Insight Into God's Mercies

[Music] We are gathering together unto Thee unto the Lord. We are gathering together unto Thee unto the Lord. Unto the Lord shall the gathering of His people be. We are gathering together unto Thee unto the Lord. [Speaker 1] Lord, unto You we are gathering. Unto You we come. Unto You, O Lord, we are assembling. We who are here physically, our brethren who are on Mixlr, our brethren who are on Telegram. Lord our God, we are saying unto You we are gathering. Lord, our gathering is unto You. Lord, we pray that You will attend to this gathering, O Lord, with Your mercy in the name of Jesus Christ. Lord, You will meet with all of us, Lord, in those areas of our life where we need You most, where we need light, where we need instruction, where we need a visitation. Lord, You will visit us. Thank You, our Father. Let there be seed for the sower. Let there be bread for the eater. Oh God, our Father, give increase to our gathering this evening. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Last week we considered the topic "Critical Times," and we saw that there are critical times in prayer. Times when it looks so dark, times when it looks as if there is no way forward, times when it looks like the end has come. Yet, people cried to God and God answered them. And what looked like an end actually became a beginning. Critical times in the place of prayer. We saw that God is faithful. God is faithful. He is able to deliver. He is able. Today, we are moving on in still considering matters, still reflecting deeper and deeper on scriptures. And this time, we want to look at something that is not too far from prayer and in a way also related with favor from the Lord. We want to consider—I trust the Lord we should be able to finish it also today like we finished Critical Times of Prayer last week—we want to look at "Insight into God's Mercy." Insight into God's mercy. We can look at the topic as Insight into God's mercy, we can also call it "Understanding the Mercies of God." So whichever way you look at it, you are around the same thing. We want to understand the mercies of God, or we want to have insight into it. As we try to look into this thing, we are trusting God to help us to be able to reflect on this matter, trusting the Lord to grant understanding in the name of Jesus Christ. The word "mercy" means so many things in the usage of the Bible. The word mercy means so many things. It is used in different ways in the Bible. Mercy can mean favor. Mercy can mean blessings. Mercy can mean goodness. Mercy can mean kindness. Mercy can mean the love of God or particular attention of God towards somebody. So mercy comes in different ways in the Bible and it is used in different usage in the Bible. But strictly speaking, when we are talking about mercy, we are talking about an act of God. An act of God in which God decides, on one hand, to withhold punishment. To withhold punishment. Decides to withhold punishment or an act of God in which God decides, irrespective of who somebody is or not, he decides to show favor. So mercy can come in these different ways. But what we really want to do today is that we want to look at—sometimes it looks as if the Bible contradicts itself when it is talking about mercy. And that is what we want to look at vis-à-vis themselves. We just actually want to just reflect on scripture in understanding mercy. And I have tried—we will be—I have tried to summarize the different forms of mercy that we see in the Bible under three headings. The first one that we will be looking at is Sovereign Mercy, or what you call Providential Mercy. God's sovereign mercy or God's providential mercy, from providence. Providential mercy. God's care for his creation. God's sovereign mercy or God's providential mercy. The Bible speaks so much on this. The other mercy is mercy that is as a result of man's deliberate action towards God. Mercy as a result of man's deliberate action towards God. And then the third type of mercy that we will be considering this evening is mercy that is as a result of man's action towards fellow man. Man's action towards fellow man. All the different mercy the Bible represents can be brought under these three captions. And because all mercies that we are talking about actually flow from God's sovereign mercy—that sovereign one—that is where I will begin from. The sovereign or providential mercy. You see, this sovereign mercy of God, let me first say, it is something that is difficult to explain. In fact, the way it operates is confusing. This mercy sometimes makes the wicked to feel that you who are fearing God, it does not worth it. "What are you fearing God for? Whether you fear God or you don't fear God, look, it is not the fear of God that gives you anything." That's why I said this sovereign mercy is so difficult to explain. So difficult to explain. Difficult—what I mean by difficult to explain is that it is difficult to comprehend for us. Because of the manner of its operation. It is difficult to comprehend for us because of the manner of its operation, the way it operates. This sovereign mercy, the scripture that brings it out very clearly is Romans chapter 9. This sovereign mercy. The scripture that brings it out very clearly is Romans chapter 9. And because many times people don't understand that mercy comes in different dimensions, some people—it is what Ecclesiastes was saying when he said, "Because judgment against evil work is not executed speedily, the heart of the sons of men is set to do evil." He's talking about this sovereign mercy. This sovereign mercy. It is this same mercy that God David almost confused in Psalm 73, when he said, "God is good to Israel, but as for me, my feet was almost moved when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They don't face any kind of evil. They live and they are fat. They live to old age. Me that fear God, sometimes I cry, I call God, God answer me." He said, "When I considered this, it was tedious to me until I now entered the temple of God." God helped me to begin to understand the meaning of that mercy. I now said, "Okay, so this is how it is." So even David, in his walk with God, this mercy confused him. It was this mercy that confused Jonah, that made Jonah said he was going to Tarshish. Why would God not punish the people of Nineveh? This mercy, honestly, is difficult to understand. It is difficult to comprehend. This sovereign mercy of God is difficult—why is it difficult to comprehend for man? Why is it a complex thing to comprehend? Please, let's look at Romans chapter 9. What makes it so complex? What makes it so difficult to comprehend for man? Romans chapter 9 tried to bring it, in a way, brings it to us a little so that we can get it clear. I read Romans chapter 9 between verse 1 and verse 15, understanding God's providential mercy or God's sovereign mercy. Romans chapter 9 from verse 3, I am reading from the New NKJV version. Romans chapter 9 from verse 3: "For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenant, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen." Now, what is Paul telling—saying between verse 3 and verse 5? What is he saying? It is paining him that the Jews did not accept the gospel. And he is wishing that, "Ah, if I can be accursed so that these Jews—" he said because the covenant belongs to them, the promises belong to them, yet most of them, they did not accept the gospel. That was what he explained between verse 3 and verse 5. When he got to verse 6, he now said, "But—" Now, when you say "but," what are you doing now? You are contradicting the initial idea. "But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel." So, it is not as though God could not save the people of Israel, but the actual thing is that not every Israelite is actually those that God intend to have mercy on. "They are not all Israel that are of Israel." Nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham. So which means some are bastards. He's going somewhere, he wants to enter into sovereign mercy. He said, "Because the—because they are seed of Abraham, but 'In Isaac your seed shall be called.'" So what is he saying? That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed. What is that saying? Abraham has several children. Can we name them? Isaac, Ishmael, then he now marries Keturah. Keturah now gave birth to another about five, six children. All of them, they are Israel. Are you getting it? But they are not children. It is in Isaac that we find children. So not all Israel are Israel, even though they are Abraham's children. So he is talking about—so what made Isaac Israel? What made Isaac better than Ishmael? What made Isaac better than the one that Keturah gave birth to is what he wants to explain to us. Now, he said, "For this is the word of promise: 'At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son.' And not only this," he now went to another example again, "but when Rebekah also had conceived by one man, even our father Isaac (for the children not yet born, nor having done any good or evil, that can be the basis of showing one mercy or not showing mercy, they have not done any good or evil) that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls, it was said to her, 'The older shall serve the younger.' As it is written, 'Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.'" That is, I preferred Jacob to Esau. Please note, not because they have done any good or evil. They have not done any works. It was God just decided that, "I want Jacob." Why? He knows. For what reason? He knows. I'm talking about sovereign mercy. Sovereign mercy. Providential mercy. Now, for He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. So, this mercy—how do we define the mercy? We say mercy is mercy. This mercy is just what? Is just mercy. How do you get it? How did you get it? Based on God's decision. It is this mercy that explains salvation. It is this mercy that explain why you will say good people die and wicked people are alive. Sometimes you see some very wicked man, you say, "God kill them!" God will not kill them. When they are about 100 years old and they are about to die, they will say, "Lord Jesus, I believe in You." They have killed thousands of people and sent them to hell, and they themselves got converted and they enter heaven. It is this kind of mercy that we are talking about. You can see that the mercy is complex. How do you explain this mercy? It's so difficult to explain. You cannot sanction the mercy. You cannot explain it. You cannot say—and this is what gives a lot of people confusion. You will see a man that says, "You say Jesus died on the cross to save people. Sorry, he just committed suicide. He didn't die for me. He knows those people that he died for. As for me, he just went there to waste his time. He died as a criminal. All these ones you are saying that he died for salvation, how do you explain it? They killed three people, you say one of them is savior. Abeg, carry your thing come out from my side." At some point, the person become worldwide evangelist, telling the people how he has lived his life before. Another one will come will tell you how he became the deputy of Satan and they were drinking people's blood. And then one day a light just shine inside his room, and he was trying to fight the light, and before he knew, he surrendered his life to Jesus and now he has become a pastor and a prophet for God. You will see another one that will be telling you, "Oh, that is not my case. You see, I made up my mind to kill every Christian. And one day, I was taking—I was driving furiously to Damascus to go and kill all of them. Suddenly, I fell down from my horse, a light, and I heard a voice that said, 'Saul, Saul...'" Who am I talking about now? Paul. They were not looking for God. They were completely against God. And God just came to them, interrupted them and said, "Look, I want to use you. Said the work that I have for you..." The one that is busy praying, God is not looking for that one. The one that is not looking for God, God is interrupting that one and say, "Come and do my work." How do you explain it? You see some people who have done so badly, so wickedly, and they will not experience any kind of evil, what you may call evil. Their children will grow up, they will do well, everything will go on like that, and everything they will grow to good old age, and you will be wondering. They will be in money, they will be in wealth. You know that this money, the way they got this money, and they will be enjoying everything. No sickness, nothing. And then you will see a godly person, "Ah! But which kind of thing is this? Eyan yi ti o ye ki Olorun ja lejo, fire should consume him." No fire will consume him. He will live well. And then you will be almost mad. That was the confusion of David. It is because people don't understand this mercy. This mercy has nothing to do with what you have done or what you have not done. This mercy is sovereign. This mercy is not based on whether you pray or you don't pray, whether you ask or you don't ask. Some people will say, "Hey! Me I love palm wine, I no go lie. Since you say you love Jesus, me and palm wine, nothing can separate us." You say, "Brother, we want to travel, let us pray for protection." Say, "Why you so religious? Who will die will die, who will live will live. Which prayer are you praying?" And they will travel the length and breadth of Nigeria, they will not die. And then the people who said, "Father, as we go on this journey, Lord keep us," they will have accident, they will die. How do you explain it? This is what God is saying, and this is what we must come to understand about God. That there is a mercy that is sovereign. There is a mercy that is sovereign. I think this is what the Yorubas saw and they said "eda o l’aro’p" [human beings should not conclude]. People you conclude that this one will never become anything in life, suddenly you will just wonder. People you thought will become something will not become something. People you felt, "Ah, won ma da!" [he will be good], will not become something. It is because of this sovereign mercy. I don't know whether—as myself and my wife watched Abbot Elementary yesterday, season 5, episode 8, something. As we watched that yesterday, and we saw how the young man acting Rambo eventually God saved and could now sleep. And I was just wondering the amount of people that the Rambo have wasted. You know it's a sub-part, just kill—it means our time meant that you kill things. Death, kill, die, die, kill. And that is the reality in the world. The man who wanted—I want to ask you, why must God interrupt his flight? He was flying to his house. He found himself where he cannot get out of the house because God just want to save him. And he wanted to go and wanted to die, God brought somebody to hold him, "You are not going to die, you must be saved." As somebody is somewhere, the person sound religious, "Oh, how I love..." He's inside church, he died a religious person, he go to hellfire. How do you explain it? But it is important to understand this mercy. Or else, the error of David—whatsoever thing were written aforetime, they were written for our learning—we will not fall into the same error. David fell into that error and he almost missed God because of that error. He almost missed God, if not for God's mercy. Look at the pronouncement of this our father, he almost missed God. He said, "Truly, God is good to Israel, to such as are pure in heart." That was his conclusion at the end. That verse 1 was his conclusion later. He said, "Truly, God is good to Israel, to such as are pure in heart." That was the conclusion that he came back to. But at a point in his heart, you know what he was saying? "God is not good to Israel. God is not good to them that are pure in heart." I want to ask you, why must a person like Jesus die at 33? He did not have long life. Is it because John is better than Jesus, that they kill and kill, they could not kill John? Put him inside oil, he not die. Put him here... "Ah, you are mysterious!" They went to throw him away. But just one man just like... they just got Jesus, they just executed him. And they could not kill John. So it's not a matter of who fear God, who does not fear God, how pious you have lived. It has nothing to do with it. And we must get that clear in our heart. That there is a sovereign mercy of God. There is a sovereign mercy. I think this is what the Yorubas saw and they said "eda o l’aro’p." That mercy is not explainable because the only way to resolve it is what God told Moses: "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." How do we explain it? God will have mercy on whom he will have mercy. God will have compassion on whom... If you want to explain it beyond that, you will go into error. Before David came to this conclusion, "Truly, God is good to Israel," he said, "But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled. You see, my step had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the boastful." They carry God away. Which stupid God? Work hard and you will make it. I work hard and I make my money. So come on and all this prayer away, God is... and you see them, they prosper in their businesses and it becomes big. How do you explain it with you who say that you did not pray? That was the problem of David. He said, "I was envious of the boastful when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. The boastful, they say, 'Get, get, get, get, get, get, get!'" We're talking about God's sovereign mercy. Sovereign mercy. Providential mercy. It is in this mercy that God said, the Lord does not have delight in the death of the wicked. It is in this mercy... By the time we begin to come to the other one, you see how it translate to us. That's why I said I pray God will be able to finish all of this mercy, this dimension of mercies as we are going through. If we cannot finish it today, we'll move on to next week. But I'm trusting God to finish all. But I want us to understand it. He said, "I was envious of the boastful, saw the prosperity of the wicked, for there was no pang in their death, but their strength was firm." You know what that means? Won o se aisan kankan ti won fi ku. No sickness. Everything went smoothly. Everything went smoothly till they died. Did something come to your mind? Remember the rich man and Lazarus. How did everything go? It went smoothly till he died. It is because we know the other side of the story. But if you remove the other side of the story, nobody want to be a Lazarus. Everybody want to be the rich man. But we die the other side of the story. Everything went smoothly—that was the observation of Jesus. Everything went smoothly for the rich man. He said he lived in abundance, he lived well, everything went well, peacefully for him until he died. That was what he was saying. They are not in trouble as other men, nor are they plagued like other men. Therefore pride serve as their necklace, violence cover their garment. "I will kill who I will kill. Who I want to live is who will live. Who does not fear me will not live. I will finish that person." And it will happen like that for them. Are you getting the point? So they took on violence. That looks like some of our politicians. Am I correct? Some of our leaders. Am I correct? Yeah. They scoff and speak wickedly concerning oppression. They speak loftily. They set their mouth against the heaven and their tongue walk on the earth. Therefore, his people return and their waters are full, turned up to the drain. And then they say, "How does God know? There is no knowledge in the Most High." Ki l’Olorun mo? [What does God know?] What can God do? Behold, these are the ungodly, who are always at ease. You know what that means? They are always at ease. What is ease? Comforted. Always at ease. They will now be so proud, won a ma f’ara se [they will carry themselves with pride] because they are who they are, because they want to become who they are. They say, "Forget this your God. We know what we are doing. Join our club and you will become the talk of the town. We'll give you dignity, we'll give you power, we'll give you status. And you can see we are enjoying it. Leave that group, join our group. Forget this God stuff. Your pastors are liars. Come for dignity and power." I'm talking about the wicked. We see them all over the places. Why? There is a sovereign mercy. You need to understand that. You need to appreciate that or else you'll be confused. Look at what David now said: "Surely, I have cleansed my heart in vain. I have washed my hands in innocence." Psalm 73. He said, "Surely I have cleansed my hand in vain." Are you seeing what David is now saying? "Ah! So all this being faithful to government is a scam." David was feeling the pain, the pain that these people don't face this thing. He said, "Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain and washed my hands in innocence. For all day long, I have been plagued." The wicked were not plagued. "All day long, I have been plagued." You know, you ask yourself sometimes, why did the godly die through sickness? "Ha! Eyi t’o beru Olorun to, o se ti iru iku yi lo wa ku?" [Ah! For someone who feared God so much, how come he died this kind of death?] "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy." The brother, as he feared God so much, why is it like this? "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy. I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." There is a sovereign mercy that has nothing to do with whether you have done good or you have done evil. There is a sovereign mercy. And we must understand this as Christians so that we don't begin to feel cheated. We don't begin to feel "Ah! Ah! Ah!" Now, having said that, he said, "If I had to speak, I will speak thus. Behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of your children. When I thought how to understand this, it was too painful for me." Are you seeing what David said? It was painful. We must not repeat this mistake. We must not make this kind of mistake. Our fathers made that mistake. "Until I went into the sanctuary of God, then I understood their end." God now made him see that, "Look, if only in this world you had hope, then you will be miserable always." If only you are looking at how things go in this life, if that is where you are looking at how God will judge things, brother you will be miserable. Sister you will be miserable. If you are just looking at how things are going in this life to conclude God's judgment, you will be miserable. That is what that mercy is telling you. That is what that mercy is telling you. There is an end that is beyond death. There is an end. There is an end. There is an end. There is another end. And we must understand that. I was speaking with a brother one day and the brother said one thing that made him to feel that integrity is useless. Yes, it took me time to get the brother out of his confusion. That's why I'm talking like this. He said he was reading the story of Uriah, how Uriah died and how eventually the wife Bathsheba went to David and then Solomon, everything just went on. So he said, "What is the essence of Uriah's integrity?" He said when he saw this thing, he felt, "Look, all the integrity here, does it worth it?" And I said, "Bro, you will remain miserable and you may never come out of this your situation until you understand that if only in this world we have hope, you will remain miserable. That is the scripture." If you are looking at it in terms of time, you will be miserable. I said because the scriptures makes it clear that blessed is the man who walks in his integrity. The scripture make that very clear. That you see some stories, and we are seeing many stories today. Look at how Jesus died. Look at how some people wicked will live to old age, even live older than Jesus. Look at how some of the disciples died. Look at our contemporary times. Some people you feel they really love God, the way things went. Some people that do not love God, the way things went. Look at your life from when you were born. Some people who were useless and all of that, their life became meaningful. Some people who look godly when you were in primary and secondary school, they have become drunkards and robbers. If you look at it, you try to look at the stories of life, you will get confused about God because there is a sovereign mercy. And that mercy cannot be explained. The only explanation is "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy." That's the only explanation. So it's not a matter of who who fear God, who does not fear God, how pious you have lived. It has nothing to do with it. And we must get that very clear in our heart. That there is a mercy of God that is sovereign. There is a mercy that is sovereign. I think this is what—when you see people who don't understand this law of Jesus, who don't understand this—you see, this matter is about a heart. It is about the more—whatever you want to do. When we say we don't resist an evil person, when we say we should do good to those who hate us, it is not trying to make us fools or make us people who are not who are not smart and intelligent because He told us again, "I send you as wolves as sheep among wolves. Be wise as serpent, be harmless as dove." That's why I tell people, sometimes when they say, "And I am just trying to protect myself, I'm trying to make sure it doesn't happen," yes, but be sure that whatever you are talking about about protection and revenge—protection and being wise is not is not clothed with what with revenge. It is clothed with what—with you are making it to rain upon both the good and the evil. The heart of Christianity is ability to understand that it is it is because God showed a sovereign mercy is the basis why he's asking us to go, when your enemy is hungry, give him to eat. When he's thirsty, give him to drink. The reason why God is telling you to do that is because that is what made you a Christian in the first place. That eternal life you are talking about, it was because God had mercy on whom he will have mercy. Brethren, let us close for this evening. That eternal life that you are talking about, that good life, that Christian life that you are talking about, it was because God had mercy. But for the sovereign mercy, there would not have been salvation. But for the sovereign mercy, the mercy that brought you into this grace wherein you stand. That's why Paul said, "There's nothing you have, but you only receive them. Whatever you have, you receive them." What brought you into what you have, whether you are wicked or you are good, is what is sovereign mercy. God decided not to do to us as we deserve. And God is saying that's the whole essence of who you are, and that is what I want you to live. Insight into God's mercy. Insight into God's mercy. The sovereign mercy of God. The mercy that comes because we fear the Lord. The mercy that comes because of mercy towards other men. These are mercies that the Bible explain in diverse ways in the Bible. Let us pray that God, God help us. Help us. Living with eternity in view. Understanding this dimension of mercy. Lord, please help us. Help our heart. Sometimes our heart is just so far from the reality of the scriptures. Sometimes we are not just who we ought to be, either towards God or towards man. Like the wicked take God for granted, many times too we take God for granted. Like the—like the wicked demonstrate wickedness towards man, not caring, not minding because they are enjoying sovereign mercy, many times too we do this towards men. But Lord, there is nothing like enjoying dimensions of mercy. There is nothing like it. Lord, we are just praying, we are just asking You, we are just pleading with You. Lord, enlarge our heart. Lord, enlarge our heart that I may enjoy dimensions of mercies, both with God and with man. The Bible says Jesus grew in favor with God and with man. Go and look at Proverbs. It says, "Don't let—don't let mercy—good behavior—and truth forsake you, then you will—you will enjoy favor of both God and man." Seek to enjoy the favor of God and man. Seek all these dimensions of mercies. Be deliberate with your life. Be intentional with your actions. Be intentional what you do to people. Be intentional, calculate it. "If they do this to me, how will it look like? Let me do this to provoke this person to love. Let me do this, let me..." Just like you say, "Oh, I want to love God, I will keep His command," and as you diligently seek God, God rewards. There are things like that with men, because men are made in the image of God. Oh, precious Father. Lord, we thank You. Lord, we thank You. Lord, we thank You. Lord, we thank You. Lord, please help us. Lord, please help our heart. Sometimes our heart is just so far from the reality of the scriptures. Sometimes we are not just who we ought to be, either towards God or towards man. Like the wicked take God for granted, many times too we take God for granted. Like the—like the wicked demonstrate wickedness towards man, not caring, not minding because they are enjoying sovereign mercy, many times too we do this towards men. But Lord, there is nothing like enjoying dimensions of mercy. There is nothing like it. Lord, we are just praying, we are just asking You, we are just pleading with You. Lord, enlarge our heart. Lord, enlarge our heart. Help us to be responsible towards You. Help us to be responsible towards men. Help us to have the right attitude towards both God and man. Lord, please help us. Help us not to be carefree, not to be careless. Help us to be sober, to be watchful, to be diligent, to be deliberate and intentional in the things we do towards You and towards other men. In the name of Jesus. Thank You, our Father. Blessed be Your name, our God. In Jesus' name we pray. Let's share the grace together. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forevermore. Amen. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives, and we shall dwell in the house of the Lord, forever and ever. Amen. This message is coming to you from Family Tent Ministry, a Christian ministry involved in enriching the lives of singles and marriage through preaching and teaching of God's word, discipleship, family life enrichment, social and community development and mission aid. Our regular activities are discipleship class every Monday 5:00 PM, adolescents and singles club every first Saturday of every month at 10:00 AM, marriage forum second Saturday of every month at 10:00 AM, family life seminars, regular school outreaches and everyday counseling. For further counseling you can reach us at our location Life Camp by the first bridge, Ile-Iwe community, opposite Very Joy filling station along Ijera Road, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria. You can also reach us through our social media handles familytent@yahoo.co.uk, familytentministry01@gmail.com, www.familytentministry.org. Our phone numbers are 08033861136, 07033613848. God bless you all.