By Ronald
E. George Jr. at the Fayetteville Baptist Church
The story is
told of a politician who, after receiving the proofs of a portrait, was very
angry with the photographer. He
stormed back to the photographer and arrived with these angry words: "This picture does not do me justice!"
The photographer replied, "Sir, with a face like yours, you don't
need justice, you need mercy!"
Remember who you are.
Who am I as a Christian? If you can remember who you are then
you will know what you are not. You
will remember what you have and what you have not.
You will remember who your Father is.
You will know where you came from and where you are going and what you
are supposed to be doing these years and days of your life. These be-attitudes
describe the characteristics of the person who has become born again into the
kingdom of God. (John 3:3)
These are the keys, principles, or laws of Christ’s new kingdom.
Where is the kingdom? The
kingdom is the domain of the king. If
He is King in your house then these principles apply.
The kingdom was inaugurated by Christ and will culminate at the end of
the age. These principles of the life of the Christian are for each one who
has allowed Him to rule in their life. This
is a description of the spiritual life of the follower of Jesus.
The purpose of this message
is to show why it is good to merciful.
Scripture Text:
Matt 5:1 (KJS) And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain:
and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 2 And he opened his mouth,
and taught them, saying, 3 Blessed [are] the poor in spirit: for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed [are] they that mourn: for they shall be
comforted. 5 Blessed [are] the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 6
Blessed [are] they, which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they
shall be filled. 7 Blessed [are] the merciful: for they shall obtain
mercy. 8 Blessed [are] the pure in heart: for they shall see God. 9
Blessed [are] the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
10 Blessed [are] they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are ye, when [men] shall revile
you, and persecute [you], and shall say all manner of evil against you
falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great [is] your
reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
World’s Standards:
Blessed are the self-sufficient, for they will have no need to worry
about anyone else.
1.
Have you seen God’s Mercy: God’s
Mercy is available. Christ died
for you to give you mercy. Mercy
is not getting what you deserve. Grace is receiving what you don’t deserve.
See his love and forgiveness for you.
He died for you. Have you lived with Him?
1Pet 2:9
But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a
peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called
you out of darkness into his marvelous light:
10 Which in time past [were] not a people, but [are] now the people of
God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
LOVE, JUSTICE, and Mercy was to meet
in the courtroom of life at 12 noon.
At 11:58 AM JUSTICE and LOVE were there.
JUSTICE shouted, "WHERE'S MERCY????, He's always Late!" LOVE
said, "Give him time, he'll be here!"
At 12:15 PM and no MERCY,
JUSTICE said, "I DEMAND THAT HE BE HERE!" LOVE said, "Please
wait".
2:15 came and Mercy still had
not shown up. By this time
JUSTICE was fit to be tied. "HE
BETTER HAVE A GOOD EXPLANATION WHY HE HAS KEPT US WAITING!"
LOVE pleaded for Mercy's sake.
At 4:00 PM JUSTICE was livid and
LOVE had all he could do to hold back JUSTICE.
"I'LL DEMAND FULL PAYMENT!"
At 4:10, as LOVE looked over the
hill, here came MERCY. His arm
was all bloody, his hair and eyebrows were all singed, his legs were all
covered with miry clay to his knees.
"Boys, I'm sorry I'm late
but a call came at 11:55 AM from a prophet that was thrown in a lions den and
I had my arm in his mouth. At
2:00 PM a call came from 3 Hebrew boys who were about to be thrown into a
fiery furnace and I stood as protection for them. At 3:30 a call came from a
"weeping prophet" as they lowered him in a well of clay."
"And boys, I don't know how
much time I have, as I came over the hill, I saw a man carrying a cross and I
know I'm going to be needed."
At that time, a call came
ringing out from Golgotha Hill, "MERCY!, MERCY! MERCY!"
2.
Have you received God’s Mercy: Seeing
it and receiving it are two different things.
Admit your need. Confess
your sin. You’re guilty.
God forgives sins not excuses. Then you can receive his mercy.
Luke 18:13 And the
publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as [his] eyes unto
heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. Admit
you are a sinner in need. We need
continual forgiveness and mercy. The
Pharisee didn’t see it.
“The young man was on his vacation from school.
His parents spoke to him about his soul as he was about to leave home for
school. His answer was, "I will never be guilty of founding my hopes for
the future upon such a mess of trash as is found in the book you call the
Bible. Talk of its being the production of a divine mind! Why, a half-witted
child ten years of age could have told a better story. I believe it to be the
biggest mess of lies ever imposed upon the public. I would rather go to hell
(if there is one), than have the name of bowing to that impostor, Jesus
Christ."
The brokenhearted parents replied by saying, "Beware, my son,
beware. While He is merciful, many have been suddenly cut down when
blaspheming God."
His
answer was, "Very well, Father, I'll risk all the cutting down that I
shall get for cursing that book, and all the agonies connected therewith. Let
it come; I'm not at all scared. Yes, I know what I am about, and I mean it
all."
The
parents were crushed. He immediately left home and took the train for his
destination. The train had gone only a short distance when there was a wreck.
As fate would have it, it seemed, at the moment the wreck took place the young
man was passing between the coaches and was fatally hurt. His limbs were
broken and his skull fractured. He was fearfully mangled. He was the only one
hurt in the wreck. Soon his mangled body was back at the old home, where he
had so fearfully blasphemed God. His parents were grief-stricken. Skilled
physicians did their best, but all was in vain. His body was mangled, but his
mind was strong.
Some of his classmates reached his home before he passed away. When he
saw them he raved and cursed them, saying, "You helped to bring me to
this. You helped to damn me." He sought to reach them and, as he gnashed
upon them as if to tear them to pieces, he raved, "May the curses of God
abide upon your heads!" Then he wailed, "O Mother, I am lost, lost,
lost, damned, damned, damned forever! O Mother, get some water to quench this
fire that is burning me to death. The fire that shall burn me forever has
already begun. O Mother, devils have come for me. Take me in your arms and
don't let them have me." As she drew near he sought to bury his face in
her bosom, and with a shriek he cried, "They are dragging me to
hell," and he was gone. God bears long, but at times His judgments come
quickly. ---William Moses Tidwell
When the infidel Robert G. Ingersoll was delivering his lectures
against Christ and the Bible, his oratorical ability usually assured him of a
large crowd. One night after an
inflammatory speech in which he severely attacked man's faith in the Savior,
he dramatically took out his watch and said, "I'll give God a chance to
prove that He exists and is almighty. I
challenge Him to strike me dead within 5 minutes!"
First there was silence, then people became uneasy.
Some left the hall, unable to take the nervous strain of the occasion,
and one woman fainted. At the end
of the allocated time, the atheist exclaimed derisively, "See!
There is no God. I am still very much alive!"
After
the lecture a young fellow said to a Christian lady, "Well, Ingersoll
certainly proved something tonight!"
Her reply was memorable. "Yes,
he did," she said. "He demonstrated that even the most defiant
sinner cannot exhaust the patience of the Lord in just 5 minutes!" Another man added, " As I was coming downtown today, a
belligerent little fellow came running out of an alley, daring me to hit him.
Do you suppose I actually struck him, just because he challenged me to
do so? In the same way, our Lord
will not strike everyone dead who defies Him.
We should be thankful that in this age He is still operating in grace
and desires to show His love rather than His wrath." (Romans 9:22)
3.
Have you given God’s Mercy: Are
you full of mercy? How do you
react when someone wrongs you? Mercy
requires we sow seed in enemies field. Will
you turn the other cheek?
In a New England village a home
burned. Some furniture was saved
and four cows, but not much else. The
victims needed everything. A
neighbor drove up to gawk at the smoking ruins and to poke around the scorched
shell. Shaking his head as though
in unbelief and clearing his throat, he told the owner, his long time
neighbor, "If there's anything I can do, just say the word."
Then he drove away leaving behind only his ritual words.
Other neighbors came too, but instead of asking what they could do, for
one would have to be blind no to see, they returned with help:
beds, mattresses, potatoes, vegetables, cooking pots, clothes, hay for
the cows. For a person possessing
the gift of mercy, "call me if you need me" is not the proper phrase
offered merely for the record to clear our conscience.
Genuine mercy does something. (Flynn--133-4)
4.
Give Mercy,
because you received Mercy. Gal.
6:7-8 Reap what you sow. Do you
want God’s mercy? Do you want
to receive mercy? Will you give
it? Since you have received the
mercy and love of the Father you have an overabundance of it to give away.
“Some years ago a man driving down the streets of one of the great
cities lost control of his horses and was in danger of being dashed to death.
Suddenly, there sprang out into the streets a man who, seizing the horses by
the bit, stopped them in their mad career and saved the driver's life.
By a
singular coincidence, years afterwards the man whose life was saved was on
trial before the one who had stopped the horses, who sat in the judge's chair.
The trial was ended; the lawyers had made the plea and the jury had returned
with its verdict, when the judge said, "Have you anything to say why
sentence should not be pronounced upon you?" Then, rising, trembling with
great emotion, he said: "Judge, don't you remember me?" And the
judge said once again, "Have you anything to say why sentence should not
be pronounced?" And then he said, "Why, Judge, I am the man you
saved; have mercy, have mercy. And with a look full of pity, his honor
replied, "I do remember you and I am very sorry for you, but then I was
your saviour, and today I am your judge;" and the sentence of death was
passed.
Today our
Saviour stands waiting to be merciful. With tears in his eyes he stands
knocking again and again at the door of our hearts. But one day the picture
will change, and he will be our judge to say, "Depart, for I never knew
you." God save us from that day.”
By J. Wilbur Chapan, "Present Day Parables."