Sermon: Expoiters Denounced

Please turn to Micah chapter 3. again, Micah chapter 3

and I said hear you heads of Jacob. and rulers of the House of Israel Is it not for you to know Justice? You who hate the good and love the evil who tear the skin off my people. And their flesh from off their bones who eat the Flesh of My People inflate their skin from off them and break their bones and pieces and chop them up like meat in a pot like flesh in a cauldron, then they will cry out to the Lord, but he will not answer them.

He will hide his face from them at that time because they have made their deeds evil. Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who lead my people stray who cry peace when they have something to eat, but declare war against him who puts nothing into their mouths. Therefore. I shall be Knight to you without vision and darkness to you without divination the sun shall go down on the prophets and the day shall be black over them the sea or shall be disgraced in

the diviners put to shame. They shall all cover their lips or there is no answer from God. But as for me, I am filled with the power with the spirit of the Lord and with Justice and might to declare to Jacob his transgression into Israel his sin. Hear this you heads of the House of Jacob and rulers of the House of Israel who detest Justice and make crooked all that is straight who builds Zion with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity. It heads give judgment for

a bribe. It's priests teach for Christ. It's prophets practice divination for money. Yes, they lean on the Lord and say yet. They lean on the Lord and say is not the Lord in the midst of us. No disaster shall come upon us. Therefore Because of You Zion shall be plowed as a field Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins and the mountain of the house a wooded height. Let's pray. our great God we Thank you this evening for your word.

We thank you this evening that we can gather and close out the day Lord worshiping you. We pray as we hear your words spoken as we hear your word preach Lord. Will you open up our hearts to receive it? Will you open our hearts to receive your truth Lord that we will walk out as your children Lord that we will walk out Lord ready to take on the week of work ready to take on the week in which we have a responsibilities and tasks Lord remind us this evening

Lord that we come here for you and you alone. Lord we lift this time up to you and thank you. Amen.

If I bring up the words Justice. Injustice exploitation oppression He's a terms that we hear often now on social media. We hear it on radios TV. We see Billboards and t-shirts. It's all around us. It's the topic of the day. It's what everyone is talking about. It's what everyone is dealing with? And as this is being talked about the reality is that as this is talked about there's become a politicization of the problem

of Injustice and oppression. Maybe even you as you hear those words that often leads to two initial responses. One response of zeal as one seeks some form of social justice for the hurting and the oppress they are running out there and seeking the welfare of those who are hurt. And yet we have another side and another reaction One in which maybe they're a bit more cautious when they hear these terms. one in which at times

excuses can be made qualifications can be made about what is being brought up. And even that time is denied. All right outrightly as well, too. But here's the realities of both sides fail. Both sides fail when they talk about Injustice both sides fail when they talk about oppression. What has often occurred? It's just a focus upon the horizontal reality, but not even the horizontal reality for me scriptural standpoint, but they have allowed their political

standpoints. They've allowed they're philosophical standpoint to run and have us think this is what Justice is. This is what Injustice is. This is what it means to be oppressed. And this is how we are to deal with it. And so these two sides what they do is they take their claims and they just beat each other over the heads.

But we must see is that there is both this horizontal reality in this vertical reality. As we think about Injustice and oppression. The truth is that Micah's prophecy here in Micah 3 begins the second cycle. The second cycle prophecy he begins with three Prophecies of judgment. Well, we must not read these things in such a way that we look to it as our Manifesto to take down the man to be zealous social justice Warriors and yet

at the same time we can ignore the reality. The mica is calling for the churches to be responsible and to care for the poor to care for the hurting to care for the weak and most vulnerable at the same time.

Micah's concerned in the midst of this as we look at the contexts in the midst of this Injustice not he's not calling out the world. He's actually calling out a very specific group of people the people of God. His concern was when the people of God began to look more like the world instead of Kingdom citizens as they think and as they work and as they deal with Injustice that exists all around them. That is Micah's concern and my goal for us

and my goal for the sermon today. I pray and I hope That we will have a better idea of at least what Micah brings before us in the way we are to think of Injustice the way we're to think of Oppression both in their horizontal and it's a vertical aspect as he denounces these exploiters before us.

And Michael's first point here in his first announcement. He denounces the rulers. God demands that his people care about Justice. The first group that Micah goes after are these rulers. These were the officials of the Kings who to judge over their fears of the cities and towns. These there's literally the deciders for what is right and what is wrong? They were to plea they were to hear the case that said before them and they were to judge in a way that represented God's holiness

that represented God's laws. This is why Micah asked these men. Do you know Justice? The ruler above all people should know what Justice constitutes not just knowing the law well, but that this law should operate within his heart that this is who he is that whenever cases brought before him. He judges in portion. He doesn't look at the person. He judges according to God's law that it just comes from it's who he is. It's how we Acts

these rulers were not called to speculate on how they were to judge. They're not to call to speculate on their own ethics and to create their own ethics. Rather they were to act and decide according to the law of God. They were to decide according to an ethics. That was biblical. They were to uphold a Justice that honored God to love that which was good and to abhor that which was evil. This was these rulers job. But what we see in these rulers.

They acted in a total opposite fashion. And it said that they love that which was evil. They began to create their own Justice rooted and comfort they approved before they approved coveting of each other's lands and essentially the breaking of the law itself. They were approving. It was occurred in this time was the fact that these rulers. were working with the land-bearance that we saw last week in chapter 2 We see it in verse 11 as it tells us that the rulers

ruled favorably according to a bribe they were receiving money that greed that was informing those land Burns that were stealing. The land is now the same very greed that leads these rulers.

Just to get an idea of these rulers that they are citing these land Brands. They are siding with Micah 2:1. Does woe to those who devise wickedness and work evil on their beds. What does that mean these men these land Barons that they were working with now were those who couldn't sleep at night. They couldn't rest at night as they laid in their bed. All they could think about was who am I gonna scam next? How am I gonna scan them

and how am I gonna pay off the prophets? How am I gonna pay off the the rulers of this time their minds were constantly evil their minds could not shut down for a moment because all they can think about was how am I gonna cheat the next person? How am I going to deceive the next person? How am I going to steal their land?

These were the men that these rulers were protecting. These are the men's in which they were in cahoots with and which they were in partnership with.

They were protecting those that were evil. They were protecting those that were cheating. They were protecting those that were providing Injustice. They were protecting those that were breaking the law. How often do we see such ethics in our world today? Such ethics and churches today when the evil one is protected while the vulnerable the week have been called to apologize instead. They've been called to not be devices though. We should not be divisive, but they have

been called to be divisive because they bring up such charges. And they face ruling against them when they are the victim themselves. In the ruler judges and rules against them. And in favor of the land-bearance.

We hear such cases in churches today where men and Powerful positions are not dealt with because of fear of losing a large donor or fear of losing a large group of people or even the cases of pastors abusing the power. It's never dealt with until it's gone so far. It's covered up because why? Because they're men because these men are the face of the church. They are the face of this congregation and to deal with such a person would mean shutting the doors of that church.

Most likely. This goes beyond Church doors. This could be applied to you all as well too. As you are salt and light in this world within your own spheres of influence. If you are put in a position of authority, the question must be asked of you. Are you seeking the welfare of those you haven't placed over are you seeking to be just in all your decisions and actions? Or you like rulers in which those places under you are

nothing more than a chess piece for your own gain and for your own and for your own for your own self pleasure.

This is what was happening. This rulers were deciding based upon how they were getting paid. Going against those that were vulnerable those that were being cheated. No, it's not just in this section here Micah, but but also as he speaks to the rulers and as he speaks to the prophets. He speaks of those being oppressed. He designates Micah designates the multiple time as my people my people my people. It's personal language.

the Micah uses here God is taking such acts against his people personally. It's not some abstract pain but in their actions against the weak and vulnerable, they are attacking God's people. And it Grieves the Lord. The act of Injustice against the people of God Is So sickening it is so evil that Micah himself uses the imagery of cannibalism as a very Act of that which these rulers are doing. The sin of the rulers is atrocious Injustice is

atrocious Star Lord. He cares about Justice he cares about those who are oppressed.

And so should we? when people are being cheated when people are being scammed and when people are left vulnerable with no help. We should care for such people. This is one of my great concerns. Is that when we talk about Injustice when we talk about oppression because we don't want to be Associated and affiliated with certain groups of people. And maybe for good reasons. We get to a point where we again make excuses qualify deny.

Such Injustice against the weak and vulnerable. We must be careful that our affiliation does not rule over that which is right and that which is wrong. The Lord has called us to rule in such a way that upon the ethics of Our Lord not upon the ethics of our politics not on the ethics our philosophy, but upon the Lord's law and upon the Lord's word alone. That is what we are faithful to that is what we uphold. It's an ethics of God. It's it's

a justice of God. Don't allow the world to take the word justice from us. It is a Christian word. It is a biblical term. When we allow anyone else to steal it from us. It loses its purpose. It loses its emphasis.

Let us care for those who are hurting lettuce care for those who oppressed.

What we will see here. Is that God in these rulers he when I hear the cries of them. This is the Judgment upon these people. So just as the rulers would ignore the cries of the press. Though too. Will God ignore the cries of the oppressors in these rulers. It's interesting to see how quick these evil men seeking to get paid and seeking out of greed and how in a moment in a second they turn and now they are calling out to God when they need him.

They only want the Lord when they want something from home. They don't Desire home when there's Calamity. They only desire to be freed from such Calamity. God is nothing more than a genie who's to be used for their own self purpose for their own benefits. What is this warning even applicable to us today? I say yes. This idea that God turns his face from his people that God turns his face from his rulers. I think it's applicable to

us. We see in Malachi when the priests complained that God did not answer their prayers. We find out that it's due to their infidelity. In First Peter 3 7 there's a warning to care for and to cherish your wives so that your prayers would not be hindered. Men taking care of wives is important. We have been placed in a position of authority to lead and to guide our wives. And what we see in these two things here is that that God will pull back he will turn his face when

I see well not hear our prayers anymore. He will not answer our prayers.

No longer, will you have communion with your lord your left to yourself? A Proverbs 21:13 is also reminder that anyone who closes their ears The Cry of the poor two will call out one day and he will not be answered.

Maybe our prayers in such a way are not answered. Maybe the Lord does not hear our prayers and your prayers. Due to the very fact of how you have treated others due to your lack of care for those that are marginalized due to your promotion of Injustice due to your relationships with others due to where you have led your family due to the way that you've LED your wife in such a way that is demeaning to them.

That God has turned from you. And he no longer communes with you. I say to you today. Don't turn to the Lord in this time of need just because you want something from a turn to sit under home turn and true repentance to your God repent and come back to home.

And within this kind of horizontal aspect of Justice guys, here's the we are God demands that we care about those that are marginalized and hurt and vulnerable and those that have been cheated we must care for those who are on the outside those who have no one to stand for them. Those have no one to protect them. I want to lead us to our second kind of horizontal aspect here is that these are the prophets for profit. p-r-o-f-i-t

Michael not only calls out the rulers who were to uphold the justice of God. But he calls out the prophet to who have sold out for a prophet. Micah tells us that they cry out for peace when they have something to eat. But they declare war against whom who puts nothing in their mouths. They preach for a price and practice divination for money. These false prophets were adjusting their message according to the way in which they were getting paid. If you gave

me a lot I'll give you something nice and soft and easy letting you know. Hey, it's all good. You're good. You're set. Don't worry. But if you couldn't afford my fee you can afford you haven't given me enough. I'm gonna preach judgment to you. I'm gonna give you a word of God that is going to judge you. Word disguised as God I would say to judge you. So what was happening here? Where is the Injustice here these prophets who are the mouthpieces of

God who are God spokesman should have been calling out the Injustice of the Barons. They should have been calling out the rulers for what they have done. They were there to protect the people instead. They went to the barons. Praising them saying don't worry. You're good confirm me this and using God's words just to support what they were doing.

You see when the rulers fail when the Barons cheated the ruler should have stepped in and said No, and when the rulers fail these prophets should have came in with woes against rulers with woes against these land barons. Should have spoke against him saying there's a word from the Lord against you and what you're doing. What you're doing is sin.

so these people Have lost everything. The rich weren't helping take care of them with the wealth that they have and said they cheated them the rulers that were supposed to protect God's law and we're supposed to represent this holy law didn't protect them and the ones who are preaching and teaching. We're receiving the word from Lord of teaching the word of the Lord. They too did not protect these men either.

In comparison. What Micah does is he looks to himself? as the true prophet filled with the spirit of God filled with courage filled with Justice so that he says that I'm willing to say the hard things. I'm willing to be bold in my message and I'm willing to preach and to call out sin and evil wherever it existed. He himself cannot be bought out. Micah says I'm not like those false prophets. I am the true prophet. EIC here's the things that the word of the

Lord can never be tamed. ever a suit the current culture because we don't want to offend and we don't want to cause problems should never be tamed. So it's not defend those sitting in the pews because we are afraid of losing people and they're losing donors. Or too often in churches today those who have the responsibility of a Pulpit have held back from preaching the whole counsel of God instead. They speak just as these false prophets. Did they speak

only of God's patience only of God's mercy and only of God's grace they speak in a way to tickle the ears of those and their pews and those that are sitting before them. Not the word of God. But they never speak. of the tough things of sin of Judgment of his Wrath they preach a counterfeit gospel a counterfeit God and a counterfeit preacher then stands at that. It stands in that Pulpit preaching these counterfeit teachings.

But yet what we see here. that these Prophets representing the church representing the people of God. When they were holding back the whole counsel of God. They were holding back the truth that these oppressors needed to hear. They were withholding the grace of God for these oppressors by not preaching sin to them. They were holding back the mercy of God from these oppressors when they didn't call them to repentance when they

didn't call them to their sins when they call them to the wrath of God. They hid from these men by not preaching the whole count of God the great gift and the ability to repent and to turn to the Lord instead in leading these men astray. What they was doing was took these men these rulers took them by their hands and they were walking them down the steps to Hell itself. Leading them away from the truth.

Do not believe that by giving a soft message a half message that it is loving and it is being kind. In actuality, it's the evilest thing that one can do. It leads others to help because you don't give them the full truth. You give them a half truth. They believe they have the full truth. They believe they have the full message. They're never called to turn from their sins. They're never confronted with the evils of their ways.

It's most evil thing that one can do. And it's speaks to even beyond the pulpit Ministry. But to all who share the word of God with others to us who are sitting here this evening. Are you giving the Full Count Of God as you share the word of God with your friends as you share the word of God with others before you or are you afraid as you hear others speak maybe of hey reveling in their sin, maybe speaking of things that they shouldn't be doing and yet you don't want to

because you want Comfort maybe you're not getting paid like the prophets, but you sold out for comfort as well.

Rick Phillips says this that we hear it said you are what you eat. Far more profound is truth that you are what you hear. soft preaching makes hard hearts and hearts hardened by sin will perish under God's Wrath. But hard preaching that teaches what we need to hear whole teaching that presents both deliverance and judgment mercy and wrath forgiveness and repentance leads to solved heart that receives salvation from the god of Truth and Love.

You guys the church? Must stand on Truth The Church Must call out sin for what sin is the church must be ready to call out Injustice for when Injustice is there? I'm not saying we jump in right away and don't think through things. But the church cannot hide back the church cannot protect the evils the church cannot protect those who have caused harm. The Church Must lead in this unlike these Prophets

This is where the Prophet Michael declares a prophet that due to their sinfulness. God would no longer reveal himself nor his words to these prophets anymore. These prophets will be put to shame as they no longer were here from God. God will be silent to these Prophets. Left to their own wits a prophets will fail to impress their money clients in their public stature will suffer. Through them the people experience what Amos had predicted an

Amos 8:11 a famine of hearing the word of the Lord. That is a great judgment when the Lord is silent and no longer speaks. Oftentimes we see this in Liberal churches when the word of God is not spoken anymore God's voice is not there. It is. Not just them turning against God but it is God's judgment upon them when there's no longer the word being preached there.

There's a famine of the word. those churches this leads me to my third Point as I want us to deal with some of the vertical aspects that I talked about. As I've dealt with more the horizontal we must care for just as a church must speak out against justice injustice. I want to steal now with this third aspect of false worship and the destruction of Zion. in this last portion of Micah 3 the prophecy deals with all parties

involved in the oppression of the people the rulers of prophets and the priests and all of them what has caused them to sin in such a way is greed greed greed as we see from these three

but yet these men they say what it says that they lean on the Lord and say Is not the Lord in the midst of us. No, disaster shall come upon us. There were denying Micah's judgment upon them and Micah's Prophecy of the coming judgment upon the people of God due to their sins. These men thought that since we have the temple here and since our God dwells Among Us here and because of our cultic rituals and because of what we continue to

do he would never let anything happen to us. Unaware of their sins and unaware of them breaking the lawn of them where them breaking the Covenant with their lord, they assumed and believe that just the presence of Temple is enough to protect them from the enemy. These men thought that their outward rituals that thought that the temple itself with wind God's favor. But here's the reality Michael went through all their sins first.

all other failures first what we see is that God sees the heart of man. Even for he sees their cultic practices even before he sees the religious practices. He sees inside out not outside in. The very action of Injustice and first and foremost for them was born out of greed it began in the heart. It was done at a spiritual level. It's the heart that has decided that greed will drive their actions that grieve will drive the way

that they rule. Guys, we need to see that Injustice is not just the outward action of man. It's a heart issue whether it's greed or Pride or power that begins in the heart of a man. It's the love of that Idol. It's taking the idle Pawn the heart and living in accordance with what they worship and what they Revere this becomes their life. It begins here. We can't just say outside access and that isn't just no no begins in the heart first.

Not just the outward action of a man. the heart issue This is why the issue for us guys. It's not a sociological issue. It's not that it's not some philosophical issue that we need to resolve and figure out it's not even some legislative issue. Guys, it's a worship issue of these men. It's a heart issue of these men. It's a spiritual issue of these men first and foremost Injustice exists, because worship of God does not.

But gkpiel says this that what we Revere we resemble. either for ruin or restoration You become what you worship. It's a distorted dark version of sanctification where you slowly become more and more like that which you worship and that which you Revere and that which you love that which is born of the hearts before it becomes manifested out. This is where I think oftentimes social justice and the talks of his often mistaken. They think that it's just outward actions

and so they try to figure out in many different ways of dealing with it. the myth the vertical reality of Injustice

oftentimes it can be easy to see the physical acts of Injustice around us. But that's all we think we miss the point. begins in the heart

this means that all of us here need to be careful. We need to check our hearts for the idolatries of our hearts. We need to make sure that we destroy such idolatry within us. Idols you can lead us to look to others to degrade others to demean others to look at others less than what they really are.

For us to cheat them to see how we can get around them. Oftentimes want a simple ways that this occurs as one has has this Idol of his heart whether it's greed whatever it is. Is that begins to look at people as less than they are? Yes, look at people's less than they are. That's convicted of this story of this homeless, man. He talked about it and he talked about I don't know his background or his history. He says one the whole most heartbreaking things from home was when

someone came up and says, hey bum get a job and I'm not saying shouldn't get a job. But but the very aspect of what hurts home was that they called him a bum they recognize him as this Lester than a human being is ways. He says I'm a human being if I put you more theological language. It's when the idols of a heart to begin to encroach Upon Our Hearts where we begin to look at others not as evolve days not as image Bears of God.

And that always doesn't require. outward action

to be right here right now as we look to one. and we begin to see them as less than we begin to see them as below us beneath us as that worthy of my time. It's not worthy of my place.

begins in your heart before it comes out

This is what these men did. This man thought that just having that Temple this false worship that they had of God. They failed in the worship because of the sin of their lives is what they were really worshiping. But we see similar things the first Samuel 4 people began to live in sin and they thought the Ark of the Covenant would be what would bring them Victory they're losing in battle because their sins because of their breaking the Covenant.

And so they're like go get the ark because it keeps allowing us when battles and bring the ark and they get destroyed and the Ark they lose the ark at the same time. The same men they were placing their hopes in a form of idolatry and thinking that the temple itself and thinking that the cultic rituals is what God wanted. They trusted. That instead of trusting in the Lord instead of walking in his ways instead of trusting in his Covenant.

This is the mindset of these people.

You guys we have to see this vertical reality when we start to think. Of Injustice oppression, whatever it is.

It begins in the heart. And though I'm not saying we don't go we don't seek legislative issues. I'm not saying any of that. I'm not saying we'd be Salt and Light to this. I'm not saying don't be something like this where I'm saying this. Oh that you cannot place your hope in those things. It is only when we return worship of God. That you justice is being brought back.

ends until the people that because of you these leaders. Zion will be plowed as a field. Jerusalem become a heap of ruins and the mountains of the house the wooded Heights judgment is coming. Like I saw them. You may say it's not but it's coming. But the whole nation before it was these individuals or these groups of people that judgment was on. But now it's to the whole nation. That's here's the truth. Is that where the leaders go?

So often do the people go we see that so often the Old Testament. Sins of the leadership put all the people of God in danger of his wrath and judgment. It's also possible as this new ethics is introduced and as these people are living in such way contrary to the Lord. That people too begin to turn away from the ways of the Lord and to turn to the ways of the world. But we have good news. We have good news that we have a leader.

We have a prophet a priest in a king who leads his people to life a leader who leads us people with True Justice a leader who does not fail his people ever and the leader who saves his people This is our Lord Jesus Christ. We are under hum and not The Thrillers anymore. He is our head. He is our representative and he never fails. We do not need to fear such judgment. And it is good news for those also who are hurting and those who may feel and

have been oppressed. And those who have maybe Injustice has been done to you. Your lord is coming. Where he comes back the second time as judge and Justice final Justice. will be given let's pray.

Okay, God we thank you. For this time. We thank you for this opportunity to be together. To Worship You Lord and even as we look at tough passages even as we look at things such as Justice and Injustice Lord and oppression Lord, and these are tough things to talk about Lord. Or remind us to turn to you remind us to not allow the world to hijack this term to mean something else Lord. But may it all bring glory to you and you alone.