BY HIS MERCY WE WALK FREE

John 8:1-11

  

Here is a story of great mercy and how merciful our God is.

Is it not odd to know that sinners who are found to be guilty yet can walk free and enjoy the life of liberty?

Have we ever thought that it is bizarre to understand that a man convicted for an offense he admitted responsibility for, be pardoned, be justified, and live a life normally acceptable without any condemnation?

This story is about you. This is about us who benefited from His great grace and mercy.

This is about our God whose mercy is beyond the depth of the sea and far above the height of the sky we see.

From Adultery to a Deserve Mercy

In a courtroom drama, the accused was found guilty of a sin he committed.

From the seat of the judge, a verdict was imposed, and the pronouncement of the death penalty was ruled guilty.

As per the law, a man found to commit a heinous crime deserves the death penalty. A fair verdict was issued because justice was served.

Mr. Justice is the judge who is responsible for that punishment is served to the sin committed but here comes Mr. Mercy who appeals and pleas for his client to be pardoned and free.

This reflects the story of the encounter between Jesus and the adulterous woman.

This reflects the story of the encounter between Jesus and the adulterous woman.

The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, they said to him, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women.

In the law of Moses an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth was the principle of punishing the offender and the lawbreaker.

I wonder how many people today are toothless and stoned to death because of adultery.

But in the time of Jesus, God has emphasized the importance of being considerate and He showed it to us by Jesus’ example.

He acted on it by giving His very own life to demonstrate what mercy is.

Justice and Mercy

Have you been accused of something you did not do?

Because if you had, then you shall be asking for justice.

If someone accused you of something you are guilty of, they maybe you are crying for mercy.

Maybe only a few of us will cry for justice, but most of us surely plead for mercy.

Justice is a friend of the innocent and mercy is a friend of the guilty.

Justice, after all, is the dispensing of deserved punishment for our wrongdoing and mercy is the dispensing of pardon and compassion.

The two are incompatible and completely in opposition with each other yet they both work together for our salvation.

When you accused me of something I did not do, I need justice; but when I am accused and found guilty of an offense that I did, I plea for mercy.

When the woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery, the woman was outrightly found guilty of a sin that was punishable by death.

The people cry out for justice after stoning the woman to death.

Yet Jesus, who was merciful, did not condemn the woman but rather show His mercy to the people who wanted to impose the consequence of her sin.

All of us sinned before God as In Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”

And since we have all sinned, the wages of sin are death and eternal separation from God.

All of us deserve that kind of punishment and to demonstrate the justice of God.

Punishment is for those who sin against the Lord.

When the people of Nineveh committed sin to the Lord, the wrath of God is upon them. Justice was about to be served in forty days.

Yet the mercy of God was demonstrated when the people of Nineveh repented from their sins and the punishment was reverted.

The people were given a chance to start a new life and amend their ways, a chance to live free from their slavery to sins that anger God.

His Mercy and Grace

Mercy is deliverance from judgment while grace is extending kindness to the unworthy.

As a result of our sin, we all deserve death (Romans 6:23) and eternal judgment in the lake of fire (Rev 20:12-15).

With that, we live our lives daily in the Mercy of God. If God will give us what we deserve, we would all be destined for eternal condemnation.

King David cries out in Psalm 51:1-2 “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love, according to your great compassion blot out my transgression. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from all my sins”

When Christ died for us on the cross, He showed us His unfailing mercy and love, with His compassion, he blot all our transgression and cleanse us from all our sins.

When we accept Christ as our Savior, we receive mercy from God and we are delivered from judgment. Instead of judgment, we receive the grace of salvation and the forgiveness of our sins, and eternity in heaven with Him.

By His Mercy, We Walk Free

When we go to heaven, we don’t ask for justice because all of us are guilty of sins. We come and knock on the door of heaven asking for mercy.

When all the people who were about to impose the judgment on the woman, one by one left the center of the court.

Jesus never say any words of judgment or condemnation but the word that came out from Him “ Did no one condemn you?” I do not condemn you either. Go. From now on, sin no more.”(John 8:10-11)

By his love and mercy, he brought our sin on the cross so that we might live free.

He became the sacrificial lamb, He became our replacement.

He paid it by His life so that we may have life.

He paid the price in full and redeemed us so that by his death, we receive the prize of eternity.

So that by His sacrifice, we may enjoy the prize of living in liberty.

By His act of redemption, we may enjoy the prize of salvation.

Jesus never condemned anyone of us for our wrongdoing. Because he wanted us to start a new chapter of our life being free.

Free from the slavery of sins.

Free from the guilt of sins.

Free from the anxiety of life.

There is no freedom such as undeserved freedom…

That is why we have to GO and SIN NO MORE….

GIVE WHAT YOU RECEIVED

Mt 18:21-35 is a parable story of a king who gave mercy to his slave who cannot repay him. The King decided to sell the family of the slave so that he could take back his money.

But the slave fell to the ground and asks for mercy. The Master re-consider his plea and has compassion for him. All of his debts were forgiven.

Enjoying the grace he received from the Master, one day he found his fellow slave who owed him but fellow slave kneel before him and asked for his patience.

But instead, he was unwilling and threw him into prison.

When the Master of the slaves knew what had happened, he was furious and told the slave “Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way, I had mercy on you?”

And the Master handed him over for torture until the slaves repay all that he owed to him.

We have to be merciful like the Father.

We have to give to others what we received.

We have to pardon the way we are pardoned.

To forgive is how we are forgiven.

WALKING IN LIBERTY

When we receive a word that we escape even when we are guilty, when we realize that we are forgiven for all the stupid things we did in the past…we know no one can touch us.

N0 one can condemn us.

And when we know that God pardoned us for all the stupid and wicked things we did in the past, who can stop us from dancing.

Who can stop us from celebrating the new opportunity we have.

When the prodigal son returned, the father asked his men to prepare a feast and celebrate.

Truly that the mercy of the Lord endures forever!!

Treasure every moment that we live in liberty,

Mikesendon