Mercy & Grace

By Nita Wehrley

1982 during a good old-fashioned tent revival a 14-year old girl found herself baptized in the Holy Spirit and prophesied over. She was called into the ministry that day. I remember it well. I also remember later that evening in my quiet time with God telling Him I wanted to live in the world for a while. You know what? He let me.

14 years later broken, abused and empty, in a moment that replicated others, I cried out to God, “why does life have to be so hard?” His response gently whispered, “go to church”. I remember the day I actually heeded God’s words. It wasn’t a whisper that day. It was a roar in my ears and what felt like a shaking in my soul.

There is a point at the end of a long trip, when you are just about home, a comfort fills you as you exhale. The smell in the air, the cadence of your heart in sync with the atmosphere. It’s all so familiar. This was my journey down the aisle of the church as I found my seat. My place. My home.

In the months ahead at church I encountered two pairs of women. The first two presented themselves in a sly and somewhat sinister way. Pointing and whispering just loud enough for me to hear: “that’s the mom with no husband.” The second pair of ladies were just the opposite. Bright, welcoming and jovial, they nurtured me and my girls, encouraging us as we navigated this new community.

1. It starts with an encounter

MERCY - compassionate treatment of those in distress, especially when it is within one’s power to punish or harm them.                                           

example: The cross is a symbol of God’s mercy

John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

GRACE - unearned assistance from God given to humans for their sanctification.

SANCTIFICATION - the moment by moment process by which we submit our hearts, minds and bodies to following Jesus.

** MERCY compels action to relieve suffering then GRACE provides favor and assistance as we grow and improve (SANCTIFICATION)

John 4:6-42 - The woman at the well

Jesus, needing to rest awhile from His journey, sat down beside the well. It was about noon. As He was resting, a woman from Samaria came to draw water. Due to the time of day (people drew water early in the day because of the heat), and because the disciples had gone into town to buy food, Jesus and the woman were able to have a personal conversation.

Jesus asked her for a drink. The woman replied, (9) “how is it that you, a Jew, would ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” This was the beginning of a conversation that would unfold all Jesus knew about her and the “living water” that would change her life.

Verses 23-24 - “But the hour is coming and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

As the woman admitted she knew the Messiah would someday come, Jesus said to her, (26) “I who speak to you am He.” The woman stood and in her excitement left her water jar. She went into the town and said to the people, (29) “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?”

(39) Many Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” When the Samaritans came to Jesus, they asked Him to stay a while. During the two days He was there, many more believed because they heard His words for themselves and knew that He was indeed the “Savior of the world.”

The woman at the well represents the lowest of the low.

A. She was a female in a time when women were both demeaned and disregarded.

B. She descended from a race that was traditionally despised by Jews.

C. She lived a life in shame as a social outcast. This is why she was drawing water from the well when no one else was around.

In the heat of the day this woman’s life would become new. Jesus chose her. While revealing the painful decisions of her past He opened the true desires of her heart. The woman at the well not only had an encounter with Jesus but she also received eternal salvation and her testimony convinced a community to believe also.

John 4:23-24 - But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. Worship must come from your heart and not required duty.

Take a moment to consider:

- How do you identify with the woman at the well?

- How is Jesus an example of how we should meet the woman at the well?

2. God’s mercy and grace is for everyone!

The devil wants you to believe that you are not worthy to receive God’s love. When he realizes he can’t stop God’s plan for your salvation, he will try to convince you that you are too damaged to be used by God for the salvation of others.

I remember years after rededicating my life to Jesus, as my faith and knowledge of Him grew, I began to find myself pulled to the calling given to me as a youth. It was a struggle. God had washed me clean but I could still see dirt. The devil made sure of that.

The woman at the well was used by God to bring salvation to a community. INCREDIBLE! Let me say that again. The woman who avoided going to the well during the busy time of the day (because people gossiped about her and didn’t want to be around her), was the person Jesus chose. He knew her heart and He knew what her response would be and the impact she would make on her community. He knows your heart too.

Don’t let the devil tell you lies!

Declare who you are in Christ!

3. We can never live up to God’s level of holiness. No one.

Pretend you just bought a new white shirt. Through time, as you wore that shirt, you cared for it, washed it, maybe bleached it occasionally. You kept it super white. Finally, it was time to buy another shirt. When you opened the package and laid it next to the old one you noticed something. The old shirt that you took such good care of looked dingy next to the new one.

While Jesus washes our hearts clean through salvation, we just aren’t going to be perfect until the glorious day we get to Heaven. Living in the world will always make us a little dingy. We are a work in progress.

Consider Isaiah - He was the “mouthpiece of God” as a prophet. He spoke to the people on behalf of God. He was a man of honor.

YET...

Isaiah 6:4-8 - And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of Him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me!”

Isaiah immediately noticed his uncleanness in the presence of God. But God had a plan. The Lord’s desire was not to turn Isaiah away, Rather, He wanted to be with Isaiah and He was going to provide an answer for that to happen.

Vs. 7 - God’s answer to Isaiah’s need

“And he touched my mouth and said: ‘behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.’”

God also answered the need for the woman at the well. She was provided living water from the source (Jesus Christ), which would never run dry.

Vs. . 8 - Isaiah’s response

“And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘here I am! Send me!’”

Man’s conviction and God’s desire to make us whole = us being compelled to go.

In the same way the woman left her jar at the well because she was excited to tell the world about Jesus, Isaiah declared, “here I am! Send me!”

God sees you. He knows you. He loves you.

Conclusion: Living in love with God

I don’t struggle anymore with who I am in Christ. Well, not as much anyway. He exposes the dingy stuff I forgot was there. I allow Him to clean and heal as I know only He can; with the living water that never runs dry. Not allowing the devil’s lies a place to dwell, I move forward with a cadence that rings ‘send me!’

Life as a Christian requires us to continually go to a place with God that allows Him to reveal our dirt. It is not only for our salvation. It is also for our sanctification. It’s called the mercy seat and it’s located at the foot of the cross. There we can let Him expose the hurt, the guilt, the struggle, the sin. It’s where Jesus lingers with us, heals and restores our soul. At the mercy seat we are refined and clothed with His armor that makes us strong.