Unconditional Mercy

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we are going to look at some scripture that has to do with unconditional Mercy.

The word unconditional means not subject to any conditions. It means without any kinds of strings attached.

If you set conditions, it means a circumstance that has a prerequisite to obtaining. There are factors or terms that are imposed. When we look up the word conditional it means subject to one or more conditions or requirements that need to be met. These conditions need to be fulfilled before you grant anything. If a situation or an agreement is conditional upon something, it’s only going to happen or continue if conditions are met first.

For example if you go to a pawn shop you may get a loan on the condition that you leave an item there that is worth equal or part of the value of the loan you’re getting.

God grants us forgiveness and mercy that is unconditional.

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

I want you to take note today that In this passage it says that if we confess our sins that He forgives us. The word confess simply means to admit or to state that you’ve committed some kind of fault in some way. It means to admit or knowledge.

We can never really grow closer in the church unless we first admit our faults to each other. Confess means to admit or to acknowledge something. Not only are we supposed to confess our sins to God and get forgiven, but we are also supposed to confess our faults to each other.

James 5:16

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

The Lord does not demand all kinds of conditions to be met before he forgives us of our sins, other than confessing and admitting our faults.

When you admit something, you’re recognizing or accepting something that is true. It means to accept something fully such as accepting that I was wrong for doing that. So if we simply admit our sins, if we admit the truth of what we have done, if we own up to our own faults and misdeeds God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.

The word faithful means steadfast in affection and allegiance. It’s being loyal like a faithful friend. It means to be firm in adherence to promises. Jesus is faithful and true. When we come to him in faith and trust him, He’s going to forgive us.

There are innumerable amounts of grace available through what He did for us at the cross, but we have to come to him in faith and trust in that grace and mercy because he is faithful to forgive us.

That forgiveness comes without any kind of conditions attached, other than the fact that we need to admit it. We all need to come to grips with what we have done wrong in our life and apologize. God requires that when we come to him and get forgiven for our sins, and that we show that exact same unconditional forgiveness to other people.

Mark 11:25

And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

So, sometimes people in the church can be very unforgiving with others. Someone comes up and apologizes to another person over and over again but the other refuses to forgive. It teaches that if you have ought against any, which means you’re holding an unforgiving grudge, you are supposed to forgive them.

Matt 6:15

But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Mercy is compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or to harm. Mercy is being lenient and showing compassion to somebody when they ask for mercy.

The definition of mercy is compassionate treatment or having a capacity to forgive others and show kindness. As we said the other day not forgiving other people when they apologize and say I repent, leads to bitterness and grudge keeping. It’s ultimately going to hurt the unforgiving party.

James 2:13

For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

Now obviously you will have some people in the church who won’t apologize for hurting others. That is not only a lack of charity for others, but a denial of the Christian faith.

In order to inherit eternal life someday we have to confess our sins to God and get forgiven for them and then God reconciles us unto himself through His grace. We must also reconcile with other people in the church that we have wronged. Learning to apologize to Christ and coming to the throne of grace in your time of need should teach you to apologize to other people in the church that you have wronged. If you can’t be forgiving with others in the church who try to apologize, He’s going to have judgment without Mercy.

Luke 6:36-37

³⁶ Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

³⁷ Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

Matt 5:7

Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.

The scriptures teaches that if you come to the church and you want to give an offering unto God but you realize that someone has issues with you and you haven’t reconciled with them, you were not supposed to offer it until you make up with the brother that you have wronged.

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.

God does not want any offerings or gifts until we first learn to be merciful with other people. He wants us to learn to be forgiving with others who apologize, and to be filled with grace and mercy as he is. If you’re incapable of doing that then it’s just religion. It’s sitting in a pew feeling like you’re going to heaven but denying everything that the Lord Jesus Christ died for. That is complete hypocrisy.

God wants us to learn to be merciful to others, because he is merciful. God who us to be forgiving with others will apologize because he is forgiving.

Colossians 3:12-13

¹² Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

¹³ Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

Luke 6:37

…forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

Matt 18:21-22

²¹ Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?

²² Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

Think about how much Jesus took upon himself at the cross. He didn’t take just the sins of a few people, but the sins of the entire world. Look add how forgiving He is. Look at how forgiving He taught Peter to be, because that is the forgiving nature of our Lord Jesus Christ.

A lot of people in the world including a bunch of people who actually profess to be a Christian really do not comprehend how forgiving that God is with each of us. Sadly nowadays it has turned into a lip service forgiveness. Somebody says I forgive you but you bear a grudge in your heart against them. Or you say I forgive you but you resent them and will not reconcile with them. They just don’t let it go. Or they will not forgive someone else unless they do something first and show that they are worthy of their mercy. What a wicked group of people. The Bible prophesied about these people in the last days before his return.

God’s Mercy is unconditional and all it requires is that you admit the truth.

I’ve taught this for 20 years that when it comes to Mercy or an apology and forgiveness, you cannot change the past. You cannot go back and undo and correct what you have done wrong. In order to obtain forgiveness from God you simply need to confess your fault to be forgiven. You cannot work off your own sin debt. It is a debt that is owed that you cannot pay.

In order to inherit eternal life, sin needs to be forgiven. There are numerous things that each of us have done wrong in our past that we would like to forget and wish had never happened. Things that we truly regret. This is why God sent His Son to be a savior to the world. He sent Him to be an offering an atonement for our misdeeds.

You cannot work off your own sin debt and earn forgiveness with God or with others. True forgiveness from the scriptures is without any kind of conditions. You don’t need to write up a letter saying I’m going to do this or that. That is a misconception of the Christian faith that is being spread out there like wildfire today. It’s being taught by people who do not want to forgive others.

Remember Jesus was hated because he was preaching forgiveness and forgiving others even before their lives had changed. While we were yet sinners Christ died for each of us.

If you go to your prayer life and you admit your faults to God and ask forgiveness based on your simple confession, I guarantee that you had better forgive people who admit their faults to you. If you’re incapable of doing that, God is not going to forgive you. That is too scary for me to even think about. If that doesn’t put the fear of God into you, I don’t know what will.

That’s where I’m going to stop right now but Lord willing will talk to you some more tomorrow . Till then bye-bye everybody.