My subject tonight is judgment
and mercy. He who is our God is the God
of judgment and God whose mercy endures forever. He is the judge
of all the earth who must do right and God who delights in
mercy by whose grace we are saved. He is the Lord God Almighty who
pours out indignation and wrath in the fury of his holy justice
upon the ungodly. And he is the God of peace by
whom we are redeemed. In the first chapter of his prophecy,
the prophet Micah speaks of God's judgment. He denounces the children
of Israel and of Judah. of Samaria and Jerusalem for
their sins and their idolatry, declaring to them that God would
cast them off, bring them into captivity and bondage, and bring
their land into desolation. In the second chapter, Micah
continues to expose and reprove the sins of Israel and Judah,
those favored men and women who were named the House of Jacob. These were God's covenant people. These were the people to whom
the Lord God had given his prophets, the word of his grace, the types
and ceremonies of the law, picture and redemption by Christ Jesus.
These were the people to whom God gave his priesthood and the
altar of his sacrifice, where God establishes mercy seat to
whom God gave his word. These were the sons and daughters
of Abraham, the people circumcised with that circumcision in the
flesh, which typified the new birth. They were the visible
church of God, the professed people of God, named the house
of Jacob. But these people were to be cast
off in judgment because they, though they were named the house
of Jacob, had substituted the worship of God for idolatry. They had taken the high places
of Samaria, where they worshiped Jehovah under the images of calves. And in Judah, their high place
was the temple of God itself, where in the very house of God,
they turned the worship of God into nothing but ceremonialism
and ritualism, and it had become nothing but idolatry. Here in
Micah chapter 2, the prophet declares both the reason for
God's judgment against the sins of Israel and Judah and the certainty
of the salvation of God's chosen in Christ Jesus. Let's read this
passage together, taking it a section at a time. There are four things here that
the Spirit of God shows us that are matters of great importance
we ought to lay to heart. Number one, in this chapter,
verses one, two, and three, Micah shows us the fact that the judgment
of God is always just. And this is so very, very important,
very important. The judgment of God is always
just. In the scriptures, Judgment always
comes to men as a matter of just retribution. Judgment that comes
upon men is exactly what they deserve. It is exactly what they
have earned. Micah chapter 2 verse 1. Woe
to them that devise iniquity and work evil upon their beds.
When the morning is light, they practice it because it is in
the power of their hand. And they covet fields and take
them by violence and houses and take them away. So they oppress
a man and his house, even a man and his heritage. Therefore,
do you see that? Therefore, because of the violence
they practice, because of their oppression, because they devise
iniquity and exercise iniquity. Therefore, thus saith the Lord,
behold against this family, what family? The house of Israel and
Judah. Therefore, thus saith the Lord
against this family, do I devise an evil from which ye shall not
remove your necks. Neither shall ye go haughtily,
for this time is evil. When men devise iniquity, God
devises judgment. When men practice evil, God gives
evil. When men walk in haughtiness,
God brings them down. Understand this, God's judgment
is God's retribution upon men. We recognize the fact that God
Almighty has from eternity ordained all things. We make no apology
for declaring God's absolute sovereignty both in election
and in reprobation. We understand that God Almighty
has loved Jacob and hated Esau from eternity. The scriptures
plainly declare there are some among Adam's race who are vessels
of wrath fitted to destruction by their own evil deeds, and
others who are vessels of mercy aforeprepared, prepared by God's
almighty grace for mercy and for eternal life, aforeprepared
to glory. God prepares his elect to glory,
both by righteousness and redemption. by Christ's obedience as our
substitute, by his death in our place, and by the new birth,
Christ being created in us, in the new birth, finally, and in
resurrection glory, that redemption being accomplished. The scriptures
are very plain. There are vessels of wrath and
vessels of mercy. God is the potter. We're the
clay. What does that mean? That means
God can do with you and with me, with yours and with mine,
exactly what he will. Not only can he do so, he always
does. God's the potter, we're the clay. We have no more claim on God
than clay has on the potter. We have no more control over
God than clay has over the potter. Turn back to Jeremiah. Chapter
18, Jeremiah chapter 18. The word which came to Jeremiah
from the Lord saying, arise, go down to the potter's house
and there I will cause thee to hear my words. And I promise
you, nobody has ever learned God's Word till God's taken them
to the potter's house. Then I went down to the potter's
house, and behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the
vessel that he made of clay, look at this, was marred in the
hand of the potter. It didn't fall off the wheel.
It was marred in the hand of the potter. So he made it again
another vessel, as seemed good to the vessel. What foolishness,
as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of
the Lord came to me saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you
as this potter, saith the Lord? Behold, as the clay is in the
potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. Yes, God Almighty is absolutely
sovereign. And yet throughout the book of
God, divine judgment is always presented before us as a matter
of justice, absolute, strict, unbending justice. Now keep in
mind what we just read, first six verses of this 18th chapter
of Jeremiah. God's sovereign, God's sovereign.
He makes of the clay whatever he will. Vessels marred in the
potter's hands and made different, a new vessel by the potter as
he will, as he will. And then he speaks of judgment
as it's brought to pass in time. Look at verse seven. At what
instant I shall speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom,
not just Judah and Israel, any nation, any kingdom, every nation,
every kingdom, to pluck up and to pull down and to destroy.
God sends Jonah to Nineveh and says, I'm going to destroy this
city. I'm going to destroy this city. If that nation against
whom I pronounced turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil
that I thought to do unto them. You mean God changes? No. He
appears to many times because he changes his course of action.
But that which he purposed from eternity includes all the means
and all the uses of those means that come to pass in time. Verse
9, and at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation and
concerning a kingdom to build and to plant it If it do evil
in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent
of the good wherewith I said I would benefit them. Verse 11.
Now, therefore, go to speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants
of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord, behold, I frame evil
against you and devise a device against you. Return ye now everyone
from his evil way and make your ways and your doings good. God
calls. He said, turn for your evil ways,
turn for your evil ways. And they said, there's no hope,
but we will walk after our own devices and we will everyone
do the imagination of his evil hearts. Therefore, there's that
word again. Therefore, thus sayeth the Lord. Ask ye now among the heathen
who hath heard such things. The virgin of Israel hath done
very horrible thing. Will a man leave the snow of
Lebanon which cometh from the rock of the field? Or shall the
cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken? Because my people hath forgotten
me. Because they've forgotten me.
But what about God's purpose? What about reprobation? What
about God's decree? In the day of judgment, God Almighty
will send you to hell because of what you've done. Judas went to hell because of
what Judas did. But he went to his own place.
He did what was foreordained by God Almighty. He did indeed. And he did exactly what he wanted
to. And for that he's judged. Read on. Read on. Verse 15, because
my people have forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity,
and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the
ancient paths, to walk in paths in a way that not cast up, to
make their land desolate and a perpetual hissing. Everyone
that passeth thereby shall be astonished and wag his head.
I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy. I
will show them the back and not the face in the day of calamity. Then said they, come, let us
devise devices against Jeremiah. Let's throw Jeremiah in a pit.
Let's shut Jeremiah up. Let's find some prophets who
will speak smooth things to us. The Lord God spoke and the work
was done exactly as God ordained. And yet, Israel is cast off because
Israel chose the ways of idolatry and ungodliness. This is what
I'm telling you. God's sovereignty, God's decrees
of election and reprobation, God's unalterable eternal purpose
These things do not diminish our responsibility. If you go
to hell, it's your fault alone. The wages of sin is death. God commands you to believe the
gospel. You say, well, but sinners are
dead. They can't believe. Do you reckon you're telling
me something I don't know? But sinners are helpless. They can't.
They can't choose the Lord. Do you think I don't know that?
Do you think the prophets don't know that? Of course we understand
that. And men are responsible for what
God reveals in his word. Responsible for the light God
gives them. Read the first chapter of Romans. The heathen know nothing
except the revelation of God in creation. His eternal power
and Godhead. and the revelation of God in
their conscience. They know they have a God consciousness
that makes them to know good from evil. And men everywhere
do. There are no exceptions. Men everywhere do. And yet that
light, that light, just that light renders them without excuse
before God. Without excuse before God. You
see, our responsibility before God is what God's revealed, not what
God's decreed. Our responsibility is what God
has declared in his word, not what God decreed in eternity.
Our responsibility before God is obedience to him in all points
of revelation as he's given it. And the greater the revelation,
the greater the responsibility. Salvation is God's gift. Eternal
life is God's gift. Heaven is God's gift. There are
no degrees of reward in heavenly glory. The scriptures are very
clear. Christ earned heaven's glory for us by his obedience,
his righteousness, and his death. He purchased for us an eternal
redemption, an eternal salvation with God in heaven. Everything
that we shall enjoy in the glory of heaven, we enjoy by free grace
alone, nothing merited by us. Everything you'll get in hell
is exactly what you merit, exactly what you deserve. Therefore,
there are great degrees of punishment in hell, great degrees of punishment
in everlasting damnation as the scriptures plainly declare. God Almighty deals with men in
judgment because of their willful transgression. Turn to Proverbs
chapter 1. Proverbs chapter 1. I want you
to see this again. Here in this book of wisdom,
given under inspiration by the pen of that man who was wiser
than any of the men who walked on the earth in his day, that
man who was very much a picture and type of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who is the revelation of God and the wisdom of God. Wisdom
speaks here Christ speaks Proverbs 1 23 Turn you at my reproof Behold
I will pour out my spirit unto you. I'll make known my words
to you. What a promise What a promise
will you hear me I Some of you here yet without life and faith
before God, you yet persist in your unbelief. You run with your
fingers in your ears, stopping your ears lest you hear God speak.
Madly you run to hell. God says, turn at my reproof. Turn to me and I'll pour out
my spirit unto you. I'll make known my words to you.
Believe me and I'll show you everything. Believe me, I'll
reveal my word to you. I'll pour out my spirit to you.
Now read on. Because I've called, and you've
refused. I stretched out my hand, and
no man regarded. But you've said it not all my
counsel, and would none of my reproof. Well, I heard the preacher
tonight. We can forget that and go by
something else. Not, said it not all my counsel, would none
of my reproof. Remember that word because at
verse 24 because you you push my word out of the way Because
you shut the door in my face Because you said no, I won't
hear because of the verse 26 I Also will laugh at your calamity
I'll mock when your fear comes I When your fear cometh as a
desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind, when distress
and anguish cometh upon you, then shall they call upon me,
but I will not answer. They shall seek me early, but
they shall not find me. How come? For that they hated
knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord. But Bill Eldridge, that was true
of you? And that was true of me. And it would have continued to
be so, just as it does with all who are lost to this day, except
for one thing. God stepped in in mercy and revealed
Christ in us. But the responsibility of damnation
is still on the shoulders of that man who perishes, that woman
who perishes, unbeliever who sets it not God's Word and will
not hear what he says verse 31 therefore shall they eat of the
fruit of their own way and shall be filled with their own devices
when God sends you to hell are you listening to me when God
sends you to hell you will eat of the fruit of your own ways
and you will be filled with your own devices. God's judgment is
just. All right, back in Micah chapter
2. Here's the second thing. Faithful men and women, while bowing to the justice of
God, while bowing to the justice of
God, truly lament the evil men and women bring upon themselves
by their rebellion, unbelief, and sin. Look at verses four, five, and
six. God's prophet calls this lamentation a doleful lamentation,
a very painful lamentation. In that day, In that day when God causes a
man to eat the fruit of his own ways, in that day when God devises
evil against those who devise evil, in that day shall one take
up a parable against you and lament with a doleful lamentation
and say, we'd be utterly spoiled. He hath changed the portion of
my people. How hath he removed it from me?
Turning away, he hath divided our fields. Therefore thou shalt
have none that shall cast accord by lot in the congregation of
the Lord. Long and short of that simply
means this, God's emptied the land, God's made it desolate,
and there's no inheritance left for anyone. Prophesy ye not,
say they to them that prophesy. They shall not prophesy to them
that they shall not take shame. Those who will not hear God's
prophets heap to themselves teachers having itching ears. Those who
persecute and imprison and slaughter God's prophets hire for themselves
fake prophets and call them God's prophets. Still God's prophets
like Micah pour out their hearts in great doleful lamentation
for the souls of men. Would you turn one more time
to Romans chapter 9 and read with me what Paul says as he
spoke the very same word, the very same prophecy, the very
same denunciation that Micah spoke hundreds of years before.
Here in Romans chapters 9, 10, and 11, Paul is talking about
God fulfilling precisely what Micah had prophesied and was
typified in the invasion of Israel under the Assyrians. Romans chapter
9, God's cast off the nation of Israel. God sent blindness
to Israel, sent the gospel to the Gentiles. God's hardened
their hearts. God's hardened their hearts.
Well, they're going to hell, we can't do anything about that.
That's not the attitude. Romans 9, I say the truth in
Christ, I lie not. That's as dear as an inspired
writer will come to saying, I swear to you, this is so. My conscience
also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost that I have great
heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish
that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen,
according to the flesh. Look at chapter 10. Brethren, my heart's desire and
prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. I sometimes hear men preach who
seem not to care whether folks believe or don't. They're orthodox
enough. They're doctored straight enough.
They have good minds. They're intelligent. They have
some abilities, but they lay out facts and send you home with
facts and seem not to care whether folks believe or don't. God's
prophets, God's apostles, God's preachers are not such men. God's
people are not such men. Apostle Paul speaks of the judgment
seat of Christ. He said we must all appear before
the judgment seat of Christ. And then he says, knowing therefore
the terror of the Lord, we persuade man. God's servants, God's prophets
preach with fire in their bellies. They're concerned for the souls
of men. No, we're not. deluded into thinking
that all men shall be saved or might be. But we do desire the
salvation of those who hear us, the salvation of those we influence,
and we desire to have a greater sphere of influence and the salvation
of multitudes around the world, desiring that God might have
mercy upon them. Paul, moved by compassion, and
moved by the Spirit of God in inspiration. Wrote extravagantly. He knew, and surely you know,
that he could not redeem his brethren after the flesh by himself
being accursed from Christ. He knew that. He spoke extravagantly.
Love does that, doesn't it? Deep passion does that. Speaks
beyond what is literally meant. Expressing deep movement of the
soul. And Paul is saying, I testify
before God as my witness. I could wish myself a curse from
Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen, according to the flesh. Oh God
Almighty, make me such a preacher. Make me such a preacher. Men
who are moved with aching hearts in preaching the gospel are likely
to be heard by sinners with aching hearts. Men who preach with indifference
are likely to be heard with indifference. Look at the next line, Micah
2 verse 7. Here Micah shows us that God,
the Lord our God, graciously calls sinners who deserve his
wrath. He calls them to Christ, calls
them to salvation, calls them to return to him by the preaching
of the gospel. Look at verse 7. O thou that
art named the house of Jacob. Isn't that wonderful? wretched, fallen, depraved, idolatrous
men and women who've gone a-whoring after other gods repeatedly. O thou that art named the house
of Jacob. God reasons now. Is the spirit
of the Lord straightened? Are these his doings? Do not
my words do good to him that walketh uprightly. Verse 8, even
of late my people is risen up as an enemy to pull off the robe
with the garment from them that pass by securely as men averse
from war, to strip naked those who follow me, those who have
no contention. The women of my people have you
cast out from their pleasant houses From their children have
you taken away my glory forever. Verse 10. Arise ye and depart,
for this is not your rest, because it is polluted. It shall destroy
you, even with a sore destruction. If a man walking in the spirit
and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of
wine and of strong drink, he shall even be the prophet of
this people. These people named the House
of Jacob, called God's chosen covenant people, were weary of
God's prophets, those who were true prophets. They would not
hear them because God's prophets like Micah exposed their shame. God's prophets like Micah declared
their sin, but they loved religion. They wouldn't give up religion.
They hate God. These are just called by his
name. They hate God, but they love religion and they love preaching
and love the game of religion. And so they hire prophets, false
prophets, prophets who promised them peace and happiness and
prosperity and security when God's prophets spoke of judgment
and desolation. And those prophets walking in
the spirit and falsehood Pretend to walk in the Spirit of God.
They boldly promise pleasing things in God's name, but God
says they do lie. They lie against God and lie
to their hearers. Brother Don, you don't think
preachers lie, do you? I'll tell you what you do. Tomorrow morning,
you get the paper out, or tonight when you go home, get the paper
out and find out who's having a funeral tomorrow and go listen
to one of them. Just go listen to whatever. I
don't care which one it is. I don't care which one. Just
go listen to it. Lie. That's their business. And that's how they stay in business.
They promise wine and abundance and strong drink, unfailing,
though God has declared judgment and wrath and desolation. They
promise heaven, though God promises hell. They promise life, though
God promises death. Such false prophets, now understand
this, such false prophets are two things. They are what men
choose and they are what God in judgment gives to folks who
will not receive his word. God says because they would not
receive the love of the truth, I'll send them a strong delusion
and they should believe a lie. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. Such sinners, doomed to unparalleled
misery by God for their sins, pulling it upon themselves by
their obstinate impenitence and willful blindness, the Lord God
yet calls to Christ through the preaching of His Word. Look at
verse 10. Arise ye and depart, for this is not your rest. Arise and come away. This is
not your rest. Come out of Babylon. This is
not your rest. The children of Israel were brought
by Joshua into the land of Canaan and thereby typified rest. But you read their history all
the time after they came into the land of Canaan. Mark, they
didn't have a day's rest. They didn't have a day's rest.
All they had was war and strife. Read your paper. It's still going
on over yonder. Just war and strife. Though they
had a typical land of rest, there was no rest in it. And there
is no rest for your soul in this world. Hear me, sons and daughters
of God. You who are called by the name
of the house of Jacob, there is no rest here for your soul. not in the political, secular
world, not in the business world, not in the academic world, and
especially not in the religious world. Well, Brother Don, where
do we find rest? The Savior says, come unto me,
all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I'll give you rest.
Find rest in Christ. This is what the Lord God says.
This is the rest. wherewith ye may cause the weary
to rest. This is the refreshing. Return
unto thy rest, O my soul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully
with thee. Up to verse 7, everything in
Micah's prophecy has been judgment, justice, fury, and wrath. Now he begins to lift high mercy's
banner. Mercy's banner is Christ Jesus
the Lord come back to Isaiah for a moment Isaiah chapter 11
Verse 10 In that day there should be a
root of Jesse which will stand for an instant of the people
and To it shall the Gentiles seek. Moses said to him, shall
the gathering of the people be. And it shall come to pass in
that day that the Lord shall set his hand again the second
time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left
from the from Assyria and from Egypt and from Petrus and from
Cush and from Elam and from Shinar and from Hamath and from the
islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign,
a banner for the nations and shall assemble the outcast of
Israel and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four
corners of the earth. All right. Let's look at the
last two verses of Micah chapter two. Micah tells us that God's judgment
is just. And then it tells us that faithful
men lament the evil men bring upon themselves by their sin
and unbelief. And God calls sinners to Christ
and salvation by him. Now look at the fourth thing.
The God of all grace here assures us of the complete restoration
and salvation of his chosen in and by Christ Jesus. I will surely
assemble, O Jacob, all of thee. You remember what Moses told
Pharaoh? He went into Pharaoh, and Pharaoh
said, well, yeah, y'all go out three days out in the wilderness
and worship the Lord, but leave your cattle and your children
back here. And Moses said, there shall not
an hoof be left behind. He says, all of thee I will gather,
and I will assemble before me. I will surely assemble, O Jacob,
all of thee. I will surely gather the remnant
of Israel. I will put them together as the
sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold. They
shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men. The
breaker is come up before them. They have broken up and they
passed through the gate and are going out by it. And their king
shall pass before them and the Lord on the head of them. Oh,
how rich, how abundant, how magnificent is God's grace. He promises here,
gives a word of absolute assurance. As I said before, when Paul says,
God bear me witness, my conscience also bear me witness. Before
God I lie not. That's as close as he comes to
swearing. This is as close as God comes to swearing. He says
here in Micah chapter 2 and verse 12, I will surely assemble. I will surely assemble. Basra was a place known for its
cattle. It's used to symbolize here the
sheepfold of the Lord's sheep, where he shall gather a great
multitude, which no man can number. The remnant of the outcast of
Israel, a multitude that no man can number, shall be gathered
into that fold. And then in verse 13, he speaks
of Christ Jesus, our Savior, as the breaker. Last Sunday,
I put an article in the bulletin preparing for this. We'll come
back to it again, the Lord willing, in a few weeks. But Christ is
the breaker. He broke forth in eternity in
the covenant of grace and stood forth as our surety and pledged
himself to come and redeem his people according to the will
and purpose of God, having read in the book of God that he must
come to do his will. He comes in the fullness of time
and breaks into time. He says, Lo, I come to do thy
will, O my God. As he breaks the womb of the
virgin, he comes into the world as God's firstborn and comes
into the world as our Savior to save his people from their
sins. And he walked on this earth all
the days of his life in perfect obedience as our representative,
as our surety, as our mediator. And then he laid down his life
in our stead. as our substitute, bearing our
sin in His own body on the tree, made to be sin for us. He died
under the horrid wrath of God Almighty and broke down by His
death every barrier and every wall and every obstacle standing
between God and my soul. So that whatever cause there
might be, to keep God from drawing near to me, or me drawing near
to God, Christ took it away by his blood, having obtained eternal
redemption for us. And then the third day, he broke
the iron bars of death, hell, and the grave in resurrection
glory, and took his seat on the right hand of the majesty on
high, and took in his hands the reigns of the universe to give
eternal life to as many as the Lord God has given him. And at
the appointed time of love, he comes and breaks into the
hearts of chosen sinners. He breaks down the door. I love
to refer to that silly picture. Any pictures you have of Christ
are just pieces of idolatry. And I know you all heard that,
but just in case somebody kind of fast forwards through that,
any pictures you have of Christ are just idolatry. Crosses and
crucifixes, just papacy. I don't care if you're Baptist
or Presbyterian or Catholic or Buddhist, it's idolatry. But
folks have their pictures. They've got to have their pictures
and their images. And to have a picture of Jesus look so sweet,
standing outside your heart's door with a lantern in his hand.
Isn't that wonderful? The light of the world got a
lantern in his hand. And he's standing outside your
heart's door. Somebody said, you'll notice there's no handle
on the outside. The reason it's painted that
way is because if Jesus comes into your heart, you have to
open your heart's door and let him in. Well, if he waits on
you to open your heart's door and let him in, you'll go to
hell with him standing on the outside. How does Christ come in? He doesn't
knock at the door. He knocks the door down by omnipotent
grace and steps in and brings his welcome with him. And the
first time you know he's around, you cry, come in, Lord Jesus.
take possession of my soul forever. Live and reign in me forever. Oh, welcome, welcome, welcome,
blessed forgiver, blessed son of God, blessed breaker. Amen.