Weekly Study April 2001

April 2001: Mercy

Week of April 1, 2001

THE SOURCE OF MERCY

Luke 6:36 reads, "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." For many, being merciful does not come naturally. This week's study is designed to help you understand that the desire to be merciful flows from the gratitude we experience for the forgiveness of our sins.

Bible Study
Let's begin by considering one woman who showed extravagant love and mercy to our Lord and Savior.

Take out your Bible and your notebook and read the story of the sinful woman from Luke 7:36-47 and answer the following questions.

What did the Pharisee think of the woman when she poured the perfume onto Jesus?

What did the Pharisee think of Jesus allowing her to touch Him?
What did Jesus think about her ministry of kindness to Him?
What was the difference between Simon and the sinful woman in how they treated Jesus?
Based on these passages of scripture, did Simon see himself as someone who was in need of forgiveness?
What was the evidence that Simon did not see himself as a sinner?
Based on these passages, did the sinful woman see herself as someone who was in need of being forgiven?
What was the evidence that she saw herself as a sinner who had been forgiven?

Personal application
Read 1 John 1:8. Do you acknowledge yourself to be a sinner in the sight of God?

Read Ephesians 2:4-5 and Philippians 3:7-8. Paul was so undone by the knowledge that he was a sinner who was saved by grace and that his sins had been completely forgiven, that he gave up everything to follow Christ. In your own words, write out how you feel about being a sinner saved by grace.

Take some time to contemplate your own life. What is the evidence that you, like the sinful woman, have received and acknowledged forgiveness of your sins?

What was the most meaningful scripture that you read in today's study?

What do you sense God is asking you to do in response to today's study?

Reword your statement or scripture above into a prayer to God.

Week of April 8, 2001

AN EXAMPLE OF MERCY

In 2 Samuel 11 and 12 we read the notorious story of David and Bathsheba. David is ruling and reigning as God's anointed King of Israel. There is war going on in the land. The Israelites are still trying to cleanse Israel of any pagans that have not yet been destroyed according to God's direction to Moses.

One night, when David apparently could not sleep, he went for a late night walk on the top of his palace. As he is surveying his kingdom from the vantage point of the palace roof, his eyes come to rest on a beautiful woman who is bathing herself in what she thinks is the privacy of her home. But alas, you can see a lot from a palace rooftop. To make a long story short, David sends for the woman whose name is Bathsheba, has sex with her and she becomes pregnant. In order to cover up the problem that this might create for him as king, he devises a plan to have Bathsheba's husband, Uriah the Hittite, killed on the battlefield. David then takes Bathsheba for his wife.

BIBLE STUDY
Get out your Bible and notebook and Read 2 Samuel 12:1-19 and answer the following questions:

What was David's response to the story that Nathan told him about the rich man and the poor man (vs. 5-6)?
What did God say about the matter (vs. 7-9)?
What did the Levitical law say was the punishment for adultery (vs. 13, Lev 20:10).
How did God show David mercy (vs. 13)?
Were there still consequences to His actions (vs. 11-12, 15, 18)?

PERSONAL APPLICATION FROM PSALM 51
David burned with anger toward the rich man in the story because of the man's cruel actions towards the poor man, yet he did not see that the story was directed towards him and his like sin. Read Matthew 7:3-5. How are we to view our sin in relation to our "brothers" sin?

Think about times when you have burned with anger towards someone because of his or her sin. Sometimes the sin that bothers us the most in others is the very sin God wants us to deal with in our own lives. Take those things that cause you to burn with anger towards others and ask the Lord to show you if there is any like sin in your own life that you need to repent of.

Psalm 51 is a psalm of repentance which David wrote after Nathan the prophet confronted him about his sin. Read Psalm 51. What does David acknowledge to God in vs 3-5?

Once David makes his appeal to God on the basis of God's love and mercy, he also acknowledges to God that he is a sinner. Then what does he ask God to do for him (vs 10-12)?

Read vs 2, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15 and write down all the things from these verses that only God can do for you.

What is the most pleasing sacrifice that you can offer to God (vs 17)?

Write out your own psalm in response to the things God has showed you through this week's study.

Week of April 15, 2001

JESUS' COMMAND TO UNDERSTAND MERCY

Matthew chapter 12 opens with Jesus walking through the fields of grain with His disciples. It is the Sabbath day and He and His disciples are hungry so they begin to pick some grain and eat it. The Pharisees take notice of what they are doing and accuse them of doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath. In this context Jesus makes the statement to the Pharisees "I desire mercy, not sacrifice" (vs 7). This study is designed to help you to understand what Jesus meant by that statement.

BIBLE STUDY
Take out your notebook and your Bible and read Matthew 12:1-14, as well as the related scriptures noted below and answer the following questions:

Read Exodus 31:14. Why did the Pharisees say that picking and eating the grain was unlawful?
What was the punishment for working on the Sabbath?
Read Exodus 31:16-17. What was the purpose of honoring the Sabbath?
Read Hosea 6:6. What does God want from His people?
Read Psalms 50:14 and 51:16-17. What three things do these scriptures identify as being pleasing to God?
Read Matthew 12:9-13. In your own words, write out what Jesus says is lawful to do on the Sabbath?
Why do you think that the Pharisees did not understand the difference between doing work on the Sabbath and showing mercy?

PERSONAL APPLICATION
Write down the most meaningful scripture you read in this week's study of the word.

How does this scripture apply to you and your life at this time?

How do you think God wants you to respond to this study?

Take some time to pray about what the Lord is showing you through His word.

Week of April 22, 2001

MORE ABOUT MERCY

Last week we learned that God is not at all pleased with empty acts of self-righteous behavior; God desires our actions to flow from a love and zeal for Him. Our devotion is to be directed towards God, not the things that we do. Yet the Pharisees were not all wrong; the law did state that it was unlawful to work on the Sabbath. Not only that, but the penalty for breaking the Sabbath was death. This was no small matter. So where did they go wrong? This week's lesson is designed to help us better understand where the Pharisees went wrong so that we can avoid making the same mistakes.

BIBLE STUDY
Take out your Bible and your notebook and read Matthew 23:27-28 and Luke 11:39-43 and answer the following questions:

Identify three things that Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for:

1.

2.

3.

Name two things that Jesus is encouraging the Pharisees to do from Luke 11:41-42

1.

2.

Read Matthew 23:28 and write out your own definition of hypocrisy:

Read Luke 11:41. What effect does Jesus say it has on a person to give to the poor?

In what way do you think giving to the poor makes a person's heart right?

PERSONAL APPLICATION
The Pharisees feigned an image, through outward appearances, of having superior moral character. In our Christian walk, if we are not careful, we too can find ourselves doing the same thing.

David said in Psalm 139 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Spend some time in prayer seeking the Lord about your own heart on this matter of hypocrisy. Consider the following questions as you do:

Do you look at a person's outward appearances and judge them to be Christian or non-Christian?
What actions or behaviors do you see yourself doing to make yourself look good in front of others?
Do you place your worth as a Christian on doing or not doing certain things?
Do you ever think to yourself "I'm a good person, I know I'm going to heaven."
Do you find yourself more concerned with your outward appearance than your inward appearance (i.e. are you more concerned with what others think of you than with what God thinks of you)?

The truth of the matter is that we are all sinners, unworthy of God's goodness and mercy; there is no one who has done anything good apart from Christ.

PRAY
Dear heavenly Father, I confess my sin of self-righteousness and ask that you would kindly give me the godly sorrow of repentance that I might shed the filthy rags of self-righteousness that I have been parading before you. Forgive me for my desire to want to look good in an attempt to impress others. I want to accept the righteous robes of Jesus Christ and depend on Him and Him alone for my sense of worth. I don't want to be like a whitewashed tomb that looks lovely on the outside, but has the stench of dead men's remains inside. Help me to love the things that you love and give me a heart that is tender towards those in need of mercy. Give me the resolve and the strength to pick up my cross and follow you daily. Help me to be a loyal follower of Jesus Christ, something I know I can do only by your strength. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Week of April 29, 2001

EXERCISING MERCY

God has called His people and His church, without a doubt, to exercise mercy to a fallen world. The body of Christ is God's representative on earth. We are to live a life set apart from the world, so that we may reflect to the world the work of Christ. Just as one cannot see the forest through the trees, if we are part of the world, living like the world does, the world will not see us as different from them - we will not be an effective witness.

BIBLE STUDY
Get out your notebook and Bible and read and meditate on Matthew 5:13. Then answer the following questions:

For what purpose do we use salt today? Can you think of some other uses for salt?
If Christians are like salt, what are they flavoring or preserving?
If, as a Christian you have lost your saltiness, what does that mean in a practical sense?
What can you do about it (1 John 1:9)?

As Christians we are all called to exercise mercy. Christ and His word is our guide for what that means practically speaking. Read the following scriptures about how Jesus demonstrated mercy and fill in the blanks:

Mark 1:41- filled with _________ Jesus reached out His hand and ______ the man.
Mark 6:34 - when Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had ___________ on them . . . so he began ________ them many things.
Mark 8:2,6 - I have __________ for these people. . . they have nothing to ___.
Mark 10:21 - Jesus looked at him and _______ . . go sell everything you have and give to the poor. . then come follow me.

Each of these scriptures illustrates that mercy is action that flows from compassion/love. From these scriptures, identify the four different ways Jesus demonstrated mercy.

1.

2.

3.

4.

PERSONAL APPLICATION
Get out your notebook and take some time to consider the different ways you could show mercy to those around you.

Mediate on Matthew 25:35-36.
Then write down several different ways in which you could become more involved showing mercy to those around you.
Pray about these things and which one the Lord is leading you to do now.
Pray for the strength, the courage and the resolve to do what you know you are being called to do.

PRAY
Dear heavenly Father, I thank you that Jesus willingly picked up His cross and bore it for me. I thank you that for me He willingly bore the pain and the shame of a punishment that was meant for me because of my sins. Now Father I pray that I would be willing to serve you by being a minister of your mercy to those in need. Please dear Father show me who you would be pleased to show your kindness to through me. Make me willing to embrace the work that you have prepared for me. Help me to be your faithful servant. In Jesus' name, amen.

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