MERCY REWROTE MY LIFE (SERMON)
Luke 6 36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.
I’LL ASK THE QUESTION THIS MORNING, WHAT IS MERCY, HOW DO WE GET MERCY TO MOVE ON OUR BEHALF
Mercy is a love that responds to human need in an unexpected or unmerited way.
At its core, mercy is forgiveness. The Bible speaks of God’s love for sinners – that is, for all of us. But the Bible also relates mercy to other qualities beyond love and forgiveness. Mercy is beyond our understanding. Because God’s wrath and mercy met at the cross, we can be transformed and made fit for eternity thru His mercy.
So, how can we begin to understand the true meaning of mercy?
THERE ARE SEVERAL STORIES IN THE BIBLE THAT I COULD SPEAK ON THIS MORNING BUT LEST I BE BEFORE YOU TOO LONG I WANT TO SPEAK OF A FEW PPL IN THE BIBLE THAT GOD REWROTE THEIR LIFE STORIES WITH A PEN DIPPED IN THE BLOOD, MERCY REWROTE MY LIFE
I could look in the beginning at Adam and Eve how they messed up in the garden of Eden, and instead of God destroying them both and starting over God has a pen and a plan. We first learn of God’s mercy in the story of Adam and Eve, when they disobeyed God order not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, when God found a hiding Adam, He didn’t kill them instead God covered their shame with the skins of a sacrificed animal, because anytime there is sin there has to be a sacrifice of atonement to cover, in one day they lost both of their sons, that could have destroyed them but mercy gave them Seth (instead) Seth means instead, in other words instead of weeping I’m gonna give you a reason to continue to live, a nation has come out of you, you can’t throw in the towel, mercy is still writing your story
From the beginning of time God took out the pen of mercy because He knew because of what Adam and Eve did in the garden He knew we would need plenty of mercy, why because we were born in sin and shaped in iniquity, we needed mercy to rewrite our lives why because we born with this condition called sin
It’s mercy that put the mark on Cain so no one would hurt him after he murdered his younger brother Abel, he deserved damnation but God showed mercy instead
I saw Mercy standing over Noah as he laid drunk naked on the ground after God spared him and his family life from the flood, Mercy said to his son don’t look at him, walk backwards until you get to him and cover him, there’s another generation coming thru his seed, God said I gotta replenish the earth again so mercy kept writing
It was mercy that delivered Lot out of Sodom and Gomorrah after he took the best and left, and gave all the leftover to Abraham, mercy went down to Sodom and lead them out when everyone else was destroyed, he deserved to die just like the rest of the people but mercy just kept writing, because some of us is saved because who we are connected to, come on somebody, you know we done, done some stuff that could have killed us or gotten us locked up but because who we were connected to, come on now, we got children that should have been dead a long time ago, but it was the mercy of God that said no
It was mercy that wrestle with Jacob all night until the morning, until he prevailed and declared I won’t let you go until you bless me, Jacob should have been cut off for the things he had done, but instead mercy said I’ll just pulled the hollow of his thigh as a reminder that he wrestled with God, he walked with a limp but he has a new strength to face the brother who he had wronged. I believe Jacob new song would have been He touched me He touched me and all the joy that floods my soul, something happened and now I know He touched me and made me whole, why because Jesus rewrote my life
I looked a little further and saw Moses standing at the burning bush after years of hiding from pharaoh because he killed an Egyptian, Moses could have remained where he was working for his father in-law Jethro but Mercy starting writing, it ain’t over God said I pulled you out the water so that you can pull my people out of bondage, God said I’m calling you to be a deliverer, and I’m still writing your story
Then I went down to King David house, this man after God’s own heart. He’s a giant slayer, he’s a King, he danced before the Lord right out of his clothes, he’s an adulterer, he’s a murderer, when God exposed him he cried out to God in the 51st division of Psalm, he said God create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me, anybody on this line ever had an experience with the Holy spirit? He said whatever you do Lord don’t, take everything I have but don’t take your spirit away from me, God didn’t take his crown and he didn’t take his life, Mercy just kept writing his story, I can’t let you fail my Son is coming thru your bloodline
I found Peter outside weeping because he just denied his savior, he’s weeping bitterly, his heart is heavy, no doubt he may have thought of doing what Judas did and hang himself, but mercy said no Peter, you are still the rock that I will build my church on, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it, I meant it when I said go tell my disciples, I wish I had a bible reader on this line, and Peter to meet me in Galilee, I need you here to ask you if you love me more than these, then to feed my sheep
I’m about thru but I found Saul heading to Damascus to have my disciples arrested and killed, I saw you when you held the coat of the ones that stoned Stephen, I saw it, when everyone else saw a murderer I saw a chosen vessel. Mercy said less he get beside himself let me give him a thorn to keep him humble, and don’t ask me to remove it because my grace is sufficient, and you’re going be strong when you’re at your weakest
Grace kept writing, when you come to the end of your journey grace will allow you to say (I fought a good fight and I kept the faith)
I can remember a time in my life when I was broken, sad, could seem to get it together, I came home one day and I fell on my face before the Lord, and I cried out to God, and He took me to the book of Jerimiah 5-1 Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart;
At that very moment mercy rewrote my life, whatever plans I thought I had for my life mercy said no, before I formed you I knew you
Mercy kept writing and he took me to Jerimiah 29 -11
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Why because Mercy rewrote my life
Let me encourage somebody on this line, if it seems like every time you try to do things your way and you’re constantly being pulled in another direction and you just can’t seem to get it together, and you find yourself struggling to keep living the way you used to live
Let me tell you that’s the pen dipped in blood called Mercy is rewriting your life
Hallelujah! Something on the inside working on the outside brought about a change in my life, this song was written by pastor Jimmy Swaggart
For years I traveled a road all wrong,? my heart had lost every joy, oh every song? till grace placed me right where I belong?
When mercy rewrote my life
I could have fallen my soul cast down
But mercy rewrote my life
My mistakes God turned into miracles, ?Every tears was turned into joy? My sins, forgiven, a new name oh was written
When mercy rewrote my life…
