How Should I live?

Now, we turn to read together from God's Word, and we have two Bible readings this morning.

The first from the Old Testament, from the book of the prophet Micah, and we'll read from chapter 6, and the verses marked 1 to 9.

This is the Word of God.

Hear what the Lord says.

Arise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice.

Hear, you mountains, the indictment of the Lord, and you enduring foundations of the earth.

For the Lord has an indictment against his people, and he will contend with Israel.

O my people, what have I done to you?

How have I wearied you?

Answer me.

For I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and redeemed you from the house of slavery.

And I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.

O my people, remember what Balak, king of Moab, devised, and what Balaam, the son of Beor, answered him.

And what happened from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of God.

With what shall I come before the Lord, and by myself before God on high?

What shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?

Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of ram, with tens of thousands of rivers of oil?

Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

He has told you, O man, what is good.

And what does the Lord require of you?

But to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.

And then our second reading is from the Gospel according to Matthew chapter 5, the beginning of the famous sermon on the mount.

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

Matthew chapter 5, reading from the beginning of the chapter.

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

Matthew chapter 5, reading from the beginning of the chapter.

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

Matthew chapter 5, reading from the beginning of the chapter.

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

Matthew chapter 5, reading from the beginning of the chapter.

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

Matthew chapter 5, reading from the beginning of the chapter.

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

Matthew chapter 5, reading from the beginning of the chapter.

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

Jeremiah said that.

Jeremiah said that.

Why God was a stranger in the land in Scotland.

Because Jeremiah said he was a stranger in ancient Israel because the irreligious had no time for God.

And the religious people had no heart for God.

And the leaders had no zeal for God.

And even committed believers had no thirst for God.

And of course, of course, of course, of course, of course, of course, of course, of course, of course.

And of course, that description of that land then is a description that could fit many lands at many times through history when we think of how it is.

But into the situation in Israel at one stage comes the prophet Micah.

And he comes really with a message that says, look, God is a stranger in these days because the people are practicing idolatry.

And bribery and corruption, the people are being oppressed by the rich.

The religious leaders are career diplomats just supporting the status quo because it's in their interests.

And then it's now commercial interests.

Money was the first commandment.

It was what ruled in all things.

And Micah comes into this situation and this scene where God seems to be a stranger.

And he brings a message from God.

And the message from God is there will be judgment.

There will be destruction.

There will be ruin and exile.

But he brings a message of hope as well.

Because he said, look, if you will just listen to God, if you will listen to God, he will actually bring deliverance to you.

Deliverance from those armies of neighboring nations that are ready to invade you.

He'll spare you that.

He will actually bring blessings.

And he will send a savior who will be born in the city of David in Bethlehem.

This is what God will do.

But you have to listen to him.

You have to set your hearts to obey and to follow and to serve him.

You have to change your behavior and live as God requires.

And if you do that, the future will not be one of darkness and destruction and ruin.

And so in verses 6 and 7 that we read, eventually, I'm sorry about that.

But the people were talking to Micah and they were saying, well, look, what have we got to do?

Okay, we're with you.

Yeah, we forgot what God had done for us in the past.

All his mighty acts and how good he was.

We forgot all that.

But what have we got to do?

Have we got to bring, you know, burnt offerings?

Will that please God?

Will we, you know, will we sacrifice thousands of rams?

Would that do?

Or what about, will we even offer up our firstborn children?

Is that what God wants?

And Micah comes and in those famous words that I'm sure maybe nearly all of us must know and have heard about,

he says, no, look, you already know.

You know, the scriptures, there are so many different places where God has made it clear what he wants.

He's told you what he wants.

You're to do justly.

You're to love mercy.

And you're to walk humbly with your God.

Simple, but not easy.

Clear, not confusing.

On Wednesday, those of us who were here at our New Year's Day service,

our minister, Corey, was reminding us that this is a good time.

For people to have a checkup on their health.

Or maybe to have a checkup on their finances that everything is okay.

But it's also a very good time for a spiritual checkup, isn't it?

You know, the old year is past and God has promised to leave that in the past.

The new year is coming.

So how is it going to be with us?

We read what Jesus said about the character of his followers at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount.

But there's a sense in which these few verses in Micah, they're just that bit clear.

They're very basic, aren't they?

To the Christian life as we've been taught it.

We are to do justly.

We are to love mercy.

And we're to walk humbly.

We're to do justly.

That just simply means, doesn't it, we are to live rightly with integrity.

The scriptures teach us again and again that our God is a God of love.

And it is righteousness that he loves.

He is a righteous God.

His ways are righteous.

Always, always have been.

And he wants his people to live righteously.

The prophet Habakkuk says, look, God is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity.

He hates that which is wrong, which is evil, which is wicked.

And doing justly, it just means, doesn't it, living rightly, honestly.

Not lying, not deceiving, not stealing, not taking advantage of other people.

But living in a way that's upright, that's fair, that's just, that's honest.

Keeping your word.

Now, we can all see that that's not happening in the world as it is at the minute.

We can all see that.

We can all see how other people aren't doing justly.

They're not living rightly.

You know, politicians, estate agents, second-hand car salesmen, they've become a stereotype, haven't they,

for people who are crooks, who are not doing right.

Now, not all of them are like that.

But we've just got used to thinking in that way, they're not going to be straight with you.

You know, and people talk about spin nowadays.

You know, where you turn the facts around so that they're not absolutely the way they should be presented,

but they're presented in a way that helps you.

You know, and it's almost become the norm that it's all right to cut corners in your work.

You know, it's kind of all right, you know, to run other people down and be critical of them.

You know what, look, the smart fellow, the guy who gets away with things.

There's kind of, you know, a wee bit of grudging respect.

An American told me not so long ago about the President-elect, Donald Trump,

how he'd actually got away with not paying tax for a while.

And I said, well, gosh, you know, I thought that would be kind of a bit strange.

You know, I think in Britain, we maybe wouldn't elect somebody who, you know, evaded tax or tax.

Oh, but he said, a lot of folk in America think that's a great idea,

and they would do it if they could.

You know, now, you know, Americans are no worse than us.

It just, it's pervasive, this lack of righteousness and integrity.

But we see it so easily in others.

But what about us?

Are we absolutely honest and upright, totally just in all of our dealings?

You know, because it's very easy to be tainted by the world's standards.

And honesty and integrity isn't the common virtue that it used to be.

I'm sure some of you will remember the story.

I think it was August or September last year,

the man who found a bag with £10,000 in used banknotes on the London Underground.

And the story became national news because he actually returned it.

And that was so unusual.

People would not expect that to happen.

But what about God?

We know how we ought to act with our relations, with our families,

with the people we work with, with our neighbours, the people in church.

But, you know, we have a good idea about that.

But, you know, Micah is challenging the people here

because they're going against God.

They're living in a way that is offending and hurting the living God.

And God himself says to them,

Look, what have I done to you, my people?

What have I done?

You know, how have I worried you?

You know, they weren't living for him.

And you and I have a relationship with God if we're Christians.

And are we being honest with God every day, every week?

Do we act justly towards him?

You see, we've all made vows, haven't we?

When we come to communion, we're making vows.

When we become members of a congregation like St. Columbus, we make vows.

And when we marry, when we're baptised as adults,

or we confirm our baptismal vows.

You know, all of those things, you know, we make these vows.

And God warns us in his word, the wise man in Ecclesiastes,

When thou vows to a vow unto God,

Defer not to pay it, for God has no pleasure in fools.

We have to honour those vows to God.

And, you know, it's by righteousness

that we will one day be judged when we stand before God.

Let's not be like those people.

John Calvin talked about the people who attended his church in Geneva.

And he said,

All of them have a vague general reverence for God.

But not all of them truly love him.

C.S. Lewis, he talked about people who were semi-believers.

You know, they believed enough to come to church and sing hymns and that,

but it didn't go really very deep.

Do justly.

Let's think about doing justly in this new year.

Love mercy.

Ours is a religion of the forgiven.

Somebody has written that.

And our God is a God of mercy,

a God of forgiveness.

Mercy, forgiveness is the bedrock of our faith.

And we are Christians

because we have been forgiven

by a merciful God.

And the word that Micah uses here,

it's a word,

Corey's explained it to us quite a few times,

a Hebrew word, chesed.

And it really means, you know, loving kindness.

Faithful loving kindness.

Always being honest and faithful.

And it embraces compassion as well.

You know, and we're told here not just to show mercy,

but to love mercy.

You know, and that means,

that means being glad,

being willing,

being delighted

to reach out in forgiveness

to people who've done us wrong.

To reach out in compassion

to people who are in need.

You know, not just to forgive,

in a way, grudgingly,

or with a bad grace,

or feeling,

well, it's my duty,

I have to do it.

That's not what God requires of us.

He wants us to love mercy.

And it's not so much the action

as the attitude.

And again, it comes from the heart.

True forgiveness,

true mercy comes from the heart.

But listen,

it is not easy.

For natural men and women,

in fact, it's impossible.

But even for those of us

who are Christians,

it is very hard.

And the Jewish theologian,

Dr. Jonathan Sachs,

he has a book called

To Heal a Fractured World.

And in it, he says,

forgiveness or mercy

is so difficult

because of justice.

And he's right, isn't he?

You know,

when we're told

we've got to forgive somebody,

they've been,

ah, but yeah,

but look what they did to me.

You know,

and that's the difficulty.

They should be punished,

not forgiven.

But for those of us

who've been forgiven

by Jesus,

it should be part of our life.

It should flow

from our hearts

because He is Lord

of our lives now.

In Mark 3,

there was awful words,

you know,

that Jesus,

it said He was grieved.

What was He grieved on?

When He saw the Pharisees,

He was grieved

at the hardness

of their hearts.

You know,

a hard-hearted,

an unforgiving Christian

is a contradiction

in terms.

There isn't any such thing.

There just isn't.

And again and again

in the Gospels,

we read of Jesus

reaching out

in compassion,

you know,

to those who were in need

and those who were

neglected by others.

Now,

you know,

the people that Jesus

reached out to,

some were suffering

and it was their own fault.

And some were suffering

and it wasn't their own fault.

But it didn't matter to him.

He reached out to them.

And,

you know,

you,

you would be very unusual

if you've never been wronged.

You know,

if someone has never

lied about you,

if someone has never

taken advantage of you.

And,

certainly as a Christian

in these days,

you're bound to have been mocked

or sneered at

or have your views

misrepresented.

I mean,

that,

that,

that,

that just all happens.

But the amazing thing

about grace

that we,

we sing about it

being amazing,

the amazing thing

about it is

that the grace of God,

when it transforms

our hearts,

makes us able,

if we're walking

closely enough

with God,

it makes us

able

to forgive

and to show compassion.

And,

by the way,

that's a,

that's a,

a,

a big,

big part

of evangelism,

of reaching out

to folk

in our families

or our work

or whatever

who are not Christians.

because it is

a fact.

It is

Christians

with large hearts

that God

uses

in large

measure

to move

people

in large

measure.

Compassion.

There's so much

gratuitous

cruelty

and wickedness

in the world.

if we will

just love

mercy

and show it

what a difference

that can make,

what a witness

that can be.

And finally,

walk humbly

with your God.

Now,

you know enough

to know,

I'm sure,

that humility

doesn't mean

thinking that

you're no good,

that you're useless,

you won't ever

be able to do

anything to please

God.

That's not what

humility is.

Humility

is having

a realistic

view of yourself,

an honest view

of what you're like.

A sinner,

yes,

but a sinner

who has had

their heart

and life

transformed

by God.

The Puritan

John Flavell

helps us

to understand.

He wrote

on one occasion,

he says,

they that know

God

will be humble

and they

that know

themselves

will not

be proud.

And the book

of Proverbs

helps us

also to

understand it

by contrasting

it.

You know,

the man or woman

who is modest,

humble,

careful in the

way they live

is contrasted

with people

who are arrogant,

presumptuous,

and full of

themselves.

lives.

And, you know,

Micah speaks

here about

walking humbly,

walking

carefully

with your

God.

And he always

has in mind

here people

who already

have a faith.

You know,

people who have

already been

touched by

the grace of

God and had

their lives

transformed.

And he's

talking about

a life of

ongoing communion

and fellowship

with God.

Look,

we have to

have a realistic

take on

ourselves.

And when we

weep and

mourn for

the wrong

that we've

done,

the psalmist

promises,

a broken and a

contrite heart,

the Lord

will not

despise.

Jesus tells us,

blessed are the

poor in spirit,

those who

realize,

those of us

who realize

that we need

the grace of

God and the

help of God.

And blessed

are the merciful.

You know,

those who show

mercy will get

mercy.

But on this,

you know,

these are days,

it's difficult.

And let me tell

you, as you

get older,

you know,

it's not so

easy listening

to all that

goes on in

the world.

Not that our

generations were

any better than

any others,

but things

changed so

much.

When we were

growing up,

you know,

and Billy Graham

and others

will tell you,

you know,

children,

we were seen

and not heard.

Our opinions

didn't count.

You know,

nobody in school,

nobody wanted

to hear what you

thought about

Henry VIII

and his wife.

You know,

you were told

what to think.

Now,

it's a good

thing that

young minds

are made

to be

critical

and thinking.

But along

with that

has come

with self-promotion

and

entitlement,

you know,

and everybody

wants to

organize the

world

to suit

themselves,

to suit

them.

That's not

how we should

be.

That's not

how we should

be.

Vanity is

not a good

thing.

It is

good

to have

a realistic

view of

yourself.

There's a

wonderful

historical

parable

about it.

In the

days of

the

Austro-Hungarian

Empire,

the

emperors

were buried

in a little

friary

way outside

the city.

And

when the

emperor died,

after a

great service

in the

cathedral,

a great

procession

would make

its way

down out

of the

city to

this little

friary,

the grand

duke would

wrap on

the door,

a little

window would

open,

and who

is it?

Oh,

Franz

Ferdinand,

emperor of

the Holy

Roman Empire,

and whatever.

We don't

know him,

and it

would close.

And then

the duke

would wrap

again,

and who

is it?

Oh,

Franz

Ferdinand,

electoral,

of the

Pope,

Margrave

of Hungary,

and we

don't know

him.

And a

third time,

he would

wrap on

the window

would open.

Who is

it?

Franz

Ferdinand,

a wretched

sinner who

looks for

somewhere to

lay his

bones.

Only in

death were

those great

emperors

divested of

their vanity.

For us as

Christians,

we should be

going through

this world

remembering

that we

are just

sinners,

saved by

grace.

We've

finished an

old year,

and we're

beginning a

new year.

I'm sure

you've

reflected on

it,

however

young or

old you

are,

and you

remember that

God's been

good to you.

He has been

good.

God's been

good to you

and how in

his providence

he's taken

care of you

and brought

you to the

start of this

new year.

And you

can't doubt

his love for

you in giving

Jesus to be

your saviour.

So what do you

do in return?

What do we do

to show our

gratitude to

our loving God?

Well, we do

what he's

asked us to

do.

You know,

we do justly.

We live with

integrity in a

fallen world,

whatever it

costs.

We show

mercy.

We reach

out with

compassion to

everyone because

there's so little

of it about.

And we walk

humbly with

our God,

never forgetting

that we are

just sinners

saved by

grace.

That's what he

wants.

Nothing more,

nothing less,

nothing else.

Let's pray.

Our loving

Heavenly Father,

help us to

seal your

words in

our hearts

and to go

into this

new year

knowing the

grace of God

in our hearts

and in our

lives and

seeking,

Lord,

above all

other things

to honour

you by

doing justly,

by loving

mercy,

and by

walking humbly.

in Jesus name we pray this

Amen