FBC Morning Light – December 2, 2022

Faith Baptist Church

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Well a good Friday morning to you. I hope your day is going to get off to a good start today and just meditating on God's Word a little bit helps you do that.

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Of course this weekend we're gathering together on Sunday. I hope you can join us. We're in this study in our adult

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Sunday school class in the book of Philippians, enjoying those studies together and continuing a series

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I began a few weeks ago on the fruitful life in a Sunday morning service.

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I'm finding this to be a real challenging series to me personally because it's taking a look at the notion of productivity in a more, if I can use the word, holistic way, realizing that fruitfulness in the

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Christian life is more than just how much work you accomplish, how many things you get done in the course of a day.

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So we're learning much and being challenged and encouraged much from God's Word to live a fruitful life.

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Well today we're back in the book of Micah and there's two different passages

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I want to look at. The first one very briefly, just as a word to get us to ponder and think about how well -pleasing our lives are to the

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Lord. Here's what I'm looking at. Micah 6 verse 8 says this,

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He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? You wonder that?

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What does the Lord require of me? Well He has shown us what is good and He's let us know what

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He requires of us. What does He require of us? To do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our

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God. To do justly, to do justice, to love mercy.

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That word translated in this New King James, mercy, is that Old Testament Hebrew word hesed, translated pretty consistently in the

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ESV as steadfast love. Loving loyalty to the covenant is the idea there.

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The Lord wants us to be steadfastly loyal to Him and to His Word, to love steadfast love, and then to walk humbly with our

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God. How am I doing in those areas? Do I love justice? Do I do justice?

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Do I love steadfast loyalty to the covenant? Am I walking humbly with my

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God, or am I a proud critter that insists on my way? Just some things to think about.

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In chapter 7, there's this wonderful, encouraging passage where it speaks of the character of God and really the mercy and kindness of God toward His repentant people.

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It says, Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage?

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He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy.

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He will again have compassion on us and will subdue all our iniquities.

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He will cast all of our sins into the depths of the sea. This is what

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God is like. Aren't you grateful today that God is a

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God who pardons iniquity, that He passes over transgression, that He is a

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God who does not retain anger forever, that He delights in mercy,

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He delights in that steadfast love, that steadfast loyalty to His covenant that He calls us to do, that He is a

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God who is a God of compassion, that subdues our iniquities, and He casts our sins into the depths of the sea?

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When you go to the Lord with a convicted heart, because you know you have sinned again, you've committed iniquity, you have let

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Him down, you can go to Him with the confidence that He will deal well with that iniquity.

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He will not retain anger, but He will instead pardon the iniquity.

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He will pass over the transgression. It is even as John writes in 1 John 1 .9,

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that He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

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This is a New Testament way of basically saying the same thing that Micah is saying here as he closes out this little book, this little

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Old Testament minor prophet, that God is faithful and just to forgive the sins of those who will repent and confess their sins to Him.

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Listen, I don't know where you are today. I don't know how faithfully and diligently you deal with your accounts, keep short accounts with the

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Lord, but be confident of this. When His Spirit convicts you of sin and you go before Him confessing that sin and seeking

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His forgiveness, He is faithful and just to forgive it. He will pardon it.

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He will pass over it. He will delight in mercy. He will have compassion upon you, subdue your iniquities, and He will take those sins and He will cast them into the depth of the sea, which is a way of communicating they will be buried and gone and never brought up again.

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Isn't that encouraging? I hope it is. I know I need that. I know

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I need that. I'm sure you do as well. Our Father and our God, we are grateful today that you are a

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God of compassion. You are a God who pardons iniquity. You are a God who does not retain anger.

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You don't lash out against us. You are a God of compassion. Thank you,

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Father, for who you are and for what you are like. May we respond to you, O God, in a way that you desire.

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May we do justice. May we love steadfast loyalty to the covenant.

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May we walk humbly with you. We pray in Jesus' name and for His sake. Amen. Have a great

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Friday, a wonderful weekend, and let's gather together in God's house on this first Sunday of Advent.