THE MERCY OF GOD

Mercy is the strongest of God's prerogative. Prerogative is a right or privilege exclusive to a particular individual or class.

Exo 33:19
19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.
(KJV)

1. To God alone belongs Mercy.

Psa 62:11-12
11 God hath spoken once;
twice have I heard this;
that power belongeth unto God.
12 Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy:
for thou renderest to every man according to his work.
(KJV)

Power belongs to God. All power belongs to God. In fact, Jesus told us God has given Him all the power in heaven and earth.

Mat 28:18
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
(KJV)

So without doubt all power belongs to God. But somehow, the Holy Spirit did not write that scripture in Ps. 62 as though power was God's prerogative. We read else  where that the enemies have some powers.

Luk 10:19
19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy:and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
(KJV)

The Holy Spirit used the word "alone" only when He spoke about Mercy. Laughs. I am reading or hearing "alone" in it.

Mercy is exclusive to God.

2. Power is measured by Mercy.

The extent to which a man can forgive is the extent of his power. A president can pardon any offender. Thay shows the greatness of his power.

Lets remember that the Jews did not have much issues with Jesus' power. God showed God was with Him. Hear one of the greatest religious figures say concerning Jesus ...

Jn 3:2
2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God:for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
(KJV)

The power showed God was with Him- at best. But Mercy showed Jesus was God!

Mar 2:5-7
5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. 6 But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, 7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?
(KJV)

Mercy is God's prerogative and Jesus was exhibiting it. When they doubted His right to forgive; He backed it with power.

Mar 2:10-12
10 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) 11 I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. 12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.
(KJV)

What amazed them was not the power (in the miracle of healing), but Mercy (in the forgiveness of sins).

Mercy belongs to God.

How to share in God's mercy.

1.  Be merciful. God marks a forgiving person.

Mat 5:7
7 Blessed are the merciful:for they shall obtain mercy.
(KJV)

Luk 6:36-38
36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. 37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged:condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned:forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
(KJV)

You get the measure of mercy that you give to others.

Take pleasure in forgiving people.

Luk 16:7-8
7 Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore. 8 And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely:for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.
(KJV)

Let your target in forgiveness be the impossible forgiveness Christ exhibited on the cross over you.

Eph 4:32
32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
(KJV).

2. Ask for mercy from God.

It is pride not to ask mercy from God.

Luk 18:13-14
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other:for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
(KJV)

A cry for mercy stops Jesus Christ on His track.

Mat 20:30-32
30 And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. 31 And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace:but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. 32 And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?
(KJV)

Jesus stands still at a cry for mercy.

David knew how to cry for God's mercy.

Psa 51:1
1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness:
according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
(KJV)

God cannot ignore a cry for mercy. He knew that we are dust. But we forget we are dust. The cry for mercy shows we remember we are dust. The cry for mercy reminds God that we are dust.

Psa 103:13-17
13 Like as a father pitieth his children,
so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.
14 For he knoweth our frame;
he remembereth that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are as grass:
as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.
16 For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone;
and the place thereof shall know it no more.
17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him,
and his righteousness unto children's children;
(KJV)

Mercy is the strongest covenant.
The man that God has bestowed mercy cannot be accused. Nothing works against him. Mercy covers the ground that even righteousness will not reach.

1Ki 8:23
23 And he said, Lord God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart:
(KJV)

Psa 32:1-2
1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no guile.
(KJV)

Psa 31:21
21 Blessed be the Lord:for he hath shewed me his marvellous kindness in a strong city.
(KJV)

3. Salvation qualifies you for mercy.

Heb 4:16
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.
(KJV)

If you are saved, you have direct access with boldness to the throne of grace, the very habitation of mercy and obtain it. There is a boldness with which my son will ask me for a thing and a stranger may not be so bold.

Jn 3:16
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
(KJV)

4. Ministry qualifies you for mercy.

2Co 4:1
1 Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;
(KJV)

1Ti 1:12-13
12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; 13 Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious:but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
(KJV)

- Adeolu Olumodeji