The Weekend Sermon -- The Attributes of God -- Part 9

   Thank you for reading the sermon this week. I hope you are doing well. 

     Over the course of the last several weeks, we've been studying some of the attributes of God. We continue that study this week by focusing our attention on two of God's attributes that are linked. God is merciful, therefore, He is willing to forgive us of our transgressions. 

     We discussed the fact last week that God is a God of justice. Since He is a just and holy God, it is part of His nature that He must punish sin. That is only a part of who God is. We must take into consideration His other attributes as well. God is holy and God is just. At the same time, God is also merciful and forgiving. 

Here are a few verses that speak to us about the merciful nature of God:

Exodus 34:6-7 -- "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgressions and sin."

Psalm 145: 8-9 -- "The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy. The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works."

Lamentations 3:22-23 -- "Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning, great is Your faithfulness."

Ephesians 2:4-5 -- "But God who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).

     These are just a sampling of the verses in the Bible that deal with the merciful nature of the Lord. He does not desire that any person perish the Bible tells us as well. He wants for everyone to come to repentance. He will forgive the sins of anyone who asks. I John tells us that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

     Some people teach and preach that God is just looking for something that we do wrong so that He can punish us and cause bad things to happen to us. However, the teaching of Scripture is quite clear, the moment that our forbears fell into sin, God found a way to bring about the salvation of the human race and the restoration of the fallen creation. 

     God sent His Son into the world to redeem the world. Jesus satisfied the justice of God as well as the mercy and love of the Lord. God loved the world and gave His Son in order that all who call upon the name of Jesus might have eternal life and be with Jesus forever and forever. 

     Since God is merciful and forgiving to those who have done wrong to Him, He wants us to be merciful and forgiving to others. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." Jesus commands us in Luke 6:36 to, "Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful."

     What amazes me is that in spite of the fact that we have rebelled against our creator and decided to follow our way and not His way, God still cares about us. He does not want to punish us. Instead, in His mercy, He makes a way for us to be reconciled to Him. 

     For those of us who have experienced the mercy and forgiveness of God as realities in our own lives, we have the obligation to be merciful and to forgive those who trespass against us. When we are willing to be merciful and to forgive, we demonstrate that the grace of the Lord Jesus is a reality in our lives and that we are committed to following Him as Savior and Lord. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     I have not been feeling well again. Please pray that I will get back to being in good health. I've been mostly not well since I had covid back in August. Thank you for your prayers.

     We need to keep praying that aid will reach the people in Turkey and Syria. 

     There has been bad storms in Mozambique and Madagascar. Pray that these people will get the help that they need. 

     Continue to pray for peace in Ukraine. It is the one year mark since the war began. That country needs peace, and we need to keep praying for peace in Syria, Yemen, Israel and around the world. 

     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Nepal and Bosnia. Pray that many will come to know Jesus. 

     Next week, we will continue with our current sermon series. I will post the verses on Monday, and I may have a midweek post. May God bless you all.