A Manifestation of Grace
Scripture Text: Micah 6:8 (Read)
Introduction: Do we sometimes take advantage of the things that mean the most to us? Are we honest about what is right, and true? Do we sometimes fail to treat others as we would be treated? Do we make an honest effort to move beyond ourselves and lift up others? Do we think of ourselves as greater than we are and monopolize our status and direction before God? You see, Micah revealed an indictment of the Jewish people because they had forgotten about these kinds of things. Their belief in ‘here’ (heart) was not manifesting a saving faith ‘out here’ (exercise of the body). If you remember, I mentioned last time that the word ‘goodness’ in many languages does not mean anything without action. The words of Micah sound so beautiful to us don’t they….? But, the real issue that we need to concern ourselves with today is: “do they mean anything to you?”
Propositional Statement: If we are to glorify God, then we should practice justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. In so doing, we can be a manifestation of grace, in Christ Jesus. In the beginning of Micah 6:8; it says that doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God are “good” and “required.”
a. How many are ready to accept goodness? Goodness is found in the very nature of God! Some agree with it, some argue against it, but all are subjected to it! God is a ‘good’ God! And despite any argument against God’s goodness, it can lead to your welfare and prosperity in Christ Jesus.
b. How about requirements, how do you feel when you consider that God requires justice, kindness, and humility? (Let me explain why the word ‘require’ is here.) When God was worshipped in ceremonial worship, he required that a sacrifice come in a particular manner. In Micah 6:7; the people were not offering God what was required. Instead, they began to offer a human sacrifice in the form of a child. This practice was continued throughout the days of Jeremiah and Ezekiel. These people were so spiritually ignorant, they would offer their children in sacrifice; in some kind of appeasement to God and then continue in their sin.
This just goes to show you what can happen when God’s goodness and requirements are twisted. Men continue to deny God’s goodness, and shun his requirements because of injustice, hate, and pride.
I. DO JUSTICE.
How many of you have argued for some wrong done to you, but have forgotten the wrongs you have done to others? I know I do that! When justice works against others, that’s OK….but when it works against me…then it just is not right!
ILLUS. A judge once told someone “I know that you are guilty and you know it, and I wish you to remember that one day you will stand before a better and wiser Judge, and that there you will be dealt with according to justice and not according to law.” Source Unknown
You see, God’s justice is not partial. What are we doing as a people to promote justice in this world? President Lincoln said, “To sin by silence when one should speak makes cowards of men.” There is no place for injustice, inequity or unfairness in our lives. Our faith must lead us to ethical behavior. Knowledge without responsible action is sin. We should ask ourselves: What can I do to preserve human rights? How can I uphold the sanctity of life? How should I respond to injustice?
Transition: I quoted Boice in the New American Commentary; who said: “To act justly is most important, for it does not mean merely to talk about justice or to get other people to act justly. It means to do the just thing yourself.” Justice is important in glorifying God, but so is kindness.
II. LOVE KINDNESS.
A. I have been thinking all week about the ways that I can show kindness to another person. In addition, do I know how others have shown kindness to me? Seems only fair, huh? (SMILE)
Has anyone held the door for you or your family? Has someone offered you help when you’ve needed it? You know, sometimes the smallest things can show the greatest amount of kindness. In fact, ….
“a story is told about an elderly lady named Mamie; who always went to a branch post office in her town because the postal employees there were friendly. She went there to buy stamps just before Christmas one year and the lines were particularly long. Someone pointed out that there was no need to wait in line because there was a stamp machine in the lobby. "I know," said Mamie, ’but the machine won’t ask me about my arthritis." Bits and Pieces, December, 1989, p. 2.
You see, kindness for Mamie was about having someone to engage her in conversation. Think for a moment about your own life, the way you treat others…. the needy and the vulnerable. Finally, in concentrating on kindness; don’t worry about yourself. In being kind to others, I think you will find that your own fair share of kindness does not seem to matter so much.
Transition: Kindness and justice are important in glorifying God, and so is walking humbly with God.
III. WALK HUMBLY WITH GOD.
A. Has pride blocked your way in understanding what God would require of you? In Romans 12:3, Paul says that we should all “not think more highly of himself than he ought to think.” The man in the following story did not care about all the great things that he personally did for God. He just recognized all the great things that God did for him. A minister told this story.
ILLUS. Years ago I was standing by the deathbed of an old minister down in Alabama. The old man had been a preacher for fifty years. I saw his son, who also was a minister, kneel by his father’s bed.
“Father, you have preached for fifty years, and have done more good than any man I know.”
The old man, with feeble but distinct voice, said:
“Don’t tell me about that, son. Tell me about the blood of Jesus. Nothing but the blood of Jesus will do for a dying man.”
If a man who had preached for fifty years and who had lived a pure, straight life, in his dying hour had to rely upon the blood of Jesus Christ, don’t you ever think there is any hope for you aside from this atoning blood?
What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus. —Bob Jones, Sr.
Transition: The three requirements of justice, kindness, and humility are not the only ways that we glorify God, but may contain a ‘kind of’ composition in glorifying God. In fact, these three things are reflected in Matthew 22: Jesus says, “Love the Lord thy God with all your heart, and with all thy soul, and all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it, Love your neighbor as thyself. Micah 6:8 has been called “the finest summary of the content of practical religion to be found in the OT.” Feinberg provides this summary: The piety that God approves consists of three elements: a strict adherence to that which is equitable in all dealings with our fellowmen; a heart determined to do them good; and diligent care to live in close and intimate fellowship with God.”
Conclusion: Why are we required, as slaves to a master; to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly? Because …. it glorifies God! In James 1:26-27, we are told; “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” When we do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God; we are a manifestation of His grace.
The three requirements were exampled by God himself. You see, God saw fit to exercise justice; show the ultimate in mercy and kindness; by sending His Son to die on a cross for your sins. Jesus walked humbly and obediently with His Father as He willingly sacrificed Himself for you.
How could we show any less justice, kindness, and humility? How could we show any less?
What am I asking you to do?
Would you consider manifesting God’s justice to others by looking out for others well-being; despite whether you feel you have been shown justice or not?
Can you look for opportunities to manifest God’s kindness to others by offering what is needed? What is your neighbor’s need?
Finally, remember that none of this is possible unless you are walking with God. Do you need to examine your position before God? Are you proudly affirming your relationship with Him and yet, not honoring Him?
SERMON ENDS HERE
I have added below some notes to the end of this sermon so that you can see some of the background notes that I am going over in preparation. These are contextual passages which could help with the context of Micah 6:8.
Old and New Testament Passages that Give Us Context to Micah 6
Romans 12:1-2; Romans 6:13; Colossians 3:1-12: We do not have the peace of Christ without the justice of God.
Matthew 23:23
Deut. 12
1.SUMMONS TO APPEAR: Micah 6:8 (Read)
In the opening chapter of Micah we are invited into a courtroom; where the Lord God is witness against the sins of Israel, as represented by Samaria and Jerusalem. 1:1-2; 5-6
2.WHY THEY ARE IN THE COURTROOM:
a. DID NOT DO JUSTICE- they were plotting to and seizing innocent people’s land; robbing, and stealing inheritances (2:2, 9). In 3:2; they are described as hating good and loving evil.
b. DID NOT LOVE KINDNESS- the people stole from the most vulnerable of their society. ….from the unsuspecting, those returned from war, women that they evicted from their homes, with no regard for keeping roofs over the heads of children.
c. DID NOT WALK HUMBLY- they were hoarding money and worshipping idols (1:7). The prophets; men who had represented God, were misleading the people to satisfy their own greed (3:5-7).
The tone throughout Micah is that the people knew what was just, what was …. how to follow God. But, they nevertheless opposed God’s requirements.
3. GOD’s INDICTMENT
6: 1-2 Indictment
3-5 God’s Faithfulness
6-7 Micah’s rhetorical questions
8 Requirements and Goodness
To understand the context of the passage today, we need to know: in consideration of God’s faithfulness to Israel: Micah is questioning the validity of a ceremonial sacrifice that ignores an intimate knowledge of God. In other words, Micah personally knows how to please God; but he is making a point to his fellow countrymen that God is concerned not only with outward appearances; but with the heart. Outward appearances are only validated with a clean heart and contrite heart. Therefore, today we will learn about a manifestation of grace that can only be created in a right heart.
4. GOODNESS AND REQUIREMENTS
Choosing Goodness Deut. 30:15; Deut. 10:12-13; Jeremiah 22:3; Hosea 6:6;
Before, I say anything more about what God requires; I want to affirm that the points of Micah 6:8 apply to us after we are converted. Justice, Kindness, and Humility are not works per say; but are simply an authenticating manifestation of a life lived in Christ Jesus.
What God requires: Is “Requires” a strong word for those living under grace? Its purpose is related to the sacrifice. In other words, God required an acceptable sacrifice. “What is good and what does God require of you?” I don’t think we should shun the word ‘requires.’
First of all, we learned from Romans 12:1-2 that we should present our bodies as living sacrifices; which essentially means that we offer ourselves to God in righteousness, and holiness. This is what it means to exercise our faith in Christ Jesus.
Secondly, the heart of God’s law emerges from God’s nature itself. God is just, He is Holy, He is Good. Just because we are not condemned by the law in Christ Jesus, does not mean that we forsake what is just, holy, and good. Shall we continue in sin, because grace abounds? What guidance has God given us in Christ Jesus? In understanding Micah, I hope we can discover that for ourselves. “How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” “Do we not consider ourselves dead to sin?” “Have you presented yourself as a slave to righteousness?” Just who is your Master? Paul says, “But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.” Does the word slavery in Scripture here imply requirements on your life? I believe it does!
We are still called to the exercise of true religion, to kindness, and to humility. 1 Corinthians 13:4 tells us: “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,” Are we not to offer love as Christians because a law happens to exist in Scripture that says “Love your neighbor” ….and we are not under law? 2 Corinthians 6:6 says, “By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned….” Are we not to consider kindness because it is commanded somewhere in Scripture, and looks like a law? Colossians 3:12 says: “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;….” Should I be putting anything on? ….sounds like work? 1 Peter 1:2: “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.” Doesn’t sanctification lead to obedience? My point in all of this is simply this: Many of God’s laws are grounded in God’s nature. Therefore, it is a mistake to dismiss the law as completely inapplicable to a live lived under grace. If God is love, he desires that we love. He commands it! If God is holy, he desires that we be holy. In fact, He commands it!
Main Idea: If we are to glorify God in an acceptable way, then we should practice justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.
1. DO Justice:
2. LOVE Kindness
The word in some translations is mercy….let me explain why. Hebrew word ‘chesed’
-Close to N.T. grace -full of grace/N.T.
-Eternal principle that is steeped in God’s nature and His creation; which all men are obligated and accountable
-Ascribed to God’s everlasting love
-altitude of love which contains mercy
-most closely associated with the KJV rendering of “lovingkindness”
Unattainable to man because it is represented in God as the highest form of love.
QUESTION: Because of God’s unattainable loving-kindness: How could we show anyone anything less?
3. WALK humbly with God - Isaiah 57:15; 66:2.
HOW CAN WE WALK HUMBLY WITH GOD? I find it helpful when I think of “walking” with God to look at places in Scripture which use the same metaphor of walking to describe our relationship with God. I offer here several that may be helpful in seeing the truth of our text:
(1) Walk in obedience—“Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord” (Psalm 119:1).
(2) Walk in good works—“We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).
(3) Walk in wisdom—“Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time” (Colossians 4:5).
(4) Walk in the light—“If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
(5) Walk in the Spirit—“Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16).
(6) Walk in love—“Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us” (Ephesians 5:2).
If we would walk with God, then let us walk in these things—because if we are walking in these things, we can’t help walking with God.
