Weekly Sermon 11/16/2025
WHAT DOES GOD DESIRE OF US?
6 With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
As Israel gathered across the Jordan River from the Promised Land, Moses put a question to the people: “Now Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you?” In the same breath, Moses answered: “To fear the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good” (Deuteronomy 10:12–13).
God’s covenant faithfulness toward His people came with an expectation of reverence, love, and obedience. Yet, these things God asked for were designed for the people’s own good.
Fear Him
The concept of fearing God is best understood as reverence and awe. In the original Hebrew, the word translated as “fear” means “to regard with feelings of respect; consider holy and exalted, be in awe of.” Fearing the Lord involves a keen awareness of what God hates, namely, sin and wickedness (Deuteronomy 12:31; 16:22; Psalm 5:4–6; Proverbs 6:16–19). It includes understanding God’s holiness (Joshua 24:19; Psalm 99:9), His judgment on sin (Isaiah 26:21; Psalm 99:8), and His discipline of believers who sin (Hebrews 12:5–11).
The apostle Paul described fearing the Lord as hating what is evil and clinging to what is good (Romans 12:9). God wants us to avoid His discipline and live our lives in a way that is pleasing to Him.
Walk in Obedience to Him
The word walk in Deuteronomy 10:12 speaks of how we live and behave. The phrase walk in obedience to him carries the idea of walking “in all his ways” (ESV) and living “in a way that pleases him” (NLT). God wants us to follow His example in every way—in holiness, love, and service. Jesus explained, “Since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you” (John 13:14–15, NLT; see also Matthew 10:38).
The apostle John taught, “Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did” (1 John 2:6, NLT). Paul suggested, “You should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1, NLT).
Love Him
God requires our love. Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment” (Matthew 22:37–38). All other requirements and commands flow out of our love for God.
Our love for God is not half-hearted; rather, we yearn for Him like wild deer pants for streams of water (Psalm 42:1).
Serve Him Wholeheartedly
Genuine love for God expresses itself through service (1 Corinthians 13:1–13). Jesus Christ, our example, was the ultimate servant (Matthew 20:28). Serving God is not a forced obligation but a free, natural, and joy-filled response to the love God has lavished on us (1 John 4:9–11). Love serves, not as a servant, but as someone who is in love.
Observe His Commands
When we observe the Lord’s commands, we prove our love for Him (John 14:15; 1 John 5:2–3) and show our faithfulness to Him (1 John 2:3–5). Moreover, the Lord asks us to obey His commands for our benefit: “The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes” (Psalm 19:8; see also John 13:17).
The question of Deuteronomy 10:12, “What does the Lord your God require of you?” is very much like the one in Micah 6:8: “And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Both passages seek to show that a profession of faith that does not come from a heart of genuine love and devotion to God is not faith at all.
As Micah wraps up his prophecy to the people of Israel, he slips in one short sentence he tells what God requires of his people.
It’s simple. It’s startling what Micah doesn’t include in his list of things God requires.
God doesn’t say go to church, develop the right theology, or obey a bunch of rules. Yet these are some of the many things we put great importance on today.
We focus on these elements—and others like them—at the expense of what God requires.
What does God require from us? He wants us to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with him (Micah 6:8).
Act Justly
We often hear the word justice, but we don’t often hear of acting justly. What does justly mean?
To act justly we should:
be honorable and fair in how we deal with others,
behave morally (that is, righteous), and
do all things properly.
This sounds a lot like Jesus? It’s what he taught and how he acted. Yet we often forget to behave this way in our own lives. Instead we get caught up chasing secondary pursuits and even focusing on goals that don’t matter in God’s perspective.
Love Mercy
Another thing God requires is that we love mercy. This goes beyond merely showing mercy to others but to fully embrace mercy. Often people show mercy but do so in the begrudging way.
Their attitude is wrong. Though they show mercy, they don’t love it. In fact, they may hate it.
God wants us to love showing mercy to others. Isn’t that what he does for us? Shouldn’t we follow his example and do it for others?
Walk Humbly with God
Humility is a word we don’t hear very often anymore. In today’s culture, humility is no longer an esteemed characteristic. In truth most people look down on the humble and dismiss them.
Instead, society embraces the bold, egotistical, and controversial. However, in God’s kingdom, this is the wrong perspective.
God requires us to walk humbly with him. And when we walk humbly with him, the natural outgrowth is humility toward others.
Though Micah directs these expectations of what God requires to the nation of Israel, these points are consistent with his character and more broadly applicable to us. Yet these fall short of a command for us to obey today.
Even so we are well advised to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. If God expected his people to do this thousands of years ago, is there any reason he doesn’t expect it from us today?
God's requirements for us are not merely about following rules but about cultivating a relationship characterized by love, justice, mercy, and humility.
These principles guide us in our daily lives and interactions, reflecting God's character and intentions for humanity. By adhering to these requirements, we align
ourselves with God's will and purpose for our lives.