OH HOW WE  NEED MERCY. 

Mercy  is Gods  loving pity  for those  who are  in need.

God is the Father of all  mercies. 

2 Corinthians 1:3  "Blessed be God,  even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,  the Father of mercies, and  the God  of all comfort."  

All our help comes from Him. He who made heaven and earth.  

Hebrews 4:16  "Let us,  therefore,  come boldly to the throne of  grace ,  that we may  obtain mercy, and find  grace  to help us in time of need."   

HOW GREAT IS GODS MERCY?

Psalm 103:11  "For as the heavens are high above the earth,  so great is  His mercy  towards them that  fear  Him.  As far as the east is from the west,  so far hath He removed  our transgressions  from us."  

When we start moving from east to west,  there is just no end to going west.  The Psalmist says  from east to west,  he does not say as far as  north  is  from  south. That is because  if you keep going north  you will eventually arrive at a place  where you will begin to go  south. 

GOD IS SO MERCIFUL.  

He has removed our  transgressions  -  those who are  born- again  -  as  far  as  the east  is  from the west. All that we need to do,  is to  accept  His offer of  mercy?  T

The only reason that we are  born-again  is because of Gods  mercy.  

HIS MERCY IS EVER PRESENT.

We are  born into this world because of  His mercy,  and we live  our lives  according to His mercy.  

When we are born-again  it is because  God is merciful.   

We  cannot  exist  without  God's  mercy.  

It is because God is merciful that He does not want any person to go to a  lost  eternity.  He tells us this quite plainly 

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."   

One of these days  His ever present  mercy will end   and  He will come again.  This time,  He will come  

2 Thessalonians 1:8-9   "In flaming fire  taking vengeance on them  that know not God,  and  that  obey  not  the  gospel  of our Lord Jesus Christ;  who shall be punished  with everlasting destruction  from the presence of the Lord,  and  from the glory of His power."

The next time the Lord Jesus comes to the earth  He will come as a judge.

It is because of  His  mercy  that we are saved.   

Mercy is in one sense negative because it speaks of the past. 

We are  redeemed  by the  mercy of God. 

Titus 3:5    "Not  of works of righteousness  which we have done,  but  according to His mercy  He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost."  

Dear friend,  God has been merciful to me and He has been merciful to you as well.  Help,  is a  positive  thing  -  it speaks of the future. 

We find  grace  to help us in our time of  need.  

David  could say

Psalm 23    "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want."  

Those who are born-again  have a  High Priest  in heaven  and  they can go to Him.  He is their Shepherd.  Is the Lord Jesus your Shepherd  also?  Have you  asked Him  to be your  Saviour?   Do you  need  His  grace  and  His  mercy  right now?  The Bible tells us   

Ephesians 2:1  "We are dead in trespasses and sins."  

God comes on the scene and by  His  grace  and  mercy  He reaches down to us. Why does He do this?  He does not find the reason in us,  He finds it in Himself.  

When God came down to deliver Israel  it was not because they were a beautiful people or because they were serving Him. 

The Bible tells us  that they were  a very stubborn,  stiff necked people.  

But God  heard  their cry  when they called to Him.   

God loved them and  He loves you  and  He loves me,   

BUT,  GOD CANNOT SAVE US BY LOVE.   God cannot slip anyone into heaven  because  He loves them. 

GOD  is  LIGHT  and  HE  is  RIGHTEOUS,   JUST  and  HOLY.  

God is the moral ruler of the universe and therefore  He cannot  do things that are wrong  -  that is,  wrong according to His own standard.  

Read carefully  

John 3:16   "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."  

This does not say  that God  so  loved  the world  that  He  saved the world.  It says that,  because  God so loved the world,  He  gave  His only begotten Son,  that  whosoever believeth  in Him,  should  not perish. 

God  provided  the  way of  salvation. 

THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IS THE ONLY WAY BACK TO GOD.   

HE IS THE PLAN OF SALVATION.

He  paid  the  penalty  for our sins  and  therefore  He can reach out  His hand  to save  you and me.  

He is  willing  to save  whosoever believeth  in His only Son,  the Lord Jesus Christ.  

God saves us by grace alone.  

It is because  He is rich in mercy  that He  gave  His only Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 

Acts 4:12  "Neither is there  salvation  in any other:   for there is none other name  under heaven  given among men,  whereby  we must be saved."  

CHORUS.

Whosoever will to the Lord may come,  Whosoever will to the Lord May come,
Whosoever will to the Lord may come,  He'll not turn one away.
JESUS,  Jesus,  JESUS,  Jesus,  Heals the broken hearted,
JESUS,  Jesus,  JESUS,  Jesus,  Heals the broken hearted,
JESUS,  Jesus,  JESUS,  Jesus,  Heals the broken hearted,

HE WILL SET YOU FREE.