Thoughts From Robert Gelinas

Dear Friends,

Last week I stopped in at a discount store and found a book on sale for 75% off. I’m a sucker for a good deal, but even more so, I’m drawn to interesting titles, like: “The Mercy Prayer – The One Prayer Jesus Always Answers.” The author’s name is Robert Gelinas. I had never heard of him, but I thought I’d risk the $3.99!

The premise of the book is that four times in the gospels people in great need cried out to Jesus, “Lord have mercy” (Mt. 9:27, Mt. 15:22, Mt. 20:30, Lk. 17:13). Not only does that make it the most prayed prayer in the Bible, but one that is answered each time it was prayed!

And, yes, it is a good book! So today I thought I would offer you a selection entitled, “Mercy Assumes We Are Sinners.” If you happen to carry guilt or shame, you will (I believe) find comfort in his words. Enjoy.

“Many times, those who prayed the mercy prayer didn’t just say, “Lord have mercy.” No. They ended the most prayed prayer recognizing an essential fact about themselves: “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner” (Luke 18:13). Mercy assumes we will sin. Arthur W. Pink said it well when he wrote: “Mercy… denotes the ready inclination of God to relieve the misery of fallen creatures. Thus ‘mercy’ presupposes sin.” We are fallen creatures with a propensity for wrongdoing, and the result is shame, guilt, strained relationships and regret.

The good news of God’s mercy is that he desires to relieve the consequences of our sin, the worst of which is the toll it exacts on our relationship with him. We were meant to walk with God in the cool of the garden of Eden, and yet, when we sin, we find ourselves hiding from God, blaming those around us, and searching for metaphorical fig leaves to cover our shame. God’s reflexive response is to lessen these consequences – to show mercy.

When Adam and Eve ate of the one tree God forbade, the penalty was severe: death and banishment from the garden. Yet, God replaced their wilting leaves with something more durable; and as they moved east of Eden, one thing became increasingly clear: While they had left the garden, God had not left them. His presence served as a balm of hope upon their guilt…

If we want to see how Jesus treats sinners, we need to look no further than the woman caught in adultery. Only a few chapters after Christ said he did not come into the world to condemn us (John 3:17), we see him backing up his words when a woman is mercilessly dragged into his presence. Her accusers informed Jesus that she was caught in the act of sexual sin and that the law said she deserved death. They wanted Jesus to weigh in on her fate. The crime was a serious one, but there was something more sinister at play: “They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him” (John 8:6). They hoped Jesus would discredit himself with his response and weaken his standing with the people.

Think of the planning that must have gone into this ruse. First, they must have had a meeting about how to trap Jesus where they hatched a plan starting with catching someone committing a capital crime. Second, we are only left to our imaginations as to how they succeeded in catching this woman. Did they voyeuristically peep through a crack in the curtains while hiding in the bushes? Or did one of them seduce her only to betray her to the authorities? We don’t know. What we do know is that they thought this was a trap for Jesus. Why? He had a reputation. He was known for mercy. They concocted this plan because they knew, when given the chance, he would seek to remove the penalty for this guilty woman.

Jesus diverted everyone’s attention from her naked shame as he knelt down to write something in the dirt. They didn’t count on Jesus' brilliant response. He upheld grace and truth by saying, “if any of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7). Reluctantly, the crowd of accusers dropped their rocks and dispersed.

Only Jesus was without sin. Only Jesus could justly throw the first stone. Only Jesus remained. She was left standing face-to-face with the only person qualified to carry out her sentence. “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” Jesus asked. “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin” (John 8:10-11).

Mercy assumes we are sinners. Thus, the apostle Paul proclaims, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). When we allow that truth to settle in our souls, we will experience true freedom: knowing that God, though he is holy and just, desires to grant us pardon through Christ. Seeing firsthand how Jesus deals with someone caught in the act should cause us to run to him (not away). Despite our sin we have nothing to fear.”

“The Jesus Prayer” as it is known (though having slight variations) is a prayer I have prayed countless times throughout my life in Jesus. The version I pray is this: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Eternal God, have mercy upon me, a sinner.”

Mercy, of course, is not needed if sin or transgression is not present. Yet, given all that Scripture calls sin, be it by commission or omission (that is, things we do or things I fail to do) I don’t have to go through much of one day without being sure I need mercy! And I don't say that in some morose way that I am always focusing on my sin. I say it because it leads me to love God more! I say it because I know, as does anyone familiar with the Gospel, that no matter how many times I sin, I have the assurance of God's promise that he stands ready to forgive (I John 1:8-10, Colossians 2:13-14) and “delights in showing mercy” (Micah 7:18).

How Blessed It Is To Serve a God Who Forgives, Pastor Jeff