CRCF””10-18-09
Mercy Matters
James 2:10-13
ME:
Tony Evans: “Justice is getting what you deserve. Mercy is not getting what you deserve.” (210)
I”™ve always needed a lot of mercy in my life””still do!
I was about 7 years old, I suppose. My Daddy had taken me to play golf with him. I loved being out there on the course, but I particularly enjoyed riding in the golf cart! And I pestered my Daddy all day long about driving that golf cart. Well, finally, after we were coming off the course and putting Daddy”™s clubs back in our car, Daddy finally broke! I was still pestering him about driving the cart and he finally gave in and told me that I could drive the cart from our car, through the parking lot back to the shed where they kept the golf carts. I was ecstatic! And so, off I went all by myself””wide slam open! The ride was going great until I realized that there was a truck”™s rear bumper quickly approaching the front of the golf cart. I went to slam on the brakes but simply stomped the accelerator to the floor and plowed into the back of someone”™s new, and parked, Ford F-150 pickup, bending the bumper and shattering the front of the fiberglass golf cart! Now, I did receive quite a talking to and was restricted from driving any golf cart for several years. But Daddy paid to have all of the damage repaired. Justice would have demanded that I pay for the damage because I did the damage. But a father”™s mercy took care of it for me.
But the crazy thing is that I went home and still related to my little sister on the basis of justice, not mercy. Even though Daddy had been so merciful to me, I did not extend that same sort of mercy to Karli””I wanted justice to fall hard on her when she would aggravate me.
If you don”™t show mercy it proves that you don”™t know Mercy!
WE:
Have you ever needed mercy from someone””and received it? Have you ever struggled to show mercy to someone else who needed it?
If you don”™t show mercy it proves that you don”™t know mercy.
GOD:
James 2:8-13 (New Living Translation)
8 Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 9 But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.
10 For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God”™s laws. 11 For the same God who said, “You must not commit adultery,” also said, “You must not murder.” So if you murder someone but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law.
12 So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free. 13 There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.
If you don”™t show mercy it proves that you don”™t know Mercy.
“The true standard of judgment is perfect faith manifested in perfect works. The ”˜royal law”™ (v. 8), ”˜the law of liberty”™ (v. 12; 1:25), is the second great commandment of Christ: love your neighbor (John 13:34). The standard by which we judge is that by which we will be judged; the mercy we give will be the mercy we receive.” (Orthodox Study Bible, 543).
Now, again, all of this doesn”™t mean that our mercy towards others earns God”™s mercy to us. It means, rather, that a heart that has received God”™s mercy must extend mercy to others!
If you don”™t show mercy it proves that you don”™t know Mercy. In fact, it may be that you are deceived about your relationship with God””thinking that you know Him personally when you really only know about Him.
Romans 5:8 (NLT)
But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
Luke 15:11-24 (New Living Translation)
11 To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. 12 The younger son told his father, ”˜I want my share of your estate now before you die.”™ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.
13 “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. 14 About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. 15 He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. 16 The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.
17 “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ”˜At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, 19 and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.””™
20 “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. 21 His son said to him, ”˜Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.”™
22 “But his father said to the servants, ”˜Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23 And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, 24 for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.”™ So the party began.
Mercy Came Running (Phillips, Craig, & Dean)
Mercy came running
Like a prisoner set free
Past all my failures to the point of my need
When the sin that I carried
Was all I could see
And when I could not reach mercy
Mercy came running to me
Once there was a broken heart
Way to human from the start
And all the years left it torn apart
Hopeless and afraid
Walls I never meant to build
Left this prisoner unfulfilled
Freedom called but even still
It seemed so far away
I was bound by the chains
From the wages of my sin
Just when I felt like giving in
repeat chorus
Sometimes I still feel so far
So far from where I really should be
He gently calls to my heart
Just to remind me
repeat chorus
How can we do any less than be merciful to those who need it most?
If you don”™t show mercy it proves that you don”™t know Mercy.
YOU:
How should this change the way we relate to others?
Show mercy to all””especially the needy””because God has shown mercy to you.
Matthew 18:21-35 (New Living Translation)
21 Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”
22 “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!
23 “Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. 24 In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. 25 He couldn”™t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold””along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned””to pay the debt.
26 “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ”˜Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.”™ 27 Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.
28 “But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.
29 “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ”˜Be patient with me, and I will pay it,”™ he pleaded. 30 But his creditor wouldn”™t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.
31 “When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. 32 Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ”˜You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Shouldn”™t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?”™ 34 Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.
35 “That”™s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”
Show mercy to all””especially the needy””because God has shown mercy to you.
Matthew 6:9-15 (NLT)
Pray like this: “Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored. May your kingdom come soon, may your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven. Give us our food for today, and forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us. And don”™t let us yield to temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Show mercy to all””especially the needy””because God has shown mercy to you.
Do you remember what James said “true religion” is?
James 1:27
Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us.
This reminds me of the orphans in Ghana (Slide with their picture). Beverly McDaniel was able to extend mercy to these children about a year ago.
Show mercy to all””especially the needy””because God has shown mercy to you.
WE:
What would our world be like if every Christ-follower showed mercy to folks that didn”™t deserve it?
Brennan Manning said: “Something is radically wrong when the local church rejects a person accepted by Jesus; when a harsh, judgmental and unforgiving sentence is passed on homosexuals; when a divorcee is denied communion; when the child of a prostitute is refused baptism”¦Jesus comes to the ungodly, even on Sunday morning. His coming ends ungodliness and makes us worthy. Jesus sat down at the table with anyone who wanted to be present, including those who were banished from decent homes. In the sharing of a meal they received consideration instead of the expected condemnation. A merciful acquittal instead of a hasty verdict of guilty. Amazing grace instead of universal disgrace. Here is a very practical demonstration of the law of grace ”“ a new chance in life”¦It is true that the church must always dissociate itself from sin, but it can never have any excuse for keeping any sinners at a distance.”
As we come to the Lord”™s Table now, may God help us to be merciful as followers of Christ””both individually and as a church. As you come to receive Communion, think about God”™s mercy to you and ask God to show you a relationship in your life where you need to show mercy to someone else.
Martha Chastain and Judi Godowns are the eldest members of our congregation””and they”™ve both walked with Jesus a long time and trusted Him through many different circumstances in life. I”™ve asked them to come and serve us communion this morning.
As they come to the front, let”™s go to the Lord in prayer, asking Him to prepare our hearts to feast on His grace in Jesus.
Prayer
READ 1 Corinthians 11 and Explain
ME take communion first