We'll be continuing with Discovery of God's Mercy series. Previously, we had an overview of what the Mercy of God was all about and we started our observation from Exodus chapter 34:6-7, when the LORD declared Himself before Moses, He said, the LORD, the LORD God, merciful. And we're able to see from that Scripture, that there are certain things that are important about the relationship between God and mankind. But one of the very important parameters is on the platform of Mercy which comes via, or according to the love of God. We'll be looking at the heart that receives God's Mercy. What kind of heart receives the Mercy of God: that is our consideration. And we're going to have a case study that will be like the background to our conversation, but before we look into that, let’s go to Hebrews chapter 4:16, “Let us, therefore, come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain Mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
This Scripture says; “Let us, therefore, come boldly, to the throne of grace” Meaning that Mercy is non-negotiable, you can't do without Mercy; Mercy is a necessity. That's what the Bible says. The first thing when we come before the throne of grace is that we may obtain, it is not under probabilities, it is not something that is subject to whether we want it or not; Mercy is needed. So, we'll be looking at the heart that receives Mercy: meaning that this is a heart that we must have, it is not a heart that we might have; it is a must, it's, it's both a heart and a posture: we'll be looking at it simultaneously; what is the kind of heart that receives the Mercy of God? What is the posture that receives the Mercy of God? So let us go to our case study in Jonah chapter 3:1-10.
Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying; ‘I'm sure we're familiar with the first time that the word came to Jonah when he decided to go to Tarshish instead of Nineveh’. Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message I tell you. So, Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the Word of the LORD. So, God gave Jonah a word, it was not the word of Jonah; it was the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three-day journey in extent (that's how big Nineveh was). And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day's walk; it showed the passion of Jonah. Jonah wanted to deliver this message. Remember that Jonah had already been in the mouth of the fish, he was thrown out of the ship and this time he will deliver, all the important messages of God to the people of Nineveh. He said, I'm not going to wait for three days to walk into that city. On the first day’s walk, the Bible says Jonah began to enter into the city. Then he cried out and said, yet, forty days (this is the word of the LORD. Remember, God said, arise, go and tell them, preach to them this message, which was the message of judgment) and Nineveh shall be overthrown: that is the word of the LORD. If you were the prophet that God sent, are you not going to be certain? Are you not going to be confident that God was going to destroy Nineveh? Because the word of God was so sure, it was definite. Verse 5, So the people of Nineveh believed God, see the first thing they did. The people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them. (This verse five is very important because it's the heart of the conversation.)
Then the word came to the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles saying, let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink water. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth and cry mightily to God; yes, let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who can tell (see the heart of the king) if this definite judgment of God, if this definite Word of God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish? Verse 10 very important. Then God saw their works, what was their works? They believed God (verse five), proclaimed a fast and put on a sackcloth. Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it. This is our case study.
The heart that receives God's Mercy. This was a whole nation of people, the Bible says concerning this city that was so big, that will take three days on foot to cover the entire city; and the word of the LORD: judgment came. God said Jonah go to Nineveh, I won't let you rest, I won't let you divert this message; go and deliver this message to Nineveh: forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown. But what was the difference between this Jonah chapter three, this city called Nineveh and the city called Sodom and Gomorrah where God also proclaimed judgment when He told Abraham, He said I'm going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. And for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, they had Abraham interceding, Nineveh did not have anybody interceding for them even Jonah wanted them dead, he wanted them destroyed: the Prophet.
But there was Abraham negotiating with God, interceding on their behalf: God what if you just find 20 righteous people in Sodom? He said, I'll spare them. And he beats it down until he came to a number that he himself knew that okay God, since you cannot even find this number, let your will be done. And God only spared the family of Lots. So, it is not that it is in the nature of God, when He declares judgment to sustain it, it is not that it is in the nature of God that when He declares judgement over a people that He doesn’t carry it out, but there was something about these people in Nineveh, verse 10 said: Then God saw their works, what was their works? What did they do to receive the Mercy of God? Last week, we mentioned that Mercy talks about forgiveness, it talks about pardon. When Mercy is introduced, meaning that the person ordinarily should be judged. The current state of the person deserves judgment, judgement should be melted on such a person or such a nation, but judgment is now staled and Mercy prevails; is pardoned. I want to look at four kinds of heart or four kinds of works that receives God's Mercy. We're using this Jonah chapter three as our case study. Psalm chapter 51:17, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart- these, O God, You will not despise.”
#. The first kind of work or the first kind of heart that receives the Mercy of God is a broken and a contrite heart. A broken and a contrite heart produces a broken and contrite works. That Psalm 51:17 says, the sacrifices of God, what you can offer to God that is acceptable because sacrifices are offered and for it to be called sacrifices of God, that means they are acceptable by God. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, these, O God you will not despise: God does not despise it, God cannot deny himself; this is who He is. Exodus 34:6-7, the LORD, the LORD God, merciful; that's who He is: merciful. So, when He sees this kind of heart, God shows Mercy: the side of God called merciful is in favor of such a person, in favor of such works, in favor of such heart: a broken and a contrite heart.
So, if you look at the people of Nineveh, the first thing they did when they heard the word of God, they believed God. What does that mean? What was the Word of God? Forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown. What is to believe in that word? But how they believed the word is that the word brought them to a place of brokenness. They saw themselves for who they were; they were not trying to prove a point, they were not trying to make excuses, they were not giving God one thousand and one reasons why this should not come to pass. They believe God that indeed we are supposed to be punished, we are supposed to be judged. In fact, Nineveh should be overthrown in less than forty days because we are guilty as charged; that’s how they believed the Word of God. It takes a broken and a contrite heart to accept guilt.
There was an interaction that happened with Prophet Isaiah. He said, he saw the throne of God, he saw the glory of God. And he said, woe unto me, because I am a man of unclean lips dwelling among unclean people; that's a broken and contrite heart, a heart that admits it state. When God sees such heart, He doesn't despise. Let us see Proverbs chapter 28:13, “He who covers his sins will not prosper, (not might but will, it is definite) but whoever confesses (this is where the broken and the contrite heart comes) and forsakes them will have Mercy.” Whosoever will confess and forsake them will have Mercy: so, Mercy is towards the broken and the contrite heart, the one that acknowledges, that refuse to cover. The people of Nineveh refused to cover their sins, they believed God; God everything you said about us is correct, you did not miss any words; in fact, we are worse than you said: they believed God.
Isaiah chapter 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. Is it that He will give him grace? He will have Mercy on him; and to our God for He will abundantly pardon”. So, when you come to God with a broken and a contrite heart, God will not despise, He won’t look away because what you have done is to confess your sins, forsake your ways, and return to God; and has you return to Him, He will have Mercy, He will show you that He is merciful.
#. The second kind of heart that receives the Mercy of God or the kind of works that receives the Mercy of God is a humble heart. I want to show us a story in Luke chapter 18, the story of the publican: that's the tax collector and the Pharisee. Luke Chapter 18:9-14, “Also, He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others. Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, (hear the content of the prayer) God, I thank You that I am not like other men- extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. (What is his business?) I fast twice a week; (see the CV) I give tithes of all that I possess. And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me a sinner! I tell you; this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
So, what is the second kind of heart? A humble heart. Jesus said in verse 14, I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the Pharisee. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. We'll take a bit of time on this humble heart, because we want to break it down. What does it mean to have a humble heart? From this parable, there's a comparison of two people: a tax collector and a Pharisee. The Pharisee looked down on the tax collector; Jesus introduced the parable saying that some people trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others. You cannot receive Mercy trusting in yourself, trusting in your own righteousness, trusting in your own works, trusting in your own ability, trusting in your own grace.
He said they trusted in themselves that they were righteous; they have lofty thoughts of themselves. And I want to show us about some scriptures where God spoke harshly about those that don't possess a humble heart. First Peter chapter 5:5-6, “Likewise, you younger people, submit yourself to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud. What does that statement mean? If the proud wants to make any advancement, the hand of the Lord resists. When it looks as if the proud wants to make any progress of any kind, God moves against the proud because to resists somebody is to move against the person, it is to stand in opposition against the person. Imagine God, been in opposition against a man, can that man survive? No! So, God moves against every move of the proud but gives grace to the humble, verse 6, therefore humble yourselves (have a humble heart) under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. Proverbs chapter 3:34, “Surely He scorns the scornful, (another word for scornful is somebody that is proud) God scorns the scornful but gives grace to the humble”. James chapter 4:6, “But He gives more grace. Therefore, He says, He resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.” It is been repeated again in Hebrew chapter 4:16, the Bible says;
“Therefore, come to the throne of grace, that you may obtain Mercy and find grace.” Now if God says that He resists the proud, meaning that the proud does not obtain Mercy, so they cannot find grace. But when He says He gives grace to the humble, meaning that the humble has obtain Mercy and has found grace. The humble obtains Mercy from God and finds grace, but the proud does not obtain the Mercy of God and does not find grace. Psalm chapter 138:6, “Though the Lord is on high, yet He regards the lowly; but the proud He knows from afar”, I don't want you to close. He knows the proud from afar off, they're not close to Him, but He regards the lowly: the humble. Proverbs chapter 8:13, “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.” God hates it: pride and arrogance. So, to receive His Mercy, you have to have a humble heart. And that's why when Jesus was speaking concerning the kingdom, He likened the kind of heart we should have to that of a child, that if you will have the heart of a child, a heart that is humble, a heart that is lowly, a heart that does not regard itself as if it had attained anything; He said, that is the kind of heart that wins always in the kingdom: that’s the heart of the kingdom; a humble heart.
#. The third kind of heart that receives Mercy from the Lord is a heart that is merciful. Matthew chapter 5:7, Jesus was preaching and speaking to the people about the Beatitudes and He got here in verse seven. He said, “Blessed are the merciful, to be envied, to be praised, fortunate, delightful people are the merciful; for they shall obtain Mercy.” So, what kind of heart that receives Mercy from the Lord: a heart that is merciful. Hebrews 4:16, Let us therefore come to the throne of grace that we may obtain Mercy. So, if you are merciful, Jesus said, you will obtain Mercy. Let’s look at the story of Cornelius, Acts chapter 10:1-6 (we want to look at the kind of heart Cornelius had that made him obtain the Mercy of God) “There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called Italian Regiment. A devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave arms generously to the people and pray to God always.”
So, verse two was describing this man called Cornelius, the kind of heart that he had; he had a merciful heart. “About the ninth hour of the day, he saw clearly in a vision, an angel of God coming in and saying to him, Cornelius! And when he observed him, he was afraid and said, what is it Lord? So, he said to him, your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God.” (the Mercy you have being showing people). Remember when we read Jonah chapter 3:10, the Bible says, And God saw their works, the same way God saw the works of Cornelius, in that he was a devout man, a man that feared God and gave generously. So, the angel was now saying to him, that your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. “Now send men to Joppa and send for Simon whose surname is Peter. He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea and he will tell you what you must do.” God is saying and I will show you Mercy, through that vessel. What made Cornelius obtain Mercy? Because he was merciful.
I want us to see a Scripture in James chapter 2:13, “For judgment is without Mercy to the one who has shown no Mercy.” This is explicit about this point. Meaning that if there is no Mercy, judgment will prevail. Judgment is without Mercy to the one who has shown no Mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. But to the one that show no Mercy, judgment will prevail. Blessed are those that are merciful, for they shall obtain Mercy. If you don't have a merciful heart, you will not receive the Mercy of God. Proverbs chapter 21:13, “Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, will also cry himself and not be heard.” It is another will way of understanding what Jesus was saying in Matthew. Whoever shuts his ears (refused to be merciful) to the cry of the poor will also cry himself and will not be heard. So, if the person cries to God, God will also look at him. When Jesus was telling us about how the throne of judgment will be on the last day, He said, He will say to those on His right: He said, when I was hungry; you fed Me, when I was in prison; you visited Me, when I was naked; you clothed Me and they will ask, Jesus, when were You naked, that we clothed You?
When were You hungry that we fed, and Jesus will say to them, as long as you have done it for the least of these My brethren, you have done it unto Me: blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain Mercy. Jesus also told a beautiful parable about a king that had servants, and he decided to forgive them of their debts. And one of the servants decided to be unmerciful. And he went about, going to those that also owe him, and he did worst them and the king heard about it; He said, I withdraw my Mercy. To tell us that this is so important, to obtain Mercy from the Lord; you must have a merciful heart.
#. The fourth kind of heart that receives the Mercy of God is a heart that trembles as the word of God. This is the final kind of heart that we want to examine, or the kind of works that helps us to received Mercy of the Lord. Isaiah chapter 66:2, “For all those things My hand has made, and all those things exist, says the LORD, but on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit and who trembles at My word.” But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite heart (and God didn’t stop there) and who trembles at My word: that's another qualification; a trembling heart is the next kind of heart. A heart that trembles as the word of God; it is different for a broken and contrite heart, that has an element of it but we want to focus on trembling at the Word of God. What does it mean? What kind of heart trembles at the word of God. Still using our case study in Jonah chapter three; about the city of Nineveh, the Bible says they believed God, but they didn't stop there. The Bible says and they declared a fast and they put on sackcloth.
They did something with what they received, it is called trembling, and I want to show us a Scripture in Proverbs chapter 19:23, “The fear of the LORD leads to life. (Trembling at the Word of God is to fear God, not the fear that brings torment, but to be in awe of Him, to magnify His essence and His being.) and he who has it will abide in satisfaction, he will not be visited with evil.” Another word for trembling at the Word of God is having the fear of the LORD; the heart that fears God. He said, it leads to life, not death. So, a heart the fears God, is a heart that would receive life by Mercy. He said, and he who has this kind of heart will abide in satisfaction and he will not be visited evil. This verse leads us to the secrets of the people of Nineveh, they would have been visited by evil, but for their heart.
Proverbs chapter 14:27, “The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to turn one away from the snares of death”. They were about to be ensnared by death, the entire city, but the fear of the LORD in their heart preserved them, they were turned away from the snares of death; He became to them a fountain of life. Proverbs chapter 8:13, “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.” The fear of the LORD is to hate evil. When you tremble at the word of LORD, you would despise evil. When Isaiah saw the Lord, he said, woe unto me, I am a man of unclean lips, living among unclean people. He trembles at the presence of God. Proverbs chapter 14:2, “He who walks in his uprightness fears the LORD, but he who is perverse in his ways despises Him.” So, the opposite of trembling at the word of God is despising the Word of God. An example of somebody that despised the Word of God was Eli.
God sent a prophet to Eli, He said, tell Eli and his household, this is what I'm going to do: and what did Eli do? Eli said, it is what pleases the Lord, let Him do as He pleases. Did Eli tremble at the word? No! That's why that evil came upon his household; he didn't obtain Mercy. When a man or a woman refuse to tremble at the Word of God, he will not receive Mercy. God sent a prophet to Hezekiah, He said prepare your household because you're going to die. And when Hezekiah received that report from the LORD, he went back to God and presented his reasons, trembling before God (that God, I'm not going to raise a prayer team to be begging You, I'm going to come myself. God, if You allow me to go like this: it is only the living that can praise You.
What happens to me when I'm dead, the things I do for You, I won't be able to do them again) before the prophet will reach his house, God sent him back, go back to Hezekiah, and tell him I have had Mercy. What he brought before was a message of judgment, the same Prophet brought back the message of Mercy, because a king chose to tremble. It is important we have a heart that trembles at the word; don't take light the word of God, don't despise the word of God and say after all, a thousand years is like a day before God, a day is like a thousand years, if God said it, maybe it's not going to happen in my generation. Hezekiah also fell into this same trap, God brought him another word, he despised it. It was the same man that trembled at word of God that also despise it and say after-all it will not happen in my own generation, it will happen in my children's generation; it is okay, let God do whatever He wants to do. When we despise the Word of God, there is no Mercy. The Bible says God has exalted His word above His name. That's why you can't despise it. You can't have a content in your heart for the Word of God and say after-all is not the word of God, is it not human being that wrote it. You don't despise the word; you must have a heart that trembles at the word.
We're going to end with Romans chapter 12:1, “I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” I beseech you has those that will obtain Mercy from God, by His mercies, that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice. What does this mean? Everything we have spoken about, all these kinds of heart, all these works must be present in our lives. We must have a broken and a contrite heart, we must have a humble heart, we must have a heart that is merciful and we must have a heart that trembles at the Word of God. That's how we present ourselves to God as a living sacrifice. He said, the sacrifice of the LORD is a broken and a contrite heart. For us to obtain the Mercy of God, we must be people that have these posture; all of these four different hearts that we have looked into must combine in us and become a posture: a posture that we daily take before God, that we are men and women that honors the Word of God and don't despise it. We are men and women that humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt us. We are men and women that are merciful unto others, and we have a broken and contrite heart.
