The truth is sometimes harsh! We think of Baptists today as being on either of two sides; liberal and permissive or militant and legalistic. But what should true Christianity look like? Should we abandoned truth to be more accepted and likable? Or should we take a hard stand and insist on the unrealistic standard of perfection? The answer to these questions lies in the balance of grace, mercy, and truth!
Ephesians 4:9 “But speaking the truth in love”
1. God expects us to use Mercy and Grace.
“shouldest not thou have also had compassion on thy fellowservant” Matthew 18:33
In Matthew 18:23-35 Jesus tells us the story of a king and his two servants. The king had mercy on the first servant who owed him, and yet the first servant would not have mercy on the second servant. Jesus shows us His thoughts about when we have little or no mercy on others when He has blessed us with so much mercy and grace. Without mercy and grace we are going to hell, with no hope of ever receiving forgiveness. God acted before we could ever ask for forgiveness. Even after we have received this mercy and grace, we cannot do anything to be worthy of it! How can we not freely and unconditionally give it to others?
2. Mercy and Grace allow for restoration.
“restore such an one in the spirit of meekness” Galatians 6:1
Without mercy and grace there is no restoration! We could not have been restored to fellowship with God except for the mercy and grace that Jesus bestowed on us! Likewise we must humbly show mercy and grace to those who have fallen, realizing that but for the grace of God THERE GO I!
3. Mercy and Grace commands respect, and warrants following.
“Let love be without dissimulation” Romans 12:9
Of the twelve children of Jacob which one had the most influence on the world and the Israelites? Which of the twelve do we still tell stories about today? Joseph and his coat of many colors! Joseph’s life was marked by mercy and grace in everything that he did and everywhere that he went. Genesis 49:22-26 lists the blessings that were given to him and end with “the blessings..have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors (direct ancestor) unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills:...the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.”
The statement “No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care” may sound like a cliche but it is very true. Mercy and Grace are the doors through which you will gain influence and be able to reach a lost world for Christ. Mercy and Grace are the doors through which you will be able to develop a true “son” or “daughter” in the faith, as Paul did with Timothy. I wonder if that relationship (Acts 16:1-3) was possible because Paul had just learned something from Barnabas about Mark (Acts 15:37-41)? Proverbs 3:3-4 “Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
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Associate Pastor
Hendrix Road Baptist Church
“Speaking the Truth in Love” Eph 4:8
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