Mercy For All

INTRODUCTION:

Yesterday I turned forty years old. This morning, I got up, took a shower, put my clothes on and took a long look in the mirror.

There were more gray hairs. There’s a mid-section I can’t suck in and hide any more. There were several things that used to not be there a decade ago.

A good mirror will reflect what stands in front of it.

Those funhouse mirrors distort the image before them because the metal in curved inward or outward to distort the light and reflection it casts.

A straight piece of glass and a polished piece of metal will properly reflect what stands before it.

I titled the sermon “mirrors of mercy” because God’s people are to function like mirrors in our culture.

When we’re not curved in on the self or distorted by sin the image we reflect displays the person standing before us.

As Christians we stand in the presence of Jesus Christ. When we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and our lives free of distortion, it is the image of Jesus Christ that we broadcast to the world.

Our world DESPERATELY needs people who reflect the image of Christ.

We live in a culture of a hate, anger, jealousy and resentment.

There’s a theory of politics called “The Horseshoe Theory” where the more polarized you become in your politics - whether on the left or on the right - the more similar you become in how you carry the politics out.

In other words, communism and fascism have more in common than one may think. (both authoritarian, centralized power, suppression of opposition, cult-like leadership, degredation of free speech, justification of violence.)

Set The Table

It’s important what we allow our mirrors to stand before.

Now, more than ever, we need a culture that reflect our Lord. And for that happen, in culture, we need mirrors who stand before Jesus in worship.

That’s essentially what the book of Jude is about. There were cultural pressures to stand before counterfeit Messiah.

Many of these converts were young in their faith and being confronted with dangerous false teaching.

These false teachers were diminishing the growth of God’s kingdom and leading young Christians into idolatry and unbelief..

Jude writes his letter to expose that spiritual counterfeit and challenge TRUE Christians to contend for the faith.

70% of Judes letter exposes that rot. The remaining 30% tells true Christians to “contend for the faith” and how to go about it.

It’s that final 30% I want us to focus on this morning.

Jude introduces himsel4f in verse 1 followed by a prayer for those who would receive his letter.

Jude 2–4 CSB

2 May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. 3 Dear friends, although I was eager to write you about the salvation we share, I found it necessary to write, appealing to you to contend for the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all. 4 For some people, who were designated for this judgment long ago, have come in by stealth; they are ungodly, turning the grace of our God into sensuality and denying Jesus Christ, our only Master and Lord.

From verses 5-16 Jude explains why these people are a problem.

They were wolves in sheep clothing. (Jude 4)

They twisted God’s grace into license (Jude 4)

They denied the authority of Jesus as Messiah. (Jude 4)

They embodied a rebellious spirit that invited God’s judgment. (Jude 5-11)

They were deceptive, selfish, boastful and defiled. (Jude 12-13)

They grumbled against God and manipulated people. (Jude 14-16)

They were divisive, worldly and did not have the Holy Spirit. (Jude 18-19)

That’s who THEY were. But Jude says true Christians are different.

He closes the book by explaining how and why.

Jude 17–18 CSB

17 But you, dear friends, remember what was predicted by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 18 They told you, “In the end time there will be scoffers living according to their own ungodly desires.”

Jude 20–21 CSB

20 But you, dear friends, as you build yourselves up in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting expectantly for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life.

A Christian Contender must…

remember God’s warning. (What the apostles said about scoffers in the last days…)

remain in God’s love. (by building, praying and waiting on the Lord’s return.)

Finally, this week, they must “reflect God’s mercy”

Jude 22–23 CSB

22 Have mercy on those who waver; 23 save others by snatching them from the fire; have mercy on others but with fear, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.

MERCY FOR ALL

Three times in this paragraph Jude repeats the word “mercy.”

God’s people receive mercy from Jesus on the day of judgment.

God’s people reflect mercy in their dealings with other people.

The mercy we receive we dispense to other people.

A contender must remember to reflect God’s mercy.

Mercy was also at the top of Jude’s prayer for this congregation. He prayed that God would “lavishly pour out mercy, peace and love.” (Jude 2)

What is God’s mercy? To whom is it given and what should it look like? These are the questions raised by our passage this morning.

What Is Mercy?

First, what is mercy? We use the word often. Do we know what it means?

It’s one of the quintessential attributes of God the Father and the Son.

When Yahweh revealed his covenant name to Moses, mercy was at the top of the list. (Ex 34:5-6)

It’s used over and over as the essential attribute of God’s covenant keeping nature. (Dt 4:31; Mic 7:18-20)

Mercy was at the center of Jesus’ compassion towards people. (Mt 9:36; 14:14; 15:32)

It was the motivation for many healings. (Mat 20:34; Mk 1:41; Lk 7:13)

What was given by the Father and demonstrated through the son, God’s people are called to give to each other. (Mat 5:7; 9:13; 12:7; 23:23; Lk 6:36; 10:37; Jas 3:17)

Relational Oil

So what is mercy? The classic definition is “not getting what you deserve.”

But the word is much richer and more nuanced than that.

I think of mercy like an engine oil for human relationships.

Mercy is fundamentally relational. It’s almost always applied in the context of relationships. It’s mercy that provides a framework for our relationships endure. (just as oil keeps your engine going)

It was God’s mercy that enabled him to maintain his steadfast love even when sinners were unfaithful to the covenant.

It was mercy that enabled Jesus to overcome the barriers of sin and brokenness and establish a relationships with people in need love.

Similarly, it is mercy that will keep you in relationship with people when they rub you wrong, let you down or violate the terms of the covenant.

That’s why mercy is so often wrapped up with forgiveness (not getting what you should.) But it’s so much more than that.

Like engine oil, mercy reduces relational friction.

It keeps relational failure from leaving a permanent scar.

It absorbs the heat of anger and disappointment.

It prevents long-term wear by keeping things fresh.

It suspends impurities so the oil filter can catch them.

It’s seals the cracks of an unmet expectation.

It smooths things over when times get tough.

It’s a commitment to relationship no matter the friction, no matter the heat, not matter the pressure, no matter what.

It can look like kindness, patience, grace, favor, pity, compassion, steadfastness, etc.

Receive & Reflect

Why does Jude choose mercy as the way to “contend?” Why not debate, or violence or political machinations?

Why does Jude pray for God’s mercy to be lavishly poured out (Jude 2) ?

It’s because our mercy reveals the glory of God and the divine power of our Gospel

The way that Christians relate to other people is the greatest and most compelling evidence that our Gospel is true.

Arguments are important. Preaching is still necessary. But the supernatural evidence of a God-given Gospel is a God-like ability to show mercy to others.

The bold claim of our Gospel is that God loved us so much he sent his Son to die so we could be redeemed.

When we demonstrate a similar kind of love and forgiveness it provides tangible evidence our Gospel is true.

We must reflect to others the mercy we’ve received.

MERCY TO WHOM?

Mercy is the oil for healthy relationships. It’s the best apologetic that our Gospel is true.

That’s why Jude says “mercy is the way we contend.”

So what does mercy look like and to whom is it given? We’ll explore that question with the rest of our time.

Jude identifies three types of mercy for three types of people facing three different problems.

If you weren’t convinced Jude was a preacher by now, I don’t know what to tell you!

I’ll put the three types of people under the following headings.

The Wavering Christian

The Worldly Christian

The Wretched Christian

Mercy can rekindle faith in a time of crisis.

We show mercy that “reassures” the Wavering Christian.

We show mercy that “rescues” the Worldly Christian.

We show mercy that “restrains” the Wretched Christian.

The Wavering

Jude’s first group he describes as “those who waver.” (NLT: “those whose faith is wavering)

Jude 22 “Have mercy on those who waver;”

ESV, NIV, NASB = “those who doubt,” KJV/NKJV = “making a difference/distinction.”

The word Jude uses means to “judge between two opinions.” (judgment that makes a difference/distinction ala KJV/NKJV)

That’s basically what we do when we doubt. We struggle to decide between one thing or another. In the realm of faith it’s usually theological. (Is God like this or like that…?)

The world will always be full of people who doubt. Some are just wired that way in terms of their temperament.

Some are prone to doubt because of their life experience or surroundings.

Regardless of the reason, the church should be a safe place for people struggling with doubt.

Reassure The Fence Sitter

We must reassure those who waver in their faith.

Do we have a congregation where people can struggle with doubt? Would they feel welcomed and still loved?

The ugliest thing in the world is orthodoxy without compassion. (Francis Schaeffer)

Not much has changed between the first century and today. The false teaching looks different but it’s the same basic playbook.

They prey upon people who are young in their faith and theologically undeveloped. (2 Tim 3:6; Eph 4:14; 1 Thess 5:14)

They promise the moon and undermine the truth, dressing up lies in a nice looking suit. It’s not a surprise that people would be deceived.

What doubters need most are fresh reasons to believe! That’s what helped me in my season of doubting.

Had it not been for men like William Lane Craig, Peter Kreeft, Blaise Pascal and Thomas Aquinas - I don’t know where I’d be.

When I was struggling with doubt it wasn’t because I WANTED to stop believing.

That was my social background, I was being theologically trained to become a pastor! It would’ve cost me everything but I had questions I couldn’t answer.

The last thing I needed was isolation or a guilt trip. I needed gentleness and mercy and well reasoned arguments. I needed clarity and truth not accusations and condemnation.

Profile and Practice

The people Jude identifies were NOT the hardened apostates but those caught up in their bad ideas.

They’re caught between cultural pressures and loyalty to Jesus. They haven’t denied Christ but are internally unsettled.

These people exist in our church today. They’re sitting in our chairs this morning.

They’re not enemies of the church; they’re brothers and sisters on the edge of stumbling.

Jude doesn’t say, “rebuke them harshly,” but “show them mercy.”

The Scriptures are full of people who struggle with doubt. (Abraham and Sarah; Israelites in the Wilderness/Mt. Carmel; Thomas, etc)

The reasons they doubted then are the reasons we doubt today.

Cultural Pressure: Acknowledge the pull and attraction of countervailing messages.

Persecution: Don’t minimize the cost but remind them of the rewards of faith.

When you begin to notice doubting address them with precision.

Reason with those who struggle in their doubt.

Intellectual: “Can I really trust the Bible?” “Did Jesus really rise?” Give them reasons to believe!

Theological: “Am I really saved? Can God really love me?” Give them reasons for their confidence!

Moral: “Why doesn’t God affirm my LGBTQ friend?” Give them reasons for God’s wisdom and design.

Emotional: “If God loves me, why is He letting this happen? Why doesn’t prayer work?” If you can’t tell them why, reason why it’s NOT.

Resist scorning or shaming them into silence, the response of a true Christian is to demonstrate mercy.

Mercy is…

Patient: Let them express their doubts without fear of condemnation.

Gentle: Ground them in truth without condemning their motives.

Prayerful: Treat doubt as a spiritual battle requiring the Spirit’s help.

Supportive: Draw them into fellowship and keep them from isolation.

Allowing room for disagreement but not room for relational distance.

The Worldly

The second group Jude identifies are those “in need of saving” by being “snatched from the fire.”

Jude 23 CSB

23 save others by snatching them from the fire…

Mercy will “rescue” the worldly Christian.

I chose the word “worldly” because that’s the language Jude used earlier in Jude 19

Sometimes people call these “carnal” Christians or “backslidden.” Their not just struggling to believe they’re ensnared by sinful choices.

Some have even suggested these aren’t Christians at all. These are non-Christians who are open to Christ but need someone to reach out and save them.

While our mercy should extend to those who aren’t believers, I’m not sure that’s who Jude has in mind.

The Firebrand

Jude is pulling is pulling this imagery straight from the Old Testament.

The source material was God’s fiery judgment rained down down on Sodom and Gomorrah. (Cf Jude 7)

Lot didn’t want to leave Sodom because of his wealth and family. But, in mercy, the angels took him by the hand and drug him outside the city.

Later OT prophets used this this imagery symbolically to describe God’s mercy in judgment.

One example is Amos 4:11

Amos 4:11 CSB

11 I overthrew some of you as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were like a burning stick snatched from a fire, yet you did not return to me— This is the Lord’s declaration.

Amos is warning Israel about God’s coming judgment. Their presumptive disobedience was offensive to the Lord.

God had shown mercy before but they continued to live in sin. As a result, Israel was taken into captivity.

The phrase shows up again post-exile through Zechariah. Most had been consumed by the Babylonian captivity.

A remnant, however, had been preserved by the Lord.

In Zechariah’s prophecy they are represented by Joshua their High Priest.

Joshua was being accused by Satan because of his garments stained with sin. But the LORD appeals to Yahweh to rebuke the devil for his accusations.

Zechariah 3:2 CSB

2 The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! May the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Isn’t this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?”

The verbal parallel with Jude is impossible to mistake. Babylon had not completely consumed this chosen remnant. God had chosen to deliver them from the judgment they deserved.

Risk-Taking Love

If you’re going to snatch a stick from a fire pit it requires you to take a risk.

You’re going to have to get close to the fire and the stick may burn you in the process.

Such is the mercy in reaching out to a worldly Christian. A backslidden Christian RARELY wants to straighten up.

But mercy will risk discomfort to save those stuck in sin.

If you choose to rescue a worldly Christian from their slavery to sin, you’re going to feel some heat and you might even get burned.

Like Lot, they’ve been living in sin long enough to get comfortable and want to linger. They need snatching because they won’t or can’t come willingly.

Like a wild animal trapped in a snare, those enslaved to sin are not in their right mind. But that shouldn’t keep us from mercy!

I imagine, in Jude’s case, these people had already become compromised.

Maybe they had already made some statements and burned relational bridges.

Maybe they had engaged in behavior that crossed the rubicon.

Remember, mercy is like oil because it’s absorbs the heat and friction. Are you willing to get close to the fire because you love the person?

You might think they’re reckless and they deserve it and you might not even be wrong. But if you don’t show them mercy, how will they be saved?

Profile & Practice

I tried to think about what these fires might look like today. I’m 100% certain these people exist in your life today.

Sometimes the fire may be

Moral: Addictions, destructive lifestyles, sexual sin—they live close to the flames of judgment.

Doctrinal: Ensnared in cults, prosperity preaching, or progressive denials of the faith.

Cultural: Swallowed by ideologies that set themselves against Christ—radical individualism, nationalism, or deconstruction movements.

The behavior of those in sin is often angry, proud and defensive. Even so, are you willing to engage?

It’s going to require a similar level of aggression but in a positive sense. We must “snatch them.”

Be Bold: This isn’t the time for passive hand-wringing. Gospel confrontation is required. They must hear the truth plainly and urgently.

Be Brave: You may be burned in the process but be willing to pay the price. The value of a soul is of inestimable worth. (Mark 8:37)

Be persistent: It probably won’t be a one-time conversation but sustained effort to pull them from the brink.

You don’t have to wait until you feel “led” to save a soul. You don’t need special tools. You just have to care enough to act.

Faith That’s Wretched (The False Flag)

The last people Jude describes are at the end of Jude 23.

Jude 23 “…have mercy on others but with fear, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.”

They’ve gone from doubting their faith to being thoroughly defiled.

They aren’t “on the edge” like the doubters, or “dangling over fire” like the second group—they’re entrenched in sin and rebellion.

The word translated “garment” is the word for underwear. It’s the nasty stuff you wouldn’t normally touch.

Mercy here must wear a face mask. We stoop down to love them, but our sleeves are rolled back because their sin splatters.

Still, Jude doesn’t permit the church to write them off completely. He says, “Have mercy… but with fear.”

This mercy will restrain the wretched Christian.

Sin as Leprosy

Jude’s use of the word “defiled” has deep Old Testament connections.

It actually follows in Zechariah’s prophecy about the branch plucked from the fire.

Zechariah 3:3–4 CSB

3 Now Joshua was dressed with filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. 4 So the angel of the Lord spoke to those standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes!” Then he said to him, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with festive robes.”

Jude seems to have this text in mind. Which plays on the Levitical Purity Laws established in Leviticus.

Especially those dealing with Leprosy and clothing contaminated by such defilement.

Leviticus 13 gives specific stipulations for how to show mercy to Lepers and bring them back into the covenant community. They had to practice wisdom and restraint at several levels.

The High Priest was to show compassion to sinners but do so with wisdom so as not to be defiled.

There were even restrictions on how to handle their clothing. The terms are laid out in Leviticus 13:47-59

Leviticus 13:47–52 CSB

47 “If a fabric is contaminated with mildew—in wool or linen fabric, 48 in the warp or weft of linen or wool, or in leather or anything made of leather—49 and if the contamination is green or red in the fabric, the leather, the warp, the weft, or any leather article, it is a mildew contamination and is to be shown to the priest. 50 The priest is to examine the contamination and quarantine the contaminated fabric for seven days. 51 The priest is to reexamine the contamination on the seventh day. If it has spread in the fabric, the warp, the weft, or the leather, regardless of how it is used, the contamination is harmful mildew; it is unclean. 52 He is to burn the fabric, the warp or weft in wool or linen, or any leather article, which is contaminated. Since it is harmful mildew it must be burned.

Garments with leprous mildew are declared unclean and must be destroyed. Even the garment of the leprous individual can become a carrier of impurity.

Jude is tapping into this idea metaphorically. Sin contaminates. It’s sneaky. It hides beneath the surface. It clings like filth.

You want to show mercy to the person while being merciless towards the contaminating sin.

Receive With Reverence

In other words, mercy receives the sinner but not the stain of sin.

In the case of Jude’s rebels their garments might’ve been literally stained with blood.

They were inclined towards violence, rebellion and defiance against Jesus.

Those who believe them to be gnostic false teachers presuppose garments stained by sexual indulgence, immorality and disregard for Jesus’s ethical standards.

Either way, their sin was not theoretical—it was visible, public, and contaminating. They lived in ways that polluted both themselves and those who associated too closely with them.

These people don’t just doubt or flirt with fire; they spread pollution. Their influence contaminates communities, not just individuals.

How can we show mercy to the individual while hating the garment stained by sin.

According to Jude we temper our mercy with holy fear and reference.

Fear of God—don’t compromise His holiness.

Fear of sin—recognize sin’s contagious pull.

Fear of temptation—don’t assume you are immune from being drawn in.

Practical contours:

Boundaries: show kindness without indulgence or compromise.

Distance: love the sinner without normalizing the sin.

Discernment: help without approving, engage without being ensnared.

Treat the sin like you would treat a leprous skin disease. Detest the sin so deeply that you recoil from even the outer trappings of it.

CONCLUSION:

In all of these ways mercy looks very different. The shape of our mercy depends on the reason it’s needed.

But imagine a congregation that dealt with one another though the lens of mercy before anything else?

Can you imagine the impact such a community would have on your life?

Do you think our community would be more honest and sincere? Do you think our faith might be stronger and more robust.

I know it would. And it would also greatly magnify the mercy of God for people in our world who are in desperate need themselves.

What about you? Are you a mirror of mercy? What do your relationships reflect about your heart?

Remember, we naturally reflect what’s in front of our mirror. If you heart is void of mercy, evaluate where you’ve been standing.

What have you been looking at? Where have you set your gaze? Anger begets more anger. Anxiety begets anxiety.

But mercy begets more mercy if you’ll set your eyes on Jesus.

The Oil of Sacrifice

I said earlier that mercy is like engine oil for human relationships.

Like oil it reduces friction and enables two rough metallic surfaces to interact productively over a long period of time.

Even the smoothest metal that looks fine on the surface is filled with little ridges and valleys beyond the naked eye. So is our flesh because of our sinful nature.

Jesus was unique in that his heart was sinless. He perfectly reflected what mercy looks like demonstrated it’s significance through his death on the cross.

Like oil in a running engine, you cannot have TRUE MERCY without a prior sacrifice.

If you’re unfamiliar with how oil works, it ultimately erects a film that gets destroyed when the two surfaces collide.

This sacrifice of oily film can’t come from from a metallic surface, it has to come from outside and be sandwiched in between.

The death of Jesus on the cross is how we extend our mercy. It cannot come from within us, because it’s not natural to who we are. Even when we try our hardest, our mercy will be insufficient.

But we we fixed our eyes on Jesus and we look to his death on the cross, it literally melts our hearts so that the super natural oil of mercy can be released.

It’s created by the Holy Spirit and brought to bear in our human relationships.

As Paul said in Colossians 3, “we forgive one another as God in Christ has forgiven us… we show mercy to others as our father in heaven showed mercy to us…”

If you need for mercy this morning, the source of that mercy is the person of Jesus.

God’s mercy can restore a life that needs redemption.

Once you receive that redemption into your life, and believe on the Lord Jesus and receive his forgiveness by grace.

That same supernatural power can be produced within your heart, and restore the human relationships that have been marred by sin.

Yes you’ll be making a sacrifice but not because they deserve it. You’ll be making a sacrifice because of the great mercy you’ve already received.

You and I aren’t Jesus nor will we ever be. But we can fix our eyes on Jesus as we reflect upon his death. And we can allow God’s mercy to create new mercies in our heart.

Will you be a mirror of mercy so our world can see the same?