Love Mercy
The calling card of a follower of Jesus is to be how we love people. In fact, Jesus said the quality and character of our love would reveal to the world that we are his disciples. In a world that desperately longing for love and mercy, how do we become a people who love others the way Jesus loved us?
Teaching Notes
JUST US part 2
"When Jesus returns there will be ultimate justice, but until then it’s just us." - Dr. Efrem Smith
"He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."
Micah 6:8
God’s will for our life is CLEAR,
we tend to COMPLICATE it so we don’t have to OBEY it.
LOVE MERCY
Khesed [Loyal Love]: A faithful covenant keeping love that expresses itself in actions of kindness, mercy & compassion. [Exodus 34:6, Psalm 136] Khesed is most often translated in the Greek as Eleeo or Mercy.
Eleeo [Mercy]: a person who shows compassion & forgiveness, especially toward someone who has offended them; it is compassion in action.
- The Great COMMANDMENT.
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Luke 10:25-29
- The Great CLARIFICATION.
In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
Luke 10:30-25
Khesed [Loyal Love]:
- Loves despite the INCONVENIENCE.
- Loves at great personal COST.
- A love that transcends every kind of PREJUDICE.
- Simply loves those along their PATH.
- Loves where others have FAILED to love.
- The Great CONVICTION.
“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Luke 10:36-37
What if loving mercy is as simple as loving our neighbor?
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
Ephesians 2:4-5