What does God require of us? Micah 6:8
• Two hundred years ago, on 25th March 1807, the British parliament voted in favour of a law that would have consequences all around the known world. This new law was the abolition of human slavery. This act of 1807 was one of the most humanitarian pieces of legislation ever enacted in a British parliament.
• But who brought it about? Well what’s important to note that it was proposed and supported and by a very small number of determined Christian’s? One prominent amongst this group was William Wilberforce (1759-1833) who entered politics at the age of twenty, But in 1785 at the age of 25 Wilberforce was converted to a personal faith in Jesus Christ.
• As a result he would later write on the 20th Oct 1789, ‘God Almighty has set before me two great objects the suppression of the slaved trade and the reformation of Manners" (morals).
Here we see a Christian engaging in social Justice.
The question I put to us all today as Christians shouldn’t we be engaged in our own communities where family breakdown and social disorder is so prevalent, in our nation where human morality is disintegrating and in our world where poverty - slavery and social injustices are still so prevalent – shouldn’t we be actively involved as evangelical Christians in a variety of forms of social justice?
The problem of evangelical Christianity as I see it, is the privatisation of our faith mentality - Yet doesn’t the Bible say Jhn 3:16 For God so loved the world? Shouldn’t our faith should cause us to engage the world as God did?
• Look at our Christian heritage with people like : Lord Shaftsbury who helped the poor stopped women and children working in mines – children being chimney sweeps - the abuse of children –orphanages - RSPCA - Benjamin Waugh - NSPCC - William Wilberforce - Slavery schools – visited prisons – vaccinations for the poor – animal welfare - Elisabeth Fry - improved prison conditions for women and children- George Muller - orphanages.
All these people were Christians involved in social justice as a consequence of their faith. Real faith will lead to fulfilling God’s requirements for our lives - and it will often involve social action/justice in some shape or form.Our faith is not inert but a living faith and will be demonstrated through our actions (Jam 2:14-17) active in the world where we are placed as Paul says in Romans 12: 1-2 we are called not to be conformed to the world but to be a transformed by the reneawing of our minds ( by the Spirit and Word)so that we will be able to test and approve Gods purposes and will for our lives – he is inferring that we will influence the world around us by this transformation.
I hope you will take this as objective critisim. So often the only thing that we as evangelical Christians are concerned about in our Churches is entertaining people and getting them saved - but what about actually caring for the poor in our communities – letting them see the gospel in action - What about speaking up against the decline of morality in our nation to our political leaders - What about the need for making a stand against injustices still prevalent today. Did you know that there are still 27 million people still in different forms of slavery today.
Where has that once held evangelical faith and social action gone? Our dilemma as Evangelical Christians is we see the liberals dive into the social action, which is to be commended, but it’s void of real faith as a result it has no lasting influence - but when people of faith arise infused with social action you are going to make a real impact with the gospel, people will be transformed by the power of the gospel.
My scripture refrence for todays message is Micah 6:8.
Lets look at the setting: Remember its the 2nd half of the 8th century Micah 724 BC - 687 BC: Since the break up of the single nation, after the death of Solomon 922 BC. Israel and Judah had witnessed the most affluent periods in the Kingdoms history both capitals Samaria in the North and Jerusalem in the South enjoyed immense prosperity during this period .
Background: They were inheritors of a unique socio- economic life . The promised land had been allotted to the 12 tribes by God Num 33:50-56 – Lev 25:23 in trust (stewards) – with specific instructions on jubilee lev 25: 1-55 for all land to return to original owner 50th year - those who owned land were called to take care and make special provision Deut 14: 28 -29 15:7-11 - for the helpless – poor- widow –orphan - slave - alien.
Here we see the heart of God - concerned with social justice and mercy and welfare and His people were to be the agent of this social concern.
Jesus himself also announces the Jubilee - days of grace - the pattern found in the life of Jesus Christ? Luke 4: 18 -19. Jesus actions and gospel hand in hand working together.
Micah points to their failure: Micah deals with the development of this commercial and secular culture - which was causing them to forsake the needs of others and even forsaking God’s provision and their God given purpose - this development led to ‘ the haves and the have not’s’ the haves getting richer at the expense of the have not’s getting poorer.
Despite the growing concern of the Assyrian Empire around them - It led to an increasing callousness amongst those getting wealthier (2: 1-2) They became involved in corruption (3:1-3, 9-11) under a veneer of religion (3:11) and eventually to a blatant disregard of God laws (6:10 -12.) compartmentalising their religious beliefs and practices from their everyday lives.
What does God require of us? A Form of Religion with no heart : They even believed they could buy off God with their sacrifices (6:6-7) their relationship with God had become a business contract not a spiritual covenant Deut 6:4-5.
It’s into this setting of wealth and godlessness that Micah the prophet along with Amos and Hosea in the North and Isaiah and himself in the south stand up as a prophetic minority voice calling the people to return to their God given purpose.
Listen to Isaiah 58: 1-10.
The UK has seen much blessing and been a nation upon Gods word - and have known reformation and revival - yet with these blessing have come an increase of prosperity and a tendency to corruption – hypocrisy -ambivalence to the needs of others – alongside a greater godlessness in the UK.
Has the socio-economic status of affluence - effected the UK CHURCH? With its privatised faith - and easy believisim - with a simple prayer you enter into the Kingdom of God with no ethical constraints - you receive your own personal faith detached from the real world around us. Could it be we have forgotten the weightier matters of justice mercy and faithfulness - have we like Judah become disengaged with God and others and so wrapped in ourselves that we have created a monster God in our own Image that’s no God at all?
So what does God require of us? He has showed you O man : Micah is pointing to God’s Revelation here through Creation – conscience – covenant laws and those with a Knowledge of God’s Son have greater revelation. God requires faithfulness to his covenant – which involves right living Key verse : Micah 6:8. He has showed you, O man what is good. To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
This command isn’t just for Judah it’s for us today - Jesus himself said something similar to it. Matt 23:23 You give a tenth of your spices – mint – dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law - justice mercy and faithfulness.
Could we be guilty like the Pharisees of being inert in the areas of Justice – mercy and faithfulness to God? NT. Rom 12:1 In view of Gods mercies God wants our lives to be to his glory.
1. God requires us to humbly walk with God. This is talking about our personal devotion to God God requires man singular this is personal its pointed to us. But before we can truly act Justly and show mercy to others - the first pre-requisite is that we walk humbly with God - The two characteristics of Justice and mercy can only be manifested truly as a result of a person who is walking humbly with God by faith.That’s exactly what Judah were not doing, walking with God. They were lost, and distant from God they had wandered from Him.
• Walking with God is a picture of a person who is devoted to God a man/woman of faith - The walk is not a literal walk as in (Gen 3:8) but a walk of closeness throughout one’s life - a walk of faith – it was said of Enoch (Gen 5:22) that he walked with God and that he pleased God (Heb 11:5). His life was a life of communion with God a life of godliness in a period of godlessness.
• To walk with God conversion is needed: Enoch didn’t always walk with God it was only at the age 65 and had the birth of a son – Methuselah who lived 969 years -whose name means(when he is dead it shall be sent – global flood – grace of God) he began to walk with God for 300 years and then he was taken.
At the age of 20 Wilberforce entered politics but it wasn’t till the age of 25 was he converted - he began a humbly walk with God - prior his aspirations for politics were only on the grounds of personal gain - but once converted it would change his outward conduct he would act justly and his inner convictions – to love mercy.
For Judah the covenant had become a mere contract: The divided Kingdoms of Judah and Israel were failing to walk with God - although God had chosen covenant people – they were failing to live right to walk with God by faith – They failed to see that what God required was faithfulness to his covenant based on faith which would express itself fundamentally in right living and only secondry in ritual.
They failed to walk with God - no longer acting justly, but corruptly no longer being merciful, but ruthless no longer fulfilling Gods purposes – they had imbibed and conformed to the nations around them rather than doing what God required they walked in the opposite direction with a form of religiosity that God abhorred they thought they could buy God 6:6-7.
Micah stands out from the crowd speaking into his generation as a prophet who humbly walked with God? Denouncing all that is wrong and calling the nation back to God. How do we become like Micah? How do we become like Enoch? How do we become men/women who walked with God? Micah points us in the right direction. Look to God our Saviour: prophesised (Micah 7:7 ) by seeing God as our Saviour. In the midst of all the godlessness - Micah believed in Gods everlasting covenantal promises of Gen.17:7,19, that God would save Him.
Fulfilled in Jesus And we too need to trust in God our Saviour and his promises trusting the one who died for our sins and rose again for our justification. It’s not until we come to Him can we begin to walk with God and act justly and love mercy in this world.
2. God requires us to act justly this involves our outward conduct.
Look what they were like in regard to justice 3:9 they abhor justice.
We too live in a world full of injustices in our communities in our nation in our world - (involves the depravity of humanity) More and more we are seeing society turning away from the truth and justice – we live in a land where anything goes, where there is a smudging of right and wrong - anything goes we have seen it with the changing of many laws in our land over the last fifty years - people are becoming more and more self orientated - concerned with their own needs - less bothered of others - even if it takes unscrupulous means .
Chuck Colson is quoted saying in regard to justice, “Without ultimate justice, people’s sense of moral obligation dissolves; social bonds are broken. People who have no fear of God soon have no fear of man, and no respect for human laws and authority.”
To act justly: Friends we are called to love justice to be different to act justly - Unlike atheist Alistair Campbell who catches the mood of the nation he once told the press “We don’t do God.” Friends Micah is calling Christians to do God - to walk humbly to act justly - to live and act in accordance to God’s divine law.
To be devoted to God and to others to see that justice is maintained - The laws of this land are changing and we may have to be counted soon as laws are continually being introduced to suite people own selfish lifestyles.Yet God’s divine law is constant - unchanging and stands in sharp contrast to the laws of the land.
Let us pray for those in authority and submit to them as our leaders as they have been placed there by God as we are called to do Rom 13:1 : - But when they are in total abandonment of God’s Justice, are we to continue to submit to them and remain silent? Was Micah silent? Was Isaiah silent? were Peter and John silent? Acts 5:27 -29 The Sanhedrin Peter and John were told that they must teach in Jesus name but Peter replied we must obey God rather than men.”
We cannot and must not let the world conform us into its pattern, there is growing move upon Christians today to conform to the pattern of the world - I’m not talking about seeker friendly services - but our ethical beliefs in the view of Gods divine law. In regard to abortion – homosexuality – adoption practices (Catholic) – Drugs - euthanasia - freedom of speech - the relevance of marriage – prostitution - parenting –poverty – oppression – slavery - and so much more.
• Karl Barth called Christian ethics “The great disturbance.” So does it disrupt the status quo? (Wilberforce disrupted the status quo)
Our Just action should simply flow out of a verification of our faith – God not only requires us to love Him but to love others who are entrapped by all this injustice. By God’s grace we can be agents of Change.
William Booth put it like this, “ I will tell you the secret: God has had all that there was of me. There have been men with greater brains than I, even with greater opportunities, but from the day I got the poor of London on my heart and caught a vision of what Jesus Christ could do with me and them, on that day I made up my mind that God should have all of William Booth there was. And if there is anything of power in the Salvation Army, it is because God has had all the adoration of my heart, all the power of my will, and all the influence of my life.”
We today have a great opportunity to act justly for the poor - to be a voice for the millions of murdered babies - to help the women effected by abortion with counselling - To minister and act justly to the many families and individuals effected by drugs and alcohol - to stand up against governments which pass immoral laws - to speak up for 27 million still in different forms of slavery around the world our faith should be bringing radical change as Gods Kingdom steps into these areas with just action Motivated by faith. And finally
3. God requires us to love mercy. This involves our inner character. Look at Judah 2:1-2 They pursue exploitation.
God had been merciful to his people them time and time again he had shown his compassion and kindness towards them when they didn’t deserve it. Yet they pursued gain - corruption - exploitation they failed to show compassion upon those who needed it as they had recieved it themselves. Yet God had been merciful to them - all those who have received his mercy should be merciful towards others.
God is compassionate - God is never fatigued with compassion.
How we need remove compassion fatigue.
As Christians we are beneficiaries of God’s kindness demonstrated in His Son Jesus Christ - God hasn’t treated us as our sins deserve.
Jesus Christ is the embodiment of compassion and he is our example to follow consider the multitudes that he wept over? Did all come to Jesus? No. But Jesus still ministered into their lives because he was moved with compassion.As good evangelicals we might know what it means in the Greek to be moved with compassion but as Thomas Aquinas once said, "I would rather feel compassion than know the meaning of it."
Jesus ultimatly meet the demands of Gods perfect Justice (the just for the un-just)which demonstrates the real depth of his compassion towards us.
David Prior wrote, Justice and kindness are essential qualities of the nature of God Himself. They do not come down from heaven wrapped in parcels. They are expressed in and through people who walk humbly with God.
Friends this is what God requires of us – we are to be those who are to act justly to show mercy to others, as we walk humbly with our God.
In closing we are to be God’s divine humanitarian relief parcels, as we act justly and love mercy to all around us. This will be far more effective than any liberal or secular institution because its all wrapped up in faith. It will be transforming!
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