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The 2004 Olympics were noteworthy for
Matthew Emin, otherwise known as Matt.

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Matt was dominating one of the
most critical rifle events.

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This is the 50 meter three position event.

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And, and for those who don't know,
like, like, like me previously,

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uh, the reposition event is the
most rigorous and the most revered.

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Rigorous because you're in three different
positions taking 40 shots each, and if

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you win this event, this really means that
you are the best marksman in the world.

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Matt was crushing it.

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He was doing so well that when he was
preparing to take the final shot, he

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was well ahead of any of his competitors
to the point that all he had to do was

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just hit the target, he would've won.

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And so Matt lines up
his shot, he prepares.

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As everyone in the crowd waited
with bated breath, he fires

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and he hits a bullseye.

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He's relieved a little apprehensive
to celebrate so early, but he does

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look around for the judges to give
him a score, and so he's looking and

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realizing where's, where's my score?

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What's happening?

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Something was wrong.

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The judges were silent.

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And then the scoreboard
showed his points, zero.

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Emmonds made a devastating mistake.

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He shot at the wrong target.

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Oh, talk about a bad day.

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Talk about a bad, the poor guy, he
was just one lane off, which really,

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I mean, it's a lot, but it's not all
that much when you think about it.

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He's one lane off, 50
yards is a long distance.

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By the way, that's half a
football field now that's a, you

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know, that's a long distance.

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We're talking about a long way shoots.

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He still hits a bullseye
just on the wrong lane.

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So after all, couldn't they
just show a little grace?

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But according, accordingly, they did not.

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This is what I'm concerned about for us.

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That we're aiming and firing at the wrong
thing, that we're gonna shoot at something

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that we think is the right target.

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But after all, it's the
wrong one for us to shoot at.

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And I think this is in part what
Micah's concern is for us this morning.

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We're gonna look at Micah six eight.

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We're gonna be bouncing around
through the whole book, but Micah

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six, eight in particular, he's
gonna help us aim at the right goal.

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He's gonna help us to see what is good.

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And the problem is that the world often
offers us lots of good targets to aim at.

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There's lots of good things for us to,
to pursue, and we might even hit the

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target dead on not realizing that it
was actually the wrong goal altogether.

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Corporate America actually has a
very similar understanding of this.

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I talk about climbing the
corporate ladder, but the ladder's

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leaning against the wrong wall.

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You know, one of those things.

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So we have a sense of this
corporately as a, as a people.

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Uh, scripture has a.

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Understanding of this that you really
need to understand personally because it

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really impacts everything that you do.

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We don't want to fire at the
wrong thing and even nail it and

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still get a zero score from God.

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Spend our whole lives aiming at what
we think is really the good life, and

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that's what we're gonna talk about.

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The good life is ask anybody,
what's the good life?

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What's the good life to you?

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And I'm sure if you ask your neighbors,
they're gonna say things like, well,

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family and friends, they're gonna say
things like, well, maybe a good 401k,

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a good retirement account, a wife, a,
a house, two kids, a dog, you know,

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general, general health in my body,
there's lots of things that people

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would utilize to define the good
life, and they're not entirely wrong.

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Those are certainly adjacent,
but is that really what God

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wants for us as the good life?

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Is that what God wants us to pursue?

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I was looking up articles about
this, and I found one from.

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Harvard medicine.

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Harvard medicine has a definition
of the good life and get this,

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this is actually pretty good.

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The good life lessons from the world's
longest scientific study of happiness.

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And here's what they note, the
strength of a person's connections

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with others can predict, get this,
the health of both their body and

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their brain as they go through life.

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If they've identified through the the
longest study that they've ever done,

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that a person's health and vitality, at
least what someone can observe medically.

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Related strongly to their relationships.

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The stronger your relationships are, the
better your life is, or so they would

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suggest, uh, more happiness You have.

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The world offers a lot of different
happiness options, and again, things

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like this aren't necessarily bad.

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We wouldn't say this is a bad thing.

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You should definitely care for people
and build strong relationships.

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But again, is this the good
life that God wants for us?

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Is this what God desires his people to do?

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Is this the sum total of it?

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And of course I'm asking all these
leading questions because I have an

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answer for you, and I think Micah's
answer is gonna help us navigate what

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this should look like for the Christian.

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As we look at the book of Micah,
we might be thinking, okay, how

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does Micah really talk to this?

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There's a lot of ways, but
first, let's orient ourselves.

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Remember we have a divided kingdom.

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Micah is talking to the
Southern Kingdom primarily.

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Micah's book is a short one.

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It's only seven chapters long, but he's
talking mostly to the southern kingdom,

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even though he does mention the northern.

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So we talk about the Northern
Kingdom, Israel, Southern Kingdom,

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Judah, we've been following
along on the Daily Bible Podcast.

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This is not new for you,
but just a quick reminder.

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So we have the divided kingdom there and
you have the looming threat of Assyria,

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and we talked about Nineveh last week.

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Remember, Jonah was called to preach
to Nineveh, which is the capital

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of Assyria, who would later go and
overtake the Northern Kingdom Samaria

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and also threaten the southern
kingdom, which God delivers them from.

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This happens in 7 21.

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Our prophet this morning, Micah
preaches and ministers during this

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time of Israel's history, and so
Micah is going to see 7 21 happen.

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He's preaching during this timeframe.

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I.

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And then of course, if you
remember, Babylon eventually

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rises to become a powerful threat
and they overtake Jerusalem.

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That's gonna happen in about 5 86,
5 87 dc And so that's the immediate

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history that we're talking about here.

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When Micah is preaching to
Israel, primarily Judah, he's

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talking about this season of life.

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This is what's about to happen.

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He knows that it's on the horizon,
and so he's calling out to them.

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Micah actually is quoted by the prophet
Jeremiah and take a look here, and

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my and prophet Jeremiah says this.

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Micah Amor Sheth prophesied in the
days of Hezekiah, king of Judah.

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And he said, did Hezekiah, the king
of Judah, and all Judah put him to

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death, did not He, did he not fear
the Lord and entreat the favor of the

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Lord and did not the Lord relent of
the disaster that he had pronounced

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against them, but we are about to
bring great disaster upon ourselves.

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And so here's something remarkable.

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You may not read it as such,
but here, this is remarkable.

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Not only that Je Jeremiah
quotes him about a hundred years

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later, but that Jeremiah says.

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When Micah preached, the people listened.

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King Hezekiah responded to Micah's
preaching so much so that God responded

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to that and he delayed the inevitable.

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So Micah's exceptional in that.

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Like Jonah, he's successful, he's
successful, he, he reaches his

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target audience to some degree.

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Obviously it's not complete, it's not
sustaining forever, but he reaches

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his target audience and Jeremiah uses
him to save his own life to say, look.

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No one killed Micah and Micah preached
a similar message and they responded,

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and so he's using him here Really
interestingness to note that Micah's

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name means who is like the Lord.

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It's actually a short name
of the, of the name Miah.

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Mackay Micah, similar sounding, and
they, and they both mean the same thing.

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Who was like the Lord.

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And that's really a big part of
what the book's amount, he's gonna

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highlight God's leadership of them.

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He's gonna call them, challenge
them, and he wants them to see.

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Look, the good life is, is not
just to go through the motions.

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The good life is actually found
in a whole heart, holy, devoted to

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Yahweh, their covenant keeping God.

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That's the good life.

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That's what he's calling them to.

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And so even though we're gonna
start in Micah, chapter six.

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We're gonna be referring to the
whole book itself as we move along.

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So make sure you have your Bibles
ready to flip back and forth if

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you have your electronic devices,
be ready to type and follow along.

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We got a lot of territory to cover and not
a lot of time to do it, so track with you.

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Let's start with Micah chapter six.

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This is actually gonna lead us up into
our key text this morning, and we're

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gonna see what the good life looks like.

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We're gonna see what the good life looks
like here starting Micah Chapter six.

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Actually, lemme go back here.

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Mark Micah, chapter six, verse one.

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You'll notice that it
starts with the word here.

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And this might be of note to you, Micah
is divided in three sections and each of

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those sections begins with the word here.

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So here's what he says in verse six.

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This is gonna be the last section
in Micah chapter six and seven.

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This is his third message.

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Hear what the Lord Yahweh says.

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Arise please your case
before the mountains.

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And let the hills hear your voice.

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Hear you mountains, the
indictments of the Lord.

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You enduring foundations of the Earth.

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For the Lord has an indictment against his
people and he will contend with Israel.

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God is saying, I have a case to
make before you listen to my case.

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This is not gonna go well.

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Here's what God says.

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Verse three, oh my people.

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What have I done to you?

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How have I weed you?

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And through me, I just gotta pause.

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Listen to that.

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God is pleading with his people.

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He's begging them.

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To respond to his love.

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He's begging them to to repent.

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Verse four, he details
his end of the bargain.

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Verse four, for I brought you up from
the land of Egypt and redeemed you

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from the house of slavery, and I sent
before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.

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00:09:36,720 --> 00:09:38,280
Oh my people remember?

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00:09:38,819 --> 00:09:39,930
Remember what Bailiff?

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The King of Mo devised and Baam,
the son of bor, answered him.

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00:09:43,875 --> 00:09:47,205
What happened from Shain to
GI to Gilgal that you may know

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the righteous acts of the Lord.

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He's saying, remember your Bible.

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00:09:49,965 --> 00:09:50,895
Remember what I wrote.

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00:09:50,895 --> 00:09:51,795
Remember what I've done.

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00:09:52,305 --> 00:09:55,605
Look back into the history that
you and I have had, and note all

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the ways that I have been faithful.

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00:09:56,925 --> 00:10:01,035
He's calling them to recall all his
covenant keeping responsibilities, and he

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00:10:01,035 --> 00:10:04,905
is essentially saying, look, am I guilty
of not holding up my end of the bargain?

203
00:10:05,415 --> 00:10:07,785
Am I guilty of not taking care of you?

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00:10:08,445 --> 00:10:12,375
Now, of course the answer is, well,
obviously the Lord has cared for me.

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Cared for.

206
00:10:13,515 --> 00:10:14,535
Israel, cared for Judah.

207
00:10:15,435 --> 00:10:16,065
He continues.

208
00:10:17,145 --> 00:10:17,865
Verse six.

209
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Micah takes on the role or the part
of Israel and Judah, and then he

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takes the part of the worshiper and
he says this, well then with what?

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00:10:27,555 --> 00:10:31,665
Shall I come before the Lord and
bow myself before God on high?

212
00:10:32,715 --> 00:10:36,225
Shall I come before him with burnt
offerings and with calves a year old?

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00:10:36,375 --> 00:10:39,045
Will the Lord be pleased with
thousands of rams and with 10

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00:10:39,045 --> 00:10:40,425
thousands of rivers of oil?

215
00:10:40,785 --> 00:10:43,425
Shall I give my first born for
my transgression, the fruit of my

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00:10:43,425 --> 00:10:45,675
body for, for the sin of my soul.

217
00:10:46,275 --> 00:10:49,815
So you imagine a worshiper kind of
throwing his hands up and be like,

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00:10:49,815 --> 00:10:51,825
well, what does God even want from us?

219
00:10:52,995 --> 00:10:55,515
Always challenging Micah to
say, look, we, we get it.

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00:10:55,515 --> 00:10:57,885
We get it, Micah, but what does God want?

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00:10:58,755 --> 00:11:01,395
And you know, it's kind of one of
those self-destruct patterns where

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someone might spiral out of control.

223
00:11:03,645 --> 00:11:04,935
They're saying, well, you
want this, you want this?

224
00:11:04,935 --> 00:11:05,805
Well here, take everything.

225
00:11:05,805 --> 00:11:07,455
Here's, here's my wallet, here's my keys.

226
00:11:07,455 --> 00:11:08,055
Take everything.

227
00:11:09,270 --> 00:11:12,600
One might imagine an exasperated
worshiper saying, well, Yahweh,

228
00:11:13,410 --> 00:11:14,700
maybe you're asking too much.

229
00:11:14,700 --> 00:11:17,730
Maybe you're, maybe you've not been
clear about what you really want from us.

230
00:11:17,730 --> 00:11:20,700
Maybe you're just not articulating
things that we need to understand.

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00:11:22,080 --> 00:11:24,240
Micah responds to this verse eight.

232
00:11:25,020 --> 00:11:28,170
He has told you, oh, man, and and
notice here he is saying, oh, man,

233
00:11:28,170 --> 00:11:32,820
just say, oh, Jacob or Israel, he's
talking really to a universal audience.

234
00:11:32,820 --> 00:11:35,430
He has told you, oh man, what is good?

235
00:11:36,795 --> 00:11:41,985
And what does the Lord Yahweh
require of you, but to do justice

236
00:11:42,735 --> 00:11:46,665
and to love kindness, and to
walk humbly with your God.

237
00:11:48,165 --> 00:11:50,954
What you have here is a
summary, a succinct summary

238
00:11:50,954 --> 00:11:52,214
of the whole Old Testament.

239
00:11:52,755 --> 00:11:56,355
It's one of those encapsulating phrases
that's meant to just boil it down to

240
00:11:56,355 --> 00:11:58,964
a simple distillation of principles.

241
00:11:58,964 --> 00:11:59,535
That's what we have.

242
00:12:00,795 --> 00:12:02,595
Micah says, look, you
can't claim ignorance.

243
00:12:02,595 --> 00:12:04,574
You can't say that you didn't know.

244
00:12:05,325 --> 00:12:06,495
Here's what God calls to you.

245
00:12:06,945 --> 00:12:13,275
God doesn't want all of your sacrifices
apart from your heart belonging to him.

246
00:12:15,135 --> 00:12:16,845
I wanna point your attention
to that first line.

247
00:12:17,805 --> 00:12:19,755
He's told you, oh man, what is good?

248
00:12:20,535 --> 00:12:23,400
If you think about this, the, the
idea of understanding goodness is

249
00:12:23,400 --> 00:12:27,615
such a interesting phrase because it's
one of the most argued and debated

250
00:12:27,615 --> 00:12:30,585
terms in our conversations today.

251
00:12:31,125 --> 00:12:31,455
Good.

252
00:12:31,845 --> 00:12:32,475
It's goodness.

253
00:12:33,015 --> 00:12:35,115
And yet Micah says he's
told you what is good.

254
00:12:35,535 --> 00:12:38,115
God has not been tight lips and silent.

255
00:12:38,115 --> 00:12:39,915
He's given you information about that.

256
00:12:40,425 --> 00:12:41,444
I think that's where we ought to begin.

257
00:12:42,225 --> 00:12:46,095
We ought to be thankful that
God tells you what's good.

258
00:12:46,095 --> 00:12:46,814
Let's start with that point.

259
00:12:46,814 --> 00:12:48,585
Number one, let's be thankful
that God tells you what's good.

260
00:12:48,740 --> 00:12:51,975
Let's where Micah starts
and he makes it obvious.

261
00:12:51,975 --> 00:12:53,505
God tells you what's good, and
we have to ask the question,

262
00:12:53,505 --> 00:12:54,345
well, what does he mean by that?

263
00:12:54,405 --> 00:12:55,335
What does he mean by good?

264
00:12:55,905 --> 00:12:58,275
The word itself is a pretty
simple word, but obviously he's

265
00:12:58,275 --> 00:12:59,565
carrying some, some weight to it.

266
00:12:59,775 --> 00:13:00,165
But what?

267
00:13:00,165 --> 00:13:00,585
What is good?

268
00:13:00,585 --> 00:13:04,035
And we'll define that, but the
world tries to define it before God.

269
00:13:04,035 --> 00:13:05,115
Does you notice this?

270
00:13:05,415 --> 00:13:09,525
I was watching this debate between this
atheist, a well known and rising atheist.

271
00:13:09,525 --> 00:13:12,615
He's a young guy, really intelligent,
got an accent, so he sounds

272
00:13:12,615 --> 00:13:13,725
even smarter than all of us.

273
00:13:14,205 --> 00:13:17,505
He was debating against this group
of Christians, and at one point he

274
00:13:17,505 --> 00:13:18,825
says something to the effect of.

275
00:13:19,425 --> 00:13:23,445
If God is good, why does he
allow gratuitous suffering?

276
00:13:23,445 --> 00:13:28,095
Why does God, uh, seem to allow, and
not just a humankind, but with animal

277
00:13:28,095 --> 00:13:32,145
kind, if God is so good, why does he
allow so much evil and so much suffering?

278
00:13:32,415 --> 00:13:35,745
Certainly, this can't be a
good God who oversees all these

279
00:13:35,745 --> 00:13:39,705
things, and I don't, I don't know
exactly what the Christian says.

280
00:13:39,705 --> 00:13:42,165
They, they, they said something helpful
that was very philosophical and, and

281
00:13:42,165 --> 00:13:47,295
profound, but I, I just wanna point your
attention to something on what basis.

282
00:13:48,315 --> 00:13:52,665
Can anybody who doesn't claim a faith
or an understanding in God claim

283
00:13:52,665 --> 00:13:54,075
that they understand goodness at all?

284
00:13:55,395 --> 00:14:00,645
How can said atheist make a claim to
goodness when they haven't defined it?

285
00:14:01,695 --> 00:14:04,245
You see, when someone says,
Christian, is that a good thing?

286
00:14:04,245 --> 00:14:06,255
You and I would say, okay,
well what does the Bible say?

287
00:14:06,885 --> 00:14:07,905
What does God say about that?

288
00:14:08,625 --> 00:14:10,005
An atheist can't do that.

289
00:14:10,965 --> 00:14:13,395
When you say, well, sir, what is goodness?

290
00:14:13,725 --> 00:14:14,715
They're gonna say, well, I.

291
00:14:15,810 --> 00:14:18,600
Philosophical consideration,
number one, perhaps goodness

292
00:14:18,600 --> 00:14:19,890
is doing no evil to people.

293
00:14:20,160 --> 00:14:20,850
Well define evil.

294
00:14:20,850 --> 00:14:21,480
What is evil?

295
00:14:22,230 --> 00:14:25,110
Uh, philosophical consideration
Number two, maybe it's to not

296
00:14:25,110 --> 00:14:27,060
cause unnec unnecessary suffering.

297
00:14:27,060 --> 00:14:27,990
Well, according to who.

298
00:14:28,770 --> 00:14:29,130
According to.

299
00:14:30,180 --> 00:14:32,610
In fact, if you believe in a
Darwinian framework, isn't it the

300
00:14:32,610 --> 00:14:36,690
whole idea that it's me against you
and we're fighting for resources?

301
00:14:36,690 --> 00:14:39,780
So if I kind of take your stuff
and I'm able to do that, you

302
00:14:39,780 --> 00:14:41,010
just gotta lay down and take it.

303
00:14:42,375 --> 00:14:45,405
It's so interesting because our world
understands this problem, but they don't

304
00:14:45,405 --> 00:14:48,465
really have a good answer to it except
to say, well, your good is your good.

305
00:14:48,465 --> 00:14:49,185
My good is my good.

306
00:14:49,185 --> 00:14:50,115
You ought to pursue the good.

307
00:14:50,115 --> 00:14:50,985
That feels good to you.

308
00:14:50,985 --> 00:14:54,555
In fact, I just read a book for
school called The Mountain is You.

309
00:14:54,555 --> 00:14:55,845
It's a New York Time bestseller.

310
00:14:56,115 --> 00:15:00,105
And the idea in the book is that,
uh, the thing that stands before you

311
00:15:00,105 --> 00:15:02,025
and the life that you want is you.

312
00:15:02,595 --> 00:15:06,405
You are the mountain and it's your own
self sabotage that prevents you from

313
00:15:06,405 --> 00:15:10,035
having the life that you truly want
and desire, and you need to understand

314
00:15:10,035 --> 00:15:11,445
what's really happening on the inside.

315
00:15:11,505 --> 00:15:14,895
Uncover your subconscious and,
and then help yourself make

316
00:15:14,895 --> 00:15:16,935
progress in life, essentially.

317
00:15:16,935 --> 00:15:18,585
Save yourself to become yourself.

318
00:15:19,695 --> 00:15:20,685
That's, that's goodness.

319
00:15:20,985 --> 00:15:22,035
At least as she defines it.

320
00:15:23,475 --> 00:15:24,040
What is goodness?

321
00:15:24,570 --> 00:15:26,160
And I wanna point out to
you, you gotta be thankful.

322
00:15:26,160 --> 00:15:28,470
God has told, told you,
God has spoken to us.

323
00:15:28,470 --> 00:15:29,610
He hasn't remained tightlipped.

324
00:15:29,610 --> 00:15:30,960
He's been open about this.

325
00:15:30,960 --> 00:15:33,540
God's goodness has been
given to us in his word.

326
00:15:34,080 --> 00:15:36,120
Let me give, let me point out three
things about his goodness here.

327
00:15:36,300 --> 00:15:40,410
Now, first of all, God
himself defines goodness.

328
00:15:40,680 --> 00:15:41,580
Such a critical idea.

329
00:15:41,610 --> 00:15:42,990
God himself defines goodness.

330
00:15:42,990 --> 00:15:45,840
In other words, when God does
good, he's not asking, Hey,

331
00:15:45,840 --> 00:15:47,220
what's a good thing for me to do?

332
00:15:48,990 --> 00:15:50,100
The opposite happens.

333
00:15:50,370 --> 00:15:51,930
What God does is good.

334
00:15:52,545 --> 00:15:53,745
God defines goodness.

335
00:15:53,745 --> 00:15:56,865
He is a source and standard of
goodness, which means if God

336
00:15:56,865 --> 00:15:58,215
does it, that's the good thing.

337
00:15:59,055 --> 00:16:02,505
Sometimes we judge God and say, well,
did did God do a good thing when

338
00:16:02,505 --> 00:16:04,515
he did A, B, C, or D in the Bible?

339
00:16:05,055 --> 00:16:07,635
And what we're doing here is we're
trying to understand goodness

340
00:16:07,635 --> 00:16:09,255
apart from defining it by God.

341
00:16:09,885 --> 00:16:12,825
God is the standard and source
of goodness, which means when we

342
00:16:12,825 --> 00:16:16,545
think about goodness, we don't
wanna ask so much, is it good?

343
00:16:16,545 --> 00:16:18,375
But does that, is that what God does?

344
00:16:18,675 --> 00:16:19,605
Is that how God acts?

345
00:16:19,965 --> 00:16:21,225
God is a standard of goodness.

346
00:16:21,900 --> 00:16:23,310
The good God is where we begin.

347
00:16:23,640 --> 00:16:26,610
You remember when Jesus was asked,
good teacher, what must I do?

348
00:16:26,880 --> 00:16:28,110
And then how did Jesus respond?

349
00:16:28,620 --> 00:16:30,570
He says, why do you call me good?

350
00:16:31,320 --> 00:16:35,550
No one is good except God, and
that's your starting place.

351
00:16:35,820 --> 00:16:39,030
Everything that a Christian
considers about goodness, justice,

352
00:16:39,030 --> 00:16:43,830
love, righteousness has to start
with what does God say about this?

353
00:16:44,160 --> 00:16:44,880
Who is God?

354
00:16:45,480 --> 00:16:46,770
He defines goodness for us.

355
00:16:49,200 --> 00:16:49,890
We have a good God.

356
00:16:51,630 --> 00:16:55,350
When Micah uses the term, he has
told you, oh man, what is good?

357
00:16:55,620 --> 00:16:58,680
He's actually referring to something
larger than just the concept of good.

358
00:16:58,680 --> 00:17:00,690
He's talking about the
goodness of the law.

359
00:17:01,410 --> 00:17:03,569
So we have a good God who
gives us the good law.

360
00:17:03,930 --> 00:17:06,300
Micah's talking about the way
that God has spoken to them.

361
00:17:06,300 --> 00:17:08,339
He's given them instructions
about how to live good.

362
00:17:08,339 --> 00:17:10,020
In fact, this is part of his charge.

363
00:17:10,230 --> 00:17:11,339
Turn to Micah, chapter three.

364
00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:14,550
Uh, if you have a Bible, turn a couple
pages back where Micah chapter three,

365
00:17:15,089 --> 00:17:17,670
starting at verse one through verse two.

366
00:17:20,368 --> 00:17:22,020
This is section number
two in Micah's book.

367
00:17:22,200 --> 00:17:27,628
Notice it says Here, I said,
here you heads of Jacob and

368
00:17:27,628 --> 00:17:28,950
rulers of the house of Israel.

369
00:17:29,429 --> 00:17:31,320
Is it not for you to know justice?

370
00:17:31,320 --> 00:17:33,540
And this is in fact, one of the
reasons he writes the book, he's

371
00:17:33,540 --> 00:17:34,830
calling out their injustice.

372
00:17:35,280 --> 00:17:40,560
He says, you who hate the good,
same word there and love the evil.

373
00:17:41,250 --> 00:17:44,940
He's telling them, look you, you're
doing the opposite of my law.

374
00:17:44,940 --> 00:17:46,740
Therefore, you're doing the
opposite of what's good.

375
00:17:47,295 --> 00:17:50,955
You're breaking the covenants by doing
evil, and you're cannibalizing people

376
00:17:50,955 --> 00:17:52,515
that you should be loving and protecting.

377
00:17:52,515 --> 00:17:56,625
And so Micah is pointing them to the good
law that God has established for them.

378
00:17:57,285 --> 00:17:57,945
The good law.

379
00:17:58,215 --> 00:18:00,585
This is incredibly good for us even
today, even though we are not, we're

380
00:18:00,585 --> 00:18:01,875
not under the old covenant law.

381
00:18:02,025 --> 00:18:05,655
We are still under the ethical law
that God gives us in his New Testament.

382
00:18:06,135 --> 00:18:08,595
This is a good thing for us
because we're not just building

383
00:18:08,595 --> 00:18:11,625
our philosophy of life in thin air,
saying, well, what's your preference?

384
00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:14,430
My preference is to live in this way.

385
00:18:14,430 --> 00:18:16,080
Well, your preference is to
live in that way, and certainly

386
00:18:16,080 --> 00:18:17,220
God gives lots of freedom.

387
00:18:17,909 --> 00:18:20,070
But the idea is God defines what's good.

388
00:18:20,460 --> 00:18:22,350
You gotta start here and
be thankful for that.

389
00:18:22,409 --> 00:18:24,210
Thank you, God for giving us the law.

390
00:18:24,389 --> 00:18:26,700
Thank you for showing us
what's right and what's wrong.

391
00:18:26,760 --> 00:18:28,500
What an incredible blessing that is.

392
00:18:30,450 --> 00:18:35,370
The good God gives us the good
law, unless you think we believe

393
00:18:35,370 --> 00:18:36,600
that you can be saved by that.

394
00:18:36,600 --> 00:18:40,020
Let me point you to the
good news, good law.

395
00:18:41,115 --> 00:18:41,505
Good luck.

396
00:18:41,505 --> 00:18:45,825
Good news, pop quiz, and I want
you to answer, okay, this is

397
00:18:45,825 --> 00:18:47,055
a verbal participation part.

398
00:18:47,835 --> 00:18:50,325
Can you be saved by doing good works?

399
00:18:51,675 --> 00:18:54,105
That was really, really uninspired.

400
00:18:55,305 --> 00:18:56,805
I expected like a voracious.

401
00:18:59,145 --> 00:18:59,895
That's still good enough.

402
00:19:00,105 --> 00:19:00,675
You get the point.

403
00:19:01,305 --> 00:19:01,965
Of course not.

404
00:19:02,295 --> 00:19:02,865
Of course not.

405
00:19:02,865 --> 00:19:05,775
And so when Mike is calling
them to understand what's good.

406
00:19:06,705 --> 00:19:09,015
They may have understood only impartial.

407
00:19:09,015 --> 00:19:10,545
What we now understand in full.

408
00:19:11,775 --> 00:19:17,565
We understand that our salvation
is built on nothing less than Jesus

409
00:19:17,565 --> 00:19:19,035
blood and righteousness, his grace.

410
00:19:19,755 --> 00:19:23,985
It's our faith in him and his good
works that have made us good before God.

411
00:19:23,985 --> 00:19:25,245
In fact, this is so important.

412
00:19:25,250 --> 00:19:28,035
We're just gonna, we're
gonna take a brief detour.

413
00:19:28,035 --> 00:19:30,465
I want you to turn to Romans
three, starting at verse 23.

414
00:19:31,725 --> 00:19:34,455
The good law, the good Lord,
has given us the good law.

415
00:19:35,460 --> 00:19:37,380
And it ultimately points to the good news.

416
00:19:38,430 --> 00:19:41,400
We don't want to get this twisted, and
before we open up the rest of Micah, I

417
00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:44,940
think it's my responsibility to point
out to you things that you already know,

418
00:19:44,940 --> 00:19:46,590
but we need to be reminded of constantly.

419
00:19:47,910 --> 00:19:51,420
Romans 3 23, 1 of the most famous
passages in all of scripture, we

420
00:19:51,420 --> 00:19:53,310
usually quote Bree 23, to our kids.

421
00:19:53,550 --> 00:19:57,780
We have the memorize it, but the rest of
this text is so good, it's worth us just

422
00:19:57,990 --> 00:19:59,550
pausing for a few moments to see this.

423
00:19:59,550 --> 00:20:01,590
The good Lord has given us the good law.

424
00:20:02,295 --> 00:20:06,795
The good news, verse 23, Romans chapter
three, for all of sin, everyone in

425
00:20:06,795 --> 00:20:09,705
all creation, everyone is sinned
and everyone falls short of the

426
00:20:09,705 --> 00:20:21,165
glory of God and are justified by
his grace as a gift how through the

427
00:20:21,165 --> 00:20:23,805
redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

428
00:20:24,735 --> 00:20:28,155
We are made right with God through
Christ Jesus and his work on the cross,

429
00:20:28,155 --> 00:20:33,735
verse 25, whom God put forward, God
put Jesus forward as a propitiation

430
00:20:33,765 --> 00:20:36,675
by his blood to be received by faith.

431
00:20:37,515 --> 00:20:40,545
That is we are made right with
God by Christ's sacrifice, and

432
00:20:40,545 --> 00:20:44,235
we receive that right standing
by faith, by trusting in Christ.

433
00:20:45,555 --> 00:20:47,805
This was to show God's righteousness.

434
00:20:48,419 --> 00:20:51,030
Because in his divine
forbearance, he passed over

435
00:20:51,030 --> 00:20:52,500
former sins in the Old Testament.

436
00:20:52,620 --> 00:20:54,870
He didn't punish them the
way that their sins deserved.

437
00:20:54,870 --> 00:20:55,740
God relented.

438
00:20:57,240 --> 00:21:00,870
He was forbearing passed
over former sins, verse 26.

439
00:21:01,679 --> 00:21:06,450
It was to show his righteousness at the
present time so that he might be just.

440
00:21:07,379 --> 00:21:13,440
And the justifier of the one who has faith
in Jesus so critical that we understand

441
00:21:13,740 --> 00:21:17,760
the good God has given us the good law
in order to point us to the good news

442
00:21:17,760 --> 00:21:21,510
that we are made right by him, not by
obeying the law, but by trusting Jesus

443
00:21:21,510 --> 00:21:26,550
Christ to fulfill the law so that we can
now by faith live out his just commands.

444
00:21:27,960 --> 00:21:29,820
This is the good news.

445
00:21:30,345 --> 00:21:32,565
This is the good God who
has given us the good news.

446
00:21:32,685 --> 00:21:33,645
He is the standard.

447
00:21:33,675 --> 00:21:34,635
He is our righteousness.

448
00:21:34,635 --> 00:21:36,315
He's the one who tells us how to live.

449
00:21:36,375 --> 00:21:37,515
This is so incredible.

450
00:21:37,935 --> 00:21:41,055
Have you ever thought about how good it is
to have a God that tells us how to live?

451
00:21:41,835 --> 00:21:46,275
I mean, there's so many confusing
ideas and philosophies all

452
00:21:46,275 --> 00:21:49,275
around us, people that purport
to say, this is the good life.

453
00:21:50,565 --> 00:21:52,605
We'll talk about some of those
things, but I just need you to feel

454
00:21:52,875 --> 00:21:53,775
what I've been feeling this week.

455
00:21:54,075 --> 00:21:57,075
God is so kind of give us
leadership in this AR area.

456
00:21:57,675 --> 00:21:59,504
Okay, back to Micah,
chapter six, verse eight.

457
00:21:59,925 --> 00:22:01,095
The good life is not a mystery.

458
00:22:01,095 --> 00:22:04,125
God has shown it to us, but he doesn't
stop, uh, telling us what's good.

459
00:22:04,125 --> 00:22:07,395
He tells us how to live it, and that's
where we go back to Micah six eight Again.

460
00:22:07,395 --> 00:22:10,815
He has told you a man, what is good
and what does the Lord require of you?

461
00:22:11,025 --> 00:22:13,575
What does Yahweh desire
and require of you?

462
00:22:14,325 --> 00:22:17,265
And the first thing that he
notes here is to do justice.

463
00:22:17,625 --> 00:22:20,565
To do justice, biblical justice.

464
00:22:20,565 --> 00:22:21,975
We're not talking about social justice.

465
00:22:21,975 --> 00:22:24,645
We're not talking about the kind
of justice that the world offers.

466
00:22:24,885 --> 00:22:25,575
This is.

467
00:22:26,024 --> 00:22:27,855
God's justice, biblical justice.

468
00:22:27,855 --> 00:22:31,004
In fact, tomorrow if you're
reading our DBR plan daily Bible

469
00:22:31,004 --> 00:22:34,125
Reading, you're gonna read Second
Chronicles 19 with King Jeh Ofat.

470
00:22:34,395 --> 00:22:37,875
One of the most remarkable things
that King Jeh Apha does is he tells

471
00:22:38,024 --> 00:22:43,425
the, the judges, and Judah, he
says to them, he says, now then let

472
00:22:43,425 --> 00:22:45,254
the fear of the Lord be upon you.

473
00:22:45,254 --> 00:22:49,215
Judges and Judah, be careful what
you do for there is no injustice

474
00:22:49,215 --> 00:22:53,835
with the Lord our God, or partiality
of taking or taking bribes.

475
00:22:54,525 --> 00:22:59,205
God uses Jeh ofat to install true biblical
justice in Judah for at least a season

476
00:22:59,205 --> 00:23:03,585
of time, and he does so through righteous
judges, men that know good from bad.

477
00:23:03,855 --> 00:23:08,715
Now, justice, quite simply,
justice is this punishing the evil,

478
00:23:08,895 --> 00:23:10,815
rewarding the righteous simple.

479
00:23:11,235 --> 00:23:13,635
There's a lot more we could say about
that, but that's a simple framework.

480
00:23:14,235 --> 00:23:16,035
Punishing evil, rewarding righteousness.

481
00:23:16,095 --> 00:23:19,754
Now, that's a true statement as far
as it goes, but think about this.

482
00:23:20,325 --> 00:23:22,365
If I'm an unbeliever,
if I'm a non-Christian.

483
00:23:23,010 --> 00:23:25,320
I could agree with that,
couldn't I could agree with that.

484
00:23:25,710 --> 00:23:26,010
Oh yeah.

485
00:23:26,010 --> 00:23:27,690
I don't wanna punish the
evil and reward the good.

486
00:23:28,050 --> 00:23:28,680
I would agree with that.

487
00:23:29,520 --> 00:23:33,870
The problem, again, is not the phrase
itself, but how we define the words.

488
00:23:34,710 --> 00:23:35,250
It goes back to that.

489
00:23:35,250 --> 00:23:37,440
It goes back to point
number one, God's goodness.

490
00:23:37,560 --> 00:23:39,360
He defines what's good versus evil.

491
00:23:39,360 --> 00:23:41,970
God's the one who tells us what is
right versus what is wrong, and so

492
00:23:41,970 --> 00:23:44,310
we have here biblical justice for us.

493
00:23:44,910 --> 00:23:45,150
Amen.

494
00:23:45,150 --> 00:23:46,860
Just a quick perusal through Micah.

495
00:23:47,565 --> 00:23:49,845
God is promising justice against Israel.

496
00:23:49,845 --> 00:23:51,165
And June, in fact, just
take a look with me.

497
00:23:51,165 --> 00:23:53,955
Go to chapter one if you're
still in Micah, or turn back to

498
00:23:53,955 --> 00:23:54,825
Micah if you're not there yet.

499
00:23:55,095 --> 00:23:55,965
Turn back to Micah.

500
00:23:56,054 --> 00:23:59,715
Let me just show you a few places
where God is calling out begging for

501
00:23:59,715 --> 00:24:01,395
justice and demanding that they be just.

502
00:24:01,395 --> 00:24:03,315
And he's gonna say, look, if you
don't do it, I'm gonna do it for you,

503
00:24:04,514 --> 00:24:06,225
Micah, chapter one and verse three.

504
00:24:06,375 --> 00:24:09,705
Behold the Lord is coming out of his
place and he will come down and tread

505
00:24:09,705 --> 00:24:11,264
upon the high places of the earth.

506
00:24:11,850 --> 00:24:14,370
And the mountains will melt under
him, and the valleys will split

507
00:24:14,370 --> 00:24:17,820
open like wax before the fire, like
waters poured down in steep place.

508
00:24:18,180 --> 00:24:22,530
All this is for why the
transgression of Jacob and for

509
00:24:22,530 --> 00:24:23,730
the sins of the house of Israel.

510
00:24:24,300 --> 00:24:25,649
What is a transgression of Jacob?

511
00:24:25,680 --> 00:24:26,790
Is it not Samaria?

512
00:24:27,090 --> 00:24:28,470
And what is the high place of Judah?

513
00:24:28,470 --> 00:24:29,639
Is it not Jerusalem?

514
00:24:30,120 --> 00:24:33,600
Therefore, I will make Samaria a
heap of a heap in the open country,

515
00:24:34,050 --> 00:24:35,399
a place for planting vineyards.

516
00:24:36,000 --> 00:24:37,320
So God is promising justice.

517
00:24:37,680 --> 00:24:40,080
It is in fact their injustice
that he's responding to.

518
00:24:40,770 --> 00:24:44,610
If you turn over to chapter
two, turn over to chapter two.

519
00:24:44,610 --> 00:24:45,090
Look at this.

520
00:24:45,090 --> 00:24:46,920
Chapter two, starting with the word wo.

521
00:24:47,220 --> 00:24:51,960
Wo is a, is a way to say, it's a
way to communicate devastation,

522
00:24:52,020 --> 00:24:57,720
condemnation, woe to those who devise
wickedness and work evil on their beds.

523
00:24:58,320 --> 00:25:01,680
When the morning dawns, they perform it
because it is in the power of their hand.

524
00:25:01,950 --> 00:25:03,930
They covet fields and they seize them.

525
00:25:04,380 --> 00:25:06,390
They covet houses and they take them away.

526
00:25:06,600 --> 00:25:09,420
They oppress a man in his house
and a man in his inheritance.

527
00:25:09,824 --> 00:25:12,584
Therefore, thus, as the Lord
behold against this family,

528
00:25:12,615 --> 00:25:14,655
I am devising disaster again.

529
00:25:14,655 --> 00:25:18,195
It is their injustice that
provokes God's righteous justice

530
00:25:18,195 --> 00:25:19,304
to take the center stage.

531
00:25:19,304 --> 00:25:21,345
Here he is saying, look,
you're not gonna be righteous.

532
00:25:21,345 --> 00:25:22,725
I will punish your wickedness.

533
00:25:23,264 --> 00:25:27,885
This is part of God's justice, his
righteousness, demanding satisfaction.

534
00:25:30,915 --> 00:25:32,985
Look at the rest of chapter
eight or chapter two with you

535
00:25:33,254 --> 00:25:34,395
could look at chapter three.

536
00:25:34,665 --> 00:25:36,825
We have more evidence of
their unrighteousness.

537
00:25:36,825 --> 00:25:40,215
And yet the point is here
God wants his people to be.

538
00:25:40,215 --> 00:25:42,435
Just look at chapter three, verse eight.

539
00:25:43,095 --> 00:25:46,905
Micah just described the false prophets
and he says in chapter three, verse eight

540
00:25:46,905 --> 00:25:50,625
of Micah, but as for me, I am filled
with power and with the spirit of the

541
00:25:50,625 --> 00:25:56,835
Lord, notice what comes with the spirit
of the Lord and with justice and might.

542
00:25:57,210 --> 00:26:00,600
To declare to Jacob, his
transgression and to Israel his sin.

543
00:26:00,960 --> 00:26:04,710
So in contrast to the false prophets,
Micah says, I'm here and I'm bringing the

544
00:26:04,710 --> 00:26:09,870
spirit of the Lord With justice, God's
spirit always comes with his justice.

545
00:26:14,370 --> 00:26:18,660
Living the good life is not picking
and choosing the things that we like.

546
00:26:18,660 --> 00:26:21,960
This is not cafeteria style
Christianity, living the good life.

547
00:26:22,335 --> 00:26:25,875
It's gonna look like point number two,
practicing and pursuing biblical justice.

548
00:26:26,355 --> 00:26:27,825
Remember, we're defining good by God.

549
00:26:28,065 --> 00:26:31,365
God is defining good and goodness
demands that we pursue biblical justice.

550
00:26:31,635 --> 00:26:32,625
What does that look like today?

551
00:26:32,625 --> 00:26:34,395
Man, there are so many options for us.

552
00:26:35,025 --> 00:26:38,175
I'm afraid that you might only think in
terms of the, the large scale evidence,

553
00:26:38,175 --> 00:26:39,525
and that's impor important, appropriate.

554
00:26:39,525 --> 00:26:40,995
In fact, that's, let me just point.

555
00:26:40,995 --> 00:26:44,985
One of the things out here, uh, is
June, which means the Supreme Court is

556
00:26:44,985 --> 00:26:48,465
handing down rulings, really important
rulings that they've been delaying on.

557
00:26:48,495 --> 00:26:51,165
They usually wait until their summer
session to break or summer break.

558
00:26:51,465 --> 00:26:54,435
To release some of their biggest
landmark cases, and one of them

559
00:26:54,435 --> 00:26:58,635
that was recently released is their
upholding of Tennessee's ban on gender

560
00:26:58,635 --> 00:27:00,315
affirming hormone therapy for minors.

561
00:27:00,975 --> 00:27:05,445
So they have sided with Tennessee
to say it is appropriate to make

562
00:27:05,565 --> 00:27:10,665
inaccessible gender affirming
hormone therapy for minors.

563
00:27:11,235 --> 00:27:12,320
We all tracking with what that is.

564
00:27:12,855 --> 00:27:13,065
Okay.

565
00:27:14,145 --> 00:27:17,745
There are two parties who are
arguing justice in this case.

566
00:27:18,165 --> 00:27:20,865
One party is saying it is wrong.

567
00:27:21,314 --> 00:27:26,715
It is morally wrong for you to say
no to a young person whose life

568
00:27:26,715 --> 00:27:30,585
can be threatened if they don't get
this life-saving hormone therapy.

569
00:27:31,274 --> 00:27:32,385
That's one way of justice.

570
00:27:32,385 --> 00:27:33,735
If you don't do this, you're wrong.

571
00:27:34,304 --> 00:27:35,564
You're morally reprehensible.

572
00:27:36,044 --> 00:27:37,485
They might even use worse words than that.

573
00:27:38,504 --> 00:27:40,665
The other side of this, the other
side of justice, someone is saying,

574
00:27:40,665 --> 00:27:44,895
look, uh, in fact, the, the, the,
the side that won this, uh, Tennessee

575
00:27:44,895 --> 00:27:46,095
and the Alliance defending freedom.

576
00:27:46,725 --> 00:27:49,125
They saw this as a matter
of justice as well.

577
00:27:49,395 --> 00:27:49,875
In what way?

578
00:27:49,935 --> 00:27:53,024
Well, they're protecting children from
irreversible and unproven treatments.

579
00:27:54,165 --> 00:27:59,475
They argued, uh, a minor can't
drink alcohol, they can't enlist

580
00:27:59,475 --> 00:28:03,225
in the military, they can't
get tattoos, can't buy guns.

581
00:28:04,845 --> 00:28:08,325
There's a reason, there's a reason
why we don't allow this, and it

582
00:28:08,325 --> 00:28:12,105
makes perfect sense that we would
then limit their access to these

583
00:28:12,315 --> 00:28:14,655
potentially life-changing treatments.

584
00:28:15,195 --> 00:28:17,925
Which are unproven and untested,
and so there's two people arguing.

585
00:28:17,925 --> 00:28:19,995
Imagine two parties arguing justice here.

586
00:28:19,995 --> 00:28:20,564
Again, who's wrong?

587
00:28:20,564 --> 00:28:23,475
Well, you have to define that.

588
00:28:24,254 --> 00:28:26,355
God's goodness, God's justice.

589
00:28:27,014 --> 00:28:29,054
We want God to speak
in on these situations.

590
00:28:29,355 --> 00:28:32,534
Proverbs 28, 5 says, evil man don't
understand justice, but those who seek

591
00:28:32,534 --> 00:28:34,215
the Lord, they understand it completely.

592
00:28:35,295 --> 00:28:38,505
Pursuing biblical justice then for
us will mean that we are immersed.

593
00:28:38,505 --> 00:28:40,455
We have to be immersed in our Bibles.

594
00:28:40,665 --> 00:28:41,775
There's no shortcut to this.

595
00:28:41,925 --> 00:28:44,775
If we're gonna live the good
life, the good life is in a.

596
00:28:45,840 --> 00:28:50,310
Unable to be experienced, independent of a
thorough knowledge of God's word, because

597
00:28:50,310 --> 00:28:51,960
biblical justice requires that we know it.

598
00:28:51,960 --> 00:28:53,040
We have to know God's word.

599
00:28:53,370 --> 00:28:55,920
We should know his case law in the
Book of Exodus, how he dealt with

600
00:28:55,920 --> 00:28:59,850
Israel, how he called them to live
in a land that was not their own, and

601
00:28:59,850 --> 00:29:00,960
even a land that would be their own.

602
00:29:00,960 --> 00:29:04,410
And Canaan, we have to be the kinda people
who know our Bible so well that we could,

603
00:29:04,500 --> 00:29:09,060
we could say we have a good grasp of what
biblical justice looks like pursuing it.

604
00:29:09,060 --> 00:29:11,640
Then in your own private life, that
doesn't look all that different.

605
00:29:11,910 --> 00:29:13,980
Now, as a rule, Christians
are law abiding people.

606
00:29:14,865 --> 00:29:17,805
We're not opposed to, we're not, we're
not opposed to picketing and to, you

607
00:29:17,805 --> 00:29:20,145
know, and to promoting righteous causes.

608
00:29:20,475 --> 00:29:23,985
But it doesn't just mean that at the
lay level, we are law abiding people.

609
00:29:23,985 --> 00:29:27,345
We uphold the law insofar as a
law does not violate anything

610
00:29:27,345 --> 00:29:28,215
that God's word has said.

611
00:29:28,965 --> 00:29:32,025
If the law were to say, Hey, you can't
worship Jesus and you can't worship on

612
00:29:32,025 --> 00:29:35,415
Sunday, we would have to violate the
law, but all things being equal, we're

613
00:29:35,415 --> 00:29:36,765
gonna say, well, what does God say?

614
00:29:36,825 --> 00:29:39,495
And as long as God's word is not
violated, we're gonna do what the,

615
00:29:39,555 --> 00:29:40,665
what the nation says we should do.

616
00:29:41,130 --> 00:29:43,920
We're gonna stop at stop signs, or
we're gonna pay our property taxes,

617
00:29:43,920 --> 00:29:45,060
we're gonna obey building codes.

618
00:29:45,060 --> 00:29:48,210
We're going to, uh, do, uh, pay
for our vehicle registration.

619
00:29:49,170 --> 00:29:51,540
Um, God's people must be the
kind of people who are shaped by

620
00:29:51,540 --> 00:29:54,540
God's justice, which means that
there's a constant vigilance in

621
00:29:54,540 --> 00:29:56,340
our part to say what's unjust?

622
00:29:56,340 --> 00:29:57,390
And how do I remedy that?

623
00:29:57,390 --> 00:29:58,530
Can I do anything about that?

624
00:29:58,980 --> 00:30:01,560
Am I in any position to
enact God's justice or to

625
00:30:01,560 --> 00:30:02,670
promote that, to pursue that?

626
00:30:02,880 --> 00:30:06,270
And that's, that's a challenging
place for us to be because certainly

627
00:30:06,270 --> 00:30:07,740
you can't be involved in everything.

628
00:30:08,190 --> 00:30:10,200
But there are some major things
that we could be involved with.

629
00:30:11,985 --> 00:30:15,195
There are places I don't just, I'll try
to say, say this in a way that's gentle,

630
00:30:15,524 --> 00:30:16,665
keeping in mind our mixed audience here.

631
00:30:16,965 --> 00:30:20,024
There are places where the weakest
and most vulnerable among us

632
00:30:22,245 --> 00:30:26,385
are disposed, could be stronger,
but for the sake of our audience,

633
00:30:26,745 --> 00:30:27,615
you know what I'm talking about.

634
00:30:28,695 --> 00:30:31,544
And that's one of the most injust things
that we are living through right now.

635
00:30:31,889 --> 00:30:34,695
And not to say that you have
to be out there picketing.

636
00:30:34,754 --> 00:30:37,365
You could and not say that you
have to give all your money to

637
00:30:37,365 --> 00:30:38,054
that, or some of your money.

638
00:30:38,054 --> 00:30:38,595
You could.

639
00:30:39,690 --> 00:30:42,990
My point is that God wants the people
who are pursuing biblical justice

640
00:30:42,990 --> 00:30:47,310
practicing it, and in whatever way you do
that, it's important that you feel like

641
00:30:47,310 --> 00:30:48,870
you're following the commands of God.

642
00:30:49,800 --> 00:30:52,740
There are righteous causes for
which God has placed us here for the

643
00:30:52,740 --> 00:30:54,300
purpose of defending those things.

644
00:30:57,660 --> 00:31:00,600
It's not just out there,
it's, it's in our homes.

645
00:31:01,320 --> 00:31:04,440
It is our job to help our kids,
our families, understand what

646
00:31:04,440 --> 00:31:05,910
righteousness is, what justice is.

647
00:31:06,405 --> 00:31:10,544
And this is a big part of what it is to
raise a family today, to teach what is

648
00:31:10,544 --> 00:31:14,294
right and true in Contradistinction to
everything else that the world teaches.

649
00:31:21,044 --> 00:31:21,825
Back to Micah six, eight,

650
00:31:25,754 --> 00:31:26,595
justice matters.

651
00:31:27,794 --> 00:31:29,294
We should be pursuing biblical justice.

652
00:31:29,294 --> 00:31:32,355
But God said more than that and
thankfully so, because if we were

653
00:31:32,355 --> 00:31:35,085
just pursuing biblical justice,
that might make us pretty harsh.

654
00:31:35,580 --> 00:31:37,230
He adds something
essential to the good life.

655
00:31:37,230 --> 00:31:37,860
Here's what he says.

656
00:31:38,010 --> 00:31:41,160
He has told you, oh man, what is good
and what does the Lord require of you?

657
00:31:41,160 --> 00:31:44,250
But to do justice and to love kindness.

658
00:31:44,850 --> 00:31:46,230
To love kindness.

659
00:31:48,060 --> 00:31:48,720
This is amazing.

660
00:31:50,610 --> 00:31:52,710
If I can have a favorite part,
this is one of my favorite parts

661
00:31:55,140 --> 00:31:57,420
to love, kindness, to love,
and the word kindness there

662
00:31:57,420 --> 00:31:59,130
is the biblical word tested.

663
00:31:59,760 --> 00:32:01,710
Um, if you want to say it the way
you're supposed to, you need to

664
00:32:01,710 --> 00:32:02,850
add a ch to the front of this.

665
00:32:04,020 --> 00:32:04,410
Tested.

666
00:32:04,935 --> 00:32:07,064
You probably know this word hassid is
the way that we typically pronounce

667
00:32:07,064 --> 00:32:11,294
it, but hassid, hassad is such a rich,
powerful word in the Old Testament.

668
00:32:11,475 --> 00:32:14,415
It's, it's translated in a lot of
different ways, but it's most often

669
00:32:14,415 --> 00:32:16,185
translated in the ESV as love.

670
00:32:16,514 --> 00:32:20,115
It's, and it is that, it is that,
but it's also translated kind or

671
00:32:20,115 --> 00:32:22,455
kindness about 15% of the time.

672
00:32:22,905 --> 00:32:26,115
Um, another 5% of the time
it's translated steadfast love.

673
00:32:26,415 --> 00:32:27,855
It is a rich, rich word.

674
00:32:28,425 --> 00:32:31,785
Let me show you where the word appears in
Micah, in addition to Micah six, eight.

675
00:32:32,055 --> 00:32:35,504
Turn to Micah chapter
seven, looking at verse 18.

676
00:32:35,895 --> 00:32:37,545
Micah chapter seven, looking at verse 18.

677
00:32:37,545 --> 00:32:40,545
This is how Micah closes the
book, and I want you to see, uh,

678
00:32:40,545 --> 00:32:42,285
there's a lot of judgment in Micah.

679
00:32:42,285 --> 00:32:43,605
God's promising I'm gonna judge.

680
00:32:43,605 --> 00:32:47,565
I'm gonna deal with you, and
he weaves in restoration.

681
00:32:47,565 --> 00:32:49,185
God's going to do
something with you Israel.

682
00:32:49,185 --> 00:32:52,515
He's not done yet, but amazingly,
he ends the book on a high note, and

683
00:32:52,515 --> 00:32:55,965
here's what it sounds like starting
at Micah, chapter seven, verse 18.

684
00:32:56,610 --> 00:32:57,270
Here's what he says.

685
00:32:57,570 --> 00:32:58,770
Who is a God like you?

686
00:32:58,770 --> 00:33:03,450
And by the way, it seems like
Micah uses this on purpose 'cause

687
00:33:03,450 --> 00:33:04,590
that's what his name means, right?

688
00:33:04,620 --> 00:33:05,550
Who is a God like you?

689
00:33:05,939 --> 00:33:07,590
So he starts the book with Micah.

690
00:33:07,679 --> 00:33:09,240
He ends the book with Micah.

691
00:33:09,480 --> 00:33:09,780
Really?

692
00:33:09,780 --> 00:33:10,860
Pa Uh, really interesting here.

693
00:33:10,919 --> 00:33:11,399
Verse 18.

694
00:33:11,520 --> 00:33:12,450
Who is a God like you?

695
00:33:13,200 --> 00:33:14,189
Notice what he lists.

696
00:33:14,610 --> 00:33:15,629
Pardoning iniquity.

697
00:33:16,379 --> 00:33:20,520
We just found out in Romans three that God
was forbearing about that because he knew

698
00:33:20,520 --> 00:33:22,260
he would, he would forgive them in Christ.

699
00:33:22,980 --> 00:33:25,950
Pardoning iniquity,
passing over transgression.

700
00:33:26,700 --> 00:33:28,590
For the remnant of his inheritance.

701
00:33:28,620 --> 00:33:28,800
Who?

702
00:33:28,800 --> 00:33:29,340
Who does that?

703
00:33:29,340 --> 00:33:32,160
What God does that, in fact, you
could ask that even today, what

704
00:33:32,160 --> 00:33:34,590
God does that there are none.

705
00:33:35,010 --> 00:33:37,200
All the gods of the people
are Gods of goodness.

706
00:33:37,200 --> 00:33:39,840
Do good, do better,
try harder, run faster.

707
00:33:39,840 --> 00:33:41,640
If you're a good enough
person, maybe you'll make it.

708
00:33:41,910 --> 00:33:42,690
You are the mountain.

709
00:33:42,690 --> 00:33:43,530
The mountain is you.

710
00:33:43,800 --> 00:33:44,730
Get out of your own way.

711
00:33:44,730 --> 00:33:46,860
Save yourself, and maybe
you'll live the good life.

712
00:33:47,400 --> 00:33:50,070
Who is a God like our
God is what Micah asked.

713
00:33:50,070 --> 00:33:52,890
And hopefully in your mind you're saying,
I know that God, I know that's my God.

714
00:33:53,190 --> 00:33:54,060
My God does this.

715
00:33:54,090 --> 00:33:55,620
Here's what he says, and I love this.

716
00:33:56,460 --> 00:33:58,650
He does not retain his anger forever.

717
00:33:59,790 --> 00:34:00,270
Okay, you ready?

718
00:34:00,270 --> 00:34:04,770
You're gonna highlight something
in your Bible because he delights

719
00:34:05,250 --> 00:34:09,659
in steadfast love, say law.

720
00:34:10,259 --> 00:34:11,670
Let's think about that for a second.

721
00:34:12,359 --> 00:34:15,040
God delights in PEs.

722
00:34:17,484 --> 00:34:20,730
God loves to show love.

723
00:34:23,850 --> 00:34:25,020
Like my mind is blown here.

724
00:34:25,665 --> 00:34:27,435
Okay, really quick,
let's think about this.

725
00:34:28,455 --> 00:34:32,024
God is not begrudging
in his love toward you.

726
00:34:33,014 --> 00:34:36,734
He doesn't see you and say with mild
toleration, oh, here she's again.

727
00:34:38,563 --> 00:34:42,435
What Now what you want is it time again?

728
00:34:43,784 --> 00:34:48,583
God is not passive and merely
tolerant when you approach him.

729
00:34:49,484 --> 00:34:51,705
God delights to show you love.

730
00:34:51,884 --> 00:34:53,504
God loves to show love.

731
00:34:54,313 --> 00:34:56,504
God loves to draw you in.

732
00:34:56,504 --> 00:34:57,644
God delights to love you.

733
00:34:57,644 --> 00:34:58,784
God delights to forgive you.

734
00:34:58,784 --> 00:35:00,494
God delights to save and redeem you.

735
00:35:00,704 --> 00:35:01,874
God delights in you.

736
00:35:02,144 --> 00:35:04,544
In Christ, you are accepted.

737
00:35:04,724 --> 00:35:05,384
In the beloved.

738
00:35:05,384 --> 00:35:10,064
You are someone that God
wants in his presence, desires

739
00:35:10,664 --> 00:35:12,134
longs for in his presence.

740
00:35:12,404 --> 00:35:15,014
The God of the universe,
the perfect triune.

741
00:35:15,014 --> 00:35:18,704
God invites you to be part
of that perfect communion.

742
00:35:18,884 --> 00:35:20,115
He desires you.

743
00:35:21,059 --> 00:35:21,869
Little old you.

744
00:35:21,869 --> 00:35:24,869
He wants you part of his,
his, his intimate relation.

745
00:35:25,709 --> 00:35:27,689
This is amazing, amazing.

746
00:35:27,689 --> 00:35:29,669
God delights in steadfast love.

747
00:35:30,419 --> 00:35:31,349
This is who God is.

748
00:35:31,470 --> 00:35:32,039
I love this.

749
00:35:32,039 --> 00:35:34,139
He's worth celebrating and
honoring for that alone.

750
00:35:35,189 --> 00:35:36,269
But then he turns the page.

751
00:35:36,269 --> 00:35:39,149
Go back to Micah chapter six
again, Micah chapter six.

752
00:35:39,149 --> 00:35:41,729
He says this, what does
the Lord require of you?

753
00:35:41,729 --> 00:35:46,619
But to do justice and to love kindness,
to love, love, to love steadfast love.

754
00:35:46,619 --> 00:35:47,490
It's the same idea.

755
00:35:48,345 --> 00:35:51,165
So it makes perfect sense that
if God himself is a God who loves

756
00:35:51,165 --> 00:35:54,585
to love you, then certainly we
should love to love as well.

757
00:35:54,975 --> 00:35:58,605
Point number three, refuse
to go through the motions.

758
00:35:59,145 --> 00:36:03,045
Don't allow yourself just to passively do
the good things that God calls you to do

759
00:36:03,194 --> 00:36:05,325
without letting your heart follow along.

760
00:36:06,315 --> 00:36:10,605
To love, to love, good to love and
appreciate, to have affection for the

761
00:36:10,605 --> 00:36:11,865
good things that God calls you to.

762
00:36:11,865 --> 00:36:12,944
This is what God desires for us.

763
00:36:14,415 --> 00:36:15,734
We're selling ourselves short.

764
00:36:16,004 --> 00:36:19,785
If we just do the thing without
loving the Lord, our God with our

765
00:36:19,785 --> 00:36:21,254
heart, soul, mind, and strength.

766
00:36:23,955 --> 00:36:26,774
Scripture says He who finds
a wife finds a good thing.

767
00:36:28,335 --> 00:36:31,725
I take issue with that because
I found a great thing, guys.

768
00:36:32,294 --> 00:36:33,044
I love my wife.

769
00:36:33,615 --> 00:36:33,975
Thank you.

770
00:36:34,004 --> 00:36:34,245
Thank you.

771
00:36:34,245 --> 00:36:35,115
I'm gonna let her know you did that.

772
00:36:35,480 --> 00:36:38,294
I need to applause for that.

773
00:36:38,294 --> 00:36:38,895
I appreciate that though.

774
00:36:39,044 --> 00:36:39,315
Thank you.

775
00:36:40,544 --> 00:36:43,065
So Kristen and I went to
Lala's Tacos recently.

776
00:36:44,310 --> 00:36:45,839
Pastor PJ said they were just okay.

777
00:36:46,560 --> 00:36:48,150
And I'm like, I'm never gonna
go then I don't want to go

778
00:36:48,150 --> 00:36:49,259
to a just Okay restaurant.

779
00:36:49,830 --> 00:36:52,170
But we went and I loved it.

780
00:36:52,170 --> 00:36:55,650
I just, I don't know what
PPJ ate, but this was good.

781
00:36:56,460 --> 00:36:58,140
And we got the tacos la la style.

782
00:36:58,140 --> 00:37:00,210
If you're gonna do it, do
la la style, you want that?

783
00:37:00,299 --> 00:37:01,049
They're, they're good.

784
00:37:01,740 --> 00:37:02,100
Delayed.

785
00:37:02,100 --> 00:37:02,765
Very rich too.

786
00:37:02,884 --> 00:37:04,020
I mean, almost too rich.

787
00:37:04,410 --> 00:37:05,069
Still good now.

788
00:37:06,105 --> 00:37:08,475
Well, Kristen and I, you know,
we, we do a date pretty regularly.

789
00:37:08,565 --> 00:37:10,455
Most, most of the time
it's on a weekly basis.

790
00:37:10,455 --> 00:37:13,005
And so, you know, we go and
Kristen's such a sweet girl.

791
00:37:13,005 --> 00:37:15,825
She'll, she'll, she'll say, thank
you for things that are like this.

792
00:37:15,825 --> 00:37:18,315
I'm supposed to do this, this
is my, my husbandly duty, but

793
00:37:18,315 --> 00:37:19,245
she, she did it this time.

794
00:37:19,695 --> 00:37:21,525
Thank you for, for taking me on a date.

795
00:37:21,645 --> 00:37:23,715
Something like that, you know,
thank you, love one of those things.

796
00:37:24,735 --> 00:37:30,134
And normally I say something profound
and romantic in return, and then her

797
00:37:30,134 --> 00:37:32,655
eye, her eyes just turn into doves and.

798
00:37:33,524 --> 00:37:35,204
Like the sparks are flying all over again.

799
00:37:35,894 --> 00:37:39,914
But imagine if instead of responding
with something romantic and

800
00:37:40,095 --> 00:37:43,604
affectionate, I said something like,
Hey sweetheart, don't mention it.

801
00:37:44,055 --> 00:37:48,015
I'm supposed to do this
and give her a fist bump.

802
00:37:52,785 --> 00:37:55,575
Something tells me I, I don't think
she would be super stoked about it.

803
00:37:58,184 --> 00:38:00,854
I think she'd be a little irritated.

804
00:38:01,515 --> 00:38:05,475
And probably strongly dishonored by that,
and you would understand that, right?

805
00:38:06,044 --> 00:38:10,394
Part of the fun of loving somebody
is that they love to do good to you.

806
00:38:10,934 --> 00:38:11,774
That's part of the fun of it.

807
00:38:11,774 --> 00:38:15,345
That's what makes the love so enjoyable is
that there is a mutual giving and taking

808
00:38:15,584 --> 00:38:17,984
that demonstrates I'd love to serve you.

809
00:38:18,794 --> 00:38:20,924
If I was just going through the
motions and telling Kristen, Hey,

810
00:38:20,924 --> 00:38:23,805
you're welcome, but no thanks
necessary just doing my duty, ma'am.

811
00:38:24,254 --> 00:38:25,604
She would be rightly offended.

812
00:38:25,904 --> 00:38:29,384
She would be a little, a little
annoyed and and rightly so, because

813
00:38:29,384 --> 00:38:30,915
nobody wants to be loved that way.

814
00:38:30,915 --> 00:38:33,225
Nobody wants to just say,
well, you did the thing for

815
00:38:33,225 --> 00:38:34,365
me because I was supposed to.

816
00:38:35,774 --> 00:38:39,854
Nobody wants that, and it's certainly
true for us, and it makes sense

817
00:38:39,854 --> 00:38:40,754
that it would be true for God.

818
00:38:41,444 --> 00:38:42,705
God doesn't want us to love him that way.

819
00:38:43,380 --> 00:38:44,760
He doesn't want us just
to go through the motions.

820
00:38:44,760 --> 00:38:46,560
He wants us to love to love him.

821
00:38:46,710 --> 00:38:48,510
He wants us to love to love other people.

822
00:38:48,660 --> 00:38:51,660
In fact, the whole idea that
it's captured here is basically

823
00:38:51,660 --> 00:38:52,680
the Chick-fil-A mentality.

824
00:38:53,070 --> 00:38:54,000
It's my pleasure, Lord.

825
00:38:54,570 --> 00:38:55,650
I love to serve you.

826
00:38:56,100 --> 00:38:56,430
Now.

827
00:38:56,430 --> 00:38:58,500
Really, I think what he's pointing
at here, and this is, that is

828
00:38:58,500 --> 00:38:59,520
actually not love toward him.

829
00:38:59,520 --> 00:39:01,800
We'll get to that in the last
point, but love toward others.

830
00:39:02,160 --> 00:39:03,750
Love toward the people of God.

831
00:39:04,350 --> 00:39:07,620
Loving to do good to people, which
would include justice, which would

832
00:39:07,620 --> 00:39:09,870
include a whole host of other things,
but loving to do good to people.

833
00:39:12,089 --> 00:39:16,649
Jesus said to Saul
before he was Paul, Saul.

834
00:39:16,649 --> 00:39:18,449
Saul, why are you persecuting the church?

835
00:39:18,929 --> 00:39:19,559
Remember when he said that?

836
00:39:20,819 --> 00:39:21,539
No, he didn't say that.

837
00:39:21,749 --> 00:39:23,279
Good catch Saul.

838
00:39:23,279 --> 00:39:25,740
Saul, why are you persecuting me?

839
00:39:27,449 --> 00:39:31,679
What that tells us is that Christ so
closely identifies with his church

840
00:39:31,679 --> 00:39:35,369
that when you do evil to the church,
it's like you're doing evil to him.

841
00:39:36,419 --> 00:39:39,179
He so closely identifies with his church
that when you do good to the church.

842
00:39:39,779 --> 00:39:41,910
It's like, you're doing good to him.

843
00:39:43,379 --> 00:39:45,359
This is our Lord.

844
00:39:45,959 --> 00:39:47,160
And he says, you can't.

845
00:39:47,160 --> 00:39:48,120
You can't do good to me.

846
00:39:48,120 --> 00:39:50,789
He's in, he's in heaven right
now, but you can do good to

847
00:39:50,789 --> 00:39:52,680
me, as in my church, my body.

848
00:39:53,729 --> 00:39:56,249
He so closely identifies with us that
he calls us his body and therefore,

849
00:39:56,490 --> 00:39:58,560
God wants us to love to love the body.

850
00:39:59,580 --> 00:40:03,959
Setting up chairs is no fun unless you're
doing it because you love the people that

851
00:40:03,959 --> 00:40:06,629
are about to sit in those chairs, in which
case then you're sit, you're sitting in a

852
00:40:06,629 --> 00:40:07,584
chair and you're realize, this is great.

853
00:40:08,415 --> 00:40:11,475
If your husband or your wife or your
son or your, your daughter was coming

854
00:40:11,475 --> 00:40:13,604
to sit down and there wasn't enough
chairs, you, you would quickly grab a

855
00:40:13,604 --> 00:40:14,805
chair and put it down for them, right?

856
00:40:14,805 --> 00:40:16,035
You wouldn't think twice about it.

857
00:40:16,814 --> 00:40:19,004
You wouldn't bemoan the fact that
your back hurts you, his eyes.

858
00:40:19,004 --> 00:40:19,484
You didn't chair.

859
00:40:19,484 --> 00:40:20,444
Lemme get you a chair, right?

860
00:40:20,444 --> 00:40:23,234
You would do it because
you love the people there.

861
00:40:24,044 --> 00:40:26,564
God calls us not to feel this way
only about our families, but about

862
00:40:26,564 --> 00:40:27,794
the people of God themselves.

863
00:40:27,825 --> 00:40:28,274
Everybody.

864
00:40:28,424 --> 00:40:33,345
He wants us to love the people that he
loves, and he wants us to love to love.

865
00:40:33,765 --> 00:40:36,794
Emotions without emotions are,
or just duty without delight.

866
00:40:37,350 --> 00:40:40,620
Emotions doing the right thing without
the emotions or duty without delights are

867
00:40:41,069 --> 00:40:44,040
going through the things and sometimes
we need to, lemme just say this,

868
00:40:44,069 --> 00:40:45,630
sometimes there is a place for that.

869
00:40:46,319 --> 00:40:49,020
Sometimes we're in seasons of dryness
and we're just having difficulty

870
00:40:49,020 --> 00:40:53,130
connecting with the Lord like we used
to, or quiet times or, or tumultuous

871
00:40:53,130 --> 00:40:54,690
with all sorts of distractions.

872
00:40:54,690 --> 00:40:55,740
I know there's seasons like that.

873
00:40:56,220 --> 00:40:59,640
Better to go through the motions and
wait for the emotions to catch up.

874
00:41:00,000 --> 00:41:00,480
I get that.

875
00:41:01,290 --> 00:41:03,839
But if you're going through
that, you don't wanna stay there.

876
00:41:03,839 --> 00:41:05,040
You don't wanna be like, oh, I'm okay.

877
00:41:05,040 --> 00:41:05,910
I guess this is the way it is now.

878
00:41:06,570 --> 00:41:08,220
Christianity used to
have a honeymoon phase.

879
00:41:08,220 --> 00:41:08,730
It was nice.

880
00:41:08,730 --> 00:41:09,330
It was glorious.

881
00:41:09,330 --> 00:41:12,390
But now I'm just kind of going through
the motions and I just, you know, kind

882
00:41:12,390 --> 00:41:13,320
of shrugged my shoulders through it.

883
00:41:13,350 --> 00:41:14,280
Don't allow yourself to do that.

884
00:41:14,850 --> 00:41:15,930
Refuse to go through the emotions.

885
00:41:15,930 --> 00:41:18,510
Love to love, love.

886
00:41:18,750 --> 00:41:20,010
Tested it.

887
00:41:20,010 --> 00:41:21,420
Love to do the things
that God wants you to do.

888
00:41:28,770 --> 00:41:29,040
Okay.

889
00:41:30,480 --> 00:41:31,830
Good life isn't just about looking good.

890
00:41:31,830 --> 00:41:33,420
It's not just the outside just
going through the motions.

891
00:41:33,690 --> 00:41:34,680
It's about walking right.

892
00:41:35,069 --> 00:41:36,000
This is critical.

893
00:41:36,000 --> 00:41:39,689
Go to Micah chapter six, verse
eight again, as we begin to land

894
00:41:39,689 --> 00:41:42,479
the plane on our last point here,
I want you to notice something.

895
00:41:43,470 --> 00:41:46,109
If the first few items were
about our interactions with

896
00:41:46,109 --> 00:41:49,500
man, the last one is about God.

897
00:41:50,669 --> 00:41:51,779
Let's read Micah six eight again.

898
00:41:51,779 --> 00:41:54,750
He has told you, oh man, what is good
and what does the Lord require of you?

899
00:41:54,750 --> 00:42:00,330
But to do justice, to love, kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God.

900
00:42:01,890 --> 00:42:02,910
Have you ever walked with kids?

901
00:42:05,325 --> 00:42:07,664
People pay other people
to walk their dogs.

902
00:42:08,475 --> 00:42:11,115
I think there's a business opportunity
in walking other people's kids.

903
00:42:11,834 --> 00:42:12,225
Same.

904
00:42:13,124 --> 00:42:14,714
Walking my own kids is an experience.

905
00:42:15,404 --> 00:42:19,394
I got one that's like three feet back
or 30 feet back sitting on the floor.

906
00:42:19,634 --> 00:42:21,435
I've got one that's way ahead, Carissa.

907
00:42:21,555 --> 00:42:22,725
She's doing whatever she's doing.

908
00:42:22,725 --> 00:42:23,624
I don't know where she's at.

909
00:42:23,894 --> 00:42:25,515
She's walking all over the place.

910
00:42:26,024 --> 00:42:27,254
I got one in the bushes.

911
00:42:27,435 --> 00:42:29,055
Phoebe, chasing a butterfly.

912
00:42:30,855 --> 00:42:32,654
And I, I'm just trying to
figure like, Lord, how do I

913
00:42:32,654 --> 00:42:33,855
keep track of all these kids?

914
00:42:34,214 --> 00:42:37,785
And so I got air tags and I
taped all of them on an air tag.

915
00:42:38,085 --> 00:42:38,384
Just kidding.

916
00:42:38,384 --> 00:42:39,765
I didn't do that, but I thought about it.

917
00:42:41,595 --> 00:42:45,254
I think sometimes God thinks
about us the way that we think

918
00:42:45,254 --> 00:42:46,065
about our kids in that way.

919
00:42:47,205 --> 00:42:49,754
God's trying to walk with us
saying, Hey, walk with me.

920
00:42:49,814 --> 00:42:51,524
Walk with me in a certain
way, by way walking.

921
00:42:51,524 --> 00:42:52,785
Think about what walking conveys.

922
00:42:53,234 --> 00:42:55,935
There's a relationship, there's
intimacy, there's uh, even a

923
00:42:55,935 --> 00:42:57,734
sense, a sense of mutuality.

924
00:42:58,064 --> 00:43:00,674
There is, in our case,
a followership of God.

925
00:43:00,674 --> 00:43:04,544
We are walking with him to show
that we are doing life with him.

926
00:43:04,544 --> 00:43:07,365
That's what the idea of walking means
in the Old Testament, and even in the

927
00:43:07,365 --> 00:43:11,535
new, it conveys the idea I'm doing
life with God wants to walk with you.

928
00:43:12,120 --> 00:43:14,850
And yet many times, like my
kids, you're all over the place.

929
00:43:14,910 --> 00:43:15,689
We're distracted.

930
00:43:15,689 --> 00:43:17,430
We're chasing butterflies in the bushes.

931
00:43:17,430 --> 00:43:20,100
We're walking ahead of God,
telling God to hurry it up.

932
00:43:20,100 --> 00:43:21,029
I got things to do.

933
00:43:21,029 --> 00:43:23,910
I got people to see, or
we're walking behind God.

934
00:43:23,910 --> 00:43:24,930
He's saying, obey me.

935
00:43:24,930 --> 00:43:26,609
Follow me, or saying,
well, I'm not ready yet.

936
00:43:26,879 --> 00:43:27,779
Can I just sit back here?

937
00:43:27,779 --> 00:43:28,200
I like it.

938
00:43:28,200 --> 00:43:31,709
It's warm, it's happy, and God's
just wanting us to walk with him.

939
00:43:31,890 --> 00:43:32,700
Walk with me.

940
00:43:32,879 --> 00:43:33,629
Don't walk ahead.

941
00:43:33,629 --> 00:43:34,979
Don't walk behind to walk beside.

942
00:43:35,519 --> 00:43:36,120
Walk with me.

943
00:43:36,749 --> 00:43:37,769
That's what God wants from us.

944
00:43:38,039 --> 00:43:38,910
This is the good life.

945
00:43:39,450 --> 00:43:42,600
God's not gonna lead us in
paths of darkness and death.

946
00:43:43,560 --> 00:43:49,589
Or remember, God's gonna lead us
where He wants us, when he wants us.

947
00:43:50,100 --> 00:43:51,209
And that's the good life.

948
00:43:52,410 --> 00:43:57,870
Remember David prays in Psalm 23, you,
you know, uh, even though I walk through

949
00:43:57,870 --> 00:44:01,319
the valley of the shadow of death, there's
gonna be times that God's gonna walk you

950
00:44:01,319 --> 00:44:02,549
through places that you don't want to go.

951
00:44:03,660 --> 00:44:05,580
You might be in Texas because
God's walking you through

952
00:44:05,580 --> 00:44:06,660
places you don't wanna go.

953
00:44:08,040 --> 00:44:08,640
I like it here.

954
00:44:09,195 --> 00:44:09,645
You should too.

955
00:44:13,725 --> 00:44:16,035
Even though I walked through the valley
of the shadow of death, oh, fear no evil.

956
00:44:16,065 --> 00:44:16,395
Why?

957
00:44:16,965 --> 00:44:18,884
Because you are with me.

958
00:44:19,634 --> 00:44:20,505
He's walking with God.

959
00:44:21,105 --> 00:44:24,285
I'm walking with God, and therefore
I don't have to fear 'cause I'm doing

960
00:44:24,285 --> 00:44:29,205
exactly what God wants me to do, whether
that's in North Texas or Chad or some

961
00:44:29,205 --> 00:44:33,045
other place in between, we're walking
with God and letting God lead our lives.

962
00:44:33,435 --> 00:44:34,245
This is the good life.

963
00:44:34,245 --> 00:44:35,115
This is the truly good life.

964
00:44:35,730 --> 00:44:37,740
He knows what's best and therefore
we don't have to do it alone.

965
00:44:37,740 --> 00:44:38,370
We could do it with God.

966
00:44:38,370 --> 00:44:39,750
Point number four, let
me put it like this.

967
00:44:39,750 --> 00:44:43,259
Here we're walking with God, which means
I'm living all of my life in His presence.

968
00:44:43,859 --> 00:44:44,520
There's a word for that.

969
00:44:44,520 --> 00:44:45,330
The reformers used it.

970
00:44:45,390 --> 00:44:46,200
It's actually two words.

971
00:44:46,529 --> 00:44:50,250
Latin Corrum Deo, which
means before the face of God.

972
00:44:50,879 --> 00:44:51,359
Corrum Deo.

973
00:44:51,359 --> 00:44:53,970
I lived my whole life before the
face of God in God's presence.

974
00:44:54,149 --> 00:44:54,720
I put it like that.

975
00:44:54,720 --> 00:44:56,190
Number four, live your whole life.

976
00:44:56,220 --> 00:45:00,210
Korum de live everything, all your
life, the waking, your sleeping,

977
00:45:00,210 --> 00:45:01,109
and everything else in between.

978
00:45:01,500 --> 00:45:02,040
Living your life.

979
00:45:02,100 --> 00:45:04,680
Korum Deo means I'm aware that God is.

980
00:45:05,384 --> 00:45:08,654
Presence in all of my life, and
I don't wanna walk ahead of him.

981
00:45:08,654 --> 00:45:09,555
I don't wanna walk behind him.

982
00:45:09,555 --> 00:45:10,604
I wanna walk with him.

983
00:45:18,494 --> 00:45:20,654
God wants us to walk with him, but
he wants us to walk with humility.

984
00:45:21,555 --> 00:45:25,424
He wants us to walk in a way that conveys,
we don't know the right thing he does.

985
00:45:26,354 --> 00:45:29,535
It suggests to us that as we walk,
we don't want to tell God what to do.

986
00:45:30,164 --> 00:45:31,184
So appropriate to pray, right?

987
00:45:31,184 --> 00:45:32,055
Ask, seek and knock.

988
00:45:32,055 --> 00:45:33,615
Matthew chapter seven,
you should pray to God.

989
00:45:34,079 --> 00:45:37,859
If God says no or God says
not yet, our job is not to

990
00:45:37,859 --> 00:45:38,879
say, well then hurry it along.

991
00:45:38,910 --> 00:45:40,799
Let me just, lemme tell you
what you need to do for my life.

992
00:45:41,490 --> 00:45:45,419
Walking humbly with your God means
acknowledging that He knows better always.

993
00:45:45,959 --> 00:45:46,649
This is a good life.

994
00:45:46,680 --> 00:45:48,959
It is a good life to say,
God, not my will, but yours.

995
00:45:48,959 --> 00:45:51,779
This is exactly what Jesus prayed
on the night that he was about

996
00:45:51,779 --> 00:45:53,399
to die on the cross for our sins.

997
00:45:56,220 --> 00:45:57,119
Live your whole life Coram.

998
00:45:59,819 --> 00:46:02,220
This will necess necessitate
that we think about.

999
00:46:02,595 --> 00:46:05,714
Everything that we do in light
of our communion with God.

1000
00:46:06,644 --> 00:46:07,904
Imagine you're driving through Starbucks.

1001
00:46:08,654 --> 00:46:10,214
You know if, if you're like me,
when you're driving through you, you

1002
00:46:10,214 --> 00:46:11,654
got your mind, what am I gonna get?

1003
00:46:11,984 --> 00:46:12,884
I gotta see it quickly.

1004
00:46:13,424 --> 00:46:15,194
I wanna grab it and go,
'cause I got someplace to go.

1005
00:46:15,194 --> 00:46:19,814
Usually walking with God might
mean that you're driving in that

1006
00:46:19,814 --> 00:46:21,704
drive-through with the awareness
of the people that are there.

1007
00:46:22,964 --> 00:46:26,654
You take your coffee or whatever,
it's that you get and you recognize

1008
00:46:26,654 --> 00:46:29,204
at the window that there's a,
a young man named Tim there.

1009
00:46:29,580 --> 00:46:32,490
See his name tag and, and maybe you're
silently thinking, Lord, please bless Tim.

1010
00:46:33,149 --> 00:46:34,859
Let me show the love of Christ to Tim.

1011
00:46:35,189 --> 00:46:37,259
Lord, please make sure Tim is
in a good, in a good church.

1012
00:46:37,529 --> 00:46:38,790
Lord, I don't know what Tim's
going through, but will you

1013
00:46:38,790 --> 00:46:39,870
please draw him to yourself?

1014
00:46:39,870 --> 00:46:41,040
Lord, help Tim repent of his sin.

1015
00:46:41,189 --> 00:46:43,350
I mean, these are all things that
you could be thinking and doing.

1016
00:46:45,390 --> 00:46:48,359
Excuse me, as you're getting your
coffee and getting your, your muffin

1017
00:46:48,359 --> 00:46:49,230
or whatever, it's that you're getting.

1018
00:46:50,580 --> 00:46:54,420
Walking with God would mean living your
whole life in awareness of God's presence

1019
00:46:54,420 --> 00:46:55,770
and of God's desires for your life.

1020
00:46:55,770 --> 00:46:58,650
So what that would mean as as you
drive away after praying for Tim,

1021
00:46:58,920 --> 00:47:02,490
you're drinking your coffee or your
cookie crumble, mocha, and you're

1022
00:47:02,490 --> 00:47:05,490
thanking God for the sweetness of that
drink and say, man, this is amazing.

1023
00:47:05,490 --> 00:47:05,640
God.

1024
00:47:05,640 --> 00:47:06,690
Thank you for taste buds.

1025
00:47:07,200 --> 00:47:09,120
What a good God you are
to give me taste buds.

1026
00:47:09,420 --> 00:47:10,410
Praise the Lord for this.

1027
00:47:11,309 --> 00:47:14,009
You're enjoying the fact that
God has given you life and not

1028
00:47:14,009 --> 00:47:15,209
just life, but a renewed life.

1029
00:47:15,209 --> 00:47:15,809
A redeemed life.

1030
00:47:15,809 --> 00:47:16,769
God, I'm saved.

1031
00:47:17,069 --> 00:47:18,240
Thank you for my salvation.

1032
00:47:18,389 --> 00:47:21,299
Thank you that I'm not walking
in and disobedience to you.

1033
00:47:21,299 --> 00:47:21,809
If you're not.

1034
00:47:22,740 --> 00:47:25,409
Walking in His presence means
being aware all of your life

1035
00:47:25,679 --> 00:47:28,439
of God's ever present reality.

1036
00:47:29,639 --> 00:47:33,119
Walking, corrum day, this is the
kinda life that you wanna live.

1037
00:47:33,149 --> 00:47:33,720
This is a good life.

1038
00:47:33,809 --> 00:47:35,909
This is the only good
life that is on offer.

1039
00:47:35,939 --> 00:47:37,229
The life where you walk with God.

1040
00:47:37,409 --> 00:47:39,569
Remember walking with God was
what you were designed for.

1041
00:47:40,514 --> 00:47:42,374
What was Adam and Eve doing in the garden?

1042
00:47:43,064 --> 00:47:43,904
They were walking with God.

1043
00:47:44,834 --> 00:47:48,734
That fellowship was broken, of
course, because of sin, but through

1044
00:47:48,734 --> 00:47:52,095
Christ, we now have a redeemed and
ReSTOR ability to walk with God,

1045
00:47:52,664 --> 00:47:53,564
and that's what he wants from us.

1046
00:47:53,804 --> 00:47:54,404
That's the good life.

1047
00:47:57,524 --> 00:48:02,024
Matt Emmonds didn't lose
because he failed to shoot.

1048
00:48:02,324 --> 00:48:03,164
He shot his shot.

1049
00:48:03,615 --> 00:48:04,274
He took his shot.

1050
00:48:04,274 --> 00:48:05,384
He did a great job at the shot.

1051
00:48:05,384 --> 00:48:09,134
He, he nailed the shot, but he lost
because he aimed at the wrong thing.

1052
00:48:10,319 --> 00:48:11,640
And I don't want you to do
the same thing with your life.

1053
00:48:11,640 --> 00:48:13,470
I don't want you to make the mistake
of shooting at the wrong thing.

1054
00:48:14,339 --> 00:48:16,649
I want you to shoot at the
target of a good life that

1055
00:48:16,649 --> 00:48:18,839
is walking with God in love.

1056
00:48:18,839 --> 00:48:20,520
Love for God, love for his people.

1057
00:48:21,629 --> 00:48:25,350
You see, the world's gonna hand you all
sorts of targets, comfort, applause,

1058
00:48:25,649 --> 00:48:27,480
financial success and security.

1059
00:48:27,779 --> 00:48:28,890
A big house acar.

1060
00:48:29,009 --> 00:48:32,879
Not that any one of those things all
by themselves is bad, but if that's

1061
00:48:32,879 --> 00:48:37,350
your goal, if your goal is those
things as opposed to the glory of God.

1062
00:48:38,430 --> 00:48:40,680
You're shooting at the wrong
targets, and I'm sad to say that

1063
00:48:40,680 --> 00:48:41,819
you'll be disappointed by that.

1064
00:48:41,819 --> 00:48:43,289
Scripture can make, can say nothing other.

1065
00:48:43,410 --> 00:48:45,779
You'll be disappointed by
walking in that kind of way.

1066
00:48:48,119 --> 00:48:50,669
You can hit all his targets perfectly
and still miss what God says is good.

1067
00:48:51,479 --> 00:48:53,399
He has told you, oh man, what is good?

1068
00:48:54,749 --> 00:48:55,769
He doesn't say, Hey, figure it out.

1069
00:48:57,329 --> 00:48:59,910
Go to the dark room of the world and
just try to figure out what God wants.

1070
00:49:00,419 --> 00:49:01,019
He's told you.

1071
00:49:01,680 --> 00:49:03,149
He doesn't say, Hey, try your best.

1072
00:49:03,599 --> 00:49:05,399
Give it your best shot, or save yourself.

1073
00:49:06,089 --> 00:49:06,689
He's told you.

1074
00:49:08,070 --> 00:49:11,790
Our good God has given us his
good law and the good news.

1075
00:49:12,720 --> 00:49:15,240
He calls us to practice and
pursue biblical justice.

1076
00:49:15,240 --> 00:49:18,810
He calls us not to just go through the
emotions or go through the motions, but

1077
00:49:18,810 --> 00:49:23,760
to have the emotions, to love, love, and
to live all of our lives in his presence.

1078
00:49:26,580 --> 00:49:28,770
What's amazing about all this
is that this is all in response

1079
00:49:28,770 --> 00:49:30,870
to his initiating, saving love.

1080
00:49:31,740 --> 00:49:33,990
That's what makes this whole
thing so perfect and so beautiful.

1081
00:49:34,050 --> 00:49:35,220
It's his love initiative.

1082
00:49:35,220 --> 00:49:36,270
We are simply responding.

1083
00:49:37,185 --> 00:49:38,295
The life that's pleasing to him.

1084
00:49:39,165 --> 00:49:39,345
Okay?

1085
00:49:39,944 --> 00:49:42,194
End your life at the right target
and God has given you the target.

1086
00:49:43,904 --> 00:49:44,234
Let's pray.