Harris Temple Outreach Ministry

Pastor, Supt. W.K. Ellison

July, 2009

God’s Manifold Mercies

But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quicken us together with Christ, by grace ye were saved. (Ephesians 2:4-5)

When we think about God’s mercy, it’s so plentiful until we can’t imagine to what extent it reaches. It has many forms, features, and parts. The word manifold pictures God’s wisdom as much varied, with many shades, tints, hues, and colorful expressions. As a God of variety, He is still entering the human arena displaying many sided, multicolored mercies to His people.

Mercy implies a kindness or forbearance, as in punishing offenders, and sympathy to those in distress. Mercy is also translated “loving kindness, unfailing love, or steadfast covenant love,” and is similar to the New Testament word “grace.” Most of us are familiar with the word grace as “the unmerited favor of God.” For it is by grace that we are saved, through faith. This does not depend on anything we have achieved, it is the free gift of God, and because it is not earned no one can boast about it.

Let’s take a look at some of the shades and colorful expressions of God’s mercies. In John 8:1-11, we find the scribes and Pharisees—(the religious people), brings a woman to Jesus taken in adultery. The first thing they done were quote the law and wanted her to be stoned to death. I have often wondered where was the man, since it takes two to commit adultery. Jesus with a heart of compassion stooped down and began to write on the ground. He lifted Himself up and spoke these words: “He that is without sin among you, let him cast a stone at her.” Again He stooped down and began to write, being convicted by their own conscience they went out one by one.

When Jesus lifted Himself up again He saw only the woman. He said, woman where are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee? She said no man. Jesus said neither do I condemn thee: go and sin no more.

Grace, mercy, forgiveness, compassion, blessings, love, kindness are all personified in our Lord Jesus Christ. Our God has manifold mercies. Before Him, we are all like the woman caught in adultery; we all have sinned. We stand accused.

But God does not condemn us to death under the law. He extends His unmerited, special favor to us. His grace is even more precious because it is free to us, but supremely costly to Him. Jesus paid the price so that we can be delivered from the power of sin.

(Hebrews 4:16) Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. No matter how bad things seem to be in our life, circumstances, problems, or whatever the need might be; we can come boldly, without reservation, with frankness, and with full open speech to the throne of grace, that we might obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Another colorful picture of God’s mercy is found in John 5:1-9. In Jerusalem there was a sheep pool called Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, and withered, waiting for the moving of the water. At a certain season an angel would come down and trouble the water. Whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.

What a depressing scene to the eyes, but on the inside these people had hoped that they would be next in line. The sad thing was they were trying to box God in a one way of deliverance. So many times we are guilty of the same thing. The point I’m trying so hard to convey is God has manifold ways of giving us His mercy.

A certain man was there, which had an infirmity for thirty eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case: He saith unto Him, will thou be made whole? I know sometime it seems like the same old problem we’ve had for a long time will never change. Don’t give up Jesus see us. He’s asking the same question today, will thou be made whole?

Look like this man would have immediately said yes: instead he began to make excuses, because his mentality hadn’t changed from stepping into the pool to a right now deliverance. To receive God’s manifold mercies, we must lose sight on the now circumstances and look to the what’s about to take place circumstances. Things are about to do a complete turn around.

Jesus said to the man, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. Immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked. At the command of Jesus, the man obeyed and was made whole.

Too long some of us have lain at the pool of Bethesda, which literally means “place of outpouring” or “House of Grace.” Sounds like a good place to be. But God is calling us to a higher level of faith. Stop relying on the moving of the water and take up our bed and walk. It’s action time. The bed that the man lay on had him bound. He depended on the wrong source of comfort.

Sometime the thing we depend on for support is the thing that has us bound. We have to rise up from our comfort zone, pick it up and walk. In taking it up puts us in authority.

Earlier we talked about grace as God’s unmerited favor, now I want to talk about “Great Grace.” (Acts 4:33) And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.

Great Grace as used in this passage of scripture refers to operations of the power of God. Just as God in mercy saves us by His grace, that grace is also manifested in great dynamic where the Holy Spirit is at work in power. Speaking grace to obstacles we face is an action of faith, drawing on the operations of God’s great power. We only speak: the work is entirely done by God’s gracious power and for His glory.

As we call upon the name of the Lord, speaking His grace into the face of our mountainous impossibilities, we have every reason to expect “Great Power” and “Great Grace”; it’s action time.