Digging
Deep No. 83
Topic: The Mercy of God |
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INTRODUCTION: Mercy is underserved
favour, that which causes you to help someone who has
no claim to your help or to show kindness to someone
who has no claim for it and without the ability to repay
you. The mercies of God are great, II Samuel 24:14,
and while the world gave His Son a crown of thorns,
he gave them a crown of mercies, Psalms 103:4. Of course,
there is no comparison between the mercies of God and
that of a sinner: the nearest word to “mercy”
in the book of the sinners is “cruelty”
Proverbs 12:10.
1. MERCY IS ONE OF THE TREASURES OF GOD: Mercy
is one of the precious things in the treasury of God:
He has it in abundance. Infact His mercy is so plenteous
it fills the whole earth and goes beyond the heavens
in height. And as far as those who fear Him are concerned,
the mercy of God upon them is forever, Ephesians 2:4,
Psalms 119:64, Psalms 103:11, Psalms 106:1, Luke 1:50,
Psalms 89:28, Psalms 103:17.
2. WE LIVE PHYSICALLY AND SPIRITUALLY ONLY BECAUSE GOD
IS MERCIFUL: To keep us alive, God has to renew
His mercy day by day, because none of us really deserve
to live because of our numerous sins. But He enjoys
being merciful and hence forgives easily. None of us
deserved to be saved and live eternally but for the
mercy of God. Furthermore, because He is plenteous in
mercy, it takes a lot of provocation of really make
God angry. Lamentation 3:22-23, Mich. 7:18, Titus 3:5,
Psalms 103:8.
3. THE LAW OF HARVEST EXTENDS TO MERCY TOO: SOW MERCY,
REAP MERCY: It pays to be merciful. Mercy has
its rewards just like wickedness does. Mercy obeys the
law of harvest: if you sow mercy, you will reap mercy.
If you show no mercy you will receive none. Each time
you let offences committed against you go unrevenged
you will inherit a blessing. Besides, being merciful
is a sign that you are a true Son of God. Proverbs 11:17,
Matthew 5:7, II Samuel 22:25, James 2:13, I Peter 3:9,
Luke 6:36.
4. GOD’S MERCY IS NOT TO ENCOURAGE SINNERS BUT
REPENTANCE: One unfortunate thing is that men
often misunderstand the mercy of God, mistaking it for
license to do more evil. That God’s merciful does
not mean that he tolerates sin. He does not punish immediately
we sin because He is patiently waiting for us to repent.
Those who refuse to repent will pay the necessary penalty
and the fact they abused the great mercies of God will
add remorse to their agonies in hell, but those who
return to Him in penitence shall obtain abundant mercy.
Eccl. 8:11, Eccl. 34:6-7, Joel 2:13, II Pet. 3:9, Proverbs
11:21, Proverbs 16:5, Proverbs 19:5, Hebrews 2:3, II
Chronicles 30:8-9.
5. GOD’S THRONE IS CALLED “MERCY SEAT”
NOT “POWER SEAT”: An example of
the immensity of the mercy of God is illustrated in
the story of Sodom and Gomorrah: God is willing to spare
two sin drenched cities for the sake of only ten people.
Another example is in His dealing with Lot and His family:
they were literally dragged into safety. No wonder the
throne of God is called mercy-seat not the holy-seat
or the power seat, Gen.18:26-32, Gen.19:5, Ezra 9:13,
Neh.9:16-17, 31, I kings 21:29, Exodus 25:17, Number
7:89.
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