Joel 3:10 - "turn your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears."
The tools of their sustainability would now be used as weapons for their deliverance.
100 years later......
Micah 4:3 - "turn your swords into plowshares and your spears into pruning hooks."
The weapons of their deliverance would now be used as tools for their sustainability.
We are in a battle - we were made for that very purpose.
One of the main ways God trains us for battle is the workplace.
Jesus was trained in the workplace.
God has entrusted each of us with talents and with an assignment.
As we're faithful in our assignment as we improve upon our talents we'll find that the very tools we use to provide for our families will become weapons God uses to fight His battles and vice versa.
The key:
1) Who you are - you must see yourself as God's minister, regarldess of where you're placed or how you're paid.
2) Where God has placed you - you must see that where God has placed you is a part of HIS plan - you can trust Him.
3) What God has given you - you must see what God has put into your hand is ultimately HIS, so use it for His purposes.
Micah 4:3 (12/18/14)
Workplace
December 18, 2014 • Benham Brothers
Micah 2:1-2 (12/21/17)
December 21, 2017 • Benham Brothers
* When the Israelites took the Promised Land God established their boundaries and granted them ownership that would last forever. * He also created laws that governed the transfer. * One of those laws was Jubilee - where the land would revert back to God’s plan every 50 years. * They were also to purchase land within clans and not sell interchangeably. * In Micah’s time, wealthy investors were buying up the land so certain families no longer owned what God wanted them to own. (vs 9) * This made God mad. Why? * Because they were breaking His laws governing land ownership and transfer. * The Biblical definition of fair market is this: * The price a buyer is willing to pay, a seller is willing to sell, “with a clear conscience under God.” * This third component was missing in Micah’s time and it’s still missing today. * God isn’t happy about it.
Micah 2:6 (12/16/21)
December 16, 2021 • Benham Brothers • Micah 2:6
* When a nation sins against God, He punishes. * Reproach is in their future. * How do you know a nation has sinned? * Evil is celebrated in culture. * Evil is codified into law. * God puts His people in place to push back against evil. * The church is the “conscience” of a nation. * It reminds people the right way to go and warns them of the wrong way. * The goal of your conscience is to keep you away from bad stuff. * It assures you when you do good and bothers you when you do bad. * BACKSTORY - in Micah’s day their nation had done bad things. * God was going to punish. * But Micah didn’t want that to happen, so he spoke out. * Vs 6 (NAS) - their response: * “….But if they do not speak out concerning these things, reproaches will not be turned back."
Micah 2:11 (12/21/17)
December 21, 2017 • Benham Brothers
* I’ve noticed certain “Christian celebrities” will speak out on certain things but not others. * They’ll come out boldly on sexual harassment but say nothing about sexual perversion. * They’ll speak out on income inequality but say nothing about the devastation of welfare. * They spoke out against Trump’s foul and perverted mouth but say nothing about Hillary Clinton’s belief that babies can be ripped apart in the womb or Bill’s predatory behavior. * Why can’t they speak out on “all” issues, not just some? * Because their brand is their boss. * They will speak out on what the boss tells them they can. * If they spoke out on the latter they would be labeled certain things, which would tarnish their brand - and nothing could be worse than that. * It’s time for Christians to suck it up and speak out on the things that truly break God’s heart.