Let's Work on Showing Mercy

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy" (Matthew 5:7). The Roman world did not admire mercy. The philosophers called mercy "A disease of the soul." Something to be abhorred if you expected to be a success. Slaves were treated like pieces of used furniture. If a woman gave birth to a daughter or a sickly son, the father could reject the child and have it destroyed. A temperamental master could in a fit of anger maim or kill a slave. The best enemy was a dead enemy. Jesus Christ taught and practiced mercy. Instead of being a sickness of the soul, mercy is the health of our Christian experience. Our world today is not too far removed spiritually from the Roman world in which Jesus gave the beatitudes. People are still treated like things, power is the supreme deity and success is the most important thing in life. I trust you will benefit by this study of mercy. First, God has two kinds of attributes. Absolute and relative. Absolute describes what God is like in Himself. God is truth, meaning He cannot lie. God is Holy, meaning he cannot sin. God's relative attributes relate to man. Trust becomes faithfulness. "Great is Your faithfulness."Holiness becomes justice. Justice demands punishment for sin. Love becomes grace and mercy. Mercy is a spiritual bridge that God has built so He can relate to us and a bridge we must build if we are going to relate lovingly to others. Mercy pities and grace pardons. There are several factors involved in the experience of mercy. It begins with pain. Somebody hurts us unjustly and we must respond to this hurt. If we have the power to retaliate, then we must decide what to do. You cannot show mercy unless you have the power to hurt. Suppose the person deserves to be hurt? We feel we must teach them a lesson. At this point love enters the picture, not to conceal truth but to control it. When we show mercy, we do not give the offender what he deserves. This act demands faith. We must leave the offender and his offense in the hands of God. "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves" (Romans 12:19). What is the result of this painful experience? Growth! We share in the fellowship of Christ's sufferings and become more like Him. We do suffer because of an other's sin, but we choose to use our power for growth instead of retaliation. When we show mercy we are practicing one of the attributes of God. This beatitude begins with a right attitude towards myself, I am to be poor in spirit. The next step is a right attitude towards God's Word, "Blessed are the meek." This creates in me a desire for God's righteousness. When we by faith receive the righteousness of God, we then begin to be like God. "Blessed are the Merciful." Second, the best way to understand mercy is to see it in action. The first example is Abraham's courageous rescue of his nephew Lot. You probably remember Lot had no business being in Sodom. Remember he pitched his tent toward Sodom. Look at a sinful place long enough and it becomes attractive. Sodom was attacked by the enemy kings, and Lot and his family were taken captive. Have you noticed when you sin you usually take someone with you. When Abraham heard about it he went to battle in order to rescue Lot. This was an act of mercy. Abraham had given Lot first choice of the land. Lot had been the foolish one. Why rescue him? Because it was the merciful thing to do. Lot had hurt Abraham and Abraham had the power to hurt Lot, but Abraham choose mercy (Even though Lot went right back to Sodom). Many a person rescued from sin, returns to become a slave again. Another example is Joseph. In Egypt the tables were turned. Joseph could have killed his brothers. He went off and wept and then came back and showed mercy. Joseph was not a prodigal son who yielded to the sins of the flesh or an elder brother who yielded to the sins of the spirit. Joseph was like Jesus Christ who prayed, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." The third example is David. Saul tired to kill David, David had been anointed king by Samuel. David knew that real power was in showing mercy. Don't bury the hatchet with the handle sticking out of the ground. David believed in the sovereignty of God, He knew God was in absolute control of every event in his life. Third, the greatest example is seen in our Lord Jesus Christ. The strength of Christ's mercy matched the intensity of the hate of His enemies. He did expose their sin. Mercy does not sweep sin under the rug. There is a counterfeit mercy. It goes like this "I am just as sinful as you are so I will show mercy to you because you show mercy to me." This is the equivalent of honor among thieves. False mercy has led some pastors to stop preaching against sin and compromise. God forgives us and shows us mercy on the basis of Christ's sacrifice, and we should show mercy to others on the same basis. Counterfeit mercy always inflates the ego of the believer, but true mercy humbles you and gives God the glory. Forth, you cannot extend mercy until you have received mercy. Mercy begins with salvation. Submission is required. David knew that it was not his privilege to exercise vengeance, so he left Saul in the hands of the God. Our Lord is the perfect Judge. The one who extends mercy suffers because he experiences the hurt caused by his enemy. The one receiving mercy suffers as he realizes what he has done and repents of his sin. This is seen in the woman who was taken in adultery. This shows there are several ways of dealing with sin. There is Moses way, the Law demanded death. Then there is man's way, the Pharisees exposed the sinner to accomplish their own selfish purposes. Christ said "He that is without sin among you, let him cast a stone at her." Then there is the Masters way. Jesus did not deny the fact of sin. But mercy and truth met together and she became a forgiven sinner. Think about what that cost Jesus, His own shed blood. There can be no mercy without suffering, no pardon without pain. Fifth, what does it mean to obtain mercy? The believer is surrounded by mercy. "Surely goodness and mercy have followed me all the days of my life." Jude 21 "Looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ." "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed." God responds to us on the basis of the condition of the heart. "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Does God Ever Give Up

Please read Romans 1:18-32. Hear ye! Hear ye! Court is now in session! Paul could have used those awesome words at this point in his letter, because Romans 1:18 is the door that leads us into God's courtroom. This picture Paul paints here is an ugly one. When I lived in North Minneapolis I avoided some neighborhoods. My avoiding them did not change nor eliminate them. God's description of this section does not teach evolution (that man started low and climbed high), but devolution, he started high and because of sin sank lower than the beasts. There are four stages that mark man's tragic devolution. First, intelligence. Human history began with man knowing God. Man was not a beast that worshiped idols, then evolved into a man worshiping one God. Human history is just the opposite. Man began knowing God, but turned away from the truth and rejected God. God revealed Himself to man through creation. From the world around him man knew that there was a God who had the wisdom to plan and the power to create. Man realized too, that this Creator was eternal, he knew of "His eternal power and Godhead". Innate human reason deducts that God could not have been created if He is the Creator. The word translated "Hold" can also be translated "Suppress, or hold down". Men knew the truth about God, but they did not allow this truth to work in their lives. The result was refusing the truth. They suppressed truth in order that they might live their own lives and not be convicted by God's truth. Finally, man so abandoned the truth that he became like a beast in his thinking and in his living. Second, ignorance. Man knew God, but did not want to know Him or honor Him as God. Man refused to give God the glory He deserves. Man was willing to use God's gifts, but he was not willing to worship and praise God for His gifts. The result was an empty mind and a darkened heart. Man the worshiper became man the philosopher. This empty wisdom only revealed his foolishness. Having held down God's truth and refusing to acknowledge God's glory, man was left without a god. Man is so constituted that he must worship something. This fact about man accounts for his propensity to idolatry. If he will not worship the true God, he will worship a false god, even if he has to manufacture it himself. Man then exchanged glory for shame, in-corruption for corruption and truth for lies. First on the list of false gods is man. This fulfilled Satan's purpose when he told Eve "You shall be as God" (Gen. 3:5). "glory to man in the highest." Instead of man being made in God's image man made gods in his own image, then worshiped birds, beasts and bugs. Third, indulgence. From idolatry to immorality is just one short step. If man is his own god, then he can do whatever he pleases and fulfill his desires without fear of judgment. We reach the climax of man's battle with God's truth when man exchanges the truth of God for "The lie". The lie is that man is his own god and should worship and serve himself. It was the lie that Satan used in the Garden to lead Eve into sin. Satan wants the worship that belongs only to God. The result of self deification is self indulgence. Here Paul mentions homosexuality. This is repeatedly condemned in Scripture. Paul characterizes it as "Vile and unnatural," Men and women were guilty. Because of sin "God gave them up." He abandoned sinful men to their lustful ways. Forth, impenitence. When man began to feel the tragic consequences of his sins, you would think he would repent and seek God, but just the opposite was true. Because he was abandoned by God, he could only become worse. Man did not want to retain God in his knowledge so God gave them over to a depraved mind. That is a mind that cannot form right judgments. They now abandoned themselves to sin. Paul names 24 specific sins, all with us today (Rom 1:29-30). But the worst is yet to come. Men not only committed these sins in open defiance of God, but encouraged others and applauded them when they sinned. How far man fell. He began glorifying God, and ended exchanging that glory for idols. He began knowing God, and ended refusing to keep the knowledge of God in his mind and heart. He began as the highest of God's creatures, made in the image of God and ended lower than the beasts. The verdict? "They are without excuse!" Dan Crawford, a missionary to Africa said "The heathen are sinning against a flood of light." There is a desperate need for us to carry the Gospel to all men, for this is the only way they can be saved. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Is Our God the Only God

“I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior. I have revealed and saved and proclaimed I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "that I am God” (Isaiah 43:11-12). I remember as a freshman in Bible College reading a critical, critique of the Christian faith by an ungodly individual. He said the Christ faith is "nothing more than a psychological crutch." My response was how dare he attack my God and my faith. Then it dawned on me, he had not experienced the power and grace of God that comes through the new birth. The above verse does bring to mind the question, Is belief in God something for the weak, a childish gullibility, a way of side stepping reality? From [Freud’s] perspective, God is merely a creation of the human mind, a projection emanating from human need and desire rather than a distinct reality or being that exists independently of the human mind. Freud’s notion of God acting as an idealized father figure for humans, providing a cushion from the harshness of the real world and a comforting friend in the midst of life’s troubles, reduces God to a human construct. Indeed, for Freud, God is made in humanity’s own image and is the “ultimate wish-fulfillment”; God does not actually exist but is merely the creation of humanity’s imagination and desire for a loving father figure. Can we as believers respond to this? Is God really able to be explained away so easily by one aspect of psychology? The answer is a resounding no. As the song writer stated "He lives, He lives, I know my Savior lives, for He lives within my heart." Our verses for today reminds us we are here as witnesses to "Declare the praises of him who has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light" (I Peter 2). Unlike the blind unbeliever we are recipients of God's blessings. We are the people who anticipate His mighty deliverance yet to come. How dare we remain silent? There is no place for discouragement or retreat in our lives. To be discouraged is to lack courage. No believer has the luxury of discouragement, for we are in a battle for truth. Jesus Christ is our Commander and Chief, and He won the battle for us back at Calvary. Thus we fight from victory, rather than for victory. The same God who made the corpse of Jesus our living Lord is the same God Who is mighty to save. Being a witness of the living God, ought to humble us. Jacob was humbled when God touched his thigh, he was renamed Israel and walked with a limp the rest of his life. We ought to beware of any Christian leader who does not walk with a limp. Sometimes God orders circumstances into our lives to develop humility and create greater dependence upon Him. It is because God works greater through weakness than strength. The truth is we can get humility voluntarily or involuntarily. Its much easier if we get it voluntarily. "God gives more grace to the humble" one way or the other we'll get it. For God commissions humble, trusting, witnesses to do His Kingdom work. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Corrected Vision

In speaking to the church at Laodicea the Lord informed them they were making Him sick and He was about ready to vomit them out of His mouth. His advice for them is "I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent" (Rev. 3:18-19) His solution is to buy three entities. They don't have to make a trip to the local mall to get these. There is only one market where these can be obtained, from Christ Himself. He counsels them to buy "Gold refined by fire." This is a biblical idiom for purifying ones life by removing sin (I Peter 1:6-9). Secondly, they are to purchase "White garments" so they may clothe themselves in Christ's righteousness. The third solution is to buy "Eye salve" from Him that they will apply to their eyes so they will be able to see divine realities (John 14:26). Our Lord calls upon them to be earnest and repent. This would be a decisive change of mind regarding their spiritual condition. This results in genuine confession of sin to God (I John 1:9) and a change in spiritual direction. A real change of heart and mind results in a change in our walk. Why isn't the church more effective in the world today? I don't believe the problem lies completely with with world. Part of the problem could be with us. Perhaps we need to repent of the mentality of tolerance and compromise. We need to rid ourselves of a "Don't disturb me, don't ask me to move out of my comfort zone attitude. When comfort drives our values we become a pathetic people. The Laodicean church was so "Luke warm" that Christ had been excluded from their fellowship. So He moved from the church in general and began to appeal to the individual believers on the inside of the church. He said "If anyone hears My voice and opens the door I will come into him and dine with him and he with Me" (Rev. 3:20). This is the promise of Christ's fellowship for any lukewarm believer who repents. Fellowship with Christ is priceless. `We have entered into an eternal relationship with a loving Savior. Nothing this world has to offer can compare to walking with the Lord. Henry Morrison was a missionary to Africa. One day he was coming home from Africa on a ship, which was also carrying President Theodore Roosevelt. President Roosevelt was returning from a pig hunting expedition. When the ship docked in New York, thousands of people were there to greet Roosevelt. But no one was there to greet Morrison. Henry Morrison had served the Lord for forty years in Africa. As he watched the crowds greet Theodore Roosevelt, he became dejected to think he had served the Lord all those years and yet no one was there to greet him. Morrison said that as he walked down the gangplank in a depressed mood, a voice whispered to him, “Henry, don’t worry. You’re not home yet.” Then he said he saw a vision of multiplied thousands of Africans standing at the gates of heaven, those who he had reached for Christ, applauding him as he entered heaven. If people are not recognizing you down here, if you are not getting applause right now, don’t worry. You are not home yet. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

The Destructive Power of Sin

Have you noticed how much damage sin does in your life. Sin always brings death and destruction. John tells us the evil one comes to "Kill, steal and destroy." Sin in ones life gives a person a feeling of hopelessness. Sin grieves the Holy Spirit, and brings grief to one's soul. Sin brings us into bondage. We live in a society that is saturated with sin. Dishonesty has become a way of life. Deception rules the day. However the believer has hope. “For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; it is he who will save us.”- Isaiah 33:22. God is our salvation, he is the One who will pull us out of our present distress, or give us grace to keep on keeping on as we go through the trial with Him at our side. The scripture tells us He is our Judge. He knows us perfectly. We are often misjudged by others but not by God. Thankfully God judged our sin in Christ at Calvary. He is our Lawgiver, He is the One who sets His standards before us and He fulfills his law through us, by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is our King, He is the One who rules in our hearts. He is the rightful ruler because He made us and He bought us by the blood of Christ. We belong to Him and He takes responsibility for us and for everything that happens in our lives. How can you experience the power of canceled sin, by running to Jesus. Cling to the cross, repent of your sins and renew fellowship with the Lord. He is never distant from His children, He is always much closer than you think, for He lives in your heart. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.