And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me, and keep My commandments. Exodus 20:6
Did you ever watch a lighthouse working on a dark night along the seacoast? As you stand there in the darkness, nothing is visible and the deep gloom settles around you like a chilly blanket. Then, a lance of light cuts through the blackness, sweeping brightly across your line of vision before disappearing again on the other side. You fix your eye on the point where that light appeared, hoping for it to recur. And it does. Again. And again. The night has changed from its depressing gloom. Because there is a light in the darkness. Our text today is such a lighthouse.
This text appears in the midst of the solemn proclamations of the Ten Commandments, with their related judgments for failing to live up to the holy requirements of a holy and jealous God. It comes directly after dire judgments are pronounced on idolators and blasphemers. The message is mercy, the very message sinners need when realizing how far they are from meeting’s God’s standards and how open they are to His wrath. The requirements to have God show His mercy to us are simple: loving Him and keeping His commandments.
1 John 4:19 reminds us that we love God because He first loved us. So God initiates the love process, and we thankfully respond. This is how we were saved. As we appreciated the depths of God’s great love, displayed in the sacrifice of His Son, we trusted in Him and learned to love Him more. And because we love Him, we want to do His will, and keep His commandments. No, keeping those commandments is not a prerequisite to obtaining God’s mercy. It is the evidence in our lives that we have come to know and love the God of Mercy. -Jim MacIntosh
Here ios the link to the video of this message: https://youtu.be/plz_LsUxZvo