hello<\/p>\n
good afternoon everyone<\/p>\n
uh if you will open your bibles to micah<\/p>\n
chapter 6.<\/p>\n
today we continue with micah's prophecy<\/p>\n
to god's people<\/p>\n
and there's a lot to wrestle with in<\/p>\n
this text<\/p>\n
and this chapter opens with a court<\/p>\n
scene and yahweh<\/p>\n
is calling his wayward people to answer<\/p>\n
for their unfaithfulness to the covenant<\/p>\n
and in that this is a court scene it<\/p>\n
should truly grab<\/p>\n
our attention this is god pleading with<\/p>\n
his people and accusing them<\/p>\n
and us actually of spiritual<\/p>\n
adultery and then sternly warning them<\/p>\n
of the consequences of that adultery<\/p>\n
thank<\/p>\n
however as we will see micah 6<\/p>\n
and even the warnings in micah 6 are<\/p>\n
full of mercy this chapter is an<\/p>\n
invitation<\/p>\n
to return to god<\/p>\n
god<\/p>\n
and also this chapter should serve as a<\/p>\n
mirror for us<\/p>\n
and for our own hearts and souls<\/p>\n
so in the midst of this accusation<\/p>\n
warning god asked this<\/p>\n
question of his people how have i<\/p>\n
wearied you and this is the main<\/p>\n
question that i want us to wrestle with<\/p>\n
today<\/p>\n
today i only have two points to wrestle<\/p>\n
with this question<\/p>\n
and the first one is weary or tired of<\/p>\n
the second one is the cure for weariness<\/p>\n
so let's have someone read the text<\/p>\n
in thai if you if you are an english<\/p>\n
speaker please follow along<\/p>\n
they're going to be the whole chapter in<\/p>\n
thai you can follow along in your<\/p>\n
english bibles please<\/p>\n
foreign<\/p>\n
the<\/p>\n
[Music]<\/p>\n
um<\/p>\n
my<\/p>\n
but we are so thankful for your<\/p>\n
fatherhood<\/p>\n
that you are a tender loving father<\/p>\n
who loves us in spite of our<\/p>\n
forgetfulness<\/p>\n
who loves us in spite of the way that we<\/p>\n
run<\/p>\n
help us have mercy on us<\/p>\n
show us how to return to you well<\/p>\n
help us to look in the mirror of micah 6<\/p>\n
and see the ways that we have grown<\/p>\n
tired<\/p>\n
of you and help us to grow tired not of<\/p>\n
you but of our little idols our little<\/p>\n
gods<\/p>\n
and help us to return to you and we ask<\/p>\n
all this in your name<\/p>\n
amen<\/p>\n
oh sorry i'm preaching in english sorry<\/p>\n
so first of all<\/p>\n
tired of god<\/p>\n
so the role of a prophet in the old<\/p>\n
testament in new zealand too is actually<\/p>\n
like that of a prosecutor<\/p>\n
so god calls the prophet to come and<\/p>\n
confront his people<\/p>\n
with their breach of contract or their<\/p>\n
breach of the covenant<\/p>\n
and in this case micah is the lawyer the<\/p>\n
prosecutor who stands before judah<\/p>\n
to bring god's case against them<\/p>\n
and in verses one and two micah calls<\/p>\n
out<\/p>\n
listen to what the lord says stand up<\/p>\n
plead my case before the mountains let<\/p>\n
the hills hear what you have to say<\/p>\n
hear you mountains the lord's accusation<\/p>\n
listen<\/p>\n
you everlasting foundations of the earth<\/p>\n
for the lord<\/p>\n
has a case against his people<\/p>\n
he is lodging a charge against israel<\/p>\n
and he calls these ancient covenant<\/p>\n
witnesses the mountains<\/p>\n
and the hills to hear yahweh's charge<\/p>\n
against his people<\/p>\n
so and this would have definitely<\/p>\n
grabbed the attention of<\/p>\n
any jew in that day god through micah<\/p>\n
was using<\/p>\n
covenant language language that he used<\/p>\n
way back in deuteronomy through moses<\/p>\n
so three times in deuteronomy god is<\/p>\n
entering into covenant<\/p>\n
as god is entering the covenant with his<\/p>\n
people israel he warns them<\/p>\n
about idolatry waywardness and spiritual<\/p>\n
adultery<\/p>\n
and each of those times he calls upon<\/p>\n
the mountains and the hills<\/p>\n
or the heavens and the earth to stand<\/p>\n
witness to the promise<\/p>\n
of retribution if his people break<\/p>\n
covenant<\/p>\n
control so this is<\/p>\n
serious it is a dire warning<\/p>\n
even even comes until not glue<\/p>\n
and so then god asked the this<\/p>\n
penetrating question<\/p>\n
my people what have i done to you<\/p>\n
how have i burdened you answer me<\/p>\n
and then before bringing his warning he<\/p>\n
challenges<\/p>\n
his people to consider and to answer his<\/p>\n
charges and then in verse four four and<\/p>\n
five he<\/p>\n
illustrates his own faithfulness to<\/p>\n
israel throughout history<\/p>\n
and foreign<\/p>\n
but you see the main charge against<\/p>\n
judah against god's people right here<\/p>\n
is this they have grown<\/p>\n
to the worldly people of judah<\/p>\n
the worship of and devotion to yahweh<\/p>\n
has become<\/p>\n
a burden it's something they've grown<\/p>\n
out of they've moved<\/p>\n
past and they're bored with it<\/p>\n
and they decided that god is no longer<\/p>\n
enough for them<\/p>\n
and that and as niron preached last week<\/p>\n
chapter 5 shows that they've gone after<\/p>\n
other gods actually<\/p>\n
since then<\/p>\n
and then in verse 16 the lord accuses<\/p>\n
judah with this you have observed the<\/p>\n
statutes of omri<\/p>\n
and all the practices of ahab's house<\/p>\n
you have followed their traditions<\/p>\n
so in other words they become just as<\/p>\n
evil<\/p>\n
just as treacherous and idolatrous as<\/p>\n
the two<\/p>\n
most evil kings in the history of israel<\/p>\n
and<\/p>\n
and it's actually this that gives us a<\/p>\n
pretty good clue about how they grew<\/p>\n
so after swearing covenant allegiance<\/p>\n
with god<\/p>\n
israel continually forgot<\/p>\n
what god had done for them and they<\/p>\n
began to covet<\/p>\n
or want the other gods of the nations<\/p>\n
around him<\/p>\n
well for one thing these other gods<\/p>\n
don't<\/p>\n
talk back they didn't condemn<\/p>\n
self-worship and justice and cruelty to<\/p>\n
the way that yahweh did<\/p>\n
and there's a lot of money and power to<\/p>\n
be had when your god<\/p>\n
isn't concerned with these things when<\/p>\n
he's not concerned about human dignity<\/p>\n
and generosity<\/p>\n
and true justice<\/p>\n
so you see god isn't accusing his people<\/p>\n
of being irreligious<\/p>\n
there's plenty of evidence here that<\/p>\n
they still wanted to be very religious<\/p>\n
so it's just that they wanted a religion<\/p>\n
that would cater to their true idols to<\/p>\n
to the true gods of their hearts<\/p>\n
so what they were tired of is belonging<\/p>\n
to<\/p>\n
god alone they were tired of forsaking<\/p>\n
worldly sinful pleasures that the<\/p>\n
nations around them enjoyed<\/p>\n
upholding justly uh justice when it was<\/p>\n
costly they were tired of a god<\/p>\n
who demands complete allegiance<\/p>\n
so they were tired of yahweh they were<\/p>\n
tired of god and they<\/p>\n
longed for religion and the first five<\/p>\n
verses are god's speech to his<\/p>\n
people and in verses 6 and 7<\/p>\n
the people themselves respond so listen<\/p>\n
to this response<\/p>\n
this is the people of israel or the<\/p>\n
people of judah with what shall i come<\/p>\n
before the lord and bow down<\/p>\n
before the exalted god shall i come<\/p>\n
before him with<\/p>\n
burnt offerings with calves a year old<\/p>\n
will the lord be pleased with<\/p>\n
thousands of rams with tens of thousands<\/p>\n
or ten thousand rivers of olive oil<\/p>\n
shall i offer my firstborn<\/p>\n
for my transgression for the fruit of my<\/p>\n
the fruit of my body for the sin of my<\/p>\n
soul<\/p>\n
so do you hear what they really wanted<\/p>\n
they wanted a transaction<\/p>\n
they wanted a vending machine god they<\/p>\n
wanted religion and nothing else they<\/p>\n
wanted to pay god<\/p>\n
off<\/p>\n
what they wanted was for god to just<\/p>\n
tell them what he wants<\/p>\n
so that he they could just meet his<\/p>\n
demands<\/p>\n
and then go about their business what<\/p>\n
they wanted was religion<\/p>\n
without heart change<\/p>\n
they wanted a god who would become like<\/p>\n
them<\/p>\n
who would accommodate their own sin so<\/p>\n
listen to verse 10 and 11.<\/p>\n
am i this is god speaking am i<\/p>\n
still to forget your ill-gotten<\/p>\n
treasures<\/p>\n
your wicked house and the short efa<\/p>\n
which is accursed shall i acquit someone<\/p>\n
with dishonest scales with a bag of<\/p>\n
false weights<\/p>\n
so god was asking them a question that<\/p>\n
needed no answer<\/p>\n
of course he would not and could not<\/p>\n
become like the other gods of the other<\/p>\n
nations<\/p>\n
the question that he asked was meant to<\/p>\n
point out the idolatry<\/p>\n
in the hearts of his people sometimes<\/p>\n
so these are the same kind of people<\/p>\n
that jesus spoke up when he said<\/p>\n
these people honor me with their lips<\/p>\n
but their hearts<\/p>\n
are far from me<\/p>\n
but<\/p>\n
and isn't this the real problem for all<\/p>\n
of us<\/p>\n
hasn't this been the issue for all of<\/p>\n
history<\/p>\n
we want a god who will let us remain<\/p>\n
devoted<\/p>\n
to our idols who will never cross<\/p>\n
us and who will ultimately let us be our<\/p>\n
own<\/p>\n
like judah and israel before them we are<\/p>\n
prone<\/p>\n
to this transactional religious approach<\/p>\n
to god<\/p>\n
what we want to do is just do enough to<\/p>\n
keep god<\/p>\n
happy so that we can just live our lives<\/p>\n
without him<\/p>\n
like judah in these verses we want to<\/p>\n
know what the rules are that so that we<\/p>\n
can keep them the steps that we have to<\/p>\n
take<\/p>\n
and the tasks that we have to do to make<\/p>\n
leave us alone so that we can just chase<\/p>\n
our own<\/p>\n
other real gods<\/p>\n
this really should be a mirror for us we<\/p>\n
should read and hear these words and<\/p>\n
then<\/p>\n
chew on them and meditate them meditate<\/p>\n
on them and then<\/p>\n
see how we have grown tired of god<\/p>\n
nikoi<\/p>\n
how did israel get here what are the<\/p>\n
steps of becoming<\/p>\n
tired of god what are the symptoms so<\/p>\n
the steps i<\/p>\n
i just thought of a couple much like<\/p>\n
judah and israel we are easily seduced<\/p>\n
by the world we want the momentary<\/p>\n
in the moment pleasure that sin gives us<\/p>\n
like judah and israel we forget<\/p>\n
as long as we have the things that make<\/p>\n
us happy as long as our idols are cared<\/p>\n
for<\/p>\n
we forget god and with enough forgetting<\/p>\n
we end up forsaking god<\/p>\n
and then much like judah and israel<\/p>\n
we only crowd to god when we have<\/p>\n
nothing else when our when our idols<\/p>\n
have failed us<\/p>\n
our little gods have failed us and then<\/p>\n
we're desperate in fact tell me<\/p>\n
that you've never said this god if you<\/p>\n
do<\/p>\n
and then fill in the blank then i'll<\/p>\n
never<\/p>\n
fill in the blank again so god if you do<\/p>\n
this<\/p>\n
i'll never do this again or god if you<\/p>\n
give me<\/p>\n
this then i'll promise to this<\/p>\n
so what are some of the symptoms of<\/p>\n
being tired of god tell me if you've<\/p>\n
don't tell me but just see if you have<\/p>\n
experienced some of these<\/p>\n
is reading scripture ever a chore<\/p>\n
a duty not a joy anymore<\/p>\n
prayer it's infrequent or it never<\/p>\n
happens<\/p>\n
and you don't even really want to pray<\/p>\n
do you try to bargain you try to bargain<\/p>\n
with god to pay him off<\/p>\n
while protecting your own favorite idols<\/p>\n
or this being with god's<\/p>\n
people is that a low priority<\/p>\n
is that is that lower than your hobbies<\/p>\n
your sleep<\/p>\n
your job etc etc<\/p>\n
does this sound like your life or parts<\/p>\n
of your life<\/p>\n
even have you exchanged the true god<\/p>\n
to worship little gods like food<\/p>\n
or sex or online gaming or comfort<\/p>\n
or romance or whatever<\/p>\n
they like<\/p>\n
sex game online<\/p>\n
well being tired of god first of all<\/p>\n
it's not rare it's not something that<\/p>\n
can't happen to true christians<\/p>\n
and it's dangerous because at the end of<\/p>\n
chapter 6 after<\/p>\n
pleading after warning god tells his<\/p>\n
unrepentant people therefore<\/p>\n
i will give you over to ruin<\/p>\n
and your people to derision and you will<\/p>\n
bear the scorn of the nations<\/p>\n
monkeys<\/p>\n
and one of the realities one of the<\/p>\n
scary realities that god gives<\/p>\n
micah or that god gives us through micah<\/p>\n
is that<\/p>\n
as we see in this passage he is patient<\/p>\n
and he is tender<\/p>\n
and he is even pleading in his warnings<\/p>\n
to his people but there comes a time<\/p>\n
when he allows us to reap what we have<\/p>\n
sewn<\/p>\n
and this message runs with urgency<\/p>\n
throughout the scriptures<\/p>\n
calling us calling us to come back to<\/p>\n
return to god<\/p>\n
to not allow our hearts to be hardened<\/p>\n
by sin<\/p>\n
and doubt and calling us to cling to<\/p>\n
christ<\/p>\n
brothers and sisters it is normal to be<\/p>\n
tired of god from time to time it's<\/p>\n
normal to struggle it's normal to doubt<\/p>\n
but let's be careful<\/p>\n
because being tired of god weary of god<\/p>\n
this was the accusation with which god<\/p>\n
charged his people<\/p>\n
and it was this weariness with god<\/p>\n
that ultimately brought ruin to the<\/p>\n
kingdom of judah<\/p>\n
and it will bring ruin to our souls<\/p>\n
so that's dark let's move on to the cure<\/p>\n
for weariness<\/p>\n
so hopefully you've just looked into<\/p>\n
some of the darkest<\/p>\n
parts of your soul and hopefully you'll<\/p>\n
continue to do that<\/p>\n
but i want us to know that with this<\/p>\n
darkness with this warning<\/p>\n
in this passage comes a<\/p>\n
wide open invitation to mercy we know<\/p>\n
that the big picture of our faith is<\/p>\n
that the lord<\/p>\n
redeems and restores<\/p>\n
so the question we want to think through<\/p>\n
right now is in light of the knowledge<\/p>\n
that our hearts are prone to grow weary<\/p>\n
with god is this how<\/p>\n
do i cure this weariness<\/p>\n
and when we find ourselves weary of god<\/p>\n
or tired of god<\/p>\n
weary of the fight and just wanting to<\/p>\n
break free and<\/p>\n
follow our hearts what do we do<\/p>\n
we look to the cure<\/p>\n
and i want to propose three solid cures<\/p>\n
given in this passage<\/p>\n
one listen to<\/p>\n
remember and three returns<\/p>\n
so first of all listen the prophet<\/p>\n
starts these the two major sections of<\/p>\n
this chapter with the command to<\/p>\n
listen he's calling us to listen to what<\/p>\n
the lord is saying<\/p>\n
is bringing the word of the lord to his<\/p>\n
people<\/p>\n
and the god who created all things and<\/p>\n
all people and the sensible thing<\/p>\n
to do is just listen<\/p>\n
and this message that he brings is this<\/p>\n
this is the god who will<\/p>\n
not change this is the god who will not<\/p>\n
stop pursuing you and this is the god<\/p>\n
who will not allow<\/p>\n
evil to triumph god will not<\/p>\n
simply stand aside and let and be<\/p>\n
used as a prop for our sin and our<\/p>\n
idolatry<\/p>\n
the message is also this my people<\/p>\n
you ignore me you forget me<\/p>\n
and you continue in unfaithfulness at<\/p>\n
your own<\/p>\n
peril<\/p>\n
and so we listen to the hard messages of<\/p>\n
scripture we meditate on them and we<\/p>\n
hold this mirror<\/p>\n
up to our own faces and we see where<\/p>\n
we are in danger<\/p>\n
but another way that listening to god's<\/p>\n
words is a cure for the<\/p>\n
our weariness with god is that when we<\/p>\n
listen to this message we see<\/p>\n
hope and we see promise and mercy<\/p>\n
so first of all listen to the way that<\/p>\n
god addresses his people in this passage<\/p>\n
in the beginning of this lawsuit god<\/p>\n
says<\/p>\n
my people what have i<\/p>\n
done to you and then in verse 5<\/p>\n
my people remember<\/p>\n
or<\/p>\n
he doesn't say listen you worthless<\/p>\n
sinners<\/p>\n
he says<\/p>\n
so this is a tender pleading voice<\/p>\n
of a father crying out to his children<\/p>\n
this call is dripping<\/p>\n
with god's mercy to his people they've<\/p>\n
been saying<\/p>\n
unwanted video<\/p>\n
the lord calls out to the city this evil<\/p>\n
city and he warns them of the danger<\/p>\n
that is coming<\/p>\n
we shouldn't miss just how loving this<\/p>\n
warning<\/p>\n
is<\/p>\n
going to make<\/p>\n
if god didn't love his people he if he<\/p>\n
weren't longing to pour out his mercy<\/p>\n
his grace on them<\/p>\n
he would never warn them he would just<\/p>\n
pour out<\/p>\n
his wrath on them and be done lethal<\/p>\n
so if we listen we're going to hear<\/p>\n
of a god who pursues us we'll encounter<\/p>\n
a god<\/p>\n
who will not stand aside and let you and<\/p>\n
i<\/p>\n
kill ourselves with our own idolatry<\/p>\n
if we listen we're going to learn of a<\/p>\n
holy god who has made<\/p>\n
a way to come to him<\/p>\n
like<\/p>\n
so as the lord himself says he who has<\/p>\n
ears to hear<\/p>\n
let him hear<\/p>\n
secondly if we want to be cured of our<\/p>\n
weariness with god<\/p>\n
we've got to remember<\/p>\n
so in his charge of judah he asked this<\/p>\n
question<\/p>\n
what have i done to you how have i<\/p>\n
wearied you<\/p>\n
and then he lays out his past saving<\/p>\n
work<\/p>\n
his people of his own covenant<\/p>\n
faithfulness with these words<\/p>\n
i brought you up out of egypt and<\/p>\n
redeemed you from the land of slavery i<\/p>\n
sent<\/p>\n
moses to lead you and also aaron and<\/p>\n
miriam my people<\/p>\n
remember remember what balak the king of<\/p>\n
moab plotted and what balaam the son of<\/p>\n
beor answered remember<\/p>\n
your journey from shittim to gilgal that<\/p>\n
you may<\/p>\n
know the righteous acts of the lord<\/p>\n
so after charging his people with<\/p>\n
growing tired of him<\/p>\n
he then calls them to remember<\/p>\n
and in doing this he he lays a<\/p>\n
foundation for repentance<\/p>\n
and he says that this foundation is<\/p>\n
remembering<\/p>\n
what god has already accomplished for<\/p>\n
mainly we are forgetful people like<\/p>\n
niron preached last week we're sheep<\/p>\n
we're easily distracted we're constantly<\/p>\n
listening to other voices to our own<\/p>\n
sinful hearts and to the messages of the<\/p>\n
world<\/p>\n
and god's tender and patient response<\/p>\n
to this is to point us back to point us<\/p>\n
back to what he's done<\/p>\n
he reminds us that he is the redeemer<\/p>\n
the rescuer who saved their entire<\/p>\n
nation he reminds them that<\/p>\n
he is the one who sends help and<\/p>\n
guidance he reminds us<\/p>\n
that he is the one who has intervened<\/p>\n
throughout history on their behalf<\/p>\n
and so what about us all of those things<\/p>\n
still hold true for us<\/p>\n
but then there's much much more<\/p>\n
painting<\/p>\n
what an amazing thing for us to live on<\/p>\n
this side of the cross<\/p>\n
where we know that god himself has come<\/p>\n
down in the flesh<\/p>\n
he's redeemed us he's intervened on our<\/p>\n
behalf<\/p>\n
and now he has sent his holy spirit to<\/p>\n
dwell in us<\/p>\n
this is what jesus meant when on the<\/p>\n
night that he was betrayed<\/p>\n
he took the bread and the wine and he<\/p>\n
said do this<\/p>\n
often and when you do what<\/p>\n
remember me remember<\/p>\n
you see unless we remember these things<\/p>\n
unless we remind ourselves of these<\/p>\n
things unless we abide in them<\/p>\n
we will grow tired of god my wife<\/p>\n
and then instead of listening to god<\/p>\n
we'll listen to our<\/p>\n
own deceitful hearts and to the world<\/p>\n
around us<\/p>\n
and then we'll be seduced by little gods<\/p>\n
that don't satisfy us<\/p>\n
and that's ultimately what happens to<\/p>\n
all<\/p>\n
who don't listen to those who forget<\/p>\n
like and god leaves them to pursue those<\/p>\n
little gods money sex power status etc<\/p>\n
and as verse 13<\/p>\n
and 15 tell us they will eat and they<\/p>\n
won't be satisfied<\/p>\n
they'll store up but they'll have<\/p>\n
nothing and they will plant<\/p>\n
but not harvested<\/p>\n
in other words unless we listen<\/p>\n
unless we remember our lives will be<\/p>\n
marked by futility and fruitfulness<\/p>\n
and finally god calls us to return<\/p>\n
and here we're going to focus mostly on<\/p>\n
verse 8.<\/p>\n
and after judah's ridiculous response to<\/p>\n
the charges in verse<\/p>\n
in verses 6 and 7 god gives them a<\/p>\n
simple yet powerful solution to the<\/p>\n
problem<\/p>\n
says he has shown you o mortal what is<\/p>\n
good<\/p>\n
and what does the lord require of you<\/p>\n
to act justly and to love mercy<\/p>\n
and to walk humbly with your god<\/p>\n
superman<\/p>\n
he has shown you so this isn't new<\/p>\n
information<\/p>\n
god hasn't changed the rules all of a<\/p>\n
sudden<\/p>\n
and really all of scripture deals with<\/p>\n
the heart see god wants the<\/p>\n
hearts of his people not just rule<\/p>\n
followers<\/p>\n
so part of curing this weariness with<\/p>\n
god is just to return to what god<\/p>\n
commands it of us and there's a<\/p>\n
simplicity here<\/p>\n
that is life-giving and reviving to the<\/p>\n
weary<\/p>\n
looks<\/p>\n
one of paul's concerns with the<\/p>\n
corinthian church is that they had let<\/p>\n
the world<\/p>\n
false gospels and even their own<\/p>\n
hardheartedness draw them away from<\/p>\n
their sincere and pure devotion<\/p>\n
to christ christ<\/p>\n
and there's a simplicity throughout the<\/p>\n
scripture that god calls us to he<\/p>\n
invites he pleads<\/p>\n
he stands ready to welcome all who will<\/p>\n
simply<\/p>\n
come to me all<\/p>\n
you who are weary and heavy laden<\/p>\n
kambancha<\/p>\n
and this is the same kind of simplicity<\/p>\n
that yahweh<\/p>\n
calls his people to in this passage<\/p>\n
and what he's saying is this isn't a<\/p>\n
religious problem this isn't about how<\/p>\n
many<\/p>\n
sacrifices you make this isn't this is<\/p>\n
an invitation about<\/p>\n
coming back to me embracing me<\/p>\n
following me and seeking for your heart<\/p>\n
to become<\/p>\n
one with mine<\/p>\n
and notice what the commands are the<\/p>\n
commands are act<\/p>\n
justly love mercy<\/p>\n
and walk humbly with your god but notice<\/p>\n
where they fall<\/p>\n
they fall after a recounting of god's<\/p>\n
saving work<\/p>\n
from<\/p>\n
this is kind of like in the book of<\/p>\n
romans or pretty much any book of paul<\/p>\n
where he<\/p>\n
he lays out this amazing beautiful<\/p>\n
theology<\/p>\n
of how god saved us<\/p>\n
not how we saved ourselves but how god<\/p>\n
saved us and from there he says<\/p>\n
in chapter 12 in view of the mercies of<\/p>\n
and then<\/p>\n
and when god is calling his people to<\/p>\n
return he's saying first<\/p>\n
listen listen to me second remember<\/p>\n
what i've done and then returned<\/p>\n
try and once we've listened to these<\/p>\n
warnings<\/p>\n
and to these invitations to mercy once<\/p>\n
we've remembered<\/p>\n
what he's done and then we're ready to<\/p>\n
return<\/p>\n
because our hearts have been softened<\/p>\n
he says to his people act justly be fair<\/p>\n
don't treat people differently<\/p>\n
because their status or race treat all<\/p>\n
people with dignity and respect<\/p>\n
and then he says love mercy so this<\/p>\n
hebrew word is a big one<\/p>\n
it can be translated loving kindness<\/p>\n
covenant faithfulness mercy love<\/p>\n
hero<\/p>\n
and what it means is to to give<\/p>\n
and give and give when nothing is<\/p>\n
deserved<\/p>\n
it means that we seek to outdo each<\/p>\n
other in showing kindness and generosity<\/p>\n
and honor<\/p>\n
and it means if we love mercy<\/p>\n
the world will watch you and i and they<\/p>\n
will think<\/p>\n
they are absolutely crazy<\/p>\n
and both of these commands to act justly<\/p>\n
and to love mercy<\/p>\n
clearly reflect the character of god in<\/p>\n
the midst of a world that craves power<\/p>\n
money and status<\/p>\n
and then finally he commands us to walk<\/p>\n
humbly with our god<\/p>\n
god is the king he's the lord of his<\/p>\n
people he's the creator of us<\/p>\n
and of all things<\/p>\n
walking humbly with god is just a deep<\/p>\n
recognition of these truths it is a<\/p>\n
lifelong pursuit of keeping god as the<\/p>\n
center of our devotion<\/p>\n
and love and seeking how we can bring<\/p>\n
him glory<\/p>\n
and so when we find ourselves tired of<\/p>\n
we need to listen to his word to the<\/p>\n
and to the tender invitations to come<\/p>\n
we need to remember that he is the<\/p>\n
redeemer and that<\/p>\n
though our own hearts continually seek<\/p>\n
to betray us<\/p>\n
he will not let us go laugh<\/p>\n
or like<\/p>\n
and then we need to return we need to<\/p>\n
come back again<\/p>\n
and again because you and i will fall<\/p>\n
again<\/p>\n
and again we need to come back to him<\/p>\n
long long<\/p>\n
so just like we sang earlier<\/p>\n
come ye sinners poor and wretched weak<\/p>\n
and wounded sick and<\/p>\n
sore jesus ready stands to save you<\/p>\n
full of pity joined with power<\/p>\n
combat<\/p>\n
so let's bow our heads and pray hello<\/p>\n
thank you father that you are a god who<\/p>\n
pursues his people<\/p>\n
even through their sin we are so<\/p>\n
grateful for this<\/p>\n
we ask that you would drive this deep<\/p>\n
into our hearts<\/p>\n
we ask this in your name amen<\/p>","english_search_text":"","":"","teacher":null,"original_publish_date":"20210719","video_url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=2cRr3ccDiqc","video_id":"2cRr3ccDiqc","video_duration":"55:59","channel_name":"Grace City Bangkok"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/967","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=967"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/967\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":968,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/967\/revisions\/968"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/966"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=967"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}