We think of mercy as not giving someone what they
deserve (if it is justice for what they have done; something unpleasant or
hurtful) but there is more to it than that. I am going to focus today more on
mercy with your speech than with your behavior.
In the Book of James in the Bible it is written;
James
2:13 For he shall have judgment without
mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
Jesus, in the Sermon He gave seated on a hillside
early in Matthew to his small group of disciples, said;
Matthew
5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for they
shall obtain mercy.
God also said in other places that His will for us is
for us to show mercy to others above religious obligation.
Hosea
6:6 For I desired mercy, and not
sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
Which Jesus confirmed;
Matthew
9:13 But go ye and learn what that
meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the
righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Matthew
12:7 But if ye had known what this
meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the
guiltless.
We know from the Bible’s clear statements and our own
lives that God is merciful. The first time mercy and merciful are used in the
Bible are regarding God saving Lot’s life;
Genesis
19:16 And while he lingered, the men
laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of
his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him
forth, and set him without the city.
Genesis
19:19 Behold now, thy servant hath found
grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed
unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil
take me, and I die:
But, WE are called to show mercy, too, as followers of
Christ. Many times preachers take something like mercy and elevate it to such a
height that you and I cannot attain unto it. For you see, you will probably not
be called upon to show mercy to a condemned prisoner or a wounded soldier on a
battlefield. So, outside of NOT killing the neighbor’s dog for digging into
your flowerbed is mercy just one of those high and lofty commands that don’t
have much importance to you personally?
James
2:13 For he shall have judgment without
mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
Matthew
5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for they
shall obtain mercy.
And mercy isn’t just a bitter pill we are supposed to
swallow to please God, Paul tells us in Romans 12:8 that we are to express
mercy with cheerfulness.
8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that
giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that
sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
Each of us is called to show mercy. Now, as I said you
and I probably won’t be called on to show mercy to a condemned prisoner or some
other extreme and dramatic and tragic case. Most of our mercy expressed will be
within our families, our church, and our work.
You have the opportunity most often to show mercy with
your words, by being kind, gentle, compassionate, and understanding not with
sarcasm, snarkiness, bitterness, or accusations based on your paranoid and
egotistical assumptions about another’s motives. You have the opportunity most
often to show mercy to your spouse, your children, siblings, parents,
coworkers, employees, neighbors, etc.
Are you merciful? Do you refrain EVER from rendering
to someone the consequences you think they so richly deserve? Or must you have
your proper respect, your ‘props’, regardless of who you hurt or how you hurt
them in your righteous vengeance?
Remember, you who are faithful door knockers, tract
hander-outers, those of you who bless every family event or outing of friends
with incessantly talking about the horrors of Hell and how wonderful it is to
be “saved” and as ‘in with God’ as you yourself are and why wouldn’t everyone
want to be just like you? Remember, that how you act and treat other people is
the biggest part of your witness, the most visible example of whether you
actually have the fruit or proof of the Holy Spirit dwelling in you, a more
powerful voice than all efforts to try to sell Christ like insurance or hanging
tracts on people’s doors like pizza coupons. (Try Christ! You’ll love Him. And
this week at church if you bring a friend you’ll get free sausage and
mushrooms!)
Don’t hide being a jerk behind being a faithful church
goer and soul winner.
Those of you who show up to worship with your church
family on Sunday morning only when it’s convenient and who only talk about Christ if pushed into it and
when to do so doesn’t take you out of your comfort zone the very same thing
applies. You have to ask yourself if anyone would have enough evidence to even
guess you are a born-again Christian since you won’t tell anyone about Christ
lest you not get invited to family gatherings, hunting with friends, or get approval
at work. No matter what you want to do or not do you are a witness for Christ
every time you go out in the world or interact with your family in your home.
A famous heathen once said, “Your actions are speaking
so loud, I can’t hear what you are saying.”
We know you’re an orange tree if you have oranges
hanging from your branches. People should know you are a Christian and have the
Holy Spirit indwelling you if you wear and bear this fruit.
Galatians
5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is
no law. 24 And they that are Christ’s have
crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in
the Spirit. 26 Let us not be desirous of
vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
Remember the last time your spouse or child did
something that offended you, not just offended you, but that you were sure was
a strike against you in some way. Maybe it called into question your authority
in the home or showed contempt, you think, for some great effort you had put
forth. Your words strike at the offender. You go right for the juggler. After
all, it’s only justice, only fair considering how much contempt they’ve shown
you.
And we don’t let these things go. Mercy, bitterness,
compassion, these things are all related in their relationship to each other. I
had an aunt who said something to me after my daughter committed suicide and I
still cringe over it. It was thoughtless but in keeping with someone’s
callousness who was not going through what I was. I’m still angry and hurt
about it. But, the problem is, my aunt is dead. See how powerful these things
you are holding in your heart are? How they last? Words spoken to you,
thoughtless, cruel words, have a tremendous effect, especially when they come
out of the mouth of someone you love and whose approval you desire.
In the husband and wife relationship the Holy Spirit,
whom Paul is giving voice to here, admonishes husbands;
Colossians
3:19 Husbands, love your wives, and be
not bitter against them.
Is not a vengeful tongue a weapon of bitterness? Is
not your unwillingness to show mercy and refraining from the hurt you want to
bestow on someone who you think so richly deserves it with your words a sign
that God’s mercy for YOU is absolutely necessary?
After all, God shows His mercy to people who don’t
deserve it one stinking bit.
Romans
5:8 But God commendeth his love toward
us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
And, in His everyday will He even benefits the
heathen, the unbelieving pagan, and the malicious person.
Matthew
5:44 But I say unto you, Love your
enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for
them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father
which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good,
and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
And you, vile, depraved sinner on whom God showed
mercy for your sexual immorality, your drunkenness, your faithlessness to every
standard of goodness you were taught by your parents and teachers before you
were saved and even after you believed, will not allow a merciful spirit in
your heart for someone who said something to you that you aren’t even sure what
they meant? You cut and lash and hurt with a tongue as sharp as a sword, as a
knife?
Now, if you aren’t feeling comfortable with applying
mercy to your personal dealings and view it as a grand doctrine only that
applies only to judges, soldiers, and God Himself please note this;
Psalm
37:21 The wicked borroweth, and payeth
not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.
A wicked person doesn’t pay his bills. But a righteous
person goes beyond just paying his debts and gives his money liberally. Here’s
more of the context of the passage.
Psalm
37:21 ¶ The wicked borroweth, and payeth
not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth. 22 For such as be blessed of him shall inherit
the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off. 23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the
LORD: and he delighteth in his way. 24
Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD
upholdeth him with his hand. 25 I have
been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his
seed begging bread. 26 He is ever merciful,
and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.
So, understand that applying mercy to your everyday
existence is not out of order. It even applies to helping someone in difficult
circumstances whether their fault or not as we saw from the previous passage.
Remember the verses that many of us have memorized in Proverbs 3?
5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and
lean not unto thine own understanding. 6
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Well, here is what is before it.
1
¶ My son, forget not my law; but let
thine heart keep my commandments: 2 For length
of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. 3 Let not mercy
and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of
thine heart: 4 So shalt thou find favour
and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
And again, with regard to what mercy can mean for us
from the Bible.
Proverbs
14:21 He that despiseth his neighbour
sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.
Proverbs
14:31 He that oppresseth the poor
reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.
Showing mercy will bless you.
Proverbs
21:21 He that followeth after
righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour.
Mercy is good for you. It elevates you and having a
bitter, merciless attitude is extremely unhealthy. Here mercy is contrasted
against being cruel.
Proverbs
11:17 The merciful man doeth good to his
own soul: but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.
Now, I’ve been focusing on the mercy you show with
your words being the expression of it. Or, more clearly, the words you don’t
speak reflecting your willingness to show mercy. I want to take a little side
trip for a second to define evil in the Bible. The word, evil, can mean many
things based on the context.
Among other things evil can mean malicious intent,
intent to do harm.
Genesis
37:20 Come now therefore, and let us
slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath
devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.
Genesis
50:20 But as for you, ye thought evil
against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to
save much people alive.
Exodus
32:14 And the LORD repented of the evil
which he thought to do unto his people.
Here, with the tongue specifically.
1Peter
3:10 For he that will love life, and see
good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak
no guile: 11 Let him eschew evil, and do
good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.
Now, notice the context of evil in these two verses;
linked with malice, guile, hypocrisy, and envy in one and railing or ranting
against someone in the other as in a railing accusation in 2Peter 2:11, to
speak against someone as in rail on the Lord God of Israel in 2Chronicles 32:17.
1Peter
2:1 Wherefore laying aside all malice,
and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,
1Peter
3:9 Not rendering evil for evil, or
railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto
called, that ye should inherit a blessing.
And this warning about your tongue in the context of
teachers (masters) causing people to stumble, to be offended, by the words they
say. But, mark the warning about the tongue.
James
3:1 ¶ My brethren, be not many masters,
knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. 2 For in many things we offend all. If any man
offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the
whole body. 3 Behold, we put bits in the
horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.
4 Behold also the ships, which though
they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about
with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. 5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and
boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of
iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body,
and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. 7 For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and
of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of
mankind: 8 But the tongue can no man
tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and
therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and
cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. 11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place
sweet water and bitter? 12 Can the fig
tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain
both yield salt water and fresh.
You who are of a meek and quiet spirit, who pride
yourselves on not being harsh, physically cruel, and hot-tempered, are you
merciful with your words? Do you prefer the sting of rebuke or to deliver the
pain of hard words when you feel wronged or slighted?
Do you know how many children have been cut by hateful
words of a parent, words they often carry with them for the rest of their
lives? Do you know how many marriages have been weakened by unmerciful speech?
Do you know how many friendships have been ended by giving someone just what
you think they deserve with your words?
I know one of your Modus Operandi or MOs, your ways, “If you
really loved me…or God…you wouldn’t have said, done, etc.” I know what you’re
up to even if you pretend like you don’t. The submissive person has their own
way of punishing someone for real or imagined slights.
What have you accomplished by not having a merciful
spirit? The Bible says you troubled your own flesh. You certainly didn’t
reflect God’s mercy on you.
You who are used to being in authority in your home,
your business, or organizations. You Type-A people, you know what the Discovery
Channel and National Geographic call Alpha-types. Those of you who demand your ‘propers’
from everyone. Some of you can’t even let a child win a game you play because
the thought of losing to anyone even to someone weaker than yourself is an
affront to your massive ego and insecurity. Do you think you are not required
to show mercy? Do you think that dominating others, your life’s passion, is
higher than God’s commands in His word?
One of your M.O.’s goes something like this, “If you
ever do what she did, why, I’ll….” You’re playing the verbal domination game.
You have no evidence the person is guilty of something or even thinking about
it but you are so mad at someone you can’t punish or who doesn’t care if you
punish them you lash out at who is available to impress upon them how BIG you
are compared to them.
When you are old and lying in a sickbed of death and
the only people near you, you are certain, don’t love you but just fear your
wrath, and the ones missing long ago convinced themselves they wanted nothing
to do with you, do you realize that you are one pathetic, miserable, and lonely
old person because you led a life with no regard for mercy. Oh, how alone, how
frail you will be, longing for someone to stop by and show they care. But,
sorry Charlie, you can only express your righteous wrath at people who should
love you who don’t show you proper respect in your not so humble opinion for so
long, before they scatter like birds.
An unmerciful life is a life not lived well, no matter
how much success you think you’ve achieved or how right you are.
Words mean something. Mercy is important, more
important even than your convictions, your sense of what is proper. Remember;
James
2:13 For he shall have judgment without
mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
There are two things in the Bible that blood-bought,
born-again, saved and sanctified, church-going, Christians often don’t give the
importance they should. One, is that God holds His words above even His name, a
name to which all will bow the knee. See Psalm 138:2.
The other is that mercy is a greater thing than even
judgment.
Now, I want to add that I am separating mercy from
forgiveness. Forgiveness from God includes restoration to fellowship with Him.
Forgiveness for us can’t always include that. If you had an employee who stole
money from your cash register you might forgive them but even if you kept them
on you would be an idiot to put them back on the cash register. More
dramatically, if a young boy or girl is sexually abused by an authority figure
in their life; teacher, youth pastor, or even parent forgiveness cannot include
restoration to the offender’s former role. That is a cruel expectation for
someone who has been the victim of what some call “unfinished murder.”
Mercy, however, is something that is within our grasp.
I have not delved into mercy for such egregious violations of standards of
conduct; a thieving employee or a pervert predator. I am talking about what is
within your grasp, in the hurts and wrongs, perceived or real, done to us by
each other on a daily basis, things we hold onto sometimes for decades, and how
we respond to people close to us with our words. We are more likely to face
what I’ve talked about today in our daily lives and I hope and pray it helps
you or at least makes you pause and consider the effect of your words on
others.
But, remember, if there is anyone out there who has
not trusted Christ and His righteousness for their salvation from an eternity
of agony and the free gift of eternal life with God, you are going to have a
hard time understanding why mercy is so important for Christians. God has been
merciful to us, who are most undeserving of it, and we are called to show mercy
to others.
Salvation is predicated upon belief. First, believing
what Christ said about Himself, that He was God in the flesh. John 3:36 defines
believing ON Christ as believing what He said. We then have in John 14:6 where
Jesus says that He is the only way to God the Father and, in fact, to see Him
is to have seen the Father. We have verses in Colossians and Hebrews that say
that He is the visible image of the invisible God. We have verses like in
Romans 10 that says we must believe that He rose from the dead to be saved and
to call on His name, confessing to God that we believe. We have a verse in
Hebrews 6 telling us that we have to turn from our dead works, our lust for sin
(for dead works as sin see Hebrews 9:14), and turn toward God. We have;
Acts
16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved...
Faith is given to those who will believe. Your faith
should allow you to be filled by God with certain things; a love for Him, for
His Bible, for others, and one of the most important expressions of that faith
is mercy. You will not be called upon, most likely, to show mercy to a wounded
soldier on a battlefield, a convicted person in the dock, or the neighbor’s
errant pet as much as you have the opportunity to show mercy every single day
in some way to your spouse, your child, a friend or relative, or a coworker. We
face affronts every day, sometimes outright insults and abuse, and, at other
times, things we aren’t certain of but suspect may be signs of disrespect
toward us. How merciful are you and does your stance on showing mercy reflect
your relationship with the God who created you? Or, are you just a pathetic
‘alpha-male’ or ‘alpha-female’ who simply cannot bear one moment of not having
people defer to your amazing wonderfulness; your weak and pathetic manhood or your
painfully and slowly disappearing feminine power? Or, are you just a simpering
milquetoast who fights back with passive-aggression and manipulative verbal
expressions of bitter disappointment at others not holding you in the high
regard you don’t hold yourself?
How does your expression of mercy verbally reveal the
state of your relationship with Christ?
