God’s way - Mercy not
Judgement.
Rev. Peter Tuchyna
Matt. 9:23; Matt. 5:7; Matt. 23:23
Attitude.
Today,
we can purchase almost anything for money. We are accustomed to trade
to deal and to bargain in every step of our lives and involvement.
We
bargain for salary, wages. We bargain for our time, for favour, for
acceptance, for the price when we sell, …for another price when we
buy. We bargain when we need to pay, when we need to do something we
do not want to do, when we want to do something and we are prohibited
and so on.
Our
entire lives are surrounded with our daily experience to buy and to
negotiate to obtain service. When we pay, we expect first class
service even when we have paid a second-class price.
This
attitude and expectation may very easily creep into our relationship
with the Lord Jesus and His church if we would let it go unchecked.
It
is of paramount importance to understand the meaning of sacrifice in
order to align our lives, involvement and expectation into their
proper perspectives, living for the pleasure of the Lord Jesus.
Sacrifice:
was
introduced by the Lord in the Old Testament as the measure of His
grace and mercy. Man as an individual or entire nation failed to
comply with God’s expectation to fulfil and to keep the law,
lifestyle, service and relationship between Him and man and also
between man and man.
As
a result of transgression against the law, God’s judgement was
pending upon the transgressor. God had no other option than to punish
the transgressor since He is a Holy God and a just God.
The
Word of God reveals to us that God has no pleasure in judgement or
death of unrighteous man. Rather, that a man would repent, turn away
from such a lifestyle and do well. Since the law must not be broken
or overlooked, God introduced to man a sacrifice. It
means, that someone else will suffer on behalf of the transgressor
that the law may be fulfilled and mercy may be administered to the
transgressor who is of a repentant heart.
God
sacrificed His only begotten son, who is the image and the Glory of
God and thus paying the price for the transgression of entire
mankind.
In
the Old and New Testament are recorded many stories of sacrifices
required by God and brought unto Him.
When
we understand the purpose of sacrifice, that the sacrifice is a
substitute for our own personal transgression and punishment and
judgment, we do not expect expression of thanks for bringing the
sacrifice.
We
are thankful, we are grateful, we are remorseful, and we are the
benefactors from such a sacrifice, even if the sacrifice was
administered by us.
Thus
by bringing our own personal sacrifice we cannot buy God’s service,
His favour, or make Him obliged towards us in any way. The sacrifice
itself is a blessing for us, that God made provision for us to live.
As
the result of our own inability to be righteous on our own merit and
recognition of God’s mercy, our personal experience should lead us
to humility and compassion towards others who are also unable to be
righteous on their own merit.
This is a point the Lord Jesus was presenting to the Pharisees, Sadducees and Scribes who elevated themselves in their own eyes and among the people, that by observing certain visible portions of the Old Testament laws, they considered themselves holy, righteous and pleasing to the Lord.
They
became arrogant, cynical, and insensitive, without compassion, mercy,
love and proper judgment of righteousness.
They
had an attitude problem, and our generation is no exception!
Attitude:
is
described as the way a person views something or tends to behave
towards it, often in an evaluative way.
-
Is
the position of the body indicating mood or emotion -
Is
an approach -
Frame
of mind -
Mood,
opinion, outlook
Since
sacrifice, compassion, mercy cannot be purchased but is an attribute,
God is appealing to His church, to His every disciple to posses and
to act in this way rather than to rely on expected order.
We
are forgiven because of God’s mercy. We are saved because of God’s
mercy.
We
are blessed because of God’s mercy. We are
protected…healed…received the eternal life because of God’s
mercy.
There
is nothing in us that deserves God’s presence, attention and
blessings. Therefore God also expects from us and commands us to be
merciful towards others. To show compassion, show love, show
interest, expecting nothing in return.
By
this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, when you have love
one for another. Where there is a love there is every other attribute
of God, for God is love!
Rom.
8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the
manifestation of the sons of God.
There
is a cry in the hearts of people in the world for genuine love,
genuine friendship, genuine help and mercy.
It
is high time to be consistent every day. It is not good enough just
to have good intentions. Somebody said that the road to hell is paved
with good intentions.
Blessed
are those who would die for Jesus’ namesake or the Gospel’s sake.
It is better to be consumed as the burning candle in the ministry to
lost souls than to be pampered, spoiled and go to hell.
May
the Holy Spirit bring greater conviction into our hearts that we will
know no other desire than to be consumed in His presence serving
Jesus.
If
this is what you want to do right now ask Jesus to take a fresh
possession of your soul, heart, mind, body, desires, motives,
attitudes, talents, abilities, finances – your entire life.
If
you do not mean it do not ask. For surely, when you will give
yourself wholly into the service of God, His presence will be with
you in a measure you never experienced before. His anointing will
fall upon you as the mantel upon the shoulders of Elias.
But
Jesus will also lead you through the valley of death that you may
minister and to be a witness to somebody who is there and cannot come
back.
What
are you willing to bring upon the altar of God? Tithe and offering of
goods only? Or this combined with mercy, love, compassion, and
self-denial serving the Lord through the lives of others.
