The God of Mercy - and the Mercy of God!

Psalm 103 tells of the God of mercy. Preacher Michael Orlino exposits Psalm 103. God’s mercy is plenteous in number, great in scope, and never ending in quality.Show more

Surely, he is a God full of Mercy. The Lord our God is never lacking in mercy. The Mercy of our Lord is: (1) Plenteous, Verse 8, (2) Great, Verse 11, and (3) Everlasting, Verse 17.

Psalms 103:8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and PLENTEOUS in mercy.

Psalms 103:11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so GREAT is his mercy toward them that fear him.

Psalms 103:17 But the mercy of the LORD is from EVERLASTING to everlasting upon them that fear him...

Surely, the Lord is full of Mercy. It speaks of his compassion. His mercy is plenteous. We think of his numerous blessings, the outpouring of his love and compassion towards us. It is overflowing, a lavish love towards us - like an overflowing, ever flowing well.

As in Verse 2: Bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all his benefits. God’s mercies are extended to us many times in our life. His mercies are abundant – they are fully sufficient fully sufficient, overflowing, in copious supply. They can never be exhausted. He continues to supply his mercy for you, every day of your life. His mercy is fully sufficient. God who is rich in mercy - with his great love he has loved us. We are like sheep grazing In the fullness of green grass that never ends. He supplies you with fresh nourishment from the Word of God, week in and week out. We can be fully nourished by his Word. His mercies are also numerous numerous – we think of the manifold mercies of God. His mercy is new every morning.

Consider the many provisions that the Lord has given you - in your daily physical sustenance, in the greatness of his salvation, the daily guidance of the Spirit of God, and his daily encouragement. Count your many blessings… what God has done; your reward in Heaven… see what God has done.

Let us thank the Lord for his daily mercies toward us; for his daily sustenance, his daily provision.

Notice also, that his mercy is great. Verse 11, as the heaven is high above the earth so great is his mercy toward them that fear Him. So great is the mercy of our Lord - we cannot comprehend it. It is so deep that we cannot fathom it, so immense that we cannot measure it.

The mercy of God is great in terms of its scope, its extent, and its efficacy. Consider the scope - the vastness of God's mercy. When we think of the enormity and seriousness of our sin, we note the forgiveness and pardon of God. He has not dealt with us after our sins nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. As the heaven is high above the earth, so great his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the East is from the West so far hath he removed our transgression from us. God knows your sin, yet he is compassionate - and he is able to save you to the uttermost. His mercy is greater than all your sin.

Acknowledge your sin, and call upon our Lord. Fully trust him. As the ageing John Newton related, I know two things: I am a great sinner, but God is a greater saviour. Jonathan Edwards preached of God's Wrath. Amidst his warning of eternal punishment Edwards also preached grace. He proclaimed the mercy of God. The door of mercy is wide open and the Lord stands, calling and crying with a loud voice to poor sinners – to come to the Lord. His invitation is extended to you that he can hear his voice. He offers a sure remedy against sin; a pardon that is true; a compassion whereby he can fully remove our sin from us, and pardon all our debts.
Our Lord cried out on the cross, tetelestai - It's all finished, it's all paid for. There is a sure remedy for our sins, a sure pardon. Because of God's sure mercies we have a great Saviour.

God’s mercy is also Everlasting - in its dimension. Verse 17, But the mercy of the Lord is from Everlasting to Everlasting upon them that fear him. God's mercy is of infinite duration. God's mercy it is from eternity past to eternity future. Verses 14 to 16 say: He knows our frame, he remembers that we are as grass. Life is short; we are here now, but gone tomorrow. Yet the comfort for God's people is this that the mercy of the Lord transcends earthly life. It goes beyond, into eternity.

His mercy is from Everlasting to Everlasting. His mercy is never ending in quality and it's also never ending in quantity. When we wake up in eternity the same God has been that has been compassionate to us will be the same God who will have compassion on us forever. His pardon is sure. We have a God that we can trust – he will never leave us nor forsake us.

This world is not our home, we are just passing through. We are just pitching our tent. But one day we will be with him and on that day, in eternity we will see the mercies of our Lord.

God's mercies are from Everlasting to Everlasting upon them that fear him.