Mercy: A Boundless Sea
The boundless sea of God's mercy is available to us through faith, and we are called to show mercy to others as God shows mercy to us.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the vastness of God's mercy, illustrating that true awareness of this mercy comes when one enters the kingdom of God by faith. He shares a personal story about his father's late conversion at 60, highlighting that God's mercy sustained him throughout his life of sin. Tozer also recounts an ancient rabbi's encounter with a weary traveler, which reveals the importance of enduring others as God endures us. The sermon underscores that God's mercy is boundless and ever-present, inviting us to reflect on our own capacity for mercy towards others.
Text
A human being is never really aware of the great boundless sea of the mercy of God until by faith he comes across the threshold of the kingdom of God and recognizes it and identifies it! My father was 60 years old when he bowed before Jesus Christ and was born again. That was a near lifetime in which he had sinned and lied and cursed. But to him, the mercy of God that took him to heaven was no greater than the mercy of God that had endured and kept him for 60 years. I recall the story of an ancient rabbi who consented to take a weary old traveler into his house for a night of rest. In conversation, the rabbi discovered the visitor was almost 100 years old and a confirmed atheist.
Infuriated, the rabbi arose, opened the door and ordered the man out into the night.
Then, sitting down by his candle and Old Testament, it seemed he heard a voice, God's voice: "I have endured that sinner for almost a century. Could you not endure him for a night?" The rabbi ran out and overtaking the old man, brought him back to the hospitality of his home for the night.
Sermon Outline
- The Boundless Sea of God's Mercy
- The Mercy of God in Our Lives
- A Personal Experience of God's Mercy
- The Story of the Ancient Rabbi
Key Quotes
“A human being is never really aware of the great boundless sea of the mercy of God until by faith he comes across the threshold of the kingdom of God and recognizes it and identifies it!” — A.W. Tozer
“I have endured that sinner for almost a century. Could you not endure him for a night?” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- We must show mercy to others as God shows mercy to us, even if they are difficult or challenging.
- Faith is necessary to experience the mercy of God in our lives.
- We must endure others for a night, showing hospitality and kindness, just as God endures us.