Exodus asks, “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? Samuel declares, “There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.” Jesus declares; I desire mercy not sacrifice.<\/p>\n
Good Monday Morning to this week 05 of 2019<\/p>\n
Today I was preparing to translate a very interesting sermon called:<\/p>\n
Mercy is the new holiness. (by M. Benz)<\/p>\n
Due to a personal emergency in the family, I had to cancel and spent the afternoon at the hospital instead.<\/p>\n
I will shortly go into the topic nevertheless.<\/p>\n
Holiness means “to cut.” To be holy means to be cut off, or separate, from everything else. It means to be in a class of your own, distinct from anything that has ever existed or will ever exist.
\nMercy is; the act of forgiving someone or not treating them severely, especially someone who you would have the right or authority to punish. (giving something they don\u2019t deserve)
\nGod’s holiness is not an aspect no, it’s the essence of who he is.<\/p>\n
If you were to ask, “How is the holiness of God revealed?” the only right answer would be, “In everything he does.” Everything He thinks, desires, speaks and does is utterly holy in every way.<\/p>\n
He is holy in justice.
\nHe is holy in love.
\nHe is holy in mercy.
\nHe is holy in power.
\nHe is holy in sovereignty.
\nHe is holy in wisdom.
\nHe is holy in patience.
\nHe is holy in anger.
\nHe is holy in grace.
\nHe is holy in faithfulness.
\nHe is holy in compassion.
\nHe is even holy in his holiness!<\/p>\n
Then Jesus came to this earth and gave another new a very different perspective. In many particularly and evident ways, Jesus corrected the understanding of holiness in Judaism to their day.
\nIn Matthew 12:6-8 he spoke of holding the Sabbath and said:<\/p>\n
I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. If you had known what these words mean, \u2018I desire mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the innocent.
\nTax collectors and other outcasts had gathered in Matthew\u2019s house for a feast. In the center of the hubbub, Jesus and his followers reclined at the dinner table. Noticing Jesus\u2019s presence among such riffraff, the Pharisees scoffed. How could Jesus consider himself a rabbi and party with such a disreputable bunch? So they pulled a few of Jesus\u2019s converts aside and huffed, \u201cWhy does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?\u201d (Matthew 9:10).
\nOverhearing their question, Jesus responded, \u201cIt is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick\u201d. The religious leaders\u2019 blindness astounded him. How could he reveal God\u2019s love to these folks if he didn\u2019t hang out with them?
\nJesus then admonished the Pharisees. \u201cGo and learn what this means: \u2018I desire mercy, not sacrifice\u2019\u201d . He was quoting the prophet Hosea, who, centuries earlier, had condemned the Jews for attempting to excuse their idolatry and their oppression of the poor by offering the prescribed animal sacrifices.
\nGod always values \u201cmercy\u201d over \u201csacrifice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jesus longs for us to move beyond the idea of sacrifice\u2014what we feel obligated to give up to be perceived as religious. He wants us to get our hearts involved, tangled up with other people\u2019s lives, so the word sacrifice drops out of our vocabulary so that all we know is the passion to love others as he loves us.<\/p>\n
This is the roadmap Jesus set for our lives!<\/p>\n
James 2:13
\nFor judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.!
\nMercy triumphs over judgment!<\/p>\n
Mercy triumphs, mercy wins, mercy has the last word.<\/p>\n
No one needs to be afraid of the day of judgment if they have lived mercifully!
\nJesus confronted the religious leaders because they cared more about proving
\nthey were right about Sabbath law than they cared about a man with
\na withered hand Jesus wanted to heal.<\/p>\n
Do we as leaders and people of our time argue and talk about our theological positions, or keeping our theology correct and pure, or value \u201cspeaking truth\u201d and \u201cbeing right\u201d significantly more than the value lifting a finger to help broken, hurting, wandering people?<\/p>\n
If you were to ask, “How is the mercy of Jesus revealed?” the only right answer would be, “In everything Jesus does.” Everything He thinks, desires, speaks and does is utterly merciful in every way!<\/p>\n
He is merciful in justice.
\nHe is merciful in love.
\nHe is compassionate in mercy.
\nHe is merciful in power.
\nHe is merciful in sovereignty.
\nHe is merciful in wisdom.
\nHe is merciful in patience.
\nHe is merciful in anger.
\nHe is merciful in grace.
\nHe is merciful in faithfulness.
\nHe is merciful in compassion.
\nHe is even merciful in his holiness!<\/p>\n
If you were to ask how we are to live a holy life then? The right answer would be, “In everything we do.” Everything we think, desire, speak and do in showing mercy and compassion in every way as Jesus did!
\nI wish you a compassionate week, full of His mercy!<\/p>\n
Philemon<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Exodus asks, “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? Samuel declares, “There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.” Jesus declares; I desire mercy not sacrifice. Good Monday … <\/p>\n