I. EXORDIUM:
Have you been merciful to someone else? Have you received mercy? Mercy or just sympathy? (w/ no action to help)
II. AUDIENCE PROFILE:
General believers
III. OBJECTIVES:
To show GOD's mercy is much better than our mercies.
IV. TEXT:
Deuteronomy 4:31
For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the solemn covenant he made with your ancestors.
Pray that GOD will show us His Mercy in full power.
V. THESIS:
GOD is merciful, He will not abandon, destroy or forget us.
VI. TITLE:
Merciful GOD
VII. EXPLICATION:
A. Author: Moses
B. Keyword: Remember
C. Name: derived from two Greek words: "deuteros" - second, "nomos" - law
D. Key Thought: divine requirement of obedience (Deuteronomy 10:12-13)
Deuteronomy 10:12-13
12 “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul.13 And you must always obey the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good.
E. Main Theme: Rehearsal of the laws proclaimed at Sinai, call to obedience, reviews of the experiences of the old generation.
VIII. MAIN BODY:
A. GOD will not abandon us.
1. Illustration: Abandon ship
2. GOD will not abandon His people (Nehemiah 9:19,31)
Nehemiah 9:19,31
19 “But in your great mercy you did not abandon them to die in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud still led them forward by day, and the pillar of fire showed them the way through the night.
31 But in your great mercy, you did not destroy them completely or abandon them forever. What a gracious and merciful God you are!
B. GOD will not destroy us.
1. He gives us life (John 10:10)
John 10:10
The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
2. He does not deal with us as we deserve (Psalms 103:10)
Psalms 103:10
He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
C. GOD will not forget us.
1. GOD will not forget our hard work. (Hebrews 6:10)
Hebrews 6:10
For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do.
2. GOD will not forget us like a mother forgets (Isaiah 49:15)
Isaiah 49:15
“Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne?
IX. CONCLUSION:
Deuteronomy 4:31 - Cling to His Mercies.
Deuteronomy 4:31
For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the solemn covenant he made with your ancestors.
