SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES
(Lamentations 3:22-23) (22) "It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not." (23) "They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."
(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."
(Ephesians 2:4-5) (4) "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us," (5) " Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved"
(Micah 7:18-19) (18) "Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy." (19) "He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea."
PROLOGUE
This message came about as I thought about everything we encounter on life's journey. It seems as though we are being prepared for something greater, something that is somewhere in our future. Therefore, when I see the innocent suffer and the wicked prosper, I catch myself with a prayer on my lips, asking God, How am I, as your preacher, going to make you look good to someone in need? You were not there for the family of Lazarus when they were in desperate need, and you missed the wake when he died.
As I pondered this in my heart, I remember being taught that there is a God of this world and he is called Satan the deceiver, the accuser and the master of lies but Saints, we let me tell you that we have an awesome creator who loves us more than we could ever imagine, for he proved it in sending his Son to die that awful death on that old rugged cross to defeat Satan the master deceiver stripping him of his authority over death, hell and the grave.
God's love demonstrates his mercy in giving his Son Jesus to die in our place, and beloved, his mercy can be seen in the old, rugged cross. All our songs, praise, prayers, communion, preaching, and giving, including all of our worship, reflect the mercy of God, which can be seen in Jesus Christ the Son.
Behind this universe stands an awesome, powerful God who sits on his throne. If we look there, we will not find warring spirits attempting to overthrow him, for he is all powerful and majestic, beloved, because he is the judge and ruler over all creation, and when we catch a glimpse of who he is and of his holy character, realizing that it is what separates him from all other things because he is not dependent upon what has been created to sustain him. Still, all things created, both seen and unseen, must depend upon him for their continued existence.
In summary, let me say that God exists beyond the confines of space and time, unbound by their limitations. His nature transcends the physical universe, allowing Him to operate in a realm beyond human comprehension. In His infinite greatness, God has no equal; His power is absolute and unparalleled. He governs all creation with authority and wisdom, inspiring awe and reverence in all who seek to understand His divine presence.
"A LOOK AT THE GOD OF MERCY."
In this message, we will explore the profound attributes of God that not only distinguish Him as supreme majesty but also establish Him as the ultimate judge of the universe. These divine attributes highlight His unparalleled wisdom, boundless love, and perfect justice, which play crucial roles in shaping our understanding of His purpose in our lives and His influence on the cosmos.
By examining His omnipotence, we acknowledge that God is all-powerful, capable of effecting anything within and beyond creation according to His will and purpose. His omniscience reveals that He is all-knowing, possessing complete and infinite knowledge of past, present, and future events, as well as the thoughts and intentions of every individual. Finally, His omnipresence emphasizes that He is present everywhere at all times, transcending the limitations of space and time.
Together, these attributes provide profound insight into how God's divine qualities intricately influence our lives and shape the natural order of the world around us. Among these qualities is His remarkable willingness and desire to extend mercy, reflecting His infinite compassion and love for humanity.
God’s mercy is not merely an act of kindness; it serves as a guiding principle that fosters forgiveness, restoration, and hope, encouraging us to embody these virtues in our own lives. By understanding and embracing this aspect of God’s character, we gain a clearer perspective on our relationship with the divine and our responsibilities toward one another in our everyday interactions.
While praying over this message, I recall a story about missionaries who visited a tribal country and were welcomed with open arms. The missionaries could not understand why the natives were so friendly until they found one who could speak broken English. The native explained that before their arrival, their gods were crafted by their own hands, failing to protect them from disease and the dangerous tigers that roamed at night.
The native informed the missionaries that one day, their chief was in the field and noticed the beauty of the noonday sun, which led him to ponder the existence of a special creator behind that beauty, from whom everything depends for life.
The natives recounted that the chief returned to the village, gathered everyone together, and commanded them to discard their useless idols and pray to the God behind the sun. It wasn’t long before they noticed that the people were no longer getting sick, and the tigers no longer prowled their village at night.
They mentioned that it didn’t take long for the tribal chief to call another meeting. He instructed the villagers to pray to the God behind the sun, asking that He would send someone to reveal His name to them. Thus, when the missionaries preached about Jesus, they were excited to learn His name.
In His mercy, God showed kindness to this tribe that rejected their handmade idols and sent missionaries across the world to share the greatest news on earth with a people who did not know their left hand from their right.
In summary, the chief recognized that what they had been worshipping was not beneficial and began to seek a greater power. After God had touched their village and the missionaries preached Jesus to them, they came to understand that nothing is more powerful than the name of Jesus, except for God's Holy Word, which He honors above His name.
"WHAT IS MERCY?"
I want to open this part of the message by posing a critical question, especially when we are faced with choices that affect the lives of others: "Do we approach our decision-making with the awareness that a living God reigns on His throne, guiding our actions and choices, or do we mistakenly assume that we are in His position, making ourselves the ultimate authority?"
This question invites us to reflect on the source of our wisdom and the importance of humility in our leadership. It encourages us to consider the impact of our decisions on those around us and to seek divine guidance rather than relying solely on our limited understanding.
We have all heard several hospitals advertise as a hospital of mercy, and more than one has chosen to use Mercy Hospital as a name, placing large signs near their establishment in the hopes of attracting business. What is mercy, and why would a hospital choose to use that word as a name?"
1. Mercy is showing compassion or forbearance to someone, especially an offender.
2. Mercy is a blessing that is an act of divine favor or compassion.
3. Mercy would be the court imposing imprisonment rather than death for murder.
Our Christian life has God’s mercy as its foundation because God loved and showed mercy in the giving of his Son Jesus for our sins; therefore, all our songs, messages, prayers, praise, and our giving of worship reflect upon the mercy of God that can be seen in Jesus Christ, his Son.
Church, because of the mercy of God that I have experienced when I should have received justice, my whole life is one of worship, in total surrender to him, his cause, his purpose, and his kingdom.
(Matthew 5:7) "Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy."
Forgiveness and mercy are central aspects of God's love, extended to those who may feel unworthy of such grace. Regardless of their past mistakes or shortcomings, God offers compassion and the opportunity for redemption, illustrating the profound concept that no one is beyond hope or renewal.
The first work of a Christian should be to show mercy, for the scriptures teach that those who are merciful shall be shown mercy. Just as we need God’s mercy every day, we need to extend mercy to others.
In conclusion, let me say that, “God loves us and desires to see us grow in his kingdom. He promised never to leave us but to go all the way with us, even to the end of the world. Now, that’s a God we can trust in.”
"UNDERSTANDING THE MERCY OF GOD."
Did you know we can find mercy in God's amazing transforming grace? The believer rooted in grace has learned how to enter God’s rest. We can find peace knowing Christ died for us while we were yet sinners.
When we accept God’s plan of salvation, we receive His righteousness. We become God's children when we hear and respond to the gospel message of Jesus's death, burial, and resurrection (John 3:16).
By embracing the cross of Christ and turning from our sin, while allowing Him to take charge of our lives, we are baptized into His death and raised to a new life, just as He was raised.
When we approach God's mercy seat, His wonderful grace liberates us from sin and the law's curse, enabling this mighty, powerful being to dwell within us through His Holy Spirit, our comforter and guide. We will find that our nature has transformed, and the things we once despised have become what we now cherish.
The world has God's peace, but we who are saved have peace with Him because we have been cleansed by the blood of God’s precious lamb, which grounds us in his grace for the beloved. We who know him as Lord have experienced his grace sustaining us through the pressures of life, like the impurities being removed as they are filtered through a strainer.
Grace and mercy are complementary aspects of God's character. Grace provides us with what we do not merit- such as forgiveness and salvation- while mercy shows us what we rightfully deserve: punishment for our sins. This interplay underscores the profound nature of God’s love for humankind. Psalm 86:5 expresses that God is rich in mercy, eager to forgive those who seek Him.
Under the old covenant, God would accept the blood of a sinless animal to put their sins forward for another year which was a shadow of the blood of Jesus which through his death would fulfill all the requirements of the law and clear the record of man’s debt for sin for we find God in his word saying that he that knew no sin was made sin for us? (2 Corinthians 5:21)
This reminds me of the people who disguised themselves with old clothes with old wine skins to make Joshua think they had come from a far country. They were in the land that God had instructed Joshua to conquer and realized that they had a death sentence upon them. They realized they were on the wrong side; after all, they had heard how the God of Joshua had caused the mighty walls of Jericho to fall and crumble under his mighty power.
Could these people have heard about the Jordan River departing and rising as much as fifteen feet high to allow the priests to carry the ark of God across on dry ground? One thing is certain: They understood that they were no match for this mighty God of the Israelites.
They might have to become slaves, but they knew they had to make a covenant with Joshua that they might live. The plan worked, and the covenant was made before Joshua discovered he had been deceived. The penalty was to provide their young men with labor, chop wood, and do errands for the priests, but they did not care because they were on the right side.
Because of the fall of Adam, the entire human race had lost its fellowship with a Holy God who hates sin, and we were destined to find death. Still, God provided us a substitute in the giving of his Son to be tried, convicted, and executed in our place.
Like Adam, Jesus possessed God's pure blood rather than the blood of Joseph. This divine lineage endowed him with a unique sanctity that distinguished him as the perfect sacrifice. His pure blood symbolized the complete absence of sin, making him the ideal atonement for humanity's transgressions.
Through his ultimate sacrifice, Jesus aimed to eradicate not only sin but also the associated penalty of death, achieving a transformative redemption for all believers once and for all.
When we examine the brazen altar more closely, we recognize the implications of the law, which ultimately refer to our mortality and the consequences of sin. This altar represents the weight of the law and the unavoidable judgment it imposes upon humanity.
When we focus on God's mercy seat, we observe the transformative, life-changing power of the Holy Spirit. Here, we see a profound demonstration of grace and redemption, revealing that the requirements of the law have been completely fulfilled in Christ. Through His sacrifice, the burden of our guilt and the threat of death are lifted, offering us hope and reconciliation with God.
No longer does the blood of innocent animals make forgiveness and reconciliation possible before a living God who hates sin. Still, at God’s seat of mercy, we can view the constant stream of pure agape love flowing from God the Father through Jesus, His Son, to all humanity.
At God's seat of mercy, He makes atonement for our sins through the finished work of His Son, Jesus Christ. It is also where He begins reconciling fallen man back to Himself so that we might be called sons and daughters of the Most-High God.
God's mercy provides profound hope by assuring believers of His unfailing love and compassion. It is a foundation for their faith, encouraging them to trust in His promises and approach Him confidently for assistance. By understanding this divine attribute, individuals can find the strength and motivation to navigate life’s challenges with renewed vigor.
We must recognize that we are all flawed people dependent on God’s kindness rather than our righteousness. Acknowledging our need for grace and mercy fosters humility. Just as God extends mercy to us through His grace, we are called to extend mercy to others. Understanding that we have received undeserved favor should motivate us to act compassionately towards those struggling or suffering.
In summary, Matthew 5:7 states, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. " To better summarize this verse, we can say, "Blessed are those who extend mercy to others, for in their kindness and compassion, they shall receive mercy in full measure. Through their willingness to forgive and show understanding, they illuminate the path to grace and healing, creating a cycle of goodwill that nourishes both the giver and the receiver."
My Conclusion
It is so sad that the world around us still centers upon satisfying its selfish fleshly ambitions saying “see what I have done and accomplished, screaming that nobody can tell me what to do,” but beloved, does not God in his word tell us that the nation that forgets God, shall be turned into hell. That is what we have today in our streets. It is not uncommon in today’s world to pick up a newspaper and read about a young thirteen-year-old boy taking someone's life without thinking twice about it.
This fallen world refuses to bow and give thanks & glory to God choosing instead to worship created things pursuing fleshly pleasures, sometimes at the expense of others, perverting God’s laws by trying to become righteous in attempting to keep the laws instead of putting their trust in his finished work which he wrought in Christ through the death of His cross and resurrection. These worldly people rely on themselves to be their own savior when we all know that God’s word says "our righteousness in his eyes, is as filthy rags."
We are now entering a time of spiritual cleansing. Are we all becoming equal? In the body of Christ, there are no “big I’s” and no “little U’s.” We are also entering a time of spiritual cleansing. The Holy Spirit is prepared to work in conditions of unity and harmony, where everyone flows together in their gifts.
We each have a lot to fill in God’s eternal plan and purpose, and nobody else can do what we were chosen to do; therefore, there can be no place for jealousy in our ranks. God needs all kinds of people to reach all the different cultures and ethnic groups in our world; therefore, we need to start caring for one another and quit being selfish and isolated, for there is strength in numbers.
Every moment we have on this planet is a precious gift from God. He wants us to manage our time and invest it in something worthwhile because it can never be recovered once a second is gone. Therefore, let us redeem time for the evil days are now upon us.
In conclusion, let us practice extending mercy and forgiveness to become valuable vessels in the Lord’s vineyard by learning to practice extending mercy and forgiveness, for in doing so, we will release ourselves to become valuable vessels in the Lord’s vineyard. One day, we will hear him say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord."
International Evangelist
Jerry W. Hulse Ph.D.
Miracle Life Church International
