MENTION HIS MERCY (2)

Isaiah 63:7 NASB 2020

I will make mention of the mercies of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, According to all that the Lord has granted us, And the great goodness toward the house of Israel, Which He has granted them according to His compassion And according to the abundance of His mercies.

INTRO:

A) Have you ever forgot to mention something or someone?

When Jesus healed ten lepers in Luke 17, only one returned to give thanks, illustrating how easy it is to overlook gratitude toward others who aid us. Just as Jesus emphasized the importance of the one who acknowledged Him, we must not forget to express gratitude for those in our lives who lift us up. The failure to mention our appreciation can create a rift, whereas acknowledgment strengthens our bonds and brings glory to God

B) Context the Text

Chapter 63 describes God's vengeance on the nations, highlighting His strength and righteousness as He comes from Edom, stained from trampling His enemies in anger. He reflects on the day of vengeance and the lack of support from others, emphasizing His role as the sole savior. The chapter then recalls God's mercies towards Israel, noting His compassion and past acts of salvation. Despite Israel's rebellion and grief of the Holy Spirit, they remember God's past deeds, including the deliverance from Egypt. The chapter concludes with a plea for God to look down from heaven, acknowledging Him as their Father and Redeemer, while expressing sorrow over their straying from His ways and the trampling of His sanctuary by adversaries.

Wouldn’t you agree with me today, that when we think about God’s tender-mercies toward us we should make mention of them and praise Him?

We give praises to the LORD, our God, for His goodness, mercy, and grace. As we look back on all that we came through in this year, we all may not have had the exact same experiences, but I am fairly confident we all would prefer to forget some of them (Am I right about it?). Not everything that we experienced “merit our souls best song.” If we were honest about it, there has been some troubles, heartache, pain attached to all of our lives (do I have a witness?). Somebody here today knows what I am talking about: You’ve had your hope harassed, your peace pummeled, your joy jeopardized, and your love lambasted. But, can you be a witness today and testify that He will never put more on you than you can bear. Yes, through it all the LORD has sustained our hope, peace, joy, and love. If you asked me “how?” I would tell you: He did it by HIs mercy. My contention and deep conviction today is that it would be a grave mistake if we missed this opportunity to “MENTION HIS MERCIES.” Without argument, question, or debate, we are standing/sitting here today because of mercies.

The text before us is tailored to teach us that God’s mercy is the foundation of our hope, peace, joy, and love.

MAKE MENTION (recall, recount, remember)

Isaiah, in the middle of writing apocalyptically, pauses to go back down memory lane. In a time of national distress and spiritual confusion, he does not begin his comments with complaint or despair. He begins with memory. He chooses to remember the mercies of God. The NASB2020 translates it as make mention. The Hebrew word is zakar means to remember.

The prophet is clear about what it is that he wants to remember and make known: He says it is the mercies of the LORD. The Hebrew word for mercies is hesed. It is a covenantal love that is loyal, enduring, and merciful. This is not a fleeting emotion, but a binding commitment from God to His people.

It is extremely important that we understand that God’s mercy is not earned; it is given because of who He is.

A mother once approached Napoleon seeking a pardon for her son. The emperor replied that the young man had committed a certain offense twice and justice demanded death.

"But I don't ask for justice," the mother explained. "I plead for mercy."

"But your son does not deserve mercy," Napoleon replied.

"Sir," the woman cried, "it would not be mercy if he deserved it, and mercy is all I ask for."

"Well, then," the emperor said, "I will have mercy." And he spared the woman's son.

Luis Palau, Experiencing God's Forgiveness, Multnomah Press, 1984.

In Exodus 34:6-7, God revealed Himself as merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. That is who He is, and that is the God Isaiah remembers.

Exodus 34:6–7 NASB 2020

Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in faithfulness and truth; who keeps faithfulness for thousands, who forgives wrongdoing, violation of His Law, and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, inflicting the punishment of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”

Application: When we feel overwhelmed, we must begin by making mention/remembering. Recounting God’s mercy is a spiritual discipline that helps to reorient our hearts. As our hearts are reorientated we will discover that “Mercy Awakens Hope.”

MERCY AWAKENS HOPE

The text says I will make mention of the mercies of the LORD, and of the praise of the LORD,

“According to all that the Lord has granted us…”

The phrase “all that the LORD has granted” points to the fact that God has a track record of being merciful. Yes, “Mercy” reminds us that God has acted before and awakens hope that He will act again. This is truth is illustrated:

A number of years ago researchers performed an experiment to see the effect hope has on those undergoing hardship. Two sets of laboratory rats were placed in separate tubs of water. The researchers left one set in the water and found that within an hour they had all drowned. The other rats were periodically lifted out of the water and then returned. When that happened, the second set of rats swam for over 24 hours. Why? Not because they were given a rest, but because they suddenly had hope!

Those animals somehow hoped that if they could stay afloat just a little longer, someone would reach down and rescue them. If hope holds such power for unthinking rodents, how much greater should is effect be on our lives. 

Today in the Word, May, 1990, p. 34.

Write this down: “Hope is not optimism; it is confidence rooted in God’s proven character.”

See Lam 3:21-23

Lamentations 3:21–23 KJV 1900

This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Application: When we feel forgotten, recounting God’s mercy reorients our hearts toward His promises.

MERCY RESTORES PEACE

“According to His compassion…”

Proper application of a biblical text requires interpretation. Keep in mind, then, that the original audience of this text had failed and were no longer in the best place with God. Isaiah said, “But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; Therefore He turned Himself to become their enemy, He fought against them (v.10).

But when they looked back in retrospect and realized God’s past mercies and His present compassion they could asked for the mercy again. They knew that peace with God was only possible through mercy; We too, like Israel, need to understand mercy bridges the gap between our failure and God’s faithfulness.

The apostle Paul wrote: Romans 5:1 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” Mercy satisfies justice through substitution, making peace possible.

Illustration: Like a judge who not only pardons the guilty but invites them to dinner—mercy makes peace personal.

Application: Peace comes not from circumstances, but from reconciliation with God.

MERCY IGNITES JOY

“The praises of the Lord…”

In the book of Psalms, we see countless moments where the psalmists burst forth into song, recalling the mighty deeds of God. Similarly, we must cultivate a heart that expresses joy and reverence in remembering God’s works. Too many times the praises of the LORD gets buried in the hustle and bustle of every day life. When we forget God’s mercies and praises, we not only fail to honor Him, but extinguish the fires of our own spirits.

As the writer recounts the mercies of the LORD, he adds that he will remember the praises of the LORD as well. We see here that ”Joy is the natural overflow of a heart touched by mercy.” Isaiah’s remembrance of the mercies of the Lord leads to praise.

There’s a story about a grandfather who kept a jar filled with his grandchildren's drawings. Whenever they visited, he would pull out a piece of art and reminisce about the moment it was created. Each drawing sparked joy, laughter, and cherished memories. In the same way, when we remember the praises of the Lord, we keep alive the beautiful memories of His goodness in our lives. Let us treasure those moments as reminders of joy amidst our struggles.

Application: When we remember how far God’s mercy has brought us, joy becomes our testimony.

MERCY REVEALS LOVE

“And according to the abundance of His mercies.”

Mercy is love in action—faithful, undeserved, and enduring. God’s mercy is not a momentary feeling but a covenantal commitment.

In Matthew 18, Jesus tells the story of a servant who, despite being forgiven a massive debt, refused to show mercy to a fellow servant with a minor debt. This harsh reality illustrates that failing to extend mercy reveals a lack of understanding of the love we have received from God. True love ignites a desire to show mercy to others, highlighting that our relationships reflect the mercy we've experienced ourselves.

Challenge: How can we extend this same mercy to others? Mercy received must become mercy given.

1 John 4:9–10 NASB 2020

By this the love of God was revealed in us, that God has sent His only Son into the world so that we may live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

This text teaches us that love in not just a feeling; it is a merciful choice to give and forgive

Application: Mercy recieved must become mercy extended.

CONCLUSION

George Sweeting, in his book The No-Guilt Guide for Witnessing, tells of a man by the name of John Currier who in 1949 was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Later he was transferred and paroled to work on a farm near Nashville, Tennessee.

In 1968, Currier's sentence was terminated, and a letter bearing the good news was sent to him. But John never saw the letter, nor was he told anything about it. Life on that farm was hard and without promise for the future. Yet John kept doing what he was told even after the farmer for whom he worked had died.

Ten years went by. Then a state parole officer learned about Currier's plight, found him, and told him that his sentence had been terminated. He was a free man.

Sweeting concluded that story by asking, "Would it matter to you if someone sent you an important message -- the most important in your life -- and year after year the urgent message was never delivered?"

We who have heard the good news and experienced freedom through Christ are responsible to proclaim it to others still enslaved by sin. Are we doing all we can to make sure that people get the message?

Our Daily Bread, November 6, 1994.