Think back to when you were a child to a moment when you might have done something wrong or made a mistake. You likely felt kind of bad about it, and disappointed in yourself that you failed to do the right thing, right? At that moment that you realized your shortcoming, it meant that you understood your need to try to not do it again, but to even be able to have a second opportunity to try again you needed something: mercy.
You may have been playing in the living room with some of your toys, and then went to do something else, leaving your toys all over the floor. Later that night maybe one of your parents stepped on the mess that you left behind, causing them to hurt their foot and become upset because you didn’t put your toys away. But do you know what trait good parents need to be filled with? Mercy. They might talk to you the next day and tell you that you should be a bit more responsible and pick up after you are done, but it is the mercy of the parent that continues to give their child another chance as they allow them to play the next day, as long as they recognize their mistakes. Mercy.
Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
If someone is going to show someone else mercy, it means that they show compassion or forgiveness toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm. It is showing kindness towards someone when they might not deserve it, but it is given anyway.
Another example of mercy: Say you have a classroom of kids, and one day a new student joins that class. Now imagine if there was one student who was kind of a bully and mean and rude to that new student. Continually making fun of the way they look, doing mean pranks or calling them names. And then one winter day as the kids are playing outside on the playground, the bully slips on some ice, falls down and hurts themselves. Extending out their hand, the new student helps pull them back up, takes and puts an arm around the other’s shoulders, and helps them back up again. That is an act of mercy. The bully might not “deserve” to be helped, but the other student chose to show compassion and mercy.
Like that bully, we don’t deserve forgiveness. We don’t deserve to live in the paradise of Heaven, much less even have it offered to us. We are all at some point disobedient, unloving, unkind and wicked sinners. But what Jesus does is reach His arms out to pick us up when we fall. He offers us His mercy and forgiveness, so that one day we can be with Him and the Father someday in Heaven.
Another example of mercy found in the Bible is when Jesus was taken to be crucified, people asked Peter if he had been with Jesus. Three times Peter was asked this, and three times he denied Jesus.
But Jesus showed mercy to Peter. He had compassion on him even after what he had done. He tested Peter 3 times, asking Peter if he loved Him, and he did. And Peter took that mercy and did great things for the Lord with it.
Being a Christian is more than just a title, it is a lifestyle. “Christian” means that one is a follower of the teachings of Christ. What would Jesus do? Whatever Jesus would do, we need to do as well, and that includes being merciful to others. Jesus told a parable about mercy in Matthew 18.
Matthew 18:23-27 “Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.”
This servant owed the king a bunch of money, and because he didn’t have the money to pay back the king, the king was going to sell everything that the man had in order to reclaim back the money. But that servant pleaded with the king, asking for more time. Moved with compassion, the king showed his servant mercy, and completely forgave him of the debt. Now read what happened next.
Matthew 18:28-30 “But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.
And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.”
Do you see what happened here? The man had just been forgiven of all of his debt and granted mercy from the king, but when the same situation happened to him he would not show mercy towards his fellow servant. The other servant had asked for patience, and he would eventually get the money to pay off his debt, but instead of showing the mercy that he had just received from the king, the first servant had the other thrown into prison. He didn’t have mercy and compassion, even though it had just been shown to him. Well as soon as the news of this came to the king, what happened?
Matthew 18:32-34 “Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.”
It was because the servant didn’t give others the same mercy and compassion that he had been given, he was punished. Because of his unmerciful and unforgiving heart it all came back upon him again.
Unlike those who are like that servant, unmerciful, our blessed Lord IS filled with an unlimited amount of mercy, and truly the only way that someone could block themselves from receiving His mercy and forgiveness is if they refuse to give the forgiveness and mercy that they themselves have available to them.
Matthew 18:35 “So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.”
Mercy is a gift. It is freely offered and given by our Lord, with the only requirement that you do the same for others. Do you want to be forgiven? Do you want to receive mercy from the Lord when you meet Him at Judgement Day? Then hear it he words of the Lord Jesus.
Matthew 5:7 “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”
Show mercy!
In Christ
Andrew
Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 