MINISTERING: OLUWATOBILOBA THOMPSON
DATE: 12TH JUNE 2023
TOPIC: THE MERCY OF GOD
Glory to Jesus! This evening, we will be learning about the Mercy of God. Our eyes will be opened in spirit and truth in Jesus’ name.
Thank You Father for the spirit of wisdom and Revelation at work in us. Amen.
Some time ago in the month of April, we talked about God’s compassion and we saw according to Hebrews 4:16, that grace and mercy are the fruits of compassion.
You can always get to recap on this to have a foundation of what we’ll be discussing today.
Let’s get right into it.
Mercy is a very powerful expression of our Father’s nature, and this has always been even before the Son of God came into the world.
One man that greatly took advantage of the mercy of God is David. He was quick to appeal to the mercy of God when he did something unpleasant to God. Look at some things he said:
[Psalms 130:3 – 4 NKJV]
If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.
[II Samuel 24:14 NKJV]
And David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man.”
The mercy of God serves as a shield and protection for us, in the sense that whenever we do things that really displease God, though He is a just Judge yet He doesn’t punish us according to what we deserve. Many a time, it is the mercy of God that brings us out of the mess we find ourselves in or even when it seems as if all hope is lost.
The Prophet Jeremiah accurately put it this way,
[Lamentations 3:22 NKJV]
Through the Lord’s mercies, we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not.
Apostle Paul talking to the Ephesian church said the same thing but in a different way, so he said :
[Ephesians 2:4 NKJV]
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
He went further to say,
[Ephesians 2:5 NKJV]
even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
It’s true we were saved by grace, however, it’s the mercy of God that allowed for our salvation in such a way that it was while we were dead, He made us alive with Christ!!! Wow! The implication of this statement is heavy!
It means that before man even believed unto eternal salvation, God already saved man. All man has to do right now is just obtain eternal salvation by believing in His finished work!
Thank You, Father, for being so merciful towards us. Thank You!
One of the names prophesied about Jesus is found in the book of Isaiah, he is called
“….. the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.
[Isaiah 58:12 NKJV]
It then means, mercy is capable of providing restoration and therefore things/relationships/ access/ gifts that we’ve lost due to insensitivity, recklessness, and the like can be restored, if we appeal sincerely to the mercy of God.
If you’ve lost anything valuable and you’ve sincerely made up your mind to do better, I pray the mercy of God prevails over that situation tonight in the name of Jesus.
However, God makes a request from us and it is that we show to others the same measure of what we have received from Him.
[Matthew 5:7 NKJV]
Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.
Jesus goes on to say again, explaining to us how we can be merciful:
[Matthew 5:44 – 45 NKJV]
But 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, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
Another way by which we can be merciful is when we give, especially to those who have no means of ever repaying us or even any means of thriving in this world. It is true that wicked persons have taken for granted the merciful but we should not let the wicked dictate to the righteous how to behave. Let’s look at what God said to the Israelites:
[Deuteronomy 15:7 – 11 NKJV]
“If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs. Beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand,’ and your eye be evil against your poor brother and you give him nothing, and he cry out to the Lord against you, and it become sin among you. You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand. For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.’
God is really interested in taking care of those who are genuinely poor. Jesus took care of the poor while He was on earth, we should do the same too.
One other way in which we show mercy to others is through forgiveness. Forgiveness simply means to let go of a wrong done against you or to pardon a wrong. I understand that sometimes it might be hard but still, with the help of the Holy Spirit we should forgive. It’s such a big deal because unforgiveness can hinder the flow of God’s power in our lives, it can even hinder our personal growth, worse still the devil can use unforgiveness to inflict terminal illnesses.
Look at what Jesus said when Peter asked Him how many times people should be forgiven.
[Matthew 18:21 – 22 NKJV]
Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
In other words, Jesus was saying, be full of forgiveness. It should be difficult for us to hold offenses in our hearts even against those that have offended us.
He also said again if we allow unforgiveness to thrive in our hearts, even though God hears our prayers yet it will be difficult for us to receive the answer.
[Mark 11:25 NKJV]
“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.
Please forgive! The Holy Spirit is always willing to help you if only you would ask.
Sis Princess taught on forgiveness a while ago, please read up on that here
The mercy of God is great towards us, we are not to beg for it as though we don’t have it, no!
Rather we are to come boldly for the blood of Jesus has torn down the wall of separation between us and our Father.
You are marvelously helped of the Lord, now and always.