Sunday 12:02:12

I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. God's love is merciful. He desires reconciliation, peace, forgiveness. He does not hold grudges. Psalm 103:8-18 v. 8 Compassionate (or merciful) - used 13 times in the OT, all referring to God’s compassion. His mercy or compassion is unlike any other. “Mercy” is the act of forgiveness, especially if you have the authority to punish. “Compassion” is sympathy for someone in a bad situation because you understand and care about them (vv. 13-14) God desires to show us mercy. Hosea 6:6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings. He wants to show us mercy. He does not want sacrifice – even in the OT, God wanted to show his people his mercy and compassion. But we act as though He prefers sacrifice. When we sin, we stay away from him, as if we have to pay some penance for him to accept us. That is an absolute lie and diminishes the glory of the Gospel. God always wanted to show mercy, but the sacrificial system was put in place until the ultimate sacrifice could be made. Jesus Christ took all the punishment for all our sin. (v. 12) Now, for believers, there is only mercy. When you sin, do not stay away from God. He has healing and cleansing for your soul – he is compassionate. Go to Him. He is also gracious – God is holy and His demand for holiness is great. God cannot and does not tolerate sin. But, even so, he does not treat us like our sins deserve (vv. 9-10). God’s grace is the unmerited favor that He shows us. In a way, his grace is greater than his wrath – His grace is greater than all our sin. Slow to anger – God is not standing with a lightning bolt, waiting for us to mess up so he can punish us. He is quick to show love, mercy, forgiveness – and slow to punish. Sometimes we think that when something goes wrong in our lives, that God is punishing us. But God acts toward his children like a Father, not like a judge. His acts of discipline toward us are intended to correct, not to punish. A judge carries out a sentence without sympathy. A loving father disciplines – out of love – because he wants the best for his child. It is not punishment in wrath or anger, but in love. Abounding in love – in Hebrew this is, rav kheced literally, “much love.” (v. 11) NIV translates it “abounding in love” KJV translates it “plenteous in mercy” It speaks of God having a storehouse of love. Spurgeon, [God’s mercy] “is treasured up as waters are in the storehouse of the sea; there is no end of the treasures of His grace, mercy, pardon, and compassion.” Spurgeon saw the ocean and its relentless waves coming to shore over and over And thought, this is like the love of God – unending and abounding. This is who God is. Moses broke the first two tablets of the 10 commandments. When God commanded him to make replacements, he told Moses to come to Mt Sinai. And there, God proclaimed his name, Jehovah (the existing one). God adds his nature to his name. Exodus 34:4-6 4 So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the Lord had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands. 5 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. 6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness” This is who God is – the Lord, Jehovah, ever-existing, immortal One And – compassionate, gracious, abounding in love toward us God's love is merciful. He desires reconciliation, peace, forgiveness. He does not hold grudges. Do you have a hard time believing that? Do you have a hard time receiving the Lord’s forgiveness? Do not run from him thinking that you’re hiding your sin. Do not run from him thinking that you have to go punish yourself before he can accept you. He desires reconciliation. He wants peace with you. He wants to show you the complete forgiveness that was bought for you in Jesus Christ. Remind yourself these truths, meditate on this aspect of his love: compassionate (merciful), gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.