Ep. 068 Mercy, Bloody, Mercy

Welcome to the Potter's House Salmon Arm Podcast.

We are a Bible -believing church located in beautiful

British Columbia, Canada. We are proudly part

of the Christian Fellowship Ministries with 3

,000 churches around the world. We are a church

focused on world evangelism, discipleship, and

church planting. Here we will share recent sermons

from PHSA Church and other sermons from throughout

our fellowship. I'm Pastor David Bickford and

I will be your host for this podcast. I thank

you for listening today and we hope these messages

are a blessing to you and bring you closer to

God. Hello and welcome back to the podcast. My

name is Pastor David Bickford. I'm the pastor

here in Salmon Arm for the Potter's House. And

today's message is Mercy, Bloody Mercy, God's

Grace and Mercy. So before we jump right into

that, I'm making my way through the conference

videos. I apologize. It takes me a little bit

longer. As a working pastor, we have a day job

and other things that are kind of getting in

the way, but I'm still making sure that I put

those in. There's a total of 17 messages from

the conference, and those will be uploaded in

the next week or so, I imagine. That being said,

we're going to go ahead and jump in. So if you're

following along your text, Romans 3, 21 through

31 is our main launching off point for this message.

In the illustration I have to kind of jump us

in is called the shepherd's blood. In 1972, a

shepherd had brought his sheep into a walled

off enclosure. area for the night and he had

just gone to sleep when he heard a commotion.

He quickly rushed over to where the sound was

coming from and to his horror he discovered that

a wolf was in the process of dragging off one

of his sheep through a hole in the wall. He was

mauling the sheep and the blood was flying. The

shepherd quickly began hitting the wolf and the

wolf turned on him and began attacking him. it

bit him all over and while the shepherd was striking

him with the staff and finally with one final

blow of his staff he killed the wolf as he himself

collapsed into a bloody heap He managed to crawl

over to the half -dead sheep and began to bandage

its wounds. He gave it some water and then took

it into his own bloody arms, and the shepherd

and the sheep went to sleep together. The next

morning, the shepherd was found dead, his body

literally draped over the sheep to comfort it

and to keep it warm. The following day, the headline

in the Jerusalem paper said, sheep alive, covered

in the shepherd's blood. So here's a quote or

two that I found from Luther. It's from one of

his sermons from 1532. The sermon is the sum

of life. The scriptures teach me that God establishes

two seats for men, a judgment seat for those

who are still secure and proud and will neither

acknowledge nor confess their sin and a mercy

seat for those whose conscience is poor and needy,

who feel and confess their sin, dread his judgment

and yearn for his grace. In this mercy seat is

Christ himself, as St. Paul says in Romans 3,

whom God has established for us that we might

have refuge there, since by ourselves we cannot

stand before God. There shall I take my refuge

when I have done or still do less than is to

meet and done much more of sin according to the

law, both before and after my sanctification

and justification. and good they are or can be

in sight of men shall be as nothing and they

shall be covered over as it were with a vault

yea with a fair haven which will mightily protect

and defend them the name of which is grace and

the forgiveness of sins thereunder shall my heart

and conscience creep and be safe so the main

idea of this message today is mercy bloody mercy

Mercy is defined as a compassionate or kindly

forbearance shown toward an offender or an enemy

or other person in one's power. Compassion, pity,

or benevolence are similar words. They can also

be looked at as the discretionary power of judgment

to pardon someone or to mitigate punishment,

especially to send to prison rather than to evoke

the death penalty. So in the beginning, before

the fall, humanity was in perfect relationship

with God. At this point, God dealt directly with

Adam. After the fall, all that changed. And now

in the first act of mercy, God killed animals

to provide a covering for Adam and Eve. Blood

was necessary to cover Adam and Eve. Blood was

necessary. for Abraham and Isaac and Jacob to

be covered. Blood was required by the law, but

only the perfect sacrifice and the perfect blood

will last for eternity. And that is why Jesus

is the ultimate sacrifice. The wages of sin are

death, but in God's mercy, he has provided us

the way. And I can't exemplify that enough. We

all deserve judgment because of our sin. We have

all fallen short of the glory of God, and only

through the grace of Jesus Christ do we have

any chance or semblance of salvation. So my first

point is mercy, the Old Testament and the law.

And we're going to take a look here on what that

actually looks like back in ancient times. So

Psalms 25, 6, it says, Remember your mercy, O

Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have

been from old. The heart of God is the start

of mercy. God is the sole provider of mercy and

he is merciful. His desire is to show mercy.

He so desires a relationship with humanity that

even when mankind fell into sin in the garden,

he reached out in mercy to clothe Adam and Eve.

The Old Testament proclaims God's mercy and his

plan for humanity. It shows the inexhaustible

nature of God's mercy. And so here in the Old

Testament, when we look at it, mercy is linked

with the loving kindness and the steadfast love

of God, the creator. This is further tied to

the covenant of love for God's chosen people,

the Israelites. Philip Towner said, God's covenant

love are integrally related. So close is the

relationship that Chesed sometimes is viewed

in terms of mercy. In this relationship, mercy

then comes to be seen as the equality in God

that directs him to forge a relationship with

people who absolutely do not deserve to be in

relationship with him. It is neither theory nor

principle. God's mercy is a driving force in

leading him to create relationship with Israel.

Psalms 40, 10 through 11 says, Have not hidden

your deliverance within my heart. I have spoken

of your faithfulness and your salvation. I have

not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness

from the great congregation. For you, O Lord,

you... And the Lord said to Moses, this very

thing that you have spoken, I will do for you.

This is Exodus 33, 17 through 19. You have found

favor in my sight, and I know you by name. Moses

said, please show me your glory. And he said,

I will make all goodness pass before you and

will proclaim before you my name. So Exodus,

Leviticus, Deuteronomy numbers finish up the

Pentateuch and the books of the law. In Exodus,

we see the covenant renewed in chapter 34. Exodus

34 .10 says, Such as not have been created in

all the earth or in any nation, and all the people

among whom you shall see the work of the Lord,

for it is an awesome thing that I will do with

you. So in Exodus, we receive the law with the

Ten Commandments, the making of the ark, and

the covenant, and the detailing of much of what

was required under the law. So the ark of the

covenant and mercy seat are these pictures that

we have from the Old Testament. The Ark of the

Covenant was built to contain and memorialize

the commitment made between God and Israel and

further than that to mankind through Israel.

It is a testimony to God's desire to extend grace

and it points us to Jesus. The law shows us that

God is holy and we are in desperate need of God's

grace and mercy. That is why the mercy seat is

crafted to sit on the Ark. It is to remind us

all that God is the rightful judge and he sits

upon the covenant that he made with the Israelites.

We will divide or we will dive into this further.

But for right now, remember that the mercy seat

is critical to the new covenant and to the grace

that flows from Jesus. This brings me to my next

point, which is bloody sacrifice. The Israelites

had this covenant with God, but in time, in the

time before Jesus, The covenant required blood.

The skin of mankind always required, or the sin

of mankind always required sacrifice as a covering,

and blood was part of that offering. So how do

you atone? You atone through sacrifice. Through

all the above sacrifices, we see that sin, both

unintentional and intentional, required an atonement.

Praying and saying you're sorry just wasn't enough.

During the high holy days from Rosh Hashanah

or Yom Teru, the Feast of Trumpets, to Yom Kippur,

the Day of Atonement, the Jewish people in Israel

and around the world prepare their hearts and

come humbly before God. They present themselves

in repentance and humility with the hope that

the Lord would accept their offerings. In prayer

and supplication, they ask to be inscribed into

the Book of Life for another year to come. As

believers in Jesus, we have assurance of the

pardon that our names are inscribed in the book

of life, not by our works, but through faith.

And we do not need to be asked to be inscribed

every year as Christ's work was and is final.

There were voluntary sacrifices as well, three

voluntary sacrifices. The first was the burnt

offering, a voluntary act of worship to express

devotion and commitment to God. It was also used

as atonement for unintentional sins. the elements

of the burnt offering were the bull a bird or

a ram without blemish the meat and the bones

and the organs of the animal were to be totally

burned and this was god's portion the animal's

hide was given to the levites who could later

sell it to earn money for themselves the second

voluntary offering was the grain offering for

which The fruit of the field was offered in a

form of a cake or a baked bread made of grain,

fine flour with oil and salt. The grain offering

was one of the sacrifices accompanied by a drink

offering, which was poured out into the fire

on the altar. In Numbers 15, 4 through 5, it

says, Then he who brings these offerings shall

offer to the Lord a grain offering of a tenth

of an ephaph of flour. Mixed with a quarter of

oil and you shall offer with the burnt offering

for the sacrifice, a quarter of wine for the

drink offering for each lamb. The purpose of

the grain offering was to express thanksgiving

and recognition of God's provision and unmerited

goodwill toward the person making the sacrifice.

The priests were given a portion of this offering,

but it had to be eaten within the court of tabernacle.

So the final or the third final offering or voluntary

offering was the peace offering, which was considered.

You know, an unblemished animal from the worship

is heard or various grains or breads. This was

a sacrifice of thanksgiving and fellowship followed

by a shared meal. The high priest was giving

the breast of the animal. The officiating priest

was giving the right foreleg. The pieces of the

offering were called the wave offering and the

heave offering because they were waved or lifted

over the altar during the ceremony. The fat,

the kidneys, the lobe of liver were given to

God burnt. and the remainder of the animal was

for the participants to eat, symbolizing God's

provision. The vow offering, the thanksgiving

offering, and the free will offering mentioned

in the Old Testament were all peace offerings.

Then we come to the mandatory sacrifices. There

were two mandatory sacrifices in the Old Testament

law. The first was the sin offering. The purpose

of the sin offering was to atone for the sins

and cleanse from defilement. There were five

possible elements of a sin offering or a sin

sacrifice, a young bull, a male goat, a female

goat, a dove, pigeon, or one -tenth ephaph of

fine flour. The type of animal depended on the

identity and the financial situation of the giver.

A female goat was the sin offering for a common

person. Fine flour was the sacrifice for the

very poor. A young bull was offered for the high

priest and the congregation as a whole, and so

on. These sacrifices each had specific instructions

for what to do with the blood of the animal during

the ceremony. The fatty portions, the lobe of

the liver and the kidneys were always given to

God as a burnt offering, and the rest of the

animal was either totally burned on the altar

with the ashes thrown outside the camp in atoning

for the high priest and the congregation, or

they were eaten within the tabernacle court.

There were other mandatory sacrifices. for trespass

offerings, and this sacrifice was exclusively

a ram. The trespass offering was given as atonement

for unintentional sins that required reimbursement

to the offended party, and also cleansing from

defiling sin or physical maladies. Again, the

fatty portions, kidneys, and liver were offered

to God, and the remainder of the ram had to be

eaten outside the court of tabernacle. So you

can see before Christ came, it was a very laborious

thing to achieve atonement. There was lots of

blood. There was lots of death. There was lots

of covering that was required to obtain the mercy

from the Lord. And this is meant to highlight

the predicament that we are in and the nature

of sin and how much it requires. an atonement,

or some sort of justice, or something to take

place for the sins that we have committed. Something

has to be done to remove the blood of sin that's

upon our lives. Which brings me to my final point,

which is mercy through Christ. Hebrews 9, 11

through 14 says, But when Christ appeared as

a high priest of the good things that come, then

through the greater, more perfect tent, not made

with hands, that is not of his creation, He entered

once for all into the holy place, not by means

of the blood of goats and calves, but by means

of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.

For if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling

of the defiled person with ashes of a heifer,

sanctifying for the purification of the flesh,

how much more will the blood of Christ, who through

the eternal spirit offered himself without blemish

to God, purify our conscience from dead works

to serve the living God. Jesus Christ was the

fulfillment of law. The sacrifices in the Old

Testament all pointed towards a perfect final

sacrifice, which was Christ. As with the rest

of the law, the sacrifices were a shadow of things

that were to come. The reality, however, is found

in Christ. In Colossians 2 .17, it says, Christians

today recognize Christ's atoning death on the

cross. as the only needed sacrifice for sin offered

once and for all. His death opened the holy place

for us so that we could freely enter into God's

presence and offer our sacrifice of praise. He

was the perfect sacrifice, Jesus, the greatest

sacrifice in the Bible. Jesus is our high priest

who sympathizes with us and understands our weaknesses,

as he was tested in every way as we are, but

he did it without sin. In Hebrews 4, 15, it says,

so it's verses 14 through 16. with confidence

draw near to the throne of grace that we may

receive mercy and find grace to help him in time

of need. The writer in Hebrew further explains

that because Jesus holds his priesthood permanently,

he is able to save forever those who draw near

to God through him. Additionally, he always intercedes

for them. For it was fitting for us to have such

a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled. So

finally, the gospel of Jesus Christ is... power

in and of itself. And in Hebrews, we see that

the blood of Christ purifies. In Hebrews 9, 13

through 14, we read about this, about the blood

of goats and bulls, the sprinkling of the defiled

person with ashes of the heifer sanctifying and

purification of the flesh. But with Christ, who

through eternal spirit was offered without blemish

to God, he purifies our conscience forever of

the dead works because we serve a living God.

The blood of goats and bulls in the Old Testament,

we read about the need for bloody sacrifice,

the continual cleansing of the people of Israel.

But with the coming Messiah, Jesus changed this

forever. In Matthew 27, 51, it says, And behold,

the curtain of the temple was torn in two from

top to bottom, and the earth shook, and the rocks

were split. In John 20, 11 through 2, it says,

but Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. And

as she wept, she stooped to look into the tomb.

And when she saw two angels in white sitting

where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the

head and one at the feet, the Holy Spirit empowered

Christ for his sacrifice. And he is the perfect

sacrifice. The Old Testament sacrifices were

physically unblemished, but Christ was morally

pure without sin. Christ is the mercy seat. The

forgiveness we experience is deep, personal,

and glorious, allowing us to become servants

of God. Christ, the perfect sacrifice, offered

himself to God and ransomed slaves of sin, allowing

them to serve the living God. His blood is the

only blood we need. He forever fulfills the debt

that we owe when we repent and cling to him as

our Lord and Savior. So if I can have every head

bowed, every eye closed, wherever you're listening.

This was a quick message today, but I just want

to hone in real quick on the invitation. We all

have the opportunity to partake in the grace

that is freely given by Christ Jesus, our Savior.

If only we will accept him as our Lord and Savior.

So if your heart is not right right now with

him, and you want to accept Jesus Christ, you

want to get your heart right with God. You can

signify that with an uplifted hand wherever you

are. God will see it. If you did that and you

meant it, I just want you to repeat a prayer

after me. It's a very simple prayer. It's just,

Dear Lord God, I know that I'm a sinner. But

I know that you sent your son, Jesus Christ,

and that he died for me on the cross. I repent

of my sin. I turn away from the life that I had

lived. And I accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and

Savior. And I thank you for your saving grace.

In Jesus' name. Amen. If you prayed that prayer

wherever you are, and if you meant it, God is

going to change something in you. God is going

to change your life, and now you will be a new

creation in Christ's name. And if you did pray

that prayer, I hope you'll reach out, let me

know, and I can send you a Bible. I'd love to,

you know, help you out and pray for you, that

God will lift you up, and that as a new creation

in Christ, that you'll go forward with that renewed

freedom. It only comes by dropping the weight

of sin and giving it to Jesus. So I want to thank

you for listening to me today. And I really pray

that God moves in your life and that you come

back and listen to us next time. And remember

to check us out like on YouTube. We live stream

our services there as well. And all that stuff

is in the show notes, all the ways to get in

touch with us, to follow us on Instagram, Facebook,

whatever you prefer. But we're moving in seminar.

We're trying to. build a community that will

eventually touch the nations from here with the

gospel of Jesus Christ. So pray for us, help

us, and join arms with us. If you're in Salmon

Arm, come and visit us. And we thank you for

listening. And just God bless. I can't wait for

you to come back next time. Thank you for listening.

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