God's Wrath or God's Mercy_08 Jonah 3:3-10 The message was," yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown."8 words from the KJV. [God's mercy is greater than your sin.] The command of Jesus to "love our enemies" can be very difficult to accept especially in the light of evil, injustice and other atrocities, but he did not tell us to love our enemies only until we believe they have gone beyond redemption. We are to be people of mercy because as James says, "Mercy triumphs over judgment." However, this can only occur in our lives as we embrace the mercy and love that has been shown to us to overcome our fear. For us to be effective ambassadors of Jesus Christ, we must be convinced, thoroughly convinced, that we are loved by God, because only when we know that we are loved by God are we able to love others. It is when we are secure in God's love that we can dare to reach out to others in mercy. In other words, for us to extend our hand to help someone else, our feet must be securely planted on the Rock. To judge others may be a natural inclination, but to show mercy, even to our "enemies," is evidence that we have been transformed by the love of God. Mercy triumphs over judgment! Phillips Brooks once said, "Preaching is truth and personality."
In other words, you cannot separate the message from the messenger. They are intertwined and must work together. When God's Word is preached by God's man in God's way— watch out! Revival is on the way!When the LORD saw the Ninevites place their faith in Him and repent of their sins, His heart was obviously filled with joy.The LORD did not destroy the wicked city of Nineveh nor its citizens because the people believed. |
