49E TRANSCRIPT Why mercy misunderstood Where is mercy How enjoy kind generous mercy
www.crazygoodgod.org
Nancy Teague
nancy@crazygoodgod.org
Jan 11, 2023
Hi there, welcome to crazy Good God podcast. I'm Nancy Teague and thanks for listening.
00:16 Today I want to talk about mercy. Have you ever thought about that word? Do you know what it really means? Perhaps saying mercy is along these lines - ‘God have mercy on me, I'm guilty, please forgive me.’ Or, ‘Have mercy God, I don't want to go to hell.’ Some religious circles preach a distant God who is to be feared, so asking for mercy is necessary.
00:39 When mulling over mercy, a statement from decades ago came to mind. Perhaps you've heard this preached to explain mercy and grace. When I first heard it, I thought it was pretty helpful. “Mercy is not getting what you deserve. Grace is getting what you don't deserve.” By Anonymous.
01:03 Hmm, note the negativity in that statement. I thought this was good news.
Who is the implied subject in this definition? Sinner! Since God has opened my eyes to see the utter significance of Jesus's finished work, this old saying made me upset. I'm like, whoa… This is not God!
01:29 Let's discover God's true mercy. First, do you know mercy is connected to new? The previous episode was all about new wineskins, new wine, what new meant in the Old and New Testament. Now here's some more new.
01:44 Lamentations chapter 3. “The faithful love of the Lord never ends. His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness. His mercies begin afresh new every morning”. Mercy in Hebrew means kindness, goodness, doing favors or benefits.
Picture this - every daybreak fresh new kindness, goodness, favors are there for you. You don't have to ask for it. The sun comes up on its own all around the world and mercy fills every one's days. Mercy never ceases! So just be grateful and enjoy.
02:30 Check out this scripture - “God who is rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us, us being dead in trespasses made us alive together with Christ.” Get this! When all mankind was lifeless, dead because of sin, we were made alive together with Jesus - before you even prayed the sinner's prayer, got saved. It was already done! They did it!
03:01 Seriously, how in the world do we get to this place of saying mercy is not getting what you deserve? Makes me wonder what kind of relationship Anonymous had with God. Lord, may Anonymous see who you really are.
03:18 Now here's John's beautiful combination from the Father and Jesus for you. “Grace, mercy, and peace will be with you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father in truth and love.” Paraphrase with additional Greek meanings - ‘Grace, Mercy, Peace I am. They are in company with you affecting change in you. God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ are present and close beside. Inside you is truth that is true to fact reality, moreover is love benevolence esteem. Oh to grasp this kind of presence in us.
04:11 Mercy and grace have nothing to do with not getting what you deserve or getting what you don't deserve. Mercy and grace are God himself!
Man links deserve with sin or good works. But, God is not about deserve, He's about relationship with His image and likeness, and that's why mercy and grace abound to us.
04:43 Recently I was talking to a dear friend in another country about mercy. It made her think of Psalm 23 “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” How perfect is that to end this episode on mercy! Please grasp – ‘Good pleasant agreeable and mercy kindness goodness follow attend closely upon you all your days and you will dwell in the House of the Lord forever.’
Embrace mercy, you don't beg for it, it's yours!
Until next Wednesday, Bliss to you and never forget God is absolutely crazy about you.
References: Lam 3:22,23 Eph 2:4,5 2Jn 1:3 Ps 23:6 Heb 3:6