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Mankind, He has told you what is good
and what it is the Lord requires of you:
to act justly,
to love faithfulness,
and to walk humbly with your God. [Micah 6:8 HCSB]
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Study notes
With every new series I teach, we share my personal study notes with the ATD gang (my affectionate name for all of us who learn and grow together via radio, books, video, or in person). Just recently, I was reminded that the notes had not been shared for my recently-completed sermon series on Micah 6:8.
To rectify that oversight, we are pasting them in below. May these prompt prayerful thought and great growth in each of us. Amen!
God bless,
Wayne
Use Your Powers for Good!
a call to virtuous living
Objective (what we hope to see God accomplish in us through the study):
That we do not grow weary in doing good.
Statements of the objective:
So follow the way of good people, and keep to the paths of the righteous. [Proverbs 2:20 HCSB]
But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good. [2 Thessalonians 3:13 NASB]
Fellow Elders, I think the church needs to follow Reformed (last year’s great theme), with a call to engage. We should focus on re-involvement in ministry, creation of new ministries, and putting our “money where our mouth is” in a general revival of volunteerism and growth in service. As we briefly covered in the Imagine series last year, we should concentrate on doing good in the congregation, in local politics, in our neighborhoods, schools, and workplaces, with the needy and those who don’t yet know their need for Christ.
– Dan Cox
Premise (why we are studying this):
Christians were for centuries known for doing good things – so much so that the delightful pejorative term “do-gooder” was often applied to followers of Jesus. As Western culture began to decay, Christians and their churches began to pull away from their biblical calling to good works. The reasons are manifold and fascinating to consider, but the bottom line is that Jesus’ people need to once again rise up and use their considerable powers for good.
Statements of the premise:
Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more. [Luke 12:48 ESB]
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. [Romans 12:21 ESB]
I think God sometimes uses completely inexplicable events in our lives to point us toward Him. We get to decide each time whether we will lean in toward what is unfolding or back away. The folks following Jesus in Galilee got to decide the same thing each day because there was no road map, no program, and no certainty. All they had was this person, an idea, and an invitation to come and see…God is always trying to save lives, and it seems like He usually uses the least likely people to do it. So the next time God asks you to do something that is completely inexplicable, something that you’re sure is a prank because it requires a decision or courage that’s way over your pay grade, something that might even save lives, say yes.
– Bob Goff, Love Does, 64-66.
Theme of the study (what the study is about):
Our default setting of selfishness combines with a world that craftily manipulates good intentions – and all the while Satan actively battles our discipleship. The result is that doing good is not always very easy. Thankfully, God’s Spirit makes us more than conquerors whose tombstones really can read, “This one used God’s empowerment for good.”
Statements of the theme:
Those who repay evil for good
attack me for pursuing good.
Lord, do not abandon me;
my God, do not be far from me.
Hurry to help me,
Lord, my Savior. [Psalm 38:20-22 HCSB]
I told them how the gracious hand of my God had been on me, and what the king had said to me. They said, “Let’s start rebuilding,” and they were encouraged to do this good work. [Nehemiah 2:18 HCSB]
Mankind, He has told you what is good
and what it is the Lord requires of you:
to act justly,
to love faithfulness,
and to walk humbly with your God. [Micah 6:8 HCSB]
[Micah 6:8 is] “the finest summary of the content of practical religion to be found in the OT.”
– J. M. P. Smith, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Books of Micah, ICC (Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1911), 123.
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October 12, 2017 | Act, Love, Walk
October 5, 2017 | To Walk Humbly With God
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Mankind, He has told you what is good
and what it is the Lord requires of you:
to act justly,
to love faithfulness,
and to walk humbly with your God. [Micah 6:8 HCSB]
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Humility in correct anthropology
Humility is a proper understanding of self. As a human, I am made in the image of God. Think about that. Every person is created in God’s image. There is enough glory in that truth to lift the heaviest head.
Of course, humankind is now tainted by sin. The image of God is defaced – not erased, but indeed defaced. And there is enough ugliness in that truth to lower the haughtiest eyes.
Further, as a believer in Christ, a person is redeemed. We are made children of God, not through any effort or quality of our own, but totally through the grace of God. As God’s child, the Christian has access to God and His wisdom. There is enough power in that truth to change a life forever.
Humility is recognizing all that and living accordingly.
Humility in a fascinating word
Look at Micah 6:8. The word we translate “humbly” is הַצְנֵ֥עַ whsn. This is a very specific and rather odd term for Micah to use. It only appears in one other place in the Bible. And this verb – used here as an adverb – has 3 extremely important aspects:
Think about that. Micah uses a very rare word to teach us what God wants. “Humbly” is a fine translation, so long as we understand that the humility God requires is active. Real humility actively seeks God’s understanding and then acts wisely as a result.
It’s an implied contrast. Our own heads are empty of genuine understanding – though we are so proud of them and pretend we are full of wisdom. But the humble person knows her own true emptiness. Therefore, she instead actively seeks God’s wisdom. That is true humility.
Paul carries this idea into a great humility text of the New Testament – Philippians 2 – which reads:
Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 2:3-5 NASB)
See the contrast? Empty conceit regards self as most important. Humility recognizes that we can have Jesus’mindset. We can cunningly act wisely according to Jesus’ understanding. The upshot is that we will have then the confidence and capacity to be like Jesus – seeing others as more important than ourselves.
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September 28, 2017 | Hesed
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Mankind, He has told you what is good
and what it is the Lord requires of you:
to act justly,
to love faithfulness,
and to walk humbly with your God. [Micah 6:8 HCSB]
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Hesed
I have recently been teaching Micah 6:8. The word we translate “faithfulness” (or lovingkindness or mercy) is the Hebrew term hesed. Here’s what I wrote in my notes as I was studying:
God’s short formula for goodness in Micah 6:8 includes loving חֶ֫סֶד hesed – in my opinion the most remarkable word ever coined in any language. Though translated faithfulness, mercy, or kindness, hesed is none of those; rather, it is a sense of all of them with an added conviction of moral obligation. It is a word that opens a brilliant window into the very character of God. Hesed is loyal lovingkindness that will not die. That is what I am called to love.
A beautiful example
If you would like to see a recent North Texas example of hesed, I recommend this link:
Fleshing it out
Hesed is committed love that is ever faithful. Studying the implications and applications of this command to love hesed, I developed a little acronym to help me live it out:
Honor commitments consistently.
Eliminate excuses for a disposable attitude.
Serve people as a personal ministry to God.
Ensure systems serve God & people.
Do not confuse enabling sin with hesed.
I pray that for us all – that we are lovers of and livers of hesed.
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August 31, 2017 | Call To All
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“So the king sent messengers and gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. The king went up to the LORD’s temple with all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, as well as the priests and the Levites-all the people from great to small. He read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant that had been found in the LORD’s temple.”
[2 Chronicles 34:29-30 HCSB]
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Greatest to the least
One of the most moving aspects of the reforms instituted by Judah’s king Josiah is that he issues a call to all. This is an incredibly important concept often missed in modern attempts at reform – whether of church, state, or society.
Too often, Christians only get excited about our opportunities to make an impact for Christ on the supposedly “important” people. Or we smugly leave out the VIPs because we falsely assume that the underprivileged are the only ones worthy of God’s attention. Instead, wouldn’t it be great if every person knew how to relate the Lord because we share the truth with the least & the greatest?
Massive opportunity
Just consider how great is the world’s need. According to the most comprehensive research we have – from Pew [http://religionnews.com/2015/04/02/future-map-religions-reveals-world-change-christians-muslims-jews/] – the world population is expected to grow by about 35% over the next 35 years. Just because of high birth rates, Islam is expected to become as populous as Christianity by that time, each having about 1/3 of the world’s people. That represents a huge opportunity that Christians must embrace.
As you know, in much of the world it is dangerous and even illegal to change one’s religion. This is especially true in China, India, and the Muslim countries. Therefore, the Pew research cannot take into account the amazing work being done by God – bringing millions to trust Jesus in those places. But much more remains to be accomplished.
And in my country, America, the opportunities will be great. It’s one of the few places in the world where atheism is expected to rise. [By contrast, atheism is projected to drop and Christianity continue to expand rapidly in sub-Saharan Africa, which in 35 years will boast ¼ of the world population.] If we want to imitate Josiah and make a lasting impact in this new world, we must become skilled at issuing a call to all. We must nurture Christians while also engaging non-Christians.
Even closer to home, lots of new people will be moving into your neighborhood and attending your schools over the next few weeks. Whom are you bringing to church? The least and the greatest around you deserve a chance to be invited to God’s re-formation. Be sure you issue a call to all.
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August 22, 2017 | Comparison, Thief Of Joy
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“Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”
[Philippians 2:3-4 HCSB]
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Comparison
I was moved and convicted by this insightful letter from a young pastor in another state.
Wayne, on Sunday you concluded your lesson with a note on comparison robbing joy and instilling bitterness. I have of course had this happen, but I recently experienced something even worse: comparison resulting in arrogance.
A woman with whom I work (not at the church, I have another job) is far older than I am and often grumpy. She frequently complains about the work we have to do and occasionally uses foul language. My assumption was, of course, that I was a FAR better person than she, and of course, that I needed to show her Jesus (though I was too scared to ever share the gospel).
Yesterday, we both had down time at the office and she pulled out a worn, tattered Bible with fraying leather and yellowed pages, and pulled out a magnifying glass so she could peer at the words on the page. For twenty minutes she read in silence and finally I asked, “What are you reading?” With joy she replied, “My Bible; I read it over and over again and when I finish I start right back over. I’m currently in Exodus because I recently finished. Nowadays I have to use this magnifying glass because my eyes don’t work like they used to, but it’s one of the few things that keeps me going.”
Because of her flaws I considered myself as superior, despite my own sins with which I struggle every day. I feel embarrassed and ashamed that my own sin of comparison and judgement blinded me from loving another one of my sisters in Christ and puffed me up in a misplaced sense of righteousness.
Comparison, whether through pride or envy, will invariably pull us off the path of success.
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August 17, 2017 | Spiritual Metabolism
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“For they disciplined us for a short time based on what seemed good to them, but He does it for our benefit,
so that we can share His holiness.”
[Hebrews 12:10 HCSB]
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Metabolism
Hebrews 12 teaches that because God is a disciplining Father, Christians know we are accepted as sons. That adoption includes this incredible blessing – we “share His holiness.”What a fascinating phrase in verse 10! What does it mean that we share in God’s holiness?
“Share” in v. 10 is a form of μεταλαμβάνωmetalambano [met al uhm’ ban oh], a Greek word meaning to participate or have a share in. It’s the same term from which we get our word “metabolism.”
As a reminder from 7th grade Life Science class, metabolism is the combination of physical and chemical processes that go on in living organisms and cells. It’s the natural physical process of life. Metabolism involves Anabolism – taking in food and building it into tissue. Metabolism also includes Catabolism – expending stored food for needed energy.
And that understanding gives us a pretty good idea what Hebrews 12 is describing. The natural spiritual process is holiness.
That is how we share in holiness. Taking in God’s disciplines and living them out.
Spiritual anabolism
There are times in our lives when we are not making effective use of this birthright. We stagnate in our spiritual disciplines, especially Bible intake. We slowly fade away from accountability, reflection, and joyful engagement with God.
If that is your situation today, please take the steps that will change your life. Go to church. Pray. Engage in small group fellowship. Rest. Build health in your soul so that you will have “metabolic” reserves needed in the days of expenditure to come.
Friends, if your church is full of shallow Christians…if theology and Bible study are avoided…if heresy and division are sprouting up in the body – you need to lead the way by showing how to practice spiritual anabolism.
Spiritual catabolism
There are of course other seasons in our lives when we are vegetating in our shared holiness because we have stopped or slowed our necessary expenditure of energy. We conveniently cancel commitments, see self-love as the highest good, or expect others to do all the hard things.
If that is your situation today, please take the steps that will change your life. Serve! Dedicate yourself for a year to teach children at your church. Teach or host a Life Group. Give your church more money than the mere 3% “tipping” that is normal for American Christians. Exercise your gifts for the Lord.
Friends, if your church needs servant-leaders in the children’s ministry…if your fellowship is seriously underfunded…if people are sitting in a pew only and not engaging in ministry life – you need to lead the way by showing how to practice spiritual catabolism.
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