 Praise the Lord everybody. You're glad to be here tonight. Let's stand together have a word of prayer Glad for all of you that are joining us those of you that are joining us online God bless you for being here. Take that prayer list. You can see the names of folks that are depending on you To call on the Lord and their behalf I want you to make sure you hold them each one up in your prayers throughout the rest of this week a number of them That are there that need the intervention of the Lord I want you to add Myra Holofield to that list She is going under in surgery tomorrow for a valve replacement and triple bypass and that did not make it to the Prayer sheet so I want you to hold her up in your prayers believe God for miracles for her amen You believe the Lord hears you when you pray Okay, I'm glad I got half of you. That's about the country You believe the Lord yet listen if the Lord didn't hear you when we pray we're in trouble You're supposed to be the chosen The called-out ones how many of you are called out part of the body of Christ Okay, now here's the key I Asked you did you believe the Lord heard you when you pray? Okay, so the key is this when you pray So in a moment, I'm gonna ask you to pray and What I've been praying for here is to hear the sounds of the saints of God as it was in this building Many many times over throughout the years of people lifting their voice and they didn't care who was standing beside them They called out on the Lord out loud and was a not ashamed of the gospel I want you to lift your voice because I'm gonna tell you something There's coming time when you're not gonna have to worry about anybody asking you are you gonna pray? You'll be screaming it out because this is that time it's time for us to lift it up So just take that prayer sheet you can put it in your hands call the names of those folks out Whatever you do, but let's pray together those of you here and those of you watching online together with us Come on father. We thank you tonight for the blessings of the Lord We thank you Lord Jesus that you're in this place and we recognize God of your sovereignty and your awesomeness We give you praise from the very beginning of this service because you're rightfully do it We asked you tonight God to just reach your hand towards the people that are needing the touch of God and their life Healing inside of their body Lord and their mind their soul their spirit whatever the situation is You're the God who specializes in every situation Your word is working right now in the behalf of people that are needing the touch of God for those that are going to be In surgery we pray your healing upon them for those that are in financial difficulties We pray that the supply and the provision would be made for them and for all of us Lord to be filled with your spirit And with your presence in this hour is desperately what we need So come Lord come down in this building tonight and for those that are watching around the world and let your holy spirit Take charge of our life and bring us peace that passes all understanding We give you praise for it right now in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen, and amen Amen now if you love the Lord and you love one another then that means your part of going to heaven So shake hands with somebody around you let them know how glad you are to see them If you don't know who they are introduce yourself to them brand new people all the time at pace while I talk to all of you That are watching online It's a blessing to have you join us tonight from wherever you may be watching from there's someone standing by to chat with you And we appreciate you being a part of this great service Want you to take just a moment and share it out on your social media that gets the gospel out further in this Bible class helps us to be able to get it out there and You can be a part of giving in just a few moments right there on the website on the app Whatever that it may be you take the opportunity to be a giver and we thank you all of you that are watching for your faithful Contribution it keeps the broadcast moving where you are we're live all the time and archives all the time at the website So you can make yourself available to that and may God bless you and the handout is there Online as well as on the app and we encourage you to get that and be a part of this Bible class tonight May God bless you for that in the name of the Lord. Praise God. God bless you all God bless you. Amen. Good to have you here tonight Praise God Want you to get ready to be a giver this evening? Let me just mention to you that you can look To the wall and and you'll scan the QR code and it will take you to the place that you need to be able to Minister of your tithe and offering unto the Lord and in the kingdom of God We're thankful for your blessings. You're sitting in a blessed church because people know what it means to give When you give you're never more like God than when you give And I just want to encourage you to be that kind of a person here this evening And those of you that are watching online It keeps the ministry moving forward all the time and we are appreciative and grateful to God This entire church is for what everybody is doing in their part to be able to help build the kingdom So God bless you for that tonight and father. We thank you now for the privilege to give Bless every gift and every giver let your spirit rest upon us in abundant supply and we give you praise for it in Jesus name Everybody said a good. Amen Just mentioned to you real quick. Of course, you're not aware Easter is this coming weekend and Resurrection Sunday, so invite a few hundred people to come with you and tell them you'll even come by and pick them up Bring them to church. Amen. And if you're really a Christian, you'll take them out to lunch afterwards, right? Amen somebody Somebody needs to cook some chicken and dumplings and invite a couple hundred people over right. Oh Yeah, I've already put my order in Several days ago, so she she told me on the way to church tonight. Yep. Yep. You chicken and dumplings are on the way great God That's resurrection power is what I'm talking about right there That'll heal whatever you got Amen anybody hungry by now my goodness and So we look forward to being with you and you being here this coming Sunday morning Don't miss it's gonna be a terrific time of celebration and illustrative message I'm gonna bring this weekend. Can I get a witness and I want yeah, that'd be a good idea Can I get a witness in the house tonight? Amen, I want you to be sure to be here this coming weekend. It's gonna be a great time Don't forget also the upcoming rally that will take place at Wahoo Stadium on the 14th I believe it will be some vital information for you. I hope you enjoyed this past weekend With our special guest for prophecy file update Eric Stackelback if you miss that They may I give the Lord praise for it. If you miss that I Believe they've got it on archives you can go back and you can check it out and hear what he had to say and I believe it will be a blessing to you help you get your eyes open to what's going on in the world Especially right now. I was just reading just before I came to church here some of the things that he was talking about Tonight they've had an incredible I don't want to call it tussle, but it has been an active I think they called it riot on the Temple Mount even as we spoke 300 400 people up there Jewish people and clash between them and Muslims on top of the Temple Mount I want you to know something we're living as he described it and as you've heard it from this pulpit so many times in Bible times. This is biblical prophecy that's transpiring even as we speak When you have the Kenyan president telling everybody in his nation the finance director, I should say the finance director I believe it was it said Anybody who has dollars over the next couple of weeks you need to make sure that you don't have those and you transition away from that So when you've got Saudi Arabia who's cutting back others are cutting back on oil supply. You're gonna see your Prices go up in the next few days. It's already happening. I think it's up five five cents since the last since this past week And they directly connect that to the oil Cutting back of the oil with the banking crisis in the United States. How many of you knew we were at banking crisis? Anybody knew you had a banking crisis some folks didn't know we had a banking crisis because you don't hear a whole lot about it but You will the day you go down and try to withdraw and something is there's a hiccup with our computer system and whatever it may be friends We are looking at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and the entrance of the spirit of antichrist all around us I want you to make sure you're prayed up and I'm just gonna give you a foreshadow of things that come Lord dealing with my heart today About how important that it is for the saints of God to be Spirit filled all the time Filled with the spirit all the time not allowing it to leak out or I'll wait till Sunday I'm talking about daily walking in the fullness of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking with other tongues That alone and I'll get into it at some point But I can tell you When you're fellow shipping every day with the presence of God through the power of the Holy Spirit Let me just tell you that's what's gonna keep your peace of mind in the days that are ahead As you're hearing more and more that's transpiring in our world So I just encourage you to pray one for another and let's believe God. Hey like that. Was that heavy for you right there? Okay All right, so I'm gonna help you out right here I'm gonna help the lightness and the heaviness of your load that you got going on been if you will stand up You're my illustrated sermon right now turn around to everybody and just show them your t-shirt. There you go right there. All right So get your joy back. Come on get your peace back get you. Amen. Amen Illustrated sermon open your Bibles up to the book of Matthew chapter 5 as we take up another part of this lesson series on the Beatitudes I am amazed at the timing of what we're teaching At each each week and how him how relevant it is for the time that we're living in In the book of Matthew chapter 5 verse number 7 one line one verse of Scripture here that is a step-by-step for The attitudes that we should be having as believers. I just want to say this to you before we go any further With each one of these Beatitudes let me go back to verse 3 blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs Is the kingdom of heaven come on. Let's read it out loud Blessed are they verse 4 that mourn for they shall be comforted Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled and tonight Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy Jesus stands up in the middle of this Religious and political culture that is that is amazingly mirroring the time that we're in right now and Announces to everyone how to be happy how to have the right attitude how to be blessed The Beatitudes are the characteristics of Christ and his kingdom So what you're looking at is what the kingdom looks like and what kingdom people look like The Beatitudes are the counter to the culture that Jesus was speaking in at the time With the Roman culture and with the times that we're in right now Amazingly enough as we're studying this God is giving us the pattern on how we should conduct ourselves from day to day Now I want to stop right here and say how many of you have been looking at these Beatitudes and you're saying hmm That one right there is a tough one to hurdle over Don't raise your hand Of course none of you raised your hand, so you're perfect, but anyway I'll raise my hand and tell you because he's been hitting me between the eyes because there's things that I challenges that I see as the Lord deals with my own heart about bringing these lessons to you because You want to say that you have arrived at a place You want to say that you are you are doing what you need to be doing and acting the way you need to be acting and all of the sudden The Lord opens the scripture up. I didn't say Facebook did and I didn't say that people did I Didn't say the church did or even the preacher did when the Holy Spirit begins to reveal things to you That's the one to listen to Now you're gonna listen to me right now and let the Holy Spirit speak to you, right? But the Beatitudes are a counter to the culture as is in the case today a Christian and This is not on your paper. You might want to write it down a Christian is Something before he does something he is something before he does something So the Beatitudes are actually a precursor to the Sermon on the Mount He's setting you up for the rest of the sermon that's coming he's saying this is the way we should be conducting ourselves and I will tell you and you don't have to Look very far that everything we're studying right here in Matthew chapter number five the Beatitudes is completely Contrary to the attitudes of the world that we're living in today. How many of you realize that? and I want you to be sure to stay with me all through this lesson because Some people have a mindset about mercy and how it's to be given and how I'm gonna get it back But I have a feeling that it may challenge your thoughts here in just a few moments About some things so how this is this is the challenge of today. How do you how do you love your enemies? unless you're merciful Anybody got any enemies don't raise your hand. They're watching on live streaming You got to do before your you got to be before you do and this all happens by the help and the grace of God So tonight we're talking about being merciful and then obtaining mercy so by definition and this may be simplistic, but Merciful means to be full of mercy Mercy full Full of mercy now. How do I really understand that? Well, I'm gonna tell you to understand mercy You have to understand justice So now this is an important factor in light of where we are and and what what is happening in our world right now So this is not under your paper. Listen to this. I Was listening to a commentator the other day Yesterday and in light of all the things that are going on. I don't have to explain to you He made a statement that I that just it was just in the course of his conversation, but it leaked out of the television and Really told me Where we are he said he said What we have in America right now is not a justice system It is a legal system and there is a difference between the two a justice system looks for an impartial place To to be able to say this is right and this is wrong in this In this world, we're living in right now where it's all gray and nothing's right nothing's wrong Everything is just all smoothed together and and to say something is sinful or not sinful right or wrong Whatever it may be it throws people completely off in the legal system the justice system looks for justice Impartially and renders a verdict the legal system Looks for a law To render then a decision based upon the laws the ordinances the Statute the whatever that it may be there's a completely different operation right here going on We are in a legal system. In fact You'll hear this term sometimes From lawyers judges, whomever that it may be that Between justice and legal help my mind Lord to keep going in the right place. I had it you ever have it I got it now. I think I'll come back to it Maybe it's not supposed to be said Write this down. It's not in your paper James chapter 2 verse 13 For he shall have judgment without mercy He shall have God will have judgment without mercy that have shown no mercy and Mercy rejoices against judgment Mercy rejoices against judgment. Here's another one song. Listen David prayed this from the innermost part of his being in song 51 verse number one have mercy Upon me. Oh God according to thy loving kindness According to the mode the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgression He called out on the Lord for the very at the very beginning of this entire Incredible prayer in Psalm 51 have mercy upon me now. I remember what I was gonna say We are operating today on case law Not constitutional law So what happens wherever there is a case That has been rendered on the verdict people go the attorneys whatever maybe go back to that case law and say well This is how six judges ruled on this and this is the way it's going to be My friends don't you ever forget this because it's evaporating day by day the Constitution in the Bill of Rights is still the order of legal order and free speech and the right of religion and so forth and so on upon this entire nation But if you don't know what that is It can be twisted and the next thing you know you're in a place where you don't understand What's going on and what's the law and all of that? Have you ever seen so many lawyer commercials in all of your life on television? between that and Medications with side effects that are worse than what the medication is We need some mercy All right, so let me give you let me give you just a little bit because you can't understand mercy without understanding justice So get this right here justice. What is justice justice is giving a person what they deserve? That's what justice is giving them what they deserve. You're guilty boom the hammer comes down. You're often shackles That's justice mercy is Not giving a person what they deserve you deserve it, but I'm not gonna give it to you because I'm gonna grant you mercy watch this grace is Giving a person what they do not deserve You deserve it you should get it But mercy opened the door and grace let you come on in and if you miss everything else I said tonight get those definitions down in your spirit because here's the key There's not a person here or people that are watching even people that do not know the Lord or running away Atheists whoever they are they don't understand That Everybody needs mercy and you need it every day Can you say a man to that? Why why do you say that because it is justice and would be the justice of God to send me to hell right now? But it is mercy not to send me to hell. In fact, it is grace that actually will send me to heaven meditate upon it God is not just justice and this is important for you to realize God is not just justice He doesn't just do justice I should say he is justice He's a just God. He's not just doing mercy. He is mercy so you cannot divorce God From justice and mercy at the same time Something that God's justice and God's mercy are actually fighting one another and Finally mercy one and what a great day it is wrong God is all just All merciful and all grace all at the same time Now you can get into the deep theological studies of that, but the bottom line is he is fully justice and fully mercy So let's answer the question here then what is Justice well again, I remind you and it's important to be reminded of it. God is justice God is justice So I'm going to take you to Ezekiel 18 because this is an incredible important insight into the children of Israel while they're in bondage and Ezekiel is answering the statements that the Jewish exiles here in Babylonian cap are making about God and their situation and they Describe it in Ezekiel 18 verses 2 19 25 29 there. I mean really it's the entire chapter and it really deals with God starts dealing with them about their individual Responsibility now, let me stop right here several years ago There were leaders in our nation and leaders in the religious world that we're saying that we are a that we're underneath some Corporate deal and unless we're all say we're not saved at all, but that's not the way God deals with us You should be glad about that Look at your neighbor and tell him I ain't going down with you. Come on somebody If you're going down, I'm staying on the hill. Come on. I'm not driving off the cliff with you You want to go sin? Come on. Aren't you glad if one messes up in here? Everybody doesn't have to go down God deals with us on an individual basis And in this chapter he's dealing with the children of Israel trying to help them understand. Yes, I deal with you as a nation Yes, I deal with you as a nation. I deal with you as a church, but when it comes to your individual Responsibility between you and God, I'm dealing with you. I am a personal individual God So the people started trying to build their case Based off of this proverb. Here's the proverb the father has eaten sour grapes and the children's teeth are set on edge And somebody said oh, amen. You don't have a clue in the world that means Here's here's let me break it down for you. In other words, our fathers have sinned and we their children are being punished for We're in Babylonian captivity and we're the ones getting punished for the whole deal because our father's sin And I want you to understand that the Bible you hear it quoted so many times that the sins of the fathers will be you know Be exacted upon the third and fourth generation and it's true that from one generation to the next there is this Passing on of sinful activity, but at any point as Josiah Let's us know in the scripture at any point that you break down and repent before God God can cancel the curse upon you your house your life. Somebody said well, what about generation of curses? I truly believe things can be passed down from generation to generation assures alcohol drug addiction Whatever it may be but at the moment you want to say yes to Jesus Christ. He breaks that thing right there. No more generational curse No more no more of me having to deal with something of my past I now have the the way the truth and the life that's gonna lead me in a totally different direction This is important for us to get a hold of so what does he say? What are they saying here? They said our father sin and now we're the ones getting punished for so their philosophy was Really some kind of what some kind it was? Irresponsible fatalism In other words, we can't get out of this because our fathers put us here And that's the reason why we're in a mess we're in and we'll never get out of this and it's impossible No matter what we do. This was their argument in scripture in Ezekiel 18. I'm breaking it down for you We still have to suffer because of our older because our older generation did such and such But God deals with us as individuals stay with me and He will deal with us and discipline us and even correct us as His children justly according to Jeremiah chapter 31 Because he is a just and a righteous God who shows no Partiality according to Deuteronomy chapter number 10 verse 17 God shows no partiality If he withholds judgment upon a nation upon a person whatever it may be It is because of his grace and his mercy and his long suffering So let me say it to you right now This nation with the sins that are in the face of God Almighty I never thought I'd see the day when the country music awards were so wrapped up with a Transgender mindset that they were going to put that out there as a country music program show whatever out there on the front I never thought I'd see the day, but they did that So it's in your face all of the time the sins of the world and all that's going on and the pressure is being applied So by justice God could pass and render a judgment upon this nation upon this world justly right now Come on y'all All them the back is Sodom and Gomorrah. It was so much. No, no, no the same things are happening right now and Remember that it wasn't it wasn't homosexuality that brought it to the service In fact the book of Ezekiel describes that it was the fact that people turn their face away from the poor and on and on They were idle and all these other sins that never even mentioned that Why is that so important because well, why do you pastors get on all of that with homosexuality and lesbianism transgender all that kind of stuff? Because it is the last sin before judgment pours out Long before that ever came about where laws were passed to make it legal to happen in Sodom and Gomorrah And in the United States of America there was already the rejection of the poor the idleness that caught up with material thing all the other Lists that Ezekiel makes and by the time you get to the point where judgment falls God says you're in such a place of Reprobate mind that you're twisting the laws of the land you're twisting my word and you're flipping around you're calling things evil good and good evil All around there and you're messed up and now you're wanting to blame me for it. God said Or even the previous generation they did it to me Well, nobody can not even the devil can make you sin This is the reason why it's so important that you have a proper understanding of justice and mercy Are y'all still with me out there? He is a just God and a righteous God who could render justice upon this nation and be completely justified in doing it right now but for the grace Mercy and long suffering of an awesome God that we serve Do you I lost some of you right there? I don't think you understand I know you've been saved for 50,000 years, but I just want to let you know something You need grace today like you did on the first day you got saved and The day you start thinking that I don't need it because I've got so much good works built up And I've done this and I've done that is the moment you fall into pride and you're really in a mess Look at your neighbor and help me preach and tell him you need mercy to you better give some mercy That's the reason why I call this lesson mercy me Lord mercy me I Can't give it unless you mercy me because I don't have the capacity because there's some folks that really rub me the wrong way and I could And and all that and I'm just telling you feel no pain But I need some mercy over here so I can get some mercy out because I'm just telling you I've run up to my last nerve and I don't have but one left anyway So I need some help up in here up in here I want to know as anybody needs some mercy if he withholds judgment It's only because of his grace and mercy upon So what's God doing right now? Because I can assure you listen to me I Can assure you I feel I can say this with great confidence that the persecuted Christians in China and Russia and Multiple other places around the globe are not praying Lord help me live to get till I can get my tax return back You know what they're praying they're praying what John prayed in the last chapter of the last verses even so come Lord Jesus Because because the next moment I'll either be beheaded or or or or or or do what's happening in Turkey You know what you know what's happening in Turkey right now They had this incredible horrible earthquake that has devastated the land and you know what's happening They snatched all the children of the parents that have died and now they're doing human organ Harvesting from the live patients In the middle of when I read that my soul sunk to my knees This is what's happening in China right now Has been for years and people know it. I'm gonna tell you as sure as there are levels of rewards in heaven I'm off on a little rabbit trail right here But as sure as there are levels of rewards in heaven There are levels of rewards in hell and there's a deep dark hole that some of these folks whose Evil heart has cruelly and and done awful things. He is going to reward them for their works So whatever you do don't get caught up in somebody's Protest that is called a day of vengeance. I Didn't get to touch this this past Sunday night. So here it is Nobody crying out for mercy on these kids that are up here in Nashville Christian school that was shot up The media flipped this thing around for the person who was a shooter I could care less whether they were transgender black white rich poor free, but I don't care about that an evil hearted Individual took a weapon and went in and slaughtered Christians Period that's the only way you can look at it and the first thing that's called for is a day of vengeance For transgender because their hate is ratcheting up. What about those Christians? I read it today Come this Sunday, you're gonna hear it the word witness means martyr You know how many Christians are dying right now around the world because of it because of their faith because they name the name of Jesus thousands thousands So before you say I'm gonna say yes to Jesus and walk with the Lord you better know what it's gonna cost you Over here. It might cost you a like on Facebook over there. It could cost you your life Come on somebody When I read that a day of vengeance, I said wait a minute wait a minute That should throw flags for everybody in the room. It's a believer because here's what God said vengeance is mine So the moment you start taking vengeance out on one another that's not mercy You've taken justice into your hands and get ready. Justice will come back to you for whatsoever a man That shall he also are y'all still with me? I'm still on here So what's happening in in Ezekiel 18? They are saying that God isn't playing fair That's what they're saying But Ezekiel starts pointing out to the people that actually you haven't been fair with God Here's what here's I'm gonna read this scripture in just a moment, but here's the scenario I wanted to give you this overview When they obeyed the Lord when the people of God obeyed the Lord the children of Israel They wanted him to keep the terms of the covenant and the promise upon their life and blessing They said when we obey the Lord bring us those blessings But here was the flip side of that they said but when we disobey you They didn't want him to keep the terms of the covenant that brought chastening upon them That sound familiar Lord bless me bless me bless me, but if I disobey you can we hold off on that? Oh Lord? Are you hearing me? They wanted God to act contrary to his word and here's the problem God is all justice and he's all mercy So now look at your scripture right there in Ezekiel chapter 18 And here's what the Bible said ye yet he say the way of the Lord is not equal That's that's the term fair or just Here now oh house of Israel is not my way equal are not your ways unequal When a righteous man turned away from his righteousness and committed iniquity and Die in them for his iniquity that he had done shall he die Again when the wicked man turned away from his wickedness that he had committed and doeth that which is Lawful and right He shall save his soul alive because he considereth and turn the way from all his transgressions That he may have committed he surely He shall surely live he shall not die Yet say at the house of Israel the way of the Lord is not equal Oh house of Israel are not my ways equal are not your ways unequal This is a powerful Indictment and I just want to let you know What is it that we're dealing with people think all that Old Testament is so outdated Let me throw this on you. Have you heard this term recently equity pay your fair share Well if you check that out you're gonna find out that the billionaires of the United States of America are paying 48% Taxes many of them some of them are skating around whatever What am I saying to you? God's saying you're telling me you want me to be equal with you, but you're not being equal with me and This equitable thing where we're gonna pass it around and we'll do all right Oh, you do all right over here, and I'll give you the blessing But you don't do right over here, and I'm still supposed to bless you Come on somebody Let's let's let's understand a little bit more about this. Here's the word fair when you look in the scripture You're gonna find this word fair used. It's equal to justice is what the words Similar to so but it actually defines out as morally equal Now stay with that because this is where I believe your understanding is gonna get opened up I put it on your paper for you so you could see it if you don't mind There we go. You have the statue of Justice you see this in a lot of courtrooms some of them not and What does she have in a right hand she has a pair of balances in the other hand there's a sword to render justice Now this is important for you to get a hold of here tonight because we have this idea of justice today That has been so skewed and so messed up, and I'm just gonna make it very very plain to you We're looking at corruption at the highest levels of what is supposed to be the justice system and so forth has turned it into a Malkeri and whatever you want to believe about it or not just go study it out yourself. You can see it. It's very clear That's the reason why I believe David was so adamant when he prayed Lord keep me from unjust judges that are in this world Make sure I stay out of that system Are you hearing me? So what we think about when we look at this We think this is the way God deals with us. We have this concept in our mind. We think That the prosecution Puts all of his evidence on one side of the scale and the defense puts all of his evidence on the other side of the scale and Then whichever one weighs out weighs The other is the winner But that is not the case When you look closely at this statue right here on one side of the scale it says justice What where did it go? Please put it back on one side of the scale. It says justice So what is the real way it is in other words one of those scales says justice the other one? This is the way it is the defense takes all of its Evidence and puts it on one side of the scale and the prosecution takes all of its evidence and puts it on the same scale Both of the evidences are on the same side of the scale Then they weigh all of the evidence against the other side, which is justice the law Somebody's about to get free in here tonight. Why is that so important? That is that's justice Justice is always right and righteous God's laws are always just and right the Bible says So in our court system legal system justice system It's supposed to be all the evidence is stacked on one side and justice is on the other side of the scale Justice is not if you're a little bit good maybe a little better than bad No in order for you to tip the scales For justice to be overruled For mercy's sake You have to be completely perfect Not a little bit a little bit of good a little bit of bad mixed together over here and somehow that will do it That's not the way it is Why because God is the only one who is just and perfect What does that mean I can stack all of my good and all of my bad up here Prosecution and defense on this side and all of my good and all of my bad will never outweigh the perfectly just God That he is Now follow this We think God puts all of our good deeds On one side of the scale and all of our bad deeds on the other side of the scale and we hope Come on good deeds I helped an old woman across the street today. Come on good deeds This is the church has gotten all wrapped up into this if we hand out enough bottles of water We've done a good thing. Hey everybody needs water It's not that that's bad You know I I gave to the church pastor I did this and I did that and we're hoping somehow this is the way most people's minds are Operating on this scale that my good and my bad are on these scales and God's gonna reward me based upon How good and I'm hoping that I'm hoping that all of my good deeds Are gonna outweigh my bad Now for all of you who don't come to church on a regular basis There you go Right if we're working off of your goodness and my goodness here. We are oh You didn't give as much as I did. Yep. You're out Right if I can just somehow tip the scales I can hope That I'll make it This is the way it used to be termed some of y'all don't know this I'll make it in by the skin of my teeth Well, if you've looked in a mirror recently, you don't have any skin on your teeth So that starts out as a false statement. Come on somebody But God Puts all of my bad and All of my good on one side of the scale and he puts himself on the other side of the scale and His justice and righteousness always outweighs any good or any bad that I've ever done What is it like? It's like a million billion tons on this side of the scale and A feather on the other side and if you're not careful after a few years of serving the Lord And you think you've accomplished something because you've taught such a school for I excel man You did this and you did that I Want you to know everything we do is still a feather in the measurement of God So just because you've got four feathers and I only have one feather it makes no difference Come on somebody God puts himself over here He puts all of our good and all of our bad over here and every time now How many of you know at this point you're jumping up and down over here on this scale trying to get it Just a look can I get a little mercy over here? God can I get a little something? But you find out that it will not move So how could God send me to heaven? When when the scales have been tipped the way it is Here's how it is You can go to the next one if we confess our sins Are y'all reading this Bible right here? I need you to read it right here Come on say it out loud if we confess our sins. He is and And stop he did not say he is faithful and merciful He said he is faithful and he is just to do what to forgive us our sins and do what? cleanse us from all unrighteous unrighteousness It says God is faithful and God is just his mercy Made the way and his justice is involved in it So how could God's justice be satisfied? How can God's justice tip the scales of? His own justice because my good and my bad deeds are not even moving it off the ground I know you're hanging out there with me and Some of you and I have had the tendency to jump up and down on this side over here. Come on God Just I've been doing good and Nothing's moving. I've been a good person. I've been watch this. I've been trying to be good I know you have I've been trying to be religious Still that won't move it for sure Until you get to the place where you say God I Cannot do this on my own Please come into my life. I throw myself on the mercy of the court It's then that Jesus steps on the scales with all of my good and with all of my bad and suddenly God said justified Not because of what you've done But because Jesus stepped on the scales on your side and change the whole trajectory of your life. I Think somebody ought to give him some praise right here because you just saw what happened when Jesus stepped on the scale Are you hearing me? Jesus stepped on the scale with me and he said what equal? Let me let me say it to you like this Jesus is how God's justice was satisfied Not my righteousness not my works not me doing what I do both bad and good Because some days I can be bad and really bad wait a minute Why am I taking that all by myself? Some days you and all of you out there can be bad and really bad Nasty, I only got a few people shaking their head the rest of you not me But for the mercy and the grace of God Jesus equaled out everything Understand now God can send me to heaven because God gave me Jesus what I do not deserve So what is mercy? What is mercy? Well, God is mercy. God is justice and God is mercy Some people believe his mercy will end one day One day it's over. Oh, oh And if you hear me saying that you're not hearing me clear Because God is just and will always be just because he doesn't do just he is just God is love and he will never stop being love because God is love And go right down the line of all of his attributes God is merciful because God can never not be Merciful because God is mercy. He is the epitome of mercy What does that mean? Well, open your Bibles up to Psalm 136 verse number one Psalm 136 I want you to literally turn your Bible over there. Can you do that? Can you literally just turn your Bible because I know you brought your Bibles? Because this is like a Bible study Anybody study in the Bible with me tonight I'm going to read the first part and we're about to memorize this entire chapter and half the time You ready? Have you found Psalm 136? If you have say amen If you're still looking say hold up my Lord Jesus Psalm it's in the middle of the book if you can't find it look on with a heathen beside you Here we go Oh give thanks unto the Lord Oh give thanks verse two under the God of gods for his Oh give thanks to the Lord of lords for his To him who alone doeth great wonders for his to him that by wisdom made the heavens for his I Think you get the point. How long does God's mercy endure? How long does it endure? and and and and So whenever the devil tells you you've run out of God's mercy you tell him his mercy endure it forever If you mess up 24 hours from now and the devil jumps on your shoulder and said you've sinned way too much The devil is a liar and God's word is true his mercy endure it forever. I Think I just helped somebody right there So let me describe to you about mercy just a little bit because mercy by its cultural definition the way we use it here in Our westernized culture for that matter for sure is to show compassion on the poor and or the guilty mercy we we give him mercy but when we show Mercy to someone most of the time we're dealing with someone who's poor or guilty or needy of something but we according to the According to the scripture in Matthew 5 the beatitudes starts out We are the ones who are poor and bankrupt in spirit before God So the beatitudes in the time that Jesus is speaking them here in the book of Matthew in the culture setting that it was in Rome Was shocking to the religious and to the political culture of the day Why because the religious culture was all into keeping the rules and keeping the laws of Religion and so forth and condemning and mean and a religious culture that acts like that today It's not of God Are you hearing me? Some of you know what I'm talking about you've been to churches that will judge you because of this that are the other thing You can't get into their cult. I mean into their click. I mean into their church Because you're not one of them. You don't look like them You don't act like them and until you do you can't be part of us because we're the chosen ones Really kind of messed up the Jehovah Witness when they went over 144,000 in attendance They thought they were the 144,000 chosen evangelists of the book of Revelation until they went over that number now You got a theological problem So let me submit to you today Here what I'm telling you all of you here and all of you that are watching online The church of the Lord Jesus Christ is larger and filled with people that you don't think should be in there right now In fact, let me some of you didn't say a man. So let me help you with it right here you're in if you are in and All of us walk through the car wash of the blood of Jesus Christ Yeah, but don't I have to do something here You go trying to tip the scales by trying to be good and trying to do this and not relying on your faith Firmly planted in the cross of Jesus Christ because ladies and gentlemen, I had nothing to do with my own redemption I had nothing to do with my own justice. I had nothing to do with my own mercy, but Jesus stepped on the scale You need to go to a thrift store and buy yourself a set of scales and put them up in your house to remind yourself of all The time that the Lord has stepped on the scales when you didn't deserve it. He tipped the scales in your behalf Now why is that so important because in the culture? We're in right now as it was in the days of Rome the religious culture of the day was condemning fact Jesus Listen, I'm just telling y'all This is what's funny to me because today Congregations churches people the church could not handle the preaching of the prophets and Jesus himself You talk about offending somebody when Jesus walked up on to the Pharisees and called them a brood of vipers You're a den of vipers. You are an unwashed sepulchers now In the King James Version and in Jesus kind and gentle words. He just told them all off He called them out for the religious hypocrites that they were He said you're the ones who's saying you can go into the temple and it'll be all right, but you won't let anybody else in You're judging out here, and you're the one who should be judge. He called him a den of vipers He said how would you like if I stood in the pulpit? Like I'm standing right now and looked out across the congregation and all of you online and said hey You're all a bunch of snakes How many of you know I just failed the Dale Carnegie course of how to win friends and influence people He called his whole crowd a den of vipers They were religious mean Culture who would not let them get to the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ That was a merciless religious culture Here's the other part of that the flip coin was and for all of you that say to me pastor You pastors and churches shouldn't be involved in politics Well first you should read your Bible Because Jesus got right up in the middle of the politics of his day In fact, it was politicians and religious leaders that took him to the cross and nailed him there Only because he allowed them at the time he was ready Are you here what I'm saying the political culture of Rome was a merciless torture filled cruel violent culture Sound familiar Every here's a little taste of it every Roman father had the absolute right under the Roman culture and political culture of Life and death over his children he could take his child out if the child did not please the father He could take his child out and drown his child without any law coming against him If he had a slave he could kill the slave and the law would protect him. Are you listening to me? I? Know you think that that's Bible days, but ladies and gentlemen, we are in that time right now where we're watching people be able to circumvent Justice Because we have a corrupt political and religious activity going on today Somewhere there needs to be a preacher like John the Baptist who calls it out Somewhere there needs to be believers I posted this on my Facebook because it spoke so loudly to me of the time We're in from the book of Esther Where the Bible says that if you're silent right now I'm paraphrasing if you're silent right now when you see what's going on Don't you worry the Jews will be taken care of in their time But you and your house will be brought down and will be killed But what's to say that you made it be brought to the kingdom for such a time as this in other words Ladies and gentlemen, don't you worry about God's kingdom? It's gonna keep right on marching on everything's gonna keep right on going But if you're silent during the time when you need to speak up and show mercy where there should be mercy and speak of justice When there needs to be justice ladies and I'm not talking about grabbing a placard and going out marching up down the street I'm talking about being salt and light wherever you are anytime any place and not backing up Hear me ladies and gentlemen not backing up from the truth of God's word because of fear of persecution Or fear somebody's gonna get offended. Are you kidding me? If I'm gonna offend you you're gonna need to bring me your pronoun card way before the time you get in my presence Because I don't know the other day. I said yes ma'am to somebody. I went Then I backed up said I said it and then I turn around said it again I'm sorry woman is a woman man's a man. I Was raised to say yes ma'am and no ma'am yes, sir and no, sir And if that offends you you may have to get over it because I don't know what you are unless you got some placard out here That says I am this That's not offensive. That's standing by the truth of God's word And if that offends you Jesus said they're offended in you because they're offended in me not because of what you done But because of the righteousness that's being poured out You don't have to be ugly with it. You shouldn't be I can even apologize no big deal But I'm not going back up from the Word of God Come on y'all Where's my church? It's thinning out even as I speak you know what Jesus said He said you better pray. I told you this this past weekend. Somebody you missed it You better pray you better you better not fall asleep when you're supposed to be praying You better not fall asleep during this time because if you're not careful You're gonna fall into a temptation where you're gonna want to deny Jesus When the pressure is applied Pastor you're like Peter. I'll never deny you. Yeah, you're gonna deny me three times before it's over with But thank God for the mercy Because even when Peter was standing there ready to deny Jesus and did it just like Jesus said he said Peter I pray for you Is that mercy I Pray for you Peter You're gonna fail You're gonna deny me three times, but I want you to know I pray for you that your faith fail not Your mouth is gonna get you in trouble because you're gonna deny me. In fact, you're gonna cuss my name Come on somebody You're gonna say to that whole crowd. I don't know the blankety-blank Pastor I'd never do that. Oh, you don't know what you do in the middle of pressure That's the reason why you got to be filled with the spirit and know this ladies and gentlemen that the one who is mercy is Praying for you right now that your faith will not fail in the moment of your trial and It's coming But I digress So every slave owner could be killed as a slave and the law would protect him. That was the culture One Roman philosopher made this statement mercy is a weakness of the soul You know what the only problem with that is you only need mercy when you need mercy, right? I would ask you this question, but I don't want you to lie Have you ever needed mercy? Let me ask you this. Have you ever needed it more than once? Stay with me church. I got something good for you coming and Jesus steps into this culture this This religious and political culture and he's teaching the Beatitudes that are completely contrary to it And he says merciful people are happy the Roman philosopher said merciful people are weak Jesus said merciful people are happy people Look at your neighbor left and right see if they're happy right now. I just want to find out Now the thinking of the day was that this statement of the Beatitudes was some kind of trite statement some kind of simple Statement watch this now. This is this is I need you to this gonna challenge you right here But I believe you're gonna get an understanding of it Because this is the mindset of Today and Christians today in many cases that if you'll be merciful to others then they will be merciful to you and Some think that about this Beatitude, but I came to tell you tonight. That's not true. I don't know that let me ask you a question Have you lived in this world one day? I'm talking about just one day Have you ever shown mercy and didn't get it back, but got a sword in your ear Have you ever given mercy to somebody and they turned it around and ate your face right off I want you to know listen to me. This is gonna help somebody somebody's gonna get free Somebody's love to get filled with the Holy Ghost on this right here It is possible to be merciful to people and not get mercy back Why because we live in a culture today that says get everything you can get step on everybody you need to take this take that What is this Beatitude saying now listen to me because it's gonna help you right here because our mindset is if I show you mercy I should be getting mercy back and when we show people mercy and we don't get mercy back We feel like that the Word of God has failed us but what this scripture really is saying and literally means this it means those Who will show mercy? God who is merciful? Will show you mercy so don't look for mercy from them look for mercy from him and You know what that will do that will help you to keep giving mercy out to people who don't deserve it Which is what our whole definition of life is anyway to people who don't deserve it Are you listening to me and all the while you're giving it out God's saying you keep giving it because I'm gonna keep giving it right down To you because I'm the God of mercy. I'm giving you mercy The one who is mercy will give mercy in Fact the Bible says that he is so merciful that he will give you more and more and more and more mercy in fact the literal word here in Greek of merciful it Says compassionate, but it is compassionate Compassionating is really it it is a verb. It means mercy in action. I'm not just compassionate. I'm Compassionating that's not a term we use But it's exactly what God is doing it is mercy in action it is compassion in action in other words God did something What did he do? He? Compassionated to us What did he do in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us? He showed us mercy before we even knew we needed mercy. Are you digesting this? So here's the finality of it. How can I be merciful then? We'll get this. This is some good stuff right here. Even if I am saying it the phrase Shall obtain mercy in the latter portion of Verse seven shall obtain mercy in the Greek And you understand Greek and Hebrew is is the defining the the fleshing out the the the Detail of words found in the scripture that sometimes when we read the word mercy we think Okay mercy. Okay. I got it But it has much deeper definition than that in fact this particular This particular statement shall obtain mercy is all one word in the Greek And it means this It means to continue to receive mercy and extended mercy So what is he saying blessed or happy are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy? Let's read it like this blessed or the merciful for they shall continue to receive mercy and extended mercy You won't just possess it. What he's saying is if you'll let mercy flow Then mercy is going to flow in you and out of you and it will be a continual flow of mercy Come on somebody blessed are the people who let it flow continually in their life. Is anybody getting a hold of this? Here's a question. Do you still need mercy today? When were you saved? You thought you just got one dose of mercy. He said no no no every day. Look at look at limitations What is he said? He said the only reason why you and I are still alive right now is by the mercies of god notice the term mercies plural Limitation 322. It's not a book you go to unless you're really depressed to get depressed But the bible says the highlighted verse that we find in there all the time It is of the lord's mercies that we are not consumed Why because his compassion's his Compassionating fails not what is it? They are new every morning great is thy faithfulness His mercies are brand new every morning What is he saying to us? He's saying you need to get that flow going on And don't let the flow stop keep keep giving mercy out there Now you know what you're going to get you're going to get an attack You're going to get your week. You're going to get all kind of mess coming at you Somebody going to cuss you out somebody going to tell you all family members and everything else are going to get all up in your face But you've got to make sure that the flow is going because the moment you cut off mercy going this direction God's saying I can't give you mercy here, but you shall obtain mercy if you keep the flow going Let me ask you a question. Have you ever gone to your faucet and been frustrated before? There you are with a glass that's empty and you turn on the faucet to get yourself a drink of water and then the water wasn't there Anybody ever been there? Well, first of all, you know first of all either I didn't pay the bill or something's broken Who I'm about to preach right now I said I didn't pay the bill or something's broken And then you go well, I know I did pay the bill What's going on? I'm not getting water You know why because the flow has been broken Come on somebody When the flow is broken it causes frustration it causes thirst It causes all kind of stuff going on and you wonder what the world's going on in your life It's because you got to get that flow going you got to get the flow going those that will flow continually you Don't just need mercy when I got saved. I need mercy today when I wake up in the morning I'm gonna need some more mercy. Listen here by nine o'clock. I might need some more mercy by 10 I'll probably need a double dose of by 11 o'clock. I'm gonna need I'm gonna need a transfusion I might have to stop and get a transfusion by 11 by noontime. Come on somebody I'll take a break and eat my sandwich and I'll give me some more mercy by three o'clock I've already had three more doses of mercy Because people will make you crazy But you got to look at them and say you ain't making me crazy today. Here's some mercy for you Think of it like this god. I need mercy. He says give it. Okay Okay Okay The word merciful is only found two times in the bible And it's found and listen This term right here this word is found in Matthew five that we read it But it's also found in Hebrews chapter 2 verse 17. Look at this. This is an important thing For you to get wherefore in all things it behooved him To be made like unto his brother that he might be a merciful Paul my Jesus and faithful high priest in things pertaining to god to make reconciliation for the sins of the people What is he saying? What does that mean? I love this It means to have compassion for a person. This is what it literally means It means you got in that person's skin Today we would say Have you walked a mile in their shoes? But it literally means here in the greek to get in that person's skin There's too many times that we have rolled up on somebody and passed a judgment on them because We thought one thing when in fact they were going through something else One one lady tells the story in a Big city she got on the subway and man got on the subway and had three kids and he sits down and All the sudden these kids start going crazy. They're jumping all over the place and Here and there they don't know what you know She's looking at them and they're just climbing over everything and over everybody and she finally had enough of it She's had hey You need to get control of your kids and he came out of his fog to say I'm sorry. I know I should We've just been three weeks at the hospital where their mother and she just died I'm sorry Before you pass judgment You better pass some mercy Because if you knew what they were going through Now i'm not talking about a bad attitude or Nastiness and all that i'm talking about somebody who's walking through pain and hurt and it's affecting their lives And before you pass a judgment on them and say man, they Boy, they really stink. What is up with them? Consider Putting their skin on You hear me friends. That's what opens the door of this church here every week to let everybody in here including you and me Mercy Let me go a step further because some of you haven't got it yet. Here it is That's what jesus did He literally came down from heaven And literally put our skin on So that he could feel what we're feeling And be touched with the feelings of our infirmities and be a righteous high priest in our behalf Because he knows how we feel about every situation ladies and gentlemen You don't have to tell other people about it There is one person who knows everything about you knows how you feel about every situation And his name is jesus because he has touched in his own skin by your skin and by your pain Are you with me right here if you'd have known what they were going through You might act it differently, right Let me say it like this When I show mercy God mercies me when I show mercy Could it be am I showing mercy? I don't know I probably could do better at it. I probably could do better at it. Let me just check myself Because the culture that we're in today if you get the mindset of this culture politically religiously culturally all the way around It's all about me. Isn't it me me me me me me me me Okay, all about me But it is a rare And finite group of people that think how jesus thinks about others first Come on somebody. I wish somebody fixed my marriage Others first. I wish somebody fixed my boss You may not know what your boss is going through The weight of keeping the company alive and still moving Well, why don't he tell me I'll tell you why he don't tell you because you can't do anything about it It's the same reason why you don't tell your children. We're in debt and we can't go to mcdonald's this week Because your kids are going to look at you and go Should I get a job? Well, you're only six baby. I'm not sure Come on somebody. I've watched his parents have loaded their kids down It is an unmerciful thing to do and an unjust thing to do to weight them down with what you are supposed to be carrying And you wonder why your the kids are all messed up because they're carrying stuff. They're not supposed to be carrying And an irresponsible generation ahead of them have not taken on the responsibility of doing it And so now that's passed on that's what's going to be the heartbreak and I've told my wife this many many times The heartbreak of the future is going to be the fact that parents and grandparents have made decisions about their life And lifestyle that is going to be on to the next generation and you know what that next generation is going to do They're going to act just like those that are in the bible and go wait a minute god. You're not fair over here Why am I having to endure this? Oh, it's not about you enduring it And it's not even about the previous generation you can make up your mind at any moment But because they never told you about god and his love and jesus dying on the cross for you But they took you out of church and they took you away from things ladies and gentlemen It won't be any surprise the consequences that come down the pipe if you live for the lord You'll be blessed Oh, wait a minute pastor. I'm going through hell when my back broke right now Okay, I conclude it right here Mercy can only be obtained through the cross of jesus christ Listen to me obtained and also Kept So there's no need in looking somewhere else If you need mercy, it's found in the same place That you knelt at the altar and said yes to jesus christ So sometimes people are not going to give you mercy. Are you hearing me? What are you going to do when that happens quit jesus? I'm watching people right now make up their mind about Serving the lord or not serving the lord and I'm always reminded of of ray comforts Uh, he's a preacher of the gospel and His explanation of of being on the plane and serving the lord. He says he says He says jesus is the parachute And everybody that's saved is wearing this parachute on the plane And people walk past you and you're all sitting uncomfortable in your seat, but you heard the captain say At 32 000 feet. Everybody's getting out Not everybody's wearing the parachute People come by you and they mark what in the world are you? Oh, look at that crazy sitting there with a parachute on a perfectly good plane Marking you and And ostracizing you and you're all Uncomfortable and you're feeling weird about it and here you strapped on with this parachute But you know I can't let go of this parachute because this is jesus. This is my salvation and the captain of my salvation said I'm getting out at 32 000 feet now everybody not may not believe the captain, but I believe the captain So you sense it down even harder? And then the stewardess he said comes along and spills hot coffee all over you and all over the parachute And you get mad And you want to have in your mind the frustration until you take the parachute off and throw it on the ground And say you stupid parachute But you realize wait a minute I'm going to get out at 32 000 feet and because this crazy stewardess just spilled this hot coffee on me It makes me even that much more excited to get off this plane at 32 000 feet So you strap in and get ready because jesus said i'm coming and you better be ready in an hour that you think now Don't get rid of the parachute my friends Today as I was preparing this message for you I thought about This started rolling in my spirit Fannie Crosby was the writer author of hundreds of songs hymns She was blind She wrote songs that unless you knew that she was blind it doesn't really make any sense, but get this a blind woman writes this jesus Keep me near the cross There is a precious fountain Free to all a healing stream flows From Calvary's mountain Here's the chorus in the cross In the cross Be my glory Till my ransom soul Shall find and rest beyond the river Can I give you verse two? Near the cross a trembling soul love and mercy found me There the bright and morning star sheds his beams around me Verse three near the cross o lamb of god bring its scenes before me This blind woman said bring its scenes before me Help me walk from day to day with its shadow over me Here's the final verse near the cross. I'll watch and wait A blind woman said I'll watch and wait Hoping trusting ever till I reach the golden strand and rest Beyond the river What are you saying pastor? I'm saying bring be merciful And you shall obtain mercy Father if we ever needed your mercy in this hour we need it now So lord don't let me don't let me Don't let me ever forget what you have done when you stepped on the scales of my life When I was trying and hopelessly trying to make it work You stepped on the scales for me and showed me mercy and equaled out What could have been justice over my life? I pray god that you would help me to let mercy flow So that I can obtain mercy I need you now like I've never needed you before This church needs you like we've never needed you before in this hour of political and religious Corruption and a culture that is counter to everything you're teaching us tonight Help us to be your salt and light in a dark Counter culture Christless world To give a mercy That none of us deserve But you gave it to us You still are the crucified christ of calvary And I thank you for your mercy tonight Flow it let this church at pace assembly ever continually flow with mercy To every person who walks through the doors of this house No matter where they've been and what they've done what their background is their political religious Whatever that it may be may there be a flow that is felt Of the mercy of god every time we gather For that we give you glory For that we give you glory Would you take just a moment and just slip your hand in the air and thank god for his mercy that endureth forever His mercy endureth forever his mercy endureth forever His maho sheila bahasa his mercy endureth forever I could have been lost But his mercy endureth His mercy puts up with my merciless life and gives me mercy So lord when your people Wake up in the middle of the night and the clock has already passed 12 Your mercy starts at midnight In the darkest hour of our life I give you glory for it right now in jesus name Everybody believes it shot a great big amen Would you get up and show somebody some mercy right now shake their hand love them? I appreciate you being here tonight. Do not miss this weekend. It's resurrection weekend All the saints are going to be in church. That's for sure Amen shake hands and be friends. We'll see all of you sunday morning at 10 a.m