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“...According
to His Great Mercy”
1 Peter 1:3-5, Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to
be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from
the dead, (4) to [obtain] an inheritance [which is] imperishable and undefiled and
will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, (5) who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation
ready to be revealed in the last time.
God is a God of Mercy:
2 Cor.
1:3, Blessed [be] the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of
mercies and God of all comfort;
Eph. 2:4-5, But God,
being rich in mercy, because
of His great love with which He loved us, (5) even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together
with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
James 5:10-11, As an example,
brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of
the Lord. (11) Behold, we count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the
endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord's dealings,
that the Lord is full of compassion and [is]
merciful.
Man is Saved by
God’s Mercy:
Titus 3:4-7, But when
the kindness of God our Savior and [His] love for mankind appeared, (5) He
saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by
the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, (6) whom He poured out upon us richly through
Jesus Christ our Savior, (7) that
being justified by His grace we might be made heirs according to [the] hope of
eternal life.
(In our opening text) 1 Pet 1:3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who according to His
great mercy has caused us to
be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead,
1 Tim. 1:12-16, I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has
strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service;
(13) even though I was formerly a
blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. And yet I was shown mercy, because I acted ignorantly in
unbelief; (14) and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant,
with the faith and love which are [found] in Christ Jesus. (15) It is a
trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am
foremost [of all.] (16) And
yet for this reason I found mercy, in order that in me as the foremost, Jesus
Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience, as an example for those who
would believe in Him for eternal life.
Rom. 11:30-33, For just
as you once were disobedient to God, but
now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, (31) so these also now have been disobedient, in order
that because of the mercy shown to
you they also may now be shown mercy. (32) For God
has shut up all in disobedience that He
might show mercy to all. (33) Oh, the depth of
the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His
judgments and unfathomable His ways!
Mercy Does NOT Annul Obedience:
Luke 1:49-50, "For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name. (50) AND HIS MERCY IS UPON GENERATION AFTER
GENERATION TOWARD THOSE WHO FEAR HIM.
Luke 18:13 "But the tax-gatherer, standing some
distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was
beating his breast, saying, 'God, be
merciful to me, the sinner!'
1 Peter 1:3,
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who according to His great
mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
WHO IS IT THAT IS “BORN AGAIN TO A
LIVING HOPE?”
1 Peter 1:22-23, Since
you have in obedience to the truth
purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one
another from the heart, (23) for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable,
[that is,] through the living and abiding word of God.
Mercy is to Be
Sought:
Hebrews 4:14-16, Since
then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the
Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. (15) For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our
weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as [we are, yet] without
sin. (16) Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and
may find grace to help in time of need.
Jude 21,
keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our
Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.
Christians are to Be
Merciful:
Matthew 5:7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”
Matthew
James
Luke 10:36-37, "Which of these
three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the
robbers' [hands?]" (37) And he
said, "The one who showed mercy
toward him." And Jesus said to him, "Go
and do the same."
Mercy Won’t Always Be Available:
Heb 10:23-31, Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who
promised is faithful; (24) and let us
consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, (25) not forsaking our own assembling together,
as is the habit of some, but encouraging [one another]; and all the more, as
you see the day drawing near. (26) For if we go on sinning willfully after
receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for
sins, (27) but a certain terrifying
expectation of judgment, and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES.
(28) Anyone who has set aside the Law of
Moses dies without mercy on [the testimony of] two or three witnesses. (29)
How much severer punishment do you think
he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as
unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? (30)
For
we know Him who said, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY." And again,
"THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE." (31) It is a terrifying thing to fall
into the hands of the living God.
2 Thessalonians 1:5-10, [This is] a plain indication of God's
righteous judgment so that you may be considered worthy of the