John Piper "Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ" Chapter Ten

But God, being rich in mercy,

because of the great love with which he loved us,

even when we were dead in our trespasses,

made us alive together with Christ.

E P H E S I A N S 2 : 4 - 5

Let us then with confidence draw near

to the throne of grace,

that we may receive mercy

and find grace to help in time of need.

HEBREWS 4 : 1 6

THE INCARNATE WEALTH OF THE COMPASSION OF GOD

The Mercies of Jesus Christ

Excerpts from the Chapter:

“… the New Testament describes the wealth of God not mainly in terms of what he created and owns, but mainly in terms of the glory he has from all eternity. Repeatedly we read of “the riches of his glory” or “his riches in glory” (for example, Ephesians 3:16; Philippians 4:19; Colossians 1:27).”

“… the focus of the New Testament is that the wealth of God’s glory is, at its apex, the wealth of his mercy. This is something the world takes very lightly: “the riches of [God’s] kindness and forbearance and patience” (Romans 2:4). God created and redeemed the world so that he might “make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he prepared beforehand for glory” (Romans 9:23).”

“Justice is essential among the perfections of God’s glory. But mercy is paramount. “He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD” (Proverbs 17:15). Yes. Therefore justice is essential. But something else is also true: “It is [a man’s] glory to overlook an offense” (Proverbs 19:11). Therefore, if justice can be preserved, it is the apex of glory to show mercy.”

“Jesus is the mercy of God incarnate and visible. He is also the justice of God incarnate; but justice was subordinate: “God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:17). God the Father offered up his Son in death “so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:26). The substitutionary death of Jesus Christ created the backdrop of justice where justifying mercy would shine with unparalleled glory. Therefore, the glory of God’s mercy is the aim of Christ’s coming.”

“The aim of the incarnation was to magnify the mercy of God for the enjoyment of the nations. In Mary’s Magnificat, and in Zechariah’s prophetic song at the birth of John the Baptist, the reason given for the coming of Jesus was “in remembrance of [God’s] mercy” (Luke 1:54), and “because of the tender mercy of our God” (Luke 1:78). Or as the apostle Paul put it, the work of Christ is due to God’s being “rich in mercy” (Ephesians 2:4). It is all “according to the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:7). He bestows “his riches on all who call on him” (Romans 10:12).”

“The place where mercies are kept is at the throne of God. Here is infinite wealth and infinite power and infinite wisdom. And all this stands ready in the service of mercy, because of Jesus Christ, the mercy of God incarnate. Whether you learn this through pleasure, or learn it through pain, like Job, whatever you do, learn it: “The Lord is compassionate and merciful” (James 5:11).”

A P R A Y E R

O Father, how we need mercy.

We sin every day.

We fall short of your command to love you with all our heart and soul and mind and strength.

We are lukewarm in our affections.

All our motives, even at their best, are mixed.

We murmur.

We are anxious about tomorrow.

We get angry too quickly.

We desire what ought not be desired.

We get irritated at the very attitudes in others that we ourselves displayed five minutes before.

If you do not show mercy to us, we are undone.

O God, let us see the mercy of Christ and savor it for what it is.

Grant us power to comprehend his love.

Incline us to read and ponder the stories of the mercy of Jesus in the Gospels.

Let us so admire what he did that we imitate him.

But let it be much more than external imitation.

Let it come from the heart where we have been broken for our sin and where we have come to cherish mercy and live by mercy and hope in mercy and long for mercy.

Make the mercy of Jesus the greatest beauty of the Savior in our eyes.

Let us behold, and beholding, become like him.

And bend this taste for mercy outward so that we show it.

Make us full of his mercy that we might show mercy.

Fulfill in us the command to do justice and love mercy.

Let us love showing mercy.

Make it so much a part of us that it is who we are.

So unite us to Christ that his mercy is our mercy, and our mercy is a presenting of Christ.

He is all we have to give in the end.

Glorify his mercy, Father, in our faith and in our patience.

Thank you, oh, thank you, for Christ and your mercy to us in him.

In his name we pray,

amen.