What Mercy Will You Lose From Judgment?

By: David Hopkins

Sun, Jul 24, 2005

Show Mercy

Why do people think they have the right to judge and not show mercy to people who do bad things just because they know God doesn't approve of it and they don't do it?

When people judge other people based on a particular sin, why do they condemn them and use them as a way to build themselves up like the Pharisee did to the tax collector in Luke chapter eighteen?

Luke 18:11-12 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

Why do they forget that they we're once just like them in sin and are just like them as a person who depends on the mercy and grace of God?

Wasn't it by the grace of God that they stopped doing drugs, drinking, smoking or fornicating and the list goes on and on. So why are they so merciless when dealing with other people who are sinning now?

About two months ago I found an article on a Christian website that touched my heart for some reason and I decided to send it to my subscribers at the daily word of God group. The name of the article is... Exactly What Is It That Jesus Requires From Us?

The article is really very good and tells how Jesus instructed us to love one another, but at the beginning of the article the author says, "Doesn't it annoy you when people equate drinking and smoking with sin?

Well, there was a fellow Christian subscriber who had a real problem with that part of the article.

I believe that he has something personal against smokers because he went on a rant about how second hand smoke kills and creates high health insurance.

He even went to his pastor before emailing me and telling me how the article misquotes scripture.

He totally missed the point of the article because he wanted to debate over what was right and what wasn't in the article.

The good news is I could tell he was a born again Christian so I simply disagreed with him and he simply asked to be removed from the daily word of God group.

But the point he missed was this:

James 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

He was choosing to be judgmental due to his partiality against smoking. When I first emailed him I said, "by you judging people who smoke because you do not, you are in danger of hypocrisy because I know you are not without sin". Who can be? Jesus not included.

I told him that, "we are supposed to show these people love just like we would any body else because that's how we can win them over to the kingdom of Christ, which is our purpose".

But as a Christian if you lash out in anger you'll get in God's way, and make the lord seem like a strict tyrant. You'll cause the person to be forced to defend them self and lash back out at you and defeat God's purpose. And the worse part is the next time you need the lord to be merciful to you He may not because of your unmerciful behavior. This creates a situation where everybody loses.

On the other hand if you we're kind to sinners and not judgmental like Jesus was you could convince them with the help of the Holy Spirit and in prayer to stop doing what they are doing and turn their life over to God by demonstrating love and explaining to them how much God loves them. This creates a win for all situation. And God would be proud of His son or daughter. That's you.

Yes, we are supposed to overlook sin and mistakes or how else will we be able to be merciful and if not why then should God be merciful to us?

Do you think that God is blind and can't see what's going on, no but he is turning a blind eye for goodness sake or who then could be saved?

If God judged everyone every time they sinned or was counting how many times I sinned in comparison to you and there was a scale to measure which sins was worse than the others like some type of point system.

Wouldn't that make God unmerciful and unforgiving because He doesn't really forget your sins and can easily use them against you later to make you feel guilty? Does that sound familiar? Haven't you done that?

Isaiah 43:25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

God measures from what's in our heart that's why He is so accurate. We of course judge by outer appearances because we can not tell what's in the heart or read minds.

Matthew 9:13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

What good are you if you go to church three times a week, fast seven days a week, pray five times a day, tithe with all your increase but never show any mercy to sinners?

Serving God is not about every man for himself, "once I get saved at least I'm going to heaven". "Everybody else has to figure it out for themselves". "All I have to do is live until i die and that's it".

But it is about you using the mistakes you learned from in the past to help people over come those same mistakes they are making right now. You are qualified you know what it took to get out of trouble.

Matthew 12:7 But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.

That's the second time Jesus said this to the Pharisees who we're very judgmental and unmerciful. They only sought to build themselves up by way of their own works and not through God's mercy and grace.

They thought they we're better than everybody else because they made sacrifices to serve God and resisted sin better than everybody else.

Don't be like the Pharisees, You can show mercy.

Matthew 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

Micah 6:8 He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

Notice the similarities between these two verses where Jesus says, "judgment", Micah says, "to do justly", Jesus says, "mercy" Micah says, "to love mercy" Jesus says "faith" and Micah says, "to walk humbly with thy God".

Micah is actually asking a question saying what else besides these three things does the lord require of you. And of course the answer is nothing.

And in case you missed it mercy is second on that list. You will show mercy.

If you still don't believe me there's also something Jesus said in Matthew chapter seven about being judgmental:

Matthew 7:1-3 Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

This next verse pretty much sums up the topic of this article:

James 2:13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

Which simply means:

He who has shown no mercy will be judged without mercy; and mercy glories over judgment.

Think of showing mercy like giving yourself a promotion, a raise and a week off from work because when you show mercy God will show you mercy.

Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

After reading that I know you will show loving, kind and tender mercy to all sinners without being judgmental.

But just in case:

I would like you to read the book of Matthew in your bible, and pay close attention to how Jesus dealt with sinners. Notice how he never said one bad thing about any sinners but was angry at the Pharisee for not showing mercy to them like He was.

Yes, you will show mercy.

Likewise, when you pray ask the lord to be merciful to you by giving you the strength to be merciful to others, and especially sinners with sins you have a particular problem with. Also, if you are holding on to any unforgiveness in your heart ask the lord to give you the strength to overcome it.

Now go show mercy. Jesus said it, and I know you can do it.