UNDERSTANDING THE MERCY OF GOD

Understanding The Mercy Of God

Reading: Mark 10:46 – 52

"And they came to Jericho. And as He with His disciples and a large crowd went out of Jericho, blind Bartimeus, the son of Timeus, was sitting by the side of the highway, begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me! And many warned him that he should be quiet, but he cried a great deal more, Son of David, have mercy on me! And Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. And they called the blind man, saying to him, Be of good comfort; rise up, He is calling you. And casting away his garment, he rose up and came to Jesus. And answering Jesus said to him, What do you desire that I should do to you? The blind man said to Him, My Lord, that I may see again. And Jesus said to him, Go, your faith has healed you. And instantly he saw again, and he followed Jesus in the way."

What is mercy?

·         Mercy is kindness or forgiveness one receives from a superior in an exchange for bitterness.

·         It can also be said that mercy is an act of benevolence of easing distress. It gives fame instead of shame and glory instead of gory.

“Thou shalt arise, [and] have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come.” Psalm 102:13

·         Mercy like favour or grace is not obtained because of what good thing we have done to deserve it.

The Lord replied, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, ‘the Lord,’ to you. I will show kindness to anyone I choose, and I will show mercy to anyone I choose. 20 But you may not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live.” – Exod. 33:19

However, there are some criteria for obtaining mercy from God.

Criteria for mercy

·         Willingness to be helped

·         Positioning oneself in the place of mercy – Matt. 12:17

·         Locating the place of mercy – Heb. 4:16

·         Seizing the opportunity for mercy

·         Being seen as the one who needs mercy

·         Fear of God attracts mercy – Luke 1:50

Forms of mercy

·         Mercy can come in form of forgiveness – Matt. 9:6, Mar. 2:9

·         Mercy can come in form of comfort provided by God – John 5:8

·         Mercy can also come in form of favour or help – Rom. 9:10 – 14

·         Mercy can come in form of deliverance from power of darkness – Jer. 30:18

·         Lastly, it can come in form of answered prayer – Ps. 86:16

How to obtain mercy from God

Mercy is of God. Anyone that must obtain mercy from God must:

·         Have faith in God – Heb. 11:6, Jam. 1:6-8

·         Believe in the word of God – Deut. 5:10

·         Accept the salvation of God – Heb. 2:3, 12:25

·         Be ready to  follow the Lord all the way – Mark 10:52

Conclusion

Mercy is the bread of the children, it is not meant for dogs. – Matt. 15:26

PASTOR FEMI ATODE

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