(Divine Attributes) 13 the Divine Perfections of God's Love (Part 2) — Denny Kenaston

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Let's stand for prayer. Thank you, Father, this morning we look up into your shining face and thank you for your grace that you've given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord. Oh, Father, I pray that you'll open our eyes again today, the eyes of our heart.

We may see you for who you are. Pull back the veil, Lord. We may see in such a way that our hearts will be joying in your grace for many, many years to come. Father, pull back the veil. Open up our eyes, Lord.

The enemy has lied to us, God, and we have believed his condemning, accusing lies. God, open our eyes today. We pray. And, Lord, we're trusting you for the grace that we need to talk about you again today.

In Jesus' name. You may be seated. We're speaking again this morning on the divine perfections of God's love. We were pleased upon the cross, the greatest act of love in all of history. In fact, the cross is the center of human history.

If you go by this history book, that is, it is the center of all human history. Think about that. It points to the cross. And everything from the cross looks back to the cross. Before Christ and after Christ.

Defining Divine Mercy and Compassion

That beautiful, humbling glimpse of the cross was a good introduction for all that we have to cover today as we continue the theme of God's love. I want to cover God's mercy today as well as God's grace.

I'm going to try to do that. Let's begin with a couple of definitions about God's mercy. First of all, a definition of mercy. Very simple one. And if I would ever do this again, it would be in the glossary.

But here's a good definition of mercy. To stoop in kindness and pity to meet the need of another. To stoop in kindness and pity to meet the need of another. And I would also like to give a definition of the word compassion.

Because mercy and compassion, they run pretty close to each other and sometimes cross over each other. Compassion. To embrace another's sufferings in heart and action. To embrace another's suffering in heart and action.

Very interesting. There are two words that come together in this one word, compassion. First of all, the word compass. Which means to stretch around as to embrace. And if you could just picture God doing that.

God stretching around and embracing our needy lives. And then the other word is the word passion, which means to suffer. Thus, we find the writer of the book of Acts there in chapter one speaking of Christ's sufferings as his passion.

And thus, the passion that everybody raves about these days in America. But it doesn't seem to have brought any revival to this land, by the way. Compassion. To embrace another's suffering in heart and in action.

That's compassion. These two words crisscross each other throughout the Bible. Here is an example. Psalm 86, verse 15 and 16. David wrote this psalm. He says, But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion.

God is a God full of compassion. And gracious, long-suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. O turn unto me and have mercy upon me, David says. In this psalm, David is appealing to God's heart of mercy.

God's nature is one that is full of a desire to embrace David's sufferings in heart and action. David knows this. He also has a heart plenteous to stoop in kindness and meet David's need. And David knows this.

Thus, he cries to God in this way, expressing the needs of his life before the Lord. O turn unto me and have mercy upon me. Why? Because you are a God full of compassion, gracious, long-suffering, and plenteous in mercy.

Moses Encounters the Merciful Character of God

David knows the heart and character of God. Remember when Moses was crying to God for a glimpse of His glory? My, that seems like a long time ago, doesn't it? Remember that and how that the Lord passed before Moses.

And remember what Moses saw. I told you that we would return to this text. It is now time to go there and look at what Moses saw. We touched on it just briefly to help you to understand that God revealed to Moses His character.

He didn't reveal to Moses some wonderful shining thing. He didn't reveal to Moses some bright light. He didn't reveal that, although there was probably some shining there and there was probably some bright glorious colors there.

And who knows what else, but that isn't what Moses saw. Moses saw the character of God. What character did God reveal to Moses? What attribute did God reveal as being true about Himself to Moses? Exodus 34, verses 6 and 7,.

And the Lord passed by before him and proclaimed the Lord. The Lord God. What kind of God does He proclaim? The Lord, merciful. The Lord, gracious. The Lord, long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth.

Keeping mercy for thousands. Forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. And that, or a God that will by no means clear the guilty. Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and upon the children's children unto the third and to the fourth generation.

And here it doesn't give the rest of it, but in another place in the Old Testament it says, unto them that hate Him. Visiting the iniquity of the fathers unto the children unto the third and fourth generation unto them that hate Him.

In other words, God will by no means clear the guilty. Moses is getting a revelation of who God is in these verses. One that he has not seen before. God is giving it to Moses to meet the need of the hour.

If we could just back up a couple of chapters there. This is the place where Moses went up into the mount and he was there for forty days and forty nights with God. And came back down off the mount with the Ten Commandments inscribed by the finger of God in stone.

But while Moses was away, the children of Israel rose up to play. And made themselves a golden calf and bowed down and worshipped it and danced around it and ate a feast unto it. And it's time for Moses to understand God's mercy.

The Lord begins to reveal His redemptive character to Moses. These words describe the divine perfections of His love. They describe a merciful God who stoops in kindness and pity to meet the need of another.

Notice also that He gives a balanced view in this revelation. Not just mercy, but He still will deal with the sin of those that are guilty. He will by no means clear the guilty or the unrepentant. Yet, God is revealing His character of mercy, His redemptive character of mercy to Moses.

It's very interesting to me to see what Moses' response was after he saw who God is. I mean, He's in a hard spot. You know, the children of Israel did what they did. God is angry with what they did. And God is saying, you guys go ahead, I'll send an angel.

You guys go ahead, I'll send an angel to take you there. But I'm not going along. And Moses is thinking, if you're not going, I'm not going. Two million of these fellows, if you're not going, I'm not going.

God reveals His redemptive character to Moses, and immediately Moses falls on his face and begins to do what? He begins to worship, but he also begins to intercede for the children of Israel based on that revelation that God just gave to him.

And he says, oh Lord, since you are this way, forgive, I pray thee, these people. It is the nature of God to be full of tender mercies and compassion. Paul called Him the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.

Hallelujah. The Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, 2 Corinthians chapter 1. It is the nature of God to be full of tender mercies and compassion. Many falsely think that the Old Testament is law and the New Testament is grace and mercy.

This is not true. There is grace and mercy all over the Old Testament. Why? Because God is always who He is. He is always who He is. He is mercy in the Old Testament and He is mercy in the New Testament.

The mercy of God did not begin at Calvary like some might think. The mercy of God led to Calvary. Hallelujah. And there is a big difference between the two of those. God, in His mercy, in His desire to stoop down in kindness and meet the need of somebody, that character in God led Him to Calvary, as we saw the other day.

God's bowels of compassion moved within Him and Calvary was the result. Israel sang their mercy psalm, that's Psalm 136 by the way, at the dedication of the temple. And the glory of God filled the temple in pleasure.

They sang their history in 26 verses, starting with creation, and at the end of each verse they sang, His mercy endureth forever. They sang this mercy psalm in Jehoshaphat's day as they were going to battle and the Lord discomfited the enemy even before they got there.

Why? Because Israel was trusting in the mercy of God. Israel was trusting in the mercy of God. And God was pleased. As they marched out there, going out there to battle, singing this beautiful song, they were recognizing that God is a merciful God, and that God will stoop in kindness and meet the need of another.

And He surely did stoop in kindness and protect the children of Israel that day. The battle was already over before they even got to the battlefield. Psalm 103, hear these words, look into the heart and character of God as you listen to these words in Psalm 103, verse 1 through 11, Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me.

Bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits. Who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases, look at that, who redeemeth thy life from destruction, who crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies, who satisfies thy mouth with good things, so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle.

The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed. He made known His ways unto Moses. We just read the verses where He made known His ways unto Moses, and His acts unto the children of Israel.

The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide, neither will He keep His anger forever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him. Look at this psalm. David wrote that. I mean, did he see the character of God or not? Heavens declare the glory of God.

David wrote that. O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth when I consider the heavens and the moon and the stars which Thy hands have made. What is man that Thou art mindful of him?

David saw the character of God. And here we see it so beautifully displayed in this psalm. He had a good clear view of who God is and a good clear view of the truth that God had declared to be true about Himself.

Psalm 23 is another one. Hear His words of trust and confidence in the character of God when He says, Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Do you see? Do you see what David was seeing? Can you see that in David's heart he had a revelation of the goodness and the character and the mercy of his God? So many expressions of God's compassion here in Psalm 103.

So many expressions of God's mercy. I mean, David mentions benefits. He mentions being forgiven of your iniquities. He mentions healing your diseases. He mentions redeeming your life from destruction.

He mentions crowning you with loving kindness and tender mercies. Satisfying your mouth with good things to eat. My! Look at it! Executing righteousness when He judges. And he overflows after saying all of that by saying, The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy.

This God is our God. Let us go back to the cross that we gazed upon yesterday as we think about God's perfection of mercy. Think about it. That is exactly what was happening on the cross in the heart of the Father and in the heart of the Son.

Stooping in kindness and pity to meet the need of man. That's what God was doing. Mercy there was great and grace was free. Pardon there was multiplied to me at Calvary. Amen? God, the Father and the Son were stooping in kindness and pity.

They were embracing mankind's suffering in heart and action. Were they not? But it is true that justice and holiness were being satisfied there in that awful scene of the cross. But mercy was also overflowing to humanity.

The need of man shall be met through the bleeding and dying of the lamb that was slain. Man's need will be met. Oh, depth of mercy! Can it be? The gate was left ajar for me. For me. Yes, the penalty of sin was being paid.

No doubt, the just for the unjust. But God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself and delivering man from his sin. Stooping in pity to meet the need of another. His name shall be called Jesus.

For He shall save His people from their sin. Judgment is God's justice confronting moral iniquity or sin. But mercy is God's tender compassion confronting the human guilt and suffering that sin brought.

The Good Samaritan as a Picture of Divine Mercy

And both of them were being worked out in the heart of God on the cross. One of the clearest examples of God's mercy in the Bible is found in Luke chapter 10. This is the story of the Good Samaritan. We're not going to read all of the text, but let me read a little of it to you and give you a little background.

A lawyer came wanting to tempt Christ, catch Him at His words, find something wrong with what He said. And he asked Him questions about how He could attain eternal life. And Jesus said, what do the Scriptures say?

And He quoted those famous words. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. And this lawyer, wanting to justify himself, said a very powerful question.

He said, who is my neighbor? Jesus gave him the story of the Good Samaritan explaining who his neighbor was and how to love him. Jesus said, a certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment and wounded him and departed, leaving him half dead.

What a picture of fallen humanity, huh? What a picture of a need! The priest went by and passed on the other side. The Levite went by, saw him and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was.

And when he saw him, he had compassion on him. His bowels moved within him. And he went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast and brought him to the inn and took care of him.

He not only felt compassion, he moved into action, didn't he? And on the morrow, when he departed, he took out two pence and gave them to the host and said unto him, Take care of him, and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

Then Jesus said, Which now of these three thinkest thou was neighbor unto him that fell among thieves? And he said, He that showed mercy on him. Then Jesus said unto him, Go and do thou likewise. Here is a picture of a man, the Samaritan.

He is stooping in kindness and pity to meet the need of another. He is embracing the suffering of another in heart and in action. And brethren, that is exactly the heart of God. Yes, we can look at it and learn from it lessons for our own lives because God wants us to be merciful.

Blessed are the merciful. They shall obtain mercy. But it also is a beautiful picture of what God did for man. Tozer said, Mercy is God viewing man's misery and stooping to relieve it through the blood of the cross.

God's Patience and Long-Suffering Before Judgment

Hallelujah. I want to say a few things about God's patience or his long suffering. This flows out of God's mercy. And some would teach that God's patience is a major attribute and I would agree with that.

And if I had the time, I would give it a whole session. But I don't have the time. Obviously, we're running out of time. But I want to say just a few things about God's patience or his long suffering.

But you can go home and study it yourself. We see clearly that God is a just God. And he will balance the scales of right and wrong. However, God in his mercy is slow to anger. Patient. Long suffering or suffering long.

Long in forbearing. These words go together in the Bible. And there are many examples. Patience. Long suffering. Sometimes it's translated long suffering. And another time it's translated patience. But either way, it is God suffering long in a situation where his justice is held back because of his mercy.

1 Peter 3 and verse 20 says,. The long suffering of God waited in the days of Noah. While the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is eight souls, were saved by water. God patiently waited a hundred and twenty years.

While Noah, a preacher of righteousness, built the ark warning them continually that rain is going to come and the whole earth is going to be covered with water. And the only way out is to get into this boat.

God patiently waited and did not satisfy his justice until that ark was finished. 2 Peter chapter 3 verse 9 says,. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise as some men count slackness. But instead, he is long suffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

There again we see God's long suffering. There are many examples of this in the Bible. If you begin to study the chronology of the Bible and recognize how many years are going by from this king to this one to this one and some of the pronouncements of judgment that the prophets spake to the children of Israel and you realize how many years took place before that judgment actually fell, the only thing you can say is that God is very merciful, patient and long-suffering.

And He is. And aren't we grateful that He is patient with us in all of our stumblings around. Yes, we are. Every one of us. It is God's mercy that holds back His justice. Let's move on to God's wondrous grace.

Grace as God's Favor Toward Humanity

While mercy is God stooping in kindness to meet man's great need, the grace of God is God turning to look with favor on man. It is the shining face of God Almighty smiling at me. The Word says that Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

I want you just to picture that. Remember what meditation is. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. That word grace is favor. Favor and grace are the same word in the Bible. Day by day, God is smiling with favor upon Noah.

He found grace in the eyes of the Lord. In the Bible, grace and favor are synonymous words. They mean the same thing. Whether it is in the Greek or whether it is in the Hebrew, you will find that word sometimes translated grace, sometimes translated favor.

You know, when the angel came to Mary and said, you are highly favored, it's the word charis, grace. Some time ago, I preached a sermon entitled God's Shining Face on Me. The point of the message was this wonderful grace that we're speaking about.

God's favor turning my way in Jesus Christ. That's what grace is. God's favor turning my way in Jesus Christ. We looked at the cross yesterday. The greatest expression of God's love for man. It staggers us to see the price that was paid.

But today we must consider what was purchased by that great price. Number one, it's true. God's infinite holiness and God's righteous justice were both satisfied on that day. Hallelujah. But also, God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself.

Think about it. Because of the atonement, God's heart is now set free to turn toward man in grace. And in grace. Remember what Titus 2 says? The grace of God has appeared unto what? All. All men. Yes.

The grace of God has appeared unto all men. Why? Because Christ Jesus died on the cross and paid the penalty for man's sin. God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself. And God's heart is now set free to turn toward man in grace.

Number three, man has been redeemed. Hallelujah. Snatched out of the hand of Satan through Christ Jesus our Lord. And fourthly, through that glorious, terrible cross, I can be born again. Transformed.

I become a new creature in Christ Jesus because of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's what was paid for on the cross. God has turned to look with favor upon man and God is smiling at me. Let's look at some verses to verify this.

Ephesians 1, 5 -7. Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, God, according to the good pleasure of His will, God has brought us into the family and made us sons.

That sounds like God's shining face looking my way. What do you think? God has brought me into the family and made me His son. Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us in that we shall be called the sons of God.

1 John 3. So, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved. That's grace, brethren. That's grace. In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace.

Not just grace, riches of His grace. Ephesians 2, 4 -9. But God. And that but God is there because of the two verses before where it talks about the condition of every man's heart. Living according to the course of this world, following the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience, being led and controlled by our own lusts.

Yes, man was a needy creature. But God, who is rich in mercy, stooping down to meet man's need for His great love wherewith He loved us even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ.

By grace are you saved and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace. Now that's infinite grace.

That's the only way Paul could describe infinite grace. It's the exceeding riches of His grace. That in the ages to come, in eternity future, He, God, might show the infinite riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

Imagine what it will be like in heaven. Infinite grace for all of eternity. Just imagine. What do you think it will be like there? Will God be smiling at us in heaven? Yes, He will. But I'm not sure that you believe that He's smiling at you here on this earth.

But He is. If your heart's clear, He is. Ah, Satan is a liar. He is the accuser of the brethren. For by grace are you saved through faith. And that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Remember what the Apostle John said. Grace came by Jesus Christ. That's what John said. Grace is God's good pleasure to bring one into favor who was not in favor. This is because of the cross. Thus, it is unmerited favor.

There's nothing that we have done that affects it. It is simply God's favor turning my way because of what Christ suffered and died on the cross. Unmerited favor. That means there's nothing you can do to get it.

It is finished. And he bowed his head and gave up the ghost. Grace is God's love and acceptance freely flowing my way. Freely flowing my way. Because of Christ. Yes. Where there is sin, blame and disapproval, justice comes and confronts and pronounces death.

Justification Through Christ's Blood and Grace

However, because of the cross, grace comes and confronts the same moral situation and pronounces life evermore. Think about it. Romans chapter 3 and verse 24 says, Being justified freely. Maybe we should look at that word just a minute.

Justified freely. Cleared in the court of law. Justified in God's court of law. Cleared of God's justice. Justified. Brought to zero. The record is clear. The scales are balanced. You know when brother Malan was here, he was trying to teach you how to justify your accounts.

Bring them into balance so that everything is exactly right and balanced. We are justified freely. Just as if I had never sinned. Do you believe that? I'm telling you when I got born again, I was justified.

I was cleared of my guilt and my sin. And I was just as if I had never sinned. And heaven opened up over my life that day. Though my hair was still hanging down here like this. Though I still had a pack of cigarettes in my pocket.

Heaven opened over my life that day. Because my heart turned to the Lord in repentance and I cried out to God for mercy. And God looked down and stooped down in mercy and met my need. Justified freely.

Not based on anything that I have done. But it was Christ. Only Christ. Be honored, loved and exalted. But I want you to notice the next word in this text. Being justified freely by what? By His grace.

Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Oh, bless God this morning. Romans 5 and verse 15 says,. But not as the offense, so also is the free gift. For if through the offense of one many be dead.

And they are. Because death passed upon all men. For that all have sinned. Through the offense of one many be dead. Much more, the grace of God and the gift by grace. Which is by one man Jesus Christ abounded, hath abounded unto many.

God's favor has turned toward all men. If they would only listen. That just breaks my heart. If they would only listen. God's favor is turned toward all men. Oh, will His justice be vindicated in that day.

On those who spit in His face and spurned His grace and went their own way. After hearing and knowing that there was a Savior who died on the cross 2 ,000 years ago. Yes, God's justice will be vindicated.

If they turn away from such a beautiful presentation of salvation that God has given to them. God's favor has turned toward all men. Romans 5 verse 8 and 9. Listen to these words. We read them yesterday.

Let's read them again. Now, these are for us. Not the lost man out there. Now, this is for us. But God commendeth His love toward us. In that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died. Much more then. Being now justified.

The slate is clear. Now, much more. Being now justified by His blood. We shall be saved from wrath through Him. I mean, God's shining face has turned my way. I am justified.

Freely by His blood.

And turned my way to have mercy upon me. When I was ungodly. Much more has He turned His face my way. Now that I have been justified, the record is clear. By His blood. How much more shall His grace be freely manifested in my life?

That's what Paul is saying. For us as Christians, His shining face has come into full view. Do you see it? Nothing stops it. Nothing, that is, but sin. I think of the Konkomba tribe over there in Africa.

Where my sons, Daniel and Samuel, are working. It is very clear, though most of them are still lost. It is very clear. They have opened their hearts to the reality that God has turned their way. I mean, the villages are buzzing with Konkombas talking about God.

It is in the air. Even though most of them do not know of Christ yet. Most of them are still in idolatry. Yet God has turned their way and is at work among them in a tremendous way. It's God! God is not looking at the Konkombas like this.

He is looking down at them like this. And they are getting a scent of God's favor looking their way. And there is a buzz in those villages and they talk about God. Even though they don't know who He is.

But for us Christians, this favor is more than a judicial position. It is more than a pardon, brethren. Because of Christ and my faith in Him, the eternal God, the all-powerful God, the one that we have been learning about all these days, this God has turned His face my way.

And by the way, this face has reality in it. When God favors, let me say it that way. When God favors, His very life flows out of His heart and into us. Did you get that? This is not just a smile. I mean, that would be pretty nice too.

But this is not just a smile, brethren, no. When God smiles, that smile comes out of His very being. It's not just painted on. It comes out of His very being. Remember the smile of your father when you were a little boy?

And he was very happy with something that you did? That smile was not painted on, was it? It came out of your father's very being. If you were fortunate enough to have a father who would smile at you.

When God smiles, that smile comes out of His very being. Do you see it? Do you see it? This is the smile of the eternal self-existent one. And in that smile, brethren, is power, is promises, is acceptance, is protection.

And on and on I could go. It's all in that smile. In the New Testament, as you study verses on the grace of God, you will find that sometimes it seems to mean favor, and other times it means power, or that which comes as a result of favor.

The fact is that the reality of the one brings the reality of the other. That's why it's hard to figure it out when you read through the New Testament. You know, the modern theologians say, Oh, grace, that's unmerited favor.

Whenever you see grace, it's unmerited favor. But when you start reading down through the verses, you think, Now, wait a minute. That's not quite right. That doesn't fit all those verses. You realize that grace is God manifesting His power in my life also.

But that manifestation of God's power in my life comes because God has turned His face my way, and God has turned His face my way because Jesus Christ died on that cruel cross. Hallelujah. And rose again on the third day and ascended at the right hand of the Father.

That's where He is right now, interceding for you and me. Interceding God's shining face on me. Oh, do you see it? Do you see it? If you are clean and you stay clear through the blood, if you walk with God, brethren, in simplicity under an open heaven, God is shining your way.

He sees you in His Son. That will make the Father smile, won't it? He sees you in His Son. And all is well. You are accepted in the Beloved. Remember the prophet Daniel? He went on that 21-day fast. Just eating vegetables and drinking water.

Seeking God for answers for 21 days. Finally, when the angel came to him, the first thing that came out of the angel's mouth was, O thou Daniel, thou art greatly beloved. Can you imagine getting such a message from an angel?

Hey, there's room for you. Oh, yes. Yes, Daniel. God is greatly beloved. My dear brethren, I've got a message from the throne room of God for you this morning. God loves you. You are greatly beloved in His sight.

His face is shining your way. Your way. Because of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. And your choice to surrender. Your life to Him. We will get done here. This is so beautifully seen in the illustration that Jesus gave of the prodigal coming home to his father.

The Prodigal Son and the Father's Compassion

Remember the story? Took advantage of all of his father's goodness and kindness. And went out and spent it all on riotous living. And took it all for granted. And just walked away and broke his father's heart.

And went into a far country. And there he finally spent himself out until he had nothing left. And there in a pig pen, he finally came to himself. And he said, I will arise and go to my father. And will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee.

And am no more worthy to be called thy son. Make me as one of thy hired servants. And that's what he thought in his heart. And that was good. You know, things are breaking up on the inside. But look at the grace filled father's response.