Mercy Said No, Just for You!

Do you know that God is a merciful God? This is the good news I am bringing your way today.

Sin is what separates man from God, but God found a way to reconcile man to Himself, as you’d soon see. In His rich mercy, He made a way for sinners to avoid the punishment of hell by trusting in the atoning work of His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself, speaking in Mark 16:16 (Amp.), tells His disciples that

He who believes [who adheres to and trusts in and relies on the Gospel and Him Whom it sets forth] and is baptized will be saved [from the penalty of eternal death]; but he who does not believe [who does not adhere to and trust in and rely on the Gospel and Him Whom it sets forth] will be condemned. 

For Christians, the penalty of sin has been removed and placed upon Christ on the cross (1st Peter 2:24). Because of the sacrifice of Christ, God is still just — the sin is punished — yet He is also merciful to all who believe and accepts the Lordship of Jesus. It is interesting to note that He has equated His pardoning mercy with His power. Mercy is His power over His own anger. If He should destroy every man whenever sin is committed, His power may be questioned. But He is a God of pardons. He has chosen to be a merciful God by consciously and graciously – I must add – forgetting all of our mistakes or sins, if you like.

But then, this will not just come free of charge. It comes with a price. God paid a price for sin for us. He is able to do this because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ at Calvary, Who now sits at the right hand of God the Father, ever making intercession for us. Hebrews 1:3 (Amp) says:

He is the sole expression of the glory of God [the Light-being, the out-raying or radiance of the divine], and He is the perfect imprint and very image of [God’s] nature, upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power. When He had by offering Himself accomplished our cleansing of sins and riddance of guilt, He sat down at the right hand of the divine Majesty on high.

Also on our part, we have a role to play, a sacrifice to make, to be able to enjoy the mercy of God. You should know the first step we all need to take: accepting Jesus Christ the Son of God as your Lord and personal Saviour. I will dwell more on this and other steps subsequently.

You see, I have often wondered why CeCe Winans did the song “Mercy Said No”. I still recall vividly the first time I heard the song performed. I was a university undergraduate then. There was a programme going on in church, and Dr. Ben Oruma, a renowned preacher in the northern part of Nigeria, was one of the guest speakers. On the day he was to speak, his daughter came up to minister in song. I watched her gingerly walk up to the technical crew and give them a disc. Then she took the microphone, briefly introduced the song, and began to sing to the instrumentals playing over the loud speakers. Her voice held everyone enthralled. It was awesome. Because she didn't tell who did the song, I easily assumed it was hers. It was much later when I bought the CD from a shop that I realised it was done by CeCe.

Sheer curiosity drove me into going online to check out this song. CeCe Winans recorded “Mercy Said No” in 2003 as a dedication to her brother Ronald who had a few years earlier (1997) undergone an emergency heart surgery, during which he was clinically dead for four minutes during the fourteen-hour procedure. Obviously the family thought they'd lose him, but he miraculously made it alive. The song is written by Greg Long, and the lyrics really speaks volume about the mercy of God. You may want to check it out here: https://genius.com/Cece-winans-mercy-said-no-lyrics. God saved that young man that day, and that mercy is still available for you too. I am being particular now about you who have been “struggling” with (sexual) sin.

You may be perhaps familiar with the story of David, and how he sinned with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite. When Bathsheba later discovered she was pregnant (2nd Samuel 11:5), and informed David, the king’s reaction was to attempt to hide his sin. Try as he might to cover it up, he failed. He eventually resolved to have Uriah the Hittite killed in battle. After mourning her husband, Bathsheba married the king and had a son. 2nd Samuel 11:27 tells us that what David has done displeased the Lord. In 2nd Samuel Chapter 12, the prophet Nathan confronted David. David was the one guilty of this sin, and judgment would be upon his house in the form of ongoing violence.

David knew he deserved to be cast off for ever into the lowest hell for this sin; but Nathan the prophet assured him that the Lord had taken away his sin. This is because he was remorseful. It was out of repentance for this sin that he wrote the famous Psalm 51. By the words of Nathan and his own repentance, he was delivered from the lowest hell; and herein God's mercy was great towards him. Even the best saints owe it, not to their own merit, but to the mercy of God, that they are saved from the lowest hell.

The Bible contains many references to the mercy of God. Over 290 verses in the Old Testament and 70 in the New Testament contain direct statements of the mercy of God toward His people. Again, this mercy flows through Christ.

Remember I stated that God has chosen to equate His power to punish sin with His mercy. He is gracious and merciful. He delights not in the death of sinners, but desires that they may turn and live (2nd Peter 3:9). He is slow to anger against those who offend Him, but of great kindness towards those who desire to please Him. These very expressions are used in God's proclamation of His Name when He caused His goodness, and with it all His glory, to pass before Moses (see Exodus 34:6-7).

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, clearly exemplified all of the Father’s attributes, including His mercy. When Jesus saw Mary and Martha, and also their friends, weeping at the tomb of Lazarus, He felt compassion for them and wept alongside them (John 11:33-35). Jesus was constantly spurred on by His bowels of mercy for the suffering of others, and so healed the large crowds who came to Him (Matthew 14:14), as well as individuals who sought His healing (Mark 1:40-41). When He saw the large crowds as sheep without a shepherd, mercy prompted Him to teach them the things the false shepherds of Israel had abandoned. The priests and scribes were proud and corrupt; they despised the common people and neglected them, but Jesus showed them mercy by teaching and loving them.

Friend, have you been so deep in (sexual) sin and think God cannot forgive you? Well, this mercy is very available for you today. His mercy says concerning you, "No, this one cannot be lost!" You can actually receive mercy for every sin you have committed the instant you tell God all about it, and ask Jesus to wash you with His blood and accept you as His child into His fold. In the coming days, I shall be posting quite a number of things related to the mercy of God, and I invite you to take this journey with me as we explore this subject together. I strongly believe you will be having an encounter of a lifetime with the Lord. Do share with your friends and be a blessing to someone too. God bless you!