Lessons in Mercy - Part 4

Intro:
Floor passes to the U2 concert, a government facility, a construction site. What do these things have in common? You cannot get access to these places unless you have a pass or know someone.

In my job I often get through security because I am on site at the request of the owner or am actually with the owner. The owner has the ultimate authority. It is his project. His site. His money. The people on site are there at his request and are working for him. Knowing I am allowed access to the site gives me confidence. I have an answer to one that might call me into account.

Read:
Hebrews 4:14-16

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Think:
Let's begin with the end in mind. Let's start at the end of this amazing section of Scripture and work backwards.

Followers of Jesus Christ are invited to approach God's throne with confidence ... we are invited to come into his presence and speak freely, not conceal things, not experience fear. That is a far different picture than the one painted in the Old Testament. The OT images of temple worship often included: fear, fire, calculated movements, specific sacrifices and no guarantee of acceptance.

Not so with Christ! He is the God-Man. He is the One that can reach out and touch a holy God and an unholy people at the same time. He is the bridge.

Why do we come to Jesus' throne? We come for help! Look back at the passage. We clearly are those that require mercy, grace and help. We clearly are those that have times of need. We clearly are those that can come with confidence to Jesus and find a Lord and also friend. We will find mercy.

How is this possible?

v. 14 = Because of WHO Jesus was. Jesus Christ was (and remains) the "Son of God". He is God elect. God's choice. God's solution for our problem. God's answer to our greatest need. We are accepted by God because of HIM. We receive mercy because of HIM. We can speak of our weakness and declare our need because of HIM.

The 12 Step folks got this right. The first step in getting help is by declaring that you have a problem and are powerless to fix it. That is what it means to come to Jesus with confidence. To speak with boldness the real state of our lives (hiding nothing), admitting that we are unable to help ourselves and finding mercy, grace and help.

v. 15 - Because of WHAT Jesus did. He was really human. He was really tempted. Like Adam and Eve of old, Jesus was tempted. The big difference is that Jesus remained clean before God in all His temptations ... He was without sin. He never missed the mark.

When we have an area of strength we tend to become proud about it. If you do not struggle with cussing, it might be hard to not judge another believer who struggles with it. But when our cussing brother takes his broken heart and tongue to Jesus he finds mercy, grace and help.

Jesus Christ is God's answer for our sin and the answer for our struggles. We can come to Him with confidence and find mercy.

Do:
Do you find it difficult to be real honest with God about your shortcomings? Do you find it hard to admit your sin? Do you find it hard to ask for help?

If so, why? Do you fear His judgment? Are you afraid you will be rejected?

No, I say, drop what you are doing and fly to Jesus. Run to Him. Find in Him the mercy and grace and help you need to grow. This might be a key to spiritual growth that is lacking in our lives ... the fear of coming to Jesus for help. Coming to Him in prayer.

Don't wait until you have it all together. You are invited to come to the throne of grace with confidence ... without hiding ... with freedom in speaking what is going on.

Will you do that now?

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Lessons in Mercy - Part 3

Intro:
Overwhelmed by mercy .... is that your battle cry? Is that the whisper of your heart? Is that the response you have to God for His kindness shown to you?

I am often reminded of how my heart still needs to change when I look at the behavior of my kids and remember what I was like and still am like. Kids can be so merciless at times. From ridicule on the bus to sibling rivalry, mercy is in short demand!

How hard it is for a person, wrongly treated, to show mercy to others. So often the kids (and adults) who have experienced this have difficulty showing grace and mercy to others.

This is the stuff of superhero comics. The villain is the abused, neglected kid that grows up to wreak havoc on the world. They cannot and will not forgive. Mercy is replaced by vengeance. Think Spiderman 3: Harry and the Sandman are good examples.

Read:
Matthew 18:21-35

21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" 22 Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

23 "Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

26 "The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' 27 The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

28 "But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.

29 "His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'

30 "But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.

32 "Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' 34 In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

35 "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."

Think:
How would you summarize this story? There are many things that you could emphasize:
1. Forgiveness
2. God's compassion
3. The need to be careful how we treat others
4. How God is going to treat me if I refuse to express the mercy I have received to others.

It is a shocking story. The Jewish children listening to this story would have gasped at a couple of key places:
1. v.27! The debt owed was ginormous! Huge and unpayable. This would be like you owing your employer over $1,000,000 and being called to pay it tomorrow. Good luck with that! The forgiveness of the King is astounding.

You know, this is a lot like the level of mercy we have seen from the Lord toward us ... only His is greater! Our sin debt was far deeper than this man's money problem. We deserved an eternal debtor's prison but got mercy instead.

2. v.28! This guy, who just won the lottery, proceeds to choke and threaten a guy that owes him $10 bucks! It was probably more like a week's worth of work but still! Compared to what he had been forgiven he should have had mercy on the guy that owed him so little.

Aren't we like this? We can get so wound up over the smallest of slights. We are so easily offended by an unkind word, a slight, being overlooked, etc. But, being treated unfairly is the stuff of life. How we respond is the stuff of God! It is the working of mercy in our lives.

Do:
How much mercy have you received? How deep was the debt that Jesus paid for YOU? He did not die for some nebulous cloud of world sins .... He died for YOUR sins. He paid the price for YOUR iniquities. It was laid on Him. All of them for all people. He bore everything you have ever done (and the things you have neglected to do!). He bore everything you have done since and everything you will ever do in the future.

How much mercy have you received? Do you reflect on that? Those that are in touch with the sin debt that was forgiven for them will find a reservoir of mercy to show others.

Are you patient with others when they wrong you? Are you slow to speak and slow to anger? Do you find yourself going to God in prayer and finding a merciful partner that understands how you feel but wants you to show mercy any way? Oh, by the way, the mercy He wants you to show He will supply.

There is a warning at the end of this passage ... those that show no mercy will lose what mercy was already shown them. Take that for what you will. It is difficult. Some might deduce that you can lose salvation in that case. Others might deduce that the man never really got it and thus lost what he never really possessed. Regardless, we can tell that God takes mercy seriously and expects us to share the wealth of mercy with others.

Show mercy to others in the same measure you have received. Have a blessed day!

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Lessons in Mercy - Part 2

Intro:
Every day. Every day we experience the mercy of God. Every day that we take a breath. Every day we pull our feet from the covers and meet the cold floor. Every day we live we have already experienced mercy.

I don't know about you, but I for one am stoked that God gives me mercy daily! I need it. I get His mercy when I am a good boy and even when I am not so good. I receive this mercy because of who HE is not what I do. That is good news.

Read:
Lamentations 3:17-26
17 Peace has been stripped away,
and I have forgotten what prosperity is.
18 I cry out, “My splendor is gone!
Everything I had hoped for from the Lord is lost!”

19 The thought of my suffering and homelessness
is bitter beyond words.
20 I will never forget this awful time,
as I grieve over my loss.
21 Yet I still dare to hope
when I call this to mind:

22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease.
23 Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance;
therefore, I will hope in him!”

25 The Lord is good to those who depend on him,
to those who search for him.
26 So it is good to wait quietly
for salvation from the Lord.

Think:
How do you find hope in tough times? What do you call to mind to help you cope (v.21)? In the midst of struggle and pain ... in the midst of feeling fear and loss where do you turn? So easy to get stuck on emotion and feeling. So easy to only see the negative and brood about it. Our author teaches us a very important thing here: THINK.

Think through the love of God. Don't try to work up a feeling about His love. Think through the extent of His love. Think ... the feelings will follow. Think. Call to mind. Remember. Bring the right things out of the storehouse to feed your soul on. THINK.

Have you ever thought through why God loves you? I've been meditating on CS Lewis's book the 4 Loves lately. He says God loves us because He MUST love us because He is love. In fact, it is His very nature to give good things to us because He loves us. God's love compelled Him to create something He did not need (you and me) so He could share and show His love.

So, when I feel down or when my circumstances are sucky. When I wonder if God is around someplace. When I doubt that God will come through yet again. I am invited to THINK about God's love and goodness to me.

I can see this love in two places:
1. On a cross. Amazing love how can it be, that you my God would die for me? When God created us in love He saw the necessity for the cross and planned for our rescue. The blood of Jesus is precious. The death of the Son of God proves the love of God for me. When I wonder about my circumstances I need to THINK through the cross and the love that was shown there for me and you.

2. On a cold floor. Amazing love how can it be, that you my God would give me another day to live? The fact that you awoke this morning is a sign of mercy and love from God to you today. He is saying, my child begin again. Have a new day on Me. My love is greater than your sin and your shortcomings. I have a plan for you today My child. Rise. Live. Share with others the joy of living and knowing Me.

The author in the Book of Lamentations had a lot to complain and worry about. Living in captivity is like that. YET, he calls things to mind. He THINKS. He remembers that God has shown mercy and love to him in that fact that he woke up that morning.

Did you wake up this morning? God's not finished with you. Mercy is being shown today. Live with all the gusto you can. THINK about that love. It is the love of a God that would rather die than live without you.

That's mercy!

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Lessons in Mercy - Part 2

Intro:
Mercy is different than grace. Grace is about giving. Mercy is about NOT giving. Grace is giving someone something they have not earned and don't deserve. Mercy is NOT giving someone something they have earned and do deserve.

So, we have received grace in the Lord Jesus Christ. We have been given a gift that is unearned and undeserved .... and very needed!!! This Good Friday we will celebrate the remembrance of that gift!

But, we have also received mercy in the Lord Jesus Christ. We have not been given what we deserve in judgment and death. We, in fact, experience the mercy of God on a daily basis! It is because of HIS mercy that we are not consumed. It is because of HIS mercy that we woke up today. It is because of HIS mercy that we get to start new again today. Great is His faithfulness.

As you walk this week, think about your strong Savior and what that cross means. It is the meeting place of grace and mercy. It is the place where the Son of God takes our place, meets our obligation, pays our debt ..... It is the place of mercy.

Read:
Luke 23:32-46; 24:1-7

The Crucifixion
32 Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him. 33 When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left.

34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.

35 The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” 36 The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. 37 They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 A sign was fastened to the cross above him with these words: “This is the King of the Jews.”

39 One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!”

40 But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? 41 We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”

43 And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

The Death of Jesus
44 By this time it was noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. 45 The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle. 46 Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last.

The Resurrection of Jesus
1 But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 3 So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes.
5 The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? 6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.”

Do:
Take time this week to reflect on the mercy of God seen in the dying Savior. He is the one that makes a way and a home for us. He is the one that says, "You are forgiven". He is the one that shows mercy and forgives.

Praise the Lord!!!

Happy Easter!!!

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Lessons in Mercy - Part 1

Intro:
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to judge others? So often people do things we do not understand or look a certain way and they receive our judgment.

Covey tells the story of meeting a father on his subway journey home after work. He was tired and just wanted a little peace and quiet. Unfortunately, the father's kids were loud and running around the subway car. Covey got increasingly frustrated with the father's lack of discipline. Finally, when he could take it no more, he asked the father, "Isn't there anything you can do to control these kids?"
The man slowly looked up at Covey as if in a daze and apologized. "I'm sorry, I'm not myself tonight. Their mother just passed away at the hospital."

That little piece of data changed everything for Covey. He went from judge to servant in an instant. He found mercy.

Read:
Micah 6:1-8

1 Listen to what the LORD says:"Stand up, plead your case before the mountains; let the hills hear what you have to say. 2 Hear, O mountains, the LORD's accusation; listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth. For the LORD has a case against his people; he is lodging a charge against Israel. 3 "My people, what have I done to you?  How have I burdened you? Answer me.  4 I brought you up out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. I sent Moses to lead you, also Aaron and Miriam. 5 My people, remember what Balak king of Moab counseled and what Balaam son of Beor answered. Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the LORD." 6 With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Think:
God is a God of MERCY. He is a God that does not give people what they deserve. He is a God that knows all, sees all and STILL chooses to give mercy and kindness to people.
We are a people of JUDGEMENT. We give people what they deserve based on our standards. We are a people that know little and see little and STILL choose to give judgment to others.

That was the problem with the people in Micah's day. Knowing the God of mercy, knowing the God that rescued them did not translate into mercy or kindness toward others. God calls them to reflect on the kindness they had received. He calls them to remember his rescue of them from slavery.

There is an expectation in this passage that those who have received mercy will give mercy to others. Jesus said this: those that experience the love of God much will in turn love much (Luke 7:47).

Ironic that these people continue in their religious observances and sacrifices and yet God is not pleased! He doesn't want their stuff. He doesn't want their sacrifices. He wants them to look like Him! He wants them to reflect his mercy. He wants them to show mercy.

I wonder if our offering of singing, giving or serving could be unacceptable if we are not showing mercy to others? Could God care that much about mercy? Could God care that much about cutting folks some slack? Could God be that concerned with not giving people what they deserve?
Apparently ...

Do:
What can you do with this? Show mercy! Slow down on the judgment of others. Try to give the benefit of the doubt in all circumstances. Seek first to understand before being understood.

So easy to sit as judge and jury toward others. This apparently does not please the Lord! After all, who are we to judge? We ourselves are the recipients of mercy and rescue. We ourselves are worthy of judgment but received rescue instead. That mercy should be mirrored in our lives. That gratitude should show.

Give some mercy today. Be patient. Pray for wisdom. Slow down. If you get stuck at the red light, in the right hand turn lane, behind a driver that wont budge ... take a deep breath, show mercy. The most you will lose is one minute. But you stand to gain the honor of offering worship to our exalted God.

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