Building a Life of Mercy on God's Word

Devotional

Day 1: Embracing Mercy as a Divine Principle

Mercy is not just an attribute, but a divine principle that should be at the core of our lives. As we navigate through life, we should strive to show mercy to others, just as God shows mercy to us. This is a fundamental aspect of God's work in and through us as we love a lost and dying world. [12:45]

Micah 6:8 - "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."
Reflection: Reflect on a recent situation where you could have shown more mercy. How can you apply the principle of mercy in similar situations moving forward?

Day 2: Prioritizing Mercy Over Rituals

Religious rituals should not take precedence over embodying the qualities and attributes of the church. Jesus demonstrated this by associating with sinners, showing us the importance of prioritizing mercy and displaying the true qualities of the church. [24:30]

Matthew 23:23 - "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former."
Reflection: Are there any religious rituals that you prioritize over showing mercy and love to others? How can you shift your focus to embody the qualities of the church?

Day 3: Extending Mercy and Practicing Faithfulness

Practicing faithfulness and extending mercy are key to aligning with God's desires. We should not expect people to be perfect like ourselves, but instead, we should love and embrace the lowest, the sickest, and the sinners. [36:15]

Luke 6:36 - "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful."
Reflection: Who in your life could use your mercy and understanding right now? How can you extend God's love and mercy to them today?

Day 4: Loving God and Others as the Foundation

Loving God and others is the foundation of everything. The Shema, the greatest commandment, instructs us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. This love should extend to others, even when it's difficult. [48:00]

Deuteronomy 6:5 - "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."
Reflection: How can you show love to someone who has been difficult to love? What practical steps can you take to demonstrate this love?

Day 5: Showing Mercy Over Following Rituals

Showing mercy to others is more important than simply following religious rules and rituals. We are encouraged to love on people, even those who may be considered unlovable, as a way of showing love for God. [59:30]

James 2:13 - "For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment."
Reflection: How can you show mercy to someone who you've been judging or holding a grudge against? Can you take a step towards reconciliation today?

Sermon Summary

The sermon, part of a series titled "Have Mercy," explores the importance of showing mercy to others and building our lives on the principles of the Word of God. The pastor, Robert, begins by drawing parallels between a recent football game and the concept of mercy, before delving into the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 9. He warns that failing to apply these principles, including mercy, is akin to building a house on sand, which will ultimately collapse. Instead, we should build our lives on the rock, the Word of God, and understanding and practicing mercy is crucial for this foundation.

The pastor emphasizes the importance of showing mercy over religious sacrifices. He criticizes the Pharisees for prioritizing religious rituals over embodying the qualities and attributes of the church. He also highlights Jesus' willingness to associate with sinners, as demonstrated in Matthew 9 when Jesus calls Matthew, a despised tax collector, to follow him. The pastor then addresses the issue of lacking devotion and reverence in the practice of duties, emphasizing the absence of prayer, relationship, and worship despite the abundance of religious work. He asserts that without the practice of biblical worship, mercy will not be evident.

The pastor further emphasizes the importance of mercy over sacrifice, referencing the words of God in Hosea, where God expresses his displeasure with the Israelites who prioritize rituals and rules over showing mercy. He also highlights the importance of practicing faithfulness and extending mercy in order to align with God's desires. The pastor warns the congregation that there is an issue in the way they treat people, expecting them to be perfect like themselves. Instead, he urges them to love and embrace the lowest, the sickest, and the sinners.

The pastor then discusses the importance of loving God and loving others, referring to the Shema, which is the greatest commandment to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. He emphasizes that loving God is the foundation of everything and highlights the problem of lacking love and faithfulness towards others. The pastor concludes by emphasizing the importance of showing mercy to others instead of simply following religious rules and rituals, encouraging the congregation to love on people, even those who may be considered unlovable.

Key Takeaways

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Sermon Clips

"In talking about mercy, I believe with all of my heart, specifically since I've been studying this in depth, is that if we miss out on the tenet of showing and having mercy for other people, we truly miss out on one of the greatest and most foundational points that God has to work in us and through us as we love a lost and dying world." [28:52]

"I believe that if we don't get this principle down of mercy, understanding what it means to have mercy, to show mercy for others, I believe that we will be that person who builds his house on anything but the rock." [29:57]

"He says you're acting like a church, but you're not being the church. You're going to a church, but you're not displaying the qualities and the attribute of the church." ([46:01])

"You're expecting them to live life like you and be perfect like you, in your highly exalted, sanctimonious, self-righteous self. And listen, you need to get over yourself, because that's not what we're here for. We're here to love on people." [41:45]

"To love the Lord our God with all of our heart, with all of our soul, with all of our mind, and all of our strength." [42:17]

"I desire mercy, not sacrifice. He says, I'm sick of all this meaningless stuff that you're doing just to accommodate the letter of the law. We've got people out there that's dying, that's hurting, that's sick, that need help." [43:21]

"When we feel entitled, in other words, when we feel like we've got the right to punch somebody, to shun somebody because they fall short of living the Christian life, we are commanded by Jesus Christ himself to choose mercy over religion." [44:57]

"He says I delight in you showing mercy to people, not sacrifice. So there's this major disconnect, this major division that we see between God's people and then what Hosea is saying that God spoke to him and then later on between Jesus and the religious folks and today between the poor preacher and everybody in here." [01:01:29]

"You see church, we've got to learn to love the unlovable. We've got to be willing to dine with the undesirable. And we've got to befriend the forsaken of this world." [49:45]

"We invite people to come to church because we want to extend to them grace and mercy and love and we want them to become a part of our family and worship with us. We want people to inherit eternal life and they look at us and say you're a hypocrite. You say these things with your mouth but your actions don't prove it otherwise. And what we have done as churches is we have defaulted the same exact way that they did to religious tendencies. We defaulted to traditions and we've checked a box as if we have done enough." [59:21]

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