Miracle of Mercy – Wk 2
1. Your mess is not too deep for God’s mercy.
Matthew 1:1-3a (NLT)
1 This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham:
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac.
Isaac was the father of Jacob.
Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers.
3 Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (whose mother was Tamar).
Perez was the father of Hezron.
Genesis 38:1-6 (NLT)
38 About this time, Judah left home and moved to Adullam, where he stayed with a man named Hirah. 2 There he saw a Canaanite woman, the daughter of Shua, and he married her. When he slept with her, 3 she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, and he named the boy Er. 4 Then she became pregnant again and gave birth to another son, and she named him Onan. 5 And when she gave birth to a third son, she named him Shelah. At the time of Shelah’s birth, they were living at Kezib.
6 In the course of time, Judah arranged for his firstborn son, Er, to marry a young woman named Tamar.
2. Selfishness leads to emptiness.
Genesis 44:33-34 (NLT)
33 “So please, my lord, let me stay here as a slave instead of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. 34 For how can I return to my father if the boy is not with me? I couldn’t bear to see the anguish this would cause my father!”
Mercy is an act of unreasonable sacrifice for someone who could never repay you.
Titus 3:4-7 (NLT)
4 But—
When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, 5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. 6 He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. 7 Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.
3. Receiving the unconditional mercy of God removes the condemnation of sin.
Hebrews 4:16 (NLT)
16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
COMMUNITY GROUP MEETING OUTLINE
Where your faith intersects with real life!
Reconnect:
Each person shares a recent high and low from their life.
Explore:
Review the message notes.
Big Idea: Your mess is not too deep for God’s mercy.
Consider:
Choose one or two questions for your Group to discuss as time allows.
▶ Read Genesis 38:1-6 and then Genesis 44:33-35. What can we learn from the transformation process we see in Judah’s life?
▶ Read Titus 3:4-7. Where have you seen a mess turn into a message in your own life? Where have you seen a mess turn into a message for someone you know personally? Have you seen God turn messy circumstances into a revelation of His mercy?
Activate:
Spend a moment in silence to consider your response, then share your decision with the Group.
Read Hebrews 4:16. Ask God what mess He wants you to bring boldly to his throne.
Prayer:
Thank God for the highs and lift up the lows.
Pray for those who need a miracle of mercy to receive God’s gift of Jesus in this season!