Mercy is a blessing that is an act of divine favor or compassion or it is compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one’s power as God shows mercy to a sinner.
In Luke 18:9-14, Jesus tells the parable of the publican and the sinner and the sinner prayed, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (vs 13). In Matthew 5:7, in the beatitudes, Jesus teaches us: “blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.”
So, we must be merciful to others and we will only be saved by the mercy of God. Yet, God’s mercy is conditional. This sermon was written by my dad. Every year around Father’s Day, in honor of my dad, I preach one of his sermons. Dad preached this sermon the first time when I was six years old and he preached it a total of five times, each time in a different state throughout his ministry: FL, AL, GA, NC, and VA.
Let’s begin in Sodom and Gomorrah…
ABRAHAM NEGOTIATES WITH GOD – Genesis 18:20ff
We are familiar with the sin and wickedness of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Here in this text, God comments on that wickedness (vs 20). Let’s observe God’s mercy as He allows Abraham to negotiate with Him: 18:23-33.
Part of the purpose of the text of Genesis 19, apparently, is to show us that Abraham could not find 10 righteous souls. In fact, he could not even find five righteous souls. Abraham’s nephew, Lot and his family, are the only righteous souls mentioned in the text. So, God shows mercy to Lot and his wife, but God gives him some conditions (19:16-17).
If we study the text, Lot negotiates even more with the angels as he says the mountains are too far away. So, Lot negotiates to escape to the village of Zoar. Notice Lot’s reaction to the angels (19:19).
We know the story… God’s mercy was conditional. The citizens of Sodom did not listen to Lot and Lot’s wife did not listen to the angels as they gave God’s conditions for receiving His mercy (19:24-29).
GOD’S PETITION THROUGH AMOS, THE PROPHET – Amos 5:4-6:
We fast forward a millennia and a half from the time of Abraham to the days of Amos, the prophet. Amos lived during the reigns of King Uzziah and King Jeroboam II, so Amos lived around 800 B. C., about 1200 years after Abraham. God’s people have started worshiping idols and living their lives as if God did not care how they lived.
So, God sends a farmer, Amos, to tell them they needed to repent. We read simply 5:4-6.
“Seek Me that you may live,” God tells Israel. That is mercy, conditioned on returning to God’s plan of salvation. “Seek the Lord that you may live.” God’s mercy was conditioned on repentance.
GOD SENT WARNINGS TO NINEVEH BY JONAH:
God’s command to Jonah was to go preach to Nineveh (1:2). God’s message to Jonah was the same, after the incident in the fish’s belly, as it was the first time (3:2). In verse 4, Jonah preached that God’s mercy has conditions. We see that because Nineveh responded and God changed His reaction (3:5-9). That’s what God does and we have that reflected in verse 10.
GOD PETITIONS US TODAY:
In order to receive God’s mercy, we still have to obey God and listen to His requirements: Luke 6:46; James 2:13; Matt. 6:33; Matt 7:7-8; 1 Tim. 1:13-16.
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So, God petitions us:
1.) to be converted, to be humble like little children (Matt. 18:3).
2.) to believe in order to please God (Heb. 11:6).
3.) to repent so we will not perish (Luke 13:3, 5).
4.) to confess our faith in Christ so He will confess on the day of judgment that He knows us (Matt. 10:32-33).
5.) to be baptized through the new birth (John 3:3-5).
GOD CHALLENGES US TO KEEP HIM CENTRAL IN OUR LIVES:
Finally, let’s read Colossians 1:21-23. Observe Paul’s “what”? “how”? “why”? and the condition…
The condition for us receiving mercy is to continue walking in the light as Christ is in the light (1 John 1:7). The condition is worded yet a different way in Revelation 2:10: “Be faithful until death and you will receive the crown of life.”
Take home message: Is your heart right with God? Are you meeting God’s conditions? Remember, salvation and mercy are conditional.
a sermon preached by the late Wayne Holland:
in Williston, FL (8/7/1977)
in Bayou La Batre, AL (8/12/1979)
in Hiawassee, GA (4/17/1983)
in Roxboro, NC (8/13/1989)
in South Boston, VA (12/23/1995)
