Sunday Outline – July 9, 2023
Pastor Pasty Cameneti ministering at EMIC this past Sunday morning.
Pastor Pasty began by asking, “Are you ready for the Word?” It needs to have final authority in the believer’s life. Sometimes words can become clichés, just something that we use, and we don't dive in and really see the wealth and the value that is in there. Today we're going to look at probably a very familiar word, the word mercy. Mercy is something very integral to our father, and to our faith family.
Mercy is a tool for us to understand, as well as recognize and utilize its power.
During my introduction, Pastor Terry mentioned my interaction with Brother Hagen. This was just one of those things that was a ‘God setup.’ I liked some of the styles of teaching that Brother Hagin did. He would tell you what something was first, by telling you what it wasn't. He would cross off what it wasn't. I am going to take the same approach with mercy.
Hebrews 4:16;
“Let us then with confidence, draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and grace to help in the time of need.”
This verse we can see that mercy is not grace.
We're honing in [and also homing in] on mercy. It is bigger than kindness. Galatians doesn’t mention it as a fruit of the spirit.
Kindness is a fruit. Anyone may pick it from the branches of your life; and you give it freely to people. It is contagious, you can spread it, and you can even give it to people who don't give it back.
Mercy isn't forgiveness. Forgiveness is something that you do in letting go of mistakes, wrongs, holding things against someone. They're similar, but they are very different. Forgiveness is something that an unbeliever can do. Forgiveness is something that doesn't require anything.
Mercy is not permission. When God gives mercy, it's not because someone has worn Him down, and finally He goes, okay. It's not a pass. It's not a wink, it's not an excuse.
We live in a world that's weird, where the world finds camaraderie with dysfunction. There are groups that form around different kinds of dysfunction. Our Father's is not dysfunctional.
When it comes to mercy, in a normal court, or with a judge, sometimes there can be a compromise of justice because of a bribe. Somebody pays the judge, and the judge gives mercy. It isn't that you can bribe God. God's mercy is not favor, neither is it pity.
Mercy is not blackmail. Sometimes judges are made to do something and render a sentence change due to pressure or blackmail. Somebody finds something ugly on them and holds it over. No one's finding anything ugly about God!
God has always had a desire to be among His people, directly in the middle of our lives – not above, not somewhere way over there looking down at us.
For the children of Israel, the Israeli tribes encamped around the tabernacle. Inside the outer tent was the holy place. And then where was the shekinah light over the most holy place. In that most holy compartment was the mercy seat. In the mercy seat there were three things, one was the 10 commandments, etched in stone of what was right in living, carrying out life that was pleasing to God. We read about it in Exodus 25:17; 40:20. Here it also talks about the lid that is on the ark.
The lid is called the mercy seat because people couldn't do those 10 commandments. The Bible is very clear that if you broke one commandment you are guilty of them all. The penalty of it is death. The Apostle Paul called it a ministry of death and a ministry of condemnation because no one could do it.
Mercy is over the law. Mercy is on top of the law, but it came at a cost. Blood had to be put on the mercy seat once a year.
Romans 3:24-25;
“Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood.”
Propitiation means to satisfy the demands of justice. So, Jesus was our propitiation.
Here's a story that I heard growing up in our children's church.
There was a country school, and they were feral kids who had run four teachers off. No one wanted to go to that school. Finally, this young man finished his teachers training, and said; I want to go. He interviewed and they put him on a trial basis. The first day there he told the kids; you'll have to help. This will be our class, so I'd like you to help, and you get to make the rules for the class.
Oh, they loved that. So, they came up with 10 good rules. And he wrote them on the board. He said, rules are no good if there are no repercussions if you break them. What do you think should be the punishment?
Bear in mind this story is from the 1940s, so it may sound harsh. The kids said there should be 10 smacks with the rod on your back without a coat.
Three weeks in and everything's good. Then big Tom who was the bully, and was really mean, told the teacher; somebody stole my lunch. And he wasn't lying. Somebody else piped up and said it was little Tim. We saw him behind the building, and he was having your lunch.
The teacher was thinking; Oh no, what are we going to do? This is the first time we'll use punishment. So, he said, you made the rules. So, we are going to do this. Little Timmy came up, who had on a big coat. He said I'm happy to take the punishment, but do I have to take off my coat? The other students said that’s part of it, we all decided on that. He said, okay. He started unbuttoning his coat and they saw that he didn't have a shirt on underneath, and he was scrawny.
The teacher was aghast, and all the kids were too. Timmy said, well, my Daddy died. And my mom was washing my shirt today. I didn't have anything to wear, so I wore my brother's coat. He leaned over the desk to take his punishment and Big Tom stood up. He said; teacher, is there any rule that says someone else can't take the punishment for Timmy? The teacher was so thankful. He said there isn’t. Tom said I’m going to take Timmy's punishment. And he moved Timmy out of the way, and he laid down on Timmy's desk and took all of Timmy's punishment.
Everyone in the class was crying. That's propitiation.
The punishment had to go. It just didn't have to come on you. But it did have to come. Mercy is not sentimental. It's legal. Just because the blood that was put on the mercy seat was not your blood does not mean that it was not someone's blood.
Mercy requires blood of an innocent for the guilty. The reason that lid is on the top of the broken law is all of us have broken it. Someone had to pay. God never just kind of, you know, I'm okay. You're okay. We're okay. God has never said it's okay. It isn't okay! It kills. Someone had to pay. It just couldn't be us. God's mercy was activated by the blood of Jesus.
Once blood went on the mercy seat, it activated supernatural mercy where God could legally deal with His people in mercy because something innocent had taken the place of something guilty.
Hebrews 9:22; (Easy Translation)
“God's law taught blood was necessary to make almost everything clean. We see that God does not forgive people for their sins unless there is blood from a death.”
God has a way, and when our way is different than His way, then out way is leading to death; as His way is always towards life.
How often did Jesus go in to the holy of holies in heaven? The scripture says He went in one time. With the blood of bulls and goats, the high priest went in annually and refreshed that, and God was able to work with the people in mercy legally and extend mercy legally.
When it came to the blood of Jesus, He became a propitiation for us. He took His own blood and He put His own blood on the mercy seat and obtained an eternal mercy for us. It's always there. It will never not be there.
It is legally always speaking that you have mercy with God. Someone has covered your debt. You had one, but you have been covered because you accepted Jesus’ work. That's mercy.
The blood actually was the evidence that an innocent being took the place and the punishment of the guilty, it was evidence before God. Today, it speaks before God.
John 1:9;
If you confess your sin, he's faithful and just to do what? And to do what? He's faithful to forgive. We know He's faithful, but He's also just, do you know, He cannot not forgive you.
It's legal. The blood has been applied; the sacrifice has been made. Mercy has already been extended to you. You just come and receive.
That's the key. Receiving mercy. Why wouldn't somebody receive mercy? It takes humility to receive mercy. You must first know that you need mercy. Another reason you wouldn't receive mercy is you didn't know about it. You didn't know what God had to say about it.
Receiving mercy is not begging God for mercy. That would indicate that He hasn't extended it yet, which pretty much kicks in the face of the work of Jesus Christ on the cross.
You receive mercy with humility, but don't beg. “Oh God, please forgive me. Please forgive me.” Doesn't that sound like a spiritual thing? Please… He cannot not forgive you. It's already extended as the mercy is already out there. You must receive it.
Listen to this. Why would you beg God to forgive? Because maybe you are asking Him the way that you expect other people to ask you. Like a dog, “Down.” How did God say we come to Him in the throne room? He said to come boldly even when you've made a mistake, you don't come groveling. You also don’t come cocky. It wasn't your blood that was shed.
Honor the blood by not groveling and begging and defending what you did, honor it by being bold. Come get mercy. And the sooner the better because it changes the way that you walk and talk.
Hebrews 4:16
“Come and get mercy and find grace to help in the time of need.”
There's enough mercy here not only for you, but you can receive mercy for other people and extend that mercy to other people. People that aren't looking for it. People that are not yet calling out for it.
The scripture talks about people who forsake their mercy, people that reject mercy. But what we want to be is to be extenders of mercy. Give them opportunities to receive. I think on an Old Testament patriarch who didn't have a Bible, wasn't filled with Holy Spirit and yet pled for a city. {Abram} Why would he do that down to 10 people?
Extend mercy to situations. Things that have agitated you, inject mercy into it.
Extend mercy. Receive mercy for yourself, and stay filled with mercy. Give it to people who need it. If we freely receive, what do we do? We free give. We freely give mercy.
I extend mercy. Lord, not my mercy. Your mercy, You did a work for them and I extend your work to them. I extend what You did for them, and to them. In Jesus name.
Luke 6:35- 36;
“Love your enemies and do good lend, hoping for nothing again. Your rewards shall be great, and you should be the children of the highest. For he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil; be therefore merciful as your Father also is merciful.”
Jesus said to forgive so that the Father could forgive. Not that He withholds because of bad attitude towards you, but it's legal. When you won't give mercy, He can't get to you with what's already been done for you.
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cameneti.net/partner
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