Mercy Lost!

PP0603 DATE

MERCY LOST!

2 Sam 7:12-16.

2Sa 7:12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.

13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.

14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:

15 But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.

16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.

(KJV)

INTRODUCTION: This passage of scripture God is speaking of Solomon, David’s son. He is speaking to David before Solomon was born. God’s love for David carried on throughout all of David’s generations. 2Sa 7:16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. (KJV)

Listen to verse 15 again: 15 But my mercy shall not depart away from him, (from Solomon) as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. This verse tells us that Saul lost the mercy of God. If Saul lost God’s mercy – then it can be lost today. I believe that Saul was a saved man and when he died he went to heaven, but he lost the mercy of God during the remaining days here on earth. That is why he was so harsh and mean. He didn’t understand the meaning of mercy. When the attribute of mercy is gone the person lives and reacts without displaying the mercy or without receiving mercy from God.

The family of Saul became totally extinct; the family of David remained till the incarnation. Joseph and Mary were both of that family; Jesus was the only heir to the kingdom of Israel; he did not choose to sit on the secular throne, he ascended the spiritual throne, and now he is exalted to the right hand of God, a PRINCE and a Savior, to give repentance and remission of sins.

Saul lost the mercy of God, and he became bitter, hard, unforgiving. He had an evil spirit. All of the things that God’s mercy provides, Saul lost.

He was going to kill his own son, Jonathan. The absence of mercy made Saul act this way.

He sought and hunted David to kill him. The absence of mercy.

He became a very evil and brutish king. He disobeyed God and schemed to make himself ascend in the eyes of Israel. The absence of mercy.

Saul’s death was a result of his having lost God’s mercy. 1Ch 10:13 So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it; (KJV)

All of the sins that Saul committed led to his death. All of these sins were sins that God would normally forgive or withhold His wrath. Yet Saul died because of these sins. That was the result of the mercy that Saul lost. God took His mercy from Saul.

How many people do you suppose that has been guilty of these same transgressions as was Saul? I would say probably millions. Without the mercy of God upon a person there is no reason for that person to live any longer.

I want to give you four thoughts about mercy:

I. GOD’S MERCY IS WHAT ENABLES HIS GRACE TO WORK IN OUR BEHALF.

Turn to Psalm 136. Look at these verses with me.

Ps 136:11 And brought out Israel from among them: for his mercy endureth for ever:

12 With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm: for his mercy endureth for ever.

13 To him which divided the Red sea into parts: for his mercy endureth for ever:

14 And made Israel to pass through the midst of it: for his mercy endureth for ever: (KJV)

God provided escape through His mercy.

Then look at: Vs. 23-26.

Ps 136:23 Who remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for ever:

24 And hath redeemed us from our enemies: for his mercy endureth for ever.

25 Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever.

26 O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever. (KJV)

Evidence of His mercy.

The phrase “His mercy endureth for ever” appears 41 times in the O.T.

If God’s attributes included “justice” only and not “Mercy and Grace” then no one could have justification or salvation. His mercy tells justice to make room for grace.