“Grace, mercy, and peace will be with you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.”
mercy,
Grace precedes mercy. “Mercy” is God’s compassion toward us. God freely pardons violation of His character. Mercy assumes need on the part of the subject.
Lam 3:22-23, 22 “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.”
PRINCIPLE:
Mercy freely flows out of God’s grace.
APPLICATION:
Mercy is akin to grace, but it is not identical to grace. Mercy flows from God’s grace. The reason God can be merciful toward us is because of the finished work of Christ on the cross.
Sometimes parents cannot do anything for their children. All they can do is “pity” them–show compassion to them. There are times when we cannot nurse them or put a bandage on them.
2 Sa 24:14, “And David said to Gad, ‘I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man.’”
Ps 23:6, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.”
Ps 85:10, “Mercy and truth have met together;
Righteousness and peace have kissed.”
Ps 103:8, “The Lord is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.”
Ro 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”
2 Co 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort…”
Eph 2:4, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us…”
We need God’s mercy every day. We must come to the throne of grace to confess sins daily.