Love Mercy

Introduction

Micah 7:18–20 HCSB

18 Who is a God like You, removing iniquity and passing over rebellion for the remnant of His inheritance? He does not hold on to His anger forever, because He delights in faithful love. 19 He will again have compassion on us; He will vanquish our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. 20 You will show loyalty to Jacob and faithful love to Abraham, as You swore to our fathers from days long ago.

This morning we start with the topic of Loving Mercy

Last night we looked at Acting Justly and I would say that as I said last night, all of us want justice and specifically all of us want justice for ourselves and our families.

We like justice and we want justice. We even like justice for others at times.

Love Mercy

I sit on this one for a little bit. What does it mean to love Mercy?

Mercy:

The biblical meaning of mercy is exceedingly rich and complicated, as evidenced by the fact that several Hebrew and Greek words are needed to comprehend the many-sided concept. Consequently, there are many synonyms employed in translation to express the dimensions of meaning involved, such as “kindness,” “lovingkindness,” “goodness,” “grace,” “favor,” “pity,” “compassion,” and “steadfast love.” Prominent in the concept of mercy is the compassionate disposition to forgive an offender or adversary and to help or spare him in his sorry plight.

Elwell, W. A., & Beitzel, B. J. (1988). Mercy. In Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (Vol. 2, p. 1440). Baker Book House.

To forgive an offender or adversary and to help or spare him in his sorry plight.

To love Mercy is to love forgiving someone who has wronged you and to spare them of their consequences.

We want Mercy for ourselves but it is contrary to the flesh to want it for those who have offended us.

Yet, this is the good news of the Gospel. We were offenders and Jesus forgave us and spared us from our sorry plight or consequences

Imagine this morning with me 2 sons who just lost their parents. The parents had a will in place and the oldest son was to get the parents house when they passed, but after they passed the youngest son saw the opportunity to take what legally belonged to the oldest son and make it his own. The parents desired that the older son have this house but the younger son came in not too long after the parents had passed and stole what belonged to his brother.

How would that make you feel?

In my flesh, I would not be happy about this. I would struggle with mercy for the brother who stole from his own brother. I would be ready for Justice but not Mercy.

Many will tell you that they forgive all the time and love mercy.

They will even tell you how the other person hurt them and go on and on about it. Their blood pressure will rise and their voice will get louder, but they will reassure you at the end that they love mercy. (LOL)

In the example of the two brothers I gave you earlier I believe it is the desire that after all this has settled and even in the middle of the conflict the true desire of the brother who was stolen from is that he would have the desire to show mercy to his brother.

When it comes to mercy or the ability to free a person of guilt, its consequences, and spare them of consequences. I believe true mercy is only available through Jesus Christ. That is it takes asking the Holy Spirit to empower you with Mercy.

I believe real mercy has always been rooted only in Jesus, and until he takes us home it will always be in Jesus.

The good news is that Jesus has made a way for us to receive mercy and to extend mercy to others.

It was never the desire of our Father in Heaven for us to have to cope or learn to deal with those who have hurt us or the people we have hurt. Jesus died on the cross to free us from our sin. Jesus didn’t die on the cross so that we could manage our sin problem. Jesus died on the cross to set us free.

I love in scripture where Jesus says so that you may know the Son of Man has the authority to forgive sin he says your sins are forgiven.

Turn to Genesis 32

As you are turning there let me give you some background to this passage we are going to look at. Jacob and Esau. Esau was the older brother. Esau being the older brother had two things. He had the birthright and he had the blessing.

The Lexham Bible Dictionary Birthright

BIRTHRIGHT (בְּכֹרָה, bekhorah). The special privileges granted to a firstborn son

And the

The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church Blessing

blessing. The authoritative pronouncement of God’s favour.

One day when Esau came in from hunting. Jacob had been at home cooking stew. Esau was hungry and exhausted and wanted some of the stew so Jacob said first sell me your birthright. Esau was so hungry and said he was about to die so he sold the birthright to his younger brother Jacob.

Then later in life it had come time for Esau being to older son to receive the blessing from his father. He was about to receive this pronouncement from his father of God’s favour in his life. His father called Esau in and told him to go out and hunt and come home and make him a delicious meal so that he could bless him before he died.

Their mother Rebekah heard their father say this to Esau so after Esau left to go hunt the game she called her son Jacob in and said listen to me and obey every order I give you. She said you go out and get two young goats from the flock and I will cook them in to a delicious meal for your father and then he will bless you instead of Esau.

Jacob responded look my brother is vary hairy and I have smooth skin and my father will know that it is not him.

His mother said just do what I say and so she had him put the skin of the goat on his hands so that his father would not know.

He did this and then went to his father and his father questioned him and said is that really you Esau and Jacob lied to his father and said yes it is.

Jacob’s father then gave him the blessing that was intended for Esau. Later Esau comes in and finds out that his brother Jacob has stolen the blessing that was intended for him. Esau pleaded with his father to give him another blessing but his father said he could not do that and Esau wept loudly.

Esau is the victim and Jacob is the one who stole from Jacob.

Esau says this in

Genesis 27:41 HCSB

41 Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. And Esau determined in his heart: “The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”

I will kill my brother Jacob.

Jacob hears about Esau wanting to kill him and so he leaves.

Here in Genesis 32 they have been apart and established their own families and the two brothers are about to meet again.

Genesis 32:1–6 HCSB

1 Jacob went on his way, and God’s angels met him. 2 When he saw them, Jacob said, “This is God’s camp.” So he called that place Mahanaim. 3 Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom. 4 He commanded them, “You are to say to my lord Esau, ‘This is what your servant Jacob says. I have been staying with Laban and have been delayed until now. 5 I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male and female slaves. I have sent this message to inform my lord, in order to seek your favor.’ ” 6 When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, “We went to your brother Esau; he is coming to meet you—and he has 400 men with him.”

Unwillingness to love mercy or to seek mercy causes us to do some crazy things. Here Jacob is about to meet Esau and Jacob send his men to seek favour with Esau. They come back and report that Esau is on his way with 400 men.

Unwilling to love mercy causes distress and fear

Genesis 32:7–8 HCSB

7 Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; he divided the people with him into two camps, along with the flocks, cattle, and camels. 8 He thought, “If Esau comes to one camp and attacks it, the remaining one can escape.”

This unwillingness to love mercy dictates his actions.

The Heart of the Problem says you are slave to the person you hate.

Jacob’s actions are being dictated by Esau.

Esau is living in freedom because of his Mercy for Jacob but Jacob is not. He is arranging everything of value to him and putting them in order.

Esau is living freely but Jacob is over here stressed out worried and driving himself crazy.

Remember what drove him to this he heard that Esau was coming to meet him with 400 men and that is it!!

When our heart is unwilling to love mercy we have a hard time discerning truth in our life. We start to think here he comes to kill me and I know he is angry with me. Our heart will start to fill with other sins as well worry, fear, bitterness, yelling, lying, drunkeness, or sexual immorality.

Being unwilling to love mercy roots itself in our lives and leads us in to so many other sins if we are unwilling to deal with it.

Notice that the fear of Esau dictates the actions of Jacob. He starts to divide the camp.

You say well I don’t fear anyone. Fight rather than flight well guess what when you decide to fight then the fight is dictated by someone else’s actions. You are also being controlled by the actions of the other.

Jacob and Esau meet

Genesis 33:1–2 HCSB

1 Now Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming toward him with 400 men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two female slaves. 2 He put the female slaves and their children first, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last.

Jacob is getting them all in line from the least important to him to the most important to him to meet Esau.

Jacob has his thoughts and mind on this world only. He starts to rank and put his family in order before he meets Esau.

You will notice that Esau does not care. He is acting in Mercy and he runs to meet Jacob and gives him a hug.

Genesis 33:3–8 HCSB

3 He himself went on ahead and bowed to the ground seven times until he approached his brother. 4 But Esau ran to meet him, hugged him, threw his arms around him, and kissed him. Then they wept. 5 When Esau looked up and saw the women and children, he asked, “Who are these with you?” He answered, “The children God has graciously given your servant.” 6 Then the female slaves and their children approached him and bowed down. 7 Leah and her children also approached and bowed down, and then Joseph and Rachel approached and bowed down. 8 So Esau said, “What do you mean by this whole procession I met?” “To find favor with you, my lord,” he answered.

Notice also that this lack of loving mercy effects more than just Jacob

It causes his family to follow his actions. Fathers you have the ability to set the tone for your children. Will you as a dad love mercy? Will you be a dad who seeks to love mercy when it comes to the school system, what about in sports, what about in coaches with your children, what about the bully in school, what about with your pastor and church family.

Loving Mercy effects more than just you. It has the capacity to influence those around you.

Loving Mercy is not common in today’s culture. It will be something that causes others to turn their heads and take notice.

Genesis 33:9–11 HCSB

9 “I have enough, my brother,” Esau replied. “Keep what you have.” 10 But Jacob said, “No, please! If I have found favor with you, take this gift from my hand. For indeed, I have seen your face, and it is like seeing God’s face, since you have accepted me. 11 Please take my present that was brought to you, because God has been gracious to me and I have everything I need.” So Jacob urged him until he accepted.

Esau represents who are loving father is.

God does not show Mercy because of what you have done but God shows mercy because that’s who he is.

God is faithful to his promises and shows mercy through his promises.

Look at verse 10 again

Genesis 33:10 HCSB

10 But Jacob said, “No, please! If I have found favor with you, take this gift from my hand. For indeed, I have seen your face, and it is like seeing God’s face, since you have accepted me.

Jacob says to Esau I have seen your face and seeing your face is like seeing God’s face since you have accepted me.

Esau went from angry and wanting to kill Jacob to at the point of their reunion his face looks like the face of God.

What if the people could see your face in loving mercy and it looks like the face of God?

This is the desire when it comes to loving mercy that we would experience the freedom so much that those we may have hurt say our face looks like the face of God.

Genesis 33:12–14 HCSB

12 Then Esau said, “Let’s move on, and I’ll go ahead of you.” 13 Jacob replied, “My lord knows that the children are weak, and I have nursing sheep and cattle. If they are driven hard for one day, the whole herd will die. 14 Let my lord go ahead of his servant. I will continue on slowly, at a pace suited to the livestock and the children, until I come to my lord at Seir.”

Esau moves from a heart full of anger to look at verse 15

Genesis 33:15 HCSB

15 Esau said, “Let me leave some of my people with you.” But he replied, “Why do that? Please indulge me, my lord.”

This past Christmas I was on my way to a grant award ceremony at the Missouri sports hall of fame.

Jim Harriger our discipleship and care pastor who is the Mayor was looking at a feed on facebook. He began to read some of the comments out loud.

This led him to another page.

This page was a place where those who don’t like Bridge of Faith Community Church have decided to air this out.

As he was reading, I found out that they had a new nick name for Bridge of Faith

He read the Bridge to Hell church. They kept referencing this over and over throughout the feed and talking about what we do wrong as a church.

A week later I found out that someone had given the church a $1000.00 dollars to bless 10 families in our community.

As we discussed how we was going to handle this, the Lord put it on our hearts that we would pick off 5 names from that site and go down to the city and put 100 each on their water bill.

It never occured to me in the moment but the more I thought about this Jesus taught me that this what it means to love mercy. To forgive those who have wronged you and help to spare them the consequences of their actions.

Our instructions was to if anyone asked why they had a credit on their bill their response was to be Merry Christmas from Bridge of Faith Community Church.

One of them posting about us posted a thank you to the church on their facebook page. I found this out from a neighbor who is friends with them on facebook.

Jesus Loves Mercy

Mark 5:1–15 HCSB

1 Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 As soon as He got out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came out of the tombs and met Him. 3 He lived in the tombs. No one was able to restrain him anymore—even with chains — 4 because he often had been bound with shackles and chains, but had snapped off the chains and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 And always, night and day, he was crying out among the tombs and in the mountains and cutting himself with stones. 6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and knelt down before Him. 7 And he cried out with a loud voice, “What do You have to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You before God, don’t torment me!” 8 For He had told him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” 9 “What is your name?” He asked him. “My name is Legion,” he answered Him, “because we are many.” 10 And he kept begging Him not to send them out of the region. 11 Now a large herd of pigs was there, feeding on the hillside. 12 The demons begged Him, “Send us to the pigs, so we may enter them.” 13 And He gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs, and the herd of about 2,000 rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned there. 14 The men who tended them ran off and reported it in the town and the countryside, and people went to see what had happened. 15 They came to Jesus and saw the man who had been demon-possessed by the legion, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.

Jesus has mercy on this undeserving demon possessed man. He did not deserve Mercy. He had broken the chains and he could not be contained.

Jesus sees a demon possessed individual and he loves mercy on a demon possessed man.

(Share the story of Wednesday night at Bridge of Faith)

Final Thoughts

Let me circle back for just a minute. As Jacob was preparing to meet Esau, what was he doing? He was aligning possessions and was preparing to give Esau all these possessions so that Esau would not kill Jacob.

I am a man and this is my response to sin. I am going fix this problem and I am going to do everything I can to earn the love of my Lord back. I am going to do more devotions than I ever have before and I am going to help people. I am going to act and live right more than I ever have before. My God is going to be proud of me.

I am going to give penance for my sin.

Micah 7:18–20 HCSB

18 Who is a God like You, removing iniquity and passing over rebellion for the remnant of His inheritance? He does not hold on to His anger forever, because He delights in faithful love. 19 He will again have compassion on us; He will vanquish our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. 20 You will show loyalty to Jacob and faithful love to Abraham, as You swore to our fathers from days long ago.

He delights in faithful love.

This is the character of our God. He is faithful to loving us and it is not because what we have done. It is because of who He is.

He will have compassion on us

He will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea

You show loyalty to Jacob and faithful love to Abraham as you swore to our fathers from days long ago

Our God is full of Mercy because of His faithful promises from long ago.