to plead God's case that I've done you no wrong I've always been on your side I provided for you I gave you when you didn't have anything I ensured that you got a new identity you were people who had no name you were slaves and I brought you from Marota mud pits of Egypt all in honor to serve me to worship me and bring glory to my name and this is how you treat me this is the case that Micah is pleading and what

[41:36] I'm trying to say here this is the kind of love that God has for us as his people no matter where we go no matter what we do by God's grace any one of us can begin a right relationship with him and I just like to quote something by Peter Craig and he says it like this he's talking about his said it gives where no giving is required it acts where no action is deserved and it penetrates both attitudes and activities to love kindness is to look on the weak and vulnerable with the eyes of God's love and give them not what they deserve but what they need powerful one of the things that was always on

[42:39] God's heart in Hebrew society God's concern was always orphans and widows so my admonishment to you is if you're looking for a charity if you're looking for somebody to help always priority orphans widows God's heart is always for those people in our society in our worlds now I'm not saying you do this to gain favor now understand but this is the way of life this is the requirement justice and kindness summarizes the second greatest commandment and Micah concludes with the first great commandment summarizing our love for God is to walk humbly!

[43:46] with your God to love God is to walk with him and this translates to a life wholly devoted to God you're seeking his glory in all things and enjoying his pleasures in your life to walk with God is to live humbly humbly but to be more accurate here it means to walk circumspectly and what it means is that we as God's people should always live with an awareness of the holiness and the grace of God that should be evident in our lives the holiness and the grace of God this is the way that we live you see we've always got to be asking ourselves

[44:50] God what are you asking of me how am I supposed to live how am I supposed to address this particular situation this particular circumstance because in life there are many but what's at stake is God's glory this is something that we always have to be mindful of and this translates into where we live with our spouses with our children the marketplace co-workers because at the end of the day as we've come to know the only God most people are going to see is in you and me and we are a people one of the things we've lost is people don't ask us questions anymore people don't ask us questions anymore because we compromise we live just like the world and see this is something that was happening in Micah's day

[46:05] Micah knew that in the society because of compromise there was this lack of awareness of holiness and God's grace on the life of the people people were just doing their own thing or in a lot of instances using God for convenience and when I say convenience just going through motions religious motions ceremonies and rituals and this is something that we as God's people again this awareness of holiness and God's grace so that when people ask us questions why do you transact business the way you transact business why do you parent the way you parent why is the relationship with your wife or your husband the way it is why is it that you're the person who always stands up for people that are abused and mistreated in society what's your reasoning why do you do this and then we are able to give people the answer the answer is because of

[47:38] God because of God and what he's done for me now Walter Kaiser writes pride alone insists on taking first place but faith seeks to give God first place living a circumspect lifestyle will bring one's life into conformity with God's will one of the battles that we as God's people face and the same thing that the people in Micah's they face was the battle with pride and pride says I don't have to do what God instructs me to do I can do what I want to do that's the sin of pride doing what we want to do as opposed to what

[48:39] God requires us to do and that is something that every single one of us we gotta fight it every single day of our lives because pride always tends to sneak in to our hearts and pride tends to fool us into believing that the things we're doing please God as opposed to the things that we should be doing to please God you know you know Pastor Moore said he made a I don't know if he remembers this it's a statement and I read it too a lot of people serve a God of their own imagination that's something that I tell you I struggle with that a lot of people serve a

[49:41] God of their own imagination so I know you got thoughts about God but in order to find the God of the Bible the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob this is where we have to go that's the God you look for you look for the requirements to please and honor him with your life no other way no other kind of God but you see pride can tell you just as in Micah's day oh offer more sacrifice get busy religiously do more things and God is going to be happy with your life and those of you on this journey know we do all kind of grand things for God grand that we think God is pleased with when the truth of the matter is do justice love kindness and walk humbly with

[50:47] God now the challenge always is is that how do we do these things how are we able to do these things how are we able to please God it doesn't happen in our own strength I say it like this or this is what scripture says that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his spirit in your inner being Ephesians 3 16 we gotta get strength to meet these requirements from God himself and these are the kind of prayers that God loves to answer you see as I said earlier you got a lot of people they do a lot of good things you look at their lives upstanding moral the model of society but you know deep down inside

[51:50] God is not there the difference has to be God in our lives now when we finally understand you and I that life is not ours to do with as we please when we realize that we do not control our destinies a door opens and here comes the question would do you demand of me Lord or to put it as in the passage today what does the Lord require of me now we've got the answer from thousands of years ago the challenge is are we going to respond appropriately

[53:03] God demands reverent holiness and see Micah preached a message of judgment see one of the things that always happens is if you do not obey God judgment comes and as I said earlier Assyrians some of y'all got Assyrians in your life Assyrians they surround you they're fierce and they taunt you and they play games they execute their power and authority over you and you see the truth is the only thing that's keeping them from overtaking you as God and that was the situation and so Micah is telling these people listen man judgment is all around us so what you need to do is get right with

[54:07] God and Micah preached that this judgment would come to Jerusalem and it goes like this this is Micah 1 verse 3 and Micah 1 verse 5 for behold the Lord is coming out of his place and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth all this is for the transgression of Jacob and for the sins of the house of Israel judgment every one of us face judgment we got some early judgments but then we got another judgment to face the almighty God and if you don't meet his requirements it's not going to be a pleasant experience yeah we don't like to say hell that will be your experience you see one of the dangers of reading a passage like this reading these oracles of ancient judgment is to assume that

[55:16] God is talking about someone other than you or me see that's what we assume and James Boyce rightly once theologian James Boyce rightly warns and this was something that really got to my heart as I was preparing when we read of the judgment on others we almost sigh in relief assuming wrongly that judgment that if judgment is spoken against them it is therefore not spoken against us but this is wrong God is no respect of persons consequently if we are going our way and not God's way just as the people of Jerusalem were doing then we must do as they eventually did and turn back to God it is the way we ourselves will escape God's judgment God during during Micah's ministry there were times when the people repented and turned back to

[56:20] God but this year is a very sobering quote by James Boyce because as he's saying most of the time when we talk about judgment or read about judgment that can't be me that got to be them but we have to be careful because as he quoted God is no respecter of persons are you living a life that pleases God are you meeting God's requirements these are questions every single individual has to answer for themselves if you need to write it down on a piece of paper carry it around with you or keep it in your mind every God what do you require of me what do you demand of me I assure you it is going to keep you in a state of humility

[57:26] God will be able to answer your question in ways that are unique to you and you will be able to make a difference in your life in order to please him now I just like to read something before I conclude and it's in the book of Micah Micah 7 and 18 Micah 7 and 18 and as I said earlier Micah means who is like the Lord who is a God like you who is a God like you pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance!

[58:40] He does not retain his anger forever because he delights in steadfast love! Again you could translate steadfast love as chesed!

[58:54] Now what's happening here is this indicates that Micah he identified with his name and it shows that all the oracles he spoke all the prophecies he spoke as it related to judgment at the heart of his faith was joy for the saving grace of God despite him indicting God's people despite him talking about impending judgment at the heart of it all was this joy in this God who saves you see what Micah understood is that sin not only brings misery now I'm not gonna I just want you to think sin brings misery and if you don't get it read the newspaper just read the newspaper just look at our world it brings misery and it also leads to final judgment from a

[60:17] God that is furious a God that is deadly and a God that is eternal and in this particular case see God's judgment one of the areas that Micah ministered to was Samaria and what happened was that they simply disappeared into slavery they just vanished from out of history because as I said Assyrians that was judgment and what he was saying is this is going to happen to Jerusalem as well unless they repented and what I'm trying to connect here is it's the same for us unless you repent you're under God's judgment and if you're sitting here in this room and you're asking yourself the question how could

[61:27] I avoid this judgment of God how could a sinner like me how could a holy God forgive a sinner like me how could it happen how could I avoid this impending judgment this doom this gloom this hell God answer is through his promised son God's promised son Jesus the Christ you see in Christ fall into death on the cross and then his rise to resurrection life God's people are delivered from death we are delivered from this death that we deserve and enter into eternal life an eternal life that

[62:31] God desires to give to us now if you believe in this Jesus Christ this Savior his completed work at Calvary his shed blood is able to cleanse you clean you wash you from your sin take that guilty conscience away what's going to happen is he's going to lead you so you can walk humbly Unrighteously with God forever!

[63:15] and that is the requirement that God desires for all people God is not interested in you perishing you coming under judgment God is interested in you becoming part of his family through Jesus Christ that is what makes the difference and there is no way around his requirements so whatever some people have in their mind about how to get to God that is well and good but those are not the requirements of the God of the scriptures that we read the requirements were mentioned thousands of years ago and what

[64:25] I also found interesting is that the same Micah prophesied about Jesus Christ amazing it's right there I think it's in five so when you have the opportunity to read it he prophesied about this Messiah this Christ coming to save his people during his ministry so my admonishment is is that we be people who fulfill God's requirements and we fulfill God's requirements first of all to give honor to him to give honor and respect to our fellow man and make our worlds a different place amen