MERCY The Key to New Beginnings

(Part II)

I.                    MERCY IS GOD’S WAY

1.     It’s Who He is

Exodus 34:5-7

⁵ Now the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. ⁶ And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, ⁷ keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”

Psalm 106:1

¹ Praise the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

Micah 7:18

¹⁸Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant…? He does not retain His anger forever because He delights in mercy.

Matthew 9:9-13

9 Jesus…saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. He said to him, "Follow Me." So he arose and followed Him. 10 As Jesus sat at the table in the house.…many tax collectors and sinners…sat down with Him…11 The Pharisees…said to His disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with…sinners?" 12 He (Jesus) said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 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."

2.     God Transforms Hearts Through Mercy

Roman 2:4

⁴ Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

a.       The Gospel means Good News

Matthew 9:33-35

³⁵ Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel (good news) of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. ³⁶ But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.

b.       Mercy can be Overwhelming

Romans 12:20-21

²⁰ Therefore” If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head. ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

3.     God’s Mercy is:

a.       Great. Numbers 14:18; Isa 54:7.

b.      Rich. Ephesians 2:4.

c.       Manifold. Neimaiah 9:27; La 3:32.

d.      Plenteous. Psalms 86:5, 15; 103:8.

e.       Abundant. 1 Peter 1:3.

f.        Sure. Isa 55:3; Micah 7:20.

g.       Everlasting. 1 Chornicles 16:34; Psalms 89:28; 106:1; 107:1; 136:1–26.

h.      Tender. Pslams 25:6; 103:4; Lu 1:78.

i.         High as heaven. Psalms 36:5; 103:11.

j.         Filling the earth. Psalms 119:64.

k.       Overall his works. Psalms 145:9.

II.                 THE TIMES DEMAND THAT WE GROW IN MERCY

2 Timothy 3:1-7

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: ² For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, ³ unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, ⁴ traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵ having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! ⁶ For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, ⁷ always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

III.               WE MUST EMBRACE THE MERCY OF GOD TOWARDS US

1.       We should not forsake mercy

Proverbs 3:3

³ Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart

Matthew 18:21-34

²¹ Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” ²² Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. ²³ Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴ And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. ²⁵ But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. ²⁶ 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?’ ³⁴ And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.

a.       We need to remember how bad we were before salvation

b.      We must consider how bad we still are

c.       We must consider how bad we will be in the future       

2.       Receiving and giving Mercy is essential to our own happiness

Proverbs 10:17

¹⁷ The merciful man does good for his own soul, But he who is cruel troubles his own flesh.

IV.               WE ARE REQUIRED TO SHOW MERCY TO OTHERS

1.     It’s Our Job Description

Micah 6:8

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?

Luke 6:36

³⁶ Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

3.     We Must confront all injustice with Mercy

Galatians  6:1

Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.

4.     We must aggressively avoid bitterness and choose mercy

Matthew 5:44

⁴⁴But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you…

We must actively love, bless, do good, pray and respond in tenderness.

5.     We must shift our mind into Mercy Mode

Col 3:12-15

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.

6.     Mercy does not mean we don’t deal with issues

Psalms 130:4

⁴But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared