Commitment: A path to fulfillment! - Micah 7:1-7, 18-20
Commitment: A path to fulfillment! - Micah 7:1-7, 18-20
By Pastor Lee Hemen
July 14, 2013 AM
"Jim" is a committed Christian who works in a large real estate office. He has been reprimanded more than once by management for being "too candid" about problems with the properties, he shows. Most of Jim’s fellow workers either are not Christians or are spiritually shallow. He does not join their conversations about movies because they usually discuss movies he avoids due to their content. He is not invited nor does he want to join them after work at the local bar. Because of his commitment to Christ, he feels lonely and isolated in this ungodly environment. Jim shared his frustrations with his pastor, who suggested he join a men’s support group that met each week for encouragement. Jim agreed and there he found other men who shared his frustration at their places of work.
Does anything in your work environment cause you difficulty as a Christian? If so, how do you handle it? Christians increasingly find themselves living and working in an ungodly and immoral culture. Government, educational institutions, and media do not support a Christian worldview. Some Christians surrender to the temptation to compromise their faith in order to advance or just get along with their unspiritual companions. Others make a conscious decision to live faithfully for Christ no matter what the cost financially or socially. In today’s passage, Micah gives us an apt description of being a godly man in an ungodly culture. Micah succeeded in resisting the temptations of his day, and through commitment to the Lord, he was effective in the ministry God called him to accomplish Let’s discover how Micah could remain committed to God in an ungodly world.
READ: Micah 7:1-7, 18-20
Micah lamented the increase in wickedness in his culture. The numbers of people disobedient to the Lord increased and the magnitude of their sins increased. Micah described a society growing more and more violent. People treated one another as animals of prey. The prophet also lamented the lack of order in society and the corruption of officials who failed to uphold justice. Micah found a path to fulfillment in a…
I. Depressing Culture (Mic. 7:1-6)
1. Micah laments, "What misery is mine! I am like one who gathers summer fruit at the gleaning of the vineyard; there is no cluster of grapes to eat, none of the early figs that I crave." Micah expressed his personal experience as a godly prophet living in a nation that had turned away from God. He knew that "The godly have been swept from the land; not one upright man remains. All men lie in wait to shed blood; each hunts his brother with a net." Fellowship and friendship are based on shared values. Micah’s commitment to the Lord isolated him from the disobedient citizens of Judah where he lived. They would not repent and join him in obeying the Lord, and he would not compromise his loyalty to God and join them. Micah, like many godly individuals in a corrupt society, lived a lonely and isolated life. Micah described a violent society where the wicked preyed on the helpless like animals. Their sins were premeditated as they waited in ambush to shed blood. They used deception to catch their unwary victims. The word for net refers to a device used by hunters. Wicked predators lured victims with temptations and false promises that appealed to the sinful nature. He confessed, "The best of them is like a brier, the most upright worse than a thorn hedge. The day of your watchmen has come, the day God visits you. Now is the time of their confusion." Micah even related that they should not "trust a neighbor" or to "put no confidence in a friend." Even families could not be trusted, "For a son dishonors his father, a daughter rises up against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man's enemies are the members of his own household." The breakdown of morals in society inevitably leads to a breakdown of order in the family and vice-versa. Each feeds on the other in a vicious cycle. Wow! What a totally depressing culture!
EXAMPLE: Micah’s description of his culture reflects the current direction and characteristics of our own society. For example, many in the secular academic world promote theories or philosophies opposed to biblical precepts. Many in secular entertainment continue to challenge biblical authority and truth through glorification of sin and depravity. When unsaved and unspiritual people control the culture, virtues are despised and vices are praised. Godly Christians increasingly are isolated and criticized for their convictions concerning these and other important issues of today. Christians also face personal morality issues in the world of business. Abstaining from alcohol amid its widespread use for entertaining and socialization is certainly one challenge. Also, Christians are sometimes pressured to participate in immoral conversations or acts by others. The pressure to get along with others can wear down even faithful believers. Christians today need to realize the pressure they feel from the world to compromise their convictions is not new. Godly men and women have faced similar temptations throughout history. We are facing an old challenge that Jesus warned us about. He told us a world that hated Him also would hate us (John 15:18). We must be careful to follow His command to be in the world but not of the world (John 17:15-16) We can find fulfillment in a depressing culture when we follow God!
Micah also condemned religious leaders who failed to act as watchmen and warn the people of the coming judgment from God. Selfishness and sin destroyed the natural affections of friends and family. In fact, it was replaced by betrayal and conflict. Micah, however, pledged loyalty to God and obedience to His Word. He spoke as if the judgment on Judah already had occurred. He predicted not only God's judgment but also a future restoration when the people would turn their hearts to repent and obey the Lord. Micah found a path to fulfillment by making a…
II. Determined Choice (Mic. 7:7)
1. "But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD," Micah pronounced, "I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me." In a depressing culture, Godly people "wait for God." Faithful believers today can identify with Micah. He too faced cultural pressure and temptation to conform to low standards. "But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD," signaled he would continue a course of faithfulness despite the moral defectors around him. Micah’s pledge of obedience to the Lord is similar to the statement by Joshua that he and his family would serve the Lord no matter what choices those in his audience made, "But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:15 NIV) In the course of biblical and church history, many faithful saints have had to stand alone or with a small minority. The standards of political and religious leaders in Micah’s day had been lowered, but he did not follow them. He knew he was accountable to the Lord. The phrase "I wait for God my Savior" expresses Micah’s abiding faith and hope. Evil people were having their way for the moment, but the prophet knew their time of judgment was coming. God’s wrath would be on the wicked, but God would bring salvation to the righteous. The phrase "my God will hear me" reveals Micah was a man of intense and persistent prayer. He called on the Lord for strength and help in those difficult days. Micah determined to choose to follow God no matter what the world did.
EXAMPLE: Christians today face powerful pressures to conform to the evil practices of this world. As just noted, Christians in the business world are often asked to take actions that are either illegal or unethical. Also, Christian singles are tempted to stop waiting for a godly mate and settle for immoral behavior or an unspiritual spouse. Gambling, profanity, pornography, and greed are representative of the bait Satan often places in his traps for Christians. Paul urged believers to surrender their bodies as living sacrifices and warned that since they served God they were not to conform to the world (Romans 12:1-2). Faithful Christians today can take courage from heroes like Micah who stood firm in faith against the temptations of an ungodly society. We know the importance of church and Christian friendships. We should seek out others who will encourage us to stand firmly for God’s principles. We must be willing to do what is right, however, even if we stand alone in doing so. The choice is ours.
Micah concludes the chapter by calling on the Lord to shepherd the people of Israel. The prophet asked the Lord to deliver them as He had delivered the people from slavery in Egypt. Micah prophesied that the nations who opposed a regenerated Israel would be humbled and forced to submit to the Lord. Micah marveled at the grace of God in forgiving sinners and praised God for His faithfulness and loyal love for His people. In finding his path of fulfillment, Micah had a…
III. Distinct Confidence (Mic. 7:18-20)
1. Micah knew that when God returned and redeemed his people the nations that had subjugated them would "be ashamed, deprived of all their power. They will lay their hands on their mouths and their ears will become deaf." In fact, "They will lick dust like a snake, like creatures that crawl on the ground." Micah reminds his listeners that there was no God like his Lord. He related, "Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy." Micah did not imply the Lord would not judge His nation. He knew a devastating punishment would come, but he also knew the Lord would forgive His people when they repented. The blessings of mercy and forgiveness would be experienced by the remnant of His inheritance. Micah praises God by stating, "You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea." depicts God as a conquering Warrior who tramples our sins underfoot. We cannot defeat sin through our efforts. Only the Lord can destroy our sins and defeat Satan, who encourages us to sin. Only the Lord can give us power and victory over the sinful nature within all of us. Micah pictured the Lord taking our sins and casting them into the depths of the sea! Micah closed his prophecy with praise to the Lord for His loyalty and faithful love to Jacob and Abraham, who represented the nation that descended from them. "You will be true" literally refers to the attribute of truth and stability in God’s nature. The word translated "mercy" also emphasizes God’s faithfulness to His covenant promises. Together God’s loyalty and love provided the basis for Micah’s hope about the future. The prophet was confident the Lord would restore His people after the devastating judgment. Micah knew his own faithfulness would be rewarded because of God’s faithfulness in fulfilling His promises. Micah knew God to "be true to Jacob." God had always shown "mercy to Abraham" because God had "pledged on oath to (their) fathers in days long ago." In his path to fulfillment, Micah had confidence in his God!
EXAMPLE: Christians today have a more complete understanding than Micah did of God’s mercy and forgiveness. We know what God did in the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus defeated Satan and makes possible the removal of our sins by God’s grace and through our faith. Wise Christians know the pleasures of this world are fleeting and that God will discipline believers who succumb to its temptations. We can live confidently knowing God will reward those who remain faithful. We know that Jesus Christ will return to bring all His people into His glorious kingdom that will never end. In our commitment to God our fulfillment comes from our confidence in Him!
Conclusion:
1. We can persevere in living for the Lord even though rampant violence, selfishness, greed, corruption, and disloyalty may depress us.
2. We can persevere in living for the Lord by choosing to wait patiently for His help.
3. We can persevere in living for the Lord by confidently and consistently praising Him for who He is and what He is doing.
---
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Pastor Lee Hemen has been the outspoken pastor of the same church for 27 years in Vancouver, WA. He writes regularly on spirituality and conservative causes and maintains several web blogs. This article is copyrighted © 2013 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.
By Pastor Lee Hemen
July 14, 2013 AM
"Jim" is a committed Christian who works in a large real estate office. He has been reprimanded more than once by management for being "too candid" about problems with the properties, he shows. Most of Jim’s fellow workers either are not Christians or are spiritually shallow. He does not join their conversations about movies because they usually discuss movies he avoids due to their content. He is not invited nor does he want to join them after work at the local bar. Because of his commitment to Christ, he feels lonely and isolated in this ungodly environment. Jim shared his frustrations with his pastor, who suggested he join a men’s support group that met each week for encouragement. Jim agreed and there he found other men who shared his frustration at their places of work.
Does anything in your work environment cause you difficulty as a Christian? If so, how do you handle it? Christians increasingly find themselves living and working in an ungodly and immoral culture. Government, educational institutions, and media do not support a Christian worldview. Some Christians surrender to the temptation to compromise their faith in order to advance or just get along with their unspiritual companions. Others make a conscious decision to live faithfully for Christ no matter what the cost financially or socially. In today’s passage, Micah gives us an apt description of being a godly man in an ungodly culture. Micah succeeded in resisting the temptations of his day, and through commitment to the Lord, he was effective in the ministry God called him to accomplish Let’s discover how Micah could remain committed to God in an ungodly world.
READ: Micah 7:1-7, 18-20
Micah lamented the increase in wickedness in his culture. The numbers of people disobedient to the Lord increased and the magnitude of their sins increased. Micah described a society growing more and more violent. People treated one another as animals of prey. The prophet also lamented the lack of order in society and the corruption of officials who failed to uphold justice. Micah found a path to fulfillment in a…
I. Depressing Culture (Mic. 7:1-6)
1. Micah laments, "What misery is mine! I am like one who gathers summer fruit at the gleaning of the vineyard; there is no cluster of grapes to eat, none of the early figs that I crave." Micah expressed his personal experience as a godly prophet living in a nation that had turned away from God. He knew that "The godly have been swept from the land; not one upright man remains. All men lie in wait to shed blood; each hunts his brother with a net." Fellowship and friendship are based on shared values. Micah’s commitment to the Lord isolated him from the disobedient citizens of Judah where he lived. They would not repent and join him in obeying the Lord, and he would not compromise his loyalty to God and join them. Micah, like many godly individuals in a corrupt society, lived a lonely and isolated life. Micah described a violent society where the wicked preyed on the helpless like animals. Their sins were premeditated as they waited in ambush to shed blood. They used deception to catch their unwary victims. The word for net refers to a device used by hunters. Wicked predators lured victims with temptations and false promises that appealed to the sinful nature. He confessed, "The best of them is like a brier, the most upright worse than a thorn hedge. The day of your watchmen has come, the day God visits you. Now is the time of their confusion." Micah even related that they should not "trust a neighbor" or to "put no confidence in a friend." Even families could not be trusted, "For a son dishonors his father, a daughter rises up against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man's enemies are the members of his own household." The breakdown of morals in society inevitably leads to a breakdown of order in the family and vice-versa. Each feeds on the other in a vicious cycle. Wow! What a totally depressing culture!
EXAMPLE: Micah’s description of his culture reflects the current direction and characteristics of our own society. For example, many in the secular academic world promote theories or philosophies opposed to biblical precepts. Many in secular entertainment continue to challenge biblical authority and truth through glorification of sin and depravity. When unsaved and unspiritual people control the culture, virtues are despised and vices are praised. Godly Christians increasingly are isolated and criticized for their convictions concerning these and other important issues of today. Christians also face personal morality issues in the world of business. Abstaining from alcohol amid its widespread use for entertaining and socialization is certainly one challenge. Also, Christians are sometimes pressured to participate in immoral conversations or acts by others. The pressure to get along with others can wear down even faithful believers. Christians today need to realize the pressure they feel from the world to compromise their convictions is not new. Godly men and women have faced similar temptations throughout history. We are facing an old challenge that Jesus warned us about. He told us a world that hated Him also would hate us (John 15:18). We must be careful to follow His command to be in the world but not of the world (John 17:15-16) We can find fulfillment in a depressing culture when we follow God!
Micah also condemned religious leaders who failed to act as watchmen and warn the people of the coming judgment from God. Selfishness and sin destroyed the natural affections of friends and family. In fact, it was replaced by betrayal and conflict. Micah, however, pledged loyalty to God and obedience to His Word. He spoke as if the judgment on Judah already had occurred. He predicted not only God's judgment but also a future restoration when the people would turn their hearts to repent and obey the Lord. Micah found a path to fulfillment by making a…
II. Determined Choice (Mic. 7:7)
1. "But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD," Micah pronounced, "I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me." In a depressing culture, Godly people "wait for God." Faithful believers today can identify with Micah. He too faced cultural pressure and temptation to conform to low standards. "But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD," signaled he would continue a course of faithfulness despite the moral defectors around him. Micah’s pledge of obedience to the Lord is similar to the statement by Joshua that he and his family would serve the Lord no matter what choices those in his audience made, "But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:15 NIV) In the course of biblical and church history, many faithful saints have had to stand alone or with a small minority. The standards of political and religious leaders in Micah’s day had been lowered, but he did not follow them. He knew he was accountable to the Lord. The phrase "I wait for God my Savior" expresses Micah’s abiding faith and hope. Evil people were having their way for the moment, but the prophet knew their time of judgment was coming. God’s wrath would be on the wicked, but God would bring salvation to the righteous. The phrase "my God will hear me" reveals Micah was a man of intense and persistent prayer. He called on the Lord for strength and help in those difficult days. Micah determined to choose to follow God no matter what the world did.
EXAMPLE: Christians today face powerful pressures to conform to the evil practices of this world. As just noted, Christians in the business world are often asked to take actions that are either illegal or unethical. Also, Christian singles are tempted to stop waiting for a godly mate and settle for immoral behavior or an unspiritual spouse. Gambling, profanity, pornography, and greed are representative of the bait Satan often places in his traps for Christians. Paul urged believers to surrender their bodies as living sacrifices and warned that since they served God they were not to conform to the world (Romans 12:1-2). Faithful Christians today can take courage from heroes like Micah who stood firm in faith against the temptations of an ungodly society. We know the importance of church and Christian friendships. We should seek out others who will encourage us to stand firmly for God’s principles. We must be willing to do what is right, however, even if we stand alone in doing so. The choice is ours.
Micah concludes the chapter by calling on the Lord to shepherd the people of Israel. The prophet asked the Lord to deliver them as He had delivered the people from slavery in Egypt. Micah prophesied that the nations who opposed a regenerated Israel would be humbled and forced to submit to the Lord. Micah marveled at the grace of God in forgiving sinners and praised God for His faithfulness and loyal love for His people. In finding his path of fulfillment, Micah had a…
III. Distinct Confidence (Mic. 7:18-20)
1. Micah knew that when God returned and redeemed his people the nations that had subjugated them would "be ashamed, deprived of all their power. They will lay their hands on their mouths and their ears will become deaf." In fact, "They will lick dust like a snake, like creatures that crawl on the ground." Micah reminds his listeners that there was no God like his Lord. He related, "Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy." Micah did not imply the Lord would not judge His nation. He knew a devastating punishment would come, but he also knew the Lord would forgive His people when they repented. The blessings of mercy and forgiveness would be experienced by the remnant of His inheritance. Micah praises God by stating, "You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea." depicts God as a conquering Warrior who tramples our sins underfoot. We cannot defeat sin through our efforts. Only the Lord can destroy our sins and defeat Satan, who encourages us to sin. Only the Lord can give us power and victory over the sinful nature within all of us. Micah pictured the Lord taking our sins and casting them into the depths of the sea! Micah closed his prophecy with praise to the Lord for His loyalty and faithful love to Jacob and Abraham, who represented the nation that descended from them. "You will be true" literally refers to the attribute of truth and stability in God’s nature. The word translated "mercy" also emphasizes God’s faithfulness to His covenant promises. Together God’s loyalty and love provided the basis for Micah’s hope about the future. The prophet was confident the Lord would restore His people after the devastating judgment. Micah knew his own faithfulness would be rewarded because of God’s faithfulness in fulfilling His promises. Micah knew God to "be true to Jacob." God had always shown "mercy to Abraham" because God had "pledged on oath to (their) fathers in days long ago." In his path to fulfillment, Micah had confidence in his God!
EXAMPLE: Christians today have a more complete understanding than Micah did of God’s mercy and forgiveness. We know what God did in the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus defeated Satan and makes possible the removal of our sins by God’s grace and through our faith. Wise Christians know the pleasures of this world are fleeting and that God will discipline believers who succumb to its temptations. We can live confidently knowing God will reward those who remain faithful. We know that Jesus Christ will return to bring all His people into His glorious kingdom that will never end. In our commitment to God our fulfillment comes from our confidence in Him!
Conclusion:
1. We can persevere in living for the Lord even though rampant violence, selfishness, greed, corruption, and disloyalty may depress us.
2. We can persevere in living for the Lord by choosing to wait patiently for His help.
3. We can persevere in living for the Lord by confidently and consistently praising Him for who He is and what He is doing.
---
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Pastor Lee Hemen has been the outspoken pastor of the same church for 27 years in Vancouver, WA. He writes regularly on spirituality and conservative causes and maintains several web blogs. This article is copyrighted © 2013 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.
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