Sometimes we need to reflect on what God has done in our past. This brings Him glory. Micah reminds the Israelites to do the same in our reading this morning.
Micah 6: The Indictment of the LORD
1 Hear what the LORD says: Arise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice.
2 Hear, you mountains, the indictment of the LORD, and you enduring foundations of the earth, for the LORD has an indictment against his people, and he will contend with Israel.
3 "O my people, what have I done to you? How have I wearied you? Answer me!
4 For I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
5 O my people, remember what Balak king of Moab devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the saving acts of the LORD."
What Does the LORD Require?
6 "With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?
7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?"
8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Destruction of the Wicked
9 The voice of the LORD cries to the city--- and it is sound wisdom to fear your name: "Hear of the rod and of him who appointed it!
10 Can I forget any longer the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is accursed?
11 Shall I acquit the man with wicked scales and with a bag of deceitful weights?
12 Your rich men are full of violence; your inhabitants speak lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.
13 Therefore I strike you with a grievous blow, making you desolate because of your sins.
14 You shall eat, but not be satisfied, and there shall be hunger within you; you shall put away, but not preserve, and what you preserve I will give to the sword.
15 You shall sow, but not reap; you shall tread olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil; you shall tread grapes, but not drink wine.
16 For you have kept the statutes of Omri, and all the works of the house of Ahab; and you have walked in their counsels, that I may make you a desolation, and your inhabitants a hissing; so you shall bear the scorn of my people."
Micah 7: Wait for the God of Salvation
1 Woe is me! For I have become as when the summer fruit has been gathered, as when the grapes have been gleaned: there is no cluster to eat, no first-ripe fig that my soul desires.
2 The godly has perished from the earth, and there is no one upright among mankind; they all lie in wait for blood, and each hunts the other with a net.
3 Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well; the prince and the judge ask for a bribe, and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul; thus they weave it together.
4 The best of them is like a brier, the most upright of them a thorn hedge. The day of your watchmen, of your punishment, has come; now their confusion is at hand.
5 Put no trust in a neighbour; have no confidence in a friend; guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms;
6 for the son treats the father with contempt, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house.
7 But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.
8 Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me.
9 I will bear the indignation of the LORD because I have sinned against him, until he pleads my cause and executes judgment for me. He will bring me out to the light; I shall look upon his vindication.
10 Then my enemy will see, and shame will cover her who said to me, "Where is the LORD your God?" My eyes will look upon her; now she will be trampled down like the mire of the streets.
11 A day for the building of your walls! In that day the boundary shall be far extended.
12 In that day they will come to you, from Assyria and the cities of Egypt, and from Egypt to the River, from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.
13 But the earth will be desolate because of its inhabitants, for the fruit of their deeds.
14 Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your inheritance, who dwell alone in a forest in the midst of a garden land; let them graze in Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old.
15 As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt, I will show them marvellous things.
16 The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might; they shall lay their hands on their mouths; their ears shall be deaf;
17 they shall lick the dust like a serpent, like the crawling things of the earth; they shall come trembling out of their strongholds; they shall turn in dread to the LORD our God, and they shall be in fear of you.
God's Steadfast Love and Compassion
18 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.
19 He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.
20 You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old.
Things to think about…
1. What has the Lord delivered you from in the past? For Israel it was from the Egyptians through the Red Sea and from the Moabites and the counsel of Balaam the son of Beor, Mic 6:1-5. Yet they had forgotten the Lord’s faithfulness. God has saved us, we are inheritors of heaven through Christ. Does it get any better than that? Rejoice!
2. Let’s never miss the point of our identity in Christ. God is less interested in sacrifices, offerings, oil or even our first-born. He wants us to reflect His character through justice, mercy and humility, Mic 6:8. These should be on display in ever increasing proportions. The interesting thing in all this is that the Lord gave His first-born and only Son Jesus to pay for our sin by His sacrifice on the cross. The only response is now “to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God”, Mic 6:8.
3. Consider Mic 6:9-16. The cultural sins that Amos spoke against are still an issue in Micah’s ministry to Israel. They oppress the poor, steal from one another, are corrupt and use dishonest measures of trade. They have followed the wicked examples of their kings Omri and Ahab from 100 years before. What are the wicked cultural influences that have been passed down to us in Australia from our spiritual and political leaders? Our politicians have a cultural religious Christianity by praying the Lord’s prayer before parliament, but how many take it to heart through faith? Very few by the evidence on display.
4. Micah asks where are the godly in the land? Like a farmer expecting grapes or figs in their season and finding none, Micah does not find the godly, Mic 7:1-6. The Lord Jesus quotes Mic 7:6 where the enemies of the Lord are those in his own house, Mt 10:36. Some honour Christ and others don’t, and it can divide families. Salvation only comes from the Lord, vs 7, therefore Micah will wait upon Him. Assyria is coming, vs 12, what should they do? God provides a way out through the Son that He offered up - Jesus. Israel today by and large still rejects Yeshua, their Saviour. Micah would see the devastation that cam via the Assyrians with taking the northern tribes in 722BC as well as the devastation of the Judean conquest. But he would also see Jerusalem’s deliverance under the faithfulness of King Hezekiah in 701BC. The ends times will see this same area of Iraq/Iran come against Israel. Very relevant considering the current posturing against Iran today.
5. Look at the promises that will come upon Israel. Mic 7:18-20. Our God is the same today as He was in Micah’s day. He is still “pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression”, vs 18. The promises to Abraham are only fulfilled in Christ. Abraham offered up his son Isaac as a type of Christ. This is how He will “cast all our sins into the depths of the sea”, Mic 7:19.
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Prayer points
1. Pray for the church in Australia that it focuses on Christ, His Word and holiness.
2. Pray for our leaders in Australia that they press in closer to Christ.
3. Pray for the people of Iran that they finally get their freedom from an oppressive regime
4. The Royal Commission that the Jewish people will feel safe in Australia.
5. One for Israel ministry.
6. Conflict zones – especially within Africa (Nigerian Christians murdered this week), Israel, Iran and Ukraine
7. Pray for new people to step into ministries at CBC – eg worship, café, sound/technical, giving, podcast.
8. Reform and Revival over our city and country.
9. Finances to cover our needs
10. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to increase.
Praise Points
1. Praise God for Doug’s message on Micah and the Lord’s blessing over our service on Sunday
2. Praise God for ministries – Life Groups, Prayer meetings, Kids@Church
3. Café team every week. Thankyou to all those who serve and bring food. Especially Fiona, Maddie and Suzy.
4. Worship, Admin and Technical teams – Nita, Brendon, AJ, Suzy, Maddie, Mathys, Doug.
5. Kids Church teachers – Jacqueline, Maddie, Elise, Anastacia and Fiona
6. The Lord’s faithfulness this year to CBC and all who have served in ministries
7. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Prayer meeting Wed 5:30pm at church
2. All Life Groups are back.
3. Kids@Church has started back
4. Members Meeting – After church on Sunday 22nd Feb
5. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
6. Tune in again this week on our YouTube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for February...
Q. 5. Did our Lord Jesus Christ ever sin? A. No; he was holy, blameless, and undefiled.
