In View of God’s Mercy

SUMMARY

In this sermon, Chad Hammond delves into the concept of God's mercy as presented in the book of Romans. He begins by highlighting the importance of church attendance as a spiritual discipline that encourages the body of Christ. Hammond then focuses on Romans 12:1, particularly the phrase "in view of God's mercy," which leads him to explore Paul's exposition of God's mercy in the preceding chapters.

Hammond emphasizes that all people, regardless of background or religious observance, deserve God's wrath due to sin. However, through Christ's faithfulness, we receive God's righteousness and mercy. As Romans 8:1 states, "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." This understanding of God's mercy should transform how we view and treat others, including our enemies. Hammond concludes by urging the congregation to "overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21), reflecting the extravagant mercy we've received from Jesus.

TRANSCRIPTION:

So I'll say again, good morning and welcome here. Welcome to those of you who are watching online and welcome to those of you who here physically this morning. I am thankful to be with you this morning. I probably should sit back down. I can't do any better than Brian did sharing the gospel this morning.

So thank you, Brian, for that. I think I should probably stop down here and just officially renew or place membership here at Broadway. Those of you who have known me a long time know I used to go to Broadway. And then about seven years ago I took a position with my company that caused me to travel about 250 plus days a year. And so my attendance with you over the last seven years has been sporadic at best.

But I just completed my second week of retirement from that company and so I'm not traveling anymore, praise God. And while I'm going to miss my visitor parking when I'm in town, I am thankful to be able to reengage with you in community and in service together. I am so thankful to my brother Carl. He's been so good and kind to me over the years to offer me opportunities to preach when he's away. And even over the last seven years when I've consistently said no because I wasn't sure when I would be in town or out of town, and when I was in town for a few minutes, I needed to take care of some other priorities.

So I consistently said no. But he continued to faithfully offer that even over those seven years. And when he found out a couple of weeks ago that I had retired from that company and wasn't traveling anymore. Carl offered me to preach this morning while he was away. And I realized I didn't have any excuses anymore.

So I said yes. And so here we are together this morning, for better or worse. And you can blame Carl.

Hey, I want to say again, thank you for being here. Your choice to be here matters. Attendance in the assembly is a spiritual discipline. And it's a spiritual discipline pay that has significant consequences in at least two ways. The first way is that your being here is an encouragement to your brothers and sisters.

And I want to say that again, and I want to say it intentionally in a mythological kind of a way. Your decision to come here this morning and be in attendance is an encouragement to the body of Christ.

Could you imagine showing up here this morning and realizing you were the only one that bothered to come? And sitting in this big auditorium out here in the middle somewhere all by yourself and singing solos and having the awkwardness of me preaching this Sermon one on one to you right there. Right. Your being here matters, yes, to those of you who you're engaging with and those that you're sitting with, but even to those you won't speak to at all this morning that are across the auditorium front of you. Because as we look around and we see one other'faces we're encouraged.

We take heart and inspires us and it spurs us on. So thank you for being here this morning. This and your presence here this morning is an encouragement to me. Secondly, that spiritual discipline is important to your pursuit of God. By coming here this morning, you're availing yourself to God and to God's word for you through the community.

You're availing yourself to the prayers of the saints lifted up around you and on your behalf. And you're availing yourself to the praises being sung to him and to experiencing God as he inhabits his praises. And you're availing yourself to this moment of communion as we consider the broken body and the shed blood. So you have chosen well this morning. Thank you for being here.

May God bless you for it. I was inspired by Carl Sermon a few weeks ago. It was my first week back home. And he was preaching on love. And he must have mentioned Romans 12 because somehow my mind got fully on Romans 12, on Paul's exhortations for us to love one another and have sincere love for one another and then how we would view and love the world.

And so I decided that's what I want to preach on. I want to Preach on Romans 12. And so I took off in my preparation headlong into reading Romans 12 and those first couple of verses that are so familiar to us, right? All for your bodies as a living sacrifice and which is somehow pleasing to God. And it's your spiritual act of worship.

And don't be trans. Don't be conformed any longer to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you can then, then discern what God's will is. His good, pleasing and perfect will. I love all of those themes. I love that theme of self sacrifice.

I of lay myself on the altar and taking up the mind of Christ. I love that theme of renewing our mind and all the disciplines that go into us, allowing God to renew our minds and help us to think differently and think more like our Lord. And I love the implications of that and how we treat one another and love one another and the implications of that is how we. How we then treat the world and bless the world. So I ran headlong into those verses and quickly stumbled over the first phrase in Romans 12, therefore I urge you brothers, in view of God's mercy, in view of God's mercy.

I don't know how many times I've ran right past that. I've run right past that into all the exhortations that are in Romans 12. But it stopped me up this time and I realized I needed to put aside all my agendas about what I wanted to preach for Romans 12 and I needed to view the mercy of God or review the mercy of God. And so this morning, before we think of any of the exhortations from Paul in Romans 12, we need to view the mercy of God, my brother. Well, I'll start here.

My every good Bible reader knows that therefore is a transition, right? And Paul begins chapter 12 with Therefore I urge you. And so there's a transition going on, Paul saying hey, all of this that I've said before because of all this I've said before than this. And so every good Bible reader knows I need to go back and figure out what he said before, right? But Paul gives us a clue right here.

He tells us it God's mercy because Paul has spent the first 11 chapters of Romans expounding on God's mercy and goodness to us. My friend Aaron Robinson, I've heard him refer to Romans as Paul's opus and I don't know if that's original with Aaron or not, but that's where I heard it from and I tend to agree with him. I love all of the writings of Paul. They've all been important to me at different times in my life. Each of his letters have been the focus of my study at different times in my life.

Each of his letters have informed me at different times of my life and shaped me and encouraged me and rebuked me. I've read the words of Paul and I've sung the words of Paul and I've read and sung the words of Paul over my children. I love and am thankful for all of his writings. But there's something about Romans right Paul, it's expansive and Paul uses new ways to reveal and mysteries of God's salvation for us in his work on our behalf. It has informed the minds of many a great theologian and has inspired rebellions and reformations within the church.

There's something special about Romans and I could not do justice to Romans 1 through 11 by trying to recap it in some way for you this morning. But I want to try to pull on one thread this morning for us so that Maybe together we can view the mercy of God.

Paul begins by introducing himself and teasing this theme of a righteousness from God apart from the law. And then he begins to speak about God's wrath, God's wrath that's building up and being revealed. Paul says against evil man. And multiple times in Romans chapter one, Paul talks about an exchange that we've made, a bad bargain that we've made and how we've exchanged the things of God for the things of hell. And he says in one of the verses there that that we have exchanged the truth about God for a lie or that evil man has exchanged the truth of God for a lie.

And this isn't necessarily a Romans theme, but I just want to stop down there and tell you folks, Church if you are bargaining with the enemy, you are going toa come out on the bad end of the deal every time. He's a deceiver and he's a liar and he set out to kill and steal and destroy every good thing that God has given g us. And we see it all the way from the beginning, right when he slithers his way into the garden and he lies and deceives, lies to and deceives Adam and Eve and gets them to trade their garden relationship with God for some, for a glimpse of some forbidden knowledge. If you're bargaining with the devil, you're gonna come out on the bad end of that.

Paul says that evil man that God's wrath is building against the evil of men because they're choosing darkness over light and they're choosing isolation or independence over worshiping their Creator. And they're choosing to worship created things instead of worshiping the immortal God. And they're choosing all kinds of evil over the goodness that God intended for them. He says this starting in verse 28. Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind to do what ought not to be done.

They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful. They invent ways of doing evil. They disobey their parents.

They are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do those very things, but also approve of those who practice them. Church does that sound familiar at all? Does that sound at all like the Culture in which you find yourself living, the society in which you find yourself living, the world in which you find yourself living. And maybe those of us, us churchgoers, and maybe those of us religious and righteous, maybe our blood begins to boil a little bit, right?

And our anger begins to grow and our wrath begins to grow in us at these evildoers that are sowing evil into the world and that are forcing it on us and forcing it on our children. And we may grow to a point and boil to a point where we say, God, go get them. Pour out your wrath on them. They deserve it. Cleanse your land, Lord.

I'm reminded of King David when the prophet Nathan came to him. And the prophet began to describe a sinfulness that was going on in evil, that was going on in David's kingdom. And David began to become angry and his wrath grew in him. And he said, you tell me who this is because they deserve to die. And Nathan looked at David and he said, david, you're the man.

You're the man. And Church Paul spends a lot of words in several chapters saying you're the man. I'm not talking about some faceless group out there or, or some nameless person out there. I'm talking about all of us. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

There is no one righteous. No, not one. And the wages of sin is death. Paul makes it clear. It doesn't matter who your mom or dad is.

It doesn't matter what nationality you are. It doesn't matter if you're male or female, if you're rich or poor. It doesn't matter if you could trace your lineage all the way back to Abraham. It doesn't matter if you have memorized the first five books of the Bible, the Law, the Pentateuch, you can recite it by heart. It doesn't matter how many generations of your family have been members here, Broadway.

It doesn't matter what kind of perfect attendance you've accumulated.

All of us, God. Paul makes it clear that everyone who hears my voice this morning, you deserve the wrath of God. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. There is no one righteous, not one of you. And the wages of sin is death.

A wretched man that I am who would deliver me from this body of death.

Praise be to God through Christ Jesus, for there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set me free from the law of sin and death. Hallelujah. How good is the mercy of God. Paul says it this way in Romans 3.

But now a righteousness from God apart from the law has been made known to which the law and the prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. It's ours. Through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. I stand before you this morning.

I deserve the wrath of God, but I have received the righteousness of Jesus Christ. I deserve death, but I have received the free gift of God, which is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. How good is the good news? How good is the mercy of God? And if that weren't good enough, Paul spends three chapters in chapter nine through 11 unveiling and explaining this mystery of God's work of salvation for all of us.

And he says, it begins with Abraham and it begins with his chosen people, Israel. But it doesn't end there. It includes us. This story that wasn't ours. We aren't the chosen people.

And this story that wasn't ours, God has said, I want you to be a part of it. I want this to be your story. I'm inviting you in. I want you to taste my goodness. I want you to taste my salvation.

I want you to taste redemption. And so he's invited us into the story. He said, I'll graft you in. I'll make you a part. I'll make it your story.

I'll make it your truth. But he said, don't get conceited. Paul says, don't get cocky, you Gentiles, because this isn't your story. This is the story, the promise that came through Israel to us. And Paul says, though their hearts have been hardened for a while so that you could come in, that the Israel is still loved on account of the patriarchs.

And so all Israel will be saved. Paul says, at the end of the unveiling of this mystery in beginning, in chapter 11, verse 28, as far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account. But as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs. For God's gifts, His call are irrevocable. Irrevocable.

Just as you, who were at one time disobedient to God, have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience. So they too have become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you. For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that me, he may have mercy on them all.

You say, Chad, who exactly are we talking about. And I want to answer that with these three things. One is, I dare you to read it with an open line. Second thing is, I just want to go where Paul goes in Romans 9 when he quotes Exodus. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will save whom I will save, declares the Lord.

And then lastly, I want to say whatever mystery that Paul has just unveiled and revealed to us, it is so about the mercy of God. It'so overwhelming, it'so marvelous, it'so wonderful, better than you can imagine, so wonderful that it leads Paul to the only place he can go, and that's to his knees in worship. Oh, the depth, the riches of the wisdom and the knowledge of God. How unsearchable his judgments, his paths beyond tracing out who has known the mind of the Lord or who has been his counselor, who has ever given to God that God should repay him for from him and through him and to him are all things to him be the glory forever. Amen.

Praise God from whom all blessings flowh Praise him, all creatures prai him Praise Father, Son and holy Praise God from prai himove prai so Church May the wonder and may the wonder of God's mercy leads you daily to worship. May the wonder of God's mercy lead us to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, to lay down our bodies and take up the renewed mind of Christ through the lens of God's mercy for us. May we begin then to love one another the way that he intended us to, and then to love the world through that lens the way he intends us to. Paul says in Romansapter 12, starting in verse 3, for by grace, for by the grace given me. I say to every one of you, do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment in accordance with the measure of faith that God has given you.

Church how could we, after what we just reviewed, how could I come in here and think myself better than any one of you? And when I look at myself through the eyes of sobriety, when I get a good look at myself, an honest look at myself, I know who I am. I know where I've been. I know what I've done. And my only response to you is to say, you first, you ahead of me.

And so we pour out our gifts and our giftedness on one another, and for the mutual edification of one another, so that we can remind one another of the mercy of God toward us, and we can incite one another and spur one another on to share that mercy Outside of these walls, Paul turns or pivots his view to those outside of the walls, starting in verse 14. And he says this and he sounds. Doesn't he sound so much like his teacher? Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse.

Rejoice with those who rejoice. Mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody, if it is possible, as far as it depends on you. Live at peace with everyone. Wow. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath.

For it is written, it is mine to avenge, I will repay, says the Lord. On the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed him. And if your enemy is thirsty, give him something to drink. In this way you will heat burning coals on his head. And I want to stop there before I read the last verse of Romans 12 and give you some final thoughts about that.

I want to stop there to say Paul just quoted from Proverbs 25, and it includes the idiom of heaping burning coals on your enemy's head. And there are a lot of different thoughts about what that means out there, and I'm not going to champion any of them, but I want to take one of them off the table right now. Paul is not offering you a new motivation for doing good to your enemy. Paul is not offering you a backhanded way to get even with your enemy. He's not suggesting, hey, do good to them and it'll look really nice and merciful, but really it'll burn them in the end.

Paul's been very clear with us what our motivation is here. It is the mercy of God on us, the mercy God has shown us. Church, we do not love our enemies to get back at them. We love our enemies because when we were enemies of God, he loved us. God demonstrates his love for us and this, that while we were still sinners, while we were his enemies, Christ died for us.

Church I don't love my enemies to get back at them. I love my enemies because Jesus loves my enemies and I want to be like him. I don't know who you think about when you hear the word enemy. Maybe there's a particular person or group of people that come to your mind. Maybe it's the bully that menaces you in the hallway, or maybe it's a teacher that seems against you all the time.

Or maybe it's the friend that has betrayed you wrongdo in some way. Or maybe it's a family member that you're at odds with. Or maybe it's that boss that rides you incessantly and unmercifully. Maybe it's. Maybe it's a subordinate that ruins every one of your days by by undermining your authority at every turn.

Maybe it's that person that cuts you off in traffic or drives too close to you from behind. Or maybe it's someone who's wronged you or a loved one or injured you or a loved one in some significant way. Maybe somebody that's damaged your property. Maybe it's that other team and all of their fans. Or maybe it's that other political party and all those people and all those leaders.

I don't know who comes to mind but Church don't get swept up in the evil of the day. Do not let it overcome you. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. We follow a teacher and a savior who didn't choose a sword and didn't choose revenge. He chose a cross and I want to be like Him.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Do not be overcome by evil with good. With good. Overcome evil with good.

Church I don't need any more hate or judgment or condemnation. I need extravagant mercy. I need Jesus.

You don't need more hate or judgment or condemnation. You need extravagant mercy. You need Jesus. Church. The world does not need any more of our hate and our judgment and our condemnation.

The world needs to see extravagant mercy. The world needs Jesus. May God bless us as we continue to pour out his goodness and his love and his mercy on his creation.