UNDERSTANDING THE MYSTERY OF MERCY!
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”.
The phrase “help in time of need” means that you get healing when you are sick, provisions when you are in lack, restoration when your relationship with a loved one breaks down, and favour when news of job cuts or bad prospects are rife.
“6 The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ 27 Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.
28 “But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ 30 And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. 31 So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. 32 Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33 Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?" Matthew 18:26-33.
This servant owed the Master 10,000 talents—a large amount, likely in the range of millions of dollars or beyond in today's value. Normally, the servant would be cast into prison and his family sold into slavery until all was paid. But when the servant begged the Master to have mercy on him, "moved with compassion," he forgave the entire debt! The forgiven servant then found one who owed him 100 denarii or about $15. This petty debtor begged for additional time to pay off the debt, but the servant, without mercy, had him jailed until all was paid. The Master's other servants heard of this and told the king.
We can learn several lessons from this parable:
1. Our sins are very great.
2. God by His Mercy has forgiven them all.
3. By comparison to the offenses we have committed against God, our brothers and sisters offenses against us are small.
4. We should be so appreciative of being forgiven that we freely forgive others.
5. If we do not forgive, God is justified in not forgiving us.
"9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy."
1 Peter 2:9-10.
As Israel was, we the believers or the church of God are also a chosen race. Unlike Israel, though, we are not a race in the sense of our family, ethnicity, skin colour, or country of origin. We are a spiritual race, in the sense that, in Christ, we share a single spiritual Father. This special privilege came about as a result of God's Mercy.
The mercy of God is very important and essential in the life of every believer and it’s a must to understand it. Mercy is part of God’s innate nature. Deut. 4:31. It's when God shows up in the life of an individual and He causes His face to shine into His heart.
POINTS TO NOTE ABOUT MERCY:
1. God’s mercy is a gift; it is not something we merit or earned.
When this Mercy is released, forgiveness, healing, deliverance and restoration also comes. Mercy elevates one beyond skill and efforts.
2. Mercy is good will toward the afflicted, joined with a desire to relieve them.
“When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” Matthew 14:14. The word “compassion” means that Jesus was so moved that His stomach churned, for the crowd. Jesus saw the need of the people and He went into action to solve their problem. Mercy moves God to act.
3. Mercy is God’s ministry to the miserable. Nehemiah 9:28.
4. Our salvation is brought about by God's act of Mercy.
"he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit." Titus 3:5.
Whenever you come into God’s presence, you don’t have to be afraid that your sins will be exposed because the Blood of Jesus has removed every one of them. God does not see even one speck of sin in us because He sees only the blood of His Son, which has been shed for our total forgiveness and acceptance.
ESCAPE FROM THE PRISON OF GUILT:
There are two kinds of guilt: 1. The Righteous Guilt. 2. The Unrighteous Guilt.
THE RIGHTEOUS GUILT: It's God's way of warning us to repent and turn away from our sins so He can forgives, cleanses and make us entirely guilt-free.
After we're forgiven, we should also aim for a clear conscience by walking in humility and repentance towards those around us. We should be sure to seek forgiveness and to forgive. God's always ready to give us another chance.
Once you confess your sins to God, He not only crosses through them but He blots them out; He erases them completely and forever.
UNRIGHTEOUS GUILT: At times, the enemy of our soul, Satan the accuser (Revelation 12:10), uses guilt to keep us from in slavery. He will bring to your mind memories from your past about some of the terrible things you have done. Satan will say, “How will you make Heaven after you have done that?” These accusations leave us feeling as if God has not forgiven us. This kind of guilt, a guilt that does not leave even after we repent and turn to Jesus for cleansing, is not from God.
Guilt can be a merciless taskmaster. It destroys confidence, damages relationships, keeps you living in the past, and even hurts your health.
God doesn’t want us living with heavy guilt. He wants far better for us than that. Admit to God you’ve made a mistake. It doesn’t surprise Him. And it won’t change His perception of you. I hope you’ll take this step today.
When you do, here’s what you can expect from God:
1. God forgives instantly. The very moment you admit your sin to God, He forgives you.
2. God forgives freely. You don’t need to earn it, and you will never deserve it.
3. God forgives completely. He wipes your sin absolutely clean.
In John 19:30 when Jesus said, "It is finished," He paid the price in full. Whenever Satan comes to reminds you of past sins you have committed, remind him of the future destination. Cancel every negative thoughts with the Word of God. You're forgiven! No more records of your sins. Receive your deliverance from satanic condemnation today. Jesus has paid it all. His payment is final. His payment is complete. And the best part is that His payment is forever. To stay mired in guilt and regret wastes His sacrifice.
"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who[a] do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." Romans 8:1.
“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” John 8:36.
5. A lot of people who approached Jesus Christ when He walked the earth pleaded with Him for Mercy.
Matthew 20:30-33. "30 Two blind men were sitting beside the road. When they heard that Jesus was coming that way, they began shouting, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” 31 “Be quiet!” the crowd yelled at them. But they only shouted louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” 32 When Jesus heard them, he stopped and called, “What do you want me to do for you?” 33 “Lord,” they said, “we want to see!” 34 Jesus felt sorry for them and touched their eyes. Instantly they could see! Then they followed him."
Matthew 17:15. “Lord, have mercy on my son. He has seizures and suffers terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water."
5. It is not enough to receive God’s mercy, we must be transformed by it.
Luke 17:11-13.
"11 As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. 12 As he entered a village there, ten lepers stood at a distance, 13 crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. 15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” 16 He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.”
Ten men cried out for God’s mercy. These ten men were afflicted by leprosy, a disease that effectively made them to be outcasts. The disease itself was horrible: it bleached the hair white, a dry peeling skin, and sores and swellings all over the body. Leprosy caused the body to deteriorate from the outside. In addition to the physical effects, victims were also social rejects, outcasts and castaways.
The word leper means "one who is stricken", which support the belief that the disease was a divine judgement. Lepers were to leave their outer garment torn as a sign of mourning, and to call out constantly as they walk “unclean, unclean!” While they were allowed to live in open villages, they were never allowed to get too close to a clean person, nor greeting them. The life of a leper was a lonely and depressing one. They were sent barred from all human contact including families or friends. These ten lepers may have lived together in their pain and misery, but somehow they heard that the Messiah was passing by and perhaps they had heard He could cure all manners of diseases. So when He enters the village they broke protocol, by running to meet Him.
The ten lepers cried out for Mercy. They received and benefited from it. Sadly, only one came back to appreciate. Only he was restored and transformed. Are we benefiting from God's mercy only or we are being transformed by it?
6. We are the instruments of God’s mercy here on earth.
By showing mercy in a critical world we are becoming Jesus to people.
Five ways we can show mercy and compassion to others?
a. Love mercy.
"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?" Micah 6:8.
b. Show mercy.
“Thus says the Lord of hosts:
‘Execute true justice,
Show mercy and compassion
Everyone to his brother." Zechariah 7:9.
c. Respond to mercy.
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service." Romans 12:1.
d. Wear mercy as a garment.
"Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;" Colossians 3:12.
e. Our ministry must flow from mercy.
"Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart." 2 Corinthians 4:1.
We must avoid a critical spirit, that expresses itself in stinginess, unforgiveness, bitter, condemning, judgemental, selfish, greedy, fault-finding, and castigating attitudes.
7. Mercy is to withhold a deserved punishment.
8. Mercy is to be patient with people.
James 3:17. The wiser you become, the more patient and merciful you become.
9. Mercy means giving people a second chance.
When somebody hurts us, we normally want to get even or write that person off. But the Bible says, “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." Ephesians 4:31-32.
10. Mercy is to do good to those who hurts you.
Mercy is giving people what they need, not what they deserve. Why should we do it? Because that’s what God does with us: "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." Luke 6:35-36.
11. Mercy means being kind to those who offend you.
We’ve got to be more interested in winning people to Christ than in winning arguments, "And on some have compassion, making a distinction; 23 but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh." Jude 1:22-23.
12. Mercy is building bridges of love to sinners.
When the Pharisees questioned why Jesus ate with tax collectors and other sinners, Jesus said, “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance." Matthew 9:13.
13. Mercy means valuing relationships over rules.
Romans 13:10 says, “Love does no harm to a neighbour; therefore love is the fulfilment of the law.” We must put people before policies.
14. Mercy overlooks our errors.
15. Mercy cleans up a broken vessel for Grace to fill it up.
16. Mercy looks beyond our past, mistakes and faults.
17. Wherever Mercy goes Grace follows.
Grace means that you get the good things that you don’t deserve, such as forgiveness, new beginnings, health, protection, anointing, favour, good success and life more abundant. But, until Mercy draws you near, you’re never entitled to draw from Grace. Therefore, before you cry for Grace, ask for Mercy.
18. God's Mercy toward us unleashes His power on our behalf.
"11 God has spoken once,
Twice I have heard this;
That power belongs to God.
12 Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy;
For You render to each one according to his work." Psalm 62:11-12
19. Mercy and truth works together.
In John 8, an angry crowd brought a woman caught in adultery to Jesus, and His response reveals a perfect balance of truth and mercy. Although Jewish law called for stoning as the punishment for infidelity, Jesus had Mercy and removed the punishment for the woman’s sin. Yet He still upheld the truth that her actions were indeed sinful. He protected the person while upholding the principle.
20. Mercy is often tied to forgiveness. For instance, if you forgive someone who has wronged or hurt you, that would be an act of mercy.
21. Grace is something we all need, but we cannot earn or give it to others. Mercy, though, is something we need at various points in our lives, and is something we are expected to show toward others.
22. God is both a God who judges with justice, and also a God of mercy.
Justice is to uphold what is fair, decent, and right. Mercy is to be kind and forgiving.
God judges us because we are guilty. Then in His Mercy and love He comes down in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, and pays the penalty for our sins. Through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, God is both just and merciful.
23. Mercy triumphs over judgment
24. You can't earn righteousness, it is free.
25. Mercy is the prerogative of the One giving it.
"For He saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy." Romans 9:15-16.
26. Mercy brings restoration.
"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: [10] Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy." 1 Peter 2:9-10.
27. Mercy justifies.
Luke 23;39-42. The story of the two thieves. One asked for Mercy while the other protested strongly. The one who asked for Mercy entered into the Kingdom when no one gave him a chance even at the place of death. Jesus said to him – Luke 23:43, "And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in
paradise." Justification is God's gift to us.
When God justifies people, He puts a "righteous" stamp on them; He takes away their "sinful" label and replaces it with a "righteous" one.
28. Mercy grant us entrance into God's Mercy Seat. Romans 11:31-32.
In the Old Testament, there was a place where God met with His people. In Exodus 25:22, God said, “And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony...” This place was above the mercy seat of the ark of the covenant, under the wings of the two Cherubim. The psalmist calls it “the secret place of the Most High…under the shadow of the Almighty.” Once a year on the Day of Atonement, the high priest would sprinkle the blood of the sacrificed animal on the mercy seat and so make propitiation for the sins of Israel.
Today, it is not the blood of animals that makes appease for our sins, but the Holy Blood of the Son of God (Romans 3:24–25). Christ is our Mercy Seat. His blood speaks for us and puts God on our side. God does not see our sins and rebellion anymore. He sees the Blood of His Son and accepts us!
That is why we can come boldly to the Secret place of the Most High, in Christ, and feel secure that we have every right to be in God’s presence. We can come boldly to Him to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).
And because Christ, our Mercy Seat, covers us with His blood, we are under God’s protection. We are in the Secret place of the Most High, abiding under the shadow of the Almighty. Here, no evil will befall us, nor will any plague come near our dwelling (Psalm 91:9–10).
29. God does not tune His ears away from the cry of Mercy.
There can be no better place or evidence to show that God listens to the cry of Mercy than the story of Blind Bartimeaus. The crowd around shouted him down, discouraged him, stood as obstacles, and turned against him when they ought to be the one to help him but his cry of mercy was louder than all the voices of the obstacles.
30. Mercy gives you a brand new beginning.
31. Mercy guarantees the forgiveness of our sins when we confess them.
"He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy." Proverbs 28:13.
David was guilty but found God's mercy:
When David and his men were hungry, he went into the holy of holies (which only the high priests could enter once a year) and ate the hallowed bread with his men and nothing happened to them Indeed, God looked the other way. However, King Belshazzar, his lords, wives and concubines in Daniel 5:1-30 drank wine with the consecrated vessels from the temple of the house of God at Jerusalem. God chose not to be merciful and king Belshazzar was killed and his kingdom was divided.
David also deserved judgment when he committed adultery with Bathsheba and also killed her husband. But, he appealed to the mercy of God and instead of judgement received mercy. He wrote Psalm 51 during this period of his life, and verse 1 says "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy loving-kindness: according unto the multitude of Thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions."
Naaman the Syrian received God's mercy:
He was a leper who travelled to see prophet Elisha in Israel, for healing. He was instructed to go to River Jordan and wash. But he asked "Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? May I not wash in them, and be clean?" After asking, he turned and went away in a anger. However, God in His mercy overlooked his bad manners and healed him (2 Kings 5:12). Inspite of the fact that he was a Syrian, God still singled him out for healing. If God were to consider our sins, many of us would not be worthy; but He has chosen to overlook our faults and have mercy on us.
Paul (the man formerly known as Saul) also received Mercy:
Paul didn't deserve to become an Apostle of Jesus but God showed him mercy. Acts 9:13-15.
Jacob received God's mercy:
He was a liar and a trickster who didn't deserve the mercy of God. In Genesis 32:10, he said "I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands." Jacob knew he was not deserving of God's mercy.
Indeed, if God were to judge sin, who can stand before Him? The Bible says "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23.
God is the Father of mercies and His mercy is rooted in His goodness. 2 Corinthians 1:3 says "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort." He doesn't want anyone to die in sin but for us all to repent and embrace the gospel of Christ. The Bible says "we should call upon God when He is near" because a time comes when like Esau, the window of mercy might be shut.
Therefore, it is expedient to surrender your life to Jesus Christ today. Lamentations 3:22-23 says "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." We are entitled to the mercy of God because of what Jesus did. He paid the price; Jesus suffered, He was rejected so that we can be entitled to the Mercy.
Are you born again? Proverbs 28:13 says "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy." Today, the invitation is coming to you. If you have never surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, you need to do so in order to qualify for God's Mercy. God wants to avert judgment.
If you are willing to repent and surrender your life to Jesus Christ, then pray this prayer right now: LORD Jesus, I come to You right now. I know I am a sinner, please forgive me my sins. With my mouth, I declare that Jesus, from today, I accept You as the LORD of my life. Change my heart from a disobedient heart to a heart that will obey You. With my new heart, I believe that it is because of me that You came into this world; You died for my sins, take away my problems, fill me with Your Holy Spirit, write my name in the Book of Life, and make me brand new in Jesus mighty name.
PRAYER POINTS
Confession: Mark 10:47-48.
"And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me."
1. Father, I thank You for Your mercy that endures forever, in the name of Jesus.
2. Power working against the mercy of God upon my life, die, in the name of Jesus.
3. Holy Spirit, fill me afresh, in the name of Jesus.
4. Whatever will deny me access to Your Mercy, O God, remove it, in Jesus name.
5. O Lord, forgive me for the times I have been ungrateful to You, in Jesus name.
6. Holy Spirit, help me to increase my trust in God’s Word, in Jesus name.
7. Voices of guilt, doubt and condemnation, be silence now, in Jesus name.
8. Mercy of God, heal and restore me afresh, in Jesus name.
10. Thank God once again for His Mercy and for answering your prayers.
