THE SHOWING OF MERCY AND LONG-SUFFERING

“However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.” (1 Timothy‬ ‭1:16‬‬)

Paul was overwhelmed by the thought that God would be merciful to him.  He described the way he was in 1 Timothy 1:13,15, “although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. ...This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.”

Imagine, this great defender of the faith had once been a denier of it.  He who became an apostle had been an antagonist. Paul identified himself as the biggest sinner in the world. That’s how he felt. But God had shown him mercy and had been long-suffering with him. None in the church would have suspected what their enemy would become,  but God changed him. That’s what He does—and He transformed me too!

How much God put up with in suffering so long with me!  I did virtually everything I could to die and go to hell, but He pursued me relentlessly!  God spared me and saved me.

He is patient and merciful each day. But, even though God is slow to anger, the flood of wrath building day by day will eventually burst through. None who have not cried out for mercy will then be spared.

What do we need to do about this truth? As a sinner without Christ, I must repent.  I must cry out as the wicked tax-collector, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” (Luke 18:13). As one saved by Christ, I ought rejoice.  I must proclaim with Paul that God has spared the chief of sinners!

Then, to us who have been shown mercy, we must show mercy.  We cannot expect God to give mercy to us, if we fail to grant mercy to others.  Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Matt.5:7). I ought to be able to suffer long with others like me, when a holy God has suffered long with me.  If I cannot express mercy and long-suffering, it means that I have not experienced it!

THE SUPPLY OF MERCY AND LONG-SUFFERING

David declares in Psalm 86:15 that God is “Long-suffering and abundant in mercy and truth.”  As there is a difference between grace and mercy, there is a difference between God’s long-suffering and His mercy, too.  Mercy has pity for the sinner while long-suffering has patience with the sinner.

Long-suffering does not arise from God’s lacking ability to judge us, but in loving power to restrain that ability.  Consider, Nahum 1:3.  “The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, And will not at all acquit the wicked. The LORD has His way In the whirlwind and in the storm, And the clouds are the dust of His feet.”  Sin will eventually be judged if there is no repentance—usually delayed, though not ultimately denied.

Scripture is replete with examples.

Think of how patient God was in dealing with the first sinners, Adam and Eve—how He sought them and clothed them and though they were sentenced with death, that death was 930 years later for Adam. God endured the wickedness of the population during Noah’s day for 120 years, before sending the flood. The vile citizens of Sodom had occasion to turn to God, and Lot the opportunity to flee, because God responded to Abraham’s intercession. Pharaoh went through a season of plagues to pressure him, 10 in all, God being patient with Pharaoh’s obstinence. The iniquity of the Amorites meant Israel was enslaved for 400 years, until their “cup was full,” and God brought Israel out and then up into the land to judge the people of Canaan.  Jonah preached, “Yet 40 days and Nineveh shall be destroyed.”  Those pagans merited judgment, but a long-suffering God gave them opportunity to repent. They did and were spared, until they backslid. Over and again, God restrained His wrath upon Israel—the repeated condition of that nation throughout its history until the present day—and still God is not through with them.

God warns and waits and works so that when people repent then He extends mercy.  How patient God has been to me!  We should all praise Him that He is long-suffering!

THE SOURCE OF MERCY AND LONG-SUFFERING

“But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.”
(Ps.86:15)

Out of the infinite fullness of a long-suffering God—from the bottomless well of His compassion and grace—flows the abundant mercy we must have.

Why would God be merciful?  Why would He be long-suffering?

You know what “long-suffering” is, don’t you?  Turn the word around—it is to suffer long with a problem or a person—and in this case God finds the problem is with the person—our sinful heart!  We are stiff-necked, stubborn, self-willed and self-absorbed.  Thankfully, Almighty God is patient with us.  He endures that we ignore Him, or worse deny Him, or even worse hate Him.

Why?  Because that is His nature.  God is love, and His love reaches out to those who merit His wrath.

Christ’s nail-scarred hand reaches out to lift us from our sin and deliver us from judgment, and what do we do?  We slap it away.  Then He reaches out again, and we jerk back.  Still, His long-suffering mercy is extended—for how long?

Not forever.  If we insist on our own way, there will come a time that even the patience of God reaches its limit and in holiness, compassion gives way to condemnation.

How does grace compare to mercy?  Think of it this way—grace is God giving us what we don’t deserve—heaven—while mercy is God not giving us what we do deserve—hell.

Thank God for His mercy and long-suffering!

THE MERCY AND LONG-SUFFERING OF GOD

“But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.” (Psalm 86:15)

I heard a story about a notorious criminal who was behind bars.  His trial would begin the next day.  He asked the prison guard to summon the chaplain.  Arriving at the prison cell, the chaplain was surprised to see the man reading his Bible. The preacher commented on that and the man behind bars replied, “I’m looking for a loophole!”  The convict, then asked the chaplain to pray for him.  The preacher asked, “Do you want me to pray for justice to be done?” Horrified he yelled, “No!  Pray for mercy!  I need mercy, and not justice!”  That’s true for all of us.  Thankfully, the God of justice is also a God full of mercy and one who is long-suffering.

That is what I need.  It is what you need. It is what we may have if we will repent of our sins and seek the Lord.

DEALING WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE

 

…not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.  (1 Peter 3:9)

What if you could be God for a day?  Would you put up with the people he puts up with?  I would find it difficult to put up with me!  Yet, He does—every day!  He loves me and He loves you—not for who we are and what we do, but despite it!  One of the attributes of God that I am most thankful for is His longsuffering.  Psalm 86:15 says, “But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.”  When the Son of God walked among the sons of men, He displayed this character quality of His Father.  He was so longsuffering with His disciples.  What thick skulls they had!  Yet, the Bible says that Jesus loved them and He loved them to the end.  How are you going to deal with difficult people, for it is certain that you will meet them: in your family, on your job, even in the church—especially in the church!

Maybe you have been reading this and thinking about a brother-in-law, a sales manager, a neighbor, or a church member.  The real issue isn’t whether we’ll encounter such people, but how does God want us to deal with them?  He demands longsuffering—just like He does with us.

In chapter three of his first epistle Peter presents some practical pointers on how to deal with difficult people. 

1. Don’t be blind-sided (v.8).  God is going to put you in the middle of situations that will challenge you to cultivate the fruit of longsuffering, which is what is being described here.  To develop the fruit of love, God will plant you in the middle of the hateful.  To bear the fruit of joy, He will plant you in the middle of a bunch of joy-suckers.  To bear the fruit of peace, He will plant you in the middle of strife.  To bear the fruit of longsuffering, He will plant you among difficult people (see 4:12).  Expect it! 

2. Don’t retaliate (v.9).  It brings you down to their level when you do.  When you fight fire with fire, you’ll burn the bridges to possible reconciliation.  It doesn’t require the supernatural power of God to behave like the world, but to be like Jesus takes a miracle!  He wants to shape you into His image—and problem people are the hammer and chisel God uses to shape us. 

3. Pursue peace (v.10-11).  Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers.”  Romans 12:18 says, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” You won’t always be able to get along with people, but you can try—even Jesus couldn’t please everybody.  So accept that you certainly can’t!  Still, God calls us to seek peace from our end.

4. Pray (v.12-13).  Prayer changes things.  The first thing it does is change you.  Jesus told us to pray for our enemies.  You can’t pray for someone and despise them at the same time. 

5. Be honest (v.14-15).  We don’t desire peace at any price—certainly not at the cost of compromising truth.  There comes a time to “speak the truth in love.”  Sometimes you must tell people their behavior is wrong and must stop. 

6. Trust God (v.16-17).  You can have a clear conscience when you do the right thing and leave it with God.