"Blessed Are The Merciful" by Randy Skeete

we thank you for loving us and for proving it by sending Christ we thank you de God for the conviction of your spirit the protection of your angels and the joy of fellowship one with another we have come to listen to your word and as father we're prepared to receive this message I pray that your spirit will prepare our hearts take possession of my mind their God my desire is to glorify you through this message help me to do that touch every listening heart I pray I ask you to grant a special blessing to our guests where the 'iframe when this service is over let all of us know that we have met with you in Jesus name I pray amen blessed are the merciful let's go to Genesis chapter 19 our theme for these two weeks is one with him whatever Christ is we want to be the only exception to that is we cannot be God but every other thing possible to a created being we want to be one with him Genesis 19 is the chapter in which two angels go down to Sodom Christ also went with them although he's not directly mentioned in that chapter but L white mentions him in the chapter destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in patriarchs and prophets and there in the house of Locke you know the story lot has made him a feast verse three in verse four before they lay down the men come to do whatever they wanted to do but why verse 15 the Bible says and when the morning arose then the angels hastened Lots saying arise take thy wife and thy two daughters which are here lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city the angel said lot get up take your wife take your children and get out before God sends destruction he mercifully sends a warning before God allow the Romans to destroy the city of Jerusalem between 66 and 7 da D he al he caused the Romans to withdraw mysteriously that allowed the Christians to leave the city those had accepted the words of Christ they took off from the city the hard-hearted stubborn Jews stayed the Romans came back and closed off all escape routes the angel stole lot take thy wife back to daughters which are here lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city if the Spirit of God is telling you get out of the city get out I'm not here to promote Country Living that's not the purpose I believe in it but that's not my purpose but I need to say if notice my words carefully if the Spirit of God has been convicted you convicting you to get out of the city then please obey that conviction and get out because God allows a door of Mercy to be open only so long and then he closes it verse 16 of Genesis 19 as we continue with the subject blessed that a merciful and while he lingered the men laid hold upon his hand and upon the hand of his wife and the handle of daughters read the next two words with me the Lord being wrought merciful unto him and they brought him forth and did one set him without the City what a beautiful verse how does verse 16 begin come on read it and while he lingered what's our subject blessed Adam should we bless God yes or no yes we must bless God and tonight I bless God for being merciful the angel said the night before arise take thy wife and thy two daughters which are here lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city and while he lingered is it the interesting to linger when God tells you to do something very dangerous but God is so merciful he is so unwilling that any should perish 2nd Peter chapter 3 verse 9 that when we linger God tries to stay with us insofar as his justice is not compromised and so while he lingered the men laid hold upon his hand and upon the hand of his wife and upon the hand of his daughter's picture it that's how badly God wants to save God new Locke's heart the Bible describes not as a righteous man God was not pulling the hand of some inveterate sinner that would be supporting sin he knew the law at the heart of lot and Lord needed some divine shoving and pushing a little bit and the angel laid hold on his hand on the hand of his wife the hand of his daughters and I want you to picture that as the Angels pulled them out of the city and there are some people when God tries to pull them out they pull their hands after God's hands it's leave me alone the Lord being merciful to him and they brought him forth and set him without the city verse 16 and he came to pass when they brought them forth abroad that he said escape for my life looked on behind thee neither said I when all the plain escape to the mountain lest thou be consumed now these are clear instructions he lingered the angel grabbed him pulled him out now the angel did not take him to the mountain god only does for us what we can't do for ourselves the angel had the power to take him to the mountain but the angel brought him out remember the angel brought Peter out unless him right at the gate outside the gate and then vanished Peter you've got legs in all the city find your way to where the believers if that's the way God functions I will do what I can do now you act on what I have done are you following me s care for my life look not behind the lighter stay thou in all the plain escape to the mountain lest thou be consumed and not said unto them verse 18 or not so my lord before now my servant hath found grace in thy sight and thou has magnified thy mercy with thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life a lot admits that and I cannot escape to the mountain lest some evil take me and I die now let's read verse 17 again what did the angel say 4:17 and he said escape for I life born look not behind thee go on neither stay thou in all the plain finish the verse escape to the mountain saw the angel said with whose authority was the angel speaking God's authority angels have no authority of their own so this is God's Commission to lock escape to the mountain and lot surrender then verse 18 or not so my lord that tells you how merciful God is God goes as far as he can our way until he comes to the point with N one more step and God would be guilty of wrongdoing but he tries you see God has told us in Romans 12:18 if it be possible as much as lieth in you live peaceably with all men now what God requires of us is the way God is if that's not the case he could not say let us make man how in our image God goes as far as he can to get along with people a lot said or not so my lord behold now thy servant have found grace in thy sight and thou has magnified thy mercy which thou has shewed unto me in saving my life and I cannot escape to the mountain lest some if the word evil means something unfortunate like an animal destroying him or falling into a pit or off a cliff or something some evil take me and I die be whole now verse 20 this city is near to flee unto and it is a little one all let me escape thither is it not a little one and my soul shall live now lot Sedna here's a city which was marked for destruction now the five cities got targeted for destruction were sodom gomorrah admah saboom and Baylor those were the cities of the plains Lord said Behold now this city is near to Villa was very close to Sodom and it is a little one oh let me ask it feather what did the angel tell not to go the mountain where did not want to go another City but I don't want to stress the hard the stubbornness of lot I want to stress how far God will go to save a man or a woman verse 21 and he said unto him see I have accepted the concerning this thing also that I will not do what overthrow this City finish it for the which thou has spoken now now Ellen White tells us in the chapter on the destruction of sodom and gomorrah page 161 this person was christ talking to lot the other angels had brought them out and went back to destroyed the city the person talking to lot at that point was Christ the life giver and she says in pitch accent prophets page 161 paragraph 1 after Christ said I have accepted Lea concerning this thing also verse 21 that I will not overthrow this city for the which thou has spoken she writes oh how great the mercy of God to his erring creatures what's our subject God is a merciful God the Bible also says God is no respecter of persons God goes as far as he can in every individual's life to save that person that's why no one who's lost will be able to say there was something else you could have done there is nothing else God could have done to say if any man or woman who is lost absolutely nothing and so he said see I have accepted Lee concerning this thing also but I will not overthrow this city for the which thou has spoken God going as far as possible let's go to John chapter 13 our subject blessed are the merciful john 13 we read from verse 18 this is a chapter of the last supper beautiful chapter john 18 reading from first John 13 sorry reading from verse 18 our subject is blessed are the merciful Jesus says I speak not of you all I know whom I have what chosen but that the scripture may be fulfilled he that eateth bread with me finish the verse hath lifted up his heel against me this is Christ referring to metha psalm 41 verse 9 where the betrayal of Christ is predicted by the way if you read psalm 41:9 yay mine own familiar friend in whom I trusted which did eat of my bread hath lifted up his heel against me in that verse the name of Judas is not mentioned judas chose to betray Christ please get this point clearly God never chooses a person to sin he chooses us to do what is right and so the name of Judas is not mentioned Judas took it upon himself now in Isaiah believe as 45 or 44 the name of Cyprus is mentioned before he was born because God chose him as a deliverer for Israel are you following me but God never calls a man or a woman to sin and so jesus said he that eateth bread with me first eighteen of John 13 have lifted up his heel against me and then he speaks in nineteen and twenty in verse 21 I when Jesus had thus said he was troubled in spirit and testified and said verily verily I say unto you finish the verse one of you shall betray me now look at verse 18 I look in verse 19 picture the scene what's going on is the Last Supper who is present Jesus and who else the twelve disciples including home Judas we're talking about blessed are the merciful in verse 18 Jesus speaks out loud he knows what's in the heart of Judas the scripture may be fulfilled he that eateth bread with me that is what they were doing half lifted up his heel against me now Judas knew hello I says he was the most intelligent of the twelve he knew that Christ was referring to him but what do you think Christ was doing yes giving Judas an opportunity to say look let me let me know not go any further in this so he drops a clue I know what you're up to turn back this is Christ trying to reach the heart of Judas as much as alive in you verse 21 verily verily I say unto you one of you shall betray me again he reaches out to Judas then John asked him in verse 25 who is it jesus answered he it is to whom I shall give a shock when I have dipped it and when he dipped the sock he gave it to Judas Iscariot the son of Simon third clue Judas I know what you up to stop mercy pleading verse 27 and after the stop Satan entered into him then said Jesus unto Him read the verse now for me that thou doest do quickly fourth time at any one of those junctures Judas could have said Jesus you've got me which is what Christ wanted because he's not willing that any should perish including Judas and so in his prayer in John 17 he prays to the Father in verse 12 he says while as was with them in the world I kept them in thy name those that now give is me I have kept and none of them is lost but the son of perdition that the scripture might be fulfilled now Jesus calls Judas the son of perdition you know that means what a second Thessalonians chapter 2 we read from verse 3 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2 reading from verse 3 our subject is blessed are the merciful we have 2nd Thessalonians written by the Apostle Paul I can hear the pages turning one person has found it anyone else second Thessalonians chapter 2 reading from verse 3 let no man do what you see of you by any means for that they shall not come unless they come a falling away first the Thessalonians had come to believe that Christ was coming very soon Paul wants them to know no that won't happen soon that they shall not come unless they come a falling away first by the way people don't fall away from the world where is the falling away happening in the church there's nothing to fall away from in the world Christ meant an apostasy in the church there will be a mass of apostasy do not be a part of it Christ Paul just said there will be a falling away he did not mention your name all he's saying it will happen you and I can choose we will not be a part of that we will be faithful to God's remnant Church even unto death except there come a falling away first and that man of sin be revealed the son of perdition of whom is he writing the son of perdition or the man of sin is whom well he worked by the power of Satan but who is he who is what is he called in Revelation 13 the Beast what is he called in Daniel 7 the little horn it's the same power here's how Paul describes that power and the powers are coming verse 9 whose coming is after the working of Satan the power of the son of perdition is the power of Satan if you read revelation 13:4 it says and their worship the Dragon which gave power unto the Beast now Jesus calls Judas the son of perdition the same name the Bible gives to the Beast the Antichrist the little horn or the manners now jesus said of Judas in John 6 70 have I not chosen you twelve and one of you is what a devil so Christ is pleading with the devil now favor number three is think then the Bible says Jesus the same yesterday today forever using the way Christ dealt with Judas whom Christ identified as a what a devil go back thousands of years millions when the first devil sin you think Christ dealt with him any differently Christ must have Givens Lucifer chance after chance after chance to repent because a devil is a devil is Adela the mercy of God even with someone bent on God's destruction let's run back to Genesis we go to verse 8 chapter 18 we read from first 25 Abraham is talking to God Abraham does histories pleading for Sodom and Gomorrah not only because a lot is living their lost family but Abraham is a merciful man Elam I said the spirit of Abraham was a spirit of Christ he's pleading for people's salvation and he said that before from the verse 25 to do after this manner to slay the writers of the wicked and that the righteous should be at the wicked as the wicked that be far from thee shall not the judge of all the earth do right Genesis 18 25 verse 26 on the Lord said if I find in Sodom 50 righteous within the city then I will spare all the place for their sakes now question for you did God already know they weren't fifty yes does Abraham know that no so at which level does God have to function Abraham's level so God comes down to Abraham's limited level and works with Abraham's limited knowledge so that Abraham would eventually see that God was right in the first place that is mercy the Lord said verse 26 yes is 18 if I find in Sodom 50 righteous within the city then I will spare all the place for their sakes and the answered and said behold now I've taken upon me to speak unto the Lord which am but dust and ashes peradventure there shall out five hundred fifty with or without destroy all the city for lack of five he says God come on will you destroy because you miss five hundred fifty statistically father was a difference between 45 but that's the way era and the Lord stays with him at his level okay he said if I find there forty and five how lot right and Abraham we're down to 40 then verse 29 he went to 30 in verse 32 20 and verse 31 to ten in verse 32 what Abraham saw was the extent to which God will go to express his mercy my brothers and sisters let's go to Genesis 15 5 after 8 Genesis 15 our subject blessed are the merciful and we need to bless God's holy name all the time you know we always ask God for things but let's bless God Genesis 15 verse 13 and he said unto Abram know of a surety that I seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs and shall serve them and they shall afflict them for hundred years and also that nation whom they shall serve will I judge and afterwards how they come out with great substance but I shall go to thy fathers in peace thou shalt be buried in a good old age but in the fourth generation read with me now they shall do all come hither why and go on for the iniquity of the amorite is not yet full now fourth generation in that context is 400 years sometimes Bible says 4:15 sometimes for 430 sometimes 400 that can be explained but I can't get into that now God tells Abraham I'm giving you this land but you've got away because these heathens the iniquity is not yet full what does that mean I don't see a glass or it's like a God is saying here's a glass of sin and it's just half-full I and my mercy must give them an opportunity not just to fill up the glass but to turn back and so God told Abraham you and your descendants cannot occupy this land as long as there is hope for the repentance of the amur acts because God didn't just die for Abraham for God so loved the world including the amorite yes a merciful God now I've heard people jump all over God how can God be so bloodthirsty told the Israelites destroy this tribe and destroy that try but after 400 years of refusing to repent God uses the Israelites as his sword of destruction and he starts to destroy the tribe he had given them 400 years that's mercy not bowing to that mercy is arrogance we serve a merciful God let's go further back Genesis 6 reading from verse 1 our subject is blessed at a merciful Genesis 6 reading from verse 1 the chapter that introduces the flood and it came to pass when men began to multiply on the earth and daughters were born unto them that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair and they took them wives of all which they chose and the Lord said my spirit shall not always strive with man for that he also is flesh now finish the verse yet his days shall be what a hundred and twenty years to repent after listening to Noah whom the Bible describes as righteous for a hundred and twenty years these people did not repent at the time of the flood every living when the flood came the only righteous people were Noah and his family on the entire earth but the earth had a hundred and twenty years what did God say to the Israelites I told you God is no respecter of persons who the Jews he said seventy weeks are determined upon thy people he gave that nation finally 490 years to do what they should have done years before it began in 457 it ended in a t-34 just before a t-34 Jesus said your house is left unto you desolate God is merciful and if we're to be one with God we must be merciful and so as we see God going to the limit with Judas we intelligently reason he went to the limit with Satan we see Abraham taking God to the limit to save Sodom and Gomorrah God goes to the limit to save the antediluvian in the days of Noah he gives his nation 490 years that's half of a millennium virtually that's the God we serve in Isaiah chapter 2 chapter 5 verse 5 verse 4 God says what could have been done more to my vineyard that I have not done in it what else can I do and so tonight we want to behave like God Romans 12:18 if it be possible as much as lieth in you live peaceably with all men but to do that you have to take stuff and we live in a society that teaches you don't take stuff from anybody do we understand we serve a God who has taken stuff for 6,000 years he's taking it right now there's some members who should have been here they're probably home watching TV that is God taking stuff 6000 years of taking stuff from people because God is merciful and we who claim to be his children we are too quick to fight back someone jumps in our face we jump higher mm-hmm Jesus says if any man will compel you to go a mile you finish it go with him twin if he takes a coat give him what your cloak in orders everything in your power to get along when Jesus said that the seventy or the twelve out to preach in Matthew 10 he said to them behold I send you forth as sheep among wolves here are the sheep hear the wolves which one is more dangerous the wolf but Jesus tells the Sheep you be wise a serpent Harmison he said nothing to the world God has no expectation of the wolf to be nice to his sheep he tells the Sheep those are wolves because you are connected to me you want to be smarter than them you find a way to get along or get around them you be wise as serpents harmless you let you work in an environment where people are unsaved you have to figure out how to get along that's God's expectation and many of us we bring problems in ourselves because we don't take time how can I get alone Rodney King here we all get along for those of you old enough to remember that I need a biblical requirement there must be people who take stuff if you live your Christian life this way you're not headed to heaven it is impossible to grow in Christ when you live your Christian life this way that's not the way Christ lived he lived this Christian life this way he was hurt he now he did not carry your sign hurt me but he was hurt he was hurt he was hurt and he took it because his first concern was not him but the person doing the hurt how can I behave in such a way to change that person for us how can I behave in such a way to end my pain that's how we think blessed are the merciful the most merciful person in the universe is God and tonight we bless his name and we thank him it is because of his mercy that we are alive right now can you say Amen we thank God for His mercy and we ask him tonight father give me a merciful heart when God came down to show his glory to Moses Moses said in Exodus 33 verse 18 show me thy glory meant God's face and brightness the Bible says in first chapter 34 verse 5 on the Lord descended in the cloud and stood it with him there and proclaimed the name of the Lord and the Lord passed by before him and proclaimed the Lord the Lord merciful and gracious long-suffering abundant in goodness and truth merciful and gracious that's God Psalm 103 verse 10 he hath not dealt with us after our sins nor rewarded US according to our iniquities meaning if God truly gave us what we deserved we would have perished long time he hath not dealt with us after our sins nor rewarded US according to our liquid days we never get from God what we truly deserve I mean on the negative side on the positive side we get everything we don't deserve there isn't a human being who deserves the smallest blessing from God but God gives them because He loves us because it's merciful do you have an opportunity to give someone a break do it to say forget it do it now you can't compromise integrity you can but as far as possible give people a break forget it you didn't mean it let's start again what did Jesus say forgive how many times a day mm-hmm well he was not being mathematically precise he was just saying keep doing it keep doing it as long as it is necessary why would Jesus say that because that's the way he is let me close the book to let you know I'm finishing one with him is our theme blessed that a merciful our message for tonight shall we not ask God to give us a merciful heart merciful to our fellow brothers and sisters merciful to the pasta merciful to our neighbor merciful to those vulnerable those less fortunate than we are mercy is such a powerful evangelistic tool it is the very heart of God because we know the greatest expression of Mercy is that cross on Calvary and so mercy and the law they meet and that is where God's throne is the place where righteousness or justice and mercy kiss according to God's Word how many of you will say with me Father seriously give me a merciful heart nice your right hand give me a merciful heart Lestat to forgive people give them a break tell them forget it young and old just have that heart like God like God God does not tolerate sin but God is merciful heads bowed eyes closed their God in heaven we thank you for your mercy father your slaughter anger Europe you delight in mercy that's what the Bible says Michael 7:18 you delight in mercy father in heaven so many of us do not delight in mercy we're hard we're harsh we're unfeeling we're cruel with vengeful father take that out of us day God and creating us a clean heart renew a right spirit within us day God a spirit distinguished by mercy not mercy as the world shows it but mercy that originates with you yourself give us that hard day God take us home safely as an act of divine mercy let angels patrol our homes to protect us as we sleep and father bring us back tomorrow to hear your word again thank you for being merciful to us we bless your Holy Name and your merciful name and we thank you in Jesus name and for his sake let God's people say Amen and amen

Channel: Remnant SDA Church

Views: 24,634

Rating: 4.8045111 out of 5

Keywords: Remnant, SDA, Church, Adventist, Christian, Seventh-day, Gospel, Worship, Sabbath, Blesse Are The Merciful, Merciful, Sermon, Randy, Skeete, One With HIM

Id: ECAQxVtJvEM

Length: 36min 10sec (2170 seconds)

Published: Sat Dec 14 2013