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Thomas Watson

Mercy swims to us, through Christ's blood!

Psalms
Thomas Watson • February, 18 2009 • Audio
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Choice Puritan Devotional

In Thomas Watson's sermon, "Mercy swims to us, through Christ's blood!", the main theological topic addressed is the nature of God's mercy as it relates to salvation. Watson argues that God's mercy is free, powerful, and superabundant, emphasizing that it is not based on human merit or worthiness, as articulated in Scripture through passages like Hosea 14:4, Ephesians 1:5, and Romans 3:24. He illustrates how God's mercy is demonstrated in various forms: restraining from sin, guiding believers, correcting them, and ultimately saving them through Christ (Titus 3:5). The significance of this doctrine lies in its assurance of grace to distressed sinners, highlighting that salvation and mercy can only be accessed through Christ's sacrificial blood, reaffirming core tenets of Reformed theology regarding divine grace and the accessibility of salvation.

Key Quotes

“To set up merit is to destroy mercy.”

“Mercy proceeds primarily and originally from God. He is called the Father of Mercies.”

“If we would have saving mercy, it must be through Christ. Outside of Christ, there is no saving mercy.”

“Mercy swims to us through Christ's blood.”

What does the Bible say about God's mercy?

The Bible describes God's mercy as free, powerful, and superabundant, reflecting His innate goodness toward sinners.

The Bible teaches that God's mercy is a fundamental attribute of His nature, flowing freely and spontaneously toward distressed sinners. In Hosea 14:4, we see that God's love is freely given, emphasizing that if mercy were contingent on merit, none would receive it. As the Father of Mercies (2 Corinthians 1:3), God is depicted as having a merciful disposition that is eager to redeem and restore, even those who are undeserving. This mercy is powerful enough to transform hearts, as seen in the life of Mary Magdalene, demonstrating its effective nature in subduing sin and pride within us.

Furthermore, Scripture portrays God's mercy as superabundant. Psalm 86:5 and Ephesians 2:4 highlight His plenteous and rich mercy, overflowing like a fountain, available for all who seek it. As we navigate life, we are continuously recipients of this mercy, from provisions and health to guidance and correction, which collectively attest to God's incessant care for His creation. His mercy is not just a passive attribute, but a dynamic action that shapes our relationship with Him and mirrors His covenant faithfulness throughout Scripture.
How do we know salvation through Christ is true?

Salvation through Christ is assured as He is our High Priest, and we have access to God's mercy only through His sacrificial blood.

The certainty of salvation through Christ hinges on the unique role He plays as our High Priest. In Leviticus 16:14, we learn that the High Priest could only approach the mercy seat with blood, symbolizing that access to God's mercy requires the sacrificial atonement made by Christ. Outside of Christ, there can be no true saving mercy; this fundamental truth emphasizes His pivotal role in our redemption. We are reminded in Titus 3:5 that it is 'according to His mercy' that we are saved, solidifying the notion that our salvation is a result of God's deliberate action in Christ.

Furthermore, the power of Christ's blood to cleanse us from all sin is explicitly highlighted in Zechariah 13:1, assuring us that His sacrifice is sufficient to cover even our greatest transgressions. Thus, recognizing Christ as our High Priest who mediates between us and God reinforces the truth of our salvation, empowering believers to live confidently under His grace. The assurance we find in His work is a testimony to the faithfulness of God’s promises as revealed throughout Scripture.
Why is God's mercy important for Christians?

God's mercy is essential as it underscores His love, drives our gratitude, and forms the foundation for our salvation and daily living.

God's mercy holds paramount importance for Christians as it encapsulates the essence of His character and the core of the gospel message. Understanding that mercy is freely given helps us realize that our relationship with God doesn’t depend on our merit or worthiness, but on His abundant grace and love. This realization fosters an attitude of gratitude and humility in believers, compelling them to extend grace to others as they have received it. The recognition of our depravity and the desperate need for mercy allows us to appreciate the immense sacrifice of Christ more deeply.

Moreover, God's mercy informs our daily living and shapes our identity as His children. When 2 Corinthians 1:3 refers to God as the Father of Mercies, it reflects a relational aspect of His character that we are invited into through Christ. We lean on His mercy for guidance, provision, and correction throughout our lives. The comfort found in His everlasting mercy encourages us during times of trial and reinforces the hope we have in His ultimate justice and salvation. Therefore, God's mercy is not merely a theological concept but a transformative reality that influences every aspect of a Christian's life.

Sermon Transcript

Auto-generated transcript • May contain errors

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Every link in the golden chain of salvation is wrought and interwoven with free grace. God's love is free. I will love them freely. Hosea 14 verse 4 Election is free. He has chosen us in Him according to the good pleasure of His will. Ephesians 1 verse 5 Justification is free. Being justified freely by His grace. Romans 3 verse 24

God's saving mercy is free and spontaneous. To set up merit is to destroy mercy. We do not deserve mercy because of our enmity. We may force God to punish us, but not to love us. If God would show mercy only to such as deserve it, He would show mercy to none. Mercy is an innate propensity in God to do good to distressed sinners. Mercy proceeds primarily and originally from God. He is called the Father of Mercies. 2 Corinthians 1 verse 3.

God's saving mercy is powerful. How powerful is that mercy which softens a heart of stone? Mercy changed Mary Magdalene's heart, out of whom seven devils were cast. She who was an inflexible adamant was made a weeping penitent. God's mercy works sweetly, yet irresistibly. It allures, yet conquers. The law may terrify, but mercy mollifies. Of what sovereign power and efficacy is that mercy which subdues the pride and enmity of the heart and beats off those chains of sin in which the soul is held?

God's mercy is superabundant. The Lord has treasures of mercy in store and therefore is said to be plenteous in mercy, Psalm 86 verse 5, and rich in mercy, Ephesians 2 verse 4. The vial of God's wrath only drops, but the fountain of His mercy runs. The sun is not so full of light as God is of mercy. His mercy is overflowing and ever-flowing. His mercy is infinite, without bounds and without end. His mercy endures forever. Psalm 136

Every time we draw our breath, we suck in mercy. We are all living monuments of God's mercy. He shows mercy to us in daily supplying us. He supplies us with health. Health is the sauce which makes life sweeter. How those who are chained to a sickbed would prize this mercy. God supplies us with provisions. God who fed me all my life long. Genesis 48 verse 15. Mercy spreads our tables and carves for us every bit of bread we eat. We never drink but in the golden cup of mercy.

God shows mercy in restraining us from sin. Lusts within are worse than lions without. The greatest sign of God's anger is to give men up to their sins. So I gave them up to their own heart's lust." Psalm 81 verse 12. While the ungodly sin themselves to hell, God has laid the bridle of restraining grace upon us. As God said to Abimelech, I withheld you from sinning against me, Genesis 20 verse 6. Just so, God has withheld us from those sins which might have made us a prey to Satan and a terror to ourselves.

God shows mercy in guiding and directing us. He guides our affairs for us and chalks out the way He would have us to walk. You shall guide me with your counsel. Psalm 73 verse 24. God leads us with the oracles of his word and the guidance of his spirit. He guides our heads to keep us from error and he guides our feet to keep us from scandal. Oh, what mercy it is to have God to be our guide and pilot.

God shows mercy in correcting us. He is angry in love. He smites that He may save. His rod is not a rod of iron to break us, but a fatherly rod to humble us. God disciplines us for our good that we may share in His holiness. Hebrews 12 verse 10. In our afflictions, God will mortify some corruption or exercise some grace.

God shows mercy in saving us. According to His mercy, He saved us. Titus 3 verse 5. This is the topstone of mercy. Here, mercy displays itself in all its orient colors. Mercy is mercy indeed when God perfectly refines us from all the lees and dregs of corruption, when our bodies are made like Christ's glorious body, and our souls like the angels.

Saving mercy is crowning mercy. It is not merely to be freed from hell, but enthroned in a kingdom. What rich mercy will it be to fully possess God, To see His smiling face and to lay in His bosom forever? This will fill us with a glorious, inexpressible joy. 1 Peter 1 verse 8.

God's saving mercy is the diamond in the ring. Mercy more overflows in God than sin in us. His mercy can drown great sins, as the sea covers great rocks. Christ's blood is a fountain to cleanse them from all their sins and defilement." Zechariah 13 verse 1.

Some of the Jews who had their hands imbrued in Christ's blood were saved by that blood. God loves to magnify His mercy and display the trophies of free grace.

How may I know that my sins are pardoned? Whenever God removes the guilt of sin, He breaks the power of sin. He will have compassion. He will subdue our iniquities. Micah 7 verse 19. With pardoning love, God gives subduing grace.

If we would have saving mercy, it must be through Christ. Outside of Christ, there is no saving mercy. We read in the old law that none might come into the holy of holies where the mercy seat stood but the high priest. This signifies that we have nothing to do with mercy but through Christ our High Priest.

That the High Priest might not come near the mercy seat without blood is to show that we have no right to mercy but through the expiatory sacrifice of Christ's blood. Leviticus 16 verse 14. If we would have mercy, we must be in Christ. Mercy swims to us through Christ's blood.

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