Mercy in short supply?

Mercy and forgiveness go hand in hand.

Speaker:	David Taylor
Series:	Hall of Mirrors
Date:	12th Jul, 2026
Download:	Mercy in short supply?
Plays:	0
Views:	7
Sermon notes:	PDF Mercy in short supply? MERCY: IN SHORT SUPPLY? Jools Holland / Louise Marshall – Seven Acts of Mercy 1607 Painting by Caravaggio – depicts the seven acts of mercy. An angel at the centre top with an outstretched open hand depicts the transmitting of Grace. This emphasises that mercy is inspired by divine presence and flows through human action. We struggle on our own; we need God to enable us to show mercy and be forgiving. MATTHEW 18 v 21 – 35 The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant. This passage underlines what makes believers very different in the way in which we speak about or expose the sins, flaws and faults of others. Eph_2:10 for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. 10000 talents 1 talent = 20 years wages for a labourer. (Lifetime debt) 100 denarii 1 denarii = a day’s wage. 3.5 months wage. Peter’s 7 becomes 77, in Judaism 3 times was sufficient to show a forgiving spirit, but not 4! So Peter with 7 thought he was doing well! True disciples of Jesus are to forgive without keeping count – 77.  This may echo and reverse Lamech’s boast of vengeance in GEN 4 v 24 “If Cain’s revenge is 7 fold (God) then Lamech’s is 77 fold (Lamech’s vengeful passion). May I suggest that a person with a critical spirit loves to count, but a person filled with God’s Spirit enables a person to make forgiving a way of life?  (30) Forgiveness is the highest form of showing mercy! Mercy, which is by nature undeserved, comes to those who receive it as a gift. It is also potentially transformative in nature. We have received undeserved mercy. The assumption that we will, in the light of that show mercy to the undeserving, is a reasonable one. God expects us to be reformed and reshaped by his wonderful gift. In this story, mercy has no impact; it doesn’t reach the inner man! V35 “from your heart” Mercy describes a divine attribute of God’s nature—He is “rich in mercy” (Ephesians 2:4), and His “mercy is great” (2 Samuel 24:14).  Mercy has so many different descriptions, that several Hebrew and Greek words are used to express the dimensions of its meaning, words like compassion, lovingkindness, favour, and steadfast love often appear in Bible translations to illustrate the idea of mercy. A brief biblical definition of mercy is “the gift of God’s undeserved kindness and compassion.” On a human level, mercy is the benevolent or compassionate treatment of someone suffering or in need. Mercy is an attitude that moves us to act on behalf of those in need. On a divine level, mercy is the foundation of forgiveness expressed in God’s pardon of human sin. By His divine quality of mercy, God remains faithful to His covenant promises and His relationship with His people despite their unworthiness and faithlessness (Deuteronomy 30:1–6; Romans 9:15–16, 23; Ephesians 2:4–9)READ. Mercy and grace are evident in the salvation that is available through Jesus Christ. We deserved judgment, but in Christ we receive mercy from God and are delivered from judgment. In Christ we receive eternal salvation, forgiveness of sins, and abundant life (John 10:10)—all gifts of grace. Our response to the mercy and grace of God should be acceptance and to humbly come and worship with thanksgiving. Hebrews 4:16 declares, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Our hearts are changed. Forgive from the heart v 35. We linger at the cross and we live in the light of the cross. We will do to others what has been done to us on the cross. Get our lives in order – PRAY - MT 5 v 7 forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Unforgiveness grieves the Holy Spirit. Psalm 40 v 12 “my iniquities have overtaken me, and I cannot see;” Sin blinds us to mercy. Unforgiveness grieves the Holy Spirit! See from the other person’s perspective – Luke 23 v 34 “Father forgive them for they know not what they do” Pause before responding – Luke 6 v 38 “give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you. You can be selfish in this! Have an attitude of gratitude – Matthew 5 v 7 “blessed are the merciful for they will receive mercy”. Whatever ‘they’ have done to you, it is nothing to what we have done to God. God hates ingratitude; the unmerciful servant was an ungrateful man. He didn’t appreciate what the king had done for him. “Do this in remembrance of me” Do not put a foot in the enemy camp. The enemy has no mercy or compassion. Ephesians 6 v 6 “not by way of eye service, as people pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,” – a bond servant doesn’t have ‘rights.’ We demand our rights when we use words like ‘Justice’ and ‘Vindication’ and this can lead us to be open to an enemy attack (2 examples). “So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you,” James 2 v 13 “mercy triumphs over judgement”   In 1940, when Winston Churchill became prime minister, he forgave his bitter opponents for the sake of the greater victory in WW2. “Of this I am quite sure, that if we open a quarrel between the past and the present, we shall find that we have lost the future”   The Cross of Jesus was a horrible miscarriage of justice. Never let it become an unappreciated norm in our lives. We do not earn our forgiveness; Jesus achieved that for us on the cross. But your willingness to forgive is evidence that you have understood and received God’s forgiveness. Forgiven people forgive. Show mercy! Here I am humbled by Your Majesty Covered by Your grace so free Here I am knowing I'm a sinful man Covered by the blood of the Lamb Now I've found the greatest love of all is mine Since You laid down Your life The greatest sacrifice Majesty, Majesty Your grace has found me just as I am Empty-handed but alive in Your hands Here I am humbled by the love that You give Forgiven so that I can forgive

   

?

Or choose Series Hall of Mirrors Non series sermon Mark's Gospel The Gateway Church The Gift Exchange Holy Moments Created for Connection Non series sermon Five Alive The Kingdom of God Battle for the Mind Good King, Bad King This is us Summer Sundays 2023 Colossians - rooted and established Livestreams I am sayings Angelic Encounters Parables - stories with purpose Run the race The Glorious Church Proverbs - wisdom that works Vision Sermons R.O.A.D. Map Oh Holy Night Coming back to the heart of worship Getting Fruity The discipline of Intimacy Ezra Acts - Mission:Possible 2 Peter 1 Peter Life Groups Relational Mission - A Way of Life 2 Corinthians Join the adventure... Meals with Jesus in Luke Jesus gives us... Jesus takes away... 1 Corinthians There is hope Isaiah - God saves sinners The Gospel of John The Big Picture

Or choose Speaker Adam Dixon Alvin Confesor Amie Lymer Andrew Holland Andy King Andy Moyle Andy Richards Ann Robles Ariel Merry Bene Wadieh Cameron Mathers Darryl Mallet David Blacklock David Taylor David Wadieh Debs Ikwuagwu Domi Bernardin Graham Maddison Hannah Woods Ifeoluwa Omidiji Janet Moyle Jean Holland Jenny King Jerole Jacob Jon Beardon Julie Hayes Karen Kircher Kate Odediran Kathleen Blacklock Katie Mathers Kay Taylor Kees Kees Vonk Linda Bernard Linda Hongsha Lisa Pyatt Maria Rinaldo Marshal Schaitel Marshall Schaitel Martin Woods Matt Pyatt Michelle Confesor Mike Ikwuagwu Moy Omidiji Naomi Kendall Neena Kore Norman Blows Omadachi Oganyani Omadachi Oganyi Omdachi Oganyani Omdachi Oganyi Paige Marrett Pastor Mindaugus Palionis Pat Amos Phil Moore Pranalini Pardeshi Rend Collective Roi Abary Sarah Confesor Sarah Vonk Seb Njingo Seun Omidiji Simon Walker Sonja Stojanovic Stef Liston Swapnil Pardeshi Tammy Dixon Tobi Odediran Warren Mathers

Newest firstOldest First

Mercy in short supply?

David Taylor
12th Jul, 2026 7:19 pm

Grieving Together

Andy Moyle
5th Jul, 2026 7:39 pm

Unsanctified Compassion

Cameron Mathers,
21st Jun, 2026 1:33 pm

Covenant Seriously

Omadachi Oganyi
14th Jun, 2026 6:06 pm

How to live in an age of rage

Andy Moyle
8th Jun, 2026 5:57 pm

Next

Climactic meal of the series (two more after the resurrection)
It's the last passover before the cross. Jesus is about to fully usher in the new covenant, making the Passover meal they are about eat the last one and starting a radically different passover that we celebrate as the Lord's Supper/breaking of bread/ communion / eucharist depending on what you want to call it.

Two plans- Satan's plan and God's plan Luke 22v1-6
John 10 tells us that Satan came to steal, kill and destroy. His plan has always been one of destruction. We see him at work in these first few verses of todays’ passage

Verse 3 “Satan entered into Judas”
What does that mean exactly? I looked up the word entered and it is used in lots of places for ordinary physical entering of homes, cities and synagogues. It’s not a special word just used for Satan!
The are lots of words in Scripture for when people are affected to a greater or lesser extent by the demonic. Possession is not one of them! That implies complete ownership. Words that are used are demonised (affected/influenced by a demon to a greater or lesser extent), with an unclean spirit, having a demon, troubled by a spirit, afflicted by a spirit, seized by a spirit

Judas is clearly demonised to a greater extent here.
A lot of fear and a lot of loose language around demons – “possession” being an awful term, not in Scripture.

First question most people ask is can a Christian be possessed?
Not a Biblical term! If anything a Christian has been bought by Christ 1 Cor 6:20
You are a new creation – you spirit which was dead has now been made alive in Christ.
But you still have a mind that can be filled with all sorts of nonsense, giving the demonic a foothold for oppression or affliction or even demonisation
And you have a body that can be likewise be afflicted and oppressed.
We are commanded to heal the sick, cast out demons and preach the gospel.
If we lead someone to Chriost and not heal them, they stay sick. I think likewise they can still be afflicted, oppressed or even demonised – where demonised means influenced by a demon to a greater or lesser extent.

I see three main effects of demons in people’s lives

1. Temptation – most temptation is just us, but there can be demonic temptation, where it seems ever so enticing. What does God say in 1 Cor 10:13?
2. Oppression / affliction – the devil wants to steal, kill and destroy, so he will attack, he will try to scare you, some sickness is demonic (not all!). You may give him a foothold see Eph 4:27 Where Paul warns not to give him opportunity with things like anger and stealing.
3. Demonisation – where a demon can influence you to a greater or lesser extent, producing bondage, patterns of temptation and weakness that are not solved by repentance.

As C.S. Lewis wrote “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.”
Derek Prince of Ellel believed that 70% of Christians were demonised, earning them the reputation of finding demons in every cupboard. That sounds somewhat excessive to me!
I’ve had some pretty nasty demonic encounters while we have been planting The Gateway, particularly at night. One of the great heroes of our faith, Mr Smith Wigglesworth, told a story of one night while asleep. He had been having terribly frightening dreams. At some point he awoke and aware of a demonic presence, looked around the room. There, near the foot of the bed was Satan himself. With a sigh, Smith simply said, “Oh, it’s just you.” rolled over and went back to sleep. I’ve not been like that – but they go pretty quick when you cry out to Jesus!

If you have patterns of sin or bondage, oppression or sickness that just won’t go with prayer and or repentance, then we will happily help you get free.

Back to the passage – Judas who had made it a habit of stealing from the common purse and was clearly allowing a stronghold of temptation to be built up in his mind, was entered by Satan – that’s got to be the highest level of demonisation ever to betray Jesus and of course he regretted it, so was still able to think clearly.
Satan’s play is to destroy Jesus, kill him. There’s a line in The Lion Witch and Wardrobe where Aslan says “if the witch knew the deeper magic.” Satan thought he was winning by having Jesus killed, but it was God’s plan all along. Jesus was willingly going to the cross to die for us on our behalf, for our sin. The deeper Magic as CS Lewis put it in his allegorical story is that the resurrection would vindicate Jesus, defeating death and sin and sickness and bringing in the new covenant of grace. Where we are forgiven and made sons and daughters of God, adopted into God’s family by faith.

Two passover's Moses' and Jesus' Luke 22:7-23

Some background

* The passover was an annual feast, first started the night that Israel escaped from slavery in Egypt, when God told the Israelites to kill a lamb in their home and daub its blood on the door posts and eat a quick meal. The angel of death would passover their home so they were saved. Each years Jewish families would celebrate this with the Passover meal.
* It involved a roasted lamb that spoke of the sacrifice
* Unleavened bread – speaking of the speedy departure, because there was no time for bread to rise
* Celery dipped in salt which was symbolic of the tears of slavery
* Bitter herbs to remind them of the bitterness of slavery

And other items and ceremonies

There were four cups of wine drunk during the meal
The first was because God promised I will bring you out of slavery
The second promise I will free you
The third promise I will redeem you
And the fourth I will take you as my people.
What a glorious picture in the OT of what was to come when Jesus came.

We've just read he took a cup during the first part – the first cup. To give thanks. He told them to share it among themselves. It's a sign of family! Only close family members or really close friends share a cup!
Then after they had eaten, which would have been during during the fourth cup, Jesus took it and said this cup is the new covenant in my blood. Powerful symbolism
God has brought us out of slavery to sin – you are free!
He has made us free in Christ
He has redeemed you – paid the price to set you free
He has made us His people!

There are lots of ways to explain what the cross has done for us – substitutionary atonement, Christus Viktor, to name two. Jesus gave us an action to remember it and help makes sense of it.
With his actions he was telling us the Passover is over, there is a new Passover now – the Lord’s supper. Breaking bread and eating and drinking wine/juice to remember what Jesus has done for us.

What does the Lord's supper mean? – big deal in the 16th C the meaning of the Christ's words were considered worth dying for an some thought worth killing for. 288 people burned at the stake for the meaning of the Lord's supper. What this passage of Scripture is telling us.
At issue was whether or not the bread and the wine become literally the body and blood of Jesus as soon as the mystical words were pronounced by the Priest.
The issues then is that it becomes a sacrifice undermining the gospel of Jesus Christ that Jesus was crucified once for all for our sins.

So it spoils the finished work of the cross – it is being repeated every time
It spoils what Jesus did as our Great High Priest, if priest can offer an acceptable sacrifice to God.
And it overthrows the doctrine of Christ's human nature. if Jesus' body is in more than one place at the same time – every altar table, then it is not a body like ours and Jesus is not the last Adam.

So when Jesus too the bread and said “This is my body, which is give for you.” What does He mean?
1) The natural meaning is representation. When someone picks something up and says this is my body, they mean it represents their body, not that it has turned into their body. When I show you a photo of my family and say this is my body, you know I don't mean that the photo has mystically or physically turned into my family.
2) Jesus himself made it clear He was talking figuratively. in John 6 when he speaks of being the bread of life. In v53 he says “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” He realises the disciples are confused in v60 – “This is is a hard saying, who can listen to it. He then tells them “It is the Spirit whop gives life, the flesh is of no avail. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” He is making it clear it is figurative – a spiritual action not a physical one.
There are at least three things “This is my body” means

1) Proclamation
1 Cor 11:256 As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
As we eat and drink we proclaim the gospel, we are proclaiming to each other He died on the cross and he rose again, because he is coming again.

2) Remembrance
1 Cor 11:4-25 Do this in remembrance of me. As we do it we are reminded of Christ. As we sit and stand together, sharing the bread and the juice, we are remembering that he once sat with the 12 about to be betrayed, that He willing gave His body to be broken and His blood to be shed, so that we might live because he died.

3) Feast by faith. John 6:35 says I am the bread of life, whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. As we eat and drink, we eat by faith, we feed our souls on all that Christ is for us.

What do we do with this passage right here, right now?

Worried about demons – arrange for a chat
The Lord’s super proclaims the gospel – Jesus loves you and He died for you in your place for your sin. So you can be forgiven, accepted and loved by the living God. Put your trust in that today! Pray…

Let’s break bread – proclaiming – He died and rose again, remembering His goodness to us and feasting by faith. Allowing the Spirit of God to refresh and refuel you for the week ahead.

Come and take some bread a cup and why not share it with someone and pray a blessing over them?