October 16, 2021, a notorious Haitian gang abducted 17 missionaries from a US based organization called Christian Aid Ministries (CAM). Among these kidnapped where five children including a two-year-old. CAM done lots of work for God not just in Haiti, but around the globe. Providing school supplies, medicines, food and distributed bibles and Christian literature. The hostages themselves had been visiting an orphanage right before being kidnapped, and yet, family members of the captors united themselves to pray for, bless and forgive these gang members. As hard as that sounds to do, listen to some of the statements from the CAM family members as they demonstrate a true Godly spirit. “Like the kidnappers, we are all created in the image of God and can be changed if they turn to Him. While we desire the safe release of our workers, we also desire the kidnappers be transferred by the love of Jesus, the only true source of peace, joy, and forgiveness.” Another stated, “We are interested in the salvation of these men and we do love them as God loves us.” These types of statements takes tremendous faith, doesn’t it? It also takes a tremendous amount of action to live what is being said too! It’s one thing to say, but something totally different to do! Can we truly display our faith when we say “I love my fellowman,” yet our actions does not represent that? James tells us “Be doers of the word, and not just hearers.” Let me ask you something this morning, the God of the Holy Bible who is the author and creator of all things and who is so Holy that HE cannot look upon sin, why does God actually pursue us when we wreak of sin? Our actions are filled with disobedience and scripture tells us mankind is evil to the core, yet God delivers mercy, grace and forgiveness—an exemplified example given to the Haiti gangs as we just heard.
In our scripture this morning, I would like for you to reflect upon its words and pray it pierces your heart once more as we dive into being pursued by mercy. “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. 17 This I command you, that you love one another.” Powerful exclamation Jesus gave to us, didn’t He? It delivers passion, prayer, mindfulness and hope as we experience mercy, forgiveness and even a miracle for those God has chosen. Where in all of this, do we even hear a whisper that we have to measure up in order to receive mercy? Where does it show us that God is not a God of mercy? Let me first to note here that when God says we are to love each other, this is NOT in a passive sense! Its present, now and active! We don’t tell our friends and neighbors, “I love you”, and then never prayerfully or lovingly think of them again! That is NOT TRUE LOVE! Secondly, regardless of how you read this passage, we cannot help but to take away a very pristine point! We have a pattern to follow in the example of Love—and not as the world would do it! How do we love one another? Verse 12 says it all, “You love one another just as I have Loved you!” How much did Jesus love you and me? If you come to church, read your bible, pray daily for Gods intervention in your life and to establish a genuine and true relationship, then you will learn how much Jesus loves you! I want you to realize this morning friends, to love one another as Jesus loves us doesn’t stop at the church doors on your way out, it doesn’t only exist to those who you know or feel appreciated by. Scripture tells us “If you love only those who love you, what reward will you have?” Loving others means we love Jesus! I am not going to dive into how hard or complicated it maybe to live a life of love, but 2 Peter tells us this, “By his divine power the Lord has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of the one who called us by his own honor and glory.” Everything we have, from our health to our knowledge, from our earthly possessions to our spiritual gifts, from His mercy to even His love, all comes from God! The prophet Hosea tells us clearly “God desires mercy and not sacrifice!” The Psalm tells us “For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You do not take pleasure in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite [crushed] heart, God, You will not despise.”
Even in our sinfulness, how is it that God will pursue us with His mercy when in fact we deserve nothing of the sort? It’s a simple term called Grace, when we receive something although we do not deserve it! Its in who God is! God is not a God of love without being the God of justice, peace, harmony, righteousness and so on! We cannot put God in a bubble so He can be our desire for His satisfaction just for our lives as we see fit! WE are to love others just as God himself loved us to date! It's worth noting that Jesus didn't condemn bad people. He condemned "stiff" people. We condemn the bad ones and affirm the stiff ones. Whether it was a prostitute or an outcast ... Jesus reached out to all of them. It was a motley crew of riffraff that followed Him around, and it never embarrassed Him or made Him feel uncomfortable. As a matter of fact, one of the most radical statements Jesus ever made is found in (Matthew 9): "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
In closing, I would like to leave you with what I hope to be a renewed spirit of learning what mercy and not sacrifice means. The Gospels are riddled with accounts of Jesus eating and drinking with those considered societies less valuable. From prostitutes to those seriously diseased. All Jesus ever portrayed in His ministry was mercy. This my friends is what we too need to exercise in our walk with Christ. We see Jesus’ display to us the actual call to show mercy in every circumstance. Jesus said again, “Now go and learn the meaning of this scripture, learn what it means to have mercy!” Do we not regularly revisit Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection in the Christian faith as we will do here shortly? Do we read of Jesus journeys and ministries to help teach us exactly who Jesus is and what He has done to free us from sin by pursuing us with mercy and not sacrifice. As we learn mercy, we must practice mercy. Where do we start? We start by thinking of someone in your life who's hard to show mercy to. They may be narcissistic, inconsistent and even inconsiderate. Or maybe they just drive you nuts! Whatever it is, think of that person. Now internally, think of a long line of people where you see that person in. Now, put yourself not in front of that person in line, but go to the head of that line. This line is the line of sin. Paul told us he was the chief of all sinners—although not fully true, he really believed it! Scripture tells us “There is non righteous, no not one! All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” As you learn of mercy, you will start realizing that our needs are the same as others, even the person you despise, hate and hard to have mercy towards. Then you soon will find the one you are to show mercy too, is no worse than yourself! Then you can now move towards an external shift, whereby you take the mercy and compassion that you learned and apply to other people that you don’t even know! This is where you let God be God in your life and allow His heart to be your Heart! All the sudden, you will hear yourself say to someone, “Jesus wants to come and have dinner with you!” Wouldn’t that be something special?
Friends, God pursues us with mercy, not ridicule, not regret, not a sour taste. Yes, the sin we have committed we will be held accountable for, but ultimately as Psalm 32 tells us “the forgiveness of sins is a supreme blessing of God for his people.” God loves you and me, and as God pursues us with His mercy, do not reject Him! Embrace it, allow it to reign and then act upon it. “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Nothing could more surely convince us of God's unending mercy as when once we were lost and now, we are found. God’s ultimate quest is not our happiness, but our image to be like Christ. Amen.