Mercy
A Definition of Mercy
My own personal definition about mercy is this: Mercy is where we do not really get what we truly deserve.
In other words, if God was not merciful, we would receive the full measure of His wrath upon sinful human beings. God was not merciful to Jesus on the cross because the entire wrath of God was poured out on Him for what should have been ours. Webster defines mercy in a somewhat different manner but I still like it:
It is compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender…showing leniency. Mercy in a sense is just the opposite of grace.
Mercy is that which we don’t get but we do deserve (God’s wrath) and grace is that which we do get but don’t deserve (because of our sins).
Matthew 9:13 “Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Jesus was saying this to the Pharisees. They scorned Jesus for eating with tax collectors and sinners and completely missed the point. Jesus was a friend of sinners but an enemy to those who were “religious” or self-righteous. Jesus’ point was that He came to save that which was lost and not to those who believed that they were already righteous. It’s the same today.
There is more hope for a murderer than one who thinks that they don’t need forgiveness because the religious leaders believed that their works were a sufficient sacrifice to God. Those who don’t believe they need mercy will not receive it but those who know they need it, will. Praise the Lord.
Jude 1:22-23 “And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.”
This verse is very special because Jude was saying that we ought to have mercy on those who are in doubt. What does he mean by doubt?
I believe it’s the doubt of those who think that they are too bad to be saved
and don’t have a chance. Jude must have been talking about witnessing because in the next verse he contrasts the gospel presentation of mercy with one of fear. I can’t count the number of people that I have counseled in presenting the gospel that believe that they have done too much to ever be forgiven. Telling them about God’s mercy and having mercy on those who will eternally perish without Christ is indeed being merciful. Others are more resistant and full of pride and so they may need to be told that God is angry at the sinner every day.
(Psalm 7:11) and that His wrath is upon those who refuse to humble themselves, repent, and fear Him.
Second Chronicles 30:9 “For if you return to the Lord, your brothers and your children will find compassion with their captors and return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you, if
you return to him.”
God always gives room for repentance as He did even for ancient Israel. Even though they had forgotten God He had not forgotten them. Even though they had made and worshipped idols which were only graven images, He told them that He would be merciful to them if they returned (repented) to Him. He promised to not “turn away His face” from them if they would repent.
Consequently, we see that “God is gracious and merciful” even when we are disobedient. In this verse, God actually mentions grace (as in His graciousness) and mercy in the same sentence. Today we can receive Gods’ grace as a free gift and escape what we rightly deserve (that’s called mercy).
Luke 6:36 “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.”
If we would have the same mercy on others that God had on us, then we could win many non-believers to Christ, even those who consider us
as their enemies. In the previous verse (Luke 6:35) Jesus was telling us to “love our enemies, and do good”
to them (Luke 6:35).
If we really understand just how merciful God has been to us, then,
I believe we would be more merciful
to those who hate us and persecute us. Why? Because God first loved us when we were still sinners and Jesus died for us while we were still His enemies (Rom 5:8).
Matthew 5:7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”
This is similar to Luke 6:36 in the sense that since God has been merciful to us, we ought to be merciful to others. If we give mercy, we will receive mercy. Not only that, if we are merciful, God promises us a blessing and who wouldn’t want a blessing from God? I know I do…
Psalm 86:5 “For you, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy to all them that call on you.”
If you were a convicted criminal and headed to jail, you would want mercy wouldn’t you? God’s mercy is called “plenteous” and available to “all that call on” Him. There is no qualification to receive God’s mercy except for calling upon Him. He is “good, and ready to forgive” which is what mercy is all about. I for one am glad that His abundant mercy is available to
“all them that call on” Him.
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.”
This is not written to unbelievers for they can’t even enter the presence of God unless they have the righteousness of Christ (2 Cor 5:21). This is written for those who have trusted in Christ for through Him we can obtain mercy and find the grace we need at the time we need it. Why would we need mercy if we are already saved? It is because we need to keep short accounts with God and confess our sins daily and plead for His mercy each and every day. This mercy might be to help alleviate some of the consequences of the sins we have committed.
Exodus 34:6-7 “The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”
These verses are very powerful because He is abounding in a steadfast love, His faithfulness, His forgiving iniquity, transgressions, and sin which is all connected to His mercy. Many times God could have just as easily wiped Israel from off the face of the earth but God is longsuffering because He is merciful. He is forgiving, time and again, with Israel and with us,
and slow to anger…He is merciful.
First Samuel 9:16 “Tomorrow, about this time I will send to you a man
from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines.
For I have seen my people,
because their cry has come to me.”
This reminds me of the time when God looked down at Israel in their bondage and suffering while in Egypt. Here God tenderly addresses the prophet Samuel and tells him that I have seen my people and their cry came up to My ears. God heard them and responded with mercy. This sounds much like what He told Moses when He was moving to deliver Israel from Egypt which was also great mercy.
He is still delivering people today and He still is hearing their cries and having mercy upon all who would call on Him. Call on the Name of the Lord.
Nehemiah 9:28 “But after they had rested, they did evil again before you, and you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them. Yet when they turned and cried to you, you heard from heaven, and many times you delivered them according to your mercies.” Delivered, Delivered
This shows just how deep God’s oceans of mercy are. Time and time again Israel did evil before God and God allowed them to be taken into captivity. Even this was merciful acts. Because trials often bring us to our knees and as a loving father chastens his own, so too does our God chasten every child of His (Heb 12:6). God’s discipline is actually part of His mercy because if He never disciplined us it would mean that He really didn’t care about us. He could have just give up on us and let us wallow in our own misery but God frequently brings us back to Himself by the fiery trials that afflict us. David said in Psalm 119:67 Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.
How many times has God delivered us. He has delivered me from my own self so many times I’ve lost track, but it’s always been according to His mercies.
God wants to extend His mercy to you and give you His grace but you must first humble yourself, bow down to Him, repent of your sins, confess them all, see your desperate need for a Savior, and then put your trust in Jesus Christ. Then you too will receive God’s mercy…something none of us deserve but that’s exactly why God is slow to anger, longsuffering, and forbearing. Yes, our God is “good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy to all them that call on Him.
The Lord God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin,
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.
Psalm 136:1-26 O give thanks
unto the LORD; for he is good:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
2 O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever.
3 O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.
4 To him who alone does great wonders: for his mercy endureth for ever.
5 To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever.
6 To him that stretched out
the earth above the waters:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
7 To him that made great lights:
for his mercy endureth for ever:
8 The sun to rule by day:
for his mercy endureth for ever:
9 The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever.
10 To him that smote Egypt in their firstborn: for his mercy endureth for ever:
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:
15 But overthrew Pharaoh
and his host in the Red sea:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
16 To him which led his people through the wilderness:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
17 To him which smote great kings: for his mercy endureth for ever:
18 And slew famous kings:
for his mercy endureth for ever:
19 Sihon king of the Amorites:
for his mercy endureth for ever:
20 And Og the king of Bashan:
for his mercy endureth for ever:
21 And gave their land for an heritage: for his mercy endureth for ever:
22 Even an heritage unto Israel his servant: for his mercy endureth for ever.
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.
The next time you feel like God
can’t use you, just remember...
Noah was a drunk
Abraham was too old
Isaac was a daydreamer
Jacob was a liar
Leah was ugly
Joseph was abused
Moses had a stuttering problem
Gideon was afraid
Samson was a womanizer
Rahab was a prostitute
Jeremiah was a crybaby
Timothy was too young
David had an affair and was a murderer
Elijah was suicidal
Isaiah preached naked
Jonah ran from God
Naomi was a widow
Job went bankrupt
Peter denied Christ
The Disciples fell asleep while praying
Martha worried about everything
The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once
Zaccheus was too small
Paul was too religious
Timothy had an ulcer..AND
Lazarus was dead!
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.
Special thanks to a great man of God and a wonderful friend, Pastor Terry Sisney.
My name is William Poovey, and I pastor at Bethel Church in Olar, SC. I have been a long-time user of Sermon Central and truly appreciate its content and contributors. Some of the best sermons I’ve ever preached have been reworked material from this website. As you use the material from my sermon bank, understand that it is work that has been done from not just myself, but from hundreds of other pastors as well. If you see part of your message, or a lot of your message with my name on it and this upsets you, please email me and I will quickly respond and cite you as the main source. My intent is not to claim someone’s work as my own. I am disclaiming up front that I use the resources from Sermon Central and appreciate the tool. I simply want all those who use my work to know that some of these messages were inspired by the Holy Spirit working through other pastors. Because I do use the messages of other pastors I waive all claims of originality or origin of creativity for the messages posted under my messages. I pray God blesses your preaching ministry for the glory of His Kingdom.
Respectfully,
William Poovey
