In this message we explore the mercy and grace of God. Mercy is not getting what you deserve; grace is getting what you don’t deserve. We are objects of God’s free and sovereign mercy and grace! Hallelujah!
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The Mercy and Grace Of God
This morning I would like to examine the mercy and grace of God with you. Out of all of God’s attributes, I think it is His mercy and grace that we tend to appreciate the most. Once, we have studied God’s mercy and grace, we will consider the justice and wrath of God.
The Mercy Of God
1. What Is God’s Mercy?
There are three words that are roughly synonymous: mercy, compassion, and pity. Here is a working definition of mercy: “The ready inclination of God to relieve the misery of fallen creatures.” Mercy presupposes sin. It is because of sin that man suffers in this life, and shall suffer forever in the life to come. The mercy of God is that which relieves sinners of temporal and eternal misery. Let’s look at a few examples from Scripture.
Mark 5:18-19, “As He [Jesus] was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed was imploring Him that he might accompany Him. And He did not let him, but He said to him, “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.” You remember the story of the Gadarene demoniac. When Jesus and His disciples had gone across the Sea of Galilee and disembarked from their boat in Gadarene, they were met with a wild-eyed, naked man. This man lived among the tombs. Others had tried to chain him, but with supernatural strength, he would break the chains. He spent his days and nights screaming among the tombs and in the mountains, and gnashing himself with stones. Do you see the great anguish and misery this man experienced? He was possessed by many demons who made his life a living hell. But Jesus had pity upon this man, and cast out the demons. When the townspeople came out to see what had happened, they saw this wild-eyed crazy man, sitting down, clothed and in his right mind. Are you starting to understand what mercy looks like? It is taking a man whose life was filled with misery, and having pity on him, and delivering him from those hellish demons.
Matthew 20:30, “And two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” Again, because these two men were blind, they lived in misery. They were incapable of seeing, so they would not be able to work, but would be reduced to begging. They could not see the faces of their wife or children or friends. They could not gaze upon a sunset, or flower or the ocean surf. Misery followed their affliction. When Jesus passed by they cried out for Him to grant mercy – reliever their suffering.
Luke 18:13, “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!” This tax collector in Jesus’ parable wouldn’t dare approach the holy Pharisee. He stood some distance off, wouldn’t allow himself to lift up his eyes to heaven, but continually beat upon his breast as the source of all his troubles. He cried for God to be merciful to Him. He was asking the Lord to forgive him for his many and grievous sins.
So, as we have seen, God’s mercy can be exercised towards those who are demon-possessed, have a physical affliction, or are in need of forgiveness.
2. What Is God’s Mercy Like?
What are its characteristics?
It Is Free. God has to punish sin because He is just. But He doesn’t have to show mercy. He may or He may not, depending on His will. God’s mercy arises solely from His imperial pleasure. God did not have to show mercy to any. By all rights, He could have justly punished all mankind and cast them down to the lowest hell. There is nothing you or I can do to earn or deserve His mercy. If God decides to show mercy to any of us is purely His free choice.
God is very clear about this in Romans 9:15-18, “For He says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’ So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, ‘For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth.’ So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.”
In the end, it is entirely the prerogative of God whether He will show mercy or not. None of us have any claim on God’s mercy. We have sinned away all our rights. God’s mercy is free and sovereign.
It Is Vast. Listen to how the Scriptures speak of God’s mercy.
Psalm 51:1 “the multitude of Thy tender mercies”
Psalm 86:5 “for You, Lord are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.”
Psalm 103:11 “for as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him”
Psalm 119:64 “The earth, O Lord, is full of Your mercy”
Ephesians 2:4 “But God, being rich in mercy”
1 Peter 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again”
All of these passages show that mercy is an essential attribute of God. God delights to show mercy. He retains the prerogative as to if and when He will show mercy, but when He does, He does so richly and abundantly.
It Is Everlasting.
Psalm 103:17, “But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him”
In Psalm 136, the phrase “For His mercy endures forever” is repeated 36 times!
God’s mercy is from everlasting to everlasting, and it endures forever. There is no fear that God will bestow His mercy on us, and then withdraw it at a later date in order to bring His justice and wrath upon us.
It Is Saving.
Titus 3:5, “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy…” The basis of your salvation is not your righteous deeds; it is the free, vast, everlasting mercy of God!
You’ve heard of that person who is found guilty in a court of law, and has no possible way of justifying their crimes. So, in a last ditch desperate action they cry out, “Your Honor, I throw myself on the mercy of the court!” The problem, of course, is that the court is there to uphold law and justice. It is not there to bestow mercy. However, it is different with God. With God we may find mercy. He may withhold the just punishment for our sins. He may relieve our temporal and eternal miseries because of our rebellion. But we must refuse to justify ourselves, or look to our good deeds. Rather, we must throw ourselves on His mercy.
Isaiah 55:7, “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.”
The Grace Of God
1. What Is God’s Grace?
There are many different ways we could define grace.
One is the acrostic GRACE – “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.”
Another popular definition is “unmerited favor.”
Another would be “the free favor of God.”
Abraham Booth, a pastor of a Particular Baptist Church in the 18th century had this to say about grace, “It is the eternal and absolute free favor of God manifested in the bestowal of spiritual and eternal blessings to the guilty and unworthy.”
Grace is what all men need, what none deserve, and what God alone can give.
The Puritan, Thomas Goodwin put it like this: “There may be love between equals, and an inferior may love a superior; but love in a superior, and so superior that He may do what He will, in such a one love is called grace; and therefore grace is attributed to princes. They are said to be gracious to their subjects, whereas subjects cannot be gracious to princes. Now God, who is an infinite Sovereign, who might have chosen whether ever He would love us or not, for Him to love us, this is grace.”
2. What is the Difference Between God’s Mercy and Grace?
I’ll put it really simply: mercy is not getting what you deserve; grace is getting what you don’t deserve. Mercy is God’s love extended to men in their misery; grace is God’s favor extended to men in their guilt. Mercy relieves our misery; grace bestows God’s blessings. Another way to put it is, “mercy takes away the bad stuff; grace gives the good stuff.”
3. What Is God’s Grace Like?
Interestingly, it is very much like God’s mercy.
It Is Free. Because we have all sinned, we have lost all claims on God’s favor. The only thing we can claim is God’s justice. God doesn’t owe it to anyone to stop justice. God is not obliged to pity us or pardon us. If He does, it is an act of His own free will. No one can force His hand in this matter. Why do we believe God is free in His bestowal of grace?
Exodus 33:19, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.” God is clear. He is the One that makes the decision as to whether He will be gracious or not, not us.
2 Timothy 1:9, “God has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity.” If God granted us His grace in Christ Jesus from all eternity, then from all eternity He had already decided who He would be gracious towards. God’s grace is not a response to our faith. God’s grace brings us to faith.
Romans 11:5, “In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice.” Or as the NKJV puts it, “according to the election of grace.” Why did some Jews come to believe on Jesus Christ as their Messiah and Savior? It was according to God’s gracious choice. It was according to the election of grace. This is why some pastors, preachers, and bible scholars speak of God’s sovereign grace. God is sovereign in the bestowal of grace.
It Is Vast.
Ephesians 1:7, “the riches of His grace”
Ephesians 2:7, “the surpassing riches of His grace”
Ephesians 3:8, “To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ”
1 Timothy 1:14, “and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.”
Romans 5:20, “The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.”
Grace is like mercy in this respect. God has unfathomable riches of grace that He may dispense as He wills.
It Is Utterly Opposed To Works.
Romans 11:6, “But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.” In order for grace to truly be grace, there can be no mixture of works with it. In that respect is like oil and water. You can’t mix them. The oil will gather at the top, and the water underneath. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” If God saves by grace, then our works do not play any part at all in the matter. If God saved partly by His grace, and partly by your works, then grace would no longer be grace. Remember that grace is undeserved favor. If you add works to the equation, now you at least partly deserve favor. Maybe the grace is 99% and your works are 1%, but you can rightly claim that you had something to do with your salvation. It was not all of God, and it was not all of grace.
It Reigns.
Romans 5:21, “so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Sin and Grace are like kings. They both reign. Where sin reigns, it produces death. Where grace reigns it produces eternal life. Just as sin reigns, so grace reigns. Grace holds a mighty scepter in the lives of believers. Grace overcomes obstacles, weaknesses, and temptations. All must give way before the mighty powerful influence of the grace of God! If grace begins a work in you, it will complete it. Grace not only justifies, but also sanctifies. It not only sanctifies, it also glorifies. Grace will bring you through every affliction, trial, and suffering into God’s heavenly kingdom. It reigns like a king!
It Teaches.
Titus 2:11-12, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age…”
I have known believers that excused sin in their life because they were “under grace.” My friend, if you are under grace, that same grace would be instructing you in some things. It would not be instructing you that it is okay to be lax about godliness and holiness. The grace of God would be instructing you to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age. If you are being instructed not to be concerned about godly living, it is not the grace of God that is doing the teaching!
4. What Blessings Flow From Grace?
The short answer is “all of them”!
Ephesians 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ…” Here in Ephesians 1:3-14, Paul is going to enumerate some of the spiritual blessings that we have in Christ. What blessings does He list?
- Election (4),
- Predestination (5),
- Adoption (5),
- Redemption (7),
- Forgiveness (7),
- Inheritance (11),
- Sealing of the Spirit (13).
But what is the basis of all of those blessings? The grace of God. In verses 3-6, we have the blessings associated with the Father – election, predestination, adoption. After Paul has enumerated them he says, “to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.”
In verse 7we have some of the blessings associated with the Son – redemption, forgiveness. Paul says those blessings are according to the riches of His grace. Do you see that the grace of God is at the bottom of all of God’s blessings?!
What else does the Bible say about what God’s grace does?
- Saves. Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace you have been saved through faith”
- Justifies. Romans 3:24, “being justified as a gift by His grace”
- Strengthens the Heart. Hebrews 13:9, “Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods.”
- Enables Us To Glorify God. 2 Thess. 1:12, “so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
In short, everything we have is by the grace of God! Paul could say in 1 Corinthians 15:10, “But by the grace of God I am what I am”
Conclusion
- Realize Your Need for Mercy and Grace. God pours the golden oil of mercy and grace into empty jars. Empty yourself of all opinion of worthiness. James 4:6 says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” If a sinner is ever to be saved, He must humble himself, realize His need for mercy and cry to God for it.
- Go To God For Mercy and Grace. Mercy and Grace are to be found nowhere else! God to God in prayer. Go in Christ’s name, pleading His merits. “Lord, here is Christ’s blood; pardon me for His sake!”
- Praise the Glory of God’s Mercy and Grace. Those that have been monuments of God’s mercy should be those that shout His praise!
- Consecrate Yourself to God. Romans 12:1 says, “Therefore I urge you, brethren by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” Recognition of God’s sovereign mercy and grace in your life should cause you to serve Him! If it doesn’t, something is wrong!
- Forsake Sin. Romans 6:1, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be!” Show that God’s grace is reigning in your life, by forsaking sin.
May God help us to revel in His mercy and grace, and may that mercy and grace transform our lives! Let’s pray.
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