What Does the LORD Require?

He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 6:8 (NASB)

How do you come before God? Should you bring burnt offerings, should you bring many offerings?

God wants us to know that He wants more than just an external religion. God wants the real, genuine and personal spiritual experience that is lived out in doing justice, loving kindness and walking humbly with Him.

To do this there must be a rebirth, a new nature given to the individual.

"He has told you, O man" means not only the man in Israel but also the man in the United States, not only the person of the seventh century B.C. but also the person of the twenty first century A.D.

I. To do justice

You must have a righteousness to present to God.

A. Do what is right - regardless of what others do

1. husband, father, wife.

B. Seek God's righteousness - not just what you can get by with

1. Stand against evil and take a stand for what is right

II. To love kindness

You are "to love mercy." You are not only to love the mercy of God but also to be merciful in your own dealings with others.

A. To love mercy - forgiveness

B. To love gentleness - vs anger

C. To love love - patience; serving others - visiting others.

How are you going to do these things? Can you do them in your own strength? Do you think that you can do them without God's help? Do you think that you can do them without God's salvation? YOU CANNOT.

We cannot live by this moral code without the power of God. We cannot, for the very simple reason that all of these are the fruit of the Holy Spirit. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law" (Gal. 5:22-23).

All three of these things which Micah lists are the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. None of us has any one of these things in his life today.

III. To walk humbly with God

A. To walk with God - relationship

1. Take time to be with God

2. Take time to talk with God

3. Take time to listen to God.

⁵ For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
⁶ For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,
⁷ because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so;
⁸ and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
⁹ However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.

Romans 8:5-9 (NASB)

B. To walk humbly with God - confession of sins

In Romans 3:9-18 the apostle Paul sets before us the condition of man. He brings man before the judgment bar of God and shows that he is guilty.

⁹ What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin;
¹⁰ as it is written, "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;
¹¹ THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;
¹² ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE."
¹³ "THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING," "THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS";
¹⁴ "WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS";
¹⁵ "THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD,
¹⁶ DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS,
¹⁷ AND THE PATH OF PEACE HAVE THEY NOT KNOWN."
¹⁸ "THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES."

Romans 3:9-18 (NASB)

C. To walk humbly with God - submission of our wills

1. Allowing Him to work His transforming power in our lives through the Holy Spirit in us

2. Following His leadership, His plans, His call, His purposes

Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me. (NASB)

3. Trusting in Jesus as Savior and following Him

He who was delivered up because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification. Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Romans 4:25-5:1 (NASB)