What Does God Expect Of Me In 2012

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.”