July 9, 2006 am   The Reign of Mercy    Psalm 123

By Ronald E. George Jr. at the Fayetteville Baptist Church

^Create Him!

When God was about to create man, says a Jewish legend, He took into His counsel the angels that stood about his throne. “Create him not,” said the angel of Justice, “for if Thou dost he will commit all kinds of wickedness against his fellow men; he will be hard and cruel and dishonest and unrighteous.” “Create him not,” said the angel of Truth, “for he will be false and deceitful to his brother-man, and even to Thee.” “Create him not,” said the angel of Holiness, “he will follow that which is impure in Thy sight, and dishonor Thee to thy face.”

Then stepped forward the angel of Mercy (God’s best beloved) and said: “Create him, our Heavenly Father for when he sins and turns from the path of right and truth and holiness I will take him tenderly by the hand, and speak loving words to him, and then lead him back to Thee.” —J. A. Clarks^[1]

Psalm 123

^1 I lift up my eyes to you, to you whose throne is in heaven. ^2 As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he shows us his mercy. ^3 Have mercy on us, O Lord , have mercy on us, for we have endured much contempt. ^4 We have endured much ridicule from the proud, much contempt from the arrogant.

What is mercy?

• Mercy = kindness or forgiveness shown to an offender or to somebody a person has power over.

• a disposition to be compassionate or forgiving of others

• a welcome event or situation that provides relief or prevents something unpleasant from happening

• the easing of distress or pain

Why do we need mercy?

We have been humbled down until we lift up our eyes.  We lift up our eyes from the position where we have been humbled.  Why have we been humbled?

We are sinners.  We have sinned.  We have sinned and have gone away from the Lord.  Romans 6:23.  Sin dries up our lives from all of life.  Sin brings death. 

Romans 3:23 (NIV) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 5:12 (NIV) Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned—

We want your mercy O’ Lord.  We plead for your mercy.  We ask for mercy!  We need and want his mercy on us.  We take your communion.  We take your love and we take your life.  We take your life and death for the sacrifice for our lives.  We receive your mercy through our Lord Jesus’ sacrifice for us. 

What is God’s Response?  The Reign of Mercy is God’s gift to us.  His mercy falls on us as the cool summer rain falls from heaven to refresh our lives.  His mercy gives us hope.  His mercy gives us assurance and a reason to live.  His mercy gives us a new outlook.  His mercy floods our lives with new life.  His mercy washes our lives from the dirt of the earth.  His mercy cleanses our lives from the disease of sin that brings death.  His mercy quenches our earthly thirst for the sin of the earth that dries up our love of God.  God whose reign is supreme and unequaled chooses to give to us his mercy.  His mercy relieves our sin parched life.  Drink in His mercy.  His mercy gives life to the dying and hope to the hopeless.  Have you received God’s mercy?

   A young employee secretly misappropriated several hundred dollars of his business firm's money. When this action was discovered the young man was told to report to the office of the senior partner of the firm. As he walked up the stairs toward the administrative office the young employee was heavyhearted. He knew without a doubt he would lose his position with the firm. He also feared the possibility of legal action taken against him. Seemingly his whole world had collapsed.

   Upon his arrival in the office of the senior executive the young man was questioned about the whole affair. He was asked if the allegations were true and he answered in the affirmative. Then the executive surprisingly asked this question: "If I keep you in your present capacity, can I trust you in the future?" The young worker brightened up and said, "Yes, sir, you surely can. I've learned my lesson."

   The executive responded, "I'm not going to press charges, and you can continue in your present responsibility." The employer concluded the conversation with his younger employee by saying, "I think you ought to know, however, that you are the second man in this firm who succumbed to temptation and was shown leniency. I was the first. What you have done, I did. The mercy you are receiving, I received. It is only the grace of God that can keep us both."    Don Mallough, Crowded Detours  --James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988), p. 347.

Shooting Up A Spring

During the siege of Sebastopol , a Russian shell buried itself in the side of a hill without the city, and opened a spring. A little fountain bubbled forth where the cannon shot had fallen, and during the remainder of the siege afforded to the thirsty troops who were stationed in that vicinity, an abundant supply of pure, cold water. Thus the missile of death from an enemy, under the direction of an overruling Providence , proved a supplier of mercy to the parched and weary soldiers of the Allies. ^[2]