“Because He Delighteth In Mercy, He Will…”
Micah
7:19-20
Complete salvation and
eternal life flow to chosen sinners from the mercy of God. He saves, "not by works of righteousness, but
according to his mercy" (Tit. 3:5). It is the mercy of God which is
the foundation of our hope. It is the mercy of God that and encourages sinners
to seek mercy and salvation in Christ by faith. And it is the mercy of God by
which we obtain his everlasting salvation in Christ (Ps. 103:8; Luke 18:13; 1
Tim. 1:13). When our God has, at last, put us into the possession and enjoyment
of that complete salvation to which he chose us, we will find and obtain mercy
in that great day of judgment. As the wicked are cast into hell forever, we
shall go with Christ into life eternal in his everlasting kingdom. We are
therefore taught to look for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal
life (2 Tim 1:18; Jude 1:21). It is this great, free abundant mercy of God
which is promised to all the countless hosts of God’s elect in Micah 7:18-20, “because he delighteth in mercy…
"He will
turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and
thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Thou wilt perform the
truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our
fathers from the days of old."
“He
will turn again.’ There is an hour appointed by God called “the time of love” (Ezek. 16:8), in
which he will turn to every chosen sinner in saving grace. When God turns to us
in mercy, he turns us to him in repentance and faith.
“He
will have compassion upon us.” What a blessed word of comfort and hope
that is! That great God whose compassions fail not will have compassion on us.
“Compassion” is co-passion. I leave
it to others to figure out how and debate the issues of theological nonsense.
This I know – The great God, who is so infinitely above us that nothing moves
him or changes him, is our tender, compassionate heavenly Father; and he is
touched by that which touches his children!
“He
will subdue our iniquities.” Because he delights in mercy, the Lord God
has chosen, in great compassion to save hell-bent sinners. At the appointed
time of love, he turns to the chosen in almighty, irresistible grace, and
brings the hell-bent rebel into voluntary submission to Christ. He removed
iniquity from us judicially at Calvary, when Christ died for us. But in his
saving operations of grace, he never removes iniquity from his chosen in this
world. He does something far better. – He subdues it by his grace. God
graciously and wisely leaves the old Adamic nature in us until we leave this
world, so that we may constantly glorify him, living by faith in Christ, trust
Christ, confessing Christ and leaning on Christ.
AMEN.
Grace Baptist Church of Danville - Grace For
Today Radio Message #669
2734 Old Stanford Road -
Danville, Kentucky 40422-9438
Donald S. Fortner, Pastor -Telephone 606-236-8235 - Email grace@mis.net