Well, tonight for bible study Mark read us a Micah sermon by Calvin. It left us all with a great big "wow", as his sermons have such a way of pinning us (as well as himself) with our own wretched, sinfulness. Some of his examples of human actions totally hit home.. I'll try to type a sample of it out, since sadly I can't find it online. I hope you find the these bits as edifying as I did.:)

Night to all, and adios,

Jode

The sermon is on Micah 6:6-8, preached Saturday, December 27, 1551 (Calvin gave daily sermons) It is also much longer than this, but here are some of the highlights.

*** Now Micah adds that the people think that they can appease God through ceremonies and similar things, in order to atone for offenses. But, of course what Micah is doing is introducing our human way of thinking, that is, our hypocrisy. For once we have persuaded ourselves to rebel against God and his Word, we begin to search for ways of exonerating ourselves before God. True, we cannot feign not to be sinners, or fail to confess our sins; but so long as God presses us and we remain committed to our own course, we will constantly look for ways to appease God. "True, I may not be able to deny that I am a miserable sinner, but consider what I can do in order to satisfy God." For since we are full of pride and lies, we think that we can pull the wool over God's eyes, rendering him content with frivolous things. And that is what Micah is addressing here. For after he condemned the people, he no doubt encountered the following reply: "True, God has granted us infinite blessings, and we have not acknowledged him as we ought. But there is no reason for you to condemn us as you do. You are right about our offending God, insofar as we have not been obedient to him. But our attempts at satisfaction ought to count for something. Of what value would it be for us to make so many sacrifices, if God were not compensated? You need to balance the good with the bad. For since you accused us of failing in certain areas, you ought at least give us credit for the services we render God." That is how the world thinks. It is confident that it knows how to appease God, whenever it has sinned against God.

.....For how many of us think ourselves acquitted upon hearing a sermon or mumbling a Pater Noster? As long as we put up a good appearance, we say:"Ah! That's good enough!" We must think that God wears blinders and that he cares for nothing more than our ceremonies. Now it is a great folly for us to interpret God's judgment in accordance with our fantasy. Why? Because, in the first place, we are carnal and therefore do not see our offences, unless they are thick enough to cut with a knife, as the people say. Of course they are relatively insignificant, we acknowledge them. But we overlook those that are full of evil affections, or that contain hidden evil thoughts, that constantly goad us to murmur against God, to become defiant, and to grind our teeth. Those things never surface. And why not? Because we are carnal. Now our Lord has a different eye that enables him to see with absolute clarity what we fail to see at all. Accordingly, since our eyes cannot see sufficiently to recognize our faults which God condemns, we have to learn not to daub our sins with our own concept of fairness or balance. For we must all appear before the judgment of God, whose ways transcend human thought.......

.....In the second place , love of self prevents us from recognizing our own sins, although we are able to recognize our neighbors'. For when our neighbors sin, we see it with clarity. Above all, whenever anyone commits an offence against us, whether unwittingly by shaking a straw at us in the wrong way, or by pointing a menacing finger at us, we consider it an irremissible crime. "Did you see that? That wretch deliberately offended me!" We make a mountain out of a molehill. But whenever we are guilty of any grievous or serious fault, worthy of casting our body and soul into hell, we deny and culpability and quickly dismiss it. We see it happen every day. Now do not suppose for a moment that God judges as we do. Thus, we must learn to divest ourselves of self-love. For it blinds us so powerfully that we are unable to perceive things as they are. What must we do then? When God asserts that we have sinned against him and have provoked his wrath against us, we must abandon any thought of how easy it is to forgive sins. Rather, we must realize that we have so utterly sinned against God as to be worthy of a pit five times deeper than hell. That is the first thought that ought to come to mind......

....Furthermore, as we daily realize how weak we are, may we turn to that one remedy which we know best provides succor: to our Lord Jesus Christ. And as he has once and for all united us to God, his Father, may we ask nothing but to live with our neighbors in complete justice, equity, and peace, in order that by his grace we may attain to that immortal glory in which we shall all be united in perfect joy, as he has promised us. And may God grant this grace not only to us, but to all people and nations of the earth, etc...... ****