Sermon – Micah 6

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Micah 6:1-8 (NLT)

Listen to what the Lord is saying: “Stand up and state your case against me.  Let the mountains and hills be called to witness your complaints.  And now, O mountains, listen to the Lord’s complaint!  He has a case against his people.  He will bring charges against Israel.  O my people, what have I done to you?  What have I done to make you tired of me?  Answer me!  For I brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from slavery.  I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to help you.  Don’t you remember, my people, how King Balak of Moab tried to have you cursed and how Balaam son of Beor blessed you instead?  And remember your journey from Acacia Grove to Gilgal, when I, the Lord, did everything I could to teach you about my faithfulness.”  What can we bring to the Lord?  Should we bring him burnt offerings?  Should we bow before God Most High with offerings of yearling calves?  Should we offer him thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of olive oil?  Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for our sins?  No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

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Slide 6 – Introduction

  • The text for our study is Micah 6:1-8
    • A passage considered by many to be one of the most comprehensive and all-embracing statements in the Old Testament.

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Slide 7 – Micah Raises A Question

  • In which Micah raises the question: “What does the Lord require of you?”

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Slide 8 – Micah Answers His Own Question

  • Micah answers his own question, and makes some important points …
    • Not only for the sake of Israel of his day
    • But for the benefit of the Lord’s church today

Slide 9 – OT Was Written For Our Benefit – Romans 15:4

  • Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us.  And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.

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Slide 10 – What Did The Lord Require of Israel?

As we seek to learn from this passage, let’s first consider the question …

  • What Israel May Have Thought:
    • Some possibilities, even some absurdities:
      • Year-old calves as burnt offerings?
      • Thousands of rams?
      • Ten thousand rivers of oil?
      • Offering of the firstborn child?

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Slide 11 – God did speak of some of these things

  • Some observations:
    • God did indeed speak of some of these things
      • Like the offering of calves and rams – Leviticus 1:1-13
      • But the absurd amount of oil and offering of the firstborn are examples of hyperbole for the sake of emphasis.

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Slide 12 – What Does The Context Say?

  • From the context, it appears ritualistic sacrifices along did not please God.
    • One could not please God by simply offering innumerable sacrifices, even things precious to the worshipper.
    • For religious rituals properly ordained of God to be accepted, they must be accompanied by other things just as essential (see below):

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Slide 13 – What God Required of Israel


3 Things: To Do Justly – To Love Mercy – To Walk Humbly With Your God

Slide 14 – To Do Justly

  • This means “to act toward God and man according to the divine standard of righteousness revealed in His law.”

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Slide 15 – To Do Justly

  • This did involve the offering of sacrifices commanded by God.
  • But it also involved treating their fellow man in a way that was right and fair.

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Slide 16 – To Do Justly

  • Failure to do “justly” was one of the main reasons Israel went into captivity – Zechariah 7:8-14 and 8:16-17
    • Then this message came to Zechariah from the Lord: 9 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Judge fairly, and show mercy and kindness to one another.10 Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. And do not scheme against each other.  11 “Your ancestors refused to listen to this message. They stubbornly turned away and put their fingers in their ears to keep from hearing. 12 They made their hearts as hard as stone, so they could not hear the instructions or the messages that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies had sent them by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. That is why the Lord of Heaven’s Armies was so angry with them.  13 “Since they refused to listen when I called to them, I would not listen when they called to me, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 14 As with a whirlwind, I scattered them among the distant nations, where they lived as strangers. Their land became so desolate that no one even traveled through it. They turned their pleasant land into a desert.”

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Slide 17 – Zechariah 8:16-17

  • 16 But this is what you must do: Tell the truth to each other. Render verdicts in your courts that are just and that lead to peace.17 Don’t scheme against each other. Stop your love of telling lies that you swear are the truth. I hate all these things, says the Lord.”

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Slide 18 – To Love Mercy

  • This means “to show a compassionate warm-heartedness toward man.”
  • Not only treat others fairly, but to show mercy when mistreated themselves.

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Slide 19 – Micah 7:18-19

  • One reason they were to love mercy was because God Himself delighted in showing mercy.
    • Where is another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant, overlooking the sins of his special people? You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love.  19 Once again you will have compassion on us.  You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean!

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Slide 20 – To Walk Humbly With Your God

  • This involves living “in humble and submissive obedience to His desire and will.”
  • It can only happen when we recognize the absolute holiness and righteousness of God.
  • It is the humble of heart and spirit that greatly pleases God – Isaiah

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Slide 21 – Isaiah 57:15

  • The high and lofty one who lives in eternity, the Holy One, says this: “I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble.  I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.

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Slide 22 – Isaiah 66:1-2

This is what the LORD says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.  Could you build me a temple as good as that?  Could you build me such a resting place?  My hands have made both heaven and earth; they and everything in them are mine. I, the LORD, have spoken!  “I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word.

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Slide 23 – Old Testament Wrap-Up

  • These three things God required of those who would come before Him.  Not instead of the ritual observances, but in conjunction with them.

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Slide 24 – Matthew 23:23

  • “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees.  Hypocrites!  For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law – justice, mercy, and faith.  You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.”

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Slide 25 – What Does The Lord Require of Us? – What We Might Think

  • Some might think all the Lord requires is the observance of certain rituals:
    • Like attending church – Sundays, Wednesdays, special events.
    • As though if one does this, they have done all that is required.
    • I sometimes wonder if people really believe this:
      • That’s the impression one receives by their example
      • That’s the answer often received from some

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Slide 26 – Certainly, Attending All Services Are Important

  • It is essential to obeying God
  • It is required if we expect to grow spiritually – Hebrews 10:24-25

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Slide 27 – Hebrews 10:24-25

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.  And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

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Slide 28 – Failure To Attend Can Be Displeasing to God – Ephesians 5:15-17

So be careful how you live.  Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.  Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.  Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.

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Slide 29 – Failure To Attend Can Be Displeasing to God – Making the Most of our Time?

  • When absent, are we making the most of our time?
  • Do we really believe our absence is the Lord’s Will for us?

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Slide 30 – Failure To Attend Can Be Displeasing to God – Can Explain The Lack of Several Things:

  • The lack of spiritual growth
  • The lack of commitment in the work of the church
  • The lack of close fellowship with God and other Christians

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Slide 31 – Rituals & Motives … The Right Attitude

  • Yes, I am convinced that it is essential that we observe what “rituals” God has ordained for us; but the Lord requires more than just “attending church”

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Slide 32 – What Does God Require of Us?

  • God Requires the same 3 things!
    • To Do Justly
    • To Love Mercy
    • To Walk Humbly With Our God

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Slide 33 – To Act Toward God according To His Divine Law

  • To act toward God according to His divine law – Matthew 7:21

Slide 34 – To Act Toward Man According to His Divine Law

  • To act toward man according to His divine law – Ephesians 4:25-29

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Slide 35 – To Love Mercy

  • To show a compassionate warm-heartedness toward man
  • Toward widows and the fatherless – James 1:27
  • Even toward our enemies – Luke 6:35-36

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Slide 36 – To Walk Humbly With Our God:

  • To Walk Humbly With Our God:
    • The only way to enjoy His fellowship and continual cleansing by the blood of Jesus – James 4:8 and 1st John 1:7-9

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Slide 37 – Walking Humbly With God Requires 3 Things:

  • Such close communion and fellowship with God requires daily:
    • Listening to God
    • Talking to God
    • Walking with God

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Slide 38 – Listening To God

  • Studying His Word to learn His Will
    • James 1:21
    • 1st Peter 2:2

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Slide 39 – Talking to God

  • Praying for strength and forgiveness; and praising Him for blessings received
    • Hebrews 4:14-16 and Philippians 4:6-7

Slide 40 – Walking with God

  • You walk with God by actually doing His Will in humble submission
    • Ephesians 5:2
    • Ephesians 5:8
    • Ephesians 5:15

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Slide 41 – Walking With God

  • By walking humbly with God, we are more likely to keep in proper balance the demands to do justly and love mercy.

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Slide 42 – Conclusion

  • Even though we live under a different covenant, the Lord still requires us …
    • To do justly
    • To love mercy
    • To walk humbly with our God
      • Our “rituals” may be different (with respect to worship), but the basics are still the same!

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Slide 43 – Conclusion

  • Are you doing what the Lord requires of you?  Consider this …
    • Have you done justly (by obeying the gospel of Christ)?
    • Do you love mercy (demonstrated by accepting God’s mercy offered in Christ)?
    • Are you walking humbly with your God (by living a dedicated and obedient Christian life)?

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Slide 44 – Conclusion

  • If not, then all the church services you may attend (or have attended), all the sermons you will hear (or have heard), all the prayers you may say (or have said), will benefit you nothing!
  • May we in all earnestness do what the Lord requires of us!