I want us to begin our observation from the book of Romans chapter 11. We are going to start reading from verse 22 and we will read all through to the end. The Bible says: “Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.” I want us to spend some few seconds to examine that verse, that statements. Now, Paul said, consider. Now the word consider means pay attention to, or investigate or study. If you look at the synonyms of the word, consider, it is trying to show us the reason why we must pay attention to what he said.

 

It says consider something, the goodness and severity. So, in other words, you can look at it this way, God is standing on two legs: on one leg is goodness, on the other leg is severity. Now, do we know the meaning of the word severity? It means harshness. If you read that verse in The Message translation, it says consider the ruthless severity. The message translation added the word ruthless. Now, what does it mean to be ruthless? It means to be hard. It means to be harsh. Now, don't forget, God is merciful. But it says, consider the other side of God, which may be severe. Consider the severity of God.

 

Now, it says on those who fell, severity. Notice it is not because God is severe that resulted into their fall. Paul didn't say the harshness of God or the ruthlessness of God made them to fall. No! It says they fell and so they incurred that side of God. God's severity does not make any man to fall, you must have fallen and departed for you to incur, for you to see that dimension of God. It says on those who fall they incur the harshness of God. So, in other words, if you had not seen God to be angry before, he says you will see Him being angry. Even though God is love, this place says God is also severe. On those who fell, severity, but on you, goodness, if you continue; ‘if’ a condition. The moment you refuse to continue, then you are looking at the other side. If you continue, you will enjoy the goodness of God, you will continue to enjoy it. But if you fall short, you can incur His severity. Do we understand that?

 

So, Paul said consider these things, all of them are in God. God is merciful. God is long suffering. God is kind. God is beautiful, but God is also severe. Look at verse 23-24. It says: “And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. ²⁴ For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?” Now, the entire chapter was talking about the children of Israel, how they are refusing the grace of God, how they are refusing the salvation of God. So, at our leisure time, we can read the entire chapter, but I just want to point out something to us.

 

Now look at verse 25. It says:

 

“For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. ²⁶ And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:

“The Deliverer will come out of Zion,
And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;
²⁷ For this is My covenant with them,
When I take away their sins.”

²⁸ Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. ²⁹ For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. ³⁰ For as you were once disobedient to God…”

 

Now Paul, in this context, was talking to the Gentiles now. “For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience…” The Gospel came to the Gentiles because the real Jews, the real people that it came to were doing ‘shakara’ so to say, with the gospel, they didn't believe in it. They didn't believe Jesus could come in the manner that He came. So, when it got to a time, because of their disobedience, God extended this gospel to the Gentiles as well. Do we understand? Now don't forget in verse 29, it says: “the gifts and the callings of God, they are irrevocable.” We can't deny the fact that the Jews are a heritage of God on the face of the earth. They are the people of God. But when they were meddling with God, and the salvation grace, God reached out to the Gentiles, in a portion it says, to provoke them to jealousy.

 

Now, this is the same thing Paul is showing us. It says: “For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, ³¹ even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy.” Let me explain that to us. They were disobedient, God reached out to us, so we came in, we were grafted into that Olive Tree. They were the original tree. We the Gentiles, we became partakers. So. God grafted us in. God was like “continue in your disobedience, let me reach out to a people.” So, God reached out to us. Now, in the long run, Paul is now saying that through our own obedience, they also will obey. The table is going to turn. Because we Gentiles have now obeyed, we have accepted and embrace the gospel, they, the children of Israel, the original Olive Tree also, through our obedience, will be grafted in. But how did he say this will happen? By the mercy of God. That is where we are going.

 

It says: “that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. ³² For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.” God committed them to disobedience that He God, might have mercy on all, whether Jews, whether Gentiles, God will have mercy. The reason why we are looking at this subject from human race perspective is because of that statement. It says God will have mercy on all. This is the plan of God at the end of the day, to have mercy on all Jews, Israel, Nigerians, Americans, anywhere in the world. The mercy of God is open to all of us. Verse 33 says:

 

“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!

³⁴ “For who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has become His counselor?”
³⁵ “Or who has first given to Him
And it shall be repaid to him?”

³⁶ For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen”

 

God's mercy is opened to all humanity. The mercy of God has been made available. Now, I want to show us something. The dealings of God with man are first and foremost, from the purview of mercy. Now, don't forget, we said that in God also is harshness. God can be ruthless if He wants to be. After all, we've read Psalm136 several times, He dealt with all those people. That is the ruthless side of God. God can go as far as killing first born of a whole nation simply because He wants to deal with them in His mercy. God can be ruthless; God can be good. In fact, God cannot be good, God is actually good. But God’s dealing with man is first and foremost from the basis of mercy. God usually sustains judgment first and reaches out with mercy.

 

Let me show us this Scripture in 2^nd Peter 3:9, it is going to help us to understand that statement. The Bible says: “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise as some count slackness, but His long suffering toward us…” Why is it that God long suffers? Because the moment and the period God is long suffering, is the window period of His mercy. It is not as if God can't be ruthless from the beginning, no, but when He long suffers, He is opening us up to a dimension of Himself that is called goodness, that is called Mercy. It says, “He is not slack not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” The first predisposition of God to mankind is on the basis of mercy, that is how God approaches us first, and it is the reason why we have not been destroyed, it is the reason why God has not sent down hailstone and brimstone and fire from heaven to destroy the entire human race. He is long suffering.

 

If you look at James 2:13. Let me show you that Scripture again. Look at what the Bible says: “For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy.” Did we see that? Judgment is without mercy, if you have refused to show mercy. Now, we remember that parable of the servant who was forgiven all and yet, he himself was not forgiving those who were indebted to him. And so, what happens? The Bible says when the master found out, he revisited his judgment and he was dealt with. Now what is that Scripture showing us in essence? When you show mercy, you will receive mercy. When you don't show mercy, you are not open to mercy. Do we understand that?

 

It says: “Judgment is without mercy to those who have shown no mercy because mercy triumphs over judgments.” Mercy triumphs over judgment. So, which means God's dealing with us on the face of the earth right now is on the basis of mercy. There is judgment, there is the harshness of God, there is the severity of God, but mercy is what is making God to deal with us right now the way He is dealing with us. Lest, the moment you commit any infraction it was supposed to be judgment. But even though he harsh, and He is not visiting us with judgment is simply because we are in the window period of mercy. We are in the window period of mercy and that is why people could do all manner of things that they are doing, wickedness and evil on the face of the earth, and it looks as if God is not acting. God is not acting; He is not showing us the other side of Him simply because He is merciful. And why is God doing that? Simply because He want you and I to embrace His mercy.

 

Let me show us four reasons why God wants you and I, human race to embrace His mercy.

 

Reason Number One: God's provision and disposition of mercy for humankind was demonstrated first from the beginning. God's disposition to mercy for humankind or for human race was first demonstrated in the beginning. Now let's read the book of Genesis 3:7, 21. Look at what the Bible says. “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.” Now this was the first time that Adam and Eve sinned, they disobeyed God. And then they discovered that they were naked. Now look at verse 21. It says: “Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.”

 

In verse 7, they cloth themselves with leaves. Now I was thinking about something while I was meditating. The thought is this: the best any human being could do for himself or herself outside of the mercies of God is to clothe himself or herself with leaves. Do you understand? The best you can do for yourself outside, when you are operating outside of the mercy of God, is to clothe yourself with leaves. Please, what can leaves do in covering? What does that mean? It simply means that man is nothing outside the mercy of God. When the mercy of God is taken away, you will discover that man is naked, and cannot be clothed. So, it simply shows us that the entire human race is naked outside the mercy of God.

 

Now why did God have to kill an animal to clothe them? Because it shows that the understanding of man, the wisdom of man, the strength of man, the power of man, the wealth of man, the riches of man, outside of God's mercy, is foolishness. Imagine my cloth being taken away from me and the next thing I'm looking for are leaves for a covering. How many leaves do I want to pluck to gum my body? That is foolishness. Their wisdom became foolishness when the mercy of God was lifted off them. Without the mercy of God upon man, foolishness will set in. You will think you are doing well but you are not doing well. You will think you are fine, but you are not fine. What actually makes us fine is the mercies of God.

 

So, man is naked. The entire human race is naked when the mercies of God is taking away. You are on your own. That is the reason number one. God's provision and disposition of mercy for mankind was demonstrated from the beginning. God showed it that “I am a merciful God, even though I may be ruthless, even though I may be harsh, but I am still merciful” because God could have chased them out of that garden with their nakedness and tell them to go figure it out. But because God is full of mercy, God will not do that, He still had to cloth them. So, what does that tell us? It means that this mercy thing that we are talking about has been there from the beginning.

 

Let me show us Reason Number Two. Reason number two why human race must embrace the mercy of God, look at it. It is the desire of God to always show mercy before judgment. Why is it that you and I must embrace the mercy of God? It is God's desire, first and foremost, to show mercy before judgment. And this informs the reason why the mercy seat is actually placed above the ark. I want us to read the Scripture. Exodus chapter 25:10-22. Why is it that God always show mercy before judgment? What exactly is that message telling us? The Bible says:

 

“And they shall make an ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits shall be its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height. ¹¹ And you shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and shall make on it a molding of gold all around. ¹² You shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in its four corners; two rings shall be on one side, and two rings on the other side. ¹³ And you shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. ¹⁴ You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, that the ark may be carried by them. ¹⁵ The poles shall be in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. ¹⁶ And you shall put into the ark the Testimony which I will give you.”

 

Now, the testimony as used in this context, is not talking about you coming to share testimonies like we do in church, like “somebody, do you have testimony?” and someone will say “yes”, and they will say “come and share your testimony.” This was not the testimony that God was talking about. This testimony actually signifies the law. Did we see that? It signifies the book of the law. Now what does the law do? That law is a minister of condemnation and judgment! Do we understand? The testimony is the law which ministers condemnation and judgment. Now look at verse 17, we are going somewhere. It says:

 

“You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width. ¹⁸ And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. ¹⁹ Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat. ²⁰ And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat. ²¹ You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you.”

 

Please where did it say the mercy seat should be? The mercy seat should be on top of the ark. Now what exactly is the mercy seat because somebody may be wondering, what is the mercy seat? Is it something that someone sits on? Or is it a place that is made for the king? Now the mercy seat is not the regular seat that you are sitting on. The mercy seat is actually a covering. If you can imagine a box, you understand, and a cover on that box. That cover could represent the mercy seat. So, the mercy seat is not a chair made of wood, it is actually a lid that is covering a box. You know, the Bible says inside that ark, that testimony should be put. So, the testimony is actually under the mercy seat. We are going to find out why, I'm just trying to paint a picture.

 

Now look at it. It says in verse 22: “And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat…” But He gave them the law. Why didn’t He relate with them from the law? It says: I will relate with you from above the mercy seat. In other words, God says, I am going to speak with you from above the mercy seat. Now, don't forget, if you can picture God sitting on that mercy seat, let's assume it's a chair, and God is sitting on it. What is inside, underneath? The law. God is sitting on the law, but He is dealing with them from above the mercy seat. God is not judging them from the law, the law has been put in the ark and the mercy seat is covering it.

 

Why is the mercy seat covering the law? Because one there is a law, then judgment should follow. If you commit an infraction, then you should face severely the penalties. But why did God say see put the testimony inside the ark? He didn’t tell Moses to put it side by side the mercy seat, so that when I want to speak with you, I will look at what you have done and then I will now consider whether I will have mercy on you. He says, no! I will speak with you from above. Not from the law. The mercy of God, right. It says,

 

“there I will meet with you and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat from between the two cherubim which are on the Ark of the testimony about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.”

 

Now I was meditating on that. What exactly does that mean? You see God's plan is not to relate with us from the basis of judgment alone. Yes, God is just, God is a judge. But see, there is the mercy of God before the judgment. So, God says I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, not from the law. If God is not, you know, predisposed to mercy, why will He tell the children of Israel to do such a thing? Reason number two, it is the desire of God to always show mercy before judgment. Even though we know that there is judgment with Him, yes, there is mercy. Did we see that?

 

Let's go to Reason Number Three. Refusal to embrace the mercy of God is an automatic invitation to judgment. Refusal to embrace the mercy that God has put in place for you and I, then we are simply saying God, you can do your worst or God you can show your severe side, we don't care. There is nothing like your mercy. We are going to do what we will do, forget it. Whatever you want to do you can go ahead and do it. It is like you say you damn somebody, I damn you. When we don't embrace the mercy of God, we are simply telling God “God go ahead and do your worst.” If you read John 3:16, it says: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but will have everlasting life.” If you jump to verse 17, it says, as many who have refused to embrace is condemned already.

 

In other words, is judged. So, Jesus has been made available, but you say, “No, I don't want Jesus.” As a matter of fact, Jesus Christ is the revelation of God's mercy to us. In the New Covenant, Jesus Christ is the revelation of the mercy of God. So, the moment you say, “Well, I don't need Christ, I don't want Jesus in my life”, you are simply saying, “God, you can go ahead and judge me.” And that is why it is important that we accept Christ. Christ is God's mercy to us. Why did Christ have to come in the first place? Because God had mercy. Because God shows mercy. He could have decided to just wipe all of us out. But he says, “No, the devil will take the glory. I will not do that.”

 

God had been from the beginning, yet they did not know Him. But God says, let me show mercy. Let me send my son peradventure when they see my son, maybe they will accept Him, maybe they will embrace Him. And they said, we are not coming but the son was killed. Now the point I'm making is this: Christ Jesus is God's mercy to us. Christ Jesus is the mercies of God on two legs on the face of the earth. So, the moment you say, well, I don't want Him. I don't want to accept Christ. There is nothing I have to do with Christ. You are simply saying, God, I am fine. As a matter of fact, you're even telling God that God is a liar. Because God says the reason why Christ came is so that He can die for the sins of humanity. But you are telling God and saying, wait, no, I'm not a sinner.

 

Now look at this Scripture, 1^st John 1:8-10, this Scripture is going to help us understand better. It says: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” So, in other words, if you juxtapose this Scripture with not receiving Christ, you are simply telling God “I am not a sinner, I am okay, I am fine, I don’t need Jesus to save me, I have good moral standing, I am righteous, I am good.” From verse 9-10 says: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”

 

So, when you when you say, well, I'm fine without Christ, I am okay. What you're simply saying is God, you can go ahead and judge me. I don't need Christ Jesus. I don't need the mercies of God. Whatever judgment you have in your store, go ahead and dispense it. Did we see that? You know, there was this example that came to me while I was meditating. You know, if a man commits an offense and he is caught in the very act, and he is taken to court before a judge, so that they can decide his case, and the prosecuting counsel shows up and say, “This man has committed this and this offense, and then he shows all the evidences, and shows facts and figures. And then at the end of the day, the judge will ask: “based on all these evidences and facts presented against you, are you guilty or not guilty?” Do we get the point. And if you go ahead and say, “You are not guilty”, despite the fact that the evidences and the facts, and all of them have revealed, eyewitnesses accounts, and all those things have revealed that you are actually guilty, and you tell the judge, “No, I am not guilty of this offense.” What you're simply saying is “judge, you can go ahead and do what you want to do. I am not guilty.”

 

But they said you murdered this man. The weapon shows that you were the one, there was a scan that revealed you were the one, he says no, I am not guilty. So, you are simply saying, well, do your worst, the judge.

 

But on other occasion, if you plead that you are guilty, because many times the reason why people plead that they are guilty is so that the judge can temper justice with mercy. You know, many times, even when your own lawyer, as a criminal, discovers that you are actually guilty, many of the lawyers do tell their client “Just say you are guilty.” I think I've seen a couple of American movies where that was played out. But when we go back and forth, maybe if the judge wants to consider, maybe the crime years in prison is 20 years, and you plead guilty, maybe they can temper justice with mercy and give you 10. Or in some other occasion, the judge might give you an option of a parole. There are some criminals that are not entitled to a parole. Parole simply means after some years in prison, they will allow you some minimal freedom to go outside the prison and live your life, but based on some stringent rules and regulations, because once you violate your parole, you are coming back into the prison. But if you plead before the judge that you are not guilty, go ahead and do your worst. You are simply saying judge, I don't need your mercy.

 

When humankind refuses Jesus, we are simply saying God, go ahead and do your worst. We don't need your mercy. So, refusal to embrace the mercy of God is an automatic invitation to judgment, to God's judgment.

 

Let me show us the final one. Number Four, the mercy of God is the currency that we can only spend here on earth. The mercy of God is like a currency of God that can only be spent on earth and not in heaven. Mercies are spent on earth and not in heaven. It is not the angels of God that actually need mercy. It is human beings that need mercy. Now, for example, look at our monies, the monies we spend across the world. Once we leave this earth, those currencies to us, they become useless. They don't spend money in heaven, right? They only spend it here on earth. It is a medium of exchange here on earth.

 

The same thing is with the mercies of God. The mercies of God can only be enjoyed here on earth. When we get there, there is no recourse for mercy it is judgment. The Bible says “it is appointed for a man to die once after it is judgment.” Let show us a Scripture in Luke 16:19-31. The mercies of God are the currency we spend here on earth. The moment we leave this side of eternity, there will be no recourse to the mercies of God. The Bible says:

 

“There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. ²⁰ But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, ²¹ desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores. ²² So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³ And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. ²⁴ “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me…”

 

Did we see that? Now this story was taking place in the spirit realm and not physically again, the two men involved have both died. So, the rich man saw Abraham and says, have mercy on me. How come it is the word mercy that he cried for? In other words, father, Abraham, can you please show me some mercy.

 

“…and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ ²⁵ But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. ²⁶ And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’ ²⁷ “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, ²⁸ for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ ²⁹ Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ ³⁰ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ ³¹ But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’ ”

 

Now what is the point I'm trying to make? The point is very simple. The moment we leave this realm the mercy of God is ceased over such a person. So, if we will not embrace the mercy of God now, after now is the judgment of God. You can't spend that currency of mercy at the other side. The man said, “have mercy on me”, Abraham said, “No, it was not possible.” Even if I want to, I cannot. He says there is a great gulf between us. If I want to be benevolence to you and show you mercy, I can't. Do we understand that? So, once we are not spending this currency of God's mercy here on earth, it means we can't spend it outside of this place. And that's what the Bible says “God is gracious in mercy.” We cannot exhaust His mercy.

 

God made it so much available. He makes His mercy so much, you know, available to us and He is generous about it. Why does the Bible say “God daily shows us with mercies.” If He does not have the mercy in abundance, why does He daily show it? Why does he show it every day? Because He wants us to make use of it. He wants us to spend His mercy. So how come you are rejecting it? How come you are saying you are fine. “I don't want God's mercy. I don't want to listen to Christ. I don't want you to preach salvation to me. I don't want you to preach that I should be born again. What is in this being born again? What exactly can Christ offer me?” There is so much that Christ can offer you but you can't know until you accept His mercy.

 

In conclusion, don't take the mercy of God for granted. The Mercy has been made available, don't take it for granted. Don't tell yourself and say I don't need it. Because the moment you say you don't need it, you are simply saying, “God, show me your severity.” Now if God show you His severity, because now God is showing you His mercy, you say you don't want, if God should show you His severity, is it that one that you can bear? You can’t bear the mercy of God; now can you bear the other side? Can you bear His harshness? Don't take the mercy of God for granted, enjoy it while it lasts, don't abuse the mercy of God. Don't abuse it. And I pray that the Lord is going to help us in the mighty name of Jesus.

 

Amen!

Thanks for the gift of your time, I am Obayomi Abiola Benjamin!

Feel free to share your thoughts or testimony in the comment box below. I promise to respond to them as soon as possible!