Micah - Chapter 3

Then I said,
“Listen, you leaders of Jacob,
    you rulers of Israel.
Should you not embrace justice,
2     you who hate good and love evil;
who tear the skin from my people
    and the flesh from their bones;
3 who eat my people’s flesh,
    strip off their skin
    and break their bones in pieces;
who chop them up like meat for the pan,
    like flesh for the pot?”

4 Then they will cry out to the Lord,
but he will not answer them.
At that time he will hide his face from them
because of the evil they have done.

5 This is what the Lord says:

“As for the prophets
    who lead my people astray,
they proclaim ‘peace’
    if they have something to eat,
but prepare to wage war against anyone
    who refuses to feed them.
6 Therefore night will come over you, without visions,
    and darkness, without divination.
The sun will set for the prophets,
    and the day will go dark for them.
7 The seers will be ashamed
    and the diviners disgraced.
They will all cover their faces
    because there is no answer from God.”
8 But as for me, I am filled with power,
    with the Spirit of the Lord,
    and with justice and might,
to declare to Jacob his transgression,
    to Israel his sin.

9 Hear this, you leaders of Jacob,
    you rulers of Israel,
who despise justice
    and distort all that is right;
10 who build Zion with bloodshed,
    and Jerusalem with wickedness.
11 Her leaders judge for a bribe,
    her priests teach for a price,
    and her prophets tell fortunes for money.
Yet they look for the Lord’s support and say,
    “Is not the Lord among us?
    No disaster will come upon us.”
12 Therefore because of you,
    Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,
    the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets.

Message #4 - What Are You Full Of?

“As for the prophets who lead my people astray, they proclaim ‘peace’ if they have something to eat, but prepare to wage war against anyone who refuses to feed them.
6 Therefore night will come over you, without visions, and darkness, without divination. The sun will set for the prophets, and the day will go dark for them.
7 The seers will be ashamed and the diviners disgraced.
They will all cover their faces because there is no answer from God.”
8But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might,
to declare to Jacob his transgression, to Israel his sin.
Micah 3:5-8

In this third chapter of Micah, we observe two powers that have come head-to-head in this conflict. The supposedly “god-fearing” leaders have been using their power and influence to take what is not theirs. Micah is anointed with power from on high to speak God’s message and warning to the leaders and people at this time. It’s like he is saying to the people, “Enough! You should not keep doing your horrific deeds! It needs to stop NOW or severe consequences follow!”

Both set of leaders each have a certain amount of “power”.
When I’m talking about power today I’m referring to…

POWER = the authority and ability to influence and affect the outcome.

You might think power is inherently evil and no one should have power over another. But we have this reminder in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” Power can be used for either good or for evil.

APPLICATION: I’m attaching a link to the Rochester Community Resource Guide (also called the Green Book) that will help you KNOW how you can help others who are homeless or in need in our community. I also have physical copies in the office where you can stop and pick one up. Thank you for caring about those in need around us!
http://centercityhousing.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Green-Book-Unedited.pdf

Years ago a teacher challenged me to become a triple "A" follower of Jesus:

Attitude = have the same attitude as Christ Jesus
Philippians 2:3-8
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!

Apologize = We are the ones that are not afraid to ask for forgiveness.
When we accept the reality that we are going to make mistakes, we are going to mess up, and we are going to be misunderstood. When you recognize this, and can approach another person and ask for an apology, we demonstrate one of the highest examples of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

Affirm = every person wants to be appreciated for who they are. When you have worked hard at something it means a lot when another person recognizes it. Almost every day of your life you will find someone who you can show an act of kindness or a word of affirmation.