Understanding The Mystery Of Mercy! Series

UNDERSTANDING THE MYSTERY OF MERCY!

Hebrews 4:16.

“let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need”.

The phrase “help in time of need” means that you get healing when you are sick, provisions when you are in lack, restoration when your relationship with a loved one breaks down, and favour when news of job cuts or bad prospects are rife.

“6 The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ 27 Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.

28 “But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ 30 And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. 31 So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. 32 Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33 Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?" Matthew 18:26-33.

This servant owed the Master 10,000 talents—a large amount, likely in the range of millions of dollars or beyond in today's value. Normally, the servant would be cast into prison and his family sold into slavery until all was paid. But when the servant begged the Master to have mercy on him, "moved with compassion," he forgave the entire debt! The forgiven servant then found one who owed him 100 denarii or about $15. This petty debtor begged for additional time to pay off the debt, but the servant, without mercy, had him jailed until all was paid. The Master's other servants heard of this and told the king.

We can learn several lessons from this parable:

1. Our sins are very great.

2. God by His Mercy has forgiven them all.

3. By comparison to the offenses we have committed against God, our brothers and sisters offenses against us are small.

4. We should be so appreciative of being forgiven that we freely forgive others.

5. If we do not forgive, God is justified in not forgiving us.

"9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy."

1 Peter 2:9-10.

As Israel was, we the believers or the church of God are also a chosen race. Unlike Israel, though, we are not a race in the sense of our family, ethnicity, skin colour, or country of origin. We are a spiritual race, in the sense that, in Christ, we share a single spiritual Father. This special privilege came about as a result of God's Mercy.

The mercy of God is very important and essential in the life of every believer and it’s a must to understand it. Mercy is part of God’s innate nature. Deut. 4:31. It's when God shows up in the life of an individual and He causes His face to shine into His heart.

POINTS TO NOTE ABOUT MERCY:

1. God’s mercy is a gift; it is not something we merit or earned.

When this Mercy is released, forgiveness, healing, deliverance and restoration also comes. Mercy elevates one beyond skill and efforts.

2. Mercy is good will toward the afflicted, joined with a desire to relieve them.

“When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” Matthew 14:14. The word “compassion” means that Jesus was so moved that His stomach churned, for the crowd. Jesus saw the need of the people and He went into action to solve their problem. Mercy moves God to act.

3. Mercy is God’s ministry to the miserable. Nehemiah 9:28.

4. Our salvation is brought about by God's act of Mercy.

"he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit." Titus 3:5.

Whenever you come into God’s presence, you don’t have to be afraid that your sins will be exposed because the Blood of Jesus has removed every one of them. God does not see even one speck of sin in us because He sees only the blood of His Son, which has been shed for our total forgiveness and acceptance.