If you will to the prophecy of Micah Micah chapter 7 It'd be alright to use your table of contents one of those minor prophets in the back of the Old Testament. You want to turn to Matthew and go back from Matthew to Malachi, to Zechariah, to Haggai, to Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Nahum, and then Micah.

The minor prophets are a great, great blessing. If you quit trying to find the minor prophets answers to questions about things yet future and understand that these prophets were given inspiration of God to write about things future in their day, not in ours. They were given inspiration of God specifically to write to us concerning the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And none exceeds Micah in revealing to us the great glory of the gospel of the grace of God in Jesus Christ, the Lord. Now this prophecy of Micah deals with two subjects. It is a great lamentation of the woeful, sad condition of the children of Israel in Micah's day. And at the same time, a celebration of God's abundant mercy in Christ. Much as we have already experienced in our service here this evening. Brother Gary Redd in the office and Ron out here have both made mention of the woeful condition of the world around us, the religious world in which we live, and yet celebrating God's goodness and his grace in making himself known to us, for we also deserve to be blinded and judged under his wrath. The people of God in Micah's time were passing through a very painful trial. The nation of Israel was plagued with the incurable wound of empty, meaningless religious ritualism.

The judges, the prophets, the priests, were all men for hire. Everything they did, they did to get money, to get gain, to get reputation, to get position, to get power. Kind of reminds you of 20th century America, doesn't it? The judges, the prophets, and the priests, the politicians, The legal rulers, as well as the religious rulers, all men of higher. And yet they acted, all of them, in the name of God. But the Lord, God bless you, God bless you, the Lord's so good, the Lord's with us. And they blasphemed every time they opened their mouths. That's exactly what happened. Look back here in chapter 3. Micah chapter 3, verse 11. This is remarkable, this is just remarkable.

The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money. That's the political leaders, the legal leaders, and the religious leaders. All of them, whatever it takes, you grease my palms and everything will be all right. And look at this, yet will they lean upon the law. They're so religious. and say, is not the Lord among us? No evil can come upon us. The Lord's with us. We're God's people. God's blessing us and God's using us.

Oh, what a delusion. The word of the Lord was precious in those days. There were few, very few men who spoke truly as the prophets of God. And few, very few people in the nation heard those who did speak for God. This caused Micah great pain, great sorrow. But this man, Micah, was a man who knew the Lord.

He had a vision of God's majesty, his greatness and his glory, had an understanding of God's purpose and God's grace. He had received the word of the Lord and with confident joy, he spoke of the latter day glory of this gospel age, when the majesty of God and the mercy of God would be revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ.

If you go through the prophecy of Micah, now we won't look at all these texts today, but if you're taking notes, and I encourage you to, jot these down and look at them sometime through the week. Micah, in chapter 5 and verse 2, spoke plainly of the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, gave a direct prophecy of Christ being born in Bethlehem. In the first verse of that chapter, he spoke of our Lord's humiliation and suffering as he would be smitten, as the judges of Israel would smite him with a rod upon the cheek. And then in chapter 4, he spoke of the gathering of God's elect from among the Gentiles, just as plainly as the Apostle Paul did later. He told how that God would gather his elect, not from the Jews only, but also from the Gentiles.

And then in chapter 6, Micah describes the worship of God as spiritual worship. He tells us plainly that it is not enough just to go through the outward ceremonies. There must be mercy. There must be inward spiritual worship. Then in chapter 5 and verse 4 again, He tells us of the majesty of Christ's glorious exaltation. Listen to what he said. Just listen to this. He shall be great unto the ends of the earth. What a word from a man who lived in these days.

Micah spoke plainly. And finally, look at chapter seven and verse nine. Though the people were turned aside to vanity, This man, Micah, his heart was fixed upon God's promised deliverer. He said in chapter 7, let me see there, in chapter 7 and verse 7, Micah speaks concerning the Lord God and his great mercy and grace.

And he says, therefore, will I look unto the Lord. I will wait for the Lord, the God of my salvation. My God will hear me. He spoke with anticipation, with confidence. even while he acknowledged his own sin. Look at verse 9 of the 7th chapter. He says, I will bear the indignation of the Lord. I'm in the shape I'm in and in the condition I'm in because of my sin. I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him. I will bear his indignation until he plead my cause.

What faith? In the teeth of my sin, I acknowledge with confidence he shall plead my cause and execute judgment. Look at this. Execute judgment, not against me, but for me. I'll bear his indignation. I'll bear his rod of chastisement until he pleads my cause because I've sinned and I know that he will execute judgment for me. He will bring me forth when he's done to life. and I shall behold His righteousness.

What a confident word of faith. Now Micah, as he anticipates God's great mercy and grace, the promise of God's grace in Jesus Christ the Lord, his heart swells with joy, with gratitude, with praise, with exaltation and expectation, and unable to contain himself.

He speaks in the last paragraph of this chapter more like an orator who just got carried away with his message than one who is writing with deliberate, calculated purpose. And listen to what he says. In chapter 7 in verse 18, Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger forever. Look at this now. Because he delighteth in mercy. He delighteth in mercy. I've tried many times to preach this message to you contained in these words. Let me try one more time.

Our God delights in mercy. Oh, would to God I could convince everyone who hears this feeble voice that God delights in mercy. As a matter of fact, I don't recall anything else of which the scripture says God delights. Did you hear me? Oh, clap your hands and rejoice. God delights in mercy. There's none like him, great and glorious, yes, but a God who delights in mercy.

This good news is pure gospel truth. It ought to raise a shout of hallelujah across the universe. The God of heaven, the God whose law we have broken, the God whose character we have offended, the God in whose hands we are, is one who delights in mercy. No wonder Micah said, who is a God like unto thee, O Lord? Our text not only says God is merciful, it says he delights in mercy. Now, I don't have any question that every attribute of God's character causes him pleasure and gives him delight in its exercise.

But here, mercy is singled out, singled out by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit as that which is God's favorite. All right, talk like that. I believe it is, the spirit of God does. This is God's favorite. He delights in mercy. This is God's joy. He delights in mercy. We see his attributes in many, many places. They are eternal attributes. But mercy, while it is an eternal attribute of God, was the last of his attributes to be revealed.

Let me show you what I mean. If you go back to the book of Genesis in the beginning, You see the wisdom and power of God in his creation. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. I let folks argue what they want to say about the time frame, all that stuff. I don't care. God did it. God did it. And he can make the earth he takes notion to, to look like it's 20 billion years old when he made it as fresh as this morning. Or he can create the earth over a long span of time. It matters not. God created the heavens and the earth. He did.

And we see his wisdom and his power in the heavens. My soul, step outside, feel the breeze, and know the power of God. Lift up your eyes to heaven and see the stars in their fixed place, ordered by the wisdom of God who named them all. His wisdom and power is seen in his creation. His wrath is seen in the damnation of Satan and in the angels who are held in chains of darkness until the judgment of the great day because of their great fall.

God's justice is seen when he expels Adam and Eve out of the garden. Oh, but his mercy. His mercy is seen when he spares their lives who have broken his law. His mercy is seen when he promises a Redeemer to come who would be the seed of woman. His mercy is seen as he provides a sacrifice typifying the Lord Jesus Christ with which he makes a ceremonial atonement and clothes them with the skins of an innocent victim.

Mr. Spurgeon suggested you might say that mercy is God Benjamin. and he delights most of all in it. It is the son of his right hand. But Spurgeon went on to say it might also be called the son of his sorrow, for the mercy of God came to be revealed in the sorrow and death of God's well-beloved son. Indeed, he calls his son the mercy seat. He delights in mercy.

Who is a God likened to thee, O Lord, gloriously softened infinitely just, perfectly holy, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, incomprehensible, eternal, and one who delights in mercy. I just had a thought, and it's a thought I wish weren't so, but it must be so. It is so.

I don't know any human being Not even a man of whom it can be said he delights in mercy. Many show mercy here and there. I know none who delight in mercy. But here the scripture says that God Almighty delights in mercy. He delights in it. It is the glory of God and the pleasure of God to show mercy to sinners for Christ's sake. The Lord our God is not some cruel tyrant. He is not some relentless sadist. He is holy. Yes, he is just. Yes, he is true. Yes. And he is a God who delights in mercy.

Let me show you what I can in the next few minutes concerning God's mercy. First, let's look a little bit at mercy's revelation. What does the word of God teach us about mercy? I know that God's tender mercy is over all his creatures. I know that he feeds the sparrow and he clothes the lily. I know that he sends the sunshine and the rain upon the just and the unjust. And in that sense, his benevolent mercy is over all his creation. But our text is speaking of God's specific saving mercy, that mercy of God which causes dead sinners to have eternal life and to be forgiven of all their sins.

What does the Bible say about this specific mercy of God? Well, it tells us first that God delights in it. Micah's hope for himself and for Israel, our hope as well, is simply the fact that God Almighty delights in mercy, delights to give mercy to sinful men. No man deserves it, no man can earn it, no man can merit it, but Bobby Estes, God delights in giving. He delights in mercy. We who, we do not need to search very far to find abundant proof of it.

We who have sinned against our God see his mercy everywhere. I know that God delights in mercy because fallen men still live on this earth. Some of you that live with your fist still shoved square in God's face. With your dagger aimed square at God's heart. And the reason you still draw your breath is because God delights in mercy. And I'm telling you, anything outside of hell is mercy, anything, anything.

Most common word people say, somebody dies, they've been suffering for a certain while, so well, he's better off now. A young lady in Haiti, back in the church of Fairmont years ago, her father died in rebellion against God. He'd suffered a long time, died a rebel just like he lived.

And she stood at the head of the casket, you know, greeted folks like you do, you know, and folks kept coming by and said, he's better off now. He's better off now. He's better off now. She just had it till she couldn't stand it no more. And finally somebody said, he's better off now. And she said loud enough, everybody in the building could hear her, said, he's in hell. You call that better off?

Anything outside of hell is mercy, anything. Often though his anger has been hot against me, and he spares them in his mercy. In Israel, as they provoke God in the wilderness, the psalmist says, he remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passeth away and cometh not again, and so he is merciful. Nineveh was spared because God is merciful. Hezekiah turned his back against the wall and called out for God to have mercy on him, and God spared him for 15 years.

The apostle Paul, Saul of Tarsus says, I obtained mercy. The fact that you and I are alive today, I mean alive in Christ, accepted in the beloved, sons of God, chosen, redeemed, saved, sanctified, is abundant proof that God delights in mercy. Turn to a real familiar text in Ephesians chapter 4. Ephesians 4. In abundant, long-suffering mercy, The Lord God preserved us in life throughout the days of our rebellion, provided for us and cared for us. And because he is rich in mercy, he saved us by his almighty grace. Look at this, Ephesians chapter two, verse four.

But God, what a word. But God, aren't you glad God stepped in as you made your man rush to hell? But God, who is this? Why on earth did he snatch me as a firebrand from the burning? Why did he snatch you from the very jaws of death? Because he's rich in mercy for his great love. You see that? He's rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sin, hath quickened us together with Christ. By grace are you saved. God Almighty chose the vile refuse of this world as the objects of His grace because He delights in mercy. Paul says, you see your calling brethren. Look around you.

Not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. And God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. and base things of the world and things which are despised hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not to bring to naught the things that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence. Why would God Almighty take worthless things such as we are, a ragtag group of nobodies and nothings, and use us as instruments in his hands as his mouth eases to proclaim the gospel in this dark, dark age, so that no flesh glory in his presence.

He delights in mercy, though we are now saved by his grace. Our constant conduct, God forgive me, our constant unbelief, Our constant hardness of heart, our constant bending to this world and bowing to this world, our constant grasping after this world, our constant lust, our constant coldness is proof positive that He delights in mercy. He delights in mercy. Blessed be God, He hath not dealt with us after our transgressions, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. His mercies, the prophet said, are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness.

The greatest possible proof that God delights in mercy is to be seen in the sacrifice of his darling son in our stand. You have any question whether or not God indeed delights in mercy? Go one more time yonder to Mount Calvary. And behold, the crucified Son of God slain by the good pleasure of God himself. And understand this, mercy there was great and grace was free. Pardon there was multiplied to me. Mercy is one of God's glorious attributes. But the mercy of God is found only in Christ.

Several years ago, I was giving a guest lecture with UK in a class on comparative religions, and some folks from the Orient asked after I finished the lecture, said, but what if people worship God another way besides through your Christ? And I said, they don't worship God another way besides through Christ. And they don't know God another way besides through Christ. And without Christ, they're going to hell.

The mercy of God is found only in Jesus Christ the Lord. When Micah says he delighteth in mercy, he's talking about God as he is revealed and known and makes himself known in Jesus Christ. It is a vain delusion of proud sinful men to trust God's mercy while they refuse to trust God's Son. God outside of Christ is a consuming fire. And if you dare imagine that you will stand before God Almighty on your own merit, I'm telling you, God is a consuming fire.

All divine saving mercy is in Christ and comes to sin for men only through the merits of Christ's righteousness and his shed blood. In Christ, the mercy of God is great, plenteous, abundant and free. But out of Christ, no mercy is to be had. God shows mercy only for Christ's sake. That's what Paul says in Ephesians chapter 4. God shows his mercy to sinners for Christ's sake.

Now, God for Christ's sake is both willing to be merciful and able to show that mercy to needy, perishing sinners. Let me show you mercy's results. Look in our text back here in Michael chapter 7. And look at these things that are declared in this text. In Christ, for Christ's sake, God delights in mercy.

It is the glory and pleasure of God to be merciful. And God's mercy is always active, operative, effectual, gloriously effectual. Micah says this is what God will do for sinners because He delights in mercy. First, He will pardon iniquity. because he delighteth in mercy. Do you see that?

This word pardoned means that he lifts up sin and takes it away. David said, blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity. Blessed is the man whose sin is pardoned and in whose spirit is no guile. Blessed is that man whose sin has been lifted up and taken away. That's what pardon is. It's not pardon like we think of pardon in common terms. The pardon here spoken of is a pardon that expunges the record of guilt. A pardon declaring that justice has no claim upon the criminal.

It is lifted up. Our guilt, our sin, has been lifted up and laid upon Christ, the true scapegoat. And he, bearing our sin, took it away forever. He pardons iniquity. The Lord God then passes by the transgression of his redness. because he delights in mercy. What does that mean? Passeth by iniquity. Passeth by transgression. He goes down and walks by and doesn't notice it. That's what it means.

You sometimes are busy and you're a man and you walk by something and your wife says, didn't you see that? No, I didn't see it. Sorry, I didn't see it. I wasn't thinking about that. God isn't thinking about it. Because as far as he's concerned, Merle is not that. He's not passed by it. I'll take no notice of it. I'll give no regard to it. I will not behold iniquity in Jacob. He will not impute sin to his people or call them to account for it.

Through the blood of Christ, it's covered, atoned, and it's washed away. Again, to quote Spurgeon, he said, our sins are so effectually removed that we shall not ultimately suffer any loss or damage through having sinned. Isn't that amazing? You want to hear that again? Our sins are so effectually removed that we shall not ultimately suffer any loss or damage through having sinned. Oh, he delights in mercy. Because he delights in mercy, He will not retain his just anger against his people. Turn to Isaiah 12 for a moment. Isaiah 12. And if this doesn't thrill your soul, I don't know what will. Isaiah chapter 12. In that day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise thee. Though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away. Turned away? Legend turned away forever. Turned away. Look at this. And thou comfortest me.

Behold, God is my salvation. All that he is, in all his glorious character, God is my salvation. He's my salvation. I will trust and not be afraid, for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song. He also has become my salvation. God's anger, wrath, and justice, being fully satisfied in the sufferings and death of Christ, are turned away from his people forever. Now then, look at verses 19 and 20 in our text. God Almighty, because He delighteth in mercy, will turn toward His people because He has great compassion upon them. He will turn again. He will have compassion upon us. He will subdue our iniquities.

Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob and mercy to Abraham. which thou hast sworn unto their fathers from the days of old. Now let me give you that in a capsule. The Lord says here by his prophet that God's going to do for Bob Ponce and for all his Jacobs, all his elect, is I'm going to do for them everything I swore I'd do for them in the covenant of grace before the world began.

How come? Because he delights in mercy. He delights in mercy. The text here says he delights in it. Mercy then rejoices the heart of God. I can't imagine anything that I could say more honoring to God in his greatness than this. He delights in mercy. He delights. Why will you die? God says, I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, but that he turn and repent of his sin. Why will you die? God delights in mercy.

Judgment is strange work. He delights in mercy. We're told that there's joy in the presence of the angels over one sinner that repents. The angels rejoice, but the scripture says there's joy in the presence of the angels. Well, in whose presence are they? They're in the presence of the triune God. There is a party in glory every time a sinner repents. He delights in mercy.

Read the story of the prodigal son. Brother Scott Richardson said here one night when he was preaching on the prodigal son years ago, he said the only time in the Bible God ever got in a hurry to do anything is when he got up to run to meet a sinner coming to him for mercy. He delights in mercy. He says, come on, slaughter the fatty calf. My son, who was long, he come home.

Let's throw a party. He delights in mercy. In the book of Zephaniah, the Lord God says, I will rejoice over thee with singing. I'll rejoice over thee with singing. How come? Oh, he delights in mercy. Let me tell you something. The more I know him and the more I know of my sinner, The more I delight in His mercy, that delights Him. Oh God, teach you and me He delights in mercy for Christ's sake. Amen.