Bible Study - God Is Merciful 1

Here are the notes for the Bible Study on "God Is Merciful 1".

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Chris

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (NKJV)


What are we believing for at the end of the day?  Really, we are believing in His infinite goodness to us.  We are believing that He SO loved the World.


Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, (NKJV)


Great, abundant grace, not limited grace only enough for us to make it into heaven.  SAVED = sozo = made whole. It has saved us, put us in a position that in the spirit realm is better than Adam in the Garden.


Psalm 103: 1 A Psalm Of David. Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: 3 Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, 4 Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, 5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (NKJV)


Don’t forget His benefits! This is the meaning of SAVED to David.  Same God, same goodness.  This is why David praised and danced with all his might.  He believed in God’s goodness.  Not He will anymore, but He has.  It is finished.  They are now in the past tense now that we are blessed with EVERY spiritual blessing in heavenly places.


Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? (NKJV)
Romans 8:37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NKJV)


Paul believed deeply in the goodness of God. We need to also.


Ephesians 3:19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (NKJV)


The most important thing to know is the love of Christ.


- Definition of Grace and Mercy
Grace – what you didn't deserve that you got
Mercy – what you really deserve that you didn't get!


- His Mercy was from the Beginning
Adam and Eve
Genesis 3:22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. (NKJV)


It was for mercy that God drove them out of Eden, that they might not eat of the tree of life and live forever in the fallen state!


Cain and Abel
Genesis 4:9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” 10 And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. 11 So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.” 13 And Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear! 14 Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.” 15 And the Lord said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him. 16 Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden. (NKJV)


Sin has consequences and they are not from the Lord. There are spiritual and natural laws on this earth. Cain’s understanding of God has already been corrupted by sin, and it drives him to want to be separated from God.  God was actually merciful to him.


-  God’s Infinite Mercy
Ephesians 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (NKJV)


We are seated in heavenly places with Christ, far above all principality and power, might and dominion, and all names here today and forever.


Ephesians 1:20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. (NKJV)


Even the psalmist noted that 


Psalm 100:5 For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations. (NKJV)


David for sure did.


Psalm 103:11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; 12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. (NKJV)


Psalm 103:17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting On those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children, (NKJV)


-  No More Law Keeping!
Deuteronomy 7:9 “Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments; (NKJV)


What happened to them if they didn't keep the commands?  The curse! Deuteronomy 28:15 to end.


What did Jesus say about the law?


Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. (NKJV)


He fulfilled the law and bore the curse on our behalf.


Galatians 3:13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (NKJV)


-  Our Response to Mercy


Come boldly to the throne of grace.


Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (NKJV)


When is a time of need? When we’ve blown it!  The very times we DON'T feel like coming to the Lord, that’s exactly when we should. The very times that we think He’s probably angry with us, we have to trust the Word of God BY FAITH that He loves us and is not angry with us.
THAT is called walking by faith – Faith in His goodness, faith in the Word that tells us that He is merciful and forgiven us of all our sins!

-  The Take Away
Know God – know Love – Know His Love
Get filled with His fullness
Know that He is full of mercy toward us
Know that He has redeemed us from the curses
Come to Him, don’t run from Him, no matter what