The Mercies of God

Below is an excerpt from a sermon I preached at Cedar Valley Bible Church on July 13, 2014, from Romans 12:1-2 entitled, "The Elements of Commitment." You can listen to the whole sermon here.

"The foundation of commitment are the mercies of God: 'Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God…' When Paul speaks of the mercies of God, he is referring to the proceeding 11 chapters of Romans where God’s mercies are displayed. Like a beautiful painting on a black canvas, God’s mercies are presented in those chapters against the blackness of our sin, and as such they stand out, they catch our eye. We marvel at them because we see them illuminated against such a black background. As Paul works his way through, he is finally brought to the point of outburst at the end of ch.11: 'For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.' Our salvation and new life are the very expressions of the mercies of God, but the role of these mercies is not complete. We never grow beyond the need for His mercies, because here Paul turns to them and declares that these same mercies, spelled out in terms like justification, sanctification, redemption, and election, are the very basis by which we can and must live as committed Christians."