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September 30, 2007AM

Romans 12:8

YOUR aTTITUDE

 

The ACTION OF MERCY.

“because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.  And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” (Eph. 2:4-7)

 God is “rich in mercy.”

  Do you want to know how rich God is in mercy?

   Perhaps you have seen some of the new Subway restaurant commercials.

    A child wants to be just like his father.

     The reason being the father has this gigantic wad of cash bulging his pockets.

      It’s all the money he saved by eating at Subway.

       The child is planning to follow his father’s ways.

        The father appears to be filthy rich.

         He is bombastically rich.

          God is rich in mercy.

           The Greek word is plousios which may not mean a lot to us.

           To be plousios means to be wealthy, abounding with, to have abundance.

            But it means more than that.

             The Greek word also carries the idea of sharing that wealth.

              It was not an act of hording.

               It was an act of supplying, or passing on, imbuing.

                And plousios comes from the Greek word pletho.

                 From pletho have our English word plethora.

                  If something is plethoric it is in a state of excess.

                   To be plethoric means to have more than you need.

                    It is to be overfull.

                     It is to be bombastic or to be on the verge of exploding.

That is how rich God is in mercy.

 And that is what God plans to do with His mercy.

  He plans to share this overabundance of mercy with us.

   Jesus was and is that overabundance of mercy.

    In His mercy He made us alive with Jesus.

     Because of His mercy we can know God personally.

      Jesus’ death on the Cross was mercy in its purest.

       He gave His life in our place.

        Jesus who never sinned took the punishment we deserved.

         “All have sinned” the Apostle Paul tells us In Romans 3:23.

          That sin means we have come short of the glory of God.

           But Jesus, by His death and resurrection, restores God’s glory in us.

            He offers us forgiveness of the sin that destroys.

             He invites us to trust His sacrifice of love.

             In Jesus we find ourselves seated with God the Father.

              Jesus’ mercy offers us the glory of God that sin had destroyed.

               When we live in that glory it is not something we boast about.

                God enables us to offer ACTION OF MERCY.

                 God enables us to be vessels of mercy.

                  We are to be a source of mercy to our world as Jesus was.

                   An act of mercy means you have absolutely nothing to gain.

                    Acts of mercy are spiritual acts.

                     A truly merciful act is a God act?

ACTION OF MERCY is essential to the life in Christ.

 But equally important to the act is the attitude.

  Paul says when we do acts of mercy they be done with cheerfulness.

   That is now our focus for today.

    THE ATTITUDE OF MERCY.

 

I   What attitude did Jesus portray as He died on the cross?

     Did He mumble and grumble and complain and whine?

      Was He bitter?

       Did He regret His sacrifice?

        Not in the least!

         What was Jesus’ attitude?

         He did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.

          He did not say, “I am too good for this.

           “Those people don’t deserve my love and sacrifice.

            “They had their chance for glory and blew it with sin.”

             Jesus did not decide to keep His glory.

“He endured the shame of being nailed to a cross, because he knew that later on he would be glad he did.  Now he is seated at the right side of God's throne!  So keep your mind on Jesus, who put up with many insults from sinners.  Then you won't get discouraged and give up.”  (Hebrews 12:2b-3 CEV)

In Jesus the two key aspects of mercy are perfectly blended together.

 In Jesus the ACTION and the ATTITUDE of mercy are in complete harmony.

  Paul says in the letter he wrote to Philippi:

   “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.”

    Jesus did not grumble, Jesus humbled Himself.

     Mercy cannot be given grudgingly.

      If our attitude is, “I’ll do it but I don’t want to” we cannot be merciful.

       If we are going to be merciful, we must also be cheerful.

        The two are inseperable.

I think of Mary who was to be the mother of Jesus.

 She was a merciful person.

  Put yourself in her place.

   Life is falling perfectly into place.

    Joseph has proposed marriage and they are looking forward to life together.

     Days are filled with anticipation and excitement.

      She and Joseph are undoubtedly the talk of the town.

       The people of Nazareth had been watching them and expecting the engagement.

        But suddenly everything changed.

         An angel appeared to Mary and told her she would become pregnant.

          She was going to give birth to a son and call Him Jesus.

           And Joseph wasn’t going to be the father.

            Now there is a shock.

            She would be the talk of the town for sure now.

             Mary being pregnant without a husband should have been stoned.

              Her yes to God was a huge act of mercy.

               She could have been bitter.

                She could have refused to yield to God’s plan.

                She could have chosen her reputation and plans for life.

                 But instead she said, “Let it be to me according to your word.”

                  She cheerfully agreed to give birth to our merciful Saviour.

She went to visit her cousin Elizabeth.

 Elizabeth was also pregnant.

  And when Mary greeted her cousin, Elizabeth’s baby moved.

   Elizabeth said she felt her baby leap for joy.

    That would tell us about Mary’s tone of voice.

     She was not morbid or bitter or complaining.

      She didn’t say, “God messed up my life.”

       She wasn’t messed, she was blessed.

        Elizabeth called her blessed.

         Then Mary began to sing.

          “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

           Her song expresses praise to God for his treatment of her.

           She recognizes God’s mercy.

            And she knows she is called to be part of that mercy.

             Through her obedience God is showing His mercy to all generations.

              Her attitude of full of joy.

               She was moved to joy and appreciation.

                And she glorifies the Lord.

                 Her humble perspective forms the basis of her gratitude.

                  She understands God's character.

                   God owes her nothing.

                    She owes God everything.

It’s time for an attitude check.

 You cannot glorify the Lord by grumbling and complaining.

  God’s mercy cannot be seen through a bitter or resentful person.

   It can only be seen in a person who knows how rich God is in mercy.

    It can only be seen in a person who has received mercy.

“But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.”  (1 Timothy 1:16)

     Paul knew what God had done in his life.

      And he considered it pure joy to be used by God.

       Everything he did was done cheerfully.

        There was no other way to give acts of mercy.

“But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.”  (Phil. 2:17)

         He tells us, “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.”  (Phil. 2:14-15)

We are familiar with the word Paul used for “cheerful.”

 He used the Greek word “hilarotes” from which we have the English word hilarity.

  Cheer is something that shows itself in the face, the voice, and actions.

   Going around looking like we are sucking on lemons will not glorify God.

    John Calvin says, “Nothing gives more solace to the sick or to any one otherwise distressed than to see people cheerful and prompt in assisting them.”

     He also says, “To observe sadness in the countenance of those by whom assistance is given makes them feel despised.”

      So what is the point?

       If we can’t be cheerful should we not show mercy?

        No that is not the point Paul is making.

         If you can’t be cheerful, then revisit the Source of mercy.

          Come to the mercy seat.

           Come to Jesus who shows mercy in its purest.

           He is the One who teaches us how to celebrate.

            It’s the overflow of a forgiven heart.

             And we can’t stay silent.

              We become a generation that reaches to the world with hilarity.

               That is the church the world needs to encounter.

 

Closing Song   Dancing Generation