It's Been Mercy All The Way

I wrote this sermon after listening and meditating on the song by John G. Elliott, Mecy All The Way,

It’s Been Mercy All The Way

Chorus 1

Mercy mercy

Goodness and kindness

Love and forgiveness

Mercy mercy

It’s been mercy all the way

It’s been mercy all the way

Verse 1

Lord I thank You

For Your faithful mercy

All my footsteps

Have been guarded by grace

From this moment on

My heart will praise You

Lord I love You

Lord I love You

Verse 2

You have loved me

With a great compassion

You have spared me

From the pain I deserve

Here’s my heart

Oh may it bring You pleasure

Lord I love You

Lord I love You

CCLI Song #2284352

© 1996 Galestorm Music

John G. Elliott

For use solely in accordance with the SongSelect Advanced Terms of Agreement. All rights Reserved.

CCLI License #301461

IT’S BEEN MERCY ALL THE WAY!!

1 Peter 1:3-4,1 John 2:1-2

This little girl reported at home what she had learned at Sunday school concerning the creation of Adam and Eve: “The teacher told us how God made the first man and the first woman. He made the man first. But the man was very lonely with nobody to talk to him. So God put the man to sleep. And while the man was asleep, God took out his brains and made a woman out of them.”

Another Sunday school teacher asked her class to draw a picture illustrating a Bible story. One paper handed in contained a picture of a big car. An old man, with long whiskers flying in the breeze, was driving. A man and woman were seated in the back of the car. Puzzled, the teacher asked little Johnny to explain his drawing. “Why, that is God. He is driving Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden.”

Now, despite what we may think of these comments, children, more often than not, only repeat what has been said to them. They also relate to what they can see!! A couple of other comments from children regarding the punishment Adam and Eve received include these:

“No more garden parties” said 9 year old Milly.

“They couldn’t have apples or applesauce for a week” said 5 year old Beth.

“they had to hunt for their food. The food didn’t just come to them and give in” said 7 year old Nicholas.

And probably my favorite is this. When asked about the punishment that Adam and Eve received as a result of eating from the tree, 10 year old Gabriel simply said:

“Adam and Eve had to leave that garden neighborhood, but we’re going to get back there one of these days….I have faith in that.”

That last statement, by 10 year old Gabriel speaks volumes!! We will get back there someday. We will be in that place where we have perfect fellowship with God! The great joy of walking hand in hand with Him in paradise! But first, we must receive God’s mercy.

Mercy, as defined by people today is an uncertain word. People in court see “mercy” as leniency in sentencing. Older children today sometimes play a game they call “mercy”, wherein they stand, face to face, clasp hands together, and try to beat one another into submission by pushing their hands against each other and using their fingers and knuckles to try to weaken their opponent.

Yet what is mercy, as defined by God?

I like the way Billy Graham puts it because his statement defines our need for mercy. Said Billy Graham: "We’re suffering from only one disease in the world. Our basic problem is not a race problem. Our basic problem is not a poverty problem. Our basic problem is not a war problem. Our basic problem is a heart problem. We need to get the heart changed, the heart transformed."...

You see, God’s mercy is there to transform our hearts and minds!! His mercy is there, so that we can know Whom we can bring our hearts to…our sinful stubborn hearts….Who is it, after all, that can transform your heart? Can your wife or husband transform your wicked heart? Can your children? Or parents? Who can do such a thing? I believe that the only way our wicked hearts can be transformed is by the mercy of Christ. The mercy He showed us on the cross. Now I want to give you an anagram of the word mercy to display what it means.

To begin with, God’s mercy involves His

M………Martyrdom for

E……….Everyone

The Holman’s Bible dictionary defines “Martyrdom” as “A witness, one who gives His life for a cause.” As that song played said “You have spared me from the pain I deserve.” Jesus, in mercy, gave Himself through martyrdom to spare us from the pain we deserved. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death.”