Become Merciful Just as Your Father Is Merciful — Ian Robson

I'm very happy to be back with you, there's no place like home and home is where the heart is and this is where my heart has been. So we thank God for family and we thank God for the family of God and really glad to be back with you, particularly in this anniversary month that we are celebrating this month August as we enter our 42nd year and I've been thinking much not just of today but something and God has been working in my own heart and speaking to my own heart, well the richness of God's mercy towards us and that's what I want to share with you this morning and you wonder what this plaque is doing up here actually it should be back there, we've been trying to get it up for the last few months, so many things happening here, we never succeeded, I hope we can do it this week.

Just to remind ourselves that see all these plaques here, what you see on the wall, they were verses that brother Zach chose very prayerfully and carefully before we built the old hall in 1981 when we moved in there, I think it was October 1981 and we took such care, both of us personally with the carpenter, he was very good in seeing that everything was aligned, that's why if you see everything is so perfect because he likes to do everything to perfection like I do and this verse here he said I want this up right in front and this was in the old church you know behind the pulpit and to remind us he was saying as we pursue holiness, as we pursue an overcoming life, as we pursue victory over sin and most people if you look at church history end up being hard and legalistic and unmerciful and we want to steer clear he said from that, so we want to remind ourselves what it says here, be merciful to others just as God has been merciful to you or to us and that has been on my heart not just for today but these last few weeks that I've been away that God has been speaking so much to me about being merciful and like the proverb says charity begins at home, we could also say mercy begins in the home, very easily when we say be merciful to others we think of the brothers and sisters but if we think of the one living closest to us, the one who lies in our bosom, our partner or those we live with if you don't have a partner those you live with 24 by 7 that's where we need mercy.

I know that's where God has been working my own heart and if we begin there we can be merciful to others the brothers and sisters in the church but if we don't begin then we only think of others then we'll have something that is artificial and superficial and so that's on my heart this morning.

Becoming Merciful Through God's Mercy

And in Luke chapter 6 verse 36 you know some of these verses where Zach has expanded in paraphrase it may not be exactly as it is there. This is one of them which has expanded in a little paraphrase it's Luke 6 36 Jesus also said you know blessed are the merciful in Matthew chapter 5 in the Sermon on the Mount but they shall receive mercy.

In Luke chapter 6 verse 36 Jesus said and I like to read it which is in the margin if you have a margin in your Bible it's very encouraging because be merciful you know it can you can think that it can be a big weight but if you look at your margin it says become.

I hope you encouraged by that encouraged me become merciful just as your father is merciful because we don't suddenly become merciful we get on that path but we become merciful as we see as we will see this morning how we can become merciful every morning.

And like we just said that memory verse we remind ourselves of God's mercies which are new every morning. I'm reminded every morning and I thank him and I say to him Lord there are new mercies today for me new mercies every morning for the day ahead.

And his mercies are new every morning and they are fresh every morning. And great indeed is his faithfulness. I hope all of us here could say that that God has been merciful to me. It's new every morning and great indeed has been his faithfulness.

I know I could say that as look back on 41 years that God has indeed been tremendously merciful to me. And I wish that the progress in me becoming more merciful could have been better. But I believe it will get better because like we read here become merciful just as your father is merciful.

God's Rich Mercy in Salvation

And the first thing that we have to recognize you know if you turn to Ephesians chapter 1 I want you to look at that word in Ephesians chapter 1 first in verse 17 what's on my heart is Ephesians chapter 2.

But you cannot read Ephesians chapter 2 what it says there from 1 to 8 without going to Ephesians 1 17 where Paul says he he prays he says that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the father of glory may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.

I pray that the eyes of your heart he says may be enlightened so that you know what is the hope of his calling. What are the riches of the glory of his inheritance. And the Saints what is the surpassing greatness of his power toward us who believe these are in accordance with the working of the strength of his might which he brought about in Christ.

And he goes on to say then that Jesus was raised from the dead and seated at the right hand in the heavenly places far above all rule and authority. And all things have been put in subjection under his feet.

And he has been given as head of the church. He's given him as head over all things to the church which is his body the fullness of him who fills all in all. And it's an unfortunate chapter division there.

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins. He did all this and he says you were dead in your trespasses and sins and which you formerly walked according in the course of this world according to the prince of the power of the air of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience among them.

We too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind ever by nature children of wrought even as a rest. But thank God for that. But but God being rich in mercy because of his great love at which he loved us even when we were dead in our transgression made us alive together with Christ.

By grace you have been saved and raised us up with him seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus so that in the ages to come he might show the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And that not of yourselves it is a gift of God not as a result of work so that no one may boast. What a height God has lifted us to when you see the Indian just lift Jesus then seated him at the right hand.

But when you and I were dead and I think back not just 41 years I think back of nearly 46 years 48 years 1967 I came to know the Lord. I was dead in my trespasses and sins. But God has made me alive. God was rich in mercy to me and all of you.

You can think back to that day when you met with God or God met with you and raised you. He has raised us up seated us with Jesus in the heavenly places by grace you have been saved. How thankful we must be to God for such mercy.

My brothers and sisters. And particularly as we celebrate 41 years as a church for all that God has been to us done for us we must really be thankful in that like I was saying remind ourselves apart from overcoming sin apart from seeking after victory apart from seeking to love one another as Jesus loved us.

And all this. Let us never forget that God has been merciful. He's been rich in mercy towards us not just merciful rich in mercy. He's rich in so many things rich in grace rich in goodness so many they rich in kindness like we we read here just now but rich in mercy.

And you and I have received that mercy. And it's interesting to see you know the first mention of mercy in the New Testament in the last mention I want you to look at it Exodus chapter 25 that's where we come across the first mention of the word mercy Exodus 25 and verse 17 you know we won't read all of it.

God told Moses to make a mercy seat of pure gold and he gave him all the specifications and two cherubim of pure gold. And he says the cherubim to be on either end of the mercy seat with their wings pointing to heaven but their faces were to be towards the mercy seat.

You read that there and you should put the mercy seat verse 21 on top of the ark in the ark you shall put the testimony which I shall give to you. The ark contain the law of commandments. You know what the commandments that God gave Moses and that was kept in the ark but on top of the ark see the significance on top of top of the ark Moses was to put the mercy seat.

And this is the word I want you to look at. He says there was 22 there I will meet with you not inside the ark but in the mercy seat on top of the ark and from above the mercy seat from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony I will speak to you all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel.

And if you know if we can look at everything all the commandments God has given us. And if we can really meet God here my brothers and sisters this is the only place by the way that God says he'll meet with us.

And that mercy seat we heard long ago I remember brother sharing this word in one meeting should be in your heart in my heart there I will meet with you there I will speak to you. We don't have that mercy seat.

God will not meet with us. He cannot speak to us whatever we whatever we think that God is meeting with us because and that God is speaking to us must be some other voice. But if you and I have that mercy seat in our hearts apart from all the commandments that we want to obey and keep that God will meet with us in the mercy seat.

And he'll speak to us from there. That's the first mention. And if you turn back now turn to the last mention in Jude three times. Now when we read things like this admit something that Holy Spirit is wanting to impress something on our hearts in Jude.

And verse 21 he says there you know before that he talks about many things. You know Jude wrote he wanted to he says he wanted to write things to contend for the faith. And and then he won't give certain warnings there.

And he reminds us for the last time there'll be mockers following after their own ungodly lust. Verse 18 the people who cause divisions in the church in the homes worldly minded devoid of the spirit. But you beloved building yourselves up on your most holy faith praying in the Holy Spirit keep yourselves in the love of God waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.

That we are to wait anxiously. You know I don't think. Yeah I'm going to make it in a positive way. I wait anxiously for the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ to attain to eternal life. Paul himself said I've not come there yet.

I would not attain to the resurrection of the dead. But I look forward to it. I press on. And that's what it means to be to look anxiously for the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. And then it says not just for ourselves have mercy on some was 20 22 who are doubting and save others snatching them out of the fire.

And on some have mercy with fear he hitting even the garment polluted by the flesh three times. The word mercy is mentioned there in relation to ourselves and relation to others. And that we don't just think of mercy to us ourselves.

We are to save others we have to snatch them out of the fire. It says some we are to have mercy with fear hitting even the garment spotted by the flesh that we don't get contaminated by this in. And if we do that verse 24 to him was able to keep you from stumbling and make you stand in the presence of his glory blameless with great joy.

You see the connection there. God meets with us my brothers and sisters when we are merciful when we have a mercy seat in our hearts. And God speaks to us there. And we are merciful like I said to those who live with us 24 by 7 we are becoming merciful.

I hope that's happening. That's why I keep asking God when I see sometimes how unmerciful I can be how demanding I can be. And I cry out to God. And sometimes even weep. I'm so hard so unmerciful. But I thank God that I could say.

And I think those who live with me could say and have said dad is not the same. That's how it must be my brothers and sisters. We don't look for testimony from the brothers and sisters doesn't mean a thing.

It's those who live with us who can say dad is not the same mom is not the same. We're becoming merciful. That is the message. That is what right in the very beginning we wanted to remind ourselves. And I wish that we remind ourselves as we have already crossed one generation we have entered into another as we enter the 42nd year.

The Mercy Seat and the Throne of Grace

And I want to say that we can never know true grace if we have not known and showed mercy to others. The mercy seat in the old covenant becomes a throne of grace in the new covenant. Hebrews chapter 4 the last verse.

Let us come with boldness with confidence to the throne of grace that we can receive mercy. We still need mercy. But we can also find grace to help us in our time of need. That's the difference. They didn't have it in the old covenant mercy they can get plenty.

They repented and confessed God was willing. So many times you look at the decline. Many times right towards the end the book of Malachi. And God is trying to woo his people back to him but they kept questioning him.

God is merciful but they prostituted God's mercy. And in the new covenant it doesn't mean that now everything is you know everything is on my plate. I receive mercy. I still need to go to the throne of grace there God meets with me.

Any I can receive mercy and find grace to help in my time of need. I don't need to go on in this merry-go-round asking all the time mercy for the same sin. Maybe maybe a few times thousand times also.

But I can get grace to help in my time of need. And that is why Jesus had to tell the Pharisees you know go and learn what this means. Matthew chapter 9 verse 11 to 13. Go and learn what this means. You know when when he ate with tax collectors and sinners and they were criticizing him.

Why is your teacher eating with tax collectors and sinners. He says go and learn what this means. I desire compassion and not a sacrifice. And again in Matthew chapter 12 you know when they again they were they were picking at the disciples because they were plucking the grains of wheat because they were hungry and he had to regroup them.

He said you don't remember what David did when he was hungry. How the priest gave to him the bread which only the priests were supposed to eat. And he says if you had known what this means earlier he said go and learn what this means.

I desire compassion and not a sacrifice. And now he says if you had known what this means I desire compassion and not a sacrifice. You would not condemn the innocent. And that's something that we need to learn.

My brothers and sisters you know early in life when we come and and meet with God for the first time at the mercy seat and repent of our sins. And by faith we believe that Jesus took our place on the cross and his blood cleanses us from all sin.

That's the first encounter we have of God. We meet him there. He meets us. Then he speaks to us there. It should never end there. I should not look back 48 years I must always be going back. That mercy seat is in my heart.

Now I don't come on Sunday. The mercy seat is not here for under the old covenant it was in the temple and only the priest could enter it. But now you and I can enter in because Jesus has rent avail we can enter into the holy place.

So that holy place can be in my heart and God meets with me and speaks to me there. I want to say to you my brothers and sisters is that a mercy seat in your heart since you've come to CFC since you come to know the truth.

Oh you know everything. You know the doctrine. You can even teach it and preach it to others. But how is it. Are we merciful for those who live with us. This is the only place God says that he will meet with us through the blood of Jesus.

He met with a high priest who went in once a year with blood it was not without blood. If he didn't go on with blood over something was wrong he would die there. But Jesus has rent avail for us. Now we can you and I can go right into the holy place the most holy place and meet with God.

Not once a year but 365 days 24 by 7 we can meet with God and he will speak to us. I thank God for that and we have confidence. It says to to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus. It's by the blood of Jesus not by how many sins I have victory over.

How many meetings I attend how much my Bible I know how much of time I spend in prayer. It's by the blood of Jesus. I enter the holy place by a new and living way which he made for us the veil that is his flesh.

So I hope and pray that God will impress that on our hearts because this is where God meets with us. This is where God speaks with us. And the second thing I want you to see is that if we always live here not just once a year or once a week or you know in the morning when I have my quiet time if you have a quiet time whatever you call it or at the night before you go to bed.

But 24 by 7 if I live here I will become like our father in heaven. We I said this word means become merciful. Jesus said become merciful just as your father is merciful. How do we become merciful. You don't have to look far if you look at Luke chapter 6 Luke chapter 6 and all the things mentioned there.

The Golden Rule and Mercy in the Home

You don't have time to read them all but Luke chapter 6 and verse 36. I want to. I want to focus your attention that before that treat others 31 sorry. Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.

I want to know how to become merciful all that is written there before that. You know Jesus has many things. Love your enemies. Verse 27. Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who cursed you curse you.

Pray for those who mistreat you and so on. Give to everyone who asks of you treat others the same way you want them to treat you. If you love those who love you what credit is that to you. For even sinners love those who love them.

And many things there he says the verse 35 love your enemies. Do good and lend expecting nothing in return your reward will be great and you will be sons of the Most High. For he himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.

And then he says become merciful just as your father is merciful. So if we treat if I want others to be good to me treat them. Jesus said treat them the same way you want them to treat you. You want them to be good be good to them.

You don't want them to speak evil of you don't speak evil of them. You want them to be kind. You be kind. You want them to love you. People say you know nobody loves me. I don't. You know nobody knows what I'm going through.

I should know what others are going through. I should love others. Treat others the same way that you want them to treat you. And then we will become merciful. That is the golden rule. My brothers and sisters treat others the same way you want them to treat you.

Bring it down like I said to the home. I treat my wife the same way I want her to treat me. Treat your husband the same way you want your husband to treat you. Treat your children the same way you want them to treat you.

Somebody was saying my wife doesn't submit to me. She's a bad example. I had to write to this person and say you love her. You know we can say no. She's not submitting to me. But what about the rest of it.

What does Peter say. Many things that he says to husbands. Live with their wives in in an understanding way. And love your wife as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. What about that. So if I do my part I will not have to force her impose submission on her automatically.

She'll respect me and submit. It is so simple my brothers and sisters as we who make things complicated so we can learn that I trust we've been learning it. If you've been coming here to CFC even if it's just for a couple of months that you learn to treat others the way you want them to treat you.

You want others to care for you. You care for them. That is how we build fellowship. That is how we can contribute to the spirit in the church. And Jesus has much to say in Luke chapter 10. Luke chapter 10 when that lawyer came to him and asked what what should I do to inherit eternal life.

Jesus asked him in verse 20 verse 26 what is written in the in the law. How does it read to you. Good question isn't it. He wants to know how to get eternal life. Jesus said what is written in your law in your Bible.

How does it read to you. Good question to ask ourselves. How does it read to me not. How does it read for my wife or my children. How does it read to you. And he says love God with all your heart with all your heart with all your mind with all your soul with all your strength.

And love your neighbors yourself. And Jesus said to him you have answered correctly. Do this and you will live. But it says there he wishing to justify himself asked and who is my neighbor. He had certain people in his mind who is my neighbor.

And Jesus then told the story of the man who was mugged and robbed going down to Jericho. We don't have time to look at it. The priest passed by the leaver pass where to go for meeting. He had his duties in the temple.

But a Samaritan on a journey it says saw him and had compassion on him. That makes the difference. The priest and the Levi went by. They had to go and fulfill their duties. But the Samaritan saw him and felt compassion for a man he did.

You know what he what he felt he should do for him. And Jesus asked this man which of the which of the three do you think proved neighbor to him. And this man said the one who showed mercy toward him.

And Jesus said to him go and do the same. Go and do the same show mercy to others. Don't have your select few to whom you think you can show mercy to the ones that you who are despised. The Samaritans were despised.

They had nothing to do with the Samaritans. The Jews go and do the same show mercy. You look at Matthew chapter 18. You know the story. We don't have time to look at it. Matthew 18 verse 29. The man was forgiven a great debt and yet he was forgiven so much a huge debt.

But a fellow slave owed him a paltry amount and he went to him and caught him by the throat and said pay me what you what you owe me. And this fellow slave Christ said have patience with me and I will pay you everything.

But he refused to hear that the same word that he asked to be forgiven the great debt. Have patience. And his Lord forgave him the great debt. But he forgot the words that he said and caught him and wanted to kill him.

He caught him by the throat. And that's how an unforgiving unmerciful attitude can be. My brothers and sisters we can end up wanting to kill somebody not so maybe literally but with words with an attitude.

A lot of people you know with an unforgiving spirit with bitterness in their hearts and they think they can make it into heaven. They're thoroughly deceived and they think that God is with them. They go for the meetings and all.

But they cannot forgive somebody because of some some small little thing. Husbands and wives sometimes in the home they will not talk to each other for days on end. They have bitterness they have grudges they have resentment in their heart.

And it says here that this you know when when his master this Lord heard about it said him should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave in the same way that I had mercy on you. Shouldn't you have had mercy like I had mercy on you.

I forgave you such a great debt. And the Lord says to you and me I've forgiven you so much a lot of things in your life that even others don't know about. And I've forgiven you and cleansed it in my blood and nobody even knows about it.

But yet we can hold petty grudges and resentment in our hearts towards others. And worse still if it's towards our own life partner or towards those who live with us a member of the family whoever it may be mother-in-law father-in-law any in-law.

And we don't think anything about it. I've always thought about it just as Lord moved with anger handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. And Jesus said this. Listen to this verse 35.

My Heavenly Father will also do the same to you. If each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart forgive from the heart. Not just saying I don't have anything against you. No you've got to have something.

Your heart must be filled with the love of God. We've heard this through the years. It's bad to say I don't have anything in my heart against this person or that person. You must have something in your heart.

Otherwise you become an empty house. Like that man from whom you know seven demons were cast out of him and he just kept it all clean and furnished. And he was worse. More demons entered into him and his state was his last state was worse than the first.

This must not be empty. My brothers and sisters are hard. There must be a mercy seat there God will meet with you and me. God will speak to us and fill our hearts with mercy towards others. Otherwise we'll be handed over to the torturers.

Not on that day. But you know I really got understanding on this word that it happens in this life. I've seen it. People are handed over to the torturers. What are the torturers. They're mine. They're constant and they lie on and on bed at night.

They can't sleep. They're always thinking of that that person who has spoken against me or spoken against my family or said something about my children and and all these things. And we lie awake at night at the dining table.

We are thinking about it and we can't help but talk about it. They are the torturers. Are you being tortured that way. You can't get it out of your mind all the time thinking of something some small petty thing.

Oh I never want. I said Lord I want my heart to be full of mercy. I never want to be handed over to the torturers. My dear brothers and sisters this is so important that we become merciful just as God has been merciful to us as we seek to become more like Jesus as we seek to walk like he walked as we seek to get victory over sin.

Let us never forget. This is the only place that God will meet with you and me. The other thing I wanted to see that everything everything we receive and all that we become is only by the mercies of God.

Mercy as the Source of Christian Service

1 Timothy in chapter 12. Verse 16 Paul's testimony. We don't have time to read it on but I would encourage you to read that this is Paul's testimony or it is often spoken to me. 1 Timothy chapter 1 a word we have heard often here.

He says verse 12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has strengthened me because he considered me faithful putting me into service of putting me into the ministry. Even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and violent aggressor.

Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief. The grace of our Lord was more than abundant. And then he says it's a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners among whom I am the foremost.

I'm number one the foremost of all. And he writes these words at the end of his life. By the way once he said he was the least of the apostles. Once he said he was the least of all the Saints. Now he says I'm the worst sinner.

I'm number one. Make a list of all the sinners in the world. I am right on top and I like this in verse 16. Yet for this reason I found mercy so that in me as a foremost Jesus Christ might demonstrate his perfect patience as an example for those who will believe in him for eternal life.

For this reason I found mercy. Do we see ourselves there my brothers and sisters. Oh I think. No. No you know I'm I'm a little better. We'll never find mercy. For this reason he said because I was number one I found mercy.

That's Paul's testimony. And many things there he found mercy to be put into the ministry he found mercy. He read there he considered me faithful putting me into the ministry. To even be faithful it has to be God's mercy.

I hope you realize all of us who do things for the church it's God's mercy. Not because I am intelligent and I have abilities. Maybe you do but it's the mercy of God that you can do something and serve the church.

I see that not because of anything special the mercy of God that I can serve the church. And I hope that all of us who do that will understand that. And to be faithful we need to be. You know 1 Corinthians 7 25 you can see you know Paul says there you can look at it if you like there's something they wanted to see.

He says concerning virgins I have no command of the Lord. But I give an opinion even in giving an opinion he says as one who by the mercy of the Lord is trustworthy is faithful. Paul was such a humble man even in giving his opinion and he says I think I can give an opinion.

And he says as one who by the mercy of the Lord has been faithful. And so let's really think of that. My brothers and sisters as we enter our 42nd year as a church the one more thing that he says in in 2nd Corinthians and 4 chapter 1 he said.

Therefore since we have this ministry you know in the previous chapter he speaks there about we all with unveiled face verse 18 chapter 3 2nd Corinthians 3 verse 18. We all without unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory just as from the Lord the Spirit.

Therefore since we have this ministry to be able to sit under this ministry to be able to sit under the ministry of the Holy Spirit in CFC for 41 years as we receive mercy I hope we recognize that to be here it's a mercy of God.

And I see that in the 41 years that I have been here it is the mercy of God. I don't take any credit for it. And neither should you no matter how long and we do not lose heart. Finally what should I do when I think of all God's mercy to me like Paul says Romans chapter 12 verse 1.

Offering Ourselves as Living Sacrifices

I beseech you brethren. I urge you brethren present your bodies a living and a holy sacrifice acceptable to God which is your spiritual service of worship. Worship God with your body. And I'm related to you in the JB Phillips.

It's it's so it's so very powerful. It says there you know Romans 12 1 this is with eyes wide open to the mercies of God. I beg you my brothers as an act of intelligent worship to give him your bodies as a living sacrifice consecrated to him and acceptable by him.

Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its mold but let God remold your minds from within so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good meets all his demands and moves toward the goal of true maturity with eyes wide open to the mercies of God.

I hope God opens our eyes this morning to all his mercies everything whatever we are whatever we have become whatever we receive it's only because of mercy. Therefore let us become merciful even as our father is merciful.