Intro: Once again I stand here before you and as always I’m lead to a message to preach or was lead into a direction to speak. My wife asked me why don’t you pray on doing a message about Mercy.
At first I kind of said well it does not usually work that way of me forcing a message or just to try and make one up, and for those who comes to us saying hey Pastor you should do a message on so and so. But anyone who preaches would tell you these message are lead and directed by the Holy Spirit, yes many times I tried to force a message but it never turned out to be good.
During my 10 years of being a minster one thing I have learned is to never force something, it’s best if I just wait. Well last Saturday in our audio room another lady we know, spoken on a lesson about sitting down at the feet of God and praying and in that lesson we learn that when praying, we must learn to be still in that processes.
So when I started writing this message I listen to other sermons, did a little reading and listen to a lot of songs asking the Lord to inspire my heart and direct me into a message of Mercy. So here we are, and In much reading and research that God is a God of mercy and grace.
Now know this, understanding mercy is often difficult for people as we tend to be a generation of “I’ll get him for that” and “I hope they get what they deserve.” Many have developed a nature of harsh criticism and want others to get what they have coming to them and then some.
Now let me ask you a question, When it comes to your relationship to God as an individual, to our relationship with God as a church, what would you say is our greatest need?
What is it, above anything else that we need as we approach God? What is at the top of the list for prime importance? I will tell you, because I know the answer! It is mercy.
Mercy It is to be looked upon by God, not as we deserve to be looked upon, but looked upon favorably. This is what mercy is all about. It is a greater need than any other. Because without it, we can never, ever come close to God – we can never ever seek his face, we can never ever depend upon him and call him our Father. We need his mercy.
Mercy my friends is at the heart of the Christian faith. Listen to what Paul says about it in our reading scriptures for message.
Reading: Ephesians 2:4-7 - God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Pray………..
Title: When Mercy Walked In
Now Imagine for a moment you are in a court room. It’s a well known scene isn’t it. We often think about God’s final judgment as being like a court room scene, and that is often the way it is described in the Bible. Now, imagine you are trying to argue your case for acceptance by God and entry into his new kingdom.
What would you say, how would you plead your case, would the court find you not Guilty? Knowing perfectly well that you are Guilty and deserving death. Then all of sudden, mercy walks in, listen to some of the lyric’s to the song we just listen to.
I stood in the court room the judge turn my way, It looks like you're guilty now what do you say, I spoke up your honor I have no defense, But that's when mercy walked in.
Mercy walked in and pleaded my case, Called to the stand God's saving grace, The blood was presented that covered my sin, Forgiven when mercy walked in. Praise the lord, I stood there and wondered how could this be
That someone so guilty had just been set free.
My chains were broken I felt born again, The moment that mercy walked in, Ooohhh The blood was presented that covered my sin, forgiven when mercy walked in.
In this message I hope to show us what Mercy does for us and were going to look at 4 application as to what Mercy is.
1. The first thing Mercy does is - It brings us forgiveness.
As we read in our reading scriptures, it tells us that fundamentally God’s mercy is about forgiveness. It is a fundamental and prime requirement. People all around the world, all around this country, even in this room, or even those who are listing to this message – are thinking the same thing.
They are thinking that they will be able to approach God on their own merit. It’s human nature to think that way. It’s human nature to be proud but what the Bible does is shatter our illusions of that thought. And they are illusions if were thinking that.
Even your very best, your absolute best, is not enough to please God – that is what Paul writes to the Romans 8:8 which says, “So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God”. And so, if we are to ever have a relationship with God our prime need, our first need is this – to be forgiven.
Whatever else our needs may be, and they may be many, our most important need is to be forgiven. Yes, God will certainly help us in other areas of our lives – but first and foremost we need to see our need of forgiveness which comes from a merciful God and nothing else.
Sin is a relationship breaker. How many times, if you can even count them, has sin caused you problems and difficulties in relationships, We all know that this is true.
How much more so in our relationship with the Lord of that all of us knows Sin is a relationship breaker. However, God’s mercy means that he does not treat us as our sins deserve, because of his mercy we are forgiven.
2. The second thing that Mercy does - It comes to us without limits.
David talks about mercy without limits, look at what he says in Psalm 86:5 which says - For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You
Here he talks about abundant love in verse. As we sometimes sing, “there’s a wideness in God’s mercy, that is wider than the greatest sea and so I know it covers even me”. It is hard for us to imagine something without bounds. We have finite minds and we live in a finite world and the concept of infinity is pretty abstract. But God’s mercy knows no bounds.
In fact, so great is God’s mercy that it is almost inexpressible. God’s mercy knows no limit. There is none who is beyond his saving power.
Why is this so important for us to grasp? Why, as we think about God’s character, do we need to remind ourselves of the extent of God’s mercy? The answer is, because of our need of it.
3. The third thing Mercy does - It is available to all.
Hebrews 4:16 says - Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
More precisely in this passage, it is available to all who call to God. You know, our doctrine and theology is very important. We must not neglect it.
But in all the arguments and discussions about all sorts of doctrines, who is right, who is wrong, we all got it messed up and we sometimes lose sight of the fact that the offer of God’s mercy is free and available to all.
Brothers and sisters. Let us not limit God’s mercy. If we are not careful, we can do this In our minds. In our lives and in our church life. We feel deep down that there are certain people who are somehow beyond God’s mercy. It is simply not true. It is available to all, so let us not place limit’s upon God mercy, it’s not our right to do so, that right belongs to God himself.
4. Forth thing that Mercy does for us is- It is guaranteed to us
Ephesians 1:13 says - In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
See in this passage when we become born again, we were sealed with the promise of the Holy spirit and with the Spirit we see a merciful God and we see the free and abundant mercy he showers upon us. It is guaranteed.
How refreshing therefore to hear that God’s mercy is guaranteed. Look at Psalm 86:7 which says – In the day of my trouble I will call upon You, For You will answer me.
Here we see that David is absolutely certain of God’s response. There is no question of doubt in his mind, and for us born again believers there is no doubt in our minds also, God hears us and shows us mercy.
Paul also says in Romans in 10:11 which says - "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." What this is telling us folks “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” Folks that is Mercy and it hold no bounds or limits.
See there is no difference between Jew’s and Gentile’s—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Paul is echoing Jesus’ words “whoever comes to me I will never drive away”.
In closing…..
God’s mercy is guaranteed. We need to believe in the Bible. That is the problem we have when we lack assurance. It must be – the Bible tells us that God’s mercy is assured.
We feel sometimes it is not. So what does that mean? Simply saying, We are doubting the Bible – we are unable to take God at his word. So let us see that God’s mercy is guaranteed. Wow what a God we have!
My dear friends, in Christ. Our sin is great. But God’s mercy is greater. Our sin is enormous, yet God’s mercy is boundless.
Our sin drives a wedge between ourselves and God, yet God’s mercy is freely available to all who call on him and comes with a solid, lifetime guarantee.
So call on him. Whether you have never done so before or not. However long you have followed him, appeal and call on his mercy today.
“A debtor to mercy alone, of covenant mercy I sing, nor fear, with your righteousness on, my person and offering to bring, the terrors of law and of God, with me can have nothing to do, my Saviours obedience and blood, hide all my transgressions from view”
“Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace we are saved.
It was God who raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
All of this because Mercy walked in while we were in court facing the Judge, folks that is what Mercy does when it walks in.
Amen
