1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:02,000 Now, I hope you have your Bibles open 2 00:00:02,000 –> 00:00:04,400 at Micah in chapter seven. 3 00:00:04,400 –> 00:00:07,060 These verses are unique 4 00:00:07,060 –> 00:00:09,780 because they give us an insight 5 00:00:09,780 –> 00:00:13,620 into the broken heart of a godly leader. 6 00:00:14,960 –> 00:00:15,800 Now, think about it, 7 00:00:15,800 –> 00:00:19,360 Micah had been preaching God’s Word all his life. 8 00:00:19,360 –> 00:00:23,080 He gave himself to this work for 50 years. 9 00:00:23,080 –> 00:00:24,760 God had called him to be a prophet. 10 00:00:24,760 –> 00:00:27,920 That means, of course, that God spoke to Micah directly, 11 00:00:27,920 –> 00:00:29,639 that his words are the Word of God, 12 00:00:29,680 –> 00:00:32,720 and that, of course, is why we’re studying his book today. 13 00:00:33,980 –> 00:00:36,680 Over the last weeks, we’ve followed Micah’s message. 14 00:00:36,680 –> 00:00:38,259 But we haven’t really learned a great deal 15 00:00:38,259 –> 00:00:40,880 about Micah the man himself. 16 00:00:40,880 –> 00:00:44,840 What was it actually like for him to be a prophet? 17 00:00:45,880 –> 00:00:47,119 Well, the reality is 18 00:00:47,119 –> 00:00:49,520 that leaders don’t usually wear their hearts 19 00:00:49,520 –> 00:00:51,439 on their sleeves. 20 00:00:51,439 –> 00:00:53,840 But in this last chapter of the book, 21 00:00:53,840 –> 00:00:57,439 we find Micah opening himself up. 22 00:00:57,480 –> 00:01:00,480 And he shares his heart. 23 00:01:00,480 –> 00:01:03,480 And in these few verses, what we get is a glimpse 24 00:01:03,480 –> 00:01:08,480 into the inner turmoil of a leader’s soul. 25 00:01:10,940 –> 00:01:12,959 Micah was a man with a broken heart. 26 00:01:12,959 –> 00:01:14,779 And I want us to understand why 27 00:01:14,779 –> 00:01:17,680 so that we can learn more of it for ourselves. 28 00:01:18,639 –> 00:01:19,480 Look at what he says. 29 00:01:19,480 –> 00:01:21,519 I hope you have your Bible open, do you? 30 00:01:21,519 –> 00:01:24,300 Micah chapter seven, he starts by saying, 31 00:01:24,300 –> 00:01:27,260 What misery is mine? 32 00:01:28,339 –> 00:01:30,580 Now I feel like I’ve almost prepared 33 00:01:30,580 –> 00:01:32,139 this message twice this week. 34 00:01:32,139 –> 00:01:34,660 And the reason for that is that once I got started, 35 00:01:34,660 –> 00:01:37,059 I soon realized that I was on the wrong track 36 00:01:37,059 –> 00:01:39,139 and had completely missed the point. 37 00:01:39,139 –> 00:01:41,099 Those of you who are well used to Bible study 38 00:01:41,099 –> 00:01:44,139 will know that you sometimes have an experience like that. 39 00:01:44,139 –> 00:01:44,959 Look at verse one. 40 00:01:44,959 –> 00:01:48,040 Micah says, I’m like one who gathers summer fruit 41 00:01:48,040 –> 00:01:49,540 at the cleaning of the vineyard. 42 00:01:49,540 –> 00:01:51,639 There is no cluster of grapes to eat 43 00:01:51,639 –> 00:01:53,919 and none of the early figs that I crave. 44 00:01:54,080 –> 00:01:57,919 Obviously, you come to this, you really think, 45 00:01:57,919 –> 00:01:59,620 this is a picture of great frustration. 46 00:01:59,620 –> 00:02:02,680 Micah says, I’m like a person going looking for fruit. 47 00:02:02,680 –> 00:02:04,339 I find there’s no fruit. 48 00:02:04,339 –> 00:02:05,900 I don’t find what I’m looking for. 49 00:02:05,900 –> 00:02:08,020 Things haven’t worked out in my life as I wanted. 50 00:02:08,020 –> 00:02:09,419 My dream hasn’t been fulfilled. 51 00:02:09,419 –> 00:02:11,160 And you go down that line, 52 00:02:11,160 –> 00:02:14,360 you end up with a message that sounds like this. 53 00:02:14,360 –> 00:02:16,559 Are you frustrated in life? 54 00:02:16,559 –> 00:02:19,300 Are you looking for fruit that you haven’t found? 55 00:02:19,300 –> 00:02:21,160 Are you dissatisfied? 56 00:02:22,020 –> 00:02:24,179 Come to Jesus and He’ll give you a more fulfilling 57 00:02:24,179 –> 00:02:25,740 and a satisfying life. 58 00:02:26,759 –> 00:02:28,399 The problem with that of course is that 59 00:02:28,399 –> 00:02:32,520 it completely misses the point of Micah chapter seven. 60 00:02:32,520 –> 00:02:33,460 As we’ll see. 61 00:02:34,639 –> 00:02:38,080 What’s worse, by the way, and where I realize, 62 00:02:38,080 –> 00:02:41,199 no, of course, that can’t be what verse one is about, 63 00:02:42,119 –> 00:02:45,820 is that that line of thought completely subverts the gospel. 64 00:02:46,960 –> 00:02:49,759 What it does is it place us and our fulfillment 65 00:02:49,759 –> 00:02:52,699 at the center of all things instead of God in His glory, 66 00:02:52,699 –> 00:02:54,600 and that’s not the gospel, right? 67 00:02:56,080 –> 00:02:58,820 In fact, a steady diet of that kind of ministry 68 00:02:58,820 –> 00:03:01,460 would produce a bunch of Christians 69 00:03:01,460 –> 00:03:03,600 who are looking to Jesus simply to give us 70 00:03:03,600 –> 00:03:05,440 a more fulfilling and satisfying life, 71 00:03:05,440 –> 00:03:07,080 and that’s not the gospel, 72 00:03:07,080 –> 00:03:08,360 soon as I realized that was where 73 00:03:08,360 –> 00:03:10,759 that line of thought was going I had to rip up the notes, 74 00:03:10,759 –> 00:03:12,380 throw them in the bin, start again, 75 00:03:12,380 –> 00:03:14,479 because that can’t be what Micah chapter seven 76 00:03:14,479 –> 00:03:16,539 is all about, right? 77 00:03:16,919 –> 00:03:20,759 So let’s take a closer look at what he’s saying. 78 00:03:21,899 –> 00:03:25,259 Micah’s speaking, you see, under the direct inspiration 79 00:03:25,259 –> 00:03:26,619 of the spirit of God. 80 00:03:28,000 –> 00:03:30,820 So when he says, oh, what misery is mine, 81 00:03:30,820 –> 00:03:32,339 the one thing you can be sure of 82 00:03:32,339 –> 00:03:35,100 is he is not wallowing in self-pity, 83 00:03:36,259 –> 00:03:39,940 because the Holy Spirit never offers self-pity, 84 00:03:40,880 –> 00:03:42,139 he doesn’t lead us there. 85 00:03:43,240 –> 00:03:46,160 So let’s take a closer look at why this man is miserable, 86 00:03:46,179 –> 00:03:48,559 the way to understand Micah’s misery in verse one 87 00:03:48,559 –> 00:03:50,639 is to look at what he says in verse two, 88 00:03:51,580 –> 00:03:52,960 look at what he says. 89 00:03:52,960 –> 00:03:55,940 The godly have been swept from the land, 90 00:03:57,119 –> 00:03:58,339 that’s why I’m miserable, 91 00:03:59,860 –> 00:04:04,139 not one upright man remains. 92 00:04:05,759 –> 00:04:07,699 So the reason that this godly man, 93 00:04:07,699 –> 00:04:10,699 this prophet, is broken-hearted 94 00:04:10,699 –> 00:04:12,580 is not because he’s feeling sorry for himself 95 00:04:12,580 –> 00:04:14,100 or the way his life has worked out 96 00:04:14,100 –> 00:04:15,919 or anything of that sort at all. 97 00:04:16,160 –> 00:04:17,839 The fruit he’s been looking for 98 00:04:17,839 –> 00:04:20,739 is not personal fulfillment but his godly character. 99 00:04:21,880 –> 00:04:23,700 And what he says to us is simply this, 100 00:04:23,700 –> 00:04:27,899 as I look out upon the landscape of my country today, 101 00:04:27,899 –> 00:04:29,899 I see the way people are living, 102 00:04:29,899 –> 00:04:32,359 I see that godly character has been swept away 103 00:04:32,359 –> 00:04:33,760 in my own lifetime, 104 00:04:33,760 –> 00:04:36,640 I’m looking for models of upright living around me 105 00:04:36,640 –> 00:04:39,600 and that’s not what I’m seeing as I look across the land. 106 00:04:41,160 –> 00:04:44,320 The godly have been swept from the land, which land? 107 00:04:45,279 –> 00:04:47,859 Well of course he’s talking about the land of Israel, 108 00:04:47,859 –> 00:04:51,420 that is the land where God’s covenant people lived. 109 00:04:52,459 –> 00:04:56,119 And so it’s surely right for us to apply Micah’s words here 110 00:04:56,119 –> 00:04:59,040 not only to our nation but also to the church, 111 00:04:59,040 –> 00:05:00,859 to God’s covenant people. 112 00:05:00,859 –> 00:05:02,299 We may apply it this way, 113 00:05:02,299 –> 00:05:05,200 I look across church world in this generation 114 00:05:06,579 –> 00:05:09,839 and I see the loss of godly character in our time. 115 00:05:09,839 –> 00:05:11,760 I’m not seeing the fruit of the spirit 116 00:05:11,839 –> 00:05:13,459 and it burdens my heart. 117 00:05:13,459 –> 00:05:14,660 That’s what he’s saying. 118 00:05:18,359 –> 00:05:20,359 Just earlier this year, 119 00:05:20,359 –> 00:05:24,540 Ronald Syder published a very, very important book. 120 00:05:25,459 –> 00:05:30,459 It’s called The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience. 121 00:05:30,640 –> 00:05:32,559 And the subtitle is a question. 122 00:05:33,519 –> 00:05:38,519 Why are Christians living just like the rest of the world? 123 00:05:38,579 –> 00:05:39,540 Good question. 124 00:05:40,459 –> 00:05:45,459 Why are Christians living just like the rest of the world? 125 00:05:49,179 –> 00:05:50,279 That’s Micah’s quest. 126 00:05:53,380 –> 00:05:55,399 Oh, what misery is mine? 127 00:05:55,399 –> 00:05:56,940 He says as he thinks about it. 128 00:05:58,459 –> 00:06:00,899 Not only is there the loss of godly character, 129 00:06:00,899 –> 00:06:03,399 but he’s seeing across the community 130 00:06:03,399 –> 00:06:05,899 the rise of self-interest. 131 00:06:05,899 –> 00:06:07,019 Look at verse 3 and 4. 132 00:06:07,019 –> 00:06:09,299 All men lie and wait to shed blood. 133 00:06:09,540 –> 00:06:11,179 Each hunts his brother with a net. 134 00:06:11,179 –> 00:06:13,500 Both hands are skilled in doing evil. 135 00:06:13,500 –> 00:06:14,859 The ruler demands gifts. 136 00:06:14,859 –> 00:06:16,359 The judge accepts bribe. 137 00:06:16,359 –> 00:06:18,059 The powerful dictate what they desire. 138 00:06:18,059 –> 00:06:19,459 They all conspire together. 139 00:06:20,399 –> 00:06:21,519 As I look across the country, 140 00:06:21,519 –> 00:06:24,220 Micah is saying what I see is the breakdown of trust. 141 00:06:25,100 –> 00:06:26,640 It’s all about pressure groups. 142 00:06:26,640 –> 00:06:27,940 It’s all about lobbyists. 143 00:06:27,940 –> 00:06:30,700 It’s all about people with their own agendas. 144 00:06:30,700 –> 00:06:33,760 It’s self-interest that has replaced the common good. 145 00:06:35,959 –> 00:06:39,220 When that happens in a society or in any community, 146 00:06:39,220 –> 00:06:40,459 what begins to happen? 147 00:06:40,459 –> 00:06:43,940 Well, of course, family life falls apart. 148 00:06:43,940 –> 00:06:46,820 Do you see that in verses five and six? 149 00:06:46,820 –> 00:06:51,459 Don’t trust a neighbor or put confidence in a friend, 150 00:06:51,459 –> 00:06:54,179 even with her who lies in your embrace, your wife. 151 00:06:54,179 –> 00:06:58,179 Be careful with your words, for a son dishonors his father. 152 00:06:58,179 –> 00:07:00,079 A daughter rises up against her mother, 153 00:07:00,079 –> 00:07:01,959 a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 154 00:07:01,959 –> 00:07:05,820 A man’s enemies are the members of his own household. 155 00:07:05,820 –> 00:07:07,040 You see, what he’s describing here 156 00:07:07,059 –> 00:07:10,799 is the complete breakdown of family life in his generation. 157 00:07:12,760 –> 00:07:15,899 And he says, it’s breaking my heart to see what’s happening. 158 00:07:16,839 –> 00:07:19,339 And it’s happening not just in the nations at large, 159 00:07:19,339 –> 00:07:22,799 it’s happening in the community of God’s people. 160 00:07:22,799 –> 00:07:26,200 That’s the reason for my misery, says this man of God. 161 00:07:30,200 –> 00:07:33,320 Ronald Sider quotes statistics in this book here. 162 00:07:33,320 –> 00:07:36,700 He says that the figures for family breakdown 163 00:07:36,720 –> 00:07:38,660 amongst evangelicals, 164 00:07:38,660 –> 00:07:40,299 those who claimed the name of being born again, 165 00:07:40,299 –> 00:07:43,019 are precisely the same as the national figures, 166 00:07:43,019 –> 00:07:44,160 precisely the same. 167 00:07:47,260 –> 00:07:50,019 That the statistics for use of pornography 168 00:07:50,019 –> 00:07:51,820 amongst those who claim to be evangelicals 169 00:07:51,820 –> 00:07:53,940 are precisely the same 170 00:07:53,940 –> 00:07:57,420 as those known for the national averages and statistics. 171 00:07:59,820 –> 00:08:01,019 That’s a problem. 172 00:08:01,540 –> 00:08:05,220 That’s a problem. 173 00:08:05,220 –> 00:08:07,440 Micah says it breaks my heart. 174 00:08:10,420 –> 00:08:11,440 It’s my burden. 175 00:08:14,899 –> 00:08:18,040 Loss of trust between a husband and a wife. 176 00:08:20,279 –> 00:08:23,299 Loss of connection between kids and their parents. 177 00:08:26,940 –> 00:08:29,559 Family’s tearing themselves apart. 178 00:08:31,859 –> 00:08:38,700 I’m looking around and I’m not seeing the fruit, says Micah. 179 00:08:38,700 –> 00:08:52,440 That’s my burden, says the preacher after 50 years of ministry. 180 00:08:52,440 –> 00:08:57,719 Here’s the question there for us today. 181 00:08:57,719 –> 00:09:02,520 Is your heart burdened about the fact that the church is so little different from the 182 00:09:02,520 –> 00:09:05,919 world? 183 00:09:05,919 –> 00:09:11,500 Does that matter to us as a congregation? 184 00:09:11,500 –> 00:09:17,239 Do we care about the breakdown of family life all around us, including among us? 185 00:09:17,239 –> 00:09:26,479 If so, what are we going to do about it? 186 00:09:26,580 –> 00:09:30,119 And what will we do in the next ten years that will make a difference to our community 187 00:09:30,119 –> 00:09:31,119 and the world? 188 00:09:31,119 –> 00:09:39,080 Will we be mission orientated, or are we concerned simply to please ourselves? 189 00:09:39,080 –> 00:09:43,400 These are the questions that arise directly out of Micah chapter 7. 190 00:09:43,400 –> 00:09:50,080 They are the questions that burden the heart of a godly leader. 191 00:09:50,080 –> 00:09:54,919 I tell you, I think we need lots more of this kind of broken heartedness, don’t you? 192 00:09:54,919 –> 00:09:56,880 Lots more of it. 193 00:09:56,880 –> 00:09:59,760 Lots more. 194 00:09:59,760 –> 00:10:05,940 To move beyond self congratulation. 195 00:10:05,940 –> 00:10:13,479 To recognize that beneath the surface of all the statistics about evangelicalism within 196 00:10:13,479 –> 00:10:22,539 our land there is a chronic decay that desperately, desperately, desperately needs to be addressed. 197 00:10:22,539 –> 00:10:27,599 Now there are two things for us to learn from this passage today. 198 00:10:27,599 –> 00:10:30,880 The first is for us to correctly identify the problem. 199 00:10:30,880 –> 00:10:34,000 You see Mike has been talking about symptoms. 200 00:10:34,000 –> 00:10:35,700 Loss of character. 201 00:10:35,700 –> 00:10:36,900 Rise of self interest. 202 00:10:36,900 –> 00:10:38,099 Break down of family life. 203 00:10:38,099 –> 00:10:39,099 These are symptoms. 204 00:10:39,099 –> 00:10:43,219 The question is from what root do they come? 205 00:10:43,219 –> 00:10:44,219 What’s the root? 206 00:10:44,219 –> 00:10:49,380 You don’t know the root problem you’ll never get the right solution. 207 00:10:49,400 –> 00:10:52,000 We got to be able to discern the problem. 208 00:10:52,000 –> 00:10:53,919 Why is there this loss of character? 209 00:10:53,919 –> 00:10:55,400 Why this rise of self-interest? 210 00:10:55,400 –> 00:10:57,000 Why this breakdown of relationships? 211 00:10:57,000 –> 00:10:59,979 Why are these things happening in our culture today? 212 00:10:59,979 –> 00:11:06,159 Then when we’ve identified the problem, we’ve got to discover what to do about it. 213 00:11:06,159 –> 00:11:12,520 So let’s with our Bibles open, look more intensely at what’s God has to say in His Word. 214 00:11:12,520 –> 00:11:16,979 Let’s look as we try to examine the problem more closely at the unanswered question of 215 00:11:16,979 –> 00:11:17,979 verse 10. 216 00:11:17,979 –> 00:11:19,320 Do you see that there? 217 00:11:19,320 –> 00:11:22,840 My enemy will see it and will be covered with shame. 218 00:11:22,840 –> 00:11:28,619 She who said to me, where is the Lord your God? 219 00:11:28,619 –> 00:11:32,719 Now, that really is the central question of this whole passage. 220 00:11:32,719 –> 00:11:35,099 Where is the Lord your God? 221 00:11:35,099 –> 00:11:39,099 And you have here a cynic coming to the believer and saying, well, just look at what’s going 222 00:11:39,099 –> 00:11:40,099 on. 223 00:11:40,099 –> 00:11:44,919 I mean, if you look at the reality among you guys, I mean, where is God in all of this? 224 00:11:44,919 –> 00:11:49,179 And the striking thing, of course, is that Micah does not have an answer. 225 00:11:49,200 –> 00:11:52,239 All that he can say is that things will be different in the future. 226 00:11:52,239 –> 00:11:53,479 He’s sure of that. 227 00:11:53,479 –> 00:11:59,460 But, as he writes, he has no compelling answer to offer the cynic who says where is your 228 00:11:59,460 –> 00:12:00,780 God? 229 00:12:02,000 –> 00:12:08,179 Now, this is, by the way, wonderfully helpful, because surely we’ve all been there. 230 00:12:08,179 –> 00:12:16,039 An illness strikes, a church splits, a business collapses, a son or a daughter abandons the 231 00:12:16,039 –> 00:12:19,280 faith, a tragedy strikes the family. 232 00:12:19,280 –> 00:12:23,280 And if the cynic were to come to you at that moment and to say, well, where is your God 233 00:12:23,280 –> 00:12:25,400 in this? 234 00:12:25,400 –> 00:12:27,340 You would be stuck for an answer. 235 00:12:27,340 –> 00:12:29,859 You wouldn’t know what to say. 236 00:12:29,859 –> 00:12:31,940 You’d have to say I haven’t got a clue where God is in this. 237 00:12:31,940 –> 00:12:36,000 We find ourselves in that position often, and, of course, the cynic likes to laugh at 238 00:12:36,000 –> 00:12:36,960 us. 239 00:12:36,960 –> 00:12:40,159 You haven’t got a very good answer now, have you? 240 00:12:40,880 –> 00:12:46,799 Now the Bible introduces us here, I think, to an important but often neglected truth 241 00:12:46,799 –> 00:12:53,900 about God, that he is the God who hides himself, hence our title today. 242 00:12:53,900 –> 00:12:59,000 This is paradoxical because obviously the God of the Bible reveals Himself, otherwise 243 00:12:59,000 –> 00:13:01,000 we wouldn’t know anything about him at all. 244 00:13:01,000 –> 00:13:06,080 But the Bible also makes it quite clear that God sometimes hides Himself even from his 245 00:13:06,080 –> 00:13:07,080 own people. 246 00:13:07,500 –> 00:13:10,840 Let me give you some scripture and you might like to follow this through with some further 247 00:13:10,859 –> 00:13:11,859 study. 248 00:13:11,859 –> 00:13:16,619 The clearest statement of it is in Isaiah 45 and verse 15, where the prophet says outright. 249 00:13:21,500 –> 00:13:26,039 Oh God and Savior of Israel, he’s a God who hides himself. 250 00:13:26,059 –> 00:13:29,900 Job chapter 23, you could be sure if there’s anything on God hiding, you’d find it in the 251 00:13:29,900 –> 00:13:31,159 book of Job, right? 252 00:13:31,159 –> 00:13:32,580 I mean, he really struggled with this. 253 00:13:32,580 –> 00:13:36,559 Where do I find God in the middle of all this wreckage of suffering in my life? 254 00:13:36,580 –> 00:13:41,119 And he says in chapter 23 verses 8 and 9, if I go to the East, he is not there. 255 00:13:41,119 –> 00:13:43,140 If I go to the West, I don’t find him. 256 00:13:43,140 –> 00:13:47,500 When he is at work in the South, in the North, sorry, I do not see him. 257 00:13:47,500 –> 00:13:50,559 And when he turns to the South, I catch no glimpse of him. 258 00:13:50,559 –> 00:13:53,159 So, it’s almost as if there’s this kind of hide-and-seek. 259 00:13:53,159 –> 00:13:57,440 I keep looking for God, and he keeps evading me, is what Job is saying. 260 00:13:57,719 –> 00:14:02,299 He knows that God is always present, but his point is that he can’t find God. 261 00:14:02,780 –> 00:14:08,880 There’s no way of working out what God is doing in these disastrous circumstances of his life. 262 00:14:10,719 –> 00:14:12,840 Isaiah 64 in verse 7. 263 00:14:13,700 –> 00:14:19,000 No one calls on your name, or strives to lay hold of you. 264 00:14:19,000 –> 00:14:22,840 For you have hidden your face from us. 265 00:14:23,700 –> 00:14:27,080 See, the spirit of prayer, he says, among God’s people has died. 266 00:14:27,080 –> 00:14:28,419 It’s collapsed. 267 00:14:28,419 –> 00:14:29,640 People are not reaching out to God. 268 00:14:29,640 –> 00:14:30,640 Why? 269 00:14:30,640 –> 00:14:32,179 Because it seems like God has turned away. 270 00:14:32,219 –> 00:14:33,739 But He’s distant. 271 00:14:36,880 –> 00:14:39,340 So we come to Micah chapter 7 in verse 10. 272 00:14:39,340 –> 00:14:44,659 The question that of course is often is also repeated in Psalm 42. 273 00:14:44,659 –> 00:14:49,960 This troubling question for a Christian believer, where is your God? 274 00:14:51,580 –> 00:14:52,440 He’s there. 275 00:14:52,479 –> 00:14:53,619 We know that. 276 00:14:54,419 –> 00:14:56,340 But He seems awfully hidden. 277 00:14:56,880 –> 00:14:58,400 Awfully hidden. 278 00:14:59,219 –> 00:15:04,700 Aren’t you thankful for the honesty of the Bible? 279 00:15:04,700 –> 00:15:08,059 Sometimes we just don’t know what God is doing. 280 00:15:08,059 –> 00:15:13,900 Now thank God that Christian faith does not rest on things making sense. 281 00:15:13,900 –> 00:15:17,619 I would have lost my faith long ago if that was the case. 282 00:15:17,619 –> 00:15:22,239 But our faith rests on God’s promises. 283 00:15:22,239 –> 00:15:25,760 If you expect to know what God is doing and be able to see it all the time in your life, 284 00:15:25,760 –> 00:15:27,099 you will certainly be disappointed. 285 00:15:27,099 –> 00:15:29,020 The secret things belong to the Lord. 286 00:15:29,020 –> 00:15:32,619 He hides them from us. 287 00:15:32,619 –> 00:15:38,700 Now if indeed this root problem behind the loss of character, the growth of self interest 288 00:15:38,700 –> 00:15:45,739 and the breakup of the family, is that in the culture God is hiding His face then the 289 00:15:45,739 –> 00:15:50,320 answer will only be found, how? 290 00:15:50,320 –> 00:15:54,559 As He turns His face towards us. 291 00:15:54,559 –> 00:15:55,900 Right? 292 00:15:55,900 –> 00:16:03,559 Now you see that’s humbling because it means that we don’t have the answer. 293 00:16:03,559 –> 00:16:09,380 The problem is not under my control. 294 00:16:09,380 –> 00:16:13,239 We like to flatter ourselves with the idea that we can solve every problem. 295 00:16:13,239 –> 00:16:20,239 We’re drawn towards self help brands of spirituality but if the real problem is that God has turned 296 00:16:20,419 –> 00:16:24,119 His face away from His people. 297 00:16:24,119 –> 00:16:29,400 Then only God can solve that problem. 298 00:16:29,400 –> 00:16:36,400 And you know when you come to the place of admitting that there are problems in your 299 00:16:38,539 –> 00:16:45,539 life, in your character and in your family that only God can solve. 300 00:16:45,900 –> 00:16:52,900 When you come to that place, you have just taken the first step towards real Christian 301 00:16:53,900 –> 00:16:57,080 faith. 302 00:16:57,080 –> 00:16:59,580 Some of us have not got there yet. 303 00:16:59,580 –> 00:17:06,000 We’re still in religious self-help mode. 304 00:17:06,000 –> 00:17:13,000 Go to discern the problem. 305 00:17:13,140 –> 00:17:20,140 What are we to do then when God turns his face from us? 306 00:17:21,140 –> 00:17:27,939 What are we to do in a situation where the root problem is that we can’t see what God 307 00:17:27,939 –> 00:17:29,800 is doing? 308 00:17:29,800 –> 00:17:32,939 Two things. 309 00:17:32,939 –> 00:17:39,239 First, in that situation, it’s time to watch and to wait. 310 00:17:39,239 –> 00:17:40,239 That’s what Micah does. 311 00:17:40,280 –> 00:17:48,099 Verse 7, as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord. 312 00:17:48,099 –> 00:17:51,959 I wait for God my savior. 313 00:17:51,959 –> 00:17:53,959 This is the commitment of a godly man. 314 00:17:53,959 –> 00:17:59,660 You ask me what God’s doing right now and he’s a prophet, he can’t give the answer. 315 00:17:59,660 –> 00:18:06,500 But he says, this is what I will do, I will watch and I will wait. 316 00:18:06,839 –> 00:18:12,040 Now the good news of course is that God’s hiding is never final. 317 00:18:12,040 –> 00:18:16,520 Remember the whole cosmos is moving towards the day when God will not be hidden, but his 318 00:18:16,520 –> 00:18:18,599 glory will be revealed. 319 00:18:18,599 –> 00:18:20,479 All life moves in that direction. 320 00:18:20,479 –> 00:18:23,359 God may be hidden now but he is not absent. 321 00:18:23,359 –> 00:18:27,060 God may seem far away from you but he is always at work. 322 00:18:27,060 –> 00:18:31,800 Micah knows that God is there and that is why he watches and he waits, fishermen know 323 00:18:31,800 –> 00:18:33,579 about this. 324 00:18:33,579 –> 00:18:37,479 You don’t see the fish but you know they are there. 325 00:18:37,479 –> 00:18:40,439 So you put your line in the water and what do you do? 326 00:18:40,439 –> 00:18:47,859 You watch and you wait and you wait expectantly. 327 00:18:47,859 –> 00:18:56,079 God may hide his face from you for a time, but not forever. 328 00:18:56,079 –> 00:19:02,239 You may find yourself in great darkness through a sudden trauma, watch to see what God will 329 00:19:02,239 –> 00:19:04,920 do. 330 00:19:04,920 –> 00:19:12,260 Watch what he does in your own heart cause even when he’s hidden, he’s working. 331 00:19:12,260 –> 00:19:21,680 Watch what he does in people around you, watch what he does in other believers and wait, 332 00:19:21,680 –> 00:19:27,680 wait because while God’s purpose often takes us through darkness, it never leaves us in 333 00:19:27,680 –> 00:19:28,719 darkness. 334 00:19:28,719 –> 00:19:31,819 It never ends there. 335 00:19:32,060 –> 00:19:36,459 I tend to think too often of waiting as just being something I’ve got to endure in order 336 00:19:36,459 –> 00:19:41,619 to get what I want but you see in the Bible, waiting is very, very different. 337 00:19:41,619 –> 00:19:49,699 Waiting in the Bible is the way in which we grow when we do not yet have what we desire 338 00:19:49,699 –> 00:19:54,020 and you know there are gems of God’s grace that can only be mined in the darker places 339 00:19:54,020 –> 00:19:59,540 of life, so if he leads you through some dark and hard places, if that is where you find 340 00:19:59,839 –> 00:20:04,000 now, determine that you will not come out of this empty handed. 341 00:20:04,000 –> 00:20:07,339 Watch, wait, God is at work even when he’s hidden… 342 00:20:07,339 –> 00:20:15,040 And God’s promises to you are as good in the darkness as they are in the light and that 343 00:20:15,040 –> 00:20:26,859 is why Micah can say in verse eight, Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light, 344 00:20:27,140 –> 00:20:29,260 Some of us can lay hold of that today. 345 00:20:29,260 –> 00:20:39,219 Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light. 346 00:20:39,219 –> 00:20:45,660 Don’t ever forget that God’s greatest ever work in all human history was done in total 347 00:20:45,660 –> 00:20:51,140 darkness during three hours when Jesus hung on the cross and in this moment nobody in 348 00:20:51,140 –> 00:20:56,400 the world, and probably no one in heaven apart from God himself could see what God was doing 349 00:20:56,400 –> 00:20:59,199 in these hours of awful darkness. 350 00:20:59,199 –> 00:21:04,040 If ever there was a moment where it seemed that God was hiding, it was as Jesus was hanging 351 00:21:04,040 –> 00:21:11,119 on the cross even he said, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? 352 00:21:11,140 –> 00:21:19,319 But you know it was right there that the gates of hell were splintered and the path to heaven 353 00:21:19,319 –> 00:21:22,479 was wide open. 354 00:21:22,479 –> 00:21:28,459 And God does his greatest work in the darkest places. 355 00:21:28,459 –> 00:21:32,000 So watch and wait. 356 00:21:32,000 –> 00:21:36,760 And then here’s the second thing we’re to do in the circumstances of life, and it’s 357 00:21:36,760 –> 00:21:39,900 very simple and very powerful, and it’s in verse nine. 358 00:21:39,900 –> 00:21:44,000 Put your hope in the gospel. 359 00:21:44,000 –> 00:21:47,420 Watch and wait and put your hope in the gospel. 360 00:21:48,239 –> 00:21:53,479 Now, Micah of course lived about 700 years before the birth of Jesus when the gospel 361 00:21:53,479 –> 00:21:56,219 or the good news was revealed. 362 00:21:56,219 –> 00:22:00,660 But in the New Testament remember it says that the prophets, and that includes Micah, 363 00:22:00,660 –> 00:22:04,540 spoke about things that have now been revealed through those who preach the gospel. 364 00:22:04,540 –> 00:22:06,959 That’s what Peter says in his letter. 365 00:22:06,959 –> 00:22:11,540 And I think this is a wonderful example of the prophets before the coming of Jesus speaking 366 00:22:11,540 –> 00:22:18,680 of the hope that they held even then that was fulfilled and revealed in Jesus. 367 00:22:18,680 –> 00:22:21,599 Look at what Micah says here in verse 9. 368 00:22:21,599 –> 00:22:32,660 Because I have sinned against him I will bear the Lord’s wrath until he pleads my case and 369 00:22:32,660 –> 00:22:34,619 establishes my right. 370 00:22:34,619 –> 00:22:38,040 Now, you see what he’s saying. 371 00:22:38,040 –> 00:22:45,479 I look around the chaos of my generation and honestly as I look across the big picture 372 00:22:45,479 –> 00:22:51,099 it seems that we’re more under God’s judgment than we’re under his blessing. 373 00:22:51,099 –> 00:22:56,640 Our culture is falling apart, families are breaking up, God is hiding his face from us, 374 00:22:56,640 –> 00:22:59,520 we have sinned and we are under the wrath of God. 375 00:22:59,520 –> 00:23:06,160 Now where do you go from there? 376 00:23:06,180 –> 00:23:12,640 Maybe you see look where Micah goes, I will bear the Lord’s wrath until he pleads my 377 00:23:12,640 –> 00:23:15,380 case. 378 00:23:15,380 –> 00:23:21,680 See Micah’s hope in the darkness is that this God whose judgment we deserve, whose 379 00:23:21,680 –> 00:23:27,079 judgment we have brought upon ourselves by the paths we have chosen, that this God will 380 00:23:27,079 –> 00:23:31,800 look upon us in mercy and take up our case. 381 00:23:31,800 –> 00:23:38,079 That somehow Micah hopes, prays, believes that God will come and will stand with us, 382 00:23:38,079 –> 00:23:40,319 that he’ll be for us and not against us. 383 00:23:40,319 –> 00:23:45,699 That God himself will somehow take up and plead the case of his own people. 384 00:23:45,699 –> 00:23:49,400 That’s the only hope I can see says Micah. 385 00:23:49,400 –> 00:23:52,760 And he is speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. 386 00:23:52,760 –> 00:23:58,439 Can you imagine God pleading your case? 387 00:23:58,699 –> 00:24:01,760 Wow. 388 00:24:01,760 –> 00:24:11,619 This man lacks godly character, this woman is full of self-interest, this believer is 389 00:24:11,619 –> 00:24:18,900 at odds with members of his own household but I plead his or her case. 390 00:24:18,900 –> 00:24:26,619 Micah says, oh if only that could happen then some things would change. 391 00:24:26,819 –> 00:24:31,959 You see that is our hope isn’t it? 392 00:24:31,959 –> 00:24:40,420 That God should plead our case, that God who stands over us should come and stand with 393 00:24:40,420 –> 00:24:49,739 us and should do for us what we cannot do for ourselves, that is the gospel. 394 00:24:49,739 –> 00:24:55,300 That is precisely what God has done for us and will do for any who will come to him in 395 00:24:55,300 –> 00:24:58,800 Jesus Christ. 396 00:24:58,800 –> 00:25:02,459 That is what we will celebrate again at Christmas. 397 00:25:02,459 –> 00:25:07,099 That God came down among us in Jesus Christ, that he came and he took his stand with us. 398 00:25:07,099 –> 00:25:12,060 That the wrath of God which we deserve was poured out upon Jesus when he died on the 399 00:25:12,060 –> 00:25:17,260 cross and Jesus rose on the third day, ascended into heaven and that he stands at the right 400 00:25:17,260 –> 00:25:19,099 hand of the Father to do what? 401 00:25:19,099 –> 00:25:24,619 To plead your case and mine. 402 00:25:24,939 –> 00:25:34,300 You know what Micah’s hope is for restoring families? 403 00:25:34,300 –> 00:25:41,500 You know what Micah’s hope is for the reformation of character? 404 00:25:41,500 –> 00:25:47,939 You know what Micah’s hope is for the breaking of self-interest so that a community of people 405 00:25:47,939 –> 00:25:53,099 will begin to look outward rather than inward? 406 00:25:53,099 –> 00:25:54,819 His hope’s in the gospel. 407 00:25:54,819 –> 00:25:57,939 It’s the gospel. 408 00:25:57,939 –> 00:26:01,239 He’s not looking for a new program. 409 00:26:01,239 –> 00:26:03,699 He’s not looking for a new set of techniques to make this happen. 410 00:26:03,699 –> 00:26:09,619 He’s not starting a new movement, he’s looking to the gospel. 411 00:26:09,619 –> 00:26:19,459 He knows that apart from the help of God, there’s no other way that these issues will 412 00:26:19,500 –> 00:26:24,819 ever change, no other way that the culture will change direction, and He’s placing all 413 00:26:24,819 –> 00:26:31,819 His confidence in the One who will come, whose name is Jesus. 414 00:26:31,819 –> 00:26:37,500 Now I have to ask you is that where you are? 415 00:26:37,500 –> 00:26:43,900 Is that where you would place your confidence on these great issues that face us? 416 00:26:43,900 –> 00:26:52,579 Is that what you see as being the hope of the culture, of the nation, of the church? 417 00:26:52,579 –> 00:26:59,479 Is that what you see as being an answer to this question? 418 00:26:59,479 –> 00:27:06,560 Because I know of no other answer. 419 00:27:06,760 –> 00:27:11,640 See, this is where the apostle Paul took his stand. 420 00:27:11,640 –> 00:27:22,880 I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of those 421 00:27:22,880 –> 00:27:25,239 who believe. 422 00:27:27,599 –> 00:27:31,739 You know, I felt privileged to have the opportunity of speaking to groups of pastors around the 423 00:27:31,859 –> 00:27:38,339 country over these last months, and the message that has been laid on my heart to share with 424 00:27:38,339 –> 00:27:47,020 other church leaders has been to sound a trumpet for recovering our confidence in the life-changing 425 00:27:47,020 –> 00:27:49,060 power of the gospel. 426 00:27:49,060 –> 00:27:55,260 And I have lost count of the number of other pastors who have come, and have said with 427 00:27:55,260 –> 00:28:00,859 the greatest warmth, thank you so much for saying that because that’s what I believe, 428 00:28:00,859 –> 00:28:03,619 but it’s not what we hear. 429 00:28:03,619 –> 00:28:13,939 You see we say we believe the gospel, but then set out on some endless search for something 430 00:28:13,939 –> 00:28:22,099 else that’s supposedly going to bring what we call real life change. 431 00:28:22,420 –> 00:28:31,939 What do you think will bring real life change to a man or a woman or a father or a mother 432 00:28:31,939 –> 00:28:38,739 or a son or a daughter or a student, a highschooler, a business professional, a sex addict, a person 433 00:28:38,739 –> 00:28:42,739 who was never loved, a student who has no direction, write the list. 434 00:28:42,739 –> 00:28:46,579 What do you think will bring real life change? 435 00:28:47,060 –> 00:28:55,599 Well I’ll tell you, I’m with Micah, and with the Apostle Paul. 436 00:28:55,599 –> 00:29:00,319 Real life change comes as you are deeply immersed in the word of God that brings you to the 437 00:29:00,319 –> 00:29:05,339 cross of Christ, by which we are increasingly transformed by the power of the spirit who 438 00:29:05,339 –> 00:29:10,859 builds character into our lives as we walk with Him so that the old flesh life and its 439 00:29:10,859 –> 00:29:15,199 fruits will become less, as Jesus Christ becomes more. 440 00:29:15,199 –> 00:29:21,540 That’s how it happens, and it works. 441 00:29:21,540 –> 00:29:36,359 It’s worked in every culture, in every generation, but it has been faithfully pursued. 442 00:29:36,359 –> 00:29:40,339 By the way, this isn’t just talk. 443 00:29:40,339 –> 00:29:47,160 In the book, Ronald Sider quotes George Barna, the pollster, who has done so many surveys 444 00:29:47,160 –> 00:29:51,439 and one in particular, on what he calls a biblical world view. 445 00:29:51,439 –> 00:29:54,739 Now what that means, I know it sounds a little complicated. 446 00:29:54,739 –> 00:29:56,079 Some are familiar with the phrase. 447 00:29:56,079 –> 00:29:59,959 It really means that you’ve grasped enough of the Bible to make a difference to the way 448 00:29:59,959 –> 00:30:02,020 you think and the choices that you make. 449 00:30:02,020 –> 00:30:03,760 That’s basically what he’s talking about. 450 00:30:04,000 –> 00:30:07,500 Now here’s the staggering statistic. 451 00:30:07,500 –> 00:30:15,500 That amongst those who claim the phrase born-again, Barna found in his research that only 9 percent, 452 00:30:15,500 –> 00:30:22,140 9 percent of all born-again adults have a biblical worldview, 9 percent. 453 00:30:22,140 –> 00:30:27,920 And only 2 percent of born-again teenagers, that’s teenagers who claim to be born again, 454 00:30:27,920 –> 00:30:37,400 only 2 percent have enough bible in them by their own response to these survey questions 455 00:30:37,400 –> 00:30:44,300 to influence the way they think and the way they choose. 456 00:30:44,300 –> 00:30:52,339 Quoting these statistics, Sider says with I think understatement, that is bad news. 457 00:30:52,339 –> 00:30:54,800 Do you think that’s an understatement? 458 00:30:54,800 –> 00:30:58,260 That is bad news. 459 00:30:58,260 –> 00:31:06,260 If that’s true, or anywhere near true, it is hardly surprising that Christyans are living 460 00:31:06,260 –> 00:31:09,819 just like the rest of the world, right? 461 00:31:09,819 –> 00:31:17,640 Because all we’ve got is a religious veneer over an unchanged life, if that’s true. 462 00:31:17,640 –> 00:31:21,199 No wonder we’re seeing the loss of character, the rise of self-interest, the breakdown of 463 00:31:21,199 –> 00:31:23,540 family life even in the church, right? 464 00:31:23,540 –> 00:31:29,939 You want the good news? 465 00:31:29,939 –> 00:31:32,239 Say you want the good news. 466 00:31:32,239 –> 00:31:40,459 The good news, I’m quoting, is that the small circle of people with a biblical worldview 467 00:31:40,459 –> 00:31:43,859 demonstrate genuinely different behavior. 468 00:31:43,859 –> 00:31:45,500 Genuinely different behavior. 469 00:31:45,500 –> 00:31:47,099 Listen to this. 470 00:31:47,099 –> 00:31:52,599 They are, that is, those who have enough Bible in them to begin to change the way they think 471 00:31:52,660 –> 00:31:54,979 and choose. 472 00:31:54,979 –> 00:32:02,260 They are nine times more likely than all others to avoid adult-only material on the internet. 473 00:32:02,260 –> 00:32:06,300 Nine times. 474 00:32:06,300 –> 00:32:10,859 He makes a difference. 475 00:32:10,859 –> 00:32:16,540 They are four times more likely to boycott objectionable companies and products. 476 00:32:16,540 –> 00:32:20,579 Three times more likely than other adults not to use tobacco products. 477 00:32:20,579 –> 00:32:24,319 Twice as likely to volunteer time to help needy people. 478 00:32:24,319 –> 00:32:30,380 In fact, 49% of all born-again Christians with a Biblical worldview have volunteered 479 00:32:30,380 –> 00:32:35,040 more than an hour in the previous week in an organization to serve the poor. 480 00:32:35,040 –> 00:32:41,579 Whereas only 29% of those claiming to be born-again but without a Biblical worldview 481 00:32:41,579 –> 00:32:46,880 do so, and only 22% of those of Christians who would not own the phrase, Born Again, 482 00:32:46,880 –> 00:32:47,880 do so. 483 00:32:47,880 –> 00:32:51,560 In other words, what he’s saying is it’s gonna change the community. 484 00:32:51,560 –> 00:32:58,540 There’s a direct correlation between the penetration of the scripture into a person’s life and 485 00:32:58,540 –> 00:33:01,900 the amount of time that they give to volunteering to serve the poor and the needy. 486 00:33:01,900 –> 00:33:04,239 It changes the community. 487 00:33:04,239 –> 00:33:10,800 See, the fruit flows from the root. 488 00:33:11,300 –> 00:33:22,239 And you can’t change the bad fruit unless you change the bad root. 489 00:33:22,239 –> 00:33:28,119 Do you see what is telling us? 490 00:33:28,119 –> 00:33:32,920 How can we have less men hooked on pornography? 491 00:33:32,920 –> 00:33:37,680 By having more men who are immersed in the scriptures. 492 00:33:37,680 –> 00:33:42,719 How can we have less breakdown in family life over the next ten years? 493 00:33:42,719 –> 00:33:48,579 By having more families gather together in worship and around the word. 494 00:33:48,579 –> 00:33:52,199 How will we motivate more people to go out and to serve the poor and the needy in our 495 00:33:52,199 –> 00:33:53,199 community? 496 00:33:53,199 –> 00:33:56,099 It will happen as we are more captivated by the love of Christ so that we are ready to 497 00:33:56,099 –> 00:34:01,459 place all better agendas on the altar of God. 498 00:34:01,459 –> 00:34:06,060 The way it’s going to happen is as the power of the gospel flows through every dimension 499 00:34:06,079 –> 00:34:08,419 of our life and our ministry. 500 00:34:08,419 –> 00:34:14,939 You see the gospel is like bloody in the body, it carries life, it carries power in it, it 501 00:34:14,939 –> 00:34:19,820 has to go to every place in the body, otherwise if it doesn’t go that part of the body can’t 502 00:34:19,820 –> 00:34:20,820 function. 503 00:34:20,820 –> 00:34:22,919 It’s the lifeblood of the body of Christ. 504 00:34:22,919 –> 00:34:27,000 The gospel. 505 00:34:27,000 –> 00:34:34,000 That is why our vision is for a church more deeply shaped by the Bible, a community more 506 00:34:34,520 –> 00:34:41,199 changed by the cross, and a ministry more intentionally reaching the world. 507 00:34:41,199 –> 00:34:47,600 The joy of being part of the Moody Pastors Conference this year and at the end of the 508 00:34:47,600 –> 00:34:52,280 Moody Pastors Conference, with Tony Evans preaching. 509 00:34:52,280 –> 00:34:56,919 Oh that was magnificent to sit in the front row right below Tony Evans preaching I’ll 510 00:34:56,919 –> 00:34:58,379 tell you is something else. 511 00:34:58,540 –> 00:35:00,379 I wish I could even imitate the man. 512 00:35:00,379 –> 00:35:03,159 I think that he is absolutely marvelous. 513 00:35:03,159 –> 00:35:09,679 What Tony Evans in his message to us got going on the subject of popcorn. 514 00:35:09,679 –> 00:35:13,540 How does popcorn pop? 515 00:35:13,540 –> 00:35:16,300 It’s a great Tony Evans question. 516 00:35:16,300 –> 00:35:23,879 And he says you know a lot of people don’t know why popcorn pops you see. 517 00:35:23,879 –> 00:35:29,020 When you see there’s a hard shell on the outside and you can’t break it. 518 00:35:29,020 –> 00:35:34,560 I was gonna bring some popcorn in and try and chew on it a little bit and I thought 519 00:35:34,560 –> 00:35:36,540 no, I don’t want the kids to copy that. 520 00:35:36,540 –> 00:35:39,639 My dentist in the congregation, he won’t like it. 521 00:35:39,639 –> 00:35:41,080 But what happens? 522 00:35:41,080 –> 00:35:45,419 You put the popcorn in the microwave, right, and there is moisture in there, and as it 523 00:35:45,419 –> 00:35:51,260 goes in the microwave the steam is heated it expands and what happens? 524 00:35:51,320 –> 00:35:57,479 The pressure of what’s going on on the inside is more than the strength of the hard shell 525 00:35:57,479 –> 00:35:58,959 on the outside. 526 00:35:58,959 –> 00:36:04,939 The hard shell cannot bear what is going on in the inside and so in the end it pops, right? 527 00:36:08,100 –> 00:36:10,500 And then you can’t even find the shell afterwards. 528 00:36:13,139 –> 00:36:17,540 Now you see, that is how God changes a man, not from the outside in, but from the inside 529 00:36:18,040 –> 00:36:19,739 out. 530 00:36:19,739 –> 00:36:22,780 That’s how the gospel works. 531 00:36:22,780 –> 00:36:26,439 Some of us are frustrated to death because what we’re trying to do is to change things 532 00:36:26,439 –> 00:36:30,000 by chewing on the hard grain and all we’re doing is we’re breaking our teeth. 533 00:36:34,479 –> 00:36:40,080 There are so many problems in life that end up being changed not by addressing them directly 534 00:36:40,080 –> 00:36:44,659 but by changing the root, so that you change the fruit. 535 00:36:48,060 –> 00:36:51,020 Some of us need to get into the microwave, right? 536 00:36:52,280 –> 00:36:57,860 The microwave of the gospel, the microwave of the Word of God, the microwave of the love 537 00:36:57,860 –> 00:37:04,679 of Christ, the microwave of God’s Holy Spirit. 538 00:37:06,419 –> 00:37:13,060 The Spirit of God uses the Word of God that brings us to the Son of God who changes people’s lives. 539 00:37:13,120 –> 00:37:19,899 That’s how the fruits of godly character can begin to grow in you. 540 00:37:19,899 –> 00:37:23,820 That’s how you can become less selfish and more caring about others. 541 00:37:23,820 –> 00:37:27,219 That’s how the church gets turned outward rather than inward. 542 00:37:27,219 –> 00:37:36,760 That’s how the foundation of stable families and stable relationships is laid. 543 00:37:36,760 –> 00:37:39,159 That will change our world. 544 00:37:39,679 –> 00:37:47,199 Well, this is a message that needs a response, so let’s intentionally bow before god in prayer. 545 00:37:47,199 –> 00:37:55,399 Maybe as we take a moment in the presence of God, you will with me acknowledge your 546 00:37:55,399 –> 00:38:01,000 need just quietly before him, that you would say to him something like this, 547 00:38:01,000 –> 00:38:07,919 Lord I am beyond spiritual self-help. 548 00:38:07,919 –> 00:38:15,719 The need for character change, the need in my family, the power of selfishness within me, 549 00:38:15,719 –> 00:38:28,719 it’s something only you can change and if you can take that step of admitting your need, 550 00:38:28,760 –> 00:38:35,959 I want to invite you to put your hope in the gospel, as Micah did today. 551 00:38:35,959 –> 00:38:41,439 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, who loves you, who died for you and rose again for you. 552 00:38:41,439 –> 00:38:48,959 Put your trust in Him, that the root of His life will bring new fruit in your life. 553 00:38:48,959 –> 00:38:58,600 Bring new fruit in your life, ask Him then to bind Himself to you, and by the power of 554 00:38:58,600 –> 00:39:02,020 His spirit to start making you a new man, a new woman. 555 00:39:02,020 –> 00:39:07,659 Now listen to His promise. 556 00:39:07,659 –> 00:39:12,840 Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light. 557 00:39:12,840 –> 00:39:17,479 That’s His promise to you right now. 558 00:39:17,479 –> 00:39:26,159 And if you’re a true Christian, will you ask God to give you a real burden for others, 559 00:39:26,159 –> 00:39:28,419 like Micah had? 560 00:39:28,419 –> 00:39:36,659 Will you ask Him to renew your confidence in the Gospel and to break false confidence 561 00:39:36,659 –> 00:39:43,620 in its substitutes? 562 00:39:43,620 –> 00:39:47,820 And then let us ask God to make us a church that believes the Gospel with every fibre 563 00:39:47,820 –> 00:39:53,739 of our being so that its lifeblood will flow through every part of this body. 564 00:39:53,739 –> 00:39:58,919 Then we may be a people who bring this good news to thousands who are in darkness, in 565 00:39:58,919 –> 00:40:14,879 the heat of September.