1 / 92

Merciful & Gracious

Merciful & Gracious. Let’s attempt to DEFINE & DEFEND these attributes…. Mercy. Compassion. Forgiveness. Pity towards. Leniency. Undeserved benevolence. Sympathy. Grace. Kindness. God’s favor. blessing. Unmerited favor. Undeserved gift. Credit for…. Merciful.

parksm
Download Presentation

Merciful & Gracious

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Merciful & Gracious

  2. Let’s attempt to DEFINE & DEFEND these attributes…

  3. Mercy Compassion Forgiveness Pity towards Leniency Undeserved benevolence Sympathy

  4. Grace Kindness God’s favor blessing Unmerited favor Undeserved gift Credit for…

  5. Merciful

  6. First, when we speak of God’s mercy we mean: He is inclined to be compassionate.

  7. In all of His decisions, in all of His ways, God’s nature inclines Him to be compassionate.

  8. We may know people who are quick to cry or inclined to sadness.

  9. We may know people who are quick to outburst, or inclined to anger.

  10. We may know people who are impatient and inclined to hurry.

  11. God has a disposition and He is quick to show compassion, He is inclined towards mercy.

  12. The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. Exodus 34:6-7

  13. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth… Psalm 25:10a

  14. The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy. Psalm 145:8

  15. Second, when we speak of God’s mercy we mean: Something which is constant & will never cease.

  16. God’s mercy is not something that starts and stops, comes and goes, depending on His mood.

  17. His mercy is part of His eternal being. His mercy never began to be, but always was, from eternity.

  18. His mercy will never cease. As long as God exists, His mercy exists. Forever His mercy stands.

  19. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end. Lamentations 3:22

  20. Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations… Deuteronomy 7:9a

  21. Third, when we speak of • God’s mercy we mean: • His general carefor mankind.

  22. By mercy, we certainly mean God’s compassion or leniency, when He does not give someone the punishment/consequence that they deserve.

  23. However, we also mean God’s overarching provision for mankind in general and His care for all of His creation everywhere.

  24. The Lord is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works. Psalm 145:9

  25. For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:45

  26. Every breath that a sinner gets, is mercy.

  27. Every meal a hungry stomach gets, is mercy.

  28. Every bit of warmth on a cold day, is mercy.

  29. Every ounce of goodness that befalls humanity, is mercy.

  30. Fourth, when we speak of • God’s mercy we mean: • His general concern • for mankind.

  31. Whenever God sees pain, suffering, hardship, misery, sadness… He has concern.

  32. And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. Mark 6:34

  33. Jesus also healed every kind of disease and sickness.When he saw the crowds, he felt sorry for them. They were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9:35b-36

  34. Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth;    burst into song, you mountains!For the Lord comforts his people    and will have compassion on his afflicted ones. Isaiah 49:13

  35. “As judgment is God's justice confronting moral inequity, so mercy is the goodness of God confronting human suffering and guilt.” Aw Tozer

  36. “Mercy is at once the disposition of love and the kindly ministry of love for their relief.” Aw Tozer

  37. “Mercy means lovingkindness, especially in relation to human unworthiness, defection or waywardness from God.  Mercy is concerned for man, as he is miserable.” Aw Tozer

  38. Fifth, when we speak of • God’s mercy we mean: • His tendency towards clemencyin punishment.

  39. Most commonly God’s mercy is understood to be His compassion or leniency, when He does not give someone the full consequence that they deserve for their error.

  40. David answered Gad, “I have great anxiety. Please, let us fall into the Lord’s hands because His mercies are great, but don’t let me fall into human hands.”2 Samuel 24:14

  41. Sixth, when we speak of • God’s mercy we mean: • His unrestrained ability • to show charitytoward whomever He wishes.

  42. The mercy of God is His sovereign freedom to show favor or blessing towards anyone for any reason that He sees fit.

  43. God is under no compulsion to bestow breath or blessing, property or prosperity to anyone…that He does, is owing to His mercy.

  44. And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."Exodus 33:19

  45. God is under no constraint to show mercy equally or impartially.

  46. Gracious

  47. In God, mercy and grace are one; but as they reach us they are seen as two, related but not identical.  Grace is God’s goodness directed toward human debt and demerit. Aw Tozer

  48. It is by His grace that God imputes merit where none previously existed and declares no debt to be where one had been before.  Aw Tozer

  49. There are aspects of grace that are very similar to (and deeper than) mercy… a free, unmerited display of kindness and favor.

More Related