God is Merciful Deut.4:31 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
God is merciful to Israel. Deut 4:31 says that the Lord thy God is a merciful God. Israel enjoyed God’s mercy as long as they were willing to go along with what the Lord said. When they repeatedly and stubbornly disobeyed him, he sent the Assyrians to take the ten northern tribes captive and he sent Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans to take the two southern tribes captive. Ever since then, the covenants that God established with them have not been completely fulfilled. But they will be fulfilled in time because God, in his mercy, will never allow Israel to be consumed [Lam 3:22, Mal 3:6]. God is merciful.
God is merciful to sinners. In God’s mercy to sinners he gives us food [Ps 104:27-28], rain [Matt 5:45], breath [Ps 104:29], provision [Acts 17:28], salvation [Titus 3:5; Rom 10:13], etc. His mercy is longsuffering [Ex 34:6-7] but there comes a time when his mercy runs out [Jer 7:15-16]. Nevertheless, he desires that his goodness will lead to your repentance [Rom 2:4]. God is sovereign in his dispensation of this mercy [Rom 9:15]; he will give it to whomever he desires. However, God always extends that mercy [eternally] to a sinner who believes on and receives Jesus Christ [1 Tim 1:15-16; Tit 3:5] because Calvary is the place of eternal mercy. God’s eternal mercy does not extend to sinners who are righteous in their own eyes [Matt 9:12-13]. You must come to him like the repentant sinner who said, “God be merciful to me a SINNER,” [Lk 18:13]. God is merciful.
God is merciful to his children. His mercy is great [Ps 103:11] and his mercy is everlasting [Ps 103:17]. At times we are going to sin grievously and we must rely upon God’s mercy to restore us to his fellowship [see Ps 51:1]. We know that our transgressions were blotted out at Calvary but I must admit that having the assurance of the tenderness of God’s mercy is extremely comforting and worthy of our thanksgiving. Remember that by mercy and truth iniquity is purged [Ps 16:6]. Some Christians contend that they are living in God’s mercy while ignoring his truth; this is a grave mistake [1 Cor 5:1-7]. God’s mercy works in conjunction with his truth to purge iniquity.
Conclusion: God’s mercy is not extended in the absence of his truth. To claim God’s mercy while rejecting God’s Son is damnation. If you want the mercy of God to save you then you must humbly receive his truth [Jn 14:6].