Summary
Highlights
The sermon begins by emphasizing God's merciful nature, citing Psalm 136:1-4 and Micah 7:18 which state God delights in mercy. The speaker stresses that God craves to demonstrate mercy, recounting examples like Paul, Moses, Rahab, and Ruth who experienced profound transformations due to divine mercy. The objective is to understand God's mercy and how to access it.
God's mercy is responsible for divine visitations. John 5:1-2, which discusses the pool of Bethesda (meaning 'house of mercy'), illustrates how an angel was sent to grant visitations there. Similarly, God visited Sarah through mercy (Genesis 18:10), showing that divine encounters are driven by mercy. The speaker shares a personal anecdote of an unexpected crusade visit as a manifestation of God's mercy, bringing transformation and turnaround to those in need.
Psalm 136:4 explicitly states that God does great wonders because His mercy endures forever. The speaker explains that God’s wonders are not for boasting but are products of His mercy. Appealing to God's mercy is an appeal for the manifestation of His wonders, which extend beyond healing to various aspects of life. He shares personal experiences in Bayelsa and Botswana where miraculous weather changes occurred due to divine mercy, highlighting wonders that demonstrate God's intervention in unpredictable ways.
God heals and delivers through mercy, as seen with blind Bartimaeus who cried out, 'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me' (Mark 10:46-47). The speaker encourages listeners to appeal for God's mercy for healing. Additionally, mercy is responsible for accessing our divine inheritance (Psalm 136:21-22), ensuring that despite the devil's desires, God's plans for His people come to fruition.
Mercy grants access to the revelations of God and His glory. In Exodus 33:18-19, Moses asked to see God's glory, and God responded, 'I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy.' This demonstrates that divine revelation is a matter of mercy, not human effort or pride. Those who rely on God's mercy are the ones to whom He reveals Himself, allowing for deeper knowledge and greater exploits, ultimately leading to permanent revival.
God's mercy is behind divine favor, acceptance, and election. Romans 9:11-15 explains that God chooses based on His purpose and mercy, not human works or efforts. The speaker stresses that achievements like fasting, prayer, or scriptural knowledge are secondary to God's mercy in determining one's destiny. He illustrates this by sharing personal experiences of demanding schedules and divine protection, attributing impossible feats to God's mercy rather than human strength.
God's mercy is also responsible for divine vengeance and judgment. Psalm 136:10-18 details how God smote Egypt, divided the Red Sea, and slew kings for His people, all attributed to His enduring mercy. This means God's anger can be directed towards the enemies of His people out of mercy for them. The speaker asserts that wicked individuals who trouble God's people will face divine judgment as an act of God's mercy.
The first way to access God's mercy is through helplessness. God shows mercy to the humble and those who acknowledge their inability, as stated in Hebrews 4:16. Pride and arrogance hinder mercy. The speaker emphasizes proving what one 'can't' do, rather than what one 'can,' and shares personal humility before God after crusades. The second way is prayerfulness. The mercy seat is in God's presence, requiring bold access through prayer, taking one from the 'outer court' to the 'holy of holies' to connect with mercy.
The third way is righteousness. Proverbs 28:13 states that confessing and forsaking sin leads to mercy, while covering sin prevents it. Living a life of sin silences the conscience and disconnects from mercy. The fourth way is mercifulness towards others. Psalm 18:25 confirms that God shows mercy to the merciful. The speaker gives an example of a brutal husband whose business failed, connecting his lack of mercy to his lack of divine favor. He encourages listeners to be merciful to others as an 'opportunity' to sow for God's mercy in their own lives.