Goodness

Growth in the Spirit PART VII
Dr. Timothy Keller
24 August 2014

Micah 6:6-8
6With what shall I come before the Lord
and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with a calves a year old?
7Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.

THE QUESTION
--v.6 - an exalted God that is distanced from us.
--Bridge the chasm with God.
--How do we have a relationship with God.
--v.7 - Nothing really merits a relationship with God.

CONTEXT (v.8)
--Old testament sin must be atoned for.
--We can't atone for it on our merits.
--We can't just obey him, but must love him.
--v.7 Offering first born is from Moses's law that first born forfeits sins of the family.
--First born is the hope of the family.
--Why doesn't God take Abraham's son? Because he took his own son.

DOING JUSTICE
--Caring for the poor, widows, and vulnerable people.
--Loving mercy; to live the way God lives and not to give up on folks.
--Walk with God means to be exposed and accountable before him.
--Befriended and loved in a prayer life.