God Of Mercy Series

Believe it or not, there was a time in our country and continent that there was no satellite television. No online TV streaming services no internet-connected devices such as tablets, laptops, smartphones, smart Televisions, and much more that are accessible to everyone today.

During those years a Christian television service was established in South Africa. At that time, I was the missions director for our church. We were privileged to help plant Christian television in Africa.

We established a television station in one of the countries and then were invited to the official launch of the television station in that country. As a group, we were the president of the nation’s official guests and stayed in his guest house. As a young man, it was an honour to meet with the president and speak to him personally.

Now God is the creator of the universe, He is the King of Kings. He rules forever and is the supreme being. How much more of an honour is it to be able to speak to God personally? To enter His presence without fear. To be welcomed by God as His very own children.

Hebrews 4:16 Let us, therefore, come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Mercy is God’s total forgiveness and love toward us. Cleansing us by the blood of Jesus so that we can dwell in His presence justified, (just as if we have never sinned). At the same time, He takes away from us all sin. All of this God did because of His mercy not because we deserve it.

God does not overlook sin. In his justice, God judged us because we are guilty. Then in His mercy and love, he came in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, and paid the penalty for us. Through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, God is both just and merciful.

We sometimes think of justice in a negative way, primarily about punishment. But justice is also positive. In Hebrew, the word for justice (mishpat) carries the sense of putting things right.

God named the lid of the Ark of the Covenant the "mercy seat.

Exodus 25:17-22 “You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width. And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat. And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat. You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.

This mercy seat is also called the throne of the Lord. Between the two cherubim on the mercy seat, is where God met and spoke with the children of Israel. The mercy seat was the place where MERCY ORIGINATED! It was the CENTER OF MERCY!

From the Greek word for mercy seat, we get the word propitiation in the New Testament.

Romans 3:25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,

1 John 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

1 John 2:2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, not only for ours but also for the whole world.

The only judgment in propitiation is favour toward us! It is a MERCY-THRONE! The only reason to approach a mercy throne is to obtain mercy! And Jesus is the mercy throne for the sins of the whole world! What an incredibly loving God.

As we today have boldness by the blood of Jesus to enter the holiest place the realm of God’s fullness we realize it is a place made purely for MERCY! We do not enter to be judged and condemned for our sins. We approach without guilt and condemnation.

Hebrews 10:19-23 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and having a High Priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.