2023.07.09.Sermon.The Heart of the LORD - Have Mercy
William Akehurst, HSWC
I was reflecting on the “Walk through the Bible” study we did a few years back, when we recognized the 1st three kings over Israel, and the words and hand motions to describe each.
King Saul had no heart for the LORD
King David had a full heart for the LORD
King Solomon had half a heart for the LORD.
We should be like David, with our hearts FULLY FOR THE LORD. “Pursuing GOD's Heart”. Sounds like a good title for a series…
LORD HAVE MERCY!
Pursuing GOD’s Heart – Reflecting HIS Mercy
BIG IDEA: The heart of the LORD is about Mercy towards us, and as HE gives mercy, we are also to be merciful to others. We love, because HE first loved us. We forgive, because HE first forgave us. We have mercy because HE first was merciful to us.
Scriptures: Psalm 103:8, Luke 10:25-37, Matthew 22 :36-40, Matthew 5:7, Hebrews 4:14-16, Luke 6:27-36, Proverbs 11:17, Matthew 6:22-23, Romans 4:4, James 2:13, Micah 6:8, Colossians 3:12-15, Matthew 15:18, Matthew 7:1-2
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
Luke 10:25-37
25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”
27 So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and your neighbor as yourself.’ ”
28 And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.”
29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ 36 So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”
37 And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
Portions adapted from “The Heart of the LORD” – by John Parsons
Psalm 103:8 “Merciful and gracious is the LORD, longsuffering and full of love” (Hebrew Translation)
The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love.
Psalms 103:8 (NKJV) 8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
It’s been said that grace is getting what you don’t deserve, whereas mercy is not getting what you deserve. Yeshua said, Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy. Matthew 5:7
Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.
This is not a reciprocal principle like “karma” (the Buddhist teaching that you supposedly get in return what you first give).
NO, instead, we have received of the LORD, that which we are to give.
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 11:23 "For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you:"
Matthew 22:36-40
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
COMING TO THE THONE OF GRACE TO OBTAIN MERCY AND GRACE
Hebrews 4:14-16
14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 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.
WE RECEIVE OF THE LORD OUT OF HIS ABUNDANCE: LOVE, FORGIVENESS, GRACE and MERCY. FROM THAT ABUNDANCE, WE SHOULD OVERFLOW TO THOSE WE ENCOUNTER (OUR NEIGHBORS).
BUT NOT JUST TO THOSE WE KNOW AND LOVE!
BEING MERCIFUL: LOVE, BLESS, PRAY, GIVE, BE MERCIFUL
Luke 6:27-36
27 “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. 29 To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. 31 And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.
32 “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. 36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.
MERCY, IT DOES YOUR BODY GOOD
Proverbs 11:17 The merciful man does good for his own soul,
But he who is cruel troubles his own flesh.
We cannot obtain GOD’s mercy as a reward for our own presumed merit. Romans 4:4 (NKJV) 4 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.
Romans 4:4 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.
To the contrary, we are able to extend mercy to others when we are made merciful, that is, when we receive mercy from GOD – we become “full of mercy”. After all, we can’t give away what we don’t have. So, if we have no mercy for others, it is likely that we have not received it ourselves, as the Parable of the Good Samaritan reveals Luke 10:25-37
Your forgiveness is your forgiveness: as you forgive, so you reveal your heart.
OUR HEART IS REVEALED BY WHAT COMES FROM OUR MOUTH
Matthew 15:18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart…
IF THE HEART IS FOUL OR WICKED, FOUL AND WICKEDNESS WILL EMIT FROM THE HEART, TO THE THOUGHTS, ACTIONS AND SPEECH.
BUT…
IF OUR HEART IS FORGIVEN, WE WILL BE FORGIVING OF OTHERS
IF OUR HEART IS FULL OF GRACE, WE WILL BE GRACIOUS TO OTHERS
IF OUR HEART IS FULL OF LOVE, WE WILL SPEAK WORDS OF LOVE AND ENCOURAGEMENT
IF OUR HEART IS FULL OF MERCY, WE WILL BE MERCIFUL TO THOSE IN NEED
THE CHANGE TO THE HEART COMES WHEN HOLY SPIRIT RESIDES WITHIN. IT’S THE CHANGE THAT BEGINS IN US, WHEN WE SURRENDER OUR HEART TO JESUS.
What you do comes from what you are, not the other way around. We are first transformed by God's grace and then comes works of love. We are able to judge others mercifully, with the “good eye” (Matthew 6:22), because we come to believe that we are beloved by God.
Matthew 6:22-23
22 “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
HAVE YOU EVER LOOKED SOMEONE IN THE EYE AND SENSED A DARKNESS WITHIN THEM?
HAVE YOU EVER LOOKED SOMEONE IN THE EYE AND NOTICED A LIGHT WITHIN THEM?
LIGHT OVERCOMES DARKNESS, AND THERE IS A PATTERN OF TRANSITION THAT OCCURS WHEN WE SURRENDER OUR HEART TO THE PRESENCE OF HIS SPIRIT.
What is this Pattern of Transition?
• First, you realize that you are broken and impoverished of heart - therefore you mourn over your sinful condition.
• Next, you hunger and thirst for God's righteousness, healing, and deliverance.
You also learn to trust God's mercy- that is, you accept that you are accepted despite your unacceptability.
• Finally, you begin to show yourself merciful – you learn to “suffer yourself” and forgive your own evil, and you also extend this mercy to others who are hurting around you.
When we don't extend mercy or demand our “rights” and hold on to grudges, it implies that we relate to God as Judge rather than as Savior. James 2:13.
MERCY TRIUMPHS OVER JUDGMENT
James 2:13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
Matthew 7:1-2
1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.
If we condemn what we see in others, we have yet to truly see what is within our own hearts-we have yet to see a desperate need for God's mercy and our own lives. If you don't own your own sin, your sin will own you.
Being merciful is our response to God's love. Therefore, showing mercy is essential to genuine (teshuvah) repentance. Ask the LORD to help you let go of the pain of the past by being full of mercy towards yourself and others.
WHAT IS REQUIRED?
Micah 6:8 He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the LORD require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?
PUT ON TENDER MERCIES
Colossians 3:12-15 (NKJV)
12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;
13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.
FATHER, we come before YOU knowing that YOU have been merciful to us. We praise YOU in YOUR lovingkindness, YOUR forgiveness, grace and mercy toward us. Instruct and teach us in all of these things, and of YOUR mercy, that we may show mercy towards others. Forgive our shortcomings, and guide us in all truth, in JESUS Name, Amen.
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,
Bill
