|
"God’s GRACE, MERCY and PEACE"
Introduction: There are times in the ministry during which the saints of God need to be refreshed in soul. Therefore, today we are going to engage in little Bible study that I trust will not only be a blessing to you, but to me as well.
Besides the Lord Jesus Christ, three men in the New Testament stand out like the pyramids above all others mentioned. For the most part, I believe we would agree that Peter, Paul and John are those three men. So what was so unique about these men?
In the book of Acts three men permeate its pages:
Peter and John in the early chapters;
Peter and Paul in the middle chapters; and
Paul stood out by himself in the later chapters.
There is something else unique about these three men. In their writings, they spoke about three words: GRACE, MERCY AND PEACE. Sometimes they would combine all three words and at other times they would use only the words GRACE and PEACE.
For example, in I Corinthians 1:3, Paul said, "Grace be unto you, and peace from God, our father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ." Paul used these same words in the opening verses of II Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians. All these books were written to churches.
However, in the books he wrote to preachers, I & II Timothy and Titus, Paul added the word MERCY to GRACE andPEACE. In these books, as we see in I Timothy 1:2, Paul wrote, "Grace, mercy and peace be unto you." To the churches Paul wrote "Grace and Peace," but to the individuals Paul wrote, "Grace, Mercy and Peace." It appears that individuals, not the churches, needed the MERCY.
Now when we come to the Apostle John, it appears that He used these three words together only one time in II John verse 3 where he writes "Grace be with you, Mercy and Peace from God, the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ…"
Finally, while looking at the writings of the Apostle Peter, He speaks of these three words, but not all together in one place.
In I Peter 1:3 we read "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His Mercy…"
In II Peter 1:2 we read "Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus, our Lord."
Now, what does this frequent repetition of “GRACE, PEACE and MERCY” mean?
MERCY is God’s “DIVINE RELIEF” through theprovision of a Saviour for sinful mankind.
GRACE is God’s “DIVINE GIFT” at Christ’s expense given to mankind without any strings attached.
PEACE is God’s “DIVINE COMFORT.” Praise God that in this world of tumult and heartache filled with sorrow and uncertainty we can have peace in our soul.
We can have PEACE WITH GOD as we read in Romans 5:1, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."
We can have the PEACE OF GOD as we read in Philippians 4:7, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
There is no peace apart from God, who is the author of peace. It is He who will keep us in perfect peace if our mind is stayed on Jesus. There is much more to be said about “Peace.” But for the sake of this message, let’s concentrate on “GRACE and MERCY.”
I. Peter, Paul and John spoke of GRACE. There is no subject in the Bible as great as the grace of God. The very simplest definition of this beautiful attribute of God is “His unmerited favor toward us.” Even in His grace God invites us to come to Him. Hebrews 4:16 tells us, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of GRACE, that we may obtain MERCY, and find GRACE to help in time of need.”
There is an uniqueness common to all three men, in that each completed his ministry with words regarding GRACE.
Paul spent his last years in Rome and there died a martyr death around 65 AD. Just before He died he wrote in II Timothy 4:22 "The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy Spirit. Grace be with you. Amen."
Peter spent his last years in Babylon and he too was martyred around 80 AD. Peter looked back over his life and said in the closing words of II Peter 3:18, "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."
John the beloved apostle spent his last days on the Isle of Patmos and died in Ephesus around 95 AD. Think of all he had seen in the glories of the revelation that God showed him. John had written FIVE New Testament books; the Gospel of John, I, II, and III John and the Revelation of Jesus Christ. After writing all five books, John closed his writings by simply saying in Revelation 22:21, "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all."
It is interesting to note that in spite of
The variety of their ministries,
The location of their ministries, and
The length of time between their deaths,
Each finished his writings by saying something about grace. Even though each spoke of grace; each showed a different aspect of this work of grace.
A. When Paul spoke of GRACE, he mentioned the Grace of God in Salvation. Paul emphasized "GRACE SAVES YOU."
Titus 2:14 "… The grace of God which bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men."
Ephesians 2:8, "For by grace are you saved through faith…"
Over and over Paul mentions the grace of God in salvation.
Nobody is saved because of what they do, for by grace are we saved.
Nobody is saved by belonging to a church, or being baptized, or
By participating in the Lord’s Supper, for by grace are we saved.
Nobody gets to heaven because they help their neighbor, turn over a new leaf, or are good in many ways, for by grace are we saved.
Paul in his dying words said, "Grace is what brings salvation to all men." I believe His favorite stanza to the hymn "Amazing Grace" would have been the first one,
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
B. When Peter spoke of GRACE, he mentioned the Grace of God in suffering and trials. Peter emphasized"GRACE KEEPS YOU." When Peter came to write his last verse found in I Peter 3:18, he did not speak about the grace of salvation. Rather, Peter said, "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." You see, Peter wrote to people who were suffering for Jesus. He was writing to people with trials, people with burdens, people who were facing death, as it were, for their stand for the Gospel. Peter is saying that “this grace will take you through trials."
Peter looked down and saw you facing surgery and the pain of it. Peter saw you at the cemetery looking at the casket containing the remains of your loved one for the last time.
Peter looked down and saw some of you burdened with heartaches and heavy loads to carry.
Peter saw those of you who are facing the sunset years of life with pain, doubts, wonder, apprehension and fears.
Peter looked down the corridor of time and saw the persecution of believers around the world suffering for their faith in the Jesus Christ.
Now just as Paul would say, "Don’t forget, you are saved by grace," Peter said, "Don’t forget, you are kept through trial and sorrow by grace also."
I believe Peter’s favorite stanza of the hymn "Amazing Grace" written by John Newton, who in life endured many trials, would have been:
Thro’ many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come:
Tis grace hath bro’t me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
C. When John spoke of GRACE, he mentioned the Grace of God in the future glorification of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. John did not look back to salvation as did Paul. Nor did he look in front of him to inevitable trials as did Peter. John looked into the future and saw the glories of God’s heaven. JOHN emphasized "GRACE WILL TAKE YOU HOME."
He saw the second coming of Christ, the rapture of the church, the resurrection of the body, the millennium, and the new Jerusalem and said, "Grace will take you through them too. Grace will be there when you die."
I believe, John’s favorite stanza of the hymn "Amazing Grace" would have been:
"When we’ve been there ten thousands years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we first begun."
Each of these three spoke about GRACE.
It was Paul who mentioned the Grace of God in Salvation, GRACE WILL SAVE YOU.
It was Peter who mentioned the Grace of God in suffering and trials, GRACE WILL KEEP YOU.
It was John who mentioned the grace of God in the future, GRACE WILL TAKE YOU HOME.
II. Peter, Paul and John spoke of MERCY. Each of these writers also spoke of Mercy.
Paul did in I & II Timothy and Titus. For example in I Timothy 1:2, Paul wrote "Grace, mercy and peace be unto you from God the Father and Jesus Christ our Lord."
Peter did in I Peter 1:3 where he wrote, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His Mercy…"
John did in II John verse 3 where he wrote, "Grace be with you, Mercy and Peace from God, the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ…"
Mercy is God’s compassion for the sinner, in not giving us what we deserve. Mercy means:
to be gracious,
to show kindness,
to have pity in action.
Mercy is God’s DIVINE RELIEF. In Micah 7:18 we read, “who is a God like thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not His anger forever, because he delighted in MERCY.”
A young man had committed a misdemeanor and was appearing before a judge for the first time. He was fidgety and nervous. The judge, in an effort to settle him down, said, "Son, don’t be nervous. I’ll see that you get justice." The young man nervously replied, "Yes, sir, Mr. Judge. That’s what I’m afraid of, but please, could you throw in a little mercy on the side?"
In the shepherd’s Psalm 23 verse 6 we read, "Surely goodness and MERCY shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
In Psalms 57:9-10 we read, "I will praise thee, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing unto thee among the nations. For thy MERCY is great unto the heavens…"
In Psalm 89:1-2 we read, “I will sing of the MERCIES of the Lord forever: With my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations. For I have said, Mercy shall be built up forever…”
Would you please turn with me to Psalm 136 where we find in these verses 26 times the phrase, "For His MERCY endureth forever." Follow me as I read verses 1-9 and verses 23-26. The words "Endureth forever" means nothing can stop His MERCY.
In Lamentations 3:22, 23 we read, "It is because of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassion’s fail not. They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness." Praise God for His MERCY and not his JUSTICE.
In I Chronicles 16:41 we read, "His mercy endureth forever." For years the Ark of the Covenant had been removed from Israel. Now it was being returned to Jerusalem. And when it arrived, they shouted, “His mercy endureth forever."
In II Chronicles 5:13 Solomon has finished building the Temple. It is time to dedicate it. The Ark of the Covenant is brought in, singers begin to sing, instruments begin to play, and when the king stands to pray the dedicatory prayer, he says, "His mercy endureth forever." God blessed them by giving the SHEKINAH glory in the Holy of Holies.
When we recall our past blessings, the present and future possibilities, and the faithfulness of God in this ministry, I believe every one of us ought to stand up and exclaim, "Blessed be God! His mercy endureth forever." God hath done great things, has He not? I know we are not shouting Pentecostal’s, but we could be SHOUTING BELIEVERS!
When a Hymn of praise is sung by the congregation or a special number blesses your heart, there is nothing wrong with saying "Praise God! His mercy endureth forever."
When something in a message blesses your heart or strikes a cord in agreement, there is nothing wrong with saying, "Praise the Lord! His mercy endureth forever."
When someone’s testimony blesses you, there is nothing wrong with saying, "Glory to God! His mercy endureth forever."
When God answers a prayer and by it your soul is blessed, there is nothing wrong with saying as we lift up our praise, "Glory to God! His mercy endureth forever."
In Ezra 3:1 we again find, "His mercy endureth forever." The temple had been destroyed; the Israelites had been led away into captivity to Babylon. For 70 homesick, lonely years they lived away from home. The Israelites sat down and wept by the river Chebar in Babylon. They would not play their harps, nor sing the psalms of joy
One day God burdened Zerubbabel to return to Israel and rebuild the Temple. God’s people came away from their captivity and laid the foundation for the rebuilding of God’s house. The people were happy. The Bible says the singers sang, and shouted, "His mercy endureth forever."
Stop and think how sinful you were this past week.
Stop and think of the wrong attitudes you have had this week.
Stop and remember the things you have done that you should not have done this past week.
Yet your dear Lord looks down from Heaven and "His mercy endureth forever."
Psalm 106:1 tells us, "His mercy endureth for ever."
Psalm 107:1 tells us, "His mercy endureth for ever."
Psalm 118:1 tells us, "His mercy endureth for ever."
In theses psalms David remembers the blessings of the past, as he does in Psalm 136 over and over again, for "His mercy endureth for ever." Praise the Lord!
That God put us with people l the blessings of the past ike us. "His mercy endureth for ever."
That God uses people like us."His mercy endureth for ever."
That God forgives people like us. "His mercy endureth for ever."
That God loves people like us, "His mercy endureth for ever."
When young people become adults, "the mercy of the Lord endureth for ever."
When middle age people move toward the senior years, "the mercy
of the Lord will still endure for ever."
You dear people in your 70′s, and 80′s, when most of life is over and you wonder about death and what it is like, "the mercy of the Lord will still endure."
When you walk in the valley of trials, "His mercy endureth for ever."
When your body is eaten up with cancer, "His mercy endureth for ever."
When you walk in the path of much illness, "His mercy endureth for ever."
When you cross the great divide into the presence of the Lord, "His mercy endureth for ever."
No matter what happens, God’s mercy is there and will always be there.
It may be that God will allow pressures to come in your life, "His mercy endureth for ever."
It may be that you will go into the depth of sin, "His mercy endureth for ever."
If you can see, or if you can’t see, "His mercy endureth for ever."
If you can hear, or if you can’t hear, "His mercy endureth for ever."
If you can walk, or if you can’t walk, "His mercy endureth for ever."
When dictators have waged their wicked battles for the last time, "His mercy endureth for ever."
When the sun refuses to shine and the moon has tuned as black as sackcloth of hair, "His mercy endureth for ever."
When the shoulders shall stoop; brows wrinkle, and faces become furrowed, "His mercy endureth for ever."
When all of us awake in His likeness to live forever around His throne, "His mercy endureth for ever."
In Ephesians 2:4 we read, "God, who is rich in mercy…" His mercy reaches out to all of us in this service. BLESSED BE GOD! HIS MERCY ENDURETH FOREVER! The song writer proclaimed in that beloved hymn,
O for a thousand tongues to sing, My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King, the triumphs of His GRACE.
Hear Him, ye deaf; His praise, ye dumb, Your loosened tongues employ;
Ye blind, behold your Saviour come: And leap, ye lame, for joy.
As we close this service, we do so with one of Fanny Crosby’s hymns of praise, “Be Thou Exalted”
Be Thou exalted, for ever and ever,
God of eternity, The Ancient of days!
Wondrous in Majesty, so mighty in wisdom,
perfect in holiness, and worthy of praise.
Be Thou exalted, O Son of the Highest
Gracious Redeemer Our Saviour and King!
One with the Father, co-equal in glory,
Here at Thy foot -stool our homage we bring.
Be Thou exalted, O Spirit eternal!
Dwell in our hearts, keep us Holy within;
Feed us each day with Thy Heavenly Manna,
“Healer of wounded hearts” Thy praise we sing.
Be thou exalted by seraphs and angels,
Be thou exalted with harp and with song;
Saints in their anthems of rapture adore thee,
Thine be the glory forever Amen!
********************************************************************************
If God has spoken to your heart after reading the sermon on "God’s GRACE, MERCY and PEACE," then right now talk to God about what He has spoken to you.
Do you have the assurance that one day you will go to heaven? If you have no assurance that you know Jesus Christ, then I trust you will decide to accept Him as your personal Savior. The Bible tells us in
Acts 16:31, “…Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…”
Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
This prayer is here for those who need to ask Jesus to be their personal Savior: “I do want to go to Heaven. I know I am a sinner, and I do believe Jesus Christ died for me. I realize I cannot buy this great salvation, nor can I earn it. Knowing Jesus died on the cross and arose from the grave to pay my sin debt and to purchase my salvation, I do now trust Him as my Savior, and from this moment on I am completely depending on Him for my salvation.”
If you made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior let me know? Please send an e-mail to, pdmikBBM@aol.com and I will send you some literature that will help you in your Christian life.
The “Weekly SERMON” was sent as a ministry of Bible Baptist Ministry, 48 Alexie Rd., Hanover Township, PA 18706. Privacy policy: your e-mail address will not be sold, or shared with any third party.
Copy write permission: Because the “Weekly SERMONS” will be reproduced into other formats, PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THE FOLLOWING: The “Weekly SERMON” in it’s original form, without any changes, may be copied and re-transmitted by electronic mail, and copies may be printed for individual or ministry purposes, provided that such copying, re-transmission, printing, or other use is not for profit or other commercial purpose. Any copying, re-transmission, distribution, printing, or other use of the “Weekly SERMON” must set forth in full the heading that is given before each “Weekly SERMON.” Any other request for use, please contact Bible Baptist Ministries at pdmikBBM@aol.com or by phone at 570.829.5216.