God is mercy. God has shown us mercy. Because God has shown us mercy, we should show mercy to others. Mercy and grace go hand in hand.

1. How would you describe mercy?

2. Can you share a time that you have seen mercy?

Mercy would be when you have deserved punishment but someone chooses to forgive or the punishment is withheld. Mercy and grace go hand in hand together. Grace is getting undeserved favor.

An example of mercy in my life could be one of the times that I have been pulled over. In my first couple of years of driving, I was pulled over for speeding. Was I speeding? Yes. Did I fully deserve to get a ticket for speeding? Yes. However, the officer, for some reason, chose to show me mercy. I fully deserved a ticket. I chose to break the law. Instead, I was able to drive away with no punishment.

Today, we are going to look at God and how He is merciful. Mercy is an attribute of God that is a communicable attribute. This means that we, too, can learn to be merciful like Him.

3. If God is a merciful God, what is God showing us mercy from? What punishment do we deserve as people?

Read Romans 3:23 and 6:23.

4. Why do we deserve death? What kind of death is being written about here?

5. Why is sin against God such a big deal?

It is so important that we, as people, realize that we are sinners. We are not good. We deserve death for sinning against a perfect and holy God. We do not deserve a relationship with God. We do not deserve to be in His presence.

Read Ephesians 2:1-10.

6. What does it mean that we “were dead in our trespasses”?

7. How is God “rich in mercy”?

8. How has Christ “made us alive”? What were we saved from?

9. Can we save ourselves? Why or why not?

Read Titus 3:4-6.

God’s mercy and grace are infinitely greater than any mercy we have been shown in our lives. We have sinned and turned our backs against our Creator. That same God willingly sacrificed Himself on the cross to save us from our sins. He saved us from an eternal separation from God in Hell. God’s mercy is shown on the cross. He does not want us to have to face the punishment of our sins. Instead, He wants us to come to Him.

Read Hebrews 4:16.

10. How can we have confidence as we come to God for grace and mercy?

11. How does this shape the way we live our lives?

Knowing that God has shown us mercy and grace in an immeasurable way should drastically change the way we live. We should want to glorify and honor Him for what He has done for us. We should be showing the world who He is and how the world can find mercy and grace in Him.

Read Romans 12:1.

12. What does it mean to be a living sacrifice?

13. How can our lives be holy and acceptable to God?

14. Are you living your life as a living sacrifice to the Lord?

Because we have received the gift of mercy and grace from God, we are called to live for Him in a way that is eternally grateful. We should want to give Him everything in our lives. We should want the world to know who He is and what He has done for us. We want people to see Him.

At the beginning of this lesson, we said that mercy is an attribute of God that is communicable. This means that it is something we can show to others as well. It is something that we can grow in.

15. In what ways can we show mercy to others?

16. How does showing mercy to others do anything?

Read Matthew 18:21-35.

One denarii was roughly one day’s wage. 100 denarii would have been about 100 days’ worth of wages. One talent was worth about 6,000 denarii. Now, does that put this story into a little more perspective?

17. What does this story represent?

18. What can we learn from it for ourselves?

19. How can we make sure that we do not become like the unforgiving servant?

20. How does this story put God’s mercy into perspective for us?

End by reading Romans 12:1 again.

Because you have been shown mercy, go and show God’s mercy to the world.