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Talking about judging people and judging churches and judging this world the importance of doing so Let me explain what's going on here in the book of Micah of course Israel and Judah as their custom was were given over to idolatry and wickedness and Filth and perversion and so Micah is sent by God to preach against Judah and Jerusalem the northern and the southern kingdom and to declare to them that essentially the Assyrian army was gonna come and invade them and destroy them and essentially chastise them because of the rebellion against God and Chapter 1 he basically just kind of preaches against the the two main capitals there You have Jerusalem and Samaria and then chapter 2 he talks about the specific sins He preaches on their specific sins that they're guilty of chapter 3 He goes against he starts preaching on the leaders Who are responsible for these particular sins and then chapters 4 through 6 you have some sermons dedicated to the future restoration of Israel and Judah in the millennial reign now look at you're in chapter 3 there. Let's look at verse number 1 here We see that he's calling out the sins of the political leaders So it's not just the spiritual leaders that were guilty We see that the political leaders obviously are guilty as well says in verse number 1 and I said here I pray you Oh heads of Jacob and he princes of the house of Israel. Is it not for you to know judgment? And what he's basically saying is that you know If you are in charge of this country if you're in charge of this nation if you know God has selected you to be a magistrate into this world shouldn't it be that you know how to judge particular matters Is it not for you to know judgment if you're leading this country, you know Shouldn't you know how to read a teleprompter and and and not just kind of forget what you're talking about He's basically saying shouldn't you be the one the example in this country of what it is to pass judgment verse Number two says this who hate the good and love the evil. So apparently these political leaders just like today are Individuals who hate the good and love the evil now this reminds me of 2nd Timothy chapter 3 You don't have to turn there and verse number 3 where it talks about how in the end times perilous times shall come The Bible says that they will shall be without natural affection truce breakers false accusers and continent fierce despisers of those that are good Basically what we see in Micah chapter 3 where they hate the good and love the evil, you know They hate Bible believing Christians They hate for some reason seen, you know a wife and a husband and their children, you know Dressed modestly going to church on a sunny morning to sing hymns to praise God together to worship the Lord You know to just live I just righteous and holy life. They hate those things They hate the good, but they love the evil They love the the filth and the perversion and he's saying there look down to Bible verse 2 says who hate the good I love the evil who pluck off their skin from off them and their flesh from off their bones now You know, it's debatable if this is like referring to like literally doing this, you know It could be referring to that adrenal chrome that pastor Shelley hinted at You know earlier in a sermon or it could just be referring to this could be metaphorical in the sense that you know They're essentially feeding on the flock of God. They're taking from them money They're taking advantage of the innocent says in verse 3 who eat who also eat the flesh of my people Inflate their skin from off them and they break their bones and chop them in pieces As for the pot and as the flesh within the cauldron They shall cry unto the Lord, but he will not hear them He will even hide his face from them at this at that time as they have behaved themselves ill in their doing So he's basically saying, you know, you guys are wicked You're not judging you hate good and love evil you take advantage of the innocent You are wicked Individuals who hate the innocent and take advantage of them and there's gonna come a time when you need me There's gonna come a time when you're gonna cry out to me and I'm just gonna hide my face from you By the way, this shows us there there comes a point in a person's life when it's just too late Right there comes a point in a nation's life There comes a point in an individual's life where they just cross the line and God says you're gonna cry out to me You're gonna ask for me. You're gonna pray you're gonna fast you're gonna be in sackcloth and ashes, but it's too late I'm not gonna listen to you. And in fact in Proverbs chapter 1 we see that he'll laugh at their calamity It's God's sense of humor. Amen So here we see that the prophet Micah Has no quarrels with calling out the political leaders of his day and you know, you know We should have no quarrels We're preaching against the political leaders of our day the magistrates of our day because some of them are just really easy to call out Anyways, you don't really have to say much, you know, say it say anything crazy about Biden. Just repeat what he says and There you go, right? But it's it's it's the Republican leaders that we that people are afraid often afraid of talking against You know what their conservative values but here he says, you know, he's preaching against the political leaders He's calling out their sins and then in verse number five look at verse number five. He starts getting on the prophets He says in verse number five does say the Lord concerning the prophets that make my people air That bite with their teeth and cry peace and he that putteth not in their mouths They even prepare war against him So not only are the political leaders guilty of committing wickedness But even the spiritual leaders are guilty of this when he talks about prophets He's referring to supposed men of God people that others would esteem as being spiritual leaders in that nation those who are Proclaiming God's Word. He's saying them to them that they're making God's people to air They're causing them to stumble they bite with their teeth and cry. Peace now I often when I think about this I think about the fact that you know A lot of Christians out there will bite and devour Christians like us, but they'll say why aren't you guys peaceful? You know, why are you guys have to attack everyone as they're attacking us? Why do you guys have to preach against everyone as they're criticizing us? Right, they bite with their teeth and cry. Peace That's what they're doing. They're hypocrites So He's calling out the political leaders. He's calling out the prophets. No man is safe from Micah here. He's not a respecter of people And then in verse number nine, he gives us the common denominator between the two he says in verse number nine hear this I pray you you heads of the house of Jacob and princes of the house of Israel listen to this that abhor judgment and Pervert all equity. So what is the common denominator between these two they hate? Judgment, they hate people who judge they hate equity. They hate people who pass judgment They despise it. They pervert it. They do not like it It says in verse number 10 They build up Zion with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity the heads thereof judge for reward So when they do pass judgment, it's not because they love the truth It's not because it's the right thing to do their motive behind is a reward You know and you said well, how would you apply that to today? Well, you know every Republican political leader will tell you exactly what you want to hear just to get them in office and Like manner, you know There's a lot of prophets out there that will preach exactly what you want to hear just to keep you in church So you could keep tithing He Says they judge for reward and the priests thereof teach for hire and the prophets thereof divine for money Yet, will they lean upon the Lord and say is not the Lord among us? None evil could come upon. It's a very presumptuous thing to say and So we see here that he's preaching against the the political leaders the prophets and it's because they abhor judgment They hate it and in the midst of all this perversion of judgment hatred towards equity We have verse 8 He says but truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord and of judgment and of might To declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin the Bible says so what is Michael talking about here? He's saying you have these political leaders a bunch of compromisers Who would tell you anything? Do you want to hear just to get them in office and they do it for a reward? They're wicked. They're vile They take advantage of the innocent you have these false prophets out there these so-called fundamental Baptists out there who claim to be Baptist But they preach a repent of your sins gospel or they have this liberal church Well, they just preach what you want to hear just to get you to give to their building offering or to their tithes So he can buy himself a new yacht or whatever You have both of those but then you have Micah and Micah says I'm full of judgment I'm full of power by the Spirit of the Lord and of judgment and of might why to declare unto Jacob his Transgression and to Israel his sin. He's saying I am full of judgment to judge you regarding your sin