Gifts of the Spirit: Mercy

Big Idea:

The gift of mercy honors the name of God and helps a broken world.

Intro:

Hey Church Online (and Church In-Person)! This weekend I’m at our Men’s Retreat (or Man Camp), so both online and in-person are watching the video edition of this sermon! Either way, I’d like to welcome you to The River Church!

This past Tuesday was Halloween. Many of you know that Janelle and I do a big celebration at our home. We figure if we’re gonna get hundreds of people coming to our door, we might as well bless them in Jesus’s name!

So, we light up the house, play music, setup games, and buy a lot of really good candy to give away. We’ve done this now for 8 years and each year it’s been fun to BRING JOY to our neighborhood!

This year, after everyone had gone home and we were cleaning up, my phone rang. It was from someone who never calls me. And… I’m totally that person who doesn’t pick up their phone. I’d prefer you text me. Or, I’ll call you back after I listen to your voicemail. I know, I’m a jerk. Sorry. I’m a pastor, I’m not perfect.

However, sometimes I WILL pick up the phone, especially if I feel like it might be an emergency. Like, “Whoa, this person never calls me, I better pick up!”

“Hello?”

“Pastor George? I just need to tell you something...”

Pause… I got to give some context. The person calling me was at my house earlier helping out with our celebration. And although we had more VISITORS than ever before- We went thru 12 gallons of hot chocolate! - we actually had a lot of candy left over. And remember, we buy the GOOD stuff. Full-size bars and everything.

And before this person left, they filled up a Santa Claus sized bag of candy to take home to their parents… okay, back to the conversation...

“… I just got home. My dad saw the bag I was carrying and said ‘Wow! That’s a lot of candy!’

Then, my mom said, ‘Yea… but is there anything good in there?’”

[Snap your fingers and say nah uh]

“And I said, ‘Hold up! You are not gonna disrespect Pastor George that way! You know how they do it. They don’t give away junk.

In fact, no… I’m calling him right now and snitchin. And so, Pastor George I’m calling you just to let you know that my mom needs to put some respect on your name!”

Instantly, my mind flashes to the rapper named Birdman. Who a few years ago went on a radio show where apparently the hosts had been talking trash about him and he walks in the room and say, “Nah… you better put some RESPECK (with a K) on my name.”

And so, in good fun, I thanked my friend for defending my honor and putting some RESPECK on my name!

...And I forgave the mom too.

Well, this week, as we continue talking about the Gifts of the Spirit, I want to talk about a spiritual gift that deserves some RESPECT.

So, far we’ve talked about a lot of amazing spiritual gifts. Many of them are miraculous! When they are in use, awe and wonder is inspired as the power of God is experienced!

But while all spiritual gifts are empowered by the Holy Spirit, not all gifts are miraculous. Some gifts are considered non-miraculous.

We talked about a couple last week… the gift of a “word of wisdom” or a “word of knowledge,” which - if we don’t use the prophetic application of them - are simply the normal process of acquiring knowledge or distributing wisdom yet supercharged by the Holy Spirit for the purposes of building up the church and glorifying God.

And today’s spiritual gift is another non-miraculous one, and found in...

Romans 12:6–8 ESV

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

Today we’re going to talk about the spiritual gift or mercy. Although it is non-miraculous by nature, it is still extremely important and needed in the church. In fact, I believe...

God may have given some of you the gift of mercy.

And it’s time we put some RESPECK on your name.

Actually, Paul thinks we should too! Because right before he wrote about this gift, he writes this...

Romans 12:3–5 ESV

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

Basically, Paul is telling us that every spiritual gift (miraculous or not) matters. All are worthy of appreciation.

That even though those with pastoral giftings may have more spiritual authority...

Or those with the gift of healing might seem more spectacular...

The non-miraculous gift of mercy is just as special.

Those empowered to distribute mercy are just as valuable as pastors. So, we better put some RESPECK on that gift!

Therefore, let’s take a moment to learn about it, so we can both appreciate, honor, and value it in our church!

Body:

So, what is mercy? Well, in the Bible, there are two basic uses:

The first use is a judicial use. You may have heard mercy explained this way before… Grace is when God gives us what we don’t deserve; Mercy is when God doesn’t give us what we deserve. For example, when God forgives us for our sins, we don’t deserve that. It comes to us by grace. What we do deserve is His holy judgment because of our sins; but we don’t always immediately receive that because of His mercy.

The second use of mercy has to do with God’s desire to save us. Theologian Wayne Grudem defines it this way: Mercy is God’s goodness toward those in misery and distress. When we need help, God’s mercy saves us. And it’s different than judicial mercy. God’s not rescuing us with a flippant attitude of, “Fine! I’ll help you this one time, even though what you really deserve is to burn.” No, His mercy comes wrapped in goodness and love.

Clearly, the two uses are both related and relevant to the spiritual gift, but the specific use is dependent on the context. However, I believe the spiritual gift of mercy is primarily an expression of the second definition, though I’m sure there are times when the first definition is involved.

So, the question becomes, “What does this gift look like when it’s in use?”

Last week, the three gifts we were introduced to - word of wisdom, word of knowledge, and discerning of spirits - were all gifts only mentioned specifically in the Scriptures once, making them difficult to study.

Well, guess what? The spiritual gift of mercy is also mentioned only once in the Bible. However, because the topic of mercy is so widely used, I believe we can still come away with a good understanding of what this gift looks like. In fact, I personally believe one person in the Bible we can examine is a man named Philemon.

Philemon - an example of mercy

Philemon was a friend of Paul’s. And not only a friend, but someone who came to know Jesus as Lord and Savior under Paul’s ministry.

He was a good man and even had a church in his house. And while Paul was in prison, he writes a letter to Philemon making a request that he forgive and receive a runaway slave (context is more like employee) who had wronged him.

When this guy ran away from Philemon, he eventually met Paul. And just like Philemon, he got saved. And God transformed his life. And now Paul is sending this person (Onesiums) back to Philemon. And with him, this letter that we know as Philemon.

And in the beginning of the letter, it says this...

Philemon 7 NLT

Your love has given me much joy and comfort, my brother, for your kindness has often refreshed the hearts of God’s people.

That word “kindness” appears only in the New Living Translation. Mostly because the translators thought adding the word gave a better sense of what was being communicated. And that’s acceptable since it is not uncommon for our English translations to miss small nuances in the Greek. And I appreciate the addition because I think it’s accurate to the sense of the passage.

Because many times the Bible uses mercy and kindness interchangeably. And what I believe the NLT translators are picking up is that Philemon had a supernatural kindness about him. And very possibly - the spiritual gift of mercy.

And if that’s true, I believe Philemon gives us three things that can help us understand what the spiritual gift of mercy looks like in action.

So, first off, check this out. Paul writes...

Philemon 4–5 NLT

I always thank my God when I pray for you, Philemon, because I keep hearing about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all of God’s people.

When Philemon became a Christian, everyone knew it. Not just because he told people about Jesus, but because they saw his faith and love in action. Philemon made an impact on his community. And here’s how this connects to the spiritual gift of mercy...

Last week, I said the gifts of wisdom, knowledge, and discernment helped us see the world through God’s eyes. And in a similar way, the gift of mercy helps the world FEEL God’s heart. Mercy reveals the love of Christ to our broken world.

For example, Luke 18...

Luke 18:35–43 ESV

As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” And he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

Bartimaeus was broken and in need of help. And he cries out to Jesus, “Have mercy on me!” And Jesus does. And as Bartimaeus experiences the mercy of God, he also FEELS the heart of God. I believe the same is true for those who have the spiritual gift of mercy. They too reveal the heart of God to the broken, just like Philemon did.

Now, Paul goes onto write...

Philemon 7 NLT

Your love has given me much joy and comfort, my brother, for your kindness has often refreshed the hearts of God’s people.

I love that phrase, “you have often refreshed the hearts of God’s people.” That’s the second thing people with gift of mercy do. They facilitate a FRESH move of the Spirit. They make you feel alive again. They renew your broken heart in special ways.

When the prophet Jeremiah lamented over the destruction of Jerusalem, he was devastated. But yet, he said...

Lamentations 3:22–23 NLT

The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.

I love Costco. When we first moved from California, we used to drive all the to Enfield just shop at Costco, because it was one of the few things familiar to us in Connecticut.

And if you’ve been to Costco, you know that they have bulk-sized packages of grocery store items. Like, you don’t just get 2 liters of laundry detergent. You get 20 gallons. And as you walk thru the store, you see pallets of these bulk-sized packages stacked to the ceilings.

I think sometimes we think of God’s mercy like Costco. We think there are pallets of mercy (all the same) stacked in the the heavenly warehouse. And God just throws down a package of mercy when we need help. But the language actually points to something different - something special. When God gives mercy, it’s not standard, it’s custom-made for us. It’s freshly made. And it makes us feel special.

And those with the spiritual gift of mercy - like Philemon - walk into a broken mess and bring FRESH mercy. They make us FEEL SPECIAL.

And here’s where we can insert that judicial definition of mercy. When they enter our brokenness, they don’t come as judge. They don’t decide to use their spiritual gift based on merit or worthiness, but rather have God’s heart for the broken. They have a special Spirit-empowered ability to bring the perfect amount of joy and comfort. And the result is supernatural peace.

Finally, as Paul wrote to Philemon to forgive and receive Onesimus, he says...

Philemon 21 NLT

I am confident as I write this letter that you will do what I ask and even more!

Two phrases I want us to pay attention to...

I am confident [say confident].

You will do what I ask and even more [say even more].

The Bible is essentially written in two languages:

The Old Testament is written in Hebrew.

And the New Testament in Greek.

(There’s also some Aramaic thrown in there too).

And my favorite word in the Old Testament in the Hebrew word “hesed.” It’s found in many places, but one important place it’s found is in Exodus 34.

As Moses is talking to God, he says, “God, show me Your glory!” In other words, God I want to see You! I want to know You more and more!

And God then reveals this about Himself to Moses...

Exodus 34:5–6 NLT

Then the Lord came down in a cloud and stood there with him; and he called out his own name, Yahweh. The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.

That word translated “unfailing love” is the Hebrew word “hesed.” It speaks to a CONFIDENCE we can have in God’s love.

That God will always do what He says He will do.

If He says He loves us, we can CONFIDENTLY count on that!

He will never break His PROMISE to us.

Additionally, that word “hesed” can also be translated “mercy” in the Old Testament. And it’s connected to the Greek word that’s used to speak about the spiritual gift. Meaning, the THIRD thing we see about MERCY thru Philemon is those with the GIFT can be CONFIDENTLY relied on.

They will always have our back like God does.

They will always be there for us like God is.

One of my favorite movies is McFarland. It came out a while ago. It was made by Disney and it stars Kevin Costner. It’s based on a true story where a football coach loses his job and ends up taking a job in a Mexican migrant community. And the football program is terrible.

And his family feels extremely out of place. And they are looking for any excuse to leave. But in the meantime, heone notices is the kids can run. So, he starts a cross country team, which at the time was a new sport. And the movie takes off from there...

But there comes one scene where the coach’s daughter is celebrating her birthday and goes out with some friends. Because of the neighborhood, there is a gang fight. The daughter gets injured and the dad it’s extremely upset… ready to leave immediately.

But then his wife (mom) finds out how the daughter gets hurt. In her time of need, as people are fighting all around her and knives are pulled out, the cross country team protectively pushed her out of the way and surrounded her to keep her safe. They had her back. They came to her rescue. She was shown mercy!

And that’s what the spiritual gift of mercy looks like. In our time of need, these gifted people come to our rescue. They confidently have our back. And the confidence we have in them reminds us that we have a Heavenly Father in heaven we can be confident in for mercy too.

…But wait, there’s more. Those with the “gift of mercy” will often go above and beyond in our time of need.

Ephesians 3:20 ESV

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,

One reason God does “far more abundantly and than all we can ask or think” is because of His MERCY. And I believe when Paul confidently expected Philemon to do “even more” because he was gifted in MERCY.

Response:

So, as we begin to close [and if you’re at church, while the worship team comes up], let me remind us why this spiritual gift matters. Why I can make statements like I did at the beginning saying the gift of mercy is just as important as those with the pastoral giftings.

...We live in a broken world. A world that seems to crush us. A world where nothing goes right. And even in the off chance that it does, it never lasts nor doesn’t satisfy like we thought it would. It’s a world where it’s easy to feel alone, unloved, and hopeless.

And while most of us would agree that description of our world is true, it’s not THE TRUTH.

The prophet Isaiah, speaking of Jesus, wrote...

Isaiah 42:3 ESV

a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.

In this world, we may feel like a “bruised reed,” barely hanging on, crushed, and ready to be completely broken off.

We may feel like a “faintly burning wick,” a candle whose light is about to be snuffed out...

If you’ve stopped by the office, you probably have smelled a Yankee candle burning. I love nice smelling candles. If you will, I’m a candle connoisseur... I know - super manly.

And I know all too well that once a wick is towards the end, the flame gets low and it eventually goes out. And once it does, there’s no relighting it. The only thing I can do is throw it away.

In this broken world, we feel like this way too. That we’re at the end of our life. There’s no hope. We’re all alone. Barely hanging on. All that’s left is to be thrown away.

I know those feelings are real. But again… they are NOT THE TRUTH. Because God’s given us good news - the GOSPEL says because of Jesus…

We are not alone - someone has our back.

We are deeply loved - for how great is the LOVE whose MERCY requires the cross!

And we always have hope, even in the brokenness. That one day, God will bring justice - He will make all things right.

And if you ask me, that’s a powerful spiritual gift, even if it’s not miraculous. It’s a gift that we need to put some RESPECK on!

So, let me end with this....

If you’re the kind of person who cheerfully enters other people’s brokenness to help them...

If you have a special ability to bring joy, comfort, and God’s peace...

If you have the reputation of the kind of person people CONFIDENTLY RELY on… you got people’s backs no matter the circumstances…

You might have the gift of mercy. And if you do, use it! Because this broken world needs you. The church needs you! God has gifted you to be an extension of His heart!

Let’s pray...

Father, we thank you for Your mercy. Thank you for this fresh, special, rescuing love that we can confidently rely on. And we thank you for those gifted with this spiritual gift. We pray that many in our church would have this gift, so that our community can EXPERIENCE Your heart.

And we pray that anyone who needs to receive Your saving mercy would do so today. That they would turn from their sin and call out “Son of David (Jesus), have MERCY on me!” We believe the greatest MERCY was when You sacrificed Your life on the cross to forgive us for our sins, even though we didn’t deserve it. And today, we trust in that saving work and ask you to rescue us from our brokenness. In Jesus name, amen!