Participants: Lisa Wellington (Host), Abraham Jules
Series Code: POH
Program Code: POH000004
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00:03 Where can you find hope for the hopeless?
00:07 Opportunity for transformation? 00:11 Peace amid life's storms? 00:15 Only in God's free gift of eternal life. 00:20 From New York, join us on the Pathway of Hope. 00:30 There are many attributes about our God. 00:34 He possesses all wisdom and power. 00:37 I could list a few more 00:39 but there are two attributes of God that I like most. 00:44 Number one, He is a loving God, 00:48 and number two, He is a merciful God. 00:52 He loves us so much 00:54 that He died on a cross for our sins. 00:58 As a merciful God, 00:59 He spares us from the brutal punishment 01:02 and effects of sin. 01:06 I am a recipient of God's mercy. 01:09 Jesus had mercy on me and changed my life. 01:13 And guess what, 01:14 His mercy is available for you too. 01:17 He not only wants us to be recipients of mercy, 01:21 but also wants us to extend that mercy to others. 01:26 There is a special blessing for those who are merciful 01:29 for the Bible says, 01:31 "Blessed are they who are merciful, 01:34 for they shall obtain mercy." 01:37 On today's program, Dr. Jules will show us 01:41 how we can attain mercy and forgiveness of our sins 01:45 and live a fuller, richer, 01:48 and happier life in Christ Jesus. 03:04 Crucified 03:08 Laid behind the stone 03:12 You lived to die 03:15 Rejected and alone 03:25 You took the fall 03:28 And thought of me 03:39 Above all powers 03:46 Above all nature 03:55 And created things 04:04 The world began 04:13 Above all wonders 04:20 The world has ever known 04:28 There's no way to measure 04:35 What you're worth 04:38 Crucified 04:41 Laid behind the stone 04:45 You lived to die 04:48 Rejected and alone 04:58 You took the fall 05:02 And thought of me 05:05 Above all 05:10 Crucified 05:13 Laid behind the stone 05:17 You lived to die 05:20 Rejected and alone 05:23 Like a rose trampled on the ground 05:30 You took the fall 05:34 And thought of me 05:38 Above all 05:44 Trampled on the ground 06:21 Out of the New Testament, 06:24 Jesus speaking into book of Matthew 5:7 06:29 says, "Blessed are the merciful, 06:33 for they shall obtain mercy." 06:34 Succinct, brief, yet powerful. 06:39 Our message, be merciful. 06:43 Let us pray. 06:45 Loving Lord, You who have demonstrated in Your life 06:49 and taught us a new word, 06:52 the need to be kind and forgiving 06:55 and generous and magnanimous, 07:00 we tonight, go to this word to find a way 07:03 to make that word real in our own lives. 07:07 So bless this to Your people 07:09 and those who listen to this telecast, 07:12 may their hearts be blessed beyond measure. 07:17 May we sense our need to inculcate in our lives. 07:21 The attributes of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 07:24 Thank you for hearing out this prayer tonight. 07:27 In the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. 07:30 Amen. 07:33 Philips translates that verse of scripture this way, 07:38 he says, "Happy are the merciful, 07:42 for they will have mercy shown to them." 07:45 Now at first glance, such statements seem to suggest 07:51 that the process of showing mercy 07:53 begins with us. 07:55 Now that, however, is not the case. 07:58 It is God who is merciful and gracious, first of all. 08:03 And the people of God are who they are 08:06 because they have received God's mercy. 08:11 Now the two terms, grace and mercy 08:13 are frequently synonymous. 08:16 But where there is a distinction 08:17 between the two, 08:19 it appears that grace is a loving response 08:22 when love is undeserved. 08:25 And mercy is a loving response prompted by the misery 08:30 and helplessness of the one and whom, 08:33 the love is to be showered. 08:36 Grace answers to the undeserving mercy, 08:40 answers to the miserable. 08:43 Jesus in Matthew 5 gives us these eight principles 08:46 or secrets to happiness. 08:49 He divides them up. 08:51 Four of these principles speak to our relationship to God 08:54 and the other four 08:56 deals with our relationship with each other. 08:58 That's why it's a fosse for people to love the Lord 09:01 and don't know how to treat their brothers or sisters. 09:06 Your real character comes out 09:08 when you have to deal with people 09:10 who are not all that loving and caring. 09:13 In this beatitude, Jesus is saying 09:16 that life is really one great boomerang. 09:19 Whatever you dish out, comes back to you. 09:23 It's the law of direct return. 09:25 If you're friendly, 09:27 people tend to be friendly with you. 09:29 If you speak gently to someone, most times, 09:32 they tend to not be boisterous with you. 09:35 If you criticize other people, they're going to criticize you. 09:39 If you're merciful to other people, 09:41 they'll be merciful to you. 09:43 That's just the way life is. 09:46 Now mercy goes even deeper 09:48 than just feeling sorry for people. 09:50 Mercy, the man's action, mercy is love in action. 09:56 The Bible says that God is a merciful God. 10:01 Psalms 148:8 says, 10:05 "God is kind and merciful. 10:08 Slow to get angry and full of love." 10:12 Isn't that wonderful people? 10:13 When I think of God, I should envision Him 10:16 to be kind and merciful, 10:19 full of love, and slow to anger. 10:22 Are you patient with everyone? 10:25 How can you be patient with those who are different? 10:28 First, we must look into their backgrounds. 10:31 When we understand where a person is coming from, 10:34 we will understand how far they're coming from, 10:37 and we will not pay much attention 10:40 to how far they have to go. 10:43 Ladies and gentleman, 10:44 when we look beneath the external behavior 10:47 and look at the internal pain, 10:50 we would know that behind every peculiar act, 10:53 there's loneliness, hurt, depression, or some anxiety. 10:57 In other words, God is saying to us, 10:59 "Stop judging people. 11:01 Take a little time, 11:03 think about their circumstances, 11:04 think about their conditions, 11:06 and you'll be patient with them." 11:10 Well, mercy is manifested first of all through patience 11:13 but secondly, 11:14 mercy is manifested through forgiveness. 11:18 Colossians 3:27 says, 11:20 "Be gentle and ready to forgive, 11:22 never hold grudges. 11:24 Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others." 11:29 Isn't it amazing that 11:30 when you are in need of forgiveness, 11:32 it feels so right. 11:34 But when you are called upon to give it, it feels so wrong. 11:40 When people make mistakes, 11:41 do you rub it in or do you rub it out? 11:44 When people hurt you and malice you 11:46 and let you down, 11:47 do you hold it over their heads for the rest of their lives 11:50 and never let them off the hook? 11:52 That's not mercy. 11:55 It's lot easier to criticize than it is to sympathize. 11:59 It's a lot easier to point a finger 12:00 than it is to lend a helping hand. 12:02 William Barclay once said, 12:04 "A Christ-less world is a callous world. 12:07 And mercy was never 12:09 a characteristic of pagan life." 12:13 And all who strived to root their lives to forgiveness, 12:15 seek to listen rather than to convince, 12:18 to understand rather than to impose themselves. 12:21 But there's a third way that mercy is manifested. 12:25 It's manifested through kindness. 12:27 Proverbs 3:27 declares, 12:29 whenever you possibly can do good to those who need it. 12:35 John Wesley had a motto. 12:36 He says, "Do all the good you can, 12:38 by all the means you can, 12:40 in all the ways you can, at all the times you can, 12:42 to all the people you can, as long as you ever can." 12:47 Jude 1:24 also says, 12:49 "Be merciful to those who doubt." 12:53 When you're hurting that's the most likely time 12:55 you're going to doubt God. 12:57 Do you know that's when you are hurting... 12:59 That's when we ask those cosmic questions 13:01 in the middle of the night? 13:03 "Where is God? 13:04 Why is He not hearing my prayers? 13:06 Maybe He doesn't care! 13:08 Maybe He doesn't even exist." 13:10 If you have never had those doubts, 13:12 you probably have never been in much pain. 13:15 Now why did God say, "Be merciful"? 13:18 Because that is the way God treats people. 13:21 He is kind and merciful, slow to anger. 13:23 And The Living Bible says in rest of that verse, 13:26 "His compassion is entertained in everything that He does." 13:31 Why then should I really be merciful? 13:34 First, because I'm a recipient of God's mercy. 13:38 Matthew 18:3, The Living Bible says, 13:40 "Shouldn't you be merciful to other people 13:42 just as I have been merciful to you?" 13:45 God anticipates that I would be grateful enough 13:48 and smart enough 13:49 to remember to give of what I have received. 13:52 Freely you have received, freely give! 13:57 Whenever you're tempted to get all smug and arrogant, 14:00 take a moment to think of the many times, 14:02 you have offended the eye of God. 14:05 And He has been so faithful and merciful. 14:09 You know, one day while I say who ministered in this world, 14:11 a group of professional religious leaders 14:14 caught up in their own righteousness 14:16 and impressed with their own purity, 14:18 forgot that they had been recipients of God's Almighty's 14:21 grace and mercy. 14:23 They came dragging a woman, the Bible says, 14:25 into the very presence of Jesus. 14:27 She had committed adultery, she was caught in adultery. 14:31 And they threw her down in front of Jesus and said, 14:34 "Jesus, You are a teacher. 14:35 You know what the Lord says. 14:37 If you're caught in adultery, you should be stoned to death." 14:42 Jesus said, "You're right. 14:44 That's what the Lord says. 14:46 The first one of you who has never sinned, 14:48 gets to throw the very first stone." 14:51 The Bible says they all walked away. 14:54 On another occasion, Jesus said, 14:56 "One of you is so preoccupied with the speck of sawdust 15:01 in your neighbors eyes, 15:02 why don't you get the telephone pulled out of your own?" 15:07 God has been merciful to me! 15:10 So I need to be merciful to other folks. 15:15 Now we tend to judge people, 15:17 other people by their worst faults. 15:20 Ad we tend to judge ourselves by our best intentions. 15:25 There's a second reason why we should be merciful. 15:27 I should also be merciful because more than likely, 15:30 I'm going to need some mercy in the future. 15:33 We ought to be careful when we say, 15:35 "I'll never do that." 15:36 Never say never. 15:38 No one but God knows what the future holds 15:40 and in that future, 15:42 there might just be some circumstantial condition 15:44 that necessitates the mercy of God 15:47 and mercy from our fellow men. 15:50 You don't know what you'll do. 15:52 Be careful. 15:53 Let Him the thinketh, 15:55 He sendeth, taketh, let's befall. 15:59 James 2:13 says, 16:01 "The man who makes no allowances for others, 16:03 will find none made for him." 16:06 only those who give mercy will get it. 16:09 Mercy is giving to others, not what they deserve, 16:12 but giving them what they need. 16:15 There's a third reason why I should give mercy. 16:17 I should be merciful 16:18 because the Bible says it will make me happy. 16:21 If you are a merciful person, you will be a happy person. 16:25 Happy are the merciful 16:27 and unhappy and miserable are the unmerciful. 16:32 Unkind people are miserable people. 16:36 But people who are merciful, the Bible says, 16:39 "Happy are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." 16:44 Amen. 16:45 How then do I become a merciful person? 16:48 Starting point is you must first experience 16:52 the mercy of God. 16:53 You cannot offer mercy to anyone else 16:56 until you have first received mercy. 16:59 You can't offer forgiveness to anyone else 17:01 until you first feel forgiven. 17:04 One of the reasons 17:05 why some of you have a hard time 17:07 forgiving people 17:09 is because you don't really feel forgiven. 17:11 When I feel unforgiving yet I'm definitely unforgiving. 17:16 When I don't feel good, 17:17 I sure don't want anybody else to feel good. 17:22 Starting point is 17:23 I must receive the mercy of God, 17:26 peace of God, and the forgiveness of God, 17:29 and then I can offer it to others. 17:31 Can you say amen somebody? Amen. 17:34 Every sin you've ever committed 17:36 or are committing right now, 17:37 or will commit has already been paid for, why? 17:41 The Bible says, "Just as you break man's law, 17:44 there's a penalty." 17:47 The Bible says, "The wages of sin is death." 17:50 Jesus took that penalty. 17:54 He took it. 17:55 It's already paid for. 17:56 You can walk out of here with a clear conscience, 17:59 with a clean slate. 18:01 You can begin a new life, 18:03 you can receive the mercy of god, 18:04 not because you deserve to be forgiven, you don't. 18:08 But God wants to forgive you 18:09 simply because He is a forgiving God. 18:12 He loves forgiving, it's His nature. 18:15 He is a God of mercy. 18:18 After you've done that, once you really feel forgiven, 18:20 once you have been graced, 18:22 then it's easier for you to become gracious. 18:25 Once you've felt the mercy of God, 18:27 then it's easier for you to be merciful. 18:30 After you've done that, the next thing you need to do 18:32 in order to become a merciful person, 18:34 is start looking at people with the eyes of Jesus Christ. 18:39 Look at people the way the Lord would see them. 18:42 By the way, if you have trouble with lust, 18:44 this is the key. 18:45 Instead of looking at them in lust, 18:47 look at them in love, the way Jesus would see them. 18:51 Instead of a body, you'll see a person. 18:54 Now Matthew 25 to think 18:55 Christians are going to be judged by 18:58 and the judgment is how they treated other people. 19:03 Listen to what Jesus says. 19:04 "I was hungry and you fed Me, 19:06 I was naked and you clothed Me, 19:10 I was in need of drink and you gave it to Me, 19:12 I was in prison and you visited me." 19:16 We're going to say, "Lord, 19:17 so when did we do all of that to You?" 19:19 Jesus said, "I will say then, in as months as you've done it 19:23 to anybody else, you've done it to me." 19:25 God is a loving God. 19:28 And He loves all of His children. 19:33 God's going to ask you how you treated other people. 19:36 Were you merciful? 19:38 Were you like Him? 19:40 All of us, lot of us are very hard 19:42 and we are tough on people. 19:44 And we always ready to vote somebody out of church. 19:48 Always quick to get rid of people. 19:50 Let me tell you something. 19:51 When I read my Bible, 19:52 Jesus was never in haste to get rid of anybody. 19:55 He was always extending mercy. 19:58 Jesus says, "Were you like Him?" 20:00 Jesus had a ministry of mercy. 20:02 He lifted up the lonely, He accepted the rejected, 20:05 He grieved with those who are sorrowing. 20:07 He loved the unlovely. 20:09 He helped those who are helpless and hurting. 20:12 He cared for them and God wants you 20:14 to be a little bit like Christ on your job, 20:17 at school, and at home. 20:19 Treat people the way you would like to be treated. 20:24 Now who is that in your life that needs mercy? 20:27 That's barely hanging on. 20:28 And they're about to let go. 20:30 You need to show some mercy this week. 20:33 Who is it in your life that you're still holding 20:36 the past over their head? 20:39 You won't let them off the hook. 20:40 Every time they do something you don't like, 20:44 you bring this up for ammunition. 20:47 It's always silently there in the background. 20:50 You remind them of how many times 20:52 you forgave them. 20:54 That's a great way to even kill a marriage. 20:57 You're unappeasable no matter what they do for you, 21:00 you remember the past. 21:01 You have a little scale in your mind. 21:04 No matter what they do for you, 21:05 you keep on reminding them of this. 21:07 You're destroying 21:08 your own marriage and relationships. 21:11 You're doing it to yourself. 21:14 Who is it that you need to say a word of forgiveness 21:16 to this week? 21:18 Let him off the hook, wipe that slate clean, 21:20 never mention it again. 21:21 It's over, it's done with, 21:22 it's forgiven, it's past, that's it. 21:26 Be happy! 21:27 And show mercy! 21:30 Have you experienced the mercy of God? 21:33 That is the greatest thing you can ever experience, 21:34 the mercy and love of Jesus. 21:36 Jesus Christ cared enough for you to die for you 21:40 and to forgive every sin you've ever committed. 21:43 But you need to come, admit those sins, 21:45 ask for forgiveness, 21:46 and let Him clean out your life and start over again. 21:49 There's no reason to go out of this house tonight 21:51 with any guilt. 21:53 It's unnecessary. 21:54 If you do it, it's because you choose to do it. 21:57 God says, "I want to wipe the slate clean." 21:59 It's like staring all over again. 22:03 This is a true story. 22:05 Fred Craddock was vacationing in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. 22:10 He and his wife were seated at the table, 22:13 when an old man came up to them and asked, "How are you doing? 22:17 Are you having a good time? 22:19 Are you on vacation?" 22:20 "Yes", said Professor Craddock. 22:22 "We are on vacation 22:24 and yes we're having a good time." 22:25 "What do you do for living?" The old man asked. 22:28 Professor Craddock wanting to get rid of the old man, 22:31 he said, "I'm a professor of preaching." 22:34 Which is true, but he was sure that a title like that 22:37 would drive any unwelcomed intruder away. 22:41 But it didn't. 22:43 "Oh, you're a preacher?" 22:44 The old man said, 22:46 "Let me tell you a preacher's story." 22:51 Before he can object, 22:52 the old man drew up a chair to the table, 22:55 started to unwind his story. 22:58 He said, "I was born an illegitimate child. 23:01 I never knew who my father was. 23:03 And that was very hard for me. 23:05 The boys at my school had names they called me 23:08 and they made fun of me all the time. 23:10 When I walk down the street in my little town, 23:12 I always felt like people was just staring at me 23:15 and asking that terrible question, 23:17 'I wonder who's the father of that little boy?' 23:21 So I spent a lot of time all by myself. 23:25 And I didn't have any friends. 23:27 One day, a new preacher came to the town. 23:30 And everybody was talking about how great he was. 23:34 I'd never gone to church before, 23:36 but one Sunday morning, 23:38 I thought, I'd go hear this preacher preach. 23:40 He was a good preacher so I kept going back. 23:43 Each time, I would go late and would leave early, 23:46 so I wouldn't have to talk to anyone else. 23:48 Then one Sunday, I got so caught up 23:51 in the preacher's message that I forgot to leave. 23:55 Before I knew what was happening, 23:58 he had the closing prayer, and the service was over. 24:02 I tried to get out of the church, 24:04 but people had already filled all the aisles, 24:07 and I couldn't get past them. 24:09 Suddenly, I felt a heavy hand on my shoulder. 24:12 When I turned around, 24:14 that big, tall preacher was looking down at me 24:18 and asking, 'What's your name, boy? 24:21 Who's your family? 24:23 Whose son are you?' 24:24 And when I heard that question, I just shook. 24:28 But before I could say anything, 24:30 he said, 'What? 24:31 I know your family. 24:33 I know whose son you are. 24:35 There's a distinct resemblance. 24:37 You are the son of God!'" 24:42 He said, "You know, mister, 24:44 those simple words changed my life forever." 24:48 The old man got up and left. 24:50 A waitress came over and asked, 24:52 "Do you know, who you just talked to?" 24:55 "No," said Professor Craddock. 24:58 The waitress said, "That's Ben Hooper, 25:00 two-term governor of the state of Tennessee." 25:04 A man learned what God said about him 25:08 because God is merciful. 25:10 He learned that he was God's child 25:13 and it's changed his life forever. 25:16 When you begin to see yourself, 25:18 as God really sees you, 25:20 you will be liberated from the pain of rejection 25:23 because it doesn't matter 25:25 what anybody else thinks if God says, "I'm acceptable, 25:28 and I'm valuable, and I'm lovable, 25:30 and I'm forgivable, and I'm capable, that's it." 25:35 Too much is given. 25:37 Much is required. 25:39 We are here today because of God's mercy. 25:42 You and I need to share that mercy with everybody. 25:46 Let's bow our heads as we commit our lives 25:48 a new to Christ. 25:50 Loving Lord, 25:52 we know what You've done for us. 25:54 Sometimes, we are hard-headed, 25:57 hard-hearted, 25:59 but we need that grace that washes away 26:04 our stain of sin and takes our hearts 26:09 and melts it with Your love. 26:11 We want to be more loving and kind 26:13 and patient and caring. 26:16 We want to be more merciful. 26:18 In other words, Lord, we want to be like You. 26:21 So make each of us who is in this room tonight 26:25 and those who listening through this telecast, 26:29 help us, oh, God, help us to be like You. 26:34 Forgive us of our past 26:36 and give us strength to live for You 26:37 in the days ahead. 26:39 When we meet people in need of grace and mercy, 26:43 help us to be the first to stand up and dispense it. 26:46 We thank You for hearing our prayer. 26:48 We thank You for the beatitude that tells us 26:51 that if we receive mercy, we must give it freely. 26:55 Bless this Your people here and around the world we pray, 26:59 in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior, 27:01 let everyone say amen. 27:03 Amen. And amen. 27:05 Thanks for watching Pathway of Hope. 27:08 If you would like to be prayed for 27:11 or would like to learn more about God's Word, 27:14 please call 1 (877) 520-Hope 27:20 or 1 (877) 520 (4673). 27:27 You may also watch more of our programs online 27:31 at www.pathwayofhope.tv. 27:37 If you would like to make a tax deductible love gift, 27:41 please send your gifts to Pathway of Hope, 27:45 at P.O. Box 280704, 27:50 Queens Village, New York 11428. 27:56 Thanks for watching Pathway of Hope. 27:58 And may God's blessings be yours today. |
Revised 2020-03-21