Tender Mercy Of Our God
The other day I was reading the Bible, specifically Luke 1 and the words “tender mercy of our God” jumped out at me. The tender mercy of our God. These are extremely wonderful, beautiful words. Our God is so merciful that tonight I want to talk about the tender mercy of our God.
Zachariah, John the Baptist’s dad didn’t believe the angel of the Lord that told him that his wife Elizabeth was going to have a child in her old age – in other words she was past child bearing years. Because of his unbelief, God made Zachariah mute until after the child was born.
After John the Baptist was born, his mother said they were going to name him John, but family and friends said you don’t have anyone named John in your family. This all happened when John the Baptist was about to be circumcised. His dad asked for a writing tablet and when he wrote: his name is John, he was able to speak again. Zachariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and he praised God and prophesied about the coming Messiah, about Jesus Christ!
Zachariah Talks Directly to His Baby John The Baptist
After his prophecy, he talked directly to the baby, to John the Baptist. And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Highest: for you shall go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace (Luke 1:76-79).
There it is, through the power of the Holy Spirit, Zachariah talks directly to John the Baptist and prophecies that John will be a prophet of the Highest, that he will be the forerunner prophesied about by Isaiah. That he will preach repentance and the remission of sins, through the tender mercy of our God. To give light to those who sit in darkness. Oh what a wonderful prophecy and of course it came true. John the Baptist did prepare the way for the coming of Jesus Christ. John preached repentance and baptized with water.
In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight (Matthew 3:1-3).
The Ax Is Laid To The Root
And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which brings not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire (Matthew 3:10-12).
It is by God’s great mercy that He warns unrepentant sinners to repent. The tender mercy of our God is what compels us to come out here and share the Gospel with you, to call you to repent and surrender your life to Jesus. John the Baptist said that Jesus will gather his wheat into the garner, but will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. If you have never repented from your sins and put your faith in Jesus, then you are the chaff!
God’s tender mercy sends us out here in the streets to proclaim the Good News. We are telling you there is hope tonight, but that hope is only found in Jesus Christ the Lord. Yes, God takes sin very seriously and yes, the guilt of your sins remains upon you if Jesus is not your Lord and Savior.
Hell Is A Place Of Great Torment
Hell is very real and it is a place of great torment. It is a place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. It is the very place that each and every one of us deserves because of our sinfulness, because of our wicked hearts, because of our rebellion against God. Hell is what we deserve and it is all you are working for in this life if you are trying to save yourself. If this describes you tonight, you will fail and fail miserably. None of us are perfect. None of us can wipe out our sins.
That’s why we need rescued, we need a Savior. Jesus is the only Savior. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12). He is the only one that has the power to take away your sins, to forgive you and cleanse you. Only Jesus saves. The sinless Son of the living God is the Messiah, the promised One. God made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Jesus Saves
Jesus saves because He is the sinless sacrifice. He willingly gave His life as a ransom for many. He took on the sins of those who repent and surrender their lives to Him and He gives us His righteousness. We don’t deserve it. We can’t earn it. Salvation is a free gift from God and He is gracious. But you must receive this gift. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).
God is merciful and loving. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commended (or demonstrated) his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement (Romans 5:6-11).
God Is Full Of Tender Mercy
God is patient, kind, forgiving, loving and full of tender mercy. But one day His patience, love and mercy will run out. One day, you will wait one day too long to submit to the call of the Holy Spirit. Oh, you will keep waiting and waiting until one day it is one day too late.
You see, when you take your last breath in this life you then take your next breath in Heaven or Hell. If you go through this life rejecting the tender mercy of our God, then you will never have a chance to experience it again. You will never get a chance to repent from your sins and surrender to Jesus, if you die without Him as your Lord and Savior.
We don’t wish this upon you. That’s why we are out here tonight sharing the Gospel with you. The Gospel means Good News. You can experience the tender mercy of our God. You can be saved, through repentance and trusting Jesus. Oh, if the Holy Spirit is convicting you tonight, come to Jesus. Don’t continue fighting against God. Repent and believe the Gospel. Receive everlasting life and see for yourself the tender mercy of our God.
God Is So Merciful
God is so merciful. Please listen to John 3:16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Also Listen to 2 Peter 3:9: The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Yes, God is merciful. And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and 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 (Exodus 34:6-7).
God By No Means Clears The Guilty
But don’t miss this tonight, God by no means clears the guilty. In other words, yes, God in His mercy sent His only begotten Son to take the punishment that we deserve. Jesus made a way of escape for guilty sinners. Your sins can be forgiven through repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus. Oh, but if you reject this great salvation, this only way of salvation, then your guilt remains upon you. God will in no wise clear the guilty.
In other words, if you are not seen as “guiltless” by God through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, His supreme sacrifice, then you are still guilty. If you die a guilty sinner, then you will suffer God’s righteous anger forever. You can never pay the sin debt you. Burning in the lake of fire and brimstone for all eternity never erases your sins. It never cleanses your sins. Never.
None Belief In God Is No Excuse
You may be walking by tonight saying to yourself that you don’t believe in God. That is no excuse. God commands you to repent. Did you hear that? God doesn’t suggest that you repent, He commands you to repent. This may make you mad tonight, but it is God’s truth. He commands you to repent.
And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commands all men everywhere to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead (Acts 17:30-31).
God Commands You To Repent
Again, God commands you to repent. He has appointed a day of judgment. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment (Hebrews 9:27). There will be no excuses on that great and terrible day of the Lord.
Yes, God is righteous, Holy and just, so He must and He does punish sin. God is also loving, merciful, kind and gracious. By the tender mercy of our God, He sent Jesus to suffer, bleed, die and rise from the grave three days later. Receive salvation that is found in Christ alone. Receive the tender mercy of God and be saved. Repent from your sins and surrender your life fully and completely to Jesus. Do this tonight. Call upon the name of the Lord and be saved (Romans 10:13).
(This message was lifted up in downtown Springfield, MO on July 6,2018)