Message by Larry Thacker Jr from May 5, “A Merciful God”
What comes to mind when you hear the word, mercy? Doubtless many of us who have been in church for years will think of God’s mercy toward us, or maybe Jesus’ words from Matthew 5:7, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” Depending on the version of the Bible you read, you may find the word used in several different ways. The King James often uses it where newer translations use “lovingkindness, faithful love, or loyal love. So we’re going to focus on the meaning most precious to us as children of God. God offers us mercy. That is, we are spared the punishment we all deserve. Mercy doesn’t mean much to us until we come to the place where we realize we need it. Sometimes even after we have been there, we get caught up in the life of the church and we forget we still need it. We learn all the right things to do, and if we think we’re checking off the to-dos at least most of the time we think we’re doing alright. I don’t say that we need always be in fear of judgement. God tells us there’s no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus, but when we forget how much mercy we have been shown, we lose the capacity to truly show it to others. We can only appreciate the mercy of God when we understand how much we need it. Read Ephesians 2:1-10 and let’s explore God’s word together.
