WHAT DOES GOD EXPECT OF ME IN 2012?
Micah 6:6-8; Text: v.8b (NKJV)
SCRIPTURE: With what shall I come before the Lord, And bow myself before the High God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, With calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, Ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?
TEXT: And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?
PROPOSITION: To motivate the hearer into an intimate committed relationship with God.
INTRODUCTION:
I. GOD EXPECTS YOU TO LIVE UP TO WHAT YOU ALREADY KNOW
And what does the Lord require of you? … But to do justly.
1 John 1:5-7 (NLT) This is the message he has given us to announce to you: God is light and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness. We are not living in the truth. But if we are living in the light of God’s presence, just as Christ is, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from every sin.
Application: Are you living the way you know your should live? Or has sin crept it’s way back into your life. Are you committed to doing those things God has taught you or have you left off doing them?
According to 1 John 5:7, your freedom from the power and consequence of sin is wholly determined by your commitment to right living.
A. To “Do” Justly Implies That A Decision Has Been Made
Deuteronomy 30:19-20a (NLT) “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, that you and your descendants might live! Choose to love the LORD your God and to obey him and commit yourself to him, for he is your life.
Chorus
I’m going to live the way you want me to live.
I’m going to give until there’s just no more to give.
I’m going to love, love, till there’s just no more love.
But I could never, never out love the Lord.
B. To “Do Justly” Requires An Ongoing Commitment To Doing The Right Thing No Matter The Consequence
Application: Commitment to doing the right thing always disallows for situational ethics. When one is committed to doing the right thing – he/she will do it no matter what someone thinks, wants, or does. He/she will do the right thing even if it means persecution or retribution.
Matthew 5:11,12 (NKJV) “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Luke 12:4-5 (NKJV) And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!
God expects you to live up to what you already know …
II. GOD EXPECTS YOU TO TREAT OTHERS RIGHTLY
And what does the Lord require of you? …To love mercy.
Mark 12:28-33 (NLT) One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the discussion. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” The teacher of religious law replied, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth by saying that there is only one God and no other. 33And I know it is important to love him with all my heart and all my understanding and all my strength, and to love my neighbors as myself. This is more important than to offer all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the law.”
A. God Expects You To Demonstrate Toward Others The Same Kind Of Love You Want For Yourself
Application: The command to love others in the same way in which we love ourselves is especially important in the context of family relationships.
Ephesians 5:25-30 (NLT) And you husbands must love your wives with the same love Christ showed the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by baptism and God’s word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man is actually loving himself when he loves his wife. No one hates his own body but lovingly cares for it, just as Christ cares for his body, which is the church. And we are his body.
B. God Expects You To Extend The Same Forgiveness Toward Others That You Want For Yourself
Luke 6:37-38 (NKJV) “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
Matthew 6:14-15 (NKJV) “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Matthew 5:23-24 (NKJV) Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
C. God Expects You To Give The Same Measure Of Care For The Welfare Of Others That You Expect For Yourself
Application: We live in a society that teaches us to look out for number one. But if we spend all our efforts looking out only for ourselves, what happens to those who are number two? Or number three? Or number four?
Matthew 7:12 (NKJV) Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Matthew 5:43-48 (NLT) “You have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and on the unjust, too. If you love only those who love you, what good is that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Romans 12:9-18 (NLT) Don’t just pretend that you love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically. Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful. When God’s children are in need, be the one to help them out. And get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner or, if they need lodging, for the night. If people persecute you because you are a Christian, don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. When others are happy, be happy with them. If they are sad, share their sorrow. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t try to act important, but enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible.
III. GOD EXPECTS YOU TO LIVE EACH DAY IN A COMMITTED RELATIONSHIP TOWARD HIM
And what does the Lord require of you? … To walk humbly with your God.
A. To Walk With God Implies Movement
And to walk...
John 3:8 (NKJV) The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
B. To Walk With God Implies Progress Through Submission To His Leadership
“And to walk humbly...
Psalm 32:8 (NLT) The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.
C. To Walk With God Implies An Ongoing Possessive Relationship
And to walk humbly with your God?
Application: Is God truly yours, or is He some sort of abstract influence upon your life? Is your relationship with God personal, emotional, and intimately passionate – or is your relationship with God mechanical and business like?
John 14:15-20 (NKJV) “If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever — the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. 19“A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. 20At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.
CONCLUSION:
