The Merciful Lord

Last Sunday I preached a sermon on Luke 6 and it really struck me with our merciful God and how he pours out his mercy to the undeserving.
We see it all throughout the Bible in many instances and Jesus goes to the sinner and tells them to “Follow Me” and without hesitating or questioning they would drop everything they had and followed him. Why?
Because of his glorious majesty.
His mercy is something that we receive when we don’t deserve it and we are in need of salvation every single day of our lives. Mercy appears in the Bible as it relates to forgiveness or withholding punishment. For example, God the Father showed mercy on us when he sacrificed his son, Christ Jesus, on the Cross to pay the price for our sins. The withholding punishment part is something that none of us deserve we deserve punishment which was atoned by the bloodshed of Christ.
Jesus bypassed all the supposed credits [the Pharisees] had mounted to their own cause and went straight to the heart of the matter. Christ always puts the emphasis on the inside. He is not unconcerned with outward action, but only as it is produced by proper motivation. . .
Jeremiah Johnson
Mercy is not a guarantee from our Sovereign God who does what he wishes and when we wishes. The sacrifice have been completed for his people and this shows an example of his love and how he is just in every way. Not only does our God show mercy but it’s an example of how we are supposed to show mercy to others with gentleness.
As Christians we are meant to show mercy in our relationships by pointing our loved ones and friends to the gospel and the forgiveness of sins. This fulfills the Great Commission and what we are called to do as the bride of Christ. This isn’t a matter that should be ignored nor pushed aside. The mission is now and it’s going to be something that is going to take some time.
While preaching this I realized how truly depraved we are and we are nothing without God’s Holy grace and mercy which defines who we are adopted by God, made new by his mercy on a sinner.
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