Our Beliefs : Sermons : Sermon Archive - 2005 : January 30, 2005
What Does the Lord Require of You?
Epiphany 4
It seems like you can't throw a stone in Hollywood these days without hitting a celebrity on trial for one thing or another. Late night comedians will never run out of material from the O. J. Simpson trial, but now you can add Michael Jackson or Martha Stewart or a whole host of others to the mix. There's even a show called Celebrity Justice whose sole purpose is to follow these trials. Apparently, we like to see the bad guys getting punished.
It's easy to make jokes about those who are getting what they deserve, as long as we're not the ones on trial. But then we need to remember God's Word that says, "Man is destined to die once, and then to face judgment." So one day we'll all be in the hot seat, on trial not because we broke man's law, but God's law. Micah brings us face to face with that fact when he asks, What does the Lord require of you?
In the words before us, God's patience had passed. He had babied his people Israel and pampered them and blessed them, asking only for love and obedience to him and worship of him in return. What he got was total neglect, disobedience and plain selfishness on their part. Frankly, God was tired of it. He wanted everyone to know about it, even the mountains and the hills. He says, "The LORD has a case against his people; he is lodging a charge against Israel. 'My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me.' " God's wrath was about to fall on his people, but he gave them a chance to speak their case. If they could prove that he was being unjust, he would relent.
Did you ever hear of Bertrand Russell? He was an outspoken atheist who claimed he became an atheist when he read what Jesus said about the reality of hell in the Bible. Evidently he wanted a God who would never become angry or punish anyone. Don't we hear that a lot today? "I don't want to believe in a God who would send people to hell. I won't believe in a God who punishes people." Imagine a God like that. It would be like having a judge preside over a gruesome murder case in which the man had all the evidence against him -- he's guilty, plain and simple. But then the judge would say, "Now that wasn't very nice, was it? Look at the family of the victim you murdered. They're devastated. And you took away a person's life. But I'm a nice guy. I'll let you go, but try not to murder anyone anymore, OK?" Would you call that a good judge? I don't think so. The same thing applies to God and his law. That law says, "Love God. Love your neighbor." So, basically, any violation of that law means that we've hurt someone -- and we should pay. The Bible says, "Each of us will give an account of himself before God." With the threat of us being on trial for our violation of God's laws, suddenly, loving God and loving our neighbor isn't just an afterthought.
With Israel, obeying God had become an afterthought. Micah recounts for the Israelites their history under God when he saved them from slavery in Egypt (even though they complained about it), gave them good leaders in Moses and Aaron and Miriam (even though they complained about them), turned curses of enemy nations into blessings (even though they didn't trust him), and led his people into the promised land (even though they had worshiped false gods). Time after time, they had failed in living up to their end of the bargain of the covenant. But time after time, God remained faithful to his end of it. The people focused on the physical things in their lives and forgot about the spiritual, like forgetting where their physical blessings came in the first place, like going through the motions of worship but not having their heart in it.
It's an open and shut case against Israel. But it's an open and shut case against us as well. Have we tested God's patience as they did? Have we lived for ourselves instead of for him? Have we been so blessed physically in our lives that we have forgotten the spiritual aspect of our lives and our connection to God as his people? Then we need to remember: the physical blessings we have, from houses and cars and clothes to independence and security and military might, all come from God's gracious hand. But more importantly, God gave us a gift that goes beyond all reason and imagining. Instead of giving us what we deserved, he sent his Son into this world to save us. His Son who had done nothing wrong, but was punished in our place for all the times we have cheapened God's place in our lives. Jesus suffered and died for every time we saw God's grace and forgiveness as something we could just be ho-hum about. He died for every time we've just gone through the motions of worshiping God, but our heart wasn't in it. On a hill just outside Jerusalem God's wrath rained on a lonely soul hanging on a cross. The Lord laid on [Jesus] the iniquity of us all -- all the disobedience, ingratitude, indifference... every sin of every shape and size, and then says: by his wounds you are healed. God's righteous wrath against us was diverted to his Son. God's punishment which we deserved was suffered by Jesus. Because of that God forgave us, cleared us of all wrongdoing, cancelled our debt of sin.
That's what God requires of us -- a good memory to remember his grace, his love, his mercy, his gift of eternal life and forgiveness of our every sin as well as every other blessing he's given us. But he doesn't just want us to have a good memory -- he wants us to use it.
Jesus said, "Don't just listen to the Word. Do what it says." Instead of half-hearted worship or lethargic living for him or going through the motions, God has a different plan for our lives. Micah says, "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."
You're not being just when you only focus on the bad things in people. We act justly when we don't focus on those faults of our spouse, but instead we see clearly all the blessings God has showered on us through our spouse. And then we are amazed that he or she loves us in spite of who we are. So, if you're a husband or wife, instead of waking up grouchy because you have to go to work, rejoice that your spouse is there to cheer you. Instead of arguing with your spouse over small things, be happy that you have a spouse to argue with in the first place, and then change your arguing and fighting into building each other up. As a child you'll see the great things your parents do for you instead of the minor things that get you frustrated with them, and then also realize that maybe -- just maybe -- they have in mind what's best for you. If you're not married, you'll treat your friends this way, instead of focusing on their faults, you'll help bring out the best in them.
The second thing that the Lord requires of us is that we love mercy -- recognize Jesus payed a debt he didn't owe to satisfy a debt we couldn't pay. I read about a handkerchief made of very valuable material that was ruined by an indelible ink blot. The owner could no longer display her prized possession. In her sorrow, she showed it to a famous artist who took it and with remarkable skill made that ugly ink blot the center of a beautiful design. That handkerchief was now more valuable than before.
God our Maker faced a problem like that, but his problem was much greater. He had to take us, in Adam created perfect but now stained black by our own sins, and make us clean once again. Through the cross, our gracious God, the supreme artist, took ruined sinners and covered us with the beauty of Christ's holiness. When the Holy Spirit convinces us of the cross and its truth, we are not only totally forgiven but transformed, made into the Creator's prized possessions. That's what Paul meant when he said, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation...the old has gone, the new has come." You attitude is new then, too. Just as God had mercy on you, you will do the same with others. Instead of amassing all kinds of wealth on this earth, you'll see that you want to use it to help those less fortunate than you. You'll look for opportunities to share the mercy you know with others. You'll let mercy and forgiveness permeate your entire being.
That brings us to the last thing the Lord requires of us: "to walk humbly with your God." Alex Haley of Roots fame, when he was still alive, he kept a picture in his office of a turtle sitting on a fence post. That picture reminded him of a truth he learned as a child: If you see a turtle sitting on a fence post, you know he had some help. Haley said, "Whenever I started thinking, 'Look what I have done,' that picture reminds me I had lots of help." That fits us. When we think of what we are -- forgiven, headed for heaven, friends of God instead of enemies -- it reminds us that we had more than help. We needed some one to do the whole thing. It was Jesus Christ.
A proper response toward him is humble obedience to his holy law, to walk with God, not to run ahead on our own thinking we have all the answers and don't need God, or to fall behind because we're distracted with life. Remember Enoch? He was one of two people in this world who didn't die, but was taken directly to heaven. It wasn't because he was better than anyone else. It was simply because he "walked with God." That's all the Bible says. What a beautiful way to show how Enoch loved to be around God, do what God would have him do, and especially trust in God for his salvation. What a beautiful way to describe us when we are gone -- he or she walked with God.
Usually when you get older, your memory starts to go. Hopefully, it will be the opposite with us spiritually. As we continue to live in this world, we'll continue to see what God has done and is still doing for us. Then let's not just remember it, but marvel at it, and put it to use in our lives. Amen.
