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Judgment, Mercy, Faith, and the Love of God |
This year (2010) Passover
day falls on Monday, March 29th. We will partake of the Foot-Washing service, and the
Bread and Wine on the previous evening, just after sunset – Sunday, March 28th. The
Night To Be Much Observed will be Monday evening, March 29th. The
First Day of Unleavened Bread, a holy convocation, is Tuesday, March 30th.
"These are the Feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations, which ye shall
proclaim in their seasons. In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the Lord's
Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread unto the
Lord: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread." (Leviticus 23:4-6)
Judgment, Mercy, Faith, and the Love of God
Dear Brethren,
Have you ever noticed how when it comes to
the weightier matters of the Law, Matthew’s list differs from that of Luke? Jesus
rebuked the Pharisees: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay
tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law,
judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave
the other undone.” (Matthew 23:23)
The messages of the gospel writers are cumulative, so we are able to
see even more of what Jesus said in Luke's gospel: “But woe
unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of
herbs, and pass over judgment, and the love of
God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other
undone.” (Luke 11:42)
We find then that practicing justice, mercy, faithfulness and the
love of God are the weightier aspects of the Law of God. Since
God declares these to be more important matters, we should focus
especially on them. How do we practice judgment, mercy, faith and
the love of God?
How do we apply godly judgment with our fellow man? This is
a most important question, because as Christians we are called upon
by God to intervene in the lives of others – help them to attain to
eternal life. We are most definitely, "our brother's keeper."
When a brother or sister stumbles, we must be willing to pitch in to
help them regain their spiritual footing – but it requires
discernment or judgment to know when to intervene.
“Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual,
restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself,
lest thou also be tempted.” (Galatians 6:1)
James put it this way: “Let him know, that he which converts the
sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and
shall hide a multitude of sins.” (James 5:20) Righteous
judgment begins with ourselves: “Let a man examine himself… for
if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged [condemned
by God].” (1Corinthians 11:28, 31) Jesus said, “Judge
not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”
(John 7:24)
How important is it for a Christian to be merciful? Do we
really know what mercy is, and realize our need for it? Does God
have mercy and loving kindness for all mankind? How merciful is
God? Because of our sins, justice would dictate our death penalty,
but God's mercy allows us to live. What must we do to receive the
mercy we need from God?
In His mercy, God forgives us – completely writing off our wrongs
when we repent. “The Lord God is merciful and gracious,
longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for
thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.”
(Exodus 34:6, 7)
We as true Christians must put the words of Jesus into practice.
How do we practice mercy? Jesus gave us this
straightforward principle. He said that in order for us to expect
to receive His mercy we must demonstrate our willingness to
extend mercy to others. "Blessed
are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." (Matthew 5:7)
The concept of mercy is not easy to grasp - but God says that it
is one of His absolute requirements. God is merciful. The phrase,
"His mercy endures forever," appears nearly one hundred times
in the Scriptures. Therefore, we must also be merciful. If it were
not for the mercy of God – mankind would have long ago been
destroyed for its sins. There is no sacrifice we can offer to
cover our sins – let alone, the sins of the world. We must put on
mercy. God says, "But go ye and learn what that means, I will
have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the
righteous, but sinners to repentance." (Matthew 9:13)
Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall
not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it
will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together,
and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same
measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." (Luke
6:36-38)
How do we practice faith or faithfulness with our fellow
man? In this end-time, genuine faith is so rare on the face of the
earth that Jesus Christ was compelled to ask the question, “Will
I find faith when I return.” (Luke 18:8) Most people have a
duplicitous faith, which causes them to profess one thing and then
live another way. They do not know the kind of faith of which Jesus
spoke.
Genuine and sincere faith is without any pretense, doubt, or
hypocrisy. It is a gift of God that is given only to His
spiritually begotten children through His Holy Spirit. It is a
belief system and conviction that is so real that it changes a
person’s life, thoughts, and actions. Faith is necessary and
essential for salvation.
The faith that Jesus Christ brings to us is one, whereby, we believe
so whole-heartedly in His perfect way that we yield our minds and
desires to the will of God. We fully embrace and implement His
teachings in all our thoughts and actions. “He that is
faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much:
and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If
therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who
will commit to your trust the true riches [of God]?"
(Luke 16:9-11)
If we remain faithful to our calling, by accepting our trials with
faith and dealing with them with perseverance, we will be welcomed
into the Kingdom of God with these words, “Well done thou good
and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21, 23)
How do we practice the love of God? Actually, the love
of God is expressed in a two-fold love, toward God and toward our
fellow man. Jesus condensed our spiritual responsibility into two
succinct laws when He gave us the Two Great Commandments: "Jesus
said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like
unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."
(Matthew 22:37-39)
So, the first question then becomes, “How does one go about loving
God with our whole heart? And then, how do we express that love
of God toward our fellow man? Where does True Godly love arise?
“… the love of God has been poured forth into our hearts
by the Holy Spirit which has been given unto us.” (Romans 5:5)
“Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down
his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives
for the brethren.” (1John 3:16)
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Sermon: "Judgment,
Mercy, Faith, and the Love of God"
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