WEBVTT 00:00:00.520 --> 00:00:04.099 Brothers and sisters, what a joy to be with you. 00:00:05.960 --> 00:00:11.359 This morning we will talk about the solemn reality of hell and eternal judgment. 00:00:12.359 --> 00:00:15.419 It is good that we come to a text like this every once in a while. 00:00:16.100 --> 00:00:19.879 Not only because integrity demands that we bring to you the full counsel of God, 00:00:20.559 --> 00:00:24.420 but also my prayer is it would sober us and make us thankful. 00:00:25.280 --> 00:00:27.440 So let's pray for God's help this morning. 00:00:27.440 --> 00:00:34.600 Lord, we pray for your spirit, that your spirit would accompany the preaching of your word. 00:00:35.480 --> 00:00:38.100 Would we decrease and Christ increased? 00:00:38.840 --> 00:00:42.060 Lord, a text like this ought to be preached in tears. 00:00:43.400 --> 00:00:45.960 I do pray for compassion and conviction. 00:00:46.900 --> 00:00:47.880 Give me this balance. 00:00:48.740 --> 00:00:50.799 Let my words be your words, O Lord. 00:00:51.600 --> 00:00:53.359 We pray this in the glory and honor of your name. 00:00:54.000 --> 00:00:54.340 Amen. 00:00:57.439 --> 00:01:01.699 When you die, where will you wake up? 00:01:02.379 --> 00:01:04.439 Heaven or hell? 00:01:06.299 --> 00:01:12.799 Although not our text this morning, in Luke 16, Jesus presses into the reality of this very question. 00:01:13.620 --> 00:01:17.560 He tells a parable about a rich man and a man named Lazarus. 00:01:18.259 --> 00:01:21.900 It's a story of two men with two different destinies. 00:01:21.900 --> 00:01:25.300 The rich man had all the pleasures money could buy. 00:01:26.000 --> 00:01:26.900 Lavish luxury. 00:01:28.160 --> 00:01:29.400 And then there was Lazarus. 00:01:30.140 --> 00:01:31.040 A poor man. 00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:33.640 In the world's eyes, he was a nobody. 00:01:34.320 --> 00:01:38.160 A mere beggar on the streets who longed for crumbs from the rich man's table. 00:01:38.840 --> 00:01:42.420 He had sores all over his body that the dogs would come and lick. 00:01:43.640 --> 00:01:47.580 Let's pause and ask the question, who would you rather be in this story so far? 00:01:47.579 --> 00:01:50.760 My guess is all of us want to be the rich man. 00:01:51.700 --> 00:01:53.340 But then this story takes a turn. 00:01:54.400 --> 00:01:57.679 The two men die, and death brings a great reversal. 00:01:58.560 --> 00:02:02.039 The rich man, rich and famous in this life, ends up in anguish in hell. 00:02:03.219 --> 00:02:07.959 In stark contrast, the poor man, Lazarus, dies and goes to glory in heaven. 00:02:08.699 --> 00:02:10.900 Although no one knew his name, God knew him. 00:02:11.860 --> 00:02:14.060 Lazarus' name literally means the one whom God helps. 00:02:14.060 --> 00:02:19.840 Although having nothing in life, he now has the glorious riches of heaven. 00:02:20.840 --> 00:02:22.800 On the other hand, the rich man is not even given a name. 00:02:23.960 --> 00:02:25.759 Even his identity is stripped away from him. 00:02:26.240 --> 00:02:28.920 He is defined by the thing that defines him while on this earth. 00:02:29.479 --> 00:02:31.780 His incessant lust for wealth. 00:02:33.060 --> 00:02:37.300 Jesus says of the rich man, being in eternal torment and anguish, cries out, 00:02:37.560 --> 00:02:39.280 Father Abraham, have mercy on me. 00:02:40.340 --> 00:02:41.199 This man was religious. 00:02:41.199 --> 00:02:43.519 He knew who Abraham was. 00:02:44.500 --> 00:02:45.879 But sadly, God did not know him. 00:02:47.019 --> 00:02:47.799 It is too late now. 00:02:48.919 --> 00:02:50.979 He asked for just a little water on his tongue. 00:02:51.619 --> 00:02:53.199 But not even this would be given to him. 00:02:53.560 --> 00:02:55.560 Abraham explains he had his good things in life. 00:02:56.419 --> 00:02:57.879 Hell is a haunting place. 00:02:58.639 --> 00:03:01.959 The rich man feels haunted and doesn't want his brothers to end up where he is. 00:03:02.519 --> 00:03:05.099 He begs that a warning would be given to them. 00:03:06.039 --> 00:03:09.199 Abraham responds, God's word will give them a warning. 00:03:09.199 --> 00:03:11.159 They have Moses and the prophets. 00:03:11.599 --> 00:03:13.159 Let them hear them. 00:03:14.299 --> 00:03:14.679 Chilly. 00:03:15.979 --> 00:03:23.179 The warning that the rich man pleaded that someone would give to his brothers is the text that we will consider this morning. 00:03:23.879 --> 00:03:24.379 In Micah 2. 00:03:24.619 --> 00:03:27.179 We will read all of Micah 2 this morning together. 00:03:27.500 --> 00:03:29.919 And we would be wise to heed that warning. 00:03:30.799 --> 00:03:34.259 And that can be found on page 728 of the Pew Bible. 00:03:35.000 --> 00:03:35.500 Micah 2. 00:03:35.500 --> 00:03:40.699 And if you recall, Micah is the country counterpart of his contemporary Isaiah. 00:03:41.460 --> 00:03:46.639 While Isaiah was out with the heads of state in Jerusalem, Micah was out with the country folk. 00:03:47.159 --> 00:03:49.080 In a small village in the rural areas. 00:03:49.620 --> 00:03:50.740 If Micah was in D.C. 00:03:51.460 --> 00:03:52.759 If Isaiah was in D.C. 00:03:52.840 --> 00:03:55.840 Micah was 25 miles away somewhere in the backwoods of West Virginia. 00:03:56.979 --> 00:03:59.939 Last week, Micah 1 exposed the idolatry of the people. 00:04:00.580 --> 00:04:03.979 And Micah 2 exposes the fruit of that idolatry. 00:04:03.979 --> 00:04:08.239 So let's begin by reading the first half, verses 1 to 5 together. 00:04:33.980 --> 00:05:02.720 Let's pause there. 00:05:02.720 --> 00:05:09.020 The main idea of this passage is to be warned about the end that God has for the wicked. 00:05:09.740 --> 00:05:12.580 And there is only one hope from the wrath to come. 00:05:13.400 --> 00:05:15.080 We will look at this text in four parts. 00:05:15.580 --> 00:05:20.020 The problem, the punishment, the prophets, and the promise. 00:05:20.700 --> 00:05:24.540 The problem, the punishment, the prophets, and the promise. 00:05:25.080 --> 00:05:28.120 So part one, the problem in verses 1 to 2. 00:05:28.120 --> 00:05:31.939 In the beginning of chapter 2, Micah is not bringing good news of great joy. 00:05:32.720 --> 00:05:36.300 No, in verse 1, Micah with prophetic thunder sounds the alarm. 00:05:37.040 --> 00:05:40.420 Woe to those who devise wickedness and work evil on their beds. 00:05:41.160 --> 00:05:44.079 Now Micah is not being smug or self-righteous. 00:05:44.540 --> 00:05:47.780 Rather, like Jesus, he pronounces judgment on Judah. 00:05:48.459 --> 00:05:51.399 The first word out of Micah's mouth is one of judgment. 00:05:51.939 --> 00:05:52.500 Woe. 00:05:52.500 --> 00:05:55.300 The Hebrew word was used at funerals. 00:05:56.000 --> 00:05:58.819 Mourners will cry, woe, over the death of a loved one. 00:05:59.800 --> 00:06:02.120 Now Micah isn't mourning the death of a loved one. 00:06:02.459 --> 00:06:04.300 Rather, he is announcing a coming death. 00:06:05.220 --> 00:06:10.420 Like an air raid siren blaring, Micah warns that an attack is coming. 00:06:11.459 --> 00:06:15.839 Because of the people's collective rebellion against God, the wrath of God is coming for them. 00:06:15.839 --> 00:06:18.939 God is beginning to unsheathe his lethal sword. 00:06:19.839 --> 00:06:23.179 Now let's ask ourselves, what is the problem here that is incurring God's judgment? 00:06:23.899 --> 00:06:26.119 The title of the chapter has the word oppressors. 00:06:27.019 --> 00:06:30.120 Now in today's day and age, you get a bunch of people in a room and ask them what that word means, 00:06:30.319 --> 00:06:31.500 and there's no telling what you might hear. 00:06:32.399 --> 00:06:34.579 But the problem here is straightforward. 00:06:35.759 --> 00:06:41.719 The wealthy are viciously seizing lands from the middle class farmers, grinding them into poverty. 00:06:42.179 --> 00:06:45.500 The picture of oppression is one of cruelty and tyranny. 00:06:46.500 --> 00:06:50.339 Verse 2 tells us, they covet fields and seize them and houses and take them away. 00:06:51.279 --> 00:06:53.859 Literally the sense is tearing or ripping something away. 00:06:54.539 --> 00:06:57.019 The commentators call them robber barons. 00:06:57.779 --> 00:07:02.539 What today we might call corrupt sharks, crooked defrauders, shady real estate developers. 00:07:03.819 --> 00:07:07.859 But now not everyone that buys properties and sells them for a profit is sinning against God. 00:07:08.179 --> 00:07:14.399 The woman of wisdom in Proverbs 31 is making wise real estate investments as she buys up pieces of land. 00:07:14.399 --> 00:07:20.399 And in the passage we read earlier, that Koch read, Paul gives three valid uses for money. 00:07:20.979 --> 00:07:23.000 The first is for food, clothing, and basic needs. 00:07:23.539 --> 00:07:25.399 The second is enjoying God's good gifts. 00:07:25.779 --> 00:07:28.719 So it's not wrong to have a nice vacation or enjoy a good meal. 00:07:28.919 --> 00:07:29.739 Enjoy some good music. 00:07:30.399 --> 00:07:32.000 And the third is being generous to others. 00:07:32.579 --> 00:07:35.379 God gives us money to enjoy his good creation. 00:07:35.379 --> 00:07:38.399 But these greedy landowners had a simple calculus. 00:07:39.199 --> 00:07:42.399 If less for you means more for me, then I'll take it. 00:07:42.939 --> 00:07:46.659 Even if it means by violence, extortion, and leaving wreckage in the wake. 00:07:46.839 --> 00:07:49.019 There is no fear of God in their eyes. 00:07:50.079 --> 00:07:52.339 Now why is land grabbing such a serious issue? 00:07:53.139 --> 00:07:54.420 God does not seem happy. 00:07:55.540 --> 00:08:00.500 Well, in a farming society, to take away someone's land was to take away their ability to survive. 00:08:00.500 --> 00:08:02.600 Because without land you couldn't live. 00:08:02.680 --> 00:08:04.899 At best you'd become a slave to survive. 00:08:05.620 --> 00:08:10.240 In fact, the law given through Moses carefully safeguarded a person's land. 00:08:10.819 --> 00:08:14.160 In the covenant with Israel, God himself allotted the land to the people. 00:08:14.579 --> 00:08:17.620 It was meant to be a sign of their participation in the covenant community. 00:08:18.459 --> 00:08:22.139 That's why the land is called an inheritance at the end of verse 2. 00:08:23.180 --> 00:08:26.420 Now many modern commentators will say this oppression happened quite by accident. 00:08:26.420 --> 00:08:30.600 You know, the poor defaulted on their loans, and the wealthy are just merely repossessing the land. 00:08:30.840 --> 00:08:31.620 Look, a deal's a deal. 00:08:32.300 --> 00:08:35.120 The explanation goes that wealthy aren't considering the needs of the poor. 00:08:36.220 --> 00:08:39.360 But this is far more sinister and darker. 00:08:40.320 --> 00:08:43.320 It's stunning to see how similar this is to the Trail of Tears. 00:08:44.019 --> 00:08:48.440 A dark chapter of history in America, when gold was found on Cherokee land. 00:08:49.220 --> 00:08:53.740 Many in America began to covet the land and then forcibly seize the land through laws that were passed. 00:08:53.740 --> 00:08:59.399 The land grabbing forced the Cherokee people to start on a trail where they cried tears. 00:09:00.259 --> 00:09:05.899 And many people, including women and children, were left on the side of the road to die of disease and starvation. 00:09:06.980 --> 00:09:12.480 And many Christian missionaries opposed such action, but sadly enough, church folk were involved in the land grabbing. 00:09:13.180 --> 00:09:14.519 And that's similar to what's happening here. 00:09:14.919 --> 00:09:16.980 Look at the verbs Micah uses in verses 1 to 2. 00:09:17.500 --> 00:09:20.539 Devise, covet, seize, take, oppress. 00:09:20.539 --> 00:09:24.120 This was a Trail of Tears tragedy for the people of God. 00:09:24.819 --> 00:09:25.679 And this was no accident. 00:09:25.959 --> 00:09:29.480 In fact, verse 1, God sees the secret, wicked plans made in the bedroom. 00:09:30.019 --> 00:09:33.039 He knows what you click on when you're by yourself in the bedroom. 00:09:33.779 --> 00:09:37.839 And this is a willful, calculated, premeditated, flagrant disobedience. 00:09:38.599 --> 00:09:42.039 Standing in the courtroom, the divine judge of the earth sees malice aforethought in their hearts. 00:09:42.839 --> 00:09:45.799 And this all began in rural villages away from the city center. 00:09:46.039 --> 00:09:46.480 Why there? 00:09:47.860 --> 00:09:49.379 Well, that's because no one could hear their screams. 00:09:49.379 --> 00:09:52.519 Their desperate pleas for help fell on deaf ears. 00:09:53.100 --> 00:09:54.139 Except for one person. 00:09:54.480 --> 00:09:56.439 The divine judge heard their cries. 00:09:57.679 --> 00:09:59.019 Well, how did they do this? 00:09:59.120 --> 00:10:00.240 Well, probably several ways. 00:10:00.539 --> 00:10:04.019 Micah 6 mentions dishonest scales and measures in transactions. 00:10:05.360 --> 00:10:08.519 Or they could have extorted people to make those transactions in the first place. 00:10:08.720 --> 00:10:09.980 With a threat of violence. 00:10:10.659 --> 00:10:13.000 Full on Godfather, let me make you an offer you can't refuse. 00:10:14.000 --> 00:10:16.399 Either way, this is not a chance, but a conspiracy. 00:10:16.399 --> 00:10:19.459 What verse 1 calls devising wickedness. 00:10:20.779 --> 00:10:25.000 You know, the scripture consistently will say God has a particular care and concern for the poor. 00:10:25.720 --> 00:10:28.939 And our treatment of the poor is a proxy for how we treat God himself. 00:10:29.959 --> 00:10:32.720 Proverbs says, he who insults the poor insults his maker. 00:10:33.539 --> 00:10:36.079 But here, their creed was, might makes right. 00:10:36.840 --> 00:10:38.639 The stronger in society, preyed on the weak. 00:10:38.860 --> 00:10:39.679 Look at the end of verse 1. 00:10:39.679 --> 00:10:41.459 It's in the power of their hands. 00:10:42.620 --> 00:10:45.299 Meaning they have the authority to do what they want, when they want. 00:10:46.539 --> 00:10:48.839 Even if it meant grinding women and children into poverty. 00:10:49.199 --> 00:10:50.259 Forcing them from their homes. 00:10:50.500 --> 00:10:51.459 As it says in verse 9. 00:10:52.219 --> 00:10:55.899 God's so-called people were brazenly defrauding out in the open. 00:10:56.859 --> 00:11:00.879 But like a good police detective show, the crimes are much broader than you would expect. 00:11:01.739 --> 00:11:05.120 The end of verse 1 hints at Israel's corrupt legal system. 00:11:05.799 --> 00:11:07.899 This will become plain in the next chapter. 00:11:07.899 --> 00:11:09.600 The end of verse 1 says, 00:11:09.899 --> 00:11:11.959 When the morning dawns, they perform it. 00:11:12.720 --> 00:11:14.439 God is true and just each morning. 00:11:14.539 --> 00:11:17.199 And the morning was when the courts opened to hear the pleas of the plaintiffs. 00:11:17.819 --> 00:11:20.439 Bringing their petitions, the farmers expected justice. 00:11:20.959 --> 00:11:22.519 But instead they found fraud. 00:11:23.620 --> 00:11:27.179 Flagrantly disobeying God, these banana courts rubber-stamped the eviction notices. 00:11:28.340 --> 00:11:32.019 In the next chapter, Micah denounces the judges because they were taking bribes. 00:11:32.799 --> 00:11:35.179 These judges were in the wealthy landowners' back pockets. 00:11:35.799 --> 00:11:37.500 Even the light is as darkness here. 00:11:38.379 --> 00:11:39.819 And people talk about the wrath of God saying, 00:11:39.899 --> 00:11:41.139 What kind of God is like that? 00:11:42.199 --> 00:11:44.740 In a world like ours, it would shock us if God is not angry. 00:11:45.899 --> 00:11:49.840 The idea that every human being has equal dignity and worth, 00:11:50.759 --> 00:11:52.220 treated equally under the law, 00:11:52.860 --> 00:11:54.340 is and always will be revolutionary. 00:11:55.439 --> 00:11:58.059 God calls for complete impartiality. 00:11:58.500 --> 00:12:00.480 Equal protection under the law. 00:12:01.360 --> 00:12:02.360 Leviticus 19 would say, 00:12:02.360 --> 00:12:04.159 You shall do no injustice in court. 00:12:04.680 --> 00:12:07.399 You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, 00:12:07.600 --> 00:12:10.100 but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. 00:12:10.860 --> 00:12:14.759 God warns about partiality either for the poor or against the poor. 00:12:15.800 --> 00:12:19.500 Friend, there is nothing more insidious than a judge taking a bribe. 00:12:20.659 --> 00:12:22.279 It writhens everything it touches. 00:12:23.159 --> 00:12:25.139 Unlike us, God is no respecter of person. 00:12:25.340 --> 00:12:26.940 He does not take a bribe. 00:12:26.940 --> 00:12:30.420 No matter wealth, ethnicity, or position in society, 00:12:30.680 --> 00:12:33.940 the law must be applied equally to the small and great, rich or the poor. 00:12:34.580 --> 00:12:36.020 In a real way, Micah is saying, 00:12:36.340 --> 00:12:37.720 The crowd is going to do what the crowd does. 00:12:37.780 --> 00:12:39.060 But as for you, Judah, 00:12:39.460 --> 00:12:40.500 you are supposed to be different. 00:12:41.540 --> 00:12:43.240 Yet you assault and make war on each other. 00:12:43.340 --> 00:12:43.740 Verse 8, 00:12:43.980 --> 00:12:45.800 Like enemies, you tear clothes off each other. 00:12:46.960 --> 00:12:48.760 God's people have become bullies and thugs. 00:12:48.759 --> 00:12:50.639 At the end of verse 11, 00:12:50.960 --> 00:12:52.659 The land had become a heap of trash. 00:12:53.500 --> 00:12:55.559 And God is now dwelling in a garbage dump. 00:12:56.620 --> 00:12:58.480 God's name was being dishonored. 00:12:59.519 --> 00:13:02.080 And Judah's public witness to the nations wasn't that God was on the throne. 00:13:02.620 --> 00:13:04.960 But it appeared that Satan was on the throne. 00:13:06.100 --> 00:13:08.439 Professing faith in God, they lived like devils. 00:13:09.519 --> 00:13:13.480 The primary application of this text is not to modern nations. 00:13:13.700 --> 00:13:14.399 It's to the church. 00:13:14.799 --> 00:13:17.419 But it's still a warning to anyone who would mistreat the poor. 00:13:17.419 --> 00:13:19.819 Is it any different in our day? 00:13:20.439 --> 00:13:21.939 Ponzi schemes, consumer fraud? 00:13:23.179 --> 00:13:25.059 Landlords who terrorize tenants to break their lease 00:13:25.059 --> 00:13:26.459 because they covet a higher paying one? 00:13:27.120 --> 00:13:28.339 God will inflict vengeance. 00:13:29.459 --> 00:13:30.099 Some of you are thinking, 00:13:30.240 --> 00:13:31.500 Wow, this is really terrible. 00:13:32.299 --> 00:13:33.439 This has nothing to do with me. 00:13:33.819 --> 00:13:35.299 I'm not in the NBA program. 00:13:35.819 --> 00:13:36.579 On Wall Street. 00:13:36.639 --> 00:13:37.139 I'm not a CEO. 00:13:37.219 --> 00:13:37.799 I'm not a judge. 00:13:38.539 --> 00:13:40.219 How am I supposed to make sense of all this? 00:13:40.979 --> 00:13:42.199 Well, look with me at the heart 00:13:42.199 --> 00:13:45.199 that was behind the grinding the people into poverty. 00:13:45.200 --> 00:13:48.259 The problem wasn't money, power, or engaging in business. 00:13:48.520 --> 00:13:50.960 But God, like an MRI machine, sees directly into their hearts. 00:13:51.060 --> 00:13:51.780 In the beginning of verse 2. 00:13:52.700 --> 00:13:55.480 The heart problem driving the bus was coveting. 00:13:56.360 --> 00:13:58.220 God sees the secret intentions of the heart. 00:13:59.000 --> 00:14:01.940 Greed is a central driving force behind their lives. 00:14:02.580 --> 00:14:05.340 Dark hearts of idolatry lead to distorted desires. 00:14:06.320 --> 00:14:08.520 An insatiable lusting after things besides God. 00:14:09.480 --> 00:14:10.700 1 Timothy 6 verse 10. 00:14:11.020 --> 00:14:13.160 The love of money is the root of all kinds of evils. 00:14:13.159 --> 00:14:14.719 Jesus would say, 00:14:14.980 --> 00:14:17.339 You cannot serve two masters, God and money. 00:14:18.000 --> 00:14:19.360 You and I covet something. 00:14:20.219 --> 00:14:23.179 It's either the creator or something created. 00:14:24.039 --> 00:14:25.419 The psalmist in Psalm 19 said, 00:14:25.539 --> 00:14:27.319 He desires God's word. 00:14:28.059 --> 00:14:29.159 And that's the same word for covet. 00:14:29.959 --> 00:14:30.679 The psalmist is saying, 00:14:30.919 --> 00:14:32.519 God's word is to be coveted more than gold. 00:14:33.039 --> 00:14:34.059 Even much fine gold. 00:14:34.159 --> 00:14:34.899 Sweeter than honey. 00:14:35.919 --> 00:14:38.100 How do we determine if our desires are good or bad? 00:14:38.100 --> 00:14:41.320 Well, John Piper counsels to ask yourself, 00:14:41.820 --> 00:14:43.340 What does it do with your desire for God? 00:14:44.320 --> 00:14:47.379 One red light on the dashboard of your soul that you are coveting 00:14:47.379 --> 00:14:49.659 is whether you feel discontent in your life. 00:14:50.480 --> 00:14:52.180 That God has not given you enough. 00:14:53.519 --> 00:14:55.379 Compared to God's infinite worth, 00:14:55.680 --> 00:14:57.500 everything else should be trinkets and bobbleheads. 00:14:58.420 --> 00:15:00.259 Friend, what do you covet more than God? 00:15:01.259 --> 00:15:02.759 We covet many things, 00:15:03.000 --> 00:15:04.180 and then we justify them. 00:15:04.179 --> 00:15:05.779 In our modern culture, 00:15:05.879 --> 00:15:08.179 we label those desires as our true authentic self. 00:15:09.419 --> 00:15:11.899 But these desires often are wolves in sheep's clothing. 00:15:13.579 --> 00:15:14.579 Thomas Brooks once said, 00:15:14.879 --> 00:15:16.139 Sin is no less vile 00:15:16.139 --> 00:15:19.099 because it is colored and painted with virtue's colors. 00:15:20.339 --> 00:15:21.179 I'll repeat that. 00:15:21.319 --> 00:15:22.559 Sin is no less vile 00:15:22.559 --> 00:15:25.379 because it is colored and painted with virtue's colors. 00:15:26.359 --> 00:15:28.839 We begin to justify in our heart that it's not even a sin. 00:15:30.099 --> 00:15:31.579 Look, I know that's not my spouse, 00:15:31.580 --> 00:15:34.280 but that person understands me. 00:15:34.340 --> 00:15:35.680 Doesn't God want me to be happy? 00:15:37.139 --> 00:15:38.639 We will sometimes say, 00:15:38.740 --> 00:15:39.720 even our concern for justice, 00:15:39.860 --> 00:15:40.720 that's not fair. 00:15:41.440 --> 00:15:42.600 What we really mean is, 00:15:43.139 --> 00:15:44.440 I'm entitled to have what they have. 00:15:45.259 --> 00:15:45.759 Why not me? 00:15:47.060 --> 00:15:48.759 Some of you have told me that coveting 00:15:48.759 --> 00:15:50.840 can take the feeling of needing affirmation 00:15:50.840 --> 00:15:52.960 in the church or in your work. 00:15:53.480 --> 00:15:54.639 For people to notice you, 00:15:55.320 --> 00:15:57.160 to feel and be told that you're needed. 00:15:59.040 --> 00:15:59.660 Friend, ask yourself, 00:15:59.759 --> 00:16:01.320 do you covet positions of leadership? 00:16:01.879 --> 00:16:02.540 In the church, 00:16:02.580 --> 00:16:03.860 because you want to serve others 00:16:03.860 --> 00:16:06.360 or because you want to be seen by others? 00:16:07.139 --> 00:16:08.020 Friend, do not be deceived. 00:16:08.740 --> 00:16:10.379 Do not make your peace with sin. 00:16:10.700 --> 00:16:12.200 Sin tricks us. 00:16:13.340 --> 00:16:14.180 Coveting is a greenhouse 00:16:14.180 --> 00:16:15.960 for heinous sins to grow in your life, 00:16:16.020 --> 00:16:16.560 in my life. 00:16:17.120 --> 00:16:19.400 One person has summarized these verses this way. 00:16:19.840 --> 00:16:20.720 First comes coveting, 00:16:21.160 --> 00:16:22.000 then scheming, 00:16:22.500 --> 00:16:23.780 then devising wicked plans, 00:16:24.060 --> 00:16:25.660 and then you leave wreckage behind you. 00:16:26.660 --> 00:16:27.500 Does that sound familiar? 00:16:27.500 --> 00:16:27.600 Here. 00:16:29.059 --> 00:16:30.840 But this text also has something to say 00:16:30.840 --> 00:16:31.720 about those who have been 00:16:31.720 --> 00:16:33.919 on the receiving end of sin in the church. 00:16:34.480 --> 00:16:36.700 The same attitude of showing partiality 00:16:36.700 --> 00:16:38.440 infected the churches in James' day. 00:16:39.139 --> 00:16:39.539 In Corinth, 00:16:39.820 --> 00:16:41.440 Paul said the rich excluded the poor 00:16:41.440 --> 00:16:42.820 at the table of the Lord's Supper. 00:16:43.879 --> 00:16:45.519 Have you been denied a participation 00:16:45.519 --> 00:16:46.740 in the body of Christ? 00:16:46.740 --> 00:16:49.039 Have you been excluded? 00:16:50.080 --> 00:16:51.419 Has your experience of church 00:16:51.419 --> 00:16:52.419 been a trail of tears? 00:16:53.820 --> 00:16:55.080 Well, it is a tragedy 00:16:55.080 --> 00:16:56.860 if you have been excluded. 00:16:57.720 --> 00:16:59.480 But know that God sees your sufferings, 00:17:00.100 --> 00:17:00.700 your afflictions, 00:17:00.860 --> 00:17:01.580 and God knows. 00:17:01.740 --> 00:17:03.299 He sees and He cares. 00:17:04.299 --> 00:17:06.019 He will make things right. 00:17:06.920 --> 00:17:08.099 But I also want to give a warning. 00:17:08.859 --> 00:17:10.240 Do not covet spiritual gifts 00:17:10.240 --> 00:17:12.779 or positions where you think 00:17:12.779 --> 00:17:13.920 people will notice you, 00:17:14.420 --> 00:17:16.039 especially if it's contrary to God's word. 00:17:17.039 --> 00:17:18.079 True greatness is not 00:17:18.079 --> 00:17:19.579 when we receive glory from others, 00:17:19.839 --> 00:17:20.659 but serving others 00:17:20.659 --> 00:17:21.480 through the glory of God. 00:17:22.779 --> 00:17:23.420 And people talk about 00:17:23.420 --> 00:17:24.359 the wrong side of history. 00:17:25.420 --> 00:17:26.539 Being on the wrong side of history 00:17:26.539 --> 00:17:29.940 is being at enmity with God. 00:17:30.359 --> 00:17:31.539 And that leads us to point number two. 00:17:32.240 --> 00:17:33.000 Point number one was the punishment. 00:17:33.319 --> 00:17:34.700 Point number one was the problem. 00:17:34.779 --> 00:17:35.599 Now it's the punishment. 00:17:35.899 --> 00:17:37.279 Let's read verse three again. 00:17:37.799 --> 00:17:38.859 Therefore, thus says the Lord, 00:17:39.159 --> 00:17:40.139 behold, against this family 00:17:40.139 --> 00:17:41.680 I am devising disaster 00:17:41.680 --> 00:17:44.139 from which you cannot remove your necks. 00:17:44.140 --> 00:17:46.140 And you shall not walk haughtily, 00:17:46.380 --> 00:17:48.620 for it will be a time of disaster. 00:17:49.720 --> 00:17:50.520 The party is over. 00:17:51.620 --> 00:17:52.840 God is burning with anger. 00:17:53.300 --> 00:17:54.000 He is furious. 00:17:54.860 --> 00:17:56.060 God has drawn a line saying, 00:17:56.160 --> 00:17:56.820 you've come this far, 00:17:56.880 --> 00:17:57.820 you may go no further. 00:17:58.660 --> 00:17:59.820 God has stored up His anger, 00:18:00.240 --> 00:18:01.380 and the dam is about to break. 00:18:02.560 --> 00:18:03.780 And what's scary about all of this 00:18:03.780 --> 00:18:05.800 is God is not losing control at all. 00:18:06.620 --> 00:18:09.000 This is exactly what God promises to do 00:18:09.000 --> 00:18:10.759 in the futility curses in the Mosaic Covenant. 00:18:10.759 --> 00:18:12.440 The people said, 00:18:12.539 --> 00:18:13.500 we are God's special people. 00:18:13.720 --> 00:18:15.220 No judgment will befall us. 00:18:15.799 --> 00:18:16.220 God responds, 00:18:16.299 --> 00:18:17.500 yes, you are part of Israel, 00:18:17.559 --> 00:18:18.140 my special people, 00:18:18.339 --> 00:18:19.980 and that's exactly why I'm going to punish you. 00:18:21.119 --> 00:18:22.079 Verses three to five 00:18:22.079 --> 00:18:23.259 mirrors verses one to two. 00:18:23.779 --> 00:18:25.839 The accused who are devising evil in verse one, 00:18:26.099 --> 00:18:28.059 while God is now scheming disaster upon them 00:18:28.059 --> 00:18:29.740 in verse three, 00:18:30.339 --> 00:18:31.859 He will break the people of Judah. 00:18:32.160 --> 00:18:34.140 He will break them both physically and emotionally. 00:18:34.819 --> 00:18:35.720 They have sown the wind, 00:18:35.759 --> 00:18:36.759 and now will they reap the whirlwinds. 00:18:37.720 --> 00:18:38.660 God can break oppression, 00:18:38.660 --> 00:18:42.000 and sometimes it's changing the heart of the tyrannizers, 00:18:42.060 --> 00:18:42.840 like the Apostle Paul, 00:18:43.560 --> 00:18:45.740 but sometimes it is to rending hellfire 00:18:45.740 --> 00:18:46.600 and judgment upon the wicked. 00:18:47.340 --> 00:18:48.540 You seek to cut off the poor, 00:18:49.200 --> 00:18:50.220 God will not only cut you off, 00:18:50.240 --> 00:18:50.940 He will cut you down. 00:18:51.759 --> 00:18:52.740 You will be left with nothing. 00:18:53.100 --> 00:18:54.160 All your coveting, scheming, 00:18:54.220 --> 00:18:55.300 it will come back on your own head. 00:18:56.019 --> 00:18:57.019 Building a name for yourself, 00:18:57.220 --> 00:18:58.580 you'll be a byword in verse four. 00:18:59.660 --> 00:19:00.019 Ridiculed. 00:19:00.860 --> 00:19:01.580 It will bring derision, 00:19:01.840 --> 00:19:02.100 mocking. 00:19:02.320 --> 00:19:02.960 It will bring pain. 00:19:03.540 --> 00:19:04.100 Like the victims, 00:19:04.220 --> 00:19:05.500 they will moan and weep bitterly. 00:19:06.279 --> 00:19:06.860 Might makes right. 00:19:06.859 --> 00:19:09.159 Okay, now God promises temporal judgment 00:19:09.159 --> 00:19:10.079 from the Assyrians, 00:19:10.339 --> 00:19:12.199 who were known for their brutality and strength. 00:19:13.219 --> 00:19:14.619 The teenage bully must now contend 00:19:14.619 --> 00:19:15.939 with Mike Tyson in the boxing ring, 00:19:16.359 --> 00:19:17.539 and God will not be with them. 00:19:17.979 --> 00:19:20.019 And there's no way you're going to win that fight. 00:19:20.679 --> 00:19:22.139 The Assyrians would swiftly pounce, 00:19:22.439 --> 00:19:24.859 sweeping them away in 722 BC. 00:19:26.039 --> 00:19:27.299 And Micah declares in verse four, 00:19:27.459 --> 00:19:29.319 outsiders, non-believers, apostates, 00:19:29.359 --> 00:19:30.699 will take all the land away. 00:19:31.479 --> 00:19:33.719 They will be stripped of all that they have lusted after. 00:19:33.720 --> 00:19:36.299 And this lightning storm of temporal judgment 00:19:36.299 --> 00:19:37.220 did in fact come. 00:19:37.779 --> 00:19:39.620 They got a taste of it from the Assyrian invasion. 00:19:40.360 --> 00:19:42.559 Assyria marched southward and plundered the people. 00:19:43.180 --> 00:19:44.640 And 2 Kings 18 says, 00:19:44.779 --> 00:19:46.480 the people escaped by the skin of their teeth 00:19:46.480 --> 00:19:47.460 under King Hezekiah. 00:19:48.500 --> 00:19:50.039 But then they continued in the disobedience 00:19:50.039 --> 00:19:51.220 for another hundred years. 00:19:51.960 --> 00:19:53.240 And eventually, after much patience, 00:19:53.559 --> 00:19:54.880 God sent the Babylonian army 00:19:54.880 --> 00:19:56.380 to raise Judah to the ground. 00:19:57.299 --> 00:19:59.140 But there is not only a temporary judgment, 00:19:59.860 --> 00:20:01.900 there is also an eternal one in verse five. 00:20:01.900 --> 00:20:03.700 In verse five, 00:20:03.759 --> 00:20:05.400 the oppressors of Judah will be cut off 00:20:05.400 --> 00:20:06.519 from the eternal inheritance. 00:20:07.380 --> 00:20:08.600 When God gathers His people, 00:20:08.700 --> 00:20:10.620 the assembly, the ecclesia, 00:20:10.940 --> 00:20:12.080 which is translated as church, 00:20:12.300 --> 00:20:13.400 when the true church is gathered 00:20:13.400 --> 00:20:15.920 before that throne of judgment on that final day, 00:20:16.440 --> 00:20:17.400 apportioning an inheritance, 00:20:17.740 --> 00:20:19.019 there will be no one to apportion 00:20:19.019 --> 00:20:19.960 any inheritance for them. 00:20:20.720 --> 00:20:22.040 Like the rich man in the parable, 00:20:22.320 --> 00:20:23.620 death will be the great reverser. 00:20:24.620 --> 00:20:25.600 God will throw them in hell. 00:20:26.759 --> 00:20:28.640 Imagine the eulogy at their funeral. 00:20:29.660 --> 00:20:30.780 The eulogist stands up saying, 00:20:30.779 --> 00:20:32.240 this person was great in business, 00:20:33.099 --> 00:20:35.480 entrepreneur, self-made, 00:20:36.339 --> 00:20:38.740 church member, Sunday school teacher. 00:20:40.139 --> 00:20:40.980 But what does the profit of man 00:20:40.980 --> 00:20:42.480 to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 00:20:43.740 --> 00:20:45.339 Will you care if you had a nice eulogy 00:20:45.339 --> 00:20:47.019 at your funeral when God has pronounced 00:20:47.019 --> 00:20:48.460 an eternal woe over you, 00:20:49.059 --> 00:20:50.000 thrown into hell forever? 00:20:51.259 --> 00:20:51.639 Jesus said, 00:20:51.759 --> 00:20:53.220 do not be afraid of those who kill the body, 00:20:53.420 --> 00:20:54.399 but cannot kill the soul. 00:20:54.660 --> 00:20:56.019 Rather, be afraid of the one 00:20:56.019 --> 00:20:58.059 who can destroy both body and soul in hell. 00:20:58.059 --> 00:21:01.119 Friend, in a room this size, 00:21:01.220 --> 00:21:02.859 I can't help but think that some of us 00:21:02.859 --> 00:21:04.119 may be self-deceived. 00:21:05.559 --> 00:21:07.419 Perhaps some of you will run speedily into hell, 00:21:07.480 --> 00:21:08.879 all the while having full confidence 00:21:08.879 --> 00:21:09.819 that you are going to heaven. 00:21:11.319 --> 00:21:12.740 You know, sin is a slippery slope. 00:21:13.099 --> 00:21:13.879 Outside of Christ, 00:21:13.960 --> 00:21:15.839 you are exposed to sudden and unexpected 00:21:15.839 --> 00:21:18.119 slipping into the dark abyss of judgment. 00:21:19.200 --> 00:21:20.859 John Bunyan was once startled with a thought, 00:21:21.099 --> 00:21:22.460 will you leave your sins and go to heaven, 00:21:22.619 --> 00:21:24.159 or have your sins and go to hell? 00:21:24.160 --> 00:21:26.120 I ask that to you this morning. 00:21:26.880 --> 00:21:27.920 You must let go of your sins 00:21:27.920 --> 00:21:29.200 if you are to take hold of Christ. 00:21:30.420 --> 00:21:30.920 Jesus would say, 00:21:31.040 --> 00:21:31.519 on that day, 00:21:32.080 --> 00:21:33.220 when God apportions the inheritance, 00:21:33.360 --> 00:21:34.040 many will say to me, 00:21:34.120 --> 00:21:34.620 Lord, Lord, 00:21:34.700 --> 00:21:36.279 did we not prophesy in your name? 00:21:36.779 --> 00:21:38.100 Cast out demons in your name. 00:21:38.640 --> 00:21:40.500 Do mighty works in your name. 00:21:41.140 --> 00:21:42.420 And then I will declare to them, 00:21:42.900 --> 00:21:43.900 I never knew you. 00:21:44.920 --> 00:21:45.640 Depart from me, 00:21:45.980 --> 00:21:46.980 you workers of lawlessness. 00:21:49.160 --> 00:21:51.080 I know none of us want to hear those words. 00:21:51.700 --> 00:21:52.460 Depart from me. 00:21:52.460 --> 00:21:55.880 Let me exhort you to examine yourselves. 00:21:56.340 --> 00:21:58.039 As Paul instructs in 2 Corinthians 13, 00:21:58.840 --> 00:22:00.759 one of the traps is thinking outward appearances 00:22:00.759 --> 00:22:03.880 are a sign of God's grace in a person's life. 00:22:04.380 --> 00:22:05.340 That is not so. 00:22:06.100 --> 00:22:07.680 Life is not a video game 00:22:07.680 --> 00:22:08.640 where if you fall into a trap, 00:22:08.700 --> 00:22:09.640 you can just hit the reset button. 00:22:11.559 --> 00:22:12.160 Sooner or later, 00:22:13.160 --> 00:22:14.980 those who persist in suppressing the truth about God 00:22:14.980 --> 00:22:16.240 will be given over to judgment. 00:22:17.140 --> 00:22:18.539 And if you are here and you are not a Christian, 00:22:19.220 --> 00:22:20.799 it is by mercy alone that you sit here 00:22:20.799 --> 00:22:22.059 to hear God's word this morning. 00:22:22.480 --> 00:22:24.119 Wealth and success and promotions 00:22:24.119 --> 00:22:26.139 are no sign of God's favor in your life. 00:22:26.759 --> 00:22:28.599 Death is a great reverser of fortunes. 00:22:29.519 --> 00:22:31.879 It is a sad thing for you to have your portion 00:22:31.879 --> 00:22:32.759 in this world. 00:22:34.139 --> 00:22:34.500 You might say, 00:22:34.539 --> 00:22:36.419 Tyler, this is really depressing. 00:22:37.359 --> 00:22:38.119 My response is, 00:22:38.180 --> 00:22:38.720 it's the truth. 00:22:39.579 --> 00:22:41.519 The Lord Jesus did all things well. 00:22:42.079 --> 00:22:43.319 And he spoke more about hell 00:22:43.319 --> 00:22:44.159 than he did about heaven. 00:22:44.480 --> 00:22:46.319 He spoke more clearly about hell 00:22:46.319 --> 00:22:47.819 than all the Old Testament. 00:22:48.500 --> 00:22:49.500 But we're not done. 00:22:50.439 --> 00:22:51.439 Point number one was the problem. 00:22:52.240 --> 00:22:53.179 Point number two is the punishment. 00:22:53.759 --> 00:22:55.579 And point number three are the false prophets. 00:22:56.519 --> 00:22:57.759 Like a good police detective show, 00:22:57.819 --> 00:22:58.879 the camera now looks inside 00:22:58.879 --> 00:23:00.240 to see what's happening inside churches 00:23:00.240 --> 00:23:01.019 or synagogues. 00:23:01.460 --> 00:23:02.419 Here we see sheep, 00:23:02.639 --> 00:23:03.919 but if you look a little closer, 00:23:05.000 --> 00:23:05.939 you'll notice they are wolves 00:23:05.939 --> 00:23:07.079 clad in sheep's clothing. 00:23:07.839 --> 00:23:09.259 Satan appears as an angel of light. 00:23:09.919 --> 00:23:12.059 Let's read verses six to 11 together. 00:23:12.059 --> 00:23:13.599 Do not preach, 00:23:13.799 --> 00:23:14.539 thus they preach. 00:23:14.879 --> 00:23:16.539 What should not preach of such things? 00:23:16.659 --> 00:23:18.759 Disgrace will not overtake us. 00:23:19.440 --> 00:23:20.179 Shall this be said, 00:23:20.279 --> 00:23:20.940 O house of Jacob? 00:23:21.259 --> 00:23:22.299 Has the Lord grown impatient? 00:23:22.419 --> 00:23:23.240 Are these his deeds? 00:23:23.720 --> 00:23:25.179 Do not my words do good 00:23:25.179 --> 00:23:26.799 to him who walks uprightly. 00:23:27.559 --> 00:23:27.980 But lately, 00:23:28.279 --> 00:23:29.839 my people have risen up as an enemy. 00:23:30.419 --> 00:23:31.379 You strip the rich robe 00:23:31.379 --> 00:23:33.119 from those who pass by trustingly 00:23:33.119 --> 00:23:34.460 with no thought of war. 00:23:35.039 --> 00:23:36.059 The woman of my people, 00:23:36.379 --> 00:23:38.139 you drive out from their delightful houses. 00:23:38.859 --> 00:23:39.839 From their young children, 00:23:39.919 --> 00:23:41.460 you take away my splendor forever. 00:23:42.519 --> 00:23:43.099 Arise and go, 00:23:43.200 --> 00:23:44.399 for this is no place to rest. 00:23:44.879 --> 00:23:45.819 Because of uncleanness, 00:23:45.879 --> 00:23:47.299 that destroys with a grievous destruction. 00:23:47.839 --> 00:23:48.879 If a man should go about 00:23:48.879 --> 00:23:50.279 in utter wind and lies, 00:23:50.339 --> 00:23:50.480 saying, 00:23:50.579 --> 00:23:52.159 I will preach to you of wine and strong drink, 00:23:52.299 --> 00:23:53.500 he will be the preacher for this people. 00:23:55.139 --> 00:23:56.899 They were living their best life now. 00:23:57.679 --> 00:23:59.319 They were naming it and claiming it, 00:23:59.399 --> 00:24:00.659 their health and wealth. 00:24:01.659 --> 00:24:03.200 Do not preach of such harsh things. 00:24:03.819 --> 00:24:05.460 Micah, stop preaching against sin. 00:24:05.779 --> 00:24:07.980 Give us smooth things, 00:24:08.579 --> 00:24:10.019 positive and encouraging messages. 00:24:10.019 --> 00:24:13.180 Tell us how God's plan is for us to be successful. 00:24:14.619 --> 00:24:15.359 Jeremiah says, 00:24:15.500 --> 00:24:17.400 the prophets prophesy falsely. 00:24:17.819 --> 00:24:18.639 And here's the worst part. 00:24:18.879 --> 00:24:20.240 My people love to have it so. 00:24:22.940 --> 00:24:24.960 Micah ridicules the people in verse 11. 00:24:25.639 --> 00:24:27.319 If a man should go about in utter wind and lies, 00:24:27.420 --> 00:24:28.680 preaching of wine and strong drink, 00:24:28.839 --> 00:24:30.639 he would be a preacher for this people. 00:24:31.619 --> 00:24:32.960 The people bear responsibility 00:24:32.960 --> 00:24:34.920 for their false teachers. 00:24:34.920 --> 00:24:37.460 And these false prophets 00:24:37.460 --> 00:24:40.140 had a cheap knockoff counterfeit theology 00:24:40.140 --> 00:24:43.800 that focused exclusively on God's love. 00:24:45.200 --> 00:24:46.539 A fake Rolex watch 00:24:46.539 --> 00:24:48.380 that falls apart the moment you get home. 00:24:49.480 --> 00:24:49.960 Verse seven, 00:24:50.240 --> 00:24:51.519 God quotes the false prophets. 00:24:52.400 --> 00:24:53.200 Should this be said, 00:24:53.680 --> 00:24:54.480 O house of Jacob, 00:24:54.740 --> 00:24:56.080 has the Lord grown impatient? 00:24:56.220 --> 00:24:57.140 Are these his deeds? 00:24:57.940 --> 00:24:58.680 In other words, 00:24:58.759 --> 00:25:00.279 the false prophets were saying, 00:25:00.400 --> 00:25:00.920 is it ever appropriate 00:25:00.920 --> 00:25:03.640 appropriate to talk about God's anger 00:25:03.640 --> 00:25:05.279 or him growing impatient? 00:25:05.900 --> 00:25:07.500 Probably based on Exodus 34. 00:25:07.960 --> 00:25:09.180 The Lord is slow to anger, 00:25:09.360 --> 00:25:10.920 abounding in steadfast love. 00:25:11.860 --> 00:25:13.320 These peddlers of God's word 00:25:13.320 --> 00:25:15.120 are writing books called love wins. 00:25:16.240 --> 00:25:16.620 I mean, 00:25:16.680 --> 00:25:19.060 God's love and mercy are so wide. 00:25:19.660 --> 00:25:21.019 Are we limiting God's love 00:25:21.019 --> 00:25:22.800 to say he could ever grow impatient? 00:25:24.259 --> 00:25:25.180 Like in the garden, 00:25:25.259 --> 00:25:25.620 they preach, 00:25:25.880 --> 00:25:26.160 Judah, 00:25:26.360 --> 00:25:27.740 you will not surely die. 00:25:28.660 --> 00:25:30.279 Disgrace will not overtake us. 00:25:30.279 --> 00:25:32.359 Now the first doctrine 00:25:32.359 --> 00:25:33.740 that Satan denied in the garden 00:25:33.740 --> 00:25:35.339 is the reality of eternal judgment. 00:25:36.440 --> 00:25:38.119 These smooth shepherds 00:25:38.119 --> 00:25:40.079 were followers of the serpent. 00:25:40.899 --> 00:25:41.420 In the end, 00:25:41.480 --> 00:25:42.480 these prosperity preachers 00:25:42.480 --> 00:25:44.079 are likewise twisting the scriptures. 00:25:44.859 --> 00:25:45.599 On the contrary, 00:25:45.920 --> 00:25:47.460 God responds to them in verse seven. 00:25:47.799 --> 00:25:49.599 God's word does do good, 00:25:50.500 --> 00:25:52.379 but to those who walk uprightly. 00:25:53.319 --> 00:25:54.160 The false prophets 00:25:54.160 --> 00:25:55.460 were preaching a half truth. 00:25:56.119 --> 00:25:56.779 The whole truth 00:25:56.779 --> 00:25:58.160 is that God does do good 00:25:58.160 --> 00:25:59.819 to those who turn from their sin 00:25:59.819 --> 00:26:01.419 and walk uprightly. 00:26:02.339 --> 00:26:03.339 This isn't about merit, 00:26:03.460 --> 00:26:04.299 but meekness. 00:26:05.099 --> 00:26:06.220 Committing your life to him, 00:26:06.259 --> 00:26:07.379 you're all upon him. 00:26:08.059 --> 00:26:09.519 And this is the message of Micah. 00:26:10.819 --> 00:26:11.679 God is in the light, 00:26:11.740 --> 00:26:13.599 so we must walk in the light. 00:26:14.679 --> 00:26:16.299 It is not knowledge about God. 00:26:17.419 --> 00:26:19.740 We must truly know God 00:26:19.740 --> 00:26:21.439 and walk with him in humility. 00:26:21.440 --> 00:26:24.160 You can memorize the entire Bible 00:26:24.160 --> 00:26:25.360 word from word 00:26:25.360 --> 00:26:26.500 and be no better off 00:26:26.500 --> 00:26:27.200 and die in your sin. 00:26:28.080 --> 00:26:28.420 Rather, 00:26:28.539 --> 00:26:30.640 it is true knowledge of God 00:26:30.640 --> 00:26:31.559 to do what is right, 00:26:31.840 --> 00:26:32.880 trusting in God. 00:26:32.980 --> 00:26:33.580 It is the meek 00:26:33.580 --> 00:26:34.480 who will inherit the earth. 00:26:34.980 --> 00:26:37.160 It is those who walk in the light 00:26:37.160 --> 00:26:40.920 that are truly God's people. 00:26:42.200 --> 00:26:43.000 Not merit, 00:26:43.380 --> 00:26:44.279 but meekness. 00:26:45.279 --> 00:26:46.059 If you are here 00:26:46.059 --> 00:26:47.180 and you are a spiritual leader 00:26:47.180 --> 00:26:48.279 at home in the church, 00:26:48.700 --> 00:26:49.680 meeting with other Christians 00:26:49.680 --> 00:26:50.560 for better or worse, 00:26:50.660 --> 00:26:51.460 what you teach, 00:26:51.900 --> 00:26:52.600 what we teach, 00:26:52.759 --> 00:26:53.820 greatly influences 00:26:53.820 --> 00:26:54.799 the people around us. 00:26:55.560 --> 00:26:56.360 Do not be content 00:26:56.360 --> 00:26:57.620 with teaching half-truth 00:26:57.620 --> 00:26:58.460 to the people of God. 00:26:59.240 --> 00:27:00.340 Every one of you 00:27:00.340 --> 00:27:00.840 who teaches 00:27:00.840 --> 00:27:01.779 will give an account. 00:27:02.460 --> 00:27:03.360 By God's grace, 00:27:03.420 --> 00:27:04.279 we must be men and women 00:27:04.279 --> 00:27:05.299 full of grace 00:27:05.299 --> 00:27:06.880 and truth. 00:27:08.019 --> 00:27:08.580 To tell the truth, 00:27:08.640 --> 00:27:09.039 the whole truth, 00:27:09.080 --> 00:27:10.200 and nothing but the truth. 00:27:11.240 --> 00:27:11.920 But our half-truth 00:27:11.920 --> 00:27:12.620 is not the practice 00:27:12.620 --> 00:27:13.720 of our day and age. 00:27:15.240 --> 00:27:17.259 Christian hip-hop artist, 00:27:17.799 --> 00:27:18.340 Shia Lin, 00:27:18.339 --> 00:27:20.279 summarizes this entire section 00:27:20.279 --> 00:27:20.859 in his song, 00:27:20.959 --> 00:27:21.399 False Teachers, 00:27:21.480 --> 00:27:22.220 and he says it well. 00:27:22.899 --> 00:27:23.339 You want to know 00:27:23.339 --> 00:27:24.199 what all false teachers 00:27:24.199 --> 00:27:24.799 have in common? 00:27:25.220 --> 00:27:26.179 It's called selfism. 00:27:26.480 --> 00:27:27.699 The fastest growing religion, 00:27:27.859 --> 00:27:28.519 they just dress it up 00:27:28.519 --> 00:27:29.139 and call it Christian. 00:27:29.759 --> 00:27:30.500 Don't be deceived 00:27:30.500 --> 00:27:31.379 by this funny biz. 00:27:31.699 --> 00:27:32.799 If you come to Jesus for money, 00:27:33.079 --> 00:27:33.740 he's not your God. 00:27:33.899 --> 00:27:34.539 Money is. 00:27:35.059 --> 00:27:36.579 Jesus is not a means to an end. 00:27:36.799 --> 00:27:37.740 The gospel is he came 00:27:37.740 --> 00:27:38.939 to redeem us from sin. 00:27:38.939 --> 00:27:39.859 And that is the message 00:27:39.859 --> 00:27:40.720 forever I'll yell. 00:27:40.819 --> 00:27:42.000 If you're living your best life now, 00:27:42.159 --> 00:27:43.059 you're headed for hell. 00:27:44.659 --> 00:27:45.500 Beware of sheep 00:27:45.500 --> 00:27:46.639 with sharp teeth. 00:27:47.180 --> 00:27:47.840 Beware of teachers 00:27:47.840 --> 00:27:48.240 in the church 00:27:48.240 --> 00:27:48.960 who care more about 00:27:48.960 --> 00:27:49.620 what you think 00:27:49.620 --> 00:27:50.580 than what God thinks. 00:27:51.340 --> 00:27:51.720 In fact, 00:27:51.940 --> 00:27:52.440 in Galatians, 00:27:52.680 --> 00:27:53.759 Paul lays the responsibility 00:27:53.759 --> 00:27:54.900 for false teachers 00:27:54.900 --> 00:27:56.180 at the feet of the members 00:27:56.180 --> 00:27:57.040 of the congregation. 00:27:57.580 --> 00:27:58.759 If you are a member here, 00:27:59.040 --> 00:28:00.320 you have a responsibility. 00:28:01.340 --> 00:28:02.600 If you hear from this pulpit 00:28:02.600 --> 00:28:03.340 that God wants you 00:28:03.340 --> 00:28:03.920 to be a millionaire, 00:28:05.200 --> 00:28:05.860 take your hat 00:28:05.860 --> 00:28:06.300 and your purse 00:28:06.300 --> 00:28:06.660 and run 00:28:06.660 --> 00:28:08.820 for the nearest exit. 00:28:10.060 --> 00:28:10.560 Do you realize 00:28:10.560 --> 00:28:11.300 that the reason 00:28:11.300 --> 00:28:11.980 false teachers 00:28:11.980 --> 00:28:13.420 can teach false things 00:28:13.420 --> 00:28:14.020 is because they have 00:28:14.020 --> 00:28:14.580 congregations 00:28:14.579 --> 00:28:15.220 that support them? 00:28:17.299 --> 00:28:17.960 Those who sit 00:28:17.960 --> 00:28:18.759 under false teaching 00:28:18.759 --> 00:28:19.899 are under God's judgment 00:28:19.899 --> 00:28:20.539 just as much 00:28:20.539 --> 00:28:21.279 as the teachers are. 00:28:22.439 --> 00:28:23.259 And we see the nature 00:28:23.259 --> 00:28:24.500 of humanity so far. 00:28:24.879 --> 00:28:25.500 Dead in sin. 00:28:25.980 --> 00:28:26.899 Total depravity. 00:28:27.319 --> 00:28:28.259 Even the preachers 00:28:28.259 --> 00:28:29.599 are following the serpents. 00:28:30.099 --> 00:28:30.579 Prisoners. 00:28:30.919 --> 00:28:31.679 There is none righteous. 00:28:31.960 --> 00:28:32.639 No, not one. 00:28:32.939 --> 00:28:33.720 No one understands. 00:28:33.939 --> 00:28:35.079 No one seeks for God. 00:28:35.819 --> 00:28:36.539 Minds are corrupted. 00:28:36.879 --> 00:28:37.899 Mouths are full of deceit. 00:28:38.179 --> 00:28:39.859 And feet are swift 00:28:39.859 --> 00:28:40.500 to shed blood. 00:28:41.500 --> 00:28:42.180 But judgment 00:28:42.180 --> 00:28:43.039 will not be 00:28:43.039 --> 00:28:44.099 the final word. 00:28:45.099 --> 00:28:45.759 The next section 00:28:45.759 --> 00:28:47.099 is the promise. 00:28:48.019 --> 00:28:48.859 This is Micah's 00:28:48.859 --> 00:28:50.019 but God moment 00:28:50.019 --> 00:28:51.259 in this chapter. 00:28:51.720 --> 00:28:52.420 God is rich 00:28:52.420 --> 00:28:53.039 in mercy 00:28:53.039 --> 00:28:54.660 in verses 12 to 13. 00:28:55.220 --> 00:28:56.539 I will surely 00:28:56.539 --> 00:28:57.539 assemble all of you, 00:28:57.640 --> 00:28:58.000 O Jacob. 00:28:58.420 --> 00:28:59.259 I will gather 00:28:59.259 --> 00:29:00.200 the remnant of Israel. 00:29:00.380 --> 00:29:01.519 I will set them together 00:29:01.519 --> 00:29:02.720 like sheep in a fold. 00:29:03.299 --> 00:29:04.140 Like a flock 00:29:04.140 --> 00:29:04.839 in its pasture, 00:29:04.980 --> 00:29:06.259 a noisy multitude of men. 00:29:06.819 --> 00:29:07.559 He who opens up 00:29:07.559 --> 00:29:07.900 the breach 00:29:07.900 --> 00:29:08.779 goes up before them. 00:29:09.000 --> 00:29:09.640 They pass through 00:29:09.640 --> 00:29:10.360 and pass the gate. 00:29:10.860 --> 00:29:11.420 They break through 00:29:11.420 --> 00:29:12.040 and pass the gate 00:29:12.040 --> 00:29:13.120 going out by it. 00:29:13.640 --> 00:29:14.620 Their king passes on 00:29:14.620 --> 00:29:15.100 before them 00:29:15.100 --> 00:29:16.460 the Lord at their head. 00:29:17.420 --> 00:29:18.460 The speaker changes 00:29:18.460 --> 00:29:19.300 and now the Lord 00:29:19.300 --> 00:29:20.240 is speaking to Micah. 00:29:21.360 --> 00:29:21.940 And this section 00:29:21.940 --> 00:29:22.360 is like being 00:29:22.360 --> 00:29:23.060 in a dark tunnel 00:29:23.060 --> 00:29:23.880 and instantly 00:29:23.880 --> 00:29:24.600 you're in light. 00:29:25.280 --> 00:29:26.240 Micah sees such a clear 00:29:26.240 --> 00:29:27.600 vision of God's mercy. 00:29:28.360 --> 00:29:29.020 And the transition 00:29:29.020 --> 00:29:29.920 is so stark. 00:29:30.440 --> 00:29:31.300 It's disorienting 00:29:31.300 --> 00:29:31.780 at first. 00:29:32.360 --> 00:29:33.220 God seems to say 00:29:33.220 --> 00:29:33.700 the opposite 00:29:33.700 --> 00:29:34.540 in verse 12 00:29:34.540 --> 00:29:35.640 as he does 00:29:35.640 --> 00:29:36.460 in verse 5. 00:29:37.060 --> 00:29:37.580 God declares, 00:29:37.579 --> 00:29:38.919 I will surely assemble 00:29:38.919 --> 00:29:39.419 all of you 00:29:39.419 --> 00:29:40.339 the remnant of Israel. 00:29:42.000 --> 00:29:43.099 And many commentators 00:29:43.099 --> 00:29:43.539 are fumbling 00:29:43.539 --> 00:29:45.000 on what to make 00:29:45.000 --> 00:29:45.579 of this gathering. 00:29:46.119 --> 00:29:46.879 Surely it must be 00:29:46.879 --> 00:29:47.639 a gathering of judgment. 00:29:48.379 --> 00:29:49.240 No, but it's a gathering 00:29:49.240 --> 00:29:49.899 of the remnant. 00:29:50.399 --> 00:29:51.659 The true people of God. 00:29:52.179 --> 00:29:52.460 God says, 00:29:52.559 --> 00:29:54.000 I will surely do this. 00:29:54.399 --> 00:29:55.019 God is certainly 00:29:55.019 --> 00:29:56.159 going to do the work. 00:29:56.720 --> 00:29:57.460 And this mercy 00:29:57.460 --> 00:29:58.559 will be when he sends 00:29:58.559 --> 00:29:59.460 a king. 00:30:00.559 --> 00:30:01.439 A protector. 00:30:01.859 --> 00:30:02.259 A shepherd 00:30:02.259 --> 00:30:02.919 who will gather 00:30:02.919 --> 00:30:03.659 his sheep 00:30:03.659 --> 00:30:04.399 and assemble them. 00:30:04.400 --> 00:30:05.980 Everywhere God 00:30:05.980 --> 00:30:06.759 sees greed, 00:30:07.140 --> 00:30:07.759 hypocrisy, 00:30:08.040 --> 00:30:09.060 and self-righteousness. 00:30:10.040 --> 00:30:11.160 Widespread idolatry. 00:30:11.900 --> 00:30:12.500 So what does he do? 00:30:13.700 --> 00:30:14.360 God promises 00:30:14.360 --> 00:30:15.240 mercy and grace. 00:30:16.259 --> 00:30:16.840 The very people 00:30:16.840 --> 00:30:17.960 whom God says 00:30:17.960 --> 00:30:18.480 he will judge, 00:30:18.540 --> 00:30:19.280 he will now come 00:30:19.280 --> 00:30:20.120 to save. 00:30:20.700 --> 00:30:21.420 How does that 00:30:21.420 --> 00:30:22.040 make sense? 00:30:23.400 --> 00:30:24.680 This is sovereign grace. 00:30:26.320 --> 00:30:26.900 If you know 00:30:26.900 --> 00:30:27.660 the character of this, 00:30:27.740 --> 00:30:28.740 God makes complete sense. 00:30:29.500 --> 00:30:30.220 It's unexpected. 00:30:30.360 --> 00:30:30.960 It doesn't logically 00:30:30.960 --> 00:30:31.560 follow from what 00:30:31.560 --> 00:30:32.280 we have deserved. 00:30:33.220 --> 00:30:33.880 Humans make a mess 00:30:33.880 --> 00:30:34.320 of things 00:30:34.320 --> 00:30:35.480 and God shows mercy. 00:30:36.420 --> 00:30:37.100 It's in the intervention 00:30:37.100 --> 00:30:37.760 of God himself 00:30:37.760 --> 00:30:38.480 in this dark world 00:30:38.480 --> 00:30:39.300 that is our hope. 00:30:40.000 --> 00:30:40.500 And there is hope 00:30:40.500 --> 00:30:41.060 for the victim 00:30:41.060 --> 00:30:42.360 and the victimizer. 00:30:42.960 --> 00:30:43.560 To all of you 00:30:43.560 --> 00:30:44.080 in verse 12 00:30:44.080 --> 00:30:44.820 it's going to include 00:30:44.820 --> 00:30:45.620 even some of those 00:30:45.620 --> 00:30:46.340 whom God has pronounced 00:30:46.340 --> 00:30:47.240 judgment over. 00:30:47.700 --> 00:30:49.040 His mercy is wide. 00:30:49.860 --> 00:30:50.560 Even the worst sinner 00:30:50.560 --> 00:30:51.200 can be forgiven. 00:30:51.900 --> 00:30:52.660 And that is a testimony 00:30:52.660 --> 00:30:53.820 of every Christian. 00:30:54.760 --> 00:30:55.500 We deserve wrath 00:30:55.500 --> 00:30:56.840 but God has shown us mercy. 00:30:57.700 --> 00:30:58.440 And we see sinners 00:30:58.440 --> 00:30:59.960 are not only lost sheep 00:30:59.960 --> 00:31:00.940 that need a shepherd 00:31:00.940 --> 00:31:01.960 but in verse 13 00:31:01.960 --> 00:31:03.060 we see sinners 00:31:03.060 --> 00:31:03.620 are captives 00:31:03.619 --> 00:31:04.439 that need to be set free. 00:31:05.500 --> 00:31:06.519 We're not only lost 00:31:06.519 --> 00:31:07.579 but we're slaves. 00:31:08.119 --> 00:31:08.939 Slaves to sin 00:31:08.939 --> 00:31:10.259 chained to evil. 00:31:10.839 --> 00:31:11.579 And this shepherd king 00:31:11.579 --> 00:31:12.699 will lead the prisoners out 00:31:12.699 --> 00:31:13.819 breaking through the gate 00:31:13.819 --> 00:31:14.859 to set them free. 00:31:15.379 --> 00:31:16.419 Like the cloudy pillar 00:31:16.419 --> 00:31:17.099 guiding Israel 00:31:17.099 --> 00:31:17.759 through the wilderness 00:31:17.759 --> 00:31:19.219 God will go before them 00:31:19.219 --> 00:31:19.819 and set them free 00:31:19.819 --> 00:31:20.359 from slavery. 00:31:21.159 --> 00:31:21.959 The picture is 00:31:21.959 --> 00:31:22.719 the king is at their head 00:31:22.719 --> 00:31:23.599 a victorious captain. 00:31:23.879 --> 00:31:24.799 The leader and commander 00:31:24.799 --> 00:31:25.439 of the people. 00:31:26.119 --> 00:31:26.879 And the Lord Jesus 00:31:26.879 --> 00:31:27.739 is the king 00:31:27.739 --> 00:31:28.459 who will lead his people 00:31:28.459 --> 00:31:29.079 into freedom. 00:31:29.439 --> 00:31:30.519 From the greatest enemy. 00:31:31.059 --> 00:31:31.719 The enemy within. 00:31:31.720 --> 00:31:32.500 We heard last week 00:31:32.500 --> 00:31:34.420 the enemy was of sin 00:31:34.420 --> 00:31:35.620 and transgression 00:31:35.620 --> 00:31:36.839 provoking God's wrath. 00:31:37.380 --> 00:31:38.259 That was a problem. 00:31:38.700 --> 00:31:39.240 And the good news 00:31:39.240 --> 00:31:39.720 of the gospel 00:31:39.720 --> 00:31:40.920 is that God 00:31:40.920 --> 00:31:42.000 is our creator. 00:31:42.740 --> 00:31:43.319 Because of that 00:31:43.319 --> 00:31:44.740 he has authority over us. 00:31:45.180 --> 00:31:46.039 Our sins provoke 00:31:46.039 --> 00:31:47.120 God's just anger 00:31:47.120 --> 00:31:47.960 and condemnation. 00:31:48.500 --> 00:31:49.319 It would not be unjust 00:31:49.319 --> 00:31:49.660 for God 00:31:49.660 --> 00:31:50.420 to send humanity 00:31:50.420 --> 00:31:51.019 into the sewer. 00:31:51.779 --> 00:31:52.420 For that is what 00:31:52.420 --> 00:31:53.440 you and I have deserved. 00:31:54.120 --> 00:31:55.900 But God is rich in mercy. 00:31:57.100 --> 00:31:58.420 While we were still enemies 00:31:58.420 --> 00:32:00.019 God's being rich in mercy 00:32:00.019 --> 00:32:01.500 he sends his own son Jesus. 00:32:02.039 --> 00:32:03.319 Fully God and fully man 00:32:03.319 --> 00:32:04.639 to rescue us. 00:32:05.000 --> 00:32:07.240 He sends him as a servant. 00:32:08.339 --> 00:32:09.599 He fully obeys his father. 00:32:09.819 --> 00:32:10.940 He comes as the remnant. 00:32:11.160 --> 00:32:11.839 The faithful one 00:32:11.839 --> 00:32:13.200 in the midst of mass apostasy. 00:32:14.240 --> 00:32:15.759 He walks a trail of tears. 00:32:16.920 --> 00:32:18.139 He goes to the cross 00:32:18.139 --> 00:32:19.639 to bring life. 00:32:20.460 --> 00:32:21.279 He leads his people 00:32:21.279 --> 00:32:22.079 out of slavery 00:32:22.079 --> 00:32:23.019 by dying. 00:32:23.639 --> 00:32:24.279 And the good shepherd 00:32:24.279 --> 00:32:25.519 lays down his life 00:32:25.519 --> 00:32:26.519 for the sheep. 00:32:26.779 --> 00:32:27.900 Taking on the wrath of God 00:32:27.900 --> 00:32:28.680 for all who had returned 00:32:28.680 --> 00:32:29.200 from their sin 00:32:29.200 --> 00:32:30.380 and put their trust 00:32:30.380 --> 00:32:31.220 in him alone. 00:32:31.880 --> 00:32:32.440 And on the third day 00:32:32.440 --> 00:32:33.220 he rose again. 00:32:33.799 --> 00:32:34.480 And his resurrection 00:32:34.480 --> 00:32:35.560 is where he opens up 00:32:35.560 --> 00:32:36.660 the breach in verse 13. 00:32:37.240 --> 00:32:37.900 When he came out 00:32:37.900 --> 00:32:38.340 of the grave 00:32:38.340 --> 00:32:39.740 he is the strong champion 00:32:39.740 --> 00:32:41.120 that breaks the iron gates 00:32:41.120 --> 00:32:42.860 of our prison cell. 00:32:43.680 --> 00:32:45.019 He breaks the yoke 00:32:45.019 --> 00:32:45.640 of slavery. 00:32:46.060 --> 00:32:46.960 He breaks the power 00:32:46.960 --> 00:32:47.360 of sin. 00:32:47.460 --> 00:32:48.820 He sets the captive free. 00:32:49.140 --> 00:32:50.140 He breaks the power 00:32:50.140 --> 00:32:51.060 of the grave. 00:32:51.400 --> 00:32:52.299 He breaks the power 00:32:52.299 --> 00:32:52.740 of hell. 00:32:53.259 --> 00:32:53.980 He breaks the veil 00:32:53.980 --> 00:32:54.580 that separated 00:32:54.580 --> 00:32:55.779 a holy God 00:32:55.779 --> 00:32:56.240 and sinners. 00:32:56.519 --> 00:32:57.019 And he breaks 00:32:57.019 --> 00:32:57.660 the dividing wall 00:32:57.660 --> 00:32:58.160 of hostility 00:32:58.160 --> 00:32:59.500 between Christians. 00:33:00.900 --> 00:33:01.380 And one day 00:33:01.380 --> 00:33:02.720 he will wipe away 00:33:02.720 --> 00:33:04.519 even the very presence 00:33:04.519 --> 00:33:04.940 of sin. 00:33:05.940 --> 00:33:06.500 And one day 00:33:06.500 --> 00:33:07.320 he brings all 00:33:07.320 --> 00:33:08.360 of his people together. 00:33:08.900 --> 00:33:09.519 The end of verse 12 00:33:09.519 --> 00:33:10.400 says when he gathers 00:33:10.400 --> 00:33:11.040 there will be 00:33:11.040 --> 00:33:11.980 a noisy multitude. 00:33:13.000 --> 00:33:13.940 They are celebrating, 00:33:14.420 --> 00:33:14.800 shouting, 00:33:15.240 --> 00:33:15.740 rejoicing. 00:33:16.660 --> 00:33:17.380 God will wipe away 00:33:17.380 --> 00:33:17.860 every tear 00:33:17.860 --> 00:33:19.360 and heaven will be 00:33:19.360 --> 00:33:20.400 one big party 00:33:20.400 --> 00:33:21.800 as we give thanks 00:33:21.800 --> 00:33:22.500 and praise to God. 00:33:22.860 --> 00:33:24.200 He is a holy God 00:33:24.200 --> 00:33:24.720 that delights 00:33:24.720 --> 00:33:25.960 in steadfast love 00:33:25.960 --> 00:33:26.380 and mercy. 00:33:26.380 --> 00:33:27.760 Is there a God 00:33:27.760 --> 00:33:28.400 like this? 00:33:29.500 --> 00:33:30.040 There is none 00:33:30.040 --> 00:33:30.420 but him. 00:33:31.300 --> 00:33:32.060 Money will not 00:33:32.060 --> 00:33:32.440 save you 00:33:32.440 --> 00:33:33.380 on that final day. 00:33:34.200 --> 00:33:34.700 Only Christ 00:33:34.700 --> 00:33:35.220 can do that. 00:33:35.760 --> 00:33:36.120 Let's pray. 00:33:38.760 --> 00:33:39.860 Father in heaven, 00:33:41.000 --> 00:33:42.380 we pray 00:33:42.380 --> 00:33:44.460 that you, 00:33:44.580 --> 00:33:45.020 we would turn 00:33:45.020 --> 00:33:45.680 from our sin 00:33:45.680 --> 00:33:46.860 and trust in you. 00:33:46.859 --> 00:33:50.959 the broad way 00:33:50.959 --> 00:33:52.339 is tempting 00:33:52.339 --> 00:33:53.759 but we pray 00:33:53.759 --> 00:33:54.339 we would be people 00:33:54.339 --> 00:33:55.299 of the narrow way. 00:33:56.219 --> 00:33:56.879 Would we walk 00:33:56.879 --> 00:33:57.879 uprightly with you? 00:33:58.079 --> 00:33:58.939 Walking in the light 00:33:58.939 --> 00:34:00.699 as you are in the light. 00:34:01.579 --> 00:34:02.000 Oh God, 00:34:02.079 --> 00:34:03.059 have mercy on us, 00:34:03.159 --> 00:34:03.519 we pray. 00:34:04.039 --> 00:34:04.759 In Jesus' name. 00:34:05.839 --> 00:34:06.279 Amen. 00:34:06.279 --> 00:34:06.459 Amen. 00:34:06.459 --> 00:34:06.959 Amen. 00:34:06.959 --> 00:34:08.460 Amen. 00:34:08.460 --> 00:34:08.980 Amen. 00:34:08.980 --> 00:34:09.159 Amen. 00:34:09.159 --> 00:34:09.619 Amen. 00:34:09.619 --> 00:34:10.239 Amen. 00:34:10.239 --> 00:34:10.440 Amen. 00:34:10.440 --> 00:34:10.500 Amen. 00:34:10.500 --> 00:34:11.460 Amen. 00:34:11.460 --> 00:34:12.480 Amen. 00:34:12.480 --> 00:34:12.599 Amen. 00:34:12.599 --> 00:34:13.460 Amen. 00:34:13.460 --> 00:34:14.559 Amen. 00:34:14.559 --> 00:34:15.559 Amen. 00:34:15.559 --> 00:34:16.839 Amen.