Dear congregation, as we now turn to the preaching of the word, let us open with prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, we praise you for your perfect and holy and inspired word. We praise you that all your promises are yes and amen in Christ and that everything that you say is trustworthy. I ask that you would please bless the preaching of the word, that it would be faithful to what you have said in your word. May our Lord Jesus Christ increase and may your servant decrease for your glory. And in all things, may you do what pleases you through your word and may your Holy Spirit make it clear and show the fact that it is our very life. We pray this in the precious name of Christ, amen. Now something that Americans do every year is visit the doctor. There are many different kinds of doctors that you can go to, but let's think for a moment about visiting the dentist. There are two different reasons why you would go to visit the dentist. The first is when there is a problem and you know it. Maybe you have a chipped tooth or a toothache. When this is the case, you call the dentist and schedule an appointment. And as soon as possible, the dentist will see you and address the problem and offer a solution. And the hope is that when the process is over, you will feel better. But there is a second type of visit, and that is your regular checkup. You usually visit the dentist twice a year, and when you go in for your appointment, usually you don't see a problem, but you want to go in and check just to be sure. Have someone else look at it. So the dentist will look at your teeth and he will say, well, there is a problem that we need to address and here's the solution that we can work on so that it doesn't get worse. Or he'll say, nope, everything's looking good. You're brushing well and it's very good. Just keep up what you're doing. Or maybe he'll even give some small tips so that problems won't arise. In either case, you're going to someone who is trained to help you. And when that person is reliable, following their instructions will benefit you. Now, something in the reform tradition that we have looked at before is the fact that A minister is often a physician of the soul, as it's been said. In fact, Martin Lloyd-Jones, who had been the doctor, he left medicine and began to preach the gospel because he wanted to address the spiritual health of God's people. So as we begin this new year, let's have a spiritual checkup, if you will. In other words, let's come before the Lord, before his word, to see what a healthy spiritual life looks like and then that will help us to discern our present condition and then to proceed accordingly. To do this, let us turn to the book of Micah, which is right after the book of Jonah, one of the minor prophets. We'll focus on chapter six, specifically on verse eight. After examining the spiritual health of God's people and giving his diagnosis, The prophet Micah offers the prescription. He reminds them of what it means to live as God's people and to walk with him. And God desires the same from us. The title of this message is Do Justly, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly in 2023. we'll see that these are crucial parts of living a gospel-centered, spirit-empowered, and God-honoring life, one that pleases God and will give us joy in our faith. What better New Year's resolution could there be than to walk even more closely with God and to find satisfaction in doing so? Hear now the word of the Lord, Micah 6.8. 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. This is God's holy and infallible word. Thanks be to him. Oftentimes, a key aspect to success is knowing and following the instructions. In this upcoming spring, I will be graduating from seminary, and over the course of my studies, one thing that I have found helpful is when the professor gives not only the instructions for his papers, but also when he gives you the grading rubric. For example, it might tell you that on section three of the paper, you can earn zero to 20 points. And then it will describe the kind of work that would merit different points on the spectrum. This helps you to know what is expected of you so that you can do your best to meet it. But it also helps the instructor because it shows the fact that he was clear in his instructions. God's commands to us are similar to this. He is not a God who tells us to obey him, but then doesn't tell us what he expects. He has laid out his commands, as well as the good news of salvation through his son, clearly in his word. That's why God said in Isaiah 45, 19, I have not spoken in secret from somewhere in a land of darkness. I have not said that Jacob's descendants seek me in vain. I, the Lord, speak the truth. I declare what is right. Such a principle is what we see in our passage. That God has clearly told his people what he requires of them. And since we love God, we would do well to look carefully at what would please him. It's like when you pick out a Christmas gift for someone, keeping in mind what they've said they would like. Since you care about that person, it makes you happy to make them happy. So as we look at this passage, as God's people, I want us to consider how we might come closer to God as a result of applying this to our lives. And we'll do this in three ways. First, we'll look at the context in redemptive history. Then we'll look at the context in the book of Micah. And then we'll zero in on our passage and specifically what Micah is saying. But by moving in these circles closer and closer to our verse, we will see why Micah is saying what he is and what led up to this point. So let's begin by considering what was going on in redemptive history when Micah gave this prophecy. Now, God had called Micah to be a prophet in Judah, which was the southern kingdom in the divided kingdom. And when Micah was called, it was about at the third quarter of their history, if you will. And the text says, at the beginning of the book, that Micah was serving during the reigns of kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Now these were notable kings. Jotham was king during a time when the people were not walking with God, but he was. He is one of the kings that we see who did right in the eyes of the Lord. He engaged in building projects and strengthened the wall around Jerusalem. He also defeated the Ammonites, who were the enemies of Judah, and they became a dependent nation to Judah. And a summary of all the things that happened in Jotham's reign can be given in 2 Chronicles 27.6, where it says that Jotham became powerful because he walked steadfastly before the Lord, his God. He walked with God, and as we will see in a little while, this is one of the things that pleases God the most, when we walk with him as his people. Now it must have been hard for this godly king to see the fact that even though he was trying to be faithful, his people were not being faithful. And the same is true for anyone who is a leader, who loves those under their care and see that they're not walking with the Lord. And yet God saw Jotham's faithfulness and he blessed him. And as a result, he blessed the entire nation as well. Even though the people weren't walking with God, they got to experience some of the blessings of having a king who did. This is something to keep in mind when we are trying to be faithful, but feel like few are doing the same. We're called to live Coram Deo, before God's face, and he cares about our faithfulness. And that's something that brings to mind the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ himself was that righteous king who did everything perfectly, and he came to represent a people who did not walk in faithfulness all the time, who had fallen short. And because Jesus is our king, because he walked perfectly, we as his people are counted as his own. We are counted according to his righteousness, and we experience the blessings of being his people, and of the fact that we have a righteous king. Now the next king was Jotham's son, Ahaz. But sadly, Ahaz did not do as his father had done. He turned away from God, and though other kings had done evil before him, he set a record in Judah on how sinful a king could be. Moreover, when other nations became powerful and began to threaten Judah, Ahaz did not turn to the Lord as the nation's protector, but rather to the unbelieving nations. As a result, God allowed the nation to experience defeat, and this shows how dangerous it is when one doesn't walk with the Lord, since he is sovereign over all creation, and all people are accountable to him. Turning away from him is a losing game. But the opposite is true as well. Turning to him is a winning game. That's where we come to Hezekiah, the third king during Micah's ministry. He was a king who turned back to God and did his best to help his subjects do the same. He outlawed false worship and reinstated the worship that God had commanded. It says in 2 Kings 18, verses five through seven, that Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. He held fast to the Lord and did not cease to follow him. He kept the commands the Lord had given to Moses and the Lord was with him, he was successful in whatever he undertook. That's a very remarkable thing to see in this king, one who loved the Lord and one that did his best to walk with the Lord. Now his faith wasn't without its shortcomings. There were times where he too trusted in the other nations without seeking God first. And God did discipline Hezekiah for this. Still, in Hezekiah, we see a man who loved God and sought to obey him. And during Hezekiah's reign, God did the impossible by rescuing his people from the most powerful empire at that time, the Assyrian Empire, who had closed in on Judah and really should have defeated them. God set Israel, Judah free. So we see that when God's people turn back to him, he does forgive and restore them. So these are the three kings of Judah during Micah's ministry and how they did or did not walk with the Lord. And that's something to keep in mind as we come to our passage, the significance of walking with the Lord. Now during this timeframe, the prophet Micah was speaking on God's behalf to the people. We don't know exactly which king was on the throne when Micah gave chapter six, but no matter which one it was, it was at a time when God's people needed to come back to him. And God sent Micah for this very purpose, to turn the people back to him. Now that we've looked at redemptive history, let's take a look at Micah and the messages that he shares as a whole, which helps us to put our verse in context. Throughout the book of Micah, he confronts false worship and false prophets. He calls out injustice and corrupt leadership. He warns that just as God had promised blessing for obedience and trouble for disobedience, so famine and defeat awaited them if they did not turn back to God. But Micah also points out the good things that God was planning to do for his people. In chapter four, he speaks about a day when the nations will come together and worship the one true God and former enemies will be at peace. We see this fulfilled as people from every tribe, tongue, and nation declare that Jesus is Lord and become brothers and sisters within the church. We also anticipate the day when Christ returns to judge the earth. and when he brings all of his people into the new heavens and the new earth. There we will spend eternity with God and with everyone who loves him as we do. Again, people from every tribe, tongue, and nation in perfect harmony and peace. Micah also hints at the one through whom this will be possible. In chapter five, he prophecies that the Messiah, the one who will rule Israel forever, will be born in Bethlehem. That's what we celebrated just a week ago at Christmas, the birth of Jesus, our Savior. And long before that happened, Micah shared exactly where the Messiah would be born. so that when the Magi would come and say, where is the one born King of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him. The question could be asked, where was the Messiah to be born? And the answer would be clear, in Bethlehem. And then in chapter seven, Micah continues by admitting that even when people walk with God, there will be times when they are at odds with those who refuse to do so. That's why Jesus would end up quoting Micah and showing the fact that you can't love anyone or anything above him. And Micah continues by saying in chapter seven, but as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord. I wait for God, my savior. My God will hear me. Indeed, as we hope in God and wait for him to do his work, we know that he hears us. And it's a blessing when God is first in our lives, for no one else could be more committed to us than he. Then Micah closes the book in chapter 7, verses 18 through 20 by saying, 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. You will again have compassion on us. You will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. You will be true to Jacob and show mercy to Abraham as you pledged on earth on oath to our fathers in days long ago. What is said last is often most important, and Micah's intentional to close by showing how good and merciful our God is. He forgives our sin. He would rather forgive and show mercy than stay angry with us. When he forgives, he does so from a heart of compassion, and he separates all of our sins from us. In all of this, he keeps the promises that he made long ago. So you see, God was going to use Micah to reprimand the people, but also to express that love was at the heart of God's dealings with his people. And that's also the reason why God gave us Jesus, to be the savior of all who believes. As it says in John 3, 16, a favorite for many, for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. He did that because he loves us. And likewise, he sincerely and deeply loved the people of Judah, even though they had sinned and fallen short. This is something that we should keep in mind either when we fall short or when we see someone else who has fallen short. I remember a story that a pastor told long ago, and it's one that stuck with me. The pastor mentioned that he and a friend had been invited to a meal where his hosts were from another culture. And among the food, there was this very, very small bowl of hot sauce. And now the pastor and his friend liked hot sauce, so they thought that they would put a whole lot on. And the host tried to warn them, this is hot, this is potent, be careful. And they'd say, no, we're men, we can handle this. And so they threw all caution to the wind. They poured a whole lot on, and in fact, they didn't even take small bites, they took large bites. but true to the words of the host, it was too much for them, and they had to leave quickly because of how much they were affected. But the thing that the pastor mentions is that on his way out, he saw the look in the people's eyes, and they were sad because they were compassionate toward him and about what had happened. And that's really stuck with me because that's the way that Christians should be. And because that's the way God is towards us. Even though God is righteously angry with sin, he still has a heart of compassion towards people and towards what sin does to them. And he genuinely wants them to turn back to him. He wants to restore them. He wants them to be better. How compassionate our God is. And he wants them to repent not only for his glory, but also for their own good. Since God has done this for us, since he has shown that compassion towards us, it is right for us to share that same compassion towards one another. As Christians, we represent Christ. So we ought to give people an accurate representation of what he is like. As he said in Matthew 5, 16, let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven. And another thing that I recently heard was when For King and Country talked about their new song, Relate. And the band members were mentioning the fact that they had been inspired by a sermon by Timothy Keller, which talked about the fact that one of the key elements of Jesus's ministry was compassion. And I think that Tim Keller may have mentioned that that was the defining characteristic of Jesus's ministry, the fact that he was compassionate toward people. So as we look at Micah 6, as we look at the prescription that God is giving toward his people, let's think about the fact that he is doing so out of a heart of love and compassion. So now we turn to our key verse, Micah 6, 8, and how the chapter has led up to this verse. Micah begins by declaring that God has a message for his people. Specifically, it's an indictment, and God calls the mountains to hear what he says. But at this point, God doesn't name the wrong things that his people had done. He had done that before, and he will do that in a little bit. But right now, he starts by really addressing himself. What have I done to you? How have I wronged or burdened you? He says to his people. And the answer is the fact that he has not burdened them. He has not done wrong to them. On the contrary, he has been good to them. He led them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. In fact, that brings to mind back in Exodus, after God had led the people out of Egypt, just before he gave them the 10 commandments, as the prologue, he said, I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. So by saying this, by repeating that very phrase, God is reminding them of how good he has been to them and of the grace that he showed in saving them. Not only that, but he gave them Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to lead them. And even though Balaam had been hired to put a curse on God's people. God turned that curse into a blessing, and in fact, God said that he did so because he loves his people. And finally, he led them from Shittim to Gilgal. Now Kenneth Barker and Waylon Bailey write in their commentary on Micah, that Israel was at Shittim before they crossed the Jordan River to enter the promised land, and Gilgal was their first stop once they got into the promised land. So in essence, when God tells them to remember their journey from Shittim to Gilgal, think about the fact that I led you across the Jordan. I led you into the promised land. So God was with them, and God was leading them, And now he's telling them all the things that he's done for them, proving to them, reminding them of the fact that he is a good God toward them. He is not a hard, harsh God. He is a God who cares about his people. And he wants them to know the fact that he has been righteous to them in contrast to their unrighteousness to him. Then the people respond. What should we do to come back to the Lord? What will appease him? And they begin by suggesting large, expensive gifts, like thousands of rams and 10,000 rivers of oil. They even ask if offering their firstborn sons would please God. But if they would take a moment to think about that, that isn't what God had asked for. What God had asked for is not that hard or mysterious. Instead, what he wanted from them was three things that he had told them all along. Remarkably, the word that is translated man in our text is adam, which means mankind and was the name of our forefather, Adam. What God wants from mankind at this point is no different than what he wanted from Adam. to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. What he wants from them is a relationship with him, to be their God and to have them as his people, to show them his love and to receive their love for him. Again, Barker and Bailey write that God didn't ultimately want their gifts, he wanted their hearts. This is where we come to the point where we are doing our spiritual checkup. The great thing about scripture is that we can apply what it says, even if all of the details in the original context are not exactly the same as in our context. Maybe some believers are walking closely with the Lord, which makes this a reassurance to them. Maybe some realize the fact that they need to come back to the Lord, and as a result, our text here is a good way to do so. Either way, this passage has something to teach us. All of us can learn from the principles that it gives, and the Holy Spirit will use it to make us more and more like Jesus. Again, Jesus summarized the whole law by saying that we are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. To show true love is to do as God would do, since he is love. So as we will see, these commandments are at the heart of what Micah is saying. So let's look at each one of these exhortations and how they relate to our lives. First, we are to fulfill justice. When we sang joy to the world, we sang about the Lord ruling over the world with truth and grace and making the nations prove the glories of his righteousness and wonders of his love. We see a God in whom there is never injustice. And even when he shows mercy, he is not doing an injustice, as R.C. Sproul was careful to point out. He is just and merciful at the same time towards us. That's why Jesus had to live a perfect life and then die in our place and then rise again. And for this reason, the Apostle Paul writes in Romans 3 26, that God is just and the one who justifies the one who has faith in Jesus. Because of him, God is right to have forgiven our sins and to have declared us righteous. But he also wants us to pursue justice in our relationships with others. At the heart of wisdom is doing what is right and just and fair, as it says in Proverbs 3.1. Depending upon the situation, this can take many forms. Maybe it means standing up for someone who is helpless. Maybe it means taking into account how your decisions will affect someone else. Maybe it means sacrificing your preference for what you know is right. God cares about those who are denied justice and has promised on multiple occasions to make things right. Maybe you yourself feel that you have been treated unjustly. This is where you can have hope in a God who is the final arbitrator, one who loves justice and who calls us to do justly. Just like our Pledge of Allegiance says that the United States of America is one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all, so the Christian life is to be characterized by justice for everyone. We have a role in this as Christians, both in the church and in society. Second, we are to love mercy. Now the word for mercy is the Hebrew word chesed, which is packed with meaning. The NIV sometimes translates this as love, but there is more to this word. It also carries the connotation of faithfulness, which is why the NIV sometimes translates it as unfailing love, and the ESV usually translates it as steadfast love. This is closer to the meaning, but there is still more. It's been said that this word also incorporates the theme of covenant, a solemn binding agreement that involves a relationship. This is crucial and it shows the level of commitment behind this kind of love. But there is one more piece to the puzzle. The word is sometimes translated as kindness or loving kindness. It shows the heart behind this kind of love. When someone is this committed and faithful to you, they want to be kind to you. They want to do good things for you. They probably love you very much. So this kind of love is steadfast, covenantal, and kind. And we are called to cherish it. This is the kind of love that God has shown us. He has chosen to love us simply because he wants to. And he committed himself to saving us. And not only that, but he is patient and kind. When we sang, Great is Thy Faithfulness, we praised God for doing this for us. When we know what God has done for us, it leads us to mirror this kind of love to others. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians that everything we do should be done in love, because though we can do many good, impressive things, they are nothing without love. Even the pursuit of justice only has meaning when it's done out of love for God and for other people. Love shows the world that we're Christians. It leads us to treat others properly, and it's necessary for harmony and order And third, we are to walk humbly with our God. Now, life is often described as a walk. Paul says in Romans 6 that as Christians, we are to walk in newness of life. He also talks about walking in the good works that God prepared in advance for us to do. And also about walking in the light and in wisdom. And in Genesis 5, we read about Enoch. one of two people in history who never died. He walked with God until the day God called him home. So a walk describes what we do. And when we are walking with someone, this means a relationship, sticking with your buddy, holding hands before you cross the street, if you will. And this is what we do with God. No part of our life should be done independently of him. and walking humbly with him means admitting that we can't do it on our own. It also means for God to do the leading and for us to do the following. We can try to do justly and we can try to love mercy, but this can only be done rightly when God is the one who's leading us because many people can give different thoughts on what it means to be just. or what it means to show love. But the final arbitrator, the one who really decides what justice is and what love is, is God. He's the one who knows best. And as we'll sing in a moment, we are to trust and obey, for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey. Who knows where he will lead each one of us, whether taking us from one place to another, or making changes in our character or choices. But no matter what happens, you can trust him to lead you, since he knows better than we, and because he wants to walk with you. And as you walk with him, you will find that there really is fullness of joy in his presence. So we have looked at these three charges, to fulfill justice, to cherish a committed form of love, and to walk humbly with our God. A whole new year is before us, 365 new days to practice this. I would like for each of us to make it a goal to live out these charges in this upcoming year, learning more and more what this is like to do this and how it might change our lives. Maybe you could journal this journey, or maybe it's a checkpoint in your prayers. However you do this, when we come to New Year's Eve 2023 and are anticipating yet another year, I hope that we'll see instances of how our relationship with the Lord has become stronger, how we are walking more closely with him then than we are now. I'd like to close with a final thought. As I mentioned, a checkup, whether physical or spiritual, can lead to different diagnoses, depending upon the person or the situation. But for all of us, whether we feel strong or weak, healthy or in need of healing, There are ways for each one of us to grow stronger and healthier. Our confession of faith mentions the fact that sanctification is a lifelong process, one that God continues to work in us, the one that the Holy Spirit causes in us until the very end. That's why when Paul said that he wanted to know Christ better, and finally attain the resurrection of the dead, he made this claim in Philippians 3.12. Not that I have already obtained all this or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. If you are a believer, then Christ Jesus has taken hold of you because he loves you. And for this reason, you also can take hold of him. It made Paul excited to pursue Christ and become more like him. Let Christ renew that same excitement within your own heart, for he is faithful and delights to have you as his own. Praise be to God, amen. Now let us stand and sing our closing hymn. hymn number 672, Trust and Obey.