Preaching Christ Crucified

I Corinthians 2:1-11

Imagine, if you will, that you had been inviting a close friend or relative to come to church or Bible study with you.  They are not Christian, not a believer, and you are praying that they will come, hear the Word of God, and may soon accept Jesus.  Finally they accept and come with you.  However, that day there was a guest preacher, and his message was so intellectual, so highbrow.  He used so many ten-dollar words it would make a graduate student from Harvard or Oxford’s head spin!  There was very little mention of Jesus, and none of His sacrificial death on the cross for our sins, or salvation.  Your friend could barely follow along, and went home hearing nothing of the salvation they needed, and had no interest in returning.  This was something that the Apostle Paul did not want to see happen, and he speaks along this line in our Scripture for today.

Today’s Scripture continues on from Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth.  Greek culture in that time highly prized intellectual speech and polished rhetoric.  They really loaded up on those ten-dollar words!  Paul was no intellectual light-weight.  He was extremely well-educated, and could easily hold his own in any intellectual conversation or discussion.  However, when it was time to bring a message or preach a sermon, Paul stuck strictly to the message of the Gospel, and spoke in a manner that anyone in the audience could understand (vs. 1).  His goal was to bring the Gospel of salvation to everyone in a manner and way that everyone could understand.  Paul’s goal was not to impress people, but to declare God’s truth plainly.  Like Paul, preachers today need to realize that the power of their message is not in their preaching skills, but is in the message of Christ.

Paul wanted to make sure that his messages were centered on Jesus and His death on the cross for everyone’s sins (vs 2).  It wasn’t that he felt that other doctrines were not of any importance, as his letters speak of other things, such as spiritual warfare and godly Christian living.  However, salvation is the governing center of all doctrines.  The cross is the dividing line between human wisdom and divine wisdom.  Every doctrine flows from Jesus and His sacrifice.  A Christ-centered ministry should be non-negotiable.  The cross is not one theme among many.  It is the foundation of all preaching.  Preaching that doesn’t exalt the Lord Jesus is empty preaching.

When he came to Corinth, Paul did not rely on making an impression with his eloquence and his human wisdom (vs. 3-5).  His preaching was not with persuasive words, but with demonstration of the Holy Spirit and of power.  He didn’t want their faith to be built on personality, eloquence, or emotional manipulation, as that is false and unstable.  However, faith built on God’s power is unshakeable.  When people follow image-conscious leaders in the church, the leader is exalted.  He is placed on a pedestal, and ultimately takes the place of the head of the church.  However, when the people follow leaders who have a servant’s heart, the Lord Jesus is exalted.

Paul did speak with wisdom, but it was not worldly or philosophical (vs. 6-7).  It is God’s wisdom, which is revealed to believers.  Paul spoke of the “wisdom of God in a mystery”.  A “mystery” in Scripture is truth that was once hidden, but now revealed.  Paul was speaking of how God planned redemption from before creation (Ephesians 1:4; I Peter 1:20).  The Gospel message that Paul sought to always preach was God’s divine plan from the start.  The leaders of the world did not understand God’s wisdom, as they took and crucified the Savior, God’s Son (vs. 8).  It is no different today, as the leaders of this world follow their own wisdom, not God’s, and oppose Jesus at every opportunity.

Paul proceeded in verse 9 to quote Isaiah 64:4.  Many people often apply this verse to heaven, but in this context it is referring to spiritual truths which are now revealed to believers.  It is true that we have no comprehension of how wonderful heaven will be, but at the same time, the spiritual truths which were once hidden mysteries are just as glorious when we see them revealed to us through the power of the Holy Spirit.  God makes His truths known to us through the Holy Spirit (vs. 10), as He enables us to understand the Scriptures.  The Holy Spirit knows the thoughts of God, and what He wishes and allows, the Spirit reveals to us (vs. 11).  It is impossible to know God through human reasoning alone.

As we close this portion of Scripture, we see that the truth about God is not the product of human philosophy, but is revealed by the Holy Spirit.  The cross should always be the heart of Christian preaching, as it divides between true and false wisdom.  Human intellect cannot reach anyone for God.  Thus whether teaching, witnessing, or preaching, the message must be Jesus Christ and His cross, and not the self-help, feel good, or entertainment messages so many prefer to preach.  Remember, the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus is a central doctrine of our faith, and understanding it correctly is essential for eternal life.

Faith in God in the Face of Fear

Psalm 27

Our psalm for this week is one of my three all-time favorite psalms.  This psalm, along with Psalms 34 and 103, top my list of favorites.  Psalm 27 was one of the first chapters of the Bible that I memorized.  It is one of King David’s richest confessions of faith in the Lord, showing his confidence in Yahweh in the face of fear, enemies and uncertainty.  We all face times in our life when we also face fear, sometimes great fear where our whole world seems to come crashing down around us, or even when our very life is in danger.  Psalm 27 is a good one to latch onto in such times.

Though the Scriptures do not specify exactly when David wrote this psalm, it was likely either during the years when he was fleeing from King Saul, or later, after he was king, during the time when he had to flee Jerusalem when his son Absalom conducted a coup to dethrone him.  David spent several years as a young adult on the run from King Saul.  Saul wasn’t trying to just catch David and throw him in prison, or even to banish him from the country.  Saul wanted to kill David.  If someone is trying to hunt you down to kill you, that would certainly be a fearful time.  Absalom was also serious, and he knew that as long as his father was alive he couldn’t be king, so David’s life was in danger then, too.

As our psalm begins, David spoke of how all of his confidence, all of his trust during this desperate time, was in Yahweh.  God was his light, his source of truth, guidance, and hope (vs. 1).  There is no darkness in God.  Jesus said that He is the light of the world (John 8:12).  Even when darkness fills the world, our heart does not need to feel hopeless.  God shines a light on our inner being that no darkness can overcome.

David also called God his salvation (vs. 1).  God alone would deliver him from danger and the enemies who were attacking him.  He proclaimed that the Lord was the strength of his life.  He is our stability and protection.  Our courage is not just positive thinking. That will not defeat an enemy. Instead, it comes from God.  Courage is rooted in God’s character, not in human strength.   David speaks of real adversaries who were violent, malicious, and determined (vs. 2-3).  Faith is not a denial of danger.  It is trust in God despite danger.  In these times our trust should be in God’s character, not in changing circumstances.

If you could have any desire of yours granted, what would it be?  David had one wish, and that was to dwell in the house of the Lord his whole life, to behold God’s beauty, and inquire in His temple (vs. 4).  He wanted fellowship, worship, and communion with God.  Even though his life was in danger, David’s greatest desire was not deliverance, nor for money or fame, but deeper fellowship with God.  He didn’t close his eyes to the trouble and danger that he was in.  David trusted that God would hide him, set him upon a rock for protection, and give him victory over his enemies (vs. 5-6).  In gratitude, David responded with worship.

Our psalm continues with a prayer that David made to the Lord (vs. 7-12).  He wanted to seek God’s face, pursuing His presence, His will, and His approval in life, not that of his own.  David also prayed to God not to abandon him (vs. 9-10).  He knew that the Lord would always receive him, whether his earthly parents did or not.  No matter what happens in our relationship with our parents or any other human relationship, our God and Father will receive us with His arms wide open.  David continued to pray that the Lord would teach him, lead him, and protect him (vs. 11-12).  He trusted in God, not in himself.

David closed with a final declaration of faith (vs. 13-14).  He instructed all who would read this that we need to trust God, be of good courage, and wait for Him to respond.  Waiting is not passive.  It is active trust.  Courage grows as we wait on God, not on circumstances to change.  As we wait on the Lord, we should pray, giving thanks in our circumstances, thanking God that He has it all under control, and then release our situation into His hands to do what He will with it.  Then we wait on the Lord.  Waiting on God requires faith in Him, trusting Him even without knowing when or how He will resolve the situation.  Such expressions of trust enable God to pour out upon us the very blessing that He intends.

Although circumstances change, God’s promises do not change.  Stand on the rock of His promises and take shelter under His wings until the storms pass.  We should not spend all of our time looking down at our circumstances, otherwise we will forget to look up to God.  As the saying goes, don’t tell God how big your problem is, tell your problem how big our God is!

From Fear to Faith

Habakkuk 3:2-6, 17-19

What might trigger the greatest fear you would ever face?  Perhaps a complete economic collapse.  A war or enemy invasion would do that.  Also a great famine.  All of these were events that the Prophet Habakkuk and the people of Judah faced.  When faced with these, would you fall down in fear and panic, or perhaps be filled with anger at God?  Or would you move from fear to faith in God, as Habakkuk did?  Our Scripture today shows us a glimpse of some very dark and fearful times, and how the prophet went from fear into faith.

We have very little personal information about the prophet Habakkuk, other than that his ministry was shortly before the Babylonian Empire’s invasion of Judah.  His book was not written as messages to the people, but rather as a dialogue between himself and God.  One of the issues that he wrestled with, which many people today also wonder about, is why does God allow evil to prosper, and when will He act on this?  Our Scripture passage from the final chapter of this short book, contains a prayer to God, a song, and a declaration of faith.

As the prophet observed the conditions of his world and nation at the time, he knew that the invasion and destruction of his nation was imminent.  Thousands will be killed, and those who remained would be taken captive or starve.  As a believer, Habakkuk knew that this was God’s judgment on the people’s sins.  However, he prayed that God, in His judgment, would also have mercy (vs. 2).  He knew that God must judge sin, but prayed that He would also choose to show mercy on His people.

Habakkuk recalled, perhaps in a vision, God’s glory and His deliverance of His people in the past.  He recalled the Exodus, when God led the people from the south (vs. 3).  He also spoke of God’s radiant glory, the same glory that was seen at Sinai (vs. 4), along with His judgments, both against Egypt with the plagues and also His people when they sinned (vs. 5).  As Habakkuk continued, he also described how all of creation trembles before its Creator (vs. 6).  Mountains melt before Him.  When God rises to judge, nothing can stand.

Next we move to the last three verses of our Scripture passage, which are among the most beautiful declarations of trust in all of the Bible.  The prophet listed the loss of several major crops of that area, along with the loss of cattle (vs. 17).  In an agrarian society, which that was, this was a total economic collapse.  It would be the equivalent of losing your job, all of your savings, your home, basically all security all at once.  This was definitely what was going to happen when the Babylonians invaded, and perhaps it was already beginning.  There would be no escaping this devastation.

Most of us would probably be filled with fear, panic, and anxiety at such a time.  During the Great Depression many people felt they couldn’t handle such a time, even considering suicide, which increased during those years.  Fear and panic was not the response of Habakkuk, nor should it be of any true Christian.  The prophet rejoiced in the Lord (vs. 18).  It was a conscious choice that he made, as he stated I will twice in that verse.  Fear may seem to be a natural reaction to an economic collapse, but we can choose to live in the joy of the Lord.  Habakkuk realized he had no control over certain things, so he chose to control his response.  He rejoiced in the Lord regardless of what happened.  He drew from God the strength to go on.

This is not a denial of extremely difficult times, nor naive optimism.  What Habakkuk had, and we also should have, is a faith rooted in God’s character, not in our circumstances.  The prophet found his joy, not in what God gives, but in who God is.

As his song of praise to God continued, Habakkuk did not say that his circumstances, his nation, nor his resources were his strength.  He said that God himself was his strength (vs. 19).  He knew that God would give him stability in an unstable time.  He would give him sure footing like a deer in dangerous times, and would lift him above the chaos.  As we see, faith is not always getting what we want, nor in always understanding everything that God does.  Faith is trusting in God’s character, rejoicing in Him, and standing firm even when everything else falls apart.

When we face sudden tragedy and loss, we may wonder where God is, and be tempted to give up.  But in such times we must remember that God is with us.  He will show us kindness in the midst of tragedy and loss.  God is all-powerful and sovereign.  There is no way He will fail.  His promises are as good as kept.  Failure and success are not about us or circumstances.  We stand on a mountain with feet like a deer.  With God we are secure and victorious.

Habakkuk began with a complaint and ended with a song.  He started in confusion and ended in confidence.  He moved from “Why, Lord?” to “I will rejoice in the Lord.”  That journey is the journey of every believer who learns to trust God’s character more than in their circumstances.

Blessed are the Persecuted

Matthew 5:10-12

The Beatitudes are some of the most beloved parts of Scripture for many people.  We enjoy reading that if we are merciful, meek, pure in heart, seeking righteousness, and are peacemakers, that the Lord will bless us.  Those are all attributes that a Christian should seek to incorporate into their lives.  However, there is one Beatitude, that when reading in Matthew 5, we might wish that Jesus would have just left off, and that is what we will focus on today.

Early in His ministry, Jesus sat on a high hillside and taught the crowds a very important sermon, which today we call the Sermon on the Mount.  Right at the start of this teaching was the Beatitudes.  The first seven of these Beatitudes focus on our inward character.  When we get to our Scripture verses, the Beatitudes turn to outward opposition that believers will face if they are closely following the Lord and His Word.  Let’s take a look at how if we choose to live a godly life, it will inevitably collide with a hostile world.

As mentioned, the Beatitudes describe the character of believers and followers of the Lord Jesus.  As He continued His teaching, Jesus described what the world’s reaction to His followers would be.  He doesn’t try to hide or even soften this reality from us, but tells us plainly that there will be persecution.  We will be reviled, spoken evil about, and lied about.  This persecution is not hypothetical.  It is guaranteed for those who live godly lives.  But like the other Beatitudes, we are blessed when this happens, and our reward will be great.

There are many Christians around the world who suffer some type of persecution today.  Persecution can include pressure, harassment, mistreatment, exclusion, or violence, and covers both verbal and physical hostility.  One important thing to notice is that Jesus is speaking about persecution for righteousness’ sake (vs. 10).  This is strictly being persecuted because you are a Christian, for following Jesus and obeying His Word.  The blessing is not for any hardship or persecution one might receive for being a difficult or obnoxious person, or for anything political, but is for living in obedience to God.

We shouldn’t be surprised when persecution of any sort occurs because of our faith.  Jesus told us here that it would, and the Apostle Paul, when writing to Timothy, told that all who live godly lives will suffer persecution (II Timothy 3:12).  Persecution is evidence of belonging to Christ, not a sign of God’s displeasure.  The world opposes righteousness because it exposes its darkness (John 3:19-20).

In our Scripture passage Jesus lists three forms of attacks (vs. 11).  There is reviling, which is insults, mockery, and verbal abuse.  Then there is persecution, which would include stronger hostility, including social or physical harm.  He also mentions false accusations, which are slander, misrepresentation, and lies.  Jesus acknowledges that we will be lied about.  The world often attacks character when it cannot refute the truth.  Again, this is persecution that is done because of our association to the Lord Jesus, as the verse says “for My sake”.

This is not something that should discourage us, or make us want to hide our light.  Jesus tells us that we can rejoice (vs. 12).  To do so when faced with attacks is not natural, but shows supernatural grace.  Such persecution will bring great rewards in heaven, as God keeps perfect accounts.  Many of His faithful servants in the past also suffered persecution.  We are following a trail of blood that has been laid out in every century, from the time of Abel until today.

As we meditate upon these verses we realize that faithfully following the Lord Jesus and His Word will not generally be accepted in any culture.  A godly life exposes sin, and the world resents that exposure.  We should not lose heart, though.  There is a great reward stored up in heaven for those who are insulted and persecuted for Jesus’ sake.  God sees every insult, every loss, and every sacrifice.  Nothing done for Jesus is ever wasted.

God's Wisdom vs. Man's Wisdom

I Corinthians 1:18-31

We have all heard the phrase that one should never bring up religion or politics with other people, mainly because those can be very hot topics.  People can quickly become angry, or at the very least, offended by those discussions.  The discussion of Jesus and His death on the cross for our sins makes many people angry, and it also quite often brings scoffing and scorn.  This is nothing new.  This is not something that has only occurred in the last fifty or so years.  As we read in our Scripture today, this was also the reaction that the Apostle Paul received on a regular basis.

Have you ever tried talking about Jesus, and His sacrificial death on the cross for mankind’s sins, with unsaved people?  If you don’t get the angry response mentioned above, sometimes you might be told that “you’re a fool for believing such nonsense!”  Retorts like that were frequently thrown at Paul, but that didn’t surprise him, nor stop him (vs. 18).  As he wrote in this epistle, the cross is “foolishness” to the lost.  The natural man rejects the idea that salvation comes through a crucified Savior.  They don’t like to think that they can’t save themself.  And the idea that a bloody form of execution is what brings salvation is repulsive to many.  The message of the cross makes no sense to the unbeliever because Satan has blinded their eyes to the truth.

However, to the saved the cross is the power of God.  Salvation is not some intellectual achievement, but divine intervention.  The cross is God’s means of displaying His power in redemption.  The Gospel message of Jesus dying on the cross for our salvation, and rising again on the third day, is the power of God. Salvation is supernatural.  Human wisdom cannot produce it.  Only God’s power can.

Paul proceeded to quote Isaiah 29:14, where he showed that God has always opposed proud human reasoning (vs. 19-21).  Many churches today want preaching that is intellectual, sounding like a message from a PhD candidate.  Other churches today want their service to be more of a rock concert and the sermons to be more like a motivational talk.  Preaching about Jesus’ death on the cross, His shed Blood paying the price for our salvation, seems foolish, even offensive to them.  Philosophy, education, and intellect cannot bridge the gap between sinful man and a holy God.  He chose preaching as His method of getting His message to people to save sinners, not entertainment, philosophical debate, or human eloquence.  Instead, He uses the clear proclamation of Christ crucified.

Such preaching, though, does not please everyone, as Paul indicated in our Scripture (vs. 22-25).  The apostle indicated two typical responses that he received, and which are also often responses today, as well.  First, Paul spoke how the Jewish people who heard his message wanted to see signs that Jesus was the Messiah, who Paul claimed He was.  They wanted miraculous displays of power.  A Messiah who was crucified looked like weakness to them.  The Greek Gentiles wanted philosophical wisdom in the message.  They wanted to listen to something sophisticated.  A crucified Savior looked intellectually absurd to them.

I have seen both responses today, especially the scoffing intellectual response.   However, the cross upon which Jesus died shows both the power of God, along with His wisdom.  What they consider “foolish” is actually wiser than man, and what they consider “weakness” is stronger than they are.  What the world despises is actually God’s greatest revelation.

Paul reminded the Corinthians that there weren’t many in their congregation that were wise by the world’s standards (vs. 26-29).  There weren’t many who were mighty or noble.  However, God deliberately chose those whom the world considered foolish, weak, base, and despised.  He did this so that no one would be able to walk around bragging that God chose them because of how smart they were, or how good looking, athletic, or wealthy.  He does not want anyone to glory in His presence.  Salvation is designed so that God, alone, receives the glory.

Paul ends this Scripture passage with a magnificent summary (vs. 30-31).  He instructed us how Jesus Christ is made to us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.  Jesus is God’s perfect revelation.  He is our justification, our holiness, and our deliverance.  Everything we have spiritually is in Christ, not in ourselves.

As we look back at this passage, we see that human wisdom cannot produce our salvation, only the power of God can.  He also intentionally chooses the lowly, which would include most of us, to display His grace.  God’s ordained method for saving sinners is not through some spectacular entertainment display or through a motivational or philosophical message, but through the preaching of the cross.  Everything is structured so that God will receive all of the glory.

Trusting God When the Wicked Prosper

Psalm 37:1-8

There you are, standing on your front steps looking out at the neighborhood, and you see a fellow from down the road drive by in a brand new, extremely expensive car, while your car barely makes it around the block.  That neighbor is a real scoundrel, abusive to his wife and children, and nasty to everyone else.  At work, the co-worker who cheats and also takes home supplies gets a great job promotion, while you linger with your poor salary.  You wonder, why do those wicked people get all the luck while you, a godly believer, struggle from day to day.  Our psalm for this week reflects on that, and gives us God’s answer.

Psalm 37 was written by King David, likely in his old age, as later in the psalm he says that he is old.  He had seen much in his lifetime, including many times when it seemed like the wicked were prospering.  However, he knew that the day would come when they would get what they deserved.  David tells us that we must trust in the Lord and wait patiently, refusing to be consumed by the apparent success of the wicked.  In each verse of this opening section of the psalm, God directs our heart away from anxiety and towards Himself.

As our passage opens, we are told not to fret (vs. 1).  The word “fret” in Hebrew is “hara”, which means to burn, to get heated, to be kindled with anger.  God is telling us not to let the success of the wicked provoke us to agitation, envy, or resentment.  We shouldn’t be boiling over like a pot of hot water over what we see with the wicked.  Doing so reveals a lack of trust in the Lord’s justice.  He will deal with them.

One thing that we need to remember is that the prosperity of the wicked is only temporary (vs. 2).  David described them as being like grass or some other plants that are there one day, but withered and cut down the next.  When he said the word “soon”, David didn’t necessarily mean that in every instance their downfall would be immediate.  Instead, he meant that their downfall was certain.  God will ultimately judge them.

In the meantime we have two things we should be doing, and that is trust and do good (vs. 3).  We should have active confidence in God’s character, trusting that He will not allow the wicked to continue without His judgment.  We also need to obey Him.  Our obedience is not suspended because the wicked prosper.

We are told to delight ourselves in the Lord, and doing so will bring our heart’s desire (vs. 4).  This is not a blank check for our selfish wants.  Delight means to take pleasure in discovering more about God, following His will, spending time with Him, learning what pleases Him, and praying for discernment to make wise decisions.  We take pleasure in God Himself, not just in His gifts.  If we are pursuing God in this manner, our desires will be shaped to align with His will, so our desires will actually be His desires.

When we “commit” our way to the Lord, we are to roll our burdens onto Him (vs. 5).  We cast or throw all our cares onto Him because He cares for us (I Peter 5:7).  We can entrust every path we take and all of our decisions, along with the outcome, to God. When we commit our way to God, we allow His will and His Word to shape our thoughts, lifestyle, and goals.  When we trust Him, God will accomplish His purposes for us.

Even though we see the wicked prospering despite their sin, if we are living a righteous life, God will vindicate us and will reveal the truth in His time (vs. 6).   Knowing this, we can rest in the Lord (vs. 7).  We can be still and quiet our soul, not obsessing over the wicked.  Patience is an act of faith in God’s timing.

Our portion of this psalm ends with David instructing us to stop becoming angry and fretting over how the wicked are prospering (vs. 8).  Worry and anger can sometimes push us towards a sinful response to the situation, and we don’t want that.  God forbids responding to evil with evil!

In closing, even though we often look out at the world and see the wicked appearing to prosper in all the evil that they do, God governs their rise and fall.  He will vindicate the righteous and judge the wicked.  In the meantime, we must guard our hearts and delight ourselves in the Lord, waiting for His perfect timing.  He will bring it to pass.

What Does God Want From Us?

Micah 6:1-8

Going into a courtroom can often be an intimidating and nerve-wracking experience, especially if one is involved in a legal case.  Thankfully my experiences with any courtrooms have only been watching legal dramas on TV!  There have been a few times in Scripture where God has summoned His people into His divine courtroom, as He has a case against them.  Today’s Scripture from the Book of Micah is one of those passages.  Let’s see what the prophet Micah has to say.

Micah was a prophet in the southern Kingdom of Judah, and his ministry was from approximately 740 - 698 BC, and he was a contemporary of fellow prophets Isaiah, Amos, and Hosea.  Like his fellow prophets, he sought to call them back into a faithful relationship with Yahweh before irreversible judgment would fall.  In our passage today Micah gives a clear statement of what God truly desires from His people.

As our Scripture opens, we find ourselves in a courtroom as God is summoning His people to court.  God is not the one on trial.  Israel is.  But He graciously invited them to hear His case.  God is both judge and prosecutor.  He accused the people of being unfaithful to the covenant that they had made with Him.  Then the Lord called upon the mountains and hills as both an audience and as witnesses, waiting to hear the Lord’s accusations (vs. 1-2).  These ancient, immovable elements have “seen” Israel’s history.  They have been silent witnesses over the centuries of the many times that the people have turned aside and worshiped the pagan idols of the neighboring people.  They have seen how they have repeatedly broken His laws.  Furthermore, the mountains and foundations of the earth cannot be bribed or swayed as human witnesses often were.  The people's rebellion against Yahweh was not hidden.  Creation itself would testify against them.

God then asked the people a question - what have I done to you, that you have turned against Me?  (vs. 3).  He has been nothing but a kind, loving, generous, and forgiving God to them!  He reminded the people of how He had redeemed them from slavery in Egypt, gave them good, strong leaders, turned curses into blessings, and led them to the Promised Land (vs. 4-5).  God has only done good for them.  The fact that they turned away to paganism was not because of God’s failure to be a good God to them, but because of their own unfaithfulness.

God could ask the same question to us today.  “What have I done to you to make you turn away from Me?”  He could list countless blessings that He has bestowed upon us - life, health, daily provisions, etc. etc.  And yet we have strayed away from the Lord.  We don’t read our Bibles or worship Him as we should.  We disobey His Word, and instead choose to follow what the world says is right.

Israel responded to God’s accusations by bringing more and more offerings and sacrifices to the Temple (vs. 6-7).  They brought burnt offerings and sacrifices of thousands of rams and calves, and gallons upon gallons of oil.  They even considered offering something that the Lord actually forbade, that of the sacrifice of their firstborn.  They assumed that God wanted more “religion”, more ritual, and more sacrifices.  However God is not interested in external performances, or empty ceremonies, or lavish offerings without our obedience.  This is exactly what God said to King Saul when he brought sacrifices to the Lord, but continued to repeatedly disobey His commands (I Samuel 15:22).  To obey is better than sacrifice.

So what does God want from us?  The correct answer would be that He wants your heart (vs. 8).  God’s requirements are not hidden or mysterious.  He wants us to do justly.  We need to live our lives with integrity and to treat others fairly.  When we uphold righteousness in our daily life we reflect God’s own justice.

He also wants us to be merciful to others.  A Christian should delight in being kind, forgiving, and compassionate to others.  I know that I need all of the mercy I can get.  So if I want mercy for myself, I had better give mercy to others, as well (Matthew 5:7).  Lastly Micah said that God wants us to walk humbly with Him.  We should live in continual dependence on Him, rejecting pride and self-sufficiency, and having a personal relationship with Jesus.  This is not a verse that points to salvation by works.  Instead it describes the fruit of a heart that already has a saving relationship with Jesus, a natural outflow of a redeemed life.

In closing, let us examine our hearts to see if we are solely basing our relationship with God on empty rituals.  Attending church, giving, and acts of service do not please God if our heart is cold.  We should be treating our family, co-workers, and neighbors with fairness and honesty.  We also should look for opportunities to forgive, encourage others, and show kindness to those who may not deserve it.  Also, a humble walk with God keeps everything in balance.  Israel had forgotten about God’s goodness.  Let’s remember each day God’s faithfulness to us.