Proverbs 20:28 ¶ Mercy and truth preserve the king: and his
throne is upholden by mercy.
The preeminence of mercy is an important concept
in the entire Bible.
James 2:13 For he shall have judgment without
mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
The verse in James show how important mercy is
to God.
Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for
they shall obtain mercy.
This verse in Matthew is not in the context of
the age in which we live after the Resurrection of Christ but it does
underscore the importance of mercy to our Lord. He tells the king that his
throne, his authority, his power, is sustained by mercy. This is diametrically
opposed to the beliefs of the oriental despots of that or any time. It is said
that a Persian emperor marched his army out between the two halves of a young
man he had ordered cut in half after the young man’s father had pleaded with
him not to impress that young man into the army as he was the only child of the
man who had not been killed already in the emperor’s service. Cruelty and
oppression have always been at the heart of earthly rulers who were not wise
from the Assyrian kings to our modern despots like Saddam Hussein.
But, what about you and me, in this age of the
Christian church? God has had great mercy on mankind, in not completely
destroying the race of people for our sin and rebellion and in providing a way
out of an eternity of agony in the lake of unquenchable fire by virtue of the
death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and our trusting in
that and believing in, believing on, and trusting the righteousness of the Lord
Jesus Christ, the second part of the trinity, God the Son, the visible image of
God the Father, to grant us eternal life.
Christ came to offer mercy to the unbelieving
Jews and to demand that they be merciful.
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.
He underscores this to the Jews in the story of
The Good Samaritan found in Luke, chapter 10, when the listener acknowledges
that the true neighbor of the wounded man was a hated Samaritan and Jesus said;
Luke 10:37 And he said, He that shewed mercy
on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
Paul says that we were given this opportunity
because the Jews rejected Christ so that through our mercy they might obtain
mercy.
Romans 11:30 For as ye in times past have not
believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 31 Even so
have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain
mercy. 32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy
upon all.
Our example and our preaching to bring Christ to
the Jewish people is an effort of which God approves. And when we show mercy,
which is not giving someone the comeuppance they deserve in a bad sense, to
those around us we are to do it cheerfully.
Romans 12:8b ……………..he that sheweth mercy,
with cheerfulness.
Again, God’s mercy is limitless and awesome. He
bestowed His mercy on us when we were dead in our sins. We didn’t have to “get
right” or straighten out our lives to obtain this mercy or meet someone’s
standard of right and wrong. We were sinners when He saved us, lost and undone.
Ephesians 2:4 ¶ But God, who is rich in
mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in
sins, hath quickened (made alive) us together with Christ, (by grace ye are
saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly
places in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding
riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8 For by
grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of
God:
God’s entire plan of the redemption of mankind
is based on mercy.
Titus 3:5a Not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us…..
How merciful are you, Christian? God
has granted you great mercy far beyond anything you should have expected and
yet, how do you treat others? Do you show mercy or are you all about your
“getbacks” and getting your “propers”? There is a parable about a man who
obtained mercy from someone to whom he owed a great deal of money and yet he
showed no mercy to someone who only owed him a small amount. I’m not quoting
that parable because it is not for this age and the punishment the man received
would not apply to a blood bought, born again Christian but it is found
beginning in Matthew 18:23 if you want to review it.
Finally, mercy is essential for a Christian. God
wants you to be merciful. Have mercy on your spouse, your children, your
coworkers, your neighbors and everyone you come in contact with today. Be
merciful as God is merciful. Because if He hadn’t had mercy on you, you’d be in
Hell as we speak. Think about it.
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