God of Mercy | Pr Stephen Kong

You're listening to a message to go from acts Church.

We hope this message will light up your day.

Today, I'm going to share with us about God who

is mercyful okay, or the title of my message, to

put it plainly simple, is the God of mercy okay.

And the reason why I'm sharing this with you today

is because oftentimes you and I would have heard a

lot of messages, you know, or even sing a lot

of songs about how good God is right or how

faithful God is you know, or how God is our healer,

or how God is our provider, But very seldom we

actually associate God as a God of mercy, okay. But

today I'm going to attempt to show you that in

the in the scripture, there are actually a lot of

scriptures that talks about God's mercy, okay. And how many

of you know today that all of us here need

God's mercy? We do, okay. In fact, we are here

today because of God's mercy.

Okay.

All of us who are believe in Christ are saved

by grace true faith.

Okay.

That's what the scripture says, and you will be familiar

with that. And so today I'm going to attempt to

share a little bit deeper, okay. And I'll go to

a lot of scriptures which I have tried to put

it on the screen, and some I will ask you

to turn do it okay. Of course there's a lot,

and just to show you that really, really, God is

a very merciful God, okay. And so I will begin

by helping us to understand the difference between mercy and grace.

Do you know the difference? Okay?

And so mercy and grace is like a it's like

the same coin, the two sides of the same coin, okay.

To put it plainly simple, Grace is God giving to

us what we do not deserve, okay, meaning that you

and I don't deserve to have his forgiveness. You and

I don't deserve to have life. You and I don't

deserve his love because the Bible says that we were

we are all seen us right, we don't deserve it

his love for us, okay.

And that's what it's called grace.

God has given us grace okay, because you and I

don't deserve it. Right, we have done wrong, we have

seen against Him and all of us you have seen okay,

because we were born with a sinful nature, right, and

every day, whether you know it or not, we actually sin, okay.

And it really depends on how you define sin. Sin

is very basically means missing the mark.

Right.

So the Bible actually says, even if you know what

to do and did not do it, it's already sin, okay.

So if you go through the standard the Bible, la okay,

even if you know what you're supposed to do but

didn't do, it's already seen because you missed the mark, right,

You miss the and you should error.

You miss the mark, and that it's called sin, okay.

So grace is when God gives us something that we

do not deserve, okay. Mercy, on the other hand, it's

God not giving to us what we deserve, okay, in

the sense whereby you and I, because we have seen

against the Lord, we deserve punishment, we deserve judgment, okay.

In fact, the Bible says that the wages of sin

is death, So you and I deserve the punishment of

death because of our sin. And so mercy is God

we're holding that from us, okay, not giving us what

we deserve.

That's what mercy is, okay. Uh.

And if you actually go and study the original rude

word of.

Mercy is actually hazard. Okay.

H E s ed the Greek word it's just me

is goodness, kindness, faithfulness, or pity.

Okay, that's what mercy actually means. Okay.

So I want to begin by saying again, if not

because of God's mercy, you and I.

Will not be here today. Okay.

In fact, because of his mercy, God is actually not

fair in the sense. Okay, how many of you think

that God is fair? How many everything God is fair?

Anybody want to anybody?

I want to try? No one? Okay.

Maybe I asked to ask the question that way, They're

not answer that. Okay, But uh, if I ask you today,

how many everything that God is fair?

Actually?

Someone was my thing? God is fair? But let me

give you a illustration. If God was fair, all of

us would have started on the same food thing, right,

But the reality is none of us have equal families,

none of us have equal background, All of us started differently.

Right. In fact, if God was really fair, you and I.

Have have been a lot of trouble because God will punish

us according to our scenes. Right, So some would have

behavior punishment, some would have less.

But the bottom line is all of us we have

a lot.

Okay, if God was really fair, So may I suggest

to you that God is not fair, He is just.

Okay, he is just okay.

Or another way to say is God is not fair,

he is mercyfool Okay, he is mercyful. Because if God

was very fair, I probably won't be standing in front

of you right now.

Okay.

If God was really fair, we will be a lot

of trouble. In fact, if God was very fair, there's

this one scripture the Bible that says that God shows

mercy to a thousand generations, but only punishes up to

the third and fourth generation, punishes the iniquities up to

the third and fourth generations.

Well, think about it.

It God was really fair, he should punish up to

a thousand and show mercy up to one thousand.

But God is really very mercyful. Amen.

Okay, So let me turn to some scripture now, First

Timothy verse, first Timitty, chapter one, verse sixteen. Okay, First

Timothy chapter one, verse sixteen is on the screen, and

he says this. However, for this reason I obtain mercy

that in me, first Jesus Christ might show all long

suffering as a pattern to those who are going to

believe on him forever lasting life.

So I want to I want you to catch two words.

One is mercy, and the second one is pattern of

life okay, or the pattern as a pattern.

Okay. So he says that I obtain mercy. Okay.

This is Paul the apostle, Paul Ry to his disciple Timothy,

which is a pastor in those days, and he's saying,

for this reason, I obtain mercy. In fact, Paul himself

considers himself as the chief of senus. Did you know

that the Bible says that the chief of sinners? And

Paul himself recognized that he obtained mercy. Okay, then him

Christ Jesus might might be seen, might be shown to

all right, as a pattern. So I want to catch

the keyword as a pattern. Next verse Hebrews eight, verse

five to six. Hebrews eight five to six, he says,

who served the copy and shadow of the heavenly things,

as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to

make the tabernacle for his said, see that you make

all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain. Okay,

catch the keep it again according to the patterns shown

you on a mountain. But now he has obtained a

more excellent ministry in as much as he is also

a mediator of a better covenant which was established on

better for missus. So the key word is pattern and

the key other keyword is mercy.

Okay.

So according to the pattern given on this mountain, I

want to bring to you now this thing called the

pattern of mercy. Okay, You and I ought to live

according to the pattern of mercy because the own has

passed away and the new covenant has come. In fact,

Jesus came not to abolish the old law.

He came to fulfill it. Right.

God in his holiness created the law, and because he

is a holy and a just.

God, he had to fulfill it himself. Right. Think about it.

God could have just cancer the law, right, and if

he did that, then the scripture will be very different today.

But he instead of cancering, he fulfilled it.

He fulfilled the law, and he brought the new covenant,

which is Jesus Jesus. And so now I want to

show you I want to go a little bit deeper

in this, in this pattern of mercy.

Okay.

So he talks about the mountain right when God revealed

to Moses. Okay, so I'm gonna bring to you being

back to your attention the time when Moses received the promise.

Okay.

Exodus Tody four six to seven says Exodus to Defaul.

This was when God was about to present the commandments

to Moses again for the second time.

Okay.

If you know your scripture well, you will know that

Moses brought the tablets the first time as the Lord

given to him instructed.

He ran down the mountain.

He found the Israelites worshiping the Golden calf right, and he,

in his anger, he threw the tablets and broke it right,

and then he had to go back a second time

to meet the Lord. Okay, this is the second time

where Moses goes up to the mountain, and this is

the Lord replying to him or speaking to him. The

Lord passed before him, Moses that he is Moses, and

proclaimed the Lord, the Lord God, mercyful and gracious, long

suffering and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands,

forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin by no means clearing

the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the

children and the children's children to the third and fourth generation.

This is what I mentioned earlier, right, so you look

at his picture. Right, of all names that God chose

to introduce himself, not the first time, but at the

moment to introduce himself to Moses, he used the word mercyful.

That's the first word at a piano.

Can you imagine if you go up to someone newer

and you want to introduce yourself, right, or you want

to introduce someone to this person, right, what's the first

thing that you will say about it the person or yourself?

You will always pick something that is a trade that

is very prominent, right, or something that's very unique about

the person. For example, if this person sings very well,

you go up to this person and say, you know,

have you met this person? Well, he sings very well,

you know, or he plays the guitar very well. Or

you will say, you know, have you met this guy?

He's he's very handsome. I don't know, maybe if you

want to introduce someone to another person, but you know,

but you will always start with the trade that is

very prominent, very important, right. And of all the trades

that God chose to present himself. The first word that

appeared was mercyful. You see that first, you know, the Lord,

the Lord, the Lord God mercyful and gracious, or even

that even gracious, very merciful. Still along the same line,

long suffering, continuing and abounding in goodness and truth. Can

you imagine in the entire introduction and the liner is

all about God's mercy, all of their words there, No,

It's God's mercy. And then he goes on and say,

keeping mercy for thousands. So in his introduction Moses, he

said it twice. He is a God of mercy. And

you will think of why he said that was because

the people just seen against God. Right, I told you

that they worshiped the golden calf led by Aaron. They

thought that Moses went up the mountain and he's dead,

and so they decided to worship.

The golden calf.

And so god Is response is that I'm a mercyful

God keeping mercy for thousands. That's amazing, friends, because without

God's mercy we wouldn't be here today. Let me go

on most futures for you. Hebrews eight ten to thirteen.

Hebrews eight ten, For this is the covenant that I

will make with the house of Israel.

After those days, says the Lord.

I will put my lords in their minds and write

them on their hearts, and I will be their God,

and they shall be my people. None of them shall

teach his neighbor and his brother, saying know the Lord,

for all shall know me, from the least of them

to the greatest of them. For I will be merciful

to their unrighteousness and their sins, and their lawless deeds.

I will remember no more in that, he said, a

new covenant. He has made the first obsolete. Now what

is becoming obbosurlet and growing old, is ready to vanish away.

So here we see again the mercy of God over

Israel and his people. Despite Israel's rebelliousness, even until today, no,

even until today, despite of them still not recognizing the Messiah,

uh still not recognizing God, and they're still doing things

on their own ways. And really they have one of

the smartest people, really, and they would try to do

everything in their power and in their mind. And one day,

if you read the scripture, you know that Israel will

come to their knees when the nations attack Israel from

all corners, all sides. They will come to their knees,

and that's where they will recognize the Lord. They will

come to and ask the Lord for help, and that's

where Jesus will coming save them. God is very, very

very merciful, and then really merciful. Let me go deeper

Hebrews nine, verse one to five. It's very interesting. I'm

when to do a bit of teaching on this, okay,

Hebrews nine, verse one to five. Then indeed, even the

first county had ordinances of divine service, and the earthly

sanctuary for a tabernacle was prepared, the first part in

which was the lambstand, the table, and the show bird,

which is called a sanctuary. And behind us second veale

the part of the tabernacle, which is called the holiest

of all okay, or some of us as the holy

of holies okay, which had the golden sensor and the

arc of the Covenant overlaid on all sides with gold,

in which were the golden pot that had the manner

aaron's rod that budded, and the tablets of the Covenant,

and above it were the shaub beam of glory overshadowing

the mercy seed.

Of these things we cannot speak in detail.

So even the arc of the Covenant of all names, right,

the covering is called the mercy seed. Okay, we can

go to the next slight. I should have photo picture,

Is there a picture?

Okay? Okay.

So I tried to find the closest I can find, Okay,

to the arc of the Covenant, and this is the

closest I could find.

So the arc of the Covenant is a it's a box. Okay.

It's not just a box. Of course, you and I

know it's not just a box. Okay.

And very specific instructions were given to Moses, I believe,

to build that arc of the Covenant, okay, or the

or in Exodus twenty five is known as the arc

of the testimony, okay, arc of the Testimony.

And it was very specific details.

You know, how long, how wide, how deep, what kind

of metival to use, where to put the golden ring

on four corners, to put the rod or the stick.

I don't know what the quarter stick is. She has

a name for it, okay.

So that the people of issue will carry the the

ark of the Covenant, not by his own box, but

by the by the by the stick. Right, And if

you know if you notice the story of a servant

who tried to catch the ark of the covenantent when

he was about to fall, and God struck him because

they were not supposed touch the ark of the covenant's holy,

you know, it's very holy and set apart for the Lord.

And this servant was trying to help help God in

the sense that God will allow his act to fall,

and he tried to help and he got struck.

So that was how holy God is, you know.

But the covering or the cover or the lead of

the arc of the Covenant, okay, or the arc of

the testimony is called the mercy seed. So we look

at that the top part, okay, where the cheerybam is

sitting on that, it's called the mercy seed.

Okay.

And again of all names, right, God choose mercy seed. Okay,

let me give you, let me go deeper, okay. So

I just read to you in Hebrews nine that later

on okay. Of course, in the Book of Exodus, it

was only the testimony or the or the Lord that

was kept inside the arc of the Covenant, okay, which

later on, inside the Ark of the Covenant was kept

the testimony or the laws it was kept evans wrought

that bothered. There was manna, okay, there was there was manna. Uh.

And of course I mentioned earlier the law right. The

tablet is the tablets of the Covenant. These were kept

inside this box, okay, the ark of the Covenant.

Okay. And so.

If you look carefully at this arc of the covenant, right,

you will see two shadow beams okay.

The two.

Creature looking uh whatever you call it, okay, the shadow rim.

It's called a show room, okay. The two one looking

at each other, facing each other. That's cat a chover

viam right. And it was facing each other on towards

the inside. And it's a symbol that God jeweled. Right,

and where God met with his people there, okay, that's

where the two chev yams are looking at each other.

Right.

And if you read back at the olden days in

the Levetticus, right, you will find that when the priests

offered the sacrifice, they were sprinkled the blood on the

mercy seat.

Okay, I'm getting somewhere there was.

Spinkled the blood, the thoning blood of the sacrifice, on

the mercy.

Seed, which is the.

Fat piece, the covering of the lead of the ark

of the Covenant. Right, And it was as though when

God looked down from his drilling place and looked down

in between the two shader beam and look at the

testimony or the tablets or the law inside of the covenant,

God will then realize that men have seen against him.

Right, men have disobeyed God.

But because the atoning blood was sprinkled on the mercy seed,

God would then look upon the blood and will forgive

the sins of the people. That is how amazing this

ark of the Covenant is. And there's a very deep

if you go deeper into it. In fact, did you

know that in Roman chapter three, verse twenty five, Paul

actually calls Jesus our propitiation. Okay, let me show you

to you for sir, because it's a very big word.

Romans Tree twenty five. Okay, if you have a bise,

you can turn do it. Okay, you'll be good for

you to see for yourself Romans Tree twenty five. This

is the same verse that God says in Romans Tree

twenty three. You know, for all I've seen and fall

shot of the glory of God. Right, that's in Romans

Tree twenty three. Okay, So then maybe I can read

from the Roman Street twenty three for all I've seen

and fall shot of the glory of God being justified

freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ, Jesus,

whom God set forth as a for pitiation by his

blood through faith.

So who is this referring to Jesus Christ?

Did you know that this word for pitiation is the

exact same word of a mercy seed. If you go

and read, If you go and study the Greek word,

the original word, you will find it is the same word, okay,

the same word that was used at the mercy seed.

It's the same word here for appreciation in English. Okay.

And so what Power was basically suggesting is that Jesus

is our mercy seed.

Does that now make sense to you?

For the ark of the Covenant, when God looks down

from above, he sees the mercy seed, which is Jesus,

which has taken the place of our suffering, our roundoings,

our sin. The blood of Jesus has paid it all.

In fact, that's why the Bible tells that we are

cloth with the righteousness of Jesus. We are clothed with

the righteousness of Jesus. So when we accept him and

we believe, and we ask for forgiveness, we are clothed

by the righteousness, righteousness of Jesus. Every time the Lord

looks upon us, he looks at the righteousness of Christ

that is upon us.

Amen. So powerful.

Even the Ark of the Covenant had a mercy seed.

And Jesus is our mercy seed. He is the place

and the way of redemption for all of mankind.

Amen. So this year our team was our team is

that all may know.

I pray that you and I will first know how

merciful God is towards us, and they will not keep

it to ourself, but we will share it with others

who need to know of how mercyful God is. If

you read the Book of levety Curse, which I know

that when most of us read it, you'll fall asleep.

That's saying if you can't sleep. And I read the

Book of Levetycuse. But I don't know about you. But

when I read the Book of leverty Cuts from cover

to cover, I one thing I learned is that God

is really holy.

God is holy so only.

To the extent he has an order know in which

things must be done. That is how holy God is,

you know, and really when you you know, you know,

despite of the people's rebelliousness and the way they rebel

against God, they sin against God, God is still mercyful

to you and I.

Amen.

And there's something that you and I can really take

home and really thank God for for his mercy Lamentations three,

verse twenty two to twenty three. Lamentations three twenty two

to twenty three. So it's the state fast love of

the Lord never seeses, His mercies, never come to an end.

They are new every morning. Great is your faithful. I'm

not sure how many of you here are all enough

to know this song the state fast love of the Lord,

never see Jesus hiss moncies never come to and straight

from scripture, they are new every morning, new every morning

creates thy faith fullness, Oh Lord, createst type faith fullness.

If you know that song, you know the scriptures, I

would say ninety percent straight spot on the scripture ESV version, okay,

not in KGV. If youd KGV is not not this

one by purposely show you the ESV version cost of

the song, and really you can sing this song, you know.

I recently when I even I hear of you know,

friends and families are not well and going to a

tough time, either financially or healing or whatnot. One of

the first things I pray now is really ask God,

have mercy, have mercy, especially for those who have not believe,

especially those who have not really have mercy. Because the

scripture and all the steadfast love of the Lord never

sees is his mercies never come to an end. They

I you every morning, Great is your faithfulness. Let me

show you another one Psalms one hundred and eight. Psalms

one hundred and eight. Well, this salms really talks about

the mercies of God so many times. In fact, okay,

some one one eight, you need to turn to it

because I don't have the slide because is too long.

Some one one eight, verse one. Okay, let's do it.

Let's do the reading together. Okay, when I read the

first line, you will read the second line because it's

a repit the line. Okay, the second line is for

His mercy and yours forever. Okay, here we go, Oh,

give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. Let

her now say his mercy and yours forever. Let the

house of eron, now say his mercy and yours forever.

Let those who fear the Lord now say his mercy

and yours forever. Four times he started sums one one

it four times started by saying, He's mercy and yours forever.

In fact, if you read verse twenty nine, okay, it's okay,

then see here you are right, okay, all right, if

you if you read the last verse of someone one eight,

it actually is the exact copy of the first verse exactly. Okay, Oh,

give thanks to the Lord for he is good for

his mercy and yours forever.

Five times.

You know, in this verse alone he talks about the

mercies of God. Amen, am I show you enough how

merciful God is really? Okay, I have a few more

to go, and I'm gonna close. Okay, so Matthew, chapter nine,

verse nine to thirteen. Matthew Chapter nine, verse nine to thirteen.

This is a time where Jesus came and called Matthew

I believe as his disciple. Let me see Matthew nine nine. Yes, correct,

This was Matthew the text collector, when Jesus came to

him and told Matthew, follow me just two words, follow

me and so him, Jesus and the disciples was were

having don't having a meal with with Matthew, you know,

And the Pharisees saw it, and they're like, why does

your teacher eat with text collectors and sin us? Right then,

Jesus says to them, those who are well have no

need of a physician, but those who are sick and

look at verse the teen, but go and learn what

this means. I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For you

not come to call the righteous, but sin us to repentance. Wow,

there's a strong word. I desire mercy and not sacrifice,

Jesus himself saying to the Pharisees. In fact, actually, if

you really carefully, it's actually a rebuiltler okay, and quite

an insult because he said go and learn for yourself, going, hey,

go and find out our pharisees. I thought you'd somebody

to be teachers of the law, supposed to know the law, right,

But how come we do know this?

Go and learn what this means. Right. I desire mercy

and not sacrifice.

And this verse was actually referencing back to Joseier chapter six. Okay,

if you actually go back to Hosia chapter six and

go bad. Really, you can write it down Josea sixty six.

Okay.

He was referring to Hosea sixty six, which says, for

I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of

God more than burned off things.

That's what Hosea six six says.

Okay, For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the

knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

So if you read the book of.

Hoseiah, go and find out some way of it, you

will know that Josea, there was a time that the

people were continuously rebetting against God.

They were idolatry.

They was, you know, they will come to Lord, to

the Lord, offer the gifts, offer sacrifices at the at

the temple, but go back and go back with their

own ways and continue seeing in their own ways. And

this Josea had a very tough job to speak the

word of God into this people, this stiff neck people

who did not listen.

To the Lord.

And so JOSEO four one, uh, it does tell us

that here the word of the Lord, you tube Israel.

For the Lord brings a charge against the inhabitants of

the land. There is no truth or mercy or knowledge

of God in the land. That means, sir, the people

right had no knowledge of the Lord, had no mercy,

had no truth of the Lord. But yet they can

still come to the lot, to the temple and offer sacrifices.

You should know as a scripture that says, when you

offer your gift at the author, and if you remember

you have something against your brother, go find your brother

were console, then you need to come back and offer

the gift. So that tells us why friends, actually you

just coming and offering a sacrifice.

Before the Lord.

Right, it's not what God is after. You know, at

the end of the day, God is after our hearts,

because in the book of Isaiah, the Lord is thatanding people.

You have no knowledge of the Lord, no knowledge of truth,

but yet you come and sacrifice to me. Right, everything's

on the external, but God is after internal our hearts. Right,

actions are external, our hearts are internal. Now I'm not

saying that actions are bad because in today's day and age,

really we will be able to see the condition of

our heart to our external to our actions. Right, because

if your heart on the inside is healthy, and you

know it's, it springs forth and it does without in

the action. Right, So the action does speak about what's

in your heart. But sometimes you can be good on

the outside, but inside we are really struggling or rotting,

you know, or just very.

Far away from the Lord.

In fact, the Bible does say sometimes that we can

have a form of godliness but deny his power, you know.

So Jesus or God is really after the hearts at

the end of the day, He's after our faith, He's

after obedience, not just after the action.

God is very very merciful. Amen. One more about the Pharisees.

Let me show it you, Matthew twenty three, twenty three,

and then I'll say something about the Pharisees. Okay, somehow

in Jesus was Bbucan.

This Pharisees.

He talk a lot about mercy. And I'll tell you why.

In a moment, some twenty three twenty three says woe

to you scribes and pharisees, hypocrites, for you paid type

of mint and andy. I don't pronounce that word and

cumin and have neglected the weightier matters of the law.

What are the weightier matters of the law? Justice and

mercy and faith? This you ought to have done without

leaving the others undone. So, friends, where am I coming at?

I'm What I'm trying to say is that mercy comes

before the law. Mercy comes before the law. But it

does not mean we do not remember the law, okay,

because Jesus actually says, you should have done this more

important than the other without leaving the other undone.

Okay, so let me let me get it straight out.

Don't get me wrong.

I'm not saying that when mercy takes over so in

the sympletoms mercy, it is like giving you a second

chancell Okay, give you a second chance, forgive you okay,

you know, don't worry. Let's try again, Okay, give you

a second chance. And just because we practice mercy does

not mean that we don't need the law, you know,

because we need both. But what is more important. Mercy

is more important. Mercy comes before the law, but we

must also remember the law so that we can obey

the law, right there is an order to it. In fact,

mercy triums over judgment and over the law.

Mercy trumes.

But it's important also that we understand the law, okay,

because if we don't don't understand the law, and we

don't obey the law and we don't live according to

what God wants us to do, then we are really

taking his mercy for granted. Think about it for a moment,

because we don't ever want to take God's mercy for granted.

That's called pride.

So these Pharisees, they were more fixated on the law

than anything else.

Right. I remember.

A story in a Bible where the people dragged a

woman caught an adulte remember the story dragged the woman

caught a doubt three?

And he said, yes.

This woman was caught, and in the act she has

to be stoned. Right, And Jesus was there and he said,

those who have no sin cast the first stone.

Right.

And then he now, now he started writing. Have you

ever wondered what Jesus write? The Bible didn't explicitly say yeah, right,

but but through our imagination, I would imagine that Jesus

wrote all the type of scenes you know, lying or

cursing or you know, stealing, you know or whatever.

This is all the scenes, right.

And then maybe as as as the people looked at

the scene on the return on the FOI actually what

I got?

Okay? Then he left, and now why I got? He left?

Then he left, so one by one left and only

left Jesus was there. Actually, Jesus could have it all.

Do you know because Jesus was sinless he was. I

pray you know that Jesus was sinless.

He was.

In fact, actually, in some countries in the world today

they're actually trying to read write this this portion of scripture.

Okay, you can go and find it.

Actually people have tried to alter the scripture in this pessation.

They actually wrote that because Jesus was with us, saying

Jesus took up the stone and stone, Jesus took up

the stone and killed a woman.

And I pray that everyone sees that. Yeah, and extras,

I will know that that's.

Not true, because today I've told you that he is

a god of mercy. When you read data, you should

immediately know it's not right. And Soday's why it's very

important that we actually hold this physical Bible. No, these

days are when I when I when I google somewhere

the scripture. Sometimes I scared, No, it couldn't double check

with his carrect because for all you know, someone altered

the scripture online and you're just reading it online. This

onna can never be authored now in my hands can

never be altered. And so wow, I thought about it.

It's crazy some places in the world altering the Bible.

And in this scripture that wrote that Jesus stone the woman,

you and I would know he didn't. Right, he didn't

because Jesus said, neither do I. Neither do I condemn you,

Go and sin no more? Can you see the order there?

Neither do I condemn you. Mercy first, and then go

and sin no more. The law both must come hand

in hand, but mercy comes first. Mercy must come first.

We must never allow the law to overtake and have

no mercy. Friends, we must know the law. It's important,

but we must lead by love, lead by love, and

lead by mercy. We must never allow love to overtake

the law. Mercy must come first. And so I want

to say to us, ex church or exemonier here, maybe

never be a pharisetical or pharise sake church, if there's

such a word. Never I prayed at you and I

would never be like that, but we would choose mercy.

Mercy. Event so all of us you also need mercy.

We need mercy with God, and we also need mercy

one another so when we make a mistake, sometimes you

can say the wrong thing. We didn't shake your hand,

we didn't smile to you when you walked in, We

didn't get to know your name. Sometimes we somehow forgot

your birthday or couldn't be at your at your celebration.

You know, these days are I was thinking to myself,

I'm trying to be at every every event. No, but

I realized now that I can't when I was single

and younger in those days.

You know, some of my team here or no like

we are. We are. We are at everything. We celebrate

everybody's birthday at every occasion.

Right, but as time for guesses, as life progresses, things

would change, your comming mone increases, you know, and time

is very short.

Uh.

And so I asked for your mercy, asked for your kindness,

you know. And and our leaders will will always try

to be at you know, at different different different events

or different celebrations. We are there to the good times

and also the tough times.

You know.

And uh and they are an extension of my hand,

and of course I'm an extension of our our church's

hand pass kenov and even PA can't be at every church,

you know, you know how he has He has a

fifty five churches eleven nations. Can you believe that fifty

five churches eleven nations? How can I cannot be at

every church fifty five? Are there only fifty two weeks

in a year now even if he went to the

church once the once.

A week per year, also not enough to go to

the cycle. You know what I mean? Right?

So we also asked for a merciller. Okay, if you

asked for a mercy. We're doing our best, you know,

and God will help us gover us grace to do

all that He needs us to do.

Amen.

So this is where the balance of leadership comes. Mercy

will come first, and then after that go and say

no more, which is the law. There's the balance of leadership.

Mercy comes first, and then go and say no more, fans.

Even the devil knows. Even the devil knows the law,

you know. In fact, I would think the devil knows

the law better than us. But the devil has no mercy,

no mercy. God has called us to be merciful. And

so as I close, what is our response for you

and I today? Since God has shown us mercy, we

also ought to show mercy to others.

Matthew five, verse seven. This is the Beatitudes.

Matthew five seven says, blessed are the mercy food, for

they shall obtain mercy. So you want to receive mercy, friends,

Remember you and I also need to practice mercy to others,

because the Bible says, blessed are the mercyful, for day

shall obtain mercy. And I'm reminded by the story of

the parable of the unforgiving servant in the Bible in

Matthew chapter eighteen, there's this parable you know of an

unforgiving servant where the master you know, of course, a

servant or the slave had ordered dead, and because he

couldn't pay, he asked the master to forgive him. I

think it was worth ten thousand talents. The Bible says

ten thousand talents. And the master, in his mercy, forgave

this servant. And then his servant went out and he

found another servant who owed him some. How much did

you say, or he says five hundred, one hundred the nari. Okay,

he says one hundred the narwi. And so watch a

much smaller amount. Another seven owed this seven which was forgiven,

and he didn't forgive this seven. In fact, he required

every penny to be paid back.

And so, if you know.

The story, then a master caught back this first seven

and re builked him and asked him, should you not

have had compassion on your fellow seven, just as I

had pity on you. So even as the Master showed

compassion and mercy to the first seven, the first seven

didn't show mercy to the second to the other. So

this is very dangerous. I pray that we nana Versa

will be like the unforgiving seven. In fact, to forgive

it's really not even an optional, it's not an option.

Forgiveness is a mass.

We have to forgive no matter what, because the Bible

does say that if you do not forgive, the Lord

will also not forgive us of our sins. In fact,

I'm gonna I'm gonna point you a scripture that we

may never have seen this scripture this way before. John

twenty twenty three, John twenty twenty three. Do you know

what John twenty twenty three says? It says, if you

forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them. If

you retain the sins of any, they are retained. Wow,

did you know that scripture existed?

Now? Do you do?

You now know why it's important that all of us

forgive one another. This was the time after Jesus had resurrected,

he met his disciples. He told his disciples received the

Holy Spirit. He said, just as the Father has tell me,

I also sent you. So the apostles or the disciples

were a representation of God or an extension of God's hand.

And Jesus said, received the Holy Spirit. And what did

you say after that? If you forgive the sins of

any they are forgiven them. If you retained there retained.

I've heard of a story before of scenes that were

retained because of dishonor and things that happened, and this

person did not forgive.

The other person. The geus of the.

Story was that there's this really famous preacher and he

had a disciple or someone had served with him alongside,

and due to some things that.

Happen in church.

Yeah, things do happen in church, he left right in

a very terrible way. And because it was so bad

he left. He wanted to tear the church down. This

person really did didn't actually forgive this Uh, the person

who left and after one year two years this this

other person, uh you know, started a church. But he

realized that nothing was possibling, everything was struggling. And one

day he came across this scripture and he went back

because when he and he heard about it and he

was convicted by it, he couldn't wait another night. He

took a flight, flew all the way back to meet

his other pastor or other feature, and then in the

middle of the night knock on his hotel room door,

came in now on his knees and cry and back

and asked for forgiveness. Because this scripture actually came to life.

And so it's really very important that you and I

have to day must remember that we must forgive, We

must show mercy to others. Amen, I pray that you

were you and I will never be like the unforgiving serone,

because we must first remember.

Sorry. I started by saying, God is mercy, merciful.

He is merciful to us, and likewise we also need

to be merciful to others.

Can I say?

Can I ask and pray that ex church must be

a forgiving and a merciful church. Do not hold unforgiveness,

do not hold a grudge against another.

Even if, even if you feel you have the rights

to do it.

Maybe someone offended you really really badly, someone hurt you,

someone begs that you, they betray you, you feel you

have the right to do not forgive them? Can I

remind you none of us even have the right to

eternal life. By God gave it to us. He gave

it to us as a free gift. We are saved

by great true faith. It is only by the mercies

of God, and you and I are here today, and

likewise we need to extend the same mercy to others.

Amen.

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