Humility and God's Mercy - From My Heart to Yours Part 1

As I come back for my summer break. This week I want to begin a new series of messages in title from my heart to yours will get back to Genesis. Maybe one day before I go to be with the Lord. But in the meantime, this is what the Lord told me that I'm supposed to talk to you about and really it's a very simple series. It's all about. As I go through the struggles of life myself and his God speaks to me from the word of God about those struggles were I want to do is then turn around and come in and speak to you about the very same things that God has spoken to me about from my heart to yours. Got it okay now. This summer I was reading in first Kings chapter 3 where God says to King Solomon. He said ask what you wish and I will give it to you and so I thought.

Now if the Lord were to appear to me and were to say to me had a long, ask what you wish and I'll give it to you. I thought I wonder what I would ask for. So I started thinking about that and I decided that what I would ask for if the Lord made me this offer more than anything else.

What I need. Actually, more than anything else, is that I need for God to be merciful unto me, I would ask for the mercy of God. And so I went to the Bible, looking in the Bible and saying God is my greatest need is for the mercy of God, then how do I unlock God's mercy on my life. How do I unleash God's mercy on my life. How do I make God's mercy active in my life and the Bible told me and I want to tell you tonight how we do that because you don't need to be in church to do it. You don't need to be at home necessarily in your prayer closet to do it.

It can be done anywhere at any time from any place by anybody and that's wonderful. So this is what our message is about humility and God's mercy. Are you ready are you we go. We start in Luke chapter 18 verse 10 Jesus said there were two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector, and the Pharisee stood and prayed Lord I thank the that I am not like other people, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector over there.

I fast twice a week and I pay tithes of all I get there man number one in Jesus's story is a Pharisee. The Pharisees were like rabbis on steroids and they had boiled the law the Old Testament down to 613 commandments, that they assiduously tried to keep, but their self-righteousness, their arrogance was beyond belief to mourn over their sinfulness to grieve over their corruption before a holy God was an utterly foreign concept to these guys which notice the Pharisee never asked God for any mercy because the Pharisee didn't think he needed any mercy and that brings us to man number two in Jesus's story and he is a tax collector that what we know about tax collectors. We know they were Jewish men who went around collecting taxes for the Roman occupation army and they got rich by gouging their fellow Jews with exorbitant taxes.

The Jewish people hated them. But here's what I want to see. Don't miss this not only were these two men Pharisee and the tax collector polar opposites.

When it came to their standing in society. They were also polar opposites.

When it came to their attitude towards God when it came to how they approached God watch, but the tax collector stood at a distance and would not even lift his eyes toward heaven, he beat on his breast and just kept saying God please be merciful to me a sinner while while wow what what a difference. Here's a man who is so gripped by his sin. So in gripped by his impurity so gripped by the utter corruption that he was before God on the inside of a holy God that he, the Bible says when even lift his eyes to heaven here was a man who felt so unworthy before a holy God that the Bible says he started a distance. Here's a man whose grief over his shortcomings causing so much pain that he beat on his brass as a sign of anguish and he said Lord I don't come in any good works and he said Lord I don't come with any religious activity and Lord.

I don't come with any pious deeds like the Pharisee came with. I don't have any that Lord I just come with a humble heart I just come with a broken heart. I just come in humble myself before you and say, oh God, be merciful to me a sinner.

You see the difference but I got the difference yeah all right. What a difference now look what Jesus said. Jesus said, I tell you, this man, the tax collector went home justified before God acquitted before God forgiven before God, the recipient of the mercy of God and not the Pharisee and why.

What made the difference between these two men wanted the tax collector get mercy and the Pharisee didn't. What was the secret that the tax collector new.

Well, Jesus tells us he says for everyone who exalts himself, who was the person that exalted himself closet the Pharisee. Yeah, everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled or but he who say the next two words humbles himself who did that could get that tax collector.

That person shall be exalted, you got it. Second Chronicles 34. Josiah was eight years old when he began to rule in Judah and he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord now in his 18th year he spent shuffling to repair the temple of the Lord and while they were doing the work you kind of the priest found a copy of the book of the law of the Lord given through Moses. He found a copy of the tour you got a copy of the first five books of the Bible back in the corner.

Nobody even seen it in decades watch and then Shafran brought the book to the king and read it before the king and when the king heard the words of the law. He tore his clothing as a sign of grief as a sign of anguish and he said to shuffling go inquire of the Lord. For me regarding the words of this book we have found for great is the Lord's wrath that will be poured out on us because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord to do all that is written in this book. So they went to see hold of the prophetess, and she said to them, thus says the Lord.

Indeed I will bring upon this place all the curses that are written in the book of Deuteronomy which was read before the king box. She said to the king of Judah. Josiah, who sent you to me thus says the Lord, because your heart was penitent and you next two words humbled yourself before God yesterday because you next two words humbled yourself before me and tore your close and wept before me.

I will gather you to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see the evil that I will bring against displays and its people pay Josiah got mercy from God.

How did he do it. He did it the very same way, the tax collector did it did in the what you do before God, he humbled himself. Second Chronicles chapter 12 verse one when the rule of Rehoboam. Solomon son was established and strong. He forsook the Lord, and so in the fifth year of his reign because he had been unfaithful to the Lord.

She shot the king of Egypt came against Jerusalem with an unmemorable force venture. My other property came to Rehoboam and the princes of Judah, who were gathered together and said, thus says the Lord, you abandoned me. So now I have abandon you into shacks hand then the princes and the king for the next two words humbled themselves and said indeed, the Lord is right when the Lord saw that they had humbled themselves the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah saying because they have humbled themselves. I will not destroy them. Rehoboam found mercy from God did me how to find, he humbled himself, just like the tax collector just like Josiah, folks. In fact, God treasures humility so much that he even honors it when evil people do it. Watch first Kings 21 four. There was no one look at this who sold himself to do what was evil in the Lord's side like Ahab whom was his wife who was was her name Jezebel.

His wife incited on here we've got what the Bible says is the most evil king of either the northern kingdom or the southern kingdom ever watch then Ahab said to Elijah the prophet. Have you found me all my enemy and Elijah says I have found you, because you have sold herself to do what is evil in the Lord side, so now the Lord says I will bring evil upon you Ahab I will utterly sweep you away and I will cut off from Ahab every mail and I will make your house desolate because of the anger to which you have provoked me when Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes and he put on sackcloth and he fasted and he lay in sackcloth and then the word of the Lord came to Elijah, saying, look at this. Do you see Elijah how Ahab has two words humbled himself before me because he has humbled himself before me. I will not bring this evil upon his house in his day, folks where we go in the Bible we see the same formula. This is the formula that I went into the Bible looking for once I realize what I needed more than anything else was mercy. Here's the formula humility before God equals mercy from God. You got it humility before God equals mercy from God and received in Ahab's life receiving Rehoboam's life receiving Josiah's life started the tax collectors life and I could keep on going, but I think the point is made. Don't you now it's time for us to stop and ask our most important question at this time and I know you haven't done this much all summer so we got a, get back into our rhythm or you already have body. Ray, I hear we go out of her body would go Juan to pray God's on this. So what long will remember what I said at the beginning of this message. Folks, I said without a doubt, the thing that I need most is I need mercy from God and how do I get it. Well I get it the same way Ahab got it the same way Jeroboam got it the same way Josiah got it the same way, the tax collector got it. I get it by humility by coming before in all holy God and dropping on my knees and before I do it. Anything else I do it by crying out to this God. Lord, I am here to humble myself before you, Lord, I am here to admit my impurity.

I am here to confess my unholiness. I am here to mourn her over my sin.

I am here to grieve over the lukewarmness of my heart and the hardness of my heart and how far short I fall every single day of being what I know you want me to be and I am here God to be on my breast and beg you all. God please have mercy on me sooner.

That's how every prayer every day that you ever pray to God or to begin because everything else to ask God for if he gives it to you. It's not the mercy you don't deserve it all deserve every other thing that we beg God for is an act of mercy and so that's how we need to start so that the mercy of God is unlocked for the rest of the prayer with me and you. Every great man and woman of God is had this kind of humility. Peter said the part from the Lord, for I am a sinful man.

David said I know my transgression and my sin is ever before me. Isaiah said 10 is me, for I am a man of unclean lips St. Francis of Assisi, the famous follower of Christ said nowhere is there a more wretched, more miserable creature than I and the apostle Paul said, I am the chiefest of sinners, and please let me remind you that this kind of humility doesn't come from having a poor self image that is not what was going on. This kind of humility comes from having a deep grasp on the awesome holiness of God and on the awesome unholiness of you and me.

That's where it comes from and the more we get into God's word and learn who God really is and the more we are on our knees letting God show us who we really are, then this kind of humility grows and will develop inside of us not set at the beginning of the message that what I need most is for God to be merciful to me, but I didn't tell you why. Why is that while the reason why that is, is that I am such a horribly self-destructive person that I desperately need God's mercy in my personal life so that I don't implode from my own self-destructive and my heart becomes cold towards God so quickly and hard towards God so quickly and rebellious towards God so quickly that I desperately need the mercy of God. Every moment of every day to keep my heart where it belongs, and on such a selfish man that I desperately need God's mercy in my marriage and I have such a seriously disabled and medically fragile daughter that I desperately need God's mercy for this little girl and I have a son who's been away from the Lord and I desperately need God's mercy for that boy and for my grandchildren and I have a spiritual enemy who was trying with everything he's got to get me to end my ministry career in disgrace to end it in a way that will bring reproach on the name of Christ of reproach on the gospel of Christ and how I desperately need God's mercy so that the nap and I say such simple things and I think such sinful things and I do such sinful things that I need God's mercy. I judge other people and such harsh ways that I'm desperate for mercy.

Folks, I need God's mercy. Can any of you guys identify with what I'm talking about men well so what I'm going to do now is I'm going to come down on the floor down in front here and I'm in a get on my knees and I'm in a humble myself before the Lord and I'm been a big God to have mercy on me to have mercy on my son and the mercy of my daughter and have mercy or mother.

Children have mercy on my grandchildren and have mercy on my marriage and I mercy on my foolishness and have mercy on my arrogance and have mercy on my stupidity in the messes I get myself and I want to invite you to come down jointly right here, and every campus right down front and I don't care how far away you may be, will wait for you to work. Listen folks, if you have a child away from the Lord. I urge you to come. Humble yourself before God and pray the mercy of God on the child.

If you have trouble in your marriage. I urge you grab your partner's hand, if there here today and if they're not come by yourself and humble yourself before God and cry out for mercy on your marriage if you yourself are away from the Lord or never come to him. I urge you to come down here and humble yourself and ask God to have mercy on you your sin.

If you have gotten yourself in a mess because of your own foolishness. I urge you to come down here and say, oh God, I'm in this mess because of me, but here I am humbling myself before you and Sano God please have mercy on me that if you are facing an illness or you got aging parents and they need God's mercy. Folks I'm urging you to come down let's humble ourselves before God and pray the mercy of God down on ourselves and on these people will be down here. I hope you join me in the risen Lord for all of you down here. Come join us. We don't care go back up files from got a 12 got us please have a tender heart to God. This is a moment for you and God you need is mercy, the scum asking, and remember humility before God always equal mercy from God. Come on down and join us, Lord Jesus, I ask you to forgive me Lord, for not being the man that I should be.

Lord I ask you to forgive me for my selfishness not be in the husband should be what I ask you to forgive me for how immature and sinful him for how quickly my heart runs away from you every day Lord in how quickly it gets cold and indifferent to you, Lord, I ask you forgive me that I can't do better. 45 years of walking with you that I do such a bachelor of Lord I ask you for mercy on me for all the messes I get myself into the mouth of my evil heart and more there. I am having to cry like Peter walking on the waves saving Lord Laura pray for all the people down here if you can agree with me.

Can you say med for we pray for children to away from you in our hearts break.

We pray for parents, brothers and sisters were lost. Lord, our hearts are broken with him. We pray for aging parents can't injure mercy. We pray Lord Jesus for marriages. We need your mercy to forgive each other be able to keep going toward. We pray for children with disabilities.

My daughter Jill yes you look over these children with numerous men. Lord we just need an outpouring mercy. So please God. As we humble ourselves before you.

We admit to you, Lord, what your like tax collector for the honor my willingness to do this by pouring out mercy on us more help is not do it today at church but help us with everything. Everything men when we need you more than we need anything we need your mercy of God, thank you for everyone's down here encourage our hearts tonight that whenever we are like this, we will stand up and have a greeting from the mercy of God, the Lord Jesus lift our hearts as we lay ourselves before you and we pray these things in Jesus name promoted all God's people say