Stand For Something

He has shown you, O man, what is good;
 And what does the Lord require of you
 But to do justly,
 To love mercy,
 And to walk humbly with your God?
-Micah 6:8
 
Three things we must take from this scripture:

1. We are to act justly.
2. We are to love mercy.
3. We are to walk humbly.

 
1. We are to act justly.                                                                                                                                                  To act justly we must deal fairly and honestly with others, confront evil both in ourselves and our society, and to intervene on behalf of the weak, vulnerable, mistreated, and oppressed.

• Deal Fairly… Matthew 7:12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
• Confront Evil…Twenty seven year old Dietrich Bonhoeffer, while many in Germany were celebrating Hitlers ascent to power, broadcast a message entitled “Christ is Our Fuhrer,” preaching against the wicked leader for making an idol of himself and his office.  On April 9th , 1945 Bonhoeffer was executed.
• Martin Luther King, Jr., was shot to death for his stance against racial discrimination. Please listen to one of his very bold and true statements, “Cowardice asks the question: is it safe? Expediency asks the question: is it politic? Vanity asks the question: is it popular? But conscience asks the question: is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular-but one must take it simply because it is right.”
• Intervene on behalf of the weak...Yet whether it’s acceptable to our tastes or not, men are called by God to love the world (the people whom Christ died for) in the way He loves it, and to hate the world (its sin and rebellion against Him) in the way He hates it.  James 4:4 “Whomever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God”
• Even when it is costly.  We are to be courageous when it costs us because we are not counting the costs in regards to earthly avenues but instead according to Christ. Galatians 1:10  For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ. 
• How will Jesus Christ judge our actions…and be sure He will. Romans 14:11-12 For it is written: “As I live, says the Lord,
Every knee shall bow to Me, 
And every tongue shall confess to God.” 12 So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.
• 2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

 
Tomorrow we will cover loving mercy and Wednesday walking humbly. Today I want you to answer a few questions:

1. How has Jesus shown you what is good?

2. What does the phrase "require of you" mean to you?

3. What do you believe "acting justly" looks like?

4. “Cowardice asks the question: is it safe? Expediency asks the question: is it politic? Vanity asks the question: is it popular? But conscience asks the question: is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular-but one must take it simply because it is right.” Have you had to take a stance in your life simply because it was right? Explain.