Sunday Sermons
God IS... Merciful
Beyond Unmerited Favor
One of the popular definitions of God’s mercy or grace is the idea of unmerited favor, that is, man does not deserve such kindness. Yet this is not the full story. Such words as unmerited, unworthy, and undeserved do apply to the concept of mercy or grace, but they are not strong enough to reveal the full meaning of how merciful God has been to us. “The fact is that grace is not merely undeserved or unmerited; it is the very opposite of what is deserved or merited. We are not just unworthy of God’s forgiveness; we are actually worthy of its opposite. One could walk up to a perfect stranger and give him a thousand dollars for no reason at all. That gift would certainly be unmerited. But if the thousand dollars were given to a thief who had just stolen the giver’s car, the gift would be the very opposite of the punishment deserved. The matter is more like God’s grace. Thus instead of speaking of grace as ‘unmerited favor’, we should think of it as ‘favor bestowed when wrath is owed’” (God the Redeemer, Jack Cottrell p. 376). We see the above truth in Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”. Our sins earned or merited eternal destruction; in contrast, God is actually willing to give us salvation. “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Note in this context, the death of Jesus delivered us from God’s wrath (5:9). That wrath was not merely coming upon mankind in general, but it was directed specifically at us, “for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 5:6). In the Old Testament this is how the Psalmist expressed the above truth, “He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities” (103:10). We will never really appreciate God’s mercy and forgiveness until we realize that our sins had earned us a place in hell, and that God’s wrath was directed right at us.
Mercy and a Holy God
The word “forgiveness” can often mean very little in our culture. A person might say, “I forgive them”, but what they are forgiving might at the same time mean very little to them. It is so easy for people to simply say the words, “I forgive you”. But when Holy Creator says “I am willing to forgive you”, we often fail to grasp what such a statement means to God. Sin is absolutely an abomination to God, it is loathsome, sick and disgusting. It is something abhorred and hated with divine intensity (Proverbs 15:8; Leviticus 18:25; Romans 1:18 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men”; Hebrews 10:27 “and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries”. Carefully listen to the strong and intense language that God uses when describing sinners, Hebrews 12:16 “no immoral or godless person like Esau”; 2 Peter 2:12 “unreasoning animals”; 2:13 “stains”, “blemishes”; 2:14 “accursed children”; 2:20 “a dog returns to its own vomit”. We need to stand back and be impressed that our forgiveness comes from a Holy God who is absolutely sickened by our transgressions. It is this God, that sin is such an abhorrence to, this God, that sin is such an insult to, this God, that sin is such a defiant attack upon, that offers forgiveness. There is really no way that we can truly and fully appreciate what it means from God’s standpoint to forgive sin. Sin is obviously pure evil, if it merits being the eternal object of God’s holy wrath, and if Jesus, God in the flesh, had to shed His own blood if there was going to be any chance for atonement and thus forgiveness.
A Holy God who Desires to Show Mercy
Even though sin is such an offensive thing to God and the fullest of His wrath is directed against it, at the same moment the fullness of God’s love yearns for the sinner to repent so that God can bestow mercy, “Who desires all men to be saved” (1 Timothy 2:4); “Not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9); “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways!” (Ezekiel 33:11). We see this same attitude in Jesus, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34); “For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them” (Luke 9:56). Even though Israel in the Old Testament was deep into sin (Isaiah 1), God still yearned for their restoration, “Come now, and let us reason together…Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be white as snow; though they are read like crimson, they will be like wool” (1:18).
Hosea 11:8-9 “How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I surrender you, O Israel? My heart is turned over within Me, all My compassions are kindled”
Here is a vivid picture of God’s grief. In view of such a passage I believe that God is greatly offended when people complain about rebellious people ending up in hell. God feels far more pain over the loss of a soul—than we do! Adman and Zeboiim were two cities in the plain overthrown with Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 14:2). Some writers feel that there is a struggle within God between wrath and mercy, but I deny that. God is perfect, and His love and mercy are just as much a part of His nature as His wrath against sin (Romans 11:22; Exodus 34:6-7). Others feel that maybe holiness is something that God mustdo while love is something that God desires to do. I also don’t agree with that explanation, for I find that God equally desires that people be holy. The Scriptures are clear, God’s holy wrath will come upon the unrepentant (2 Thessalonians 1:6-9),without apology or revocation, yet God would much rather dispense His mercy. We see the same compassion and desire to give mercy in the life of Jesus. Jesus even manifested compassion upon those who were suffering from physical ailments(Matthew 14:14; Mark 1:41). God does feel compassion for us when we are suffering from physical diseases. Even though sin, and thus disease and death, entered this world via man’s rebellion, God still has compassion upon mankind who suffers from so many ills. When Epaphroditus recovered from a very serious illness, Paul said that God had mercy upon him(Philippians 2:27). Jesus even wept over the city of Jerusalem, because He so desperately had wanted that city to experience the peace that comes from obedience rather than the suffering that will come as a result of Divine judgment (Luke 19:41-44).
Mercy for All
God desires to forgive the sinner, even the person who has been up to their neck in sin, “But if the wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed” (Ezekiel 18:21); “Her sins, which are many, have been forgiven” (Luke 7:47); “Even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy….and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant…It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all” (1 Timothy 1:13-15). Seeing that Paul was the foremost or chief of sinners, God could use him as an example or pattern for all to follow. If the chief sinner can be forgiven then all other sinners can be forgiven as well, if they only repent. “Paul becomes the ‘specimen’ sinner as an encouragement to all who come after him” (Robertson p. 564). “It must be acknowledged that no example could be more proper, to encourage the greatest sinners in every age to repent, than that pardon which Christ granted to one, who has so furiously persecuted His church” (Macknight p. 191). By forgiving Paul, Jesus made him a prime example of what His grace can do. “No sinner should think he is a hopeless case”(Reese p. 33). “His conversion had world significance (1:16). Paul stood before the eyes of all after generations as a witness to the power, the grace, and the love of the Lord, so that the greatest of sinners need not doubt that grace” (pp. 43-44). “If a sinner like Saul of Tarsus could be spared and receive salvation, so may other sinners” (Kent p. 94).
Luke 17:3-4 “Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent’, forgive him”.
From this verse we learn that God’s mercy is abundant. A person may have blown it in life many times, but as long as one is alive and willing to repent, forgiveness is still available (1 John 1:7 “Cleanses us from all sin”; Isaiah 55:7 “For He will abundantly pardon”).
Our Obligation
· Do not seek to manipulate or abuse God’s mercy:
While mercy is abundant, the Bible also warns against those who seek to turn God’s grace into a license to sin (Jude 4; Romans 6:1 “Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?”). Manipulating God’s grace would include having no qualms about planning a sin, and then telling yourself that such is Ok, because you can always be forgiven afterwards. Or, arguing that you can continue in a sinful relationship or practice because grace will cover you. God’s mercy actually should teach us the exact opposite (Titus 2:11-12). When the doctrine of God’s mercy is accurately taught no one is left with the impression that they can remain in an ungodly situation or hold on to any worldly desire.
· Truly repent:
The repentance here cannot be superficial or merely a sorrow drummed up to satisfy men, but a heart that is truly broken and contrite (Joel 2:13 “Rend you heart and not your garments”; 2 Corinthians 7:10 “For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret”). The difference between a genuine sorrow over the sins of the past and a superficial sorrow is as follows: “It is not sorrow because of the heinousness of sin as rebellion against God, but sorrow because of the painful and unwelcome consequences of sin. Self is its central point; and self is also the central point of sin. Thus the sorrow of the world manifests itself in self-pity rather than in contrition and turning to God for mercy. The sorrow of the world may be very bitter and intense” (Hughes p. 273). “A worldly sorrow has two characteristics. (a) It is not really sorrow at all, in one sense; it is only resentment. It is resentment at punishment and resentment at the fact that it did not get away with its sin. (b) It is not really sorrow for its sin or for the hurt and sorrow it may have caused others; it is in the end really sorrow that it has been found out. If it got the chance to do the same thing again, and if it thought that it could escape the consequences, it certainly would do it. It does not at all hate the sin; it only regrets the fact that its sin got it into trouble. A true repentance, a godly sorrow, is a repentance and a sorrow that has come to see the wrongness of the thing it did. It is not just the consequences of the thing which it regrets; it hates the thing itself” (Barclay p. 253). May I also add that worldly sorrow resents the idea that it needs to be forgiven, that it owes God a debt or that it is accountable to someone else. Worldly sorrow will interpret true repentance as a kind of weak begging that is beneath it.
· Ready for Mercy?
“God, be merciful to me, the sinner!” (Luke 18:13). A person is ready for God’s mercy when they honestly see themselves as a lost sinner, and the only hope for their condition is God’s mercy. We are ready for mercy, when we have abandoned all other avenues and all other excuses and are willing to completely place ourselves before God with no hope but His kindness.
