The Triumph of Mercy
(week 19/06)
Olubi Johnson
Jude 21 NKJV: keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
Psalms 145:9 NKJV: The LORD is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.
Lamentation 3:22-23 NKJV: Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.
These scriptures give us a functional definition of the mercy of God: the compassion of God: capacity to feel our infirmities, weaknesses and limitations; this causes Him to release a measure of eternal life, through the air upon our spirits, souls, bodies and circumstances, to help us overcome the infirmity, weakness or limitation.
Since the mercy of God releases a measure of the life of God, we can speak of the mercies of God in plural meaning the several measures of the life of God released upon us as a result of His mercies given to us.
Furthermore, we can see how the mercies of God are new every morning: a new measure of life is released as a consequence of His compassion that new day!
It is instructive to contrast grace with mercy: grace is the favour of God that causes Him to release a measure of His life into our spirits by the blood of Jesus.
Mercy gives life from the outside; grace gives life from the inside.
Mercy can be given to anybody: sinner and saint; grace can only be given to born-again Christians through Jesus Christ.
God shows mercy to all. However, the measure of mercy we receive depends on the degree of the honesty and integrity of our hearts: the more honest the greater mercy; the less honest the less mercy.
Furthermore, God withdraws His mercy gradually: when we do not respond to His dealings with honesty of heart. Like He did with Pharaoh:
Romans 9:14-25 NKJV: What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! 15 For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” 16 So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.” 18 Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens. 19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?” 20 But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? 22 What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, 24 even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
2 Timothy 2:20-21 NKJV: But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. 21 Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.
Why do saints need mercy?
Two main reasons:
1. To preserve us from destruction in times of failure or weakness giving us time to repent and correct our condition and triumph over the judgement we should have received for our failures by either reducing or in some cases totally eradicating the judgement:
Lamentation 3:22-23 NKJV: Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.
James 2:13 NKJV: For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
2. To enable us to be faithful in hard places unto the end.
1 Corinthians 7:25 KJV: Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful.
How then do we receive the mercy of God?
1. Acknowledge the Lord for mercy with thanksgiving using our thoughts especially in times of weakness or danger when you cannot pray with your words:
Psalms 77:4-12 NKJV: You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak. 5 I have considered the days of old, The years of ancient times. 6 I call to remembrance my song in the night; I meditate within my heart, And my spirit makes diligent search. 7 Will the Lord cast off forever? And will He be favorable no more? 8 Has His mercy ceased forever? Has His promise failed forevermore? 9 Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies? Selah 10 And I said, “This is my anguish; But I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.” 11 I will remember the works of the LORD; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old. 12 I will also meditate on all Your work,
Colossians 4:2 KJV: Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;
Isaiah 26:3 NKJV: You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.
2. Sow in righteousness by confessing and forsaking sin:
Hosea 10:12 NKJV: Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy;
Proverbs 28:13 NKJV: He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.
The quicker you confess, repent of and forsake sin the greater will be the effect of the mercy of God upon your life: If David had confessed his sin of adultery earlier he would not have committed murder and lost four sons!
3. Show mercy to others when it is in your power to do so:
Matthew 5:7 NKJV: Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
If you do these things, you will experience the triumph of mercy over judgement in your life!
So, in times of need come confidently to God to receive mercy firstly through the air using your thoughts which will then preserve and strengthen you to be able to secondly receive the grace of God by the blood of Jesus through the spoken Word:
Hebrews 4:16 NIV: 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.
