Understanding Mercy
Mercy Next Door begins with David, a king who went looking for Mephibosheth and gave him a seat at his table. Pastor Mark walks through what mercy is: it starts with God, we experience it through Jesus, we receive it rather than earn it, it changes how we see people, and it is meant to be given away.
Listen:
Sermon Notes
Key verse: “Show mercy just as your Father shows mercy.” (Luke 6:36)
The big idea: I will show mercy because I first received mercy.
Pastor Mark opened the Mercy Next Door series in 2 Samuel 9. King David went looking for anyone left from the family of his close friend Jonathan, so he could show them kindness. He found Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, who was crippled in both feet. When Mephibosheth came before the king he bowed and asked, “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?”
David gave him back everything that belonged to his family, and from then on Mephibosheth always ate at the king’s table. He did not earn that seat. He was invited to it.
Pastor Mark said there are people in our neighborhoods and workplaces who see themselves the way Mephibosheth did, as if their lives do not matter. That is why we need to understand mercy before we can give it. He defined it with the word MERCY.
M: Mankind isn’t the source of mercy. God is.
Psalm 103:7-11; also Exodus 34:6-7
God “does not treat us as our sins deserve.” We did not invent mercy, culture does not define it, and we do not get to decide who deserves it. Mercy begins with God because it is His character.
E: Mercy is experienced through Jesus.
Titus 3:4-7; Hebrews 4:14-16
God did not only tell us He is merciful. He showed us in Jesus. We can come to Him with confidence in our time of need. If you do not know Jesus personally, this is where mercy begins for you, because you cannot give what you have not received.
R: Mercy is received, not earned.
Ephesians 2:4-5
We do not earn a place at God’s table. He already has a place ready for us and says, “Come sit at the table.”
C: Mercy changes the way we see people.
James 2:12-13; also Matthew 9:35-38
“Mercy triumphs over judgment.” When we understand how Jesus has looked at us, we begin to see others differently: the difficult neighbor, the family member who hurt us, the person at work everybody avoids.
Y: You give what you’ve received.
Micah 6:8
Mercy is not something to keep. It is meant to be shared, with compassion for people no matter what they look like, act like, or believe.
Application
Believe: I desperately need God’s mercy, and through Jesus Christ, God has given it.
Pray: “Jesus, help me see people through the mercy You have shown me.”
Do: Give away the mercy you’ve received.
Discussion Questions
- Mephibosheth called himself “a dead dog.” Where do you see people around you who feel like they have no value?
- When has someone shown you kindness you did not deserve? How did it change the way you saw them?
- Which is harder for you, receiving mercy or giving it? Why?
- Who is one person right in front of you, or next door, you could show mercy to this week?