11.What God Requires: 3) Walking Humbly Before God - Zac Poonen
The Word For Our Time
Summary
The Lord requires us to do justly, to do righteousness, to love kindness and mercy, and to walk humbly with God, as stated in Micah 6:8. The speaker emphasizes that forgiveness is not the same as fellowship; while we can forgive everyone, fellowship requires walking in the light. Furthermore, the speaker draws a distinction between sins committed by a 'stranger' and a 'brother,' advising that while we should forgive strangers regardless of repentance, we must address a brother's sin privately to guide him toward repentance, as true fellowship requires it.
Outline
The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.
What does the Lord require?The Lord does not want thousands of rams or buckets of oil; He requires us to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.Micah 6:8
Forgiveness versus FellowshipForgiveness brings us to the level of friendship where we hold no enemies, but true fellowship is a deeper level that requires both parties to walk in the light.
Handling sin in a brother versus a strangerJesus taught that if a brother sins, we forgive him when he repents, but with strangers who are not brothers, we forgive them whether they repent or not.Luke 17:3
Why unrepentant sin in a brother cannot be ignoredIf you forgive a brother without his repenting, it is like ignoring internal cancer; to help win him, Jesus instructed us to go and address it privately.
Balancing truth and graceJust as a body needs both bones and flesh, we must not go overboard on either truth or grace; God's glory in Jesus was full of both.
Joseph's righteousness and mercyWhen faced with Mary's pregnancy, Joseph planned to send her away secretly rather than expose her, combining righteousness with mercy by covering sin.Matthew 1:18–19
Jesus' baptism and human reasonJesus submitted to John's baptism despite having no sin, refusing to lean on human reason so that He could fulfill all righteousness.Matthew 3:13–15
The true mark of humilityTrue humility is not a sloppy demeanor or trying to impress people, but obedience to God in your private life even unto death.
Humility before God, not menJesus did not seek a reputation before men; His actions in cleansing the temple demonstrated a zeal for God's house without needing to explain Himself to critics.
Maturing in language and rejoicing in what God doesAs believers grow mature, our language shifts from boasting about what we do for God to rejoicing in what God has done for us, such as having our names written in heaven.
