Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast today. Our desire is for the Word of God to be spread throughout the world so that all may know Christ.
I want to tell the Word there. July 4th is obviously a celebration of our independence. I'm afraid, as I said yesterday, that over the years this has really changed. And our country has become independent of God.
That's a problem. And so today I would like to speak on the subject of celebrating today our Dependence Day. As a country, and even more specifically as a church, we need to be more dependent on God than we've ever been. Micah chapter 7. Micah prophesied at the same time of Isaiah. Isaiah is obviously a little bit more well known and even more recorded in God's Word.
But no more important. And Micah prophesied to Judah, as did Isaiah, but much of God's Word. Micah is, in this book, he is prophesying to Samaria.
But the book deals with God's case basically against the children of Israel, his chosen people. Now I want you to look at Micah chapter 7 and as we look at verse 1, we'll read a few verses and then we'll get started this morning. He says this, woe is me.
Chapter 7 verse 1. Anybody does that describe, don't tell me, don't raise your hand. Anybody does that describe how you kind of feel maybe today or this week or this month or this year or this decade? Woe is me.
Notice. For I am is when they have gathered the summer fruits as the great gleanings of the vintage. There is no cluster to eat.
My soul desired the first ripe fruit. The good man is perished out of the earth. There is none upright among them. They all lie in wait for blood. They hunt every man, his brother, with a net. That they may do evil with both hands earnestly. The prince asketh and the judge asketh for a reward.
And the great man he uttereth his mischievous desire so they wrap it up. The best of them is a briar. I love that phrase for some reason.
He says literally the best ones I can find are still just a briar. They agitate. Anybody ever gotten briars on your clothes, socks, or I thought I'll go but you've gotten briars before. You know it agitates.
Notice if you would. Verse 4. The most upright is sharper than a thorn edge. It means the best one I can find is still a briar.
Literally the most upright that I can find is still somebody that will hurt you, cut you, gouge you. The day of thy watchman and thy visitation cometh. Now shall be their perplexity. Trust ye not in a friend.
Put ye not confidence in a guide. Keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. For the son dishonereth the father. The daughter riseth up against her mother. The daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man's enemies are the men of his own house.
Is this starting to describe nowadays? Look at verse 7. Therefore will I look unto the Lord. I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me. And we'll continue from there and that's all we'll read celebrating our dependence day. Verses 1 through 6 gives a description of how Micah felt and it often is a description of how we feel sometimes.
We're going to dig into it. Lord we love you. Bless us dear God today in Jesus name.
Amen. Number 1 I want you to see in verse 1 he describes, now get this, being discontent with life. Discontent with life. Look at verse 1. He said woe is me. In other words I just don't have any hope. I don't see any light at the end of the tunnel. And he begins his description and the first thing he says is this. For I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits as the great gleanings of the vintage.
There is no cluster to eat. My soul desired the first ripe fruit. The way he describes it is this is that what I really desired, what I wanted, I didn't get. He basically describes life has left me unfulfilled.
Discontent with life. Do you know we feel like that sometimes? Is anybody awake this morning? Are you afraid to admit it?
Some of you if you're honest you know we're Sunday morning God bless you. There are some of us in this building if you're honest you would have to say yeah I think deep down I feel discontent with life. It didn't turn out like I really thought it would. It doesn't have what I desired was the first ripe fruit.
I wanted the best and I have visions of this and I thought that this is where I was going but what I ended up getting was basically the leftovers. The dried up fruit and I feel let down. There are folks that feel let down and unfulfilled in their marriages. There are people that feel unfulfilled in their family. There are people that feel unfulfilled in their job. I mean before long it's just whatever area of our life we literally look and we say you know what I wanted was this but what I got was this. Now what do you do when that happens? What is the answer for something like that where literally what we are doing is we are eating something and we're imagining and desiring something else.
I'm going to be honest with you that describes a lot of people and we often preach as if we are describing the world around us and dear friends I am not describing the world around us I am describing what's inside these walls. Discontent. Unfulfilled. I don't mean discontent in a way that I just thought nothing would make me happy. I mean unfulfilled in a way that these dreams and desires and these goals and everything that I had it feels as if that passed me by and I literally got the fragments that remain. Many of you had these dreams and goals and desires what your children would do and that wasn't how it turned out. Many of us thought well you know one day I'm going to do this and I'm going to have this and when you were a young individual you thought well this is where I'm going and this is the goals and this is the dreams I've had and Micah says woe is me.
I thought I was going to eat the first ripe fruit in life but what I got was basically the dried up leftover and I'm unfulfilled. Notice as he describes secondly he says not only am I discontent with life but look at verse 2. He said the good man is perished out of the earth. There is none upright among men. They all lie and wait for blood. They hunt every man his brother with a net that they may do evil with both hands earnestly. He literally describes this he says I can't trust anybody.
There is none upright among men. Everyone seems to have a wrong agenda. He says they all lie and wait for blood which means they've got an agenda.
They're trying to catch something. They're planning something and they don't make it obvious and you can see through it. He said this you can't even trust those you know. He said they hunt look at the last phrase they hunt every man his brother with a net. So literally he says first I'm discontent with life and second he says I am disappointed in people. He said everywhere I look I can't trust anybody.
Everybody seems to have an agenda or a wrong agenda. I can't even trust the ones that I would consider my close brothers. Anybody in here ever felt like that? Anybody ever been disappointed with people?
Anybody ever been hurt by somebody? Oh it gets even better. Look at verse 3. He says this I can't even look up to my leaders. Look at verse 3. He said the prince asketh, the judge asketh, the great man he uttereth his mischievous desire. He said literally the prince which is the royalty. The judge which is the legal system. The great man which is literally the local leadership. He said everywhere I turn around I can't find anybody I trust.
Does anybody else feel like wow this is like today's newspaper? You got one candidate crooked this person the other person this that candidate is crooked. I'm telling you they're all crooked. They wouldn't even be there if they weren't crooked. You can't get there and be honest. Say how do you know?
Because I'm not there. I would make a good president. Boy that would be funny wouldn't it? Lord we would have World War 10 by the time I'm done. Tell you what gas would be lower though I'm going to tell you that right now.
All the speed limits would be changed to 90 if I was president. Look at verse 4. He said the best of them is a briar.
The most upright is still slimy. He says this even the best people I know agitate me. Even the best people I know will inflict pain on me. Have you ever been like that in your life that literally you felt yourself in a position so isolated that literally you look around and everybody you know has done something to you and everybody you know seems to have another agenda or you can't trust them or you trust them in this person and they let you down and you trust them in this wife or this husband and they hurt you and deceived you. Then you trusted in this individual and I thought I could trust him and I thought I could trust her and these were the best people in my life and they're even hurting me.
Discontent with life disappointed in people number 3. Once you look at verse 5 it gets even more specific. Trust ye not in a friend. Put ye not confidence in a guide. He says this I have literally I've been deceived by my friends. He says don't trust your friends. He says my friends have deceived me. You ever had a friend deceive you? He says secondly he says not only have I been deceived by my friends but I've been disappointed by my mentors. He said listen don't trust a friend.
Don't even put confidence in your guide. He said people that I've looked up to that I thought I was learning from have hurt me. Disappointed me. My own friends.
The very people that I was learning from. Then he gets real specific. Notice that last phrase he says the doors keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.
What are we talking about there? He said I've been hurt literally by my friends. I've been hurt by my mentors. I've even been hurt by my mate.
Her that lieth in thy bosom is his mate. He said literally I you know it's one thing you're hurt by friends and man that hurts. And another thing you know people that you look up to and that disappoint you let you down. That's one thing he said but now I can't even I've got to watch what I even say. I can't even trust my wife. He said I'm discontent with life.
I'm disappointed in people. I've been deceived by my friends. And as we began in the end of verse five number four he said I've been dishonored by my family. I can't even really talk to my wife.
I don't even know if I can trust her. Look at verse six. For the son dishonor the father. The daughter rises up against her mother.
The daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. He says this a man's enemies are literally the men of his own house. I've been dishonored by my family. Wow what a positive message. Anybody else feel real good to go to lunch? You didn't even know that you felt this way and now you feel this way don't you? I mean I felt pretty good about everything till the preacher started and now he's right. Life is horrible. Thanks for visiting Corwin Baptist Church. Hope you come back.
We got a gift bag for you though. You can use that as you throw up on the way out you know. What is interesting is I know I'm joking but Micah is describing exactly how some of you have or do feel right now. What do you do when you feel trials and troubles and these circumstances come your way and you say it's getting to the point I don't know who I can trust. I look at this person they've hurt me and that person they've hurt me and this or that and it seems like the best people have become a briar and the most upright I know are crooked. And literally you see now I feel like I thought you know my house was safe and everything else but I could and now I'm even hurt by those inside my own house and I'm unfulfilled in life and I thought that this would be my life and this has ended up being my life.
What do I do? Well in verse seven we have some really good advice and as we begin I'll cover these quickly. Verse seven he says therefore while I look unto the Lord I will wait for the God of my salvation my God will hear me. Now I want you to understand what he says here very simply he says I will look to God and I will wait for God. In other words my temptation is to look at my disappointments my temptation is to look at the dishonor my temptation is to look at the deception my temptation is to only see people that have let me down people that have hurt me circumstances that have left me unfulfilled my temptation is to only see that. But I have decided that in the middle of all this I will get my eyes off of that and I will look at him.
Now that's really good advice isn't it? That is really good advice he is saying this that I have a God that I can look to when I'm discontent and I serve a God that I can look to when I'm disappointed and I serve a God that I can look to when I've been deceived or I feel dishonored. I don't serve a God that's not there when I need him I serve a God that's there most when I need him. He says this I will wait on my God. He said I have a God that I can wait for. In other words what he's saying is this I have a God that I know he's on his way. I have a God who will show up. I have a God that will know what to do. I have a God that has never failed me. He's never not shown up. He's never known what to do. He's never been late. He's always been on time. So right now it doesn't look good but I am going to choose and decide that I will wait on God.
Now this is where to me it started getting really good. You know that waiting on God is not something that you have to do. It is something that you have to choose to do.
May I tell you we're not real high pressure around here you don't have to wait on God. You can go ahead and just get mad try to fix it. Try to change the circumstances in your life. Try to get back at people that you think have done you wrong. Try to deceive them if they've deceived you.
Try to render whatever they've given I'm going to render it back to them. I'm going to sit here and look well my life's not what I thought it would be and it's unfulfilled. So I'm just going to go ahead and I'm going to step out and I'm going to try to get my fulfillment.
And I'm going to try to get my enjoyment. And I'm just going to try to do what I want to do. It doesn't matter what God says is right or wrong. It doesn't matter what God's plan is.
It doesn't matter what God's will is. I'm discontent. I'm unfulfilled. And I'm going to go get what I want. Now you can do that if you want to.
Nobody going to stop you. Or today you can choose. Although I'm discontent with my life. And although I'm disappointed by people. And although I feel I've been deceived by some of my friends.
And although I feel I've been dishonored by some of my family. I choose to wait on my God. You can choose to be independent of him or you can choose to be dependent. It's our choice.
It's our decision. Now let's say you choose that as Micah did. Let me show you a couple of things and I'll let you go home and this is what Micah says. When I decide I'm going to look to him and I decide that I'm going to wait on him. Micah says this is what I know he's going to do.
Now I love this. Notice if you would. Look at verse 7. Therefore I will look unto the Lord and I will wait for the God of my salvation. Why?
Number one. He says this. I know God will listen to me.
He said my God will hear me. Here's the danger. You just decide well I'm just going to go ahead out of this thing and I'm going to fix these things myself. You're going to surround yourself with people that might not listen to you. You're going to surround yourself with people that will listen to you while they like you.
But they'll ignore you when they're done with you. But Micah says that if I wait on God I know he's going to listen to me. I know he's going to be patient. I know he's not going to be in a hurry. He's like well tell me your problem real quick because I got a two o'clock.
Well if you can hurry up and tell me your problem you know I got a tee time at three. He said I know he will hear me. Dear friend do you understand and this is where I really got excited. If you'll notice in verse 7 and something that you need to understand the Old Testament. I'm not going to go through all the different names. But God has a number of different names in the Old Testament and the New Testament. But in the Old Testament especially and it can be a little bit confusing. But you'll find Lord or God many times in the Old Testament and they'll all be looked different. They'll all be capitalized different.
They'll all mean different things and it can be a bit confusing. So let me just make it as unconfusing as I can at least for these verses. In verse 7 he says therefore I will look unto the Lord. And that word Lord in your Bible at least it should be is capitalized every letter. L-O-R-D is capitalized. And then he said I will wait for the God which is capital G-O-D small case of my salvation. My capital G small o-d will hear me. Now listen I want you to get this. Now please don't miss this.
This is what got me all excited. Do you understand that the Old Testament always points to Christ? Do you understand that after Christ died and rose again and ascended back into glory. All of the New Testament after that points back to Christ. So the Bible either points forward to Christ or it points at Christ while he's here on earth. Or it points back to him in the later New Testament.
Do you all understand that? That capital L, capital O, capital R, capital D anytime you see it in the Old Testament and it's used almost 6,000 times in the Old Testament that literally means the name Yahweh. Yahweh basically means this. In the Hebrew they had no vows. And so they didn't even know how to say the name of God. So often times when they would come and read and later on even in the New Testament when they would come and they would find the term Yahweh, the Hebrew term Yahweh they wouldn't even speak it.
They would just silence. Now what does Yahweh mean? It means I am.
That's it. Not I will be, not I was. It means I am. That means there never was a time where he will be because he always was. And there's never a time where you say I was because he always has been. And you're like oh.
Literally the name means this. I always was. I always am. I always will be. There was no beginning.
There was no end. And if you're going to look to anything or anybody you better look to me. Because I control it all. But notice this. Verse 7.
Now I'm going somewhere and I'm going to try to hurry as quick as I can. But notice this. He says therefore I will look unto the Lord. Which if you'll notice the grammar that is used here he's basically saying I will look to the Lord. Which means the Lord's here.
By the way do you believe the Lord's always here? But the next phrase he says is this. I will wait for the God of my salvation. Now that doesn't make sense because if we're talking about somebody that's already right there he will say I will look unto God.
I will wait for him. But he uses two different terms. That capital G, little o, little d means the name Elohim. And Elohim is basically a general name used for the true God and also used for smaller gods. But if it's smaller gods and basically idols and different things in the Old Testament it will be small g, small o, small d. But capital G-O-D in the Old Testament is the name Elohim and it simply means for God. Now we all know God's a trinity. It's God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.
Are you getting even a little bit excited right now? Let me tell you what Micah the prophet was prophesying. Right now I can look to God but I'm telling you right now I will wait in the future. God is coming to purchase my sin, to cover my sin, to die for me. And he will be the God of my salvation.
Look at me. Micah had to say I can look to God but I will wait for my salvation. You and I today can say I will look unto God and I already have my salvation.
Well what does that get you nowadays? Number one, I will listen. Number two, look at verse eight.
Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy. When I fall, I shall what? Micah says, let me tell you, I know God will listen to me. Number two, I know God will lift me. You know there's an interesting verse in Psalm 35 verse 23 and 24. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down for the Lord upholdeth him with his hands.
That means this, all those people and all those circumstances and all those things, they're gonna knock me down, I'm gonna get low, I'm gonna literally sit on the edge of a newspaper and be able to dangle my feet, I feel so small. But I know my God will lift me up. Look at me, I might be down, but when the God of my salvation comes, he'll lift me right back up. Dear friend, this God of Micah's salvation he was looking to, you and I now can look at.
He already came, he already purchased our redemption. You see, it used to be that we had to look way up to God and now we can talk to him on a daily basis. Because when the God of our salvation came, now a holy God that we could not enter into, that we could not approach, now we can get right down on the throne and talk to him. That means when you're down, you can try to fix it, you can do your own thing, but if you'll wait on God, he'll lift you up. Number three, look at verse eight. He said, when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me. Number one, God will listen to me, Micah says. Number two, God will lift me when I'm down. Number three, Micah says, God will lead me.
He said, and I love the way Micah, obviously, God's really used this in my life, but he said, when I sit in darkness, can I tell you sometimes when your life is dark and you don't know what to do, you're not gonna be running through life and you're not gonna be trotting through life. Who does that in the dark? You don't know where you're going. Dear friend, if I walked into a strange building and the lights were out, I'm not just gonna, hey!
I mean, within three minutes, I'll probably trip over something I can't see or hit into something or break something. Let me tell you something, if you go into a place and it's dark and you know there could be things and you know you can't see anything, you're gonna stop and you're gonna stay right there till you get some light and are able to see where you're going. Micah said, it's so dark that I'm not moving. I don't have anywhere I could go. Everywhere I've turned has hurt me and I'm just gonna sit right here, but if I sit right here in the darkness, I know that my God's gonna give me a light and he's gonna lead me the path I should take. Oh, some of you are sitting in darkness right now and I don't know what to do. I don't know where to go and I'm here to tell you, you don't move. You're gonna hurt yourself. You just sit right there and you wait on God to bring that light and lead you to what you should do.
I've always been told, if you don't know what to do, don't do anything. You wait on God. May I say this? And more, I would say, by the way, the Bible says thy word is a lamp into my feet and a light into my path.
Number four, I want you to notice this. God will liberate me. Thank you for listening today. We hope you received a blessing from our broadcast. The Kirtland Baptist Church is located at 4520 Old Hollow Road in Kernersville, North Carolina. You may also contact us by phone at 336-993-5192 or via the web at kerwinbaptistchurch.com. Enjoy our services live and all our media on our website and church app. Thank you for listening to the Kerwin broadcast today. God bless you. ... ... ...
