John Hagee - Why Mercy Changes Everything
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The blessed life includes the strength of extended mercy. Ask yourself this question: Are you a merciful person? A politician was walking in the countryside when he came upon a shepherd who had a flock of sheep. The politician said, «If I can guess how many sheep you have, can I have one?» The shepherd said, «Sure.» The politician said, «You have 375 sheep.» The shepherd said, «That’s exactly right.» The politician then reached down, grabbed an animal, and started walking off. The shepherd said, «If I can guess what you do for a living, can I have my sheep back?» The politician said, «Sure.» The shepherd said, «You’re a politician.» The politician asked, «How could you possibly tell that?» The shepherd said, «Put my dog down, and then we can talk.»
I could say a few things there, but I’ll move right along. Mercy is most important because when you show mercy, it’s absolute evidence you’re becoming more like the Lord. Our Father, which art in heaven, is a God of mercy. Lamentations 3:22 says, «It is of the Lord’s mercy that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. Mercies are renewed every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness.»
King David writes in Psalms 23:6, «Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.» In the house of the Lord, there is supernatural power. There is power to heal the sick of any disease. There is power to bring peace into the most disturbed life. There’s power to bring joy that is unspeakable and full of glory. There is power to restore a shattered marriage and for all sins to be forgiven through the blood of Jesus Christ. There is power in the blood of Jesus Christ to forgive everything you’ve ever done that has been wrong. Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ, for the power of the blood of Jesus Christ to free us from sin.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon was called the prince of preachers, and indeed he was. He preached from 1834 to 1892, and his sermons are published and found in most every library of preachers today. He said, «Goodness and mercy are God’s footmen.» Now, understand he is talking about living in an era when stagecoaches were the main mode of transportation. Two people came out of the hotel when your stagecoach pulled up. One is to help you off, and the other is to get your luggage down. Footmen were the people who helped you do that. He said, «Goodness and mercy are God’s footmen. Goodness gives us what we do not deserve, and mercy spares us from what we do deserve.» Thank God for His mercy that is renewed every morning. Thank you, Lord.
James 5:11 says, «The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.» Are you? Are you? We are never more like God than when we are showing mercy and never more like the devil when we refuse to show mercy. Get it straight: If you’re not merciful, you’re not a Christian. You’re not a Christian! Satan could care less how loud you sing «Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,» as long as you sing it with a snarl on your face and a merciless heart. The man or woman sitting beside you in the pew may have a broken heart. They’re searching for hope, and they’re searching for healing. But all you have to offer is the bitter gall of a pious, pharisaical, cold, callous, bankrupt soul. If Satan can take the mercy out of Christian conduct, he can kill Christianity. We cannot be that.
If the church can get so busy with social activities and civic concerns that it loses compassion for the suffering stream of humanity flowing through its doors, it should close the doors and write «ichabod» over the door. Ichabod is a word that means «the glory of the Lord has departed.» And that could be put over the doorpost of many American churches. They are civic organizations where the glory and the anointing of the Holy Spirit are gone. There is no mercy there. There’s no healing there. There’s no hope there. There’s no love there. There’s no business there. You shouldn’t be there. The church without mercy is a tree without fruit. It’s a well without water. It’s a cloud without rain. Christianity without mercy is just another cult. The church without mercy is a fraud. The Greek word for mercy is «eleemosynary,» from which we get the legal word «eleemosynary,» which means to be beneficial.
So the fact is, according to the law, every church has a legal obligation to be beneficial. That means to be a healing force in a hurting world. That means to be a hospital for the broken. That means to be a refuge in the storms of life. That means to be a sanctuary of hope for lives crushed by the power of evil. We’re not trying to find out who we can put down here; we’re trying to find out who we can pick up here. We’re not trying to find out who we can cast out; we’re trying to find out who we can bring in. Not renounce and reject, but restore and reclaim for the kingdom of God. That’s what we are about.
What is it to be merciful? Being merciful is not merely handing out sandwiches and blankets to street people at Christmas with television cameras rolling, demonstrating your great generosity. This is called public relations. You can serve with a heart of iron. You can serve like a robot without a heart, without love, without compassion. Mercy is a disposition of the soul. Mercy is to be possessed with a forgiving spirit. Mercy is to have a heart of compassion. Mercy is to have the mind of Christ toward the suffering or the sinful.
The world is full of sinful people. It’s not your commission to go out and condemn them. It’s your commission to go out and love them and make them want what you have because of what you are. If you have mercy, it will be made manifest. When you see a brother or sister in distress, you can no more close the bowels of your compassion and walk away than the sun can refuse to shine at noon. It’s just impossible! Jesus Christ was God, and even He didn’t dare try to teach the gospel to people who were physically hungry. Remember that He fed the multitude with a boy’s sack lunch before He shared the bread of life. The merciful are kind in their judgment. The merciful search for the best in other people. Do you? Oh, are you a king faultfinder? The merciful seek a way to restore the fallen, not search for the dirt like it was gold and then get on the telephone with, «Well, let’s just make it a matter of prayer,» but I’ve heard you’re a tale-bearer. And God has some very ugly things to say about that. The merciful are slow to condemn, and they are quick to commend. The merciful empathize and put themselves in the shoes of other people to see what life feels like from their perspective.
Listen to this true story: A pastor was having his shoes shined. He was in a hurry. When he thought it was about time for the task to be finished, he looked down to see that his shoes were in worse condition than when he sat down to have them shined. He started to speak harshly to the little shoe-shine boy when he noticed the boy’s face was wet with tears dripping off his cheeks. The shoe-shine boy said, «I’m sorry, sir, but my mother died this morning, and I’m trying to make enough money to buy some flowers to put on her coffin.» The tears of the boy falling on the shoes made it impossible for him to shine them. But when the pastor knew all, he forgave all. The sharp words dried up in his throat. When he saw it from the boy’s perspective, his shoes no longer mattered. When you see it from their perspective, what you think about it no longer matters.
Do you know all before you rip another person with your toxic tongue? If not, you are without mercy, and the blessed life, the happy life, will never be yours. God does not give contentment, peace, love, or joy to someone that has the mouth of a viper.
The merciful person gives and serves. The Bible says a certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among thieves who stripped him of his raiment. He was wounded, and they departed, leaving him half dead. The priest came by and passed on the other side, like the Levite who came and passed on the other side. These men represented the religious community. They walked away from the problem. The more religious you are, the more mechanical you are, and the less merciful you are. You have ceremony without compassion. You have ritual without righteousness. You have demonstrations more than the love of God. Your schedule is more important than suffering souls. Jesus painted the religious crowd, the Pharisees, as cold, callous, mean-spirited, pompous, legalistic stiffs who couldn’t spell mercy, let alone show it. But a good Samaritan came by and had compassion on this man. He bound up his wounds. He poured in oil and wine, which was beneficial for his recuperation. He put him in his Ford truck and took him to the Baptist hospital and said, «Here’s my American Express card. Take care of this person; I’ll pay the bill in full when I get back.» That’s mercy. That’s mercy. That’s mercy. Do you have that?
The fact is, the world remembers the nameless, fair Samaritans centuries later, 2000 years later. We’re talking about this man. Why? Not because he was rich, not because he was a genius, not because he was a great physician, but because he was merciful. We remember him because he could not withhold his compassion from someone in need. Hear me: When you can withhold your compassion from someone in need, you have lost touch with God. You have the ability to meet that need. You have lost touch with God-not religion, God. You have no mercy. Happiness is an illusion for you.
Christ puts the Levite and the priest in the same company with the thieves. Why? Because in an hour of need, they did nothing when they could have done something when they had the ability to do so. God will never ask you to do something for which you don’t have the ability. The merciful person is forgiving. They refuse to nurse a grudge. They flee hatred out of their soul like it was a cancer. They bless those who curse them. They forgive seven times seventy. That’s in the Bible. You’re to forgive seven times. Peter wanted to know, «Jesus, when can we stop forgiving and turn on the hate machine?» Jesus said, «Until you forgive seven times seventy, you haven’t forgiven.» You know that’s 490 times. If you forgive someone 490 times, it becomes a habit. You lose count.
Years ago, when I was speaking in Colorado, I was told this true story of Adolf Coors IV. He was the Coors beer founder; I’m sure some of you are very familiar with that name. On February 9, 1960, Adolf Coors III was kidnapped and held for ransom. Seven months later, his body was found on a remote hillside. He had been shot to death. His son Adolf Coors IV, then 15 years of age, lost not only his father but his best friend. For years, young Coors hated Joseph Corbett, the man who killed his father, the man who was sentenced to life for the slaying of his father. Then, in 1975, Coors became a Christian while he divested himself of interest in the family beer business. He could not divest himself of the hatred that consumed his soul. Resentment seized within him and blighted his growth in faith-this is his testimony. He prayed to God for help because he realized how hatred for Corbett was alienating him from God and other people.
The day came, however, when claiming the Spirit’s presence, Coors visited the maximum-security unit of Colorado’s Canyon City Penitentiary and tried to talk to Corbett. Corbett refused to see him. Coors left a Bible inscribed with this message: «I’m here to see you today, and I’m sorry that we could not meet. As a Christian, I am summoned by the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive you. I do forgive you, and I ask you to forgive me for the hatred I’ve had in my heart for you.» Wow! Later, Coors confessed, «I have a love for that man that only Jesus Christ could have put in my heart.» That’s merciful. That’s merciful. Do you have that?
Have you cast a member of your family aside without cause? Have you? Why would they want the Jesus you know when you’ve thrown them out emotionally for no reason? When the prodigal came home, the father didn’t say, «Listen, you long-haired hippie! You spent all the money I gave you. You disgraced my name. You’ve come home to my kosher Jewish home smelling like a hog. Get lost!» What he did say was, «All that I have is yours. Bring my son a new robe. Bring him new shoes.» Why? Because people who had shoes were not slaves. Slaves went barefooted. He refitted that boy on the spot. That’s mercy. Is there mercy in your home? Can you forgive your husband, your wife, your son, or your daughter who has disappointed you? God’s mercy looks for a way to forgive. Do you look for a way?
The Bible tells the story of Jesus, who caught the woman in the act of adultery. The Pharisees caught her in the act of adultery. It makes me wonder where the Pharisees were to catch her in adultery. I know your mind’s not supposed to work that way, but that’s how mine works. What were we all doing in line? Yeah. Moving right along. Jesus Christ, who is the healer of hearts, looked for a way to save her. They had every right by the law of Moses to destroy her; Jesus wanted to save her. Where are you in this story? Standing with the rocks in your hand, with anger in judgment? Or kneeling in the sand with mercy in your heart? You’re one or the other. Which one?
Mercy will be manifested in the restoration of the fallen. Paul said in Galatians 6:1, «Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, you who are spiritual-listen, not religious-but you who are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness, considering yourselves.» Considering yourself means, «But for the grace of God, that could be you.» Note the qualifications: «You who are spiritual.» Say that with me: «You who are spiritual.» Mercy searches for a way to restore a fallen brother or sister. Mercy searches for a confession and healing. Pharisees search for rocks to condemn and destroy. Which are you? Restoration is difficult. Any rock-carrying Pharisee can slander and slaughter.
Paul wrote the book of First Corinthians to correct the Corinthian church for sexual misconduct. Think about that: They were having sex with family members, financial mismanagement of church funds, and they were getting drunk at communion! You don’t need a PhD in theology to know this is major league sin. But when they got Paul’s correction, they repented. They transformed and became like Christ. Now Paul writes Second Corinthians. He says, «I have confidence in you all.» Paul forgave them of the most despicable sin that could happen: «I have confidence in you in all things.» Think of it! There is a healing power when mercy puts its arms around a fallen brother or sister to say, «I have confidence in you. You can make a comeback. Don’t allow your past to control your future.»
When Peter denied Jesus at His trial, remember the Bible says, «If you deny me, I will deny you before my Father and His angels in heaven.» How many of you are familiar with that verse of scripture? It’s there. Peter was in danger of damning his soul. But Jesus, the first thing after the resurrection, said, «Go tell all my disciples I have risen from the dead, and tell Peter. Tell him first. Be sure to pour the oil of mercy over his tormented soul.»
There’s a physiological law: the faults that you so aggressively condemn in others are the very faults that haunt you. The next time you hear someone tearing a brother or sister in Christ to shreds with their mouth, listen to the faults they attack; they are trying to expel their own demons. One last thing, and I’ll close: Sympathy is an emotion sometimes followed by tears. There are those who weep easily. Their tears are meaningless and without worth. It’s all right to weep if you’re willing to take action. But if you’re not willing to take action, dry it up! Jesus wept, but He did far more than weep; He took action. He went to the cross and died for my sin and for your sin. Mercy takes action. If your brother has a need for $100 and you have $200 in your pocket, don’t pray about his need, you tightwad! Give him one of those $100 bills. There are people who would say, «Well, we should pray about it.» No, you don’t have to pray about being merciful. Jesus has been merciful to you; you can be merciful to others.
Can we please stand to our feet? My question to you here and those of you watching by television: Do you not have happiness in your family, your marriage, your life, in a relationship with God? You do not show mercy to other people. You do not look for ways to restore the fallen to help brothers and sisters in the body of Christ in their time of need. You do not look for another’s perspective before criticizing their behavior. Maybe there’s someone in your life that you need to forgive today. There’s a grudge in your past that you cannot release. There is a tormenting memory that can be healed only by the grace of God in your life. You can’t imagine how happy you can be when you rip all of that poison out of your mind and out of your mouth. Did you hear that? When you catch yourself doing it, stop it, because you’re poisoning your own soul.
How many of you in this room say, «Pastor, I’ve heard you say things today that apply to me. And because I want to have the best in my life and for my family, my friends, and my church and my God, from this day forward, I pledge to the Lord to demonstrate mercy»? Can I see your hand? God bless you! God bless you! God bless you!