Attributes of God - God who is Rich in Mercy (Luke 10:25-37) (Sermon 15)

Last time, we began by looking at ways in which God's People have Described His Grace.

• The Apostle Paul speaks about the 'Exceeding or Incomparable Riches of His Grace';
• John Bunyan wrote about 'Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners';

• Charles Wesley praised God in Song, saying, ' Plenteous Grace with Thee is found';
• John Newton said: 'Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me'.

The same kind of language is used to Praise the Mercy of God:

When King Solomon asked God for Wisdom, he began his request to the Lord by saying:

The Psalmist David prayed unto the Lord, saying:

"For Thy Mercy is Great unto the Heavens" (Ps 57:10).

"For thou, Lord, art good, & ready to forgive; & Plenteous in Mercy" (Psalm 86:5).

"The Mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting" (Ps 103:17).

Zechariah spoke of how his son, John the Baptist, would prepare the way of the Lord Jesus:

"To give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,

because of the Tender Mercy of our God" (Luke 1:77-78).

The Apostle Peter began his First Epistle be extolling the Mercy of God, saying:

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his Great Mercy

(AV Abundant Mercy) he has given us new birth into a living hope through the

The Mercy of God is described as Great, Plenteous & Abundant.

• The Scriptures tell us that God's Mercy is administered with Tenderness & Compassion

to those who are weighed down by their Sin, Wickedness & Misery.

• Just as Grace was part of God's Eternal Plan of Salvation, the Mercy of God is

'From Everlasting to Everlasting'.

Likewise, the Hymnwriters Extol the Mercy of God, using one superlative after another:

Augustus Toplady gave a word of testimony concerning the Mercy of God:

"A Debtor to Mercy Alone, of Covenant Mercy I sing;

Nor fear, with Thy righteousness on, My person & offering to bring;

The terrors of law and of God With me can have nothing to do;

My Saviour's obedience & blood Hide all my transgressions from view."

Charles Wesley, extols the Mercy of God, saying:

"'Tis mystery all! The Immortal dies! Who can explore his strange design?

In vain the first-born seraph tries To sound the depths of Love Divine!

'Tis Mercy all! Let earth adore, Let angel minds inquire no more.

He left His Father's throne above - So free, so infinite His Grace -

Emptied Himself of all but love, And bled for Adam's helpless race:

'Tis Mercy all, Immense & Free; For, O my God, it found out me!"

(In the Hymn: And can it be that I should gain An interest in the Saviour's blood?)

You can picture these writers kneeling humbly before the Lord in Prayer.

• They lie prostrate before a Holy God, feeling the Wretchedness of their Sin.

• They feel compelled to Extol the Mercy & Tenderness of a Loving & Gracious God.

"I am a Debtor to Mercy Alone", says Toplady, "Therefore, I am compelled to sing the

praises of God's Mercy."

'Tis Mercy all, Immense & Free', says Wesley, "For, O my God, it found out me!

I am a wretched sinner who deserves nothing, except condemnation."

Last time we noted that God's Grace is related to his Love:

• Grace may be likened to a Bridge that joins together God's Holiness & God's Love.

Now we need to ask the Question: What is the relation between God's Grace & God's Mercy?

Richard Strauss, an American Reformed Pastor who died in 1993, said:

John Stott comments on the inter-connection between Grace, Mercy & Peace, saying:

"We may perhaps summarise these three blessings of God's Love as being:

Grace to the Worthless, Mercy to the Helpless, & Peace to the Restless."

Last time, we saw that God's Grace was revealed to Moses on Mount Sinai, after Israel worshipped the Golden Calf, and when the Lord re-iterated the Ten Commandments.

On the same occasion, God also Revealed Himself as the God of Mercy.

In the A.V. we read: "The Lord, the Lord God, Merciful & Gracious …

Keeping Mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity & transgression & sin."

Why do we see a difference in these translations?

• The reason is simply this: Scholars tell us that the Hebrew word most often translated as 'Mercy' in the A.V. conveys strong feelings of Pity, Sympathy, Compassion, Affection,

& Lovingkindness. By varying the actual English word used, the translators are seeking to

convey the Wider Meaning of the word 'Mercy'.

The main point here is this:

• The Lord reveals Himself as the One who is Full of Compassion & Mercy & Full of Grace.

• Both are Essential Aspects of His Glorious Nature. Both describe the Essence of God's Being.

The Scriptures teach us that 'Mercy' is the Attribute in which God 'Delights':

The Prophet Micah praises God by saying:

"Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgive the transgression of the remnant of

his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show Mercy" (Micah 7:18).

• God delights in Mercy and takes no delight whatsoever is showing his Wrath upon sinners.

Thomas Watson says:

The Prophet Jeremiah gives the same message in the Book of Lamentations (3:31-33):

• God allows us to go through times of Affliction & Grief.

These things are part of what the theologians call 'God's Permissive Will'.

• But the overriding thought of Jeremiah is the Greatness of God's Unfailing Love,

in other words, the Greatness of his Mercy.

• God certainly deals with us through our Affliction & Grief,

but he does so, 'According to the Multitude of his Mercies.'

We have seen how the Lord God taught Moses that Mercy is the Essence of his Being.

The Lord also taught Moses that Sinners Receive Mercy by the Sovereign Power of God:

• When Moses requested a Vision of the Glory of God, the Lord God said to him:

"I will make all my Goodness pass before thee; and I will proclaim the name of

the Lord before thee; and I will be Gracious to whom I will be Gracious, and

will show Mercy on whom I will show Mercy" (Exodus 33:19).

• God reminds Moses that he is under no obligation to show Grace & Mercy to anyone.

The Sovereign Lord declares: "I will be Gracious to whom I will be Gracious."

• God's Sovereignty means that he is free to do anything he chooses which is consistent with His Divine Character. He is free to Bestow Grace & Mercy or to With-hold Grace & Mercy.

When it came to dealing with the Sinful & Rebellious Nation of Israel, God had Two Choices

• In His Holiness, God could have Destroyed them & would have been absolutely Just to do so. On the other hand, God could show Mercy & Forgive them, so long as sin was atoned for.

• God possesses the Sovereign Power to Condemn Sinners to Eternal Damnation.

He also has the Sovereign Power to Graciously bestow Mercy & the Gift of Eternal Life.

Remember how the Apostle Paul quotes Exodus 33:19 in Romans 9:14.

Paul then deals with man's objection to God's Sovereign Choice, saying:

"But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? "Shall what is formed say to the one who

formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?'" Does not the Potter have the right to make

out of the same lump of clay some pottery for Noble Purposes and some for

Common Use?" (Rom 9:20-21, quoting from Isaiah 29:16 & 45:9).

• God made it absolutely clear that, in both Old & New Testaments, there is only

One Way of Salvation - It is by the Grace & Mercy of the Sovereign God.

Note how God Proved that he was making a Declaration of his Sovereign Power

through the very Name by which he Reveals Himself:

The Lord said to Moses: "I will make All My Goodness pass by thee, and

I will proclaim the Name of the Lord." (Exodus 33:19).

• The specific name by which God Revealed Himself is the name 'Yahweh - The LORD'.

God is saying to Moses: Remember the name I taught you at the Burning Bush (Ex 3:14-15).

"I AM who I AM - Say to the Israelites, 'The Lord (Yahweh), the God of your fathers -

the God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob - has sent me to you.'"

• Once again, I will proclaim the name of the Lord - I AM who I AM - I am the Sovereign Lord.

Note also the Manner in which He Revealed Himself:

"The Lord said: 'I will make All My Goodness pass by thee.'"

The term Goodness refers to the Goodness & Generosity of God as the Giver of All Good Things

• It is quite clear also that God's Goodness Refers to His Glory - Moses had requested a

Vision of God's Glory and God said: 'I will make All My Goodness pass by thee.'

• God's Goodness is a summary of All the Excellencies of God.

• God is saying: "See a Glimpse of My Glory and you will Understand My Sovereign Power."

• By reminding Moses of His Sovereign Name, Yahweh, and by revealing His Glory -

God leaves Moses in No Doubt that his Grace & Mercy are a Gift from the Sovereign Lord.

It was absolutely clear & beyond doubt that God's people did NOT deserve God's Mercy.

• Israel had broken the Covenant by worshipping the Golden Calf.

• But this was the very time that God Revealed his Grace & Mercy.

1. The Mercy of God was revealed to the saints of the Old Testament.

We have seen how the Lord God taught Moses that Mercy is the Essence of his Being.

The Lord also taught Moses that Sinners Receive Mercy by the Sovereign Power of God.

2. In the New Testament, one of the best illustrations of the Meaning of God's Mercy is found in the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

The victim in the Parable of the Good Samaritan was left in a terrible state.

This Parable gives us a picture of one of the most miserable people in the whole of Scripture.

"The Lord Jesus said, 'A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell

into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away,

leaving him half dead" (Luke 10:30).

• The Priest & the Levite showed no concern for him whatsoever.
• There he was in the middle of no-where, lying half-dead, without any hope of any assistance, and they just passed by on the other side.
• These so-called Religious Leaders, left this man to die in his miserable state of helplessness.

Then Jesus tells us about the Samaritan who came to this man's assistance:

"But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was; and when he saw him,

he had Compassion on him (N.I.V. he Took Pity on him)" (Luke 10:33).

• Remember how I said earlier that the word most often translated as 'Mercy' in the A.V. conveys strong feelings of Pity, Sympathy, Compassion & Affection.
• The word Compassion describes one important aspect of Mercy.
• When God looks down at Suffering People, He feels Compassion, Tenderness & Kindness on a people who are in desperate need.

But, the Parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us that True Mercy

Doesn't Stop with Feelings of Tenderness & Compassion.

Listen to what Jesus said about the Samaritan's Reaction when he found this man (Lk 10:33-35):

"He had Pity (or Compassion) on him. He went to him & bandaged his wounds, pouring

on oil & wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to the inn & took care of

him. The next day he took out two silver coins & gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after

him,' he said 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have"

• True Mercy always goes into Action to Relieve the Misery of people who are in need.
• The Samaritan's Compassionate Feelings led him to make a

Practical Demonstration of Kindness & Mercy.

• His Inner Feeling of Pity led to Outward Actions intending to Relieve the man's Misery.

Jesus told this Parable to a Teacher of the Law who had asked an important question:

'Who is my Neighbour?'

• Jesus told the Teacher this Parable and then turned his own question back on him, saying:

"Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man

who fell into the hands of robbers?" (Luke 10:36).

The Teacher of the Law replied:

"The one who had Mercy on him" (Luke 10:37).

• It wasn't the Priest or the Levite who showed Mercy;

These Religious People didn't want to get involved with this poor man in his misery.

They just passed by on the other side. They went off and left him to die.

• It was the Samaritan who showed True Mercy - this man who was despised by the Jews. He was the one who had a Deep Feeling of Compassion toward this poor man in his

Jesus told this Parable to teach us about the Mercy of God.

• God's Mercy may be described as God's Love in Action to Relieve the Misery of Sinners.
• Because God is Full of Mercy, he takes Action to relieve our Distress & Misery.

The Apostle Paul refers to the Lord God as the One who is Rich in Mercy:

"God, who is Rich in Mercy, made us alive with Christ

even when we were dead in transgressions" (Eph 2:4-5).

• One of the reasons we can enjoy Forgiveness of Sins and the Gift of Eternal Life is

because our God is Rich in Mercy.

Remember what the Apostle Paul says to Titus (3:3-5):

"At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived & enslaved by all kinds of

passions & pleasures. We lived in malice & envy, being hated & hating one another. But

when the Kindness & Love of God our Saviour appeared, He Saved Us,

NOT because of righteous things we had done, BUT because of His Mercy."

This Act of Mercy has had a transforming effect on our position before God:

• Paul tells the Romans that, we who were Objects of God's Wrath have

now become Objects of His Mercy (Romans 9:22-23).

• We who were Prepared for Destruction have now been Prepared for Glory
• Instead of God pouring out his Wrath & Judgement upon us, he has made us

Vessels of His Mercy - We have become Containers into which God has Poured His Mercy.

God has Saved us by His Mercy - but His Mercy doesn't end there!

Our God, who is Rich in Mercy, Continues to Extend His Mercy toward us!

Jeremiah says, in Lamentations 3:22-23:

"His Compassions (or his Mercies) Never Fail. They are New Every Morning."

As the Hymnwriter, Thomas Chisholm, puts it:

"'Great is Thy Faithfulness', O God my Father,

There is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changest not, Thy Compassions (or Thy Mercies) they fail not;

As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

Great is Thy Faithfulness! Great is Thy Faithfulness!

Morning by morning New Mercies I see!

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided -

What an encouraging thought in our Time of Need:

• Every morning we wake up with the knowledge that our God is Rich in Mercy!

• Day after day we receive a fresh supply of God's Mercy,

• Day after day God continues to pour out the Riches of His Mercy upon us.

• Furthermore, the Mercies of God will Never Fail - the Mercy of God is Everlasting.

The Writer to the Hebrews gives us another encouraging thought concerning God's Mercies,

"Let us then approach the Throne of God with confidence, so that we may

receive Mercy and find Grace to help in our time of need" (Heb 4:16).

Why are we able to find this Mercy & Grace to help in our Time of Need?

• The immediate context provides the answer in verse 15:

we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin."

• The Deep Feelings of Compassion & Sympathy are the Foundation of our Saviour's Mercy.
• These Feelings are so intense, they compel our Saviour into Action.
• When we come to the Throne of Grace he is ready to Give Grace & Mercy to meet our need.

1. The Mercy of God was also revealed to the saints of the Old Testament.

We have seen how the Lord God taught Moses that Mercy is the Essence of his Being.

The Lord also taught Moses that Sinners Receive Mercy by the Sovereign Power of God.

2. In the New Testament the Good Samaritan's Compassionate Feelings led to a

Practical Demonstration of Kindness & Mercy.

He relieved the Misery of this man left for dead by robbers, by providing for his needs.

3. Finally, a few brief points of Application

1. To those who have Never Experienced the Mercy of God, the message is clear:

• Confess your sin before a Holy God and plead with him for Mercy.
• Throw yourself down at the Mercy Seat and plead with God for Mercy.

• The Grace & Mercy of God is your only hope of salvation!

• You cannot experience Peace with God and peace within your own soul,

until you experience the Grace & Mercy of God.

1. The message to Believers is equally clear: Imitate your God by Showing Mercy to Others

• Because our God is the Father of Mercy, we must show ourselves to be his children by showing Compassion & Mercy to those who are in need and to those who sin against us.

When Jesus told the Parable of the Good Samaritan,

he makes the Application absolutely clear:

"Go and do likewise" (Luke 10:37).

"Go and show Mercy to your neighbour."

"Go and show Love & Mercy to everyone that you find in need."

J C Ryle remarks:

"If these words mean anything, a Christian ought to be ready to Show Kindness and

Brotherly Love to Everyone that is in Need. Our kindness must not merely extend to our

families, & friends & relations. We must love all men, and be kind to all, whenever the

occasion requires. Are they in real trouble? Are they in real distress? Do they really need

help? Then, according to the teaching of this parable, we ought to be ready to assist them."

• The Samaritan's Compassion towards the wounded traveller was Not Confined to Feelings.
• The Samaritan's Compassion wasn't a Passive or Sentimental Compassion.
• The Samaritan's Compassionate Feelings led him to make a Practical Demonstration of Kindness & Mercy - It was an Active Compassion.
• Likewise, the Kindness & Mercy of the Christian should not be in word & thought alone.

J C Ryle makes a very telling comment about this Parable, in relation to the Lord's table:

"How few Christians seem to remember that such a Parable was ever written! What an

enormous amount of stinginess, & meanness, & ill-nature, & suspicion there is to be seen

in the Church, and that even among people who go to the Lord's Table! How seldom do

we see a man who is really kind, & feeling, & generous, & liberal & good-natured, except

to himself & his children! Yet the Lord Jesus Christ spoke the Parable of the

Good Samaritan, and meant it to be remembered."

In the context of his command to 'Love our Enemies', Jesus said (Luke 6:27-36):

1. Jesus' application of the Riches of God's Mercy toward us is brought out in the

Parable of the Unmerciful Servant.

Jesus told this Parable in the context of Peter's Question concerning Forgiveness (Mtt 18:21-22):

The king's servant owed him 10,000 talents

- According to commentators, it would take a labourer 1,000 weeks to earn only One Talent.

• So, by modern day calculations, he owed about Three Billion Pounds.
• It is quite obvious that he could never repay such a debt.
• The servant said to his master: "Be patient with me and I will pay back everything" (18:26).

Jesus tells us:

"The servant's master Took Pity on him, cancelled the debt and let him go"

The A.V. says that: "He was Moved with Compassion."

• That was Real Mercy in Action.
• This was an unprecedented Act of Kindness.
• This master Held Back the Punishment he could have exacted, and Forgave the Entire Debt.

However, this Servant didn't really grasp the significance of what had happened to him.

• He went out and found a Fellow-servant who owed him a Few Pounds.

• When his master heard of this wicked deed, he was incensed and said:

The Lesson is perfectly clear:

• Believers have received an Enormous Measure of God's Mercy.

• Furthermore, we continue to receive new mercies every day from the Riches of God's Mercy.
• God wants us to show the same Spirit of Forgiveness & Mercy to others.

• To do anything less shows that we don't understand the Riches of God's Mercy.

• If we understand the Depths of our Own Sin, and the Riches of God's Mercy toward us,

we will be willing to forgive every evil committed against us, great & small alike.

The Prophet Micah tells us that we have a God who 'Delights in Mercy'.

This same Prophet commands God's people to do likewise (Micah 6:8):

"The Lord has showed you, O man, what is Good (or Merciful). And what does the Lord

require of you? To Act Justly & to Love Mercy & to walk humbly with your God."

The message of Old & Testaments is exactly the same:

• Our God is a God of Mercy; He is Plenteous in Mercy; He is Rich in Mercy;

He Delights in Mercy.

• If you claim to have Received his Mercy and Believe in him - Go and do likewise.

APPENDIX - EXTRA POINT

This Definition of God's Mercy is spelled out for us in the Psalm which extols God's Mercy:

• Notice how Psalm 136 describes the Mercy of God in Action, and begins thus:

"O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his Mercy endureth forever. O give

thanks unto the God of gods: for his Mercy endureth forever. O give thanks unto the Lord

of lords: for his Mercy endureth forever. To Him Alone who Doeth Great Wonders:

for his Mercy endureth forever" (Ps 136:1-4).

The One whose Mercy Endureth Forever is the One who Doeth Great Wonders.

• The Psalmist goes on to recount the Many Mercies of God toward His Chosen People -

and ends every one of the 26 verses by saying: "For his Mercy Endureth Forever."

The whole Psalm Magnifies God's Mercy in Action.

• The Psalmist Praised God for his Great Wonders revealed in Creation (v4-9)
• He Praised God for delivering His Chosen People from their Egyptian Oppressors (v 10-12);

• But, the Psalmist gets to the heart of the definition of God's Mercy in verses 24-25:

• God remembered them in their Low Estate, he remembered them

in their Miserable and Humiliating Condition and he delivered them from it.

• Mercy is God's Tender Compassion to us when we are in distress.