God Delights in Mercy5/18/2024 Micah 7:18 ~ "Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love." Have you ever noticed that the invented gods of mankind, all through the ages of our history, are petty, quick-tempered and merciless. The mentality of mankind is such that we are judgmental and unforgiving. And when we invent a deity of our own design, it always reflects our own character. Our very first act after having sinned against the Almighty God was to accuse those around us. God's response was to give us clothing to cover our shame. To know the depths of the mercy of God, you must understand the anger of God against sin. Psalm 7:11-12 states, "God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day. If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword; he has bent and readied his bow." The LORD God is righteous and He is angry every day at sin. He looks upon the unrepentant and prepares to go to war against him. Yet this same God, the only God, the Divine Judge who is Creator and has every right to condemn all mankind in our sins, has extended His mercy toward us. During the days of the prophet Micah, cruel and merciless behavior was the norm for the idolatrous worshipers of the false gods. And Micah begins our text today with a question: who is a God like you? And the answer is truly a simple one--there is no other God like the LORD. In fact, there is no other God at all. He is, and there is no other. But Micah looks upon the Holy One and sees in Him the gracious mercy of a pardoning King. God Almighty, who is angry at sin every day, is also the God of all compassion and will pardon the iniquity and pass over the transgression of His people. To illustrate this, the LORD had them fashion the Ark of the Covenant with the mercy seat on top (see Exodus 25:17). The Law of God within the ark was covered by the mercy seat above it. And does not James tell us that? "For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment" (James 2:13). Dear ones, have you need of God's mercy? Of course you have, and so do all those who live and breathe upon this earth. There is no one without sin, and there is not one person who has the means by which they can overcome their own sin. We all are in the desperate state of the condemned if we do not receive mercy from the Judge. Our text reminds us that God does not remain angry forever. However, His wrath is not satisfied merely with a pretense of remorse or a self-imposed standard of morality and virtue. It is only in the sacrifice of Christ Jesus where the anger of God is turned aside and His mercy showers down like rain. And those who come rushing to the Judge to seek His pardon must do so in the name of the LORD Jesus alone. But then, consider the final statement of our text for today: "he delights in steadfast love." The phrase "steadfast love" can also be translated as "mercy." God delights to show mercy! Consider the words of Ephesians 2:4-5, "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved." Our God is rich in mercy. Do not think that you come to a dry well or an empty streambed trying to drink from the shallows of some empty pool. There is more mercy in Christ than there is sin in you. And He who loves you, delights to show you mercy. There are only two types of people who will not rush to the fountain to drink of the mercy of Christ: those who think they do not need it and those who think they can cover their sins on their own. Remember, God has set his weapons against the unrepentant, and His anger against sin still remains upon those who refuse His grace. Hear the words of Isaiah 55:7, "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." If today you know yourself a sinner, then come to the LORD Jesus. He will abundantly pardon. In His Grace, Pastor Michael
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