Micah No.5 Life Necessities

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

Micah chapter 5, and we're going to start where the heading is Deliverance and Destruction, which is just at the end or beginning of verse 5 really. Alright, all found it. When the Assyrian invades our land and marches through our fortresses, we will raise against him seven shepherds, even eight leaders of men.

They will rule the land of Assyria with the sword, the land of Nimrod with drawn sword. He will deliver us from the Assyrian when he invades our land and marches into our borders. The remnant of Jacob will be in the midst of many peoples like dew from the Lord, like showers on the grass which do not wait for man or linger for mankind.

The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations in the midst of many peoples like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep which mauls and mangles as it goes and no one can rescue. Your hand will be lifted up in triumph over your enemies and all your foes will be destroyed. In that day, declares the Lord, I will destroy your horses from among you and demolish your chariots.

I will destroy the cities of your land and tear down all your strongholds. I will destroy your witchcraft and you will no longer cast spells. I will destroy your carved images and your sacred stones from among you.

You will no longer bow down to the work of your hands. I will uproot from among you your Assyrian poles and demolish your cities. I will take vengeance in anger and wrath upon the nations that have not obeyed me.

Listen to what the Lord says. Stand up. Plead your case before the mountains.

Let the hills hear what you have to say. Hear, O mountains, the Lord's accusation. Listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth, for the Lord has a case against his people.

He is lodging a charge against Israel. My people, what have I done to you? Have I burdened you? Answer me. I brought you up out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery.

I sent Moses to lead you and Aaron and Miriam. My people, remember what Balaam, king of Moab, counseled and what Balaam, son of Beor, answered. Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.

With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 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. Amen.

What does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly with your God. So, with what shall I come before the Lord? Verse 6. Verse 8. 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.

God does speak today. Look at the first verse. Listen to what the Lord says.

There are so many voices. So much clamoring for our attention on the radio as a result of the variety of media that we have today. But the antennae of your mind, the aerial, should be directed towards the voice of God.

He speaks through his Word. He speaks through his world. He speaks through the witness of his Spirit.

The problem is not that God is silent, for he is a talking God. The difficulty is that sometimes our ears are deaf, not as a result of a natural disorder, but spiritually speaking, as a result of us putting our hands against our ears and refusing to respond to that hidden voice of conscience. Listen to what the Lord says.

When the beloved Christ was on earth, three times what the Hebrews called the bath coal was heard. That's a very refined term. It refers to the breaking of the silence by the voice of God.

Twice definitely, once possibly, God interrupted the ministry of his Son. Here is John. He plunges the Christ in the waters of the Jordan.

He lifts him up and then you hear the bath coal, the voice of the Lord God Almighty. This is my beloved Son. Hear him.

And then on the Mount of Transfiguration. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. God at sundry times and in divest fashion.

Remember the lovely language of the Authorized Version, Hebrews chapter 1. Hath spoken to us in times past by the prophets, by the patriarchs. Hath in these days spoken to us by his Son. Listen to what God says.

For God has an indictment to bring against his church. Here in a very dramatic fashion, in the most skillful of language, we are brought to attention immediately as we think in terms of a court case. The plaintiff, the one who is bringing the allegation is none other than God himself.

And the court is not the sequestered court of Worthing or Chichester for the magistrate's dealings or for the local Caesar's case. The court is in the open air. Stand up, plead your case before the mountains.

Let the hills hear what you have to say. Hear, O mountains, the Lord's accusation. Listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth.

It's strange, isn't it? You read the first two verses and there's no reference made to the one who's on trial. God is speaking. There is something that puzzles the divine heart.

And he speaks to the age-old mountains. The word mountain in the Hebrew language means the established ones. You remember that great hymn that we sometimes sing? O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come.

It speaks also of the mountains. Before the hills in order stood on earth, all earth received her frame. From everlasting you are God, to endless years the same.

The mountains are not eternal, but they were there at the beginning of time. The silent spectators on human tragedy. And God appeals to the mountains.

And he says, look and listen. Let the hills hear what God has to say. For the Lord has a case.

We're narrowing it down. To whom is the ticket directed? Who is being ushered into this court of nature for the mountains to spectate on the event? Can it be that God would accuse his people? I mean, if you are one of God's people, then are you not secure through time and on into eternity? Born as a descendant of Abraham, does that not mean that because you're a Jew, there is no need for you to be worried about how you live, how you behave? You know the answer to that question is a negative. You read the second chapter of this prophecy.

And Micah is saying the same thing time and time again. But it's not the Jews. Not in the ethnic sense.

It's Christian people. Called in the New Testament the Israel of God. God has a case against his people.

There's repetition here. He is lodging a charge against Israel. When Scripture says something once, take heed.

When Scripture says something twice, then you should be on double alert. My people. Verse 3. One liberal but spiritual commentator says on this, This one tender word contains a whole volume of reproof.

My people. You get it in the prophecy of Jeremiah, don't you? What dear old Alan Redpath, who some of you will remember of Keswick fame and Duke Street Baptist Church, Richmond, and Moody Church, Chicago. He says that in the prophecy of Jeremiah, there is a point at which you hear the heartache of God.

Jeremiah chapter 2, verse 13. My people have committed two sins. They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water.

Verse 32. Does a maiden forget her jewelry? On the bridal occasion, would the bride come down the aisle without her wedding garments? Yet my people have forgotten me days without number. My people.

You know, the incredible thing about the heart of God is this. It's almost human. Let me refine that point.

It is human as humanity was ideally. You see, when God made man in the beginning, he fashioned him in his own image. That means to say that men and women at best, they respond in the way that God responds.

God is not a dispassionate being. I remember once debating the character of God at one of our universities. The whole idea of God being impersonal is foreign to the Old and to the New Testament.

When you go into the New Testament, you discover you can grieve the Holy Spirit. I know I can grieve you, and perhaps if I have down 20 years, then I should apologize. We can cause one another grief.

We can cause one another pain. But here is not an ordinary person speaking. This is the divine being.

My people. Follow it through. What have I done to you? Which one of you convicts me of sin? You hear the echo in the New Testament, don't you? Is there anything that I did that was wrong? Now, this is not a husband estranged from his wife speaking.

Or a wife who has grieved her husband unwittingly talking. This is the Lord God Almighty. Is there anything that I did? You mountains who have been here since the beginning of time.

You who have seen all my activity on this earth. You give witness to anything that I did that was so harmful, my people could have been justified in acting the way that they have. Did you know that one of the symbols of the Jewish people, if you like one of the emblems, is the vineyard or the vine.

Sometimes in the Old Testament in a very beautiful fashion, when the Jewish people are referred to, they are called God's vine. He puts the grapes in a vineyard. He restored his people to their own land.

And in a very wonderful, beautiful fashion in Isaiah chapter 5, it's all spelled out. What God has done for his children. And then when you get to the fourth verse, he says, what more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it.

Do you remember how the Apostle Paul, when he's writing about the excellences of our Lord Jesus, and saying in the eighth chapter of the Roman epistle, how the Lord went to the cross of Calvary for us. God's great gift. God's great move towards humankind.

He uses this argument. And there's no way in which you can gainsay his point. You can't disprove it.

He says, if God did that for us, what more could he do? He who has spared not his only son. He who allowed the Christ to come to the butchery of Calvary. What more could he do? It's a rhetorical question.

I mean by that, smuggled into the question itself is the only obvious answer. He couldn't do any more. I'm always amazed.

I've been preaching from this book for so many years. I'm amazed at the effect it has on me when I preach. And I'm also amazed at the way that the gospel is compacted within the Old Testament.

Go back to verse 3. How have I burdened you? Answer me. Now remember I taught you the other Sunday. That history is split into two categories.

There is the history which God permits. And there is the history which God promotes. There are times when he moves on to the stage of history in a remarkable fashion.

As with the advent of our blessed Lord. That's the easiest example. But there are other occasions too when he moves in a dramatic fashion.

And then it seems for centuries he steps back and he allows man to progress or regress in whatever way he likes. But he's still in control. Now here is God referring to his promotions.

Not his permissions. Look, he says, verse 4. Go down memory lane. I brought you up out of Egypt.

There you were. Like slaves. Indeed you were slaves.

I heard the cries. I heard the groanings. And I brought you out.

Not just out of Egypt. But I brought you up. To the promised land.

Now the deliverance from Egypt was so mega. So important in the estimation of the Hebrews. That they always look back to this physical act of deliverance.

As being the sort of pivot demonstrating the tremendous love that God has for them. In other words, this is what I'm arguing. That in the Old Testament, the deliverance from Egypt.

The opening up of the Red Sea. Is equivalent to, in degree. The death of our Lord on the cross.

And the mighty resurrection. You see this is our great salvation isn't it. And we glory in it.

Our hymns are almost all totally dedicated to this one event. And rightly so. But in the Old Testament.

It was the physical redemption of Israel. God promoting. God sending Moses.

God enabling the people to move from a life of slavery. And bringing them not just out of Egypt. But up to the promised land.

No longer slaves. But sons. I have done that for you.

And for the church. So much more. What more can he do.

For you. You see when the Israelites were led away from Egypt. They were not without leaders were they.

I sent Moses verse 4. I sent Aaron. I sent Miriam. Whenever you find in the Old Testament.

The recounting of the deliverance from Egypt. You'll always find. At least you'll often find.

That there is an acknowledgement too of the leadership. It's the same with the church. God has set in his church some apostles.

Some prophets. Some pastors. Some teachers.

For the up building of the church. For its edification. He doesn't just release us.

Into the wilderness. Not just out of Egypt. But up to the church.

Not to a state of anarchy. But to one of divine organization. Somebody said to me.

Why don't I preach on what occupied church houses attention during the last few days. The answer basically is this. Because I felt that they spent most of their time asking and answering questions.

Which were not terribly important. They were debating. Whether women can become priests.

Could not somebody have asked them to debate the question. What is a priest? You are a royal priesthood. A holy nation.

It wasn't just John Calvin who said that. It wasn't just Martin Luther. It was the apostle Peter.

Filled with the Holy Spirit. We're all priests before the Lord. If we're part of the peculiar people that is known as the church.

And within the church are placed men and women who have a variety of gifts. And the question is not can a woman become a priest. But what is a priest.

And more fundamental to that. What is the gospel. And how are we proclaiming the gospel in the 20th century.

And should a church have within its so called clergy. Those who are denying the very fabric of the Christian faith. Now this is not some ranta from the so called bible belt that was on the south coast.

When God brings Moses and Miriam and Aaron. Into the community. To lead the community.

He gives them an understanding of who he is. They're committed to the Decalogue. The Ten Commandments.

When the apostles preach the gospel. They are committed to the faith. If they renege on the faith they're not apostles.

If they're not telling the truth. Then they're not ordained of God. These are the fundamental issues you see.

And this is why sometimes not just the established church. But a lot of organized so called christened. Leaves me feeling somewhat sick and upset.

We attend to secondary and third issues. And we miss the most important things. My people remember.

Remember what? Well you see God is still dealing with his promotions. He leads the people out of Egypt. He brings them into the wilderness.

He's going to take them up to the promised land. But towards the end of the sojourn of 40 odd years. There's a difficulty as a result of a man called Balak.

Who was the king of Moab. And someone called Balaam. And Balak.

He wants Balaam to curse the Hebrews. And stop them coming through his land. And on into the promised land.

You can read the whole exciting story in the book of numbers. And the second chapter. Or rather the 22nd chapter.

And God he steps in. And he causes Balaam not to curse but to bless Israel. And we are reminded again.

Of the way, look at the latter part of verse 5. The way the Israelites, when they got to the threshold of the promised land. They had to leave Shittim. Which was the last point before the river Jordan.

And they cross over the Jordan to Gilgal. Which is the first town in the promised land. Now those of you who know the story are aware.

That there is a miraculous opening of the Jordan. I preached on that some weeks ago one Wednesday night. Get the tape if this part of Hebrew history interests you.

The fact is that God led these people into the promised land. He miraculously preserved them. Not just out of Egypt.

Not just the opening of the Red Sea. But those years in the wilderness. And then when they had the hostility of Balak king of Moab.

When they had the difficulties encompassed with Shittim and Gilgal. Then God delivered his people. Remember he says.

Remember this twice in verse 5. Recall what I have done. Now do you do this? I didn't take you on that historical excursion for nothing. You see these great deliverances in the Old Testament.

I repeat. Are much more wonderful in the New Testament. The deliverance of the people of God.

You take a piece of bread. You take wine. You eat the bread.

You drink the wine. Why are you doing this? Well our beloved Lord says. You do it in remembrance of me.

You recall what I have done for you. This becomes if you like central to your thinking. And as a result of getting the specific gravity of your life right.

Then the rest falls into position. But if you don't do that. If you forget this God.

If you refuse to treat him as your sovereign Lord. And act as though he was not. You are not his people.

Part of his people. Then you hurt him. Look at the last part of verse 5. That you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.

It's very difficult to get that actually into the English from the Hebrew. What he is really saying is. How much more do I need to tell you? How many more examples do I have to give? And you would think that that would have humbled.

Those who have been brought to book. Those who are exposed. With the amphitheater of the mountains.

Being the setting for this court case. But no. Man in his pride.

The church in an unhumbled condition. Decides to take God on. With what shall I come before the Lord? Haven't I done enough? I'm in church on a Sunday morning.

I pay my tithes or nearly. I do this. I do that.

Aren't the externals of my religious practices. Aren't they sufficient for you? What do you want? Shall I come before you with burnt offerings? With calves a year old? Shall I bring a holocaust of sacrifices to you? Do you want gallons and gallons of oil? Do I have to do what Solomon did? And bring you 20,000 calves and 150,000 sheep on one occasion? Is that what you want? Oh the arrogance of man. You say you've never spoken like that.

I don't believe it. You may not have spoken in those words. But it's not the words.

It's the principle you see. Any man who argues against this God and says I have every right to live the way that I'm living. I've done this.

I pitch into that church on a Sunday morning. You know I believe in prayer. But well ok.

I bypass the prayer meetings. I'm not really too involved at that level. But I do enough.

You know. You know Lord it's me. It's alright for the rest of them.

But me I've got a little portfolio all on my own. Now I speak with satire. But you're intelligent people.

You understand what I'm getting at. You can accept and react to the corrective or not as you please. My job is to expose the scripture.

And in so doing expose myself and expose you. Look the argument gets even more vicious. Would it please you if I took the firstborn of my womb.

Like the pagan nations are doing. And like two Israel kings are doing. Would that satisfy you? And Micah speaks on behalf of almighty God.

And when a preacher speaks on behalf of God. Only fools refuse to listen and respond. He has shown you oh man what is good.

You don't need more knowledge. You don't you know. Some of you here know the gospel inside out.

Back to front. Upside down. And all the rest of the contortions that you could pull it into.

The Christian church is not defective for knowledge. It's defective on obedience. God levels the one who dares to argue with him.

Oh man. He goes back to the original name of man. He cuts him down to size.

He has shown you what is good. Time and time again. The Israelites rejected the good.

You go to the prophecy of Hosea. You'll find that they're doing that all the time. And Hosea makes it quite clear.

Quite plain. That he has an argument against the Israelites in his time. And he's almost a contemporary of Micah.

Because the good. The good has been rejected. Hosea chapter 6 and verse 4 and onwards.

You'll find there reference to. I can't just alight on it but it's in that chapter. Reference to the good being rejected by Israel.

Time and time again. God offers what is the way ahead for his children. And time and time again they reject it.

Our blessed Lord Jesus makes it quite clear. That he has come into this world to show what the good is. I am the way, the truth and the life.

He that comes to the father must come through me. What is the responsibility of the Israelite people? What is the responsibility of the church? Well the prophet makes it very clear. He's shown you what is good.

What does the Lord require of you? Well to act justly. To love mercy. To walk humbly before your God.

As for justly. Well to show to others something of what you believe. By the way that you conduct your own life.

There has to be a careful walk with God. As for mercy. Mercy and loyalty are almost the same.

Loyalty towards God and his cause in such a fashion. That when you see those who are impoverished. And you have more than you require.

Then you attend to their needs. What does the Lord require of you? To walk humbly with him. The blessed Lord Jesus on one occasion envisages people coming to a church like this.

And they're going to engage in the cultus. That means in the ritual of worship. There will be songs.

In their case it was psalms. There will be certain practices. And our Lord said this.

Look. Before you dare to open your mouth. Go to the brother that you have offended.

Put right with the beggar that you have passed. What you owe. Deal with things.

From Monday to Saturday. And then with clear conscience come. And worship me.

You see you can't fob God off. With religious practices. He might want your religious practice.

But it's secondary to wanting yourself. He has shown you. You know what the Lord requires of you.

To walk humbly before him. Interested more in righteousness than ritual. In other words.

To make your body a living sacrifice. Wholly acceptable unto him. We started with propositions.

I finish by nailing them again. God does speak. Through his word.

Through his world. Through his witness. God has expectations.

Of you. And me. God has left nobody.

Listen. Nobody. Again.

Nobody. In Worthing Tabernacle. In the dark.

You all know. You will not be judged. For what you don't know.

But for what you do know. What is God asking of you? Simply. Yourself.

Totally. Completely. Your commitment.

Is there anything more that God could have done. To have made his case. More watertight.

Than he has. And the answer is. No.

Then stop grieving him. And in this world. Surrounded perhaps not by mountains.

But by the hilly downs. Live out the rest of your life. In Worthing or elsewhere.

To his praise. To his glory. That is what God wants.

Of you. Let's sing. 498.

Oh God our help in ages past. Our hope for years to come. Lord we want to thank you.

We do know. We do know what you are saying to us. We have no charge to bring against you.

Only the gratitude and the penitence of our hearts. Receive them Lord. May this message be a corrective if in any area we are defective.

And help us to realize that when you were talking to the people through Micah years ago. Yours was a restorative word and not a word of judgment. Restore us to the place that we should be at spiritually.

And go on to enhance your work through us. By pouring your spirit upon us. Lord send us on our way rejoicing.

Knowing the blessing of almighty God. And hear our prayers for this sin stained world and for this troubled country. In the name of the Father.

And the Son and the Holy Ghost. And all the people of God send. Amen.

Good morning. God bless you. Amen.