THE MERCY AND GRACE OF GOD

To understand why Christians have so much, so rich, you have to understand God’s mercy and God’s
grace.
To have justice there has to be judgement. For instance, if a little boy hit a ball and sent it through
Mom’s kitchen window when Mom told him not play ball near the house that would be broken
fellowship with Mom. The boy and Mom aren’t in harmony. There is a rift between them. That, in the
Bible is called “sin.” When Mom tells the little boy that he did wrong and that she was going to punish
him is the sentence. When she punishes the little boy that is judgement. However, if the little boy pleads
with his mom not to punish him and she recants and doesn’t punish him, that is mercy.
Mercy is the withholding of merited judgement. When Adam sinned, there should have been
judgement carried out. But, God had mercy on Adam. Mankind, because of what Adam had done, are all
born in sin (broken fellowship with God) and yet God had mercy on us by sending His only begotten son
to save us.
Mercy and grace go hand in hand. You can’t have grace unless you first have mercy. We were strangers
to the things of God. We were without God and we were in the world. Being in the world means that we
were the property of the Devil.
Ephesians 2:12 (KJV)
12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers
from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
God, because of His mercy, allowed us to live. By His grace we were saved (made whole). Grace is God’s
unmerited divine favor. We didn’t deserve it, but, He gave it to us anyway. This is just the opposite of
work(s).
Work is you doing something for a payment. Just like most people working for a paycheck. The things of
God are so big, so wonderful, so awesome that no one could work long or hard enough to deserve what
God has for the Christian. Israel tried it for thousands of years and never got close to deserving God’s
mercy and grace.
As I mentioned, justice requires judgement, but, love requires grace. Noah found grace in the eyes of
God and God delivered Noah and his family from the flood.
Genesis 6:5-8 (KJV)
5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of
the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both
man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have
made them.
8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
God’s grace was upon Mary.Luke 1:30 (KJV)
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour (grace) with God.
God’s grace was upon Jesus.
Luke 2:40 (KJV)
40 And the child (Jesus) grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of
God was upon him.
The grace of God was on Noah, it was on Mary, it was and is on Jesus Christ and it is on every
born-again believer, Christian, those who have done what it says to do in Romans chapter ten
verses nine and ten!
So, we have the grace of God on us. So what? What good is that you may ask. IT MAKES ALL
THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD! You were headed straight for hell and now you’re going
to go to Heaven and nothing can stop you from going!
1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 (KJV)
13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye
sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will
God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the
coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel,
and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to
meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
We have the authority AND ability to be super conquerors in every situation that we are in.
Romans 8:37 (KJV)
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
We have healing and health available to us.
1 Peter 2:24 (KJV)
24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live
unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
We can go to God’s great throne in time of need, expect help and get it.
Hebrews 4:16 (KJV)
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to
help in time of need.
Because of God’s mercy and grace we can live an abundant life now and forever more.John 10:10 (KJV)
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life,
and that they might have it more abundantly.